Well, I'm gonna try to explain how the TPE works. The rule is that "non-simultaneous" (i.e. creating a one year "credit" for the purpose of "completing" the trade) traded player exceptions are only allowed when a SINGLE player is traded AWAY from a team over the cap, if that team receives less salary than it gives in the transaction.
For instance, here's how Portland got the 3.1M TPE.
First thing, the big 3 (Randolph, F.Jones, Dickau) for 2 (Francis, Frye) trade had to work under the 125%+100000$ rule. Well that's the case, you can check that on any trade machine.
Then, each team is able to reorganize the trade the way it wants to create non-simultaneous trade exceptions. The smaller trades need to work under the 125% rule, though.
From Portland's perspective :
- First transaction : Send Randolph for Francis. Works under the 125 % rule. No TPE because Portland receives more salary than it gives.
- Second transaction : Send Dickau for Frye and gets a 400K TPE (because Dickau earns around 400K more than Frye).
- Last transaction : Send Fred Jones for nothing and gets a 3.1M TPE (Jones salary).
From NY's perspective :
- First transaction : Send Francis for Randolph, Dickau and Jones. Works under the 125% rule. No TPE because NY receives more salary than it gives.
- Last transaction : Send Frye for nothing and gets a 2.4M TPE (Frye salary).
The league always re-arrange transactions that way and almost every trade involving over-the-cap teams creates TPEs.
Then, Portland trades "future considerations" (something like a 2011's conditional secound round pick) for James Jones.
Jones 2.9M salary fits into the 3.1M TPE so Portland doesn't have to send salaries back. Their TPE shrinks to 200K. Phoenix gets a 2.9M TPE.
