Question re vet minimum and cap holds

[clydewally]

I am trying to confirm my understanding as to the veteran's minimum salary exception and the salary cap.

As I understand it, players signed to the veteran's minimum do not count against the salary cap at all.
Is that true and, if so, does it make a difference whether or not they are signed when a team is over or under the cap?

Also, do they count towards the 12 minimum roster spots? In other words, if the Knicks sign Kurt Thomas at the veteran's minimum next year does that eliminate one of the cap holds they would have if they did not have the minimum 12 roster spots filled?

The reason I am thinking of this is trying to figure out how much room Knicks have if nothing changes with Jefferies and Curry and they sign Lebron.

If so, they have the four kids (Gallo, Chandler, Hill, TD) at $9.2 million
Curry and Jefferies at $18.2 million
Lebron at $16 million (I think that is the maximum if the salary cap is $54 million).

That is seven players with five minimum open roster spots and only $10.6 million left subject to cap holds. If Knicks fill three or four of the roster spots with players like Landry, Bender, Kurt Thomas, Tim Thomas and others who are either at or near the veteran's minimum and free next year, it leaves the full $10.6 for one or two others if I am right in my assumptions. But I am not sure the assumptions are right.

[Modern_epic]

I don't know about your math, but your assumptions are not at all right. You are either confusing it with the fact that teams can sign veteran free agents when they are over the cap, which is a special exemption for that, or with the fact that the league pays part of the salary and exempts part of it from the tax for min players with three or more years of experience (to level the playing field for more experienced bad players).

[clydewally]

Minimum Salary Exception: Teams can sign players for the NBA's minimum salary even if they are over the cap, for up to two years in length. In the case of two-year contracts, the second-season salary is the minimum salary for that season. The contract may not contain a signing bonus. This exception also allows minimum-salary players to be acquired via trade. There is no limit to the number of players that can be signed or acquired using this exception.

The above is what I was asking about. It appears from this that you can go above the cap to sign an unlimited number of players under this exemption, but do they count against the cap if signed while a team is under the cap?

[Three34]

do they count against the cap if signed while a team is under the cap?

Yes. Why wouldn't they?

[FGump]

"do they count against the cap if signed while a team is under the cap?"

Yes, minimum salary players increase a team's Team Salary (aka "they count against the cap") no matter whether the team is under or over the cap prior to the signing.