Boston Celtics
Post by Ian Noble on Jan 21, 2018 16:51:29 GMT
Hard Cap Shrinking!
This coming Off Season the hard cap shrinks to 175% of the salary cap ($173,412,750 by today's standards) - and the season after that it shrinks again to 150% ($148,639,500 by today's standards)! For the first time, in the next six months, we're going to be seeing lots of teams affected by the squeeze of the hard cap!
Boston Celtics
In 2019 the Celtics will have both Joel Embiid and Jabari Parker to re-sign and they could both conceivably sign for the maximum of $24,773,250 taking the Celtics payroll to just $40million under the hard cap with only 9 players on the roster. Not a major problem any time soon but two years after that some tough choices will have to be made with all the Celtics 2016 draftees (Simmons, Ingram, Brown and Murray) ending their rookie contracts!
Charlotte Hornets
Lack of depth will be an even bigger problem for Charlotte in the future with $110million tied up in just four players this off season! Ibaka, PG, Middleton and Westbrook are a formidable core, and with the promising Josh Jackson coming up through the ranks on a nice rookie contract maybe the Hornets can get creative with the $23million remaining to them once 2019 rolls around!
Chicago Bulls
This team will be a mere $12million below the hard cap in just a few months time! Luckily the Bulls have plenty of players under contract and a deep bench, but even if they sign nobody this off season they are officially above the hard cap the following year with an ageing bench and a big question mark at Center - where Robin Lopez's and his contract expire this season!
Denver Nuggets
This year's biggest spenders ($187m!) are at a crossroads already! With the another Lopez brother on an expiring contract $23million cap space should get it done this year, but if that does work out for Denver they will officially be deep, deep, deep into the hard cap in 2019! Possibly even $30million into the hard cap! And that will be tied up in just nine players! Any team that deep into the red will be at the mercy of time as their players age!
Golden State Warriors
There's trouble in D5 paradise along the road for Golden State: what happens as Pau Gasol's contract expires this year? There's no cap space in Golden State, so a signing is out of the question, and even if Chris Mullin is able to acquire a player of Gasol's calibre again the re-signing fee will also push this team into the hard cap.
Giannis is possibly the biggest name free agent this Off Season
Houston Rockets
We all know Giannis is a max player and he must be considered the highest profile free agent this Off Season, and the Rockets are riding his new 95 rating high into the Western Conference this year! After they re-sign him, or if they re-sign him, Houston will be riding high on nearly $130million of contracts, enough to entice someone new as well maybe this Off Season? But enough to put them on dangerous terms with the hard cap the following year and foreseeable future.
The Clippers will be completely out of options this Off Season!
LA Clippers
Historically Mike Krzyzewski has been a big spender here at D5! His teams always have huge payrolls year-on-year, but that will all change this Off Season whether he likes it or not because his team is already set to be living only $1million below the hard cap in just a few months time! Unable to re-sign the expiring Nicolas Batum! And the next year? Forget it! Even if the Clippers sign nobody they'll be nearly $40million into the hard cap!
LA Lakers
We're all going to miss Magic Johnson but Lakers fans will not miss the cap situation he left them with! $112million is tied up in just four players - Jonas Valanciunas, Harrison Barnes, Goran Dragic and Kemba Walker! All great players but unlikely to lead to a championship, especially when you're at .364 in the West! That figure just continues to increase year-on-year for the Lakers despite no other real talent on the team. In four years time they're set to be just $18million below the hard cap with just those same four players under contract to speak for!
Memphis Grizzlies
Mr Drafter, Jeremiah Hill, is happily sitting on the rookie contracts of Karl Towns and Donovan Mitchell for now, but he has just 3 years to surround those guys with more talent because re-signing them is going to be an expensive exercise!
Miami Heat
Once the biggest spender in the league, this might be Miami's last chance at a deep playoff run this year, luckily they're all planned up and ready for the shrinking hard cap with all but DWade and Mike Conley coming off the books! Re-signing Steven Adams this year is a must but the Heat, maybe they can profit from other teams lack of planning and re-launch themselves back into contender status?
Milwaukee Bucks
The Bucks are sitting relatively happily with both their core guys, AD and Bradley Beal, locked up for the next five years! There's no reason for concern in Milwaukee but surrounding those two big names with the same kind of talent they currently have might not be such a given after Marc Gasol and Jeff Teague expire.
Minnesota Timberwolves
CJ McCollum is another big-name FA this Off Season. If the TWolves can retain him they'll definitely be above the hard cap within two years time!
Oklahoma City Thunder
Assuming Boogie accepts his POs, he and KD are an OKC duo until as late as 2021! With even Mason Plumlee expiring this year though the Thunder will be flirting with the hard cap for every year they have Durant and Cousins under contract!
Orlando Magic
All is quiet in Orlando so far but on the horizon of this season looms a Rudy Gobert and Victor Oladipo re-signing that must happen if the Magic are going to stay relevant and build on their new found success in the East! If both those guys go for near the max, that's another $48million on the books for Orlando giving them room to either shore up their bench or maybe spend nothing at all since any new contract will also take them into the hard cap the year after!
Sacramento Kings
Last Off Season's big spenders got lucky but, if they have the hard cap in mind going down the line, they are going to need to tighten things up in Sacramento where a re-signing of Otto Porter or Kentavious Caldwell-Pope this year will have serious ramifications!
Toronto Raptors
Last on the list - the Raptors are in up to their necks in hard cap worries! A gigantic payroll that is already $17million above where the hard cap will be in 2 years, something has to change in Toronto and fast!
As per the rules:
This coming Off Season the hard cap shrinks to 175% of the salary cap ($173,412,750 by today's standards) - and the season after that it shrinks again to 150% ($148,639,500 by today's standards)! For the first time, in the next six months, we're going to be seeing lots of teams affected by the squeeze of the hard cap!
Boston CelticsIn 2019 the Celtics will have both Joel Embiid and Jabari Parker to re-sign and they could both conceivably sign for the maximum of $24,773,250 taking the Celtics payroll to just $40million under the hard cap with only 9 players on the roster. Not a major problem any time soon but two years after that some tough choices will have to be made with all the Celtics 2016 draftees (Simmons, Ingram, Brown and Murray) ending their rookie contracts!
Charlotte HornetsLack of depth will be an even bigger problem for Charlotte in the future with $110million tied up in just four players this off season! Ibaka, PG, Middleton and Westbrook are a formidable core, and with the promising Josh Jackson coming up through the ranks on a nice rookie contract maybe the Hornets can get creative with the $23million remaining to them once 2019 rolls around!
Chicago BullsThis team will be a mere $12million below the hard cap in just a few months time! Luckily the Bulls have plenty of players under contract and a deep bench, but even if they sign nobody this off season they are officially above the hard cap the following year with an ageing bench and a big question mark at Center - where Robin Lopez's and his contract expire this season!
Denver NuggetsThis year's biggest spenders ($187m!) are at a crossroads already! With the another Lopez brother on an expiring contract $23million cap space should get it done this year, but if that does work out for Denver they will officially be deep, deep, deep into the hard cap in 2019! Possibly even $30million into the hard cap! And that will be tied up in just nine players! Any team that deep into the red will be at the mercy of time as their players age!
Golden State WarriorsThere's trouble in D5 paradise along the road for Golden State: what happens as Pau Gasol's contract expires this year? There's no cap space in Golden State, so a signing is out of the question, and even if Chris Mullin is able to acquire a player of Gasol's calibre again the re-signing fee will also push this team into the hard cap.
Giannis is possibly the biggest name free agent this Off Season
Houston RocketsWe all know Giannis is a max player and he must be considered the highest profile free agent this Off Season, and the Rockets are riding his new 95 rating high into the Western Conference this year! After they re-sign him, or if they re-sign him, Houston will be riding high on nearly $130million of contracts, enough to entice someone new as well maybe this Off Season? But enough to put them on dangerous terms with the hard cap the following year and foreseeable future.
The Clippers will be completely out of options this Off Season!
LA ClippersHistorically Mike Krzyzewski has been a big spender here at D5! His teams always have huge payrolls year-on-year, but that will all change this Off Season whether he likes it or not because his team is already set to be living only $1million below the hard cap in just a few months time! Unable to re-sign the expiring Nicolas Batum! And the next year? Forget it! Even if the Clippers sign nobody they'll be nearly $40million into the hard cap!
LA LakersWe're all going to miss Magic Johnson but Lakers fans will not miss the cap situation he left them with! $112million is tied up in just four players - Jonas Valanciunas, Harrison Barnes, Goran Dragic and Kemba Walker! All great players but unlikely to lead to a championship, especially when you're at .364 in the West! That figure just continues to increase year-on-year for the Lakers despite no other real talent on the team. In four years time they're set to be just $18million below the hard cap with just those same four players under contract to speak for!
Memphis GrizzliesMr Drafter, Jeremiah Hill, is happily sitting on the rookie contracts of Karl Towns and Donovan Mitchell for now, but he has just 3 years to surround those guys with more talent because re-signing them is going to be an expensive exercise!
Miami HeatOnce the biggest spender in the league, this might be Miami's last chance at a deep playoff run this year, luckily they're all planned up and ready for the shrinking hard cap with all but DWade and Mike Conley coming off the books! Re-signing Steven Adams this year is a must but the Heat, maybe they can profit from other teams lack of planning and re-launch themselves back into contender status?
Milwaukee BucksThe Bucks are sitting relatively happily with both their core guys, AD and Bradley Beal, locked up for the next five years! There's no reason for concern in Milwaukee but surrounding those two big names with the same kind of talent they currently have might not be such a given after Marc Gasol and Jeff Teague expire.
Minnesota TimberwolvesCJ McCollum is another big-name FA this Off Season. If the TWolves can retain him they'll definitely be above the hard cap within two years time!
Oklahoma City ThunderAssuming Boogie accepts his POs, he and KD are an OKC duo until as late as 2021! With even Mason Plumlee expiring this year though the Thunder will be flirting with the hard cap for every year they have Durant and Cousins under contract!
Orlando MagicAll is quiet in Orlando so far but on the horizon of this season looms a Rudy Gobert and Victor Oladipo re-signing that must happen if the Magic are going to stay relevant and build on their new found success in the East! If both those guys go for near the max, that's another $48million on the books for Orlando giving them room to either shore up their bench or maybe spend nothing at all since any new contract will also take them into the hard cap the year after!
Sacramento KingsLast Off Season's big spenders got lucky but, if they have the hard cap in mind going down the line, they are going to need to tighten things up in Sacramento where a re-signing of Otto Porter or Kentavious Caldwell-Pope this year will have serious ramifications!
Toronto RaptorsLast on the list - the Raptors are in up to their necks in hard cap worries! A gigantic payroll that is already $17million above where the hard cap will be in 2 years, something has to change in Toronto and fast!
As per the rules:
Every trade must decrease your team's salary if you are over the Hard Cap.
Teams cannot re-sign even Bird Rights players if they over the Hard Cap. The only time a player can be signed is if a team is under the 12 player roster limit for the league minimum.
Teams over the Hard Cap forfeit their rookie picks.
Teams cannot re-sign even Bird Rights players if they over the Hard Cap. The only time a player can be signed is if a team is under the 12 player roster limit for the league minimum.
Teams over the Hard Cap forfeit their rookie picks.
Brooklyn Nets
Cleveland Cavaliers
