Atlanta Hawks: J.J. to Mavs, Knicks, Bulls, Rockets . . . or Hawks?
Is there cash in that boot?
Another day, another Joe Johnson rumor.
This time it’s Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports reporting that the Mavericks are interested in acquiring J.J. They are over the salary cap, so the only way to do that would be through a sign-and-trade agreement. That means J.J. would have to want to play for the Mavs and Dallas and Atlanta would have to come to an agreement on a trade.
The key line in Wojnarowski’s story is this: “Johnson is determined to get the sixth guaranteed season on a contract that could only come with re-signing in Atlanta or a sign-and-trade arrangement, sources say.” This is along the lines of what I’ve been saying all along, that guys just don’t leave $25-$30 million on the table. The signals being sent out by J.J,’s camp are clear: If Atlanta offers the most cash, Johnson will re-sign. If not, he will look elsewhere. What’s not clear is if the Hawks are willing to pay J.J. the max if that’s what it takes to keep him.
The thing to remember when all of these stories leak (in addition to the fact that leakers always have an agenda) is that no one knows for sure what J.J. is going to do. Last week the word was J.J. was ready to make an early commitment to Chicago. Then he was willing to take less cash to play for the Knicks. Now the latest is that he really wants a sign-and-trade, and perhaps he will look at Dallas (or Houston, as an enticement for Bosh to also sign there).
The AJC’s Mark Bradley asks if Atlanta wants J.J. back and that’s a good question. He mentions how the city of Cleveland has pretty much begged LeBron to come back. Bradley is talking about the fans, but it also seems the Hawks organization has been relatively subdued in its public recruitment of J.J. as compared to the teams of other top free agents.
In Miami, for instance, the Heat have gone all out to show the love for D-Wade. There’s been no reason to guess if the Heat wants D-Wade and if they will pay the max to make it happen. You can say that’s because it’s a no-brainer for Miami to pay D-Wade the max, and you would be correct. However, the Heat also went crazy for Udonis Haslem, who is a good player but not a star.
Hawks management, meanwhile, has been pretty quiet in regards to J.J. Soon after the season ended GM Rick Sund said the Hawks will do all they can to re-sign J.J. and has repeated that statement a couple times. But that’s been about it as far as public pleadings for J.J. by Atlanta’s brass. That hasn’t changed even as all these stories surface suggesting that other teams are ready to make aggressive pushes for J.J.
Anyway, we will soon see how it all plays out. I’m sticking with my belief that J.J. will re-sign with the Hawks if they offer the most money. They are still in control of this process.
MC
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278 comments Add your comment
Ramon
June 29th, 2010
9:42 am
Mac, they have Pape Sy at 6′6 and 6′7. And Drew says Sy can play point. If he picks up the level of competition in the league, a 6′6 pg can go a long way in this league.
nobody
June 29th, 2010
9:55 am
Apparently Pape Sy is a dead eye shooter. So maybe we did get a good player. At least he has a cool name.
O'Brien
June 29th, 2010
10:01 am
nobody,
I havent seen much of Beaubois except for highlights. But I remember one game in the playoffs where he was on fire. He is more of a combo guard in my opinion, but he has lots of potential.
Ramon,
Speaking of 6′7″ PG, Shaun Livingston is available. In april when he got lots of PT with Washington, he averaged 16 points, 6 assists, 4 rebounds per game in 37 minutes of pay (for an 8 game stretch). Those are great numbers.
~~MAC-ToWN~~ (Area Code 478)
June 29th, 2010
10:01 am
So do you guys think Pape Sy is gonna make the roster? I actually hope so because I’d hate for him to be just another wasted pick. Well….that’s if he can contribute.
I agree with that though@Ramon
He could cause some match up problems for the opposition.
~~MAC-ToWN~~ (Area Code 478)
June 29th, 2010
10:05 am
nobody…..the only thing I know about Beaubois, is hearing Dallas fans say they felt he was extremely underutilized. Apparently he’s a pretty good talent with a huge upside.
That sounds exciting, but the only thing that bothers me is that…well..lol we’ve heard alot about “upside” and “potential” before that didnt (hasnt) exactly blossomed yet….YEARS later.
Ramon
June 29th, 2010
10:16 am
O’brien, I would offer Livingston a contract similar to Randolph’s. Or a 2 year contract for a mil per, with a team option for the third season.
JoJo the Godfather
June 29th, 2010
10:18 am
Beaubois is an athletic combo guard that can flat out score. His points/40 in his rookie year was 22 pts, while shooting 52% from floor, 40% from 3, and 80% free throws (all set on 12 minutes a game). His scoring in his rookie year is kind of what I was expecting of Teague, but of course Teague was never used as a scoring option. To me, they are very similar players. Hopefully Teague has better vision as a PG to go along with an ability to score. Teague, Beaubois, Crawford & Crawford starts getting a little repetitive.
Ramon
June 29th, 2010
10:20 am
By the way, I hope you guys know that Joe is coming back to Atlanta, so go ahead and accept it. The Hawks will offer Joe the max on Thursday morning. And I know he won’t turn it down. Because your legacy may be about rings. But your mortgage is about Benjamin! And he’s going to accept what’s best for him and his family.
I don’t know why people get excited about a possible Wade, James, and Bosh trio. It looks good on paper. However, unless they get a deads eye shooter for the point guard position, all you need to do is play a zone against them, and you will win more than you lose.
nobody
June 29th, 2010
10:27 am
From what ive seen so far Butler and Beabouis would be a good deal. A very good deal
nobody
June 29th, 2010
10:30 am
I honestly think Joe is going to sign with the Hawks. I really dont know if he will be staying. He wants his money. We offer him that. And its looking like the quality guys are all going to Miami so we offer him the best team around him. The knicks and Bulls are worse than us at the moment. I say 75% he signs with us. 50/50 on whether he stays. I hope we trade him for pieces.
JoJo the Godfather
June 29th, 2010
10:32 am
nobody…why butler over dampier’s non-guaranteed deal?…contracts like dampier’s and delonte west’s are extremely valuable…joe & bibby for dampier, beaubois & a pick would be the best deal…however, i believe joe will be back and THAT is the best case scenario.
Hawks fans: Are we looking in the wrong direction? | Atlanta Hawks: Fan Nest
June 29th, 2010
10:32 am
[...] All the noise around here is centered on Joe Johnson’s possible departure from the team. Everywhere you read, people are either convinced that Joe will stay if offered a maximum salary contract, or convinced that he will land elswhere, part of some other team’s star player tandem. AJC Hawks beat writer Michael Cunningham thinks that despite all the interest from other teams, Joe stays if the “cash love” is right. [...]
nobody
June 29th, 2010
10:39 am
JoJo. This is very true. I was just saying Butler because his contract does expire so he wouldnt be a financial liability and as a fan Id much rather watch him because with the FA developments we really have no shot at a title. So id rather have an exciting team.
Ken Strickland
June 29th, 2010
10:52 am
Why is everyone so up in the air about us possibly paying JJ a max contract? The main reason we don’t have much salary cap space is because of the CAP HOLDS we have on our FA’s. These are the CAP HOLDS that are being charged to our cap for our FA’s, even though they will no longer be under contract to us on July 1:
$15.8M-JJohnson
$10.9M-JChildress
$ 1.6M-MWest
.854-JoSmith
.854-JCollins
.854-RMorris
1.89–total CAP HOLD FOR 4 unfilled FA slots(.473.6×4=1.89).
These CAP HOLDS, plus the cap charges for all players currently under contract, gives us our CAP TOTAL. Therefore, if we sign JJ to a max contract, we’d only be paying him the difference between what we paid last yr($14.9M), and the annual amount of his max contract. Therefore, his cap charge would increase only in proportion to the difference in the 2 salaries. Chills wouldn’t cost us more than 4-5M if he resigned, but doing a sign and trade with him would definitely give us some CAP relief, since his is so high in proportion to his salary.
We could resign any of our other FA’s with minimal effect on our cap charge. So resigning JJ and Childress, along with maybe RMorris would have a minimal effect on our current cap or salary structure, since they’re already factored into it for a certain amount as it is.
So, now you can see why the ASG is willing to give him a max contract. The REWARD vs the cash outlay you get by investing in him is a far, far better bargain than anyone we could possibly sign to replace him. JJohnson is the only major FA the Atlanta Hawks can afford to sign.
ThaDon06
June 29th, 2010
10:53 am
What’s the likelihood the Hawks can go out and make serious bids for the top tier free agents. I mean really. I don’t know if they realize that if they have a player or players that the fans want to see, selling out Phillips Arena would be easy, even if they had to raise ticket prices slightly…Look at when the Lakers, Cavs, Celtics come to town…man it’s packed…but when the Nuggets or Clippers come in…seats are available…How exciting would it be to see Lebron, or Wade in a Hawks uni…WOW…either one of those guys could win with our bench and supporting cast…I mean really…The Hawks have a good team, but one of those guys could make it GREAT!
GeeMack
June 29th, 2010
10:57 am
nobody
If you take JJ off the Hawks the Bulls are a better team. The supporting cast in Chicago would better if you add JJ.
I agree with you I think JJ wants to resign with the Hawks. You thinks he could get Amare to push for a sign and trade from Phx if he resigns in Atlanta?
GeeMack
June 29th, 2010
11:02 am
Ken Strickland
If someone sign Chills to an offer sheet, and we decided not to match. Do the Hawks get the total 10mil cap relief or just a portion of that?
GeeMack
June 29th, 2010
11:06 am
Ramon
“I don’t know why people get excited about a possible Wade, James, and Bosh trio. It looks good on paper. However, unless they get a deads eye shooter for the point guard position, all you need to do is play a zone against them, and you will win more than you lose”.
That may be true but the only team that beats them in a 7 game series are the Lakers, and that’s becasue a healthy Bynum give the Lakers the advantage.
i_am_soulstar
June 29th, 2010
11:09 am
Nobody,
Apparently, Zoubek is playing with the New Jersey Nets summer league team.
nobody
June 29th, 2010
11:10 am
I dunno Geemack. They may have Rose, but our team is pretty damn talented. Horford is better than Noah. Josh Smith is better than whoever they have. Jamaal Crawford was the NBA sixth man so no one is better than him at what he does. And teague showed potential.
Grandad
June 29th, 2010
11:11 am
nobody:
on Roddy Beaubois
JoJo was accurate from above except;
he avg. 7 pt. per.
6-1.5 w/o shoes + *6-9.5 w-span
*that’s why I’ve been comparing him to Rondo.
combo guard / dif type player than Teaguer
potential def [Rondo - again] stopper.
former soccer player.
shooting %’s across board were great.
once again more of a combo guard.
-perfect fit-
We get RB & Butler, for Joe, we win.
Caron Butler a noted defensive specialist @ the [3].
CB = high character guy.
**would possibly be the best scenario we could imagine.
i_am_soulstar
June 29th, 2010
11:13 am
Ken Strickland,
Well said.
GeeMack
June 29th, 2010
11:14 am
ThaDon06
Then we would wake up right? lol.
nobody
June 29th, 2010
11:15 am
Yes Grandad. I think The Dallas deal is better for us than them. Beabouis sounds nice. Im guessing since he is french it is pronounced
Bo Bwa? Ive always liked Butler
Rufus1
June 29th, 2010
11:17 am
Great post Ken 10:52am
Joe Will Return
No body in Joe’s position will leave 30mil on the table…I am not worried.
Dallas trade..
I would only to trade Joe to Dallas if I can clear cap space. If Dallas will take Bibby and or ZaZa’s contract, I would consider it.
nobody
June 29th, 2010
11:20 am
Am i the only person that thinks its sad that we all have to talk about “Good character” or “Bad Character”? I knjow its a part of life but its a shame. I dont mean this like some people who just say basketball is for thugs. I love bball.
GeeMack
June 29th, 2010
11:24 am
This will be a great offseason.
L. J.
June 29th, 2010
11:26 am
I am considering the Hawks, keep JJ to help me out…!
i_am_soulstar
June 29th, 2010
11:28 am
nobody,
It’s sad, but necessary. Low character guys can cause a rift in the lockroom that translates to the court and has a detrimental effect on team play.
This is what Al Horford claims had more to do with the Hawks downfall in the 2nd round than anything else. (See http://www.nba.com/2010/news/06/28/horford.johnson.ap/index.html?ls=iref:nbahpt2)
But yeah, it is a shame.
Grandad
June 29th, 2010
11:28 am
GeeMack – is right, they look good on paper.
But the game is on the floor.
Which one is Alpha Dog?
LbJ or D.Wade. @ least we know Bosh takes hind teat.
Which on subjugates their game, HA?
Bosh needs to think…hmmmmm…Marvin Williams…hmmmmmm???
Do their personalities really lend themselves to:
“BIG TEAM – little me”
Nah !
My guess is they would [hypothetically]
win alot in reg season [talent],
then flame out in play-offs.
ryan
June 29th, 2010
11:31 am
If the Hawks plan to pay Joe Johnson 125 million for 6 years my question is were all of sudden did the ASG get all that money. My second question is they should use that type of money to get at least 2 top free agents.
nobody
June 29th, 2010
11:36 am
I think their time with team USA will really help them if they play together. They already know how they all fit with eachother. Which sucks for us
nobody
June 29th, 2010
11:39 am
Get horford help if that is what he really wants. He seems to be the one main guy that is all for this team. If he thinks itd help then it probably would.
Hawks73
June 29th, 2010
11:40 am
It’s quite obvious that the geniuses at ASG can’t decide on what to do with Joe Johnson. The answer is simple, sign him to a max contract (because that’s the only leverage they have), and either keep him or trade him (as opposed to letting him go). The NBA salary restrictions give them no other option, so if they are serious about this product, then their this is their only option.
You can’t let him walk and expect to sell that bag of sh!! to the fans. Plus J.J for all his deficiencies is still a better option than almost any other scenario (if they choose to keep and not trade).
nobody
June 29th, 2010
11:42 am
Good points Hawk73. JJ is our only real option. We must sign him. Keeping him is their choice
Ramon
June 29th, 2010
11:42 am
Geemack, I disagree. I don’t think that team would’ve beat this year’s Boston team, nor will they beat Orlando (who are about to trade for Hedo again). Bosh is good on offense, but he doesn’t guard any one on defense. Wade and Lebron won’t have a lane to drive against Boston or Orlando. And if Amare ends up in Chicago with Noah, they may not be able to beat Chicago either.
i_am_soulstar
June 29th, 2010
11:43 am
ryan,
as Ken stated earlier, 125 million for 6 years is a little over 20 million a year, so that’s only about a 5-6 million pay raise from the 15 million he’s been getting.
i_am_soulstar
June 29th, 2010
11:46 am
Hopefully they’ll sign him at 108 million for 6 years. I can sleep at night with those numbers.
terrell
June 29th, 2010
11:51 am
Mavs get JJ
Hawks get Rodrique Beaubois(future star)(1.1 mill), Matt Carroll(4.3 mill) and a 1st
Beaubois/Chills?/Marvin/Josh/Al
Teague/Jamal/Carroll/Zaza/Kurt Thomas(FA)
Jo Crawford/Bibby/Evans
Grandad
June 29th, 2010
11:54 am
nobody:::
High character guys do not mean
-that-
their opposites are thugs.
It just means that certain guys possess a
certain quality that sets them apart as a
special basketball player.
Lots of ass-holes in this world wearin’
business suits.
-However-
*High character* comes in all shapes, sizes & colors.
Long hair, crew cut, tatted, pierced, suited,
burqah wear’n’ women, Spainish speakin’, old, young,
overweight, ugly, smelly, Presidential, uneducated,
and even people from New York, New Jersey & Tennessee.
While their opposites may be:
former Governors from Alaska
-or-
former VP’s
-or-
former HC’s.
Sorry, I got a little carried away.
GeeMack
June 29th, 2010
11:57 am
Ramon
Miami was ome of the better defensive teams this season. I can’t see them taking a step back with better talent.
Grandad
June 29th, 2010
11:58 am
nobody:
either Bo-bwa or *Boo-bwa
*I heard it pronounced this way.
Grandad
June 29th, 2010
11:59 am
*I’ve
nobody
June 29th, 2010
12:01 pm
Grandad I think you missunderstood. I wasnt saying basketball and sports are only where bad people are. Or anything neccesarily about bad character. It just sucks that we have to talk about things like Michael vick or Gilbert Arenas at all. I dont know where people get ideas like that. thats all. I understand there are probably more crooked suitwearers than all athletes combined
nobody
June 29th, 2010
12:01 pm
Thanks Grandad thats what I thought
lewis
June 29th, 2010
12:22 pm
didn’t know the ajc offices were in dunwoody, thought it was an in the perimeter paper
ryan
June 29th, 2010
12:22 pm
If the Hawks sign Joe to that max deal for 125 mill for 6 year then i think trade is in the works. It will be a package deal for Chris Paul NO gets Jamal Crawford & Josh Smith. And Joe will finally have help. Joe never got along with Josh and that was the problem coaches did to.
Ramon
June 29th, 2010
12:32 pm
Ryan, where did you read this that Joe never got along with Josh? Because it often seemed as if Josh got along with everyone not named Woody. And Josh never complained about anything that Horford didn’t complain about also (the backcourt taking too many bad shots).
TONE
June 29th, 2010
12:45 pm
Anybody else find it interesting that there was a so called summit meeting between Lebron,Wade, and Bosh and JJ wasn’t mentioned ,but Boozer was ? if somebody else has already mentioned this Im sorry i have actually had to work today and fell behind on the blogs.
lewis
June 29th, 2010
12:46 pm
Ramon, think objectively about Josh Smith for a second. You don’t need to read it anywhere, just observe the decisions he makes on the court. I love Josh Smith even through all of his obnoxiousness, and he does make more good plays than bad, but it’s quite easy to see why he wouldn’t get along well with others. (Hey…I’m josh smith…i’m just going to completely regress and start hoisting up 3’s and displaying unnecessary emotional distress in the playoffs because things aren’t going my way and Joe’s hogging the ball)
I’m sure Al and Joe would love for Josh to leave.