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Author: Chuck Myron

Wizards Expected To Cut Childress, 2 Others

By | at October 23, 2013 10:00 pm

The Wizards are set to waive camp invitees Josh Childress, Pops Mensah-Bonsu and Xavier Silas, a source tells J. Michael of CSNWashington.com (Twitter link). All three are with the team on non-guaranteed deals. Washington entered the preseason with 15 guys on fully guaranteed contracts, so it appears none of the players the team brought to camp compelled the Wizards to cut one of their guaranteed salaries. The team released D’or Fischer, its other camp invitee, last week.

All three of the Wizards about to hit waivers have NBA experience, and none more extensive than Childress. The swingman from Stanford impressed in a sixth-man role for the Hawks during his first four-year stint in the NBA, but he hasn’t been able to regain his footing in the league after signing a lucrative deal with a Greek team in 2008. He returned to the NBA in 2010/11, but the Suns amnestied his contract after two seasons, and he didn’t make it until New Year’s Day last season with the Nets. He scored eight points in 32 minutes over four preseason games with Washington.

Mensah-Bonsu spent this month trying to return to the NBA after a two-season absence, while Silas has been seeking to add to his abbreviated NBA regular season game log, which includes just a pair of games with the Sixers in 2011/12. Neither saw significant action in any of the Wizards’ preseason games.

1 comment Transactions Washington Wizards

Bobcats Waive Patrick O’Bryant

By | at October 23, 2013 7:54 pm

The Bobcats have waived center Patrick O’Bryant, the team announced via press release. The former ninth overall pick was in camp with Charlotte on a non-guaranteed deal. The release, sent via email, states that the club now has 16 players on its roster, but the 16 guys listed on the roster that appears on the team’s website include O’Bryant, so the team seems to be down to 15 players.

O’Bryant washed out of the league after four seasons, the first two of which he spent with the Warriors, the team that used its 2006 lottery pick on him. The 7-footer appeared in a total of just 90 NBA regular season games, averaging 2.1 points in 5.8 minutes per contest. He was well-traveled after the Raptors let him go in 2010, playing in Puerto Rico, Greece, Lithuania and the D-League before finally getting another chance this month in Charlotte. Though he grabbed five rebounds in his one-game, six-minute preseason stint, it wasn’t enough to make the Bobcats opening-night roster.

The ‘Cats could open the season with the 15 players they have, but they could also make two more cuts. Jeff Adrien and James Southerland figure to be the most likely to go, since neither of them has a guarantee on his deal. Jannero Pargo‘s contract is partially guaranteed for $300K.

1 comment Charlotte Hornets Transactions

Atlantic Notes: Nets, Tyler, Smith, Sixers

By | at October 23, 2013 7:51 pm

The Nets look like have their opening-night roster set, with 15 fully guaranteed contracts and three players on non-guaranteed camp deals who probably won’t be sticking around. The roster isn’t likely to change much throughout the season, as Billy King told Ric Bucher of Bleacher Report earlier this week that his club won’t sign anyone, even a minimum-salary player, as a replacement should someone get hurt. Most other rosters aren’t as stable, and we’ll examine some potential changes for a pair of Brooklyn’s Atlantic Division rivals:

  • The Knicks are “leaning toward” keeping Jeremy Tyler‘s partially guaranteed contract, writes Marc Berman of The New York Post, who adds that the team will likely make its first cuts Thursday night. Tyler is recovering from foot surgery and might not play until late next month. “He’s still patiently going through rehab,” coach Mike Woodson said. “I don’t think we kick him to the curb. We thought so much coming out of summer league. I think at least see it through, see what he has to offer. He’s a young big. Our thought process was to try to develop him.”
  • Woodson admits nepotism could influence the Knicks‘ decision on whether to keep J.R. Smith‘s brother Chris Smith on the roster for opening night, but even if he makes the team, Chris Smith expects to spend much of the season on assignment to the D-League, Berman notes in the same piece.
  • The Sixers have 20 players on the roster and only 11 of them have fully guaranteed deals, but perhaps as few as one opening-night spot is still up in the air, coach Brett Brown said. Rodney Williams is one of five with at least a partial guarantee, and he appears still in the running to make the team, as Brown said the staff is continuing to evaluate him. Tom Moore of PhillyBurbs.com tweets the details.
0 comments Brooklyn Nets New York Knicks Philadelphia 76ers

13 Teams Have New Most Highly Paid Player

By | at October 23, 2013 6:15 pm

Much has been made of the 13 teams that have new head coaches, but precious little notice has been paid to the fact that there are 13 teams with a new most highly paid player. Trades and free agency have rendered 11 of those teams with a new name as their greatest player personnel investment, while the other two clubs demonstrate the variance in which contracts are structured.

The most highly paid players on the Hawks, Sixers and Jazz left via free agency to claim those titles on other teams. The Rockets are the only other club that brought in its new highest earner via free agency, though that doesn’t count the Bucks, who signed O.J. Mayo and traded for Caron Butler, each of whom will earn a team-high $8MM this year. Two other teams brought in their current most highly paid player via trade.

Six teams have new top earners who were on the roster last season. That includes the Suns and Kings, who are the clubs who reveal the aforementioned dexterity of contracts. Goran Dragic‘s four-year deal with the Suns pays him $7.5MM for each season, but Marcin Gortat‘s includes raises. Gortat’s raises caught and passed Dragic’s flat salaries this year.  Marcus Thornton‘s raise helped him claim the top spot in Sacramento, where he surpasses John Salmons, whose contract includes salary declines instead of raises.

In-season trades will surely add more teams to this list, though one club appears most poised for a change. Hedo Turkoglu remains atop the Magic payroll, but the team is trying to unload his deal via trade. If the Magic don’t find any takers, they’ll likely waive him before his $12MM contract, which is only $6MM guaranteed, becomes fully guaranteed on January 10th.

The Magic are also still paying the amnestied Gilbert Arenas, who would have claimed the top spot had he and the team not agreed to spread his payments out over two additional years. In any case, this list excludes amnestied players who either aren’t on the roster now or, in the case of the 2012/13 salaries listed, weren’t on the roster last season.

ShamSports was used in the creation of this post.

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Mavs Waive Balkman, Ebanks, Kennedy, Melo

By | at October 22, 2013 5:02 pm

5:02pm: The Mavs have waived Renaldo Balkman, Devin Ebanks, D.J. Kennedy and Fab Melo, the team announced via press release. The move makes official the news about Balkman that he himself revealed earlier today, and leaves Mickey McConnell as the team’s only camp invitee left. McConnell, a 24-year-old guard, was the only player without NBA experience that Dallas brought to camp, but it appears as though he might have made the strongest impression. Still, it seems unlikely he’ll remain with the club through the end of the week, since the Mavs would have to cut someone on a fully guaranteed deal to keep him.

It’s the second time in two months that Melo has hit waivers, after the Grizzlies let him go in late August. That was shortly after Memphis acquired him from the Celtics, and it appears the NBA career of the center whom Boston drafted 22nd overall in 2012 is in jeopardy. Ebanks turned down a $650K offer from China to sign with the Mavs, so perhaps he’ll head overseas, if the Chinese club is still interested. An Italian team had interest in Kennedy before he indicated he would prefer to sign in the NBA, so he could be headed for international ball, too.

Balkman admits his violent incident while playing in the Philippines last year could make some front offices squeamish, but his camp stint with the Mavs, where coach Rick Carlisle counted him as a welcome presence, could help his chances of returning to the NBA at some point. All four players the Mavs waived today were on non-guaranteed deals, so the team isn’t on the hook for any of their salaries.

4:57pm: Renaldo Balkman has told Puerto Rican radio station TAB Deportes 101.3 that the Mavs have let him go (Twitter link; translation via Sportando). The team has yet to officially announce the move, but the subtraction would be no surprise, since he’s one of five players with non-guaranteed deals on the Mavs, who have 15 others on fully guaranteed contracts, as our roster counts show.

0 comments Dallas Mavericks Transactions

Poll: Should Jazz Pay Hayward More Than Favors?

By | at October 22, 2013 4:16 pm

More than 45% of Hoops Rumors readers who voted this weekend believe the Jazz agreed to give Derrick Favors too much in his new four-year extension, while fewer than 6% think Favors should have gotten more, suggesting the deal is player-friendly. I posed the question before today’s revelation that the deal, worth $48MM in base salary, is slightly less lucrative than the $49MM+ figure that was originally reported, though I imagine the difference wouldn’t skew the results too far.

Perhaps the most striking news to come out of Jazz camp since the news of Favors’ deal is that the team is working on an extension for Gordon Hayward that would be worth more than the one Favors just got. The Jazz should have a better idea of what they have in Hayward than they do with Favors, since Hayward has seen about 30% more minutes the past two seasons than his counterpart has. Hayward has shown continual improvement, but he still drifted in and out of the starting lineup last season on a team that featured uninspiring wing talent, like Randy Foye, Marvin Williams, Alec Burks and DeMarre Carroll. Those names don’t inspire the same confidence as Al Jefferson and Paul Millsap, who blocked Favors’ path to the opening tip.

I predicted a four-year, $40MM deal for Hayward in August, when I broke down his extension candidacy, but it sounds like the Jazz are prepared to exceed that amount by more than $8MM. Do you agree that Hayward deserves more than Favors? Let us know, and elaborate in the comments.

Should The Jazz Pay Hayward More Than Favors?

  • No, Derrick Favors should get the larger extension. 42% (203)
  • They're equally valuable. 32% (154)
  • Yes, Gordon Hayward deserves more. 25% (122)

Total votes: 479

1 comment Hoops Rumors Polls Utah Jazz

Northwest Rumors: Favors, Williams, James

By | at October 22, 2013 3:15 pm

The base salary for Derrick Favors‘ new four-year extension with the Jazz is a little lower than the $49MM+ that was originally reported, according to HoopsWorld’s Eric Pincus (Twitter link). It’s a $48MM deal, with likely incentives that would take it up to $48.733MM, and unlikely incentives that could lift the value to $53.133MM, according to Pincus. There’s that and plenty more coming out of the Northwest Division today, where we’ve also heard the Nuggets may be shopping Kenneth Faried, the Jazz are still interested in signing Jamaal Tinsley, and the Wolves will exercise their 2014/15 option on Ricky Rubio. Here’s the latest:

  • The Wolves will pick up their 2014/15 option on Derrick Williams, just as they will with Rubio, and Williams expressed relief today in comments to reporters, including Kent Youngblood of the Star Tribune. “It helps, (having) the security.” Williams said. “You’re guaranteed at least one more year in the NBA. As long as you have that, I think everything is good.”
  • Damion James is the last player without any sort of guarantee on his contract who still remains on the Nuggets roster, and it doesn’t look like he’ll entice the Nuggets into cutting one of their guaranteed deals, as Christopher Dempsey of the Denver Post examines. His best shot to make the team would have been if Quincy Miller struggled in camp, but Miller has impressed new coach Brian Shaw. James has played Jordan Hamilton to a draw this month, but Hamilton’s $1,169,880 guaranteed salary gives him the edge.
  • Hamilton will likely make it to opening night, but the decision on whether to pick up his $2,109,294 team option for 2014/15 is not as clear, given the Nuggets‘ depth at small forward, Dempsey observes in the same piece.
  • Favors and Enes Kanter have only started one game together in the NBA, but that total figures to grow much larger, especially now that the Jazz have locked up Favors’ for the long term. Aaron Falk of The Salt Lake Tribune looks at how Favors and Kanter will fit together, noting that coach Tyrone Corbin sees them as interchangeable parts at center and power forward.
3 comments Denver Nuggets Minnesota Timberwolves Utah Jazz

Lowe On Faried, Horford, All-NBA, Collins

By | at October 22, 2013 2:01 pm

Zach Lowe of Grantland unveils 32 predictions for the upcoming season in his latest post, but the column isn’t based entirely on speculation. Lowe passes along several tidbits from conversations with execs around the league, so let’s dive in:

  • Multiple sources tell Lowe that the Nuggets are gauging the willingness of other teams to trade for Kenneth Faried. The sources say Denver is demanding plenty in return for the power forward, and Nuggets officials deny they’ve had any talks with other teams about Faried, but Lowe predicts a deal will happen.
  • The Hawks‘ roster is “built to trade,” but Ferry has emphatically turned away teams calling about Al Horford‘s availability, Lowe hears.
  • The NBA is considering the removal of the center position from All-NBA teams, shifting to two backcourt and three frontcourt players as the league did with the All-Star ballot last season. That could alleviate a logjam among forwards and result in more money for Paul George, whose new extension will become more lucrative if he earns another All-NBA selection, under the terms of the Derrick Rose Rule.
  • Several executives believe Jason Collins will find an NBA home after January 10th, the date when all contracts become guaranteed for the season. Many of the guys on non-guaranteed deals will be released in advance of that date, creating opportunities for teams to sign the player who would become the first openly gay male athlete in major North American pro sports.
4 comments Atlanta Hawks Denver Nuggets Indiana Pacers

Projected 2014/15 Cap Space For Each Team

By | at October 20, 2013 1:27 pm

Decisions on rookie scale extensions and options are due by October 31st, and many teams will be thinking of their 2014/15 cap space when they make their calls. Let’s take a look at where each team stands heading into next summer, when the cap is expected to rise to $62.1MM and the tax line to $75.7MM. We’ve ranked each NBA club by the amount of money it has committed for the ’14/’15 season:

  1. Nets: $82,998,463: The Nets don’t have any rookie options or extensions due by the end of the month, but they’re almost certain to remain a tax team next season.
  2. Clippers: $66,322,769: The Eric Bledsoe trade cleared the only rookie scale option or extension decision from L.A.’s table.
  3. Thunder: $62,056,871: Oklahoma City is set to remain without cap room regardless of whether it picks up $5,535,570 worth of rookie scale options.
  4. Blazers: $61,280,581: Portland has already picked up its rookie scale options, virtually assuring the club will be a cap team in 2014/15.
  5. Bulls: $60,994,844: Marquis Teague has surfaced in trade rumors, but the Bulls are certain to pick up Jimmy Butler‘s $2,008,748 option for 2014/15, pushing Chicago to the cap.
  6. Pacers: $60,615,028: Paul George‘s max extension eats up the team’s cap room, meaning Indiana faces a talent drain if they don’t use Bird rights to re-sign Danny Granger and Lance Stephenson.
  7. Nuggets: $57,315,378: Denver wouldn’t have much cap room even if it surprised and turned down the options of either Kenneth Faried, Evan Fournier, or both. More than $5.5MM worth of player options for Nate Robinson and Darrell Arthur make it almost certain the Nuggets will be over the cap.
  8. Timberwolves: $57,001,059: The Wolves aren’t about to turn down Ricky Rubio‘s $4,660,479 rookie scale option, making Minnesota a likely cap team for 2014/15 regardless of what it does with Derrick Williams.
  9. Rockets: $56,983,489: Planned option pick-ups for Terrence Jones and Donatas Motiejunas leave the club without much wiggle room below the cap for next season. That space should get even tighter if Francisco Garcia picks up his $1,316,809 player option by June 30th and the Rockets hang on to Chandler Parsons past January 1st, when an additional $624,771 of Parsons’ contract becomes guaranteed for 2014/15.
  10. Pelicans: $53,107,429: This number includes the already exercised options for Anthony Davis and Austin Rivers, so the team should have at least a small amount of cap room next summer, even if Anthony Morrow picks up his $1,145,685 player option.
  11. Kings: $52,997,837: Sacramento could easily cross into cap territory with a $3,110,796 option decision due on Jimmer Fredette and an extension for Greivis Vasquez. The team won’t have too much room in any event, thanks to the max extension it’s already given to DeMarcus Cousins.
  12. Warriors: $50,846,420: Pending options worth $7,238,680 to Klay Thompson, Harrison Barnes and Festus Ezeli will likely make the club’s potential cap space all but vanish.
  13. Pistons: $50,226,170: The total includes Andre Drummond‘s option, which has already been exercised. Greg Monroe is unlikely to sign an extension, leaving Detroit to decide whether to wipe out its potential cap room with a deal for him next summer or seek to replace him via trade or free agency. Jonas Jerebko‘s $4.5MM player option could limit the team’s ability to sign a replacement for Monroe.
  14. Celtics: $48,730,705: The C’s only have about $3.6MM in pending rookie scale options, so this number shouldn’t change much. Still, the thought of committing nearly $2.2MM to MarShon Brooks is no slam-dunk when that kind of money might make a difference to a free agent the C’s are trying to sign with cap space next summer.
  15. Hawks: $45,336,656: John Jenkins and Jared Cunningham represent less than $3MM worth of option decisions, but Atlanta may decline at least one of them so that the team keeps its cap space close to the total necessary to make a max offer to a restricted free agent next summer.
  16. Bucks: $42,789,682: Even with Larry Sanders‘ $11MM-a-year extension and exercised options for John Henson and Brandon Knight, Milwaukee figures to have some cap room to play with.
  17. Grizzlies: $39,947,212: Extensions for either Ed Davis or Quincy Pondexter seem unlikely, but this number figures to grow because it doesn’t include Zach Randolph‘s $16,973,333 player option, which would wipe out any significant cap space.
  18. Wizards: $36,953,480: Washington still has room left over after John Wall‘s max extension, though $4,505,280 will almost certainly be added to the total when the team exercises its option for Bradley Beal. A play for a significant free agent is not out of the question next summer.
  19. Magic: $33,448,634: This number includes four rookie scale option pickups and leaves Orlando with enough room for a marquee free agent next summer.
  20. Spurs: $28,477,500: San Antonio’s commitments figure to grow thanks to Tim Duncan‘s $10MM player option, an almost certain $2,894,059 option pickup on Kawhi Leonard, and an extra $9MM in non-guaranteed money on Tony Parker‘s contract that San Antonio surely won’t pass up.
  21. Mavericks: $28,267,575: With no rookie options or extensions due, this number looks solid. Dallas will have a chance to spend the summer chasing another marquee free agent if Dirk Nowitzki agrees to a pay cut
  22. Knicks: $27,286,556: Like the Heat, New York is another team with a low 2014/15 cap number that doesn’t include large amounts in player and early termination options. Even if Carmelo Anthony chooses free agency, Amar’e Stoudemire, Andrea Bargnani and Metta World Peace could opt to rake in another $36,494,955 combined.
  23. Raptors: $26,092,556: Rudy Gay‘s $19,317,326 player option looms over the team’s plans, and nearly $7MM in almost-certain rookie scale option pickups for Jonas Valanciunas and Terrence Ross shouldn’t leave Toronto with much cap room if Gay decides to opt in.
  24. Bobcats: $25,744,248: Keeping Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Kemba Walker and Bismack Biyombo around would cost another $12,162,449, but that still leaves plenty of cap space.
  25. Cavaliers: $18,214,242: This number could nearly double in the coming days, with $17,974,920 worth of rookie scale options pending for Kyrie Irving, Tristan Thompson, Dion Waiters and Tyler Zeller.
  26. Jazz: $17,720,831: This figure assumes the $49MM+ extension for Derrick Favors starts at $12.25MM next season. Utah will likely commit more than $8.5MM on options for Alec Burks and Enes Kanter, and another large-scale commitment could be coming in the form of an extension for Gordon Hayward. Still, the Jazz figure to have some cap room next season.
  27. Suns: $16,539,978: This number could vault significantly with an extension for Eric Bledsoe, a pending $6.8MM player option for Channing Frye, and about $9MM in rookie options that have yet to be picked up.
  28. Sixers: $15,026,029: Philly could add to this number with another $4.1MM in rookie scale option pickups, but with no extension likely forthcoming for Evan Turner, the team is set to have plenty of cap room in the summer.
  29. Lakers: $10,616,243: L.A.’s books are as clean as can be for 2014/15, and there aren’t any rookie scale options or extensions that could add to that total this month. Just how much of a discount Kobe Bryant is willing to offer in free agency this summer will be the key.
  30. Heat: $2,038,206: Norris Cole‘s exercised rookie scale option is the only contract guaranteed to be on the team’s books, but the low number is deceptive, since the Heat have $71,212,490 in player and early termination options.

HoopsWorld and ShamSports were used in the creation of this post.

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Western Rumors: Hayward, Nuggets, Pelicans

By | at October 20, 2013 11:45 am

The Mavericks are the only Western Conference team left with 20 players, as our roster counts show. Teams can have that many until October 28th, when the regular season limit of 15 kicks in, but unless a club intends to unload some of its extra guys via trade, it needs to waive them by 4pm Central on October 26th — this coming Saturday. The decisions shouldn’t be too hard for Dallas, since the team has 15 fully guaranteed contracts and five others on fully non-guaranteed deals, but there are plenty of other places where intrigue abounds. Impending roster cuts aren’t the only drama playing out, since the October 31st deadline for rookie scale extensions also looms. Here’s more on a team and a player staring down that date and other news from the West:

  • The Jazz granted Derrick Favors an extension, but Gordon Hayward and agent Mark Bartelstein are still trying to pry another long-term commitment from Utah. Coach Tyrone Corbin is hopeful that the situation will be resolved soon, observes Aaron Falk of The Salt Lake Tribune. “It’s part of the business,” Corbin said. “Gordon understands it. His situation is what it is. There’s talks ongoing and hopefully things get worked out. But he understands. He’s happy for Derrick. … And we love both guys and we hope everything will work out that we can keep [both] guys here.”
  • New GM Tim Connelly is bringing a sharper focus on analytics to the Nuggets front office, which includes his hiring of Tommy Balcetis, the team’s full-time analytics manager. Coach Brian Shaw is on board, too, as Christopher Dempsey of the Denver Post details.
  • Connelly’s old team, the Pelicans, doesn’t have a single player on its roster older than 28, as Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe notes in his weekly roundup. Though the club is youthful, GM Dell Demps is confident the Pelicans have enough experience, pointing to the influx of one-and-done college players into the draft that’s made it possible for more guys to accrue NBA service time at younger ages.
0 comments Denver Nuggets New Orleans Pelicans Utah Jazz
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