05-05-2023, 08:13 AM
(This post was last modified: 05-05-2023, 08:21 AM by DanSchwartzgan.)
(05-04-2023, 04:16 PM)omahen Wrote: The apron you need to look at is a hard cap apron caused by SnT.
Sorry I'm late to the party. Don't have much to add beyond the good stuff that has been written so far.
I wouldn't sleep on the possibility of a Paul retirement. Yes, his deal was reported as 4 years and $120mm. But, the partial guarantee contemplated him only playing two years. Total salary for that two years works out to $75mm or $37.5mm per year. The dude has made over $400mm in the NBA and is probably top two or three in the league in endorsement money. Retirement would save him the indignity of being traded as a salary dump.
If they S/W his guarantee, its only $3.16mm per year for five years. But that changes their relationship to the first apron pretty dramatically. There is plenty of room for the full MLE and a 25% trade spread on Ayton plus money to bring back some of their FA's. The question would then become how to build out the roster around KD and Booker. Sending Ayton out for multiple returning players makes great sense. I'm not sure it is necessarily to Dallas and not necessarily involving Kyrie. As ball dominant as KD and Booker are, Phoenix doesn't have to have a traditional PG. They just need a point of attack defender to put next to Booker. Jevon Carter, for instance, would be more than enough.