Moving into the Top Ten or Lottery

[exstatic]

Don't know about Dallas real intentions but I would expect them to get some pick(s) and/or a player for #10, I have a hard time imagining them shopping it just to get rid of two bad contracts...

The player they "get" is Kyrie Irving. Without dumping those two contracts, they cannot sign him without going over the second apron with dire consequences next summer and later.

The second tax apron that’s included in the NBA’s new Collective Bargaining Agreement will be phased in over two seasons, sources tell John Hollinger of The Athletic.

The new financial provision is designed to discourage excessive spending by the league’s wealthiest franchises. It is set at $17.5MM above the luxury tax threshold and places severe restrictions on teams that go above that figure.

Penalties for exceeding the second apron include the loss of the mid-level exception, a ban on including cash as part of trades and the inability to accept more salary in a trade than the team sends out. A team in the second apron will also be unable to aggregate salary in trades and cannot trade its first-round pick seven years in the future (ie. its 2030 pick in 2023/24) or sign players on the buyout market.

Also, if a team exceeds the second apron and remains there in two of the four subsequent years, its frozen draft pick (the one that was initially seven years out) will get moved to the end of the first round, regardless of the team’s record in that season.

Hollinger points out that the Clippers and Warriors face the most immediate concerns about the second apron. Both teams are currently about $40MM above the luxury tax line and are locked into payrolls at the same level for next season. Hollinger notes that the only way for either team to substantially reduce its payroll over the next few years is to downgrade its roster.

He adds that the Bucks, Celtics, Mavericks, Lakers and Suns are also more than $17.5MM above the tax line this season, but they have easier paths to avoiding the second apron in the future.

[Mr. Body]

Every single years the spurs have massive draft pick hauls that they must spend?

Getting wemby is worth 5-8 FRP. Building around him shouldn't be the passed, and roster limits mean the draft picks of the future are worth far less to the team. They have to make deals now to soon

Agree, getting Wemby changes things. The team can splurge a little while the timeline is completely different. It's not like they're trading (potentially) just for the #10. They're going after one or two players they think fit this new timeline. And they are starting to gameplan whether one of them is available there.

To me, it's either a PG type who they feel can grow with the young clan. I can see it could be a beefy PF type who can complement Wemby in a way Sochan doesn't necessarily. But I think the target would 100% be a PG.

[kht]

Which team needs bad contracts to offload? What do you guys think about taking on Poole or Ben Simmons?

[JPB]

The player they "get" is Kyrie Irving. Without dumping those two contracts, they cannot sign him without going over the second apron with dire consequences next summer and later.

They can perfectly dump those 2 players without using their #10 pick, which they will if the really want it, SA actually being an option.

[exstatic]

They can perfectly dump those 2 players without using their #10 pick, which they will if the really want it, SA actually being an option.

How?

[JPB]

How?

SRPs and/or protected future firsts. As we've seen this last deadline, SRPs can be valuable. I mean, nobody ever uses #10 picks just to dump salaries, even if it's for signing or extending other players.

[BacktoBasics]

Which team needs bad contracts to offload? What do you guys think about taking on Poole or Ben Simmons?

Poole has underperformed his new contract but that could be for all kinds of reasons. I’m not completely sour on him. Simmons is too much money for a guy who mentally and physically quit his last two teams. I don’t care what his injuries were.

[Mr. Body]

How?

Mark Cuban back rubs.

[Mr. Body]

Which team needs bad contracts to offload? What do you guys think about taking on Poole or Ben Simmons?

Those are completely nasty contracts. I'm not sure any draft capital helps take them on.

[Ariel]

We shouldn't take in more than 2 seasons of bad salaries, because '25 has boatloads of interesting FAs and it may be our last chance to make a big splash before rookie extensions for Sochan & Branham kick in... then we're over the cap and our flexibility goes out the window (but in a good way).

[Ariel]

Those are completely nasty contracts. I'm not sure any draft capital helps take them on.

With Ben Simmons you're basically paying him 80M for early retirement, since he's not going to show up (furthermore, if he does he'll be a distraction). That's worth like 3 unprotected first rounders if not more.

[exstatic]

SRPs and/or protected future firsts. As we've seen this last deadline, SRPs can be valuable.

This second tax apron wasn't looming one year out at the trade deadline. That happened in the last couple of weeks, and yes, it is a big deal.

How many teams, right now, have the ability and desire to absorb both contracts, and basically $86M in guaranteed salary over the next two seasons? Remember, that second year may put a prospective absorbing team onto the second apron themselves, or limiit their ability to sign their own players without doing so.

Have you even read up on the new second apron? You can lose the ability to trade your FRP 7 years out, and if you stay in the second apron for 2 of 4 years, THAT PICK CAN BE MOVED TO THE END OF THE FIRST ROUND, EVEN IF YOUR TEAM SHOULD BE IN THE LOTTERY THAT YEAR.

[spurraider21]

its a pretty big ask for dallas to both unload a bad contract AND get a good rotation player in exchange for the #10 pick

plus, if they get a good player back in exchange for, say, bertans' contract, then they're not really saving much, if at all, against the cap anyway. so they'd need a team to take on multiple bad deals AND give a good player in return for the #10 pick

i dont think they'll find their perfect deal. id eat the bertans deal and give them the hornets pick for #10 if our target is on the board though

[JPB]

Dallas doesnt' need to unload both to the same team. And they wouldn't give #10 just for one without any player or pick attached.

[Ariel]

Dallas doesnt' need to unload both to the same team.

Dallas only has 2 tradable firsts (#10 in '23, and '27), and no 2nd round picks. What do you propose they trade to offload those contracts AND get back players in return?

[exstatic]

Dallas doesnt' need to unload both to the same team. And they wouldn't give #10 just for one without any player or pick attached.

I'm proposing taking both, $86M over two seasons. You cut Bertans after season one and eat his $5M guaranteed money for season 2. That's definitely worth the pick.

[Chinook]

its a pretty big ask for dallas to both unload a bad contract AND get a good rotation player in exchange for the #10 pick

plus, if they get a good player back in exchange for, say, bertans' contract, then they're not really saving much, if at all, against the cap anyway. so they'd need a team to take on multiple bad deals AND give a good player in return for the #10 pick

i dont think they'll find their perfect deal. id eat the bertans deal and give them the hornets pick for #10 if our target is on the board though

Eh, I don't think trading Bertans for Keldon would require more than the 10th pick. But if we were talking like Mikal Bridges it might.

[JPB]

OK guys, you win. Let's get #10 for those two bad contracts. (Curious to see if Dallas would do that).

[mo7888]

Eh, I don't think trading Bertans for Keldon would require more than the 10th pick. But if we were talking like Mikal Bridges it might.

Is Mikal rumored to be moved? Or were you just using that as an example?

[Ariel]

i dont think they'll find their perfect deal. id eat the bertans deal and give them the hornets pick for #10 if our target is on the board though

I'd love this. They don't have any 2nd rounders, throw as many seconds as it takes to make this deal, they can use them later on for more veterans at the trade deadline. Don't think it's enough though.

[Aggie Hoopsfan]

Don't want Puban's trash.

[JPB]

Is Mikal rumored to be moved? Or were you just using that as an example?

Considering he was the gem in the Phoenix trade for NJ, I don't believe so.

[spurraider21]

Eh, I don't think trading Bertans for Keldon would require more than the 10th pick. But if we were talking like Mikal Bridges it might.

dallas making that move doesnt clear cap space for them which is a presumed goal as well if they want to re-sign kyrie and not get absolutely leveled by luxury tax

[Mr. Body]

Mikal Bridges is showing up in a lot of rumors. Not sure what's actually from the Nets. I don't think he's on the market at all.

[kht]

Mikal Bridges is showing up in a lot of rumors. Not sure what's actually from the Nets. I don't think he's on the market at all.

I'm sure they'd want a king's ransom... thinking he's Kevin Durant, which he's not. Teams will need to overpay for Bridges.