I completely agree with ggore, that is what I have been saying all along. What's the big deal with having a third max player, if it is a player that truly deserves the max. Put some solid cheap bargain role players around that and go for the championship.
I wasn't aware the hold was 250%, so that is a problem that costs about 4.4 more than I thought when I posted. so, Yao would be signed to a max contract at approx 10.4 mil, which would leave us about 10 to 11 mil under the cap (assuming we renounce the other players) - which leaves enough for one more max contract. Another benefit that has to be considered is having that many contracts expiring in one year. It would let us trade those contracts for a star player on a team looking to rebuild. I foresee New Jersey being in that situation(if they do not trade Kidd sooner) - they are stuck with Kidd and Jefferson and are losing because they are good enough to not get good draft picks but not good enough to get beyond the first round of the playoffs. so, in 2006, Kidd's salary should be around 18-20 mil and the Nets would probably love to dump the salary and start over - so we deal expiring contracts for an aging veteran star that could put us over the top. (Other players could be in this situation (the situation being huge salary for aging superstar on a team that needs to rebuild or team management is so bad it needs to rebuild like the clips) like - - JOneal, Brand, BDavis, Iverson, Marbury, Marion, Arenas, etc.) Correct me on this if I am wrong, but I think V.Carter has a player option for 2007, which means he can also be an unrestricted FA in 2006. Even though Toronto could give him more money under the "bird rights", the money he recieves after taxes (by getting away from the high taxes of Canada, combined with going to a state that does not have an income tax like Texas) should be about the same as a max offer by the Rox. I am not sure we would want him, but under that scenario, we could get him.
