Breaking: Joel Freeland to Unicaja Malaga for 5 years

His old team Kalise Gran Canaria decided in a board meeting today to not use the right of first refusal to retain Joel Freeland who will go to Unicaja Malaga now and sign a contract for €4.5 million over the next 5 years.

It is a process that is similar to matching offers for restricted free agents in the NBA, but with some differences. Gran Canaria had 10 days to decide if they wanted to retain Freeland for €600k for 1 more year, after which he would have become an unrestricted free agent. Or to match the offer by Malaga and keep Joel for the same contract conditions (which was impossible for them given that they are a team with a much smaller budget). Now Gran Canaria receives €200k in compensation from Malaga and will have to look for a new PF/C. They also lost their main sponsor Kalise today who will not renew contracts. Tough day for them.

And hard to say if that is good for the Blazers or bad. He develops on another team's time and dime, but it might be a long time before they can get him into a Blazers uniform (he is 22 now, so think Luis Scola coming over to the NBA if he would play out the whole contract). If at all.

This will depend on how potential buyouts for Joel are structured (no information yet). And could even be influenced by how the next collective bargaining agreement will look like. In the current version is a loophole that would allow a team to go over the rookie scale to sign a player who didn't sign his rookie contract for three full seasons following the draft, using cap space in excess of the scale amount. This would have been possible now for the Blazers with Joel (see comments, and more on a similar case for Spurs pick Tiago Splitter for 2010 here). Reportedly there were talks but he preferred Malaga's long-term offer - and the chance for a lot of playing time. It's hard to predict how a future version of the CBA might regulate international draft picks, who as also seen with Rudy sometimes would have to take pay cuts to sign late 1st round rookie scale contracts if they are already well-paid stars in another league. However the NBA could fear opening new loopholes for US college players if they make a change.

So the Blazers could lose their promising 2006 #30 draft pick for good, and little (a trade down the road) to nothing in return.

Update: Here is another report on the acquisition in English from the official Euroleague website, going into some detail on what Joel achieved while playing for Gran Canaria.

almost 3 years ago Norsktroll 12 comments 1 recs |

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Comments

I think it's good

If he came over, he wasn’t playing but he might be useful in a few years.

by tominhawaii on Jul 27, 2009 3:44 PM PDT reply actions

thank you Norsktroll

We might want him before five years are up. If we really, really want him I suppose we could buy him out and get him. – Elgin

Without you out there, we're nowhere here

by 22baylor on Jul 27, 2009 3:45 PM PDT reply actions

We are only allowed to pay $500K of his buyout.

by BlazerFanSince1970 on Jul 27, 2009 4:09 PM PDT up reply actions

On the plus side, they could offer him more than the rookie scale beginning next season under the current CBA (3 years of an unsigned first round draft pick not signing with a team). Up to the mid-level exception, i.e. the average salary of an NBA player. Of course it’s hard to impossible to predict how buyouts for international players, drafting international players in general, and this slight loophole will be handled in the next CBA to be negotiated over the next 1-2 years. The Spurs are prone to using it next summer for Tiago Splitter, then people will learn about this more extensively.

by Norsktroll on Jul 27, 2009 4:16 PM PDT up reply actions

If we wanted him we needed to do it this year.

Because we drafted him more than 3 seasons ago, we could have offered him any amount (for 3 years or longer) that fit in our cap room. i.e. we have to be under the cap to do that. Otherwise, he can only be offered the standard first round draft pick contract, which is about $1M maximum for him. We will probably not be under the cap again for a decade so he will now have to do "a Rudy" and take a huge salary cut for 4 years (unless we released him after 2 years) to come to the NBA.

This is my reading of the 1999 CBA which is on-line. The 2005 CBA is not on-line so this could have changed, but I don’t think so. I don’t see anything about using the mid-level exception if we are over the cap limit. If that is possible do you have any reference for that?

If we really wanted him, and he wanted to come over, we could have waited until the first day of the season when we will be about $2.3M under the cap again (because the Euro cap holds are dropped during the season) and given him that amount in a 3 year contract. I believe (although I’m not certain this is allowed) we could also have waited to sign our two other rookies until the day after signing Freeland, thus freeing up about another $1M under the cap to give him about $3.3M.

by BlazerFanSince1970 on Jul 27, 2009 4:33 PM PDT up reply actions

The possibility of bringing Splitter over next year for the Spurs was e.g. discussed here, but the Spurs would have cap space next year, so not sure where I heard about the MLE. http://www.48minutesofhell.com/2009/04/23/tiago-splitter-news/

And yeah, the easiest way to bring him over would have been now, and according to his agent there were discussions. But the offer from Malaga just has more guaranteed money and is also offering him (indirectly) a starting spot or at least being the first big man off the bench.

by Norsktroll on Jul 27, 2009 4:58 PM PDT up reply actions

I think you are right, couldn’t find something about the MLE except on message boards. The CBA only talks about “room” in excess of the rookie scale salary amount. Then unless we could generate cap space in the future we couldn’t do it unless he takes a pay cut or the CBA is changed. Maybe Storyteller or some other expert can expand on this.

by Norsktroll on Jul 27, 2009 6:06 PM PDT up reply actions

any info on buy out costs?

by Falcao on Jul 27, 2009 4:08 PM PDT reply actions

Right now Freeland is still very raw

He’s sort of a taller, less athletic version of his GB teammate (who plays a much larger role) Pops Mensah-Bonsu. Who is, I believe, available!

by meru on Jul 27, 2009 6:39 PM PDT reply actions

does anyone really believe?

this guy is ever suiting up for the blazers? i mean it’s sort of interesting and all but players who don’t come over by their second year typically don’t ever.

by colinmarsh on Jul 27, 2009 9:49 PM PDT reply actions

I do, more so than Koponen. He is only playing organized basketball in an academy/team for a few years, then developed rapidly and is now posting good efficient numbers playing 20 minutes per game. Chad Buchanan compared his current play with Shavlik in a Courtside interview. His ceiling is higher, he draws comparisons to David Lee but is 6’11’’. He was the second best player on the UK national team in some games last year, after Deng. With no Deng and Gordon this fall he could have a good EuroBasket where he has to take over some responsibility. He could play in the NBA now, but wouldn’t be a real rotation player. He has to get better setting picks, continue to refine his moves (he has some good ones), and react quicker on defense to not get caught out of position. Then he would be ready to be a backup for the PF/C spot. He just turned 22, so he is younger than college juniors. He still has time to develop. Problem for the Blazers will be once he does with increased time and responsibility in Malaga (which is a top team in Spain and internationally), they will have problems to pay him being over the cap from this year on out. This is the dilemma now.

There was one more talented player on his team, but that will eventually be a pretty high draft pick (he is also British, and 18).

by Norsktroll on Jul 28, 2009 2:30 AM PDT up reply actions