Sure. There has been some interest in Vin Baker by many easetrn conference teams and a team like Indiana can use their trade exception to land him. Right now Baker's trade value is only worth $4,500,000 because he is a BYC player. Seattle can cut salary but it will instantly take them out of the playoffs. ------------------
Are you sure Aelliot? Don't they have early bird rights which means they can match his offer up to the league average? Anyway it seems to me if Rashard really wants to come to Houston he will sign with the Rockets for the 2 million trade exception for 1 year forcing Seatle to match Houston's offer for 1 year or giving him to Houston for nothing. He would then be FA next year and free to sign with the Rockets at whatever cost. Of course Seatle could sign him and then trade him to someone else but that wouldn't stop him from being a FA next year. Hey can the Rockets put a no trade clause w/o Lewis's approval in the 1 year agreement? That might force the Sonics to trade him to Houston for something as opposed to losing him next year and getting nothing. Of course this is alll speculation and wishful thinking. But if Rashrd is not about the money and he really wants to play in Houston than this is an option. ------------------
Sure. There has been some interest in Vin Baker by many easetrn conference teams and a team like Indiana can use their trade exception to land him. Right now Baker's trade value is only worth $4,500,000 because he is a BYC player. Seattle can cut salary but it will instantly take them out of the playoffs. Ok, let's see, where do I start: 1. Why would Indiana have any interest in Vin Baker when they aleady have Davis, Bender, Harrington and they're trying to resign Croshere? Not to mention, why would Indy want to take on Baker's bloated salary when they're trying to pinch pennies to resign Miller, Croshere and Rose? 2. For the sake of argument, let's look at this deal that you mentioned: - Baker is a BYC player that makes $9M/year. That means that the most Seattle can get back for him is $4.5M. Indiana, however, would have to fit Baker's entire $9M salary under their cap. So, to make the deal work, Indy would have to ship around $4M in salary back to Seattle. So, all you did was free up $5M in salary space. Since they were some $3.5M over the cap, you've now got ~$1.5M in cap room. Again, that is less that the exception, so you still can't resign Lewis. Care to try again? ------------------
Are you sure Aelliot? Don't they have early bird rights which means they can match his offer up to the league average? Old Man Rock, You're correct that Seattle has Early Bird Rights on Lewis, but Lewis only wants to sign for one year. Early Bird rights require a minimum of a two year contract. So, if Seattle were to sign Jahadi White with their exception, Houston could then offer Lewis a one year deal for our exception. Seattle would be unable to use the Early Bird exception to match the offer because the offer was a one year deal. Does that make sense? ------------------
Maybe you didn't understand RT45. Look at what aelliott has said. Indiana is not a team with cap space this summer, unless they were to give up ALL of their free agents this summer, including Miller, Rose, Croshere, Smits, and Jackson. Why would they give up 5 good or great players for Baker? Correct me if I'm wrong aelliott, but isn't this the case? ------------------ Member of the pro-Collier/Langhi movement. IN RUDY WE TRUST!! [This message has been edited by The Cat (edited July 07, 2000).]
Here you go: Indiana signs Rose, Miller, and Croshere then trades McKey and a future draft pick to Seattle for Baker. That puts Seattle at the cap, then Seattle deals guys like Patterson, Williams, Maxwell, and Grant in any amount of combinations to free up the rest. Like I said before, Seattle can cut salary but the consequences out on the court would be large. ------------------
Why? I am right. Seattle can indeed cap but it would send them to the bottom of the Western Conference. ------------------
You still don't get it do you? If Indiana resigned Miller, Rose, and Croshere, how would they be even near the cap, much less 5.9M under? ------------------ Member of the pro-Collier/Langhi movement. IN RUDY WE TRUST!!
No I'm afraid I don't. How would using a trade exception get the Pacers 5.9M under the cap, esp. when they are already way over and will continue to be assuming they keep their free agents. And again, I'm afraid your sources or whoever is wrong. There is NO WAY you could get Indiana to take on Baker and his contract, when they already have Dale Davis, Austin Croshere, Al Harrington, and Bender to play the PF spot. Why would they want Baker? ------------------ Member of the pro-Collier/Langhi movement. IN RUDY WE TRUST!!
After recently being burned by aelliott, RT, he'll burn you too. You will not win a cap discussion with him. (I did once, catching an error of forgetting BYC on McGrady ) So, I'll provide some backup for him. Derrick McKey made 4.8 million last season. More than that 4.5 they can work with. ------------------ The more lefties on your team, the better. Collier is Seven Foot and Left Handed. How can you go wrong? Trade or bench Kenny Thomas.
Do the math, it works. McKey + trade exception = within 15% + $100,000 of Baker's contract. Baker can play C and PF in the east and could replace Smits giving Indiana a very good squad if they can keep Rose, Miller, and Croshere. ------------------
If there are teams out there willing to trade for Maxwell and Grant to allow Seattle to free up cap space, Houston better find those morons first. ------------------
Indiana signs Rose, Miller, and Croshere then trades McKey and a future draft pick to Seattle for Baker. That puts Seattle at the cap, then Seattle deals guys like Patterson, Williams, Maxwell, and Grant in any amount of combinations to free up the rest. Interesting idea, let see: - Now that Rose and Croshere's stock is rising on the free agent market, Indy (being a small market team) isn't sure it can afford Rose, Miller and Croshere. So, again I'll ask, are they going to resign all these guys AND add in an additional $4.2M in salary? Sorry, but that won't happen. - You swap McKey for Baker and Seattle is right at the cap. Ok, let's see where the rest of the money comes from. - Patterson is a free agent and Seattle doesn't have Bird rights (or early Bird for that matter) on him, so that pretty much eliminates him from a sign and trade. - Again, no team under the cap is going to take Grant's salary so you have to trade him to a team over the cap and take back 85% of his salary. So, you free up $885K. You're now ~$900K under the cap. - Now let's trade Shammond Williams to a team under the cap and only take back draft picks. You've now freed up another $500K. Seattle is now $1.4M under the cap. - Now, let's also trade Maxwell to a team under the cap. Now you've freed up another $1.4M, so Seattle is now $2.8M under the cap and you still can't match any offers for Lewis. Care to try for the hat trick? ------------------
Dale Davis can play center in the East but he is a natural PF. So can Bender I believe. Even Croshere played a little center this year, but is also a PF. Why would Indiana want to take on a bloated contract of an underacheiving player that is very similar to what they have? Why would they want to tie up their cap room for years with Vin Baker? Please explain. ------------------ Member of the pro-Collier/Langhi movement. IN RUDY WE TRUST!!
Math tells me that since Derrick McKey made 4.8 million last year, and contracts are nearly always (very few instances where they're not) that he makes somewhere around 5.3-5.5 million, maybe more. Meaning, a trade is unworkable. Never mind that Indiana is actually somewhat pressing for money to resign their many FAs, and wouldn't overspend on a depressed big man, that's locked up long term, and is on the decline. ------------------ The more lefties on your team, the better. Collier is Seven Foot and Left Handed. How can you go wrong? Trade or bench Kenny Thomas.
Seattle would have to entice the pot by attaching a Williams or draft pick a deal involving Grant or Maxwell. Grant's contract is up in 2001, so if a team trades a player with a long contract that they don't want anymore (like Rogers), they can use Grant as the vehicle to help cut 2001 cap for themselves. ------------------
