Financial gains - Moneyball

[Celtic4Hire@xxxxxxx]

It seems all these GMs have read Moneyball about the Oakland Athletics by the 
way they are focusing on the money situation and going young. Has anyone read 
it? I have heard it mentioned as recommended reading from financial sites. 
Just saw that Larry Brown was reading it from a previous post....

DJessen33

Financial gain expected from trade
By Matt Steinmetz
CONTRA COSTA TIMES

Less than a year ago, Warriors general manager Garry St. Jean was talking to 
reporters in his office when he showed them a blackboard with the following 
words written on it: "Warriors' philosophy."

Under that heading were approximately 10 guidelines for the upcoming season. 
Among them: "Develop the young core; no short-term fixes; stick with the plan 
-- go young."

On Monday, an eight-player trade between the Warriors and Dallas is expected 
to be finalized, one that will send Antawn Jamison, the team's leading scorer 
for the past four years, and three other players, to the Mavericks for point 
guards Nick Van Exel and Avery Johnson, forward Popeye Jones and center Evan 
Eschmeyer.

Within the past two months, the Warriors, who are coming off their most 
successful season since 1993-94, have turned over half their roster. They drafted 
shooting guard Mickael Pietrus, signed free-agent point guard Speedy Claxton 
and are on the cusp of adding those four Mavericks, three of whom are 32 years 
of age or older. The league is expected to make the deal official on Monday.

In the meantime, they lost starting point guard Gilbert Arenas, 21, to the 
Washington Wizards and backup Earl Boykins to the Denver Nuggets via free 
agency. And now, Jamison, Danny Fortson, Chris Mills and Jiri Welsch are no longer 
in the picture.

The trade with Dallas not only will have a significant impact on the court 
but on the team's future salary cap situation. The effects on the hardwood will 
come immediately. But the financial flexibility that the trade could yield 
probably won't come for a few years.

Jamison's departure likely will open up the starting small forward position 
for Mike Dunleavy, who played sparingly last season as a rookie. In Jamison, 
the Warriors lose a player who has averaged over 20 points per game during his 
five-year career. Arenas, who averaged 18.6 points per game last season, was 
the team's second-leading scorer a year ago.

Van Exel, Dallas' second-leading scorer in the playoffs last season, will 
likely inherit Arenas' starting position, forcing Claxton into a backup role.

The move does allow the Warriors, coming off a 38-44 season, to get out from 
under Jamison's unwieldy contract. He is set to earn $69 million over the next 
five years -- and an exorbitant $19.1 million in 2007-08. Trading Fortson, 
who missed 65 games for a variety of reasons last season, will save the Warriors 
almost $26 million over the next four years.

Johnson, who will make $5.4 million this season, and Mills, who will make $6 
million, are on the final year of their contracts. In all, the Warriors lopped 
off approximately $45 million in guaranteed payroll that was to be paid out 
through 2008.

That savings, however, likely won't be felt until after the 2006 season, when 
Van Exel's contract expires. The only way the Warriors will get a quick 
financial windfall from the trade is if Van Exel opts out of his contract at 
season's end. Van Exel, who has approximately $35 million remaining on his deal, 
would have to leave $25 million of it on the table -- in order to become a free 
agent at the end of 2003-04.

Further clouding the salary cap issue is that center Erick Dampier also has 
an opt-out clause after this year. If Dampier opts out, he would give up $17 
million over the final two years of his contract. If Van Exel and Dampier don't 
opt out, the Warriors' payroll next summer will likely hover around $40 
million, not far enough under the salary cap to be a major player in the free agent 
market.

Salary cap relief might not come until after the 2006 season, when the 
contracts of Van Exel and Dampier expire. As of now, only Eschmeyer has a guaranteed 
deal that extends into the 2006-07 season.