The Pau Gasol-for-Andrew Bynum trade talks appear to be dormant but not dead.
The Lakers would like to get another worthy asset thrown into in the deal … but so would the Cavs. And you know what? I have to side with the Cavs and general manager Chris Grant on this one.
By taking Gasol’s $19.3 million salary off the Lakers’ books, they will drop Los Angels below the luxury tax threshold, saving the Buss family in the area of $20 million. But that’s only the start of it. The Lakers also will be under the tax next season, and that gets them out of danger of being subject to the dreaded repeater tax, which is levied against teams that exceed the tax threshold four times in five seasons.
(RELATED: LAKERS SALARY CAP SITUATION AND ANALYSIS)
So it’s not just the current $20 million that the Cavs would be saving the Buss family, it is untold tens of millions more in two seasons when the Lakers figure to be a taxpaying team once again in the final season of Kobe Bryant’s extension.
So multiply that $20 million by a factor of at least two — probably more given the punitive nature of the repeater tax, and you get an idea of how valuable acquiring and waiving Bynum can be to the Buss family fortune.
Which is why if I am Chris Grant, I keep saying “no” to Los Angeles unless and until they throw Nick Young into the deal. And Nick Young is a much better player than most folks realize.
More on that trade, other trade chatter … and a closer look at the struggling Memphis Grizzlies (and a great Nick Calathes story) in this podcast with Three Shades of Blue radio on WHBQ radio in Memphis.
I drop a leave a response each time I appreciate
a article on a site or if I have something to add to the conversation. It is
caused by the fire displayed in the article I looked at.
And after this article Gasol-Bynum Trade: Why the
Cavs should ask for more from the Lakers. I was actually excited enough to drop
a thought 🙂 I do have 2 questions for you if it’s okay.
Is it only me or do some of the remarks appear as if they are left
by brain dead visitors? 😛 And, if you are writing on additional
online social sites, I’d like to keep up with
you. Could you make a list the complete urls of your
public pages like your Facebook page, twitter feed,
or linkedin profile?
This is the lakers. The fans won’t except a money dump. They have a lot of players on one year contracts. They can get under the cap. The cavs have to give us another player for the salary to work. I would except waiters and a second round pick. If they don’t like it good look trying to get the playoffs with Richard Jefferson.
What does making the playoffs really matter as a non contender? The Cavs in or out of the playoffs with Gasol are not advancing so why give up a young asset to be eliminated in the 1st round? IF and thats a big IF you make it. I hope Gasol stays in LA he is past his prime and overpaid at 19 million. If he could help move the needle for the Cavs to the Level of Pacers, Heat, Etc than great trade a young asset to get over the hump. NO GASOL IN CLEVELAND PLEASE!
I disagree because the Lakers are like the Dodgers. They really don’t care if they are over the salary cap provided of course they are contending for the NBA title. Los Angeles is not a small market. They can afford to give Kobe what he wants because they know there is a high demand for Lakers merchandise as well as TV revenue that smaller markets could not generate. I am certain that the Lakers would be willing to keep Gasol for the remainder of the season. The main reason why they would consider trading him is not for the money saved, but because they would be getting a better chance at acquiring a high draft pick.
Being over the salary cap (around 59 million) and luxury tax (around 71 million) are two different stories. Not even Mikhail Prokhorov (according to one story) is believed to want to pay the dreaded Repeater Tax, for teams that had been over the Luxury Tax for 3 consecutive years.
Still, I don’t see the Lakers being over the Luxury Tax next season, even if they can agree on terms to re-sign Gasol (who isn’t worth as much as Pau thinks he is).
I’m not sure I can see how the Lakers become another Tax Paying team so quickly if they got rid of Pau and then waived Bynum. They won’t have returning players to sign. They can only increase salary above Salary Cap via full MLE, by getting a large trade exception that doesn’t expire for a long time, and by an inbalanced trade, 1 to 1.5 ratio, but they would have no big salaries to trade away.
Lakers are screwed, and I don’t see any quality free agents that they would get this summer. They may not have the cap space in the summer of 2015.
If Melo threatened to go to Phoenix in free agency, then Dolan might be forced to consider trading him for Griffin, but I doubt Clippers would agree without something else.
Article is spot on. If I were Chris Grant I would NEVER give the Lakers an asset and (25+ Million in tax relief) Bynum for a 50 game rental with Gasol