(07-05-2023, 06:05 AM)DanSchwartzgan Wrote: Thanks for the clarity of thinking. I’ve got too many possibilities running through my head. Some where he takes the TK and some where he can’t. Some where I’m trying to preserve the MLE and some where I’m spending the dollars in a trade. I’ve even got some things where I’m trying to make two trades with equivalent money going in and out in both and still preserving the MLE or part of the MLE. So, my mind isn’t as clear as it would be if the possibilities were narrowed a bit.
Yeah, I get it. Ever since the Bertans deal was agreed without being executed, the possibilities to consider get really confusing, with extra trade spread available and being used or not, a TK included or not, with RFA snt or not (most of which have the potential for BYC issues), with an apron to duck or not (making overall math an issue), an MLE to use or not, and all the new rules. That idea of adding to the Bertans deal is something we have looked at over and over, because it seems so logical they might use that ability to take salary as a trade "asset" but there are a lot of moving parts.
Speaking of moving parts, I know we have talked about busting the Apron, but seems to me the odds of the Mavs doing that are incredibly small, because almost everything they would want to do would force that Apron hard cap. Use the MLE to do an offer sheet to a RFA? Need the MLE, which means must stay below the apron. Sign a UFA player with the MLE? Must stay below the Apron. Sign-and-trade for an MLE player? Must stay below the apron. Add to the Bertans trade and use the extra salary spread to facilitate the deal? Must stay below the apron. Do a different trade with a wide salary spread to take back extra salary and facilitate the deal? Must stay below the apron. If they don't do ANY of those, it's tough to do anything at all.
Yes it would be an aggravation to them to have a hard cap restriction, but they're some ways away from it, and to me it sure looks like they need the extra operating latitude they get to spend below it.
....EDITED TO ADD: The one scenario in which busting the Apron might be a helpful option would be if they use Wood as an outgoing sign-and-trade chip. That adds whatever such a trade brings back to their salary total (since nothing is outgoing that is on our totals now) and likely takes them beyond the Apron. But I'm guessing they would not consider that unless the return for Wood was a player who is really needed.
As a general concept, I have to think the Mavs have a McGee salary dump lined up, as needed, to facilitate a deal in multiple ways -- they send him out with money preferably (or a pick), and do that to a 3rd team as part of a deal for a player. That accomplishes multiple purposes all in one small move: it clears out a center, it opens up more room under the Apron, and at the same time serves as salary matching. It can be piggy-backed on ANY deal, of course, but it can be a standalone if that works better.
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