[ClutchFans] Houston Rockets Salary Cap Update: The New CBA

So, if it's not a S&T, we are essentially forfeiting the Battier TPE and the MLE for this year. That's an interesting price to pay for Dally. Don't know what to make of it, other than we must not have been seriously considering using the Battier TPE.

I'm still looking at the Dwight Howard situation. Obviously, New Jersey is going to tank, especially now that Lopez is out. They'll have the cap room to sign Dwight outright during next off season if Dwight wants to give up the extra year and the money that comes with his Bird's rights. Orlando knows this but New Jersey could become very attractive with DWill, their lottery pick, and our pick. Orlando has to recognize that threat.

By the same token, there is no team poised to be in a better position to bring in two max free agents in 2012 than us. We have the assets to trade and at this time we still have options on all those 2009 guys. Not to mention, if we have to exercise options on those guys, they are easily tradable for a future pick if necessary.

Right now, it appears that Orlando is staring at New Jersey as their trade partner for Dwight. They can get Lopez plus our pick plus NJ's pick. If they take that deal at the deadline, NJ's pick may even decline in value to the point of not even being a lottery pick by the time the end of the season gets here. But, if they wait until the end of the season, they lose a lot of leverage, they lose the ability to do a salary dump along with Howard's contract, and they also lose the opportunity to have tanked and went to the lottery. And NJ has a lot less incentive to trade Orlando their own lottery pick if they can convince Dwight to walk on Orlando.

I don't think Orlando wants to go that route. I think they unload Dwight by the trade deadline to either NJ, or LAL, or possibly somewhere else....here.

Lakers would give them Bynum/Gasol and take back Hedo. So what. Doesn't help Orlando except keep them in mediocrity. They're not going to beat Miami or Chicago or NY with Bynum/Gasol and a bunch of scrubs. And they still can't really rebuild. They will have to unload Gasol for prospects or they may just considering unloading Dwight for prospects since Dwight would give them more value in young talent than Pau will. And they just might jump on a deal that removes Hedo, JRich, and Duhon from their books in favor of cap space, youngsters, and picks.

Whichever way you look at it, it's going to be another interesting trade deadline.