An update regarding Stanley Johnson and the Lakers:
Based on the literal interpretation of the CBA, the Lakers would not be able to sign Stanley Johnson because they traded him during this league year to the Utah Jazz. There is a reacquiring rule in the CBA that keeps teams from trading players only and then re-signing them if the new team swiftly waives them.
The confusion with Johnson’s situation stems from the fact that he had an in-between stint with the Spurs. He was traded to the Jazz, waived weeks later, then eventually signed with the Spurs. San Antonio being an in-between stop seemingly canceled out this re-acquiring rule.
However, that may not be the case. The rule essentially states that if the Jazz were to trade Johnson to the Spurs then the Lakers would no longer be the last team to trade him during the league year. Thus, the re-acquire rule would apply to Utah, not Los Angeles.
I read that the Lakers were a likely destination for him. But if the Lakers are off the table, it improves the odds for the Celtics, waiver claim or otherwise.
It is funny, I went from not even giving Johnson a thought to actually kind of hoping he is the guy they get. These vet retread rentals in their 30s generally don't end up helping much, you never know. Johnson may not help much either but is a young enough player that he could actually catch on and stick around a couple of seasons.
Here's what Larry Coon says on the subject:
A team cannot reacquire a player it traded away during the same season (a season for this purpose being defined as starting on the first day of the regular season and ending on the last day of the Finals). If the player was traded between seasons (i.e., from the first day after the Finals to the last day prior to the start of the next regular season), it cannot reacquire the player prior to the end of the next season. If he is waived by his new team, then he cannot re-sign with his original team until the one-year anniversary of the trade, or until the July 1 following the end of his contract, whichever comes first6. However, if a team trades a player's draft rights, it can reacquire the player during the same season.
Interestingly, a player can be traded to a third team, waived by the third team, and be eligible to re-sign with his original team before the waiting period expires. While this has not happened in practice, the league clarified its interpretation of this rule in 2017, in regard to a possible instance with Andrew Bogut.
The CBA is clear that a team cannot reacquire a player if waived by the team the player was traded to. In this case, LAL cannot reacquire Johnson after Utah waives him. It specifically says that if Utah had TRADED Johnson to SAS, and SAS waived him, then the restriction is lifted and LAL could reacquire him. But it does not specifically say that the restriction is lifted if Utah waives him and another team (SAS) signs him, which is what happened.
I read other comments by Coon on this and his take was that this was likely not the intent. That the intent was that if a player goes to a 3rd team, either by trade or signing, that the restriction should be lifted, that the loop hole would be addressed. But as it stands, this is not what the CBA says. The CBA says that if Utah waives/releases Johnson, then the Lakers cannot reacquire him for a year/season. And Utah waived him.
Looks like one less team to compete with for Johnson although this probably makes it more likely that LAL would want to push hard for Barton but they can't offer any money, just the bright lights of LA.
Topic: 2023 Official NBA Trade Deadline/Buyout Thread (Read 30465 times)