6 hours ago
Regarding the Ja Morant trade, there is one important reason to do the deal now rather than in July. That is because Morant is still in year seven of his career rather than year eight, which means his max is capped at 25 percent of the cap (for a player who has completed six full years of service) rather than 30 percent. That matters because Morant has a 15 percent trade kicker on his deal, which doesn't matter between now and June 30 since his 2025-26 salary is already above the six-year-of-service maximum, but would result in a significant raise starting July 1 because his salary is well short of that higher seven-year threshold. The trade bonus would apply to both remaining seasons on his deal, too. In total, the Grizzlies saved a $13 million check to Morant by doing the deal now, while the Blazers cut about $6.5 million from their cap sheet in 2026-27 and 2027-28.
New York Times
New York Times