I don't have a clue as to what the latest NBA salary cap deal is all about. All I know is that we have had to give up players over the past two years in order to keep or sign other players because of it.
Recent examples include trading away Avery and letting Kelly and Amir walk in order to sign Hayward and (I presume) leave cap space for signing Isaiah next year.
Yes, I realize we may have acquired equal or better talent in Hayward, Baynes, Morris, Larkin, Theis, etc. That's not the argument here. The question I'm asking is, do the Celtics have to go way over the salary cap to have a chance at winning an NBA Championship? And, can they do it? (I'm presuming they do not have enough talent to win it all as the team now stands.)
Let's say after next season the Celtics decide to give Isaiah a $30 million contract. Would they have to go over the cap to sign Marcus Smart? If so, could they also sign another free agent?
I thought that if a team went over the cap they couldn't sign free agents. Yet, it seems Cleveland does it regularly?