Q: I don’t know why they want to keep Duncan Robinson’s contract on the books when he is barely going to play this season barring injuries. – Alastor.
A: I disagree, particularly when you look at the limited number of shooters in the primary rotation. As of now, I very much have Duncan Robinson penciled in as part of the rotation. The need for spacing practically demands as much. Beyond that, it’s not as if you summarily can simply discard Duncan’s contract. The Heat have tried before, obviously without any movement in that regard.
Q: Ira, I remember waiting through all of August last year for the Damian Lillard trade. Is this when the NBA goes on vacation? – Elliot.
A: Last year was a bit of an outlier, with the league seemingly stuck in neutral as Joe Cronin decided what the Trail Blazers were going to do with Damian Lillard (including a determined stance not to do anything with the Heat). But, yes, typically, the league takes a retreat after summer league. As it is, with the new tax-apron rules, it’s as if teams decided to steel themselves against the unknown with the new collective-bargaining agreement by acting with haste this offseason. So while we have seen a few moves with lower-paid free agents in recent days, such as Tyus Jones taking a minimum deal with the Suns, it does seem as if the league has decided to allow the NBA stars at the Olympics to have their spotlight at the moment. Plus, remember, any player signed in the offseason as a free agent cannot be dealt until Dec. 15, at the earliest.
Q: Not to have sour grapes, and I know money talks first, second and third in the NBA, but do the players who are thinking about leaving look at the track records of players who signed elsewhere and even for a moment think, ‘Hmm, PJ Tucker got the same overall money but oodles of instability and movement. Gabe Vincent and Kendrick Nunn have not been able to have a full healthy season. Omer Yurtseven’s been quiet. And now Caleb Martin ends up with half of what he could have had.’ Max Strus seems to have done alright, but I feel like there are enough cautionary tales to make you think. Then again, if I had one chance to make several million more dollars than I do now, even if the workplace might not be as much of a fit, I probably am also signing that contract. – Phillip, San Francisco.
A: And, with that, you have answered your own question. The grass might not always be greener on the other side, but the green is greener.
