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Nick Collisons just signed a very interesting extension with OKC. THis year he in the last year of his deal but due $6.5M. OKC just game him all of their cap space as a signing bonus and then signed him to very low rate for the remainder of the contract.

http://espn.go.com/blog/truehoop/post/_ ... -extension

Which makes me think --

Could this be away for the Wolves to keep Brewer around for the future at a very cap friendly price? For example, we could extend him for $6M this year and then down near $2M for the remainder for the deal. Brewer has tons of faults, but I like him as the 9th=10th guy in the rotation.

wow that's very smart of oklahoma's management. whoever came up with that deserves some bonus.

imagine if miami heat did this kind of salary? they'd get flexible as the years come by.


minny should take a look at this and explore this possibility. we can very well keep brewer and have him have a lower salary next year

wasn't there just a deadline for extending players going to be restricted fa's? Wouldn't that preclude Brewer from receiving a contract extension of that type?

It could work, although like Stephen I don't know whether we've passed the point where we can still do it.

But I want to see how Brewer does as a 4th wing. He strikes me as a player that needs minutes to get his game going so if he can't perform in the real limited minutes he'll likely get when Stringer is 100% then I'd probably look an older veteran who can. That or replace him with someone better from the draft.

Stephen S wrote:wasn't there just a deadline for extending players going to be restricted fa's? Wouldn't that preclude Brewer from receiving a contract extension of that type?

Correct. October 31 off rookie scale contracts.

You should still be able to sign him to an extension like this in offseason I would think. The Vikings frontload there contracts all the time, it's one of the reason they always have cap space. I had thought it might illegal in the NBA because I hadn't seen it and the Vikings have been doing it for 5-6 years.

Worm Guts wrote:You should still be able to sign him to an extension like this in offseason I would think. The Vikings frontload there contracts all the time, it's one of the reason they always have cap space. I had thought it might illegal in the NBA because I hadn't seen it and the Vikings have been doing it for 5-6 years.

Unfortunately for Brewer, it wouldn't be an extension, but a new contract. The CBA limits salary decreases to be the same as salary increases -- a maximum of 10.5%. Now, like any player coming off rookie scale, Brewer could get a big first year, up to the max. However, the following year the salary could only drop by no more than 10.5%.

I thought front-loading contracts was illegal also.

Wow, we really should do that as a trick to have future cap space.

shrink wrote:

Worm Guts wrote:You should still be able to sign him to an extension like this in offseason I would think. The Vikings frontload there contracts all the time, it's one of the reason they always have cap space. I had thought it might illegal in the NBA because I hadn't seen it and the Vikings have been doing it for 5-6 years.

Unfortunately for Brewer, it wouldn't be an extension, but a new contract. The CBA limits salary decreases to be the same as salary increases -- a maximum of 10.5%. Now, like any player coming off rookie scale, Brewer could get a big first year, up to the max. However, the following year the salary could only drop by no more than 10.5%.

But could we give Brewer a Collison-like signing bonus? Or any other free agent for that matter? It would cost us our offseason cap space, but I'm just curious if we could do it.

For example, let's say we've got 10 million in cap space this summer. Instead of giving a free agent a 3 year, 15 million dollar contract, could we give him a 3 year, 7.5 million dollar contract with a 7.5 million dollar signing bonus?

Worm Guts wrote:For example, let's say we've got 10 million in cap space this summer. Instead of giving a free agent a 3 year, 15 million dollar contract, could we give him a 3 year, 7.5 million dollar contract with a 7.5 million dollar signing bonus?

I see where you're going, but entire compensation is factored into that first year. They even do it down to production-based incentives, determining whether the incentives are likely or unlikely.

Maybe in the next CBA.

I have to wonder what's going on with this deal. NBA signing bonuses are supposed to be limited to 20% of the contract value and be prorated, so I'm wondering if this is in fact 2 separate contracts. Going to look into it further...

shrink wrote:

Worm Guts wrote:For example, let's say we've got 10 million in cap space this summer. Instead of giving a free agent a 3 year, 15 million dollar contract, could we give him a 3 year, 7.5 million dollar contract with a 7.5 million dollar signing bonus?

I see where you're going, but entire compensation is factored into that first year. They even do it down to production-based incentives, determining whether the incentives are likely or unlikely.

Maybe in the next CBA.

I guess I'm confused what the difference is then. Why is OKC allowed to use their cap space for a signing bonus with Collison?

Didn't Ben Wallace get a front-loaded contract from the Bulls a few years back?

big3_8_19_21 wrote:Didn't Ben Wallace get a front-loaded contract from the Bulls a few years back?

No. They just paid him a **** of money.