re: Very good article about selling CP3 to comeback to New Orleans

The appeal of LA will definitely lure more pieces very soon though.

How would amnestying anyone other than Kobe help?

I'm seeing they have $78million (inclusive) on the books for 8 players. Axing Metta doesn't do much- below the apron. Axing Gasol gets the below the cap and some room to play with, but they have no assets to trade.

You are a cap/CBA guru. No sarcasm or smartassery, just a legit question: what options do they have, especially if they resign Howard?

I'm sure they will pull something off because Lakers. But im fascinated by what they could do next summer.

You think the Watts Riots or Rodney King Riots was bad? Let them amnesty Kobe.......

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How would amnestying anyone other than Kobe help?

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It gives them some relief in the pocketbook while allowing them to retain Kobe's Bird Rights, which will allow them to sign him to a deal of any reasonable size regardless of the team's salary situation.

If they are in tax territory starting in 2014-2015, they'll start paying repeater tax, so they really need to be blow the line for that and the next season to really stay away from it.

Amnestying Metta saves money only really. Amnestying Pau allows them to save money money and sign Dwight without adding an enormous tax expense (remember, it's progressive, so any player you amnesty saves money at the highest marginal rate which is determined after you complete your roster). This may be superior to trading him to get a short term asset back if what you want it to save money.

Keeping Kobe's Bird Rights is key (if you think the PR matters more than straight basketball operations budgeting) because you can build the team you need to build and then slide Kobe in. Amnestying him means you have to treat him like any other player, and he is most certainly not even if he plays like Devin Brown when he returns.

Thoughts?

If he's amnestied he has to sit out a year and no teams would have bid on him.

He's not sitting out a year. Kobe will be playing by February I'll bet.

He does not have to sit out a year if amnestied.

Teams can put in a bid on him and, if he passes through with no bids, he is considered a free agent and the Lake Show is on the hook for the entire contract.


If he is back before the roster deadline for the playoffs, a contender will offer him a one year deal.

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They lose Kobe's Bird rights if they amnesty him.

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This is a key point that I tried to drive home above.

And it's all about the tax. They can do a good deal of saving by letting Pau go.

All of that is correct about Kobe not having to sit out, etc. Any team that bid on him and won would have his Bird Rights, as well, complicating any return to the Lakers if they are limited in their possible offers.

Their savings may be much higher than $45m as well, since the tax is progressive. Once they sign other players, if Kobe's entire contract is the only thing putting them over the tax line (strong possibility if Pau and Metta stay along with Dwight), then it's more like $85m. More if there is more doing so, less if they are under without his contract, which they are right now with a slim roster.

Plus his salary, minus insurance, which is more like $6m, making the cost of carrying him $91m.

The cost of carrying Pau is his approximately $19m plus about $60m in tax, depending on other moves, bringing the total cost of carrying him, or an equivalent bundle of salary, to about $80.

So are Kobe's Bird Rights worth $10m?

Yes.

ETA: Remember, tax savings are calculated from the `top down', so amnestying Pau saves money at the top tax rates first, which is why Pau's savings is large. The insurance makes it close to the same to carry either one.

AD23 still has a few years before he's even at the level of Blake. CP3 isn't a young man. He doesn't have time to wait for this team to develop. He is one of the only super stars in the league to not get out of the 2nd round. He is tired of waiting.

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I guess the question is what do they want out of this next season? Hold the line this coming season until Kobe comes back and hope for a playoff run or dump payroll and aim for a rebuild around Dwight with crazy cap space for 2014/15?

I think saving tax money probably makes the most sense for them, but I don't know how they can amnesty Pau and pretend like they aren't tanking. And dealing him for assets probably only screws up next year's cap space bonanza.

Do they dare amnesty him and shelve Dwight for more lottery balls next summer?

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They have to rebuild. Everything is new.

Their TV deal and ticket base are locked in, so they can take the hit. People will forget if they can build a winner and lock up some stars.

Who knows . . . maybe this was the plan anyway, and maybe that's why Pau was sort of beat up MD. We'll see.

It's all very fascinating.

ETA: Also, franchises that win titles don't get their own top picks; they take other people's. Also, there is a school of thought that Miami will try to get LeBron as a free agent. Each of the top 3 Heat players have an option for the two seasons after this coming one. It looks like he'd take a little bit of a per-year pay cut by doing so, but he'd be a Laker and the Heat's salary situation is pretty dicey if the 3 of them all stay there.

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They have to rebuild. Everything is new

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I listened to a podcast with B.Simmons where they talked about the Lakers situation. From what they said, the Lakers can reset pretty easy. They cannot Amnesty Kobe. He is way too valuable to the team and it would be a killer if he can come back for another team. Some points Simmons said (take them for what they are worth).

1. They could trade Nash to Toronto anytime they want. Toronto would eat that contract in a second. The Lakers just have to find the right pieces to take back in exchange (Ross? Jonas?). But they could drop some payroll there.

2. Amnesty MWP. It's all about saving money and gaining some space. But they said that would be about 20 million is savings (salary + penalties).

3. S&T Howard. They all said he wasn't a fit and would leave anyway. Houston was the main partner they brought up (teaming Howard with Harden). The package coming back (Asik and Parsons) wasn't the greatest, but they'd get some value. If the Hawks package was offered (Horford and Jenkins). I'm sure they'd jump on that.

4. Keep Pau. He's Kobe's buddy and will keep the team relevant while Kobe gets healthy. If Kobe can come back in Feb and the team is somewhat close to playoff contention. It'll all be a success.

Lets say they amnesty MWP, do the Howard and Nash deals. Resign Clark and Meeks and pick-up Korver and Nate Robinson on exceptions. The line-up would look like..

Blake/Robinson/Duhon
Meeks/Ross
Parsons/Korver
Gasol/Hill/Clark
Asik/Jonas

Is that a playoff team? Can they tread water until Kobe gets back? It's a decent team and not that big of a tax penalty..