Everything 2015 Raptor free agency pursuit (non current Raptor)

[Bonus Jonas]

It's a new addition. Used to be, if you used cap room to sign a free agent, only way you could exceed the cap to fill out your roster was via minimum signings or trades. Now there is a special MLE for teams that use cap room, that works just like the regular MLE, but is smaller and shorter (2.8M for 2 years). It can only be used after you've used your cap room.

So if we resign Lou and Amir, we then have 5.4M-4, 2.8M-2 and 2.1M-2 to sign players, doesn't sound bad at all.

[DanH]

So if we resign Lou and Amir, we then have 5.4M-4, 2.8M-2 and 2.1M-2 to sign players, doesn't sound bad at all.

No, the 2.8M/2-year Room MLE is only for teams that use cap space. If we re-sign Amir and Lou, we are using their Bird Rights, so we would have the MLE and BAE, since we are over the cap.

If we sign a free agent instead (using cap space) we get the Room MLE to help round out the roster, but not the MLE or BAE.

[Bonus Jonas]

No, the 2.8M/2-year Room MLE is only for teams that use cap space. If we re-sign Amir and Lou, we are using their Bird Rights, so we would have the MLE and BAE, since we are over the cap.

If we sign a free agent instead (using cap space) we get the Room MLE to help round out the roster, but not the MLE or BAE.

Ahh okay. So either resign our guys with bird rights+MLE and BAE or have roughly 15?M of cap room to sign FA's and the Room MLE.

48M on the books and the cap will be around 66?M but does the Room MLE cut against our cap like the other exceptions? So 66M-48M is 18M and adding the Room MLE still puts us under the cap so shouldn't that give us no exceptions? Or do we receive the Room MLE after using the cap space to sign a FA?

Also to keep our exceptions, we'd have to spend at least 10.5M on resigning our own players, so if we just resign Amir to let's say 8M but renounce everyone else, we'd be at 56M in salaries, plus 5.4 for the MLE and 2.1 for the BAE which puts us at 63.5M(under the cap) which means our exceptions are gone but we'd have about 10M in cap room? Am I doing this correctly or am I missing something?

Also, if we can resign Amir to a contract starting at 6M or 7M it puts us in a great spot, with 11 or 12M in cap space and if that's used to sign a FA, we then receive the Room MLE correct?

[raptors999]

Ahh okay. So either resign our guys with bird rights+MLE and BAE or have roughly 15?M of cap room to sign FA's and the Room MLE.

48M on the books and the cap will be around 66?M but does the Room MLE cut against our cap like the other exceptions? So 66M-48M is 18M and adding the Room MLE still puts us under the cap so shouldn't that give us no exceptions? Or do we receive the Room MLE after using the cap space to sign a FA?

Also to keep our exceptions, we'd have to spend at least 10.5M on resigning our own players, so if we just resign Amir to let's say 8M but renounce everyone else, we'd be at 56M in salaries, plus 5.4 for the MLE and 2.1 for the BAE which puts us at 63.5M(under the cap) which means our exceptions are gone but we'd have about 10M in cap room? Am I doing this correctly or am I missing something?

Also, if we can resign Amir to a contract starting at 6M or 7M it puts us in a great spot, with 11 or 12M in cap space and if that's used to sign a FA, we then receive the Room MLE correct?

A lot depends on how Toronto signs free agents. Toronto is in a unique situation because they have 30+ M coming off the books and two free agents Amir and Lou they want to resign that will sign for well below their cap holds and near the MLE, BAE or the Room MLE. If they target Millsap @ 10-12M they have options.

[Bonus Jonas]

Another question to anyone that can answer it, does bringing Daniels over use our cap space or can we have him sign a rookie scale contract even if we're over the cap?

[raptors999]

Another question to anyone that can answer it, does bringing Daniels over use our cap space or can we have him sign a rookie scale contract even if we're over the cap?

Second round picks are normal signed to a 2 yr min salary exemption

[DanH]

The Room MLE does not count towards the cap until you sign someone with it, unlike the other exceptions.

But that 48 million committed is more like 51M with our draft pick and empty roster slot cap holds (minimum salary for each empty roster spot below 13). Hence the 15M in cap room.

[DanH]

Second round picks are normal signed to a 2 yr min salary exemption

Yep, and can be signed with the minimum salary exception after using cap room, so he won't be a factor in our cap space.

[DanH]

A lot depends on how Toronto signs free agents. Toronto is in a unique situation because they have 30+ M coming off the books and two free agents Amir and Lou they want to resign that will sign for well below their cap holds and near the MLE, BAE or the Room MLE. If they target Millsap @ 10-12M they have options.

If they target Millsap at 10-12M, they'll have lots of options since he'll sign with another team.

[DanH]

Ahh okay. So either resign our guys with bird rights+MLE and BAE or have roughly 15?M of cap room to sign FA's and the Room MLE.

48M on the books and the cap will be around 66?M but does the Room MLE cut against our cap like the other exceptions? So 66M-48M is 18M and adding the Room MLE still puts us under the cap so shouldn't that give us no exceptions? Or do we receive the Room MLE after using the cap space to sign a FA?

Also to keep our exceptions, we'd have to spend at least 10.5M on resigning our own players, so if we just resign Amir to let's say 8M but renounce everyone else, we'd be at 56M in salaries, plus 5.4 for the MLE and 2.1 for the BAE which puts us at 63.5M(under the cap) which means our exceptions are gone but we'd have about 10M in cap room? Am I doing this correctly or am I missing something?

Also, if we can resign Amir to a contract starting at 6M or 7M it puts us in a great spot, with 11 or 12M in cap space and if that's used to sign a FA, we then receive the Room MLE correct?

We could just not renounce our cap holds (Fields for example) to keep us over the cap. But if you want to use the MLE, why not just use the 7.5M in cap room you'd have instead?

As for Amir signing for 6-7, that leaves us 8-9, not 11-12.

[Bonus Jonas]

We could just not renounce our cap holds (Fields for example) to keep us over the cap. But if you want to use the MLE, why not just use the 7.5M in cap room you'd have instead?

As for Amir signing for 6-7, that leaves us 8-9, not 11-12.

Just asking so I know. And signing Amir for that amount and then using the cap space doesn't sound like a terrible plan. How effectively Masai can replace Lou with another scorer for possibly the Room MLE is a big factor. If he can effectively do that, or even convince Lou to take a pretty big pay cut (doubt Lou would take 2.8M for 2 years) then we're in a great spot. Use the 8-9M to sign a PF and bring over Daniels. That gives us a rotation of:

KL-GV
DD-Lou/FA signed with Room MLE
TR-JJ-Bruno-DaD
FA/PP
JV/Amir/Bebe

Getting a legit starter for 8-9M at PF would be huge for us. We'd improve our starting lineup without killing our depth entirely. Of course letting Amir go and just using the 15M and the Room MLE to sign a PF, a back up C and a back up SG is also not a bad option but I doubt they let go of Amir.

Raps have a ton of options this summer so it'll be fun to see what Masai does with the team.

[Bonus Jonas]

The Room MLE does not count towards the cap until you sign someone with it, unlike the other exceptions.

But that 48 million committed is more like 51M with our draft pick and empty roster slot cap holds (minimum salary for each empty roster spot below 13). Hence the 15M in cap room.

If our cap space is used to sign multiple players doesn't that maximize our usage of it since we get one less empty roster slot cap hold?

For example let's say after we draft and sign our first round pick we have roughly 49.5M in salaries next season and 1.5M in ERACH. This gives us about 15M in cap space. But if we sign a player for 5M, we now have 54.5M in salaries and 1M in ERACH, so we have 10.5M in cap space and not 10M. So if we use our cap space to sign 3 different players we'll actually be able to use about 16.5M of cap space if my math is right.

[mcHAPPY]

He's not a free agent until 2016 so it would have to be via trade, and I don't think HOU gives up on him the way he's been playing.

It will be interesting to see if they keep both him and Jones.

[DanH]

If our cap space is used to sign multiple players doesn't that maximize our usage of it since we get one less empty roster slot cap hold?

For example let's say after we draft and sign our first round pick we have roughly 49.5M in salaries next season and 1.5M in ERACH. This gives us about 15M in cap space. But if we sign a player for 5M, we now have 54.5M in salaries and 1M in ERACH, so we have 10.5M in cap space and not 10M. So if we use our cap space to sign 3 different players we'll actually be able to use about 16.5M of cap space if my math is right.

That's right. But historically contracts in the MLE range tend to be the worst ones, because there is a huge market for MLE deals. Value comes when you can sign guys who want near max contracts. Using the 15M on three players is the last thing I would want.

So compared to the pretty minor 1M in additional cap room, you are better off to accept the additional roster slot holds.

[Bonus Jonas]

That's right. But historically contracts in the MLE range tend to be the worst ones, because there is a huge market for MLE deals. Value comes when you can sign guys who want near max contracts. Using the 15M on three players is the last thing I would want.

So compared to the pretty minor 1M in additional cap room, you are better off to accept the additional roster slot holds.

True but yet again I doubt this happens because the odds of us letting Amir go are so small to me. After all that MU preached about continuity, and the fact that Amir's been here longer than anyone, and how much Amir loves the city, it seems impossible that he leaves.