Let's take the Jazz under the luxury tax threshold

[beyonder]

Hi,

John Hollinger wrote that there's a chance that Utah won't pay any luxury tax this year. But if they don't want to move more than one core player this task doesn't seem to be easy:
1. They need 4,6m to get the job done
2. The team with large TPE has to be involved
3. Apart from Boozer (they will loose him anyway next season) Korver or CJ has to be moved (minimum number of players)
4. Or if they want to make some noise they could move Boozer and Kirilenko and take ~23,5m in salaries
5. Only a few teams have sufficent TPE (Orlando, Miami, New Orleans, NJ)

For example:
I
Boozer, Korver -> Orlando
TPE (Korver), Bass, Anderson, J.J. Redick and A. Johnson -> Utah (Utah could waive Johnson so tah Orlando could resign him)

II
Boozer, CJ -> Miami
TPE (CJ), Haslem, D. Wright -> Utah (is it really worth to move CJ?)

III
NOH want to cut salaries so I doubt they take any extra.

IV
Boozer, CJ -> NJ
TPE(CJ), T. Williams, Najera, Alston -> Utah

As you can see I'm considering only 2-team trades.

What's your proposals?

[DelaneyRudd]

My deal is to package a 2nd rounder and cash with Kyle Korver to a team wanting to cut him.

[Fido]

Problem with the dumping Korver deal is I remember hearing when they dumped Harpring that OKC was really the only team in a position to take on the salary dump without it costing luxury tax $$$. Nobody is signing up for that these days.

[hoops4life]

Nobody is under the cap enough to take on straight salary.

[DelaneyRudd]

Someone might have a trade exception.

[DelaneyRudd]

Charlotte has the trade exceptions and the room under luxury tax.

[loserX]

If the amount is $4.6M, we can't do it with a simple Korver dump. The only team with either capspace or a TPE big enough to take him is Orlando, and they have no more interest in paying the luxury tax for him than we do.

The better bet is to make a multiplayer deal (involving Boozer, maybe) where we take back less salary than we send out.

[Neon Black]

Trade everyone for future draft picks and sign the entire Utah Flash onto the Jazz.

[beyonder]

I think that the trade with Orlando is actually quite decent:
Utah looses Korver and Boozer but gets Bass, Anderson -> they can both play PF (Anderson plays like Okur and Bass plays like Milsap) and JJ Redick, whom they once pursued. I'm not considering Johnson because he would return to the Magic.
Orlando gets another superstar in Boozer, Boozer/Howard or Gortat/Boozer-of-the bench sounds really scary to the rest od the league and they could still have outside shooter in Korver, provided he is healthy. I think they would consider it if they wanted to win it all this year.

Trade with NJ is not so good. Utah looses CJ (and Boozer) and gets unproven T. Williams + PG in Alston + Najera (injured) or Yi (I'm not sure he fits Sloan's system)
The same is with Miami -> Haslem for Boozer and Wright for CJ -> looks really poor.

[Awoooga]

My deal is to package a 2nd rounder and cash with Kyle Korver to a team wanting to cut him.

Thats unrealistic. Need to package at least a first rounder

[gonzo]

Andrei Kirilenko
6-9 SF from Russia (Foreign)
11.0 ppg, 4.7 rpg, 2.8 apg in 29.6 minutes
Mehmet Okur
6-11 PF from Turkey (Foreign)
12.6 ppg, 6.7 rpg, 1.9 apg in 30.0 minutes
Kyle Korver
6-6 SF from Creighton
2.4 ppg, 1.2 rpg, 1.0 apg in 9.0 minutes

Outgoing Players
Caron Butler
6-7 SF from Connecticut
16.9 ppg, 6.9 rpg, 1.9 apg in 38.6 minutes
Mike Miller
6-8 SG from Florida
9.8 ppg, 6.1 rpg, 3.1 apg in 28.7 minutes
Brendan Haywood
7-0 C from North Carolina
9.6 ppg, 10.3 rpg, 0.5 apg in 33.7 minutes


Utah Trade Breakdown
Change in Team Outlook: +10.3 ppg, +10.7 rpg, and -0.2 apg.
Incoming Players
Caron Butler
6-7 SF from Connecticut
16.9 ppg, 6.9 rpg, 1.9 apg in 38.6 minutes
Mike Miller
6-8 SG from Florida
9.8 ppg, 6.1 rpg, 3.1 apg in 28.7 minutes
Brendan Haywood
7-0 C from North Carolina
9.6 ppg, 10.3 rpg, 0.5 apg in 33.7 minutes

Outgoing Players
Andrei Kirilenko
6-9 SF from Russia (Foreign)
11.0 ppg, 4.7 rpg, 2.8 apg in 29.6 minutes
Mehmet Okur
6-11 PF from Turkey (Foreign)
12.6 ppg, 6.7 rpg, 1.9 apg in 30.0 minutes
Kyle Korver
6-6 SF from Creighton
2.4 ppg, 1.2 rpg, 1.0 apg in 9.0 minutes


Saves about 5M. Thoughts??

[beyonder]

Trading Kirilenko and Okur sounds like the start of rebuilding process (knowing that Boozer is heading towards Miami next season).
Not sure Butler, Haywood and Miller are the right players to build something on. There is simply nothing special about them (neither young nor productive - just look at the Wizards record).

[gonzo]

Haywood and Miller expire. Butler has one year at 10.8M vs. AK's 17.8M.
You're right, it doesn't solve anything long term other than cap flexibility and:
1) this isn't a free agent mecca.
2) Washington couldn't afford those contracts any more than we can
3) doesn't solve their need for gun safes.

Bad idea.

[shrink]

With few trading partners with $4.6 mil in cap space or a TPE, the Jazz best way to get under the lux is to move a major contract or two, and create a TPE greater than the $4.6 mil. The outgoing salary is a two-team trade from UTA would need to be at least $17 mil.

I've been intrigued by the rumors sparked by the Kirilenko sighting in HOU (for a physical?) that the Jazz may be trading AK + either Boozer or Okur for McGrady in a salary dump. This might make sense for both teams, but while Morley has been spending this off-season, HOU is just over the lux themselves, and adding your 2009-10 payroll counts double for them.

The best way to do a deal like this would be to add a third team with 2009-10 space under the lux, like a NJN or MIN. If they eat the Jazz' $4.6, it only costs them $4.6 .. not $9.2 for a team over the lux. If getting udner the lux is a true indication that the Jazz front office want to save money, both now and next year, then I think a deal like the following makes sense:

UTAH OUT: Kirlienko + Boozer or Okur
UTA IN: Expirings + $5 mil 2009-10 TPE

HOU OUT: McGrady + Brian Cook
HOU IN: Kirlienko + Boozer or Okur

MIN OUT: Expirings + $5 mil in cap space
MIN IN: McGrady + Brian Cook + "incentive"

For UTA, collecting $5 mil in TPE saves about $14 mil this season, and moving Kirilenko for expirings saves $17.8 mil next season.