Still, that configuration leaves us with only the TPMLE to fill both the 2nd and 3rd string C spots. Meanwhile, Mo sort of makes Dadiet redundant, so it seems like moving Dadoet to free up money for Huk and using the full TPMLE to attract the best 2nd string C we can find would be a better path.

I think the move is to sign Kayil to a 2-way and free up a spot for Huk. It gets us $5M for the TP-MLE out of a possible $6M. Probably enough for the guys out there.

So:

Starters
1. KAT
2. OG
3. Hart
4. Mikal
5. Brunson

2nd Unit
6. Deuce
7. Alvarado
8. Shamet
9. Diawara
10. $5M Center or
11. Huk

End of Bench
12. Kolek
13. Dadiet
14. Nickel

2-way McCullar
2-way Dillon Jones
2-way Jack Kayil

Of course, this all assumes that Mitch is not coming back, which I think is a pretty safe assumption at this point.

I figured it out last night…

I did say the same thing like a week ago that our best option was to re-sign everyone, go over the second apron next season, and KAT opts out and we re-sign him to a number that gets us back below the apron after next season.

because if we used the full TPMLE on a player ant that used all of our cap space, we’d only be at 13 players.

1. KAT
2. OG
3. Hart
4. Mikal
5. Brunson
6. Deuce
7. Alvarado
8. Shamet
9. Diawara
10. Kolek
11. Dadiet
12. Kayil
13. Nickel
14. TP-MLE

I figured it out last night…

If the Knicks pay Mitch a multi year deal at ~$15M they go slightly over the SA now. But if KAT declines his player option for a 3 or 4 year extension averaging ~$50-55M/year, that trims enough off next year’s payroll to automatically get the Knicks under the second apron without having to do anything. It mathematically guarantees we will not be in the second apron two years in a row.

Leon’s got the KAT extension agreed to in principle. That’s the number we can’t see. Landry’s salary is not the number that allows us to use the TPMLE this year. It’s the number that gets us under the second apron in 2027-28.

So what is the hold up?

I’m not sure Mitch wants to come back.

Maybe he wants more $ than what the Knicks carved out. Maybe he wants to start somewhere. Maybe he doesn’t take this shit too seriously and just wants to have more fun.

But I think the last piece here is not convincing Dipshit to go over the second apron, it’s convincing Mitch to return.

Exhibit A:

If we sign Huk to the minimum, it cuts into the TP-MLE. We’d have around $3.7M instead of $6M.

We can’t even sign Huk and use the TPMLE. Or we have to shed 2-3 players to be able to use it. Come on. This isn’t “flexibility”, it’s suicide.

Even a dipshit like Dolan can figure it out now.

The idea of James Dolan actually being clever is bit of a far reach for me…

Oh no. Absolutely not.

But what have I been saying all this time? Dolan is like Trump. And Trump always chickens out when one of his stupid ideas blows up in his face. You just have to give him some transparent face-saving bullshit as cover.

That’s what Carton just did. And that’s how I know this is all over (and you should, too).

Carton is Trump’s Fox News. What do they do every time Trump chickens out? They go on the air and spin it like it was The Art Of The Deal all along, like Carton’s doing right now.

It’s his transparent face-saving cover for changing his mind. That’s how you know this is almost over.

My recollection is that the MLE can’t be aggregated.