The Celtics received good news on Friday when the league approved the team’s application for an $8.4 million disabled player exception in the wake of the Gordon Hayward injury. It is the 39th DPE to be granted since 1995 and the largest one granted in league history (thanks to a record-high salary cap number for this season).
I went over the restrictions and specifics of the DPE last Monday, but let’s review what fans should continue to keep in mind when considering trade target possibilities:
1. You can only sign or trade for one player with the DPE and said player must be in the final year of his deal.
2. You can’t combine the DPE with other players in a trade to land a bigger salary. If the player earns more than $8.4 million, you can’t use the DPE to help land him; it has to be done with regular salary matching trade rules.
The regulations take some of the bigger names on the market out of contention right away. For instance, Eric Bledsoe is on the trade block in Phoenix and earns $14.5 million. That won’t fit into the DPE, making Bledsoe an unlikely target for the C’s all year long since they simply don’t have much substantial salary on the roster to trade to match that $14.5 million number (beyond their All-Stars).
One name that does fit in the DPE and has been coming up a lot in the last few days is Massachusetts native Nerlens Noel. The 6-foot-11 forward/center signed a one-year qualifying offer with the Mavericks this summer for $4.2 million after reportedly turning down a big offer earlier in the summer from Dallas.
With the Mavericks already floundering out of the gate (1-6), the 23-year-old big man seems to be an ideal trade target for Boston that checks all the boxes of the DPE. He’s on a one-year deal and easily fits into the $8.4 million exception with his $4.2 million salary. So would the Celtics have a legitimate chance to land him if he becomes available? Don’t count on the possibility.
The problem with Noel’s current status is that he actually has a no-trade clause with the Mavs for the current season. All players who sign a one-year qualifying offer have this provision added to their contract since they lose their Bird Rights if they are traded to another team. What does that mean exactly? Let’s examine it in the context of a hypothetical Celtics deal for Noel.
Currently, the Mavs have Bird Rights on Noel, which means they can go over the salary cap next summer to re-sign him. If the Mavs trade him to the Celtics (or any other team), said team will not have Bird Rights on Noel next summer, which means they won’t be able to go over the salary cap to sign him.
Why does that matter to Noel? It hurts him from a money earning standpoint next summer if he is traded now to a team like the Celtics that doesn’t have a lot of future payroll flexibility. Boston will be over the salary cap next summer, so they wouldn’t be able to re-sign him for anything more than the mid-level exception (roughly $9 million per year). He’s going to be shooting for a much bigger deal than that next summer (he reportedly turned down a $70 million deal back in July) so he would creating a less competitive market for himself by accepting a trade to Boston.
Additionally, losing Bird Rights for Noel would shut the door on sign-and-trade possibilities that he would have if he stays in Dallas. A team needs Noel’s Bird Rights in order to sign-and-trade him in free agency.
From the Celtics’ perspective, this isn’t a big deal. They would probably happily take the big man on a one-year rental if the price was right and let him walk in free agency next summer, if they actually wanted him for now.
However, the math isn’t that easy for Noel. If he wants to get paid, staying in Dallas gives him the best chance of that happening next summer. So, if and when trade rumors pop up involving the Kentucky product, don’t believe the hype. A trade to Boston (or any other teams that don’t have cap room next summer) isn’t happening.
Other news and notes
- Another popular name on the trade block is Sixers’ center Jahlil Okafor, who isn’t seeing much consistent playing time in Philly now that Joel Embiid is healthy. He doesn’t fit into the DPE criteria just yet (he has a team contract option for 2018-19) but the deadline for the Sixers to exercise that option is this week. If they decline it, he becomes an expiring contract and a potential fit for the C’s in that slot.
- Josh Smith made his debut with the New Orleans Pelicans last night after signing with the team last week. The 32-year-old did not play in the NBA last season.
- Nikola Mirotic is reportedly asking for a trade from the Bulls after suffering facial injuries after being punched by teammate Bobby Portis during practice. Things can’t get much worse in Chicago after a 1-5 start.
- Is trouble brewing in Cleveland? The Cavs’ rank 26th in defense following a 3-3 start and a bunch of switches to the starting lineup already. We saw them overcome the defensive issues in the playoffs last year, but this time around they don’t have Kyrie Irving to lean on for offense. There is going to be a lot of pressure on Isaiah Thomas when he returns.