Offseason Guarantee Dates
Mark Deeks of ShamSports recently updated his NBA salary database, and included in his listings are the particulars on when a host of non-guaranteed contracts becomes guaranteed. By rule, all contracts becomes guaranteed for the season on January 10th, unless the team and player negotiate an earlier date. Some contracts include multiple thresholds that incrementally increase the guarantee as long as the player remains on the roster. Others, like Robin Lopez's deal, include dates that trigger guarantees for multiple seasons.
With an assist from Deeks, here's a list of the guarantee dates from now until November 1st, sorted by team.
Hawks
- Mike Scott — $788,872 salary is non-guaranteed until August 15th, when it becomes guaranteed for $100K
Celtics
- Paul Pierce — $15,333,334 salary for 2013/14 is guaranteed for $5MM until June 30th, when it becomes fully guaranteed
- Terrence Williams — $947,907 salary for 2013/14 is non-guaranteed until June 30th, when it becomes guaranteed for $200K
- Shavlik Randolph — $1,106,942 salary for 2013/14 is non-guaranteed until August 1st, when it becomes fully guaranteed
- D.J. White — $1,027,424 salary for 2013/14 is non-guaranteed until August 1st, when it becomes fully guaranteed
Nets
- Kris Joseph — $788,872 salary for 2013/14 is non-guaranteed until August 1st, when it becomes guaranteed for $100K. It becomes guaranteed for $200K on October 29th.
Bulls
- Richard Hamilton — $5MM salary for 2013/14 is guaranteed for $1MM until July 10th, when it becomes fully guaranteed
- Malcolm Thomas — $884,293 salary for 2013/14 is non-guaranteed until July 24th, when it becomes guaranteed for $250K
Mavericks
- Bernard James — $788,872 salary for 2013/14 is non-guaranteed until July 15th, when it becomes fully guaranteed
Nuggets
- Quincy Miller — $788,872 salary for 2013/14 is guaranteed for $150K until opening night, when it becomes fully guaranteed
Pistons
- Rodney Stuckey — $8.5MM salary for 2013/14 is guaranteed for $4MM until June 30th, when it becomes fully guaranteed
- Slava Kravtsov — $1.5MM salary for 2013/14 is guaranteed for $500K until June 29th, when it becomes fully guaranteed
- Kim English — $788,872 salary for 2013/14 is non-guaranteed until July 12th, when it becomes fully guaranteed
Warriors
- Dwayne Jones — $1,106,942 salary for 2013/14 is non-guaranteed until August 1st, when it becomes fully guaranteed
- Scott Machado — $788,872 salary for 2013/14 is non-guaranteed until August 1st, when it becomes fully guaranteed
Rockets
- Carlos Delfino — $3MM salary for 2013/14 is non-guaranteed until June 30th, when it becomes fully guaranteed
- Aaron Brooks — $2.508MM salary for 2013/14 is non-guaranteed until June 30th, when it becomes fully guaranteed
- Chandler Parsons — $926,500 salary for 2013/14 is guaranteed for $600K until June 30th, when it becomes fully guaranteed
- James Anderson — $916,099 salary for 2013/14 is non-guaranteed until October 31st, when it becomes fully guaranteed
Pacers
- Lance Stephenson — $930K salary for 2013/14 is non-guaranteed until July 15th, when it becomes fully guaranteed
Clippers
- Grant Hill — $2,045,065 salary for 2013/14 is guaranteed for $500K until July 1st, when it becomes fully guaranteed
- Willie Green — $1,399,507 salary for 2013/14 is non-guaranteed until July 1st, when it becomes fully guaranteed
Lakers
- Chris Duhon — $3.75MM salary for 2013/14 is guaranteed for $1.5MM until June 30th, when it becomes fully guaranteed
Heat
- Jarvis Varnado — $788,872 salary for 2013/14 is non-guaranteed until opening night, when it becomes guaranteed for $250K
Timberwolves
- Greg Stiemsma — $2,690,875 salary for 2013/14 is non-guaranteed until July 17th, when it becomes fully guaranteed
- Mickael Gelabale — $916,099 salary for 2013/14 is non-guaranteed until July 22nd, when it becomes fully guaranteed
Pelicans
- Robin Lopez — $5,119,761 salary for 2013/14 is guaranteed for $500K until July 5th, when it becomes fully guaranteed. $5,340,229 salary for 2014/15, which is non-guaranteed, also becomes fully guaranteed on that date.
- Jason Smith — $2.5MM salary for 2013/14 is guaranteed for $1MM until June 30th, when it becomes fully guaranteed
- Lance Thomas — $884,293 salary for 2013/14 is non-guaranteed until September 1st, when it becomes fully guaranteed
- Darius Miller — $788,872 salary for 2013/14 is non-guaranteed until July 27th, when it becomes fully guaranteed
- Brian Roberts — $788,872 salary for 2013/14 is non-guaranteed until July 8th, when it becomes guaranteed for $50K. It becomes fully guaranteed on July 20th.
- Terrel Harris — $884,293 salary for 2013/14 is non-guaranteed until October 31st, when it becomes guaranteed for $150K.
Knicks
- James White — $916,099 salary for 2013/14 is non-guaranteed until June 30th, when it becomes fully guaranteed
Magic
- Kyle O'Quinn — $788,872 salary for 2013/14 is non-guaranteed until opening night, when it becomes fully guaranteed
- E'Twaun Moore — $884,293 salary for 2013/14 is non-guaranteed until June 30th, when it becomes fully guaranteed
Sixers
- Justin Holiday — $788,872 salary for 2013/14 is non-guaranteed until August 15th, when it becomes guaranteed for $50K
Suns
- Shannon Brown — $3.5MM salary for 2013/14 is guaranteed for $1.75MM until 36 hours after the draft, when it becomes fully guaranteed
- Hamed Haddadi — $1,397,500 salary for 2013/14 is guaranteed for $200K until June 29th, when it becomes fully guaranteed
- P.J. Tucker — $884,293 salary for 2013/14 is non-guaranteed until July 1st, when it becomes fully guaranteed
Spurs
- Matt Bonner — $3.945MM salary for 2013/14 is guaranteed for $1MM until June 29th, when it becomes fully guaranteed
Raptors
- Kyle Lowry — $6.21MM salary for 2013/14 is guaranteed for $1MM until July 15th, when it becomes fully guaranteed
Jazz
- Kevin Murphy — $788,872 salary for 2013/14 is non-guaranteed until August 1st, when it becomes guaranteed for $75K. It becomes guaranteed for $200K on November 1st.
- Jerel McNeal — $884,293 salary for 2013/14 is non-guaranteed until October 31st, when it becomes fully guaranteed.
Woelfel On Nets, Dunleavy, Draft, Bucks
Gery Woelfel of the Racine Journal Times begins his look around the NBA with a profile on first-round prospect Glen Rice Jr., who could become the most highly drafted player to come out of the D-League. The Journal Times scribe also touches on offseason rumblings from around the league, and we'll round up the highlights here:
- Woelfel hears the Nets are "honing in on Lionel Hollins" for their coaching vacancy. That would appear to be an exercise in futility, since Hollins says there's mutual interest in his return to the Grizzlies, the team he's guided to the Western Conference Finals. Woelfel also mentions Scott Skiles as a candidate, echoing a report by Sam Amick of USA Today earlier this month.
- Soon-to-be free agent Mike Dunleavy has piqued the interest of several teams around the league. I examined Dunleavy's free agent stock last month, figuring he could fit in as a role player with a title contender.
- Woelfel passes along a few draft rumors, noting that Kelly Olynyk and Michael Carter-Williams will work out for the Bucks, while the Magic, Nets and Knicks have shown interest in Phil Pressey. The Nuggets interviewed Otto Porter.
- Bucks interim coach Jim Boylan is gone, but his assistant coaches remain. Their contracts are up at the end of June, along with a couple members of the team's front office staff, but it remains to be seen whether any of them will return.
Draft Updates: Saturday Evening
10:45pm: There have been some updates on the second to last day of the Chicago predraft camp, which started on Thursday and ends tomorrow night, as well as other draft-related news, including a few players who hope their names are announced earlier, rather than later, by David Stern in June.
- Virginia Tech guard and ACC Player of the year, Erick Green, told CSN Washington's J. Michael that he expects to be drafted higher than expected. Despite averaging 25 PPG along with 4 APG and 4 RPG in his last college season, Virginia Tech's awful record kept him off the national radar, and at a smidgen under 6'2" he's undersized for an NBA off guard.
- One player the Wizards interviewed was Duke's Mason Plumlee, who Green beat out for ACC Player of the Year. When Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer asked Plumlee whether he believes he's a top 10 pick, Plumlee told him: "I feel like athletically and how I played this year, I’ve proven that I am."
- Another player hoping to be a lottery pick, but who didn't play in a big conference like the ACC, is Lehigh University's C.J. McCollum, who spoke with Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal about his size (he's undersized for an off guard like Green, but can play both guard positions). Two teams who don't really have a need at guard, in the Cavs and Wizards, both interviewed McCollum.
- Norvel Pelle is even further off the radar than the others mentioned, but he's a player who Jeremy Woo described at Zagsblog.com as "the most enigmatic player on the court" in Chicago, and he didn't even play in college after failing to qualify academically. Despite some praise from Woo, and one Western Conference scout's take that Pelle "would have to make it via the NBA's D-League," another scout was a bit more harsh with his assessment, saying that the rail-thin 6'11" 20-year-old was "an AAU tragedy who got bad advice. Wasted years of development. Get his passport ready."
- After watching Bobcats general manager Rich Cho inquire time and again about players in the 10-20 pick range, Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer believes the Bobcats might be looking to trade down from wherever they wind up in the draft lottery this Tuesday, May 21st.
- Josh Robbins writes at the Orlando Sentinel that Magic Senior Vice President Pat Williams, is their good luck charm because his teams have won the draft lottery four different times: once for the Sixers in 1986, and three times for the Magic in 1992, 1993 and 2004.
3:00pm: There isn't on-court action at the Chicago predraft camp this weekend as there was Thursday and Friday, though teams and players remain in town until tomorrow. Several general managers tell Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel that they would prefer the event focus less on putting players through drills and afford them more time for interviews. With ESPN televising the part of the combine with players on the hardwood, I wouldn't expect the GMs to get their wish anytime soon. Here's the latest draft-related news:
- The league posted measurements and athletic testing results from the combine participants on NBA.com.
- Jeff Goodman of CBSSports.com rounds up his observations from the combine, passing along gloomy opinions on the top talent from a pair of NBA GMs, one of whom says, "There's really no one worthy of the top pick."
- MLive's David Mayo provides a master list of all the draft prospects whom the Pistons have interviewed either formally or informally, along with the dates of the individual workouts those players have scheduled with the team.
- Jamaal Franklin attended the combine despite a sprained ankle that kept him out of workouts and drills, and he interviewed with at least nine teams, according to Mark Zeigler of the San Diego Union-Tribune. His first workout is scheduled for June 3rd with the Mavs, and the Hawks, Nets, Cavs and Bucks are also "in the mix," Zeigler writes.
- The Sixers interviewed Rudy Gobert on Friday, reports Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer.
- Chris Mannix of SI.com quizzed some of the top prospects with questions they likely heard in their interviews with teams.
Spencer Lund contributed to this post
Offseason Outlook: Boston Celtics
Guaranteed Contracts
- Kevin Garnett ($12,433,735)
- Rajon Rondo ($11,954,545)
- Jeff Green ($8,965,000)
- Brandon Bass ($6,450,000)
- Courtney Lee ($5,225,000)
- Jason Terry ($5,225,000)
- Avery Bradley ($2,511,432)
- Jared Sullinger ($1,365,720)
- Fab Melo ($1,311,240)
- Jordan Crawford ($2,162,419)
Options
- None
Non-Guaranteed Contracts
- Paul Pierce ($15,333,334; guaranteed for $5,000,000)
- Terrence Williams ($947,907)1
- Shavlik Randolph ($1,106,942)2
- D.J. White ($1,027,424)2
Free Agents / Cap Holds
- No. 16 pick ($1,419,200)
- Chris Wilcox ($884,293)
- (Nenad Krstic - $8,314,674)
- (Roshown McLeod - $3,772,503)
- (Stephon Marbury - $1,440,000)
- (Carlos Arroyo - $854,389)
- (Dana Barros - $854,389)
- (P.J. Brown - $854,389)
- (Mark Bryant - $854,389)
- (Michael Finley - $854,389)
- (Grant Long - $854,389)
- (Shaquille O'Neal - $854,389)
- (Michael Olowokandi - $854,389)
- (Scot Pollard - $854,389)
Draft Picks
- 1st Round (16th overall)
Cap Outlook
- Guaranteed Salary: $62,604,091
- Options: $0
- Non-Guaranteed Salary: $13,415,607
- Cap Holds: $23,789,307
- Total: $99,809,005
The Celtics apparently have resolution to one of their offseason question marks, with president of basketball operations Danny Ainge confirming that Doc Rivers will be back as the team's coach. There wasn't much doubt about that, but Rivers wavered at the end of the season, and his name surfaced in rumors about the Nets. Much larger decisions remain, with uncertainty surrounding the futures of Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett.
Boston has an unusual opportunity with Pierce's contract. The team can save more than two-thirds of his $15MM+ salary if it waives him by June 30th, the day before the NBA's calendar flips over to 2013/14. That would require cutting ties with the player who's scored more points than anybody in Celtic green except John Havlicek. Pierce, at 35, might not be all he once was, as demonstrated by a decline in free throw attempts to his lowest per-game rate since his rookie season, but most of his numbers this season were consistent with recent years. Recognizing a need to help out a team that was weak on the boards, Pierce averaged 6.3 rebounds, his most since 2005/06.
Father time appears to be closer to catching up with Garnett, who turns 37 tomorrow. He played just 29.7 minutes per game this season, the fewest since he was a rookie. He still gets it done on the defensive end, where the Celtics give up just 96.2 points per 100 possessions when he's in the game. His rebounding is tailing off, though, as he grabbed 9.4 boards per 36 minutes, his lowest rate since 1997/98.
Alas, it would be much easier for the C's to part ways with Pierce than with Garnett, who has a guaranteed contract with one of the league's few no-trade clauses. They could try to goad KG into accepting a trade by unloading Pierce and demonstrating that they're in full-scale rebuilding mode, but I don't think Ainge is ready to move on from the "Big Three" era quite yet, if only because there aren't many other intriguing options.
The Celtics could try to trade Pierce, whose contract expires after next season, but that doesn't seem appealing. The cap space the C's can create with Pierce off their books in 2014, when several marquee free agents could be available, is probably more valuable than anything they might get in return for him. Ainge could also dangle Rajon Rondo's team-friendly deal, likely the team's best asset. That could net them draft picks and promising young players, and clear more cap space for a run at one of those summer of 2014 free agents. Boston, despite its rich basketball tradition, has never been a preferred destination for top free agents, however, and that would require Ainge to hit home runs with the youthful assets he would acquire for Rondo, who appears destined to stay put.
The four-year, $36.24MM contract that Jeff Green signed with the Celtics last summer looks like much less of an albatross for the team than it did in the middle of the season. Green's scoring average in games after the All-Star break (17.3) was a whopping seven points higher than it was through the first half of the season. Still, he'll need to show consistency if other teams are to find him an attractive trade asset.
Brandon Bass regressed after a career year in 2011/12, while Jason Terry and Courtney Lee, the two shooting guards the team ostensibly brought in to replace Ray Allen, went through significant declines as well. None of them look like strong trade candidates. Avery Bradley returned from his shoulder injury to play top-notch perimeter defense again, but he regressed offensively and proved incapable of taking over as the team's primary ball-handler in Rondo's absence. That likely limits his trade value, though Ainge probably isn't giving up a starting guard on a rookie contract.
The Celtics are in line to pay the luxury tax unless they waive Pierce, and they'd still be well over the cap even if they save that $10MM+ on him. The team's best bet to upgrade is likely through the mid-level exception. It will be hard to find quality big men on the cheap, particularly if the team is limited to the $3.183MM taxpayer's mid-level instead of the standard $5.15MM exception. Still, someone who can shore up the team's rebounding will no doubt be a priority for Ainge and his staff, which lost assistant GM Ryan McDonough to the Suns. The Heat were the only team to grab fewer rebounds than the Celtics this season, and Boston doesn't have the kind of all-world talent that Miami can call upon to overcome that kind of flaw.
Barring massive improvement by rookies Jared Sullinger and Fab Melo, or midseason acquisitions Shavlik Randolph and D.J. White, the Celtics could also use an inside player to take pressure off Garnett, whose minutes may decline again next season. Ainge acknowledges that the Celtics probably need to add more than a single piece if they're to become a championship contender again. Nonetheless, the clearest path back to the top appears to involve spending the summer on minor changes, rather than an overhaul.
Cap footnotes:
- Williams' contract becomes guaranteed for $200K if he's not waived by June 30th, and the guarantee rises to $300K if he's not waived by September 1st. The guarantee becomes full if he makes the team out of camp.
- The contracts of Randolph and White become fully guaranteed if they're not waived by August 1st.
Storytellers Contracts and Sham Sports were used in the creation of this post.
Western Rumors: Warriors, Lee, Gasol, Sloan
A source tells Tim Kawakami of the Bay Area News Group that first- and second-round draft picks will likely be available around the time of the draft in exchange for little more than cash. I'd be surprised if any team gave up a first-rounder for such paltry return, however, even considering the purported weakness of this year's crop of prospects. No first-round picks changed hands at the trade deadline, when teams were reluctant to give them up. The Warriors don't have a pick in this year's draft and co-owner Joe Lacob has shown the willingness to spend to acquire a selection in the past, as Kawakami points out, so perhaps they'll net a second-rounder this year.
There's more on the Warriors and their Western Conference rivals, as we detail here:
- Kawakami also hears talk about a hypothetical trade scenario involving David Lee and Pau Gasol, though he strongly cautions that Gasol's name was brought up merely as an example of the kind of player the Warriors might pursue in a trade for Lee. A Gasol deal won't happen, Kawakami writes, but he's the sort of highly paid, versatile big man the team could seek.
- Jerry Sloan attended this week's predraft camp with Jazz coach Tyrone Corbin, and team president Randy Rigby would welcome Sloan if he wants to come back to the Jazz as a consultant, reports Steve Luhm of The Salt Lake Tribune. Tribune columnist Gordon Monson predicts Sloan will take the team up on that offer.
- Thunder GM Sam Presti hinted that the team might expand its already liberal use of its D-League affililate, notes Nick Gallo of Thunder.com. "We’re going to have to continue to find ways to use it, because the elite organizations in sports, they assimilate younger players into their team," Presti said. "That’s part of their ability to sustain as they experience turnover or the unforeseen circumstance. It’s what you do before the storm hits, often."
Gani Lawal Drawing NBA Interest
Gani Lawal's NBA resume is about as scant as can be, having totaled two minutes in one game for the Suns in the 2010/11 season. That could be about to change, as a strong showing in Europe this year has prompted the Pacers, Raptors and Magic to schedule workouts with the 6'9" power forward, reports Shams Charania of RealGM.com. Four or five other teams have also discussed bringing Lawal in for a look, Charania adds.
Lawal has spent this season in Italy with Virtus Roma, notching 13.3 points, 8.8 rebounds and 1.4 blocks per game. According to Charania, the 24-year-old has lost weight and added strength since his stint with the Suns, who drafted him with the 46th overall pick out of Georgia Tech in 2010. He was in training camp with the Spurs in 2011, but San Antonio cut him before the start of the regular season.
I'd expect him to be in line for another training camp invitation this time around, perhaps with a small partial guarantee. That he's sparked interest this early in the offseason suggests he could be one of the top free agents from outside the NBA, but I don't think he'll merit much more than the minimum salary unless he's especially impressive in his workouts. That's just my speculation, of course, and Lawal appears to be in line for plenty of opportunities this summer to show NBA teams what he can do.
Central Notes: Bulls, Robinson, Cavs, Handy
- Aggrey Sam of CSNChicago.com figures Nate Robinson has played his last game for the Bulls. Derrick Rose, Kirk Hinrich and Marquis Teague will all probably be around to play point guard, and Robinson's performance will likely make him too pricey for Chicago.
- Bulls GM Gar Forman addressed the specter of a missed season for Rose with Adam Fluck of Bulls.com, and in spite of an offseason of personnel decisions ahead, Forman identifies simply getting healthy as the team's primary goal this summer.
- Bulls president and COO Michael Reinsdorf praised the work of Forman and executive VP of basketball operations John Paxson, as Fluck passes along in a separate piece.
- If the Cavaliers wind up picking third, their current position in the pre-lottery order, Mary Schmitt Boyer of The Plain Dealer expects the team to target a small forward, and take a backup big man with the 19th selection.
- Boyer also reports in her piece that the Cavs have hired Phil Handy, an assistant coach with the Lakers, to serve as an assistant under head coach Mike Brown. The Cavs have yet to make an official announcement.
- Former Cavs assistant Nate Tibbetts joined the Blazers staff this week, a move one executive classifies as a "home run hire" for Portland, notes Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal. The Bobcats had been interested in Tibbetts for their head coaching job.
Draft Combine Latest: Friday Evening
As day three of the NBA draft combine comes to a close, updates are still coming in from reporters stationed in Chicago for the event, which runs through Sunday. We covered the news from the first part of the day in this post, and we'll round up additional items here:
- Robbins adds Victor Oladipo and Nate Wolters to the list of players the Magic have interviewed, which includes a total of 18 prospects. Trey Burke isn't one of them, but he'll likely visit Orlando soon for a lengthy workout and interview.
- Zeller has interviewed with 10 teams at the combine, and the Sixers are one of them, reports Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer.
Earlier updates:
- Nerlens Noel told Andy Katz of ESPN that he's interviewed with the Celtics, Magic, Bobcats, Suns, Pelicans and Cavaliers, as Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv passes along. Katz also hears Gorgui Dieng and Jamaal Franklin are hopeful they'll be healthy enough to work out before the draft. Alex Len won't be ready to hit the court until August, but he's planning to talk with 15 teams at the combine, according to Katz.
- Dennis Schroeder is one of a pair of international prospects rumored to have received a promise from a team, and he said following an interview with the Bucks at the combine that Milwaukee could be a fit for him, notes Charles F. Gardner of the Journal Sentinel. Schroeder also sees a chance for playing time with the Jazz.
- The Magic interviewed Otto Porter during the combine, and scheduled a meeting with Kelly Olynyk as well, reports Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel (Twitter links).
- Sean Deveney of The Sporting News counts Cody Zeller among those with a shot at becoming the top pick after an impressive showing in drills today.
- Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press adds Brandon Paul and Tony Mitchell to the list of Pistons interviewees. Paul has a workout with the team scheduled for later this month.
- The Oregonian's Jason Quick looks at the prospect interview process the Trail Blazers employ, and adds that GM Neil Olshey flew to Europe this spring to scout Rudy Gobert and Dario Saric, who aren't taking part in the combine.
Northwest Rumors: Pierce, Kahn, Johnson, Martin
A Northwest Division team has appeared in the Western Conference Finals four of the last six seasons, but with the top-seeded Thunder on early summer vacation after their loss to the Grizzlies, that trend has come to an end. The focus now shifts to offseason movement, and we've got the latest on a pair of Northwest teams here:
- New Timberwolves executive Flip Saunders served as an adviser to Celtics coach Doc Rivers last year, but even if Boston elects to waive Paul Pierce, a source downplays the notion that Pierce could join the Wolves, according to Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities.
- Wolfson, in his roundup of Minnesota items, hears that former Wolves GM David Kahn told friends he thought he'd assume the same position with the Sixers, who instead hired Sam Hinkie as their new GM.
- The minimum salary contract of Chris Johnson, the backup big man the Wolves signed when they were short on bodies this season, is fully guaranteed for next season, according to Mark Deeks of ShamSports (Twitter link).
- Kevin Martin hesitated before issuing the standard player line about wanting back with his team next season, and Jenni Carlson of The Oklahoman interprets that as a sign he's ready to move on. She thinks the Thunder would be hard-pressed to bring him back on even half of his $12.4MM salary from this season.
- Of course, the Thunder wouldn't have a decision to make on Martin if they hadn't pulled the trigger on the James Harden deal, a move Chris Sheridan of SheridanHoops.com chalks up as a blunder.
Chris Copeland To Push For Raise
Perhaps the most unlikely success this season in the NBA was enjoyed by 29-year-old Knicks rookie Chris Copeland, who stuck with the team all season after arriving at training camp with no guaranteed deal. His 13 points helped spark New York's win in Game Five against the Pacers last night, and agent John Spencer is hoping to turn his surprising performance this season into a financial windfall for his client. Spencer said Copeland wants to find a way to stay with the Knicks, but "wants to get paid" as well.
Zwerling hears three teams are interested in negotiating with Copeland when he becomes a restricted free agent on July 1st. A source told Marc Berman of the New York Post that Copeland may seek a contract similar to Steve Novak's four-year, $16MM deal in the offseason, and Spencer says the same to Zwerling, envisioning the 6'9" forward's value to merit an annual salary between $3.5MM and $5MM.
Copeland is on a minimum-salary deal this year, making just $473,604, plus whatever his playoff share from New York's run will be. The Knicks, a luxury tax team, could use his Non-Bird rights to give him $988,872, the amount of his qualifying offer. They could also use their taxpayer's mid-level exception to give him up to $3,182,700, but, as our Luke Adams wrote today, that would preclude the Knicks from signing many free agents from other teams.
As Zwerling notes, the Knicks have plenty of decisions to make regarding free agents this summer, with Sixth Man of the Year J.R. Smith topping that list. Knicks point guard Pablo Prigioni is in a situation identical to Copeland's, though his age (36) may make him less attractive on the market. He's hinted that he may return overseas next season, but the native of Argentina has also expressed a desire to re-sign with the Knicks.