Free Agent Spending By Division: Southwest
Our look at offseason spending continues today as we examine the fifth of six NBA divisions. So far, we've covered free agent expenditures in the Atlantic, Central and Southeast, and Northwest divisions, using Hoops Rumors' Free Agent Tracker. The Southwest division is up next, and it includes a surprising pair of teams at the top and bottom.
Once again, these figures only take into account free agent signings, so salary absorbed in trades or money used to sign draft picks isn't included in this list. Additionally, not all of this salary is necessarily guaranteed, which we'll try to note as we go along. Here are this summer's Southwest Division free agent costs, sorted by player salary:
New Orleans Hornets: $108.948MM (Ryan Anderson, Eric Gordon, Robin Lopez, Roger Mason)
It wasn't a surprise to see the Hornets match the Suns' max offer sheet for Gordon and bring him back on a four-year deal worth $58MM+. But I wasn't expecting the Hornets to splurge on a couple more free agents, as they did with Anderson and Lopez. To be fair, it appears only the first year of Lopez's three-year, $15MM+ contract is guaranteed, but Anderson's four-year, $34MM deal is fully guaranteed. With Gordon, Anderson, Anthony Davis, and Austin Rivers signing four-year deals this summer, the Hornets' core appears to be in place through at least 2016.
Houston Rockets: $56.248MM (Omer Asik, Carlos Delfino, Jeremy Lin)
It appeared for some time as if the Rockets would use their cap space to absorb salary in a major trade. Instead, they used it to sign a pair of players to offer sheets they may have thought would be matched. The "poison pill" included in both Asik's and Lin's offer sheets won't apply to Houston, since the Rockets have the ability to spread the two players' annual salaries out more evenly (about $8.3MM per year each). Still, the $25.1MM they'll spend on each player is a risky investment.
San Antonio Spurs: $52.697MM (Boris Diaw, Tim Duncan, Danny Green, Patty Mills)
The Spurs' offseason was fairly quiet, as the team simply re-signed its own free agents rather than exploring the market too extensively. All of these contracts except Green's include a player option in the final year, and all four of them are fully guaranteed, with Duncan's $30MM representing by far the largest commitment.
Memphis Grizzlies: $26.832MM (Darrell Arthur, Jerryd Bayless, Hamed Haddadi, Marreese Speights)
Like the Spurs, the Grizzlies focused primarily on re-signing their own free agents, with one notable exception: Memphis replaced the departing O.J. Mayo with Bayless. Mayo ended up signing for not much more than the two-year, $6.135MM deal Bayless inked with the Grizzlies, so it will be interesting to see if the minor savings are worth it.
Dallas Mavericks: $17.444MM (Chris Kaman, O.J. Mayo, Delonte West)
The Mavericks appeared prepared to offer Deron Williams a four-year, $73MM+ contract, which would have significantly altered their place on this list. But when D-Will opted to return to the Nets, the Mavs took a more cautious approach to free agency, committing to Kaman, Mayo, and West on short-term deals. Given the possibility that Mayo will opt out of his second year and the fact that West is on a minimum-salary deal, the total amount the Mavs spend on this summer's free agents could end up being less than $13MM.
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Magic Seeking More Draft Picks
When they sent Dwight Howard to the Lakers, the Magic netted five draft picks in the deal, including three first-rounders. While that's certainly a good start, the Magic would like to continue adding more future picks, according to Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel. Schmitz tweets that the Magic hope to be able to take on salary from teams looking to avoid the luxury tax, if it means landing more draft picks.
The Magic don't have cap space to absorb salary at the moment, but they do have a massive $17.8MM trade exception, acquired in the Howard trade, which they have a year to use. Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld wrote earlier today that it's unlikely Orlando uses that TPE to acquire an impact player, but it could be useful for taking on other teams' unwanted salary. Of course, as an over-the-cap club, the Magic are approaching the tax line themselves, so I doubt they'll want to pass that threshold and spend that kind of money on a lottery-bound roster.
Another player that could be on the move in Orlando's rebuild is Al Harrington, acquired from the Nuggets in the Howard deal. Schmitz tweets that Harrington would prefer to remain in Orlando for the forseeable future, but that the forward will "likely" be moved either this season or next summer. Harrington's contract could be attractive to prospective suitors, since only 2012/13 is fully guaranteed.
Timberwolves Notes: Rubio, Roster, Shved
The Olympic basketball tournament was an eventful one for Timberwolves fans, who not only got a chance to see Kevin Love play a major role for the U.S., but also got a good look at two new T-Wolves, Andrei Kirilenko and Alexey Shved of Russia. All three players earned a medal in London, but the Wolves would have had a player on each of the podium teams if Spain's Ricky Rubio had been healthy. Speaking to Charley Walters of the St. Paul Pioneer Press, Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor discussed Rubio's recovery and a few other topics of note. Here are some highlights:
- Rubio is "progressing faster than normal," which might mean he returns to the T-Wolves earlier than January. Taylor says the point guard will start running in the next few weeks.
- Minnesota's roster is likely set for the coming year. According to Taylor, GM David Kahn will continue to check in on other possibilities, "but my sense is that he's pretty well [done]."
- It may take some time for Shved to work his way into the Wolves' lineup, says Taylor.
- The Wolves' owner on whether Minnesota is now a playoff team: "That's a high challenge, but I'm not going to shy away from it. We've got a very good coach and some of the players that he wanted, and without injuries, and if Ricky can get back soon, that should be our goal, to be in the playoffs."
Warriors, Suns Interested In Hudson, Barbosa?
Last month, we heard that Lester Hudson's agent Tyler Glass was confident about his client's chances of securing an NBA job this offseason. Hudson has yet to sign a deal, but he appears to continue to draw interest, at least. According to Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio (Sulia link), the Warriors are believed to be interested in Hudson, and the Suns could have some interest as well. The team executive that spoke to Amico also speculated that the Warriors and Suns could be interested in Leandro Barbosa.
Both Hudson and Barbosa are backcourt players that could provide scoring off the bench wherever they land. Neither the Warriors or Suns have a desperate need for that sort of player, but neither team is stacked at shooting guard either — Golden State heads into the season with second-year man Klay Thompson starting and Brandon Rush as his likely backup, while the Suns figure to employ a combination of Wesley Johnson and Shannon Brown at the position.
The Warriors used most of their mid-level exception to sign Carl Landry and Draymond Green, so they can probably only offer the minimum salary, making them an unlikely destination for Barbosa. However, the Suns still have a chunk of cap space to use if they decide to pursue either player.
Odds & Ends: Richardson, Sixers, Mavs, Green
Jason Richardson is excited to play out the final three years of his contract on a team that's headed up instead of down, writes Philly.com's John Mitchell. The 31-year-old is especially looking forward to playing with another dominant center who's capable of drawing consistent double teams.
Here's a look around the rest of the league.
- In a chat with his readers, Dallas Morning News columnist Kevin Sherrington writes his belief that the Mavericks are wasting Dirk Nowitzki's prime by going after a big name free agent that may never sign in Dallas.
- Philly.com's Marcus Hayes thinks that the Sixers would be wise not to sign Andrew Bynum to a max extension until they know the full extent of his health.
- After making the most of his opportunity with the Nets last season, Gerald Green received a multi-year, multi-million dollar contract offer with the Pacers this summer. Green's feel good story has been well documented, but he's perfectly content coming off the bench and providing a spark next season, writes Pacers.com's Scott Agness.
- One of Raymond Felton's new teammates next season with the Knicks will be Kurt Thomas, who joined Felton in an offseason trade from Portland that landed the pair in New York. Thomas says Felton is "definitely motivated" for his second stint with the club, writes ESPNNewYork.com's Ian Begley. He better be, because the scrutiny will be high due to the fact that he's perceived to be Jeremy Lin's replacement.
- While down in Houston working with Hall of Fame center Hakeem Olajuwon, Amare Stoudemire recently said he believes Lin will be a perfect addition to the Rockets, reports Fox 26 reporter Mark Berman.
Poll: Worst Team In The NBA?
While teams like like the Lakers, Thunder, and Heat dominate offseason headlines as preordained favorites to win the 2012/13 Finals, we ask which team will finish with the league's worst record next year.
Extension Candidate: DeMar DeRozan
In 2009, the Raptors drafted DeMar DeRozan with the intent of watching him eventually solidify a role as the team's primary wing scorer, an above average option in the backcourt who by the time his second contract came around could possibly surpass the team's former number one overall pick, Andrea Bargnani in terms of overall offensive responsibility. Unfortunately, things haven't quite worked out that way.
After showing very little to zero development from his second to third season, the Raptors have appeared to go in another direction, selecting Terrence Ross, a player who's skill set rivals Derozan's, with the eighth overall pick in the 2012 NBA draft. DeRozan's field goal percentage dropped four points from 2010/11 to 2011/12, and his per game scoring went from 17.2 PPG to 16.7 PPG.
As SI.com's Zach Lowe points out, the Raptors will likely play a "wait and see" game with Ross before deciding what they want to do with DeRozan:
"… The Raptors’ drafting of Ross was a clear signal that the organization is ready to move on from DeRozan next summer if he doesn’t develop, or if his price in restricted free agency climbs too high. The Raptors are on pace to have a decent chunk of cap room — something like $10 million — even after overpaying for Landry Fields.
But they could have max-level room without DeRozan’s cap hold, and given that DeRozan is still just 22 with room to grow, he may be in line for one of those four-year, $28 million deals that can hamper a team’s flexibility. Smart organizations understand the value of replacing so-so veterans with nearly equivalent players on rookie deals."
As Lowe correctly points out, the chances of Toronto extending DeRozan before he hits restricted free agency are extremely small and highly unlikely. If he isn't willing to take a hometown discount, and doesn't show significant improvement this year, there's very little chance DeRozan signs his second contract with Toronto.
Latest On Joe Ingles
Fresh off a solid Olympic performance in London, Australian forward Joe Ingles is drawing interest from several NBA teams, writes The Sydney Morning Herald's Adrian Warren. The 24-year-old forward will play out his upcoming season with Barcelona, but afterwards will likely make a leap to the NBA.
In a tweet, ESPN Radio's Darren Wolfson suggests one solid fit might be the Timberwolves. Minnesota's general manager, David Kahn, has reportedly spoken with Ingles' agent. The 6'8" Ingles showed a complete offensive repetoire in the Olympics, averaging 15 PPG, 5 RPG, and 4 APG throughout the tournament.
Suns Notes: O’Neal, Scola, Cap Space
The Suns officially finalized their signing of Jermaine O'Neal today, and the veteran big man appears excited about the opportunity to spend the season in Phoenix. According to Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic, O'Neal chose the Suns because he thought he could "go there and be happy playing basketball again." O'Neal added that his health has improved significantly and that he aims to be an impact player this season (Twitter links).
Coro also published a column last night in which he hears from GM Lance Blanks about the team's summer makeover, so let's check out the highlights from that piece:
- With the Suns seeking a commitment to the franchise from players they target, all of the club's new players had Phoenix as their first choice, says Blanks.
- Blanks on his expectations for the coming season: "We're still in an extended honeymoon. I'm cautiously optimistic about the season. I don't think this is a team you want do much predicting with in terms of numbers. What I can see in the future for this team this year is a team that is fun to watch and plays hard every night. It is a group of guys who will play together because of the type of guys they are."
- Blanks praised Luis Scola's "griminess and crustiness" and said the former Rocket will provide a good example for younger players.
- The Suns will have about $7MM in cap space for an in-season move, and could have about $15MM in space next summer. Blanks stressed the importance of maintaining that financial flexibility, since the team's next star could come via the draft, a trade, or free agency.