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Team manipulating cap space for unnamed trade target

Posted: Fri Jul 22, 2016 8:51 am
by dockingsched
[tweet]http://twitter.com/forumbluegold/status/756361589868138496[/tweet]

The team has held off on signing Tarik Black, Marcelo Huertas and second-overall pick Brandon Ingram, keeping an eye on what could be $13.6 million in cap room (assuming the team also waives and stretched Nick Young).


The Lakers do have an unnamed trade target in mind, but are also preserving space for another opportunistic Calderon-like deal.


Other than speculating about who they might be targeting, I really like reading some more details about how the lakers are using their cap space in creative ways. Earlier, details came out about the Deng, Mozgov, and Clarkson's deals and it was revealed that all 3 contracts take a dip in 2017-2018, which creates an additional 2.5ish mil in cap space (players make it back up on the 4th yr).

Now, its being reported that the lakers are holding off on signing Ingram, Black, and Huertas in order to maximize their current cap.

For Ingram, his current cap hold is $ 4,401,400.00. Once he signs though, he'll count as $5,281,680. Reason for this is that teams are allowed to sign 1st round picks to anywhere from 80% to 120% of their rookie slot, and traditional teams always sign players to 120%. By holding off on Ingram, Lakers are preserving $880,280 in cap space.

Marcelo Huertas' reported deal will have him earning $ 1,625,000.00 next year. His current cap hold $ 1,074,636.00. By waiting to sign him, Lakers are saving $550,364. Lakers can use part of the room exception to give Huertas the contract he agreed to once the cap has been used up.

Tarik Black's cap hold is currently $ 1,180,431.00. Reportedly he will be starting off next year at $6,191,000. By holding off on his deal, lakers save a whopping $5,010,569. Reason the lakers can hold off is that they have early bird rights (2 seasons with the team), and these rights allow you to pay a player 104.5% of the average nba salary, which is coincidentally set at $6.191 million.

In total, holding off on these deals is manipulating the salaries in a way that is creating an extra $6,441,213 cap space.

Then you have Nick Young who currently makes $5,443,918. If you stretch him, his remaining $11,112,585 would get counted against the cap over 5 yrs, meaning $2,222,517 per yr. That would create an additional $3,221,401 in cap.

In total lakers are looking at around 13.6 in cap to make a deal rather than a rather insignificant amount without these moves.


What possibilities does this open up? Lakers could hypothetically trade D'Angelo Russell and Zubac for Russell Westbrook and Andre Roberson. They'd be able to use cap space to absorb the salary difference. Then they can turn around and match salaries by trading Louis Williams, Jose Calderon, Julius Randle, Brandon Ingram, and Anthony Brown for Demarcus Cousins and say Rudy Gay. Recall rookies can be traded 30 days after signing their deal.

Westbrook/Huertas
Clarkson/Roberson
Gay/Lance Stephenson - Kevin Martin vet min?
Deng/Nance
Cousins/Mozgov/Black

just an example, who else do you think is this unnamed trade target that the lakers could use cap space to facilitate to acquire?

Re: Team manipulating cap space for unnamed trade target

Posted: Fri Jul 22, 2016 11:12 am
by billy_21
I for one don't like the idea that we'll trade away a talented young core for a 1st round playoff exit team... but i guess when Jim is in charge, this stupidity is a possibility :(

Re: Team manipulating cap space for unnamed trade target

Posted: Fri Jul 22, 2016 12:18 pm
by Slava
I actually think they have an agreement with a team to exhaust all trade possibilities for a player before accepting him in a salary dump with possibly an asset to boot. I'm thinking someone like Rudy Gay or Greg Monroe.

Re: Team manipulating cap space for unnamed trade target

Posted: Fri Jul 22, 2016 1:05 pm
by ak7
Nobody is buying $150 upper deck tickets to watch a team full of young players with no proven attention drawer. Been saying this since the day Kobe retired. Business.

Especially once you consider the Clippers product which is 10x better for selling tickets.

Re: Team manipulating cap space for unnamed trade target

Posted: Fri Jul 22, 2016 1:40 pm
by The Prodigy
Just as long as the trade doesn't involve D Lo or Ingram. You need young, cost-controlled assets to put together a championship team in this league.

Re: Team manipulating cap space for unnamed trade target

Posted: Fri Jul 22, 2016 2:10 pm
by Speedlot
It makes sense.. Their priority right now is basically selling tickets. They don't have the crutch that is kobe anymore... We need a star that attracts. Money is everything here.

Re: Team manipulating cap space for unnamed trade target

Posted: Fri Jul 22, 2016 2:18 pm
by LAKESHOW
I hope westbrook doesnt take too long thinking about it. At least he can tell okc fans he wants to go home. Durant just said FU

Re: Team manipulating cap space for unnamed trade target

Posted: Fri Jul 22, 2016 3:31 pm
by Kilroy
The worm has turned.

Re: Team manipulating cap space for unnamed trade target

Posted: Fri Jul 22, 2016 4:44 pm
by Hellcrooner
Well.

Names that are out there known to be on situations where the word trade is around the corner

Westbrook
Griffin
Kevin Love
Rudy Gay
Ricky Rubio
Greg Monroe.


Could be one of those.

The " calderon type move" part makes me suspect we are doing a play for Love in order to atract Westrbrook next year.

Re: Team manipulating cap space for unnamed trade target

Posted: Fri Jul 22, 2016 4:53 pm
by One Love
Reading between the lines, the FO loves the young core, which is why they committed to Mozgov (Cousins) & Deng... I don't see anything major happening... Probably a last year dump with some picks... Monroe fits the bill...

Re: Team manipulating cap space for unnamed trade target

Posted: Fri Jul 22, 2016 5:06 pm
by Kilroy
All in all, conserving cap is a good, savvy, best practice regardless if you have something planned or not... And of course the lakers have 'unnamed trade targets in mind'... They probably have about a dozen.

As far as a Westbrook trade... I've said this before but my guess is, if there's just one move planned, it's for a guy that could help attract Westbrook next season... And the top of the list in that regard would seem to be Cousins... I think either Rudy Gay or Love next to Cousins would be enough to lure Westbrook, if we still had one of our young guys... But I don't know if Cousins by himself would.

I agree with Doc's other comment about the Lakers putting on a show at Team USA camp to try to convince players... I also wonder if deals weren't discussed there...
I think it's interesting that after the first practice, Ingram didn't get much burn... I also think it's interesting that Russell seemed a little detached on the Last day and Randle didn't do interviews. I also thought Mitch's interview was a little on the subdued side...

All of that could mean nothing or it could mean changes are coming... Who knows...

But it's nice to see we're actually discussing the possibility now.

Re: Team manipulating cap space for unnamed trade target

Posted: Fri Jul 22, 2016 5:16 pm
by Laker_Kid
with any trade talks. im personally only concerned with breaking up our young core before we even see their potential realized. we've already committed to the rebuild. we should embrace it.

but any move to absorb a contract or dispose nick young is always welcome


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Re: Team manipulating cap space for unnamed trade target

Posted: Fri Jul 22, 2016 5:32 pm
by crazyeights
Why would Monroe be discussed? Wouldn't he eat into our cap to potentially sign a max deal next summer?

He's got a player option next year, and maybe if he has a good season he'll decline it...but I don't know if I'd want to chance it to land a guy who isn't a game changer.

I'd only do a deal involving him if we treated it like Calderon and took on a significant asset.

Re: Team manipulating cap space for unnamed trade target

Posted: Fri Jul 22, 2016 5:33 pm
by gts1
My feeling is they're just keeping the door open to opportunities but there's nothing actually in the works... I highly doubt any of the young main assets are in play, the Lakers have clearly shown a commitment to a youth movement.. you don't go down that road then suddenly reverse course.

Re: Team manipulating cap space for unnamed trade target

Posted: Fri Jul 22, 2016 6:07 pm
by slifersd
For the sake of all Laker fans' sanity, I hope they use that cap space wisely and actually get someone who can help the team. I know it is tempting to go out and try to get more draft picks, but our roster is already loaded with recent draftees. More picks will clog up the entire roster and leave us with almost no flexibility to explore FA options or trades. Last thing we need on this team is another Ryan Kelly or Robert Sacre taking up valuable roster spots that could've gone to players who actually had some potential to contribute. Don't get me wrong, if we can nab a couple of first rounders with these salary dumps, im all for it. But if we are getting three more second rounders from playoff caliber teams, then screw it.

Re: Team manipulating cap space for unnamed trade target

Posted: Fri Jul 22, 2016 7:01 pm
by TyCobb
Image

Re: Team manipulating cap space for unnamed trade target

Posted: Fri Jul 22, 2016 11:00 pm
by BEazy
Keep the people I have listed below and I'm happy.

Re: Team manipulating cap space for unnamed trade target

Posted: Sat Jul 23, 2016 3:26 am
by RingsDontLie
We have a big draw actually. We are not making a trade to sell more tickets because our big draw is Ingram, Russell, and our other young guys. The fans are excited about this young talent, did you guys not watch the Vegas summer league and the laker fans that showed up? If anyone is going, it's not going to be randle, russell, ingram, clarkson, zubac, or nance that's for sure. It's going to be a bad contract like Young, Williams, etc.

Re: Team manipulating cap space for unnamed trade target

Posted: Sat Jul 23, 2016 4:36 am
by keloms
ak7 wrote:Nobody is buying $150 upper deck tickets to watch a team full of young players with no proven attention drawer. Been saying this since the day Kobe retired. Business.

Especially once you consider the Clippers product which is 10x better for selling tickets.


A star would help, but, tickets aren't anywhere near that expensive and will still sell themselves. Uppers start at $36 and run to about $55. For $155 you can be sitting on the floor a couple rows behind the hoop which is in line with the rest of the league.

Re: Team manipulating cap space for unnamed trade target

Posted: Sat Jul 23, 2016 9:42 am
by slifersd
I don't think marketing should be the primary strategy for a basketball team, but I do also think we need more star power on this team if we want to get good ratings and sell seats. LA is a city that has a million things for people to do. Without a good product on court, or any star attraction to intrigue the fans, we are going to struggle badly for ratings and tickets. The die hard fans will still watch, but the casual fans are going to switch to the Clippers game or watch something else entirely. Blind faith for a team isn't something that is easily achievable in a city like LA.