Trade & FA 2024-25:

[KillerLeft]

This is so well done.  I was going to write about this same theory (but with much less evidence), but my wife wanted to watch a movie.  A couple of cocktails later the capology part of George to GSW was just too much...until I saw your post.  Well done.

A couple of notes on your numbers.  We don't have to carry 15 players.  So, you can give DJJ the full MLE and start Klay at $22.6mm (with Maxi and Green outgoing).  That gets you to $70mm over 3 years...$94mm over 4 (I hope any 4th year is a TO).  

The GSW/LAC stuff is too complex for my brain right now.  If GSW takes the opted-in George for Paul and Wiggins, that is aggregation and they have to be below the second apron.  They can't do that without releasing Thompson's cap hold (I think).  So, that domino has to fall first.  Also, bringing in George at $48mm and filling out the roster will put GSW right up against the first apron (without any return for Thompson).  They have said they don't want to pay the LT next season.  So, that makes any returning salary for Thompson even more unlikely.  

So, how to create room for Thompson.  You could S&T Thompson into the $16.2mm TPE created by the THJ trade (same $70mm as before, but spread over 4 years).  Then you trade Green into someone's NT MLE to get your room for DJJ.  Unfortunately, you are probably cutting to a starting number for DJJ of $10.5mm to still have some cushion, but you are also keeping Maxi (14 man roster).

Another version is you find a taker for Maxi or Green (into cap space or a NT MLE with zero salary returning) and make the THJ/Grimes deal a 4-way.  Instead of the $16.2mm TPE, you can trade match Thompson to something close to that $22.6mm (14 man roster again...more if DJJ takes less than the entire $12.8mm).  Then you find a taker for the other of Maxi/Green into another team's space, TPE or NT MLE to have room for DJJ.  You'll get some assets back from that, but you are going to have to pay something to GS for working the S&T...probably just a second.

I think there is also a version where Paul is left out and it is just Wiggins to LAC and you set Thompson's salary at exactly enough to match Georges $48,787,676.  Turns out, that is also $22.5mm.  You still have to send out salary to another team's space, TPE or NT MLE.  This is better for LAC as they don't have to pay the part of Paul's guarantee that made the other version work.

Holy geez, you mean they might be able to add Grimes, Klay, keep Jones AND keep Kleber????? That would be the bee's knees!