February 5: The three-team trade is now official, according to the Nets (Twitter link), who have waived veteran wing Haywood Highsmith in order to create a roster spot for Agbaji.
As Gozlan tweets, Brooklyn now has about $8.9MM in cap room remaining and also still has its $8.8MM room exception, which could be used to absorb another salary in a deadline deal.
February 4: The Clippers, Raptors, and Nets are in agreement on a three-team trade that will send guard Chris Paul from Los Angeles to Toronto, reports Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter links).
Fourth-year forward Ochai Agbaji is headed from Toronto to Brooklyn in the deal, along with the Raptors’ 2032 second-round pick, says Charania. The Clippers will receive the draft rights to 2019 second-rounder Vanja Marinkovic from the Nets, according to Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (Twitter link), and will send $3.5MM in cash to Brooklyn, per NBA insider Chris Haynes (Twitter link).
The Raptors won’t require Paul to report to the team, according to Charania, who suggests the veteran point guard may be flipped to another club before Thursday’s deadline. If not, he’ll likely be waived.
It’s a cost-cutting move for both the Clippers and Raptors. The Clippers will open up an extra roster spot and create breathing room below their hard cap, which they’ll likely use to promote two-way players Jordan Miller and Kobe Sanders to standard contracts. Toronto, meanwhile, will duck below the tax line by swapping out Agbaji’s expiring $6.4MM contract for Paul and his $2.3MM cap hit, creating a $6.4MM trade exception in the process.
The Nets will take advantage of being the NBA’s only team with cap room by taking on a half-season of Agbaji, receiving more than enough cash to cover his remaining salary, and adding another second-round pick to their sizable collection of draft assets in the process. Acquiring Agbaji will bring Brooklyn’s cap room below $9MM, though the team would also have the option of using its $15MM+ in room in a separate deal, then absorbing the Raptors forward using its room exception.
The Nets have a full 15-man roster, so they’ll need to trade or waive a player to create room for Agbaji.
The Clippers announced over two months ago that they were “parting ways” with Paul, who wasn’t a good cultural fit, but that just meant he’d no longer be around the team, not that he was off the roster. L.A. didn’t want to waive him since it would mean eating his guaranteed salary and leaving his $2.3MM cap hit on the team’s books, compromising the front office’s ability to make additional moves around the edges of the roster.
L.A. will now have about $3.4MM below its first-apron hard cap along with a pair of open roster spots, notes cap expert Yossi Gozlan (Twitter links). Toronto will be roughly $3.1MM below the tax line and will also have two openings on its standard 15-man roster.
CP3 will be free but I guess Rockets would pick him up. I don’t see many options.
That’s part of the key question to me, where does Chris Paul land? Does he have any potentiality for impact.
Chris Paul as a buyout add will be attractive to a bunch of teams. Especially ones that chase names like the Lakers and Knicks.
Nuggets badly need a backup PG with playoff experience.
Yeah, and the Nuggets are one of the few teams that could handle having a ball-pounding guard since it can contrast their offense that mostly originates from the inside out.
Minnesota and Boston could potentially both benefit too.
Lakers should look to finally do something with Gabe Vincent and Kleber for a player in that 20mil range…
Then add Chris Paul after he is brought out.
He’s not the same player he was but he doesn’t lack competitiveness and leadership. If asked to play he would be a good facilitator and leader for the second unit.
Why didn’t raps get Missi from pels?
This is nothing more than a salary cap dump for the Clippers and Raptors, Paul will be a Raptor for a short time, he’ll be wavied from what I just heard.
Yep yep it’s a get out of the tax deal for raps..
not too late
First exchange for Raps. Took care of the #1 priority to get below the tax by sacrificing one promising (but redundant and waxing/waning performing) young talent.
Kings trade for Sabonis is all but dead (IMO) given this trade.
Unless Poeltl goes to Memphis for Ja and couple picks. I prefer to keep RJ and aim for Poeltl to be back toward playoff time (at last year’s production).
I wish Agbaji great success moving forward.
I’ve always like Agbaji’s athleticism. Maybe he can get some PT in Brooklyn?
Cant wait to hear Chris Paul crying about having to rent an apartment in Toronto and how his family is still in LA
they don’t want him they wana cut the payroll
Damn I was really looking forward to that >=(
Weird.
Reading is your friend.
There is something happening next. If it was just to get below the tax line, they could have just dealt with Brooklyn without taking on a player.
That would have been more expensive.
Clippers sent a bunch of cash to Brooklyn in this deal that otherwise Toronto had to pay.
And Chris Paul probably is willing to give up some money to get his freedom as well. Since he doesnt want to move to Canada…
Wondering where he will end up though. Which teams are looking to the buy-out market?
Hope the Nets play Agbaji. He can at least be a rotation player. Always liked him as 2.
Poor CP3, helps spurs get good then they dump him. Should’ve retired several years ago.
Agreed aircastle. He was outstanding with the Spurs for that one season. Then Came to the Warriors and didn’t help them one iota and has been inefficient ever since.
But had a great year with the Spurs that’s definitely noteworthy and adds something to his overall legacy in my opinion.
Marinkovic has never played an NBA game yet his “draft rights” have been traded 6 times now since 2013.
The NBA roster financial structure is a complete joke.
CP3 is finished so why does the raptors want him?
um… so they can have an abrasive mentor for their young guys? That’s all I got.
Because they got 3,5 million in cash for it that they could send to Brooklyn to get rid of Agbaji. He is not staying on their roster.
But they are probably expecting him to give up some salary to receive his freedom…
no way highsmith doesn’t get picked up