The Nets and Kobe....

[Diesel]

some say that the Nets are trying to save up money for KG. I don't see it.

Even if Deke/Martin went for Rasheed/Patterson (I doubt that the trade goes through) that still wouldn't get them KG.

Right now, KG has:

Spreewell, Cassell, Wally, and Olowakhandi as FA pickups that McHale made to please KG. Next year when KG drops his salary to something about 16 Million to start..... Minn will have enough Cap Room to get another FA.

That seems much better than Kidd, Kittle, RJ, and Mourning.

Plus, I don't think the first trade will go through.

However, we can take the model that NJ put out there and use it for our own thoughts...

SAR/Theo/Hendu to Portland.

Wallace/Bonzi/Patterson/McInnis to us.

That's a lot of Salary off the books right there. We're talking 32 million off the books next year.

If possible, I would trade Patterson involving a third team.... Possibly Cleveland.

If you want a totally clean slate....

JT/Nazr/CC to NY for Ward/McDyess.

What's left:

McInnis/Ward/Dickau

Diaw/Hansen

Bonzi/Patterson

Sheed/McDyess

Moore*/Smith/Holden

Ok, we have three scrubs at C.

We have an insurance Casaulty at BU PF.

But by the end of the year. The only contracts on the books will be Diaw/Hansen/Dickau.

That means we'd have about 39 million in Salary Cap money to spend!

[Traceman]

MIN will be over the cap next year BEFORE they resign KG. It doesn't matter if KG would play for the vet minimum ($1.5 million), MIN STILL couldn't sign a FA other than with the MCE. Considering that they will be at over $60 million in salary next year even if KG takes a pay cut to $16 million, don't look for them to spend their full MCE.

[Guest]

did they use their MCE this year? if so, unless I'm wrong, you can't use it in two consecutive years.

[Traceman]

use the MCE in consecutive seasons according to cap guru Larry Coon. The following was taken from his website:

MID-LEVEL SALARY EXCEPTION -- This exception is also called the "Middle Class Exception." This exception says that a team can offer any player a contract equal to the average NBA salary every year, even if they are over the cap. This exception is new to the current CBA, and was "ramped up" to the average salary over a period of four years (see question number 22 for the definition of "average salary"). Here is the value of the mid-level salary exception for each year of the CBA:

98-99 $1.75 million

99-00 $2.00 million

00-01 $2.25 million

01-02 $4,538,000

02-03 $4,546,000

03-04

$4,917,000

This exception may be split and given to multiple players. It may be used for contracts of up to six years in length. Signing a player to a multi-year contract does not affect a team's ability to use this exception every year. For example, a team can sign a player to a six-year contract using this exception and still use the exception the following year to sign another player. Also see question number 18 for more information on the availability and use of this exception."

The next to the last sentence indicates that the MCE can be used in consecutive years.