Illini in the Pros (Basketball)
CHI ---> T-WOLVES
High school.
Ayo was great in college. THT had the athleticism that blinded my judgement.
lstewart53x3
- Scottsdale, Arizona
PLAYOFFS
Because of the trade and his “Bird” status 
I read that the Timberwolves can sign Ayo to a 3-year, $52.4 million contract with no impact on salary cap or luxury tax. Can’t imagine they don’t want him back.
I read that the Timberwolves can sign Ayo to a 3-year, $52.4 million contract with no impact on salary cap or luxury tax. Can’t imagine they don’t want him back.ChiefGritty
- Chicago, IL
Well, it does impact the salary cap and the luxury tax in the sense of that money still counting. But they are allowed to go over the cap to sign Ayo because they hold his Bird rights, which they cannot do for players who are not theirs.Because of the trade and his “Bird” status
In terms of the max deal he can get I'm not really clear on that, the NBA CBA keeps getting more complicated.
Anyway, you get the sense that the T'Wolves will be all-in on keeping him, they like the concept of Ayo and Edwards as running mates, and now Donte DiVincenzo figures to miss much of next season.
Whether Ayo could get more money elsewhere is unclear.
NBA reddit seems to think he could get close to $30 mil/yr.
I certainly think someone will pay more than $20 mil/yr. He really needs to test free agency, this is almost certainly the best opportunity he will have in his career for a big payday.
I-L-L ChiefGritty
- Chicago, IL
The trouble is how many teams have the cap space to make him an offer like that, very few (the Bulls do
)Free agency is not what it was, the owners have quietly crushed the union over the last few cycles in terms of players ability to seek new teams without the permission and participation of their current one.
Ayo will likely get generational wealth wherever he ends up. I hope it’s the best fit for him. He deserves a leading role somewhere.
Bill Simmons and Zach Lowe were discussing Ayo getting 4 years $110 million after his post trade performance, plus these playoffs. But also mentioned that none of the teams with a lot of salary cap space really make much sense.The trouble is how many teams have the cap space to make him an offer like that, very few (the Bulls do
Free agency is not what it was, the owners have quietly crushed the union over the last few cycles in terms of players ability to seek new teams without the permission and participation of their current one.
hooraybeer
- Peoria, IL
ayo is going to get an opportunity that he (and his agent) could only have dreamt up to this point: a chance to prove himself as "the guy" on a playoff team leading into unrestricted free agency
ChiefGritty
- Chicago, IL
Well and let's not be too postmodern Twitter-brained sports fans here, tonight at 9:30 PM (ugh), Ayo in Denver needing to lead the short-handed T'Wolves with a chance to close out the series. TSJ will surely play a role as well.
The summer will be what it will be, there's an opportunity right now.
The summer will be what it will be, there's an opportunity right now.
I've seen some people mention the Lakers, who are about to have a ton of space clear up, especially if LeBron moves on (either to retirement or to a different team).The trouble is how many teams have the cap space to make him an offer like that, very few (the Bulls do
Free agency is not what it was, the owners have quietly crushed the union over the last few cycles in terms of players ability to seek new teams without the permission and participation of their current one.
Plus, the cap is kind of illusory in a lot of these scenarios. A lot of teams have weird cap holds in place just so they can qualify for things like the mid level exception (which allow you to sign a player for up to $14 million if you're above the cap but under the luxury tax - you don't get this if you're under the cap even by just $1 million). For example, Minnesota still has a cap hold on the books for Evan Turner for $27 million because they have his rights if he ever comes back to the NBA. Evan Turner hasn't played since the 2019-2020 season. If they every needed to, they could renounce his rights and clear that cap hold, but they haven't needed to yet. It's actually kind of funny. Miami still has a $2.5 million cap hold on Dwayne Wade.
These are the teams that, according to Spotrac, can clear enough cap space to give a free agent $30 million without Bird Rights:
Brooklyn Nets - (max cap space = $55 million)
Chicago Bulls ($69 million)
Detroit Pistons ($48 million)
LA Clippers ($42 millon)
LA Lakers ($80 million)
Memphis Grizzlies ($52 million)
Miami Heat ($32 million)
Washington Wizards ($47 million)
That definitely narrows it down, but all it takes is a couple teams to be interested. And from what I've read, Minnesota's partial Bird Rights become full Bird Rights when Ayo hits free agency, which means that they don't have the salary restrictions to sign him that they would if they agreed to an extension before FA. I have a feeling if push comes to shove The T-Wolves would go into the first apron to sign him, especially with DiVincenzo likely missing a portion of next season, and if they really need to clear the first apron restrictions can always just renounce Evan Turners rights and clear that cap hold.
ChiefGritty
- Chicago, IL
And then sign-and-trades are a whole other kettle of fish.
Teambuilding in today's NBA being too complicated to be satisfyingly followed by the casual fan is an underrated source of the league's problems, imho.
In what seemed like a heartbeat they went from first to last among the pro sports in how engaging it was to follow the team construction process.
