Free Agent/Trade/Waiver Thread, 2025-26, part 2

[keevsnick1]

Going into the season, we are still about $6 million over the 1st apron line and about $12 million over the tax line.
As a first apron team, we are restrained by the penalties, ie we can't take back more money than we send out in trades, and several other penalties

so .... I'm not getting to attached to Anfernee Simons between now and December 15th when trade season opens up, lol

Brad and ownership made it clear over the past couple of months that their goal was to get under the 2nd apron.

Mission accomplished.

There's been no indication I'm aware of that the goal is to get under the 1st apron..

Getting under the 2nd apron came with real benefits like not getting future draft picks frozen or sent to the back of the first round. Those were penalties they sort of had to avoid. Getting under the 1st apron doesn't really come with those same benefits. Sure, a few more team building tools open up if you're below the 1st apron but when the team is already more or less complete for this season those don't really matter.

There's no real reason they should be targeting getting under the 1st apron specifically, they might do so naturally by shedding money to lower their tax bill but i can't see why it would be specifically to get under that first apron line.

[ConstableGeneva]

I think it's getting under tax line entirely (to reset repeater) or stay over the 1st apron (status quo). Not much point to getting under the 1st apron but still in tax territory.

[redslastlaugh]

I do think they want to get under the tax line

but being in the first apron itself is unnecessarily limiting. Say Brad decides he doesn't want to pick up Baylor Scheierman's 3rd year but another team wants a crack at a cheap wing contributor, say the other GM liked Baylor in the draft... In this case, we can't take back a player making more money than Baylor makes.

Imagine they have a player on a rookie deal making $3.2 million, Baylor only makes $2.6 and we can't do the (otherwise legal) deal because we're in the 1st apron and we can only take back less than we send out

I think it's getting under tax line entirely (to reset repeater) or stay over the 1st apron (status quo). Not much point to getting under the 1st apron but still in tax territory.

[Riverwalk2021]

Brad if you are reading this, please get Simmons, Walsh, Garza, Tillman, Baylor off our team pretty please

[keevsnick1]

I think it's getting under tax line entirely (to reset repeater) or stay over the 1st apron (status quo). Not much point to getting under the 1st apron but still in tax territory.

The point would be to pay less in tax. Right now they are 12 million over paying like 39 million in tax for 51 million salary/tax. Lets say they trade Simons and saved 6 million dollars. Their new outlay would then be roughly 24 million salary/tax. 27 million in savings isn't nothing. That would also incidentally get them under the 1st apron, but that wouldn't really be the point. The point would be to save the money.

I think they'll try to cut more off their tax bill. They probably would like to get under the tax. I hope they don't do so at the expense of future team building/assets. I see a lot of people suggesting they want to re-set the repeater, but that would be effectively throwing away the 26-27 season as well since a mandate to be under the tax a second straight year would prohibit major additions to the team next offseason.

My hope is they save what money they can this year and then just pay the tax needed going forward.

[Fierce1]

I think staying in the 1st apron is the way to go.

Resetting the repeater would to be difficult.

Guess it depends on how much the owners are willing to spend.