- Mayor’s Manor: Kings GM Dean Lombardi on moves he’s willing to make and if he’d look at a big deal if it came up.
“If you look at our team, I don’t see a major move. You never say never. I hate to say it, but the truth is now that people are talking more, I’ll look at anything. For the draft you predict. Do I see a major move? No. But I could get phone call five minutes from now that I didn’t expect, it has happened before. But it is certainly not the priority sitting here that I need to make a big move. To me the big move is like I said. Those guys that are all 25, 26 and 27 years old, the big move is taking another step in terms of their preparation and assuming more of a leadership role. That is the big move. If we do that, we will be more than fine no matter what we do.”
- Rich Hammond of the OC Register: GM Lombardi on Mike Richards.
“No. I don’t think we’ve made a final determination on anything. You have a number of scenarios: a trade, a subsidy, a buyout. One of those will probably be reflected by how the other pieces fit. There are a number of ways to deal with that cap hit. So you could actually throw that into the mix, in terms of the templates. Then, how that contract is dealt with has its own ramifications. You can figure out for yourself the options that are before us. Now, with the (draft) combine going and only two teams left, there’s more dialogue. I’ve had more dialogue over the last two or three days, with substance, versus anything I had at the end of the season.”
Lombardi is working towards re-signing RFAs Tyler Toffoli and Martin Jones.
Lombardi on Andrej Sekera contract talks.
“Sekera, the only thing I can say is, I think we have — which is not always easy to get — the parameters of a number. Often times, it’s hard to get a number, to see if you can plug it in. So I think we have the range that it would take (to sign him). Now have we countered with an offer yet? No. That’s all I can say on that one. I can say that I don’t think the number is outrageous. I think he’d like to stay here, so by virtue of that, you work at it and he ends up in some of your schematics there.”
- Mayor’s Manor: GM Lombardi on which contract dominos need to fall first before their salary cap situation becomes clearer:
“I understand what you’re saying, but I think it is more like just one, no matter what it is. There’s like four or five things you’re looking at and the one that comes up, you like. The options you look at when you’re talking to other general managers, you kind of get an idea of which you’d like. It depends which comes around first, I’d say, versus saying ‘well we’ve got to do this,’ before. Because the things that might come off that one are the things we can control. So to answer your question, is there one that has to fall, no. I think any one of them could fall and maybe none of them will fall. The only other thing I throw in there that we’re working towards is signing Toffoli and Jones. That’s not a domino; because that’s been priority since you saw it during the season. We were fortunate to get Nolan done, Clifford done, and Martinez and Muzzin and Pearson. So we want to finish that, those seven key players that are not even in their prime yet, to keep them in the fold. That’s not a domino, that is something we are actively pursuing daily.”
Lombardi on the chances of re-signing Justin Williams.
“That would require a domino, so there is a before there. To make that happen, that would be your domino theory. That would be one of the things we’re looking at.”