Watson Released, Thunder Falls To 0-4
LAS VEGAS — Sort of a crazy day out here. The Thunder made its first transaction of the off-season, and it’s one fans have long craved, seemingly by any means necessary. Oklahoma City released veteran point guard Earl Watson, making the man a free agent and finally ending his unhappy stay in Oklahoma City.
Watson has agreed to sign with Indiana but can’t until he clears waivers after seven days.
I’ll try to sum up this move quickly by providing clarity on what seems to be the biggest question of the day. Why did OKC waive Watson instead of trading him?
The answer: the Thunder couldn’t trade Earl Watson for two reasons, 1) his trade value likely wasn’t high and 2) you have to get something of value in return when you trade a player. GMs don’t just trade a player to satisfy his desires without getting something in return, even if that’s peanuts that turns into money off the books (read, expiring contracts).
Oklahoma City would have had to take back a salary if they did last season. And it’s now clear whatever offers were out there clearly didn’t appease the front office. And the Thunder is way under the cap this summer. That means two things, 1) OKC doesn’t have to match salaries in a trade for Watson and 2) any trade would mean OKC would again be seeking something of value in return. It wasn’t there.
A trade would have brought somebody that the team clearly doesn’t want, either because of his skills or because of his contract. There was no way the Thunder was going to trade Watson and take somebody with another two, three or even four years on his contract. It would have messed up the cap flexibility that’s been built. The only logical instance would have been if it were a darn good player, which Watson alone doesn’t warrant.
So the Thunder saved some money, added an additional roster spot and got rid of a potential locker room cancer. All in all, it’s not a bad day at the office. I don’t know how much the Thunder saved, but teams generally don’t do things like this unless a player makes it worth their while. And the Thunder had the upper hand because Watson was desperate to get out of OKC. I wouldn’t be surprised if he gave up half of his $6.6 million to get out of his deal. His agreement with the Pacers might be a good indicator of how much he forfeited. For example, if he signs a one-year deal worth $3.3 million, it likely means he gave up $3.3 million with the Thunder but is coming out even with his new contract with the Pacers.
As for the actual guys who are still members of the Thunder and are down here busting their tails in Vegas…..
It’s been sort of rough sledding for Oklahoma City in the NBA Summer League. The Thunder fell to 0-4 after Friday’s 80-74 loss to Chicago. Turnovers have really been an issue and the offense has looked great at times and awful at other points.
D.J. White has turned it on lately and is aiming for continued development on the defensive end of the floor. He’s not worrying about his scoring. He’s focused more on grasping defensive principles and rebounding more consistently. It’s a message that anyone who wants to play for the Thunder should take heed to.
Kyle Weaver is learning the ropes at point guard, which takes on more importance now that Watson is gone. Shaun Livingston is the only other point guard on the roster other than Westbrook, and Weaver could be looked to for emergency duty next season. It’s also not out of the question that the Thunder uses one of its roster spots to bring in a more experience point guard for spot minutes behind Westbrook.
One guy who has really impressed me has been DeVon Hardin. I love his enthusiasm, hustle and athleticism. He blocks shots, throws down alley-oops and bangs on the block for boards. That’s not to say he’s going to come in and be the interior presence the Thunder needs. Heck, the guy might not even be on the roster next season. He’s not even signed. And he’s still extremely raw. But he has a motor, and guys that have a motor are good in my book.
What does it say about James Harden that he had 20 points and five assists Friday and he’s the fourth guy I mentioned? That it’s become commonplace that’s what. Harden is impressive. I feel like a broke record saying it over and over again. It’s gotten to the point where you have to see him (in person) to believe how fundamentally sound he is, how mature his game is and how savvy of a scorer he is. Those of you who have seen him online are in for an even bigger surprise when you see him in person. Trust me.
That’s all for now.
-DM-
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Comments
re: justin’s comment, most of your complaints about the move seem to be based on hypothetical situations. “what happens if new orleans… you just never know…” presti doesn’t seem like the kind of guy to sit around and play the ‘what-if?’ game.
but i digress… DM, you refer to watson as a “potential locker room cancer.” what makes you think that? i don’t necessarily disagree, i’m just curious.
Donut, Earl tried his best to remain professional. But some days it was clearly hard for him to keep his emotions in check. He wasn’t throwing chairs around the locker room and getting into fights. But certain things like poor body language and repeated negative comments about playing time or personal situations can drag down the mood of the team. The situation had the potential to become even worse next year with the possibility of less playing time. -DM-
The fact that Watson was picked up almost immediately by Indiana shows that he has at least some value. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a team waive a player with an expiring that large without some sort of buy out terms. Especially in this NBA economy, expirings are extremely valuable commodities.
“presti doesn’t seem like the kind of guy to sit around and play the ‘what-if?’ game.”
Then this move was completely out of character because it seems he sacrificed a valuable trade asset because “what-if?” Earl Watson’s a cancer next aseson. Teams are going to be busting down doors for cap space next season, especially if the league continues to project ~5% cap drop for 2010. Expirings are the commodity to have, and to just let one go because he’s unhappy in his situation is kind of screwy. Can’t imagine any other GM doing this.
I saw this analysis by a commenter at a Pacers blog, taking Watson’s (possible) point of view:
You’ve got a guy who takes half of his next year deal (including whatever he’ll make here) to go play elsewhere and turn heads, hopefully for a good deal next summer. If he stays in OKC, he makes his full $6.6 mil, but his offers next year are going to be limited if he’s spending a lot of time riding pine.
While I do have concerns over Watson’s season last year, at the very least, we should expect to get the very best Earl Watson can be, which can’t hurt us at all.
It’s really a win-win move for us as long as the money isn’t outrageous. It doesn’t threaten T.J. Ford as the starter outside of himself, so he’s going to be happy, and then you’ve got Earl Watson, an already capable backup, playing the best ball he can as a back-up to prove he’s still got it in him for another decent deal.
Note that Jarrett Jack is being wooed to Toronto, and the Pacers may figure that it’s cheaper to pay somewhere around Watson’s $6.6 mil than it is to match the Raptors’ offer.
And what did DM say? The Earl is being bought out for possibly as much as half that? Win-win: team salary goes down, and Indiana gets what they may see as a bargain.
@CGHill: you’re dead on.
i mean, livingston’s looking like he will probably be able to be pretty productive (and he was a steal), weaver played a bit of point in vegas, so how many point guards do we need? i’d rather take a chance on a younger back-up for russell than an old one.
[...] And just like Earl Watson, Wilkins had the potential of becoming a bit of a problem had he stayed on the roster next season. Wilkins, known as a classy guy, often voiced his displeasure with his situation last season and could have gone from miserable to malcontent next year. Wilkins likely would have played fewer minutes next season than the 15.5 he averaged last year now that Thabo Sefolosha is here for a full season and No. 3 overall pick James Harden figures to be solidly in the rotation. Atkins, meanwhile, will be 35 in 2 1/2 weeks, and his career-low shooting percentages of 29.1 percent from the field and 25 percent from 3 in 18 games for the Thunder last season proved the sun is setting on his career. [...]
Waiving Earl Watson makes no sense. An expiring contract such as Watson’s has the most value the closer we get to the trade deadline. Teams will be scrambling to get further under the 2010 salary cap to sign big free agents and you never know what kind of player would be available. Waiving Watson in this manner makes me question whether the organization is commited to keeping its flexibility or if they’re simply cheap.
“There was no way the Thunder was going to trade Watson and take somebody with another two, three or even four years on his contract. It would have messed up the cap flexibility that’s been built. They only logical instance would have been if it were a darn good player, which Watson alone doesn’t warrant.”
Watson alone, maybe, but combined with other expirings such as Damien Wilkins and Chucky Atkins (who should have been waived instead, his deal is partially guaranteed) and you could get something. What happens if New Orleans approaches the trade deadline and wants to unload David West to the highest bidder? Or even Chris Paul? Or how about Utah and Carlos Boozer? You just never know what might come available. Although he was waived, almost all of Watson’s salary will still count against the cap, and OKC will still be responsible for paying him. So instead of having an asset of positive value (expiring contract), you now have an asset of negative value (a player playing for another team, that you are still paying).
Brilliant Move!