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

[mvossman]

I think yes, since the buyer would only see receiving negative salary for a player that is planned as a back-up. Mavs would still eat 25 mil of bad salary. It is just likely that the deal wouldn't happen, because it only made sense for Sacramento to do the deal with getting cap space. For example, if Bullock had two years on his deal and he would be considered as neutral value due to "old glory" despite his bad season. I don't think Mavs would trade someone useful like that for Holmes without getting same level of compensation back.

I agree cap space has value and Sacramento would have to pay for creating it, even if Holmes would be seen as a neutral asset. I don't think that price would be much different.

So I think we are on the same page?  I'm not stating what Holmes value is.  Its possible it would take a first to send him out in a salary matching trade.  I'm simply saying you should not be using a trade who's purpose was to generate cap space to definitively set his market value in a salary matching trade.