Can a Team Incentivize a Player Option?

[daoneandonly]

Hypothetically, can a team pay a player to exercise his player option so that he is off their books. Say Dalals came to its senses and wanted to part ways with Wes Matthews, who has an 18 million dollar option this year, if the 2 sides were to agree on some type of cash payout, is it legal in the CBA where their cap is not impacted?

[DBoys]

"Cash payouts" (off the cap books) are not allowed. You have to pay the player via the salary in their contract, and it all goes on the cap. There are ways to revise the amount owed downward, via mutual consent, in what is known as a "buyout" - but you can't make up the money on the side somewhere. And obviously Matthews won't want to agree to an idea in which he gets less.