Just wondering if there is any way that we could trade Steve Francis to a team for their trade exception, and send them cash to cover his salary with the idea being that they cut him and then we sign him back for the minimum to get under the luxury tax.
Technically, yes. We can add up to $3million in cash to sweeten a deal. The other team could then use that $3m to buy him out making him an unrestricted FA to sign back with us for the vet minimum of $1.2m or so. However, that means Les Alexander effectively would be giving Francis a raise to get under the LT. Les would be out the Cash in the deal plus Francis's $1.2m vet min contract. I think that is even more money than just paying the tax, since tax isn't $1 for $1 at low levels of being over. You'd have to get the other team to pay part of Francis's buyout out of their own pocket. But they why would they do that. There would have to be other players involved from both sides, where the other team is getting value worth helping us buy out Francis.
Don't forget that going over the luxury tax threshold excludes the Rockets from receiving their cut of the league pool of luxury tax money. Taking that into consideration, it may still be worth it. Hard to tell though, since the total of that pool money will fluctuate all the way up to the trade deadline.
Can we just send him to other team? He is just taking a spot from younger guys with greater potential. People in this forum still blinded with what he was in the past.
yeah but last year, wasn't the number was something like $18M? you don't give that up to sign steve for $1M if steve can't contribute then his ending contract is only worth something to other teams if they want to dump salary. that's counter productive from the rockets standpoint. so if a team is interested in using their TE to take steve off our hands then we would probably have to send a second round pick to make it happen. if this is done at the deadline then steve should only be owed half of his salary for the rest of the season ($1.6M). so the deal might look like: steve, future second round pick, $1.6M. then sign deke.
Let's be realistic. We have roster space (you can have up to 15 players) but we're over luxury tax. Adelman has spoken often about a 11-man rotation. There's a good chance that Wafer, Harris, and Strawberry will be cut before the start of the season. Everyone keeps talking about Francis but he really puts the Rockets in a difficult position. If Francis is a non-contributer, it will be really hard to move his contract because we're trying to get under the luxury tax. He's already an expiring contract and no team wants to trade for him with a trade exception when they are already under the cap. If he is a contributer, (no not like his oldself) but if he can provide quality minutes at the backup PG position, do we really want to trade him? Our backup PG is the weakest link and Brooks isn't cutting it.
I'm pretty convinced we are going to move Luther for a trade exception. Don't see that he has a role here anymore. So, one logical move may be to send both Luther and Francis out to a team with a trade exception big enough to take them, make it 2 separate deals so we can include cash for both, then sign back Francis for the stretch run provided he has shown he can play and contribute. We may be able to get some team to bite on this just so they can have a look at Luther for the rest of the season. Who has a trade exception big enough to swallow both Francis and Luther?
Hey fellas...Can someone explain to me... I don't get it...Boston paid lux tax, Lakers paid lux tax...man we're investing virtaully EVERYTHING into this season and not a couple of dollars of chump change??? So are we gonna finally decide we might let out a few more bucks when Yao is 35? The impact of this may be we will be shipping off players for nothing...Luther is bad but he is better than at least 10% of the league. These few bucks might hurt us when it comes to the playoffs...where depth is vital... What do you think of our chances of paying the Luxury Tax this upcoming season? I think if we're only going to pay it for one season..its gotta be this season. And we should. Boston didn't win a title by being Donald Sterling.
we may get rid of the lux tax but cutting off a useless player like head before the season begins, but how about next season? By the begining of next season, we'll have given artest a bigger contract that will push us farther exceeding the lux tax line. Then whom esle shall we cut to avoid the lux tax, cut shane or rafer? In fact if you want to build a contender team, you have to hire many good players and then the lux tax is inevitable. The only way to making the lux tax no longer a problem for us is just cutting off les and find another billioner who is not reluctant to pay lux tax for his team.
Since each team has a 15 man roster, if Luther is better than 10% of the league, then that means he's about the 13th or 14th man. In other words he's destined for the inactive list. So yeah, you're absolutely right.
