Now what?
At this moment, the Oklahoma City Whozits have 13 players under contract — 14 if restricted free agent Robert Smith gets around to accepting his qualifying offer — which leaves at least one roster spot open. (The presumption here is that the two yet-unsigned draft picks, DeVon Hardin and Serge Ibaka, will not actually be signed this year.) The Oklahoman’s Darnell Mayberry predicted three weeks ago that the team “likely will not be players in free agency,” which seemed logical at the time.
Then, of course, Sam Presti went after Utah guard C. J. Miles, but the Jazz wouldn’t let him go. Mayberry is now hinting at the possibility of landing J. R. Smith from Denver:
Smith, a restricted free agent, has improved in each of his four seasons, save a sophomore setback stemming from a near season-long stint in Hornets coach Byron Scott’s doghouse. He shot 46.1 percent from the field last year and 40.3 percent from behind the 3-point line, both career-highs. He was one of Denver’s lone bright spots in a first-round playoff sweep at the hands of the Los Angeles Lakers, averaging 18.3 points on 53.5 percent shooting.
Smith reportedly earned about $2.1 million last year, and the Nuggets have extended him a qualifying offer just over $3 million. Denver has said they’ll match anything anyone offers, but they’ve spent two years in Luxury Tax Hell and have had to fork over upwards of $15 million for the privilege, which means that Presti might be able to swing this with a serious overbid.
If we’re going after ex-Hornets, though, I think a better deal might be Linton Johnson, last seen at Phoenix; he’s not as reliable a shooter as Smith, but he’s much more ferocious on defense, and signing him won’t break the bank: a million a year could secure his services.
Still unspoken: who, if anyone, is likely to be traded. The Whozits have three expiring contracts this year.
