MIN Expirings for Bad 2-year Deal + Incentives?

[shrink]

I have been one of the longest advocates of trading Miller + Cardinal for Wally to get 2009 cap space. However, if the front office doesn't, they are wasting an asset if they don't try to turn their expirings into two-year deal to add more future assets to the team. The two best places to be financially are just under the lux (maximizing the money you can spend on a team without paying double) or as far under the salary cap as possible (maximizing your opportunities with cap space). If MIN does nothing, they end up in the middle. Not far enough under the cap to do much, and too far under the lux to not have a disadvantage on the foor.

I posted a Trade Thread looking for suitable matched if we deal one of our expirings:

viewtopic.php?f=2&t=883250

MIN has four expiring contracts, and space under the lux next year to trade them for two year deals if they get incentive back. Some even have the potential to help a little.

Jason Collins 6,200,000
Rashad McCants 2,620,126
Rodney Carney 1,655,760
Calvin Booth 1,319,651
Kevin Ollie 1,262,275 .. vet min. Only applies 797,581 to salary.

MIN wouldn't even be too fussy who came back, since they can take back injured players or truly awful producers, since they are not in a play-off race this year, and probably not next year as well. They would seek to sell the money they'd spend next season for future incentive.

Any ideas?

OK- well the best bang would be for teams that either want to clear capspace this offseason or get below the luxury tax next season if the team isn't championship quality (or maybe even if they are). Here is a list of names I'd think teams have motivation to get rid of.

Mikki Moore
Kyle Korver
Brian Cook
Rasual Butler
Luke Ridnour
Dorrell Wright
Darko Milicic
Kwame Brown
Steven Hunter
Antione Wright
Brian Scalabrine

Not an exhaustive list by any stretch- but I'd think teams would be partciularly interested in clearing those deals. Either they would clear more caproom now, or save double the salary because of hte luxury tax.

Do these names give anyone ideas?

[Krapinsky]

Rekindling the Wizards deal, maybe Thomas for Collins plus the right to swap firsts this year? You would think the Wolves would be pretty much guaranteed a top 3 pick in that scenario. Thomas would give us a stop gap until Pekovic can be signed.

[shrink]

Rekindling the Wizards deal, maybe Thomas for Collins plus the right to swap firsts this year? You would think the Wolves would be pretty much guaranteed a top 3 pick in that scenario. Thomas would give us a stop gap until Pekovic can be signed.

I would LOVE that. If there's truth to the rumors that they'd trade their pick to move a three-year deal (that's hard for me to believe though), a lottery pick swap for a 2-year deal doesn't seem any less reasonable.

Would Taylor buy the upgrade for $6 mil, and whatever use we could get out of Etan? I think he should. Etan would allow Love to play his natural position for the rest of this season, and could fit next to Al next year. Even though he's overpaid, its brief.

[shrink]

Matt (MN): Any news of the Timberwolves? Or are we just waiting for the lottery?

SportsNation Chad Ford: (12:24 PM ET ) They made a small trade today of Rashad McCants and Calvin Booth in return for Shelden Williams and Bobby Brown. It's a good trade for the Wolves. They are also talking to several teams about Jason Collin's expiring contract.

[Biff Cooper]

Rekindling the Wizards deal, maybe Thomas for Collins plus the right to swap firsts this year? You would think the Wolves would be pretty much guaranteed a top 3 pick in that scenario. Thomas would give us a stop gap until Pekovic can be signed.

That would make sense