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  • planetmars wrote: View Post
    Yeah that presser yesterday was awesome. Best "boss man" in the league.
    More than just a sports executive, that's an amazing man with a massive vision, guy's a leader. He's single handedly changing sports culture in Toronto, hope he's here a long long time. "Believe in yourselves!"
    "We're playing in a building." -- Kawhi Leonard

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    • Just watched the presser.

      Hot damn, that man is a leader.

      So many amazing insights and moments from him. And so candid.

      (And I LOVE that he openly refers to his pal Obama as '44' .... That is the ultimate in friggin dopeness.)

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      • GOLDBLUM wrote: View Post
        Just watched the presser.

        Hot damn, that man is a leader.

        So many amazing insights and moments from him. And so candid.

        (And I LOVE that he openly refers to his pal Obama as '44' .... That is the ultimate in friggin dopeness.)
        Let's see now... how many GMs do we know who are more plugged in, with international movers & shakers, than their billionaire ownership?

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        • Bendit wrote: View Post

          Let's see now... how many GMs do we know who are more plugged in, with international movers & shakers, than their billionaire ownership?
          Used to be 2. Magic and Masai. Now its just Masai. Pat Riley knows a ton of people too
          9 time first team all-RR, First Ballot Hall of Forum

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          • Bendit wrote: View Post

            Let's see now... how many GMs do we know who are more plugged in, with international movers & shakers, than their billionaire ownership?
            Let’s see if Masai arranges a meet and greet with the champs and 44. After the Ottawa trip of course.

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            • Gonzz wrote: View Post

              Let’s see if Masai arranges a meet and greet with the champs and 44. After the Ottawa trip of course.
              hahaha... would love to see what 45 would tweet about that... after an aneurysm!

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              • I think one of the things that gives me confidence about the positive outcome of this FA period is the amount of time Masai has had to come up with reasons to stay. I can only assume (because I am not smart enough to work them all out) that he has arguments against any inducements the Lakers or Clippers may be able to offer. And he has compelling reasons, based on carefully worked out logic, for Kawhi to stay. And he has done this, as Dan suggested some time ago, for every possible contract; 1 + 1, 2 + 1, 3 + 1, etc. He has looked at roster over the next three seasons, he may have talked to Raptors players about future moves and contracts, he may have facilitated pitches to Kawhi from national/international sponsors, he may have done any number of things that I can't imagine. But we can be sure he has covered every contingency.

                Nobody knows Kawhi but Kawhi. But Masai might have come as close to figuring him out as anybody can, because Masai is a smart, caring and careful man.

                I remain positive.

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                • Puffer wrote: View Post
                  I think one of the things that gives me confidence about the positive outcome of this FA period is the amount of time Masai has had to come up with reasons to stay. I can only assume (because I am not smart enough to work them all out) that he has arguments against any inducements the Lakers or Clippers may be able to offer. And he has compelling reasons, based on carefully worked out logic, for Kawhi to stay. And he has done this, as Dan suggested some time ago, for every possible contract; 1 + 1, 2 + 1, 3 + 1, etc. He has looked at roster over the next three seasons, he may have talked to Raptors players about future moves and contracts, he may have facilitated pitches to Kawhi from national/international sponsors, he may have done any number of things that I can't imagine. But we can be sure he has covered every contingency.

                  Nobody knows Kawhi but Kawhi. But Masai might have come as close to figuring him out as anybody can, because Masai is a smart, caring and careful man.

                  I remain positive.
                  Me as well. Fundamentally I see only 1 bauble which the CA teams can offer Kawhi which Masai is unable to match and that is geographical location. It must be a terribly difficult decision for KL. If he does in fact come back to TO he had to consider the possibility that he may never have another opportunity to hook up with a LA team again... at least on his terms. All the other stuff I don't think matters to him. At least he hasn't rushed his decision.

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                  • If he wants to go to LA he can go anytime. He’s a top 3 player in the league, a spot is going to open up.

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                    • If Masai get Kawli signed..his just won another Championship in my Book..
                      "Never apologize for coming to me. Office hours are for patients.
                      My kitchen is always open to friends"

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                      • Bendit wrote: View Post

                        Me as well. Fundamentally I see only 1 bauble which the CA teams can offer Kawhi which Masai is unable to match and that is geographical location. It must be a terribly difficult decision for KL. If he does in fact come back to TO he had to consider the possibility that he may never have another opportunity to hook up with a LA team again... at least on his terms. All the other stuff I don't think matters to him. At least he hasn't rushed his decision.
                        CRA and the Province of Ontario have to do something about those taxes too.... according to Forbes.

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                        • Whatever happened with Masai & that cop at the championship game in Oakland? Things have been mighty quiet.

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                          • golden wrote: View Post

                            CRA and the Province of Ontario have to do something about those taxes too.... according to Forbes.
                            COL and taxes are always an interesting issue to dissect and compare to different jurisdictions and countries with their own individual levels of taxation overlays.

                            [QUOTEhttps://www.theglobeandmail.com/.../taxes/article-the-grass-isnt-always-greener-on-the...
                            1. Jun 13, 2019 - Your overall tax burden in New York and Los Angeles would be 28.5 per cent and 29 per cent, respectively. As far as taxes are concerned, the cities rank as follows, from best to worst: Orlando, Phoenix, Vancouver, Toronto, Calgary, New York, Los Angeles, then Montreal. ... and taxes are only one part of the comparison.][/QUOTE]

                            The above maybe an interesting read but unfortunately behind a paywall. The snippet above says otherwise (in the Kawhi case). There is of course the income comparisons between peons and NBA ballers as well of course. Except for states like Florida and Texas (no state tax) and possibly a couple of other smaller ones the disparity may not be as wide as sometimes considered. Tax lawyers have a way to shelter big money.... and MLSE surely know some of the best around this town.

                            Comment


                            • I can't believe the "tax" thing comes up...like ever. These guys aren't new to this, ANYTHING money related has been addressed, years ago....end game is simple, the players get equivalent cash to any other teams players. Tax issues in Canada are a media thing.

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                              • Superjudge wrote: View Post
                                I can't believe the "tax" thing comes up...like ever. These guys aren't new to this, ANYTHING money related has been addressed, years ago....end game is simple, the players get equivalent cash to any other teams players. Tax issues in Canada are a media thing.
                                This writer for Forbes specializes in sports tax issues and he says that the problem is real. If you can refute it, please do....

                                https://www.forbes.com/sites/seanpac.../#49df58b51d8d

                                Since NBA free agency began this weekend, I have seen a lot of wishful Tweets and articles from Canadians on why Kawhi Leonard will resign in Toronto. I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but there is no way on earth Leonard is re-upping with the Raptors. It just doesn’t make any sense. Let’s break it down.

                                The first fantasy I have seen is that Leonard is a Texas resident since he was living there while playing with the Spurs and has not established domicile elsewhere. This would keep the issue of potentially large US state income taxes on his Raptors income off the table.

                                Unfortunately, this past season Leonard dropped $13.3 million on a beautiful mansion in Rancho Santa Fe, California where he is spending his offseason and hosting his suitors. Google “Kawhi Leonard house” and you will find multiple articles with pictures of the place. The Franchise Tax Board, California’s taxing authority, is one of the brightest and most aggressive in the country. They know about the house and you had better believe they will use every means imaginable to rule him to be domiciled in the state.

                                Next, Canadian financial advisors are claiming they can save him millions with proper planning on his contract. This is possible, but Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) would have to play along. The NBA allows 15% of a player’s salary to be allocated to a signing bonus. Under the US-Canada tax treaty, payments from the Canadian teams to US athletes (and vice versa) “as an inducement to sign an agreement relating to the performance of the services of an athlete” are to be taxed at 15%.

                                Because there are no maximum contracts in the NHL and bonus money is to be paid in full even when a player is bought out, signing bonuses and the up-front money they offer are truly an inducement to sign. But the NBA is different. Kawhi Leonard is getting a maximum contract no matter where he signs. Shifting 15% of the contract toward a signing bonus is in no way an inducement to sign. Rather, it is a tax avoidance scheme that CRA would have to ignore to work.

                                Many high-earning Canadian workers establish Retirement Compensation Agreements (RCAs) to defer taxes on a large portion of their income. When they collapse the plan after leaving Canada, they pay a reduced tax rate. This is another plan that works for NHL but not NBA players, because the NBA will not allow RCAs.

                                Finally, Raptors fans say, correctly, that the Raptors can offer Leonard more money and more years than any other team. This argument is correct but is easily broken down. First, Leonard is 28. In four years he will be 32 and will sign another max contract. He is getting that fifth year somewhere with someone and will get paid maximum money to do so. If he has a career-ending injury during this contract period, he will be paid through a disability policy that he most-assuredly has bought. So year five is moot.

                                When comparing the first four years of the contract, the Raptors can offer a gross of nearly $6 million more. But that money—and a lot more—disappears when taxes come into play.

                                We have already established that Leonard is a California resident and that he cannot claim the treaty on “signing bonus” money from the Raptors. Now to break down the taxes.

                                The first four years of a Raptors max contract would average $36,624,000 annually. The max average any other team can offer is $35,152,500. As a Canadian non-resident, Leonard is only responsible for Canadian taxes on days he is in Canada working for the Raptors.

                                Raptors players spend about 60% of their time in Canada, so only 60% of their income is taxable in Canada. (I ran the numbers for the playoffs and they came to about 61%, so we will go with 60% here for the sake of simplicity.) This is obviously a major benefit, but it is not enough. Leonard would pay on average $11,715,000 in Canadian taxes at Ontario’s 53.31% rate.

                                (Again, we are going simple here and calculating all money as being taxed at the highest rate, because nearly all of his salary is in the highest rate.)

                                Leonard’s US federal taxes would total $13,551,000. He would receive a foreign tax credit on his US return of about $8,131,000, which matches his US rate of 37% on that portion of his income. His net US federal income tax would be $5,420,000.

                                Then there is the pesky issue of state taxes. California does not allow a credit for taxes paid to foreign countries or provinces, so Leonard would be on the hook for California taxes on 100% of his income. Those taxes on his Raptors income would amount to $4,871,000. All told, his net annual income with the Raptors would be $14,618,000, or $58,472,000 total over the first four years of the contract.

                                If he signs with the Lakers, Leonard will only pay US and California taxes, along with jock taxes for which he will receive credits on his California return. On an average annual salary of $35,152,500, he will pay the US and California roughly $17,681,000, netting $17,471,500 after taxes. He would net $69,886,000 over the four years.

                                During the first four years after signing his max contract, Leonard will pocket an extra $11,414,000 by signing with the Lakers than he would signing with the Raptors.

                                It was a dream year for the Raptors, who are still a solid team. But when they make their run next season, it will be without Kawhi Leonard.

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