Can someone explain Wesley/Contract/Pacers situation to me?

[Tom White]

Somewhere on here a poster said that if the Pacers re-sign Wes it would have to be at a very low salary due to the team not having his Bird rights. I think it was mentioned he could only be signed to a contract worth 120% of what they are paying him this year?

If that is correct, could the Pacers sign him to a deal like that on a one year contract, and then give him a more deserved increase in a future deal?

Also, since he was not with the team for the entire season, would that 120% increase be solely based on what the Pacers are paying him for his partial season or could that be pro-rated to reflect a full year salary?

Thanks for any light anyone might shed on this.

[pacers33granger]

He's currently under Non-Bird rights, which means he can only be at 120% of the previous salary. It would be his full salary, not the prorated amount. So 120% of the vet minimum.

If we sign him to another 1 year deal, he would get Early-Bird rights (what Bogie and DC will have this summer). He can then sign for 175% of his previous salary. So very very doubtful he takes this route.

He would have to have played for us for 3 years to get full Bird rights, which would allow us to go up to his max to resign him.

So the options are basically keep enough cap open to resign him or use the MLE. If resigning him is the end game, it makes more sense to operate over the cap and use the MLE on him so we can keep all of our cap holds either for resigning ourselves or sign and trades. This of course assumes we resign both Bogie and Thad.

Edit: I think I was slightly off here. I believe he would actually be under Non-Bird rights again next season in the first year since he did not play a whole season for us and was signed as a free agent mid season. Not 100% on that, but pretty sure. Bottom line is that there's really no way to manipulate the cap in a way to promise him a big raise in a year.

[Tom White]

Thanks for that detailed explanation. It helps.

So, by what you have said, the Pacers could offer him a MLE for next year at about $9M, right?

As you have probably figured I am just looking at how the team might keep him past this season. It doesn't look like the chances are great, but you never know. Maybe he likes it here, and thinks his future (play and money-wise) would be good, and having the chance to play with Victor next season might be tempting. I guess we will see.

[pacers33granger]

Yeah the best bet is to operate over the cap and offer him the MLE. We would not have the MLE if we operate under the cap in order to use space, so it will depend on our other moves, but it seems the most likely.

He's been great for us, but I can't see him getting anything more than the MLE from anyone else, so it likely won't be a money issue. And he came here over other contenders, so that is a good sign. The primary issue I see is that we won't be able to promise him a starting spot. Maybe he's ok with that at this point in his career though.

[pacers70]

Yeah the best bet is to operate over the cap and offer him the MLE. We would not have the MLE if we operate under the cap in order to use space, so it will depend on our other moves, but it seems the most likely.

He's been great for us, but I can't see him getting anything more than the MLE from anyone else, so it likely won't be a money issue. And he came here over other contenders, so that is a good sign. The primary issue I see is that we won't be able to promise him a starting spot. Maybe he's ok with that at this point in his career though.

I would be very surprised if Wesley Matthews is on our team next season.

[Scoot McGroot]

He's currently under Non-Bird rights, which means he can only be at 120% of the previous salary. It would be his full salary, not the prorated amount. So 120% of the vet minimum.

If we sign him to another 1 year deal, he would get Early-Bird rights (what Bogie and DC will have this summer). He can then sign for 175% of his previous salary. So very very doubtful he takes this route.

He would have to have played for us for 3 years to get full Bird rights, which would allow us to go up to his max to resign him.

So the options are basically keep enough cap open to resign him or use the MLE. If resigning him is the end game, it makes more sense to operate over the cap and use the MLE on him so we can keep all of our cap holds either for resigning ourselves or sign and trades. This of course assumes we resign both Bogie and Thad.

Edit: I think I was slightly off here. I believe he would actually be under Non-Bird rights again next season in the first year since he did not play a whole season for us and was signed as a free agent mid season. Not 100% on that, but pretty sure. Bottom line is that there's really no way to manipulate the cap in a way to promise him a big raise in a year.

Nope. Since he will have finished the season for us (so long as we don't waive him before the end of the season and he signs with someone else after that, so, unlikely ), he will accrue one year towards the Bird Rights calendar.

The other weird thing of Early Bird Rights (which takes 2 seasons to acquire), is we could then re-sign a player for up to 175% of his previous salary, OR 105% of the league wide average salary in the previous season (which this year is $8.838m, so sign for up to $9.3m), whichever is greater.

[Scoot McGroot]

Yeah the best bet is to operate over the cap and offer him the MLE. We would not have the MLE if we operate under the cap in order to use space, so it will depend on our other moves, but it seems the most likely.

He's been great for us, but I can't see him getting anything more than the MLE from anyone else, so it likely won't be a money issue. And he came here over other contenders, so that is a good sign. The primary issue I see is that we won't be able to promise him a starting spot. Maybe he's ok with that at this point in his career though.

I would be very surprised if Wesley Matthews is on our team next season.

I wouldn't necessarily. If we operate as an over the cap team and keep the full MLE, I think he'd get a good portion, if not all of it, for one or two years. He also might really take a one year here, as Vic will likely miss the start of the season (though, who knows, we're all ball parking that here), so he'd get a starting spot, and then a key reserve role the rest of the way. Then, hit free agency fresh again the following year for one last multi-year deal?

[pacers33granger]

He's currently under Non-Bird rights, which means he can only be at 120% of the previous salary. It would be his full salary, not the prorated amount. So 120% of the vet minimum.

If we sign him to another 1 year deal, he would get Early-Bird rights (what Bogie and DC will have this summer). He can then sign for 175% of his previous salary. So very very doubtful he takes this route.

He would have to have played for us for 3 years to get full Bird rights, which would allow us to go up to his max to resign him.

So the options are basically keep enough cap open to resign him or use the MLE. If resigning him is the end game, it makes more sense to operate over the cap and use the MLE on him so we can keep all of our cap holds either for resigning ourselves or sign and trades. This of course assumes we resign both Bogie and Thad.

Edit: I think I was slightly off here. I believe he would actually be under Non-Bird rights again next season in the first year since he did not play a whole season for us and was signed as a free agent mid season. Not 100% on that, but pretty sure. Bottom line is that there's really no way to manipulate the cap in a way to promise him a big raise in a year.

Nope. Since he will have finished the season for us (so long as we don't waive him before the end of the season and he signs with someone else after that, so, unlikely ), he will accrue one year towards the Bird Rights calendar.

The other weird thing of Early Bird Rights (which takes 2 seasons to acquire), is we could then re-sign a player for up to 175% of his previous salary, OR 105% of the league wide average salary in the previous season (which this year is $8.838m, so sign for up to $9.3m), whichever is greater.

That's what i get for over thinking it.

Amd i had not known the other piece. I still don't see him taking a min deal in any event.

[winter_mute_13]

I hope we retain Wes. He's been pretty solid.

That said, I'm not sure that his performance (coupled with his age) is going to spark a bidding war for his services. I think that his market price should be within the Pacers' budget, and obviously he's fit in well here.