re: Do we think Gayle would pay the 1st lax line if we went over it,

Exactly. People act like simply being a luxury tax team instantly makes you a contender.

We are 12th in the NBA this season in total cap salary.

Warriors were 1st (missed the playoffs)
Clippers were 2nd (we finished only 2 games behind them)
Washington was 5th (finished 15-67)
Lakers were 7th (we finished 2 games ahead of them (regular season)
Cavs were 15th (finished 4th in the East)
Knicks were 17th (finished 2nd in the East)
OKC was 21st (1st in the West)
Pacers were 24th (finished 6th in the East)
Magic were 28th (finished 5th in the East)