Frank Lee wrote:Do you know what our salary commitments in 2026-27 are ghost? How about next yr?
Y’all are infatuated with cap space, when there are only 2-3 teams that ever have any. The key is to be under and stay under the second apron while having a range of salaries to deal. Look how challenging it is to move a 50 mill contract. Turns into a 4-5 for one transaction. This cba has created many top heavy teams with overpaid players.
Who was the last 40million $ free agent signing using cap space? Seems most big ticket player acquisitions are trades and sign and trades. Cap space is highly over rated. But tax/apron restrictions have to be strategically considered.
Well, we're at $218 million with only 10 total players under contract next season, and $152 million in 26-27 with only 6 total players under contract.
And obviously we'll have to fill out our rosters regardless to get to the minimum required 15 players baseline. So currently without cap flexibility and legitimate mechanisms for that, we're otherwise limited to utilizing the draft And vet minimums to try and reduce long term payroll.
This is why the gest teams prioritize using the draft to balance our their rosters financially and picks are premium currency for trades, etc. which obviously again won't make us meadurably better competitively even with Booker.
If people are truly interested in trying to keep Booker and be even remotely competitive / better than we currently are going forward, then the most logical and responsible thing we could do is to hold onto Beal for another season so he can become a valuable gigantic expiring trade asset!!
Or else letting him expire so we can utilize that near $60 million in the summer of 27 to either sign one of those big names, or else sign multiple high end starters like many of the names listed in free agency.
I understand that it's rare for star players or max players to actually reach free agency, but there's a multitude of top tier star, superstar, franchise cornerstone talent and also high end impact starters and quality rotation options available that would easily be much better than vet MIN options or whatever we currently have on the roster.
And the most recent max level players signed in unrestricted free agency were....................
Paul George- Signed with 76ers for last summer 2024-25 for close to $ 49 million annually.
- Kwahi Leonard signed with the Clippers in 2019 for close to 44 million annually.
- Lebron in 2018, left the Cavs as an unrestricted free agent to join the Lakers signing a 4 yr 154 million deal for close to $38 million annually. Not quite 40 million, but close enough.
But sure, I get your point and understand that it's somewgar rare for star players/ max players to actually reach unrestricted free agency. Also that most are acquired via trades!
So understanding that factor being prominent, and knowing that obviously we don't have the assets or picks to actually make those kind of trades for a star player now (Unless you're willing to change position on trading Booker)???
How do we accomplish trading for another big name option without picks, cap space to aggregate contracts, (or to absorb a big incoming contract), or legitimately desirable assets that we're willing to part with??
What's your plan here? Because buying out Beal would leave us with an additional $ 22- 25 million ( * including Little's buyout money too) that would restrict our cap flexibility for the next 5-6 years going forward even with Beal off of our roster.
Please just look again at the long list of names from that list and understand that because Ishbia gave away all of our tradable assets ( aside from KD and Booker), our best shot at avoiding the dreaded 10 yr plus long rebuild is to utilize massive cap space in a very loaded 27' free agency to add the greatest overall depth and talent around Booker!
In the meantime, the smartest strategy we could use is to very simply trade KD for young, uber athletic COST CONTROLLED TALENT, and also quality impact players and expirings to begin setting up a target date of the summer of 27 with Beal then off our books completely!
And having a significant youth infusion/ athletic talent upgrade around Booker and also key vets in place and a better fitting roster and plenty of cap space to add another star player or high impact free agent or 2-3 maybe! Be loaded with depth, athleticism, and flexibility and assets around Booker rather than having to enter a decade long rebuild with nothing!!
