So which team does Ezeli end up with, and what do we have to add?

[KeepOnRollin]

I read it as its guaranteed as long as he's on the roster July 1st. Otherwise why even include a date?

Because the date is when he is guaranteed to get his full salary.

 

[Minstrel]

This is the leader in the clubhouse IMO

Brooklyn isn't going to pay a second-round pick for nothing (if they don't reach the contract floor, they just pay the difference to their players--preferable to giving it to a random outside player who won't provide them any on-court value).

We would need to package the second-rounder to make it worth Brooklyn's while to not just pay the penalty and give the money to their players.

 

[Minstrel]

How sure is everyone that he's guaranteed 1m next season, because I found this

• 2017 $1 million guaranteed, fully guaranteed salary if not waived on or before 6/30/17

I added a couple words to make it clearer. It's not worded well. $1M is guaranteed for next season, his full salary is guaranteed if he's not waived by 6/30.

 

[UKRAINEFAN]

Ezeli, Crabbe, Leonard and all of this years picks for Butler or DMC.
Prefer Butler for solid perimeter D.

http://www.espn.com/nba/tradeMachine?tradeId=hk6palk

 

[e_blazer]

Chief and Ezeli for Ibaka. It could just be a rental, but if it is it serves as a salary dump. OTOH, if things work out well, maybe he re-signs here. The Magic would probably want a pick. I wouldn't give a first rounder, but a future second would be okay.

 

[Minstrel]

Chief and Ezeli for Ibaka. It could just be a rental, but if it is it serves as a salary dump. OTOH, if things work out well, maybe he re-signs here. The Magic would probably want a pick. I wouldn't give a first rounder, but a future second would be okay.

At that point, it stops being worth the Magic's while to trade Ibaka. Ezeli is only useful as salary relief but if Ibaka leaves in free agency, they get the salary relief anyway. So the trade is basically Aminu for Ibaka and Aminu has lost most of his value with the loss of his three-point shot. A second-round pick isn't much inducement.

 

[Scalma]

I added a couple words to make it clearer. It's not worded well. $1M is guaranteed for next season, his full salary is guaranteed if he's not waived by 6/30.

That makes more sense.

Or you could just attack me for not being able to read

 

[Scalma]

Some dude posted the contract status in this thread, even though he completely misread it.

What does that have to do with his playing status

And naw, I read it the way it was written.

 

[Schilly]

Brooklyn isn't going to pay a second-round pick for nothing (if they don't reach the contract floor, they just pay the difference to their players--preferable to giving it to a random outside player who won't provide them any on-court value).

We would need to package the second-rounder to make it worth Brooklyn's while to not just pay the penalty and give the money to their players.

What purpose would that serve us then? Ezeli has just as much value to us as a non-guarantee for next year.

 

[illmatic99]

What purpose would that serve us then? Ezeli has just as much value to us as a non-guarantee for next year.

See below:

His contract is guaranteed next year for $1 million, and his contract is about half paid already this year. Total savings are ~4 million this year. The Blazers are in the luxury tax next season barring no other trades, so that $1 million is more like $2.5 million for a total of ~$6-7 million of total savings we would get for dumping him for nothing. Most second rounders sell for less than $6 million, so there is a real $$$ incentive to dump his contract for nothing by attaching a 2nd on top of it.

 

[tester551]

I read it as its guaranteed as long as he's on the roster July 1st. Otherwise why even include a date?

You're missing the comma and the word "fully".
1M guaranteed, fully guaranteed if not waived before "date"

 

[Schilly]

See below:

There's a little more to it though. Brooklyn would have to send something in the trade. It could be cash, rights to an unsigned player etc...

 

[e_blazer]

At that point, it stops being worth the Magic's while to trade Ibaka. Ezeli is only useful as salary relief but if Ibaka leaves in free agency, they get the salary relief anyway. So the trade is basically Aminu for Ibaka and Aminu has lost most of his value with the loss of his three-point shot. A second-round pick isn't much inducement.

Maybe, but as the deadline gets closer, if another team doesn't make a better offer, Aminu and a pick are better than nothing. If Ibaka and his agent indicate that he'd be willing to do an extension, then a first rounder would certainly make sense, but I'd certainly think that they're going to want to test his market value this summer.

 

[Nikolokolus]

My guess is Portland will just keep Festus and reap the cap savings by cutting him this summer. The only viable trade partners I can see are those that are similarly capped out and looking to get under the Luxury Tax threshold. I'd look it up, but I don't have the time right now.

 

[Minstrel]

Maybe, but as the deadline gets closer, if another team doesn't make a better offer, Aminu and a pick are better than nothing. If Ibaka and his agent indicate that he'd be willing to do an extension, then a first rounder would certainly make sense, but I'd certainly think that they're going to want to test his market value this summer.

Aminu and a first-round pick would be better than nothing. Aminu and a second-round pick, probably not. The value there is so low, they're likely better off keeping him for the rest of the year and getting more information on how well he fits with the team to better decide if they're going to try and re-sign him. Then, even if he leaves, it's not like they lost much of value by not taking Portland's offer.

 

[e_blazer]

Aminu and a first-round pick would be better than nothing. Aminu and a second-round pick, probably not. The value there is so low, they're likely better off keeping him for the rest of the year and getting more information on how well he fits with the team to better decide if they're going to try and re-sign him. Then, even if he leaves, it's not like they lost much of value by not taking Portland's offer.

Well, I don't see a couple of months rental of Ibaka is worth Aminu plus a first rounder so there may not be a deal to be had if they see it as you suggest.

 

[Minstrel]

Well, I don't see a couple of months rental of Ibaka is worth Aminu plus a first rounder so there may not be a deal to be had if they see it as you suggest.

I'd agree. I'm not really hoping for an Ibaka deal.

 

[Orion Bailey]

I'd agree. I'm not really hoping for an Ibaka deal.

Unless it includes a new deal for him.

 

[Minstrel]

Unless it includes a new deal for him.

Even then. I don't want to pay him a big money deal. The Ibaka of 3-4 years ago I would, but his defense is on the decline.

 

[KeepOnRollin]

I will tell you this. We aren't drafting 3 players in the first round for ourselves to keep. We won't have 3 rookies on our team next year imo, two at most. So honestly, I know Ibaka is a big risk but I would be fine with giving our worst 1st rounder for him (CLE's). I know it won't be a popular opinion necessarily but at some point you have to take a risk if you are small market like us. I don't think he gets full max. Close though sure. And I think he would sign with us before ORL. So maybe we lose him but if we are sending out bad contracts (1-3 of Leonard, Crabbe and Ezeli) then I am up for it. I would look at other deals for other players first though.

 

[SlyPokerDog]

I will tell you this. We aren't drafting 3 players in the first round for ourselves to keep. We won't have 3 rookies on our team next year imo, two at most. So honestly, I know Ibaka is a big risk but I would be fine with giving our worst 1st rounder for him (CLE's). I know it won't be a popular opinion necessarily but at some point we have to take a risk. I don't think he gets full max. And I think he would sign with us before ORL. So maybe we lose him but if we are sending out bad contracts (1-3 of Leoanrd, Crabbe and Ezeli) then I am up for it. I would look at other deals for other players first though.

Yes, getting anyone who is a better power forward than what we have now is a terrible idea. How dare you suggest such a thing.

 

[Orion Bailey]

Even then. I don't want to pay him a big money deal. The Ibaka of 3-4 years ago I would, but his defense is on the decline.

Stats say so, but some could be minutes and the team he is on and how they play him.

 

[KeepOnRollin]

Yes, getting anyone who is a better power forward than what we have now is a terrible idea. How dare you suggest such a thing.

He seems the most "get-able" of the mentioned names. Of course there is probably a reason for that...

 

[Blazinaway]

are Blazers holding a press conference to announce the trade/Nurk?

 

[barfo]

Most second rounders sell for less than $6 million

Isn't there a $3M cap on cash payments? Or am I out of date?

barfo

 

[Boob-No-More]

His contract is guaranteed next year for $1 million, and his contract is about half paid already this year. Total savings are ~4 million this year. The Blazers are in the luxury tax next season barring no other trades, so that $1 million is more like $2.5 million for a total of ~$6-7 million of total savings we would get for dumping him for nothing. Most second rounders sell for less than $6 million, so there is a real $$$ incentive to dump his contract for nothing by attaching a 2nd on top of it.

Your math is off and you assume there will be no other trades between now and the last game of the 2017-18 season.

The season isn't half over, it's 54/82 (65.9%) over. Ezeli's contract this year is $7.4 million. So, he's owned $2.52 million this season - not ~$4 million, and it goes down by $90,000 per game. So, the maximum savings of dumping Ezeli will be below $5 million - and that assumes no other trades to get us below the luxury tax threshold between now and the 2018 trade deadline. If we are below the tax threshold, the total mount Ezeli would cost us is below $3.5 million. All this assumes insurance is not paying any of Ezeli's contract. If the Blazers were able to purchase insurance, this all becomes moot.

Still, if they don't think he'll ever play again, there could be incentive to move him, but it's not as great as your numbers would indicate.

I'm actually surprised they didn't find a way to include him in the DEN trade, as DEN is one of the teams far enough below the salary floor to absorb Ezeli's contract. Which would seem to indicate they aren't that desperate to move him.

Of course, if they are still talking to PHI about Okafor, Ezeli could be part of that deal as well since PHI is one of the other teams sufficiently below the cap floor to absorb Ezeli's contract.

BNM

 

[KeepOnRollin]

Isn't there a $3M cap on cash payments? Or am I out of date?

barfo

Yes. It was 3 MIL per trade. Now it is 3 MIL cap for the full year.

 

[Boob-No-More]

Isn't there a $3M cap on cash payments? Or am I out of date?

barfo

The Maximum Annual Cash Limit is $3.5 million this season and $3.6 million for 2017-18. It can be spread among multiple transactions up to the maximum limit.

BNM

 

[Boob-No-More]

Yes. It was 3 MIL per trade. Now it is 3 MIL cap for the full year.

It's $3.5 million this SEASON. And, just to be clear, it's based on the season, not the calendar year.

BNM

 

[KeepOnRollin]

It's $3.5 million this SEASON. And, just to be clear, it's based on the season, not the calendar year.

BNM

Thanks. And season would be July 1st to June 30th correct? That is full year. I didn't say Calendar year (as in Jan 1st to Dec 31st).