Trade & FA 2025-26: Free Agency Starts 5pm CST/6pm EST

[KillerLeft]

That was my point about Giddey at 30k. So I think your "otoh" in last paragraph is minimizing an issue that really CAN'T be minimized without shooting yourself in the foot. Money matters. "We we think he might prove more useful later" as an excuse for overpaying now is just pushing yourself to a path where, when/if the player improves, you will have to pay even more later to keep him.

No argument. But "on the other hand" (lol) players who already clearly justify a huge salary can be difficult to impossible to acquire. If you think you know a guy is undervalued, or in the wrong role, or on the cusp of breaking out in a way your competition can't see just yet, "overpaying" can be a strategically genius move. Brunson comes to mind, but there are dozens of other examples I could think of. I'm not saying Giddey fits the bill, and I think I'd probably steer clear of being the one to give him the huge deal, but it wouldn't shock me if he became an All-Star on a good team where he had the ball. 

You just do not, under any circumstances, want to be wrong if you take a risk like that. But, if you're right...could be amazing. Who, besides Donnie Nelson, believed in Steve Nash, for example? I realize the cap rules and general economic principles of the sport are harsher now, but I think there will always be an elevated place of respect for those who take risks - the right risks - that pay off. That's why teams still do it. They believe they see something others do not.