Niners Nation After Dark: NBA Trade Deadline And The NFL

by David Fucillo on Feb 25, 2011 12:00 AM PST in Random Open Threads

Welcome back to the NBA Trade Deadline edition of Niners Nation After Dark. For those that didn't know, earlier today the NBA had its trade deadline. There have been some sizable trades this week (Carmelo Anthony to the Knicks, Deron Williams to the Nets), and it wrapped up with a flurry of deals at the noon pacific deadline (exactly 12 hours ago). The most recognizable trade deadline in sports is usually Major League Baseball's annual deadline. The trade deadline occurs on July 31 and there us usually a huge variety of big and small deals affecting most teams in the league. The league allows waiver trades after July 31, but the real action is often right around that July 31 deadline.

I bring this up because the NFL's trade deadline is generally a quiet affair that raises little fanfare. This past season the trade deadline was October 9 and I could probably count on one hand how many fans that don't visit Niners Nation who knew that was the trade deadline. The NFL has done an excellent job keeping their league in the news for almost the entire calendar year. Outside of football season from August through early February, they get a ton of coverage from January to April preparing for the draft, you've got the February Combine, March free agency (normally), May minicamps, June OTAs, and training camp gearing up in July. It's basically a year-round league at this point.

However, as solid as that might be, the current structure with contracts prevents the trading deadline from being particularly memorable. The NFL's hard salary cap implements a speeding up of signing bonus amortization that makes it difficult to make many big deals. We'll see a big deal occasionally (remember Clinton Portis for Champ Bailey?) but it's very rare.

As the NFL and NFLPA work on a new deal, is it possible to make the league more trade-friendly? That's really the least of their concerns as they try and hammer out a new deal, but the chatter around a trade deadline can be incredibly enjoyable. Everybody loves the offseason hot stove and an active trade deadline brings that to the regular season. What do folks think? Is the NFL's financial system strong enough that it's not worth messing around to improve the trade deadline? Or should the league look into ways to improve the trade deadline?

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I just think that it is a result

of football being a completely different game than baseball, basketball, or hockey. Not to degrade those sports any, because I love some of them, but you can trade for a new center fielder and he steps right into your lineup, no problems. You can’t exactly do that with a football player. That results from all of the different schemes, playbooks, plays, and formations run across the league. Now I’m not saying the elite players wouldn’t be able to step in and do well, but the reality is that cohesiveness and trust are a must among the 11 men on the field. I just think that the nature of the game itself is what results in a lackluster “trading deadline”

"God tells me he can get me out of this mess, but he's pretty sure you're fucked."-Braveheart

by Camraman926 on Feb 25, 2011 12:07 AM PST reply actions

Guess who isn't procrastinating

Kellen Moore is awesome
Katie Mcgrath is our savior
my dog <3

by manraj7 on Feb 25, 2011 12:20 AM PST reply actions

nice

The scheduling of posts might be my favorite feature. I’m on my way home from working a third night of Prince in Oakland. Really great shows.

by David Fucillo on Feb 25, 2011 12:29 AM PST via mobile up reply actions

Sorry I never talk about the subject at hand.

But I’m not procrastinating I have until Sunday to turn in my hw.

Kellen Moore is awesome
Katie Mcgrath is our savior
my dog <3

by manraj7 on Feb 25, 2011 12:44 AM PST up reply actions

I kinda hate you manraj…my hw is due in about 6 hours..give or take

"It is not enough that we win; all others must lose" -Larry Ellison
"I come up with something when I’ve got nothing, and it’s always brilliant. Always. So I reject your logic." -Grant

by Mdizzle138 on Feb 25, 2011 1:22 AM PST up reply actions

You are worse than me

Kellen Moore is awesome
Katie Mcgrath is our savior
my dog <3

by manraj7 on Feb 25, 2011 2:01 AM PST up reply actions

warriors traded for dwight howard!!!

oh, that is next year, one year too early

lol

"You know whats funny? I always thought uhm dogs lay eggs and I learned something new today" Peter Griffin

by HUNGRY HUNTER on Feb 25, 2011 12:45 AM PST reply actions

random question:

does anyone know if there’s a limit on how far into the future you can trade draft picks?

like, could someone trade a 2026 draft pick if they wanted to?

We don't need 8 in the box. We have 52 in the box.

by these3words on Feb 25, 2011 1:13 AM PST reply actions

With even next years picks being heavily discounted

compared to the same pick this year… I’m sure somebody would give us a ham sandwich for a 2026 pick. I’ve never heard of a limit on trading picks.

by Ougadas on Feb 25, 2011 1:20 AM PST up reply actions

If it were Honeybake Ham…I’d take that trade

"It is not enough that we win; all others must lose" -Larry Ellison
"I come up with something when I’ve got nothing, and it’s always brilliant. Always. So I reject your logic." -Grant

by Mdizzle138 on Feb 25, 2011 1:24 AM PST up reply actions

The only way to get more trades in the NFL

Is to remove prorating bonus money over the life of the contract.

This tool exists to allow teams a way of circumventing the cap by turning salary into a one time guaranteed cash payout which can be distributed evenly over the years. Then the base salary can be heavily backloaded, where both the team and the player know they are never going to see the heavy backloaded years.. the player will re-negotiate or be cut.

As it stands, if you trade a player, all that prorated bonus money counting on future years caps comes crashing down on your current years cap.

Worse, the new player you are getting is likely at the end of a poorly written contract, so you have to sign him to a long term deal too.

If either action would put you over the cap, the transaction is denied by the NFL front office.

Worse, these kind of moves tend to put you in salary cap hell… where you have a large (5-10%) of your salary allocation tied up in players who are no longer on your roster.

by Ougadas on Feb 25, 2011 1:19 AM PST reply actions

alternative solution:

make it so that if you trade a player, ALL salary cap implications are traded with him.

this seems like it would solve the problem with prorated bonus money crashing down on one year, and the only way players could count against your cap without being on the team is if you cut them.

We don't need 8 in the box. We have 52 in the box.

by these3words on Feb 25, 2011 6:41 AM PST up reply actions

It seems like that would

reduce trading.

And it’s treating symptoms without getting to the root of the problem.

There is absolutely no point in having a salary cap if you leave open a loophole to get around it.

by Ougadas on Feb 25, 2011 10:32 AM PST up reply actions

i don't see how that's a loophole.

We don't need 8 in the box. We have 52 in the box.

by these3words on Feb 26, 2011 7:31 AM PST up reply actions

I've long wanted them

to make contracts trade-able entirely. I think it’d improve the league. There have been plenty of situations where a team and player are unhappy, but they can’t make the trade because they’d be blowing 15 million in remaining guaranteed money on nothing.

by whistlingmountain on Feb 25, 2011 9:07 AM PST up reply actions

Agree with Camraman926

Nature of the game. I mean you see big money off-season free-agents flop (seemingly annually in Washington) and they have whole offseasons to prepare.

You can also look at that great trade the Cowboy’s pulled off with Detroit for Roy Williams – that went well, at least if you dislike the Cowboys that is, or you’re a Detroit fan :)

The way it is makes sense, with such a short season compared to most other sports

by DaveintheUK on Feb 25, 2011 1:19 AM PST reply actions