So let's see if the Celtics had signed Lue to a one year vet minimum contract for $1,219,590 like they wanted the team would have paid Lue $797,581 and the league then would have paid $422,009. Then since the Celtics are over the luxury tax threshold already and are paying a tax, number unknown to me at this time, the Celtics would then have had to pay the league $797,581 in luxury tax meaning the total cash layout for Lue at the vet min for the Celtics would have been $1,595,162.
We know would have to compare that to the contract Lue was willing to sign for which was $1.8 million a year and from the sounds of it, reading through the lines it looks like he was trying to land the LLE, it would have been for 2 years. Not being a one year or less vet minimum contract the league would not have subsidized the contract and since once again the C's are in over the luxury tax, they would have had to pay that penalty of $1.8 million for a total cash layout inthis scenario of $3.6 million.
Lue may have thought the difference was $600,000 but it sure looks like the difference was more like $2.2 million, just for this year.
And of course we are discussing all this still because Lue signed for exactly zero dollars with the Celtics this year.
