Yes. But the Taxpayer MLE can only be used if the team is above the apron or signing the player using the MLE would take them above the apron. Of course the Tax Payer MLE next summer will only be worth a max of 3.376 million a season. if the Rockets were at 76 million and the apron was 80 million the Rockets would have to use the non-tax payer MLE since the tax payer MLE would not put them over the apron. If the Rockets use the non-tax payer MLE the become hard capped at the apron and can not exceed it for any reason. Here is the wording from Larry Coon's Faq:
is Bev that good? Is he worth that much? I don't think he is. That is all star "caliber" money. Every other post on here is crying for Dragic. I say try and keep Smith out of the 2... Canaan start?
bev is realistically worth 5-6M...but all you need is one team to offer 7-8M...and I think that happens. He is a game changer. I hope he retires a rocket, granted I said the same about Gogi, Scola, Lowry, Hayes...list goes on
This is incorrect. A team does not need to be over the apron in order to use the Taxpayer MLE. They could be well below the tax threshold and still use the Taxpayer MLE.
I don't think the taxpayer MLE would be enough to keep him anyhow, so I don't think it's a factor. This is all assuming he plays well of course. Keeping Smith doesn't seem like an issue to me. The most we can pay him is the MLE which would be about 24 million over 4 years. In the NBA there always seems to be a bad team willing to overpay, but I don't think he will get many offers that are significantly better than ours. Plus the money going back to Detroit and our lack of state tax will further mitigate any larger contract he may receive elsewhere. Unless some team offers a contract up over 10 million, which I think is unlikely, I think he comes back. As for Beverly, he can only be effective if he is next to a playmaker. Beverly is not a PG, he is a shooting guard that defends point guards. He is an absolutely perfect fit next to Harden, but his value greatly decreases on most teams. I don't see anybody else offering him much more than the MLE, which we would be quick to match. The only question mark is if we do add a player like Dragic. His likely contract plus Smith and Beverly would put us right at the apron. If we do add Dragic, with the intent to keep him, I think Beverly goes elsewhere.
If you think we would need to give the full MLE ($5.4mm), and we indeed have Dragic, I think we can re-sign dragic + match Bev + give the MLE to smith and be under the apron IF (we trade KPap + Jones for Dragic, decide to not bring Terry back, move one of canaan or Johnson, and trade out all our picks for 2015.
Keep reading Coon's info regarding the Taxpayer MLE: If you want to get into a semantic debate, then the initial use of the MLE (up to the Taxpayer MLE amount) would technically be of the "Non-Taxpayer" variety, but with the express understanding that it would eventually BECOME the Taxpayer MLE if/when the apron were ever crossed. In common parlance, however, it is obvious that the team is availing itself of the Taxpayer MLE.
Are people really assuming the Rockets would actually be able to resign Smith at the MLE level regardless? That's pretty optimistic if you ask me. Best case scenario is probably going to be if Smith wants to do a cheap one year deal, and wait for the new TV deal money to kick in the following year. However then he's going to be like 31 years old... I dunno guys. I wouldn't get too attached to JSmooth. Just be glad we didn't have to give anything up of value to get him this year, and chalk it up to a nice rental. If for some reason he decides to take a massive pay cut to stay than great, but money talks folks. Never forget that.
I get all of that. There are a number of ways to get your salary within striking distance of the apron so you can use the tax payer MLE. I certainly wasn't trying to get into a semantic debate, if I struck a nerve I apologize, I was just trying to give accurate information. I'll leave you to answer the salary cap questions in your own language.
Yep, and I think that's a sign we're going all in, because the only way Smith isn't getting at least offered a fat paycheck will be because he didn't do a good job with us.
I don't doubt he will deserve more than the MLE, but what team who has cap space next season would want him to eat it all up. Everyone knows you can't build around him, so only contending teams would want him and all the contending teams are over the cap.
I just don't think he's gonna get very big offers at his age, and with his history. He's not a foundation piece, why would you waste all of your precious cap space on him. 50% is going back to Detroit in the first 2 years. So he will make about 19 million total from us. Lets say one of the teams with cap space offers him 36 million over 4 years. That would be about 27 million total. Given the money he's made in his career, I don't think that's a big enough difference to entice him back to a losing situation for his final years. There is always the chance somebody goes big on him, and the offer does become too much to refuse, but I don't see it happening.
No nerve struck. I'm not upset or anything. Perhaps in your attempt to give (technically) accurate information, you are confusing others. The fact is, a team that is many millions below the tax threshold (let alone the apron) can exceed the salary cap to sign a player to a deal meeting the constraints of the Taxpayer MLE and may then make countless additional moves adding salary and exceed the apron in doing so. The use of that MLE doesn't have to be *THE move* that takes the team over the apron.
I tend to disagree. Sac tried to trade for him multiple times. They want star power, and love JS. He only gets 5m next year in cash from Detroit, and that number goes DOWN depending on how much he makes on his next contract. If he goes 18/8/3, he will get paid again for sure.
Smith wrecked his reputation in Detroit, and it's going to take more than one decent game to repair it. He's also (as weird as this sounds) in a contract year, so GMs will be dubious no matter how well he plays. With that out of the way, I don't expect Morey to pay him what he's going to fetch on the open market. In my mind, he's a rental. As to Beverly, I like his spirit more than his game. He's another guy due to earn more than he's worth, and I won't shed any tears if Morey replaces him. As crud as it sounds, Dwight and Harden really are the core, and I don't care who the other guys are as long as they bring us a championship.
Ironically, I think he would earn more $$$ if he takes on a lesser role and learns to play an off the ball position. If he continues to chuck, even if he is somewhat efficient, I think it will hurt his bargaining position. He needs to show that he can be a good teammate first. DD
did you see what rugy gay just got from the kings... smith will get paid on the open market... i think if the rockets make the finals which is possible this year and with the right matchups, leslie will go over the luxury tax to retain both
We don't have his bird rights. The MLE is the absolute most we can offer. If another team offers him a huge deal, we simply cannot compete with it. I don't think that's gonna happen, but if it does there nothing we can do, even if we wanted to match it. It is possible that he takes a short MLE deal, maybe one year, and stays here to prove himself to possible teams.
