Max-Salary Players And Their Widely Varying Deals
John Wall became the latest NBA player to get a maximum-salary contract this week, signing a lucrative extension with the Wizards that will kick in for the 2014/15 season. The deal puts Wall among an elite group, even though it's a collection of players that doesn't quite register as a "Who's Who" of NBA stars. Only half of the 16 players with max deals are among the 15 players who made All-NBA teams this past season. The most notable exception is LeBron James, who took less than the max to sign with Miami in 2010 and has given the Heat two titles and two MVP seasons on a discount.
Kobe Bryant, another First Team All-NBA selection, will be the highest-paid player in the NBA this coming season, due a whopping $30,453,805 salary. Still, the three-year extension he's finishing up this year wasn't worth quite as much as he could have earned. He made $24,806,250 in 2010/11, the final season under the initial terms of his contract. The Lakers could have given him an extension with a 10.5% raise for 2011/12 under the terms of the old collective bargaining agreement, but they gave him a roughly 1.8% raise instead.
The maximum salary isn't a static figure, as Luke Adams of Hoops Rumors explained last year. Instead, different players qualify for different maxes depending on their years of service, what they made on their previous contracts, and whether they re-sign with their old teams or jump to new ones. Some of the terms defining the maximum salary changed under the new CBA, causing yet more variance among the value of the max contracts on the books. Marc Gasol's deal, worth about $57.5MM, is for the max, just like Joe Johnson's nearly $124MM contract.
Technically, the Grizzlies could have signed Gasol for five years instead of four, but because the salaries he's earning in each year of the contract are the greatest amounts they could have given him, we'll count Gasol as a max player. There's quite a bit of gray area when it comes to determining who's getting the max, including negotiable points like options, trade kickers, and no-trade clauses, all of which can make an offer more or less attractive. In spite of those caveats, here's a list of the existing max players in the NBA, in descending order of contract value:
- Joe Johnson, Nets — Six years, $123,658,089: Signed in July 2010 to a starting salary worth 30% of the salary cap, with raises worth 10.5% of the starting salary.
- Chris Paul, Clippers — Five years, $107,343,475: Signed in July 2013 to a starting salary worth 105% of his 2012/13 pay, with raises worth 7.5% of the starting salary.
- Deron Williams, Nets — Five years, $98,772,325: Signed in July 2012 to a starting salary worth 105% of his 2011/12 pay, with raises worth 7.5% of the starting salary.
- Blake Griffin, Clippers — Five years, $94,538,626: Signed in July 2012 to a rookie-scale extension, and qualified for a starting salary worth 30% of the salary cap via the Derrick Rose rule. Deal includes raises worth 7.5% of the starting salary.
- Derrick Rose, Bulls — Five years, $94,314,380: Signed in December 2011 to a rookie-scale extension, and qualified for a starting salary worth 30% of the salary cap via the eponymous Derrick Rose rule. Deal includes raises worth 7.5% raises of the starting salary.
- Kevin Durant, Thunder — Five years, $89,163,134: Signed in July 2010 to a rookie-scale extension, and qualified for a starting salary worth 30% of the salary cap via the Derrick Rose rule. Deal includes raises worth 7.5% of the starting salary.1
- Dwight Howard, Rockets — Four years, $87,591,270: Signed in July 2013 to a starting salary worth 105% of his 2012/13 pay, with raises worth 4.5% of the starting salary.
- Rudy Gay, Raptors — Five years, $82,302,690: Signed in July 2010 to a starting salary worth 25% of the salary cap, with raises worth 10.5% of the starting salary.2
- James Harden, Rockets — Five years, $78,782,188: Signed in October 2012 to a rookie scale extension with a starting salary worth 25% of the salary cap, with raises worth 7.5% of the starting salary.
- Russell Westbrook, Thunder — Five years, $78,595,312: Signed in January 2012 to a rookie-scale extension with a starting salary worth 25% of the salary cap, with raises worth 7.5% of the starting salary.3
- Carmelo Anthony, Knicks — Three years, $67,222,422: Signed an extension with a starting salary worth 110.5% of his 2011/12 pay, with raises worth 10.5% of the starting salary.4
- Kevin Love, Timberwolves — Four years, $60,825,938: Signed in January 2012 to a rookie-scale extension with a starting salary worth 25% of the salary cap, with raises worth 7.5% of the starting salary.5
- Eric Gordon, Pelicans — Four years, $58,365,563: Signed an offer sheet in July 2012 with the Suns with a starting salary worth 25% of the salary cap, with raises worth 4.5% of the starting salary. The Pelicans matched.
- Roy Hibbert, Pacers — Four years, $58,365,563: Signed in July 2012 to a starting salary worth 25% of the salary cap, with raises worth 4.5% of the starting salary.6
- Marc Gasol, Grizzlies — Four years, $57,503,764: Signed in December 2011 to a starting salary worth 25% of the salary cap, with raises worth 7.5% of the starting salary.7
- John Wall, Wizards — Five years, TBA: Signed in July 2013 to a starting salary worth either 25% or 30% of the salary cap, depending on whether he qualifies for the Derrick Rose rule. The deal will have raises worth 7.5% of the starting salary.
Notes
- Durant and the Thunder agreed to the extension before the Derrick Rose rule came into existence, and the league recently decided to give the Thunder about half the difference between the 30% max Durant is making and the 25% max he would have gotten if the Rose rule didn't exist. Durant is also getting raises worth 7.5% of the starting salary in the extension, rather than the 10.5% he could have gotten under the terms of the CBA in place when the deal was struck.
- Gay's deal could have been for six years.
- Westbrook qualified for a starting salary worth 30% of the salary cap through the Derrick Rose rule, but his agreement with the Thunder held that he would receive a starting salary worth 25% of the cap regardless.
- Anthony's extension could have been for five years.
- Love's extension could have been for five years.
- Hibbert agreed to sign an offer sheet with the Blazers for the most Portland (or any team other than the Pacers) could have given him, but the Pacers indicated they would match. Rather than sign the offer sheet, Hibbert simply inked a contract with the same terms from the Pacers, who could have given him five years and raises worth 7.5% of the starting salary.
- Gasol's deal could have been for five years.
ShamSports was used in the creation of this post.
Heat Rumors: Telfair, Oden, D-League
HoopsWorld's Eric Pincus ranks the top six front offices in the NBA. Not surprisingly, the Heat and team president Pat Riley are No. 1 after back-to-back championships. They scored another victory this week, beating out a handful of other suitors for Greg Oden and convincing him to sign for the minimum. They're not content to stop there, as we detail amid the latest from South Beach:
- The Heat remain interested in Sebastian Telfair, sources tell HoopsWorld's Alex Kennedy (Twitter link). A pair of reports bookending July show that Riley and company have been consistently eyeing the veteran point guard, while the Knicks and Thunder have drawn multiple mentions as well.
- Miami has little to lose in its minimum-salary commitment to Oden, opines USA Today's Sean Highkin, writing for the Indianapolis Star.
- Keith Schlosser of Ridiculous Upside wonders whether the Heat will send Oden down to the D-League at some point this season as he works his way back to health. Oden's technically a five-year vet, even though he's played only 82 career games, so he and the player's union would have to consent to the assignment. Still, the Heat would have greater latitude to oversee his rehab stint now that they run the basketball ops of the Sioux Falls Skyforce, as Schlosser points out.
Al Harrington, DeShawn Stevenson Clear Waivers
Al Harrington and DeShawn Stevenson became unrestricted free agents this afternoon when they cleared waivers, as expected, tweets Marc Stein of ESPN.com. The Magic released Harrington on Friday, not long before the Hawks did the same with Stevenson.
Stevenson, a Wasserman Media Group client, took to Twitter to express his desire to sign with the Heat, and while Harrington hasn't been so quick to get into specifics, he said at multiple times last season that he wants to play five more seasons in the NBA. The 33-year-old missed most of 2012/13 with a staph infection in his knee, and batted down an early-season retirement rumor, but he was a key piece of the Nuggets bench in 2011/12, averaging 14.2 points and 6.1 rebounds a game with a 15.3 PER.
Stevenson's minutes-per-game average this past season was the highest its been since 2008/09. He came to the Hawks as part of the Joe Johnson deal in a sign-and-trade, and sign-and-trade contracts must be for three seasons in length. Still, the final two years were non-guaranteed, prompting Atlanta to cut Stevenson loose.
Harrington had two more years remaining on his contract, too, but they were 50% guaranteed. The Magic still have to pay out $7,379,200 to the Dan Fegan client, minus whatever small amount they can recoup via set-off rights if Harrington signs with another team.
Latest On Mo Williams, Beno Udrih
Mo Williams and Beno Udrih, a pair of experienced point guards used to making much more than the minimum salary, remain on the market into August, and the Grizzlies are in discussions with both, tweets Marc Stein of ESPN.com. The Knicks, who can offer only the minimum, are also still in the mix for Udrih, but New York could be a longshot, since Udrih still hopes he can make more than that, Stein says (Twitter link). The Knicks have also reportedly been eyeing Williams.
Agent Mark Cornstein identified the Knicks on Friday as one of a handful of teams with interest in Udrih. The 31-year-old finished last season with the Magic after he was part of the J.J. Redick trade at the deadline. He made $7.37MM in the final season of a contract he signed for the mid-level exception back in 2008, but even if he gets more than the minimum, he almost certainly won't approach last year's salary.
Williams made $8.5MM last year with the Jazz, and he, too, is seeking more than the minimum. Still, the Mark Bartelstein client is open to taking a discount to sign with a contender, and has identified the Heat as his preferred destination if offers from other clubs don't get any better. The Heat could offer the $3.183MM taxpayer's mid-level exception. The Grizzlies have nearly all of their $5.15MM non-taxpayer's mid-level available to outbid Miami and the Knicks, and Williams met with Grizzlies CEO Jason Levien on Tuesday.
Odds & Ends: Sixers, West, Gordon, Jamison
Trail Blazers assistant David Vanterpool appears to have become the leading candidate in the Sixers head coaching search, according to Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe. Most reports have cited Brett Brown and Michael Curry as the front-runners, but it seems there are still several hopefuls who could emerge with the job. We passed along news from Washburn earlier today on the continuing possibility of a Rajon Rondo trade to the Pistons, and here's more from the Globe scribe as we round up the morning's news from around the NBA:
- The Knicks and Grizzlies have reportedly been in talks with Delonte West, but the Knicks appear to be out, and according to Washburn, no team has shown serious interest.
- The additions of Jrue Holiday and Tyreke Evans make for a crowded backcourt in New Orleans, but Eric Gordon is glad to have his new Pelicans teammates, he tells Washburn.
- Clippers boss Doc Rivers didn't make an offer to Antawn Jamison when they met for dinner last night, but the Clippers and Jamison's reps plan to talk soon, reports Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com.
- The Hawks waived DeShawn Stevenson on Friday, and in the likely event that he clears waivers and hits free agency, he'd like to sign with the Heat, according to a pair ofdispatches from his Twitter account.
- Shelvin Mack appears in a tenuous position with the Hawks, since his contract is non-guaranteed and he plays the same position as Jeff Teague and first-round pick Dennis Schröder. If the Hawks waive Mack, he'll be the primary point guard target for Olimpia Milano of Italy, Enea Trapani of Sportando reports.
- Elston Turner has reached an agreement to become an assistant coach for the Grizzlies, a source tells Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com. The defensively minded Turner also spoke about joining the Timberwolves staff.
- Stefhon Hannah has signed to play with Juve Caserta in Italy, the team announced (translation via Sportando's Emiliano Carchia). Hannah worked out for the Knicks this summer, and spent two weeks last fall in training camp with the Warriors.
Wolfson’s Latest: Pekovic, Aldridge, Redick
Agent Jeff Schwartz's initial asking price for Nikola Pekovic was around $15MM per year, a source tells Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities, and Schwartz and the Timberwolves continue to haggle over the amount of money the restricted free agent center will get in his next contract. Schwartz knows he won't get $15MM a year from the team, Wolfson tweets. The Wolves are offering four years and $48MM, and though they're willing to add some incentives, it's "nearly ludicrous" to expect that they'll budge from the $12MM annual base salary, as Wolfson writes in his Scoops column. Wolfson has plenty more on Pekovic and other Timberwolves issues, so let's dive in:
- It's possible that Pekovic could wind up with a fifth year in his deal, but it appears four years is more likely.
- A trade that would send Pekovic and Derrick Williams to the Blazers for LaMarcus Aldridge is far-fetched. Minnesota would prefer Kevin Love instead, Wolfson tweets, but Love doesn't appear to be on the market. Schwartz represents Love as well as Pekovic.
- J.J. Redick was five minutes away from heading to another team before talks revved up on the three-team trade that sent him to the Clippers, but that mystery team wasn't the Wolves. Redick met with Wolves brass and was prepared to sign with them, but talks never got that far.
- Andrei Kirilenko's claim that Wolves president of basketball ops Flip Saunders didn't want to give him a long-term contract is incorrect, writes Wolfson, who hears from two people who say Minnesota offered a three-year, $21MM deal.
- The Wolves have not invited Seth Curry to training camp, contrary to a report.
- Lorenzo Brown, Robbie Hummel, Othyus Jeffers and another big man figure to be the contenders for the 15th spot on the Timberwolves opening-night roster.
Cuban On Dirk, Dwight, Roster Construction
Mavericks owner Mark Cuban is never shy about expressing his opinion, with the possible exception of his superstitious refusal to criticize the league or its referees during his team's 2011 playoff run. The latest post on his personal blog shows Cuban in typical form as he opens up about his feelings on the Mavs and player movement around the league. He begins with a history lesson of sorts, explaining his moves from the past two years, and he transitions into his conclusions about the team's summer, a second straight offseason in which marquee free agents spurned the Mavs. Cuban shares plenty, including a link to a cartoon the team put together as part of its pitch to Dwight Howard. We'll hit a few highlights from Cuban's piece here:
On Dirk Nowitzki and his presence on the team:
"Culture is very important to the Mavs. Your best player has to be a fit for what you want the culture of the team to be. He has to be someone who leads by example. Someone who sets the tone in the locker room and on the court. It isn’t about who talks the most or the loudest. It is about the demeanor and attitude he brings. It is amazing how when the culture is strong, the chemistry is strong. When the Mavs have brought in players that didn’t fit or buy in to our culture it created on-the-court and off-the-court problems. It's possible to handle one guy who may not fit it. It’s going to have a negative impact on your won-and-loss record if you have more than one. Our culture is one of the reasons I won’t trade Dirk."
On Howard and the way he would have fit into the team's culture:
"We saw it as somewhat of a risk, but felt like because Dwight, by all appearances and checking we did, is a good guy and with our support systems we believed we could make it work. If not, he was obviously a very trade-able asset. But, as everyone knows, we didn’t sign him. He went to the Rockets. I do have to say the meeting with Dwight was very interesting. He is a smart guy. Much smarter than people give him credit for. He is also a very, very good listener. Unlike most people, he spent far more time listening than talking. And he had the best response to an opening question that I have ever heard from a player, or anyone for that matter. When we asked him what his goal was, his response was very specific: 'I want to be Epic.' Which was a perfect lead-in to the video we created for him."
On building a championship team:
"I see quite a few teams taking what appears to be the same approach to building a team. I can understand why they are taking this approach. In the current CBA the value of a player chosen in the draft can be considerable because of the defined contract terms. And if you put together some great young players, it is very enticing to want to keep those players together for a long period. But I also know that even if you have the worst record in the NBA, you may not get the top pick and even if you do, there is a material chance you pick the wrong player, or it just happens to be a draft when there are not any IDENTIFIABLE superstar potential players at the top of the draft. In other words, while it may be popular, I think the quantity of teams taking the same approach makes it more difficult to build a team in this manner."
On the team's strategy this offseason:
"If we had gotten a single, max-out free agent that cost us $19 or $20MM, we would have had a good team. Possibly a great team if we were able to add the right minimum contract players around our core plus our new max-out free agent. But we probably would not have had a championship-contending team. It would be next year when we had cap room again and we would add what would hopefully be the finishing pieces either through free agency or through trade. If we didn’t get our max-out player, we had planned to accelerate what we would have done next year to this year. Which we obviously did."
On the coming season and the future for the Mavs:
"If we stay healthy, I think we can have a good team. How good? I don’t make predictions. I do believe that by having a core of players that we can grow and develop with, and cap room in the upcoming season and what we feel is the ability to develop and improve the performance of our players, we are in a good position for this year and for the future. We have been hurt by not having a core of players in place that free agents see as teammates they want to play with. That shouldn’t be the case next year."
Pistons Maintain Interest In Rajon Rondo?
The Pistons made an upgrade at point guard this week, acquiring Brandon Jennings in a sign-and-trade from the Bucks, but they may still be interested in Rajon Rondo, as Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe writes amid his weekly league roundup. Washburn says that the Pistons might attempt to use Jennings as a trade chip in a deal for the Celtics point guard.
Washburn had one of multiple reports last month linking the Pistons to Rondo, writing then that Detroit's preferred offer of Brandon Knight and an expiring contract was unlikely to get Celtics GM Danny Ainge to budge on his insistence that he won't trade Rondo. Knight went to the Bucks in the Jennings deal, so perhaps Pistons president of basketball ops Joe Dumars will offer Jennings and an expiring contract to the C's instead, though that remains unclear.
Under the terms of the collective bargaining agreement, Jennings can't be traded until December 15th because he signed a new contract this summer, so the Pistons and Celtics would have to wait if they want to make him any part of a deal. Rondo suffered a torn ACL in January, and the extra time before Jennings is able to be traded could give the Pistons a better chance to assess Rondo's health. Washburn figures that there will be plenty of other suitors for Rondo, especially after he recovers from the injury, so the Pistons could face competition, forcing them to drive up their offer.
Poll: Which Deal For An Injured Center Is Better?
Last night, the Heat agreed to sign a 25-year-old, 7'0" former No. 1 overall pick to a minimum-salary deal. Last month, the Cavaliers signed a 25-year-old, 7'0" center just one season removed from a Second Team All-NBA nod to a contract that's only guaranteed for $6MM. If Greg Oden and Andrew Bynum deliver on their potential, they'll be the steals of the year. Of course, that's a big "if" for a pair of players who just can't seem to stay healthy.
Bynum's knees have allowed him to play 392 games in his NBA career, while Oden has managed just 82. That's why Bynum is getting the larger deal, even though neither of them made an appearance in 2012/13. While there may be more reason for optimism with Bynum on the front end, there could be a greater consequences if he fails for the Cavs, who invested a sizable chunk of their cap space. With Oden, the Heat's worst case scenario is they're stuck paying the minimum salary this year and next (as well as the luxury tax bill on the expenditure, of course). If Bynum works out, the Cavaliers could wind up paying him $24.79MM over this season and next. If Oden returns to form, the Heat would have a force in the middle for just a little more than $1MM this year.
So, the question today is a simple one. Is Cleveland's investment in Bynum better than Miami's minimum-salary flier on Oden, or vice versa? Vote, and debate the issue in the comments.
Which Deal For An Injured Center Is Better?
-
Andrew Bynum, Cavaliers (two years, $24.79MM; only $6MM guaranteed) 51% (1,031)
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Greg Oden, Heat (two years, $2,173,109; player option in year two) 49% (986)
Total votes: 2,017
Contract Details: Jennings, Grizzlies, Henderson
Details are often scarce when free agents agree to sign with NBA teams, leaving reporters to gather many of the contract specifics later. That's what HoopsWorld's Eric Pincus has done throughout the summer, and last night he passed along information on a handful of players, as we detail below. All links go to HoopsWorld team salary pages.
- Brandon Jennings will make precisely $24MM in the sign-and-trade deal that sent him to the Pistons, with a starting salary of $7,655,503.
- The Grizzlies gave Mike Miller a one-year deal for the veteran's minimum, while their second-round pick, Jamaal Franklin, is making slightly more than the rookie minimum this season on his three-year contract. Pincus also has the figures for Jon Leuer's three-year deal.
- Gerald Henderson will make $6MM in each season of his three-year, $18MM deal with the Bobcats.
- Timofey Mozgov's starting salary on his new three-year deal is $4.4MM, with raises in subsequent seasons.
- Bucks second-round pick Nate Wolters, the 38th overall selection, gets a little more than the minimum salary as part of his three-year deal. The first two seasons are fully guaranteed.
- The Jazz gave summer league sensation Ian Clark a two-year, partially guaranteed deal for the minimum salary.