Free Agency Question

[PaceRam]

I have no idea how the NBA Free Agency works so can someone give some clarification? Does the NBA have any kind of Restricted Free Agency similar to the NFL? I am just wondering this summer when Josh Smith (and, any other upcoming FA's) becomes a FA can the Hawks place some kind of tag on him giving them the right to match any offers he receives from another team(s). Depending on what kind of offers he gets I am hoping he will remain a Hawk.

[TheFuzz]

He's an unrestricted FA. Basically, any team with the cap space can offer him a contract. We don't get the right to match. He just goes to whichever team/contract he likes best.

The only way he stays a Hawk is if he accepts an ok, 5 year deal from us. 5 years, $70-80M probably.

Edited February 22, 2013 by TheFuzz

[DJlaysitup]

Being an unrestricted free agent in the NBA during the prime of your career is one of the most powerful positions in all of sports for the athlete.

Even if you aren't a max player you can probably pick between multiple similar offers and go where you want to go. It's a far cry from the old days when the owners held all the cards.

Quick true story: When I was in the Navy (junior officer) my general quarters station on the ship was topside lookout - basically I was in charge of a few guys who would look at the horizon with binoculars as a backup in case the radar stuff went down. One of the guys on the "team" was a YN2 (Yoeman second class) Flood. Drills would get boring and we would all be talking and I found out that - Holy Cow - the kid's Dad was Curt Flood of MLB fame. I asked around and sure enough it was true - he even had his Dad's W/S ring that they kept in the ship's safe and he got out and showed around every now and then.

So here was the son of the guy that broke huge ground in MLB as far as the rights of players - and he was a simple enlisted man in the Navy. Things sure have changed.

P.S. - he was a good guy - didn't seem to be bitter about it at all.

Edited February 22, 2013 by DJlaysitup

[PaceRam]

I thought I read somewhere about qualifying offers? Does this exist in the NBA and if so when can teams use it?

[Ruckus]

Being an unrestricted free agent in the NBA during the prime of your career is one of the most powerful positions in all of sports for the athlete. Even if you aren't a max player you can probably pick between multiple similar offers and go where you want to go. It's a far cry from the old days when the owners held all the cards.

Joe Johnson.

[TheFuzz]

I thought I read somewhere about qualifying offers? Does this exist in the NBA and if so when can teams use it?

That's for restricted free agents. They tend to be coming off a player's rookie deal.

Josh is unrestricted so we can't extend a qualifying offer.

[PaceRam]

That's for restricted free agents. They tend to be coming off a player's rookie deal. Josh is unrestricted so we can't extend a qualifying offer.

I was afraid that was going to be the answer! So, I guess Josh Smith holds all the cards where he goes when he becomes a free agent. Too bad the Hawks couldn't get better offers for him before today's deadline. Another stupid question - Can the Hawks do a Sign & Trade with Smith when the season is over and if yes do you think this could be a good possibility?

[taz]

They can this is the way Josh can get the most money this is because the hawks have his bird rights meaning they can go over the cap to sign him

[Diesel]

A SNT is the franchises only hope. However, what If Dallas calls Josh and says... we have all the capspace in the world and we want you and D-12. Cuban doesn't have to play nice with us. Josh might go and take a lesser deal because he wants to play beside D-12. Then there's the matter of feelings.

Do you think that Josh would hold a grudge if we don't offer him close to what he thinks he deserves?

Finally, in a sign and trade, usually a team like Dallas with money can make us take back their crap contracts for Josh. I can easily see them sending us old man Vince Carter for Josh.

[coachx]

He's an unrestricted FA. Basically, any team with the cap space can offer him a contract. We don't get the right to match. He just goes to whichever team/contract he likes best. The only way he stays a Hawk is if he accepts an ok, 5 year deal from us. 5 years, $70-80M probably.

5 years at $12 mill per / $60 mill total. I don't like giving guys, heading into their 30's, contracts that escalate each year.Some team out there may pitch him a 4 year $60 mill deal and if they do they can have him. He is not worth $15 mill per year.For the guy who started thread the Hawks can offer him a 5 year deal while other teams can only offer him a 4 year deal max.

[Admin]

They can this is the way Josh can get the most money this is because the hawks have his bird rights meaning they can go over the cap to sign him

Not sure if you meant we can use his bird rights in a SnT or not but just to clarify under the new CBA we can't sign him to a 5th year and then trade him. Only 4 year contract so there's really no benefit to Josh doing a SnT.

[nitte]

A SNT is the franchises only hope. However, what If Dallas calls Josh and says... we have all the capspace in the world and we want you and D-12. Cuban doesn't have to play nice with us. Josh might go and take a lesser deal because he wants to play beside D-12. Then there's the matter of feelings.

I doubt Dallas would give him such a contract. For that amount of money they did not resign Tyson Chandler after the championship run. They were even hesitant to give Deron Williams the maximum. Cuban seems to be very careful with the new CBA.

[Dragitoff]

Not sure if you meant we can use his bird rights in a SnT or not but just to clarify under the new CBA we can't sign him to a 5th year and then trade him. Only 4 year contract so there's really no benefit to Josh doing a SnT.

There's not any benefit to Josh unless his desired destination doesn't have the cap space to sign him outright. For instance, let's say he wanted to go to Boston. They don't have the assets to sign him. Let's say we worked out a deal to S&T him and Teague (might have to be 2 different deals since I can't remember if you can S&T 2 players in the same deal) for Rondo and Bass.

That's what we need to hope for. Look what happened to Dwight. He wants to go to Brooklyn, but the Lakers would have to work with the Nets to make that happen. They could take back Brook Lopez and filler, but they could also be spiteful and tell Dwight he's on his own and he'd either have to take a cheap deal or sign in Atlanta, Dallas or Houston or come back to the Lakers.

[macdaddy]

Not sure if you meant we can use his bird rights in a SnT or not but just to clarify under the new CBA we can't sign him to a 5th year and then trade him. Only 4 year contract so there's really no benefit to Josh doing a SnT.

Wow. I didn't know that. So he can't get more by doing a SnT that just signing outright with another team? If that's the case then it seems there is no chance of a SnT?

[Admin]

There's not any benefit to Josh unless his desired destination doesn't have the cap space to sign him outright. For instance, let's say he wanted to go to Boston. They don't have the assets to sign him. Let's say we worked out a deal to S&T him and Teague (might have to be 2 different deals since I can't remember if you can S&T 2 players in the same deal) for Rondo and Bass.

That's what we need to hope for. Look what happened to Dwight. He wants to go to Brooklyn, but the Lakers would have to work with the Nets to make that happen. They could take back Brook Lopez and filler, but they could also be spiteful and tell Dwight he's on his own and he'd either have to take a cheap deal or sign in Atlanta, Dallas or Houston or come back to the Lakers.

He'd have to find a team that is over the cap but under the tax. Not sure how many of those there will be that he wants to go to, that want him, and that we'll be willing to take players from for him. So because the Nets are tax payers they wouldn't be able to get him, nor would any other tax paying team. At least that's my understanding.

Wow. I didn't know that. So he can't get more by doing a SnT that just signing outright with another team? If that's the case then it seems there is no chance of a SnT?

Nope the new CBA doesn't allow the extra year or higher raises for players that you're signing and trading. There's much less chance of a SnT now than in years past, but it's not impossible.

[Dragitoff]

He'd have to find a team that is over the cap but under the tax. Not sure how many of those there will be that he wants to go to, that want him, and that we'll be willing to take players from for him.

Would Boston fit that criteria? That deal I gave as an example is one I'd like to see happen. I like Teague, but I think the first step to becoming a legitimate elite team would be getting a floor general and Rondo is one of the best and is under a reasonable contract. Seems like a starting 5 of Teague, Bradley, Pierce, Smith and Garnett would still make Boston relative for another season or two.

[Admin]

Okay here's the actual facts about SnT's, updated under the new CBA

http://www.cbafaq.com/salarycap.htm#Q89

[*]Starting in 2013-14, the team receiving the player cannot be above the "apron" ($4 million above the tax level) after the trade^{1, 2.} [*]Starting in 2013-14, the team cannot receive a player in a sign-and-trade if they have used the Taxpayer Mid-Level exception (see question number 25) that season.¹

¹ These teams are free to send players to other teams in sign-and-trade transactions, or to receive players in sign-and-trade transactions who weren't signed-and-traded themselves. Also, the restriction applies only to the sign-and-trade transaction itself -- teams are free to acquire players who had been signed-and-traded in earlier transactions.

² A different team salary definition is used for determining whether a team is above or below the apron -- see question number 14 for details. Starting in 2013-14 if a team acquires a player in a sign-and-trade, the apron ($4 million above the tax line) effectively becomes a hard cap for the remainder of that season.

[Admin]

Would Boston fit that criteria? That deal I gave as an example is one I'd like to see happen. I like Teague, but I think the first step to becoming a legitimate elite team would be getting a floor general and Rondo is one of the best and is under a reasonable contract. Seems like a starting 5 of Teague, Bradley, Pierce, Smith and Garnett would still make Boston relative for another season or two.

I don't think that they would fit, unless they buy out Pierce and Josh's new salary is close to what Rondo is making. Right now they're look at being around $72 million next year so it would be awfully close, but you have to determine where they'd be salary wise AFTER the trade and I think that would put them more than $4 million over the "apron".

[Dragitoff]

I don't think that they would fit, unless they buy out Pierce and Josh's new salary is close to what Rondo is making. Right now they're look at being around $72 million next year so it would be awfully close, but you have to determine where they'd be salary wise AFTER the trade and I think that would put them more than $4 million over the "apron".

of course we could take back more salary than we deal out too since we'll be well under the cap (even with Josh and Jeff's cap holds).

[Admin]

of course we could take back more salary than we deal out too since we'll be well under the cap (even with Josh and Jeff's cap holds).

Yep as long as we are willing to take those players instead of using our cap space.