blkexec wrote:This title is misleading....BTW...... what did Plumlee do to deserve a 3 yr contract?
I haven't watched a full game all preseason....the stats doesn't match Randles stats or impact on the game!
Someone explain....
Sure.
Knicks made their trade, signed Lee, Noah, Jennings, Hernangomez, kept Thomas's cap hold and renounced everyone else, they had about $550-600k in cap space left, or essentially a rookie minimum deal. The second they signed Thomas to $6.1m, that space would have disappeared. They either spent it before or it got swallowed by Thomas's deal. Likewise, it would have went away when they signed Kuzminskas to the room exception as well. Both deal would have taken them over the cap.
And about $600k of cap space isn't enough to do ANYTHING else but sign a non-first round rookie. But the Knicks decided to do something with it anyway.
So they apparently picked a project - the longest term project, the guy they probably are going to ask to go to Westchester all year unless an emergency arises - maybe even for a couple of years. So they guaranteed him the money, in exchange they got the 2 team option years.
It was basically an accounting move. Spend it (on something) or lose it.
Most relevant, it really doesn't mean much other than spent cash. A minimum deal is cap neutral - even a guaranteed one. There was nothing else they could have been done with that cash other than distribute it to Lee, Noah, Jennings and/or Hernangomez.
The Knicks have 12 roster spots filled now, Plumlee being 12, but the Knicks have the same options left. The remaining roster spots will be filled in one of only two ways - rookie or veteran minimum deals.
If Randle or any other player blows them away in camp, Knicks can easily release Plumlee opening up another roster spot, pay him his guaranteed deal and he probably goes to Westchester anyway, just as a free agent.
And again, the important thing to remember is the transaction had to happen BEFORE they signed Thomas and/or Kuzminskas or the space went away. They couldn't have even waited until the end of summer league to use it, unless they wanted to ask Thomas and Kuzminskas to wait it out.
It has zero roster implications (other than the fact they may see something the like in Plumlee). It was strictly cash spent and the NY knicks won't let half-a-million get in the way of a roster move they want to make.
7/9/2016 8:49 PM