Anthony Davis decided to collect his $145 million in Louisiana (6% tax rate), Kevin Love chose to get his $110 million in Ohio over LA (5.4% to 13.3%), and Friday Greg Monroe shocked all by rejecting the New York Knicks (3.8% city + 8.8% state) to pay almost 5% less in Milwaukee (0% city + 7.7% state).
Early Friday morning WFAA-8 in Dallas reported that Wesley Matthews had left Portland (9.9%) and turned down $64 million from Sacramento (13.3%) to sign with Dallas (0%).
Figures come from the tax map from the Tax Foundation.
The Lakers and the Knicks grow desperate after all their money, fame, and history have failed to impress the top 20 free agents (see list below) in order to lure them to their high tax states. Prior to social media and digital press such as Breitbart, players needed to play in New York or LA to generate major coverage.
No more.
SBNation reports, “The Lakers were the first to meet with Aldridge, but he was reportedly unimpressed by their focus on off-court activities rather than the actual basketball team. There were reports that he ruled out the Lakers entirely, though Wasserman denied that. Kobe Bryant’s presence at the meeting was also reportedly a turn-off.”
The only other free agent who could add 14+ wins to his team, according to ESPN’s Value Added, is DeAndre Jordan, who was reportedly likewise unimpressed by the Lakers’ pitch. The third-biggest prize (Tyson Chandler) was traded by the Knicks with a year left because of his lack of interest in staying in New York, and Friday the fourth-biggest prize (Greg Monroe) shocked the Knicks by becoming a Milwaukee Buck on a 3-year max $50 million deal.
Do not count the two storied franchises out. They could even get back in on Aldridge. But they are learning the hard way.
Here is the latest on the 20 best free agents likely to change teams, and how many wins they are estimated to bring to their new team:
| Rnk | Free Agent | Likely or Definite Team Change | Extra Wins |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | DeAndre Jordan | unimpressed w/ Lakers, if leaves LAC likely for Mavs | 14.7 |
| 2 | LaMarcus Aldridge | no Knicks meeting, unimpressed Lakers/Kobe | 14.2 |
| 3 | Tyson Chandler | Knicks traded year ago, now Suns (4.5%) | 10.8 |
| 4 | Greg Monroe | turned down Knicks for Bucks – saved 5% | 10.4 |
| 5 | Enes Kanter | Knicks going after him from OKC | 10.4 |
| 6 | Lou Williams | Might leave Raptors | 9.4 |
| 7 | Monta Ellis | Mavs to Indiana | 8.2 |
| 8 | Wesley Matthews (inj adj) | Left Portland (9.9%), turned down Sacramento (13.3%) for Dallas (0%) | 7.8 |
| 9 | Ed Davis | Lakers to Portland | 7.8 |
| 10 | Brandan Wright | Phoenix to Grizzlies | 6.4 |
| 11 | Robin Lopez (inj adj) | Knicks and Lakers will try for him | 6.3 |
| 12 | DeMarre Carroll | Atlanta to Raptors | 5.9 |
| 13 | Jordan Hill | Knicks trying to get from Lakers | 5.2 |
| 14 | David West | Leave Pacers for Warriors or Spurs | 4.3 |
| 15 | Rodney Stuckey | Mavs possible | 4.2 |
| 16 | JR Smith | Probably leave Cavs | 3.2 |
| 17 | Al-Farouq Aminu | Dallas to Trail Blazers | 2.7 |
| 18 | Rajon Rondo | Mavs to Kings? | 2.5 |
| 19 | Kosta Koufos | Lakers trying to get him from Memphis | 2.4 |
| 20 | Arron Afflalo | Portland to Knicks, a very minor “win” for New York | 0.2 |
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