hugepatsfan wrote:Your numbers are correct but you're not factoring in my point about doing it midseason. In this scenario, they'd keep Springer and Pritchard for now. Then make the salary dumping deals at the deadline. For simplicity sake, let's just say midyear instead of exactly at the deadline. At that point is when they'd convert Watson and sign Walker. So the minimum salaries you have would be pro rated for only half the year. That's what would count in their tax calc and when you slash you minimum salary numbers in half, they more than make up the $173K. They'd actually be able to sign another pro rated minimum deal as well for the 15th spot.
The contract they signed Walker to allows them to give him a bonus if they assign him to Maine out of camp. They can also massage the numbers by signing him to a couple of 10-day deals as well prior to actually executing the Pritchard/Springer deals. If they think Walker can be a viable replacement for Pritchard as the 8th man in the playoff rotation then honestly, it's probably the smart move to duck the tax via trading Pritchard/Springer.
That's really cool, I hadn't considered/known about the idea that it'd be a pro-rated impact based on when the deal happens in terms of counting towards the 2nd apron, but that makes sense. So basically you just need to find teams with TPE's or enough non-guaranteed salary that you could clear the PP/Springer salary completely at some point mid-season? I guess the only issue would be if the limited teams that can fill that role for you try to extort you due to the scarcity of options, but even then you could just tell them to f' off and keep the team together.
redslastlaugh wrote:EDIT: not entirely relevant at this point, but why did we trade #41 for Jaden Springer in the first place. Seems like we don’t have it in the budget to extend him so he’s gone after the year. He didn’t help last playoffs, & probably isn’t helping this upcoming playoffs. We could use him if we need a salary to trade for deadline playoff reinforcements, but we coulda got Jalen McDaniels salary for the rights to Josip Sesar or whatever (lol) a top 55 protected 2nd, ie “NOTHING” to just take dead money off another teams books, u don’t have to give them the 41st pick.
A mid-second, like 41, could be flipped for a future second or, in light of the budget restraints, we just take a flier on a stash, like Nikola Djurisic who isn’t coming over and some scouts felt he had late first potential. Brad and Zarren have hit an awesome percentage but Jaden Springer… I just don’t get it, especially if we end up moving future draft capital to dump him to get under the apron.
I think the simplest answer is the most obvious one: they just like Springer as a prospect.
Both Sam Cassell and Tyler Lashbrook (one of our player development coaches), worked with him in Philly and obviously really liked what they saw. He has a good pedigree, he's still young (two years younger than both the "rookies" the Celtics drafted this year) and he adds something not already on the roster given his defensive chops on the wing.
The C's also had a TPE to use that was going to expire if they didn't. If that expires they lose that salary slot forever, so if they wanted to leave that door open they had to add someone. He's expensive this year with the tax multiplier but they could shed his contract if they needed to and there's the possibility of extending him on a more reasonable number (e.g. the minimum) if he shows enough to warrant that.
I agree though, it is a bit of a head scratcher given the cost to acquire him (overpay in my opinion) and the tax implications. But if they really do like him, especially with Cassell's seal of approval, then it's probably just as simple as that.