Atlanta Hawks: J.J. squeezed out of the big summit?
Who's missing from this picture? (slamdunkcentral.com)
ESPN.com reported there was a free-agent summit in Miami over the weekend involving LeBron, D-Wade and Bosh.
Other reports say the meeting didn’t happen and others that say it couldn’t have happened because James was in New York and Wade was in Las Vegas and Chicago over the weekend.
Now I’m watching ESPN respond to those reports by saying that the three players did too meet in Miami!
All of this comes after Stephen A. Smith reported that James and Bosh would join Wade in Miami.
It’s all very confusing. But if there was a meeting in some city somewhere, and if James and Bosh really are considering headed to Miami to play with D-Wade (it seems to be a real possibility), the one thing missing from all of this is Joe Johnson.
Remember, Wade had said J.J. would be included in the summit and now it turns out he wasn’t invited (if in fact there was a meeting). What that would mean for J.J. is that he’s not included in this free agent master plan orchestrated by LeBron and Wade.
What it means for the Hawks is if those three guys really do end up on the same team, that would leave more teams with top-tier cap space than there are top-tier free agents. If the Hawks really are hoping to avoid offering J.J. the Bird max salary of about $119 million, and there has been some resistance to doing so, then this is not the scenario they’d want to see (and that’s not even considering what it would mean for the balance of power in the Eastern Conference).
Of course, all of this is assuming there really was a meeting, and the Big Three free agents really would play for the same team. It’s not even Thursday yet and it’s hard to know what’s true.
MC
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431 comments Add your comment
Rondo
June 29th, 2010
5:41 pm
Just having fun with you Pops didn’t mean to rile you, silly me with my poor choice of words. But is it really Lebrons fault or the medias. Yeah the other group of guys you named is a filty bunch, but should Lebron be heaped among those loosers? I say NO!
Najeh Davenpoop
June 29th, 2010
5:45 pm
“Joe Johnson’s not in the same class as those guys, so I see no reason he should be included.”
Joe is absolutely in the same class as Bosh, who has quickly become one of the most overrated players in the league. Joe has accomplished more than Bosh in his career, plain and simple.
Grandad
June 29th, 2010
5:47 pm
There ain’t no real mtg.
You think the agents are going to
cede power one to the other.
It’s all media [espn].
Does espn [little letters] actually employ
an a real Journalist?
What does the ‘e’ stand for in espn.
*entertainment*.
the ‘n’ is for net-work NOT ‘news’.
Grandad
June 29th, 2010
5:50 pm
Rondo
You are so correct.
Only reason I lumped him in was media barrage.
See above…..^….. what I think of espn.
cdog
June 29th, 2010
5:59 pm
TELL YOU THAT JOE JOHNSON IS NOT IN THE CLASS OF THE SUPERSTARS OF THE NBA.HE HAS TO PROVE HIMSELF ON THE COURT AND NOT WITH HIS MOUTH
Matt
June 29th, 2010
6:02 pm
Eric got bitch slapped by MC. Eric tell MC how is ass tastes. Oohh.
terrell
June 29th, 2010
6:17 pm
What has Bosh done to get invited to the “summit? lol! At least JJ can get his team to the Playoffs.
terrell
June 29th, 2010
6:22 pm
Haywood is UNRESTRICTED fellas.
bigdave
June 29th, 2010
6:24 pm
this is all up to Joe IF the ASG quickly offer him a max contract.. at that point Joe has a decision to make. IF we dont, which is a possibility, Joe is gone.
STEEL (Formerly VenomSpitter)
June 29th, 2010
6:25 pm
Pape Sy didn’t look bad at all on that clip. Thanks cp.
ryan
June 29th, 2010
6:27 pm
Bosh wants max deal even though he is friends with those guys he not going take a pay cut for anyone. That is why a think Joe Johnson will take that max deal with the Hawks he will never see that type of money again 6 year 125 mill.
terrell
June 29th, 2010
6:32 pm
Will Pape Sy ever suit up for the Hawks is the question?
Charlie
June 29th, 2010
6:38 pm
What are the Hawks rumored plans if they lose JJ
drmaryb
June 29th, 2010
6:41 pm
Grand-Daddy
“Whup dat Trick!”
Rondo really is a disrespectful kid. this blog has no room for racism. Take that Ish to the Falcons blog, where they breed that ignorance.
All men are created equal. If you don’t know this by now? Then, blame your ignorant parents! we don’t hold school on here, this is a grown folks blog!
MC & Blue-Ray has the most intelligent bloggers in the world! We will eliminate you – if you don’t straighten up and fly right.
Grand-Daddy, I still got some “Gnat – Be – Gone” spray left over, shall I gas – him now or later?
Atlanta Spirit
June 29th, 2010
6:43 pm
You people are nuts! Do you really think we would spend the money to give J.J a max contract? Cheapest coach in the league. Lucked out on the Smith deal with Memphis offering a low ball contract. Sent our 2nd rounder to OC for cash. We will never spend what is needed to win a championship. Anyone want 2 teams and an arena?
Rondo
June 29th, 2010
6:48 pm
You are one ignorant fool drmaryb No one mentioned anything about rascism Tell me are you a doctor or a patient.
drmaryb
June 29th, 2010
6:48 pm
Show me the Money!
My fellow bloggers, think about it, seriously?
The only thing Mr. Johnson has control over – is his contract!
He has no guarantee that he will win a championship with this team or that team or this player(s) or that player(s). No one can predict injuries, health or God forbid death to a teammate. The Hawks had a player, center Jason Collier who died of a heart attack at age 28? (correct me if I am wrong) and may he RIP.
Take the guaranteed money and play hard and hope that your team will come together and make a run! That is not only pragmatic, it is prudent as well.
Sir Charles and Patrick Ewing are two players that come to mind as HOF’s who never won a single championship, much less 5. It happens to the best of them.
O'Brien
June 29th, 2010
6:48 pm
Najeh,
I am a GT fan, but I agree. The only thing Bosh has over JJ is his age. JJ is a very good defender of his position, and he makes other people better. You cannot say the same about bosh.
Ramon,
If you judge GMs and team presidents by championships, then how many of them have won?
You wouldn’t take the GM or president from Utah? What about OKC? How many championship have they won?
Reid Adair
June 29th, 2010
6:59 pm
Hate to say it, but I called it back when this first game up. Dwyane Wade, LeBron James, Chris Bosh and Joe Johnson. Can you guess which one is not like (as in, at the same level) as the others? It’s Johnson.
David Stern did have something to say about a possible “summit.” One statement was that the players had told him it would not happen; I can’t recall if he said such a meeting would be considered collusion or not.
Luke Cage
June 29th, 2010
7:01 pm
When the Hawks are back in the lottery again because you “so called Fans” are Hating that Joe shouldn’t get this or Joe shouldn’t get that. I hope you all will be happy then.
Like I said yesterday, who cares if Joe signs for $150million, ITS NOT MY MONEY OR YOURS!!!, if your boss came to you or another employer came to you offering you to be the highest paid employees you all know you will jump at it and laugh all the way to the bank. No sport athlete is worth millions playing a sport, but since thats the market why not take advantage.
Atlanta doesn’t support the Hawks much at all, when other big teams roll in they get louder cheers, this blog is a prime example of typical Hawk fans, all they do is bash the best player on the team. Just want to hear a realistic scenerio of who do we bring in if Joe leaves, its nice to always talk about getting a BIG, but most other teams are also and last I checked (being a Hawk fan since 1980) Major Big Time Free Agents NEVER look to come to here.
Sautee
June 29th, 2010
7:08 pm
Does anyone here remember my theme for most of last summer?
I posted again and again that the frontline was ready for a larger role, and that if that didn’t happen we were looking at chemistry issues.
Yes, they had a SLIGHTLY bigger role. Horford’s FGAs were up a whopping 1.5 per gm, and Josh’s FGAs DOWN but he played point forward some and so handled the ball more. Marvin deferred more than ever.
But all too often they didn’t see the ball during crunch time. That’s the only way for them to grow up. Put them through the crucible of taking shots with the game on the line.
The Hawks didn’t do that last year. Too often Joe or Jamal took highly contested jumpers, and yes, made some of them. But the point is, that we failed to truly share the ball when the games were on the line.
And yes, there were chemistry problems. I’d rather have been wrong.
My biggest worry about JJ coming back is that he might impede the growth of Smith, Horford and Williams. It’s time for them to grow up.
Past time, IMHO.
Mystikal
June 29th, 2010
7:08 pm
From:
http://www.hoopinionblog.com/2010/06/unsolicited-advice-on-eve-of-free.html
Consider this …..
1. Don’t offer Joe Johnson $125 million over 6 years unless you’re absolutely sure he’s not going to accept the offer and even then only offer Joe Johnson $125 million over 6 years if you’re preoccupied with managing perceptions rather than winning basketball games.
Signing Joe Johnson to a max deal will necessitate making future decisions based on finances rather than basketball all in the pursuit of keeping hope alive for the opportunity to get beaten soundly in the second-round. Pushing up against the luxury tax in the short-term and sacrificing future cap flexibility throughout the prime of the careers of Josh Smith and Al Horford so as not to lose a player who, good though he is and has been, projects to be the team’s third-best player before the half this hypothetical contract expires is not in the best interests of the franchise.
2. If you can’t get Joe Johnson re-signed for a reasonable cost over a reasonable length (and, given this market, I don’t think the Hawks can) hold out for useful assets that increase flexibility in the future even if this means taking a hit in the short-term.
In other words, don’t sign-and-trade Joe Johnson for an older, less good player who’s sort of like him (even if he has an expiring contract) especially if said player could render the resources spent on Marvin Williams even more of a waste than they currently appear. (Plus, adding another 2-guard or wing would seriously weaken the team’s bargaining position if they have to or want to move Josh Childress in a sign-and-trade.) The future of the Hawks consists of Al Horford and Josh Smith and, if they’re lucky, maybe one of Williams, Jeff Teague, or Jordan Crawford. All decisions should be based on adding to that core either specifically in the present or by creating the freedom and flexibility to take advantage of future opportunities. Young players, expiring contracts, and draft picks should be the only items on the team’s wish list.
2b. Don’t sign a free agent who is an older, less good version of Joe Johnson.
None of the Hawks’ primary problems stem from a lack of guards who can dribble and shoot. At some point perimeter defense and defensive rebounding have to be addressed if this team is going to improve.
3. Convince Josh Childress to be willing to play in Atlanta on the qualifying offer for 2010-11.
The Hawks needn’t commit to bringing back Childress but they need it to be an option, both as a short-term replacement for Joe Johnson who would complement both Jamal Crawford and Marvin Williams while splitting time between the two and the three, and to limit the chances they lose him for nothing.
4. Don’t spend the MLE.
I don’t think any serious person doubts the financial limitations of this ownership group. Spending money in ways symbolic (eight figures on an ex-famous person) rather than useful will only exacerbate those limitations.
5. Do fill out the roster with young free agents (especially those eligible to be assigned to the D-League) who can be had cheap in the short term and could be useful assets for the team, either on the court or when included in trades, in the future.
Because of those financial limitations the Hawks need to be more creative (and scout better) when filling out the roster. Signing Randolph Morris seemed a reasonable decision at the time but when he proved incapable of contributing and the franchise proved unwilling to eat his contract and give his roster spot to someone who might produce, it turned into a small but real waste of limited resources. As did using roster spots for entire seasons on other players unlikely to contribute ever (Thomas Gardner, Mario West) or those who can’t contribute immediately but might in the future with the benefit of regular playing time in the D-League to develop either their skills (Othello Hunter) or basketball sense (Solomon Jones).
Presently, the Hawks have two borderline All-Stars (Al Horford and Josh Smith), three guys who fit in the average starter/good bench player bin (Jamal Crawford, Zaza Pachulia, Marvin Williams, two adequate bench players (Mo Evans, Mike Bibby), and two unproven youngsters (Jeff Teague and Jordan Crawford). If Rick Sund does a reasonable job of filling out the roster with role players (young or old) and no major injuries hit, the Hawks should still be able to make playoffs in the short-term while setting the stage to build for something more ambitious in the longer-term. It won’t be easy. It probably won’t be popular. But it’s the franchise’s best chance for real, sustained success.
Mystikal
June 29th, 2010
7:17 pm
@MC,
You should do a fan poll and see would ppl rather us resign Joe (take max to keep him) and keep the first/second rd playoff run goind for another year or two. Or would rather us let him go (get back what we can) and take our lumps in the short term to have a “chance” at going all the way in 2 or 3 years? And what do you think?
Blast
June 29th, 2010
7:19 pm
Couldn’t have been much of a summit if only three 3 players showed up, and one of them is Bosh. Bosh is at Joe’s level, 2nd tier top players, though I’ll take Joe over him anyday.
Grandad
June 29th, 2010
7:23 pm
Rondo
Now everything is good.
-except-
Let’s not be callin’ anyone a fool,
shall we, that’s rude.
Now that we’re bein’ civil,
have a nice evenin’ Rondo.
Grandad
June 29th, 2010
7:24 pm
Mary Ellen
No need, I’m an educator.
My preferred method.
He’s cool.
Grandad
June 29th, 2010
7:27 pm
Sautee
I’d say “ditto” but it sounds too much like Limbough’s folk.
-so-
Co-Sign instead !
dap01
June 29th, 2010
7:31 pm
It is going to be fun to constantly pull again the king. Hail to the king.
O'Brien
June 29th, 2010
7:40 pm
Sautee,
Most of the blame for that falls on woody and the veteran guards (JJ, bibby and Crawford ).
I would like to resign JJ. But if we do, we need to trade Jamal to help address our front court. I don’t think our mid-level will be enough.
And I don’t think the ASG can afford to Max JJ, keep Jamal, bring back chills, and use the MLE to sign bigs.
Kraig
June 29th, 2010
7:50 pm
Hawks fans- If the Hawks fail to re-sign or willingly let him walk which top tier free agent do you believe is most likely to come to Atlanta? With all the talk of Lebron to NY or Chicago, or even Miami with D-Wade, any chance Wade, Lebron or Bosh wind up in the ATL?
Najeh Davenpoop
June 29th, 2010
8:14 pm
“If the Hawks fail to re-sign or willingly let him walk which top tier free agent do you believe is most likely to come to Atlanta? With all the talk of Lebron to NY or Chicago, or even Miami with D-Wade, any chance Wade, Lebron or Bosh wind up in the ATL?”
None of them can sign outright since the Hawks won’t have the cap space to do so. The only way any of them come to Atlanta is in a sign-and-trade. Cleveland has already said they will not sign-and-trade LeBron, so he’s out for any over-the-cap team. Miami has made it clear they want to keep Wade but they haven’t ruled out a sign-and-trade if he decides to leave. The Raptors are resigned to Bosh leaving and have already said they would like to sign-and-trade. So of the three, Bosh is the most likely to come to the ATL.
Of course, none of them will actually come here, so it’s a moot point.
newkid
June 29th, 2010
8:14 pm
Mystikal,
Great post @ 7:08 p.m. Gotta take the long view boys and girls.
Najeh Davenpoop
June 29th, 2010
8:18 pm
“Hate to say it, but I called it back when this first game up. Dwyane Wade, LeBron James, Chris Bosh and Joe Johnson. Can you guess which one is not like (as in, at the same level) as the others? It’s Johnson.”
Joe has won 53 games. Bosh has never won so many as 50.
Joe has been to the 2nd round of the playoffs. Bosh hasn’t.
Joe is regarded around the league as being a good defender. Bosh is not.
Both are flawed players. Neither one is at the level of LeBron or Wade. But I don’t buy this argument that Bosh is somehow at a higher level than Joe.
drmaryb
June 29th, 2010
8:21 pm
We have a better chance to attract another Super-Star if we have one on the roster here in Atlanta.
Joe IS our Super-Star! Period! We also have potentially two others in the making.
Then, we will have our own Big Three! IF Teague get’s going, he’s our Rondo!
We are moving in the right direction. The other teams in the league see Joe as a
Super-Star and he has earned the RESPECT of his peers! You Fans are not Joe’s Peers!
You are the beer drinking – popcorn eaters! That is your only role on this team – stay in your seats and don’t throw beer on the players! Be respecþful and don’t worry about meeting the pay-roll of these players!
That is really Nunna your Business! You have no Skin in the Game! If the ASG don’t spen
Their money on Joe? Then Who? No one else came here! Joe did! He is NOT the reason
We lose games. ASG go to LA and – “GET YOUR MAN”. Bump these broke Fans, they are NOT
Turning them Turnstiles!
Let’s Go Joe! And Happy Birthday Sir!
Rondo,
I ain’t got no Beef with you! Ignorant is as Ignorant does & I am not here to educate you!
I educate my patients! This is a Blog! Not school and it definitely ain’t the end of the World – at
least not My World! I’m gonna always keep it real!
Sautee
June 29th, 2010
8:24 pm
O’Brien,
So do you have faith that our rookie SG can fill Jamal’s role?
That’s the only way I trade Jamal. Mo surely can’t provide that spark. Nor can Bibby.
Najeh Davenpoop
June 29th, 2010
8:26 pm
“Like I said yesterday, who cares if Joe signs for $150million, ITS NOT MY MONEY OR YOURS!!!”
You’re missing the point. This is not baseball where teams can spend as much as they feel like. Signing Joe to a max deal means the Hawks are locked in to this current team, because they will be over the cap for the foreseeable future and won’t be able to make any more significant upgrades to the roster. In the past few years we could look forward to internal improvement in the team based on the young players maturing and improving, but we are at the point now where those guys have realized most of their potential. If the Hawks keep this current core together and expect it to perform better than it did this year, most of the major improvement would have to come from Larry Drew being a major improvement over Woodson and Jeff Teague blossoming into the Tony Parker/Rajon Rondo hybrid some of us think he can be. Yes, Josh and Al can become better post scorers, and yes, Marvin might become a more confident and assertive scorer in a real offense, but that’s going to yield incremental improvement, not major gains.
Both of those things are possible — in particular, I think Teague becoming a star is likely. But even if that happens and Teague-Joe-Marvin-Josh-Al is our core going forward, what is the ceiling for that team? To me, their ceiling is the #3 seed and the Eastern Conference Finals. Is that the ultimate goal for this franchise, or would they be willing to take a short-term step back for the possibility of putting together a team down the line that can actually contend for the title? That’s the question the DASG has to ask themselves when deciding what direction to proceed with Joe.
bigdave
June 29th, 2010
8:27 pm
win down the road..? when what ? the east? a playoff series?
with whom..? signing JJ is looking like a lesser gamble than taking the chances of our current front court becoming elite playing along side each other; especially without a premier back court player. i just dont see it.. especially the way these big spending teams including the one in our division are looking to reign for the next 10 yrs. not to mention Orl.
Joe looks like the option of choice, to establish some run of success. remember the garbage that is the contracts of Bibby, and Marvin wont be around forever..
Rondo
June 29th, 2010
8:28 pm
Nothings wrong with keeping it real but when you come at somebody come with true facts i never mentioned anything about racism in my comments. Your Gandaddy knew exatly what i was talking about.
Najeh Davenpoop
June 29th, 2010
8:30 pm
“David Stern did have something to say about a possible “summit.” One statement was that the players had told him it would not happen; I can’t recall if he said such a meeting would be considered collusion or not.”
Collusion is illegal because it is used to artificially depress wages. As far as I know, workers in any field discussing and coordinating wage demands is not illegal. Regardless, in order for the free agent summit to be the labor equivalent of “collusion”, they would have to be artificially inflating wages. Seeing as how the max contract is dictated by the collective bargaining agreement, it is impossible for them to do that. The idea of collusion doesn’t really apply here.
Najeh Davenpoop
June 29th, 2010
8:33 pm
Pape Sy in that clip looks like a more confident Marvin with legit 3-point range, but I don’t know about the level of competition he faced. Hopefully he can translate those skills to the NBA.
bigdave
June 29th, 2010
8:34 pm
im not too confident in the “possibility of putting a team together”.. that is a major pending fate..
Najeh Davenpoop
June 29th, 2010
8:35 pm
Regarding why Bosh was invited to the FA summit and Joe wasn’t, I think it has more to do with position. Bosh along with either LeBron or Wade provides an inside-outside combo. Joe, in my opinion, wouldn’t complement Wade very well at all, and although he would function just fine with LeBron, a team with both of them making max money still would need an inside presence to be taken seriously as a title contender.
Najeh Davenpoop
June 29th, 2010
8:38 pm
“im not too confident in the “possibility of putting a team together”.. that is a major pending fate..”
Neither am I, mainly because of Rick Sund’s mediocre track record. This is why between the two existing options I’d rather have Joe back even though such a move pretty much eliminates the possibility of the Hawks winning a title within the next few years.
But if the Hawks had a good GM who gave me the confidence that he could find a true superstar to take Joe’s place? Goodbye, Joe.
Kraig
June 29th, 2010
8:42 pm
Its reported that Dallas has reached out to Atlanta about a sign and trade deal for Joe. That being said what is yall’s view of this trade:
Haywood, Butler and future draft pick for Joe and Marvin?
Najeh Davenpoop
June 29th, 2010
9:00 pm
If the Hawks are going to sign-and-trade Joe, the focus should be on obtaining expiring contracts and draft picks, not necessarily the best talent available. Nobody is going to give the Hawks a player as good as Joe in return for Joe. If the Hawks can’t win a 2nd-round game with Joe, they are not going to do so with several players who are worse than Joe. Brendan Haywood on a multi-year contract would fall under this category.
Acquiring Haywood makes a lot of sense if Joe stays. If Joe leaves, it doesn’t accomplish all that much, since the Hawks are going to be a low-seeded playoff team with or without Haywood.
If Joe is dead set on leaving and the Mavs offer Butler, Dampier, and a couple of first-round picks for Joe, the Hawks should take it and try to flip those newly acquired assets — along with some assets of their own, like Jamal Crawford maybe — for CP3 and Okafor.
darrell starks
June 29th, 2010
9:11 pm
If the hawks dont sign joe i say rebuild the team, but im not signing joe 2 a max deal, may be 6year 100mill thats around 17mill per season.
GO HAWKS!!!!!!!!
Victor
June 29th, 2010
9:12 pm
You sold me Najeh. Only James and Wade are summit worthy.
bigdave
June 29th, 2010
9:15 pm
One of the more interesting storylines surrounding free agency has been the status of New Orleans Hornets floor leader Chris Paul. Despite constant assurances that Paul is not on the trading block from Hornets owner George Shinn and GM Jeff Bower, there has been a persistent rumor coming out of Orlando that the Magic would soon be acquiring the celebrated point guard.
Of course, there is absolutely nothing to that rumor, as one Orlando outlet is now reporting:
“It seems the Magic have given up on getting Chris Paul from New Orleans because the Hornets’ front office is not responding to the trade proposal from the Magic.” – ClickOrlando.com
The reason the Hornets’ front office isn’t responding to the supposed trade proposal is because they responded to it preemptively. Ever since last summer, when the first rumors about Chris Paul possibly being traded arose, the Hornets have been more than forthcoming on that front. Instead of the usual GM-speak, couched in vagaries and loopholes, Bower has gone out of his way to dispel the rumor in no uncertain terms.
Darren Collison can be had. Chris Paul cannot.
Read more NBA news and insight: http://www.hoopsworld.com/Story.asp?story_id=16644#ixzz0sIKmui4O
Mike is back
June 29th, 2010
9:15 pm
MC, I agree that scenario would not be good for the Hawks. If Bosh and LBJ would to team up…There are teams that simply have no qualms with signing JJ to a max contract.
I will say this about offering JJ a max contract…a rested JJ with fresh legs at the end of season is definitely worth MAX DOLLARS. Look at what Doc was able to with Boston…by monitoring the wear and tear of his guys. I don’t think that can be over emphasized enough. JJ want be expected to win the game on his own any more…everyone will shoulder the load.
I think if LD eases the wear and tear on JJ…HE COULD EASILY BE WORTH MAX DOLLARS…for the life of his contract. So pay the man already. I want see JJ in LD’s new offense…before we letting him get away.
D Aldridge keeps saying…he thinks LD will get it done for the Hawks. He got me sold…I’d rather take his word…then listen to a bunch of low foyers…trying to spread some hype.
Enough whining…pay the man, and we are still a 50 win team….word up!!!!!!!!!!!!!
@AJ, funny stuff on LD’s staff. heh…heh…heh. lol
O'Brien
June 29th, 2010
9:16 pm
Sautee,
I dont think our rookie Jordan Crawford will replace Jamal’s scoring. But him and Mo Evans will do a decent job. And I am willing to sacrifice some SG bench scoring if we can improve our defense and rebounding in the paint.
If we keep Jamal, it will be difficult to improve our frontcourt. Because all we will have is the mid-level and the bi-annual. We need a backup PF, a defensive minded center, and another SF. We cannot fill all those needs with just the mid-level (~$5.8 mil), and the bi-annual (~$3 mil).
Plus I dont see the ASG going into luxury tax anyway. Which they would have to do (or at least spend alot more money than they did season) if they give Joe the max, bring back Chills, and sign another big using the mid-level.