Mike James Agrees To Three-Year Deal In Italy
Mike James, who spent time with the Suns and Pelicans this season, has signed a three-year deal worth more than $5MM with Olimpia Milano in Italy, tweets international writer Chema de Lucas (hat tip to Sportando).
James spent five seasons in Europe before agreeing to a two-way contract with Phoenix last July. That was converted to a full NBA contract in December, but he was waived two weeks later. James’ next stop was New Orleans, where he signed another two-way deal in mid-January. However, he was waived in February and finished the season with Panathinaikos in Greece.
James appeared in 32 games for the Suns and four more for the Pelicans, averaging 9.3 points and 3.5 assists in about 19 minutes per night.
2018 NBA Offseason Salary Cap Digest: Orlando Magic
The Magic’s seemingly endless rebuild continued in 2017/18, as the team had its sixth straight season with 35 or fewer wins. While a new management team is in place, led by Jeff Weltman and John Hammond, Orlando doesn’t appear ready to make a major step forward yet. Questionable investments by Rob Hennigan have left the team without significant cap room in 2018, meaning we shouldn’t expect any major free agent moves from the team this summer, though trades are an option.
Here’s where things currently stand for the Magic financially, as we continue our Offseason Salary Cap Digest series for 2018:
Guaranteed Salary
- Bismack Biyombo ($17,000,000)
- Evan Fournier ($17,000,000)
- Nikola Vucevic ($12,750,000)
- Terrence Ross ($10,500,000)
- D.J. Augustin ($7,250,000)
- Jonathon Simmons ($6,000,000)
- Jonathan Isaac ($4,969,080)
- Wesley Iwundu ($1,378,242)
- Shelvin Mack ($1,000,000) — Partial guarantee. Non-guaranteed portion noted below.1
- C.J. Watson ($333,333) — Waived via stretch provision
- Total: $78,180,655
Player Options
- None
Team Options
- None
Non-Guaranteed Salary
- Shelvin Mack ($5,000,000) — Partial guarantee. Guaranteed portion noted above.1
- Khem Birch ($1,378,242)2
- Rodney Purvis ($1,378,242)3
- Total: $7,756,484
Restricted Free Agents
- Aaron Gordon ($7,260,330 qualifying offer / $16,513,260 cap hold): Bird rights
- Total: $16,513,260
Unrestricted Free Agents / Other Cap Holds
- No. 5 overall pick ($5,310,672)4
- Mario Hezonja ($5,167,231): Bird rights
- Fran Vazquez ($3,346,518)5
- Arron Afflalo ($1,499,698): Non-Bird rights
- Marreese Speights ($1,499,698): Non-Bird rights
- Total: $16,823,817
Projected Salary Cap: $101,000,000
Projected Cap Room: $15,014,470
- Our Magic cap projection takes into account the team’s eight fully guaranteed contracts, the projected cap hold for the lottery pick, and three cap charges for empty roster spots, resulting a total team salary of $85,985,260. In that scenario, the team would have to waive all of its non- and partially-guaranteed contracts and renounce its free agents.
- The Magic may ultimately decide to remain an over-the-cap team this summer. If they want to re-sign Gordon, that’s all but guaranteed, since his $16MM+ cap hold would take them over the $101MM mark.
Footnotes:
- Mack’s salary becomes fully guaranteed after June 25.
- Birch’s salary becomes fully guaranteed after June 29.
- Purvis’ exact contract details, including guarantee info, aren’t yet known.
- The Magic are fifth in the draft lottery standings. They could end up picking as high as No. 1 ($8,095,595) and as low as No. 8 ($4,033,884).
- Vazquez was the Magic’s 11th overall pick in 2005 and has yet to be renounced, meaning his cap hold is equal to the rookie scale amount for this year’s No. 11 pick. That cap hold will be removed when it’s officially determined that Vazquez won’t sign with the Magic for 2018/19.
Note: Rookie scale cap holds are estimates based on salary cap projections and could increase or decrease depending on where the cap lands.
Salary information from Basketball Insiders was used in the creation of this post. Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Otto Porter Undergoes Leg Procedure, Out Indefinitely
3:01pm: The Wizards have issued a press release confirming that Porter underwent the procedure detailed below, calling it a “left lower leg fasciotomy for compartment syndrome.” According to the team, it was necessary in order to prevent permanent damage to the muscles in Porter’s leg. He’ll be out “indefinitely.”
2:25pm: Wizards forward Otto Porter is undergoing a procedure on his injured left leg today, reports Candace Buckner of The Washington Post (Twitter link). According to Buckner, the procedure will address a build-up of blood flow in the area of Porter’s leg contusion.
As a result of the procedure, Porter will miss Game 6 of the Wizards’ first-round series against the Raptors on Friday night, and will also remain sidelined if the series goes to a Game 7, per Buckner. It’s not clear whether Porter would be able to return at a later date in the postseason if Washington were to advance.
Porter underwent an MRI on his troublesome left leg today, at which point the decision was made to move forward with the procedure to address the build-up around the bone bruise, tweets Buckner.
Porter, who appeared in 77 games for the Wizards this season, was one of the team’s key contributors, averaging 14.7 PPG, 6.4 RPG, and 2.0 APG with an impressive .503/.441/.828 shooting line in the first season of his new four-year, maximum-salary contract. However, the 24-year-old hasn’t looked like himself in the playoffs as he has dealt with his leg issue — Porter didn’t score more than 12 points in any of the first five games vs. Toronto.
Spoelstra Talks Whiteside, Wade, Ellington, More
While there has been a ton of speculation since the end of the Heat’s season earlier this week about Hassan Whiteside‘s future – or lack thereof – in Miami, head coach Erik Spoelstra didn’t indulge that speculation today when he met with reporters. As Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel writes, Spoelstra said that he “loves” working with Whiteside. The Heat head coach also downplayed the long-term impact of Whiteside’s minimal role – and underwhelming performance – during the postseason.
“In two weeks, nobody will be talking about that,” Spoelstra said, per Manny Navarro of The Miami Herald. “We can go take some time away. Hassan can get his mind off this and in a few weeks we can get back and connect and then start to share our experiences. He’s not the only guy that’s had to go through something like this. His head coach has. And like I said, a lot of players that have come through our system have been through that kind of playoffs. That is the playoffs. There’s going to be heroes. There’s going to people place blame on. None of it is fair. That’s just the way it is, and we can help him through that process.”
Spoelstra didn’t offer many specific details on the Heat’s offseason plans, but did share some thoughts on the future of Dwyane Wade, Wayne Ellington‘s upcoming free agency, and Miami’s ability to evolve into a legit contender, among other topics. Here are a few more of Spoelstra’s end-of-season comments, via Navarro:
On whether Wade will continue his career and return to the Heat:
“When we hugged after the game, I was basically in tears. And I’ll be honest, right now I’m just not emotionally ready to go there or even to have just a normal conversation. I tried to walk by. I said I don’t want to read anything in his eyes. I just said, ‘Hey, let’s both get away. Let’s connect for lunch in a few weeks.’ And we’re leaving it at that right now.”
On the possibility of the Heat re-signing Ellington despite cap constraints:
“First, I know the visions of my boss (team president Pat Riley). Anything in this league, he can get done. So people are saying, ‘Can you contend for a title with this team?’ I know who I work for. And then, secondly, I know the creativity of (general manager) Andy Elisburg. But none of it has to be decided right now. Wayne know that we love him.
“It was a unified symbiotic relationship where I think he really benefited from our culture. We benefited from his commitment to become the player that was transformational — his ability to come off screens. … And he can keep on going. If it means I’ve got to recruit him and tell him he can shoot 20 threes (per game) next year, quote me on that right now.”
On Spoelstra’s belief that the Heat can contend with their current cure:
“I haven’t even talked about it with Pat, but I’m sure he’ll say the same thing. We see progress, we see growth. Expectations do not scare us. What the opinion is on the outside, how rational or irrational people may think we are, we don’t care. We think we have a group that can contend.
“We believe as much as anything, you grow through continuity. It’s hard to start over. You see teams that get a little sick at sea when it gets a little uncomfortable. Our group doesn’t. But we’re also well aware of where we’re trying to get to and how much improvement we need to get to it. Whether that’s all from inside, that’s the only thing I’m focused on right now. We won’t even talk about anything personnel-wise for months. We don’t have to get to that point right now. That’s going to be Pat and Andy’s responsibility. It’s not the first time they’ve been able to build a championship-contending team. So we have great confidence and faith in the full holistic plan.”
Five Player Options That Look Like Locks To Be Exercised
As we recently detailed when we previewed this summer’s player option decisions, those options have been overwhelmingly declined over the last two offseasons.
Over the last two years, only eight of 53 veterans who held player options on their contracts have actually exercised those options. Half of those eight players (Tim Duncan, Caron Butler, Mo Williams, and Spencer Hawes) haven’t played a single NBA minute since picking up their options, having either retired or been waived. Another one of the eight (Chris Paul) only opted in because it cleared the way for him to be traded to his preferred destination.
However, those opt-outs came at a time when NBA free agent spending was at an all-time high, primarily due to the substantial salary-cap jump in the 2016 offseason. For most players with an opportunity to reach the open market, it made sense to test free agency rather than playing out a contract that had been negotiated when the cap was far lower.
That may not be the case this summer though. The increases in the salary cap have become more modest, with the cap for 2018/19 projected to only be about $2MM higher than this year’s figure. With fewer teams armed with cap room and less money available in free agency, many of the player options for 2018/19 don’t look too bad.
I expect more than five player options to be exercised this offseason, but here are five that look like virtual locks to be picked up:
Carmelo Anthony, Thunder ($27,928,140): Our list starts with a player option that’s technically not a player option. Anthony actually has an early termination option, which essentially gives him the same rights as a player option would — he’ll simply have to waive his ETO in order to opt in and finish out his current contract. Given Anthony’s underwhelming season in Oklahoma City, which saw him set new career lows in PPG (16.2) and FG% (.404), opting in looks like an easy call. If the Thunder lose in the first round and Paul George departs in free agency, it will be interesting to see how enthusiastic Anthony is about remaining in OKC. This situation reminds me a little of Dwyane Wade‘s in Chicago a year ago, when Wade exercised his $23MM player option, then surrendered a big chunk of it as part of a buyout agreement.- Wesley Matthews, Mavericks ($18,622,514): Matthews has already indicated he plans to opt in, so it’s probably cheating a little to include him here. Still, his case is an interesting one. Matthews is still capable of being a useful wing who can make three-point shots — that could make him more valuable to a contender than to the rebuilding team, and an $18MM+ expiring salary would also look appealing to a club looking to clear cap room for 2019. If and when Matthews officially picks up the option, it wouldn’t surprise me to see the Mavs explore the trade market for him, likely expressing a willingness to take on longer-term money.
- Iman Shumpert, Kings ($11,011,234): Shumpert’s player option decision figures to hinge on money rather than destination. After an injury-plagued season in which he played in just 14 games, the veteran swingman won’t come close to matching his $11MM option salary, so it’s the right move to opt in and then see what happens. The rebuilding Kings, who held onto vets like Zach Randolph and Vince Carter for the entire 2017/18 season, could try the same approach with Shumpert next year, but I’d expect him to become a buyout candidate sooner or later — assuming he’s not traded first.
- Darrell Arthur, Nuggets ($7,464,912): In Denver, Wilson Chandler‘s player option decision will be a tougher one than Arthur’s, which looks like a mere formality. Ongoing knee issues – as well as a deep Nuggets roster – resulted in Arthur appearing in just 19 games and playing 141 total minutes in 2017/18. If he were to opt out, he’d almost certainly be looking at a minimum-salary offer, so picking up his option makes sense.
- Ron Baker, Knicks ($4,544,400): It’s hard to call a contract worth less than $10MM in total a disastrous signing, but the Knicks’ decision to commit their entire room exception to Baker last offseason on a two-year deal was immediately panned, and it doesn’t look any better now. Like other players on this list, Baker didn’t play a whole lot in 2017/18 due to injuries – and to not having a permanent spot in the rotation – which would limit his value significantly if he were to hit free agency. He’s recovering from shoulder surgery now, making his option decision an easy one.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Mike Budenholzer To Receive Full Hawks Salary
Although the end of the relationship between Mike Budenholzer and the Hawks was classified as a mutual parting of ways, it doesn’t appear the two sides agreed to any sort of buyout of the two years and $13MM+ remaining on Budenholzer’s contract.
Budenholzer will receive the full amount of the money left on his contract with the Hawks, reports Jeff Schultz of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. That was a “lump Hawks owner Tony Ressler did not want to swallow,” according to Schultz, who suggests that the team was willing to agree to the arrangement in order to move on and begin searching for a new long-term head coach.
Continuing to pay their old head coach isn’t an ideal situation for the Hawks, but Schultz notes that Atlanta’s financial obligation to Budenholzer will be lessened if he lands a new head coaching job elsewhere. While the specifics aren’t clear, it sounds like the agreement between the Hawks and Budenholzer includes some form of set-off rights that will prevent the veteran coach from collecting his full salary from Atlanta while also earning a full salary from a new team.
In order for the Hawks to reduce their commitment to Budenholzer though, he’ll need to be hired by a new team. After interviewing with the Suns, Budenholzer withdrew from consideration for that job, so he appears to only be in the mix for the Knicks’ position for now. There have been rumblings in recent weeks that Budenholzer could be eyeing the Bucks’ job, but as long as Milwaukee remains in the playoffs, interim coach Joe Prunty continues to hold that role.
As Schultz observes, Ressler and GM Travis Schlenk initially wanted to leverage other teams’ interest in Budenholzer into compensation for letting him out of his contract. Not receiving any compensation and remaining on the hook for Budenholzer’s $13MM salary is almost a worst-case scenario for the franchise. However, with Budenholzer’s return having become increasingly untenable and Atlanta wanting to start interviewing candidates to replace him, the club felt it was time to make a move, even if the financial pill was a tough one to swallow.
Community Shootaround: Game 6 Predictions
After the Pelicans, Rockets, Warriors, and Sixers won their respective opening-round series in either four or five games, the first Game 6 of this year’s postseason took place on Thursday night, with the Bucks holding home court against the Celtics to push their series to a Game 7.
On Friday night, three more series will play a Game 6, so we want to hear your thoughts and predictions on tonight’s matchups.
In the East, the Cavaliers will look to close out the Pacers in Indiana to advance to the second round. The series has been a back-and-forth affair, featuring several close games and each team picking up a win in the other club’s building. Cleveland’s supporting cast has been somewhat underwhelming and George Hill remains questionable with a back injury, but if LeBron James keeps playing like he did in Game 5 (44 points, 10 rebounds, eight assists), it might not matter.
It’ll be interesting to see if Victor Oladipo can bounce back from an underwhelming Game 5. Since he scored 32 points in the series opener, Oladipo has seen his scoring output decline in each game, all the way down to 12 points in Game 5. His field-goal percentage has dipped in every game too, culminating in a 2-for-15 showing on Wednesday.
Elsewhere in the East, the Wizards will host the Raptors and look to avoid elimination in D.C. The home team has won every game in this series, so the fact that this one takes place in Washington bodes well for a Game 7, but this is another matchup that has been fairly even throughout the first round. Otto Porter is questionable to play in this game for the Wizards, while Fred VanVleet remains questionable for Toronto.
A Game 6 win would be a good sign for the Raptors, who have yet to pick up a statement victory in these playoffs. As long as the Raps keep winning at home, they could theoretically advance to the NBA Finals, since they’re the East’s No. 1 seed, but a solid road win would make them look like a much more formidable opponent heading into round two.
Over in the West, the road team is in a much tougher spot than the Cavs or Raptors — the Thunder trail 3-2 in their series with the Jazz, meaning they’ll need to win tonight in Utah just to keep their season alive. Oklahoma City looked all but dead in the third quarter of Game 5, but stormed back from a 25-point deficit behind huge games from Russell Westbrook and Paul George.
The Westbrook/George duo combined for 79 points in Game 5, with OKC’s next-highest scorer (Carmelo Anthony) scoring just seven. That’s a storyline worth watching in Game 6 — the Thunder probably can’t keep relying solely on the heroics of Westbrook and George, so someone else will need to step up. It’s not clear if Anthony will be that player, as the club looked better when he wasn’t on the court in Game 5.
What do you think? How will tonight’s games play out? Will the three teams in the driver’s seat be able to take care of business and advance to the next round, or can we look forward to another Game 7 or two on Sunday?
2018 NBA Offseason Salary Cap Digest: Atlanta Hawks
After making 10 straight appearances in the postseason, the Hawks recognized that streak was in danger of coming to an end and decided to lean into it with a full-fledged rebuild. As a result, Atlanta’s win total dipped by nearly 20 games in 2017/18, as the team finished with a 24-58 record, tied for the NBA’s third-worst mark. The Hawks should have cap flexibility going forward, but they’re still fully immersed in the rebuilding process, meaning they’re more likely to use cap room to accommodate bad contracts in trades than to make a splash in free agency.
Here’s where things currently stand for the Hawks financially, as we continue our Offseason Salary Cap Digest series for 2018:
Guaranteed Salary
- Kent Bazemore ($18,089,887)
- Dennis Schroder ($15,500,000)
- Miles Plumlee ($12,500,000)
- Taurean Prince ($2,526,840)
- Jamal Crawford ($2,304,226) — Waived
- John Collins ($2,299,080)
- DeAndre’ Bembry ($1,634,640)
- Tyler Dorsey ($1,378,242)
- Total: $56,232,915
Player Options
- Dewayne Dedmon ($6,300,000)
- Mike Muscala ($5,000,000)
- Total: $11,300,000
Team Options
- None
Non-Guaranteed Salary
- Isaiah Taylor ($1,544,951)1
- Tyler Cavanaugh ($1,378,242)2
- Antonius Cleveland ($1,378,242)3
- Jaylen Morris ($1,378,242)
- Total: $5,679,677
Restricted Free Agents
- Malcolm Delaney ($3,125,000 qualifying offer / $3,250,000 cap hold): Early Bird rights
- Damion Lee ($1,537,872 qualifying offer / $1,537,872 cap hold): Non-Bird rights
- Total: $4,787,872
Unrestricted Free Agents / Other Cap Holds
- Mike Muscala ($9,500,000): Bird rights (if player option is declined)
- Dewayne Dedmon ($8,280,000): Non-Bird rights (if player option is declined)
- No. 4 overall pick ($5,864,636)4
- No. 19 overall pick ($2,231,755)
- No. 30 overall pick ($1,606,717)
- Total: $27,483,008
Projected Salary Cap: $101,000,000
Projected Cap Room: $33,401,355
- For our Hawks’ cap projection, we’re assuming that both Dedmon and Muscala decline their player options, which isn’t necessarily a lock (Dedmon appears more likely to opt out than Muscala). We’re also assuming the team waives all its non-guaranteed players and renounces its free agents, which is hardly a sure thing either.
- In that scenario, the Hawks’ seven guaranteed contracts, three first-round picks, and two cap charges for empty roster spots result in a team salary of $67,598,645. That’s nearly enough to accommodate any maximum-salary free agent, though Atlanta is unlikely to be in the market for any players of that caliber.
Footnotes:
- Taylor’s salary becomes guaranteed for $300K after June 22, then fully guaranteed after July 27.
- Cavanaugh’s salary becomes guaranteed for $450K after May 15, then fully guaranteed after July 7.
- Cleveland’s exact contract details, including guarantee info, aren’t yet known.
- The Hawks are fourth in the draft lottery standings. They could end up picking anywhere from No. 1 ($8,095,595) to No. 7 ($4,403,246).
Note: Rookie scale cap holds are estimates based on salary cap projections and could increase or decrease depending on where the cap lands.
Salary information from Basketball Insiders was used in the creation of this post. Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Hawks Get Permission To Meet With Blazers’ Tibbetts
The Hawks have been granted permission by the Trail Blazers to meet with Portland assistant coach Nate Tibbetts, league sources tell ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link). Wojnarowski describes Tibbetts as a “serious” candidate to fill Atlanta’s head coaching vacancy.
Tibbetts, who was recently identified by several league executives as one of the NBA’s up-and-coming assistants who deserves head coaching consideration, was reported to be a candidate for the Hawks’ job shortly after the team parted ways with Mike Budenholzer.
That list of candidates also included former Grizzlies head coach David Fizdale, Hornets assistant Stephen Silas, and Spurs assistants Ime Udoka and James Borrego. Meanwhile, Michael Cunningham of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution added one more name to the mix on Thursday, writing that Darvin Ham – a Hawks assistant throughout Budenholzer’s tenure – could be in the mix.
Hawks general manager Travis Schlenk has said there’s no set timeline for the club’s coaching search, but he expects to have a new head coach in place before the NBA draft on June 21, per Chris Vivlamore of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
“We are going to find the right head coach for the Atlanta Hawks,” Schlenk said. “That coach is going to have the same job description or same end game as I do and that’s to try to bring a championship to the Atlanta Hawks.”
Grizzlies, J.B. Bickerstaff Agree To Three-Year Contract
The Grizzlies and J.B. Bickerstaff have agreed to a three-year deal that will make him the team’s permanent head coach, reports ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. Bickerstaff spent most of the 2017/18 season as the interim head coach for the Grizzlies.
Earlier today, we passed along word that the Grizzlies and Bickerstaff were engaged in discussions on a deal that would elevate him to the franchise’s full-time head coaching role. Bickerstaff assumed the interim job following the in-season dismissal of David Fizdale. However, the Grizzlies dealt with several injuries to key players, including Mike Conley, Tyreke Evans, and Chandler Parsons, falling out of playoff contention early in the year.
Memphis went 15-48 with Bickerstaff at the helm, ultimately finishing with a 22-60 record. It was the NBA’s second-worst mark in 2017/18.
Despite the Grizzlies’ poor record under Bickerstaff, the veteran coach made a strong impression on team management, writes Wojnarowski. Bickerstaff also received praise from Conley and Marc Gasol, the Grizzlies’ two leading players, during the club’s end-of-season exit interviews. Conley said that Bickerstaff “deserves this job,” while Gasol praised his ability to handle adversity.
The new agreement will give Bickerstaff the opportunity to enter a season as a team’s head coach for the first time. The 39-year-old, who has also served as an assistant for the Bobcats, Timberwolves, and Rockets, has been an interim head coach twice, having also stepped into that role after Houston dismissed Kevin McHale during the 2015/16 campaign.
The Grizzlies are poised to become the first team to finalize a deal with a new permanent head coach this offseason, though the fact that they stuck with their interim coach obviously gave them a leg up in the process. No reports since the end of the regular season linked Memphis to any other candidates for the position.
Luke Adams contributed to this story. Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.