(06-23-2023, 10:25 PM)DanSchwartzgan Wrote: I'm trying to come up with all these fancy ways of adding to the Bertans deal and we don't really know whether Kyrie is coming back. So, anything that takes on salary before he signs, removes flexibility should he bolt.
The Kyrie signing is not as hard to plan as you are trying to make it. Fairly routine, actually. It's harder to describe on paper that it actually would be to implement.
1 " anything that takes on salary before he signs, removes flexibility should he bolt" -- Well, yeah. But that's just the new NBA normal - add a salary here, leaves less room for there. Not really a biggie.
2 On Kyrie, I would wager they already have a great idea of the number it will take. They are allowed to talk numbers on an extension. But the number can't be bigger than the max (approx 47.6M), so they can plan for worst case already.
3 So in the planning before then, you just figure where you are, worst case. RH with full TK, keep full salary for RB, Kyrie at the max, and then I show 160.6M. So to stay under Apron 1, you have about 11.4M and at least 3 players to add, who will each cost at least 2.02M. You have about 7.4M to play with, depending.
4 From there, it's just making choices while working the numbers. It's all in your control. Moving parts possible.
-- Keep a cushion? How much?
-- Have a 14 man roster? Or 15?
-- Bust Apron 1 cap? Or stay under?
-- Waive RB? Perhaps get his deadline moved into July?
-- Add to DB trade? By itself, there's room for another 7.48M in NET salary back to Dallas, but the Apron 1 margin is 7.4M or less (depends on salary size, and cushion desired). Bigger salary players are possible by adding more outgoing in the same DB trade, of course.
5 Before July 1, any move you consider gets weighed within your limits and other plans (incl Kyrie). When July 1 arrives, you simply START with Kyrie 1st, to determine if you have even more latitude.
6 If Kyrie will sign for Luka money (40.x), the trade opportunity gets bigger - but there's also a full TPE usage that can be weighed in comparison. Nico indicated they don't have a preferred choice between trade vs FA, but their goal is to find one more regular, whichever way gives them the best ready to win player.
As a general note, it would seem to me that the trade route - if they opt to go that way - could very well go through ATL. The Hawks have lots of choices, and an apparent desire to get off of some salary. Although my preferred add-on would be to take Gafford's 3 yr/40M off the WAS books, with McGee sent in return. Maybe the Wiz can add a pick for taking on all that money for them?