Make your best realistic non-taxpaying roster...

[Roy H.]

Rules:

1.  No trading starters

2.  Obey relevant CBA rules

3.  Sign realistic FA deals (i.e., no Capela for the minimum)

4.  Stay below the luxury tax

[Roy H.]

My moves:

1.  Trade Morris, Nader, #2 for Korver

2.  Sign Michael Beasley to one year at the minimum

3.  Sign Marcus Smart to the QO.

4.  Profit.

http://www.shamsports.com/capulator?id=8687539935b473a27b5dc9645632432

That team comes in $74,912 below the tax line.

[knuckleballer]

Here's mine.

http://www.shamsports.com/capulator?id=6902353285b47599fe476e933283741
(that's a cool toy)

I just signed Smart to the qualifying offer, signed Bird to the minimum, and cut and stretched Nader.  That leaves $1.8 million of room left under the luxury tax to use during buyout season.

I'd rather have Morris than Korver.  I think his defense is valuable and that we have plenty of shooting with Kyrie and Hayward returning.  Plus, I think a goon like Morris is good to have on the team.

[BitterJim]

Signed Smart to a 3 year deal starting at $11 million per year, traded Nader (and cash considerations) into a team's cap space for a top-55 protected 2nd that won't convey, traded Morris back to the Pistons for their 2019 second rounder (they have a trade exception from Boban that they can absorb his salary with), and signed Bird to a two-year minimum deal.

I also played around a ton with future years, and the numbers get pretty staggering if we want to keep the crew together (just from the Kings pick and Kyrie re-signing I see us at ~$20 million over the tax line, with a tax bill near $50 million). It really is vital that we avoid the tax this year

[knuckleballer]

Signed Smart to a 3 year deal starting at $11 million per year, traded Nader (and cash considerations) into a team's cap space for a top-55 protected 2nd that won't convey, traded Morris back to the Pistons for their 2019 second rounder (they have a trade exception from Boban that they can absorb his salary with), and signed Bird to a two-year minimum deal.

I also played around a ton with future years, and the numbers get pretty staggering if we want to keep the crew together (just from the Kings pick and Kyrie re-signing I see us at ~$20 million over the tax line, with a tax bill near $50 million). It really is vital that we avoid the tax this year

I really hope we can sign Smart to the qualifying with a handshake for a larger deal to be signed next year.

[BitterJim]

Signed Smart to a 3 year deal starting at $11 million per year, traded Nader (and cash considerations) into a team's cap space for a top-55 protected 2nd that won't convey, traded Morris back to the Pistons for their 2019 second rounder (they have a trade exception from Boban that they can absorb his salary with), and signed Bird to a two-year minimum deal.

I also played around a ton with future years, and the numbers get pretty staggering if we want to keep the crew together (just from the Kings pick and Kyrie re-signing I see us at ~$20 million over the tax line, with a tax bill near $50 million). It really is vital that we avoid the tax this year

I really hope we can sign Smart to the qualifying with a handshake for a larger deal to be signed next year.

That'd be really risky. There's a good chance that if he signs for the QO, he'll be a bit angry with/wary of our front office when he became a FA next summer. I'd rather have Smart on a long term deal than a year of Morris, but not if we have to give him the 4/48 deal we apparently offered last summer

[saltlover]

1. Traded Nader and $650k to Phoenix for the waivable Shaq Williams
2. Traded Yabusele into Memphis’ trade exception for our 2019 top-55 protected 2nd rounder back, and the 2nd they have in 2022 from Chicago/Detroit (this feels reasonable, as Memphis isn’t giving up much and can continue to straddle their rebuild/compete plans).
3. Resigned Smart to a 5-year, $60.9 million contract (starting at $10.5 million this year).
4. Sign Jabari Bird to a 4-year deal, 2 years fully guaranteed, at the minimum.

This leaves us approximately $650k beneath the tax with a roster of 14, so we can add a 15th during buyout season depending on mid-season roster needs due to injuries or roles that aren’t filled.  Additionally, the roster is about $10.5 million below the tax next year with 10 on it.  That space will all be eaten by Kyrie, but if Horford opts out and signs a new long-term deal for less, an opportunity is created to stick beneath the tax for a final season before Brown’s presumptively large extension/new contract kicks in.

http://www.shamsports.com/capulator?id=1874228465b47717a4fdb8954863066

(Shamsports has Bird’s hypothetical contract wrong as it wouldn’t let me use the full MLE allowing for four seasons, and didn’t make future years progress at the minimum.)

[LatterDayCelticsfan]

http://www.shamsports.com/capulator?id=18370868795b48829d893d2661498246

Here's mine. Tried for a middle ground approach with Marcus Smart

1. Signed Marcus Smart to 2yrs/$ 18,720,000 contract starting in 2018-19 using Larry Bird Exception (2nd year is a player option)
2. Renounced $ 1,512,601 2018-19 cap hold for Jonathan Gibson
3. Renounced $ 1,512,601 2018-19 cap hold for Shane Larkin
4. Renounced $ 838,464 2018-19 cap hold for Jabari Bird
5. Renounced $ 6,000,000 2018-19 cap hold for Greg Monroe
6. Waived Abdel Nader in 2018-19 with $ 450,000 remaining over 1 year(s)
7. Traded Guerschon Yabusele to the Nets (salary dump) in my mind they also get a 2nd rounder but the tool doesn't have an option for that

[BitterJim]

1. Traded Nader and $650k to Phoenix for the waivable Shaq Williams
2. Traded Yabusele into Memphis’ trade exception for our 2019 top-55 protected 2nd rounder back, and the 2nd they have in 2022 from Chicago/Detroit (this feels reasonable, as Memphis isn’t giving up much and can continue to straddle their rebuild/compete plans).
3. Resigned Smart to a 5-year, $60.9 million contract (starting at $10.5 million this year).
4. Sign Jabari Bird to a 4-year deal, 2 years fully guaranteed, at the minimum.

This leaves us approximately $650k beneath the tax with a roster of 14, so we can add a 15th during buyout season depending on mid-season roster needs due to injuries or roles that aren’t filled.  Additionally, the roster is about $10.5 million below the tax next year with 10 on it.  That space will all be eaten by Kyrie, but if Horford opts out and signs a new long-term deal for less, an opportunity is created to stick beneath the tax for a final season before Brown’s presumptively large extension/new contract kicks in.

http://www.shamsports.com/capulator?id=1874228465b47717a4fdb8954863066

(Shamsports has Bird’s hypothetical contract wrong as it wouldn’t let me use the full MLE allowing for four seasons, and didn’t make future years progress at the minimum.)

I can't see Bird agreeing to 4 years of our control at the minimum, especially if 2 years aren't guaranteed. I think he'll agree at most to 2 years at the minimum (maybe 3 with a player option, but then you have to use the MLE). 2 years also gives us his Bird rights, which would help us keep him if we wanted to

Side note: talking about Bird's Bird rights could be a beautiful mess in a couple of years