In the latest BS report podcast with Mark Cuban. He talks a bit about the new tax. Says keeping same guys and cap flexibility an option because 3rd year/4th year new tax system will take effect. Could be opportunity to go after next Dirk. Last year on Luis's contract is fully unguaranteed. New tax will punish teams. With the amnesty also available. The life of Scola's contract is always an asset won't be a burden on this franchise. http://espn.go.com/espnradio/play?id=7647620
Not really. Scola and Martin's contract is the poison here. Getting an elite C for those two is unbelievable...
Scola and Martin are pretty good players. it was more than enough if they also included Dragic in that deal. Which they did.
Bucher still pushing this Scola/Lowry for Gasol talk. Just now on SC Also says "My understanding is Gasol is a little more open to being moved to Houston than previously."
the only way this makes sense is if morey is thinking about making a HARD push for dwight and deron to team up with gasol here in houston....??
/\/\/\/\ lol....I fans cry for help!!Help this gut out Morey......and the rest of u wouldnt mind either!! Just Saying!!
You have to trade for 1 of those 2 since the Rox won't have enogh cap room for 2 max contracts,and what will we have worth trading for 1 of those guy after giving up 2 of owr 3 best assets.LOL
We have enough flexibility to clear cap for 2 max free agents. Morris and Patterson, Greg Smith, and Budinger allhave trade value, we can get future picks out of them. The rest of the guys are expirings. We could decide not to retain Lee's rights and we can still amnesty anybody else we need to amnesty. There's all your cap space for 2 max deals. The important thing is when you understand this, other teams (Nets, Magic) realize that if we want to go after the pair, we can. Dallas' challenge is they have to find a taker for Marion to go after Dwight/DWill. They have to find someone willing to trade for him for nothing after the season. Or they have to move Marion by the trade deadline for an expiring contract in order to have the space to sign both guys for the max. Of course, they are going to wait until the last minute to move Marion because if they move Marion right now for an expiring, it sends a very clear signal to the Magic and Nets and may push both teams to trade their guys to ...... us. There's a huge cat-and-mouse game being played here if you understand it.
Can you see Morey trading Pau to Atlanta for Josh Smith and then having Josh Smith and CLee sitting here enticiing Dwight and DWill????
I'm no Bimathug, but I think it would be possible but extremely unlikely. If a trade for Gasol/whoever involved trading Lowry, Martin, and Scola, the only players left with guaranteed salary beyond this season would be Gasol, Patterson, Morris, Bud, Parsons, and 1.5M for Dalembert's buyout. That's assuming that the whoevers are expiring contracts. That would make the money owed next season something like 27M. Since the salary cap should be 58M next season, that would mean Deron and Dwight would have to split 30M in order to team up in Houston as FAs. Since they're both in line to make around 36M combined next season, I don't really see that happening. Of course that whole situation changes if you factor in sign and trades, but that does require both players to have to want to come to Houston and requires the Nets and Magic to accept whatever package Houston could put together. It is worth pointing out that the players would have a good bargaining tool in that they would be able to sign with Houston regardless of a S/T, which would motivate the Nets/Magic to take whatever they could get. Although, if I remember correctly, at that point the Rockets would be far enough below the cap to S/T Williams and Howard for giant trade exceptions/draft picks. Also, Dalembert's option could be exercised and then traded to help offset the salaries. If you REALLY want to get into conspiracy theories, you could argue that trading the 2012 first round pick for T-Will was a clever way to avoid having a large-ish rookie salary on the books for the 2012 offseason (15th pick is signed at ~1.4M for their first season). Once again, if I remember correctly, 1st round picks are required to count against the salary cap but second rounders don't have a built-in figure, kinda like how Chandler Parsons didn't count until he was signed post-Dalembert. Either way assuming max deals for Williams and Howard, if this entirely improbable series of events occurs, the players on the roster could be (without going over the luxury tax) Williams CLee (re-signed after all the other acquisitions) Parsons/Bud/Morris Gasol/Patterson Howard/Montiejunas (signed after other acquisitions) Whoever is acquired with Minny 2nd round pick
THIS is what I want to see! Also, when you talk about Dalembert's buyout. I wasn't aware that the buyout amount counts towards the cap.
