The new CBA and Joe Cronin's secret plan?

[Natebishop3]

https://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/...mpos-rise-from-obscure-prospect-to-nba-great/

When Joe took over the team, we were one of the highest salaries in the league. That would have had major implications with the new CBA.

The second apron in the new CBA would have been extremely punitive. For all of you who want to go for one more shot at glory with Dame, keep in mind that implications of breaking that second apron.

From the CBA -

a “First Apron Level” and a “Second Apron Level” as follows:

(A) For the 2023-24 Salary Cap Year, the First Apron Level shall equal the sum of: (1) the Tax Level for the 2023-24 Salary Cap Year, and (2) $6.716 million multiplied by a fraction, the numerator of which is the average of the Salary Cap for the 2022-23 Salary Cap Year and the Salary Cap for the 2023-24 Salary Cap Year, and the denominator of which is the Salary Cap for the 2022-23 Salary Cap Year. For each subsequent Salary Cap Year, the First Apron Level shall equal the First Apron Level for the 2023-24 Salary Cap Year multiplied by a fraction, the numerator of which is the Salary Cap for the applicable Salary Cap Year and the denominator of which is the Salary Cap for the 2023-24 Salary Cap Year.

(B) For the 2023-24 Salary Cap Year, the Second Apron Level shall equal the sum of: (1) the Tax Level for the 2023-24 Salary Cap Year, and (2) $17.5 million. For each subsequent Salary Cap Year, the Second Apron Level shall equal the Second Apron Level for the 2023-24 Salary Cap Year multiplied by a fraction, the numerator of which is the Salary Cap for the applicable Salary Cap Year and the denominator of which is the Salary Cap for the 2023-24 Salary Cap Year.

Free agency
Remember that second "apron" we mentioned earlier? Here's where it comes into play. It places two significant free-agent restrictions on teams that come in above that line:

• Teams above the second apron cannot use the taxpayer mid-level exception to sign free agents. That exception is the only tool tax teams currently have to pay free agents above the minimum salary. Such contracts could last up to three seasons, and this year, they could pay as much as $6,479,000 in starting salary. This rule would have prevented four free-agent signings in the 2022 offseason: Danilo Gallinari to the Boston Celtics, Donte DiVincenzo to the Golden State Warriors, Joe Ingles to the Milwaukee Bucks and John Wall to the Los Angeles Clippers.
• Teams above the second apron cannot sign players on the buyout market. The exact definition of "buyout market" has not yet been revealed, but it will likely apply to any player who is traded and waived during the season or waived while sacrificing a portion of his salary.

Trades
You didn't think that we were done with the second apron, did you? Oh no. Here's where the restrictions get really draconian. Teams above the second apron will face the three following trade limitations:

• They cannot send out cash in trades. Teams are ordinarily allowed to include a certain amount of cash in trades per season, with this season's figuring coming in at around $6 million. Teams frequently use this tool when they make unbalanced trades or need another team to take on a player to clear a roster spot.
• They cannot trade first-round picks that are more than six years into the future. The NBA allows teams to trade draft picks up to seven years into the future, but that last season will be restricted to these teams.
• They cannot make trades in which they take back more salary than they send out.

Also if you break the apron multiple times, your pick goes to the end of the draft.

Draft Pick Penalty.
(1) As used in this Agreement, the following terms shall have the following meanings:
(i) “Second Apron Team” means, for a Salary Cap Year, a Team that, as of the start of the Team’s last Regular Season game occurring within such Salary Cap Year, has an Apron Team Salary for such Salary Cap Year that exceeds the Second Apron Level for such Salary Cap Year. 196

Article VII
(ii) “Draft Pick Penalty” means, for a Team’s first round draft pick, that such draft pick shall be the final draft pick in the first round of the applicable NBA Draft (regardless of the position in the first round of the Draft at which the Team otherwise would have selected pursuant to NBA rules governing the order of selection by Teams in the Draft); provided, however, that, if multiple Teams’ first round draft picks are each subject to a Draft Pick Penalty in respect of the same NBA Draft, then the Teams with such first round draft picks shall select in the inverse order of their winning percentage for the Regular Season immediately preceding such NBA Draft (with priority in selection among any such Teams tied on a winning percentage basis established pursuant to NBA rules governing the order of selection by Teams in the Draft). For example, if Team A’s and Team B’s first round draft picks in the 2032 NBA Draft are each subject to a Draft Pick Penalty, and Team A finished with a better winning percentage than Team B for the 2031-32 Regular Season, then Team A would make the final selection in the first round of the 2032 NBA Draft and Team B would make the immediately preceding selection.

(2) Beginning with the 2024-25 Salary Cap Year, if a Team is a Second Apron Team for a Salary Cap Year, then:

(i) the Team shall be prohibited from trading (either conditionally or unconditionally) its first round draft pick in the first NBA Draft that occurs following the seventh Season that follows the Season occurring within such Salary Cap Year; and

(ii) with respect to the four (4) Salary Cap Years immediately following such Salary Cap Year:

(A) If the Team is a Second Apron Team for two (2) or more of such four (4) Salary Cap Years, then such first round draft pick shall be subject to a Draft Pick Penalty; and Article VII 197

(B) If the Team is a Second Apron Team for fewer than two (2) of such four (4) Salary Cap Years, then, as of the day following the last day of the Regular Season encompassed by the third of such four (4) Salary Cap Years in which the Team is not a Second Apron Team, such Team shall be permitted to trade (conditionally or unconditionally) such first round draft pick. For clarity, such first round draft pick shall not be subject to a Draft Pick Penalty.

Example: If Team A is a Second Apron Team for the 2024-25 Salary Cap Year, then it would be prohibited from trading its 2032 first round draft pick (i.e., its first round draft pick in the first NBA Draft that occurs following the seventh Season that follows the Season occurring within such Salary Cap Year). If Team A is also a Second Apron Team for the 2025-26 and 2028-29 Salary Cap Years, then Team A’s 2032 first round draft pick would be subject to a Draft Pick Penalty. Example: If Team B is a Second Apron Team for the 2024-25 Salary Cap Year, then it would be prohibited from trading its 2032 first round draft pick. If Team B is not a Second Apron Team in the 2025-26, 2026-27, and 2027-28 Salary Cap Years, then Team B would be permitted to trade its 2032 first round draft pick as of the day following the last day of the 2027-28 Regular Season (and such first round draft pick would not be subject to a Draft Pick Penalty).

Here is a link to the actual new CBA (it's 676 pages long) https://ak-static.cms.nba.com/wp-co.../2023-NBA-Collective-Bargaining-Agreement.pdf



Things are only going to get worse over the next couple years as the CBA goes fully active. It would appear that we have two years with Dame before it would be cost prohibitive to have a bunch of major contracts on the roster. It seems like Joe is building this roster to be young, cheap, and athletic. We could be in a very good position to take advantage of the new CBA while Scoot and Shae are coming into their own.

 

[Natebishop3]

The repeater tax rates are bonkers.

 

[illmatic99]

What has given you the impression that he actually has some foresight and intelligence? Think this forum gives this guy so much credit, while his track record is suspect at best.

He simply fell ass backwards into Scoot and Schmitz contributed heavily towards the Shaedon pick. Every other move has been either obvious or a teardown to tank/shed salary.

Needless to say, I don't agree with this claim. We are a cheap team that rarely enters the tax much less sniff the second apron. The new restrictive rules will hardly ever apply to us. So, no. I dont think Joe has some secret plan. I think he's driven by a cheap ownership group and he's just protecting his ass by making conservative moves that are not risky.

 

[Sloth]

What has given you the impression that he actually has some foresight and intelligence? Think this forum gives this guy so much credit, while his track record is suspect at best.

He simply fell ass backwards into Scoot and Schmitz contributed heavily towards the Shaedon pick. Every other move has been either obvious or a teardown to tank/shed salary.

Needless to say, I don't agree with this claim. We are a cheap team that rarely enters the tax much less sniff the second apron. The new restrictive rules will hardly ever apply to us. So, no. I dont think Joe has some secret plan. I think he's driven by a cheap ownership group and he's just protecting his ass by making conservative moves that are not risky.

 

[Natebishop3]

What has given you the impression that he actually has some foresight and intelligence? Think this forum gives this guy so much credit, while his track record is suspect at best.

He simply fell ass backwards into Scoot and Schmitz contributed heavily towards the Shaedon pick. Every other move has been either obvious or a teardown to tank/shed salary.

Needless to say, I don't agree with this claim. We are a cheap team that rarely enters the tax much less sniff the second apron. The new restrictive rules will hardly ever apply to us. So, no. I dont think Joe has some secret plan. I think he's driven by a cheap ownership group and he's just protecting his ass by making conservative moves that are not risky.

We had the second highest salary in 2019-2020. Joe has been said to be our salary cap guy. The team simply wasn't good enough to justify spending that kind of money.

 

[illmatic99]

We had the second highest salary in 2019-2020. Joe has been said to be our salary cap guy. The team simply wasn't good enough to justify spending that kind of money.

View attachment 56460

We were barely over the tax line. We aren't getting close to the apron. That's why they didn't care about getting hard capped last yr.

 

[Natebishop3]

We were barely over the tax line. We aren't getting close to the apron. That's why they didn't care about getting hard capped last yr.

I get that the last few years we have tanked our salary numbers. I just think it's possible that Joe has been doing this in preparation for the CBA. If you think our ownership is cheap, you can be damn sure they're looking at that repeater tax that kicks in during the 2025-2026 season.

 

[wizenheimer]

I get that the last few years we have tanked our salary numbers. I just think it's possible that Joe has been doing this in preparation for the CBA. If you think our ownership is cheap, you can be damn sure they're looking at that repeater tax that kicks in during the 2025-2026 season.

if he was anticipating the new CBA he didn't do a very good job giving Ant and Nurk the contracts he did. But it could be the 2nd apron caught everybody by surprise

 

[Tince]

We had the second highest salary in 2019-2020. Joe has been said to be our salary cap guy. The team simply wasn't good enough to justify spending that kind of money.

View attachment 56460

Do we know if Cronin failed to tell his bosses of the cap implications for that team? It's possible they received the proper information and those above him decided to move forward anyway.

 

[Tince]

We were barely over the tax line. We aren't getting close to the apron. That's why they didn't care about getting hard capped last yr.

Man, a lot was made of the Blazers being hard capped a year ago.

Maybe it was an over-reaction after all.

 

[illmatic99]

Man, a lot was made of the Blazers being hard capped a year ago.

Maybe it was an over-reaction after all.

I am guilty of it. But really it didnt matter because we were too cheap for it to.

 

[Natebishop3]

Man, a lot was made of the Blazers being hard capped a year ago.

Maybe it was an over-reaction after all.

Well we were still under the assumption that the team was actually trying to build around Dame

 

[Natebishop3]

if he was anticipating the new CBA he didn't do a very good job giving Ant and Nurk the contracts he did. But it could be the 2nd apron caught everybody by surprise

Well if the plan is try to keep Dame happy in the short term, letting Simons or Nurk walk would have probably killed that dream.

 

[SharpesTriumph]

Man, a lot was made of the Blazers being hard capped a year ago.

Maybe it was an over-reaction after all.

Well if we signed Bruce Brown for the tax MLE last summer and weren't hard capped maybe we would've done a Durant trade and won the title.

Its easy to say now since nothing was done last year that it didn't cost anything. Nothing was done because we didn't have the flexibility to do anything because we were hardcapped. It's a self fulfilling prophecy that can always confirm the Blazers decisions were correct.

We don't know what opportunities for improvements could have been made if the Blazers weren't hard capped.

Now if the Blazers were never going to go into the luxury tax even if a trade would've had the team contend I guess yes; the hard cap didn't matter. Then we just have cheap owners and will likely never win anything.

 

[SharpesTriumph]

Well if the plan is try to keep Dame happy in the short term, letting Simons or Nurk walk would have probably killed that dream.

Ant was a RFA. I can't imagine there was a team offering Nurk more than the full MLE. Give Nurk a million more than the MLE and match whatever Ant's deal is and the team would have better assets today. No risk of either player leaving in those scenarios either.

To me it just looks like Cronin got vastly out negotiated by the agents. There seems to be a theme with Cronin and negotiations.

 

[glazeduck]

What has given you the impression that he actually has some foresight and intelligence? Think this forum gives this guy so much credit, while his track record is suspect at best.

He simply fell ass backwards into Scoot and Schmitz contributed heavily towards the Shaedon pick. Every other move has been either obvious or a teardown to tank/shed salary.

Needless to say, I don't agree with this claim. We are a cheap team that rarely enters the tax much less sniff the second apron. The new restrictive rules will hardly ever apply to us. So, no. I dont think Joe has some secret plan. I think he's driven by a cheap ownership group and he's just protecting his ass by making conservative moves that are not risky.

Well if the plan is try to keep Dame happy in the short term, letting Simons or Nurk walk would have probably killed that dream.

Feels a little bit like pissing into both of your cheerios, but one thought I haven't seen come up in this discussion is the impending sale of the franchise.

Usually team valuations are either propped up by star talent or cheap, young potential... Doesn't it kinda feel like Jody + the Vulcans are going for both of those? You'd have to imagine having Damian Lillard, even in the twilight of his career would mean some pretty solid $$$ in a sale, as would a roster filled with young players on rookie deals, hopefully on the come-up.

It's a gross thought, but one that I think needs to be considered.

 

[Tince]

Well we were still under the assumption that the team was actually trying to build around Dame

They are... on the cheap!

 

[Tince]

Well if we signed Bruce Brown for the tax MLE last summer and weren't hard capped maybe we would've done a Durant trade and won the title.

Its easy to say now since nothing was done last year that it didn't cost anything. Nothing was done because we didn't have the flexibility to do anything because we were hardcapped. It's a self fulfilling prophecy that can always confirm the Blazers decisions were correct.

We don't know what opportunities for improvements could have been made if the Blazers weren't hard capped.

Now if the Blazers were never going to go into the luxury tax even if a trade would've had the team contend I guess yes; the hard cap didn't matter. Then we just have cheap owners and will likely never win anything.

While we're doing what-ifs... If Jabari Walker had turned into Giannis, we migth have won a championship last year.... Now, back to reality.

 

[Tince]

Feels a little bit like pissing into both of your cheerios, but one thought I haven't seen come up in this discussion is the impending sale of the franchise.

Usually team valuations are either propped up by star talent or cheap, young potential... Doesn't it kinda feel like Jody + the Vulcans are going for both of those? You'd have to imagine having Damian Lillard, even in the twilight of his career would mean some pretty solid $$$ in a sale, as would a roster filled with young players on rookie deals, hopefully on the come-up.

It's a gross thought, but one that I think needs to be considered.

Does Jody get any of the proceeds of the sale price? If not, then she has no real motivation to maximize value.

 

[HailBlazers]

Ant was a RFA. I can't imagine there was a team offering Nurk more than the full MLE. Give Nurk a million more than the MLE and match whatever Ant's deal is and the team would have better assets today. No risk of either player leaving in those scenarios either.

To me it just looks like Cronin got vastly out negotiated by the agents. There seems to be a theme with Cronin and negotiations.

Joe did what he had to do to ensure the tank (Sharpe, Scoot). The only way a player is going to shut himself down in a contract year is if there are assurances already in place.

 

[blazerkor]

Well if the plan is try to keep Dame happy in the short term, letting Simons or Nurk walk would have probably killed that dream.

Maybe just maybe making Ant prove he was worth that much by signing an offer sheet?

 

[SharpesTriumph]

Feels a little bit like pissing into both of your cheerios, but one thought I haven't seen come up in this discussion is the impending sale of the franchise.

Usually team valuations are either propped up by star talent or cheap, young potential... Doesn't it kinda feel like Jody + the Vulcans are going for both of those? You'd have to imagine having Damian Lillard, even in the twilight of his career would mean some pretty solid $$$ in a sale, as would a roster filled with young players on rookie deals, hopefully on the come-up.

It's a gross thought, but one that I think needs to be considered.

Why do you get the impression Jody wants to sell?

I think she may want to control the team for 20 years and cash the checks from managing the portfolio. She gets nothing from a sale.

 

[SharpesTriumph]

Does Jody get any of the proceeds of the sale price? If not, then she has no real motivation to maximize value.

Trust is private so I'm not sure we'll ever know exactly how it is broken down for certain - but the most credible reports sounds like proceeds will eventually all go to charity. Jody can get a ton ($100 million plus per season) by controlling and managing it if its not sold.

 

[Natebishop3]

Why do you get the impression Jody wants to sell?

I think she may want to control the team for 20 years and cash the checks from managing the portfolio. She gets nothing from a sale.

I don't think she can hold onto the team that long.

 

[BIG Q]

What I am getting from this is you can only have two big contracts, and that Portland should hope Sharpe and Scoot earn them from Portland. Dame's contract could soon become a boat anchor, especially if it were paired with a LaVine, Leonard, etc... You want your big contracts going to stars in their 5-9 year range. Older vets could be facing challenges due to this. It all seems very odd. Teams that draft well should get an exemption, say if they don't have a huge free agent contract on the books. I would hate for Portland to have another great draft next year, hit on it, but then lose a homegrown all star because of this CBA. Just thinking out loud.

 

[Sloth]

Why do you get the impression Jody wants to sell?

I think she may want to control the team for 20 years and cash the checks from managing the portfolio. She gets nothing from a sale.

She needs to sell, that simple for me. She is the cringiest owner in the league, and we will never reach the heights us fans want if she is in charge, I firmly believe that.

 

[SharpesTriumph]

I don't think she can hold onto the team that long.

Why do you think this?

Plenty of companies have been in trusts for multiple decades.

 

[illmatic99]

Maybe just maybe making Ant prove he was worth that much by signing an offer sheet?

I don't think either deal is that unreasonble. Ant especially.

 

[SharpesTriumph]

She needs to sell, that simple for me. She is the cringiest owner in the league, and we will never reach the heights us fans want if she is in charge, I firmly believe that.

I would love it if she sells.

Its just beyond unfortunate Paul set up the transition of his team to be so chaotic and run by a related party that has self interest in the sale (or non sale).

 

[SharpesTriumph]

I don't think either deal is that unreasonble. Ant especially.

Why can't Cronin flip him for a forward then?