TDL Archived: The 2nd Rnd Pick Yankee Swap

[F Gump]

One reason I believe it's going to be a 3-team deal is Ayton. I didn't know this a few days ago, but apparently teams are only allowed to have one rookie-max-extension player on their roster at a time? 

So, for Ayton to get the contract he wants and end up in BRK, Simmons would have to be traded away. I'm sure that option has been discussed.

Ayton to BKN is not a realistic option, but this isn't why. (The rule you mention isn't about salary but rather about years.) But Ayton isn't a problem on that front, because he is not a player who has a "designated player" rookie extension --- he declined an extension and is now a FA.

What makes Ayton a non-starter to BKN is the fact he would have to be a sign-and-trade. But BKN is well over the apron (for apron purposes, I see more than 180M doing a quick rough addition) which means they can't trade for a player via SNT.