Players With Most Guaranteed Long-Term Salary
Many of the NBA's most overpaid players, such as Hedo Turkoglu, Kris Humphries, Corey Maggette and others, will see their contracts come to an end this year or next, but that doesn't mean that there aren't still plenty of teams with long-term commitments on their books. Many of these long-term deals were signed within the last year or two, meaning the players are still performing at a high level.
A good percentage of those players will continue to play well throughout their contracts, but the success rate is unlikely to be 100%. A handful of these big-money four- or five-year deals could go south before they eventually expire.
Listed below are all the players who will still have $30MM or more in guaranteed money remaining on their contracts, starting next season. Non-guaranteed money and/or team options aren't included in these amounts, but player options are, since a team has little to no control over whether those options will be exercised.
Here are the players with the most guaranteed money remaining on their contracts beyond this season:
Blake Griffin, Clippers: $94,314,376** (five years)
Deron Williams, Nets: $81,594,530 (four years)
Derrick Rose, Bulls: $77,911,876 (four years)
James Harden, Rockets: $69,710,623** (five years)
Joe Johnson, Nets: $69,542,371 (three years)
Russell Westbrook, Thunder; $64,926,560 (four years)
LeBron James, Heat: $61,770,000 (three years)
Chris Bosh, Heat: $61,770,000 (three years)
Dwyane Wade, Heat: $60,492,000 (three years)
Kevin Durant, Thunder: $56,986,873 (three years)
Serge Ibaka, Thunder: $49,000,000 (four years)
Ty Lawson, Nuggets: $48,000,000 (four years)
Brook Lopez, Nets: $47,157,188 (three years)
Kevin Love, Timberwolves: $47,157,186 (three years)
Carmelo Anthony, Knicks: $46,759,398 (two years)
Amare Stoudemire, Knicks: $45,090,881 (two years)
Roy Hibbert, Pacers: $44,696,813 (three years)
Eric Gordon, Hornets: $44,696,813 (three years)
David Lee, Warriors: $44,383,680 (three years)
Stephen Curry, Warriors: $44,000,000 (four years)
Jrue Holiday, 76ers: $41,000,004 (four years)
Nene, Wizards: $39,000,000 (three years)
DeMar DeRozan, Raptors; $38,000,000 (four years)
Rudy Gay, Raptors: $37,206,256 (two years)
Joakim Noah, Bulls: $36,700,000 (three years)
Al Horford, Hawks: $36,000,000 (three years)
Nicolas Batum, Trail Blazers: $35,296,500 (three years)
Zach Randolph, Grizzlies: $34,300,000 (two years)
JaVale McGee, Nuggets: $34,000,000 (three years)
Taj Gibson, Bulls: $33,000,000 (four years)
Danilo Gallinari, Nuggets: $32,561,000 (three years)
Carlos Boozer, Bulls: $32,100,000 (two years)
George Hill, Pacers: $32,000,000 (four years)
Marc Gasol, Grizzlies: $30,690,211 (two years)
Kobe Bryant, Lakers: $30,453,805 (one year)
LaMarcus Aldridge, Trail Blazers: $30,384,000 (two years)
Gerald Wallace, Nets: $30,317,565 (three years)
(** Griffin and Harden signed maximum-salary deals, so the exact figures for 2013/14 and beyond aren't known yet; these amounts are based on '12/13's max salaries.)
Storytellers Contracts was used in the creation of this post.
Southeast Links: Heat, Martin, Bobcats, Hawks
No division has a larger divide from top to bottom than the Southeast, where the Heat are an incredible 40 games up on the Magic and 40.5 ahead of the Bobcats. There's also an incredible 17-game gap between Miami and the second-place Hawks — none of the NBA's other five division leaders have a lead of more than 6.5 games. Here's the latest out of the Southeast:
- The Heat may have missed out on Kenyon Martin when they chose to sign Juwan Howard, but the team "clearly valued chemistry over any other factor," says Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel. However, with Miami relying heavily on Norris Cole lately, Winderman questions why there isn't a third point guard on the roster.
- Cap expert Tom Penn discusses the Bobcats' cap situation with Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer, suggesting that the team ought to be "patiently aggressive" with what could be $20MM+ in cap room.
- Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution explains how the Hawks are likely to have four draft picks this June, thanks to the Rockets. As our projected draft order shows, if the season ended today, Atlanta would have the 18th, 20th, 48th, and 50th picks this summer.
Okafor, Ariza Will Opt In For 2013/14
The Wizards can expect to add over $22MM in guaranteed money to their team salary for next season, as both Emeka Okafor and Trevor Ariza intend to opt into the final year of their contracts, reports Michael Lee of the Washington Post. Okafor has an early termination option that he won't exercise, while Ariza has a player option for 2013/14 that he'll pick up.
Okafor expressed optimism that the Wizards will be a playoff contender next season with good health, and said he's "fully confident" he'll be back with the team. Ariza, meanwhile, indicated that he wasn't about to give up $7MM+ in guaranteed money.
"I don’t know many people who are going to leave money on the table and I’m not one of the people to do that, so most likely," Ariza said of the option year.
The news is hardly surprising, as Okafor and Ariza have long been considered locks (by both the team and outside observers) to complete their current contracts. Okafor will earn about $14.49MM in the final year of his deal, while Ariza will be in line for a salary of about $7.73MM. Even though there's a chance both players could earn more long-term money if they were to opt out and sign new multiyear deals, they'd be taking significant pay cuts for '13/14 in that scenario.
With Okafor and Ariza locked up for next season, the Wizards will have just over $57MM committed to nine players, making them a good bet to be an over-the-cap club. However, they should remain comfortably out of tax territory, barring any major moves.
Northwest Notes: Iguodala, Brewer, Maynor
The Nuggets escaped last night's game against the Mavericks with a 95-94 win, maintaining their hold on the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference, but the bad news outweighed the good. Danilo Gallinari left the game with a knee injury that both Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports and Benjamin Hochman of the Denver Post hear is likely an ACL tear. As the Nuggets wait for more information on an injury that could be a huge blow to the team's title chances, let's check in on a few other notes out of the Northwest….
- Andre Iguodala spoke to Hochman about a recent report suggesting he'd likely opt out of his contract with the Nuggets this summer, stressing that no decision has been made yet, and that he'll explore every option. "It would be hard for me to win a championship here, or get to the Finals or get to the Western Conference Finals and say, 'You know, I'm out,'" Iguodala said. "I don't want to make any guarantees, but if that happens, it would be obvious, [Nuggets GM] Masai [Ujiri] and them would understand my worth to the team and we could come to an agreement. But who knows what is going to happen? I could get hurt tomorrow and then have to opt in."
- Corey Brewer has blossomed as a crucial piece of the Nuggets' rotation in Denver, but Mark Cuban and the Mavericks don't have any regrets about trading him, as Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com writes.
- While Eric Maynor's future with the Trail Blazers remains in limbo, GM Neil Olshey says the team has thoroughly evaluated Maynor and is satisfied that the point guard fits with the team's core pieces, according to Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com. I would be a little surprised if Maynor receives a qualifying offer, since that would put a sizable dent in the Blazers' cap space, but I'd still expect the club to try to re-sign him.
- Olshey on the Blazers' offseason plan: "We'll be very proactive this summer. What we've seen this season is that this team isn't very far away. We'll have the flexibility to make a move if we choose to do so or not, but it has to be the right move for the organization."
Poll: Who Will Win Coach Of The Year?
With Heat guard Ray Allen telling Fox Sports Florida's Chris Tomasson that "it's a no-brainer" Erik Spoelstra should win Coach of the Year, it brings the annual award to the forefront. Much like every other major award apart from Most Valuable Player and Rookie of the Year, Coach of the Year is wide open this year. Who do you think deserves it most?
Western Notes: Allen, Kings, Gasol, Warriors
A few notes from around the league's Western Conference.
- Grizzlies guard Tony Allen is focused on his team's upcoming playoff run, not the fact that he's an unrestricted free agent this summer, writes the Memphis Commercial Appeal's Ronald Tillery.
- The Sacramento Bee's Ailene Voisin gives the latest on the Kings situation.
- Pau Gasol has had an injury plagued season, but he appears to finally be getting on the right track with Dwight Howard and his coach, Mike D'Antoni, writes Los Angeles Times reporter Eric Pincus.
- MercuryNews.com's Marcus Thompson II writes that the Warriors' recent success can be attributed to their improved defense.
Eastern Notes: Spoelstra, Williams, Wizards
A few notes from around the Eastern Conference.
- Heat guard Ray Allen says "it's a no-brainer" that his coach, Erik Spoelstra, should win Coach of the Year, writes Fox Sports reporter Chris Tomasson.
- The Celtics have struggled all season with their backup point guard position. But since signing Terrence Williams and implementing him in the role, Boston's offense has been slightly better, writes ESPNBoston.com's Chris Forsberg.
- According to CSNWashington.com's J. Michael, the Wizards are poising themselves for a playoff appearance next season.
- The Sixers don't have any chance at making the playoffs this season, but their head coach swears they aren't giving up, writes CSNPhilly.com's Dei Lynam.
Central Notes: George, Rose, Cavaliers
As the Bulls take the court in Brooklyn tonight, here's a quick look around the NBA's Central Division.
- Pacers All-Star forward Paul George has been phenomenal on the defensive end all season long. Here he speaks with Indianapolis Star reporter Michael Pointer about how difficult it is to defend Thunder forward Kevin Durant, the game's premier scorer.
- ESPNChicago.com's Nick Freidell gives the latest on whether Derrick Rose will return to action this season.
- Bob Finnan, from The New-Herald, writes that Cavaliers forward Tristan Thompson still has support for the team's head coach, Byron Scott.
Lakers Recall Morris, Sacre From D-League
The Lakers have recalled guard Darius Morris and center Robert Sacre from their D-League affiliate, the Los Angeles D-Fenders, according to a tweet from Los Angeles Times reporter Mike Bresnahan.
The 22-year-old Morris has averaged 4.2 PPG in 45 appearances this season, while Sacre, a rookie, is averaging 1.4 PPG in his 31-game career.
Lakers Rumors: D12, Gasol, World Peace, D’Antoni
Although the Lakers' short-term focus is on finishing the regular season strong and earning a playoff spot in the Western Conference, the team will face a number of questions this summer and beyond, with luxury-tax penalties set to increase starting in 2013/14. Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com spoke to a number of agents, executives, and players about the Lakers' cap situation, so let's round up the highlights:
- One general manager on free agent big man Dwight Howard: "No matter what, they have to re-sign Dwight. Even if they don't want to move forward with Dwight, you gotta re-sign him because he's a tradable asset no matter what he makes…. You can always move him, but if you don't have him under your control, then you've got nothing."
- The general belief is that if Howard is re-signed, the Lakers will look to move Pau Gasol, but there are mixed opinions on how much trade value he would have, and how strong a package the Lakers could acquire. Said one GM: "He'll have value as a super expiring contract. There are 12 teams with $12MM or more in [cap space] this summer. Multiple teams will be open to doing an uneven deal to acquire him…. They would probably have to take back a multiyear deal at a lower number. Say, somebody with two or three years left at 6 million a year. They can't incentivize a deal because they have no assets — no [draft] picks and no young players of value."
- Gasol could also be amnestied, which would significantly lessen the Lakers' tax burden, but it would be a purely financial move rather than a basketball one. Rival GMs are skeptical that the team would make such a move in what could be Kobe Bryant's last year.
- Metta World Peace is a more likely amnesty candidate, though if he decides to opt out of the final year of his deal, Steve Blake could be amnestied as well. World Peace told NBA.com last week that he'd consider declining his '13/14 option, and the knee surgery he underwent since then hasn't changed that stance, according to Shelburne.
- One Lakers player said he believes World Peace would like to secure a two- or three-year contract rather than exercising his one-year player option.
- There were also varying opinions among GMs on coach Mike D'Antoni's future with the Lakers. One GM's thoughts: "I like Mike D'Antoni, but if I was them, that's the move I'd make (letting him go). You can talk about amnestying players and trades, but players are still assets. Coaches are different."