Rookie Scale Option Decision Recap
A month ago, there were 57 players on rookie scale contracts eligible to have 2014/15 team options exercised ahead of Thursday’s deadline. Teams picked up all but seven of those options, once more affirming the bargain that the rookie scale provides to clubs. Five of the options were allowed to lapse, while two other eligible players were waived before the deadline. You can find our full, team-by-team breakdown of the option decisions via this link, but a few of the results are more surprising than others.
I examined the decisions teams faced on these options earlier this autumn, separating the likelihood that each option would be exercised into three categories: “no-brainers,” “probables” and “on the bubble.” All 15 of the “no-brainer” options were exercised, and only one of the 32 probables isn’t under contract for 2014/15: MarShon Brooks. The Celtics elected to decline their option on Brooks, and the team’s unfamiliarity with him after he came over from the Nets this summer was part of the reason, according to GM Danny Ainge.
There were 10 “bubble” cases, and only three of those options were picked up. Three of the options that were declined belonged to former lottery picks. The Wizards never formally announced that they’d turned down their fourth-year option on 2011 No. 6 overall pick Jan Vesely, nor did they announce their decision to decline Chris Singleton‘s option and pick up Bradley Beal‘s, but Michael Lee of The Washington Post confirms the moves. The Kings owned up to their mistake on Jimmer Fredette, declining the option of the former tenth overall pick. The Wizards also failed to exercise the option of another lottery selection, waiving 2012 13th pick Kendall Marshall shortly after acquiring him from the Suns in last week’s Marcin Gortat trade.
Royce White also hit free agency prematurely, as the Sixers released him a week before the option deadline. The Nuggets made no formal announcement about their decision to decline Jordan Hamilton‘s option, but he, too, will become a free agent at the end of the season. Jared Cunningham of the Hawks will also be a free agent in the summer, as his was the other option to be declined. Derrick Williams of the Timberwolves, Cory Joseph of the Spurs and Tony Wroten of the Sixers were the only “bubble” players to have their options exercised.
Grant Jerrett Tops Field Of D-League Draftees
The Thunder’s D-League affiliate used the No. 1 overall pick in tonight’s D-League draft on Grant Jerrett, allowing the Thunder to closely monitor a player whose NBA rights also belong to them. Oklahoma City traded for Jerrett shortly after the Blazers took him 40th overall in June’s NBA draft. A report in September indicated Jerrett had signed with the Thunder-owned Tulsa 66ers, but as I pointed out at the time, he’d have to enter the D-League draft rather than sign with Tulsa outright. The 66ers pulled off a trade yesterday to acquire the No. 1 pick in the D-League draft, positioning themselves to secure Jerrett’s D-League rights.
The Pelicans didn’t do the same with the second-rounder they picked up in the Jrue Holiday/Nerlens Noel trade. Pierre Jackson, the 42nd overall pick in the NBA draft, went fourth overall in the D-League draft to the Idaho Stampede, the affiliate of the Blazers.
The Rio Grande Valley Vipers, the one-to-one affiliate of the Rockets, took four-year NBA vet James Johnson second overall tonight, while Quincy Douby, who has three years of NBA experience, went at No. 3 to the Sioux Falls Skyforce, the affiliate of the Heat. The Texas Legends, who are affiliated with the Mavs, rounded out the top five with their selection of C.J. Aiken, who was in an NBA camp with the Kings last month after leaving St. Joseph’s in the spring.
Ricky Davis was perhaps the most well-known figure selected, as the Erie BayHawks, the affiliate of the Knicks, drafted him in the sixth round, signaling that the Knicks liked what they saw when the 34-year-old worked out for them in September. Other notable picks include former Magic and Thunder swingman DeAndre Liggins, who went to the Skyforce at seventh overall. Thanasis Antetokounmpo, the brother of Bucks rookie Giannis Antetokounmpo, went at No. 9 to the Delaware 87ers. Check out the entire list of draftees right here.
Some D-League clubs were involved in draft day trades. The Santa Cruz Warriors came into the draft already stocked with Stephen Curry‘s brother Seth Curry, whose D-League rights Golden State had protected after cutting him at the end of camp. Santa Cruz swapped a second-round pick for Mychel Thompson, brother of Golden State sharpshooter Klay Thompson, as Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports writes, giving the Warriors’ affiliate their own version of the big club’s “Splash Brothers” duo.
Players with prior D-League experience who were cut from NBA camps can re-enter the D-League and go back to their old teams without entering the draft. That’s what James Nunnally, fresh off a camp appearance with the Suns, has decided to do, as he’ll return to the Bakersfield Jam, reports Shams Charania of RealGM.com. The Suns are one of five NBA teams affiliated with the Jam, as our list of NBA/D-League affiliations shows.
Northwest Links: Hayward, Hickson, Wolves
The Jazz and Gordon Hayward didn’t reach a deal on an extension last night, but GM Dennis Lindsey can still envision Hayward retiring with Utah and says much of the moves the team pulled off this summer were done with Hayward in mind. Jody Genessy of the Deseret News and Aaron Falk of The Salt Lake Tribune have more details, including Hayward’s morning-after input, as we round up the latest from the Northwest Division:
- Hayward echoed Lindsey’s comment that “no ill will” came of the failed negotiations. “I love being in Utah,” he said. “I really wish it could’ve happened. This in no way changes the way I feel about Utah at all. Hopefully it will get worked out next summer.”
- J.J. Hickson is upset with Blazers GM Neil Olshey and some of his former Portland teammates for expressing their desire for an upgrade over Hickson at center this summer, the current Nugget tells Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com. Haynes nonetheless hears from a source that the $4MM that Portland paid Hickson on his one-year deal last season was much greater than any other team was willing to cough up at the time.
- Rick Adelman said a couple of weeks ago that the Timberwolves were looking at bringing aboard someone who could shore up the small forward position, but Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities hears there’s “nothing brewing” for now (Twitter link).
Unsigned Players Who Made $5MM+ Last Year
Richard Hamilton isn’t making any money from professional basketball right now, and that’s quite a change from last season. The three-time All-Star made more than $11MM combined during 2012/13 from his contract with the Bulls and through his buyout agreement with the Pistons, who chipped in more than $6MM of his total take. Corey Maggette raked in more than $10.9MM playing for the Pistons last season, but the 33-year-old failed in his bid to make the Spurs on a minimum-salary contract. It appears Maggette will retire now, meaning he’d go from earning an eight-figure salary to not receiving a dime from pro basketball in the space of one year.
Hamilton, Maggette and Stephen Jackson all made more than $10MM last season playing the NBA, and none of them are signed for this season. Of course, some players who’ve been waived via the amnesty clause saw even larger streams of income dry up this summer once their old contracts finally lapsed, but the focus here is on players who still remained on NBA rosters last season.
There are nine players who find themselves on the shelf this year after making more than $5MM playing in the NBA last season. Hedo Turkoglu figures to join them soon, once the Magic figure out what they’re going to do with his $12MM expiring contract. The deal is only guaranteed for $6MM, but the Magic want to see what they can get on the trade market for Turkoglu rather than release him right away, even though the team has told him to stay home. His $11,815,850 salary last season would put him atop this list, which includes every unsigned player who made more than $5MM while on an NBA roster last season.
- Richard Hamilton, Pistons/Bulls ($11,069,767 — $6,069,767 from Pistons and $5MM from Bulls)
- Corey Maggette, Pistons ($10,924,138)
- Stephen Jackson, Spurs ($10,059,750)
- Lamar Odom, Clippers ($8.2MM)
- Tyrus Thomas, Bobcats ($8MM)
- DeSagana Diop, Bobcats ($7,372,200)
- Drew Gooden, Bucks ($6,687,400)
- Luke Walton, Cavaliers ($6,091,363)
- Brandon Roy, Timberwolves ($5.1MM)
Storyteller’s Contracts was used in the creation of this post.
Odds & Ends: Mavs, D-League, Collins, Dragic
Dirk Nowitzki publicly questioned Mark Cuban‘s approach to retooling the Mavericks back in January, and the team struck out on its top target again this summer when Dwight Howard decided to join the Rockets. But Nowitzki tells Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com that he’s pleased with the roster Cuban and Donnie Nelson put together this offseason, and he’s encouraged by the club’s direction.
“I think as a franchise, we’ve moved on,” Nowitzki said of the failed attempts to recruit star free agents. “We didn’t go for the whole cap space deal again, like we did last year, so I was obviously pleased to see that.”
Here are a few more Friday afternoon odds and ends:
- With the D-League draft set to get underway at 6:00pm CT tonight, the Iowa Energy traded the third overall pick as part of a deal with the Sioux Falls Skyforce. Heat camp invitee and NBA champion Jarvis Varnado headed to Iowa in the move, as Keith Schlosser writes at Ridiculous Upside.
- One player who won’t be playing on a D-League squad anytime soon is free agent big man Jason Collins, according to ESPN.com’s Marc Stein. Stein hears from a source that Collins isn’t considering playing overseas or in the D-League, since he still believes he’s an NBA player and prefers to continue his workout regimen at home in Los Angeles.
- In a separate ESPN.com story, Stein writes that the Suns are comfortable with Eric Bledsoe heading into free agency next summer. However, it sounds like Phoenix hasn’t ruled out the possibility of facilitating a sign-and-trade involving Bledsoe in July if he gets too pricey, so the team likely won’t shop Goran Dragic for now.
- John Jenkins tells Lang Greene of HoopsWorld it “feels great” that the Hawks elected to exercise his third-year option for 2014/15 yesterday.
- $14MM over four years is a reasonable price for Quincy Pondexter, but he’ll have to continue to develop for his new contract to be a good investment for the Grizzlies, says Mark Deeks of ShamSports.com.
- DeShawn Sims, who was in camp with the Celtics in October, has signed with Galil Gilboa in Israel, agent Mike Silverman tells Jorge Sierra of HoopsHype (Twitter link).
- Since being released by the Rockets, Tim Ohlbrecht has remained in the U.S. in hopes of landing another NBA job, but continues to consider overseas offers, according to Schlosser at Ridiculous Upside.
Eastern Rumors: Turner, Celtics, Raptors, Bulls
Two title hopefuls meet in Brooklyn tonight, as the Nets prepare to host the Heat in their home opener. While we look forward to what could be a playoff preview, here are a few of the latest items from around the Eastern Conference:
- Although other extension candidates negotiated right up until last night’s deadline, Evan Turner told reporters, including Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer, that he had no talks whatsoever with the Sixers. “I didn’t expect anything, because [Sam] Hinkie is not my GM,” Turner said. “I didn’t come up with Hinkie or anything. He has his own plan for stuff, and that’s pretty much it.”
- The Celtics are viewed league-wide as a strong candidate to pursue Gordon Hayward next summer, given Hayward’s ties to coach Brad Stevens, writes Shams Charania of RealGM.com.
- Following up on Marc Stein’s report about the Raptors exploring trade options, ESPN.com’s Chad Ford tweets that no one covets Canadian prospect Andrew Wiggins more than Toronto GM Masai Ujiri.
- Within Stein’s piece on Jameer Nelson, the ESPN.com scribe also noted that the Bulls had been trying to acquire a first-round pick for Marquis Teague throughout October, to no avail.
- Howard Beck of Bleacher Report spoke to Bucks owner Herb Kohl and GM John Hammond about Milwaukee’s roster-building model and the franchise’s aversion to tanking.
- Solomon Jones suffered a torn meniscus and will be sidelined indefinitely after he undergoes surgery, according to a press release from the Magic. The injury is bad news for Jones, who had beat out several other camp invitees to earn a roster spot, and for the Magic, who may end up having to guarantee Jones’ non-guaranteed contract depending on how much time he misses.
I didn’t expect anything, because Hinkie is not my GM,” Turner said. “I didn’t come up with Hinkie or anything. He has his own plan for stuff, and that’s pretty much it.
Read more at http://www.philly.com/philly/sports/sixers/20131102_Sixers_pick_up_contract_options_on_Wroten__Moultrie.html#RdDCwEmmje8mZ2qB.99
Magic Seeking First-Round Pick For Nelson
The Magic would trade Jameer Nelson today if they were offered a first-round pick for him, reports ESPN.com’s Marc Stein, citing the “latest rumbles” around the league. It’s not clear if Orlando GM Rob Hennigan is actively shopping Nelson, but it sounds as if the team is very open to moving its veteran point guard.
As Stein notes, NBA teams are increasingly reluctant to part with first-round picks, which have become more valuable than ever under the new Collective Bargaining Agreement. As such, flipping Nelson for a first-rounder, even one with heavy protection, may be a tall order for Hennigan and the Magic.
Grantland’s Zach Lowe wrote earlier this week that he has been talking to executives for weeks about whether any veteran players on lottery teams will net a first-round pick on the trade market. The consensus, in Lowe’s words: “It’s going to be very, very hard in this climate to get a first-round pick for that type of player. [Marcin] Gortat might be the only one.”
While the fact that Gortat did net the Suns a top-12 protected first-round pick bodes well for the Magic, it will still be difficult to acquire a first-rounder of their own for Nelson, who is under contract for $8.6MM this season and $8MM ($2MM guaranteed) in 2014/15. Perhaps closer to the deadline an injury-plagued contender in desperate need of a point guard will meet Orlando’s asking price, but otherwise the Magic may have to hang on to Nelson or settle for a lesser return.
Michael Jordan Talks Tanking, CBA, McRoberts
The Bobcats dropped their first game of the season in Houston on Wednesday night, but will look to get in the win column later today when they host the Cavs in Charlotte. In advance of tonight’s home opener, Bobcats owner Michael Jordan spoke to The Associated Press and the Charlotte Observer about a number of subjects related to his team. Courtesy of Steve Reed (AP) and Rick Bonnell (Observer), here are a few highlights from the six-time champion:
- Asked about tanking, Jordan said that’s not a path the Bobcats plan to go down. “I don’t know if some teams have thought of that,” Jordan said. “That’s not something that we would do. I don’t believe in that…. If that was my intention I never would have paid Al Jefferson $13MM a year.”
- More Jordan on tanking: “It’s not guaranteed [the player] you are going to get is going to be that star anyway. I did read that certain teams are thinking about doing it. But I’m not one of them.”
- Jordan referred to the amnestying of Tyrus Thomas as a statement that showed the Bobcats weren’t going to be shy about spending to improve the roster. Charlotte is still paying Thomas, and the cap space cleared in the move helped the club add Jefferson and re-sign Gerald Henderson.
- Initially, Jordan was unconvinced that the league’s new CBA was helping to level the playing field, but he has started to come around on its benefits. “We are still going through and seeing the full effects of it,” Jordan said. “From a business standpoint if you operate your team in the right way it gives you a chance to break even or be profitable. And it makes it more difficult for your talent to get up and go somewhere else.”
- Jordan singled out Josh McRoberts, who re-signed in Charlotte this past summer, as one of the keys to the club, expressing hope that he won’t opt out of his deal at season’s end.
Raptors Exploring Trade Options For Gay, Others
Raptors GM Masai Ujiri hasn’t been overly active since taking over for Bryan Colangelo in Toronto this spring, with the deal that sent Andrea Bargnani to New York representing Ujiri’s only major move. However, according to ESPN.com’s Marc Stein, there are indications that Ujiri and the Raptors are exploring possible trade options “rather vigorously.”
Jonas Valanciunas, 2011’s fifth overall pick, is considered untouchable, but Stein hears that anyone else on Toronto’s roster could be moved if a suitable offer presents itself. That includes Rudy Gay, whose potential availability was reported earlier in the week, as well as players like Kyle Lowry or DeMar DeRozan, who were acquired or extended by the Raptors’ previous regime.
As the Raps weigh their options, they have the blessing of new CEO Tim Leiweke, whom Stein refers to as “splash-loving.” The team may not make a deal anytime soon, particularly since rival clubs are still attempting to determine how likely Gay is to opt out of his contract at season’s end — he has a $19MM+ player option for the 2014/15 season, which will likely be more than he can earn on the open market. But the opportunity to secure a multiyear deal that has a larger overall guarantee may be appealing.
Lowry, meanwhile, is in the final year of his contract, earning about $6.2MM. DeRozan is in the first season of a four-year extension worth $9.5MM annually.
Pacific Notes: Jimmer, Bledsoe, Warriors, Kings
After reporting yesterday that about six clubs had shown some level of interest in trade candidate Jimmer Fredette, Sam Amick of USA Today tweets that the number of teams with substantive interest is “closer to two.” The Kings elected to turn down their option on Jimmer for 2014/15, meaning he’s on an expiring contract now, which will make him more movable, according to Amick.
As the Kings mull what to do with their 2011 lottery pick, let’s check in on a few more items from around the Pacific Division….
- Eric Bledsoe will head to restricted free agency in 2014 after not reaching an extension agreement with the Suns prior to October 31st. One league source tells Sean Deveney of the Sporting News that Phoenix probably won’t get a discount next summer: “He is probably going to want a max deal. If he plays the way he thinks he is going to, he will get it, too.”
- Warriors camp invitees Seth Curry, Dewayne Dedmon, and Joe Alexander have joined Golden State’s D-League affiliate, the Santa Cruz Warriors, tweets Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports. The three players, whose D-League rights were retained by Golden State, were considered likely to head to Santa Cruz when they were cut by the NBA’s Warriors.
- The Kings‘ new management group didn’t just take over a mess when it came to business and fan relations, writes Tom Ziller of SBNation.com. In Ziller’s view, former GM Geoff Petrie‘s rebuild of Sacramento’s roster may require a rebuild itself.