Kobe Paycut???

[dockingsched]

nah kilroy, not how it works.

i understand where u got the 19M based on Kobe's yrs of service, but superseding that is a player's previous salary

A free agent's maximum salary in the first year of a new contract is never less than 105% of his salary in the last year of his previous contract. For example, a ten-year veteran free agent who most recently earned $20 million has a maximum salary of at least $21 million, even if that is above the league-wide maximum. A free agent does not need to remain with the same team in order to receive 105% of his previous salary, although the team that signs him is subject to the same salary cap restrictions as with any other free agent.

so the way it works is this:

kobe would be a larry bird free agent with a salary above the league average, so he would fall under the cap hold category of 150% of his previous salary.

http://www.cbafaq.com/salarycap.htm#Q37

but because 150% of his previous salary would be above his max salary, his cap hold is capped at his max salary.

kobe's max salary 1st and foremost is based on 105% of his previous salary.

[tviper]

dock, that is my reading as well, meaning that if KB24 intends on playing in 2014-15, the FO will have to sign him first to something well south of $30M in order to have room to sign a max FA.

[DEEP3CL]

dock, that is my reading as well, meaning that if KB24 intends on playing in 2014-15, the FO will have to sign him first to something well south of $30M in order to have room to sign a max FA.

And Kobe knows this, either way in the summer of 2014 Mitch and Jim are going to set this team up to sign maybe two near max players. The reason I say "near max" is because I don't think any teams from here on out will just totally max themselves out on players anymore. As it is teams just don't have the flexibility to keep attracting talent with 2 maybe 3 guys locking up close to 85% of your cap space.

[dockingsched]

unfortunately i don't think there's going to even be two players worth near the max that are realistically available.

[Kilroy]

nah kilroy, not how it works.

i understand where u got the 19M based on Kobe's yrs of service, but superseding that is a player's previous salary

Ok, I can see it that way too. It just seemed a little ambiguous to me. Seems like you could interpret it either way.

[tviper]

unfortunately i don't think there's going to even be two players worth near the max that are realistically available.

Other than Lebron, you are right, there doesn't appear to be any players worth the max in 2014. As unlikely as I think Lebron coming to LA is, is it even possible? Assuming the FO keeps the 2014 cap clean and that Pau is gone one way or another, the roster will be:

D12=20.3M
Nash=9.7M
Clark=2.5M
2014 1st=1.1M (estimate based on drafting in the early 20's)

I believe a $62M cap is a reasonable assumption for 2014. These four will cost 33.6M. The roster charge for each spot under 12 is $490,180 for 2014. In this scenario, KB24 resigns, meaning that after renouncing every other FA on the roster, there will be 7 roster charges totaling 3.4M. Adding that to the total above gives us $37M, leaving $25M for KB24 and Lebron. Lebron will get 20.5M, I believe, which leaves $4.5M for KB24. Will he even play for that? Of course, Nash could be waived to save $6.5M, so KB24 could sign for $11M. I could see that, giving LAL a roster of:

PG=FA
SG=KB24
SF=Lebron
PF=Clark
C=D12

Plus bench of FA playing for the minimum to chase a ring.

[DEEP3CL]

You're probably right Doc, what I mean is with the supposed cap room that summer they should be able to get two decent players. The team is going to be built supposedly around Dwight if he returns. They don't have to go after a tier 1 player.

Worse case is they hold the cap room for an extra summer and wait for summer 2015 when Love can use his ETO.

Danny Granger is a possibility, Indy looks like they're going to go in P.George's direction.

Realistically I wouldn't look at any of these young studs, they're going to re up because their options will be picked up.

[laduane1]

Kobe would never take a pay cut. He is all about the money these days. Winning is important. But not was much as the money is.

[kblo247]

I really doubt he takes 10. Maybe 15, 10 is a joke with Cali taxes and the revenue he knows he generates for the lakers. No good agent, and he has the best would settle for that

15 will still be too much for a guy going on 36 come that time. The ideal contract would be 2 years at about 12-13 per season, maybe kick in a team option which would give leverage to the front office. I truly believe Kobe isn't playing past 38 years of age.

I'm just going off what guys like KG and Tim have got. Kobe's worth more than them in the court and off it. I can't see his agent of all people not trying to get him compensated as much as possible because he knows what his bottom line worth is to the team. I just think what he brings in is going to factor into things as it should, being a business. Plus they can't really do the magic deal unless its under the table, if they could they would have just did that to both Kobe and Phil long ago

As for age, I thought he was set on retiring next year, but then he got hurt, he got bored and more so than that he got a chip on his shoulder to prove everyone wrong again and that can keep him burning for a couple more year IMO.

I do think the most important factor is who he takes a paycut for. Hes not going down to 10-12 for anyone. I'm sure if they got Bron, he would swallow the pay cut. If they got Melo he would swallow it out of the sheer affection he seems to have for him in particular. I doubt he swallows it for a guy like Love; hell I wouldn't for Love if I was in his shoes either.