thecampster

yes but just so you don't go getting all excited. 15 players we're going to be at About $158-160 million minimum. We'd have to drop 7.5-$10 million in salary at that time.

See...that's a great question. Last day of the season for "paying the tax". Current state for signings/trade rules.

I mentioned that bit on Knox the other day. They would have been willing to keep him on a min, min+ deal for a year but knew he could get a better deal elsewhere with an opportunity for playing time. With them not offering him, I thought it was fairly certain his agent already had a suitor lined up.

Then you better get with the people on the ordering desk. I was very clear with them that the voodoo ritual I was using the hair for required authentic hair and they assured me that rider was only in there to protect against any lawsuits from the fan club of Benjamin Simmons of Clarksdale, Florida. I have the chat transcript.

And you still owe me the certificate of authenticity with certified DNA test results...

I know. I'm removing the certificate from the frame now, putting my wallet card in the envelope to mail.

Everything that Simmons offered (except the length to guard bigger players) is now replicated in Murray but with better shooting. I love Ben Simmons but you just got the same impact I was looking for at 1/2 the price. There is no need to replicate it.

I'm saying realize the impact of our moves going forward. Nearly all things are possible but that chart should spell out the limitations we will self impose with certain deals. All eggs, 1 basket does tend to invite a playoff injury. Personally, I am not in favor of trading for KD. I believe his body is on the verge of breaking down (year or 2) and I don't want to be the one without a chair when we finish playing musical contracts.

Before any more Tom Foolery is discussed, please head over to this post and look at the most recent roster makeup/numbers.

Senior moment. Forgot to adjust Trae's salary with the new cap. Player 2022-23 Trae Young $37,096,500 $37,096,500 John Collins $23,500,000 $60,596,500 Clint Capela $19,706,897 $80,303,397 Bogdan Bogdanovic $18,000,000 $98,303,397 DeJounte Murray $16,571,120 $114,874,517 Kevin Huerter $14,508,929 $129,383,446 De'Andre Hunter $9,835,881 $139,219,327 Onyeka Okongwu $6,395,160 $145,614,487 AJ Griffin $2,907,300 $148,521,787 Jalen Johnson $2,792,520 $151,314,307 Jock Landale $1,563,518 $152,877,825 11 under contract Total $152,877,825 Cap $123,655,000 LT Projected $150,267,000 Add Ayton - Capela $163.4 million Over Apron 11 Under contract Add Gobert - Capela and Bogi $153.4 million 10 Under contract Notes: Cooper tendered 2 way

Tax apron: $156,983,000

Player 2022-23 Trae Young $36,600,000 $36,600,000 John Collins $23,500,000 $60,100,000 Clint Capela $19,706,897 $79,806,897 Bogdan Bogdanovic $18,000,000 $97,806,897 DeJounte Murray $16,571,120 $114,378,017 Kevin Huerter $14,508,929 $128,886,946 De'Andre Hunter $9,835,881 $138,722,827 Onyeka Okongwu $6,395,160 $145,117,987 AJ Griffin $2,907,300 $148,025,287 Jalen Johnson $2,792,520 $150,817,807 Jock Landale $1,563,518 $152,381,325 11 under contract Total $152,381,325 Cap $123,655,000 LT Projected $150,267,000 Add Ayton - Capela $163 million Over Apron 11 Under contract Add Gobert - Capela and Bogi $153 million 10 Under contract Notes: Cooper tendered 2 way Added some context to help those still struggling with some future moves concepts. 3rd column is salary impact.

exhausted....feeling like a gumball machine

Players signed via cap space or using Non-Bird rights are limited to 5% raises (or deductions) of the first year of the contract (raises/deductions do not compound). Players signed via Bird rights or Early Bird rights are limited to 8% raises (or deductions) of the first year of the contract (raises/deductions do not compound). Technically they could but the decrease would be minimal. It would be great salary cap wise for every contract to be this way...not so much for the player.

If its even more than a smidge below a max, he is no longer a salary match with Clint....but of course you're figuring that in I'm sure.

They are an upgrade or two away from a locked in top 4 slot. The hawks were 8 games out of a top 4 slot, 10 games out of first at the end of last year.

Yes if it means a top 4 seed, IE contender status.

Of for Pete's sake. How the F$%^ do you plan to get more salary then? Can you sign a $15 million player? No!....If an opportunity to trade someone for a 25% upgrade happens this year that would push you to $160mil can you do it? No!...You can only sign minimums, use 125%+100k trades, etc. Same thing with Gobert or Ayton as far as signings this year but your trade/exemption options are different. Because your floor with Ayton is lower due to his lower salary + BYC status and the add on salaries this year can't push you over $156 so any "options" you have to spend more this year for a multiyear player can't be used and those players/salaries carry over to next year. You aren't going to sign vets on multi year minimums, so you're stuck this year. It does hamstring you going forward because you can't take advantage this year and those players/salaries aren't carried forward.

Its fair because it effectively locks us "X" salary range this year. Stuck at around $156 million. I know I'm saying this clearly but a few aren't understanding. Whatever the salary ends up this year becomes the baseline for future years with trapeze work needing to be done to expand that amount in future years from the $156mil baseline. Using the SNT locks us in at that baseline. Spending on Gobert might be $165 million or more but that becomes the baseline to work from. Next year we start in the salary range of the $165 when you take into account whatever empty roster slots get filled. If you want to trade Gobert later, you have that much salary to send out if the fit isn't right, its overkill. But if you don't get that budget in this year, you will lose it. Its a flexibility thing.

I think that's speculation but there is more flexibility to dealing with pass through deals so maybe.

One side note: if you trade for either they are both locked in through 25-26, but Gobert's last year is a player option which he could technically opt out of freeing up salary room a year early.

@JayBirdHawk For the Gobert vs Ayton math folks. Trade Capela for Ayton....the salaries match for trading purposes but Ayton will make 11 million more so for Cap purposes, our cap goes up $11 million pushing us right up to the apron meaning we have to give up 1 high priced player in a salary dump anyway (JC, Bogi, Huerter). But you are still over the cap if you dump Bogi for a pick and save $7 million over trading for Gobert. But you now have the limit of the Apron you can't exceed, even at the trade deadline/waiver wire deadline. Trade Capela + Bogi for Gobert = Salary hit is pretty much zero. From a flexibility standpoint, you can still use your tax payer MLE, you can sign players off the waiver wire without restriction at the trade deadline and you can take back 125% salaries at the trade deadline because there is no limit if you don't use that MLE. From a flexibility standpoint, even though Ayton is technically cheaper by $7 mil, you are limited for a year in flexibility. Neither really changes your flexibility after that.

Pretty much...because after the 1 year expires, the multiple max contracts and the Hunter extension push you over that tax level every year. So unless you bundle and trade at 125% you can't increase salary via signing.

Its 1 year but functionally it might as well be the whole contract. 1st year will lock you in at under $156 million. Because all of our contracts are "long" and we have to extend Hunter, we won't be able to offer new players more than the minimum. Unless you trade others to get under the apron, you can't even use the Tax Payer MLE because that hard caps you too and we'd be over the apron if we use it. LT + T-MLE = apron.