Capela: To extend or not extend, that is the question

So, after the moratorium we have the opportunity to negotiate with Capela in an extension. Would you want to extend him or not? If you do, then at what salary commitment would you agree to give him?

A max extension would be somewhere around 4 years and $111 million based on projections for this year's cap. Of course, next year's cap could go up or down. If we gave him a stated figure and the cap went higher next season then we'd have him at less than the max. And if the cap went down so that the max was above the figure we agreed with him on, then his contract would be amended down to the max level.

Would you want to extend him? Or do you just want to match an offer next summer and hopefully have him on a paltry cap hold until then?

 

It's part of the decisions the front office has to make this summer.

My own feeling is that if we don't trade Capela this summer that it would be best to negotiate and agree on an extension and get it signed with him prior to August 22, if we can get him signed for a first year salary of $20 million or less.

 

Believe me, I understand that. And would normally whole-heartedly agree. But.......If we do pick up say George and CP3 this summer, it puts us in a different light. And Capela will likely look like a world beater in that line-up if he isn't traded.

 

If we don't make trades and signings for max guys this summer then by your theory we could drop Ariza and Lou next summer and pursue one max guy. But we'd almost have to not sign anybody long term this summer to accomplish that. Does Harden, max player, Anderson, and Capela (signed to a new high dollar deal) do anything for you?

Even if we signed LeBron, you'd have a big 4 of LeBron, Harden, Anderson, and Capela dominating your cap space. And that would be after enduring another season like this one because we can't substantially upgrade this team right now without adding salary.

I think we are most likely going to add somebody substantial this summer, even if it's only one guy. If we do that we won't be able to have max cap space next summer anyways, even if Capela is on a small cap hold.

Unless he is traded, I suspect we try to negotiate an extension with Capela.

One other possible factor here (that I would need @BimaThug to declare right or wrong) is that Capela may be eligible for a 5-year extension. Each team is allowed one rookie contract extension of five years, not including current season). Harden was our designated guy. And his extension wasn't set to expire until next summer. But we re-negotiated a fresh deal for him. So my thought is he is no longer our 5-year designee.

This may seem like minutia to most. But a 5-year extension at $120 million versus a 4-year extension at $111 million works yield a starting extension salary of a little less than $21 million. And a smaller market team may like the fact that they could have a good young big locked up for five years at a slight discount to the max versus paying full max for him. And therefore Capela may become a more attractable trade asset to them since he'd be locked up. Would need verification from @BimaThug that the above is possible however.