NBA Teams With 2017/18 Cap Room Still Available
At this point in the NBA league year, most of the discussion about cap room focuses on how much teams will have in July. While 2018/19 cap space will be extremely valuable for teams looking to make a splash in free agency or on the trade market, there aren’t many reasons teams need ’17/18 cap room at this point — free agency is all but over, the trade deadline is behind us, and even the deadline for renegotiating contracts has passed.
Still, 2017/18 cap room isn’t entirely useless, even this late in the season. The current league year runs through June 30, so if a team wants to complete a trade before, during, or right after this year’s draft, having cap room available to accommodate a salary could come in handy.
Additionally, teams with cap room have fewer restrictions when it comes to signing free agents — if a club wants to take a flier on a prospect during the final few weeks of the ’17/18 regular season, it could use cap space to sign that player to a lightly-guaranteed contract that stretches across three or four seasons.
Here are the teams that still have cap space available for the 2017/18 season, along with their estimated total room:
- Dallas Mavericks: $14,240,776
- Chicago Bulls: $11,325,670
- Note: The Bulls are technically operating an over-the-cap team, but could use this cap room if they renounce their exceptions.
- Phoenix Suns: $6,749,365
- Indiana Pacers: $5,423,615
- Orlando Magic: $3,669,889
- Sacramento Kings: $3,465,472
- Brooklyn Nets: $3,128,440
- Note: The Nets are technically operating an over-the-cap team, but could use this cap room if they renounce their exceptions.
Salary information from Basketball Insiders, along with our own data, was used in the creation of this post.
LaMarcus Aldridge Talks Popovich Meeting, Extension, Lillard
In an in-depth feature for Vice Sports, Michael Pina profiled reticent Spurs star LaMarcus Aldridge, who suggests that he’s “probably one of the most misunderstood people” in the NBA. As Aldridge explains, he isn’t overly fond of new environments or being around a lot of new people, so he has a “little circle of three or four people that I’m close to” and can come off as standoff-ish to those who don’t know him.
Aldridge’s personality was believed to have played a part in his departure from Portland, and at times during the 2017 offseason, it looked like a departure from San Antonio was in the cards as well. However, a sitdown between Aldridge and head coach Gregg Popovich helped smooth things over, and the Spurs big man is currently enjoying one of the best seasons of his career.
Pina’s piece is worth checking out in full, but we’ve pulled a few of Aldridge’ more notable quotes about his meeting with Popovich, the contract extension he signed with the Spurs, and his history with former Trail Blazers teammate Damian Lillard. Let’s dive in…
On Aldridge’s meeting with Popovich and his reported trade request:
“To have a heart-to-heart with a coach about me not being able to be myself … I felt like I had to have that conversation. It was like, ‘This has to happen.’ It wasn’t about being nervous, it was about going about it the right way, making sure it was professional. Making sure I respected everything about him and the organization. I feel like the way I went about it and how I communicated my feelings, he listened to me. It was about figuring out how to do it in the right way so he doesn’t think I’m some arrogant punk just trying to cause problems.
“I think a lot got lost in translation (in media reports about his trade request). I didn’t go and say ‘Hey, I want out.’ It was like, ‘I can’t be the player you want me to be, so let me help you get that person because I respect you and the organization so much.’ That’s how it really went, but people took it and twisted it.”
On whether he doubted that he’d still be with the Spurs at this point:
“I knew some work had to be done. I wouldn’t say I doubted it, but I knew a lot of things had to be worked on and I took my responsibility and I went home and got healthy and worked hard and made sure I came back with the right mentality. Pop and the organization then did their thing to try and let me be myself. So I wouldn’t say I doubted it, but I knew a lot of things had to be done. I knew it was going to be tough.”
On how he ended up signing a contract extension with the Spurs last fall:
“[Agent Jeff Schwartz] was like, ‘They might think I’m bats**t crazy, but I’m gonna call them.’ I was like, ‘Go ahead.’ He made the call just to see if they were interested, and they were taken aback. But I think they could see in my body language and my demeanor that I was happier. I felt more comfortable. Both sides went back and forth until they got it done.”
On his relationship with Damian Lillard:
“I would say him and I have learned more about each other since I left that would’ve helped us when I was there, so I’ve learned from that and I’m trying to be better and not worry if I come off a certain way, because I feel like when people know who I am as a person, they know I have no ill will. I’m more reserved, so I didn’t want to come off as trying to stifle his shine. I just got back in the corner and let him do his thing … I feel like if him and I communicated as much then as we do now, then things would’ve been totally different.”
Hornets’ Michael Carter-Williams Out For Season
Hornets point guard Michael Carter-Williams will miss the rest of the season due to a posterior labral tear in his left shoulder, the Hornets announced today in a press release. Carter-Williams, who sustained the injury on Sunday, will undergo surgery on his shoulder.
Carter-Williams, 26, signed a one-year, $2.7MM deal with the Hornets last summer and has served as Kemba Walker‘s primary backup this season. However, he struggled mightily in Charlotte, enduring the worst season of his five-year NBA career. In 52 games (16.1 MPG), the former Rookie of the Year averaged 4.6 PPG, 2.7 RPG, and 2.2 APG with a shooting line of .332/.237/.820.
With Carter-Williams on the shelf, the Hornets are expected to turn to Malik Monk and Julyan Stone to back up Walker at the point.
As for Carter-Williams, he’ll be an unrestricted free agent this summer, so any teams interested in signing him will keep a close eye on his recovery from shoulder surgery.
Latest On LeBron James
With the Cavaliers in Los Angeles this weekend to play the Clippers on Friday and the Lakers on Sunday, it seems like as good a time as any to check in on LeBron James‘ upcoming free agency. Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer jump-started that discussion on Thursday when he reported that he has “consistently heard from multiple league sources” that James’ list of potential destinations currently only includes four teams: the Cavs, Lakers, Rockets, and Sixers.
Asked today about his potential free agency, James dismissed the idea that he has put together any sort of list yet, according to Joe Vardon of Cleveland.com. While the star forward also called recruiting billboards posted in L.A. “flattering,” he said he’s not thinking about his free agency at this point — though he did acknowledge he understands the constant Lakers speculation.
“I understand that the conversation happens here because first of all [the Lakers] have cap space,” James said, per Vardon. “And this league is much better when the Lakers, the Knicks, and the Celtics are all good at the same time. That’s just how it is. So, that’s what also creates the frenzy.”
Let’s round up a few more items on James and his 2018 free agency…
- Within an article about James’ potential fit with the Lakers, Ramona Shelburne of ESPN cites league sources who believe it’s “still a long shot” that LeBron chooses the Lakers.
- One source close to the situation had this to say to Shelburne: “If someone is pretending they know what LeBron is thinking, they’re guessing. How could anyone know when he doesn’t even know?”
- Sources close to LeBron can see him playing until he’s 40 years old, Shelburne notes. That would mean seven more seasons after this one for James, which suggests that even a long-term deal this offseason wouldn’t be his last NBA contract.
- Elsewhere at ESPN.com, in an Insider-only piece, Kevin Pelton examines how James might fit with either the Lakers or the Clippers. A series of salary cap machinations would be required for the Clips to have a shot at LeBron; even then, it’s not clear if he’d seriously consider them, so the Lakers are a much more viable landing spot, in Pelton’s view.
- As we noted on Thursday, Sam Amick and Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today reached a similar conclusion when they ranked six hypothetical destinations for James — the Clippers ranked last in that group. However, the Rockets, Sixers, and Cavaliers all ranked ahead of the Lakers in terms of LeBron’s best options, per the USA Today duo.
- James remains in the No. 1 spot in the latest edition of our 2018 Free Agent Power Rankings, published on Thursday.
Injury Updates: Curry, Bell, J. Brown, Collison
After tweaking his right ankle last week, Stephen Curry twisted that same ankle during Thursday’s game against San Antonio. While Curry’s injury doesn’t appear serious, the Warriors will hold him out of their next two games on Friday and Sunday, writes Chris Haynes of ESPN.
“With Steph’s ankle injuries, it’s always a worry,” Warriors forward Draymond Green said. “Especially … he’s done it so many times where you can kind of tell immediately whether he can get through it or not by his reaction. Just by that reaction that he had tonight, it’s kind of a worry.”
Given how often Curry has tweaked or turned an ankle this season, it makes sense for the Warriors to play it safe with the former MVP. As Anthony Slater of The Athletic points out, the latest incident may also prompt the Dubs to consider adding Quinn Cook to their 15-man roster. Currently, Cook is on a two-way deal that allows him to play for the club during the regular season, but not in the postseason.
In order to make Cook playoff-eligible, the Warriors would have to convert his two-way contract into an NBA deal before the final day of the regular season. Golden State is unlikely to rush that decision, since Cook still has plenty of time left on his 45-day NBA limit, and the team would have to waive a player – possibly Omri Casspi – in order to add the guard to the 15-man roster.
Here are a few more injury notes from around the NBA:
- The Warriors also avoided a serious ankle injury earlier this week, when Jordan Bell‘s latest sprain was deemed a minor one (video link via Slater). Even though Bell’s ankle injury isn’t considered as serious as the sprain that sidelined him for over a month earlier this season, he won’t be re-evaluated until Tuesday, tweets Melissa Rohlin of The Bay Area News Group.
- Jaylen Brown suffered a scary fall during Thursday’s game against Minnesota, losing his grip on the rim after a dunk and hitting his head on the court. While the Celtics may initially have been having Gordon Hayward flashbacks, Brown tweeted late on Thursday night that he’s “OK” — with the exception of a headache. While Brown has avoided a worst-case scenario, he’ll continue to undergo tests and be monitored for concussion-like symptoms in the coming days, as A. Sherrod Blakely of NBC Sports Boston writes.
- Darren Collison, who last played on February 3, has a chance to return to the Pacers‘ lineup on Friday night after recovering from arthroscopic knee surgery, says Clifton Brown of The Indianapolis Star. “I had a chance to get up and down with the guys the past few days,” Collison said. “A lot of hard work trying to get back in shape. I feel really good about (Friday).” The veteran figures to come off the bench behind Cory Joseph until head coach Nate McMillan is ready to reinsert him into the starting lineup.
- The Thunder announced today in a press release that rookie Terrance Ferguson suffered a concussion on Thursday night and has been placed in the NBA’s concussion protocol.
Hornets Notes: Monk, GM Search, Hernangomez
Given all the pricey long-term contracts on the books, blowing up the Hornets’ roster and rebuilding would be a painful process, writes Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer. However, in Bonnell’s view, an overhaul of some sort needs to happen. Eleven players on the current roster have guaranteed contracts for next season, but if the Hornets bring back nearly the same roster in 2018/19, they’re “running themselves into a wall that will not budge,” says Bonnell.
At 28-38, the Hornets aren’t technically eliminated from the postseason, but their playoff hopes are on life support, and the players sound like they know it. “(With) the talent in this room, starting with us, everyone expected something more,” Nicolas Batum said after the team’s latest loss. Marvin Williams also expressed concern about the Hornets’ collective effort.
“It’s been difficult. It hasn’t ever been this way here,” Williams said, per Bonnell. “I remember, even going back to my first year here (the 33-48 season in 2014-15), we weren’t very good, but we still competed, we still defended. We weren’t the most talented, but we played hard. We didn’t just play for ourselves, we played for each other and for coach. Right now, we’re just not giving the effort we need to give.”
Here’s more on the Hornets:
- Whether or not Michael Carter-Williams is able to get back on the court this season after suffering a shoulder injury, rookie guard Malik Monk should remain in the Hornets’ rotation the rest of the way, Bonnell writes in a separate piece for The Charlotte Observer. With Charlotte’s playoff aspirations no longer realistic, the team needs to see what it has in Monk, according to Bonnell.
- Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders explores whether it would make sense for the Hornets to hire a veteran executive like Mitch Kupchak as their next general manager, or whether the club would be better off rolling the dice on an unproven candidate with promise.
- League sources tell Kyler that former Cavs GM David Griffin was contacted by the Hornets as part of their search, but Griffin may not be a serious candidate for the Charlotte position. According to Kyler, the prevailing thought on Griffin is that he’ll want “complete control” in his next job, and the Hornets may not be willing to sign off on that.
- Speaking to Ben Nadeau of Basketball Insiders, Willy Hernangomez admits that 2017/18 has been a tough season for him, but says he’s comfortable in Charlotte and is happy to get a fresh start. “It’s a new environment and a new chapter, so I have new goals — I feel more free here, they want me to create for others,” Hernangomez said. “Maybe in New York, I was just playing the low-post instead of the pick-and-roll. Here, I can do many things: create offense, maybe three-pointers, rebound, play pick-and-roll — so I feel more comfortable here.”
Community Shootaround: Cavs’ Open Roster Spots
The Cavaliers appear to be “playing the two-week game” with their open roster spots, salary cap expert Albert Nahmad observes (via Twitter).
NBA rules allow teams to carry 13 players on their 15-man rosters for up to two weeks at a time before getting back up to the 14-player minimum. The Cavs used that full two weeks after the trade deadline, then filled their 14th roster slot by signing Marcus Thornton to a 10-day deal. Now that Thornton’s contract has expired, Cleveland is once again taking its time to get back up to the minimum, as Nahmad notes.
[RELATED: 2017/18 NBA Roster Counts]
There’s a logic in this — the Cavs aren’t currently strapped for depth, and their projected luxury tax bill is already the league’s biggest. There’s no need to add a player before they have to if he’s not going to play, since he’ll cost exponentially more in taxes than his salary is worth.
Still, while the Cavs’ deadline deals appear to have rejuvenated LeBron James and kick-started the team, those trades cost the club some significant playoff experience. The six players Cleveland traded in February have appeared in a combined 393 postseason games. The four players they’ve acquired have combined for 94 playoff appearances, and 83 of those are George Hill‘s. Jordan Clarkson and Larry Nance Jr. have never played in a postseason contest.
Previous playoff experience won’t necessarily be a deciding factor for the Cavs in a series against the Celtics and Raptors, but this franchise has shown it values that sort of experience. In each of the last two seasons, for instance, Cleveland has signed Dahntay Jones at the end of the season to get him on the postseason roster. Over those two years, Jones has played just two regular season games for the Cavs, but has appeared in 25 playoff contests.
It’s not clear if Jones is in the team’s plans again this season, but it might make sense for the Cavs to fill their open roster spots at the end of the season with veteran players who are capable of helping out in the playoffs, or at least serving as stabilizing forces on the bench and in the locker room. The longer Cleveland waits to make that sort of addition, the less money it’ll cost, so the team could hold off until the last week of the regular season to fill out its 15-man roster and prepare for the postseason.
If and when that happens, there are plenty of candidates out there to get the call. Kendrick Perkins and Tony Allen could be viable options, as could Jones. Given his performance in the Finals last year, Deron Williams probably isn’t at the top of the Cavs’ wish list, but he’s available too. So are other vets like Gerald Henderson, Anthony Morrow, Mike Miller, and Andrew Bogut. None of those players are likely to play major roles for the Cavs if they’re signed, but many of them would be useful depth pieces.
What do you think? Do the Cavaliers need to add a veteran or two to fill out their roster before the playoffs begin? If so, which free agents should they target? Or is their roster fine as is? Would the team be better served just getting to the 14-player minimum by taking a shot on a G League prospect?
Jump into the comment section below to share your thoughts!
And-Ones: Francis, Doncic, Bosh, G League, Officials
In a powerful piece for the The Players’ Tribune, former NBA player Steve Francis opens up about his life before stardom, growing up in the streets of Washington D.C., where his mother died when Francis was only 18 years old and his father was locked up in federal prison for a robbery conviction.
“Four years before I was on that plane with Hakeem telling me we’re going shopping for cashmere suits together — four years before I was about to go play against Gary Payton — I was on the corner of Maple Ave in Takoma Park, Maryland, selling drugs outside the Chinese joint.”
“My mother had passed away. My father was in a federal penitentiary. We had 18 people living in one apartment. I had dropped out of high school. No scholarships. No GED. No nothing.”
From his respect for legend Hakeem Olajuwon to his interactions with Sam Cassell and Payton, Francis opens up about life beyond basketball as well as the lessons he took away from his time in the NBA and the unlikely route he took to get there.
Here are more odds and ends from around the basketball world:
- The Slovenian Basketball Federation, via Emiliano Carchia of Sportando, is reporting that top 2018 NBA Draft prospect Luka Doncic is expected to miss two weeks of action with a thigh injury.
- In another moving piece, Jackie MacMullan of ESPN writes that former All-Star and NBA champion Chris Bosh is still hoping for a return to the NBA and, perhaps more importantly, searching for the feeling he once had when he was playing the game he loved. “I would love,” Bosh says, “to experience that feeling one more time.”
- The NBA still has some ground to cover in its efforts to make the G League a true “minor league” alternative to college basketball, opines Sean Deveney of Sporting News.
- Despite ongoing efforts to mend the ever-widening gap between players and officials, at least one NBA player feels the tensions are still an issue, reports Candace Buckner of The Washington Post. “Honestly the game is not about the players and the refs,” said Wizards forward Markieff Morris.“We’re playing for the fans, so we’re trying to clean up a whole lot. It’s at an all-time high right now.”
- LeBron James‘ free agency destination list is reportedly down to four teams. Sam Amick and Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today take a look at the best situations for James from a pure basketball perspective, concentrating on the four aforementioned teams – the Cavaliers, Lakers, Rockets, and Sixers – as well as two others – the Clippers and Spurs.
Southwest Notes: Spurs, Leonard, Mavericks, Evans
The Spurs have made the playoffs every year for the past 20 seasons and won five titles along the way, but as Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer writes, the NBA’s model franchise is in the midst of its worst season since 1996/97 – Tim Duncan‘s senior season at Wake Forest – and is in serious danger of missing the playoffs.
The Spurs have the NBA’s toughest remaining schedule, with two games left against the Rockets, Warriors, Pelicans, Thunder, and Wizards. Add in the fact that the team is 2-8 over its last 10 games and only 2.5 games ahead of the eight, ninth, and tenth place teams in the Western Conference, and one can see why fans in San Antonio may have reason to worry for the first time in two decades.
Here’s more from around the Southwest Division:
- In more positive Spurs‘ news, Michael C. Wright of ESPN is citing a highly knowledgeable source who tells him that Kawhi Leonard is working hard and putting himself through some “insane” workouts in an effort to return to action as quickly as possible.
- In a Q&A session, columnist Kevin Sherrington of The Dallas Morning News answered some questions on Mavericks‘ owner Mark Cuban and whether NBA commissioner Adam Silver would step in and force Cuban to sell the team a la current Carolina Panthers owner Jerry Richardson or former Clippers owner Donald Sterling.
- Eddie Sefko of The Dallas Morning News is reporting that Mavericks‘ swingman Dorian Finney-Smith is expected to return to action this weekend for the first time since injuring his left knee/quadriceps in early November.
- The Grizzlies are being cautious with Tyreke Evans‘ recovery from a rib injury, writes Ronald Tillery of The Commercial Appeal. Evans, who has been out since late February, remains day-to-day and will not play against the Jazz tomorrow night.
NBA G League Assignments/Recalls: 3/8/18
Here are Thursday’s G League assignments and recalls from around the NBA:
- Lakers rookie big man Thomas Bryant has been assigned to the team’s G League affiliate, the South Bay Lakers, according to a tweet from the team’s official account. Bryant, 20, is averaging 19.2 points and 7.5 rebounds per game in 30 G League games this season.
- The Bulls have assigned 10-day contract signee Jarell Eddie to their G League affiliate, the Windy City Bulls, per a tweet from the Bulls. Eddie, 26, is averaging 17.1 points and shooting 47.5% from long range in 21 games with Windy City.
- Both Nigel Hayes and Alfonzo McKinnie have been assigned to the Raptors‘ G League affiliate, Raptors 905, according to the assignment page on the NBA’s official G League website.