NBA salary cap expected to rise above $90M in 2016

[Msimonetta2]

Thanks for the TP, I am a lurker no more.    Value of picks going forward in this new landscape?  Top 3 type picks are worth a lot.....middling picks like the Clippers probably not worth much?  It has significant worth if you make the pick and said player looks like a starter in maybe year two. 
Simo

[Vermont Green]

I don't see how this helps the Celtics any more than it helps all of the other teams.  The Celtics will have more cap space but so will everyone else.  Current players with reasonable deals (Bradley) will go up in value but so won't all other players on current contracts.  I actually think draft picks will go down in value because teams will have more room to sign veterans.

Are teams going to want to trade veterans with contracts that just became more reasonable for draft picks?  Not good veterans anyway.

[saltlover]

I don't see how this helps the Celtics any more than it helps all of the other teams.  The Celtics will have more cap space but so will everyone else.  Current players with reasonable deals (Bradley) will go up in value but so won't all other players on current contracts.  I actually think draft picks will go down in value because teams will have more room to sign veterans.

Are teams going to want to trade veterans with contracts that just became more reasonable for draft picks?  Not good veterans anyway.

I think it could actually make the value of a draft pick go up -- or at least 1st rounders.  Their salaries are (essentially) non-negotiable.  As the salaries of veterans rise with increased cap room, draft pick salaries will be comparatively smaller.  Right now a draft pick that can become a rotation player is paid $1-2 million per year outside the top 10.  The average salary of a player is about $5.5 million -- so if you get a rotation player out of every other 11-30th 1st round pick, you're doing okay, and if you do better than that, you're gaining salary flexibility.  However, if the average salary jumps to about $8 million, while those draft pick salaries don't rise all that much, those draft picks that pan out become that much more of a bargain.  This frees up more resources to sign better free agents.

2nd-rounders, on the other hand, do get to negotiate their salaries, and it wouldn't surprise me at all if the top few picks of the 2016 second round were able to command higher salaries than the last few picks of the first round.

[hwangjini_1]

I don't see how this helps the Celtics any more than it helps all of the other teams.  The Celtics will have more cap space but so will everyone else.  Current players with reasonable deals (Bradley) will go up in value but so won't all other players on current contracts.  I actually think draft picks will go down in value because teams will have more room to sign veterans.

Are teams going to want to trade veterans with contracts that just became more reasonable for draft picks?  Not good veterans anyway.

I think it could actually make the value of a draft pick go up -- or at least 1st rounders.  Their salaries are (essentially) non-negotiable.  As the salaries of veterans rise with increased cap room, draft pick salaries will be comparatively smaller.  Right now a draft pick that can become a rotation player is paid $1-2 million per year outside the top 10.  The average salary of a player is about $5.5 million -- so if you get a rotation player out of every other 11-30th 1st round pick, you're doing okay, and if you do better than that, you're gaining salary flexibility.  However, if the average salary jumps to about $8 million, while those draft pick salaries don't rise all that much, those draft picks that pan out become that much more of a bargain.  This frees up more resources to sign better free agents.

2nd-rounders, on the other hand, do get to negotiate their salaries, and it wouldn't surprise me at all if the top few picks of the 2016 second round were able to command higher salaries than the last few picks of the first round.

agreed and a good point at the end. this is why i am delighted that ainge has two second rounder pick from philly and probably two more from minnesota. these picks have the potential to provide some interesting options for the celtics.

ainge has done well, and i wonder whether he will try to convert a few of next year's abundance of picks into other picks that are a bit further down the road. doing so would keep the "draft pick train" chugging along.