RJ: 4 years, 39 million

I'd say RJ did quite well in opting out.

almost 2 years ago Manuwar 11 comments 0 recs |

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Both sides won I think

by NinjaRabbi on Jul 21, 2010 11:48 PM CDT reply actions

This contract would be the equivalent of RJ not opting out and then, as a free agent, signing a 3 year $24million contract which I think would be over paying. So I think RJ made out like a bandit in all this.

"It's Manuway or the Highway" - tlo

by Manuwar on Jul 21, 2010 11:51 PM CDT reply actions

Except the Spurs save 7m in luxury tax which covers part of the 23.7m owed in years 2-4. So the out-of-pocket cost is about 5m/year which is cheap for his talent level.

by doggydogworld on Jul 22, 2010 12:00 AM CDT up reply actions

Great point. I didn’t think about that.

"It's Manuway or the Highway" - tlo

by Manuwar on Jul 22, 2010 12:05 AM CDT up reply actions

Also… the final year costing $11M is an option and not guaranteed, not sure how much of it is guaranteed.

If none of the final year is guaranteed, it’s more like two more years for an additional $13M. Happier now?

by freshtunarightofftheboat on Jul 22, 2010 4:35 AM CDT up reply actions

Sounds like it’s a player option, contrary to original reports.

by doggydogworld on Jul 22, 2010 4:00 PM CDT up reply actions

Nice. Didn’t think of this, either.

I smell death... everywhere.

by LatinD on Jul 22, 2010 8:20 PM CDT up reply actions

I just saw that the final year is only partially guaranteed so we won’t know how much this signing cost the Spurs untill 2013-2014 but it seems much more digestible already.

"It's Manuway or the Highway" - tlo

by Manuwar on Jul 21, 2010 11:56 PM CDT reply actions

Also his 3rd or 4th year (if he doesn’t opt out) makes him an expiring contract too, but not a super huge one so he can become trade bait. Also Spurs cap is low in his 4th year. SO who knows. A lot depends on how some of the youngins pan out and what contracts they’ll expect too. .

by grego21 on Jul 22, 2010 4:42 AM CDT up reply actions

You know, I’m just shocked that we are sitting here discussing what appears to be a very smart move by the front office. Who would have thunk?

We specialize in misinformation around here. Facts and stats just get in the way.

by Wayne Vore (ATS) on Jul 22, 2010 10:15 AM CDT reply actions

Not sure whether you’re saying that you’re shocked that we’re even discussing this or by the FO’s (apparently) very smart move or both…. honestly, I was scratching my head at why RJ would opt out of a $15M deal, but I think the outcome indicates that he, his agent, and the Spurs are extremely smart and sophisticated.

I won’t pretend to understand salary cap issues or the value of expiring contracts, but my sense is that RJ opting out of the final year of his last contract and the team re-signing him with a back-end loaded contract was mutually beneficial — a true win-win in every sense of the term.

I doubt that, despite the scarcity of quality free-agent SFs this year, that the Spurs would have been able to find any team willing to take on RJ’s $15M contract for the upcoming season. All the cap-space maneuvering that teams were doing for the LeBron/Wade sweepstakes was over, and with the CBA/potential lock-out coming, the value of an expiring $15M contract wouldn’t be what it might be in other years. Pushing the final year out 3-4 years is a brilliant move — that expiring contract may have more value to some team (even maybe the Spurs). The $10M for the third year (or partially guaranteed $11M for the fourth) may be easier for the Spurs to match salaries in a trade and still stay under the cap, certainly easier than finding a player with matching $15M salary this year that would be a good fit for the Spurs and meet their needs.

For RJ, he gets 3-4 years to rebuild his value and it sees him thru the uncertainty of the next CBA. In a sense, it’s equivalent for him to a 2 year extension for $6.5M/year or a 3 year extension for $8M/year (though not guaranteed money). To me, that seems fair to RJ and to the Spurs.

Smart move. Very smart.

by freshtunarightofftheboat on Jul 22, 2010 11:56 AM CDT up reply actions