LALIllustrative preview
Wing upgrade framework
the Lakers' need vector starts with two-way wings who fit under the apron math.
Legality: checked by Cap Engine v2024-25.3 when the data pipeline goes live · Fit Analysis: AI-generated estimate
Trade Wire — Preview
What the wire is watching
- LALexploring wing upgrades ahead of the deadline window
- BOScap sheet stays clean — second apron avoided in latest sim
- DENbench scoring flagged as top trade priority by the engine
- PHXhard-cap math blocks the rumored three-team framework
Preview items shown in the live format. When the feed connects, every item carries “Last checked at HH:MM ET via [source] — Confidence: Official/Reported.”
Daily Trade Watch
3 legal-trade frameworks, every morning
DENIllustrative preview
Bench scoring package
Denver's second unit is the flagged gap; the engine tests guard/wing combos against the tax line.
Legality: checked by Cap Engine v2024-25.3 when the data pipeline goes live · Fit Analysis: AI-generated estimate
PHXIllustrative preview
Three-team framework
rerouted after the hard-cap math blocked the rumored version; the legal path costs a pick swap.
Legality: checked by Cap Engine v2024-25.3 when the data pipeline goes live · Fit Analysis: AI-generated estimate
Frameworks are illustrative in this preview edition. Published cards show the engine version and the fit label on every trade — legality from the engine, story from the AI, never the reverse.
Cap Apocalypse Meter
How close is each team to the wall?
SECOND-APRON PRESSURE — LEAGUE PREVIEW
The meter tracks days to the hard cap and dollars below the first and second apron for all 30 teams, validated nightly. Full per-team meters open with the Cap Tracker release.
The Engine
What the cap engine checks
First & Second ApronSpending ceilings above the tax line — each one switches off different trade tools.
110% / 125% MatchingSalary matching bands depend on how much salary a team sends out.
Aggregation BanSecond-apron teams cannot combine salaries to match one bigger contract.
Base Year CompensationA freshly extended player's outgoing value can count at half — the classic silent deal-killer.
Poison PillRookie extensions make a player's trade value two numbers at once until the extension starts.
Stepien RuleNo trading away first-round picks in consecutive future years.
Trade ExceptionsBanked salary slots with expiry dates — use them or lose them.
Cash LimitsAnnual caps on cash sent and received in deals, tracked per season.
Every check returns a verdict and a reason code with the rule cited — for example: “Fails: Second Apron team cannot aggregate per CBA 7.3.b.” The engine is versioned and re-tested against historical trades before any release.
Separation of powers
Engine judges. AI narrates.
The Cap Engine (deterministic)
Encodes the 2023 CBA: aprons, matching bands, aggregation, BYC, poison pills, Stepien, exceptions, cash. Same input, same verdict, every time — with the rule cited. The AI never decides legality.
Trader AI (storyteller)
Reads the roster, the injury report, and the team's need vector, then proposes packages and writes the “why each team says yes” fit analysis — always labeled an AI-generated estimate.