On Wednesday evening NBA teams found out that the 2010-11 salary cap will be set about $2 million higher than originally expected.
The salary cap is calculated as a percentage of the league’s revenue from the prior season, which was estimated to put the cap at $56.1 million. Instead teams will have $58 million of cap room. The luxury tax line will be drawn at $70.3 million.
This means the Suns would have started the offseason with $15 million of cap space before signing Channing Frye and Hakim Warrick, plenty enough to make a run at a free agent like Carlos Boozer (whom former Suns GM Steve Kerr called “every bit as good a player” as Amare or Bosh) or David Lee.
Even counting the $10 million combined first-year salaries of Frye and Warrick, the Suns should still have about $5 million worth of wiggle room if they don’t just decide to carry over their cap room to next season.
After officially paying a luxury tax bill of about $5 million last year, the Suns won’t even get close to that mark unless they make a series of unlikely moves. This will be the first time that Robert Sarver doesn’t pay the luxury tax, and it gives the Suns plenty of flexibility this season to take on salary without surpassing that line, especially if they’re able to wrangle that $17 million trade exception out of an Amare sign-and-trade.
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2 responses so far ↓
1 Steve // Jul 8, 2010 at 8:29 am
Let’s hold off on this class of free agents and see if we can make a run at either Parker or Anthony next season. I would hate to root for Tony Parker, but he’s got what it takes to keep the Suns in contention once Nash is gone. And Anthony is one of the top 5 scorers in the league, plus his attitude and defensive commitment have greatly improved over the past couple of seasons.
2 Bob // Jul 8, 2010 at 12:42 pm
Anthony maybe but I see Parker declining. With Nash seemingly immortal and Dragic being groomed as the heir apparent I see no reason to get a Frenchman (look at the soccer team and Boris Diaw). If we get Anthony though I think it means the end of Hill. Hill would have to give time for Clark to play next next season if Anthony came here.
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