The Daily News is reporting that the Nets are "close" to re-signing Vince Carter to a four-year deal (averaging about $15 million per year). The deal will be signed by no later than Saturday, the last day Vince Carter can opt out of his current contract.Clues that Vince Carter is staying around:
- GM Ed Stefanski said in a radio interview on Friday that the team "does not expect Vince to opt out."
- Carter has been working out regularly at the Nets practice facility, which is a "good sign" according to Rod Thorn.
- Vince Carter is allowing assistant coach Bob Thate to tinker with his jumper in shooting drills.
- He's watching every college player workout the Nets conduct.
- Here's an anonymous Nets official on the situation:
- Vince is also scheduled to host a youth basketball camp at the Nets' practice facility from Aug.6 through Aug.10.
Expect Vince Carter to re-sign with the Nets within the next week.
What does this mean for the rest of the league?
This effects the Magic, the most likely suitor for Vince. With Vince out of the way, the Magic (currently $15 million under the cap) can re-sign Darko Milicic and still have around $9-$10 million left over. They may still pursue Rashard Lewis, and $9 million might be the right range for him. For the Knicks to make a run at Lewis, they are going to have to offer him at least $10 million, plus work out a deal with the Sonics.
Since the Knicks can offer the Sonics something (as opposed to the Magic, who have no reason to sign and trade anything of value to the Sonics), this may advantage the Knicks. I've said it before, but I think the Knicks have to move Jamal Crawford if they acquire Lewis. Even if the Sonics won't take Crawford back (they should think about it, though - they lack a 6th man instant offense type, and Crawford would help out as another offensive weapon on a team where only Allen and probably Durant are the only real threats to score), the Knicks could still offer the Sonics some useful players, including Channing Frye (Seattle could definitely use him).
If the Sonics don't take Crawford in a Lewis deal, maybe the Knicks can send him to the Kings for Ron Artest, or to the Jazz (who could use a better SG than Matt Harpring) for the readily available Andrei Kirilenko. AK47 would fit the Knicks' needs (a defensive shot blocker who can play the PF) and was very close to being traded last February for Mo Peterson. Jamal Crawford might be considered a more valuable player than Peterson (the Raptors, in case you are wondering, are rumored to be looking at signing Michael Pietrus with their midsize level exception to fill their SF needs this offseason)....
Whatever the case, one of the first domino of the offseason is about to fall.
Bonus: Below is YouTube of Vince Carter and Richard Jefferson playing some H-O-R-S-E, in a Nike commecial. It now appears that Carter won, and it is Jefferson will likely to be traded. Which makes sense, as Jefferson is more overpaid than Carter:
Oh, and I found this great clip of Vince Carter's Nike commercial back in Toronto:
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Does anyone else think that if they just unleashed RJ, he could give them like 90% of what Vince does, and he wouldn't be as much of a dickwad? If he would only stay healthy and a team made him the focal point of their offense, i really think Jefferson could breakout.
I wonder what they do at 17 now. NBADRAFT.NET has them taking rodney stuckey...thats obviously not happening now. I heard that like Crittenton, whose an absolute baller by the way, but that doesn't make too much sense with Marcus Williams there. He'd probably just steal his computer anway. I think now they probably have to go for a big, maybe Jason Smith?
LP,
I don't disagree with you on anything you said about VC. Especially the "limping back to the locker room during the middle of the 2nd qtr with a hangnail and/or other assorted boo boos". That about sums up his career.
But Jefferson is more overpaid. He'll make about the same over the next three seasons (from $13 million up to $14.2). I think that Rod Thorn, when he decides to rebuild, will have no problems finding someone to take Vince's $15 million contract. Isiah, for example (damnit).
Jefferson is harder to move - he isn't considered a star like VC. That's why I called him the more overpaid one, relative to his "value".
I think Thorn is going to go for it one more season, hoping Krstic makes a difference (plus the young guys), then blow it up in 2008, just in time for the big 2009 free agent class. My guess is he'll trade Kidd at that point (expiring contract), but attach RJ to that deal to get rid of one of his two big long term contracts. Then Thorn will either stick with Carter if he thinks the Nets are legit contenders, or trade him, too (probably 2010, when he's got only 2 years left on the contract, making him more attractive). And, of course, he'll sign LeBron James to the Brooklyn Nets.
Rickhouse - yeah, when VC and Kidd were both out a few years back at the same time, RJ put up some solid numbers on a terrible team. He had a lot of assists, too, which is surprising. But he turned the ball over a lot, so as a go-to guy he's not ideal. But, obviously, neither is Vince.
At $15 mil per season and climbing, Jefferson will no longer be more overpaid than your boy Air Pussy.
What a sad day for the 5 boros, weak island, and especially Jersey. The Knicks still suck, Air Pussy's coming back to Jersey, and worst of all, he'll still be there when the Nets finally get to Brooklyn.
No matter where he calls home, Air Pussy will do nothing but continue to come thisclose to actually 1. giving a fuck 2. playing without making the wince carter face every got-damn time down the court 3. playing one game without limping back to the locker room during the middle of the 2nd qtr with a hangnail and/or other assorted boo boos 4. hitting a big shot to win a meaningful game in the playoffs.
Air Pussy is the worst player with super star talent that I've ever seen. Hell, the fact that Jason Kidd hasn't asked for him to be traded actually knocks Kidd's greatness down a notch or two as far as I'm concerned, because a real competitor like Kidd is s'posed to be should never want to put up with the kind of drama that the Pussy will put you through.
Then again, Kidd is the same cat who ran a coach out of town that took his team to back-to-back NBA Finals, so he could be "coached" by the muhfuckin waterboy.
So maybe he and FUVC deserve each other.