By Jeje Gomez | Pounding The Rock (PtR), 2024-07-18 09:50:57
由生成式人工智能翻译，译文内容可能不准确或不完整，以原文为准。
规则的改变使得将空间特例保留到赛季中成为马刺队的一个好选择。
马刺队已经完成了阵容的组建。斯蒂芬·卡斯尔(Stephon Castle)、克里斯·保罗和哈里森·巴恩斯是重要的补充，管理层还带回了一些熟悉的面孔来完善阵容。除非发生意外交易，否则新赛季开始时的15人大名单已经确定，剩下的就是决定谁来占据两个双向合同名额。
奇怪的是，马刺队只使用了薪资空间和底薪合同来完成阵容组建，所以他们仍然保留着空间特例。在过去几年里，这会被认为是吝啬或浪费的表现，因为在赛季中很少有球员在被裁后还能值790万美元——这是圣安东尼奥马刺队目前可用的空间特例金额。但规则的改变使得保留这个特例变得有用。
过去，中产特例和双年特例只能用于签下自由球员。从本赛季开始，球队可以使用特例在交易中吸收薪水，或者从被裁球员名单中认领球员。这是一个巨大的变化，给了那些低于第一奢侈税线的球队更多的灵活性。简单地说，通过不使用空间特例，马刺队将在新赛季开始时拥有790万美元的交易特例，他们可以用它在交易中吸收合同，或者通过出价高于其他球队来认领被裁球员。这笔钱不足以让他们做出重大的改变，但可以帮助他们在赛季中期得到一名球员，或者出租空间来获得资产。而其他的规则变化使其更有价值。
通常情况下，拥有一个中等规模的交易特例并不是什么大事，但由于第二奢侈税线的严苛规则、第一奢侈税线灵活性的降低以及奢侈税的繁重罚款，各支球队已经开始并将会继续削减薪水。如果送走一个很少上场的潜力新秀或表现不佳的老将就能避免累积税或奢侈税线的严厉处罚，那么球队会毫不犹豫地这样做。我们已经看到像掘金这样有竞争力的球队为了避免过度支出，甚至不惜牺牲尼古拉·约基奇巅峰时期打造最强阵容的机会，这表明后果有多严重。各支球队管理层都将做出牺牲，而圣安东尼奥马刺队将是为数不多的准备从中获利的球队之一。
例如，如果勇士队开局不佳，想要避税，他们可以把摩西·穆迪(Moses Moody)——一个仍在新秀合同期的年轻侧翼——送到圣安东尼奥。如果76人队无法通过肯尼思·加布里埃尔·“KJ”·马丁(Kenneth Gabriel “KJ” Martin Jr.)来提升阵容，他们可以把他和一个选秀权一起送走。一些奢侈税线附近的球队也可能是潜在的交易伙伴，那些接近奢侈税线并且希望拥有更多薪资空间和灵活性的球队也是如此。其他球队也有特例，但马刺队的工资总额是联盟中最低的，所以在适当的情况下，他们应该不用担心增加薪水。缺少阵容名额可能是一个问题，但有几名球员拿着底薪或接近底薪，如果出现增加天赋或资产的机会，布莱恩·赖特(Brian Wright)很可能不会害怕裁掉任何人。
不能保证中产空间特例能为马刺队带来一名好球员或一个选秀权。它现在更有用，因为它基本上可以作为交易特例使用，但很多交易特例从未被使用过就到期了。圣安东尼奥马刺队的管理层并不是唯一拥有这种工具的球队，因为大多数精明的管理层也保留了他们的特例。
令人鼓舞的是，马刺队的决策者们不仅在大的、有前瞻性的方面，比如试图建立一个未来的选秀权和互换权管道来帮助他们避免奢侈税线问题，而且在更小、更直接的方面，比如在这种情况下，都能跟上联盟不断变化的形势。
点击查看原文：By saving the room exception, the Spurs have another tool to improve in-season
By saving the room exception, the Spurs have another tool to improve in-season
A rule change makes carrying the room exception into the season a good choice for the Spurs.
The Spurs have completed their roster. Stephon Castle, Chris Paul and Harrison Barnes are the big additions, and the front office brought back some familiar faces to round out the roster. Barring an unexpected trade, the 15 players that will be on the main roster on opening night are set, and all that’s left to decide is who takes the two-way spots.
The curious thing is that the Silver and Black used only cap space and minimum salaries to complete their roster, so they still have the room exception. In past years that would have been a sign of cheapness or a waste, since there are rarely players who clear waivers during the season that are worth the $7.9 million San Antonio has available, but a rule change has made it useful to hold on to the exception.
In the past, the mid-level and bi-annual exceptions were only usable for signing free agents. Starting this season, teams can use an exception to absorb salary in a trade or claim a player off the waivers. It’s a huge change that gives those under the first apron a lot more flexibility. In the simplest way possible, by not using the room exception, the Spurs will head into the season with what is now essentially a $7.9 million trade exception they can use to absorb a contract in a trade or claim someone off waivers by outbidding others. It’s not game-changing available money to make a huge move but could help land a player in-season or be rented out to get an asset. And the other rule changes make it a lot more valuable.
Normally having a medium-sized trade exception wouldn’t be a huge deal, but with the draconian rules of the second apron, the reduced flexibility of the first apron and the onerous penalties of the luxury tax, teams have already looked to cut salary and will continue to do so. If moving away from a seldom-used prospect or veteran signing that didn’t pan out is the difference between avoiding the repeater tax or the harsh penalties of the aprons, teams will do it. We’ve seen a contending franchise like the Nuggets preemptively avoid overspending even at the expense of putting together the best team possible in Nikola Jokic’s prime, which shows how serious the consequences are. Front offices will make sacrifices and San Antonio will be one of the few teams ready to capitalize on them.
As an example, if the Warriors have a slow start and want to duck the tax, they could send Moses Moody, a young wing still in his rookie deal, to San Antonio. The 76ers could send out KJ Martin along with a pick if they can’t use him to upgrade their roster. A few apron teams would likely also be potential trade partners, as would be the franchises that are close to it and would love more room under it and the flexibility that comes with it. Other teams also have exceptions, but the Spurs have one of the lowest payrolls in the league, so there should be no concerns about adding salary in the right circumstances. The lack of an open roster spot could be an issue, but a few players are making the minimum or close to it, and Brian Wright likely won’t be afraid to waive someone if an opportunity to add talent or assets presents itself.
There’s no guarantee the mid-level room exception will get the Spurs a good player or a pick. It’s more useful now that it works essentially as a trade exception, but a lot of trade exceptions are never used and expire. San Antonio’s front office is not the only one that will have this tool since most brain trusts held on to their exceptions as well.
It’s still encouraging to see the Spurs’ decision-makers keep up with the changing landscape of the league not only in big, forward-thinking ways, like trying to set up a pipeline of future picks and swaps that should help them avoid apron issues, but also in smaller, more immediate ones, like in this case.
By Jeje Gomez, via Pounding The Rock