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**MJG** · 07-11-2004, 08:59 PM

Now that we believe we will be losing Etan Thomas, we're trying to figure just what is the amount we'll be able to offer as a max to remaining free agents. We've all done our own calculations, and we've gotten everything from the MLE to $7.9 million. My personal guess was just slightly over the MLE, if the cap is at about $45 million.

Basically, I have one simple question for you So Cal, whom I consider the expert on the subject here -- assuming the Wizards renounce their rights to Etan Thomas and let him go to another team, what is the amount of money we'll have to offer? I don't know if you have any information/guesses as to where the cap is at, but if you don't, you can base it off whatever number you think is good.

Thanks very much for taking the time to answer.

(Side note: I do have your spreadsheet -- which I apologize for never sending a thank you email for, by the way -- but I'm looking for an "official" answer that I can link to on the Wizards board to hopefully clear up the confusion we're having.)

**Storyteller** · 07-12-2004, 11:17 AM

I don't think the Wizards would have any cap room, even after renouncing Thomas, Whitney and Butler. Here's what I have as player salaries for them:

Jamison - $12.585 million
Arenas - $9.350 million
Hughes - $5.499 million
Brown - $5.362 million
Hayes - $1.880 million
Jeffries - $1.834 million
Haywood - $1.735 million
Dixon - $1.348 milllion
Blake - $0.620 million

That's $40.213 million for 9 players. Now, because they'd have less than 11 players counting towards their team salary, they'd also have two cap holds at $0.385 each. Bringing their lowest possible team salary to $40.983 million.

Even with a $45 million dollar cap, that doesn't leave them any room. Unless, of course, the Wizards renounced their MLE, their Million Dollar Exception and their two trade exceptions just to get $4 million of cap room. (Remember, all these exceptions count against the cap until they are renounced)

But the only reason I can think of why they would do this is if they needed $4 million cap room for a trade. Why else would you renounce an exception that lets you sign a FA for $5 million for cap room that only lets you sign a FA for $4 million?

Unfortunately, I don't have a straight answer to your simple question because we don't know what the salary cap is. Once that's announced tomorrow, I can give you a better answer. But even the $45 million cap figure is extremely optimistic. So, my best guess is that Washington won't have any cap room, even if Thomas leaves.

Today, my best answer is "Nothing bigger than the MLE"

Hope this helps.

**MJG** · 07-12-2004, 01:18 PM

Thank you very much, that's what I was looking for exactly. I'll post it on the Wizards board so we can have this settled. I don't think the official cap will change anything, for as you said $45 million is a generous number and even then we don't have much to offer, but if it's that much higher than expected as to change our situation then I'll gladly take an update. Thank you again.

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