Since we are all set on trading him (and others) the 15% trade kicker has come up again and again. (Thanks for reminding me about it TMS - I looked it up).

Judging from the below I think we only have to pay a trade kicker for the remaining salary from this year, not next year, his player option year. It might be like 1 million which we could always pay in cash I believe.

Taken from http://members.cox.net/lmcoon/salarycap.htm

Note the bolded

83. Can players be given a bonus when they are traded?

Teams are permitted to write a bonus called a "trade bonus" (sometimes referred to as a "trade kicker") into contracts. This bonus is paid to the player when he is traded, but only upon his first trade and not upon any subsequent trades (in the case of a sign-and-trade, they don't count the initial trade when the contract is signed). The trade bonus can be defined as a specific dollar amount, a specific percentage of the remaining value of the contract, or some combination (e.g., "$1 million or 10% of the remaining value of the contract, whichever is less"). In either case, the actual amount cannot exceed 15% of the remaining value of the contract. For example, suppose a player has a six-year contract that pays $1 million per year. This player also has a $500,000 trade bonus. Since the trade bonus is limited to 15% of the remaining value of the contract, the actual value of the bonus varies from year to year, as follows (the bonus pro-rates during the season, so these amounts are exact only at the start of each season): (No Image)

Notes on trade bonuses:

* Option years are not counted when determining the remaining value of the contract, unless already exercised. ETOs are counted.
* Incentive compensation is not counted when determining the remaining value of the contract -- just base compensation.
* A trade bonus cannot cause a player's salary to exceed the maximum salary, based on his years of service, during the year of the trade (see question number 84 for more information on this).
* The value of a trade bonus is pro-rated during the season. In the above example, if the player is traded halfway through the fifth season, then the trade bonus would be $225,000.

crzymdups wrote:i think jeffries has an ETO, early termination option, which does still count for a trade kicker.

If next year counts then it's 2 mil trade kicker. If next year doesn't count its a 1 mil trade kicker.

Either way, its not that big of an obstacle.

EDIT: And its prorated, so its even less than that. Sending $3mil cash will offset the kicker and the lux tax that might accompany it.