Trade & FA 2023-24: Stein-Ingram Trade Inevitable| LAL Want Lebron Back On Any Terms

[omahen]

My apologies for not reading your post carefully enough. Originally it wasn't clear at all how you were defining a team's spending room ("Thinking more about it, it will be possible to build around 2 super max contracts. There just won't be place for 30 mil players. 6 or 7 guys paid on average some 12 or 13 mil can still be very good supporting cast") but I read right past it when you then added that as the spending level you wanted to consider. My mistake.

Nevertheless, my reply was on point-- "The numbers to do a roster of 2-supermax, with another 6-7 MLE sized contracts to help them, puts a team far over the 2nd apron." In 2023, 2 supermax + 7 MLE + 6 mins lands you at about 197M. I wasn't suggesting Apron 2 as a preferred spending level, but just a reference point of how deep a team would have to go to carry that sort of roster. While on paper it looks like there is a lot of room to spend, it doesn't go as far as it might look. 

The number of players making above the minimum has to get shorter to even stay under Apron 2, And it's shorter still if you decide that you need the added flexibility of Apron 1 or tax line, which is where I think teams will opt to operate.

As for whether teams will use Apron 2 as their spending level, I'm not sure that will be the outcome, as there are limiting rules in the new CBA that tend to prevent teams from wanting to keep operating in that range between Aprons 1 and 2, but that's a different question.

Yes, I was too optimistic in my first post. 2 supermax deals allows you to have 5 MLE type players (average salary, some can be paid more, some less). Still, that is 7 players over the minimum. Basically the playoff rotation with a couple of rookies or ring chasing vets to complete the playoff rotation.

I think contenders will operate in the area between first and seond apron.  At this moment, basically all contenders wannabe with their stars out of their rookie contract, are above the first apron. Denver, Boston, Miami and Milwaukee are over Apron 1. GSW, Phoenix and Clippers are over the second apron. Philadelphia is a bit over 172, too lazy to check if that is right above or below the second apron. These teams are immediately out of contention if they are reducing their salaries below the first apron, imho. That is why I don't see them doing it, until they decide it is time for a rebuild.