A new season of sports
Although the NBA's offseason is still months away, free agency was actually in full swing right after the trade deadline on Feb. 8.
Hours after being cut by the Raptors, Dinwiddie was already on his way to New York and sitting behind the Mavericks' bench. The next night in Los Angeles, Dinwiddie sat on the sidelines next to Pelinka, the general manager of the Lakers. Dinwiddie eventually signed with the Lakers for 1.5 million in one year.
Dinwiddie, who was sent away by the Nets, joined Lowry, Thaddeus Young, Gallinari and Wright as part of a team that was cut after the deadline and then quickly signed for a playoff contender: Lowry returned to his hometown team, the 76ers, Young joined the Suns, Gallinari joined the Bucks, and Wright joined the Heat.
The five players are eligible to play in the playoffs with their new teams because they were cut before March 1. Players who are laid off after March 1 will not be eligible for the playoffs, but will be eligible as long as they are cut before that (except for players on 10-day contracts, who are eligible to play in the playoffs even if their contracts expire after March 1). ）
Who else will join these five players? Let's take a look at the second free market period (i.e., the post-trade cutoff claim period) and look at how collective bargaining agreements change high-cost teams.
Remember March 2021, when the Nets signed former All-Stars Griffin, Aldridge and Drummond to buyout contracts with the Lakers?
Or remember last February, when former MVP Westbrook bought out his contract with the Jazz and then joined the Clippers?
These signings have made the whole NBA world crazy, because the teams that just signed out the buyout players were originally in the top 5 in terms of salary expenses, so there was one in the league"The rich get richer".concept.
So, the most intuitive change has emerged - under the new collective bargaining agreement, none of these four transactions will be allowed.
Of course, in reality, these players have not had any impact on the championship situation. Aldridge played only five games before briefly announcing his retirement, and Griffin finished that season averaging a career-low 10 points per game. Drummond went from starting to starting off the bench, and the Lakers lost the first round. Westbrook averaged 38 per game in the playoffs5 minutes, but the wounded Clippers also lost the first round. ）
Under the new rules, teams that go beyond the No. 1 and No. 2 tiers face additional restrictions when signing through trades and free markets. One of the clauses is that local tyrant teams cannot sign players who were cut during the regular season and have previously signed contracts for at least $12.4 million (full middle class exception).
There are teams that have surpassed the local tyrant line this yearCeltics, Nuggets, Warriors, Clippers, Heat, BuckswithThe sunNeither of them could sign the cut Dinwiddie or Lowry because both entered the season with too high wages. In the post-trade deadline this year, only Lowry and Wright are currently two actual contract buyouts (Dinwiddie, Young, Gallinari and others were all waived by the team without any salary cuts). ）
This is the seventh month of the new collective bargaining agreement, and it is the first post-deal cutoff phase under the new collective bargaining agreement. For now, is the NBA doing the right rule change, or is it overreacting? Does this rule affect players exploring buyouts?
This confirms the previous point that there is a need for legislative restrictions rather than a real impact on the fieldBuyout marketMore soIt's more than lively, butInsufficient impactvariables. However, the NBA's new plan is not very restrictive, and it may be acceptable to everyone. One of the effects we can see is that they don't have to wait until after the trade deadline to fill in the roster slots, and that's almost certainly a positive.
The most noteworthy thing is that the Clippers can safely replenish Theis in November last year — his salary is 9.1 million, not too big to be limited by the new rules — and there is no need to worry about better options coming later. At the same time, Theis was able to go to his next home before the deadline, and the former club (the Pacers) saved more money through a buyout, making everyone involved a winner.
The Lakers and 76ers are safely staying under the No. 1 line, and both are attractive enough teams this year, so I don't think Dinwiddie and Lowry were forced to make that decision. In the coming years, the comfort level of a buyout player choosing his next home may change.
One small rule tweak that I would consider would be to give players like Dinwiddie more say in certain situations where the player doesn't initiate a buyout and is cut outright by the new team. (For Dinwiddie, the Raptors don't want Dinwiddie to play a full 50 regular-season games and get a potential $1.5 million contract bonus.) Young is the same with the Nets, and despite his low salary, he can still join the Suns casually. Should we only limit the transfer of players when they voluntarily give up their salary in a buyout?
That's a good question. Under this scenario, Dinwiddie would be free to join all 28 teams, rather than just teams below the local elite line. The terms of the collective bargaining agreement cover all the players who have been cut, not just the contract amendment, which allows the former club to reduce some of the players who are compensated.
Even according to the restrictions of the new rules, three of the five teams mentioned above who bought out players after the signing deadline are local tyrant teams (Heat, Bucks and Suns). If the NBA really wants to limit high-cost teams from signing players who are cut during the regular season, they canVeteran base salaryIt is not a special case of the middle classSalary threshold
Here's an in-depth look at the players who signed (or are reportedly on the verge of signing) after the deadline. Which signing has the most impact and which team has benefited?
I think it's Dinwiddie, who played 69 minutes in the first two games of the Lakers — the Lakers won both games. Dinwiddie's projection has slipped this season to the point where he doesn't have much trade value under his $20 million salary pick. However, if he gets 1.5 million with the Lakers for the rest of the season, Dinwiddie has great value and can give the Lakers a reliable outside option in the Lakers' rotation, which is not enough in Vincent's absence.
When Lowry made his promotional debut for the 76ers after All-Star Weekend, I was curious to see how long he could play. With the 76ers on the full roster, I'm not so sure if Lowry should have more of a role than Beverley, who has already been sent to the Bucks. The biggest benefit point of the 76ers' backcourt rotation shuffle may be a second-round pick sent by the Bucks for Beverley.
I really like the Heat's operation of using Wright to fill Lowry's roster position, and Wright is probably a stronger player than Lowry this season. Wright offers more playmaking skills on the Heat's lineup, which is largely handled by non-traditional point guards, and he's 1.95m tall enough to be compatible with a variety of lineups under Spo.
There are two more players to keep an eye on, but for different reasons: Marcus Morris and Trent.
Morris was sent to the Spurs in a 76-man, Pacers-involved trade. I think it's logical for him to return to the 76ers. However, because the deal is a true three-way deal, not two separate deals, Morris is not eligible to re-sign with the 76ers if he is cut again. He remains on the Spurs squad with $5.2 million remaining on his $17 million contract.
If Morris is cut, the Timberwolves are his most plausible next home. The Timberwolves have Towns, Gobert and Naz Reid up front. Morris isn't there to help the team win a playoff game, but he has the size to provide a layer of insurance for the team. He played in 67 playoff games, starting 45 of them at an average of 125 points 51 plate.
Trent has $18.5 million on his contract expiring with the Raptors, and there are many reasons why there is no sign of him appearing before March 1 in the layoff clarification period.
First, the 25-year-old Trent would lose his rights if he was cut, which means the Raptors would need to use salary space or exceptions to renew his contract. It also limited his option to sign first and then move to a new team.
In addition, the status of becoming a "buyout player" means that there is a potential ceiling on his next contract income. Since the start of the 2021-22 regular season, 22 players have been bought out of contracts. None of the players in this group will earn more than $9 million a year in the first year of their next contract.
In addition, because Trent is currently on a $18.5 million contract, he is not eligible to join seven teams that have crossed the local tyrant line after the buyout.
However, if there is a small probability of Trent being cut, then he must have suitors. Trent threw a career-high 41 this seasonAn 8% three-point shooting percentage that, according to CTG, is better than 83% of players at the same position.
The next pot after Morris and Trent includes Milton, Troy Brown, Korkmaz, Mills, Osman and House.
But the Pistons have no incentive to cut Milton or Brown, both of whom are on non-guaranteed contracts next season. The same goes for their teammate Fourier, who has a team option, while the Hornets' Seth Curry and Bertans also have team options. Curry is on a non-guaranteed contract, and Bertans is only guaranteed for $5.2 million of $16 million.
Trent's buyout only makes sense if his limited playing time this year affects his market this summer. However, after the trade deadline, Trent played as a starter, averaging 272 minutes, so I don't think he's going to change teams.
Morris, who shot 36 percent from three-point range in 2022-23, has reached 40 percent this season, making him a more usable candidate for a competitive team. However, I think he's ideally a spare tire at best, and that's what a lot of buyouts do. If the Jazz and Otto Porter buy out, Porter would fit that type of feature as well.
I think Hayes can start over somewhere else, but it certainly can't be the Pistons, and he's been holding back the team's younger guards this season. His challenge, though, is that this is the final year he's eligible to sign a two-way contract. Considering Bucknet's past history of driving violations, including drunk driving in 2022**, I don't think he deserves a big list spot right now.
Finally, in addition to the free agency market and the possible buyout market, keep an eye on players who are currently on two-way contracts. Since Feb. 8, Waters, GG Jackson, Keon Ellis, Craig Porter and Dupu Rees have all converted their two-way contracts to NBA standard roster contracts (meaning they no longer apply to the 50-game limit and are eligible to play in the playoffs). For example, the Nets could use a roster slot to convert Jalen Wilson's two-way contract into a permanent contract.
Teams can switch to a two-way contract until April 14, but they can't sign a two-way contract after March 3, meaning there will be more of this in the coming weeks.
Eagles (0 big list slots): Exceptions: Base salary, partially full middle class and biennial.
Celtic* (1): Base salary.
Bulls (1): Base salary, partial full middle class exception and biennial.
Note: 1.7 million below the luxury tax line.
Knights (1): Base salary, partial full middle class exceptions and biennial.
Note: 1.8 million below the luxury tax line.
Lone Ranger (1): Base salary, partial full middle class exceptions and biennial.
Note: 2.7 million below the luxury tax line.
Nuggets (0): Base salary.
Warriors* (2): Base salary.
Pacers (1): Base salary and part of the space middle class.
Clippers* (0): Base salary.
Lakers (0): Base salary.
Heat* (0): Base salary.
Bucks* (0): Base salary.
Timberwolves (2): Base salary, partial full mid-range exception and biennial.
Note: 1.6 million below the luxury tax line.
Pelicans (1): Base salary, partial full middle class exception and biennial.
Note: 2.1 million below the luxury tax line.
Knicks (3): Base salary, partial full middle class exception and biennial.
Note: 2.5 million below the luxury tax line.
Thunder (0): Base salary.
Magic (0): Base salary.
76 (2): basic salary and part of the full middle class.
Note: 2.1 million below the luxury tax line.
Sun* (1): Base salary.
Kings (0): Base salary.
The team exceeds the local tyrant line and cannot sign players with a salary of more than 12.4 million before being laid off.
Nets (1), Hornets (1), Pistons (0), Rockets (0), Grizzlies (0), Trail Blazers (0), Spurs (0), Raptors (2), Jazz (1), Wizards (2).
Eagle: Mills.
Pistons: Milton, Muscala.
Spurs: Marcus Morris.
Raptors: Trent.
Jazz: Otto Porter.
Free agents: Archidiakno, Buknet, Joseph, Knox, Korkmaz, Robin Lopez, Metu, Ntilikina, Yish Smith, Giles, House, Joe Harris, Killian Hayes, Toscano Anderson.