2015/16 Roster Counts: Los Angeles Lakers
With the free agent negotiating period set to begin on July 1st, teams will begin with a varying number of players under contract, and that number will increase as the signings commence. It can’t be assumed that teams will continue to possess the soon-to-be free agents and players who have options for next season, so they’re not a part of the 2015/16 team rosters just yet, nor are unsigned draft picks. The deadline to make qualifying offers to restricted free agents is June 30th, and June 29th for most options to be decided upon, be they team, player, or early termination.
During the offseason it’s OK for teams to carry as many as 20 players, but clubs must trim their rosters down to a maximum of 15 by opening night. In the meantime, some teams will hang around that 15-man line, while others will max out their roster counts. Some clubs may actually have more than 15 contracts that are at least partially guaranteed on the books. That means they’ll end up paying players who won’t be on the regular season roster, unless they can find trade partners.
With plenty more movement still to come, here’s the latest look at the Lakers’ roster size, the contract guarantee status of each player, and how each player came to be on Los Angeles’ roster.
(Last Updated 1-7-16, 6:00pm)
Fully Guaranteed (15)
- Brandon Bass (F) — 6’8″/30 years old. Free agent signing.
- Tarik Black (F) — 6’11″/23 years old. Claimed off waivers via Rockets.
- Anthony Brown (F) — 6’7″/22 years old. Drafted with No. 34 overall pick in 2015.
- Kobe Bryant (G) — 6’6″/36 years old. Draft rights acquired via Hornets.
- Jordan Clarkson (G) — 6’5″/23 years old. Draft rights acquired via Wizards.
- Roy Hibbert (C) — 7’2″/28 years old. Acquired via trade from Pacers.
- Marcelo Huertas (G) — 6’3″/32 years old. Free agent signing.
- Ryan Kelly (F) — 6’11″/24 years old. Drafted with No. 48 overall pick in 2013.
- Larry Nance Jr. (F) —6’9″/22 years old. Drafted with No. 27 overall pick in 2015.
- Julius Randle (F) — 6’9″/20 years old. Drafted with No. 7 overall pick in 2014.
- D’Angelo Russell (G) — 6’5″/19 years old. Drafted with No. 2 overall pick in 2015.
- Robert Sacre (C) — 7’0″/26 years old. Drafted with No. 60 overall pick in 2012.
- Lou Williams (G) — 6’1″/28 years old. Free agent signing.
- Metta World Peace (F) — 6’7″/35 years old. Free agent signing.
- Nick Young (F) — 6’7″/30 years old. Free agent signing.
10-Day Contracts (0)
- None
TOTAL ROSTER COUNT (15)
Western Notes: Tomic, Towns, Lakers
Jazz draft-and-stash prospect Ante Tomic has inked a three year extension with FC Barcelona, Liga Endesa has announced (translation by Emiliano Carchia of Sportando). Tomic’s deal runs through June of 2018, and it’s unclear if the arrangement contains an NBA out clause. According to David Pick of Eurobasket.com (Twitter link), Tomic used the threat of leaving Barcelona for the NBA as leverage to secure a more lucrative contract overseas.
Here’s more from the Western Conference:
- Potential No. 1 overall pick Karl-Anthony Towns has a meeting scheduled with the Timberwolves this Friday, Shams Charania of RealGM reports (Twitter link). It’s unclear if this meeting will just be an interview, or if Towns intends to work out for the team as well, Charania adds.
- Clippers coach/executive Doc Rivers noted that if the team was to purchase a pick in this year’s NBA Draft, it would likely be a second-rounder so that the team could avoid having to sign the player to a guaranteed contract, Ben Bolch of The Los Angeles Times tweets.
- Manhattan forward Emmy Andujar has a workout scheduled with the Rockets, Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv relays (on Twitter).
- The Lakers will attempt to bring back Emmanuel Mudiay, D’Angelo Russell, and Jahlil Okafor for second looks prior to next week’s NBA Draft, Bill Oram of The Orange County Register tweets.
- Texas big man Myles Turner has an individual workout scheduled with the Suns today, Michael Scotto of SheridanHoops relays (via Twitter). In Hoops Rumors’ latest mock draft, Phoenix is tabbed to select Turner with the No. 13 overall pick.
- Now that the franchise has secured the NBA Championship, the Warriors have numerous roster decisions that need to be made, Cody Taylor of Basketball Insiders writes. The odds of the current roster remaining intact are slim because of the team’s challenging salary cap situation, Taylor notes. This sentiment is shared by pending restricted free agent Draymond Green, who said back in March, “This is a special group, a special bond, so let’s make the best of it, because this team will probably never be together again. That’s just the nature of this business. One addition, one subtraction, and the team isn’t together no more. So take advantage of it while you’ve got it because I’m sure this team will never be together again.”
Danny Granger Opts In With Suns
7:09pm: The Suns have officially announced that Granger has indeed opted in for next season.
3:21pm: Suns forward Danny Granger has picked up his player option worth $2,170,465 for the 2015/16 season, Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders reports (Twitter link). This means that the Creative Artists Agency client, represented by Aaron Mintz, will be eligible to hit unrestricted free agency during the summer of 2016. Granger, who was acquired by Phoenix from the Heat at this season’s trade deadline, has been working with the team’s athletic training staff to overcome health issues associated with his twice-surgically repaired left knee.
The return of Granger now gives the Suns a total of nine players with fully guaranteed deals for next season, and ten players under contract overall including Jerel McNeal‘s non-guaranteed pact. Phoenix now has $42,209,043 in guaranteed money on the books for 2014/15. The franchise also has to make a decision on Brandon Knight, who is eligible to become a restricted free agent, provided that the Suns tender him a qualifying offer worth $4,790,680.
Granger reportedly contemplated retirement after undergoing knee surgery when he was with the Pacers in 2013. But Phoenix’s stellar medical team has him convinced that he can be “fixed,” and return to being a productive player. The 32-year-old did not log a single minute of action for the Suns this season after arriving in Phoenix. He had previously appeared in 30 contests for Miami, averaging 6.3 points, 2.7 rebounds, and 0.6 assists in 20.4 minutes per game. His career stats are 16.8 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 1.9 assists. His career slash line is .434/.380/.848.
Central Notes: Boylen, Bucks, Pistons
The Bulls have officially named Jim Boylen as associate head coach on Fred Hoiberg’s staff, the team announced. “I am very excited to add Jim to our staff as our associate head coach. His track record speaks for itself with nearly 30 years of coaching experience and three NBA championships on his resume,” said Hoiberg. “His work ethic and attention to detail will help our team every day, and I look forward to working with him as we prepare for next season.”
Here’s more from the Central Division:
- Also being considered for a spot on Hoiberg’s staff with the Bulls is Pete Myers, K.C. Johnson of The Chicago Tribune tweets. Myers had previously been an assistant in Chicago, but was let go when Tom Thibodeau was named head coach. Myers last served as an assistant for the Warriors, but he was not retained when Steve Kerr took over for Mark Jackson as coach.
- The Bucks held pre-draft workouts today for Ziga Dimec (Slovenia), Jerian Grant (Notre Dame), Montrezl Harrell (Louisville), Bobby Portis (Arkansas), Terry Rozier (Louisville), and Brad Waldow (St. Mary’s), the team announced.
- The Pistons will work out Cady Lalanne (Massachusetts) and Kendall Gray (Delaware State) today, Michael Scotto of SheridanHoops relays (Twitter link). Detroit will also host Jonathan Holmes (Texas), Levi Randolph (Alabama), Aaron White (Iowa), and Rayvonte Rice (Illinois), Keith Langlois of NBA.com adds (via Twitter).
- Cavs coach David Blatt credits his players with continuing to fight even as injuries continued to mount during the playoffs, Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today writes. “This is a process,” Blatt said. “You don’t wake up one morning and fall out of bed and expect to win the NBA Championship. You hope that you can, but it doesn’t always work that way, and our guys did more than anyone could expect to put themselves and put our organization in this situation.“
- Pistons coach/executive Stan Van Gundy is breathing easier now that his starting lineup for 2015/16 is beginning to take shape with the acquisition of Ersan Ilyasova, Shawn Windsor of The Detroit Free Press writes. “It was a little scary thinking about going into the summer and saying you might have to go get two starters,” Van Gundy said. “Now we feel like we’ve got four starters that we are really happy with.“
Eastern Notes: Williams, Knicks, Celtics
There have been reports that the Knicks intend to trade down in the NBA Draft if Karl-Anthony Towns, Jahlil Okafor, and D’Angelo Russell are off the board when New York is set to pick at No. 4 overall. As for what team president Phil Jackson is seeking in return for the fourth pick, in his weekly chat Chad Ford of ESPN.com (Insider subscription required) relays that the Knicks want a young veteran player and a pick in the 8 to 14 range. One player who New York has been linked to in that draft range is fast-rising playmaker Cameron Payne of Murray State, who would fill a glaring need for the franchise at the point guard spot.
Here’s the latest out of the Eastern Conference:
- Reigning Sixth Man of the Year Lou Williams is expected to receive strong interest from teams that include the Kings, Lakers, Knicks, and Nets, providing a clear competition for the Raptors to retain his services, Shams Charania of RealGM writes. Williams is expected to seek a three-year deal in the range of $27MM or four years for $35MM, Charania adds.
- The Celtics held workouts today for Kevon Looney (UCLA), Brandon Ashley (Arizona), JayVaughn Pinkston (Villanova), and Maurice NDour (Ohio), Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com relays (Twitter link).
- The Wizards will hold workouts on Thursday for Justin Anderson (Virginia), Rondae Hollis-Jefferson (Arizona), Jordan Mickey (LSU), Aaron White (Iowa), Derek Cooke Jr. (Wyoming), and Maxie Esho (UMass), Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders tweets.
- Working out for the Cavaliers today were Josh Richardson (Tennessee) and Olivier Hanlan (Boston College), Michael Scotto of SheridanHoops notes (on Twitter).
- The Hornets are hoping that newly acquired Spencer Hawes can help replace the outside shooting the team lost when Josh McRoberts signed with the Heat last offseason, Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer writes. “In the offseason you try to make your team fit better together, and I think that’s what this trade does. Our defense is more than good enough to win and our offense isn’t,” Clifford said. “If you look more specifically into the numbers [the flaw] is our [long] range shooting. What Spencer will do is improve our range shooting and he’s also a very good passer.”
Gerald Henderson Opts In With Hornets
Gerald Henderson has picked up his $6MM player option for next season to stay with the Hornets, the team announced. The move means the Wasserman Media Group client will enter free agency next summer instead of this year, as the coming season is the last on a three-year, $18MM deal that the swingman signed with the team in 2013.
It’s the second time this week that a member of the Hornets exercised a player option. Al Jefferson officially did so Monday, the same day the team traded Lance Stephenson to the Clippers for Spencer Hawes and Matt Barnes. This week’s moves, including Henderson’s decision, have lifted the team’s guaranteed salary for next season from about $46.2MM to approximately $63.8MM, making it likely the team stays above the projected $67.1MM cap for 2015/16.
Henderson started 72 games this past season, in part because Stephenson failed to become the mainstay that Charlotte hoped he’d be. The 27-year-old Henderson nonetheless averaged fewer minutes, points and shots per game than in any of the four seasons since he became a full-time starter for the team.
Draft Rumors: Towns, Okafor, Lakers, Hezonja
- The Lakers are worried that finding a quality big man via free agency or trade will be tougher than finding a guard who can score, as Ford reports in his new mock draft, citing it as an edge for Okafor as the team mulls what to do with the No. 2 pick. It appears that the Lakers are debating Okafor and Ohio State combo guard D’Angelo Russell if the Wolves pick Towns, Ford writes.
- The stock of Arizona small forward Rondae Hollis-Jefferson is rising, making him a sleeper lottery pick, Ford hears, writing in the same mock draft. Multiple sources told Ford that they believe Oregon shooting guard Joseph Young has a promise from a team picking late in the first round.
- Agent Arn Tellem is negotiating with Barcelona of Spain to reduce the buyout clause in top-10 prospect Mario Hezonja‘s contract, reports David Pick of Eurobasket.com (Twitter link). The buyout is the equivalent of $2.27MM as it stands, well north of the $625K cap that NBA teams can shell out without it coming out of the player’s salary. Tellem is set to become an executive in the Pistons organization, and Detroit picks eighth.
Mavs Notes: Rondo, Jefferson, Ellis
The Warriors won the 2014/15 title, but the Mavs appear poised to make an aggressive push to have more success in the 2015 offseason than any other team. They’re reportedly going after LaMarcus Aldridge and DeAndre Jordan, the No. 3 and No. 8 players in the latest Hoops Rumors Free Agent Power Rankings, though Dallas hasn’t been too successful in luring marquee free agents since winning the title in 2011. As we wait to see if that changes this summer, here’s more on the Mavs:
- Dallas would prefer to operate as an over-the-cap team this summer to preserve use of the full $5.464MM mid-level exception, one of the reasons why the Mavs cased Rajon Rondo‘s mutual parting with the team during the playoffs in the context of a back injury, as Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com details. Of course, Dallas still wants to go after apparent targets like Aldridge and Jordan, so sign-and-trades would be necessary to accomplish that while over the cap, MacMahon explains, suggesting the Mavs would prefer to officially end Rondo’s tenure on the team by sending him out via sign-and-trade.
- The Mavs would like to re-sign Richard Jefferson as long as he’s willing to come back at the minimum salary, MacMahon writes in a separate piece.
- Dirk Nowitzki said Tuesday that he’d love for the Mavs to keep Tyson Chandler and Monta Ellis and sign Aldridge, but having all three on next year’s team is most likely unfeasible, MacMahon tweets. Nowitzki also said that his gut feeling is that Ellis will opt out, as Earl K. Sneed of Mavs.com relays (Twitter link). Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News passes along more of Nowitzki’s comments.
Eastern Rumors: Lou Williams, Boozer, LeBron
Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald expects Lou Williams to reach out to the Heat, among others, in free agency this summer. Still, the Heat are unlikely to have the cap space to afford the reigning Sixth Man of the Year unless two among Dwyane Wade, Goran Dragic and Luol Deng leave the team this summer, Jackson notes. Otherwise, Miami would be limited to either the $5.464MM non-taxpayer’s mid-level exception or the $3.376MM taxpayer’s mid-level. Neither would probably be enough to land the Wallace Prather client who’s likely seeking a significant raise on his $5.45MM salary with the Raptors from this past season. Here’s more from the Eastern Conference:
- Someone close to Carlos Boozer told Jackson that he wouldn’t be surprised if the power forward signed with the Heat this summer, though Jackson asserts, as he writes in the same piece, that it would almost certainly be a minimum-salary deal if he were to go to Miami.
- LeBron James has taken a detached, passive-aggressive stance to expressing his views on the moves his teams make during offseasons in which he’s been a free agent in the past, but the Cavs want him to give direct input this summer, as Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com details. James is likely to opt out and sign another two-year deal with a player option on year two, Windhorst writes, seconding what Joe Vardon of the Northeast Ohio Media Group wrote was a widespread expectation during the season, preferring leverage for himself over comfort for the team.
- The Knicks would love to acquire an extra pick, whether in the first round or the second, a source told Marc Berman of the New York Post.
- Thanasis Antetokounmpo, whom the Knicks drafted 51st overall last year, would consider signing overseas instead of again playing in the D-League, as his did this past season, if the Knicks don’t sign him to their NBA roster this offseason, agent Tim Lotsos tells Berman for the same piece.
Latest On Warriors, Draymond Green
WEDNESDAY, 9:05am: Green seemed make his intentions clear late Tuesday when Kawakami asked him if he was sure he’d be back with the Warriors next season.
“I’ll be here. I love this group of guys,” Green said.
Kawakami cautioned that the remark came in the emotionally charged hours after the Warriors had won the championship, and Green said in response to a follow-up question that he’s not thinking about his free agency for now. Still, it’s nonetheless a positive sign for the Warriors.
TUESDAY, 3:17pm: Warriors GM Bob Myers refused to delve deeply into the mechanics of the negotiations the team has planned with soon-to-be restricted free agent Draymond Green, but he nonetheless expressed confidence the team will bring him back, as Jeff Faraudo of the Bay Area News Group writes.
“Tell the Warrior fans they shouldn’t worry,” Myers said.
The Warriors front office had given every indication as the trade deadline approached that they planned to match any offer for Green, as Bay Area News Group columnist Tim Kawakami reported then, and the latest comments from Myers suggest that hasn’t changed. Myers cited league rules against public comments about contract talks as he refused to elaborate today, and while it’s not uncommon for teams to say they’ll match any offer for a restricted free agent, the league frowns on it.
In any case, Myers made it clear that the team hopes to retain the core of its club, Faraudo relays, which may or may not include David Lee, who’s suddenly become a significant weapon again after falling out of the rotation and sitting on the bench for all of the first two Finals games. Lee’s salary of nearly $15.494MM for next season is part of more than $77.5MM in commitments Golden State already has for 2015/16, never mind a new deal for Green. The Warriors have Bird Rights on Green, so they can pay up to the max if they want, but that would likely entail a massive tax bill with the tax line projected to come in at $81.6MM.
Green, a native of Michigan, reportedly had significant interest in signing an offer sheet with the Pistons, as Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports wrote during the season in a report that seemed to suggest a max offer from some team would be in play. Wojnarowski detailed the Warriors’ desire to match an offer that would exceed Klay Thompson‘s salary, which will be no more than $15.5MM next season, rather than make the offer themselves, lest Thompson’s feelings get hurt. Pistons coach/executive Stan Van Gundy seemed to make it clear he has plenty of interest in Green, though that doesn’t necessarily mean that he’d want to tie up his team’s cap for three days while the Warriors can simply wait to match. Van Gundy also made his comments in response to questions about Green long before the Pistons traded for Ersan Ilyasova, whose presence helps solidify the team’s front line.
Myers said today that he doesn’t expect that the job change for Arn Tellem, the super-agent from the Wasserman Media Group who’s leaving for a job with the Pistons organization, would play a role in negotiations with Green, who’s represented by Wasserman’s B.J. Armstrong. Myers, himself a former agent, used to work with Armstrong, as Myers pointed out, according to Faraudo.