Suns Buy Out Michael Beasley
3:19pm: Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic has the details on Beasley's buyout (via Twitter): He'll earn $7MM overall, instead of the $9MM he had been guaranteed.
Beasley's 2013/14 salary (and the Suns' cap hit) will be reduced from $6MM to $4.67MM. His second-year salary will be reduced from $3MM to $2.33MM — both the payment and the cap hit for that $2.33MM will be spread over the next three years (starting in 2014/15), according to Coro (via Twitter).
2:28pm: The Suns have officially waived Beasley, the team announced today in a press release. The release notes that the two sides reached a buyout agreement, meaning the overall amount the Suns owe him for the next two seasons will be reduced, along with the cap hits.
"The Suns were devoted to Michael Beasley’s success in Phoenix," said president of basketball operations Lon Babby in a statement. "However, it is essential that we demand the highest standards of personal and professional conduct as we develop a championship culture. Today’s action reflects our commitment to those standards. The timing and nature of this, and all of our transactions, are based on the judgment of our basketball leadership as to how best to achieve our singular goal of rebuilding an elite team."
1:55pm: Michael Beasley's stint in Phoenix will come to an end in the near future, according to ESPN.com's Marc Stein, who reports that the Suns will waive Beasley in the coming days. Stein indicates that Phoenix will likely make the move official this week, with the 24-year-old forward on track to clear waivers and become an unrestricted free agent shortly thereafter.
Beasley signed a three-year, $18MM contract with the Suns last summer, but underwhelmed on the court in his first season in Phoenix, and was plagued by off-court issues as well. Most recently, the Kansas State product was arrested on suspicion of marijuana possession, making his release a near certainty.
The Suns have elected to wait until after August 31st to officially release Beasley, meaning the team will pay his full $6MM salary for 2013/14 in normal intervals. Had Phoenix waived Beasley between July 1st and August 31st, the remaining guaranteed money on his contract ($9MM) would have been paid over the next five years. By clearing about $5.5MM in salary in last week's Caron Butler trade with the Bucks, the Suns made it more palatable to waive Beasley and eat his full salary this year, getting his contract off the books sooner rather than later.
The second overall pick in the 2008 draft, Beasley had the least productive year of his career in 2012/13, setting career-lows in PPG (10.1), RPG (3.8), PER (10.8), and FG% (.405), among other categories. He almost certainly won't be claimed on waivers, meaning he'll be free to sign with any NBA team after the Suns officially cut him. While a player with Beasley's talent will likely get another chance, I imagine many teams will steer clear due to concerns about a potential negative locker-room influence.
After trading Butler for multiple players and signing first-round pick Alex Len, the Suns are up to 17 players on guaranteed contracts. They'll reduce that number by one when Beasley is formally released, but will still need to make at least one more cut (or trade) before opening night to get down to the regular-season maximum of 15.
Raptors Release Quentin Richardson
SEPTEMBER 3RD: The Raptors have waived Richardson, the team announced in a press release. Assuming the transaction didn't become official until today, that means the stretch provision, which I mentioned below, wouldn't apply to Richardson.
AUGUST 30TH: The Raptors have waived swingman Quentin Richardson, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (via Twitter). Richardson was a salary throw-in in last month's Andrea Bargnani deal with the Knicks, and wasn't expected to still be on Toronto's roster by opening night.
Because of a trade kicker in Bargnani's contract, Steve Novak's and Marcus Camby's salaries weren't quite enough to allow the Knicks to take back the former first overall pick. So the team also signed-and-traded Richardson to the Raps as part of the transaction. The veteran's minimum-salary contract for 2013/14 is guaranteed, but the next two years of his deal are fully non-guaranteed.
There's virtually no chance Richardson is claimed on waivers, so Toronto will be on the hook for his full '13/14 salary. However, because the Raptors cut Richardson prior to August 31st, the team can use the stretch provision, extending the cap hits and salary payments for the 33-year-old over the next three seasons.
Eastern Notes: Sixers, Haddadi, Knicks, Bulls
The 76ers' roster is currently light on veterans and heavy on young talent, which should make for a competitive training camp and preseason. GM Sam Hinkie tells Tom Moore of The Intelligencer that he thinks that competition will be good for the team.
"Everyone starts with a blank slate," Hinkie said. "That’s refreshing in a lot of ways. It’s less what you’ve done and more: what can you do from here? I think all of our players will sense an opportunity to play, show what they can do and expand their game one way or another. It’s important for the future of the Sixers and their own careers."
Here's more on the Sixers and the rest of the Eastern Conference:
- Within the same piece, Moore notes that an NBA source says the league's minimum required payroll won't have an effect on the Sixers' roster moves, since there's no real penalty for falling short of the salary floor. I suggested as much when I examined the situation a few weeks ago.
- The Knicks don't currently have interest in signing free agent big man Hamed Haddadi, according to Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com (via Twitter).
- Gonzalo Aguirregomezcorta of ESPNDeportes.com caught up with Luis Scola, who says he's looking forward to playing for a Pacers team that he considers to be a "serious title contender."
- The Bulls have promoted Adrian Griffin to lead assistant on Tom Thibodeau's staff, reports Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com.
- In his latest mailbag for the South Florida Sun Sentinel, Ira Winderman explains why starting the season with a 13-man roster and potentially adding another player or two before the playoffs could make the most sense for the Heat.
- The Hawks and Bulls are unlikely to be too active on the trade market this season, writes Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld.
Pacific Notes: Suns, Beasley, Fredette, Kings
When Ryan McDonough was hired as the Suns' new general manager earlier this offseason, he didn't exactly have a low bar to clear, writes Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic. Coro's latest column examines the track record of McDonough's predecessor, Lance Blanks, noting that many of the players acquired by Blanks have since departed for little or no return.
Even the successful signings and acquisitions made during Blanks' tenure can often be attributed to someone else in the front office, according to Coro, who says that owner Robert Sarver was more responsible for the addition of Goran Dragic than Blanks, who wanted Raymond Felton.
Here's more on the Suns, plus a couple other links from around the Pacific Division:
- Because the Suns didn't waive Michael Beasley on or before August 31st, the team will now pay off his $6MM salary for this season at normal intervals, but would still be able to stretch the $3MM he's owed for 2014/15, as Randy Hill of FOX Sports Arizona details.
- Jimmer Fredette is among the "make-or-break" players highlighted by Zach Lowe in his latest piece for Grantland. Fourth-year option decisions are due on Fredette and others before the end of October, and if the Kings decide not to pick up that 2014/15 option, the 2011 lottery pick would hit unrestricted free agency next summer.
- The Kings have agreed to hire Joel Abelson to coach their D-League affiliate, the Reno Bighorns, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. Abelson was the head coach of the D-League's Sioux Falls Skyforce last season.
- Despite his recent off-court issues, former Clipper Lamar Odom deserves more than to be written off as an NBA player, says Bill Dwyre of the Los Angeles Times.
Celtics, Lakers, Spurs Eyeing Sebastian Telfair?
Although he has been the subject of plenty of rumors and reports since free agency opened two months ago, Sebastian Telfair remains unsigned. The veteran point guard continues to draw interest from NBA teams though, according to Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio, who tweets that the Celtics, Lakers, and Spurs may be in the mix.
It's not clear whether those clubs have just kicked the tires on Telfair, or whether their interest is more serious, but none of them have been cited so far this offseason as a potential suitor. Previously, the Knicks, Nets, Heat, and Thunder were mentioned as a few possible destinations for Telfair, though some of those teams have since signed other players.
Boston currently has 14 players on guaranteed contracts, plus Donte Greene and three camp invitees, so the C's may not have much room for Telfair. That goes for the Spurs as well, who seem to be well-stocked at point guard already, with Cory Joseph, Nando De Colo, and Patrick Mills capable of playing the point behind Tony Parker. As for the Lakers, they already have Steve Nash, Steve Blake, and Jordan Farmar under contract.
Telfair, 28, appeared in 59 games last season for the Suns and Raptors, averaging 5.6 PPG and 2.6 APG in 16.6 minutes per contest. His .362 FG% was a career-worst mark, but many of his other rates, including a 10.9 PER and .353 3PT%, were in line with, or better than, his career averages.
Non-Guaranteed Players On Non-Minimum Deals
In many cases, players on non-guaranteed or partially guaranteed contracts are slated to earn minimum salaries if they remain on NBA rosters. That's especially true at this time of year, when most players who had been on non-guaranteed contracts worth more than the minimum have already seen their deals become fully guaranteed — Kyle Lowry, for instance, was only owed $1MM of his $6.21MM salary for 2013/14, but that full $6.21MM became guaranteed when he wasn't waived on or before July 15th.
There are still a handful of players though who are on non-guaranteed deals worth more than the minimum, and still aren't entirely safe. Last night, we passed along our complete list of non-guaranteed contracts for '13/14, but this morning we'll highlight a few specific cases, weighing the likelihood of these guys earning their full salaries.
Listed below are the players believed to still be on non-guaranteed contracts worth more than the minimum salary for the coming season. These deals will become fully guaranteed if the players aren't released on or before January 7th.
- Andrew Bynum, Cavaliers ($6MM of $12.25MM currently guaranteed). Bynum's health figures to play a role in determining whether or not he earns the additional $6.25MM on his contract this year. Still, I think the Cavs will probably keep Bynum around barring anything short of a season-ending injury. Even if he has only appeared in a handful of games by the time decision day rolls around in January, it's hard to imagine Cleveland releasing Bynum if the team believes he could be healthy in the second half, considering the potential upside.
- C.J. Miles, Cavaliers (none of $2.225MM currently guaranteed). If the Cavaliers were going to cut Miles, I think they would have done it by now, to maximize their summer cap space. At $2.225MM, the eight-year veteran, who averaged 11.2 PPG and a .384 3PT% in his first year as a Cav, is a relative bargain, and figures to remain in Cleveland beyond January 7th.
- Hasheem Thabeet, Thunder ($500K of $1.2MM currently guaranteed). Thabeet may never live up to the expectations placed on him when he was drafted second overall in 2009, but if you're looking for a big man capable of playing 10-15 minutes per game off the bench, you could do worse. Oklahoma City is flirting with the luxury tax line, and has a few non-guaranteed deals on the books, so at least one or two of those guys will likely be waived. Still, I'd be a little surprised if Thabeet was one of those cuts, particularly since OKC holds a cheap 2014/15 option on him.
- Hedo Turkoglu, Magic ($6MM of $12MM currently guaranteed). The Magic continue to work on a buyout for Turkoglu, and it sounds like he'll probably be off the roster well before January. One report suggested that Turkoglu's big expiring contract could become a decent trade chip at the February deadline, but that would mean guaranteeing him another $6MM, which seems like bad business.
2013/14 NBA Non-Guaranteed Contracts
Up until now, we’d been grouping players with non-guaranteed contracts for 2013/14 in with our list of current free agents, but with more and more players accepting camp invites, it’s time to give non-guaranteed players their own page.
Listed below are all the players believed to have non-guaranteed or partially guaranteed contracts for 2013/14. Most of these players won’t be assured of their full-season salaries unless they remain on an NBA roster beyond January 7th, but deals that will become guaranteed before that date are noted on our guarantee schedule.
There are many players who have reportedly accepted camp invites from NBA teams, but who haven’t been officially announced by those clubs. For the most part, we’ll include those players below, but if the initial report was ambiguous, we’ll hold off for now. For instance, immediately after the June draft, it was reported that Rodney Williams had reached a deal with the 76ers, but it’s not clear yet if that was just for Summer League play, or for training camp as well.
For other signings, such as Lance Thomas‘ new deal with the Pelicans, a contract was reported to include a partial guarantee for ’13/14. However, until the specifics of those guarantees are reported, we won’t include them below. So players like Thomas, Ronnie Brewer, and Elias Harris, who are believed to be on partially guaranteed contracts, are simply listed below as non-guaranteed for now.
Unless otherwise indicated, these contracts are minimum-salary deals. Camp invites are considered to be fully non-guaranteed summer contracts. This list, which will be continually updated, can be found on the right-hand sidebar under “Hoops Rumors Features” at any time. If you have any corrections or omissions, please contact us.
Updated 1-7-13
- 76ers: None
- Bobcats: None
- Bucks: None
- Bulls: None
- Cavaliers: None
- Celtics: None
- Clippers: None
- Grizzlies: None
- Hawks: None
- Heat: None
- Jazz: None
- Kings: None
- Knicks: None
- Lakers: None
- Magic: None
- Mavericks: None
- Nets: None
- Nuggets: None
- Pacers: None
- Pelicans: None
- Pistons: None
- Raptors: None
- Rockets: None
- Spurs: None
- Suns: None
- Thunder: None
- Timberwolves: None
- Trail Blazers: None
- Warriors: None
- Wizards: None
HoopsWorld and ShamSports were used in the creation of this post.
Western Notes: Seattle, Suns, Gomes, Mavs
As Labor Day weekend comes to an end in North America (or Labour Day weekend, for our readers north of the border), let's round up a few holiday Monday items from around the Western Conference….
- In an interview with Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports, Gary Payton discusses the probability of an NBA team returning to Seattle and shares his thoughts on Dwight Howard leaving the Lakers.
- Dave King of Sheridan Hoops identifies five things to watch for when it comes to the 2013/14 Suns. Unsurprisingly, the first item on King's list deals with first-time head coach Jeff Hornacek.
- Ryan Gomes, who signed with the Thunder earlier this summer, earned a guaranteed $25K when he remained on OKC's roster past September 1st. As our schedule of contract guarantees shows, Gomes will make another $25K if he's not waived on or before October 1st.
- Bryan Gutierrez of ESPNDallas.com gives the Mavericks a grade of A+ on their signing of Devin Harris to a one-year, minimum-salary contract.
Extension/Trade Candidate: Rudy Gay
The last major roster move made by former Raptors GM Bryan Colangelo came prior to 2013's trade deadline, when Toronto sent Jose Calderon to the Pistons and Ed Davis and a draft pick to the Grizzlies in order to land Rudy Gay. Gay is viewed by many as one of the league's more talented scorers, but has seen his shooting percentages and efficiency ratings slide over the last few seasons.
The acquisition of Gay appeared to be a last-ditch effort by Colangelo to save his job, an effort that was ultimately unsuccessful, as the Raptors replaced him with Masai Ujiri this summer. With Colangelo no longer in the picture in Toronto, and Gay headed for free agency as soon as next offseason, it's worth considering exactly how the veteran forward fits in the team's long-term plans.
Several weeks after the deal with the Grizzlies was finalized, a report surfaced suggesting that the Raptors were likely to offer Gay a contract extension when he became eligible. At the time, I looked into the possibility, breaking down the numbers and determining what a max extension for Gay would look like. But with Ujiri calling the shots now in Colangelo's place, it seems highly unlikely that such an offer will be made to Gay anytime soon.
Of course, an extension offer for Gay wouldn't necessarily have to be for the max, but if he didn't receive a substantial offer, the 27-year-old would have no reason to seriously consider it. After all, he has plenty of flexibility when it comes to his free agency — he'll earn about $17.89MM in 2013/14, then will decide between exercising a $19.32MM option for 2014/15 or hitting free agency in search of a new, long-term contract.
It's still too early to tell exactly what Ujiri and the Raptors' new decision-making team thinks of Gay, but they don't seem interested in shopping him yet. The Pistons reportedly offered a pair of expiring contracts for Gay earlier in the offseason, but were quickly shot down by the Raps, who aren't looking to move the UConn product, especially not for such a light return.
There's some optimism from out of Toronto that a surgical procedure on Gay's eyes will help to reverse the trend of his declining shooting percentages. Despite problems with his vision, Gay never felt comfortable wearing goggles or contact lenses, and finally had surgery this summer that the team hopes will make a difference, as head coach Dwane Casey told the Sporting News last month.
"I am keeping my fingers crossed," Casey said. "For some players, they get that done and it is like seeing a new rim. Hopefully, the same thing happens with him."
The Raptors likely won't make any final decisions on Gay until they see how he fares this season, with a full training camp in Toronto, and hopefully with improved vision. As Zach Lowe of Grantland wrote in July, the Raps privately expressed a belief that Gay would opt out of his current deal in the summer of 2014, so this season will be a crucial one for both the team and player.
I don't think the Raptors will make an extension offer, now that Colangelo isn't making Toronto's basketball decisions — if the club decides it wants to hang on to Gay long-term, a new deal in free agency next summer is the more likely scenario. But if the Raptors struggle in the first half, it wouldn't be a surprise to see Gay become one of the biggest names on the trade market for the second straight deadline.
Trading a big-name scorer for a variety of useful parts is nothing new to Ujiri, who completed a similar deal in Denver with Carmelo Anthony. Gay won't have the same sort of trade value that Carmelo did, but Ujiri, the reigning Executive of the Year, has displayed a knack for finding some value for trade assets, as he showed early on with the Raptors when he landed a first-round pick for Andrea Bargnani. It'll be interesting to see how Gay and the Raps come out of the gate this season, since the forward's performance and the team's success (or lack thereof) should play a significant role in determining Gay's future.
Odds & Ends: D-League, Liggins, 76ers, McGrady
Gino Pilato of Ridiculous Upside asks if the D-League would be a worthwhile investment for a developing or well-established cable sports network. The NBA's farm system has had a number of homes over the years, from Versus to NBA D-League Futurecast to NBATV to the CBS Sports Network last season.
It's an interesting question to pose, particularly with the NBC Sports Network shelling out a fortune for the Premier League and the fledgling FOX Sports 1 putting a great deal of resources behind pushing the UFC. It's conceivable that a network out there will want to help the D-League realize its potential and, in turn, boost their profile in an increasingly crowded market.
Here's today's look around the Association…
- Speaking of the D-League, Mark Porcaro of Secret Rival (Twitter links) counts 51 D-League players from a year ago that have signed overseas contracts for next season. Others figure to be featured in the NBA this year, however. Jeremy Tyler (Knicks) and Glen Rice Jr. (Wizards) have NBA deals while Ron Howard (Pacers), Marcus Landry (Lakers), and Arinze Onuaku (Pelicans) got training camp invites.
- After his arrest last week, many believe that DeAndre Liggins has played his final game in a Thunder uniform, writes Darnell Mayberry of The Oklahoman.
- Adi Joseph of USA Today projects the records for every NBA team in 2013/14. In his estimation, the 76ers will have the best shot at Andrew Wiggins with a 16-66 record.
- Joel Brigham of HoopsWorld looks at the Hall of Fame cases for Allen Iverson, Jason Kidd, Chris Webber, Tracy McGrady, and others. There has been a great deal of debate over TMac's candidacy after he announced his retirement last week.
- Chris Bernucca of Sheridan Hoops ranked the top ten offseason free agent signings. Some of the league's best bargains make the list such as Matt Barnes (three-year, $10.2MM deal; Clippers) but Dwight Howard of the Rockets takes the top spot.