My understanding of it is that all salary paid to a retired player is included on the team's salary cap except in one case and then when the player is forced to retire due to injury. If that happens, the team must wait a year, then petition the league and then they can get salary relief.
Edit: A league appointed physician has to verify that the player is unfit to continue playing ... before the league will grant cap relief.
That's true. However, if a player simply walks away from the game, there's a good argument that a team's financial obligation to him would end, at least until such point as he unretires. Therefore, since no money is paid, perhaps it wouldn't apply against the cap.
I haven't researched the issue, though, and I don't know how it works in actuality.
I already made a post, but I also think that, in actuality, any player would hobble through a year in which they didn't want to play for a multimillion dollar check. I doubt anyone's walked away in the middle of a significant deal when there wasn't an acute injury.
That would be my expectation too + I see no way that KG gives up trying to comeback unless it's completely impossible.
I remember Terrell Brandon doing that. Hanging on until a certain date to ensure he got the full remaining value of his contract. He wasn't active and everyone in the league were aware of his plans. He was very valuable trade asset at the end. I forget most of the details though. But he was finished and decided to hang around, despite being incapable of playing. He finished his career in Atlanta. The Latrell Sprewell trade? Or Sam Cassell?
