Clippers at Cavs - Open Thread

If the salaries on Hoops Hype for Kwame, Crittendon and Gasol are correct, McKie would have to be signed for a minimum of $607,300 to make the trade work.  As a 13 year vet, the NBA minimum would actually be more than that.  That of course is the annual salary - since he hasn't actually played it would be pro-rated in terms of the actual money, and I have no idea how that plays into the cap math - it's never happened before as far as I know.  Here's a little something I just found out also - McKie was actually working for the Sixers as an Assistant Coach this season!  So the Lakers just traded an employee of the Sixers to the Grizzlies.  I've also heard that McKie will be a player/coach in Memphis, but I'll believe that when I see it.  I think he gets waived and stays with the Sixers staff.  

Here's the thing - teams can go over the salary cap to sign their own free agents.  And if you don't waive or renounce a guy, you retain the rights to that player.  So McKie, PJ Brown and Keith Van Horn and probably others all fall into that category.  The advantage of renouncing a player is to clear the cap space on your books - there is an offset for that player as pertains to new offers until you renounce him.  But unless your actually under the cap (and far enough to offer someone more than the midlevel really) there's no advantage to renouncing the player.  Retain the rights, without paying them, just in case something like this comes up.  

A team could indeed sign you and include you in a trade, but it would be for the rookie minimum since they are over the cap and could not pay more than that.  The beauty of the 'retired' player is that you can sign them for so much more.  In this case, since they only needed to make up $600K, it probably didn't even have to be McKie - it could have been Richie Frahm (but it could not have been you).

In June 2003 the TWolves traded Terrell Brandon, who was injured and was effectively though not officially retired, to Atlanta in a 4 team deal involving Van Horn and Latrell Sprewell and Glenn Robinson.  But before this trade, I'm not aware of a 'retired' player being signed and traded.

The Clippers would want expiring contracts (Eduardo Najera), prospects (Kleiza) and/or picks.  Najera plus Kleiza might work for LA, but I don't know if Denver would do it.  Najera plus a first rounder might work for the Nuggets.  Najera pretty much has to be in any deal to make the salaries match and given that the Clippers won't take back more years.  Since Najera makes barely more than the minimum allowed in a straight up Cassell trade, Denver is a very likely destination.  (Najera is $4.95M * 1.25 = $6.19M; Cassell is $6.15M.)  The question is what Denver would include in the trade to entice the Clippers.  There has to be something in it for LA.