Windy on WKNR:
-No movement since July 8th or 10th for TT's deal. There has been no progress but Rich Paul has issued a statement to media outlets that if TT is forced to take the QO this year, that this will be his last year with the Cavs. This is all very typical rhetoric that happens this time of the year, it has happened with a lot of RFA and will happen in the future. It happened with Delonte West, Drew Gooden and Andy V.
-There is an enormous jump in the salary cap next year so a lot of teams will have money to spend (about 20 teams). It is a great time to be a free agent in 2015. There is a lot of money but not as much talent, so as a result the UFA's will get vastly paid. This is why TT's viewpoint is different and he can drive a harder bargain.
-If this was 2013, it is an easy bluff to call. He believes at 25, for TT to be a UFA at that age is unheard of. He thinks he will get 3-5 offers of $20M a year next year. There aren't a lot of big men free agents next year and teams have money to spend. You can't compare him to guys on existing deals because everything will change next year. This is why its hard to predict what will happen.
-Windy thinks its in the Cavs interests to pay TT now. Even if you overpay him, you do not want to risk losing him next year. The Cavs have spent a lot but they have locked in the core of their team (Iman, Love, Kyrie and hopefully TT) at this years prices. A year from now, those contracts will look better.
-Salary cap space isn't valuable when everyone else has it. You are better off locking in your contracts now but they have a luxury tax issue to worry about. He thinks they should go ahead and do the deal but he can see the Cavs saying "is he worth $85-90M?". TT will be a Cav next year, is it on his terms or the Cavs?
-The TT issue is an example of how LBJ is not the GM of the Cavs. If he was the GM, David Blatt may have been fired in December. He doesn't call all the shots because the Cavs have held a line here. Where LBJ can swing a hammer is on Thursday. He is giving his first and only press conference at Cedar Point and he will be asked about TT. He can apply some pressure to the Cavs by saying the Cavs need to lock him up to a long term deal.
-It is possible that TT could hold out and not report to training camp. He doesn't think it will come to that because $7M is a lot for the QO. Rich Paul threw a fastball today and this is complete negotiating posturing and positing right now. Let's see if LBJ turns up the heat.
-You can't look at old contracts and look at new ones. John Wall was upset when Reggie Jackson got an $80M contract. Jackson got his deal when there were teams with cap space. If TT is sitting there unrestricted next year, he will get 3-5 offers of over $100M. This isn't 2013 or old contracts.
-TT hasn't missed a game in 3 and a half years so he is durable. If you are worried about TT taking a chance on his health and doing the QO next year, think about this. A 29 year old Wes Matthews can get $70M over 4 years with a Achilles tear, you think a team won't give money to TT? Can you imagine what it will cost to keep Mozgov next year? He thinks he will get $16M-$20M a year next year.
-He hasn't heard a word on JR Smith. He thinks the Cavs have an offer out to him but he may not be happy with it so he is waiting to see what comes through.
Thanks!
