Because there is a soft cap you can’t really be competitive unless you are over it. Which means ²⁸⁄₃₀ teams almost never have cap space even if you have expiring salary. So the market to sign RFAs is just non-existent because even the teams with space need to move into UFAs before they are snstched up.

They need to have RFA happen before UFA or have a real hard cap.

Yup. Thats the big problem.

Its why I never understood Bill Simmons yelling about the Spurs not signing Austin Reeves to an offer sheet lol

What does it mean to offer sheet as opposed to other options? Is the issue basically that they could accept or decline and it wastes time with other targets? Isn’t that the same deal in regular free agency?

the problem is, the market is different for a RFA than a normal market because teams can match you. For example, a team currently without cap space is fully willing to give someone 30m AAV, and is willing to give up assets to create that space, but, that team is not willing to give an offer sheet, have it be matched, and now just sitting with extra cap space that they gave up assets for.

As a fan, I like the team control. As a human, I think restricted free agency is a blight on our society (hyperbole).

But I more just meant I could argue the mechanism isn’t working as intended since its imperative teams dont tie up their cap space. So there’s not even real restricted free agency available.

Thats probably because the people actually getting to this point aren’t valuable enough to warrant it. Every potential valuable restricted free agent is locked up way before.

Thats why I say the process feels broken. But its probably not. I also said it that way because it was a passing thought I hadnt developed all the way until now.

This was a long winded way to say I pretty much agree.

They could make it a lot better without getting rid of team control. The combination of teams getting 2 full days to match and offer sheets not being able to be signed until free agency fully starts (July 6th) really makes it hard for players to get teams to open up space to sign. This is even worse because now most teams don’t have space because most guys don’t reach free agency.

Like if they made it so teams had 12 hours to match and offer sheets could be signed July 1st (and the 12 hour timer started triggering then) I would be a lot more on board.

I should have been more clear. I meant outside this outlier situation.

I think the other problem is its never been more punitive to have to tie up big chunks of money on an offer sheet.

Free agency requires you to be in on the trade market which requires cap flexibility. An offer sheet hinders that.

Clippers are not looking to contend, so they are ok with waiting. Contending teams even if they have the cap space would not want to wait to see if Denver would match and then miss out on other free agents.

Did you just steal this guy’s comment, lol:

https://www.reddit.com/r/nba/comments/1uqhmrs/charania_the_golden_state_warriors_decided_not_to/ow85t5h/

Low-key one of the times I was surprised an RFA S+T didn’t happen was when Pacers threw the offer sheet at Ayton. Thought maybe there could have been a Turner Ayton deal but it ended up working out for the Pacers finals run

I do think the current system has destroyed the RFA process. The real argument is does that matter at all. And the answer is probably no.

Your fix is interesting. I wasnt even considering ways to revive the corpse.

You are proposing an even harder cap than the 2nd apron is…

And people saying 2nd apron is not fun, let alone what you proposed.

Right, so not one RFA has functionally been a Free Agent for 6 years. Their new team had to trade for them

This completely ignores that the original team can then just hold the signing teams cap space hostage as “punishment” for them signing their player. It’s another BS way RFA screws over players. They should reduce it further and allow those players to sign and have the matching period trigger during the moratorium (July 1st). If the original team really wants to match and keep the player they still can but they can’t just take it for granted.

I was joking, the Kings aren’t even worth intentionally screwing over. They would have found a way to do it to themselves regardless.

Usually with franchise tags NFL players make high end money. Sure it’s a 1 year deal and players want contact security for multiple years but to me I would take all that money.

Sure they might be get a lower deal from teams or something like an injury occurs but that’s a lot of money to pass up.