TDL Archived: The 2nd Rnd Pick Yankee Swap

[DanSchwartzgan]

One thing to bear in mind with these trade proposals…like Noel and others.

Dallas is $19mm under the projected LT for next season without accounting for Powell, Wood and Frank or minimum roster slots depending on what happens with those guys.  If they want to use the full MLE, they need to stay about $11mm under the tax to have space to use it.  So, they probably can’t bring back their own players, as things stand, and use the MLE.

So, moving off of guaranteed money for expiring or non-guaranteed money has value even if you don’t love the player being acquired.  McGee only makes $5.7mm next season, but if he’s not producing, that is the difference between MLE and about $9mm to bring back players and the MLE and about $14mm to bring back players.  Dallas could also S/W Reggie’s guarantee rather than eating the entire $5mm in one year and create even more room.  So, they aren’t completely boxed in.  But there is more to a Noel for McGee trade than just our opinions of the players themselves.