Around this time of year, NBA teams begin to have a good sense of whether or not they are going to contend, potentially contend, or have no chance at contending. Those who believe they could potentially contend, but need more pieces are potentially a unique opportunity for the Indiana Pacers.
Currently, there are two teams in the league well below the salary floor. San Antonio is 15.9 million below the salary floor, while the Indiana Pacers are 15.4 million below the salary floor. A new report from Michael Scotto at HoopsHype suggests that these two teams may soon take advantage of that situation.
What is a salary floor?
In simple terms, it is the minimum that you need to pay to put your team on the court. While there are certain rules that govern it, it is roughly the salary of all players combined on the team. If you are under, you have to split the difference among the members of your team. Obviously, it would behoove the Pacers to find a way to use the salary rather than just paying everyone more.
How can we use it?
There are a few ways to use this fact to our advantage, the biggest of which is being able to be a salary dump for overpaid or unwanted players. The biggest and newest example of this would be the Russell Westbrook situation out in Los Angeles. But there are always examples of this in trades around the league. And even more opportunities arise when we see it as an opportunity to facilitate trades that we may not even have interest in being involved in.
It also allows us to bring back draft capital in return for players that other teams no longer want to pay. With a draft class as important as the upcoming one, more draft capital could be a huge factor in the success of the franchise moving forward.
So what’s the bottom line?
Expect the Pacers to find ways to utilize the cap space prior to the trade deadline. Whether that is bringing in large unwanted contracts to help facilitate trades, bring in players themselves, or building up their draft capital, there are many reasons to think that the Pacers will be active prior to the trade deadline.
It also allows us to bring back draft capital in return for players that other teams no longer want to pay. With a draft class as important as the upcoming one, more draft capital could be a huge factor in the success of the franchise moving forward.