Western Notes: Hunt, Grizzlies, Draft
The Nuggets now possess the NBA’s lone head coaching vacancy, though all signs seem to point toward Melvin Hunt having the interim tag removed and being named the team’s coach for next season. In an interview with Davide Chinellato of La Gazzetta dello Sport (translation by Emiliano Carchia of Sportando), forward Danilo Gallinari said that he hopes to see Hunt return as his coach next campaign. “Our goal next season will be to make the playoffs,” said Gallinari. “I hope Melvin Hunt will be our coach next season. He knows basketball very well, also European basketball, something that can make the difference in the NBA. He is a very positive person and he is great in motivating the players. I think he has the qualities to succeed as head coach.”
Here’s what else is happening around the Western Conference:
- The Grizzlies have workouts scheduled on Thursday for Vince Hunter (UTEP), Chris Jones (Louisville), Jordan Mickey (LSU), Maurice Ndour (Ohio), Marshun Newell (Tennessee-Martin), and J.J. O’Brien (San Diego State), the team announced in a press release.
- Michigan State swingman Branden Dawson has a workout scheduled with the Timberwolves, Hoops Rumors’ Zach Links has learned (via Twitter).
- Arizona defensive whiz Rondae Hollis-Jefferson will work out for the Trail Blazers next week, Jabari Young of CSNNW.com reports. Georgia State point guard Ryan Harrow could also be a workout candidate for Portland this month, Young adds. Harrow is projected as a late second round pick, but if he goes undrafted he could sign with the Blazers as a free agent and be added to the summer league roster, the CSN scribe notes.
And-Ones: Okafor, Towns, Carmelo, Coaches
Timberwolves coach/executive Flip Saunders likes Jahlil Okafor better than Karl-Anthony Towns, but most of the rest of the team’s staff prefers Towns, as Chad Ford of ESPN.com hears for his latest Insider-only mock draft. Ford believes those those pro-Towns staffers will ultimately win Saunders over and lists Towns atop his mock, also passing along word from sources that the Magic are zeroing in on Kristaps Porzingis at No. 5. There’s plenty more on the draft and other NBA issues amid the latest from around the league:
- Zach Links of Hoops Rumors adds the Hawks, Clippers, Bulls, Magic, Bucks and Knicks to the list of teams working out Harvard point guard Wesley Saunders (Twitter link).
- The Mavericks were willing to bring Chris Smith, the brother of J.R. Smith, onto their summer league team as part of their effort to woo Carmelo Anthony, a former teammate of the brothers, this past summer, a source told Bleacher Report’s Jared Zwerling. Anthony instead re-signed with the Knicks and Chris didn’t end up with the summer Mavs, but Chris is aiming for a return to the league after a period in which he was hospitalized with anxiety attacks. Those episodes stemmed in part from his exasperation with the notion that the Knicks signed him only because his brother was on the team, and the criticism he endured because of it, as Zwerling explains.
- College coaches who jumped directly into NBA head coaching jobs haven’t had much success in the NBA of late, aside from Brad Stevens, but NBA GMs are open to them, and with Billy Donovan and Fred Hoiberg on winning teams, there’s ground for a new trend, as Dana O’Neil of ESPN.com examines. Still, that depends on how well Donovan’s Thunder and Hoiberg’s Bulls fare, O’Neil cautions.
- Longtime NBA front office executive Joel Litvin is stepping down from his post as the NBA’s president of league operations and will assume a role as a consultant, effective September 1st, as the league announced and as a source originally told Grantland’s Zach Lowe (Twitter link). Litvin, whose wide-ranging duties included work on the collective bargaining agreement, was an innovative force in his 27 years with the NBA, Lowe tweets.
Bulls Notes: Hoiberg, Forman, Paxson
Bulls GM Gar Forman seemed play a little coy in today’s introductory press conference for new coach Fred Hoiberg, saying that the Bulls didn’t know that they would so quickly hire Hoiberg after firing Tom Thibodeau, as K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune notes (on Twitter). That’s in spite of a flurry of reports that came out in the wake of Thibodeau’s ouster that made it clear that Hoiberg was far and away the team’s top choice. Hoiberg nonetheless said he wrestled with the decision as lately as two days ago, Johnson also relays (Twitter link). The coach’s health, a concern less than two months removed from open heart surgery, nonetheless doesn’t appear to have been a stumbling block, as Hoiberg said that if the Bulls job posed any health risk to him, he wouldn’t have taken it, according to Johnson (on Twitter). There’s more of what Hoiberg had to say amid the latest from Chicago:
- Hoiberg said that he’s not concerned about the poor working history between Bulls management and their coaches, Johnson tweets. “I’m extremely confident we’re going to have a high level of communication with Fred,” Forman said, as Johnson also relays (via Twitter).
- The new coach cited familiarity with the Chicago organization as reason for making the jump now instead of when he elicited NBA interest in the past, and he gushed about the roster the Bulls already have in place, as Nick Friedell of ESPNChicago.com passes along (Twitter links).
- Steve Rosenbloom of the Chicago Tribune presaged the pleasant atmosphere of the press conference but believes Hoiberg’s ability to keep a warm and placid demeanor will face a stiff challenge with Forman and executive VP of basketball operations John Paxson around. Still, it’s Hoiberg’s affability and gratefulness for the job that probably made him so attractive to a management team that wants a pliable employee, Rosenbloom opines.
- Forman and Paxson face pressure now that they’ve made their hire, given Forman’s strong push to nab Hoiberg and the growing list of coaches who’ve worked under the longer-tenured Paxson, Friedell argues. There’s no sense in the organization and around the league that either Forman or Paxson should worry about their job security, Friedell cautions, but Forman, in particular, would likely face scrutiny if Hoiberg falters, the ESPN scribe posits.
Bulls Officially Hire Fred Hoiberg
The Bulls have formally hired Fred Hoiberg as coach, the team announced via press release. Chicago’s preference for the Iowa State head man was a poorly kept secret and his hiring has been widely expected in the wake of the team’s dismissal of Tom Thibodeau last week. Hoiberg is receiving a five-year, $25MM contract, figures that Frank Isola of the New York Daily News reported Saturday and Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports confirmed Monday.
“In Fred, we feel that we’ve got a guy who has a terrific package of skills: a winning coach, a natural leader and a great communicator,” Bulls GM Gar Forman said in the team’s statement. “He is a guy that has played in the league, has been an executive in the league and has had unparalleled success coaching at Iowa State—winning multiple Big 12 Championships, consistently having nationally ranked teams and NCAA Tournament teams. There is no question that we think he’s the right fit and that he will maximize the potential of this team.”
Hoiberg’s teams at Iowa State have ranked in the top 30 in estimated offensive efficiency among Division I schools each of the past three seasons, according to Sports-Reference. That’s a sharp contrast to Thibodeau, who’s strength is on the defensive end. The new Bulls coach guided Iowa State for the past five years after he spent four seasons in the Timberwolves front office following a 10-year NBA playing career that included a four-year tenure in Chicago.
Only 42 years old, Hoiberg underwent open heart surgery in April, helping fuel some doubt about whether he would jump to the NBA this year. Still, Iowa State athletic director Jamie Pollard last month framed the idea of Hoiberg becoming an NBA coach as a matter of when and not if. The Bulls spoke to Hoiberg about his interest in joining their team during the season, even as Thibodeau was still coaching, as Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv reported.
“I am very excited and thankful for the opportunity to coach the Chicago Bulls. Everyone back in Ames [Iowa] knows what Iowa State means to me and my family. I am closing a special chapter in my life and beginning a new one here in Chicago,” Hoiberg said in the team’s statement. “Being a head coach in the NBA has always been a goal of mine and to be able to do it at this time with the Bulls was the right fit for me. Having played in the league for 10 years, and then worked in a front office of an NBA team for four years, I am ready to begin this next phase of my career and help this team win an NBA championship.”
Alvin Gentry, whom the Pelicans hired this past weekend, was expected, prior to Thibodeau’s dismissal, to be a front-runner for the Bulls vacancy, according to Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders, and Bulls assistant Adrian Griffin was in the mix for the head job, too, Marc Stein of ESPN.com reported. Nonetheless, the job was Hoiberg’s to lose, as K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune wrote when the Bulls fired Thibodeau, and sources told Randy Peterson of The Des Moines Register that Hoiberg would accept if offered. Forman appears to have been the driving force from Chicago’s end, having been “obsessive” about the pursuit, as Wojnarowski wrote.
Johnson wrote over the weekend that Hoiberg was expected to accept the Bulls coaching job prior to the start of the NBA Finals on Thursday. The notion that Hoiberg would be Chicago’s next coach seemed undeniable, even as he declined to mention the Bulls by name as he spoke to reporters before boarding a plane to Chicago late Monday, and even as the Bulls sent out a press release Monday night promising a “major announcement” today.
The Bulls job will be Hoiberg’s first NBA head coaching position after he went 115-59 in his five seasons at Iowa State, qualifying for four NCAA Tournaments and making one Sweet 16 appearance. He joins Billy Donovan, who went from Florida to the Thunder, as the second college coach this offseason to jump into his first NBA head coaching job.
Southwest Notes: Pelicans, Mavs, Grizzlies
The Pelicans and Celtics assistant coach Darren Erman have an agreement in principle for Erman to join Alvin Gentry‘s coaching staff in New Orleans, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. Marc Stein of ESPN.com reported overnight that the Pelicans were aggressively pursuing Erman, a detail-oriented defensive whiz who complements Gentry’s offensive acumen. The Raptors also recently made a run at Erman, sources told Wojnarowski. New Orleans is poised to hire Thunder assistant coach Robert Pack for Gentry’s staff, too, as Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times hears (Twitter link). However, Wojnarowski, whose story appeared later, writes that the Pelicans and Pack are in talks but makes no mention of a deal. Regardless, new Thunder head coach Billy Donovan is unlikely to keep Pack on his staff, Wojnarowski adds. Here’s more from around the Southwest Division:
- San Diego State small forward Dwayne Polee worked out for the Mavericks late last month, as he tells Zach Links of Hoops Rumors (Twitter link). Michigan State’s Travis Trice, Stanford’s Chasson Randle, Dayton’s Jordan Sibert and Harvard point guard Wesley Saunders showed off for Dallas today, tweets Michael Scotto of SheridanHoops.
- Big men highlight the Grizzlies workout scheduled for Wednesday, with Kentucky center Dakari Johnson and French center Mouhammadou Jaiteh on the docket, writes Ronald Tillery of The Commercial Appeal in a subscription-only piece. Centers Youssou Ndoye from St. Bonaventure and Charles Jackson from Tennessee Tech, Connecticut point guard Ryan Boatright and Boise State shooting guard Derrick Marks are the others in the workout, as Tillery details.
- Florida’s Michael Frazier is auditioning for the Spurs today, Scotto reports, and the team will also get a look at North Carolina’s J.P. Tokoto, according to Pincus (Twitter links).
- Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders adds the Rockets to the list of teams working out N.C. State shooting guard Trevor Lacey (Twitter link).
Hoops Rumors Glossary: July Moratorium
The NBA’s annual free agent frenzy begins each July 1st, but most of the deals that happen as July begins can’t become official until a little more than a week passes. The league office uses this period of time, known as the July Moratorium, to complete its audit, which establishes figures like the salary cap, luxury tax threshold and average salary. Free agents are allowed to negotiate with clubs during the moratorium, and they can agree to terms on new contracts, but they are unable to officially sign new deals until the moratorium ends.
The specific dates vary from season to season, but for 2015, the moratorium will last from July 1st to July 8th. As of July 9th, teams can resume business as usual. Still, it’s an odd time for the league to bar formal moves, as teams cut deals during the moratorium at a faster pace than at any other time during the year, even though they can’t file the paperwork. Most agreements made during the moratorium usually withstand the time that passes before they can be consummated, but the moratorium nonetheless leads to awkward situations in which teams can agree to landmark signings and trades but can’t say much about them until days later.
Usually, a deluge of formal announcements follows the end of the moratorium as teams get caught up, though that wasn’t the case in 2014. Much of the league hung on the free agency of LeBron James, until James finally gave word of his choice to rejoin the Cavaliers on July 11th, after the moratorium had already ended. An unusually languid July quickly descended into the usual chaotic deal-making for the next few days, though in this case, it was unencumbered by the moratorium.
Still, there was some business that teams had already accomplished by that point. A few types of signings and acquisitions are permitted during the moratorium. A first-round draft pick can sign a rookie scale contract with the team that drafted him. A second-round draft pick can accept a required tender, which is a one-year, non-guaranteed contract offer for the minimum salary that allows the team to retain its rights to the player. A restricted free agent can accept a qualifying offer from his team. A free agent can sign a minimum-salary contract for one or two seasons. Also, teams are able to claim players off waivers, providing they were waived during the final two days in June.
When the July moratorium ends, all free agents can officially sign contracts. Additionally, the new salary cap figures for the year take effect, and the seven-day period for using the amnesty clause begins.
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.
Earlier versions of this post were initially published on May 16th, 2012, May 13th 2013 and June 18th, 2014.
Draft Notes: Towns, Russell, Ashley, Haws
Karl-Anthony Towns answered affirmatively to DraftExpress in a video interview when asked if he thinks he should work out for the teams with the top four picks in the draft, adding that he has no preference that he be drafted by any team in particular. That lends further credence to what sources close to Towns told Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders when they denied a report that he wouldn’t work out for any teams. D’Angelo Russell also said to DraftExpress (video link) that he expects to work out for the top four teams, though he’s not 100% sure that he will. While we wait to see what the teams in possession of those picks — the Timberwolves, Lakers, Sixers and Knicks — do, here’s more on the approaching draft:
- Arizona power forward Brandon Ashley told reporters that the Spurs, Bulls, Suns and Warriors are among the teams on his workout schedule, as Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders relays (on Twitter).
- The Lakers, Warriors and Grizzlies will audition BYU shooting guard Tyler Haws, as Haws told reporters, including Tony Jones of The Salt Lake Tribune (Twitter link).
- Pincus adds the Mavs, Trail Blazers, Warriors, Suns, Grizzlies, Jazz, Wizards, Celtics and Cavs to the list of teams known to be among those working out UC Davis shooting guard Corey Hawkins (Twitter link).
- Louisiana Tech point guard Kenneth “Speedy” Smith has auditioned for the Mavs and Suns, in addition to his Monday workout for the Lakers, and he’ll next show off for the Blazers, Pincus tweets.
- The Spurs and Pistons are among the teams working out Nebraska swingman and Lakers fan Terran Petteway, as he said to reporters, including Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News.
- Bosnian swingman Nedim Buza, an early entrant from overseas, is in talks about a potential deal with Telenet BC Oostende of Belgium, according to David Pick of Eurobasket.com (Twitter link). Buza can withdraw from the draft anytime between now and June 15th, or he can remain in the field and perhaps become a draft-and-stash pick if he indeed signs to continue his European career.
Pacific Notes: Hornacek, Curry, Lakers, Draft
Three Pacific Division teams hold three lottery picks this year, giving the Lakers, Kings and Suns weapons to try to chase down the power axis of the Warriors and Clippers in the next few years. The Clips are without a pick, while Golden State has only the final selection of the first round. The Lakers, in particular, can add plenty of young talent with picks Nos. 2, 27 and 34, though whether they’ll have the patience to let all of them develop remains to be seen. Here’s the latest from the division:
- Jeff Hornacek is heading into the final guaranteed season of his contract, but he’s made the Suns better, and even though he’s dismissed the idea that he would leave Phoenix for Iowa State, his alma mater, the Suns need to resolve his lame duck status, argues Paula Boivin of the Arizona Republic. Boivin calls for the Suns to either pick up Hornacek’s 2016/17 team option or grant him an extension.
- More than four dozen NBA players drew higher salaries this season than MVP Stephen Curry did, a key to helping the Warriors build their Finals roster, as Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders examines. Curry’s bargain deal runs two more years, so Golden State will continue to benefit, but the point guard is set for free agency in 2017, just as preliminary projections show the salary cap hitting its peak, so he’ll eventually rake in the cash, Kennedy writes.
- Brazilian point guard George Lucas, Nebraska swingman Terran Petteway, Syracuse big man Rakeem Christmas, Eastern Washington shooting guard Tyler Harvey, North Carolina shooting guard J.P. Tokoto and Arizona power forward Brandon Ashley worked out for the Lakers in the first of two sessions Monday, the team announced (Twitter link). We passed along the participants in session two in the post linked here.
- Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv adds the Suns to the list of teams working out Arizona small forward Rondae Hollis-Jefferson (Twitter link).
Schedule Of Salary Guarantee Dates
Most NBA contracts are fully guaranteed, but there are plenty of exceptions. Dozens of players have non-guaranteed salary for next season that would go away if they cleared waivers. The NBA has a leaguewide guarantee date of January 10th each year that applies to most non-guaranteed pacts, though that date is effectively January 7th, since 4pm Central time that day is the deadline for teams to waive non-guaranteed salary without it becoming guaranteed.
That date doesn’t hold for all non-guaranteed salary, however. Teams and players are free to negotiate earlier (but not later) guarantee dates, and many do. Some non-guaranteed salary for 2015/16 can become guaranteed on June 30th, even before the 2015/16 season technically begins.
Players waived before their salary guarantee dates may still end up with their salaries guaranteed if another NBA claims them off waivers within the two-day waiver period. So, if the Bucks waive Caron Butler on June 29th, the day before his guarantee date, and another team claims him on July 1st, the claiming team would be stuck with Butler’s full $4.5MM salary.
Such high stakes guarantee decisions are rare, however. Most players with non-guaranteed salaries are in line to make no more than the minimum, even if they stick on their contracts throughout the season. Brendan Haywood has the largest non-guaranteed salary for 2015/16, though his $10.5MM becomes fully guaranteed if he doesn’t hit waivers on or before August 1st. It’s almost certain that he will hit waivers, though there’s a strong chance his contract is traded a time or two before then, as I explained last year.
Here are a few notes on the listings below:
- The players are set to make the minimum if they remain under contract, unless otherwise noted.
- The date by each name represents the final day that the team may waive the player without guaranteeing his salary. That means that even if the Pistons waive Butler on June 30th, they still wouldn’t owe him any pay.
- Many players will earn guarantees of partial amounts of their full season’s salaries if they don’t hit waivers by a certain date. The month-by-month listing below indicates whether a full or partial amount becomes guaranteed. All salaries listed under the leaguewide contract guarantee date heading become fully guaranteed by that date.
- Several players are listed more than once as they collect partial guarantee amounts. Henry Walker, whose name appears four times below, begins without any guaranteed salary and assures himself of $100K, $300K and $500K in progressive increments over time before his full salary would lock in on the leaguewide contract guarantee date.
- The progressive amounts of partial guarantees shown here aren’t cumulative. So, at the end of November 3rd, for instance, Walker would be guaranteed a total of $300K if he avoids waivers, and not $300K plus the $100K that was already assured to come his way.
Updated 12-20-2015
June
- 30th — Caron Butler (Bucks) full ($4.5MM) — waived
- 30th — Jamal Crawford (Clippers) full ($5,675,000) — already $1.5MM guaranteed
- 30th — Chris Kaman (Trail Blazers) full ($5,016,000) — already $1MM guaranteed
- 30th — Jon Leuer (Suns) full ($1,035,000)
- 30th — Robert Sacre (Lakers) full
- 30th — Anthony Tolliver (Pistons) full ($3,000,000) — already $400K guaranteed
July
- 1st — Matt Barnes, (Grizzlies) full ($3,542,500) — already $1MM guaranteed
- 1st — Markel Brown (Nets) $100K
- 1st — Langston Galloway (Knicks) $220K
- 1st — Ben Gordon, (Magic) full ($4,500,000) — waived
- 1st — Darius Morris (Nets) $25K — waived
- 5th — Beno Udrih (Grizzlies) full ($2,170,465) — already $923K guaranteed
- 10th — Luke Ridnour (Raptors) full ($2,750,000) — waived
- 11th — Randy Foye (Nuggets) full ($3,135,000)
- 12th — Ray McCallum (Spurs) $200K
- 13th — Cory Jefferson (Nets) $150K — waived
- 15th — Trevor Booker (Jazz) full ($4.775MM) — already $250K guaranteed
- 15th — Markel Brown (Nets) $150K — already $100K guaranteed
- 15th — Isaiah Canaan (Sixers) full —already $757,821 guaranteed
- 15th — Lester Hudson (Clippers) full — waived
- 15th — Quincy Miller (Nets) $50K
- 15th — E’Twaun Moore (Bulls) full
- 15th — Phil Pressey (Celtics) full — waived
- 15th — Russ Smith (Grizzlies) $150K
- 20th — Ray McCallum (Spurs) full — already $200K guaranteed
- 20th — Pablo Prigioni (Rockets) full ($1,734,572) — already $440K guaranteed — waived
- 21st — Jerel McNeal (Suns) full — waived
- 25th — Russ Smith (Grizzlies) full — already $150K guaranteed
- 31st — Allen Crabbe (Trail Blazers) full
August
- 1st — Jordan Clarkson (Lakers) full
- 1st — Dewayne Dedmon (Magic) full
- 1st — Toney Douglas (Pelicans) full — waived
- 1st — Erick Green (Nuggets) $100K
- 1st — Brendan Haywood (Cavaliers) full ($10,522,500) — waived
- 1st — Tyler Johnson (Heat) $422,530
- 1st — Ricky Ledo (Knicks) $100K — waived
- 1st — Eric Moreland (Kings) full — waived
- 1st — Henry Walker (Heat) $100K — waived
September
- 1st — Markel Brown (Nets) $200K — already $150K guaranteed
- 7th — J.R. Smith (Cavaliers) full ($5MM) — already $2MM guaranteed
- 15th — Langston Galloway (Knicks) $440K — already $220K guaranteed
- 29th — Markel Brown (Nets) full — already $200K guaranteed
- 29th — Cory Jefferson (Nets) full — already $100K guaranteed — waived
- 29th — JaVale McGee (Mavericks) $500K — already $250K guaranteed
October
- 4th — Kostas Papanikolaou (Nuggets) full ($4,797,664) — waived
- 26th — Earl Clark (Nets) $200K — waived
- 26th — Ian Clark (Warriors) $473,636
- 26th — Jarell Eddie (Warriors) $422,530
- 27th — Ben Gordon (Warriors) $749,493 — waived
- 27th — Sean Kilpatrick (Pelicans) $50K — waived
- 27th — JaVale McGee (Mavericks) $750K — already $500K guaranteed
- Opening night — Toney Douglas (Pacers) $875K — already $600K guaranteed
- Opening night — James Ennis (Heat) $253K
- Opening night — Dwight Powell (Mavericks) full
- Opening night — Ricky Ledo (Knicks) $200K — already $100K guaranteed — waived
- Opening night — Quincy Miller (Nets) $100K — waived
- Opening night — Devyn Marble (Magic) full
- Opening night — Willie Reed (Nets) full
- Opening night — Adonis Thomas (Pistons) $110K — already $60K guaranteed — waived
- Opening night — Tyler Johnson, Heat — already $422,530 guaranteed
November
- 1st — Donald Sloan (Nets) $200K — already $50K guaranteed
December
- 1st — Jorge Gutierrez (Bucks) $250K — waived
- 27th — Ryan Hollins (Wizards)
Leaguewide contract guarantee date (January 7th):
Cliff Alexander, Trail Blazers — already $100K guaranteed
Cameron Bairstow, Bulls — already $425K guaranteed
Tarik Black, Lakers
Matt Bonner, Spurs — already $749,594 guaranteed
Rasual Butler, Spurs
Ian Clark, Warriors — already $473,636 guaranteed
Bryce Cotton, Suns
Robert Covington, Sixers ($1MM)
Jared Cunningham, Cavaliers
Toney Douglas, Pelicans — already $50K guaranteed
James Ennis, Heat — already $253,518 guaranteed
Tim Frazier, Trail Blazers
Langston Galloway, Knicks — already $440K guaranteed
Erick Green, Nuggets — already $100K guaranteed
JaMychal Green, Grizzlies — already $150K guaranteed
Aaron Harrison, Hornets
Marcelo Huertas, Lakers
Cory Jefferson, Suns
Chris Johnson, Jazz
James McAdoo, Warriors — already $100K guaranteed
T.J. McConnell, Sixers — already $100K guaranteed
JaVale McGee, Mavericks — already $750K guaranteed
Elijah Millsap, Jazz
Tony Mitchell, Warriors
Eric Moreland, Kings — already $200K guaranteed
Mike Muscala, Hawks — already $473,638 guaranteed
Kostas Papanikolaou, Nuggets — already $350K guaranteed
Lamar Patterson, Hawks — already $75K guaranteed
JaKarr Sampson, Sixers
Donald Sloan, Nets — already $200K guaranteed
Adonis Thomas, Pistons — already $110K guaranteed
Hollis Thompson, Sixers
Jeff Withey, Jazz — already $200K guaranteed
Christian Wood, Sixers — already $50K guaranteed
Metta World Peace, Lakers
The Basketball Insiders Salary Pages were used in the creation of this post. Hoops Rumors obtained confirmation where some data on those pages conflicts with archival data at ShamSports.com. Larry Coon’s Salary Cap FAQ was also used as a resource.
And-Ones: Booker, Clippers, Sanders
Kentucky shooting guard Devin Booker will work out for the Thunder on Tuesday, Darnell Mayberry of the Oklahoman tweets. Oklahoma City owns the No. 14 overall pick. The Suns, who have the No. 13 pick, brought in Booker for a workout on Monday. according to a tweet from Michael Scotto of SheridanHoops.com. Dez Wells, Josh Richardson, Derek Cooke, Vince Hunter and Jarvis Summers also participated in Phoenix’s workout, according to Scotto.
In other news around the league:
- The Clippers, who don’t have a pick in the draft, nonetheless brought in several prospects for workouts on Monday, including Chris Walker, Dwayne Polee, Ralston Turner, Keifer Sykes, Shannon Scott and Richaun Holmes, Dan Woike of the Orange County Register reports.
- Trevor Lacey, Dakari Johnson, Rayvonte Rice, Corey Hawkins, Kenneth Smith and Alpha Kaba worked out for the Lakers on Monday, according to the Lakers’ Twitter feed.
- Jerian Grant and Delon Wright participated in the Wizards’ first pre-draft workout, Jorge Castillo of The Washington Post reports.
- Larry Sanders has no regrets walking away from the Bucks and the NBA, he tells Gus Turner of Complex.com in a lengthy feature article. Sanders left approximately $27MM but has found peace and happiness outside of basketball, Turner adds. “I couldn’t function outside of the gym and my studio,” he told Turner. “I couldn’t be around my family; I couldn’t be around anybody else. I was creating from a place of anxiety and fear, suffering. I wasn’t creating from a place of joy or happiness or freedom. Everything I did was pure avoidance.”
- Alvin Gentry’s four-year deal to coach the Pelicans is worth a total of $13.75MM, and that includes a team option of $4MM for the final season, according to Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports.