OAKLEY_2 wrote:islandboy53 wrote:C_Money wrote:
This is what I think too. If we lose the pick to San Antonio then we are not in a position where we can start trading for guys like Wiggins. That’s a good way to half ass your rebuild and get stuck as a .500 team.
Whether we keep the pick or lose it, Brown for Wiggins causes salary problems, starting in 25/26. Let's look at both scenarios, in both cases giving IQ $25 million this year, letting Trent walk, and giving Scottie 25% of the cap in 25/26.
Losing the pick gives us about $150 million in total salary in 24/25 before signing free agents or other moves, so adequate room to use the full NTMLE and most of the Siakam TPE or other salary onboarding moves. Assuming we use the full MLE, but don't bring in any additional salary that isn't expiring, our 25/26 salary runs about $185 million, or just over the 1st apron (if everything increases 3%).
If we keep the pick, that adds between $7.5 million and $12.6 million to 24/25, depending where the pick lands. That reduces our manoeuvering room significantly this year, and again puts us over the 1st apron next year.
There is no possibility that Wiggins makes this team good enough to pay tax for, never mind dealing with 1st apron restrictions for. In short, aside from all the very relevant questions about Wiggins as a player, we just can't afford him.
Conveying is a more boring proposition but all is out of our hands.
I'd never do Wiggins for Brown in a trade of contracts.
1. We should be offering Boucher, McDaniels (Siakam) partial TPE and throw in #31 for Wiggins. Done.
2. Assume we convey and pick next year.
3. Use #19 to take some risk. Am hoping Edey is there. He is a sizeable gamble but he is also a clear development fit with commitment to two Canadian programs.
3. Pick up Brown option.
4. Double sign and trade GTjr for Monte Morris
5. Offer sheet entire mle to Obbie Toppin
1-5
IQ, Barrett, Gradey Dick, Scottie, Jak
6th Andrew Wiggins
7-10
Bruce Brown, Monte Morris, Obbie Toppin, Kelly O
11-15
Ochai Agbaji, Zac Edey, Jordan Nwora, JFL, Malik Williams
Brown is traded to contender at the deadline and Agbaji moves in to backfill Brown.
What I tried to show was that Wiggins contract puts Toronto in serious cap problems by the second year. Trading different expirings for him doesn't change that. Also, you can't "trade" a TPE. A TPE can be used to bring back a player or payers without sending back matching salary, but it can't be combined with anything else. So, the Siakam TPE can be used to bring back salary totalling about $10.2 million. In your scenario you'd need to find another $11 million to send back to GS.
Picking up Brown's option in addition to trading for Wiggins brings us into the tax this fall, and totally removes any flexibility we have. WE'd have, at most, the tax MLE to use for FA, and no room to bring back unwanted salary for assets.