Quoting: JuanDamienNebraska
They’ll just buy him out in the summer.
This isn't the simple and easy solution people believe. Maximizing cap is essential to a contender.
You might save $1M here and there on paper, but there's a higher opportunity cost to all subsequent moves.
Even just buying out Campbell and replacing him with a $3M backup, that backup is actually a net of $4-5M. You aren't actually saving anything.
You're running tight to the cap just to have a competitive roster, then the deadline rolls around and everyone is adding upgrades, but you're $1M short of being able to fit that A-tier rental.
That B-tier rental costs you more because you need double retention.
You get outbid on that free agent because you're a little short on cap space.
This all continues for 6 years and there's no way out of it. You can't trade that dead cap or buy it back.
It's much better to be free and clear, or at least take back a different contract that might work out for you.