Suns Notes: Beasley, McDonough, Hornacek
2013/08/suns-notes.htmlAfter a disappointing year in Phoenix that brought sweeping changes, McDonough says that he just hopes to see the team play hard and cohesively as a unit, writes Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld. … In that event, the Suns would pay Beasley $9MM over five years rather than two, allowing them to stretch out the cap hit.
Eastern Notes: Knicks, Udrih, Nets, Teague
2013/08/eastern-notes-knicks-udrih-nets-teague.htmlAs Silver notes, the league sought a hard cap during 2011's CBA negotiations, in the hopes that "the teams that have disparate resources are all competing with roughly the same number of chips." Jeff Teague tells Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld that he realizes his new long-term contract comes with a greater responsibility for the Hawks' success, and that he's ready for a larger role.
Thunder Notes: Abrines, Durant, Mid-Level
2013/08/thunder-notes-abrines-durant-mid-level.html“We got myself, Russell Westbrook, (Kendrick Perkins) and Serge Ibaka all locked in on big contracts so it's kind of hard to sign (someone). … Mayberry also spoke with Kevin Durant, who is confident about the Thunder this season, despite a changing landscape in the Western Conference.
Bobcats Rumors: Jefferson, Roster, Trades
2013/08/bobcats-rumors-jefferson-roster-trades.htmlAs Lowe notes, it's hard to see how the current players and assets held by the Bobcats point to a future as a 55-win team, but that's not necessarily every club's number one goal. … Here are a few of the most interesting tidbits from Lowe's piece: The Bobcats considered sitting on some of their cap room, like the Sixers have done, or using it to absorb salaries and gain assets, like the Jazz did, but ultimately decided to spend it on Jefferson.
Observations On 2013/14 Mid-Level Exceptions
2013/08/observations-on-201314-mid-level-exceptions.htmlThat means that if the Celtics were to use the rest of their MLE, their flexibility would be extremely limited, since they'd be left with only about $56K in wiggle room before hitting that hard cap. … Several teams have $2.65MM in leftover exception money, while the 76ers and Bucks also have good chunks of cap space available.
Rookie-Scale Extensions And Restricted FAs
2013/08/rookie-scale-extensions-and-restricted-fas.htmlBecause these rookie-scale players aren't eligible for the same kind of maximum salaries that long-time NBA veterans are, even max deals like Blake Griffin's and James Harden's don't cripple a team's flexibility, as Chuck Myron of Hoops Rumors detailed recently. … The repeater-tax penalty is still a year away, but more punitive tax penalties will be implemented this season, and the annual increases to the salary cap, tax threshold, and cap-exception amounts are in full swing.
Southeast Notes: Hawks, Bobcats, Gaddy, Jamison
2013/08/southeast-notes-2.html“We have good players who will work hard and will be very competitive this year. … We have salary-cap flexibility this year, with some space, but also space going forward.
Extension Candidate: Derrick Favors
2013/08/extension-candidate-derrick-favors.htmlDefenses will pack the paint with Favors on the floor, and without much in the way of scoring talent around him, baskets will be hard to come by. … Yet if they had done that, they probably couldn't have wound up with two future first-round picks, as they did when they used cap space to absorb a couple of Golden State's regrettable contracts this summer.
NBA’s Worst Teams Rarely Pull Off Turnarounds
2013/08/worst-to-first-turnarounds-rare-in-nba.htmlThe Sixers, Magic, Jazz, Suns and Kings all figure to have a hard time exceeding 25 wins this season, and…… The reward for that kind of failure is a top pick in the loaded 2014 draft, and some of those teams are also set up with enough cap room to chase one of the superstar free agents who could become available next summer.
Non-Guaranteed Players On Non-Minimum Deals
2013/09/non-guaranteed-players-on-non-minimum-deals.htmlEven if he has only appeared in a handful of games by the time decision day rolls around in January, it's hard to imagine Cleveland releasing Bynum if the team believes he could be healthy in the second half, considering the potential upside. … If the Cavaliers were going to cut Miles, I think they would have done it by now, to maximize their summer cap space.
How Agencies Fared In Free Agency (Part 2)
2013/09/how-agencies-fared-in-free-agency-part-2.htmlThat includes guys like Ronnie Brewer, Darius Morris, Richard Howell, and Rodney Williams, among others. … Considering Landmark and agent Rob Pelinka also represent Kobe Bryant, it's likely no coincidence that Kaman and Johnson ended up taking modest, cap-friendly deals to join the Lakers.