Buyout Market

[sturt]

For those just waking up, for the first time all season, we have a full barn of 15 permanent horses/contracts on the payroll. About this time last month, of course, Vit and Tyrese had their contracts guaranteed through the end of the year, and then a little while later, Derrick Favors was signed for a 10-day when it began to appear that Clint's injury was taking awhile.

With the trade deadline, two (JDay and Frank) got shipped out along with a bounty of 2nd rounders, and in return, we gained Saddiq, Garrison (who I think I heard goes by Garry?), and the one, the only, Bruno.

Are we done?

Most seem to think so. I concur.

Should we be done? That's a different question, of course, and it depends on what becomes available in the buyout market, squared with our payroll situation. As we sit here today:

• Any player having highest priority on a rotation slot with a contender isn't a match--we have no guaranteed playing time for anyone
• We have about $1.6m of room beneath the luxury tax line
• We are almost certain to owe DJ a $500k bonus for having hit on 125+ 3 pts, which reduces what we can pay out to about $1.1m
• There is some lingering but unlikely possibility that additional bonuses would be owed to CC for making at least 65% of his FTs, and to DJ for making the 1st or 2nd all-defensive team
• We have all of our MLE, though, and given the owner's assertion on multiple occasions that if the team were to prove to be a contender, he would authorize spending taking us into luxury tax territory, it's conceivable that you could formulate a more attractive offer if needed... ie, adding a bonus into a given contract where the player would only collect if the team were to get to the EC or to the league Finals... aka, "contender" status

I'm on the record that I think you help yourself to give serious consideration to cutting Tyrese or Vit, and opening a roster slot for a wing with some high-regard defensively. There's a history going back to Michael Cooper (maybe beyond?) of defensive specialists having impact in the post season.

Stanley Johnson, I'm watching you.

And in related news, Stanley evidently will not be heading up I-35 from SAS to DAL after all (which I'd thought would just make too much sense, me)...

 

Yes, that thud you heard was my jaw hitting the floor.

Honestly, I wish JDay nothing but the best. Great guy. Hope it works out.

 

Glen agrees, evidently...