Earlier Start, Fewer Back-To-Backs Highlight NBA Schedule
An earlier start date and the elimination of four games in five nights for all teams are among the highlights of the 2017/18 season schedule, which was released on Monday night by the league.
At the urging of the NBA Players Association, the league has tried to stretch out the regular-season schedule to allow players more rest in between games. There were 20 instances last season where a team had to play four games in five nights. No team will have to go through such a rugged stretch this year, since the regular season will start two weeks earlier than in previous years. The beginning of the regular season will be Tuesday, October 17.
Back-to-backs have also been trimmed down somewhat from an average of 16.3 per team to 14.4. The league hopes that this will also reduce the number of times that teams rest players during the course of the season.
Last season, there were numerous instances of nationally-televised games where prominent players were wearing street clothes as coaches tried to keep them fresh for the postseason. As Tim Bontemps of the Washington Post tweets, no team playing in an ABC game during the upcoming season has a game the day before or after, which should ensure that healthy players will suit up for those games.
Listed below are links to the full 2017/18 season schedules for each NBA team, organized by Conference and Division:
EASTERN CONFERENCE
Atlantic Division
Central Division
Southeast Division
WESTERN CONFERENCE
Northwest Division
Pacific Division
Southwest Division
Point Guard Norris Cole Headed To Israel
Point guard Norris Cole will sign a one-year contract with Maccabi Tel Aviv of the Euroleague, international journalist David Pick tweets via a source.
Cole, 28, appeared in 13 games with the Thunder last season after finally landing an NBA job in March. He averaged 3.3 PPG and 1.1 APG in 9.6 MPG and shot just 30.8% from the field. The previous season, he started 23 of 45 games with the Pelicans and averaged a career-high 10.6 PPG and 3.7 APG in 26.6 MPG. He spent his first 3 1/2 seasons with the Heat.
According to earlier tweet from Pick, the contract is worth $700K.
Cole didn’t generate much buzz on the free agent market, though he did work out with the Hornets last month.
Traded First Round Picks For 2018 NBA Draft
The 2018 NBA draft is over 10 months away, but several teams have already traded their respective first round picks for that night, and more clubs are likely to do so before this season’s trade deadline.
We’ll use the space below to keep tabs on each team’s first round pick for 2018, continually updating it as necessary throughout the year. Our list of traded second round picks for 2018 can be found right here.
We’ve listed all 30 teams here, so even if a team hasn’t traded its first round pick, that will be noted. We’ll also provide details on protections for each traded pick, including what happens to the pick in 2019 if it doesn’t change hands in 2018.
Here’s the full breakdown on the status of each 2018 first round pick:
Atlantic
- Boston Celtics: Own pick.
- Brooklyn Nets: Traded to Cavaliers (unprotected).
- New York Knicks: Own pick.
- Philadelphia 76ers: Own pick.
- Toronto Raptors: Traded to Nets (lottery-protected).
- If not conveyed in 2018, lottery-protected in 2019.
Central
- Chicago Bulls: Own pick.
- Cleveland Cavaliers: Traded to Lakers (top-3 protected).
- Detroit Pistons: Traded to Clippers (top-4 protected).
- If not conveyed in 2018, top-4 protected in 2019.
- Indiana Pacers: Own pick.
- Milwaukee Bucks: Traded to Suns (top-10 protected and 17-30 protected).
- If not conveyed in 2018, top-three protected and 17-30 protected in 2019.
Southeast
- Atlanta Hawks: Own pick.
- Charlotte Hornets: Own pick.
- Miami Heat: Traded to Suns (top-7 protected).
- If not conveyed in 2018, unprotected in 2019.
- Orlando Magic: Own pick.
- Washington Wizards: Own pick.
Northwest
- Denver Nuggets: Own pick.
- Minnesota Timberwolves: Traded to Hawks (lottery-protected).
- If not conveyed in 2018, lottery-protected in 2019.
- Oklahoma City Thunder: Traded to Timberwolves (lottery-protected).
- If not conveyed in 2018, lottery-protected in 2019.
- Portland Trail Blazers: Own pick.
- Utah Jazz: Own pick.
Pacific
- Golden State Warriors: Own pick.
- Los Angeles Clippers: Own pick.
- Los Angeles Lakers: Traded to Sixers or Celtics (Boston receives it if falls between Nos. 2 and 5; otherwise, Philadelphia receives it).
- Phoenix Suns: Own pick.
- Sacramento Kings: Own pick.
Southwest
- Dallas Mavericks: Own pick.
- Houston Rockets: Traded to Hawks (top-3 protected).
- If not conveyed in 2018, top-3 protected in 2019.
- Memphis Grizzlies: Own pick.
- New Orleans Pelicans: Traded to Bulls (top-5 protected).
- If not conveyed in 2018, top-8 protected in 2019.
- San Antonio Spurs: Own pick.
Information from RealGM was used in the creation of this post.
What’s Next For Unsigned Restricted Free Agents?
An unusually high number of notable restricted free agents remain unsigned as August nears its halfway point, and the rumor mill has been quiet on those players as of late. After the league-wide free agent spending spree in the summer of 2016, many of these RFAs likely entered free agency this year anticipating huge paydays, and were disappointed to see many potential suitors use up their cap room quickly.
Here’s the current list of restricted free agents still on the board:
- JaMychal Green (Grizzlies)
- Alex Len (Suns)
- Nikola Mirotic (Bulls)
- Nerlens Noel (Mavericks)
- Mason Plumlee (Nuggets)
The updates on those players have been few and far between over the last month or so. Early in free agency, Green’s agent seemed pessimistic about his client remaining in Memphis, suggesting that the Grizzlies seemed to be going in a “different direction.” However, with no offer sheet yet in hand, Green still looks like a decent bet to stay with his current team.
Plumlee, meanwhile, may not have as clear as role as the Nuggets initially envisioned when they acquired him, since the team nabbed Paul Millsap in free agency. Denver gave up a lot in the trade for Plumlee and presumably still wants to bring him back as Nikola Jokic‘s backup at center. But with Millsap making approximately $30MM annually and Jokic due for a mega-deal of his own as soon as next summer, the Nuggets may be reluctant to invest heavily in Plumlee as well.
As for Len, Mirotic, and Noel, there has been little indication that they’re going anywhere — all three of their respective teams still have a ton of cap flexibility, and could comfortably match virtually any offer sheet they’re dealt. Those offer sheets just don’t seem to be out there right now, since almost every team with the ability to make a big offer has its own RFA to worry about.
Besides Phoenix, Chicago, and Dallas, there are a small number of teams that could make an aggressive offer for a restricted free agent. The Sixers are really the only other club with a significant amount of leftover cap room, and based on their one-year agreements with J.J. Redick and Amir Johnson, it appears Bryan Colangelo and company want to avoid multiyear commitments that would compromise their 2018 cap space.
So what’s next for these restricted free agents? October 1 is the next key date to watch. That’s the day that each RFA’s qualifying offer will expire. Up until that point, any of those five players could accept the qualifying offer and play on a one-year deal, opting to try his luck at the open market again in 2018 as an unrestricted free agent. Green, Len, Mirotic, Noel, and Plumlee all figure to still be looking for longer-term deals, but it wouldn’t surprise me to see one or two of them signs that QO.
If an RFA situation remains unresolved beyond October 1, the player is still restricted, but no longer has the option of accepting his qualifying offer. With the regular season fast approaching at that point, players don’t have much leverage, and a situation can go south in a hurry.
A year ago, it was December before Donatas Motiejunas finally found an offer sheet, but that lucrative four-year deal with the Nets fell through after Houston matched it — the Rockets and Motiejunas couldn’t agree on incentive details, the forward skipped his physical, and the two sides eventually parted ways. Motiejunas, who later signed for the minimum and is now out of the NBA, could act as a cautionary tale this fall for RFAs who don’t yet have a deal when training camps begin.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Lakers Sign Briante Weber
AUGUST 14: The Lakers have officially signed Weber, the team announced today in a press release. L.A. now has 18 players on NBA contracts and one on a two-way deal, leaving one spot open on the club’s offseason roster.
AUGUST 8: The Lakers are adding a little more backcourt depth to their roster, according to Shams Charania of The Vertical, who reports (via Twitter) that the club has reached an agreement with free agent point guard Briante Weber on a partially guaranteed deal.
Weber, 24, signed a pair of 10-day contracts with the Hornets after the All-Star break last season, then earned a rest-of-season deal from the team. In 13 games in Charlotte, Weber played limited minutes, averaging 3.8 PPG, 1.7 RPG, and 1.2 APG. His contract included a non-guaranteed salary for 2017/18, but the Hornets opted to waive him last month, making him a free agent.
Although Weber’s NBA production has been modest, he filled up the stat sheet in 31 G League games last season, averaging 16.5 PPG, 7.5 RPG, 7.3 APG, and 3.3 SPG for the Sioux Falls Skyforce. He also posted a shooting line of .455/.356/.778 for the club.
While I wouldn’t necessarily expect Weber to break camp with the Lakers this fall, the team currently only has 14 players on fully guaranteed contracts, so there may be an opportunity for the young guard to earn the final spot on L.A.’s 15-man roster.
Nets Sign Jacob Wiley To Two-Way Contract
Confirming a deal that was reportedly in place back in June, the Nets have officially signed undrafted rookie Jacob Wiley to a two-way contract, the team announced today in a press release. Brooklyn has now filled both of its two-way slots, having previously signed Yakuba Ouattara on such a deal.
Wiley’s agreement with the Nets was first reported shortly after the conclusion of this year’s draft by Matt Norlander of CBSSports.com (via Twitter). Ian Begley of ESPN.com, who confirmed Norlander’s report, said at the time that the 6’7″ forward out of Eastern Washington impressed teams in pre-draft workouts with his “intensity and relentless motor.”
Wiley, who was ranked as 2017’s 63rd-best prospect by DraftExpress, averaged 21.1 PPG and 9.2 RPG in his senior year in 2016/17. He was also an extremely efficient shot-maker, converting 64.2% of his attempts from the field and 82.8% of his free throws. He only attempted seven 3-point shots all season, though he made five of them.
For a breakdown of how two-way contracts work and who is eligible to sign them, be sure to check out our FAQ. You can also consult our two-way contract tracker to keep tabs on which players have received the NBA’s first two-way deals this offseason.
2017’s Top 10 Free Agent Deals By Guaranteed Money
On Sunday, we examined this offseason’s top 10 free agent deals in terms of average annual value. That list included players like Kevin Durant and J.J. Redick, who signed short-term deals but will earn more money during the 2017/18 season than all but a handful of this year’s free agent signees.
In terms of overall guaranteed money though, those deals for Durant and Redick don’t rank among this summer’s top 10. All of the new contracts that include the most total guaranteed money are multiyear pacts, with many of them running for four or five years.
This year’s top 10 free agent contracts in terms of total guaranteed money are listed below, with the help of our Free Agent Tracker and salary information from Basketball Insiders.
Our numbers below incorporate player options, but not team options or non-guaranteed salary. The thinking: If a team waives a player before the end of his contract, he’s guaranteed to receive his player-option salary, but not team-option or non-guaranteed money. Players whose contracts include final-year player options are marked with an asterisk.
Here’s the top 10:
- Stephen Curry (Warriors): $201,158,790 (five years)
- Blake Griffin (Clippers): $171,174,820 (five years)*
- Jrue Holiday (Pelicans): $131,100,000 (five years)*
- Gordon Hayward (Celtics): $127,829,970 (four years)*
- Otto Porter (Wizards): $106,524,978 (four years)*
- Kyle Lowry (Raptors): $93,000,000 (three years)
- Tim Hardaway Jr. (Knicks): $70,950,000 (four years)*
- Serge Ibaka (Raptors): $65,000,000 (three years)
- Danilo Gallinari (Clippers): $64,762,737 (three years)
- Paul Millsap (Nuggets): $61,000,000 (two years) — Third year is team option
As was the case in our list of top 10 free agent deals by annual value, Curry sits at No. 1, and his overall guarantee really hammers home how massive his new deal is. While Curry’s new deal tops $200MM, only four other free agents signed for more than $100MM in guaranteed money, and the gap between Curry’s contract and the 10th-biggest deal exceeds $140MM.
It’s also worth noting that leading up to free agency, there was a belief that maximum salary contracts would be prevalent, with players like Holiday, Lowry, Millsap, and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope all viewed as candidates to sign for the max. Ultimately, only Curry, Hayward, and Porter got true maximum salary contracts — Griffin’s deal fell a little short, while players like Lowry, Millsap, and Caldwell-Pope couldn’t even get the max on shorter-term pacts.
Jordan McRae To Play In Spain
12:05pm: McRae will earn more than $700K on his new deal with Baskonia, according to Pick (Twitter link).
11:49am: Former Cavaliers guard Jordan McRae will play in Spain in 2017/18, according to international basketball journalist David Pick, who reports (via Twitter) that McRae has signed with Baskonia.
McRae, 26, spent most of the 2016/17 season in Cleveland after joining the Cavaliers down the stretch in 2015/16. In 37 games last season, the 6’6″ guard averaged 4.4 PPG and 1.1 RPG with a shooting line of .387/.353/.794. The club waived McRae shortly after the All-Star break in order to create room on the roster to sign Andrew Bogut, whose time in Cleveland was short-lived.
McRae is the second NBA free agent landed by Baskonia this offseason, as the team also signed point guard Marcelo Huertas. McRae and Huertas will help fill the backcourt void created when Shane Larkin departed to sign with the Celtics — Larkin was one of the Euroleague’s top point guards last season, and was Baskonia’s leading scorer in both Euroleague and Spanish League play.
According to Pick, McRae turned down offers from Israeli team Maccabi Tel Aviv before reaching an agreement with Baskonia. Maccabi continues to scour the NBA free agent market for backcourt help, having reportedly extended an offer to veteran guard Norris Cole, as we detailed earlier today.
SVG: Tax Line Won’t Hinder Pistons’ Ability To Re-Sign Bradley
After letting Kentavious Caldwell-Pope walk this summer, the Pistons appear to be more optimistic about the odds of a long-term union with newly-acquired guard Avery Bradley. Bradley will be an unrestricted free agent in 2018, but the Pistons are expected to do all they can to lock him up beyond that, and head coach and president of basketball operations Stan Van Gundy indicates that cap and tax issues won’t get in the way of a deal, as Keith Langlois of Pistons.com details.
“The finances will not inhibit our ability to re-sign Avery at whatever it takes,” Van Gundy said. “If we’re in a situation where we want Avery back and Avery wants to be here, we’ll be able to bring him back.”
Allowing Caldwell-Pope to become unrestricted and sign elsewhere last month helped the Pistons to avoid going into tax territory for the 2017/18 season. However, Van Gundy suggests that the franchise – led by owner Tom Gores – is willing to cross that threshold when the time is right.
“In the right situation for the right people, Tom’s more than willing to pay the tax,” Van Gundy said. “I think about half the league’s going to be paying the tax this year. Tom’s not opposed to that.”
Van Gundy’s claim that “half the league” will be paying the tax is a bit of an exaggeration, but as we outlined last week, the number of taxpayers is definitely poised to increase exponentially this season after just two teams were hit with tax penalties in 2016/17.
Currently, the Pistons have about $96MM in guaranteed salaries on their books for the 2018/19 season, per Basketball Insiders. That doesn’t include team options for Stanley Johnson or Henry Ellenson, or non-guaranteed salaries for Reggie Bullock and Eric Moreland. The NBA’s latest cap projections for ’18/19 included a tax line of $123MM, so a lucrative new deal for Bradley next summer could push Detroit across that threshold, depending on what other moves the club makes to fill out its roster.
Norris Cole Receives Euroleague Offer
Free agent point guard Norris Cole has received a contract offer from Israeli team Maccabi Tel Aviv, according to international basketball reporter David Pick (Twitter link). The deal, which Cole has not yet accepted, would be worth $700K and would bring the veteran guard to the Euroleague.
A former first-round pick, Cole spent the first three and a half years of his career with the Heat, winning a pair of titles with the franchise. He has since spent time with for the Pelicans and Thunder, though he appeared in just 13 games for Oklahoma City last season, playing limited minutes. For his career, the 28-year-old has averaged 7.0 PPG and 2.7 APG in 360 regular season contests.
While Cole has yet to find an NBA home, it makes sense that he’d continue to explore every avenue stateside before heading back overseas — as a six-year veteran, Cole’s minimum salary with an NBA team would be $1,841,849, more than double what his offer from Maccabi Tel Aviv is worth.
Still, Cole had trouble finding an NBA landing spot last season, having not signed with the Thunder until March. And even if he were able to secure an NBA contract, it wouldn’t necessarily be fully guaranteed. Cole also has some international experience, having played in China in 2016, so he may not be averse to returning overseas.
Cole is one of the more notable names among an increasingly sparse group of free agent NBA point guards. Aaron Brooks, Deron Williams, and C.J. Watson are a few of the others who remain unsigned.