11-14-2025, 08:33 PM
(11-14-2025, 06:57 PM)DanSchwartzgan Wrote: Who is the incoming from Chicago?
No matter what you do outside of Giddy, it take 3 players to match salaries with AD. Vucevic, Collins, Huerter, White, Dosunmu and Carter are all expiring. So, a big part of what Dallas is getting is likely to be Cap relief (unless we are dumb enough to take back Williams). I think it is either Vuc or Collins. If they want to stay good (and promise AD he can play some at PF), they keep Vuc. Collins is hurt and helps the tank. White is also hurt. He fits a need here now and in the future (though the D next to Kyrie won't be great). There is nothing other than Bird rights keeping him in Chicago. There would also be nothing keeping him here either (and he's represented by Brunson's agency if that worries anyone). But, he's 25 and like PJ and Gafford fits that not too old but veteran enough to help Flagg win age range). The fact that he's not tied to us lowers his value as an outgoing trade asset. From there, you want as much salary as you can get, so expiring Huerter makes the most sense. If the deal is White, Collins and Huerter, we've got a cap legal trade ($54.1 for $48.9) and used up $5.1mm of Chicago's $13.6mm space under the tax.
So what about Jmac's question?
Chicago has 3 TPE's they can use to take back players and relieve our roster crunch in what to this point is a 3 for 1. They have the $14.1mm MLE, a $6.2mm TPE from a prior trade and the $5.1mm BAE that can all be used as trade exceptions. If its Collins instead of Vuc, we have $8.5mm of remaining space under the tax and $13.5mm of space under the first apron. We have to stay under the latter. Don't know if we have to stay out of the tax...Chicago rarely pays, but they have done it once in the last decade. So, if tax avoidance is the thing, you put Hardy and Exum in the deal and you miss the tax by $150k (or Powell and Exum if you prefer). If they are willing to pay some tax, you can put a bigger salary like Martin in the mix. Putting Vuc in the deal instead of Collins also opens doors to more outgoing salary. Bottom line, it isn't hard to construct a 3 for 3 deal (so no one has to be cut) without involving a 3rd team.
So, there's your package...an old or often injured center (Vuc or Collins), expiring and uncontrolled Coby White and Kevin Huerter plus MAYBE two picks and MAYBE one of them unprotected and a ton of cap relief (until you sign White for $25-$30mm in the summer). You also help your tank. If it were me, I'd hold AD out and make him go to Luka boot camp for a couple of weeks and then hope he has the greatest two week streak in NBA history. What difference would that make? It would (might) allow us to negotiate better picks or better protection provisions than if he looked fat and out of shape. I think moving on is the right move as long as you don't get absolutely fleeced. But White and a couple of picks is probably as good as it gets.
I'd look to send White to a 3rd team. He's the not really the type of point guard I think they should be committing big money to, and he hurts the tank this year once he's back healthy (which should be soon). Maybe they could flip him to Houston for FVV and their 29 1st back.