It's looking like the Cs are just going to keep him next year anyway, so it is probably a moot point. I know ideally we would like to see the Cs waive him just before his guarantee and have him sign back on for the minimum, but that is risky...and unlikely. Although, he probably does owe us one for ditching us in the first place (and then making us give up a decent 1st to get him back).
Either way, yeah, no problem at all with Al earning his full contract next season with a Cs Title.
The guarantee is in January 2023. Even if we waive him we can pay him with Bird rights, so presumably we can pay him more than any other team. What teams will have retained cap space / exceptions in January, months after free agency?
In theory, we can waive him in January 2023, and then give him a pro-rated 3-year contract at around the MLE. No other contender could match that. The risk, I guess, is that he takes less money to ring chase with BRK or something.
Yeah, I know this is something we discussed in another thread a while back and it honestly deserves more attention. I didn't know that we could pay him with Bird Rights if we waive him - I always thought that we would have to 'waive' those rights. That is actually pretty positive news and does make it at least a plausible scenario come next January. With that much of the season gone, it would still save us quite a bit of money (especially in total tax dollars).