Source: CP3 is willing to leave money on the table but will first let Morey work

Not really.

He would've had to take a 4-year deal with 5% raises if he hadn't opted in.....which would have left him two years at age 36 as a free agent again with severely diminished earnings capacity. By opting in, he set himself up to sign a fresh 5-year deal with 8% raises that will carry him right to age 38.

Here's those numbers for you assuming $101 million salary cap.

Last season: $ 24,599,495
New 5-yr max deal: $205,030,000

TOTAL (to age 38) $229,629,045

If he had walked and signed a fresh 4-year deal that contract would have been a total of $153,510,000.

That 4-year deal would have left CP3 as a free agent at age 36. He would have to get a team to give him a 2-year deal at over $76 million to equal the opportunity he has today to sign a fresh 5-year deal with max raises. So he really hasn't lost a dime since we know he can sign a 5-year deal with us in July. We know that is available to him. It's his call.


So Paul hasn't lost a dime. And if you analyze taxes and cost of living there's no doubt he's actually come out better financially by opting in and getting traded here.

So the real question is......how much is he willing to sacrifice going forward to have the maximum opportunity to win multiple championships by playing with Lebron or another superstar?

I suggested in my LeBron trade thread that Paul would be willing to take a one-year salary hicky to get LeBron here and keep the rest of the team together basically. This was when the media was saying that he said he wasn't going to take any discounts from the full 5-year max at all(intentional misdirection).

And I know that's the case.

And the truth is if he takes a one-year hicky to bring Lebron here, it won't actually cost him that much....especially when the cap rises again next summer. Not only that but if we rattle off 3-5 championships in a row..Paul's off-court earnings potential will go much higher than it is now!

Knowing these things.....is easy to see that if we acquire Lebron it will most likely be with him opting in and getting traded here. Why?

1. Because a sign-and-trade scenario with Lebron gives him a 4-year deal with an opt-out after 3 seasons (or a 3-yr deal with an opt out after 2 seasons), which locks him in......while we are then hard capped. 35, 35, 30, 8 for the big 3 plus pj then add the cap hold for Ariza and Capela and you're over the hard cap. So somebody else has to go in that scenario. And you're asking LeBron to hit free agency at age 36 or 37 and take the risk that he can get one or two more years at max dollars. Does that make sense for Lebron? No, it doesn't.

2. However, to induce an opt-in trade for Lebron, the Cavs have to be convinced that he's walking and that he's walking to the team he wants to be traded to and play for.

Hence we have to consider the possibility of going under the cap and creating space to sign him.

I outlined a worst case scenario, waiving and stretching Anderson, trading Gordon away for a future pick and either letting Cappela walk or crackly executing a sign-and-trade of him to the team that wants him fur a future pick, moving out everybody but Harden, Paul, PJ, Qi, and Ariza....getting Paul and Ariza to take one-year discounts, then signing LeBron to the rest of the cap (about $30 million).

This is all possible....because Paul will take a one-year salary hicky to get LeBron here. And I'm pretty sure Ariza will too.

But it's not likely because it won't be necessary. If LeBron decides to leave Cleveland...we're going to be able to work a trade that benefits Cleveland and keeps us from being hard-capped because LeBron opted in and was traded. We'll be able to liquidate EGo since he's a value contract and we will then be able to throw two picks at Cleveland if necessary to take Anderson's deal.

Paul being willing to take less for one year is about being able to get LeBron here and also to build out the team after LeBron gets here with less cap constraints. He hasn't given up anything yet. But him being willing to makes a huge difference in acquiring Lebron and being able to build out next year's championship team.

This COULD all be lined up by tonight. Because if LeBron is leaving then Cleveland is rebuilding. And if they can take our picks plus #8 and go get Doncic while getting out of the luxury tax.....That's the best possible outcome for them if LeBron is gong to leave.

 

Would Gordon, Anderson, Capela on S&T, 1st round pick be enough to trade for Lebron?

 

I don't see Cleveland wanting to be saddled with salaries. Better to blow it up. Capela would have to want to play in Cleveland in this scenario. Etcetera.

 

A S&T of Capela to Cleveland would also trigger the hard cap for them, which they would be over in this scenario.

 

How so? i thought capella was a RFA. we would just have to match an offer and trade him

 

Can't trade a RFA for one year if you match an offer without the player's consent.

 

Good to know but not really ground breaking.

Common sense dictates that he came to Houston to give himself a chance to win. if he wanted to get payed only he could have stayed in LA and gotten payed AND he could continue to enjoy LA lifestyle.

Common sense also dictates that after having gotten so close to tasting the championship this year, and given the hunger he has, he would be willing to sacrifice some more if need be to get that ring.

Common sense also dictates that he is not going to leave money on the table just for hell of it.

 

Got it. Thanks

 

One small note: Apparently there is some doubt that Clippers were willing to max him.

 

How is Plan B working out for them?

 

Chris Paul is a real professional.

 

i want him retire a rocket

 

It is a hint. I believe.

 

People forgetting what Cavs did after Lebron left them and went to Heat.

Cavs tanked for 3 years and that's how they landed KI and traded Waggins away.

Cavs is not going to hold onto love but merely using him as a bait. Cavs need to get rid of the contracts like Thompson and Jr.

The only way is package them via trade with 8th pick or with love.

Cavs doesn't want to compete they want picks and future number 1 picks while they tank.

 

Singing Ariza was no accident.

 

I've been saying that. For years.

 

Can Capela not sign an impossible contract Rockets can match?

 

I take this with a grain of salt, but Chris Broussard was just on Undisputed and stated that he's hearing that there is some tension between Houston and CP3 regarding the "wink-wink" deal they had place possibly because of new ownership. That led him to believe that maybe Lebron could persuade CP3 to LA or some other destination. I'm very skeptical of this, but wanted to share.

 

Broussard has never been right about anything. I seriously wonder why that guy has a job.

 

Stopped at Chris Broussard.