The secret gem in C's-Nets trade - THIS SET THE TABLE TO BE CONTENDERS REAL SOON

By Chris Forsberg | ESPNBoston.com

WALTHAM, Mass. -- In this era of instant gratification, what's immediately available to the Boston Celtics after a blockbuster swap with the Brooklyn Nets will do little to excite a fan base reluctant to endure this transition process after six consecutive years of contender status. But this deal was built around future assets and not just the three first-round draft picks (2014, '16, '18) and a chance to swap first-round picks with the Nets in the 2017 draft.

The Celtics acquired a $10.3 million trade exception as part of the Nets swap. That's an insanely valuable asset for a team that could put itself in position to vault back to contender status -- and remain there -- if it makes the right steps moving forward.

What is a trade exception? If you don't want to drown in legalese, you can read Larry Coon's detailed explanation in his indispensable NBA Salary Cap FAQ. But trade exceptions essentially give teams a one-year window in which to complete a trade by acquiring the difference in salary sent out.

The creative wizards in the Celtics' front office -- a group helmed by president of basketball operations Danny Ainge, assistant general manager Mike Zarren and director of player personnel Austin Ainge -- were able to structure the Nets deal in such a way that a trade exception was generated for the difference in salaries between Paul Pierce ($15.3 million) and Keith Bogans ($5 million). Understanding exactly how that happened and why it works is enough to make you go cross-eyed. The bottom line is that Boston now has the ability to absorb $10.3 million worth of salary so long as it does so within a one-year window that started with Friday's official consummation of the trade.

At the moment, the trade exception is of little use (though it could potentially be divided into smaller chunks to facilitate a more minor move). By receiving Bogans via sign-and-trade, the Celtics are hard-capped next season, meaning they cannot exceed the luxury tax apron ($75.75 million) at any point during the 2013-14 campaign.

After waiving Kris Joseph on Monday, the Celtics have 14 signed players (including one non-guaranteed deal in Shavlik Randolph) for a total current salary commitment of roughly $71.5 million. The Celtics plan to add more salary, but also desire to stay below the luxury tax threshold of $71.75 million, which could further aid their future efforts by keeping them away from looming repeater rates. There's more roster shuffling ahead this summer.

But by clearing additional cap clog, the Celtics have potential to stomp on the rebuilding accelerator pedal in a year's time, particularly if a young core is nurtured this season. Boston owns two first-round picks next June (its own and Brooklyn's), which will allow it to add to its cluster of low-cost bodies. If the Celtics can free cap room and have the trade exception at their disposal, there's an opportunity to add impact bodies that could thrust them through the transition state.

Of course, this puts a little pressure on Boston's front office. The trade exception will expire on July 12, 2014, meaning it has to be used soon after the moratorium lifts next summer. But the sign-and-trade options it affords could bring in a star-caliber player. Just check out NBA Reference's player contract register and examine potential options in the $10 million range for the 2014-15 season (or pick two $5 million bodies). If another team desires to shed salary and head into its own rebuild mode by moving on from a star player, Boston can absorb that talent.

Which means that while fans might have struggled to muster enthusiasm for Monday's introductions, next summer could lead to much glitzier reveals.

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http://sports.yahoo.com/news/trade-exception-blockbuster-trade-could-prove-valuable-boston-143000170.html


Here's another article about this trade exception.  It would appear that, while the first round picks are key for building and as trade chips, this trade exception could greatly accelerate the rebuilding process.  As we know the rich get richer.  Miami was staggering along until they got LeBron and then they got Bosh and Battier and...We had problems attracting top talent, even though we had Paul Pierce, until Danny traded for Ray Allen and then we got KG and then everybody wanted to go along for the ride.

If we re-sign Rondo (I'm not suggesting we shouldn't or won't, I'm just making an assumption about possible but uncertain future events) and Jeff Green blossoms and Danny is able to use this $10M trade exception (plus whatever additional cap room that can be cleared) to land a top talent then we're a middle-of-the-pack playoff team at the minimum.  This doesn't even take into account what Sully and KO turn into, nor the two 1st round picks we have in next year's deep draft.

The catch is that the trade exception expires 7/12/14, just 2 days after the free agent feeding frenzy begins.  Danny has to have all his negotiations done and ready to go before then.  Considering we're talking about enough money to attract top talent, and top talent gets snapped up first, this might be ok.

$10M, when the entire team's salary cap will be somewhere just under $60M and teams are desperate to NOT be repeat salary cap offenders, is beaucoup bucks.


Trade Exception from Blockbuster Trade Could Prove Valuable for Boston Celtics
Yahoo! Contributor Network
By Mark Evans | Yahoo! Contributor Network – 58 minutes ago


COMMENTARY | Behind the scenes of the massive trade between the Boston Celtics and Brooklyn Nets, many small details had to be ironed out. Salaries had to be matched, which is always difficult with trades involving a lot of players. This is why Boston ended up with Keith Bogans, and why they are stuck paying him around $5 million per season.

To most, the major part of this deal for Boston is the three first round draft picks. Bogans, Kris Humphries, and Gerald Wallace probably don't do much for this team in the long-term, and were mostly acquired in order to send away Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, and Jason Terry.

MarShon Brooks was the only young player that Boston acquired in the deal. He can clearly score, but there are too many other holes in his game to claim that he is more valuable than the draft picks.

However, it now seems that there is another important part of the deal that many have largely ignored.

The Boston Globe is reporting that as a part of the deal, the Celtics also have a trade exception worth slightly over $10 million.
This probably won't come in handy in the near future, as the Celtics appear to have almost a full roster going into next season. At this point, it might be foolish to use it going into a rebuilding year.

Looking forward, however, this trade exception could prove to be just as valuable as the draft picks.

According to the report, it is set to expire on July 12 of next summer, just two days after free agency officially begins. As the Boston Globe points out, however, it would not be able to be used in a free agency signing. It could be utilized through a sign-and-trade, which could be a reasonable alternative.

Come next summer, teams may frantically be looking to dump salaries. The 2014 free agent class could feature LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh, Kobe Bryant, Carmelo Anthony, Luol Deng, Dirk Nowitzki, Paul George, Danny Granger, DeMarcus Cousins, and Rudy Gay. It is important to note that some of these players simply have options to opt-out, or are restricted free agents. Still, that is quite the impressive list of stars who could be on the market.

Regardless, many teams will be looking to clear space for the chance to land some of these stars. This puts the Celtics in a position of power. Teams are often willing to part ways with young, cheap talent as the price of dumping bad contracts. With the luxury of the trade exception, the Celtics could be more than willing to absorb a bad contract or two if it means being able to bring back young talent.

Or, Danny Ainge could try to make a big splash through a sign-and-trade using the exception. This might be a little more difficult, but it's a viable option nonetheless.

It appears that Danny Ainge has set up his team to go through a quick rebuild. They already have some young pieces, and a seemingly high 2014 draft pick in a loaded class could mean that the 2013-2014 season could be the only true rebuilding year. This trade exception could prove to be huge, particularly if Ainge uses his leverage properly.

While this trade exception was overlooked by many, it could prove to be one of the most important parts of the deal with the Brooklyn Nets.

Mark lives in the Boston area and has been covering the Celtics for 3 years. He has been featured on Fox Sports Yardbarker, Fox Sports, and Sports Illustrated "Hot Clicks", and has been published on Celtics 24/7, Bleacher Report, and Sports-Kings.



bob


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112288,

Thanks for pointing that out. You get a big "you 'da man" on that one!

You can claim your baked chocolate pudding prize at Joe's.

Regards

NYCELT,

Had a great time with you and your family, Sam and Sally at Joe's...you know how to pick'em. I always enjoy your son and you also have a wonderful wife.  Boy the Cape was hot....but heading to Deerfield...about 40 miles north of Springfield was even hotter. Did it in 3:30 hours!  before leaving go to Hyannis on Main Street and visit the JFK museum and Cape Cod Baseball Hall of Fame in the same building.........your family would enjoy it!

Sam....as always....so great to see you and Sally........will see you guys again in August as we head to the Vineyard.

Deerfield Village is a very interesting early colonial town (1675) ....but walking the town and viewing old houses with no air conditioning was murder today......96 in the shade....made it home tonight and back to work.

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