Trade & FA 2024-25:

[DanSchwartzgan]

This post was so excellent I moved it to the new thread. I didn't know it would become the thread's first post, so sorry to put it above FGump's fine OP (thanks for starting the new thread, btw, Mr. Gump).

Thanks.  I made a mistake that I corrected in the OP (calling the 1st apron $173mm when it is really more like $178.65mm).

Here is what Spotrac has for the Mav's.  The data below includes "Likely To Be Earned" bonuses in the cap number.  The confusing thing is you don't count Unlikely bonuses in your cap, but they do count against your apron number.  Kyrie and PJ each have some ULTBE to account for against the apron as noted.

Player                  Salary           Notes
1 Doncic              43,031,940
2 Irving               41,000,000     ULTBE $1,000,000
3 THJ                  16,193,183
4 PJ Washington   15,500,000     ULTBE $500,000
5 Gafford             13,394,160
6 Green               12,654,321
7 Maxi                 11,000,000
8 Lively                 5,014,560
9 Powell                4,000,000
10 Exum               3,150,000     Team Option 6/28
11 Omax               2,870,400
12 Lawson             2,120,683     NG
13 Hardy               2,019,699     NG
14 Morris               2,093,637
15 DJJ - 

Dead                     2,208,856    McGee

Total Salary         176,251,439

                                               Space Under/(Over)
First Apron          178,655,000      2,403,561
Second Apron      189,486,000    13,234,561


So, if you take the ULTBE's off of $2,403,561, you are $903,561 under the first apron.   If you trade THJ for air, you basically have about $17mm under the apron.  If you give DJJ the full $12.9 MLE, then you can use some of, but not all of the BAE (or one of the TPE's), but you've hard-capped yourself at the first apron.  You can also trade match THJ, but if you go over 100% of his salary, it also hard caps you at the first apron.  Here are the things that Hard Cap you at the First Apron:

Using more than the Tax MLE out of the NTMLE (the $5.2mm Tax MLE hard caps you at the second apron)
Using the BAE
Acquiring a player via S&T
Signing a buyout player who made more than the NTMLE on his previous contract
Using more than 100% in Salary Matching in a trade
Using a TPE that was created in a prior season.

I suspect more than ever that we will be proposing things that aren't legal under these new rules because of how close we sit to the first apron.  If keeping DJJ is the priority, everything he takes under the full NT MLE is a huge help.