If you don't use the capspace before the season, having it tied up for the season doesn't really matter nearly as much. We just don't want things carrying over to the next season very much. Since this will be a multiyear prospect, it IS ok to even have it carry over for an additional season, even two. But all of this is secondary to creating your own steady supply of expiring contracts every year. So you have to weigh it all. But we have significant capspace given a Nash departure to do both.
One of the best things we could do is fill up our cap space every season, only to have it be discharged before the next season. It's a little complicated but entirely possible.
Making a trade for a pick and expiring deal(s) like Calderon makes sense. You then could trade Calderon for assets and/or pick(s). But this wouldn't eat up all our capspace, as it appears we'll have around 19 million.
We could sign guys at above market deals for 1 year. Cherry pick the ones we want, and move the others for assets or picks at the deadlines. It doesn't even matter if they are good or not. It's an expiring contract.
Some people might say, well if he's looking for a 10-15 million dollar contract, why would he take less? Well if you give him 6-8 for a single season, and that person can attempt to get 10-15 million the next year, it makes sense for us and them if they are looking at only getting 3-5 for this season. Quite a few players will take that chance.
You also might find a guy worth keeping. If you sign 10-12 guys like this to trade over 3-4 year timeframe, I don't see how you can't find 1-2 keepers.
Now it's not entirely easy to do all of this. But it is definitely possible. All it takes is a GM to get some mid level free agents signed, and an owner who doesn't mind spending to the cap and overpaying players on one year deals. Then finding someone who wants to clear capspace for the next year's free agency, or someone who wants to avoid the luxury tax. These things are relatively easy. People do respond to more money. Teams do want expiring contracts. It's a flaw in the system, and one that should be exploited.
Expiring contracts whether the player is good or dog excrement are highly sought after. If they are around 6-8 million, that helps teams either avoid luxury tax or clear space for free agency. We're a few years out, we just need to make sure we don't take on long term contracts on the backside. (even then 4-5 year contracts are the max there is...thus most won't be that long as most by the time someone wants to trade them will have 1-3 years left). All of this fits within a rebuilding timeframe.
Some teams don't want 10 million coming off this year and 10 million coming off next year. They'd rather have 20 coming off at once. If we sign a few guys we could make the numbers work for whatever that team wanted to do.
The key thing is finding deals to acquire assets using your cap space as the main asset you're trading away. Seeing how we have no need to use our capspace to keep a team together, we could do this for a few years in a row and rack up young talent and draft picks. With Nash, we can do a two-fer. Without Nash it can still be done. With our own expiring contracts from guys we could sign this year, it can also be done. Then rinse and repeat with the last one. At some point even Warrick's, Childress's, and Frye's contracts become expiring and an asset.
But overall it doesn't matter if each and every year we use up our capspace, if that amount is gone afterwards. Hell even if we took on an additional year, that's ok if we get a good pick/asset in return. We have enough space to take on a contract, and still could sign others and trade them away. In later years we have our own to do the same. Meanwhile our young talent is on rookie contracts.
Do this until we hit on a couple of picks and/or get a marquee free agent. If done right we could pick up at least an additional 1st round pick a year, even more. Also we could pick up a couple of young sort-of talented players. Plus we could keep long term cap space flexibility to use it when we need to as every year a significant portion comes off, and within two years, maybe even 30-40 million.
In essence use Nash and capspace to net picks/talent.
Use expiring contracts to net picks/talent....and keep refilling this tradeable option every season by using capspace to sign mid level free agents to above market deals.
In a couple of seasons warrick's contract comes off. Then frye's and childress's. Which could allow us to have these picks under contract, and a whole lot of capspace to go after free agents. We really should be finding ways to work the system for '15-16 or thereabouts timeframe mindset of switching gears. Until then rack up as much young draft picks, and young talent under rookie contracts as possible...by taking on contracts with an additional year, or if the deal is sweet enough two years.
Then swing for the fences with your young talent and free agent cap space.
There's no reason to have 10 million in cap space during any season that can't be used since FA's are already signed. If you want to give teams cap relief, you need to have contracts to trade AND have cap space to absorb the bigger amount. The more you can send outward, the more you can accept back, the more they can clear, the more you can ask for in return.
You make some valid points.
