Being over the luxury tax threshold also stops Boston from being able to make sign and trades. That new rule comes into force next summer.
Can't be over the apron after the trade. There's plenty of room still for a sign and trade to be made as it stands. So it's not about being tax payers, but being 4 million above the tax line, since otherwise it would be a circumvention of the hard cap they have set in place.
No sign and trades + mini-MLE = Minimal opportunities to upgrade team via Free Agency
I think there's still an opportunity we have the Full MLE next year. We'll have to see how the luxury tax line plays out next season.
That said, at the very least, Jeff Green is valued as an MLE player so for all intents and purposes, he's the would be MLE acquisition.
He's still young, and a very tradeable contract with some heft, something that is always needed to facilitate big trades when needed.
The "minimal" opportunities to upgrade the team next year and on I think are very much worth the risk, particularly when considering this year's championship aspirations, and as it is, I'm not sure we're not in a better position right now, with more assets in place, to do a better job upgrading.