Again.....we have the MLE (about $7M) and the BAE (about $2M) to sign players. With or without MoWill. Best scenario: Mo stays and doesn't opt out. We can add two nice players to the team by cutting Watson and Claver. Good scenario: Mo opts out but stays for the BAE ($2M) but longer years (3). We then sign a nice player or two with MLE money, cut Watson and/or Claver. Bad scenario: Mo opts out and leaves, we cannot find a good replacement ball-handler, and bring back the same team as ended this year, don't improve much.
The MLE for next season is 5.305. The BAE will be at 2.077. We can sign Mo using the non-bird exception to a starting salary of 120% of his previous salary(2.652), so a starting salary of 3182400, , and can throw out a 3 year offer, 3/9,983,268. Round up and call it roughly a 3/10 deal. Maybe he gets more. But he'll be 32 in December. I dunno if the 3rd year(or potential 4th year) tacked on sways him to stay. Or whether we wat that ultimately. But you can offer him that without touching the BAE(2.077, only 2 years), and without touching the MLE. So you can sign Mo. Use full MLE on scorer, BAE on big?
I think you're right. Mo opting out doesn't get you far enough under the cap. You cannot, however, use the $5M of salary space below the cap to sign players. The MLE buys maybe $1M more buying power, though. You could keep Mo AND have the MLE, which is the best of all worlds.
If there is a midround draft prospect we like I could see Neil trading next years pick for him. The deal can be finalized right after the pick is made as then it won't matter we teaded away this years pick. Are there any teams in the middle of the draft who are trying to clear cap space? That could make a willing trade partner. We'd get a pick higher than our expected draft spot next year but gamble that we don't sink back into the lottery.
This team still needs to be in full on asset acquisition mode. That doesn't mean trading for cap space when that cap space is only a mill more than MLE and we then have 3 more spots to fill.
Which of our bench players are owed guaranteed money next year?? I mean which ones can't we get rid of because of the money owed them.
