[valentine]

Can someone explain the eagerness showed by teams to waive Mo Williams’ contract as the Sixers and the Nuggets playing die hard game to do so?

They are under the salary cap floor, so they need contracts to meet the requirement. But thats makes no sense to me.

Since January 7:
The Cleveland Cavaliers trade Mo Williams to the Atlanta Hawks.
The Atlanta Hawks trade Mo Williams to the Denver Nuggets.
The Denver Nuggets waive Mo Williams.
The Philadelphia 76ers claim Mo Williams off waivers.
The Philadelphia 76ers waive Mo Williams.
The Denver Nuggets claim Mo Williams off waivers.
The Denver Nuggets waive Mo Williams.
Mo Williams has not played a single second in the NBA this season.

The Cavs traded Mo’s dead salary and got Korver, clear. The Hawks unloaded Mo’s dead salary and 750K and still saved money, clear. The Nuggets got closer to cap floor, got 750K and cut the retired Williams, clear. But after that?
If I were the Sixers I won’t claim any player just to waive him, because I have no reason to do.

Just because: If the Hawks waive Mo and the Sixers claim him, Philly saves the Hawks his 2.2 M contract (if the Cavs waive Mo: that’s 2,2 M + luxory tax savings), why help any team save money without any compensation? They can use it to sign a free agent or buy a draft pick in the front of you.

Now, that’s a bit different case as the Sixers just don’t let the Nuggets to get closer to the salary floor (Denver did it also afterwards), but in my eyes it’s not a big deal since it’s much easier to spend money than shed money from the cap.

What can a team do with 5 M under salary cap floor (like the Nuggets):
– Make another trade (there’s about a month until trade deadline and a couple of teams would love to unload players).

-Sign an overseas player. There are a lot of players, who could be nice pieces in the NBA, but they also making good money overseas, with an 5 M offer (or even a 2.2 million like Mo’s contract) it’s easy to convince them to buy himself out in Europe or China and try himself out in the League and if they fail, the way is there to return.

-Sign a D-League player. There’s a lot of talent in D-League. I’m not saying it’s full with Hassan Whitesides, but worth a try. If you don’t try you won’t get it… No player would refuse 2.2 Million from Denver as they’re making 50K.

-Just give it to Alonzo Gee. At first, I think Alonzo Gee is a garbage, I nevermind sign him anyway, but the Nuggets holding up his 10-day contract until the Mo Williams case will be closed. Mo Williams will get his check anyway, for Mo it’s all the same if the Nuggets, Cavs, Hawks or the Sixers pays him… Why not give that 2.2 M to Gee? After 10 days they still can waive him, the dead salary will be there, Gee will be gone – same result just like after waiving Mo and letting Gee go after his 10-day expires.

So I see no reason to fight for Mo Williams at all, unless you wants to give his agent extra paperwork. Anybody knows something I don’t?

[binetParticipant]

It’s just a loophole in the current (expiring) CBA that makes you pay a guy for the remainder of the season only while counting his whole season salary against the cap.

The game between the sixers and nuggets will end if one of the two does not waive Mo Williams. It’s possible another team below the floor uses the same stratagem also, so even if the sixers spent their roster spot by signing Chasson Randle for the remainder of the season, the nuggets probably would not be able to fully benefit of that Williams clause unless they give him a roster spot (same for the sixers or any other team).

 

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