Latest On Potential Heat Trades, Mario Chalmers
The Heat expect to keep Mario Chalmers until at least the start of training camp, and owner Micky Arison has made no demand that the team shed salary, reports Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald. The prospect of trading for Jamal Crawford, an idea the Heat reportedly raised in talks with the Clippers nearly two months ago, “can’t be ruled out,” but Miami is satisfied with its depth on the perimeter, Jackson writes. The Heat are still willing to trade Chris Andersen, but the market for him has been soft, Jackson hears from a higher-up who’s been in contact with the Heat, and no evidence suggests the Clippers are interested in him as part of a swap involving Crawford, Jackson adds.
The Heat would still prefer to offload salary and haven’t ruled out trading Chalmers, set to make a guaranteed $4.3MM in the final season of his contract this year, as soon as October, according to Jackson. The point guard hasn’t given indications that he’s expecting to be traded, and team president Pat Riley denied reports around draft time indicating that the team was shopping Chalmers and Andersen. Grantland’s Zach Lowe nonetheless heard a couple of weeks later that Chalmers and Andersen were available “for nothing.” Andersen didn’t seem concerned about the rumors when he made a public appearance earlier this week, as Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel chronicles.
An opposing GM told Jackson in mid-July that Chalmers and Shabazz Napier were the players the Heat were shopping the most aggressively, and Miami dealt Napier to the Magic later that month for no salary in return. That, plus the swap that sent Zoran Dragic to the Celtics with no other salary involved, helped Miami lower its payroll, though the Heat still have about $90.4MM in guaranteed salary, which puts them about $5.66MM above the $84.74MM luxury tax threshold. The Heat would have to pay repeat-offender tax penalties if they’re still above the tax line on the final day of the regular season. Miami only has 12 players on fully guaranteed deals, and if they keep Hassan Whiteside on his partially guaranteed contract but get rid of everyone else, they’d have a tax bill of roughly $16.3MM. Jackson estimates the tax bill at around $23MM, though that appears to include some of the non-guaranteed contracts.
Do you think the Heat will move below the luxury tax line this season? If so, how do you think they’ll manage to do it? Leave a comment to tell us.
Atlantic Notes: Valanciunas, Zeller, Rozier, Hunter
Grantland’s Zach Lowe finds the four-year, $64MM extension that Jonas Valanciunas received from the Raptors more surprising than fellow Leon Rose client’s Michael Kidd-Gilchrist‘s apparent agreement to sign for $52MM over that same span of years, given the center’s potential earnings (Twitter links). Valanciunas could have come away with a four-year deal worth closer to $75MM if he’d waited until the extension deadline in the fall, and the max if he’d passed on an extension in favor of restricted free agency, Lowe opines. Here’s more from the Atlantic Division:
- Chances are 50-50 that Tyler Zeller will sign an extension with the Celtics before the deadline this fall, sources tell Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders. The sides have talked about the idea, Kyler writes. Grantland’s Zach Lowe speculated earlier this summer that the C’s might agree to a deal as long as it was for less than $12MM a year.
- The Celtics took Terry Rozier with the 16th overall pick, a dozen spots in front of R.J. Hunter, but Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com and the majority of ESPN’s Summer Forecast panel argue that Hunter will make the more significant impact this season.
- Knicks president Phil Jackson shared his thoughts about the team’s offseason additions, but Marc Berman of the New York Post believes the Zen Master’s outlook is far too positive. New York didn’t add a single All-Star caliber player despite its bevy of cap room, Berman writes.
Curry Wants Long-Term Future With Warriors
WEDNESDAY, 4:04pm: Curry again stated his desire to stay with the Warriors in a video posted on his Facebook page (scroll ahead to the 2:33 mark). Asked if he ever thought he’d leave Golden State, Curry said, “Hopefully not. Hopefully everything works out and I can finish my career here. I’ve probably got like 10 good years left.”
MONDAY, 3:12pm: MVP Stephen Curry is tied to his bargain contract with the Warriors for two more seasons, but he has no intention of leaving when he’ll have the chance, as he told Jimmy Spencer of The Sporting News. The former Davidson star said last year that he’d always thought about playing for Charlotte, where he went to high school and where his father made his mark as a member of the Hornets. Still, it doesn’t look like a homecoming will happen anytime soon.
“As I am thinking right now, free agency isn’t really appealing to me because I love where I’m at, love the organization I’m playing for, and the Bay Area is home for me and my family,” Curry said to Spencer.
Curry will see nearly $11.371MM this coming season and $12.112MM in 2016/17 on the extension he signed at a discount in 2012, when a series of ankle injuries had clouded his future. Those ankle problems have since subsided and the deal has become one of the NBA’s most team-friendly. The 27-year-old becomes eligible for a veteran extension on October 31st this year, but it’s much more likely that he’ll let his contract run to term, since an extension would start at only 7.5% more than his 2016/17 salary. Signing a new contract as a free agent in 2017 would allow him to earn a starting salary of an estimated $30.517MM.
The summer of 2017 shapes up as a potential turning point for Golden State. Klay Thompson and Draymond Green are the only Warriors with guaranteed salary on the books beyond the expiration of Curry’s deal. Much can change between now and then, but Curry’s apparent plan to re-sign keeps pressure off the organization and allows the Warriors to sell free agent targets on the idea of playing with the supremely talented point guard for years to come.
If there were no salary cap and Curry were a free agent today, how much do you think he’d get? Leave a comment to tell us.
2016 Free Agent Power Rankings
When most NBA observers think of the 2016 free agent class, Kevin Durant is the first name that comes to mind. However, he’s not on top of our inaugural 2016 Free Agent Power Rankings. That title is reserved for the player who’s been on top of these rankings since the beginning: LeBron James. Durant’s struggle with a broken foot this past season injects enough doubt into his future that, if 2016 free agency began today, James would seem like a safer bet.
LeBron’s strategy of signing two-year deals with player options lets him capitalize on a rising salary cap as he navigates the prime of his career, and perhaps most importantly, gives him leverage every July. He seems overwhelmingly likely to stay in Cleveland for the foreseeable future, but he, like Durant, isn’t giving too many hints about just what he’ll do.
Of course, the ranking is subject to change, and we’ll no doubt see plenty of movement in this top 10 as we check back on a regular basis between now and next June. Still, even as a few notable names remain in this year’s free agent class, here’s our first look at how they stack up for 2016:
- LeBron James (player option) — Yes, he’s almost four years older than Durant. But LeBron just dragged a banged-up Cavs team to the Eastern Conference title and drew Finals MVP consideration even though he was on the losing team. Durant sat out all but 27 games this past season. Once Durant proves healthy, he probably eclipses LeBron. But for now, King James remains in his throne atop these rankings.
- Kevin Durant — That broken foot keeps him from the top spot, but he needn’t bounce back to his MVP form of 2013/14 to vault to No. 1. He could merely do what he’s done four out of the last six years and win the scoring title. That would give him five scoring titles before his 28th birthday.
- Mike Conley — This ranking might seem high for Conley, who took fewer shot attempts per game than Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph did last season, but in what’s increasingly becoming a point guard’s game, Conley, who turns 28 in October, is among the elite. Multiple reports seem to indicate that he’ll follow in Gasol’s footsteps and make the Grizzlies the clear front-runners to re-sign him.
- Dwight Howard (player option) — Howard, like Durant, can climb this list if he proves his health this year. He played in only 41 games and put up some of his lowest numbers in 10 years this past season. Still, he led the playoffs in rebounds per game and helped the Rockets to the Western Conference Finals.
- Andre Drummond (restricted) — Drummond, in many ways, is like a younger version of Howard. They’ve both played for Stan Van Gundy, they’re both top-flight rebounders, and neither can shoot free throws. It remains to be seen if Drummond can become the sort of devastating force that Howard has been, however. It seems more likely that the Pistons will tie up Drummond with an extension than let him hit free agency.
- Al Horford — The Hawks won 38 games in 2013/14, when Horford missed the majority of the season with injury. Atlanta won 60 games when the big man returned healthy last season. That’s no coincidence. He doesn’t put up gaudy numbers, but his game doesn’t have many holes, and he’s even showing signs of developing a three-point shot.
- Bradley Beal (restricted) — The Wizards reportedly want some non-guaranteed money in the deal if they’re to sign Beal to a max extension this summer, with health a concern, so an extension that seemed on its way last year might not happen. If that’s the case, Beal would hit restricted free agency just three days after his 23rd birthday, and if he merely keeps up his current career numbers, he can boast 40% three-point accuracy and a scoring average of 15.6 points per game.
- Joakim Noah — Horford’s former Florida teammate is yet another top 2016 free agent whose health is in question. He only missed 15 regular season games this past year, but he clearly wasn’t right, and he was well off the pace of his career year in 2013/14. Part of that had to do with the adjustments he made to play with 2014 free agent signee Pau Gasol. Noah has been the anchor of one of the league’s stoutest defenses for too long to ignore, however.
- DeMar DeRozan (player option) — The shooting guard has posted back-to-back 20-plus PPG seasons while nailing slightly fewer than 30% of his three-pointers the last two years combined, a testament to his ability to get to the basket. The early indications are he’ll opt out, and he has plenty of reason to do so, since the option would pay him only $10.05MM.
- Dwyane Wade — The Heat and Wade settled their differences this summer with a one-year, $20MM deal, and if all players only went year to year on their contracts, Wade might be higher on this list, having just averaged 21.5 PPG this past season. But when he enters the market as a 34-year-old with knee trouble next July, he simply won’t be able to command the sort of long-term money that others will.
These free agents make up the next 10:
- Harrison Barnes (restricted)
- Pau Gasol (player option)
- Al Jefferson
- Timofey Mozgov
- Chandler Parsons (player option)
- Roy Hibbert
- Joe Johnson
- Hassan Whiteside
- David Lee
- Luol Deng
The following three players can also hit free agency in 2016, but they’re far more likely to retire than leave their respective teams. So, we’re listing them here, in a special section of sorts, and in alphabetical order.
- Kobe Bryant
- Tim Duncan (player option)
- Dirk Nowitzki (player option)
Who are your top 10 2016 free agents? Leave a comment to give us your list.
Clippers Fined For Pitch To DeAndre Jordan
2:59pm: The Clippers offered Jordan an endorsement deal with Lexus for $200K a year, and that’s apparently what prompted the fine, a source tells Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times (Twitter link).
12:47pm: The NBA has fined the Clippers $250K for violating the league’s rules against circumventing the salary cap in their pitch to DeAndre Jordan last month, the league announced via press release (Twitter link via Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports). The Clippers presented Jordan with a potential third-party endorsement opportunity during their meeting with him on July 2nd. That was before Jordan gave his commitment to the Mavericks, one that came undone when he later expressed second thoughts to the Clippers, who convinced him to re-sign.
The league’s investigation concluded that the violation didn’t influence Jordan’s ultimate decision to return to the team. However, the NBA is imposing the fine anyway, since rules prohibit teams from arranging compensation for players outside of the salary set forth via the contractual terms allowed under the collective bargaining agreement.
The fine will ultimately have little impact, since it doesn’t have any bearing on the team’s salary cap, and owner Steve Ballmer, who paid $2 billion to purchase the franchise last year, probably won’t feel much of a pinch over losing $250K. That the violation took part during the Clippers’ initial efforts to sign him, and not during the scramble that took place as he reneged on his decision to sign with the Mavs, further diminishes the effect. Still, it’s an odd coda to the already extraordinary story of Jordan’s free agency this summer.
What part of the Jordan storyline sticks out the most in your mind? Leave a comment to tell us.
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Central Notes: Kaun, Henson, Landry, Dinwiddie
Former Cavaliers GM Danny Ferry knew patience would be necessary when he traded $300K in cash for the draft rights to Sasha Kaun in 2008, as he tells Terry Pluto of The Plain Dealer. Still, Ferry had watched similar draft-and-stash prospects pay off when he was with the Spurs, and he sees Kaun, who’s finally coming to the Cavs, as a strong defender whose professional experience overseas has made him ready for the NBA.
“He will really help the Cavs,” Ferry said to Pluto. “He was a three-time Academic All-American at Kansas. He’s like a sponge. He soaks up everything the coaches tell him. The best thing he did was go and play for CSKA Moscow. It’s the elite level in Europe.”
Cleveland’s deal with Kaun reunites the center with Timofey Mozgov and coach David Blatt from the 2012 Russian Olympic team, Pluto notes. See more from around the Central Division:
- The Bucks are ready to do a deal on a rookie scale extension for John Henson, but the sense from Henson’s camp is that they want to see what the market yields for other extension-eligible players, sources tell Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders for his NBA AM piece. We looked at Henson’s extension candidacy in depth earlier this month.
- Recent Bucks signee Marcus Landry, a Milwaukee native, has long been a fan of the team, as he explains to Charles F. Gardner of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. “We still have so many things from Ray Allen and guys before Ray Allen,” Landry said. “We have a sign that my mom held onto. I have a pair of shoes I got from Ray Allen personally. We have a lot of memorabilia from coming to a Bucks game at a young age. It’s an overwhelming moment for me at times when I really sit back and think about it. It’s definitely going to be a great experience.”
- The Pistons traded for Steve Blake after watching Spencer Dinwiddie struggle with turnovers in the summer league, but while a healthy Brandon Jennings would threaten to knock Dinwiddie further down the depth chart, last year’s 38th overall pick remains confident, writes Keith Langlois of Pistons.com. Dinwiddie is entering the final guaranteed season of his contract, one of 17 on the Pistons that includes a full guarantee for this year.
Extension Candidate Series
Rookie scale extension season seems to have begun early this year, with Jonas Valanciunas and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist having come to terms in back-to-back weeks. Anthony Davis and Damian Lillard signed their max extensions in July. Still, plenty more names remain on the list of players eligible for rookie scale extensions, and while veteran extensions are much more rare, a reasonable case can be made for some of those on that list, too.
As we did last year and in years before, we’ll be profiling several extension candidates with in-depth analysis. The pieces will discuss the merits of an extension for player and team, dissect the market forces at play, and project the outcome of negotiations.
Below are links to the posts we’ve done so far. We’ll add links to this page as we continue the project in the months ahead. You can access this list anytime from the right sidebar under the Hoops Rumors Features menu.
- Harrison Barnes
- Bradley Beal
- Andre Drummond
- Festus Ezeli
- Evan Fournier
- John Henson
- Terrence Jones
- Donatas Motiejunas
- Jared Sullinger
- Jonas Valanciunas — already signed a four-year, $64MM extension.
- Dion Waiters
- Tyler Zeller
Southeast Notes: Kidd-Gilchrist, Horford, Deng
People around the league applaud what the Hornets are getting out of the extension deal Charlotte has reportedly struck with Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, as Grantland’s Zach Lowe hears (All six Twitter links right here). The starting salary should be roughly in line with his cap hold for next summer, which would have been $12,662,808, so the Hornets aren’t truly compromising their cap flexibility, Lowe points out. The deal is not without its potential pitfalls, given his lack of outside shooting and elite ball-handling, so it will challenge the Hornets to surround him with others who can fill in the gaps, but it’s nonetheless a risk worth taking, given the work ethic of the former No. 2 overall pick. He’s capable of moving to power forward, giving him more versatility than Tony Allen, a player to whom Kidd-Gilchrist is often compared, Lowe adds. See more from around the Southeast Division:
- The Hawks arguably took a step back this summer, having lost DeMarre Carroll to the Raptors, but Al Horford, set for free agency next summer, is pleased with the team’s offseason, especially the trade acquisition of Tiago Splitter, as Horford tells Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “And also guys like Tim Hardaway. I feel like he has a lot of potential,” Horford said. “Once he figures everything out, I think he is going to be really good for us. It’s excited to have those guys. And even some of the younger guys. Justin Holiday and Edy Tavares, I’m excited to have both of them too. We know they will have to work but I’m sure they’ll have an opportunity to play at some point. I’m excited. Obviously with DeMarre being gone, we are going to need some other guys to step in and try to help alleviate everything that DeMarre did for us.”
- The Heat clearly like No. 10 overall pick Justise Winslow, but he probably won’t perform well enough as a rookie to make Luol Deng expendable between now and the trade deadline, as Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel argues in a mailbag column.
- We rounded up plenty more on the Heat right here.
Heat Notes: Stoudemire, Whiteside, D-League
Two months ago, it seemed like the Heat might be on the verge of major changes, with Dwyane Wade pushing for a more lucrative deal than the Heat planned for him and uncertainty surrounding Luol Deng and his player option. Deng ultimately opted in, and while Wade opted out, he re-signed with the Heat on a one-year, $20MM deal. Miami also re-signed Goran Dragic and boosted its depth with the additions of Amar’e Stoudemire and Gerald Green. There’s news on Stoudemire amid the latest from South Beach:
- Stoudemire already feels comfortable with the Heat and said today that while he’ll accept whatever his role with the team might be, he feels he’s capable of playing like an All-Star again, writes Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press. “From playing against Miami, the thing that you learn is that they always have a competitive spirit,” Stoudemire said. “There’s an aura around here that everyone works hard, that you have to be in top shape which is great because I want to be in the best shape of my life going into this season. I want to surprise the world and have a very, very productive year.”
- Hassan Whiteside, who figures to be a hot commodity among free agents in 2016, will likely see only 20-25 minutes per game most nights this season for the Heat, assistant coach Dan Craig tells Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald. However, Whiteside probably wants to have an expanded role in a contract year this season, as Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel writes in a mailbag column. While Craig cited small ball as a reason to keep the big man’s minutes low, the coach also said Whiteside has made progress toward becoming a better small ball player this summer.
- The Heat and the D-League’s Sioux Falls Skyforce formally extended their one-to-one affiliation deal, the Heat announced. The Skyforce have been Miami’s exclusive D-League partner for the past two seasons even though Miami and Sioux Falls are separated by about 1,800 miles.