06-22-2026, 10:35 PM
MINN is interesting. If they want to stay under the tax line, they can. BUT they won't have room for a score in free agency to replace Randle (assuming they want to). They also need a secondary scorer to take the pressure off Ant.
Right now they are about 155M with 7 players. But if you pencil in Ayo at 20M and 6 bodies at the minimum, leaving one spot for a FA, they are at about 190M with the tax line at about 201. They do have some FA's of their own to maybe fill some of the minimums. But not room to solve their needs in free agency.
So it seems to me they will have a higher budget, at A2, 221M-ish. How would they use it? IIUC this deal is not legal until July, so I think they will use JR outgoing as the match and try to take back a helpful piece from someone (making it a 4-way).
Right now they are about 155M with 7 players. But if you pencil in Ayo at 20M and 6 bodies at the minimum, leaving one spot for a FA, they are at about 190M with the tax line at about 201. They do have some FA's of their own to maybe fill some of the minimums. But not room to solve their needs in free agency.
So it seems to me they will have a higher budget, at A2, 221M-ish. How would they use it? IIUC this deal is not legal until July, so I think they will use JR outgoing as the match and try to take back a helpful piece from someone (making it a 4-way).