This door is closed, that window is open.
As the trading deadline has passed, the trading market is suspended, and the buyout market is becoming increasingly prosperous. Golan Dragic reached a buyout deal with the Spurs and will become a free agent, with multiple teams chasing after each other, a signal that the annual buyout battle has begun.
What is a buyout?
It's a way for teams to break up with a player, where the two sides negotiate a buyout amount, which is usually less than the player's guaranteed salary on the remaining contract. After the buyout agreement is negotiated, the player has a 48-hour clarification period, and if there is no team claim, the player will be reinstated as free, and the original team will pay the buyout fee according to the agreement.
From the perspective of the operating model, the player buyout is to lose part of the salary, and the salary deduction reaches tens of millions, such as when Griffin and the Pistons bought out, he gave up the salary of $13 million. Players are willing to buy out under the premise of salary discounts, usually there are two situations, one is that the career has reached the end stage, eager to join the championship team for the championship to fight for the championship, and the other is that the career development encounters a bottleneck in the original team, change the environment to strive for better performance, and pave the way for signing a more ideal contract in the future.
There are two important points in time for buying out players, one is the playoff qualification deadline and the other is the signing deadline.
The deadline for qualifying for this season's playoffs is March 1, local time (March 2, Beijing time), and only players who were bought out before this day can represent new teams in the playoffs of this season after signing with the new owner.
The signing deadline is the last game day of each team's regular season, such as the Lakers are On April 10, Beijing time, if a player is bought out before March 2, signing with the Lakers before April 10 can play the playoffs on behalf of the Lakers.
Signing a buyout player is a more enthusiastic way for the team to strengthen, because usually the basic salary contract can be done, there is no salary space trouble, and it is not like the transaction that needs to send out the team's assets, if the introduction of buyout players can contribute, the cost performance is very high.
For example, in 2006, Tim Thomas, who was bought out by the Bulls on March 1 of that year, then signed with the Suns, and due to the injury of Xiaosi, Thomas became an important reinforcement for the Suns to fill the gap in the front. In the first round of the playoffs against the Lakers, Thomas killed 22 points and 15 rebounds to help the Suns win, in the sixth game of the series, the Suns were 2-3 behind, the loss was eliminated, Thomas got 21 points and 10 rebounds, 6 seconds before the end of the fourth quarter, shot a three-pointer to bring the game into overtime, the Suns in overtime again relied on Thomas's three-pointer to pull the score apart and finally "escape", and then grabbed seven wins over the Lakers to advance to the semifinals.
In the Western Conference semifinals against the Clippers, Thomas not only often had excellent performances on the offensive end, but also played well in the third game with 19 points and 14 rebounds, and 25 points in the Battle of Tenno Mountain, but also played well on the defensive end, helping the Suns to break into the Western Conference Finals when the interior configuration was not dominant.
Some buyout signings have even become an important factor in determining the ownership of the championship, and in March 2012, Boris Dior, who was already fat enough to make the coach intolerable, was bought out by the Bobcats and subsequently signed by the Spurs. The Spurs were hesitant because Dior had been labeled "delicious and lazy and self-abandoned", and it was Dior's friend Parker who recommended and promised to supervise Dior's weight loss.
The Spurs' investment in Dior was not immediate, but a long-term effect, giving them a huge return after two years.
In the 2014 Finals, the Spurs suffered a heat that defeated them a year ago, a 1-1 draw after the first two games, Popovich put Dior in the third game of the change of team to put Dior into the starting lineup, Dior's comprehensive technology activated the Spurs' offensive system, especially the passing and cutting with mercury, the Spurs in the next three games, won the Heat by an average of 19 points per game, with a "gentleman sweep" to win the crown.
In that series, Dior grabbed a total of 43 rebounds, second only to Duncan (50 rebounds) on both teams, and gave up 29 assists, the most assists from both teams.
"Some players feel like they're better than others, and Dior is that type," Popovich said, "he's very good at passing, he has a wide field of vision, he has a lot of anticipation, he knows where his teammates are and where to pass the ball." On the defensive end, although he is not fast, he can always make accurate defensive predictions and stand in his place. ”
Signing out-of-pocket players, with less investment, less risk, may benefit a lot, and achieve a win-win effect is the most popular way to operate after the trade deadline.
Now that Dragic has entered the buyout market, who will follow him?
Buyout candidates: Bledsoe (Trail Blazers), Gary Harris (Magic), Robin Lopez (Magic), Bazemore (Lakers), Jordan Jr. (Lakers), Favors (Thunder), Muscala (Thunder), Lamb (Kings), Satoranski (Spurs), Schroeder (Rockets), Tristan Thompson (Pacers).
Buyers in this market, usually teams that have expectations for the record, looking for the final puzzle that can help improve the combat effectiveness, the Warriors have no worries in the regular season, but they have a relatively thin interior line, which will be a big hidden danger in the playoffs, and if you can get a big man in the buyout market, such as Favors or Robin, it is to add an insurance.
Defending champion Bucks suffered injuries at the backcourt, both Connaughton (hand surgery) and George Hill (neck injury), who had previously traded Di Vincenzo and needed to replace the defender.
Both the Lakers and the Nets have a need for a two-way defender, who can hold the ball to block and unload, feed teammates the ball, and provide space support with projection to make up for the lack of projection by their current organizers (Westbrook and Ben Simmons).
It's one thing to want it, it's another thing to want it or not. Buyout players to sign either rush to the championship or run to an environment that is more suitable for their performance. For example, the Warriors, who sign big men and put them into use right away, give them a certain amount of playing time, and offer the chance to win the championship, which is very attractive.
The same is true for the Bucks, who lack guards, have a chance to enter the rotation when they come, and then follow the team to play the playoffs to fight for two consecutive championships, which is easier to buy out players.
The situation of the Lakers is the most complicated, you can't say that they must be no drama in the championship, after all, there is Zhan Mei, but the combat effectiveness shown by the Lakers this season is really unable to compete with the Bucks and other strong teams, but they are often hanged.
If a player wants to go to a team closer to the championship after a buyout, the Lakers will not be the first gear of choice.
The Lakers are polarized in terms of giving players the opportunity, specific to the position of the guard, they actually have a lot of defenders, but not many can stand, sapper type such as Reeves, shooter type such as Munch is easier to play out in the Lakers, and the ball-holding type, whether it is Last season's Schroeder, or this season's Westbrook, have lost their own value.
The Lakers theoretically need to increase the number of people who develop offense, but in practice, they do not use this type of player, Rondo in 2020 is an exception, but the closed park environment can not be copied, and the current Lakers do not have the defensive resources and team atmosphere at that time.
To put it simply, if you were Dragic and there were Bucks, Bulls, Lone Rangers, etc. in the candidate team, would you choose the Lakers?
The answer in your heart may be the reality of the Lakers.