Big NBA trade and Kwame Brown

[BD80]

How about that Kwame Brown? He was the salary throw-in in today's Pau Gasol heist by the Lakers from Memphis. Memphis is believed to have taken him for an expiring contract and does not intend to resign him. Just shows that big men are tough to predict, even MJ made a mistake on this #1 overall pick. Ironically, Brown is going to Memphis to join another widely criticized big man, Darko Milicic, who was taken ahead of Wade and Melo (and about a dozen more productive players). However, Darko is only 21 and is showing signs of becoming a productive post player.

Anyone have the figures to see how today's trade works from a salary cap standpoint? The signed players in the trade were Gasol at $13,709,375, and Brown ($9,075,000) and Crittenton ($1,285,200). Given the 20% leeway allowed, that would mean that Memphis would have to take back just under $11 million, but the two salaries they got only equal $10,360,000, about a $600,000 discrepancy. Do the two 1st round picks count for any salary, or the rights to Pau's brother - Mark Gasol?

Or is this just a Kobe exemption, something like a present day version of the Jordan rules?

[billybreen]

Wow, that's a big trade and gives the surprising Lakers a chance to make progress, even without Bynum. And yeah, Kobe is marginally happier for a bit.

[BD80]

I ran the trade through ESPN's Trade Machine and it said the trade FAILED, and that the Lakers would have to cut $685,000 from the trade value.

[BD80]

Looks like the Lakers signed Aaron McKie (who had been an assistant with the Sixers) and threw him into the deal, as an older veteran his salary would be exempt from the cap and yet count into the trade value. He'll probably be cut by Memphis.