Udonis Haslem Still Undecided On Re-Signing With Heat
Veteran big man Udonis Haslem, who has been with the Heat since 2003, has yet to make a decision on whether or not he’ll re-sign with the team and play a 20th NBA season, writes Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel.
“I don’t know,” Haslem said on Monday during an appearance at Nova Southeastern University. “We’re thinking about it. But either way, I’m always going to be a part of the Heat family. I ain’t going nowhere, whether I play or not. I’m always going to impact that organization.”
The Heat seemingly made their offseason moves with an eye toward saving a spot for Haslem on the 15-man roster. Currently, the team has 13 players on guaranteed contracts and would be able to sign a 14th (but not a 15th) to a minimum-salary contract without surpassing the luxury tax line. That spot will presumably be Haslem’s if he wants it.
Haslem, who turned 42 in June, has spoken in the past about wanting to make it to a 20th NBA season and indicated on Monday that the two-decade mark was something that he and his father used to talk about. Haslem’s father passed away nearly a year ago.
“I had a lot of things that I had to really, really think about,” Haslem said, per Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald. “Twenty years was a conversation that I had with my father. But as he passed, we think about now and things change. He’s not here no more and goals change, my vision has changed a little bit. But it’s still something that I battled with because it’s something that we talked about and it’s something that we wanted to do in a specific way.”
As Winderman observes, Haslem made his decision to re-sign with the Heat for the 2021/22 season on August 15, exactly one year ago. Of course, free agency started in early August in 2021 due to the COVID-related changes to the NBA’s offseason calendar, so Haslem’s deliberations are taking a little longer this time around.
While coaching would seemingly be the next step for a veteran who has long served as a mentor to younger Heat players, Haslem hasn’t shown much interest in formally taking on that sort of role. Instead, he has repeatedly spoken about his desire to get involved in Heat ownership.
“Hopefully one day we talk about ownership and being in that situation where I continue to be somewhat of a leader, but more be a hybrid owner,” Haslem said on Monday, according to Chiang. “An owner that gets out there and does more than just sit on the sideline, cross his legs and watch. I want to work. I want to continue to push the culture and continue to impact the next generation of winning for the Miami Heat.”
Celtics Prospect Juhann Begarin To Remain In France
Celtics draft-and-stash prospect Juhann Begarin will remain with Paris Basketball for the 2022/23 season rather than coming stateside, according to Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe (Twitter link).
A 6’5″ French shooting guard, Begarin was selected by Boston with the 45th overall pick of the 2021 draft. The 20-year-old, who has played for Paris since 2019, has yet to sign his first NBA contract — the Celtics have opted to allow him to continue developing overseas before they seriously consider adding him to their roster.
In 2021/22, which was Paris’ first season in France’s top league (LNB Pro A), Begarin averaged 11.1 PPG, 4.2 RPG, 1.5 APG, and 1.5 SPG in 29 contests (28.0 MPG). He has room to improve his shooting efficiency (.432/.309/.563), but made a strong impression as a 19-year-old playing a significant role.
Begarin has also played for the Celtics’ Summer League team in Las Vegas in each of the last two years and performed especially well last month, putting up 18.2 PPG and 5.6 RPG on .427/.333/.769 shooting in five games, all starts (31.1 MPG).
Begarin is one of two recent second-round picks the Celtics have stashed overseas. The other is 2020’s No. 47 overall selection, Yam Madar, who has played in Israel and Serbia since being drafted.
Mid-Level, Bi-Annual Projections For 2023/24
Under the NBA’s previous Collective Bargaining Agreement, the values of various salary cap exceptions like the mid-level and bi-annual were established years in advance, but the league’s current CBA tweaked how those exceptions are calculated.
Rather than being determined ahead of time, the mid-level and bi-annual exceptions – along with several other cap-related figures and exceptions – are dependent on the movement of the salary cap from year to year. If the cap increases by 5% from one league year to the next, the exceptions increase by the same rate.
As such, we don’t know yet exactly what those exceptions will be worth in 2023/24, but we can make an educated estimate. When the NBA updated its salary cap estimates on June 1, the league projected a $136MM cap for the ’23/24 season. That’d be a 9.98% increase on this year’s $123,655,000 cap. We’ll round up to the maximum allowable 10% and assume the mid-level and bi-annual exceptions would also increase by 10%.
[RELATED: Maximum Salary Projections For 2023/24]
This season’s projections are further complicated by the fact that the new CBA calls for an additional increase of 7.5% to the non-taxpayer mid-level exception and a one-time 30% bump to the room exception. Meanwhile, the taxpayer mid-level exception has been reduced to a flat $5MM.
Based on a $136,021,000 cap, here’s what the mid-level and bi-annual exceptions would look like in 2023/24:
Mid-Level Exception
| Year | Standard MLE |
Taxpayer MLE | Room MLE |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023/24 | $12,405,000 | $5,000,000 | $7,723,000 |
| 2024/25 | $13,025,250 | $5,250,000 | $8,109,150 |
| 2025/26 | $13,645,500 | $8,495,300 | |
| 2026/27 | $14,265,750 | – | – |
| Total | $53,341,500 | $10,250,000 | $24,327,450 |
The standard mid-level exception is available to over-the-cap teams that haven’t dipped below the cap to use room and don’t go over the tax apron. It can run for up to four years, with 5% annual raises. Once a team uses the standard/non-taxpayer MLE, that team is hard-capped at the tax apron for the rest of the league year.
[RELATED: Hoops Rumors Glossary: Mid-Level Exception]
The taxpayer mid-level exception is for in-the-tax teams, or teams that want the flexibility to surpass the tax apron later. It can run for up to two years, with 5% annual raises.
The room exception is for teams that go under the cap and use their space. Once they’ve used all their cap room, they can use this version of the mid-level exception, which runs for up to three years with 5% annual raises.
Bi-Annual Exception
| Year | BAE Value |
|---|---|
| 2023/24 | $4,516,000 |
| 2024/25 | $4,741,800 |
| Total | $9,257,800 |
The bi-annual exception – which can be used for contracts up to two years, with a 5% raise after year one – is only available to teams that are over the cap and under the tax apron.
It can also only be used once every two years, which will disqualify the Sixers and Heat from using it in 2023/24 — Philadelphia and Miami are the only teams to use their BAEs in 2022/23.
Hoops Rumors’ 2022 NBA Free Agent Tracker
We’re now a month-and-a-half into the 2022 free agent period, and all but one of the NBA’s 30 teams have signed at least one free agent (the Pelicans are the only one that hasn’t). With training camps set to tip off next month, Hoops Rumors is here to help you keep track of which players are heading to which teams this offseason.
To this end, we present our Free Agent Tracker, a feature we’ve had each year since our inception in 2012. Using our tracker, you can quickly look up deals, sorting by team, position, free agent type, and a handful of other variables.
A few notes on the tracker:
- Some of the information you’ll find in the tracker will reflect tentative agreements, rather than finalized deals. As signings become official, we’ll continue to update and modify the data as needed.
- Similarly, contract years and dollars will be based on what’s been reported to date, so in some cases those amounts will be approximations rather than official figures. Salaries aren’t necessarily fully guaranteed either.
- Players who have reportedly agreed to training camp/Exhibit 10 deals won’t be added to the tracker until those deals become official.
- A restricted free agent who signs an offer sheet won’t be included in the tracker right away. We’ll wait to hear whether the player’s original team will match or pass on that offer sheet before we update our tracker, in order to avoid any confusion.
- If you’re viewing the tracker on our mobile site, be sure to turn your phone sideways to see more details.
Our 2022 Free Agent Tracker can be found anytime on the right sidebar of our desktop site under “Hoops Rumors Features,” and it’s also under the “Tools” menu atop the site. On our mobile site, it can be found in our menu under “Free Agent Lists.”
The tracker will be updated throughout the offseason, so be sure to check back for the latest info. If you have any corrections, please let us know right here.
Our lists of free agents by position/type and by team break down the players who have yet to reach contract agreements.
Community Shootaround: Best Free Agent Value Signings
After taking a closer look last week at the most lucrative multiyear contracts signed during the NBA’s 2022 free agent period, we’re focusing today on some deals that may have flown more under the radar. These are the contracts that came in around the cost of the mid-level exception – or below it – and represent good values for the teams that signed them.
[RELATED: 2022 NBA Free Agent Tracker]
The Heat only held Non-Bird rights on Caleb Martin entering the offseason, which limited their ability to offer him much of a raise on last year’s minimum salary. However, Miami decided to use the full taxpayer portion of its mid-level exception to bring back Martin, determining that money was better spent on him than any outside free agent who would’ve signed at that price. I liked that three-year, $20.4MM deal for the Heat, as it allowed them to lock up an emerging wing who shot 41.3% on three-pointers and played versatile defense.
Kyle Anderson‘s two-year, $18MM contract with the Timberwolves was another mid-level signing I liked, since Anderson is the type of player who can help a team in a variety of ways on both ends of the court. He’s a solid defender and rebounder who can be a secondary ball-handler and play-maker on offense and has improved his three-point shooting in recent years (35.1% over the last two seasons). He’s a good complementary piece for a Wolves team that will have two or three ball-dominant scorers.
I thought Bruce Brown was a steal a year ago for the Nets when he signed a one-year contract worth $4.7MM and was surprised that he didn’t get much of a raise this year — he’ll fit in nicely as a Swiss Army knife-type player on a Nuggets team that was able to lock him up on a two-year, $13.3MM pact (the second year is a player option).
The Warriors lost some key bench pieces in free agency this summer, but did well to land Donte DiVincenzo (two years, $9.2MM; second-year player option) and JaMychal Green (one year, minimum salary) without breaking the bank. Both veterans are coming off down years, but have shown in previous seasons that they can be starter-caliber players.
Aaron Holiday (Hawks), Damian Jones (Lakers), T.J. Warren (Nets), and Robin Lopez (Cavaliers) are some of the other minimum-salary signings I liked.
What do you think? Which free agent signings do you think were this summer’s best bargains and will provide the most value going forward?
Eastern Notes: Durant, Bulls, Micic, Giannis
Nets superstar Kevin Durant has apologized for comments he made about disliking playing for former Thunder coach Billy Donovan, but the Bulls still probably don’t have the assets to trade for him, Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times writes. Donovan coached Durant in Oklahoma City during the 2015/16 season.
The Bulls can offer DeMar DeRozan, Nikola Vucevic, Patrick Williams and draft capital for Durant, as Cowley notes, but the Nets likely wouldn’t be interested. Brooklyn is reportedly seeking a historic haul for Durant, an All-NBA forward who has four seasons left on his contract.
While Chicago probably won’t find a way to enter the Durant sweepstakes, the team did bolster its bench this offseason by signing veterans Goran Dragic and Andre Drummond, both of whom played for the Nets last season. The club dealt with several injuries and finished with the sixth-best record in the East at 46-36 last season.
There’s more out of the Eastern Conference tonight:
- Sean Deveney of Heavy.com examines Vasilije Micic‘s situation and why he may have decided against making the move to the NBA. Micic, whose draft rights are held by the Thunder, registered trade interest from multiple NBA teams, including the Bulls, as Deveney notes, but ultimately chose to stay in Turkey. The 28-year-old could still join the NBA down the road.
- Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo is still hungry to accomplish much more during his career, as Kurt Helin of NBC Sports writes. Antetokounmpo is entering his 10th NBA season, owning one championship ring, two MVP awards and many more accolades to date. “I’m an old soul,” Antetokounmpo said as part of a larger quote. “Like, in my mind I feel like I’ve been a vet five years now. But like my body… I have so much energy. I’m so hungry to accomplish more. I want to go out there and help you know my team in the best way possible. And a lot of people know that I’m a winner. I love to win. I love to go out there and leave everything on the court.”
Western Notes: Lakers, Clippers, Buss, Westbrook, Fontecchio
The first Lakers–Clippers game next season is scheduled for October 20 at Crypto.com Arena, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link). As Charania notes, LeBron James and Anthony Davis are set to play Paul George and Kawhi Leonard for the first time since 2020.
The Lakers are coming off a disappointing season headlined by injuries. They finished with just a 33-49 record, the fifth-worst in the Western Conference. The Clippers, on the other hand, have put together a legitimate title contender on paper, owning one of the deepest rosters in the league.
Here are some other notes from the West:
- Lakers owner Jeanie Buss recently called Michael Jordan the greatest player of all time, as shared in a recent NBA 2K23 advertisement (video link). Buss, of course, has had players such as James and Kobe Bryant play for the franchise during her time with the team.
- The Lakers may have more options to trade Russell Westbrook if Kevin Durant and Donovan Mitchell get moved, Dan Woike of the Los Angeles Times writes. Brooklyn and Utah have discussed trades related to Durant and Mitchell, respectively, but both players remain with their teams.
- New Jazz forward Simone Fontecchio had a great game against the team’s former star center Rudy Gobert, during a pre-EuroBasket exhibition contest, writes Ryan McDonald of the Deseret News. Fontecchio, who signed a two-year deal with Utah last month after spending his entire career overseas, scored 24 points and grabbed seven rebounds for Italy vs. France.
Knicks-Sixers, Bucks-Celtics Confirmed For Christmas Day
The Knicks will host the Sixers at Madison Square Garden on Christmas Day this year, as shared by Sixers superstar James Harden (Twitter link). Veteran NBA reporter Marc Stein confirmed the tweet with his own social media post.
In addition, Shams Charania of The Athletic reports (via Twitter) that the Celtics will host the Bucks. Boston beat Milwaukee in seven games during the second round of the playoffs last season.
New York hosting teams on Christmas has become a regular occurrence, but with the team missing the playoffs last year, it was fair to wonder if it would happen again in 2022. Philadelphia playing Miami also would’ve made sense, as the Sixers signed P.J. Tucker in free agency and the teams met in the postseason.
With these two games confirmed, the NBA’s planned Christmas Day schedule is now known, though the league has yet to confirm it. The other reported matchups are Grizzlies-Warriors, Lakers-Mavericks and Suns-Nuggets.
Justin Hamilton Signs In Spain
Free agent center Justin Hamilton has signed a contract in Spain with Baxi Manresa, the team announced on Sunday (via Twitter). Hamilton spent the past five seasons playing in China.
Along with holding ample overseas experience, Hamilton has appeared in 113 NBA games. The No. 45 pick of the 2012 draft has spent time with the Hornets, Heat, Timberwolves and Nets.
The 7’0″ Hamilton played collegiately at Iowa State and LSU before declaring for the draft. He has also made international stops in Croatia and Latvia, plus a separate stint in Spain during the 2015/16 campaign.
Hamilton’s minutes and production in China gradually declined over time. Nevertheless, the 32-year-old averaged 12.4 points and 7.3 rebounds in eight games last season, along with 16.7 points and 7.0 rebounds in 35 contests the season before that.
Southeast Notes: Spoelstra, Oladipo, Durant, Kispert
Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra seems likely to let chemistry and on-court fit determine the team’s lineups, writes Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel in a reader mailbag. Winderman notes that Miami may even consider Max Strus or Caleb Martin as its starting power forward. The team let starting power forward P.J. Tucker leave for the Sixers in free agency this summer and hasn’t re-signed backup Markieff Morris, also a free agent.
Though the starting roles of All-Star small forward Jimmy Butler, All-Defensive Team center Bam Adebayo, and $85M point guard Kyle Lowry appear secure for opening night, it seems that Spoelstra may be amenable to experimenting in training camp to figure out who fits best alongside that trio. Strus and Tucker closed the 2021/222 season as the other starters.
There’s more out of the Southeast Division:
- In another mailbag, Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel writes that a big X-factor in the Heat‘s success this season could be the two-way play of Victor Oladipo, who signed a new two-year, $18.2MM contract. Winderman notes that the handle, defense, and shooting upside of the 6’4″ combo guard out of Indiana could prove to be massive assets for Miami in the East. Since being acquired from the Rockets in 2021, Oladipo has appeared in just 12 regular season games with the Heat, though he proved to be a helpful contributor during Miami’s 2022 run to the Eastern Conference Finals, playing in 15 playoff contests. Winderman wonders if Oladipo may even prove himself to be more valuable to the Heat than extension-eligible Sixth Man of the Year Tyler Herro, given Oladipo’s defensive skill set.
- As chatter of a potential Kevin Durant deal to the Heat looms, Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel notes that Durant’s interest in joining the Heat can only go so far in getting him to Miami. Winderman writes that, due to the four years remaining on the All-Star forward’s current contract with the Nets, Brooklyn is in the driver’s seat for a potential trade, looking to extract maximum assets in any deal.
- Wizards second-year small forward Corey Kispert could take a big leap in output this season if history is a reliable metric, opines Chase Hughes of NBC Sports Washington. The 6’7″ swingman, 23, was selected with the No. 15 pick out of Washington in 2022. Across 77 games, he averaged 8.2 PPG, 2.7 RPG, and 1.1 APG, while shooting .455/.350/.871. Hughes writes that, across his final 24 appearances after All-Star weekend, Kispert converted 38.6% of his long-range looks, a significant uptick from the 32.2% of his triples he had nailed in his first 53 NBA games. Hughes takes stock of the first and second-season production of historic three-point specialists like Danny Green, Buddy Hield, Bryn Forbes, Seth Curry and others, and draws comparisons to what Kispert could be able to do in his second year with Washington.