amnesty rule could mean unexpected free agents

[LarBrd33]

Some of those free agents can really add to a team at the right price, but who will have cap room to sign them if there is a 45 million dollar hard cap

Well, that cap wouldn't be in place for a few years.  This will all be a relatively gradual process.  

Fine... so you sign them to short term contracts until you can't possible afford to keep them.  Once a team has two stars, you basically will have 10 million to split for the next 10 roster spots.   Hard cap will create a heck of a lot of journeymen/hired guns... players who aren't good enough to get max franchise deals... and don't want to support themselves making 1 million a year.  They'll just bounce around from team to team year after year looking for their biggest one-off payday.  

Serge Ibaka will be a casualty of the Thunder already having Durant, Westbrook and Perkins to pay...  he'll bounce around from one team to another signing 1-year deals on teams that have barely enough cap room to add a dynamic defensive player for their 1 year run until finally getting overpaid by some team that happens to have boatloads of cap... like the raptors.. only to be cut a year into it using the amnesty rule and continuing his journeyman journey collecting pay days.

[Evantime34]

Some of those free agents can really add to a team at the right price, but who will have cap room to sign them if there is a 45 million dollar hard cap

Well, that cap wouldn't be in place for a few years.  This will all be a relatively gradual process. 

If they are trying to institute a hard cap I think the first step in this gradual process would probably be to take away the MLE, and LLE. This would leave us without a viable way to sign free agents.

[mgent]

Oh, they still count on the cap. Just not the luxury tax. Oh well.

On the positive side, this is good news for anybody hoping to steal Dwight Howard from Orlando.

That was last time.  This time, particularly if they are phasing in a hard cap (which eliminates the luxury tax anyways), it could concievably wipe the salary completely off the cap.

Wouldn't that encourage teams to give big contracts to undeserving, unproven, or injury-prone players?  Aren't they trying to do the opposite?

This is a one time thing, and it would only be for players on existing contracts.

It would allow them (in theory) to cut one guy on a current contract from the old CBA, and have that contract not count against the cap going forward (however, they would still need to pay the player).

So, it does nothing for them going forward, it just gives them a one time "get out of jail free" card to help them more easily become compliant with the new system.

Ohhh, I didn't get that from the OP.  Wouldn't some teams need more than that to become compliant with a hard cap?  Don't the Lakers have like 90+ in guaranteed salary which is twice what the owners want?  I thought it would have to be implemented over at least a couple years.

[wdleehi]

I think he has some of the names wrong.



For example:  I think the Wiz jump at the chance to get rid of Blatche.

[Evantime34]

I think he has some of the names wrong.



For example:  I think the Wiz jump at the chance to get rid of Blatche.

Or Rashard Lewis.

[wdleehi]

I think he has some of the names wrong.



For example:  I think the Wiz jump at the chance to get rid of Blatche.

Or Rashard Lewis.

I know of Wiz season ticket holders that have said their buying of tickets are directly related to Blatche returning. 

[Chris]

I think he has some of the names wrong.



For example:  I think the Wiz jump at the chance to get rid of Blatche.

Blatche has way too much value to cut though.  They can trade him if they really want to. 

The only guys that this would be used for are guys who absolutely can't be traded, and are not going to help the team. 

[wdleehi]

I think he has some of the names wrong.



For example:  I think the Wiz jump at the chance to get rid of Blatche.

Blatche has way too much value to cut though.  They can trade him if they really want to. 

The only guys that this would be used for are guys who absolutely can't be traded, and are not going to help the team. 

What is his value?  He is an over payed openly soft player that refuses to play defense or be coached.  A guy that runs from the paint when facing shot blockers. 

[BballTim]

I think he has some of the names wrong.



For example:  I think the Wiz jump at the chance to get rid of Blatche.

Or Rashard Lewis.

I know of Wiz season ticket holders that have said their buying of tickets are directly related to Blatche returning. 

  Wow. That's something you might not expect to hear.

[Chris]

I think he has some of the names wrong.



For example:  I think the Wiz jump at the chance to get rid of Blatche.

Blatche has way too much value to cut though.  They can trade him if they really want to. 

The only guys that this would be used for are guys who absolutely can't be traded, and are not going to help the team. 

What is his value?  He is an over payed openly soft player that refuses to play defense or be coached.  A guy that runs from the paint when facing shot blockers. 

He also is a guy who averaged 17 and 8 last year, is only 24 years old, and is making about half as much as most guys with those numbers make.

I don't think anyone is going to give up the farm for him, but I guarantee they would find a suitor who would at least give up a decent asset or two to take him off their hands.  The problem is, they know that his production is valuable, and they are not willing to give him up for pennies on the dollar, which is why he is still on the team. 

[Lucky17]

Here's something to consider.

Veteran contracts are based on years in the league; a player with 5 years of service is guaranteed a certain amount, a player with 6 years is guaranteed more, etc.

It's possible that with the hard cap, veteran players might see their ability to play on contending teams severely curtailed.

If you are an 8- or 9-year pro, you could be forced to choose from a bunch of rebuilding teams that have cap space, instead of a contending team that actually wants to sign you (and for whom you want to play).

When all these amnesty-types hit the FA market, it's possible that no one may be able to sign them.

[greenpride32]

Would be interesting to see if the C's would be willing to cut ties with KG.  He's clearly not worth $21m any more, but the C's wouldn't be able to resign him.

[LooseCannon]

There's no reason to cut KG under some sort of Allan Houston Rule v2.  He's still an above average PF who is only signed to one more season.  You probably wouldn't be able to sign anyone good as a replacement, so you'd be bringing back Big Baby or Troy Murphy to start or shifting Jeff Green to mostly power forward.

[clover]

There's no reason to cut KG under some sort of Allan Houston Rule v2.  He's still an above average PF who is only signed to one more season.  You probably wouldn't be able to sign anyone good as a replacement, so you'd be bringing back Big Baby or Troy Murphy to start or shifting Jeff Green to mostly power forward.

I also don't see the C's getting anyone better than JO at center for his money.  If I understand correctly, the only way this would help the C's would be if Pierce were to suffer some sort of Vin Baker or other similar tragedy and the C's were looking to get out from under his contract since they didn't have a worthwhile level of his services.