Celtics Notes: Ainge, Okafor, Trades
The Celtics are eager to make a deal, but other teams simply are not looking to swap top players for prospects and draft picks, A. Sherrod Blakely of Comcast Sportsnet writes. “You win with players, not picks,” an anonymous assistant GM told Blakely. “Boston has lots of picks and some good players. But there’s not a great player on that roster. And the players you [media] guys keep writing and talking about that they’re interested in, are great players. [Danny Ainge] will tell you, it’s not easy making trades. And when it comes to great players, it’s even harder to acquire them no matter how many picks you offer up.”
Here’s more from Boston:
- The consensus around the league is that if the Celtics can make a big deal, it will be for Jahlil Okafor, as Blakely passes along in the same piece. “From the moment Philly drafted Ben [Simmons], everyone around the league knew that they would have to trade a big, either Okafor or Nerlens [Noel],” an NBA scout told Blakely. “Okafor is the better scorer; it’s not even close really. But Nerlens has that ability to run the floor and can protect the rim. Those two qualities . . . you can’t have enough guys in the frontcourt who call those two skills, strengths. That’s why Okafor is the more expendable player.”
- Another executive told Blakely that Ainge is waiting for an opportunity to snag a player whom no one thought would be available. “I have no idea who that big fish is,” the executive said. “But Danny knows there have to be certain circumstances in play that make guys available who wouldn’t be if you just went by talent. That’s how they got Ray Allen. That’s how they got KG (Kevin Garnett). Even Isaiah Thomas a couple years ago was about circumstance more than anything else. He’s looking for something like that now.”
- While the Celtics are looking to acquire another star via trade, Chris Forsberg of ESPN.com wonders if the next prime-time player is already on the roster. Forsberg makes the argument that Marcus Smart will elevate his game to an All-Star level next season and the scribe expects Smart to take on much of Evan Turner‘s previous role now that the Ohio State product has signed with Portland.
Nets Sign Joe Harris
JULY 19: The Nets have officially signed Harris, the team announced today in a press release. Per NetsDaily (Twitter link), it’s a two-year, minimum-salary pact that’s guaranteed for the first year. The second year becomes guaranteed for $250K if Harris is still under contract beyond October 31, 2017.
JULY 13: The Nets and unrestricted free agent Joe Harris have agreed to a contract, Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical reports (Twitter link). It will be a two-year deal, according to Harris’ agency, Priority Sports (via Twitter). The amount of the arrangement is unknown, nor if it includes any guaranteed salary.
Brooklyn had to settle for Harris after missing out on Tyler Johnson and Allen Crabbe, whom they had signed to offer sheets early in free agency. The players’ respective teams matched the Nets’ offers, dashing GM Sean Marks‘ hope of rebuilding the team’s backcourt this offseason. Harris has failed to impress thus far in the league, but a new start under coach Kenny Atkinson may help to jumpstart his career.
The Magic waived Harris shortly after acquiring him via trade from the Cavaliers in January, with the shooting guard set to miss the remainder of the season after undergoing surgery on his right foot. Harris is expected to be at full-speed when training camp begins. The 24-year-old only appeared in five contests for the Cavs this past season, averaging 0.6 points in 3 minutes of action per game. His career numbers through 56 regular season appearances are 2.5 points and 0.8 rebounds on 39.5% shooting.
Update On NBA Traded Player Exceptions
Traded player exceptions, which we’ve explained extensively in a Hoops Rumors glossary entry, are a tool that over-the-cap teams can use to complete trades. For mid-season deals, when most teams are at or over the salary cap, these exceptions are typically used and created frequently.
This summer, however, with the salary cap increasing by more than $24MM and most teams choosing to use cap room rather than staying over the cap, trade exceptions have become scarcer — and less useful. In order for teams to actually use their available cap room to take on salaries or to sign free agents, those exceptions must be renounced.
Heading into the 2016/17 league year, teams around the NBA held a total of 29 trade exceptions. After the new league year officially got underway and the moratorium ended, the majority of those TPEs were lost. In total, 22 of the 29 previously-existing traded player exceptions were renounced or expired.
Earlier this month, only the Clippers, Cavaliers, and Thunder still held any TPEs, with Cleveland hanging onto five of them, and L.A. and OKC holding one apiece. Over the last week or so, a few new trade exceptions have been created, but with so many teams still under the cap, the full list is much shorter than it has been in past years.
Here’s a breakdown of the newly-created TPEs:
Charlotte Hornets
Amount: $1,666,470
Expires: 7/12/17
How it was created: When the Grizzlies signed Troy Daniels away from the Hornets, they did so in a sign-and-trade deal, allowing Charlotte to create a TPE for half of Daniels’ $3,332,940 salary.
Cleveland Cavaliers
Amount: $1,333,420
Expires: 7/15/17
How it was created: The Cavaliers created this TPE worth Sasha Kaun‘s 2016/17 salary when they sent him to Philadelphia without receiving any NBA salary in return.
(Note: The Cavaliers also created a $4,803,750 trade exception by signing-and-trading Matthew Dellavedova to the Bucks, but immediately used that exception to acquire Mike Dunleavy.)
Los Angeles Clippers
Amount: $1,209,600
Expires: 7/15/17
How it was created: When the Clippers acquired Devyn Marble from the Magic for C.J. Wilcox, the team actually used its old $947,276 TPE (acquired in January’s Josh Smith trade) to absorb Marble’s salary, then created a new exception worth Wilcox’s salary.
The traded player exceptions listed above have been added to our full breakdown of the TPEs available around the league. That list no longer includes the $2,038,206 exception the Thunder created last summer when they sent Perry Jones III to the Celtics — that TPE expired on July 14.
Our full list of TPEs also no longer features the following exceptions, all of which were renounced earlier this month when these teams went under the cap (expiry date listed in parentheses):
- Atlanta Hawks: $947,276 (2/18/17)
- Brooklyn Nets: $2,170,465 (7/13/16)
- Chicago Bulls: $2,854,940 (2/18/17)
- Chicago Bulls: $947,276 (6/22/17)
- Denver Nuggets: $135,000 (2/18/17)
- Detroit Pistons: $6,270,000 (6/29/17)
- Golden State Warriors: $5,387,825 (7/27/16)
- Golden State Warriors: $3,197,170 (7/31/16)
- Memphis Grizzlies: $450,000 (2/18/17)
- Miami Heat: $1,706,250 (7/27/16)
- Miami Heat: $1,294,440 (7/27/16)
- Miami Heat: $2,129,535 (11/10/16)
- Miami Heat: $2,145,060 (2/16/17)
- Miami Heat: $845,059 (2/18/17)
- Miami Heat: $2,854,940 (2/18/17)
- Milwaukee Bucks: $5,200,000 (7/9/16)
- Milwaukee Bucks: $4,250,000 (7/9/16)
- Minnesota Timberwolves: $5,000,000 (7/12/16)
- New Orleans Pelicans: $102,217 (12/24/16)
- New York Knicks: $1,572,360 (6/22/17)
- Phoenix Suns: $578,651 (2/18/17)
Information from Basketball Insiders was used in the creation of this post.
Free Agency Notes: Blazers, Harkless, Rockets
Brooklyn and Philadelphia have frequently been linked to Dion Waiters this offseason, and the Thunder made it easier to sign him by rescinding his qualifying offer on Monday and making him an unrestricted free agent. However, Net Income of NetsDaily is unconvinced that the Nets have real interest in Waiters, pointing out that the team wants to maintain cap room and was in no hurry to sign him to an offer sheet after missing out on Tyler Johnson and Allen Crabbe.
Here’s more on free agency from around the NBA:
- With Waiters’ QO off the board, Maurice Harkless is now one of just three restricted free agents still available, along with Tyler Zeller and Donatas Motiejunas. However, Harkless and the Trail Blazers are no closer to reaching a deal, agent Happy Walters tells Jason Quick of CSNNW.com. According to Walters, via Quick, a few other teams have shown interest in Harkless, but the RFA forward wants to return to Portland. The agent acknowledged there’s a chance Harkless will ultimately sign his QO and become an unrestricted free agent next summer.
- Former NBA guard Bobby Brown, who has spent the last several seasons playing overseas, has been training this summer with James Harden and the Rockets, and there’s mutual interest between Houston and Brown in a vet-camp deal, per international basketball journalist David Pick (Twitter link).
- Calvin Watkins of ESPN.com takes an in-depth look at the Rockets‘ summer so far, outlining how Houston ended up landing a day-one meeting with Kent Bazemore, how close the team was to landing Bazemore, and the role Harden played in recruiting Eric Gordon.
Suns Sign Leandro Barbosa
JULY 19, 2:01pm: The Suns have officially signed Barbosa, the team announced today (via Twitter).
JULY 6, 11:00pm: The deal includes a team option on the second year, Ramona Shelburne of ESPN.com tweets.
10:54pm: The Suns have agreed to a deal with unrestricted free agent Leandro Barbosa, Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical reports (via Twitter). The pact is worth $8MM over two-years, Wojnarowski adds. It’s unknown if the deal includes any options, be it player or team.
The 33-year-old makes his return to Phoenix, where he spent the first seven years of his career after being selected No. 28 overall in the 2003 NBA Draft. The veteran also made a brief 20-game pit stop with the franchise during the 2013/14 campaign.
Barbosa was a member of the Western Conference champion Warriors this past season, appearing in 68 games and averaging 6.4 points, 1.7 rebounds and 1.2 assists in 15.9 minutes per contest. He shot .462/.355/.839 from the field on the year.
Contract Details: Henderson, Biyombo, Kings
We’re nearly three weeks removed from the start of 2016’s free agent period, and more and more of the deals agreed to in the first half of July are now official. In some instances, the full details of those contract agreements weren’t reported initially, but Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders continue to fill in those details for the Basketball Insiders’ salary database. Here are a few noteworthy updates, courtesy of Pincus:
- Gerald Henderson‘s two-year, $18MM contract with the Sixers is non-guaranteed for the second season. If Philadelphia waives Henderson by June 30, 2017, it will essentially just be a one-year, $9MM deal and the team won’t be on the hook for any second-year salary.
- Bismack Biyombo‘s four-year, $72MM contract with the Magic actually has annual $17MM cap hits, rather than $18MM. Biyombo’s pact features $1MM in annual unlikely incentives.
- The Magic signed second-round pick Stephen Zimmerman using cap room, which means the team was able to lock him up to a three-year deal. The first year is guaranteed for $950K, while the next two years are currently non-guaranteed.
- Two of the veteran free agents signed by the Kings will have small partial guarantees on the second year of their two-year contracts. Anthony Tolliver makes $8MM in each of his two seasons, while Arron Afflalo gets $12.5MM annually, but Tolliver only has $2MM guaranteed for his second year, while Afflalo has just a $1.5MM guarantee in year two.
Heat Notes: Wade, Ellington, McGruder
On Saturday, we rounded up several of the comments made by Pat Riley during a press conference, including his thoughts on Dwyane Wade‘s departure, the team’s unsuccessful pitch to Kevin Durant, and Chris Bosh‘s uncertain future. During that session, Riley also addressed whether or not the Heat had any interest in Al Horford, admitting the team eliminated the free agent big man from consideration very early in free agency.
“It’s not out of a lack of respect for him, it’s that at 12:01 am, I came to an agreement with Hassan,” the Heat president said, per Jason Lieser of The Palm Beach Post. “I don’t care if Dallas came in after us, we had Hassan. Once we got Hassan, I didn’t want to string along anybody else. … We like Al, we love Joakim Noah. Everybody that was at the top – the DeRozans, the Beals, the Batums, Howard, Horford – all those guys, their deals were done. Horford is going to really help Boston, I think. But we didn’t really push on that one.”
Here’s more out of South Beach:
- Riley said on Saturday that the Heat don’t plan to use their $2.9MM room exception this summer, but that doesn’t mean it will go unused for the entire league year. As Anthony Chiang of The Palm Beach Post writes, the club intends to use it in February or March if a noteworthy veteran free agent becomes available, like Joe Johnson did last season.
- Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel looks back at the Wade/Riley situation, noting that the crux of the issue between the two sides involved Riley’s preference to go season-by-season for Wade’s next few years. The longtime Heat star wanted a longer-term commitment from the franchise.
- Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders has provided several salary-related updates on recent signings by the Heat. As Pincus details, Wayne Ellington‘s second-year salary ($6.27MM) is non-guaranteed until the first day after 2017’s July moratorium. Additionally, Stefan Jankovic and Okaro White got similar two-year, minimum-salary deals from the club, while Rodney McGruder got a three-year contract worth the minimum.
- Jankovic, White, and McGruder all start with $100K guarantees, but each player has different deadlines for when more of their salaries become guaranteed, per Pincus. McGruder has four upcoming guarantee dates for his 2016/17 salary, then has multiple guarantee dates for his 2017/18 salary as well.
Latest On Russell Westbrook, Thunder
While trade speculation involving Russell Westbrook has been a popular topic of discussion in NBA circles since Kevin Durant left the Thunder for the Warriors, Westbrook has given Oklahoma City no indication that he wants out, writes Anthony Slater of The Oklahoman. One source who spoke to Slater described the star point guard as “ticked off” about Durant’s departure and eager for the new challenge of playing without his All-Star teammate.
Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical paints a similar picture, writing that Westbrook is “a proponent of the young talent” on OKC’s roster, and is ready to lead the team in 2016/17. League sources tell Wojnarowski that teams interested in trading for Westbrook have been informed by the Thunder that he’s not available.
As Wojnarowski details, the Thunder’s decision to rescind Dion Waiters‘ qualifying offer is related to the Westbrook situation as well. Teams under the cap are allowed to renegotiate veteran contracts, and the Thunder are making it a priority to get a renegotiation done with Westbrook. Thad Foucher – Westbrook’s agent – and Thunder GM Sam Presti have been in “regular contact” this month, but Westbrook has yet to commit to renegotiating his contract, which would mean forgoing free agency next summer.
[RELATED: Thunder to sign Alex Abrines]
Teams with the cap room available to do so are allowed to renegotiate veteran contracts if they were signed over three years ago. In Westbrook’s case, a renegotiation would allow him to receive a salary increase up to the maximum assuming OKC has the necessary cap room, and three new years could be added to his contract. For now, with Waiters’ cap hold still on their books, the Thunder are over the cap. But removing Waiters’ cap hold and renouncing their mid-level, bi-annual, and trade exceptions would allow the team to create a chunk of cap space.
If the Thunder can ultimately convince Westbrook to negotiate a new contract before he reaches free agency, it would give the team a chance to recruit one of its top targets in 2017 free agency to pair with the point guard — Wojnarowski identifies Oklahoma native Blake Griffin as a star player being eyed by OKC. Griffin has an early termination option available for 2017/18, meaning he’ll likely hit the open market next summer.
Central Notes: Butler, Monroe, Brooks, Felder
Jimmy Butler indicated that he has been in contact with Rajon Rondo and Dwyane Wade and he believes the trio can make it work on the Bulls, K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune passes along in a series of tweets. “Everybody has to sacrifice a little something. We all just to win. They have done it. I want to do it,” Butler said. “But I’m not going to take a step backward because I have new players on my team. I’m going to still be aggressive.” Butler added that expects the pair of veteran guards to hold him accountable on and off the court.
Here’s more out of the Central Division:
- Butler is aware of the trade rumors surrounding him, but he remains focused on elevating his game, as Johnson tweets. “Whoever I play for is gonna get my best effort. If it’s the Bulls, which I think it will be, I’m coming at everybody,” Butler said.
- With Bucks center Miles Plumlee locked up to a new four-year deal, Greg Monroe remains available in trade talks, says ESPN’s Marc Stein (Twitter links). Stein suggests that Monroe and Kings forward Rudy Gay are two of the NBA’s most prominent veterans known to be on the trade block.
- The Pacers hope newly signed point guard Aaron Brooks will be a more effective passer than Ty Lawson was off the bench, Nate Taylor of the Indianapolis Star writes. The arrival of Brooks gives the team 16 players under contract and Taylor believes Shayne Whittington, whose contract won’t become fully guaranteed until August 1, is the player most likely to be waived.
- Kay Felder had an impressive Summer League and Cody Taylor of Basketball Insiders believes the No. 54 overall pick has a real shot at making the Cavs‘ roster. Felder averaged 15.3 points and 3.9 assists over seven games this summer.
- Keith Langlois of NBA.com examines how the Pistons were able to revamp their collection of small forwards over the last 13 months. The team drafted Stanley Johnson in the 2015 draft and acquired Marcus Morris last offseason before trading for Tobias Harris this past season.
Pistons Sign First-Rounder Henry Ellenson
The Pistons have officially locked up their first-round pick from last month’s draft, announcing today in a press release that they’ve signed big man Henry Ellenson. While terms of the deal weren’t announced, we can safely assume that Ellenson got a contract worth the maximum allowable 120% of the rookie scale.
In Ellenson’s case, as the 18th overall pick, that will work out to a first-year salary of $1,704,120, with subsequent raises. Overall, Ellenson’s four-year deal with Detroit will be worth just shy of $8.2MM, as our breakdown of salaries for 2016 first-rounders shows.
Ellenson, 19, spent just one season at Marquette, nearly averaging a double-double in his 33 games with the team. For the season, Ellenson recorded 17.0 PPG, 9.9 RPG, and 1.5 BPG. Although he shot just 28.8% on three-point attempts, he averaged more than three long-range attempts per contest, and will likely focus on improving that aspect of his game in the NBA.
Ranked as the 13th-best prospect in this year’s draft class by Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress.com, Ellenson was a candidate to be selected as high as No. 9, but was ultimately still available at No. 18, where the Pistons were happy to snatch him up.