Question
Is a sign and trade a means to circumnavigate the MLE?
It's my belief that it is and if I am right, the other teams going after players right now does not preclude them from going after BBD, if the Celts are willing partners in a sign & trade.
Yes because he'd be signed by the Celtics and then traded. However as a BYC player it is very difficult to sign and trade, salary match wise.
thanks Fan from VT posted a similar response on the "What to get for big baby" thread. TP's to both of you.
I know the previous post was confusing, but the essential point is this: If another team offers a full MLE deal for Davis, and the C's think that that's too much for him, that doesn't mean they wouldn't do a s&t because:
1. The other team might have some player(s) that the C's do think are valuable that could be worked into the trade, or
2. The other team could be under the cap, and could give a cheap player or pick in return without the C's actually having to pay davis; the c's would then get something for a contract they weren't going to match anyway and the other team wouldn't have to be worried about the celtics matching their offer and leaving them with no Davis.
yes, an s&t deal could get around the MLE/cap rules. For example (THIS WOULD NEVER HAPPEN, JUST AN EXAMPLE!), Dallas could sign Gortat with the MLE, then still want Big Baby for an MLE sized deal (5.4). Well, the C's could sign Davis at a deal starting at 5.4 million, making Davis a BYC player and difficult to trade. However, by packaging Davis with TA and Scal, the numbers would work such that the Celtics could trade those three for, say, Terry or Howard. That way Dallas adds their two free agents they were targeting with the MLE, but they'd have to give up something in return. Again, Obviously that deal would never be made because it makes no basketball sense, but an analogous deal could be made if the salaries were similar and the talent fit.