2014 Amnesty Primer
Now that the July moratorium is over, the seven-day window for teams to use the amnesty provision has begun. The collective bargaining agreement’s amnesty clause comes up in rumors almost year-round, but teams only have seven days to use it. This year’s amnesty period started Thursday and runs through this coming Wednesday. Here’s a look at how the process works, which teams are still have the amnesty at their disposal, and which players remain amnesty-eligible:
How does it work?
The amnesty provision allows a team to clear an especially player-friendly contract from its books. The team must still pay the player the remainder of the salary on his deal, but it doesn’t count against the salary cap or toward luxury tax calculations. A team may only amnesty one player for the length of the collective bargaining agreement — not one player per season. The provision only applies to players who were on the roster of the same team they’re on now, under the same contract, on July 1st, 2011. Teams may not amnesty players who’ve been traded or who have signed new contracts or extensions since that date.
What happens when to a player once his team uses the amnesty provision on him?
When a team uses the amnesty provision, the player is placed on waivers. The waiver rules are slightly different, however. Teams can place claims for the full amount of the player’s contract, as usual, but they can also submit claims for a partial amount, a feature unique to amnesty waivers. That can turn the process into an auction of sorts, since the rights to the player go to the team that submits a claim for the largest portion of the player’s contract. If multiple teams bid for the full amount, or for the same partial amount, the team with the worst record last season gets the player. In the case of a successful partial waiver claim, the new team is responsible for the amount of the bid, and that money counts against the cap. The previous team is responsible for the rest, but, as we explained above, the money doesn’t count against the cap. The new team has discretion over any non-guaranteed salary in the contract, and that can lead to odd scenarios, as I explained.
For a few more details on the amnesty process, check out our complete explanation in the Hoops Rumors glossary.
Which teams still have the amnesty provision available, and which players are still eligible to be amnestied?
More than half of the league’s 30 teams have already used the amnesty provision, while others have no amnesty-eligible players remaining on their rosters. That leaves a select group of clubs that retain the power of amnesty. There’s a total of just nine players who can be amnestied, and realistically, only Carlos Boozer, Kendrick Perkins and perhaps Nick Collison seem like realistic candidates. Here’s the complete list:
- Hawks: Al Horford
- Celtics: Rajon Rondo
- Bulls: Joakim Noah, Carlos Boozer
- Grizzlies: Mike Conley
- Thunder: Kevin Durant, Kendrick Perkins, Nick Collison
- Spurs: Tony Parker
To keep up with how teams use the amnesty clause this week and for a glance at how they’ve used it in years past, bookmark our Amnesty Provision Tracker.
Hawks Waive John Salmons
FRIDAY, 7:53am: The Hawks have indeed waived Salmons, the team announced via press release. The release states that the team officially made the move Thursday, so the guaranteed portion of Salmons’ salary remains only $1MM.
THURSDAY, 1:49pm: Atlanta continues to explore its options regarding Salmons, Vivlamore writes in an updated version of his story, noting on Twitter that the possibility of trading Salmons still exists.
1:36pm: The Hawks will waive John Salmons by the end of today, a source tells Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Today’s the last day the Hawks can waive him before his $1MM partially guaranteed salary becomes fully guaranteed for $7MM, as our schedule of contract guarantee dates shows.
The Joel Bell client agreed to delay that date from July 1st before the trade that sent him from the Raptors to the Hawks became official, and while that seemingly gave Atlanta a window to see if it could flip the 34-year-old swingman, it appears no such swap is in the works. Salmons will almost assuredly clear waivers and become a free agent in two days, and while he no longer boasts a double-digit scoring average, as he did for four straight seasons earlier in his career, he remained a part of the rotations in Sacramento and Toronto this past season, splitting the year between both the Kings and Raptors. He averaged 5.2 points and shot 38.7% from three-point range in 22.1 minutes per game overall in 2013/14.
The move will free up cap flexibility for the Hawks, who’ve pursued Luol Deng, among others, so far this month. It’s flexibility that Atlanta’s likely been planning for all along, since they weren’t expected to keep Salmons from the moment they acquired him.
And-Ones: LeBron, Novak, Hibbert, Butler
The Heat and Cavs expect LeBron James to make his decision on where to sign before he gets on his flight to Brazil this weekend, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. It’s likely that any decision James makes will impact where Chris Bosh, Kevin Love, and Chandler Parsons find themselves next season as well. While much is seemingly tied to the four-time MVP’s choice, odds are low anything is decided tonight. Let’s catch up on the rest of the league while we wait on LeBron and the 2014 edition of “The Decision”:
- The Raptors are finalizing a buyout with Lucas Nogueira‘s team in Spain, writes Josh Lewenberg of TSN.ca (on Twitter). We had heard earlier this week that Toronto was likely to bring over Nogueira and Bruno Caboclo prior to the start of 2014/15.
- The $9.8MM trade exception that the Warriors had created from the Richard Jefferson deal with the Jazz expired tonight, as David Aldridge of NBA.com observes (via Twitter).
- The Steve Novak trade, which became official today, allows the Raptors to create a $3,445,947 trade exception equivalent to Novak’s salary. The three-teamer between the Nets, Cavs and Celtics that was also formalized today allows the Nets to create a diminutive $741,160 trade exception equal to the difference between Marcus Thornton’s salary and the sum of the salaries for Jarrett Jack and Sergey Karasev. The Cavs could end up with trade exceptions out of the deal, too, but they’re poised to open cap room, so those exceptions would disappear when they officially dip below the cap.
- The Bucks and Pacers have had discussions for a trade including Roy Hibbert, writes Gery Woefel of the Racine Journal Times. Milwaukee is interested in acquiring Hibbert, says Woelfel, but it isn’t clear if Indiana is interested in any packages the Bucks could put together.
- Nikola Vucevic and Tobias Harris‘ rookie deals expire after 2014/15, and as a result, the duo became extension eligible this summer. Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel hears discussions about new contracts between the Magic and the young big men will pick up some time around Labor Day.
- Caron Butler is being pursued by the Clippers and Thunder, tweets Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated. Butler, of course, has spent time with both organizations.
Chuck Myron contributed to this post.
Blazers Sign Chris Kaman
JULY 10TH: The deal is official, the team announced.
JULY 3RD, 10:54pm: Sam Amick of USA Today (on Twitter) has the full breakdown. Kaman gets $4.8MM in year one and $5MM in year two with only $1MM guaranteed. That gives him a total of $9.8MM if he completes the contract.
10:32pm: The Blazers have reached agreement on a two-year, $10MM deal with Chris Kaman, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports (on Twitter). The second year of the deal is partially guaranteed (link).
Kaman, 32, played in just 39 games last season for the Lakers thanks to a calf injury and averaged 10.4 PPG and 5.9 RPG. The big man has missed quite a bit of time over the course of his career due to various injuries but has still provided a big presence and double digit scoring in most of his NBA campaigns. For his career, Kaman has averaged 11.7 PPG with 7.9 RPG. Kaman’s career PER is a so-so 14.7 but he has comfortably topped that number in each of his last five seasons.
Kaman’s deal might indicate an inflated market for free agent bigs. Surely, a deal of this size for Kaman bodes well for higher-caliber frontcourt players like Channing Frye and Spencer Hawes.
Knicks Notes: ‘Melo, Stoudemire, Bargnani
After Carmelo Anthony had meetings with New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago, a source tells Jared Zwerling of Bleacher Report that Anthony was most impressed with the Bulls’ pitch (Twitter link). Despite the reported strong impression, ‘Melo is still deciding between the aforementioned three teams, says Zwerling, who adds the superstar forward remains intrigued at the notion of teaming up with Kobe Bryant as well the prospect of playing under the bright lights in New York again. More out of the Big Apple..
- The Mavericks and Rockets are out of the running for Anthony, a source tells Sam Amick of USA Today. ‘Melo hasn’t given the pair of Texas teams any formal notice saying as much, but the source suggests the Knicks, Lakers, and Bulls are the only teams the superstar is considering.
- The rumored conversations between the Knicks and Sixers about a deal that would send Amar’e Stoudemire to New York haven’t been able to gain any traction, writes Ken Berger of CBSSports.com.
- Shedding Andrea Bargnani‘s bloated contract would likely cost the Knicks two first-round picks, multiple league executives tell Berger. Given that the Knicks don’t own their 2016 pick, Phil Jackson would likely have to part with Tim Hardaway Jr. to obtain another one.
Celtics Sign James Young
JULY 10TH: The Celtics have announced the signing of James Young via a team release. They confirmed the signing of fellow first round pick Marcus Smart in the same communication. Boston nabbed Young out of Kentucky with the No. 17 pick in June’s draft after securing Smart with the sixth selection. The athletic sharpshooter is likely to receive a salary worth a tick above $1.674MM, as our chart of salaries for first-round picks shows.
Young scored a team-high 20 points in a losing effort for the Wildcats in the National Championship game against Connecticut. He was also named second team All-SEC as a freshman. On a Celtics team with a dearth of wing players, Young figures to get playing time right away. Some draftniks expected him to flirt with the top ten, which might bode well for Boston considering their recent draft history. Celtics GM Danny Ainge has landed players like Al Jefferson, Rajon Rondo, Avery Bradley and Jared Sullinger at similar stages of previous drafts. Young’s athleticism and polished jumper could make him a steal at 17.
Our Eddie Scarito took a look at Young a few months ago in our Prospect Profile series.
Celtics Sign Marcus Smart
JULY 10TH: The Celtics have made the signing of Smart official in a team release. Whether he received the full 120% rookie scale salary has yet to be revealed, but presumably that’s the case.
JULY 8TH: The signing took place three days ago, according to Deeks, who adds that an official announcement might not ever take place. The Bulls made no announcement when they signed Derrick Rose to his rookie deal, as Deeks points out (Twitter links).
7:49am: The Celtics have signed Marcus Smart, tweets Mark Deeks of ShamSports. There’s been no public announcement from the team, but Smart has been playing in summer league for the club. As the No. 6 pick from this year’s draft, he’ll likely receive a salary worth slightly more than $3.283MM this year, as our chart of salaries for first-round picks shows.
The 6’3″ Smart finally joins the NBA after a surprising decision to sit out the 2013 draft and return for his sophomore season at Oklahoma State. An incident in which he shoved a fan during a game caused a stir, but it didn’t seem to have much of an effect on his draft stock, as he was only the second point guard to come off the board. The Celtics already have Rajon Rondo and Avery Bradley in the backcourt, but president of basketball operations Danny Ainge has expressed confidence that Smart can co-exist on the floor with both of them.
Smart, 20, averaged 18.0 points, 5.9 rebounds and 4.8 assists in 32.7 minutes per game this past season. He drained just 29.9% of his three-point attempts, prompting Eddie Scarito of Hoops Rumors, who examined Smart’s Prospect Profile, to point to the improvement of his outside shooting as a key bellwether for his career.
Free Agent Rumors: ‘Melo, LeBron, Morrow, Blake
Phil Jackson might be expecting Carmelo Anthony to rejoin the Knicks, but ‘Melo hasn’t ruled out the Bulls just quite yet, tweets Ken Berger of CBSSports.com. Meanwhile, the Heat expected to have had an answer from LeBron James by this point, according to Bleacher Report’s Ethan Skolnick. James was frustrated with some of coach Erik Spoelstra‘s strategy during the Finals this year and wasn’t impressed with team president Pat Riley‘s end-of-season press conference last month, Skolnick adds.
While the NBA world waits on the decisions of superstars like Anthony and James, let’s round up the latest from free agents all around the league..
- Anthony Morrow has received interest from several teams, but it appears he’s deciding between joining the Clippers, Heat, Wizards, Raptors and Suns, reports David Aldridge of NBA.com, who adds that each of the teams Morrow is considering would be willing to use some or all of their mid-level exception to sign him (Twitter links). Given that the Clippers and Heat have both used up the full amount of their mid-level exceptions, signing Morrow would likely require a sign-and-trade to complete.
- The Warriors took “another” look at DJ White today, notes Diamond Leung of the Bay Area News Group (on Twitter), thereby implying it’s at least the second time Golden State has looked at the big man. White had his rights renounced by Charlotte earlier today.
- Other teams submitted much stronger bids for Steve Blake but he “desperately” wanted to play for the Blazers, as he agreed to do today, a source tells Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com (Twitter link). The Lakers weren’t among the teams making an aggressive play for the point guard, as they offered only the minimum salary, tweets Eric Pincus of the Los Angeles Times hears.
- The Jazz, Pelicans, Rockets, and Nets are interested in Francisco Garcia, a source tells Haynes (Twitter link).
- The Wolves are making an effort to sign Evan Turner to one-year deal, a source tells tells Darren Wolfson of 1500ESPN.com. Turner played poorly last season after being shipped to Indiana at the trade deadline.
- The matter of whether Mike Miller will re-sign with the Grizzlies will likely come down to contract length rather than salary, according to Ronald Tillery of The Commercial Appeal, who writes in subscription-only piece. Memphis wants him back on a two-year deal, but Miller is pushing for three or four seasons.
- Rockets GM Daryl Morey has been in contact with Paul Pierce‘s representatives at Excel Sports Management, but it’s unlikely the veteran forward ends up in Houston, tweets Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle.
Alex Lee and Chuck Myron contributed to this post.
Carmelo Anthony Rumors: Thursday
Knicks president Phil Jackson spoke with New York media and indicated that he expects Carmelo Anthony to re-sign with the team today, writes Al Iannazzone of Newsday. Jackson met with his star player last week in Los Angeles, where the two apparently “struck a chord” about their vision for the future of the franchise. This news agrees with a report we heard yesterday that Anthony was ready to announce his commitment to stay in New York, though there were additional reports suggesting he was still considering other destinations.
Here are more Carmelo-related rumors from Thursday:
- While it’s been widely reported that the Knicks offered Anthony a five year, $129MM pact, Jackson said on Thursday that there are five different ways the deal could be structured, Iannazzone adds. Jackson also indicated that none of the five versions of the deal figure to have a huge impact on the team’s future cap flexibility.
- Jackson said that he’s texted Anthony since their meeting last week but has yet to hear back, tweets Chris Herring of the Wall Street Journal. Referring to Jackson’s indication that he expects a decision on Thursday, Herring implies (via Twitter) that Jackson has expected this to be resolved for days now.
- According to James Worthy, the Lakers pitch to ‘Melo centered on selling Anthony’s wife on Los Angeles, writes Marc Berman of the New York Post. Worthy was part of the group that met with Anthony and still believes he is considering L.A.
- Anthony has regained interest in the Bulls after leaning elsewhere, according to Mike McGraw of the Daily Herald, who indicated head coach Tom Thibodeau has played a major role in reigniting that flame. McGraw adds that, internally, the Bulls have been trying to figure out how to close Anthony, which in turn could lead to them starting sign-and-trade talks (all Twitter links here).
Isaiah Thomas Visiting Suns Today
7:14pm: The Suns meeting with Thomas will continue into tomorrow, tweets David Aldridge of NBA.com. Aldridge adds that the sides have not agreed to an offer sheet yet but regardless of the result of their discussions, Phoenix’s interest in Thomas has no impact on their situation with Bledsoe.
5:49pm: Restricted free agent Isaiah Thomas is visiting the Suns today, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter link). Phoenix was one of a handful of teams that had reached out to Thomas since free agency began, though this is the first time we’ve heard about a visit. The Lakers, Mavericks, Pistons, Warriors and Heat are also reported to have interest in the Kings point guard.
Sacramento was rumored to be targeting a point guard in the draft before opting for Nik Stauskas at No. 8, who doesn’t project to be able to handle full-time duties at the point. The team also came to a three-year agreement with free agent Darren Collison last week, further clouding their intentions for Thomas. If they prefer to retain the Washington product, who will be entering his fourth professional season, it would seem like they’re going to have their hands full in doing so.
Meanwhile, the Suns seem intent on adding to an already deep back court. Phoenix drafted Syracuse’s Tyler Ennis to go with the dynamic duo of Goran Dragic and Eric Bledsoe (assuming they retain him).