Salary Cap, Tax Line Figures Set For 2019/20 Season
The NBA has released the numbers that teams will be working with when free agency officially starts tomorrow, tweets Shams Charania of The Athletic. The salary cap for the 2019/20 season has been set at $109,140,000 and the tax line will be $132,627,000. The minimum salary floor will be $98,226,000, 90% of the cap.
The cap and tax figures are slightly higher than the original projections of $109MM and $132MM. Some league executives were hoping the cap might be $500K more than the estimate, notes Brad Townsend of the Dallas Morning News (Twitter link).
Many other cap figures, including minimum and maximum salaries and several exceptions, are tied to the percentage of the salary cap increase. Here are some in-depth details on those numbers:
- Maximum salaries for 2019/20
- Minimum salaries for 2019/20
- Values of 2019/20 mid-level, room, bi-annual exceptions
Here are a few more key cap-related figures:
- Estimated average salary for 2019/20: $9,560,000 (Twitter link via Albert Nahmad)
- Maximum cash a team can send, receive in trades in 2019/20: $5,617,000 (Twitter link via Nahmad)
- Tax apron: $138,928,000
Meanwhile, the NBA has also issued updated cap projections for the next two seasons, per Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders (Twitter link). Those projections are as follows:
- 2020/21: $117MM cap, $142MM tax line
- 2021/22: $125MM cap, $151MM tax line
According to cap expert Pincus (via Twitter), the Thunder ($61.6MM), Warriors ($51.5MM), Raptors ($25.2MM), Trail Blazers ($15MM), and Celtics ($3.4MM) finished the 2018/19 season as taxpayers. Those numbers are similar to the ones we heard at season’s end, with the Raptors’ figure getting a bump due to unlikely incentives that were achieved in the postseason. No teams finished the 2018/19 season below the salary floor, Pincus notes (via Twitter).
Rockets, Bulls To Meet With Kevon Looney
7:32pm: Looney also has a meeting with the Bulls tomorrow, Medina tweets.
7:02pm: The Rockets will meet with free agent center Kevon Looney tomorrow, tweets Marc Stein of The New York Times. Houston officials are delivering their free agency pitches in Los Angeles, which is where Looney will also talk to the Warriors and possibly several other teams, according to Mark Medina of The San Jose Mercury News (Twitter link).
Looney, 23, emerged as a rotation player for Golden State in his fourth NBA season, averaging 6.3 PPG and 5.2 RPG in 18.5 minutes per night. Coach Steve Kerr called him a “foundational piece” during the playoffs, Stein recalls (Twitter link), and that’s especially true now that starting center DeMarcus Cousins is a free agent.
The Rockets need help in the middle after Nene announced today that he will opt out of the final season of his contract. Houston also reportedly has a deal in place involving starting center Clint Capela if the team can land Jimmy Butler from the Sixers in a sign-and-trade.
The Celtics and Pelicans are other teams that have shown interest in Looney.
Knicks Decline Option On Henry Ellenson
The Knicks have declined Henry Ellenson‘s $1,645,357 option for next season, tweets Michael Scotto of The Athletic.
Ellenson played 17 games for New York this year after signing with the team in February. He joined the Knicks on a 10-day contract in February, then inked a multi-year deal in early March. He averaged 6.0 points and 3.4 rebounds in nearly 14 minutes per night.
Ellenson, 22, was taken by the Pistons with the 18th pick in 2016. He played 59 total games for Detroit, including two this season, before being waived in February.
In recent days, the Knicks have also declined options on John Jenkins and Billy Garrett as they try to maximize cap space heading into free agency. New York also opted not to extend qualifying offers to Emmanuel Mudiay and Luke Kornet.
Lakers Reach Out To D’Angelo Russell
The Lakers are trying to set up a meeting with free agent point guard D’Angelo Russell, tweets ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. L.A. officials have contacted Russell’s CAA agents, Austin Brown and Aaron Mintz, and Wojnarowski cites mutual interest between both parties.
The Lakers are looking for another star to form a Big Three in Los Angeles alongside LeBron James and Anthony Davis. Their interest in Russell could depend on how they do with other targets such as Kawhi Leonard and Jimmy Butler.
A restricted free agent for now, Russell is expected to be renounced by the Nets once they finalize an agreement with Kyrie Irving. Russell just completed an All-Star season in Brooklyn, posting a 21.1/3.9/7.0 line in 81 games.
Russell spent his first two NBA seasons with the Lakers after being selected with the second pick in the 2015 draft. He clashed with teammates and was criticized by former team president Magic Johnson before being shipped to Brooklyn to unload Timofey Mozgov‘s contract.
Theis Gets QO From Celtics; Rozier’s Expected To Be Withdrawn
5:32pm: Now that the Celtics are on track to sign Walker, the team is expected to withdraw Rozier’s QO and renounce his cap hold, making him an unrestricted free agent, tweets Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports.
2:56pm: The Celtics have extended a qualifying offer to Terry Rozier, per Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link). ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link) adds that Boston has also extended a qualifying offer to Daniel Theis.
Rozier’s qualifying offer comes in at roughly $4.29MM and his cap hold will be approximately $9.15MM. Theis’ qualifying offer and cap hold are each approximately $1.82MM. Both players are restricted free agents at the moment.
The team will not need to renounce Theis in order to have max cap room for a player with Kemba Walker‘s experience. Boston will need to renounce Rozier’s rights or make another move if it is going to add Walker or another player in his max tier.
The Celtics will not tender qualifying offers to PJ Dozier, Jonathan Gibson, or R.J. Hunter, according to Keith Smith of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link). Boston also won’t tender a qualifying offer to Brad Wanamaker, making him an unrestricted free agent, tweets Wojnarowski.
Jimmy Butler To Meet With Heat, Rockets
Jimmy Butler will meet with the Heat and Rockets as he ponders his free agent options, tweets ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
Butler will sit down with Miami officials Sunday in South Florida, then will hear Houston’s presentation early next week in Los Angeles, Woj adds. He states that the Sixers haven’t ruled out sign-and-trade deals, which Butler would need to join either team.
Philadelphia still has the advantage of being able to offer Butler a five-year, $190MM deal if it decides to try to keep him, while other teams are limited to four years and about $141MM. However, the Sixers have other concerns with Tobias Harris and J.J. Redick both on the free agent market and Ben Simmons eligible for an extension this summer.
The Rockets have been the most visible organization trying to land Butler, leaking their intentions to pursue a sign-and-trade and reportedly lining up a contingent deal involving Clint Capela. Both Houston and Miami made strong efforts to acquire Butler in November when he demanded a trade out of Minnesota.
Pistons Emerge As Favorites To Sign Derrick Rose
5:03pm: Rose will meet with the Pistons on Sunday and the two sides are motivated to find common ground on a two-year deal, league sources tell ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link).
2:30pm: The Pistons are emerging as the frontrunners to sign point guard Derrick Rose in free agency, a league source tells Frank Isola of The Athletic (Twitter link). Rose is on track to reach the open market after his one-year deal with the Timberwolves expires tomorrow.
Rose, 30, enjoyed a productive bounce-back season in Minnesota in 2018/19. While he was limited to 51 games due to injury issues, he averaged 18.0 PPG, 4.3 APG, and 2.7 RPG with an impressive .482/.370/.856 shooting line. It was the first time the former MVP had ever shot higher than 34.0% from beyond the arc in a season.
As for the Pistons, they’re in the market for a point guard to join Reggie Jackson at the position, with Ish Smith and Jose Calderon headed for unrestricted free agency.
Detroit has the mid-level exception at its disposal, though it’s not clear whether the team’s offer to Rose would use part or all of that exception. The veteran has played for the minimum for the last two seasons.
Free Agent Rumors: Randle, Gibson, Bullock, Bulls
The Kings will be among the teams in pursuit of Pelicans forward Julius Randle, tweets Jordan Schultz of ESPN. He cites the Nets, Knicks and Bulls as other expected suitors.
Randle, 24, had a career-best season after signing a one-year deal with New Orleans last summer. He averaged 21.4 points and 8.7 rebounds in 73 games while shooting 52% from the field. He also improved as a long-distance shooter, hitting 34% of his shots from 3-point range.
Here are more rumors as we move to within 24 hours of the start of free agency:
- The Timberwolves will have plenty of competition for Taj Gibson, according to Darren Wolfson of 5 Eyewitness News, who lists the Clippers, Nets, Bucks, Bulls, Warriors, Raptors, Trail Blazers, Hornets and Lakers as having interest in the veteran forward (Twitter link). Gibson has averaged 11.5 PPG and 6.9 RPG during his two years in Minnesota.
- There’s mutual interest between the Knicks and shooting specialist Reggie Bullock, according to Ian Begley of SNY.TV. Bullock averaged 11.3 points per game while splitting last season between the Pistons and Lakers.
- The Bulls are looking for a point guard, but want to limit the contract to two years, reports K.C. Johnson of The Chicago Tribune. That may take them out of the running for Malcolm Brogdon or Patrick Beverley, Johnson notes, but he cites other options such as Cory Joseph, Tyus Jones and George Hill who might be willing to accept a shorter contract. The Bulls are counting on first-round pick Coby White to take over the position within two years and want the free agent’s contract to expire in the summer of 2021 at the same time as Otto Porter‘s and Cristiano Felicio‘s.
Suns Decline 2019/20 Option On Ray Spalding
The Suns have turned down their team option on power forward Ray Spalding for the 2019/20 season, reports Gina Mizell of The Athletic (via Twitter). The option would have paid Spalding a minimum salary of $1,416,852.
A former Louisville standout, Spalding was drafted by the Sixers with the 56th overall selection last June and traded to Dallas on draft night. However, the Mavericks waived him in January to open up a roster spot to complete the Kristaps Porzingis trade.
Spalding subsequently caught on with the Suns, signing a 10-day contract and then a multiyear deal. He appeared in 13 games for Phoenix down the stretch, averaging 4.2 PPG and 3.7 RPG in 11.3 minutes per contest.
Spalding is eligible to receive a qualifying offer from the Suns, but there has been no indication that the team has issued a QO. Without that offer, the 22-year-old will become an unrestricted free agent.
J.R. Smith Agrees To Move Guarantee Date
The Cavaliers will have a little more time to unload J.R. Smith‘s contract, tweets Joe Vardon of The Athletic. The veteran guard has agreed to move his guarantee date for next season from June 30 to July 15, with an option to push it all the way to August 1, according to ESPN’s Brian Windhorst (Twitter link). As part of the agreement, Smith’s guaranteed money will rise from $3.9MM to $4.4MM.
Smith is due to make $15.68MM in the final year of his deal, but the smaller guarantee should make him attractive for a team looking to reduce salary. The Cavaliers have no interest in keeping Smith after he played just 11 games last season before being sent away from the team. Cleveland reportedly received offers on draft night, but nothing good enough to get a deal done.
Smith’s trade value can be counted at the full $15.68MM because he signed his contract before that rule was changed in the latest collective bargaining agreement. The Cavaliers will now have extra time to search for a deal as teams get a better read on their cap situations once the free agent frenzy dies down.
[RELATED: Why J.R. Smith May (Or May Not) Be A Valuable Offseason Trade Chip]
Smith, who will turn 34 in September, was a valuable player for Cleveland during the most recent LeBron James era, both as a clutch shooter and a defender. During Smith’s last full season in 2017/18, he averaged 8.3 points per game and was a .375 shooter from 3-point range.