BBI says 5M: http://www.basketballinsiders.com/portland-trail-blazers-team-salary/ so you know there was a trade on the table that Portland turned down?
They still have Nurk's bonus on the books. Since he got it last year it is listed as likely to achieve this year. He's already disqualified from getting it based on the number of games he's missed. About the trade, lets just say that there were two players that were traded that neither team wanted and were looking for a 3rd team to take but had to be included to make the salary work and their salary added up to an amount that would've put Portland just under the line. The problem? Neither was a center and one of them had a contract for next year (about Ariza's level). It would've been a straight dump to get under the line.
but still doesn't it count this season? Portland didn't pay tax on it last season, even though it was payroll. I'm reading thru the faq and I found this provision that sure seems to imply Portland is stuck with the bonus this season: "Bonuses are not recalculated during a season, unless the player is traded. Even if a likely bonus is mathematically impossible to be achieved, it is not recalculated and the team is not given relief during the season." http://www.cbafaq.com/salarycap.htm#Q74 was that a single trade? and are you just tracking trades that were made and projecting Portland stepping into one with Whiteside's contract?
No projection, Portland "not listening" to offers for Whiteside made the teams search elsewhere. One of the teams involved even traded one of the players for a center. That quote you give is for reasons other than the tax at the end of the season. Like if a team was hardcapped and needed that bonus off the books they couldn't even if it was a case like Nurk's where it already was impossible to achieve. At the end of the season it is calculated into the tax number. Nurk's was last year. I was confused as to why people were saying Portland was only $6.3 million above the tax after the Ariza trade instead of $7.5 and I had private discussions with Bobby Marks, Jeff Siegel, and Eric Pincus (the man behind basketball insiders) and all 3 of them confirmed this.
@Scalma Does it bug you (or anyone else) that the Blazers could claim Markieff Morris off of waivers right now because they are ahead of every playoff team in the waiver process but won't because of money?
