Muscala Working On Expanding Game
- With Dwight Howard and Tiago Splitter on the Hawks‘ roster, Mike Muscala is focusing on improving his versatility and outside shooting in an effort to earn more minutes, writes Chris Vivlamore of The Atlanta Journal Constitution. “I feel like I do have good perimeter skills for a big guy, but just getting more comfortable doing it in a game and really hammering it home and being ready to shoot the ball,” Muscala told Vivlamore. “You are going to have off-shooting days, but you have to be ready to shoot because that’s what the offense needs. It’s getting the right mindset for it, too, and being a gunslinger, being ready to shoot. That doesn’t mean shooting all the time, but having that mindset that if you miss a shot be ready for the next one. Don’t force anything. Don’t overshoot. Play with the pass. But be ready for it. That’s a big thing I’ve been working on.”
Hawks Interested In Bryce Cotton?
The Hawks currently have 17 players on their roster, which is three below the preseason maximum, and Atlanta is likely to add to that total prior to the start of training camp, Chris Vivlamore of The Atlanta Journal Constitution writes. The team would like to add another point guard and possibly more frontcourt depth, notes Vivlamore. One possibility, as far as backcourt help goes, is unrestricted free agent Bryce Cotton, adds the scribe. Cotton played well on the Hawks’ Las Vegas Summer League squad, appearing in five games and averaging 12.8 points, 2.6 rebounds and 1.4 assists in 19.6 minutes.
Hawks Players Excited By Howard's Arrival
- The general consensus among members of the Hawks is that free agent signee Dwight Howard will make the team better than it was a season ago, writes KL Chouinard of NBA.com. “Offensively we have a consistent roll guy, a guy who can put pressure on the basket every time you set a pick-and-roll,” forward Paul Millsap said of Howard.
Bobby Marks On Hawks' Offseason
- Bobby Marks of The Vertical took a look at back an active offseason for the Hawks that saw the departures of longtime players Jeff Teague and Al Horford, plus the arrival of Dwight Howard via free agency.
Paul Millsap Talks Trade Rumors
- Paul Millsap was the subject of trade rumors this summer, but speaking to Chris Vivlamore of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the Hawks big man said that dealing with that talk is just part of the business. “It is what it is,” Millsap said. “I don’t dislike anybody in this organization. I still think they are stand-up people. I still think they are terrific people. Our relationship is going to be our relationship. We are still on good terms.”
Free Agent Spending By Division: Southeast
Over the next several days, we’ll be breaking down 2016 NBA free agent spending by division, examining which teams – and divisions – were the most active this July.
These divisional breakdowns won’t present a full picture of teams’ offseason spending. Some notable free agents, including LeBron James, remain unsigned, so there’s still money out there to be spent. Our lists also don’t include money spent on this year’s first- and second-round picks or draft-and-stash signings. There are a few free agent names missing in some instances as well, since those deals aren’t yet official or terms haven’t been reported.
Still, these closer looks at divisional spending should generally reveal how teams invested their money in free agency this summer, identifying which clubs went all-out and which ones played it safe.
With the help of our Free Agent Tracker and contract info from Basketball Insiders, we’ll focus today on the Southeast division. Let’s dive in…
1. Washington Wizards
- Total money committed: $239,223,166
- Guaranteed money committed (including player options): $234,026,744
- Largest expenditure: Bradley Beal (five years, $127,171,313)
- Other notable signings:
- Ian Mahinmi (four years, $64,000,000)
- Andrew Nicholson (four years, $26,000,000)
- Jason Smith (three years, $15,675,000)
- Notes:
- Marcus Thornton will earn $1,315,448 on a minimum-salary contract, but the Wizards will only pay $980,431 of that salary, with the NBA footing the rest of the bill.
2. Charlotte Hornets
- Total money committed: $197,549,753
- Guaranteed money committed (including player options): $187,517,567
- Largest expenditure: Nicolas Batum (five years, $120,000,000)
- Other notable signings:
- Marvin Williams (four years, $54,512,500)
- Ramon Sessions (two years, $12,270,000)
- Roy Hibbert (one year, $5,000,000)
- Notes:
- Brian Roberts will earn $1,050,961 on a minimum-salary contract, but the Hornets will only pay $980,431 of that salary, with the NBA footing the rest of the bill.
- Sessions’ deal contributes significantly to the gap between the Hornets’ total money and guaranteed money committed, since his second year ($6.27MM) is a team option.
3. Orlando Magic
- Total money committed: $197,000,000
- Guaranteed money committed (including player options): $197,000,000
- Largest expenditure: Evan Fournier (five years, $85,000,000)
- Other notable signings:
- Bismack Biyombo (four years, $68,000,000)
- D.J. Augustin (four years, $29,000,000)
- Jeff Green (one year, $15,000,000)
- Notes:
- The Magic have yet to add any camp invitees or players on partially-guaranteed deals, so the four players listed above make up the team’s entire free agent haul so far.
4. Miami Heat
- Total money committed: $186,713,810
- Guaranteed money committed (including player options): $175,347,388
- Largest expenditure: Hassan Whiteside (four years, $98,419,537)
- Other notable signings:
- Tyler Johnson (four years, $50,000,000)
- Wayne Ellington (two years, $12,270,000)
- Dion Waiters (two years, $5,926,410)
- Derrick Williams (one year, $4,598,000)
- Udonis Haslem (one year, $4,000,000)
- James Johnson (one year, $4,000,000)
- Notes:
- Like Sessions for the Hornets, Ellington’s second-year salary of $6.27MM is not guaranteed, which contributes to the gap between the Heat’s total money and guaranteed money committed.
5. Atlanta Hawks
- Total money committed: $151,929,151
- Guaranteed money committed (including player options): $150,530,431
- Largest expenditure: Dwight Howard (three years, $70,500,000)
- Other notable signings:
- Kent Bazemore (four years, $70,000,000)
- Malcolm Delaney (two years, $5,000,000)
- Kris Humphries (one year, $4,000,000)
- Notes:
- Jarrett Jack will earn $1,551,659 on a minimum-salary contract, but the Hawks will only pay $980,431 of that salary, with the NBA footing the rest of the bill.
Previously:
Southwest
Jack Ready For A 'New Start'
Veteran point guard Jarrett Jack is looking forward to a “new start” in Atlanta after a torn ACL cost him most of last season, writes Mike Mazzeo of ESPN.com. Jack, who played in just 32 games for the Nets before suffering the injury in January, signed with the Hawks two weeks ago. Jack lives in Atlanta and played at Georgia Tech, so he said the city was an obvious destination. “I was flattered that they called and wanted to take a chance on me, knowing that I’m coming off knee surgery,” he said, “but I’m willing to prove to everybody that I’m more than capable of withstanding the physical challenges of the season and just contributing to the team.” Jack continues to rehab the knee and said he plans to be fully ready by the start of the season. He is about a month away from being cleared for full five-on-five basketball.
Blackstone Leaving Hawks; Teague Talks Trade
The three-way trade that sent Jeff Teague to Indiana earlier this offseason came as a bit of a surprise, but Teague himself wasn’t totally caught off guard by the deal. As he tells Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders, Teague had been informed by the Hawks that an offseason trade may be in the cards.
“Me and the Hawks talked a bit and we agreed to be open with each other and try to help each other facilitate a nice deal,” Teague said. “So I knew it was coming [eventually], but I didn’t know when. When I got the news, Coach Bud let me know that he would be trading me home. It was bittersweet, but I’m excited about a new start and a new opportunity.”
- Hawks assistant general manager Michael Blackstone is leaving his role with the team after spending just one season in Atlanta, several sources tell Chris Vivlamore of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Blackstone had been responsible for managing contract and trade negotiations, among other duties. As Vivlamore notes, the Hawks recently promoted former director of scouting Jeff Peterson to an assistant GM role.
Salary Cap Snapshot: Atlanta Hawks
With the free agent signing period winding down and teams looking ahead to the preseason, we at Hoops Rumors will be tracking the Salary Cap figures for each team around the league. These posts will be maintained throughout the season and updated as new financial data is reported. These posts will be located on the sidebar once all the teams’ cap figures have been relayed. You can always check RosterResource.com for up-to-date rosters for each franchise, with the Hawks’ team page accessible here.
Here’s a breakdown of where the Hawks currently stand financially:
Guaranteed Salary
- Dwight Howard — $23,180,275
- Paul Millsap — $20,072,033
- Kent Bazemore — $15,730,338
- Ersan Ilyasova —$8,400,000
- Mike Dunleavy — $4,837,500
- Kris Humphries — $4,000,000
- Thabo Sefolosha — $3,850,000
- Dennis Schröder — $2,708,582
- Malcolm Delaney — $2,500,000
- Taurean Prince — $2,318,280
- Tim Hardaway Jr. — $2,281,605
- DeAndre’ Bembry — $1,499,760
- Mike Muscala — $1,015,696
- Edy Tavares — $1,000,000 [Waived by team]
- Jarrett Jack — $980,431 [Waived by team]
- Ryan Kelly — $418,228 [Waived by team]
- Ryan Kelly — $286,785
- Jose Calderon — $247,991 [Actual salary — $392,478]
- Lamar Patterson — $246,956 [Waived by team]
- Gary Neal — $57,672 [10-day contract (Jan 18); actual salary — $72,193]
- Lamar Patterson — $51,449 [10-day contract (Jan 29)]
- Lamar Patterson — $51,449 [10-day contract (Feb 8)]
- Matt Costello — $50,000 [Waived by team]
- Lamar Patterson — $25,725 [Waived by team]
Total Guaranteed Salary= $95,563,799
Cash Sent Out Via Trade: $1.15MM ($650K to Nuggets in Mo Williams trade. $500K to Suns in Mike Scott trade.) [Amount Remaining $2.35MM]
Cash Received Via Trade: $750K from Cavaliers in Kyle Korver trade [Amount Remaining $2.75MM]
Payroll Exceptions Available
- Trade Exception: $3,333,334 (Mike Scott trade) — Expires on 2/23/18
- Trade Exception: $2,194,500 (Mo Williams trade) — Expires on 1/18/18
- Room Exception: $398,000 remaining [Used $2,500,000 to sign Malcolm Delaney]
Total Projected Payroll: $95,563,799
Salary Cap: $94,143,000
Estimated Available Cap Space: -$1,420,799
Luxury Tax Threshold: $113,287,000
Amount Below Luxury Tax: $17,723,201
Last Updated: 4/9/17
The Basketball Insiders salary pages and The Vertical’s salary database were used in the creation of this post.
Hawks Sign Matt Costello
JULY 26: The Hawks have issued a press release formally confirming their deal with Costello.
JULY 18: According to Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders (Twitter link), Costello got a two-year, minimum-salary deal from the Hawks. The pact includes a $50K guarantee in year one.
JUNE 24: The Hawks have agreed to a deal with Matt Costello, Chris Vivlamore of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports. The big man will play on Atlanta’s Summer League team.
Costello averaged 10.7 points and 8.2 rebounds during his senior season at Michigan State. The Michigan native ranked 72nd among all seniors, according to Jonathan Givony of Draft Express.
Costello wasn’t expected to be drafted on Thursday night and he probably faces long odds of making the Hawks’ regular season roster. Entering the day, Atlanta had 12 players under contract, as the team’s depth chart at Roster Resource shows.