Jalen Smith

[Mainstreet]

OK. So weird idea. If we traded Jalen could we then pursue him in free agency and pay him more? For instance, the Suns could trade Smith for Torrey Craig. Craigs contract next year is non-guaranteed, so they could let him go in the summer. Then they could sign Smith in free agency and have him for the long term. You get the vet for the playoffs and the young guy for the long haul.

There must be a rule against doing that.

Jalen Smith, as I understand it, is limited to a rookie scale contract next season of approximately $4.7 million.

This applies to all NBA teams, not just the Suns.

Torrey Craig is on a two-year guaranteed contract. He earns $5,121,951 next season.

 

[AzStevenCal]

I go by the height listed for every guy that all take into account shoes.

I mean, I don’t see you talking about Grants height without shoes also?

What? When did I ever mention Grant's height?

 

[JCSunsfan]

I

Jalen Smith, as I understand it, is limited to a rookie scale contract next season of approximately $4.7 million.

This applies to all NBA teams, not just the Suns.

Torrey Craig is on a two-year guaranteed contract. He earns $5,121,951 next season.

I do not believe this is correct. By declining his option, the Suns have made him a free agent. Other teams can offer him whatever they want. It is only the Suns who are limited to offering him the $4.7 (or any team that trades for him). This is basically the Carlos Boozer rule, that keeps teams from getting around the rookies scale by declining an option and then offering more.

 

[AzStevenCal]

Do they play games barefoot?

No, they don't. And for most of the history of this league, they only used height in shoes. But players and agents got smart and realized that height meant better draft position.

A 6'3 point guard gets more attention than a similarly talented PG that's only 6'1. A 6'11 center gets more draft attention than a 6'9 one does and a 6'8 small forward gets drafted better than a 6'5 SF. So players started showing up for measurement in shoes that added 2 or 3 inches (or even more) to their height so eventually the league started measuring them also without shoes to put an end to this.

 

[AzStevenCal]

All the guys listed are better comps than grant. By a shot.

I don't disagree at all. Like I said, I've never seen that comparison until a day or two ago and can't see any reason for it.

 

[Mainstreet]

I

I do not believe this is correct. By declining his option, the Suns have made him a free agent. Other teams can offer him whatever they want. It is only the Suns who are limited to offering him the $4.7 (or any team that trades for him). This is basically the Carlos Boozer rule, that keeps teams from getting around the rookies scale by declining an option and then offering more.

This is what I originally thought as well. I guess we will find out.

 

[AzStevenCal]

This is what I originally thought as well. I guess we will find out.

I'm pretty sure JC has it correct. The comment you're thinking of was vague enough to cause confusion but everything I can find indicates it only applies to teams that have him under contract, once he's a free agent those rules no longer apply.

 

[Mainstreet]

I'm pretty sure JC has it correct. The comment you're thinking of was vague enough to cause confusion but everything I can find indicates it only applies to teams that have him under contract, once he's a free agent those rules no longer apply.

Looking at it logically, Jalen Smith should be a unrestricted free agent next summer and this was my original line of thought. There was an article or two that seemed to say something different. I'm fine with either interpretation.

It would have nice if the Suns had picked up his option or at least were competing to keep him on a level playing field but the Suns created this situation.

 

[Hoop Head]

OK. So weird idea. If we traded Jalen could we then pursue him in free agency and pay him more? For instance, the Suns could trade Smith for Torrey Craig. Craigs contract next year is non-guaranteed, so they could let him go in the summer. Then they could sign Smith in free agency and have him for the long term. You get the vet for the playoffs and the young guy for the long haul.

There must be a rule against doing that.

I don't believe we could go after him since there is a restriction to re-aquiring a player. If a team trades a player then they can't sign him or acquire him in any way for 1 year from the date of the initial trade.

There was that issue a few years back where a team would deal an expiring veteran to a non-playoff team and then they'd get bought out which allowed them to sign with the team that traded them away initially. It allowed teams to double dip. Although Stix's circumstances are different, that rule where a player can't be acquired again by a team trading them away would keep it from happening.

 

[Proximo]

OK. So weird idea. If we traded Jalen could we then pursue him in free agency and pay him more? For instance, the Suns could trade Smith for Torrey Craig. Craigs contract next year is non-guaranteed, so they could let him go in the summer. Then they could sign Smith in free agency and have him for the long term. You get the vet for the playoffs and the young guy for the long haul.

There must be a rule against doing that.

We would have to have cap room, and we don't have any but an exemption which isn't much more than the 4.7.

 

[JCSunsfan]

Yeah. I think both you and Hoop are correct.

 

[Carolinacacti]

Let's get some people going. Jalen Sucks, Bridges is just what the Suns need, and we have a 4 in Crowder that is a stud....

 

[Yuma]

Let's get some people going. Jalen Sucks, Bridges is just what the Suns need, and we have a 4 in Crowder that is a stud....

Fire Monty!!!

 

[Muggz]

Let's get some people going. Jalen Sucks, Bridges is just what the Suns need, and we have a 4 in Crowder that is a stud....

Lets trade Booker for Kuzma and start a save Sarver gofundme.

 

[Finito]

Lets trade Booker for Kuzma and start a save Sarver gofundme.

You made that as a joke, but Steven A Smith really did float this out there at one time

 

[AzStevenCal]

You made that as a joke, but Steven A Smith really did float this out there at one time

I didn't realize SAS was involved with that rumor but I do recall a poster here saying that no way would the Lakers give up Kuzma for Booker.