Amico On Lakers, World Peace, Van Gundy, Scott
Mitch Kupchak has been Lakers GM since 2000, the year the team won the first of its five championships with Kobe Bryant, but this is his most important offseason to date, opines Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio. Just months after it appeared Kupchak might be a candidate for Executive of the Year for his role in building a team primed for a title run, the pressure's on him to clean up the mess of a season gone wrong. Amico goes over the Lakers' to-do list for the summer, and drops news from both L.A. teams and other NBA outposts, as we detail here:
- The Lakers are privately hoping Metta World Peace exercises his early-termination option to get out of his $7.727MM contract for next season, according to Amico. World Peace hasn't given any hints about his intentions, though I'd be surprised if he turns down the money.
- Stan Van Gundy reportedly doesn't want to return to coaching yet, but he may be holding out to see if the Clippers job opens up, Amico hears, adding that Van Gundy has sent signals that he's not interested in the Pistons vacancy.
- Sources tell Amico that Byron Scott may become a candidate to take over as Suns coach if the team doesn't retain interim boss Lindsey Hunter, who appears to be on his way out.
Bi-Annual Exception
The most common method over-the-cap teams use to sign free agents from other teams is the mid-level exception, but it's not the only tool those clubs can use to squeeze an extra player onto the payroll. The bi-annual exception is a way to sign a player who commands more than the minimum salary and less than the mid-level.
As its name suggests, the bi-annual exception can only be used every other year. Even if a team uses only a portion of the exception, it becomes unavailable the following year.
The bi-annual exception is available only to a select few clubs. Teams whose player salaries and cap exceptions add up to less than the salary cap lose their bi-annual exception as well as their full mid-level exception and any trade exceptions. They must use their cap room to sign players. Additionally, teams lose access to the bi-annual exception when they go more than $4MM over the tax threshold, exceeding what's known as the tax apron. So, only teams over the cap but under the tax apron can use the bi-annual exception.
Additionally, if a team uses all or part of the bi-annual exception, it triggers a hard cap for that season. Clubs that sign a player with using the exception can't go over the tax apron at any time during the season in which the contract is signed.
The value of the bi-annual exception rises from $1.957MM in 2012/13 to $2.016MM for 2013/14, and will continue to go up by 3% each year during the current collective bargaining agreement. The contract can be for either one or two seasons, with a raise of 4.5% for the second season. The Clippers used the full bi-annual exception last summer to give Grant Hill a two-year deal worth a total of $4,002,065. Teams also have the option of splitting the exception among multiple players. The Spurs signed Nando De Colo to a two-year deal for a total of $2.863MM, but never used the remaining amount on the exception. The bi-annual exception becomes pro-rated starting on January 10th, so it's rarely used for late-season signees.
The Bulls, who gave Marco Belinelli a one-year contract for the full value of the bi-annual exception, were the only team besides the Clippers and Spurs to use it in 2012/13. So, those three clubs can't use the bi-annual in 2013/14, but any other team with a payroll above the cap and below the tax apron may.
Luke Adams contributed to this post, which was initially published on April 23rd, 2012.
Note: This is a Hoops Rumors Glossary entry. Our glossary posts will explain specific rules relating to trades, free agency, or other aspects of the NBA's Collective Bargaining Agreement. Larry Coon's Salary Cap FAQ was used in the creation of this post.
Layden, Weltman, McDonough Suns GM Finalists
8:31pm: Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports adds Celtics assistant GM Ryan McDonough to the list of finalists. McDonough interviewed Tuesday with Babby and owner Robert Sarver, and Weltman will interview Thursday. The Suns want to make a hire quickly so they can decide on a coach and prepare for the draft. Babby made a push to hire Weltman in 2010, when Sarver favored Lance Blanks instead.
5:03pm: Spurs assistant GM Scott Layden and Bucks assistant GM Jeff Weltman are rumored as the finalists for the vacant GM position in Phoenix, according to Gery Woelfel of the Racine Journal Times (Twitter link). Milwaukee gave Weltman approval over the weekend to interview for the Suns job, while this is the first we've heard of Layden in connection with the opening. Chris Broussard of ESPN.com reported Weltman was the frontrunner for the gig last week.
Layden has only been on the job in San Antonio for eight months. He previously held GM jobs with the Knicks and Jazz. Weltman hasn't run a team's front office before, but he's been with Bucks GM John Hammond ever since Hammond came aboard in 2008, and prior to that, Weltman and Hammond worked together with the Pistons.
Whoever gets the Suns job will decide who will coach the team next season. Interim Lindsey Hunter is still Phoenix's head coach, but he appears on shaky footing, and is interviewing with the Pistons for their head coaching vacancy. Suns president of basketball operations Lon Babby is promising a "summer of analytics" for the team, so presumably the next GM will be a devotee of advanced metrics.
Southeast Links: Bobcats, Mack, LeBron
The Southeast Division champion Heat have plenty of time to chill in advance of their second-round opener, which won't be until Monday. The division's other playoff team is engaged in a much tougher first-round fight than Miami endured, as the Hawks are batting the Pacers in Game 5 tonight with the series tied 2-2. There's news on both the Heat and Hawks tonight, along with more from the Southeast:
- A pair of head coaching candidates are lined up for interviews with the Bobcats next week. TNT's David Aldridge reports, via Twitter, that the team will sit down with former Suns coach Alvin Gentry, while Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports tweets that Elston Turner will also interview for the job. Turner served as an assistant under Gentry in Phoenix.
- When Shelvin Mack signed with the Hawks in March for the rest of the season, the deal included a team option for next season, reports Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution (Twitter link). It's probably for the minimum salary.
- LeBron James appears to be a shoo-in for the MVP award, and it's likely he'll officially receive the honor on Sunday, tweets Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel. He has a chance to become the first unanimous selection for the award, and Chris Tomasson of Fox Sports Florida hears all three votes from Oklahoma City went to James instead of Kevin Durant.
Bucks Rumors: Jennings, Van Gundy, Ellis
Brandon Jennings has gone back and forth about whether he wants to continue playing for the Bucks, and now he says he doesn't know whether he'd like to return, as Michael Hunt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel observes. Getting at the root of the point guard's true intentions appears challenging, but according to the Bucks' Twitter feed, GM John Hammond thinks that Jennings, deep down, wants to be back. We'll find out this summer if Hammond's hunch is right, and in the meantime, here's the latest on the Bucks just hours after their head coaching position came open:
- HoopsWorld's Alex Kennedy hears the Bucks don't want to lose Jennings, and since they have the right to match offers for the restricted free agent, the decision is ultimately in the team's hands. Kennedy thinks the situation will play out much like the one involving Eric Gordon and New Orleans last summer, when the Pelicans matched Gordon's maximum-salary offer sheet from the Suns.
- Gery Woelfel hears from a "Van Gundy associate," presumably in reference to Stan Van Gundy and not brother Jeff, that Van Gundy isn't interested in returning to the bench for next season (Twitter link). The Bucks have been expected to target the former Magic boss for their coaching vacancy.
- Hammond says head coaching experience isn't a requirement to become the next head coach of the Bucks, tweets Journal Sentinel scribe Charles F. Gardner.
- The GM also revealed that Monta Ellis has until June 20th to decide whether to exercise the early-termination option on his contract, Gardner tweets. Ellis is due $11MM next season if he decides to stay under contract.
- Earlier tonight we heard Bucks assistant GM Jeff Weltman is a finalist to become the GM of the Suns.
Damian Lillard Wins Rookie Of The Year
Damian Lillard won a unanimous vote for the Rookie of the Year award, the Trail Blazers have announced (Twitter link). The honor comes as no surprise, since Lillard swept this season's Rookie of the Month awards. The only drama involved whether Anthony Davis, Bradley Beal or anyone else would garner a first-place vote or two, but that didn't happen. Davis and Beal finished second and third, respectively. Lillard is just the fourth unanimous selection for the award, joining Ralph Sampson (1984), David Robinson (1990), and Blake Griffin (2011).
The Blazers selected Lillard sixth overall last year, using a draft pick they acquired from the Nets at the trade deadline. The point guard from Weber State made an instant impression, averaging 26.5 points per game in four summer league contests. He put up 19.0 PPG during the regular season to finish second behind LaMarcus Aldridge on the team in scoring, and Lillard led the league in minutes played. He averaged 6.5 assists and 3.0 turnovers per contest, a ratio that proves there's still room for improvement.
Even so, Lillard is already one of the league's best bargains on his rookie-scale contract. He made just $3,065,040 this year, and his four-year deal is worth only $13,845,167
Southwest Notes: Mavs, Wright, Beverley, Rockets
With three games on the postseason schedule tonight, including two that could be series-enders, it appears we're in for another fun night of NBA ball. While we prepare for the evening's action in New York, Indiana, and Oklahoma City, let's check in on a few items out of the Southwest Division….
- As the Mavericks prepare their to-do list for what Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News calls "the most important summer in franchise history," the top priority is figuring out exactly how much money they'll have to spend this offseason, according to Sefko.
- There's mutual interest between Brandan Wright and the Mavericks in seeing the big man back in Dallas next season, but Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com predicts Wright won't come cheap. MacMahon expects bidding for the free-agent-to-be to start in the four-year, $16MM range.
- Patrick Beverley would love to stay long-term with the NBA team that took a chance on him, telling Mark Berman of FOX 26 Houston (Twitter link) that he'd "definitely love to be [with the Rockets] forever."
- Jemele Hill of ESPN.com is the latest to make the case for why Dwight Howard ought to sign with the Rockets rather than the Lakers or any other suitors this summer.
Pierce, Garnett Not Thinking About Retirement
With the Celtics trailing their first round series against the Knicks three games to one, it may just be a matter of hours until the team is officially eliminated from the postseason. Even so, Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett aren't thinking about whether or not tonight's game could be the last of their NBA playing careers. Both players told reporters that they haven't considered retiring after this season.
"I’m thinking about the game Wednesday, and pretty much I haven’t thought about post-, after," Garnett said, according to Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald. "I’m focusing on what it’s going to take to get to the next game."
While Garnett's comments didn't entirely rule out the possibility he could call it a career this summer, Pierce was more adamant that he'll be playing at least one more season. When his contract expires in 2014, Pierce's future is uncertain, but he reiterated a desire to retire as a Celtic, even if the team lets him go or trades him this offseason.
"I have a contract for next year, but it's not guaranteed. So the decision is in their hands," Pierce said, according to Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com. "Whatever decisions they make, maybe if they trade me somewhere or I end up somewhere else, maybe it can be a situation where I come back for a one-day deal and retire a Celtic."
Like Pierce, Garnett has a partially-guaranteed season in the final year of his current contract, though that won't happen until 2014/15. Garnett is owed a guaranteed $12.44MM for '13/14, so I'd be pretty surprised if he retired after this season.
Pacific Notes: Kings, Del Negro, Warriors, Lakers
Three Pacific Division teams qualified for the postseason this year, but the Lakers have already been swept out of the first round, while the Clippers are a single game away from elimination. The division's best hope for sending a team through to the second round appears to be the Warriors, who will head back to the NBA's loudest arena looking to eliminate the Nuggets in Game Six tomorrow night. As we look forward to that game, let's check out a few updates on Pacific teams:
- Current NBA commissioner David Stern and future commissioner Adam Silver appeared on the Charlie Rose Show on PBS yesterday and discussed the relocation's committee recommendation to keep the Kings in Sacramento, as Dale Kasler, Ryan Lillis, and Tony Bizjak of the Sacramento Bee detail.
- Silver on the committee's decision: "I think some people are surprised at the preliminary decision the relocation committee has made. They say, 'Look at Seattle — there's more corporate headquarters, there's more TV households, there's the potential to generate more revenue there. Shouldn't you move a franchise to the market where there's more revenue?' And our response is, 'Not necessarily, that if you look at total value over time, and brand building, and community support, and that continuity is important.'"
- Having seen the relocation committee's vote go against him, Chris Hansen is considering trying to persuade NBA owners to approve his purchase of the franchise, even if he isn't initially permitted to relocate it, according to a Reuters report. That sounds like a real reach to me, and Sactown Royalty agrees, providing its own take on the story right here.
- Vinny Del Negro can't remain the Clippers' head coach if the team is knocked out in the first round, says Tom Ziller of SBNation.com. Ziller also speculates that Chris Paul might flee in free agency after a first-round loss, but I'd be pretty shocked if that happened.
- In his NBA AM piece for HoopsWorld, Lang Greene explains why this offseason will be a crucial one for the Warriors.
- Bill Plaschke of the Los Angeles Times argues that the Lakers ought to offer Phil Jackson the team presidency.
Jim Boylan Out As Bucks’ Coach
12:36pm: Former Magic head coach Stan Van Gundy and Rockets assistant Kelvin Sampson are expected to be among the Bucks' top targets as the team begins its coaching search, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports.
12:05pm: Following a four-game sweep at the hands of the top-seeded Heat, the Bucks have decided to replace interim head coach Jim Boylan, according to Charles F. Gardner of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Gardner reports (via Twitter) that Boylan is "out" as Milwaukee's coach, with the Bucks confirming (Twitter link) that he won't return.
ESPN.com's Marc Stein had reported earlier in April that Boylan had a slim chance of keeping his job with the Bucks, while Gery Woelfel of the Racine Journal Times noted this weekend that there were "increasing whispers" about Boylan being replaced.
With Boylan out, the Bucks will begin searching for a candidate to take over as the team's third head coach of the year. Scott Skiles and the Bucks parted ways back in January, resulting in Boylan assuming the reins to the team on an interim basis. Milwaukee had a 22-28 record under Boylan, sneaking into the playoffs as an eighth seed before being quickly dispatched by Miami. Whoever coaches the Bucks next may be working with a very different roster, with Brandon Jennings, Monta Ellis, J.J. Redick, and Mike Dunleavy among the players facing free agency.
Boylan is the fifth head coach to step down or be fired since the regular season ended. Interestingly, all five coaches were on Eastern Conference teams — Doug Collins (76ers), Lawrence Frank (Pistons), Mike Dunlap (Bobcats), and Byron Scott (Cavaliers) are the other four no longer coaching their respective clubs.
The Bucks' search for a new head coach will begin immediately, according to the team (Twitter link). Grantland's Zach Lowe and Keith Langlois of Pistons.com have both speculated that former Milwaukee assistant coach Kelvin Sampson could be a top candidate (Twitter links).