This is a system, devised in the 2015-16 season, to reward owners for success with their teams and participation in the league. Every owner wants the ultimate prize, the HAC Championship. However, only one owner per season can win that. There is more to the HAC than just wins and losses, though those matter quite a bit! Because the HAC is an online league, participation is equally as important as wins and losses. Participation is a vague word, and that can mean participation in league discussions in the HAC Facebook group and the league's homepage on Fantrax and it can also mean outstanding in season management of an owner's franchise. These all contribute greatly to the league. In turn, at certain benchmarks for coins accrued, rewards for franchises that increase in value become available to owners to "purchase" for their team. The complete breakdown of Coins and Rewards are below.

• An owner must have owned a player for at least since the trade deadline in the past season to use an offseason prize on a player. If not, the owner will have to pay a "luxury tax" of 200 coins for whatever prize they want to use on the player. (Example: a player acquired in the offseason, and the owner wants to use a prize on that player in the same offseason)
• HAC Coins may be traded; there is no limit to how many coins are allowed to be sent in a trade.
• Coins will continue to accrue over seasons. Prizes are expensive for a reason. These are valuable rewards and the cost will hopefully be an incentive for owners to have to keep attempting to get coins and to ultimately use them.
• Coin awards can sometimes be given out at the whim of the league commissioner but only for a significant achievement or milestone or something that gives value to the league. All coins are distributed by the league commissioner. The goal is to update the coin list weekly at least.
• Coin costs may be adjusted at any time with no warning due to league discussion or Commissioner reconsideration. This is an imperfect system, and adjustments may be necessary.
• The Coins Breakdown listed below is incomplete and not absolutely specific. For example, if an owner of a struggling team consistently sets their lineup and continues to make add/drops, they will be rewarded with Coins.
• An owner may not use two different coin awards on the same player in the same offseason.
• An owner may NOT use the same coin award on the same player in different offseasons. The player must reach free agency before he can have a specific reward used on him a second time. A trade before the player reaches free agency does not matter. For example, two Hometown Discount rewards cannot be used on a player in different offseasons before the player is released back into the draft.
• Restricted Free Agent players are not eligible for coin bonuses.
• A player cannot have both a Hometown Discount and a Time Machine prize in the same contract life. Only one can be used.
• Immediately after the league auction, all players not on a roster go on to waivers for about 72 hours. That allows the entire league to review the free agents. No prizes may be used during this time to acquire a player even though all undrafted players are technically on waivers. Their salary is $5 like a normal free agent.
• 15 coins is the max bet in the HAC Betting Room.

Coin Tally & Breakdown:

Best viewed on the Fantrax league forum in the thread of the same name - Click here to go to it!

***Only one reward can be used on a player until they have been released back into the draft. For example, two Hometown Discount rewards cannot be used on a player in different offseasons before the player is released back into the draft.***

Prizes and Coin Costs

• BONUS CONTRACT (500 coins): This can be used to freeze a player's salary for up to 4 years. After the 4th season, the player becomes draft eligible again. No contract re-negotiation allowed. This contract is akin to a non-guaranteed contract in that it is eligible for RFA and the player can be released at any time with no penalty.
• TIME MACHINE (450 coins): *FOR PLAYERS WHO ARE KEEPERS* Reduce a player’s current salary by 25% during the offseason re-signing period. If a player is currently on a contract (a GC or NGC), the contract will proceed as normal with the newly reduced salary. If the player is not on a contract (say he's on a NGC or an Option Year or some other prize was previously used on him, like a Frozen In Time for example), after using this award, the owner will also need to re-sign the player for the coming season on a non-guaranteed deal. If the owner wants to sign the player, who isn't on a contract to a guaranteed deal, save some coins and use the Hometown Discount prize. Affix this prize's effects to a player's current salary; the 25% decrease will be rounded up. A player cannot have both a Hometown Discount and a Time Machine prize in the same contract life. Only one can be used.

• 4 YEAR RESTRICTED FREE AGENCY (375 COINS): After a player has reached his maximum four years before reaching free agency, an owner can use this prize to grant the player RFA. No less service time under contract will qualify. The owner would then have the right to match the highest bid on the player and retain the player if there are any bids. If none, the owner would get the player back at a discount. The four year clock would then re-start on the player. This prize can be used after a Bonus Contract has expired.
• BUYOUT (325 coins): This will allow an owner to get out of a guaranteed contract, and pay the player off with a modest salary cap hit. This prize would cut the penalty to: 50% in the 1st year, 25% in the 2nd year, 10% in the 3rd year and 5% in the 4th year.
  • The regular salary cap penalty for releasing a player on a GC is 100% in the 1st year, 50% in the 2nd year, 25% in the 3rd year and 10% in the 4th year.
  • For example, if a player with an $8 salary was signed to a three year guaranteed contract, the player's salaries for the next three seasons would be $9, $10 and $11. Using this prize, if the player was released during the 1st year of that contract, the salary cap penalty would be 50% of the player's 1st year salary, rounding up. Meaning, because the player's first year salary was $9, the team's salary cap would be deducted $5 (rounding up from $4.50) during the first season. In the second season, because the player's salary was $10, the cap hit would be $3 ($10 x .25 = $2.50 rounding up). Finally, in the 3rd and final season of the contract, because the player's salary would have been $11, the team's salary cap penalty would be $1 ($11 x .10 = $1.10).
• MERCENARY RECRUITER (310 coins): This will give a team five extra transactions during the season.
  • In the playoffs, this prize's cost is increased to 410 coins.
• KEEPER CAP ZAP (300 coins): This prize allows you to protect one player from counting against the keeper cap.
• HOMETOWN DISCOUNT (275, 300 and 400 coins): This prize is used to re-sign a player to a 25% discount on their first year salary at the start of a new, four year *guaranteed* contract (please view the below details about less than a 4 year GC). What this means is that you will take the figure of the player's current salary, and then apply the discount. This has to be done at the start of a four year guaranteed contract, not during. You'll have to use the Time Machine prize during a GC. An owner will apply this prize and then that new number is the new salary figure. If an owner wants a discount during a contract, or at the start of a non-guaranteed deal, you're going to have to spend more coins for the Time Machine prize. A player cannot have both a Hometown Discount and a Time Machine prize in the same contract life. Only one can be used.
  • Starting in the 2019 offseason, there are tiers to the Hometown Discount prize.
    • 275 COIN PRICE: If you’ve owned the player for MORE than one full season.
    • 300 COIN PRICE: If you’ve owned the player for at least one full season.
    • 400 COIN PRICE: if the player has been owned for any less than one year. There will be a "no trade clause" added. This will entice the player to sign the contract at a lesser salary. If the owner wants to trade the player, they’ll have to pay 200 coins to negotiate with the player’s agent to drop the “no trade clause”. After one year passes from player being given the Hometown Discount, the no trade clause will drop to 100 coins.
  • There will be a “no trade clause” added to every tier of the Hometown Discount going forward. This will entice the player to sign the contract at a lesser salary. If the owner wants to trade the player, they’ll have to pay 100 coins (200 for the 400 coin level) to negotiate with the player’s agent to drop the “no trade clause”.
  • HTD will be a 25% discount for a 4 year GC. However, the discount will be 5% less for each year less on the GC. For example, it will be a 20% discount for a 3 year GC and a 15% discount for a 2 year GC.
• BUY IT NOW (250 coins): An owner can bypass waivers and simply sign a player immediately after he is released. However, an owner cannot release a player from his roster and then use this prize to re-acquire that player. Depending on the status of the player, the player's new salary and the cost of the award will change. The prize will be awarded as close as possible to when the player is set to come off of waivers, to allow multiple people to purchase the prize if necessary. If there are multiple franchise owners who would like to purchase the prize on a player on waivers, then the tiebreaker would be standings. All rookies in their first year will be judged according to their points per game in the current season, 35 games minimum, or approximately halfway into an HAC season. Tiers will be decided upon whichever is greater; the player's points in the entire previous season (NBA, not HAC) or current scoring average (ten games minimum) - always go by the higher threshold. Meaning, if a player scored 1400 points in the previous season, but is averaging 24 points per game in the current season, he would be eligible for a $5 salary, not $3.
  • 250 coins for normal players = less than 1500 points in previous season OR less than 20 HAC ppg in current season (whichever is greater). Salary would be $3. This is a compromise as it is more than a potential $1 or $2 salary if acquired through waivers, but less than a $5 normal free agent salary.
  • 300 coins for a player who scored 1500-2000 points in previous season OR between 20-25 HAC ppg in current season (whichever is greater). Salary = $5.
  • 350 coins for player who scored 2001-2500 points in previous season OR between 25-30 HAC ppg in current season (whichever is greater). Salary = $10.
  • 400 coins for a player who meets this criteria: 2501-2750 HAC previous season points OR between 30-35 HAC ppg in this season or last (whichever is greater) OR NBA All-Star in last 2 years. Salary would be $20.
  • 500 coins for a player who meets this criteria: 2750+ HAC previous season points OR 35+ HAC ppg in this season or last (whichever is greater) OR NBA All-Star in last 3 years. Salary would be $30.
  • 600 coins for a player who meets the 500 coin tier above AND the player was an All-NBA player at any time in the last three years. Salary would be $40.
• BENCH PLAYER (230 coins): This will allow an owner to substitute a player that had less than five HAC points scored for a player that was on the bench in the previous night's game. It is only valid for the previous night - no further than that. Don't come to me three days later hoping to use this!
  • In the playoffs, this prize's cost is doubled to 460 coins.
• ANTHONY BENNETT BAYONET (220 coins): This prize allows you to cut one year off of a guaranteed contract. This cannot take place during the last year of a guaranteed contract.
• BIRD RIGHTS (210 coins): If you've rostered a player for at least 2 seasons, you can keep him for up to 2 or 3 more seasons with no increase on his current value. You only need to pay for this once and you have to have owned the player the entire two seasons. There are tiers to this prize that make it more multi-layered, and hopefully give more freedom to owners. The player's contract will become a guaranteed contract with the application of this prize if it was not before.
  • 210 coins: If you have had the player for two full seasons and you want to use the Bird Rights prize on him for the next two years with no salary increases.
  • 220 coins: If you have had the player for two full seasons and you want to use the Bird Rights prize on him for the next three years with no salary increases.
  • 250 coins: If another year has to be added onto a player's contract to allow for the Bird Rights prize.
    • Example: say if a player was on a two year GC, has played one of those years and the owner wants to add two years onto the GC for the Bird Rights prize with no salary increases. This is provided that the team owner still has rights to the player to be able to add that extra year onto the GC.
  • 275 coins: If two years need to be added onto the player's contract to allow for the Bird Rights prize.
    • Example: say if it a player was on a two year GC, has played one of those years and the owner wants to add three years of the Bird Rights prize with no salary increases. This is also provided that the team owner still has rights to the player to be able to add that extra year onto the GC.
• $0 INJURY REPLACEMENT PLAYER (200 coins): If a player is injured, and it doesn’t matter for how long, an owner can pay for this prize to acquire a free agent at a $0 salary. Once the injured player is healthy, the $0 injury replacement player must be released. However, you can pay coins for the Greg Oden Injury Problem prize (100 coins) to keep the $0 IR replacement player on your roster and release another player. If that happens, the player's salary would convert to $5.
  • If the player is to be re-signed or kept on the active roster, the player's salary converts to $5. If an owner wants the player at a cheaper salary, the owner must pay 100 coins for each dollar deduction.
  • This prize is really for the roster spot. Meaning, a $0 injury replacement player can be released and another can be signed to take his place at the same $0 replacement salary.
• FREE AGENT COUPON (200 coins): This can be used to acquire a free agent and affix a $1 value on him. This is not meant for a player on waivers. The player has to be an actual free agent and any player is eligible. This prize must be used when the player is acquired. NOT at the end of the season. Notification must be sent to the commissioner. Normal keeper rules apply to the player. There are tiers with this prize!
  • 150 coins: This will set a $2 salary on the free agent.
  • 100 coins: This will affix a $3 salary on the free agent.
  • 50 coins: This will affix a $4 salary on the free agent.
• LOANER TRANSACTION (175 COINS): This will allow an owner to dip into his franchise's total available transactions for the season to add to their weekly total. Each loaner transaction will cost 175 coins. To use this prize, an owner must still have available transactions for the season.
  • In the playoffs, this prize's cost is increased to 250 coins.

• SAM BOWIE BREAKER BUYOUT (160 coins): This prize can be used to break a guaranteed contract (GC) like Sam Bowie broke his ankles. However, this buyout prize is different from the above ones. This one will frontload all of the salary cap penalties in one season, rather than spreading them out for the life of the contract.
  • For example, if a player with a $9 salary on a 3 year GC ($10 and $11 upcoming salaries) is released, the normal cumulative cap hit would be $9 (100% hit) + $5 (50%) + $3 (25%) = $17.
  • Using this prize, you can take that $17 cap hit all in one year. Pay another 160 coins, and you can slash that cap hit in half.
• REVOLVING DOOR (150 coins): This prize allows an owner more than the standard 4 transactions per week. This prize gives that owner ONE extra transaction in a week. And the prize lasts for only one week. This can give a franchise a big advantage, so there is a catch with this prize. The catch is, for every extra transaction purchased, your opponent in your matchup will also get an extra transaction.
  • In the playoffs, this prize's cost is increased to 200 coins.
  • IN THE EVENT OF A WAIVER CLAIM: In the event that this prize is being used on a waiver claim, the coins would be deducted and the prize would be communicated to the owner's rival regardless if the claim goes through. This is because, if the claim is done on a weekend, the owner's rival will have precious little time to react. Also, being able to have another transaction in a week makes this a fair risk. So, to make it easy - this will be the case for this prize whenever the prize is purchase. Further, if it is for a waiver claim, the owner will have to give 24 hours notice before the player's waiver time is up.
• CONTRACT RENEGOTIATION (140 coins): Did you give a player an Option Year Contract or too short of a guaranteed deal and have second thoughts? Well, use this prize and renegotiate that contract to retain the player's rights at the player's current value. The owner will still have to re-sign the player. You *can* give a player a second Option Year after the first one. With this prize, you can also extend the length of a guaranteed contract or change a non-guaranteed contract to a guaranteed contract.
  • Something to note with regards to this prize: A player can only be given an Option Year Contract twice before becoming a free agent. A trade to a different team does not restart the player's contract clock.
  • A contract renegotiation can only be done once with a player before the player reaches free agency.
  • This prize does not change the service time of a player. If a player goes from an Option Year to an NGC, he can only be retained for a total of 4 years.
  • You cannot use this to get out of a guaranteed contract. The only way to get out of a guaranteed contract is to buy the player out as the contract is, well, guaranteed money to the player.
• FROZEN IN TIME (130 coins): This will freeze a player's salary for one season, but the player will not become a free agent at season's end like an Option Year Contract. The player's keeper status will continue as before. This is the equivalent of a non-guaranteed contract. Cannot be used during a Guaranteed Contract.
• PLAYER OPTION (110 coins): To be used with a new guaranteed contract. For taking a risk on giving a player a player option, a team would get a 20% discount on the player's first year salary on a new contract and start the salary increases from that new number. With a player option, if the player scores more than their previous season for in-season fantasy points in the last year of their GC before the Player Option, the player will declare free agency. But if he scores under that, the player will opt in for the last year of his contract. An owner can use this for a 2, 3 or 4 year GC.
• GREG ODEN INJURY PROBLEM (100 coins): This prize will allow an owner to place a $0 IR player on their IR list at a salary of $5 and acquire another $0 IR replacement player. Or, it will allow an owner to keep a $0 IR replacement player on the roster at $5 and release another player instead once the original injured player comes back.
  • If an owner wants the player at a cheaper salary, the owner must pay 100 coins for each dollar deduction.

• VAGABOND VOYAGER (90 COINS): This will allow an owner to retain a player's rights who has been signed to an HAC contract (guaranteed or non guaranteed) and who has retired or left the NBA for another league in Europe or China or Antartica. The player's contract will not be frozen and will expire in the original year it was originally slated to.
• RFA FRENZY (80 COINS): This will allow an owner to grant an additional player Restricted Free Agency.
• BACK FROM THE DEAD (70 COINS): Did you release a player after keepers were announced, and after the restricted free agency period has started, but now want to bring him back as a keeper? This award will let you do that. An owner will still have to re-sign the player at normal costs. There are additional tiers with this prize.
  • 50 coins - For releasing a player after the season, but before keeper submissions and you want the player back.
  • 60 coins - For releasing the player during keeper submissions, but before RFA has started.
• TEAM OPTION (60 coins): To be used with a new guaranteed contract. Doing a team option, a player would start a contract at a salary 10% more than they ordinarily would. In exchange, in the last year of a team option, the team then can decide to cut the player with no penalty or keep him. An owner can use this for a 2, 3 or 4 year GC.
• ANDREW BYNUM QUITTER (60 coins): Andrew Bynum wasn’t sure if he really wanted to play basketball. Well, if you have a change of heart in keeping a player after re-signings have been declared, you can use this prize and reclaim the cap money that you “paid” to keep that player.
• RFA COMPENSATION (50 COINS): This prize will allow an owner to grant a player Restricted Free Agency and in the event that the player's salary is too high to match, that owner will get coins back as compensation for losing that player. This prize *must* be purchased before RFA starts. HAC points scored are only accrued to the conclusion of the HAC season...not the NBA season, as the HAC ends its season approximately two weeks before the NBA season ends. So, if a player scores 1,900 points at the conclusion of the HAC season, but 2,100 points at the conclusion of the NBA season - the 1,900 total is what is used.
  • For a Level 1 player, the owner would get back 200 coins. Qualification: 3000 HAC season points OR 40 HAC ppg OR NBA All-Star.
  • For a Level 2 player, the owner would get back 150 coins. Qualification: 2000 HAC season points OR 30 HAC ppg.
  • Any other player qualifies as a Level 3 player; the owner would get back 100 coins.
• DR. JACK RAMSAY CONTINGENCY LINEUP (50 coins): Last minute scratches happen, where a player is declared out right before their game. That really stinks, but there is a way around that. If a player was declared out at the last minute and you had that player in your lineup, pay up for this, and you can replace that player up to 24 hours after that day's games. It is the owner's responsibility to notify the commissioner *and* their opponent about this within that 24 hour time limit.
  • Dr. Jack Ramsay was a NBA general manager who won a title with the 1966-67 Philadelphia 76ers. As a head coach, he won another with the 1976-77 Portland Trail Blazers. He was also a longtime NBA radio broadcaster. This is a man who always had a contingency plan. Follow Dr. Jack's lead.
• KEVIN HARLAN GUSHING PRAISE (30 coins): Buy this, and receive three instances where at any point you can require any owner of your choosing to heap gushing praise on you on the HAC Facebook group. If the owner does not do this by the end of the calendar season, not only will that owner owe the owner who purchased this award 30 coins, they will also need to pay 30 coins to the HAC Coin bank as a penalty.
• HUBIE BROWN "PLENTY OF TIME" LINEUP INTERVENTION (25 coins): Forget to set your lineup and realize it after games have started? Well, you can ask the commissioner to insert a player on your bench into the starting lineup, but only if that player, and the player you are subbing out, are in the first quarter of their games. If the first quarter has completed, it is too late for this prize.
• CHARLES BARKLEY BETTING ROOM (5 coins minimum; 15 coins maximum): Example - bet 10 coins to win a game and if you win, depending on the odds, you'll get coins back. Downside? If you lose, your opponent that week gets your 10 coins. The owner must communicate this bet to the commissioner and their opponent.

HAC Coins Transactions

What have HAC owners used coins for with their franchises? Find out in this future page.

Previous Detailed Coin Tallies, by owner

2015-16 was the first full season for Coins.

HAC Betting Room

Keepers

HAC Guide Home Page