Month: March 2024

Projecting Maximum Salary Contracts For 2017/18

With the NBA set to implement a new Collective Bargaining Agreement for the 2017/18 season, a number of aspects of the CBA will be tweaked, or will change significantly. The maximum salary contract is one thing that falls into the former category — it’ll look a little different starting this summer, but the changes are minor.

For instance, under the current CBA, maximum salary tiers are divided based on a player’s years of NBA experience. Players with six or fewer years under their belts can get up to about 25% of the cap, players who have played between seven and nine years can get up to about 30% of the cap, and veterans who have played 10+ years are eligible to sign for about 35% of the cap. The new CBA will keep those divisions in place, and actually simplify them a little — the percentages are no longer approximate. A player with 10+ years of experience will be able to sign for up to exactly 35% of the cap.

In the new CBA, players with 10 or more years of experience won’t be the only players whose maximum salaries can be worth up to 35% of the cap. There will also be designated veteran extensions available for players entering their eighth or ninth NBA seasons. If that player signed a rookie-scale extension, is still with the team that signed him to that extension, and earned All-NBA honors in the previous season (or in two of the last three years), he’s eligible to get up to 35% of the cap instead of his allotted 30%.

This new rule made the DeMarcus Cousins trade last month an interesting one. If he had remained in Sacramento, Cousins would have been eligible for a designated veteran extension with the Kings, since he met the criteria listed above. However, with the Pelicans, he’s only eligible to sign a deal worth up to 30% of the cap until he has 10 NBA seasons under his belt.

Outside of those changes, there’s one more minor tweak worth noting. Previously, players who signed max deals with their own team were eligible for 7.5% annual raises, as opposed to 4.5% annual raises if they were to sign with a new team in free agency. Under the new CBA, those max raises have been bumped up a little, to 8% and 5% respectively. Players are still limited to four new years on a contract with a new team, as opposed to five years with their current team.

Keeping all that in mind, let’s dive in and take a look at what a maximum salary contract might look like this summer. At this point, we can only rely on salary cap projections provided by the NBA, since the exact cap figure for 2017/18 won’t be known until the summer.

At last check, the league was calling for a $102MM cap for the 2017/18 season. Using that tentative figure, here’s what maximum salary contracts would look like in ’17/18:


A player re-signing with his own team (8% annual raises, up to five years):

Maximum salaries (current team)


A player signing with a new team (5% annual raises, up to four years):

Maximum salaries (new team)

 


A year ago, Mike Conley set a new NBA record when he signed a five-year contract that exceeded $152MM. This time around, a handful of players could break that record again. Stephen Curry will qualify for a designated player extension and Chris Paul, who has played for more than a decade, may also be seeking a five-year, maximum-salary deal. As our charts above show, both players would be eligible for five-year contracts exceeding $207MM if they remain with their current teams.

Meanwhile, a player like Gordon Hayward has a number of potential contract scenarios in play. If he doesn’t earn an All-NBA spot, his decision will be clearer — he could get up to four years and $131.58MM with a new team, or up to five years and $177.48MM with the Jazz, assuming Utah is willing to go that high. If Hayward is named to an All-NBA team, he’d have the option of exercising his player option and seeking a designated veteran extension with the Jazz, which would begin in 2018/19 — with the cap expected to rise again next year, such an extension would likely be worth even more than the $207.06MM noted above.

NBA D-League Assignments/Recalls: 3/31/17

Here are Friday’s D-League assignments and recalls from around the NBA:

  • A day after sending them down, the Raptors have recalled Bruno Caboclo, Pascal Siakam, and Fred VanVleet from the D-League, the team announced today (Twitter link). VanVleet and Siakam led the way with 24 and 22 points respectively in a Raptors 905 win on Thursday night.
  • Maurice Ndour and Marshall Plumlee also returned to the NBA a day after being assigned to the D-League, the Knicks announced (via Twitter). Plumlee had a double-double for the Westchester Knicks in a loss on Thursday, with 11 points and 11 boards.
  • The Grizzlies have recalled forward Jarell Martin from the D-League, according to a press release issued by the team. Martin’s assignment with the Iowa Energy lasted more than a month. For the season, he has averaged 15.9 PPG and 7.5 RPG in 22 games with Memphis’ D-League affiliate.
  • The Pacers have assigned rookie forward Georges Niang to their D-League squad, the team announced today in a press release. It’s the fourth assignment to the Fort Wayne Mad Ants this season for Niang.

Nick Young Undecided On Player Option

Veteran guard Nick Young isn’t expected to see much – if any – playing time down the stretch this season, as the Lakers take a closer look at several of their younger players. However, Young enjoyed a bounce-back season in 2016/17, putting him in an interesting situation this summer as he decides whether or not to opt in for the final year of his contract.

Back in the fall, it was no sure thing that Young would even be a Laker this season. Coming off the worst season of his career, in which he averaged just 7.3 PPG and shot a dismal 33.9% from the field, Young was considered a candidate to be traded or released. Instead, he stuck with the Lakers and bumped his numbers up to 13.2 PPG and a .430 FG% — both marks are better than his career averages.

“I got a chance to play and show Nick Young again after going through everything I went through,” Young said this week, per Mark Medina of The Orange County Register. “That’s the best part of everything, being able to play. You think you won’t be in the league last year. Then you start 60 games.”

Heading into the offseason with the opportunity to become a free agent after boosting his stock this year, Young would certainly be justified in turning down his $5.67MM player option in search of a more lucrative deal. With the salary cap set to exceed $100MM, Young’s player option salary would be modest for a productive rotation piece, and players of his caliber easily exceeded that figure in free agency a year ago — the contracts signed by teammates Luol Deng and Timofey Mozgov are two arguments in favor of Young opting out.

Still, Young and his agent Mark Bartelstein say that decision hasn’t been made yet, according to Medina. Although Young suggested with a smile that he’d be a “wanted man” this summer, he also pointed out that he loves playing in his hometown, near his family. If the Lakers indicate that they won’t be willing to engage in a bidding war to retain him if he declines his player option, opting in might be his only chance to remain in L.A.

“It’s tough. There’s new management and you don’t know what’s going to happen,” Young said. “The Lakers are going to do something this offseason, of course. So we’ll wait and see what their options are.”

Young has until June 21 to opt in or out, so he still has some time to weigh his own options before making his decision official.

Four International Prospects Enter 2017 NBA Draft

Four international prospects have declared for the 2017 NBA draft, according to agent Misko Raznatovic. Kostja Mushidi, Vlatko Cancar, Alpha Kaba, and Borisa Simanic will enter the draft pool, as Raznatovic tweets.

All four players are on Serbian teams, with Mushidi, Cancar, and Kaba representing Mega Leks and Simanic playing for BC Red Star in Belgrade. They all also earn spots on Jonathan Givony’s top 100 list at DraftExpress.com.

The top-ranked player of the group, Mushidi comes in at No. 51 on DraftExpress’ big board, and ranks 10th among international players born in 1998. The 18-year-old shooting guard averaged 9.3 PPG and 2.7 RPG in 24 ABA games this season. According to ESPN’s Chad Ford, who ranks Mushidi 38th on his big board, the Belgium native has a combination of strength, athletic ability, and aggressiveness on both ends of the floor that has intrigued scouts.

Mushidi’s Mega Leks teammates are slightly less highly regarded by draft experts, but are still solid prospects. Cancar, a 6’8″ small forward, comes in at No. 63 on the DraftExpress top 100, while Kaba, a big man with an outside shot, ranks 74th. Kaba entered the draft a year ago, but withdrew his name before June’s deadline.

As for Simanic, the 6’10” power forward comes in at No. 59 on DraftExpress’ big board, though he played very sparingly for Red Star this season.

Our full list of early entrants for this year’s draft can be found right here.

And-Ones: Durant, Front Offices, Combine

Kevin Durant believes it’s unfair to criticize the top players for sitting out games, Chris Haynes of ESPN.com relays. “The truth about it is, it’s only for a couple of players in the league,” Durant told Haynes. “They don’t care if the 13th man on the bench rests. It’s only for like [LeBron James], [Stephen Curry], [James Harden], [Russell Westbrook]. It’s only for like five players. So you want a rule just for those five players?”

“It’s hard for you to just craft a rule out for the top players. I’ve seen guys that’s not even in the playoffs resting, sitting out for the rest of the season. And it’s nothing against those guys. I’m not trying to bash them or anything. [Suns center] Tyson Chandler is out. They got him sitting out for the rest of the year. I’m sure he wants to play, but they’re not saying anything about Tyson Chandler, so it’s hard for me to really talk about this. It’s not a league-wide rule. It’s not a league-wide concern.”

Durant added that he empathizes with fans who miss out on seeing their favorite player when they come to the arena. “I see it from the fans’ perspective and the players’ perspective,” Durant said. “I’m caught right in the middle.”

While the 2013/14 league MVP feels bad for those fans who show up the arena, he gives the situation some perspective.

“On the other hand, there’s a lot of people that can’t even afford tickets to the game. So, I kind of feel sorry for you, but then I don’t when I look at it that way,” he added. “Your parents spend hard-earned money, I understand you want to see your favorite players, but there’s some people who don’t even get a chance to watch a game live.”

Durant hasn’t played since February because of a knee injury, but the team recently announced that he has made “very good progress.” The small forward could see court-time again before the end of the season.

While we wait for Durant to get healthy so his fans can see him play, check out some notes from around the league:

  • ESPN.com examined every front office in the league and ranked them from top to bottom based on the guidance and leadership each organization provides and how it affects success on the court. Unsurprisingly, team president Gregg Popovich and GM R.C. Buford received the highest mark. Which team received the worst mark? The Kings came in slightly below the Knicks for worst front office in the league.
  • Thunder assistant GM Mike Winger, Spurs assistant GM Brian Wright, Nets assistant GM Trajan Langdon are among the executives who are viewed as potential nominees for GM roles should they become available, Kevin Arnovitz of ESPN.com writes. Arnovitz adds that Wright may be a few seasons away from landing a gig, but those within the league believe he has what it takes to do the job well.
  • JK Management announced that it will hold the first annual Professional Basketball Combine at IMG Academy. The PBC will take place in the days following the league’s official combine in Chicago.

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope Arrested For DUI

Police arrested shooting guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope early Wednesday morning on suspicion of drunk driving, according to Derick Hutchinson of Click On Detroit. KCP was pulled over at approximately 2:50 a.m. in Auburn Hills and was put through a sobriety test, which he failed.

The 24-year-old was “very cooperative,” authorities tell Hutchinson. The incident came just hours after the Pistons lost to the Heat in a game where KCP went 2-10 from behind the arc.

Pistons coach/executive Stan Van Gundy recently said if KCP doesn’t return to the team, it’ll be because the front office made that decision. As a restricted free agent, KCP can’t join another team unless the Pistons decide not to match an offer sheet he signs.

“We only don’t have [KCP] next year if we decide we don’t want him next year. There’s no team out there that can decide they’re going to have KCP next year–it’s on us,” Van Gundy said. “It will be our decision this summer whether he’s in Detroit next year. Other people can want him but they need us to acquiesce if they’re going to have him.”

Prior to the arrest, Caldwell-Pope was looking at a receiving a massive raise on his 2016/17 salary, which is worth slightly less than $3.68MM. It remains to be seen how the incident will impact the market for his services. Should he decide to simply accept his qualifying offer, he’ll make just under $4.96MM, though he would be eligible to become a restricted free agent after the season.

The shooting guard is averaging 14.1 points per game, but he’s sporting a below average player efficiency rating of 13.4. His Real Plus/Minus ranks 25th in the league among shooting guards, though at times this season, he’s looked like a foundational player. As a result of his inconsistencies, pegging the value of his next contract was always considered a difficult task; The DUI adds one more variable to the complex situation.

Celtics Notes: Ainge, Brogdon, Yabusele

With Cleveland losing tonight, Boston has reclaimed sole possession of first place in the Eastern Conference. Celtics co-owner Wyc Grousbeck is thrilled with how the team is playing and he’s pleased with the direction of the franchise, as A. Sherrod Blakely of Comcast Sportsnet relays. “There’s no reason to put a ceiling on the season,” Grousbeck said. “I think this season already looks good to me. I love our coach. I love our young players. I love our draft picks and our potential cap room [this summer]; all of our fans. So I’m already happy with where the team is going.”

Here’s more from Boston:

  • The Celtics knew Malcolm Brogdon would be available in the second-round, but chose to pass on him because of the team’s surplus of guards, as GM Danny Ainge tells Comcast Sportsnet. Boston had the No. 31 overall and No. 35 overall picks but traded them to Memphis for a future first-rounder. Milwaukee selected Brogdon with the No. 36 overall pick last June.
  • No. 16 overall pick Guerschon Yabusele has officially joined the Maine Red Claws, the D-League affiliate of the Celtics, Chris Forsberg of ESPN.com tweets. Yabusele played for the Shanghai Sharks of the Chinese Basketball Association this season. The CBA’s season concludes earlier than the NBA’s, which gives Yabusele a chance to run with Boston’s D-League to close the season.

Draft Notes: Ball, Fox, Chartouny, Jones

Lonzo Ball recently appeared on ESPN’s First Take and told the cast that he would be happy to play for any franchise, as Andrew Joseph of For The Win relays.

“At the end of the day, I’ll play for any team,” Ball said. “NBA is NBA. It would be a blessing to be able to play for the Lakers just because it’s in LA — I’m from here, my whole family’s here.”

Ball’s father, LaVar Ball, previously said he wanted his son to play for Los Angeles. “All I said was that my boy is going to play for the Lakers, and I’m going to speak it into existence,” the elder Ball said last month.

Here’s more on the upcoming draft:

  • Lonzo Ball said he was a better prospect than Markelle Fultz, as ESPN.com passes along. “Markelle’s a great player, but I feel I’m better than him,” said Ball. “I think I can lead a team better than him.” The two guards are expected to be the first players to come off the board on draft night.
  • After an impressive NCAA Tournament run, De’Aaron Foxs stock may be on the rise. Evan Daniels of Scouts.com tweets that the point guard has been a “major topic of conversation” amongst NBA executives.
  • Joseph Chartouny of Fordham has declared for the NBA Draft, Mike Watts of USL reports (Twitter link). The point guard has not hired an agent, so he could still decide to head back to school. The 22-year-old is not ranked in Draft Express’ Top-100.
  • Andrew Jones from Texas University has declared for the draft, but will not sign an agent, Jeff Goodman of ESPN.com tweets. Jones is currently No. 47 in Draft Express’ Top-100.

NBA D-League Assignments/Recalls: 3/30/17

Here are Thursday’s D-League assignments and recalls from around the NBA:

  • The Raptors have assigned Bruno Caboclo, Pascal Siakam, and Fred VanVleet to their D-League affiliate, the team announced today (via Twitter). The trio will be in action tonight for the Raptors 905, who lead the NBADL’s Eastern Conference with a 37-11 record.
  • The Knicks have sent rookie bigs Maurice Ndour and Marshall Plumlee to the D-League, the team announced today (via Twitter). Ndour and Plumlee will suit up tonight for the Westchester Knicks in their game against the Grand Rapids Drive, Detroit’s D-League affiliate.

Cavalier Notes: Jones, Irving, LeBron

Discontent marinates within the Cavaliers‘ locker room and veteran James Jones recently spoke to the team to try to sort out the issues, sources tell Joe Vardon of Cleveland.com. After the team’s loss to the Spurs, Jones rhetorically asked players what they wanted out of the season. Vardon adds that neither Kyrie Irving nor LeBron James addressed the team, but a source told the scribe that the losing and travel have “frayed nerves.”

Cleveland owns a record of 6-9 during the month of March and the team has the eighth worst Plus/Minus over that stretch, as I recently mentioned.

Here’s more from The Land:

  • Irving holds himself accountable for the Cavaliers‘ struggles, Ramona Shelburne of ESPN.com writes. “I had to face it, had to face the music,” Irving said of his performance against the Spurs earlier in the week. “I think we all had to do it. But me more importantly, I had to look in the mirror and just wasn’t doing enough. I need to demand more out of myself and do it at a high level.”
  • Irving and James had an extended and emotional conversation after the Spurs loss, Shelburne adds in the same piece. Irving declines to comment on the nature of the meeting, calling it “private.”
  • Irving believes getting J.R. Smith and Kevin Love back up to speed has been problematic, but the Olympian said it’s his job to help them, Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com relays. “I have to do my best as a point guard to integrate J.R. and K-Love and get our starting five back to having the continuity,” Irving said. “It hasn’t been perfect, to say the least. There’s definitely been some ups and downs and disagreements. But as adults and professionals we just have to figure it out.”
  • The Cavaliers have nine games left in the season, including tonight’s tilt with the Bulls, and coach Tyronn Lue feels it’s enough time to right the ship, Fedor adds in the same piece. “I feel like we can get it right,” Lue said. “We’re right anyway. We’re still right there.