Can I get an MLE on the Rocks?

[vincecarter4pres]

If a team is under the cap, but then signs a FA that brings them over the cap(well I guess they would have to be even with it) do they immediately get a MLE to use or do they get one the following offseason that they are over the cap?

So for an example, if Portland signs Hedo with their cap space do they get a MLE or will they get one next year and not this offseason?

As far as I knew it would be next year and they would not get one this offseason.
MLE's are given to teams over the cap, so if Portland is under the cap and then signs Hedo using every dime of that money they would only be even with the cap, so they would not get a MLE, just by default of not being over the salary cap.
As far as I know, you also have to deal with all rookie signings, rookie and free agent capholds of players you hold the rights to before signing possible free agents not on your roster, therefore they wouldn't be able to gain extra caproom by dealing with these situations later, nor being allowed to purposely go over the cap after a signing a FA they didn't hold the rights to.

But, what if they make a trade after the Hedo signing is official that puts them over the cap?
Is a MLE now generated, or will it be awarded only next offseason because of the circumstances that resulted in their team going over the cap?

[bgwizarfan]

no... if you ever go under the cap, you will lose all exceptions for the years.

now..the Blazers most likely will initially get their exceptions. Their Free Agents plus exceptions will surely push them over the cap. So if they end up not signing anyone with cap room or can't find a guy they like, then they still could keep their exceptions. But the second they're ready to sign someone like Hedo or whoever, they will renounce those free agents, and lose all their exceptions, since they'll be under the cap.... and even if they go back over the cap at somepoint in the year, they will not be able to get their exceptions back

[Modern_epic]

You can gain a touch of cap space by not signing your rookies right away, though. Their cap hold is 100% of the rookie scale salary, but most of them end up signing for the maximum allowed 110% of scale. So you can save up to a few hundred thousand by waiting on signing them.

[casey]

^120%

[Modern_epic]

Right, my bad. I don't know where I pulled that one from.

[loserX]

Every team is awarded the MLE. If you are under the cap, the exception itself counts against the cap unless renounced.

So let's say Team X is $9M under the cap going into the offseason. They are awarded the MLE, which counts for (about) $5.8M of that. So now they really only have $3.2M of capspace, plus the MLE. They can, however, renounce the MLE and claim back the entire capspace. This is essentially what Portland would be doing if they try to sign Hedo.

Once the MLE is renounced, it's gone. You don't magically get it back by later going over the cap.

[vincecarter4pres]

^^^^
I was always under the impression MLE's are only given to teams over the cap?
I take that as a no and then I'll go with what you said?

[loserX]

From Larry Coon's excellent page (emphasis added):

20. How do exceptions count against the cap? Does being under the cap always mean that a team has room to sign free agents? Do teams ever lose their exceptions?

If a team is below the cap, then their Disabled Player, Bi-Annual, Mid-Level and/or Traded Player exceptions are added to their team salary, and the league treats the team as though they are over the cap. This is to prevent a loophole, in a manner similar to free agent amounts (see question numbers 29, 30, 31, 32). A team can't act like they're under the cap and sign free agents using cap room, and then use their Disabled Player, Bi-Annual, Mid-Level and/or Traded Player exceptions. Consequently, the exceptions are added to their team salary (putting the team over the cap) if the team is under the cap and adding the exceptions puts them over the cap. If a team is already over the cap, then the exceptions are not added to their team salary. There would be no point in doing so, since there is no cap room for signing free agents.

So being under the cap does not necessarily mean a team has room to sign free agents. For example, assume the cap is $49.5 million, and a team has $43 million committed to salaries. They also have a Mid-Level exception for $5 million and a Traded Player exception for $5.5 million. Even though their salaries put them $6.5 million under the cap, their exceptions are added to their salaries, putting them at $53.5 million, or $4 million over the cap. So they actually have no cap room to sign free agents, and instead must use their exceptions.

Teams have the option of renouncing their exceptions in order to claim the cap room. So in the example above, if the team renounced their Traded Player and Mid-Level exceptions, then the $10.5 million is taken off their team salary, which then totals $43 million, leaving them with $6.5 million of cap room which can then be used to sign free agent(s).

[Dunkenstein]

Every team is awarded the MLE. If you are under the cap, the exception itself counts against the cap unless renounced.

I don't believe this is quite true. If a team is further under the cap than the total of all their exceptions (MLE, BAE, TPEs) then, as Larry Coon says, "their exceptions go away".

[loserX]

Every team is awarded the MLE. If you are under the cap, the exception itself counts against the cap unless renounced.

I don't believe this is quite true. If a team is further under the cap than the total of all their exceptions (MLE, BAE, TPEs) then, as Larry Coon says, "their exceptions go away".

Upon re-reading the section, that appears to be the case. If so, I apologize for being misleading.

[vincecarter4pres]

Thanks guys, this was quite informative.
It also answered a question I had about teams with TE's.