[ClutchFans] BimaThug: Houston Rockets Salary Cap Update

Just to put this in perspective:

--It cost the Rockets over $2M in cash and an EARLY second rounder to dump Steve Francis's $2.6M expiring contract.

--It cost the Utah Jazz cash and Eric Maynor (a mid-first round pick who had already proven to be a good player) to dump the $6.5M, INSURANCE-COVERED expiring contract of Matt Harpring.

--It cost Phoenix two first round picks to dump Kurt Thomas's expiring contract a couple of years ago.

(By the way, Sam Presti took on both Harpring and Thomas in the examples above and netted the rewards. Two examples of why Presti is one of the best GMs around.)

Given these examples, it would easily cost Les $3M cash and at least one first round pick--if not two--to dump Jeffries. Expiring contracts are not so easy to shed without paying a hefty price.

Could I see them dumping Andersen to lower their tax bill a little? Sure. That would probably cost the Rockets their 2011 second rounder, though (the higher of theirs or the Clippers'), along with about $2M in cash. The Rockets will need to do the math on that deal to see if the savings are worth losing that pick. That's a distinct possibility.

But Jeffries? I just don't see it. Too high a price to pay.

 

Bima, you don't think New Jersey would take on Jeffries at the deadline for $3 million in cash (basically covering his remaining salary) and a pick or two?

What would they have to lose? Maybe you toss in a young guy like Taylor....

I think they will be able to do it if they like.

Lots of teams with cap space these days.

DD

 

I don't think Hoopshyp'es numbers included Hayes's 2.3 mil, so the real total salary is more like $80.1 mil. So the number to dump to get under the tax would be nearly $10 million.

If (a) the Rockets are not doing well in February, and/or (b) some of the guys with expiring deals are out of the rotation (c) there are no better trade opportunities for the Rockets expiring contracts (i.e. Jeffries, Hayes, Battier, Andersen), there are probably ways to aggressively get under the tax limit. For example, contending teams probably wouldn't mind renting Battier or Hayes for their defensive contribution during the playoffs. Jeffries and Andersen, too, might be useful enough for the Rockets to dump at a relatively cheap cost (i.e. agreement to pay cash to cover the remaining years salary, picks if needed).

There should enough teams with big trade exceptions and maybe even cap room still left. Artifact of the offseason. Might make the cost of salary dumping cheaper than in years past. But we'll see how the market turns out.

Bima, I am thinking the market might be different this time around. Whereas there were few teams in position to eat salary in years past, this year, a good amount of teams have either cap room or Trade Exceptions from the free agency period. The Rocket might find a team willing to take Jeffries (maybe even Jeffries and Andersen) for, for example, a 1st round pick as long as the Rockets agree to pay $3 mil cash, which will cover most or all of the remaining salary to be paid to the guy in February.


Also, if the Rockets' season does not go well, I can see them dumping the more useful of the expiring contracts: Battier and Hayes. You probably won't have to pay for someone to take them, in fact, you might get some consideration in exchange for a 1/2 year rental of these guys.

 

Somehow I feel we will do a trade this season, before the deadline. Only, I think it will be a little trade, just to move us closer to or under the cap. Andersen or Jeffries has to go, and I say Andersen, unless another team is willing to take on Jeffries salary.

 

For starters, a pick or two!!! I don't think New Jersey would be asking for second rounders. We're talking two FIRST ROUNDERS. I think Morey has seen what has happened to Phoenix (having sold multiple first rounders that were used to select great players) and does not want to let Les make the same mistake.

I also think that New Jersey will sell that cap space to the highest bidder.

CH, while I agree that the teams with huge trade exceptions COULD use them to absorb some dead salary for a price, I think most of those teams will hold out hope for a big draft-day deal in 2011 rather than "waste" the trade exception on a guy like Jared Jeffries.

I'm not saying a salary dump isn't in the cards for the Rockets. But I think it is more likely that the Rockets simply buy out Jeffries (for only a small savings, if any) than that they trade him in a straight salary dump. Guys with his level of salary don't get dumped very often. And when they do, it's painful for the dumping team.

 

I would only do it if we got another big man back in a trade, scrub or not. DA and Jeffries are insurance in case of injuries. They also provide veteran support for our young guys.

I just think our team is set as it is and DM and Les do not have "getting under the luxury tax limit" as one of their top priorities.

I think their top priority is getting an All-Star caliber player back with all their trade chips/expirings. Not throw them away for nothing...

 

But you're talking about Les Alexander as if he's never done this before, when it's pretty much been his MO:

http://clutchfans.net/news/1118/rockets_send_rice_to_utah_sign_jackson/

IMO, I think there's probably a higher probability of the Rockets dumping both Knicks picks and Jordan Hill to get under the luxury tax in February than there is of the Rockets trading for a big contract.

 

After the trade of sessions and hollins for telfair and west, i was thinking about if the rockets would have been better served that route. I mean sessions makes 3m per and is as good if not better than lowry and hollins would give the rockets a big who can protect the and guard in space. Not to mention he's 25 ishand high energy. The cost of those 2 players are the same as lowry's first yr. Before all this was happening i was thinking and posting about getting hollins and sessions for either battier or jeffries and taylor. That would have put the roockets under the lux tax and kept them from using the mle. In fact, if u take the 80m payroll and subtract the 5.6m of miller,5.5m of lowry,6.7m of jeffires,and the 850k of taylor thats 18.5m which put us at 62m. If we add sessions and hollins, that put the payroll at 67m. Seems like a deal like that would have made more sense all around.Maybe its just me b****ing again.

 

Too many possibilities ! It's too early to discuss such thread! If we can upgrade this team, who care luxury tax limit?

 

No way. Battier and jeffries are toooo valueable as expiring contracts imo...

 

I imagine DM will do his homework and try and get deals in place to lower salary at the trae deadline if nothing else materializes. I'd be fine with trading a 2nd rounder and Taylor, but I'd rather hang on to our first rounders. Not my money though.

I honestly think Les is going over the tax because he has insurance money for previous years, and enough expirings on the roster to get under the tax next year. Also makes me think that Brooks will be on the way out if we trade for a Granger/IA type player. If we lose expirings, Les is not going to give Brooks a big raise and go further into Lux tax help without those expirings for relief.

 

Getting under the luxury tax would send the wrong message. Especially after matching Scola and Lowry and with Brooks sitting there looking at about $8-$10 million per after this season. The most likely scenario is a trade for an upgrade. However if that does not materialize, the next most likely scenario is trading some of our contracts for expirings in 2011-12, just rolling out until next season with our expirings so we can still use expirings as part of our salary filler to go with our young talent and picks.

 

If Les feels the pinch this year and there is no way the team will be in contention with the roster that is set in place after this season we have alot of ways to get financial relief after the season with the expiring contracts of Battier, Jefferies, Andersen, Hayes, and Yao's situation.

Yao will be resigned at all costs if it seems like he is going to be able to play significant minutes for 4 more seasons with limited injuries. But if he breaks down again this season its likely he could be had for pennies on the dollar on a two year deal or will retire.

Brooks will likely be the odd man out if Alexander does not want to overspend again in 2011. He could easily be sign and traded for draft picks or a player with needed talents if his asking price is more than Leslie wants to pay.

Long story short, the Rockets and Alexander are in control of the spending and will not dump talent to save a couple bucks.

 

Les is not a cheapskate. I think he feels like he's playing with house money this year after all the insurance money we got from Yao and Tracy last year. So no, I don't think they'll start shedding draft picks just to get under.

And after this year, as long as we're in a position to contend, I don't think he'll have a problem paying it either.

 

IMO, I can't picture Morey not making a deal with all the assets he has at his disposal. Just look at what he has... He has several picks, young talent, expiring contracts, and cash. Les would of never agreed to going over the cap if they didn't have a plan in place. We're not the Dallas Mavericks where we have $80 Mil in salary for middle of the pack playoff team. Les expects this team to contend in some shape or fashion.

If Morey can't strike a deal, which I highly doubt that will be the issue, I can see them trying to move some salary but not at a high cost where it involves several first rounders. There's two GM's right now in the NBA that value draft picks, D Morey and Sam Pesti. Don't get me wrong other GM's do as well but these two guys make a killing off of draft picks. This is where their bread and butter is at. That's why I can't see Morey just giving up draft picks for the hell of it.

I've been preaching this for several years now... It's important for Houston to get off to great start. I do see them using Brooks as their trade chip and I can also see Morey doing two separate trades. We have enough assets to make this work. Just have faith in what he's doing and don't worry about what everyone else is doing. Just look at the Mavs... You don't just make moves just for the hell of it.

 

I'm leaning towards that Morey will trade for another big time player and Les paying the Tax. Reason being Morey does not play hardball with Scola and resign Lowry at that contract. It just shows to me he will be going hard for proven players instead of trying to be competitive and staying under lux.

 

If Yao's foot does not heal as hoped, and the season is lost again, I wonder if Cleveland would take Ariza for the trade exception it got in the LeBron deal.

 

Insurance money is covering Yao, if he can't go.

DD

 

With the amount of money Les will save from not having to pay the players from the lockout next off season, even if it is say 1/4 of the season, he can afford to pay the luxury tax.

 

I think the Rockets are prepared to pay the tax if they have to. They are so far over, they can't assume they can dip under whenever they want. But of course Morey will see if he can't make a deal to reduce costs without impacting wins. There are probably a couple of guys we could lose without making us less competitive. If he can get all the way under the tax, I'm sure he'd be happy to do so.

Trading Kenny Thomas for James Posey and then letting Posey walk in free agency. Trading Glen Rice and picks to get out from under his expiring contract, when BBS posters were expecting other teams to pay us for his contract.