Matching RFA's

[NYG]

Is there anything against a team offering basically a MAX salary for one year to a restricted free agent knowing they will sign him the next off-season even if the one year deal gets matched?

For example: could the Knicks offer Zion a 1 year, $31 Million deal... Zion signs it... the Pelicans match... the Knicks sign him in 2024.

Can that happen?

[HartfordWhalers]

Is there anything against a team offering basically a MAX salary for one year to a restricted free agent knowing they will sign him the next off-season even if the one year deal gets matched?

For example: could the Knicks offer Zion a 1 year, $31 Million deal... Zion signs it... the Pelicans match... the Knicks sign him in 2024.

Can that happen?

Yes, the CBA.

The offer sheet must be for at least two seasons (not including option years), and a standard NBA contract (not a Two-Way contract). If the player's prior team also submitted a maximum qualifying offer, then the offer sheet must be for at least three seasons (not including option years)

http://www.cbafaq.com/salarycap.htm#Q42

So, if NOP is willing to give Zion a max deal and signifies it; 3 full guaranteed years; for all normal restricted free agency 2 years. {Butler way back when was an example of a maximum q/o if i recall correctly offhand.}
The way that works in practice has been typically 2+PO as might as well give the player you are trying to woo the extra guaranteed money while also not having them trapped on the team you were trying to steal them from any longer. And in theory it makes it a worse contract to match.

[DoItALL9]

If DeAndre Ayton hates Phoenix and wants to get away assuredly...

Could DeAndre Ayton sign a contract overseas this summer without issue?

Could he come back from China, for example, in March after their season ends and sign the restricted free agent tender (1yr deal) with Phoenix at that point and become a unrestricted free agent summer 2023?

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[meekrab]

If DeAndre Ayton hates Phoenix and wants to get away assuredly...

Could DeAndre Ayton sign a contract overseas this summer without issue?

Could he come back from China, for example, in March after their season ends and sign the restricted free agent tender (1yr deal) with Phoenix at that point and become a unrestricted free agent summer 2023?

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http://www.cbafaq.com/salarycap.htm#Q42

To summarize, a restricted free agent essentially has six options:

He can accept his prior team's qualifying offer, play for one season, and become a free agent again the following summer.
He can accept his prior team's maximum qualifying offer (if applicable, and if one has been submitted) and play under a long-term contract at the maximum salary.
He can negotiate a new contract with his prior team that is independent of the qualifying offer or maximum qualifying offer.
He can sign an offer sheet with another team through March 1, which his prior team is given the opportunity to match.
He can negotiate a sign-and-trade (see question number 92) if he has not signed an offer sheet with another team.
He can do nothing, but if he doesn't sign a qualifying offer, a contract, or an offer sheet for one year, his prior team can submit a new qualifying offer (or maximum qualifying offer), and the player becomes a restricted free agent again the following offseason.

[DBoys]

If DeAndre Ayton hates Phoenix and wants to get away assuredly...

Could DeAndre Ayton sign a contract overseas this summer without issue?

Could he come back from China, for example, in March after their season ends and sign the restricted free agent tender (1yr deal) with Phoenix at that point and become a unrestricted free agent summer 2023?

Can Ayton refuse to sign anything and delay? Sure.

Is a threat against the Suns? Not really. If he wants to play in a different league for a year or more for likely less money, less prestige, and worse conditions, it's up to him. But as already noted, if he plays somewhere else for the season, he will return to be a RFA again. So he gains nothing in NBA terms.

There really isn't an angle to do some sort of partial-season thing, either, that will inflict some punitive outcome on the Suns.

On Oct 1 before the season starts, a team's Qualifying Offer (which you called a RFA tender) is allowed to be taken off the table if not yet signed, without losing matching rights. And that always happens.

After that point, the Suns can give him no offer at all, and just wait to see what happens or until he comes begging. By that point, most other teams will have no cap room, and typically lack desire to give an RFA Offer Sheet to a player who can be matched. So that deadline tends to keep any player from going past Oct 1.

If he goes past the deadline anyhow, he has until March 1 to sign an NBA RFA Offer Sheet with another team. But if he has signed in another league, contracts in foreign leagues tend to last longer than March 1, because they have their own playoffs they want to win. International rules (FIBA) say a player can't abandon a contract mid-season and go sign a deal in the NBA, just like they can't walk from the NBA and sign in Europe or somewhere.

After March 1, he can ONLY sign an NBA deal with the Suns. They can lowball him however they want. Or refuse to sign him at all, not wanting just a few weeks counting as a season. As noted before, if he doesn't sign at all, he's lost a year and it all starts over on July 1 with nothing changed from a year earlier.

Players have tried workarounds to RFA before. They tend to lose VERY badly. The best choice is to get the best deal they can, or sign the offer sheet if you must, and move forward.