Trade & FA 2024-25:

[F Gump]

We happen to have a TPE of $16.2mm from the THJ trade.  

This is the scenario I brought up last night where you bring Thompson into this slot.  DJJ takes about $10.5mm and you keep Maxi.  You have your cushion, but you have to trade Green into space, a TPE or someone's NT MLE (or to LAC depending on everything else).  At that point you've traded THJ/Green for Thompson/Grimes.  You gave up some seconds and would presumably get seconds back (at least one of which would go to GSW for the S&T).

One last note.  How positive are we Grimes is here to stay.  One design no one has looked at yet is Grimes/Maxi as the outgoing.  DJJ (and a little OMax) is your backup behind PJ, Green/Thompson share the 3 and you've created more space for Hardy to get some minutes.  You can take Thompson into that same TPE from the Hardaway deal, but DJJ has to take about $11mm.  

I've got to go do some yard work, but I wonder if there is a version where Wiggins, Moody, Maxi and Grimes go to LAC and Thompson coming here for Maxi/Grimes.  You have flexibility in setting Thompson's number (or you sub in Exum instead of Grimes or BP instead of Moody.  I don't have time to work out the math, but it feels like there is a version in there somewhere depending on what Thompson is really willing to take (which we don't know for sure)

FYI the idea you quoted of us having 16.3 before filling slot 14 is significantly off. But we do have room to pay Klay the 16.xM if he will take it. It's limited to 16.2M if using the TPE from a THJ trade, but can be expanded to the Apron room (whatever it is) after paying DJJ, if the THJ trade is linked with the Klay trade.

In the idea of keeping Maxi, and rolling a Klay SNT into the THJ deal, and then setting aside 1M for a cushion under the Apron, you have 12 players and 2 empty slots. Your total for just those 12 players including dead cap, incentives, Apron accounting, etc and including the cushion is $152.1M. $0 on the empty slots, of course.

178.6 APRON
177.6 Available (allow for a cushion)

160.1 13 players currently under contract
1.5 Incentives not included in the above
2.2 Dead money
163.8 TOTAL

13.9 Available now for 1 slot (slot 14)
26.5 Available for 2 slots (slots 13, 14) if Green is outgoing in a trade

That leaves you about $26.54M to pay BOTH Klay and DJJ. Or you can pay Klay, then try to sign DJJ with TxMLE. If you are paying 10.5 to DJJ, you only have 16M for Klay.