Community Shootaround: Rookie Of The Year
The Sixers, with the first overall pick in June, landed one of the most highly-touted college players of the last several years, adding former LSU forward Ben Simmons to their roster. Simmons’ performance in Summer League action already has Sixers fans salivating at his potential, but the No. overall pick isn’t the only Philadelphia player with a chance at the 2016/17 Rookie of the Year award.
As Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated tweeted last month, the 76ers actually believe three candidates for the Rookie of the Year award, though Simmons is the only one of the trio actually drafted this year. Croatian forward Dario Saric, a 2013 lottery pick, is arriving in Philadelphia after spending several seasons developing overseas, while Joel Embiid, 2014’s third overall pick, is hoping to finally be healthy after two lost seasons.
While the Sixers are probably the team most likely to have the 2016/17 Rookie of the Year on their roster, there are a few other intriguing contenders. Second overall pick Brandon Ingram figures to see plenty of action right away on a fairly young Lakers team, and the same might be true for players like Timberwolves point guard Kris Dunn (No. 5 pick) and Nuggets shooting guard Jamal Murray (No. 7).
Of course, the most polished player to be taken in the top 10 of this year’s draft was former Oklahoma sharpshooter Buddy Hield, who will join a Pelicans team that lost Eric Gordon and Ryan Anderson and badly needed some outside shooting. Hield, who will turn 23 later this year, is perhaps more NBA-ready than many of his fellow 2016 first-rounders.
It’s still too early to get a clear idea about which rookies will see the most playing time, and which ones will be given the opportunity to make the biggest impact. But what’s your early read on the situation? Which first-year player do you think is headed for a Rookie of the Year award?
Take to the comments section below to share your opinions on this year’s crop of rookies. We look forward to hearing your thoughts.
Kyler’s Latest: Kings, Gay, Koufos, Cavs, Smith
Although the majority of teams’ offseason roster work has been completed by now, there are still clubs around the NBA that are exploring the free agent and trade markets in an effort to upgrade their squads. Steve Kyler’s latest piece for Basketball Insiders focuses on two teams whose summer work may not be quite done yet. Let’s dive in and round up the highlights…
- The Kings have been active in exploring the trade market as they attempt to move players who may not be fit into the plan going forward, per Kyler. Rudy Gay has long been available, but despite receiving several inquires on the veteran forward – most notably from the Rockets, says Kyler – Sacramento has been having a hard time finding anything of real value in a trade. There’s a belief among some sources that the Kings won’t ask for a whole lot for Gay, and could move him before training camp, according to Kyler.
- Kyler adds that the Kings are also believed to be looking into possible deals involving center Kosta Koufos, who signed with the team a year ago. Sacramento used several draft picks on frontcourt players, and wouldn’t mind turning Koufos into another piece, such as a backup point guard.
- J.R. Smith remains a free agent, and while his return to Cleveland isn’t a lock like it is for LeBron James, there’s still a belief on both sides that Smith and the Cavaliers will eventually reach an agreement. According to Kyler, there’s a belief that Cleveland put an offer in the $10MM-per-year range on the table a few weeks ago — Smith and his camp are waiting to see if a bigger offer comes in, but will likely end up getting something done with the Cavs.
- Cavaliers sources have pointed out to Kyler that if and when James and Smith sign new deals, the club figures to be in luxury-tax territory. That would make trades a little trickier to complete, so the Cavs may simply be exploring all their options on that front before locking in new contracts for James and Smith.
Free Agent Notes: Bonner, O’Bryant, Warriors
After spending the first two seasons of his NBA career in Toronto, sharpshooting big man Matt Bonner has played for the Spurs for the last decade. However, Bonner is not currently under the contract with the team and doesn’t sound overly optimistic about returning to San Antonio for the 2016/17 season (hat tip to Jeff Garcia of Spurs Zone).
“Currently they haven’t signed me,” Bonner said of San Antonio, during a segment on Concord News Radio (SoundCloud link). “Unless something changes going into the season, I would probably not be with the Spurs.”
While Bonner may not re-sign with the Spurs, he continues to work out and is hopeful for another opportunity with an NBA team, intending to exhaust every option before moving on to the next stage of his life: “If nothing happens and I know for sure it’s over that I’m not going to be playing again, then I can walk away at peace.”
Here’s more on a few free agents around the league:
- A second-round pick in the 2014 draft, Johnny O’Bryant was recently waived by the Bucks and finds himself out of work. However, O’Bryant and agent Gerald Collier are optimistic that they’ll find a new home for the young forward as Collier tells Gery Woelfel of The Racine Journal Times. “We’re still exploring our options,” Collier said. “There are four or five teams that are showing interest. We want to get a roster spot, a guaranteed deal… Our goal is stay in the league. Johnny has improved in each season he’s been in the NBA and he’s still young; he just turned 23 (on June 1). We have received a lot of positive feedback, so we’re staying patient. We’ll see what happens.”
- Former Kings big man Donte Greene, a 2008 first-rounder who last played in 2012, is still hoping to get one more shot at an NBA roster, writes Brian Rzeppa of D-League Digest. Greene describes himself as “hungry as ever” as he attempts to get back on the radar of NBA teams. “I’m just older, more mature and smarter,” Greene said. “I was young in Sacramento and I was kind of in college mode with partying and it hurt me, it hurt my reputation in the NBA and I haven’t had the chance to show that I’m older now and more focused and know what it takes to succeed not only in basketball but in life.”
- In an Insider-only ESPN.com piece, Jeremias Engelmann and Steve Ilardi outline their picks for the eight best free agent signings of the NBA offseason. Three of those signings were completed by the Warriors, with Kevin Durant, Zaza Pachulia, and David West all making the cut. The Suns‘ addition of Jared Dudley and the Raptors‘ signing of Jared Sullinger are among their other picks.
Thunder, Chris Wright Agree To Deal
The Thunder are poised to add another player to their offseason roster, according to international basketball journalist David Pick, who reports (via Twitter) that the team has agreed to a partially-guaranteed deal with forward Chris Wright. Wright played his college ball at Dayton and should not be confused with the former Mavericks point guard with the same name.
[RELATED: Thunder sign Russell Westbrook to extension]
Wright, who turns 28 next month, previously appeared in a total of 32 NBA games for the Warriors and Bucks, but has spent most of his time in recent years overseas. Most recently, Wright appeared in 34 Israeli League games last season for Maccabi Rishon Le-Zion, averaging 12.2 PPG and 5.1 RPG while shooting 61.5% from the floor and playing solid defense.
Wright figures to have an opportunity to compete for a regular-season roster spot in Oklahoma City this fall. It’s not clear how big his guarantee is or what his contract will look like, but a minimum-salary pact appears likely, even though the club still has some cap room available.
The Thunder figure to make a handful of roster announcements soon, with Wright’s signing among them. The team has yet to formally complete a previously-reported deal with Ronnie Price, and also hasn’t signed first-round pick Domanatas Sabonis.
Players With Non-Guaranteed 2016/17 Salaries
While most players currently on NBA rosters are locked into their salaries for 2016/17, guaranteed to make that money whether they’re retained or released, that’s not the case for every player.
The majority of NBA teams are carrying at least one or two players whose salaries aren’t fully guaranteed. That’s especially true in the offseason, when clubs can carry up to 20 players. Only 15 players can make a team’s regular-season roster, so most teams won’t fully guarantee more than 14 or 15 contracts — the remaining players will get small partial guarantees or non-guaranteed deals and will have to compete for a roster spot.
If a player with a non-guaranteed salary earns a spot on his team’s regular-season roster, his contract doesn’t necessarily become guaranteed instantly. As we detailed in our schedule of salary guarantee dates, some players have special language written into their contracts that sees them earn chunks of guaranteed money if they remain under contract beyond certain deadlines. But the league-wide deadline won’t arrive until January 10, 2017. If a player remains under contract past that date, his salary for 2016/17 becomes fully guaranteed.
Listed below are the players whose salaries are currently not fully guaranteed, along with their respective teams. If a player has a partial guarantee, that’s noted in parentheses. Players on this list who are waived will be moved to our 2016 free agent list, assuming they clear waivers and reach the open market. Players who have their salaries guaranteed will likely end up on our 2017 free agent list, since they’ll either have a non-guaranteed salary or no contract at all for the 2017/18 season.
Here’s the full list of players who are currently on non-guaranteed or partially-guaranteed contracts:
Point Guards
- Bobby Brown, Rockets
- Semaj Christon ($200K), Thunder
- Spencer Dinwiddie ($100K), Nets
- Ty Lawson, Kings
- T.J. McConnell, Sixers
- Tim Quarterman ($75K), Trail Blazers
- Fred VanVleet ($50K), Raptors
Shooting Guards
- Ron Baker ($75K), Knicks
- Bryn Forbes ($125K), Spurs
- Treveon Graham ($75K), Hornets
- DeAndre Liggins ($25K), Cavaliers
- Sheldon McClellan ($50K), Wizards
- Rodney McGruder ($400K), Heat
- Jordan McRae, Cavaliers
Small Forwards
- Robert Covington ($50K), Sixers
- Dorian Finney-Smith ($200K), Mavericks
- Jerami Grant, Thunder
- Danuel House ($100K), Wizards
- Derrick Jones ($43K), Suns
- Damjan Rudez, Magic
- Troy Williams ($150K), Grizzlies
- Metta World Peace, Lakers
Power Forwards
- Cristiano Felicio, Bulls
- Thomas Robinson, Lakers
- Kyle Wiltjer ($275K), Rockets
Centers
- JaVale McGee ($500K), Warriors
- Mike Muscala ($508K), Hawks
- Daniel Ochefu ($50K), Wizards
- Jeff Withey, Jazz
Information from Basketball Insiders was used in the creation of this post.
Shane Larkin To Play In Spain
Free agent guard Shane Larkin will join former teammate Andrea Bargnani in Spain next season. According to an announcement from Spanish team Laboral Kutxa Baskonia, Larkin has reached an agreement to play for the club next season. Bargnani, who played with Larkin for the Nets and Knicks, signed a deal with Baskonia last month.
A first-round pick out of Miami in 2013, Larkin only lasted one season with his original team, the Mavericks, before heading to New York for one year and then playing last season in Brooklyn. In 202 career NBA games, Larkin, who will turn 24 in October, has averaged 5.8 PPG, 3.2 APG, and 1.1 SPG, with a shooting line of .430/.328/.762.
Back in April, before he decided not to exercise his $1.5MM player option with the Nets, Larkin told reporters that he doesn’t want to “play a 10-year career with eight different teams,” suggesting he was seeking a multyear deal.
“I just turned 23, so I’m still young,” Larkin said. “Being able to get with a team on a two-year deal or three-year deal saying, ‘This is what we want you to be. We want you to spark our offense, push the tempo, be this guy and this is what we feel you can do for the team,’ then that’s perfect. Whether I’m a starter or whatever, it’s cool either way.”
It’s not yet clear whether Larkin will have more than a one-year stay in Spain, or whether he’ll end up joining his fifth team in five years after one season with Baskonia. We also don’t yet know if Larkin was able to match the $1.5MM salary he would have earned if he hadn’t opted out of his Brooklyn contract. His new deal was presumably negotiated by new agent Jim Tanner of Tandem Sports & Entertainment, who was hired by Larkin last month.
Longest-Tenured Players By NBA Team
So far this offseason, several teams have seen their longtime superstar depart, either in free agency or retirement. Dwyane Wade is no longer a member of the Heat. Kevin Durant has left Oklahoma City. And Kobe Bryant and Tim Duncan retired from the NBA after spending their entire careers with the Lakers and Spurs, respectively.
While Kobe had easily been the longest-tenured Laker, those three other players had competition for the title of longest-tenured player on their respective teams. Nick Collison‘s stay with the Seattle SuperSonics, before they relocated to OKC, predated Durant’s time with the team. In Miami, Udonis Haslem joined the Heat in the offseason Wade did. As for the Spurs, Duncan was the team’s longest-tenured player, but Tony Parker wasn’t far behind — he has been in San Antonio for 15 years.
The NBA’s current list of longest-tenured players by team features some obvious names, like Dirk Nowitzki in Dallas or Brook Lopez in Brooklyn. But there are also some surprising players on the list below. With Al Horford no longer in Atlanta, for instance, the longest-tenured Hawk is Mike Scott.
Be sure to check out the rosters and depth charts at RosterResource.com for full details on how and when each team acquired every player on its roster. Here are the NBA’s current longest-tenured players by team:
- Dallas Mavericks: Dirk Nowitzki (draft trade), June 1998
- San Antonio Spurs: Tony Parker (draft), June 2001
- Manu Ginobili was selected by the Spurs in the 1999 draft, but didn’t sign with the team until 2002.
- Oklahoma City Thunder: Nick Collison (draft), June 2003
- Collison joined the franchise when it was the Seattle SuperSonics.
- Miami Heat: Udonis Haslem (free agent), August 2003
- Memphis Grizzlies: Mike Conley (draft), June 2007
- Brooklyn Nets: Brook Lopez (draft), June 2008
- Los Angeles Clippers: DeAndre Jordan (draft), June 2008
- Golden State Warriors: Stephen Curry (draft), June 2009
- Toronto Raptors: DeMar DeRozan (draft), June 2009
- Chicago Bulls: Taj Gibson (draft), June 2009
- Washington Wizards: John Wall (draft), June 2010
- Sacramento Kings: DeMarcus Cousins (draft), June 2010
- Utah Jazz: Gordon Hayward (draft), June 2010
- Indiana Pacers: Paul George (draft), June 2010
- Boston Celtics: Avery Bradley (draft), June 2010
- Minnesota Timberwolves: Nikola Pekovic (draft-and-stash), July 2010
- Pekovic was drafted in 2008, but didn’t sign with the Timberwolves for two years.
- Denver Nuggets: Wilson Chandler (trade), Danilo Gallinari (trade), February 2011
- Chandler and Gallinari were acquired in the same trade with the Knicks.
- New York Knicks: Carmelo Anthony (trade), February 2011
- Cleveland Cavaliers: Kyrie Irving (draft), Tristan Thompson (draft), June 2011
- Irving is technically the slightly longer-tenured Cavalier, having been selected first overall, while Thompson was picked fourth overall.
- Charlotte Hornets: Kemba Walker (draft), June 2011
- New Orleans Pelicans: Anthony Davis (draft), June 2012
- Davis joined the franchise when it was the New Orleans Hornets.
- Portland Trail Blazers: Damian Lillard (draft), Meyers Leonard (draft), June 2012
- Lillard is technically the slightly longer-tenured Blazer, having been selected sixth overall, while Leonard was picked 11th overall.
- Detroit Pistons: Andre Drummond (draft), June 2012
- Milwaukee Bucks: John Henson (draft), June 2012
- Atlanta Hawks: Mike Scott (draft), June 2012
- Phoenix Suns: P.J. Tucker (free agent), August 2012
- Orlando Magic: Nikola Vucevic (trade), August 2012
- Houston Rockets: James Harden (trade), October 2012
- Philadelphia 76ers: Nerlens Noel (trade), July 2013
- The trade that sent Noel from New Orleans to Philadelphia was agreed upon in June and finalized in July.
- Los Angeles Lakers: Nick Young (free agent), July 2013
Salary Cap Snapshot: Golden State Warriors
With the free agent signing period winding down and teams looking ahead to the preseason, we at Hoops Rumors will be tracking the Salary Cap figures for each team around the league. These posts will be maintained throughout the season once financial data is reported. They will be located on the sidebar throughout the year, once all the teams’ cap figures have been relayed. You can always check RosterResource.com for up-to-date rosters for each franchise, with the Warriors’ team page accessible here.
Here’s a breakdown of where the Warriors currently stand financially:
Guaranteed Salary
- Kevin Durant — $26,540,100 [Contract has 15% Trade Kicker]
- Klay Thompson — $16,663,575
- Draymond Green — $15,330,435
- Stephen Curry — $12,112,359
- Andre Iguodala — $11,131,368 [Contract has 15% Trade Kicker]
- Shaun Livingston — $5,782,450
- Zaza Pachulia — $2,898,000
- Kevon Looney — $1,182,840
- Damian Jones — $1,171,560
- Ian Clark — $980,431 [Actual Salary — $1,015,696]
- James McAdoo — $980,431
- JaVale McGee — $980,431 [Actual Salary — $1,403,611]
- Anderson Varejao — $980,431 [Waived by team; actual salary — $1,551,659]
- David West — $980,431 [Actual Salary — $1,551,659]
- Jason Thompson — $945,126 [Waived via Stretch Provision]
- Patrick McCaw — $543,471
- Elliot Williams — $250,000 [Waived by team]
- Matt Barnes — $242,224 [Actual salary — $383,351]
- Briante Weber — $61,739 [10-day contract (Feb 14); contract lasted 12 days to allow for three games]
- Briante Weber — $51,449 [10-day contract (Feb 4)]
- Cameron Jones — $50,000 [Waived by team]
- Elgin Cook — $50,000 [Waived by team]
- Scott Wood — $50,000 [Waived by team]
- Phil Pressey — $35,000 [Waived by team]
Total Guaranteed Salary= $99,993,851
Cash Sent Out Via Trade: $0 [Amount Remaining $3.5MM]
Cash Received Via Trade: $0 [Amount Remaining $3.5MM]
Payroll Exceptions Available
- Room Exception: $0 [Used on Zaza Pachulia]
Total Projected Payroll: $99,993,851
Salary Cap: $94,143,000
Estimated Available Cap Space: –$5,850,851
Luxury Tax Threshold: $113,287,000
Amount Below Luxury Tax: $13,293,149
Last Updated: 3/11/17
The Basketball Insiders salary pages and The Vertical’s salary database were used in the creation of this post.
And-Ones: Pistons, Taylor, Free Agents
The offseason losses of Anthony Tolliver, Steve Blake and Joel Anthony cost the Pistons a combined 30 years of NBA service on their roster, notes Keith Langlois of NBA.com, and the potential leadership void entering the season concerns coach/executive Stan Van Gundy. “Absolutely. Absolute concern,” Van Gundy admitted. “If you look at what we did (over the off-season) and said, ‘OK, where’s the problem?’ – that would be it. We had three outstanding veteran leaders who were all about the right stuff.”
“Those guys provided a lot of leadership for the team in general and the younger guys in particular and now with all four of those guys gone, are these guys ready? Can they get themselves ready? Can they lead each other? Who’s going to emerge? Yeah, I think that there certainly is a concern,” Van Gundy continued. “It’s a challenge for the guys on our team. I don’t know how many teams in the league there are that will not have a single guy over 30 years old.”
Here’s more from around the league:
- Former Nets guard Tyshawn Taylor has signed a deal to play in Israel with Kiryat Gat, international journalist David Pick reports (via Twitter). The 26-year-old last appeared in the NBA during the 2013/14 season when he averaged 3.9 points in 23 games for Brooklyn.
- While most teams are putting the finishing touches on their preseason rosters, there are still a number of intriguing free agents still on the market, notes Kurt Helin of NBCSports.com. The scribe notes that Lance Stephenson, Josh Smith, Ty Lawson, J.J. Hickson and Kevin Martin could pay dividends for a GM willing to roll the dice on them.
- Kevin Pelton of ESPN.com (Insider subscription required) ran down the teams taking a step back this offseason. Teams that fell into the “losers” category in Pelton’s view include the Thunder (for losing Kevin Durant), Bulls (for assembling an ill-fitting roster) and the Lakers (who hurt their future cap flexibility).
Eastern Notes: Jackson, Cavs, Howard
Stephen Jackson, who is reportedly eyeing an NBA return, says he’s being recruited by members of the Bulls, Raul Barrigon of HoopsHype relays.
“Well, actually not a lot of people know that Jimmy Butler has been calling me,” Jackson told Barrigon. “We’ve been talking for like three months now. Even Rajon Rondo has been calling me, they really want me on the Bulls team. I’ve been talking to a lot of guys, because guys know what I bring. There’s not many guys like me. There’s probably one or two guys in the NBA like me that can play both ways and don’t mind really shutting the guy down. I’m a winner, I’ve been in the playoffs many years. Guys know I’m a great teammate, Tim Duncan called me the ultimate teammate. I know how to play good for the guy next to me. I’m getting calls and I will be ready and that’s the biggest part.”
Here’s more from the Eastern Conference:
- DeAndre Liggins‘ two-year deal with the Cavaliers includes a partial guarantee of $25K for 2016/17 and the second year is a team option, Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders relays (via Twitter).
- The first season of Kay Felder‘s three-year pact with the Cavs is fully guaranteed, Pincus tweets. The scribe also notes that $456,529 of his $905,249 salary for 2017/18 is guaranteed.
- The general consensus among members of the Hawks is that free agent signee Dwight Howard will make the team better than it was a season ago, writes KL Chouinard of NBA.com. “Offensively we have a consistent roll guy, a guy who can put pressure on the basket every time you set a pick-and-roll,” forward Paul Millsap said of Howard.
- The Vertical’s Bobby Marks took a look back at the Hornets‘ offseason moves and their expected impact on the team.