Is There A Way To Fit Two More Players + Hand Out Extensions? Or No?

[Phantom255x]

For example, lets say the Celtics do the following THREE Steps sometime within the next year:

STEP 1

- Trade for ONE of Paul George OR Jimmy Butler

STEP 2

- Sign ONE of Millsap, Ibaka or Noel in Free Agency

STEP 3

- Extend Isaiah Thomas and ONE of Smart/Bradley

If you add those two players via Steps 1-2, then make extensions to IT and Bradley/Smart, you can make the case that makes this team LEGIT contenders.. even enough to challenge Cleveland and Golden State. However, I'm not sure if it is even possible, and even if it is, it would ultimately be a HUGE luxury tax. I'm assuming one of Bradley/Smart goes in the deal made in STEP 1 (along with other players and multiple picks obviously). Probably makes it easier for Ainge to hand out extensions the summer of 2018 as well.

Can any cap-expert help out on this and explain if this can work in any way, or if it is truly impossible? (Sorry I'm not really an expert in this department)

[saltlover]

No.  There is not a way to do step 2 once you've done step one.

You could do one of step 1 (or 2, depending how much your desired free agent costs) and then possibly extend Bradley, depending on how high of a price he needs for his extension.  I think it will require $6-7 million of cap room to extend AB.  I think it will require $18-19 million to extend IT.  We currently look to have $21-23 million in cap room, or $28-30 million if we let Olynyk walk.  A max salary for Noel is about $25.5 million, Ibaka $30.6 million, and Milsap near $36 million.  I don't know if any of the aforementioned players get their max, but I'm putting them there for perspective.  But you can see we'd need to pay no more than about $15 million in free agency to even extend Bradley (but you can add $7 million if Olynyk goes.)

There's some chance I guess that you could get George or Butler and extend IT if you sent out enough in 2017 salary obligations to acquire him.  But there is zero chance you could do that and hand out multiple extensions, and certainly no chance you could make a trade and acquire another free agent, much less all three.

[Phantom255x]

No.  There is not a way to do step 2 once you've done step one.

You could do one of step 1 (or 2, depending how much your desired free agent costs) and then possibly extend Bradley, depending on how high of a price he needs for his extension.  I think it will require $6-7 million of cap room to extend AB.  I think it will require $18-19 million to extend IT.  We currently look to have $21-23 million in cap room, or $28-30 million if we let Olynyk walk.  A max salary for Noel is about $25.5 million, Ibaka $30.6 million, and Milsap near $36 million.  I don't know if any of the aforementioned players get their max, but I'm putting them there for perspective.  But you can see we'd need to pay no more than about $15 million in free agency to even extend Bradley (but you can add $7 million if Olynyk goes.)

There's some chance I guess that you could get George or Butler and extend IT if you sent out enough in 2017 salary obligations to acquire him.  But there is zero chance you could do that and hand out multiple extensions, and certainly no chance you could make a trade and acquire another free agent, much less all three.

Oh okay. Thanks! TP

Well, it will definitely be interesting to see what Ainge does the next 12 months with this team.

[Surferdad]

No.  There is not a way to do step 2 once you've done step one.

You could do one of step 1 (or 2, depending how much your desired free agent costs) and then possibly extend Bradley, depending on how high of a price he needs for his extension.  I think it will require $6-7 million of cap room to extend AB.  I think it will require $18-19 million to extend IT.  We currently look to have $21-23 million in cap room, or $28-30 million if we let Olynyk walk.  A max salary for Noel is about $25.5 million, Ibaka $30.6 million, and Milsap near $36 million.  I don't know if any of the aforementioned players get their max, but I'm putting them there for perspective.  But you can see we'd need to pay no more than about $15 million in free agency to even extend Bradley (but you can add $7 million if Olynyk goes.)

There's some chance I guess that you could get George or Butler and extend IT if you sent out enough in 2017 salary obligations to acquire him.  But there is zero chance you could do that and hand out multiple extensions, and certainly no chance you could make a trade and acquire another free agent, much less all three.

Heard that number this morning, but get this:  In a 4-year deal he could be making $47M in the 4th year when he is 37.  That is just crazy money for a player who is not super-elite and will be over the hill by then.

[saltlover]

No.  There is not a way to do step 2 once you've done step one.

You could do one of step 1 (or 2, depending how much your desired free agent costs) and then possibly extend Bradley, depending on how high of a price he needs for his extension.  I think it will require $6-7 million of cap room to extend AB.  I think it will require $18-19 million to extend IT.  We currently look to have $21-23 million in cap room, or $28-30 million if we let Olynyk walk.  A max salary for Noel is about $25.5 million, Ibaka $30.6 million, and Milsap near $36 million.  I don't know if any of the aforementioned players get their max, but I'm putting them there for perspective.  But you can see we'd need to pay no more than about $15 million in free agency to even extend Bradley (but you can add $7 million if Olynyk goes.)

There's some chance I guess that you could get George or Butler and extend IT if you sent out enough in 2017 salary obligations to acquire him.  But there is zero chance you could do that and hand out multiple extensions, and certainly no chance you could make a trade and acquire another free agent, much less all three.

Heard that number this morning, but get this:  In a 4-year deal he could be making $47M in the 4th year when he is 37.  That is just crazy money for a player who is not super-elite and will be over the hill by then.

It would take a 5-year deal with max Bird rights raises to get him near $47 million in the final year.  A four year deal with max raises (but not Bird raises), gets him to about $41 million.  Still crazy (and not happening), but less crazy.

[Vermont Green]

For example, lets say the Celtics do the following THREE Steps sometime within the next year:

STEP 1

- Trade for ONE of Paul George OR Jimmy Butler

STEP 2

- Sign ONE of Millsap, Ibaka or Noel in Free Agency

STEP 3

- Extend Isaiah Thomas and ONE of Smart/Bradley

If you add those two players via Steps 1-2, then make extensions to IT and Bradley/Smart, you can make the case that makes this team LEGIT contenders.. even enough to challenge Cleveland and Golden State. However, I'm not sure if it is even possible, and even if it is, it would ultimately be a HUGE luxury tax. I'm assuming one of Bradley/Smart goes in the deal made in STEP 1 (along with other players and multiple picks obviously). Probably makes it easier for Ainge to hand out extensions the summer of 2018 as well.

Can any cap-expert help out on this and explain if this can work in any way, or if it is truly impossible? (Sorry I'm not really an expert in this department)

Couldn't we do Step 2 after Step 1 if Horford is included in the Step 1 Trade?  I think the assumption is that the outgoing salary in Step 1 is all expiring and we bring back multiyear salary.

[saltlover]

For example, lets say the Celtics do the following THREE Steps sometime within the next year:

STEP 1

- Trade for ONE of Paul George OR Jimmy Butler

STEP 2

- Sign ONE of Millsap, Ibaka or Noel in Free Agency

STEP 3

- Extend Isaiah Thomas and ONE of Smart/Bradley

If you add those two players via Steps 1-2, then make extensions to IT and Bradley/Smart, you can make the case that makes this team LEGIT contenders.. even enough to challenge Cleveland and Golden State. However, I'm not sure if it is even possible, and even if it is, it would ultimately be a HUGE luxury tax. I'm assuming one of Bradley/Smart goes in the deal made in STEP 1 (along with other players and multiple picks obviously). Probably makes it easier for Ainge to hand out extensions the summer of 2018 as well.

Can any cap-expert help out on this and explain if this can work in any way, or if it is truly impossible? (Sorry I'm not really an expert in this department)

Couldn't we do Step 2 after Step 1 if Horford is included in the Step 1 Trade?  I think the assumption is that the outgoing salary in Step 1 is all expiring and we bring back multiyear salary.

I don't really understand why you think trading Horford is a reasonable hypothetical.  And trading a guy you just signed to a max deal after he'd played his entire career for another team is not s good way to sell yourself to a free agent.

[oldtype]

It's either trade -> trade or free agent -> trade, and even then the second trade can only take place much later. (either by somehow keeping Olynyk's qualifying offer on the books while you're signing your free agent and then signing him to a large contract, or by utilizing the high salary of your top-3 pick in conjunction with Smart/Crowder/Brown). 

Trade -> free agent doesn't work.