Magic To Aggressively Target Chandler Parsons
The Magic loom as the most significant threat to the Mavericks to sign Chandler Parsons to a new contract this summer, reports Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com. Parsons is a virtual lock to turn down his $16.023MM player option for next season with the salary cap moving sharply upward, and he’s expected to receive a maximum-salary contract, MacMahon writes. Sources who spoke with MacMahon anticipate an aggressive pursuit from Orlando and expect the Heat, Lakers, Nets, Knicks, Trail Blazers, Rockets and Nuggets to come after the 27-year-old, too. The Thunder, would also have interest if Kevin Durant bolts, MacMahon adds, pointing to the presence of Billy Donovan, Parsons’ college coach, in Oklahoma City.
The Mavs realize they’ll need to once more put on a recruiting effort for the versatile small forward they signed to a loaded offer sheet in 2014, but they nonetheless appear to be the favorites for him again this summer, according to MacMahon. That’s because of the loyalty he feels toward owner Mark Cuban and teammate Dirk Nowitzki, as well as the fondness Parsons has for Rick Carlisle, having advocated for the five-year extension the team gave the coach earlier this season, the ESPN scribe writes. The relationship between Parsons and Carlisle is nuanced, MacMahon explains, with Parsons wary of whether Carlisle fully trusts him on the court, but Carlisle this week referred to Parsons as “a franchise-caliber player in the making” in a message to MacMahon.
The Magic opened enough cap flexibility in trades last month to sign two players to max contracts this summer, with only about $36MM in guaranteed salary on next season’s books against a projected $90MM cap. Orlando and soon-to-be free agent Al Horford reportedly have mutual interest, and Horford went to the University of Florida, just as Parsons did.
Parsons is in his fifth season, so he’ll be eligible for the lowest of the three maximum salary tiers, likely with a starting salary approaching $21MM. The Mavs will have only his Early Bird rights this summer, though they’ll function essentially as full Bird rights would for Parsons because his projected max is within 175% of his nearly $15.362MM salary for this season. The only difference will be that the Mavs can only offer four years instead of the five that they could with full Bird rights. Dallas will still have the opportunity to give him 7.5% raises instead of the 4.5% that the Magic and others will be limited to. That would mean a difference of some $4MM over the life of a four-year deal. Still, Parsons will value comfort and on-court opportunity over money as he decides where to sign, sources familiar with his thinking tell MacMahon.
In any case, the Mavericks appear committed to doing what they can to keep Parsons. Cuban indicated as much about a month ago to MacMahon, referring to Parsons and Wesley Matthews as a “crushing tandem on the wing.”
Spurs Waive Ray McCallum
The Spurs have waived point guard Ray McCallum, the team announced via press release. Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical on Yahoo Sports reported this weekend that the move would come so that San Antonio could sign Andre Miller, fresh off his buyout from the Timberwolves. The Spurs had been carrying a full roster of 15 players, so someone had to go for Miller to join.
McCallum’s minimum salary of $947,276 will stick on San Antonio’s books if he clears waivers, which isn’t necessarily a given. Any team that claims him would be able to match offers for him when he hits free agency this summer, though not every team is eligible to claim him. Teams must have cap space, a trade exception or a disabled player exception to claim McCallum, as Bobby Marks of The Vertical on Yahoo Sports tweets.
McCallum appeared in 31 games with the Spurs, including three starts, but he only averaged 2.2 points and 1.1 assists in 8.3 minutes. He also played seven games with the team’s D-League affiliate in Austin.
San Antonio acquired McCallum from the Kings via trade for a second-round pick in July. McCallum was the Kings’ second-round selection in 2013 and started 40 games for them in his first two seasons.
The 24-year-old has ties to the Pistons. In one of his recent tweets, Vince Ellis of The Detroit Free Press noted that Detroit coach Stan Van Gundy is friends with University of Detroit Mercy basketball coach Ray McCallum Sr., so perhaps that could lead to the younger McCallum returning to his roots in Michigan. Detroit would have to open up a roster spot for that to happen, but the Pistons currently have power forward Justin Harper on a 10-day contract.
Heat Waive Beno Udrih In Buyout Deal, Dodge Tax
4:37pm: Udrih’s release is official, the team announced (Twitter link). The amount he gave up was nominal, a source told Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel (on Twitter), pegging it as likely around $50K, not much more than was necessary to skirt the tax line.
3:36pm: The Heat and Beno Udrih have agreed to a buyout deal that will see the point guard give up enough of his salary for the team to slip under the luxury tax line, and that’s prompted complaints from multiple teams around the league, reports Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com. Shams Charania of The Vertical on Yahoo Sports earlier reported the sides were near agreement on a buyout, and that raised questions about why Udrih, who’s expected to be out until late May because of foot surgery, would relinquish salary in return for the chance to hit free agency before the end of the season.
Miami ducked the tax line at the trade deadline, only to go over once again with the signing of Joe Johnson, whom several other teams pursued. The Heat’s ability to snag Johnson and still end up out of the tax is part of the reason murmurs have surfaced around the league, Windhorst indicates. Teams beneath the tax line receive tax payments from those above the threshold, but that distribution is smaller when there are fewer taxpayers. The Heat are in line for a $2.6MM tax payment plus $110K in tax savings as a result of Udrih’s buyout, according to Windhorst. The Johnson signing put Miami approximately $44K over the tax line, as The Vertical’s Bobby Marks pointed out. Those figures jibe with repeat-offender tax rate of $2.50 for every dollar the Heat would spend over the line.
It’s unclear exactly how much of Udrih’s more than $2.170MM salary he’s poised to relinquish in the buyout, though given Miami’s reported discussion with free agent target Marcus Thornton and the team’s lack of depth at point guard, it wouldn’t be surprising if the Heat pushed Udrih to give back more than just the $44K needed for them to slip beneath the tax line. It seems unlikely he would recoup whatever he gave up, at least at any point this season, since he probably won’t be able to return to the court until deep into the playoffs, Windhorst notes. The Heat would be eligible to re-sign him if he clears waivers, but if they did so, it would surely draw even more scrutiny.
Atlantic Notes: Hinkie, Horford, Fredette
One source told Tom Moore of Calkins Media that he believes the Sixers will hire someone new to run day-to-day basketball operations under chairman of basketball ops Jerry Colangelo, bumping GM Sam Hinkie into an analytics-only role, perhaps before the regular season is over. Moore speculates that the new day-to-day front office voice might be Bryan Colangelo, Jerry’s son, and the scribe hears conflicting rumors of whether or not Danny Ferry is a candidate to join the Sixers. Jerry Colangelo recently expressed interest in adding to the team’s front office. While we wait to see the fate of “The Process” in Philly, see more from the Atlantic Division:
- Part of the reason why the Celtics didn’t make the sort of overwhelming trade offer for Al Horford that the Hawks were reportedly looking for is that the C’s feel they have a legitimate chance to sign him in free agency this summer, Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical on Yahoo Sports says in a video report. Chris Mannix of The Vertical earlier identified Atlanta’s interest in the big man.
- The Knicks are keeping an eye on the players that hit waivers as Tuesday’s de facto buyout deadline nears, with a specific interest in younger players, coach Kurt Rambis said today, according to Marc Berman of the New York Post (Twitter link). Tuesday is the last day players can hit waivers while retaining postseason eligibility. Rambis praised Jimmer Fredette and suggested he’s open to seeing him return on a second 10-day deal, notes Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com (on Twitter), but the coach said that decision rests with management and acknowledged it will be tough for Fredette to see minutes. He’s only played two minutes so far on the 10-day deal that expires after Wednesday.
- The Celtics have recalled James Young from the D-League, the team announced (Twitter link). He averaged 10.7 points and 4.7 rebounds in three games on his latest D-League stint, which began Thursday.
Wolves, Rockets Interested In Chris Copeland
The Timberwolves have had internal discussion about Chris Copeland, and the Rockets also have a level of interest in the stretch forward who’s twice hit waivers in the past week, reports Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities (Twitter link). Minnesota’s brass is also talking about other would-be additions, and no signing is close, Wolfson adds. That jibes with coach Sam Mitchell‘s comments from this weekend, when he said the team would likely wait awhile to make a move even as he called the Wolves “awfully thin” up front.
Minnesota has an open roster spot in the wake of Andre Miller‘s buyout and has reportedly engaged in advanced discussions with Kevin Martin about a buyout of his own that would give the Wolves a second opening. The Rockets are in a similar position, having opened one vacancy with Friday’s release of Marcus Thornton while reportedly exploring the idea of a buyout with Ty Lawson, but it appears as though Lawson will likely be sticking around.
Copeland failed to have much effect for the Bucks on the one-year, $1.15MM deal he signed this past offseason, appearing for only 6.5 minutes per game over 24 contests and sticking just 10 of 36 3-point attempts. That’s well beneath his 36.5% career rate of accuracy from behind the arc. Milwaukee waived him a week ago to make room for Steve Novak, and Orlando claimed him off waivers only to release him the next day in a move designed to help the Magic reach the salary floor.
Suns Interested In Anthony Bennett?
The Suns are a “possible” suitor for Anthony Bennett should he clear waivers from the Raptors, sources told Shams Charania of The Vertical on Yahoo Sports. Of course, any team is a possibility for Bennett, but this suggests that Phoenix has interest in him. Toronto is waiving Bennett to make room for Jason Thompson, Charania reported within the hour. The Suns have an open roster spot following the release of Kris Humphries, who had been starting at power forward for Phoenix in the brief time between the trade that brought him in from the Wizards and the apparent buyout deal that’s put him in line to sign with the Hawks.
Phoenix could claim Bennett off waivers, just as the team did with John Jenkins last week, but the sides could instead work out an arrangement that carries beyond the end of this season if he clears waivers. Bennett’s existing contract is up at season’s end. The Suns are 14 games out of a playoff spot and have little motivation to make moves with only the short term in mind.
Less than three years removed from having been the No. 1 overall pick in 2013, Bennett has seen just 84 minutes in the NBA so far this season, compared to 107 while on four separate D-League assignments from the Raptors. His next NBA team will be his fourth, since the Cavaliers traded him to the Timberwolves in the Kevin Love deal and he worked a buyout with Minnesota in September before signing a minimum salary contract with Toronto.
Do you think Bennett will ever develop into a rotation-caliber player in the NBA? Leave a comment to share your thoughts.
Pacific Notes: Rivers, McDonough, Ranadive
Clippers coach/executive Doc Rivers insisted the team didn’t listen when it fielded trade calls about Blake Griffin from other clubs, as Rivers told Marc J. Spears of The Vertical on Yahoo Sports, reiterating his faith in the power forward he contends was having an MVP-caliber season before his two-month absence. Rivers also defended the job he’s done as team’s player personnel chief.
“I don’t know. I don’t evaluate. I have too many people evaluating for me,” Rivers said. “I let them do it and I keep doing my job. I don’t care about the evaluations. I care about the team. We’re a team that doesn’t have a lot of leverage. We don’t have a lot of assets. But to me, we keep ending up with the Jeff Greens of the world, Cole Aldrich is terrific, Wes Johnson. … We’re getting these guys at minimum contracts. Even Josh [Smith] was a good gamble. It didn’t work out for us. But when you are in that minimum contract deal, you’re going to have some hits and misses and we’re fine with it and you keep doing.”
See more from the Pacific Division:
- Suns owner Robert Sarver issued a vote of confidence to GM Ryan McDonough in an open letter to fans posted on the team’s website, acknowledging that some of the risks the team has taken lately haven’t panned out but pointing to the Warriors as reason to continue making bold moves. “Not every decision will be the right one, but [McDonough] will continue to build our team around the young, talented players acquired through the draft and opportunistically in free agency,” Sarver wrote in part. “The best team in the NBA right now is a perfect example of that model.”
- Kings owner Vivek Ranadive may have encountered trouble running the team so far, but his success in other venues shows he’s no fool, writes Andy Furillo of The Sacramento Bee. Ranadive told Furillo he’d buy out the stake of any minority-share owner who wants out, responding to reports that many of his partners are upset with him. “If somebody’s unhappy, I’ll write them a check today,” Ranadive said.
- The Kings could use some more defense in the backcourt and coach George Karl has praised Seth Curry‘s performance on that end, but Curry has remained largely tied to the pine, much to his frustration, as The Bee’s Jason Jones examines. Curry has a minimum-salary player option for next season.
Heat, Beno Udrih Near Buyout Agreement
The Heat and Beno Udrih are near agreement on a buyout deal that would offset the salary and luxury tax costs of Miami’s decision to sign Joe Johnson this weekend, reports Shams Charania of The Vertical on Yahoo Sports. Udrih would be eligible to participate in the playoffs with another team if he hits waivers no later than Tuesday, but he’s expected to be out until late May with foot surgery, so little chance exists that he’ll be healthy enough to see action. Thus, it’s unclear why Udrih would give up a portion of his salary, worth more than $2.17MM. His contract is set to expire this summer anyway. The decision about whether to do a buyout deal, which would help the Heat, or simply hit waivers without agreeing to give up money rests with Udrih, Charania writes, indicating that Miami plans to release him one way or another.
Miami has an eye on making continued additions to its roster. The Heat and the recently released Marcus Thornton have had talks, sources told Charania, advancing an earlier report identifying the Heat’s interest in Thornton. Those same sources suggested to Charania that the Heat might pursue a point guard. Miami currently has 14 players on its roster, so offloading Udrih would create two open roster spots.
The Heat are about $44K over the tax threshold, according to The Vertical’s Bobby Marks (Twitter link). They pay $2.50 for every dollar they’re over the line, and more in the unlikely event they’re in excess of $5MM above the tax, pursuant to the league’s repeat-offender tax penalties. Miami slipped under the tax line at the trade deadline, but went back over with the Johnson signing. Udrih could give back part of his salary as a goodwill gesture to the Heat, but it would be against the rules for him and the team to prearrange any new deal that he might sign after he clears waivers.
What Each Team Has To Spend In Buyout Market
The wave of buyouts that follows the NBA trade deadline commonly provides the most fertile free agent market since the summer. Most players who come free via buyout sign for the minimum salary, but some, like David Lee, sign for more than that. Lee reportedly received a prorated portion of the Mavs’ room exception, which Dallas didn’t spend in the offseason. Some teams use up all their exceptions amid their summer spending, while others hang back, knowing they might be able to snag a contributor in the late going.
Exceptions depreciate over time. Some, like the minimum salary exception, prorate beginning with the first day of the regular season. The mid-level, room and biannual exceptions prorate starting January 10th. Each goes down by 1/170th each day, representing the 170 days in the regular season. Disabled player exceptions don’t prorate, but they expire March 10th.
Here’s a look at what the minimum salary is worth today for players of each level of experience. These amounts will go down by 1/170th every day until season’s end. Note that teams aren’t responsible for any more than the two-year veteran’s amount, as the league picks up the rest for longer-tenured vets.
Rookie: $135,906
One year: $218,721
Two year: $245,177
Three year: $253,996
Four year: $262,815
Five year: $284,862
Six year: $306,909
Seven year: $328,955
Eight year: $351,002
Nine year: $352,750
10-plus year: $388,025
Below are the exceptions available to each team. Note that some teams will have different values for the same exceptions because they’ve used partial amounts. Note also that teams can also use their trade exceptions to claim players off waivers, but they can’t use them to sign free agents.
- *Bucks — Room exception: $1,164,800 (goes down $9,788 daily); minimum salary exception
- Bulls — Taxpayer’s mid-level exception: $788,200 (goes down $6,624 daily); minimum salary exception
- Cavaliers — Minimum salary exception
- Celtics — Room exception: $1,969,800 (goes down $16,553 daily); minimum salary exception
- Clippers — Minimum salary exception
- Grizzlies — Minimum salary exception
- Hawks — Room exception: $1,969,800 (goes down $16,553 daily); minimum salary exception
- Heat — Taxpayer’s mid-level exception: $1,995,635 (goes down $16,770 daily); minimum salary exception
- Hornets — Non-taxpayer’s mid-level exception: $3,824,800 (goes down $32,141 daily); minimum salary exception
- Jazz — Cap room: $5,182,127; room exception: $1,969,800 (goes down $16,553 daily); minimum salary exception
- Kings — Room exception: $1,969,800 (goes down $16,553 daily); minimum salary exception
- Knicks — Minimum salary exception
- Lakers — Room exception: $1,969,800 (goes down $16,553 daily); minimum salary exception
- **Magic — Room exception: $1,969,800 (goes down $16,553 daily); minimum salary exception
- Mavericks — Minimum salary exception
- Nets — Non-taxpayer’s mid-level exception: $1,724,800 (goes down $14,494 daily); disabled player exception: $3.15MM (doesn’t depreciate but expires March 10th); minimum-salary exception
- Nuggets — Minimum salary exception
- Pacers — Room exception: $1,969,800 (goes down $16,553 daily); minimum salary exception
- ***Pelicans — Biannual exception: $1,497,300 (goes down 12,582 daily); disabled player exception: $1,691,012 (doesn’t depreciate but expires March 10th); minimum salary exception
- Pistons — Room exception: $1,969,800 (goes down $16,553 daily); minimum salary exception
- Raptors — Minimum salary exception
- ****Rockets — Non-taxpayer’s mid-level exception: $891,944 (goes down $5,247 daily); minimum salary exception
- Sixers — Cap room: $9,630,651; room exception: $1,969,800 (goes down $16,553 daily); minimum salary exception
- Spurs — Minimum salary exception
- Suns — Room exception: $1,969,800 (goes down $16,553 daily); $5.464MM disabled player exception (doesn’t depreciate but expires March 10th); minimum salary exception
- Timberwolves — Non-taxpayer’s mid-level exception: $1,059,799 (goes down $8,906 daily); biannual exception: $1,497,300 (goes down 12,582 daily); minimum salary exception
- Thunder — Taxpayer’s mid-level exception: $2,363,200 (goes down $19,859 daily); minimum salary exception
- Trail Blazers — Cap room: $7,739,113; room exception: $1,969,800 (goes down $16,553 daily); minimum salary exception
- Warriors — Taxpayer’s mid-level exception: $613,200 (goes down $5,153 daily); minimum salary exception
- Wizards — Non-taxpayer’s mid-level exception: $1,024,800 (goes down $8,612 daily); $2,806,750 disabled player exception (doesn’t depreciate but expires March 10th); minimum salary exception
* — Assumes that the Bucks signed Steve Novak for the minimum salary.
** — The Magic can renounce their trade exception to open as much as $6,484,419 in cap room.
*** — The Pelicans may also have a small amount left on their mid-level exception, depending on how much they spent on their latest contract for Bryce Dejean-Jones.
**** — The Rockets are only $524,148 shy of their hard cap, so they can’t spend beyond that amount no matter the value of their exceptions.
The Basketball Insiders salary pages, The Vertical and Larry Coon’s Salary Cap FAQ were used in the creation of this post.
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