lefty
08-30-2021, 08:55 AM
https://www.silverscreenandroll.com/2021/8/29/22647179/nba-rumors-grizzlies-buyouts-lakers-contracts-salary-analysis-rajon-rondo
Avery Bradley. Dwight Howard. Dion Waiters. And soon, Rajon Rondo. All of them were salary dumped to the NBA waystation in Memphis, and not long after, all of them were Lakers after being waived or securing a buyout with the Grizzlies.
The stats, when put into context, are fairly staggering. Of the 31 players on guaranteed deals to play for the Lakers over the 2019-20 and 20-21 seasons, as well as the upcoming 21-22 season, four were paid to go away by the Grizzlies, a fairly significant 12.9% of the Lakers’ rosters over that time period. Between Bradley, Howard, Waiters and Rondo, the Grizzlies paid approximately $34.5 million to four players to go join the Lakers for an estimated $10.4 million in total salary.
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So why would the Grizzlies do this? The reasons vary by the player, but the commonality is Memphis taking on a contract another team doesn’t want in exchange for a token asset, even if some of those trades haven’t amounted to much, as Gozlan explains.
“The buy-outs don’t help them that much to be honest. It’s good business for teams to get some savings when they cut a player. But Memphis is so far from the luxury tax that they could’ve waived Rondo outright and still be in the same position they are now,” Gozlan said.
“Memphis is wisely using their trade flexibility to position themselves for the future. The thing is, Memphis often does trades that greatly help their trade partners more, while incrementally helping themselves,” Gozlan continued. “For example, they gave Miami (Jae) Crowder and (Andre) Iguodala while taking on Waiters and James Johnson just so they can take a shot at (Justise) Winslow. They didn’t get any picks or anything, and they ended up paying Waiters the rest of his deal for nothing*.”
Avery Bradley. Dwight Howard. Dion Waiters. And soon, Rajon Rondo. All of them were salary dumped to the NBA waystation in Memphis, and not long after, all of them were Lakers after being waived or securing a buyout with the Grizzlies.
The stats, when put into context, are fairly staggering. Of the 31 players on guaranteed deals to play for the Lakers over the 2019-20 and 20-21 seasons, as well as the upcoming 21-22 season, four were paid to go away by the Grizzlies, a fairly significant 12.9% of the Lakers’ rosters over that time period. Between Bradley, Howard, Waiters and Rondo, the Grizzlies paid approximately $34.5 million to four players to go join the Lakers for an estimated $10.4 million in total salary.
𐌎 Show Table
So why would the Grizzlies do this? The reasons vary by the player, but the commonality is Memphis taking on a contract another team doesn’t want in exchange for a token asset, even if some of those trades haven’t amounted to much, as Gozlan explains.
“The buy-outs don’t help them that much to be honest. It’s good business for teams to get some savings when they cut a player. But Memphis is so far from the luxury tax that they could’ve waived Rondo outright and still be in the same position they are now,” Gozlan said.
“Memphis is wisely using their trade flexibility to position themselves for the future. The thing is, Memphis often does trades that greatly help their trade partners more, while incrementally helping themselves,” Gozlan continued. “For example, they gave Miami (Jae) Crowder and (Andre) Iguodala while taking on Waiters and James Johnson just so they can take a shot at (Justise) Winslow. They didn’t get any picks or anything, and they ended up paying Waiters the rest of his deal for nothing*.”