Hoops Rumors Glossary: 10-Day Contracts
Thursday marks the renewal of the annual tradition of the ultimate on-the-job tryout in professional sports. The 10-day contract has been the foot in the door for several players who’ve gone on to lengthy, successful NBA careers, like Anthony Mason, Bruce Bowen, Raja Bell, Kurt Rambis, Howard Eisley and several others. C.J. Watson saw his first NBA action on a pair of 10-day contracts with the Warriors in 2008, and blossomed into a sought-after backup point guard. He signed a three-year, $15MM deal with the Magic in 2015.
Ten-day deals also help veterans make comebacks. Chris Andersen languished in free agency for six months after the Nuggets used the amnesty clause to get rid of him, but a pair of 10-day contracts with the Heat in 2013 kick-started a revival for the Birdman. He wound up signing for the rest of the season that year and played a key role in Miami’s championship run. Andersen reprised that role on a guaranteed minimum-salary contract the next season, and that led the Heat to re-sign him in 2014 to a two-year, $10.375MM deal.
More recently, Tim Frazier parlayed multiple 10-day contracts last year into a two-year, $4MM+ deal with the Hornets over the summer, while Jordan McRae landed with the Cavaliers after signing 10-day deals last year with multiple teams. McRae remains under contract for the defending champions this season. Still, the 10-day is usually a fleeting glimpse at NBA life for players on pro basketball’s fringe — most of last year’s signees aren’t currently in the league.
Beginning on Thursday, January 5, a team can sign a player to as many as two 10-day contracts before committing to him for the rest of the season, or, as in many cases, turning him away.
Ten-day deals are almost always for a prorated portion of the minimum salary, though they can be for more. A minimum-salary 10-day contract for a rookie this season is worth $31,969, or 10/170ths of the full-season rookie minimum salary. A one-year veteran would make $51,449. A minimum-salary 10-day deal for any veteran of two or more seasons would represent a cost of $57,672 to the team.
Veterans with more than two years of NBA experience would earn more than $57,672 on a 10-day contract, but the league would pay the extra freight. However, teams gain no financial advantage if they eschew 10-day contracts with more experienced players to sign rookies or one-year veterans to 10-day deals in an effort to avoid the tax, as those deals count the same as the ones for two-year veterans when the league calculates a team’s salary for tax purposes.
Teams would have to pay slightly more if they sign a player to a 10-day contract and they have fewer than three games on their schedule over that 10-day period. In those cases, the length of the 10-day contract is extended so that it covers three games for the team.
It’s rare that any team would have such a light schedule, since most play at least three games a week, but the rule came into play in February 2015 with the Pistons and John Lucas III. Detroit signed him to a 10-day contract after its final game prior to the All-Star break, which the NBA lengthened last season. The Pistons played only three games in the 13 days that followed the signing, so Lucas was essentially on a 13-day deal. He received 13 days’ worth of prorated minimum salary, meaning the pact was worth more than a standard 10-day contract. The All-Star break will be extended again in 2017, so the situation could repeat itself.
A team may terminate a 10-day contract before it runs to term if it wants to use the roster spot to accommodate a waiver claim, signing, or trade acquisition. Players whose 10-day contracts end early don’t go on waivers, so they become free agents immediately. Still, those players receive their full 10-day salaries, as the contracts are fully guaranteed for the 10 days.
A team like Portland, which is perilously close to the luxury tax, may be wary of bringing anybody aboard via 10-day contract. Other teams will make liberal use of 10-day deals, in part because they’re relatively inexpensive. A year ago, no team handed out more 10-day contracts than the injury-ravaged Grizzlies, who signed eight different players to at least one 10-day deal.
Usually, teams only have one player on a 10-day contract at a time, though they’re allowed to carry as many 10-day contracts as they have players on the inactive list. If a team has 13 players on the active list, it can carry one more 10-day contract than the number of inactive players it has, meaning that if a team has a full 15-man roster, as many as three of those players may be on 10-day deals.
Players whom NBA teams have recently released, like R.J. Hunter and Nicolas Laprovittola, figure to draw consideration for 10-day contracts, as should notable veterans who have gone unsigned this season, such as Jarrett Jack and Carl Landry. D-League standouts like Briante Weber, Ray McCallum, and Jalen Jones could all find paths to the NBA via 10-day contracts, and hopefuls from the D-League will make their cases to scouts at the five-day NBADL showcase, which will take place later this month in Mississauga, Ontario.
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.
Versions of this post were initially published by Chuck Myron on January 5, 2013; January 4, 2014; January 5, 2015; and January 4, 2016.
Sixers Waive Hollis Thompson
3:22pm: The Sixers have waived Thompson, a league source confirms to Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer (Twitter link).
3:12pm: The Sixers are set to waive Hollis Thompson, a league source tells Derek Bodner of PhillyMag.com (Twitter link). Thompson is on a non-guaranteed contract, so cutting him before the upcoming salary guarantee deadline will ensure that the team isn’t on the hook for his full-season salary.
Thompson, 25, had been one of the longest-tenured players on the Sixers, having signed with the team back in September of 2013. In 256 games since then, the 6’8″ swingman has averaged 7.9 PPG and 3.1 RPG, with a .417/.389/.709 shooting line.
Given how much value is placed on effective three-point shooting in today’s NBA, it’s worth noting that the Sixers are cutting ties with a player who has made 39% of his career attempts from long distance. Still, Thompson’s 36.6% mark this season is the worst of his career, and he has also averaged just 18.1 minutes per game this season, another career low.
Thompson is in the final year of his contract and didn’t appear to be a part of Philadelphia’s long-term plan, so cutting him now will create some roster flexibility and will allow other players – such as rookie wing Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot – to earn more playing time.
Meanwhile, even if he goes unclaimed on waivers, Thompson is a good bet to catch on with another NBA team soon, perhaps on a 10-day contract. He would become an unrestricted free agent on Friday if his release becomes official today and he clears waivers.
Knicks View P.J. Tucker As Potential Trade Target
2:31pm: Although the Knicks’ front office has its eye on Tucker, no trade discussions between the two teams have taken place at this point, reports John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 (Twitter link).
8:54am: As they continue attempting to address their defensive issues, the Knicks have identified a Suns wing player as a potential trade target. According to Ian Begley of ESPN.com, New York’s front office has been eyeing P.J. Tucker, labeling him as a player the team may pursue before this year’s trade deadline.
Tucker, 31, has played for Phoenix since returning from overseas in 2012, appearing in 356 games for the Suns over the last five seasons. Having averaged 30+ minutes per game in each of the last three seasons, Tucker has seen his playing time reduced a little this year (27.1 MPG) and is coming off the bench more often than he’s starting for the first time since his return to the NBA. In 36 games this season, he has recorded 6.3 PPG, 5.4 RPG, and 1.3 SPG.
As our list of 2017 free agents by team shows, Tucker is the only Suns player currently on track for unrestricted free agency this summer. Unless the club is fairly confident he’ll be re-signed in July, it could make sense for Phoenix to gauge the market for him in the coming weeks and get an asset or two in return.
It’s not clear what the Knicks would give up if they put a formal offer on the table for Tucker. As Begley observes, the club has a few intriguing young players, like Willy Hernangomez, Kyle O’Quinn, and Mindaugas Kuzminskas. Draft picks could also be in play, though Begley notes that Phil Jackson and the Knicks’ front office were unwilling to part with future first-rounders last season.
Tucker is earning a fairly modest $5.3MM salary in 2016/17, so if the Knicks were to make a move for him, they’d only have to send out about $3.5MM to accommodate a deal under cap rules.
Western Notes: Nuggets, Motiejunas, Mavs, Lakers
The race for the No. 8 seed in the Western Conference is wide open, but the Nuggets were unable to grain ground on Tuesday night, losing their third straight game. Tuesday’s loss was particularly frustrating since it came at home against the Kings, the team ahead of Denver for that eighth seed in the West. In the wake of Denver’s defeat, Michael Malone was critical of his team’s performance and effort, telling reporters that the Nuggets have “the worst defense in the NBA.”
“Right now we have no leadership, we have no veteran leadership on this team stepping up,” said the Nuggets head coach, per Christopher Dempsey of The Denver Post. “I don’t hear anybody speaking, taking the lead. We have two young guys trying to speak up on the team’s behalf, which you applaud them but you need some leadership to shine and step up when we are struggling, which we are.”
One person who didn’t agree with Malone’s assessment? Danilo Gallinari, who took exception to the idea that the Nuggets lack veteran leadership. “That’s definitely not the problem with this team,” Gallinari said, according to Dempsey. “Every veteran on this team can agree with me. So, I don’t agree with that.”
The Nuggets have frequently been mentioned as one of the teams most likely to make a move before the trade deadline, so the situation in Denver will be worth monitoring in the coming weeks. Let’s round up a few more notes from out of the Western Conference…
- After signing on Tuesday with the Pelicans, Donatas Motiejunas confirmed today that he has been medically cleared by the team (Twitter link via Scott Kushner of The Advocate). Head coach Alvin Gentry indicated that he expects Motiejunas to play primarily at center in New Orleans (Twitter link via Kushner).
- The Mavericks have a pair of players on non-guaranteed contracts, but Dorian Finney-Smith is safe, and Pierre Jackson looks like a good bet to stick on the roster past the salary guarantee deadline as well, writes Eddie Sefko of The Dallas Morning News. The Mavs like what they’ve seen from Jackson so far, so the only reason to cut him would be to maintain roster flexibility going forward.
- In Larry Nance’s absence, the Lakers have explored using Thomas Robinson and Tarik Black on the floor at the same time, and are intrigued by the pairing, per Mark Medina of The Los Angeles Daily News. Both Robinson and Black signed new contracts with Los Angeles during the offseason.
Blazers Rumors: Stotts, Ezeli, McCollum, Turner
The Trail Blazers are just a single game out of the playoffs in the Western Conference, but with a 15-21 record, it has been an extremely disappointing season so far in Portland. Still, the organization isn’t panicking at this point, as there’s a belief that the team will work its way back into the postseason picture, writes Chris Haynes of ESPN.com. According to Haynes, Terry Stotts‘ job as the team’s head coach isn’t currently in jeopardy.
In a lengthy and interesting piece, Haynes provides several other notable Blazers-related tidbits, so let’s round up some of the highlights…
- The Blazers went into free agency aiming to retain their own key free agents, as well as adding another ball-handler and a rim-protecting big man. The club targeted players like Hassan Whiteside, Joakim Noah, and Dwight Howard, but came up short. According to Haynes, Portland was ready to renounce a player – perhaps Meyers Leonard – in order to free up cap room to sign Pau Gasol, but the free agent center opted to sign with San Antonio instead.
- Ultimately, the Blazers landed Festus Ezeli on a two-year, $15MM deal, but Ezeli may end up not playing a single game for the team, as he’s expected to undergo season-ending surgery. According to Haynes, Ezeli gave a “stern” locker-room speech after a tough loss last month — when the big man launched into a similar speech a couple games later, he was cut short by C.J. McCollum. As Haynes puts it, “being lectured by someone who wasn’t even playing wasn’t received favorably” by other Blazers players.
- Potential trade targets like DeMarcus Cousins and Nerlens Noel aren’t currently on the Blazers’ radar, sources tell Haynes. Cousins likely isn’t available anyway, and Noel is eligible for restricted free agency, so Portland may be turned off by his contract situation.
- The Blazers are open to making a trade, but don’t feel obligated to make a move. According to Haynes, the team isn’t looking to trade McCollum or Evan Turner.
- Team owner Paul Allen was insistent on retaining Portland’s own assets during the offseason, and as such, the team “never thought twice” about matching Allen Crabbe‘s offer sheet from the Nets, per Haynes.
- Be sure to check out Haynes’ full piece for more on the Blazers.
Heat Notes: Richardson, Draft, McGruder
Thursday is the first day that NBA teams can sign players to 10-day contracts this season, and it’s a tool that the Heat have used frequently in the past, writes Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel. For now though, Miami remains in “roster gridlock,” with the maximum 15 players under contract. It’s unlikely that all 15 of those players will finish the season with the Heat, but the team will be in no rush to cut ties with veterans, since their contracts might be required to make trades work at the trade deadline. After the deadline passes in late February, Miami will likely be more inclined to take fliers on players on 10-day contracts.
Here’s more on the Heat:
- The NBA’s new Collective Bargaining Agreement will impact a number of Heat players on rookie contracts or minimum salary deals, giving them a salary bump beginning in 2017/18, Winderman notes in a piece for The Sun Sentinel. That’s welcome news for players affected by the change, such as Josh Richardson. “I was excited,” Richardson said. “Any time you say more money to a young fellow like us, I’m like, ‘Oh, yeah,’ I’m going to jump all over that. They told me I was going to be getting paid a little bit more and I was like, ‘Sounds great to me. I’m going to go to the gym right now.'”
- With the Heat projected to land a lottery pick of their own for 2017, one of Winderman’s readers wonders if the team could go all-in on the draft, trading Goran Dragic in a deal that secures another top pick. However, Winderman is skeptical that Pat Riley would lean too heavily on the draft – which would likely mean adding multiple teenagers to the roster – when the Heat president prefers a rapid rebuild.
- In a separate mailbag, Winderman explores whether a reunion with Mario Chalmers could be in the cards for the Heat, and discusses the impact that Rodney McGruder has had on the team. McGruder is on a non-guaranteed deal, but appears to be in little danger of losing his roster spot before the upcoming salary guarantee deadline.
- Chris Crouse of Hoops Rumors took an extended look at Tyler Johnson‘s fantasy basketball value in his weekly Fantasy Hoops feature on Tuesday night.
Fantasy Hoops: Johnson, Rondo, Ilyasova
The 2016/17 campaign is entering its eleventh week and Hoops Rumors is examining the fantasy basketball landscape in order to help you dominate the competition. Check back weekly for more fantasy basketball analysis.
Tyler Johnson’s Value
The Nets shocked the basketball community when they signed Tyler Johnson to an offer sheet worth $50MM over four years. The move was seen as an overpay, but that sometimes comes with the restricted free agency territory, as teams have to find ways to discourage the incumbent team from matching. Many thought the offer meant that Johnson, a player who only played 36 games last season, would find his way to Brooklyn, but the Heat decided to match and give the 24-year-old an increased role. So far this season, it appears the team made the right decision.
The Heat are struggling, but Johnson isn’t the reason why. He’s one of five shooting guards seeing at least 30 minutes per game to have a positive rating on both the offensive and defensive end, according ESPN’s Real Plus/Minus. He’s making 39.1% of his shots from behind the arc, though his increased role has led to a dip in his overall field goal percentage.
Johnson missed tonight’s game against the Suns with a migraine, marking only the third time this season he’s been out of the lineup. The combo guard was playing well entering the contest. He averaged 17.1 points, 4.0 assists and 1.3 steals per game over his last seven. He also added two 3-pointers and nearly a block per contest.
Goran Dragic was sidelined in three of those games and he was hindered in parts of others due to back pain. Dragic may be on the trade block and if the team deals the point guard, Johnson’s fantasy value could see a substantial boost.
Johnson is available in over 43% of ESPN leagues and he’s worth adding for both his production now and his potential to take on an even bigger role of the offense later in the season.
Here’s more fantasy analysis and notes from around the league:
- The Bulls benched Rajon Rondo and he will reportedly seek a trade if he doesn’t see playing time. If he’s dealt, he could actually see a nice bump in value. His usage rate with the Bulls is his lowest since his rookie season and that’s due in part to the presence of Dwyane Wade and Jimmy Butler. A new team may give him an opportunity to regain his status as a fantasy starter. If you can afford to wait out the situation, leave Rondo on your bench rather than dropping him, though taking the latter approach is a defensible action.
- Michael Carter-Williams is starting in place of Rondo, but he’s not necessarily a must-own commodity. MCW won’t provide much 3-point shooting and he will certainly hurt your team in the field goal percentage category. However, he will add value in several other categories, such as steals, blocks, assists and rebounds, and he’s a nice streaming option in the right match-up.
- Ersan Ilyasova continues to be useful for the Sixers and for fantasy purposes. He scored 19 points while shooting 50% from the field in tonight’s game against the Wolves. On Friday, Philadelphia will take on Boston, a team that is allowing the most points and eighth best field goal percentage to opposing forwards over their last five games.
NBA D-League Assignments/Recalls: 1/3/17
Here are Tuesday’s D-League assignments and recalls from around the NBA:
- The Magic have sent C.J. Wilcox to the D-League, the team announced today in a press release. For Wilcox, whom Orlando acquired in an offseason trade, it’s the second time this season he has been assigned to the Erie BayHawks. During his first assignment, he averaged 10. PPG, 2.5 RPG, and 2.5 APG in two games with Orlando’s NBADL affiliate.
- A day after being recalled to the NBA, rookie guard Bryn Forbes has been re-assigned to the D-League, the Spurs announced today in a press release. While Forbes has appeared in 13 games so far this season for San Antonio, he has seen much more playing time for the Austin Spurs, averaging 23.4 PPG in seven games for the NBADL squad.
Hawks Nearly Dealt Millsap On Two Occasions
The Hawks were going to send Paul Millsap to the Raptors during the offseason if Al Horford re-signed with the team, according to Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com (audio link). The team wanted to pair free agent addition Dwight Howard with Horford, but the former Florida Gator decided to sign with the Celtics, which led to Atlanta keeping Millsap.
Windhorst added that the team had a deal lined up to send Millsap to the Nuggets at last year’s trade deadline. Atlanta also had separate deal lined up to trade Jeff Teague at the time, though the franchise opted to keep both players on the roster through the end of the season.
Earlier today, Millsap reiterated his desire to remain in Atlanta. The Hawks are reportedly entertaining trade offers for the power forward, but the team doesn’t necessarily feel it has to make a move.
Sixers Notes: Noel, Embiid, Simmons
The Sixers want to evaluate how Nerlens Noel and Joel Embiid play together on the court, Jessica Camerato of Comcast Sportsnet relays. Philadelphia started Jahlil Okafor next to Embiid over the last six games, but the team went 1-5 in those contests, which may lead to the duo seeing less action together. “I think over the course of the year, you’re going to see different things,” coach Brett Brown said. “To do it [with Embiid and Okafor] maybe as much as I have done it, I don’t believe that will be the case. But there will be times you’re going to see them paired up just through situations or foul trouble or injury.”
Here’s more from Philadelphia:
- Brown added that his intention is to “force feed” the Noel-Embiid pairing, as Derek Bodner of Philadelphia Magazine passes along (Twitter link). Ersan Ilyasova is starting next to Embiid in tonight’s against the Wolves, but the two centers will see court-time together as well.
- Kurt Helin of NBC Sports believes the Sixers are giving Noel additional playing time so they can showcase him to potential trade partners. Finding a team that is willing to give up major value for the center may be a difficult feat, as Luke Adams of Hoops Rumors detailed in his Trade Candidate piece.
- There remains no timetable for Ben Simmons‘ return to the floor, but the 20-year-old will be more involved going forward, as Bob Cooney of the Philadelphia Inquirer relays. “You are going to start seeing him integrated more and more as this New Year is now upon us,” Brown said. “It’s still, obviously, not to the point where he’s on the floor practicing. But nobody should be worried that his foot is not healing.”