FanPost

Ammar's off-season plan with salary details

TL;DR: Jarret Jack for Martell Webster and a swap of picks. Draft Tyus Jones with 1st round pick. Draft and stash with 2nd round pick. Joe Johnson for Gerald Henderson and Marvin Williams. Avoids luxury tax payments

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The following plan is based off of two assumptions:

  1. Players will be angling to become free agents in 2016. This means that players with player options will exercise their PO (Brook Lopez, Alan Anderson, Gerald Henderson), players with early termination options will not exercise their ETO (Thaddeus Young) and restricted free agents will accept the qualifying offer, also granting them an effective no-trade clause (Mirza Teletovic). Of these, Teletovic accepting the QO is the most optimistic and there is a chance the Nets lose him.
  2. Nets are trying to get under the luxury tax to avoid paying the repeater tax. The salary cap for next year is projected to be $66.5M. The luxury tax is projected to be $81M. The Nets would like to get under the luxury tax next year to avoid the repeater tax.

To avoid the repeater tax, Nets are going to have to get rid of one of their 3 most expensive players: Joe Johnson, Deron Williams, or Brook Lopez. Nets are reportedly "committed" to keeping Lopez. Deron Williams large contract that can run into 2016/2017, coupled with the amount of talent around the league at the point guard position, makes it unimaginable to trade without giving up young players/draft picks, which the Nets don't have much of. That leaves Joe Johnson. He's the oldest of the three, makes the most money of the three, and is on an expiring contract.

Nets should revisit the Johnson to Hornets trade. There were rumors around the trade deadline of Johnson to Charlotte for Lance Stephenson, Marvin Williams and Gerald Henderson. Charlotte found no takers for Stephenson this season and he's been receiving DNP-CD's as they make their playoff push. To save money (and because I dislike Stephenson's behavior on and off the court), Nets should send Stephenson and Karasev to the 76ers. Additionally, it would likely take a first round pick to get the 76ers to take on Stephenson, which the Hornets should be willing to give up to get rid of him. (Click here to see the deal in the Trade Machine)

With this trade, Nets save $13,494,703. It would also result in a trade exception for the same amount, giving the Nets some flexibility heading into the season should their willingness to go into the luxury tax change. If Teletovic doesn't accept the QO, the TE can be used to get a player to replace him in the rotation. The trade would have to happen after July 1 because Henderson has to pick up his player option first. Since trade exceptions last for 1 year, that also means that the TE would be available until free agency of 2016, when it could come in handy as other teams will be trying to create extra cap space to lure one or two big free agents.

Around this year's draft, before July and the JJ trade, the Nets should revisit the rumored Jarret Jack for Martell Webster and a pick swap. (Click here to see the deal in the Trade Machine) Nets would be taking on an extra $2M in guaranteed money in 2016/2017, but would save ~$1M in 2015/2016 since Webster makes less than Jack. That difference in salary can offset the slight increase in salary between the Nets 29th pick and the Wizards 18th/19th pick. With the 18th/19th pick, the Nets should select the best point guard available. My personal preference is for Tyus Jones. For the second round pick, the Nets should pick a player to develop overseas.

By doing these two trades for Jack and Joe, the Nets will
  • acquire a point guard that can slowly transition into a starter as Deron ages
  • avoid the luxury tax
  • shed the two most isolation-heavy players on the team
  • get more athletic
  • gain depth
Williams / Jones
Henderson / Brown / Anderson
Bogdanovic / Williams / Webster
Young / Teletovic / Jefferson
Lopez / Plumlee / Jordan


*All salary figures are from shamsports.com

**Jerome Jordan would be re-signed to a second non-guaranteed veteran's minimum deal. He wouldn't get the 20% raise or the qualifying offer but would still have an effective no trade clause because he'd lose early bird rights if he got traded.