Question On Matching Offer For RFA

mcfly1204 · Post #1 » by **mcfly1204** » Tue Jul 10, 2012 7:49 pm

If a restricted free agent signs an offer sheet with another team, can the player's team sign and trade him to another team or does the matching offer have to keep the player on their original team?

For example, Batum signed an offer sheet with Minnesota, could Portland match that offer and sign and trade Batum to the Bobcats so that Portland can take back a piece or two of value?

Dunkenstein · Post #2 » by **Dunkenstein** » Tue Jul 10, 2012 8:41 pm

mcfly1204 wrote:If a restricted free agent signs an offer sheet with another team, can the player's team sign and trade him to another team or does the matching offer have to keep the player on their original team?

For example, Batum signed an offer sheet with Minnesota, could Portland match that offer and sign and trade Batum to the Bobcats so that Portland can take back a piece or two of value?

Larry Coon: "If a team matches an offer sheet and retains their free agent, then for one year they cannot trade him without his consent, and cannot trade him at all to the team that signed him to an offer sheet. They also can't trade the player in a sign-and-trade transaction."

Garf · Post #3 » by **Garf** » Fri Jul 13, 2012 9:45 am

There is one detail Coon doesn't cover explicitly: if the Offer Sheet contains a Player Option, will matching it also include one automatically?

DBoys · Post #4 » by **DBoys** » Fri Jul 13, 2012 12:06 pm

Matching an offer sheet means you are providing the identical contract that the player was offered elsewhere. So, yes, the details would of course be the same - the only thing different would be the team.

Garf · Post #5 » by **Garf** » Fri Jul 13, 2012 4:24 pm

DBoys wrote:Matching an offer sheet means you are providing the identical contract that the player was offered elsewhere. So, yes, the details would of course be the same - the only thing different would be the team.

Thanks. That was my strong suspicion, but I found it mind-boggling that he lists all possible parameters being matched or not, but never mentions options.

Dunkenstein · Post #6 » by **Dunkenstein** » Fri Jul 13, 2012 7:09 pm

Garf wrote:Thanks. That was my strong suspicion, but I found it mind-boggling that he lists all possible parameters being matched or not, but never mentions options.

In the list of principal terms of an offer sheet that an original team would have to match is "Any allowable amendments such as guarantees, Early Termination Options, and trade bonuses." An Early Termination Option looks like an option to me. No, he didn't mention every possible type of option, or different types of bonuses for that matter. That's why he used the phrase "such as" in describing "allowable amendments". Options fall under the category of allowable amendments.

Garf · Post #7 » by **Garf** » Fri Jul 13, 2012 8:07 pm

Cheers!