Quote:
Originally Posted by ResAlien
You win with cheap contracts in a salary cap league right? So keep guys cheap as long as possible.
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Bridges aren't cheap though. They're market value and they ensure market value going forward.
Long term deals have their risks, but the gamble is that while you'll probably be paying market value in later years salary wise, the AAV will be skewed downward by otherwise bridge years.
For instance if your projection is:
Bridge
2M
3M
Total Salary 5M
AAV 2.5M
+
5Y Contract
5M
5M
5M
5M
5M
Total Salary 25M
AAV 5M
vs
7Y deal
2.5M
3.5M
4M
5M
5M
5M
5M
Total Salary 30M
AAV 4.29M
The bridge makes sense if you have no idea what you have in a player, or limited confidence in that player. But if you're projecting a significant raise after the bridge, the short-term savings are not as useful as the long term savings, especially since the final dollars will not be very different.
Personally, I only see bridges as making sense for fringe players, guys like Lazar. For a guy you project to be there with you six-seven years from now, you go long term, as the savings long term will help you more when your core is due for raises.