Trade & FA 2025-26: Free Agency Starts 5pm CST/6pm EST

[Mavs2021]

100% this, and the logic of it goes beyond simple cheapness, imho. I think it's the right move to lower salary (and steer away from punitive rules) in any type of AD trade scenario. I imagine this is one of the primary motivators in shopping AD in the first place.

If he didn´t want to pay the luxury tax for a crap team, he should have kept Luka.

Furthermore in my ATL trade the Mavs safe 13.5M in salary + 11M expiring in Kennard, which results in 2026/2027

Young 49
Kyrie 39
Washington 20
Gafford 17
Risacher 14
Flagg 14
1st round pick 11
Martin 10
Christie 8
Lively 7
Hardy 6
Russell 6
1st round pick 4
Nembhard 2

208 for 14 players. 1st apron is projected 210. You don´t extend Young, you get 50M in cap relieft in 2027 and all your cap problems are solved. 

I don´t see the problem with Young at all. You acquire Porzingis, he´s just an expiring contract. He does not help you improve the roster for next year, Young does. Unless you now want to argue that Nembhard, Williams, DAR and Hardy are better players than Trae Young. Also Young´s passing ability will recoup some value of Gafford and Lively, who need lob passes to be fed to them.