Free Agent Stock Watch: Spencer Hawes
When Dwight Howard opted in to the last year of his contract with Orlando last week, the loudest cheer from anyone who’s not a Magic fan probably came from Spencer Hawes. With Howard off the free-agent market, Hawes is now likely the most attractive unrestricted free agent center available this summer.
The 23-year-old University of Washington product has struggled with a strained left Achilles’ tendon this season, which caused him to miss 27 of 28 games before his return last week. When healthy, though, Hawes has been putting up some of his best numbers, posting per-game career highs in rebounds (8.0), assists (2.7) and blocks (1.4) while averaging 10.1 points per game. A 46.6% shooter in his first four seasons, he is making 54% of his shots from the floor this year, and that’s contributed to a PER that’s up to 19.2 from 12.8 last year.
It’s the kind of leap the Kings had in mind when they took him 10th overall in the 2007 draft. When Hawes hadn't sufficiently developed after three years, Sacramento went with DeMarcus Cousins at center instead and traded Hawes to the Sixers. Coach Doug Collins made Hawes a full-time starter for the first time last year, and he signed a one-year $4.05MM qualifying offer from the team as a restricted free agent this past offseason.
He faces competition from restricted free agents Roy Hibbert, Brook Lopez and JaVale McGee, but teams going all in on Hawes know there isn’t a chance the Sixers will swoop in to match the offer after the deal is already signed, unlike with the restricted guys. Up-and-coming big men have a long history of getting big contracts and retreating into obscurity, like Jim McIlvaine, Jerome James and Eddy Curry. The Nuggets seemed to quickly get a case of buyer’s remorse on the five-year, $65MM deal they gave to Nene in December, shipping him to the Wizards last week.
Hawes probably isn’t in line for an offer like Nene’s, but he could use DeAndre Jordan’s four-year, $43.04MM contract as a model. Jordan averaged 7.1 PPG, 7.2 RPG and 1.8 blocks per game in his age-22 season for the Clippers last year before the Warriors signed him to an offer sheet, which the Clippers matched. Hawes has numbers that are similar, if not better, and he could command a deal that’s a little bit more lucrative than Jordan’s. The Sixers, who have $63.5MM committed for next season, would have trouble making that happen unless they moved some money or used their amnesty clause. Other teams in need of a center who don’t want to wait for Howard or don’t feel they could get him could go after Hawes, like the Mavs, Celtics or Raptors. One intriguing possibility is the Blazers, who just cleared a bunch of cap space at the trade deadline, with only $34.9MM now on the books for next year, and are the team closest to his native Seattle.
Odds & Ends: Sloan, Azubuike, Sessions, Heat
The deadline for players to be waived in order to be eligible for the playoffs with another team passed last night, and Chris Kaman, who would have been on the radar of just about every team needing a big man had he been bought out, is still with the Hornets. New Orleans "desperately" tried to trade him before last week's trade deadline, writes Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld, but didn't get a worthy offer. He'll be a free agent at season's end, and wants to sign with a contender then, Kennedy said. Here's the rest of what's shaking around the NBA:
- Guard Donald Sloan, who signed last week with the Cavs, gave reporters a little insight on his contract, as the end of this video on Cavs.com shows. His deal extends into next year, but is guaranteed only until the end of this season.
- Newest Mav Kelenna Azubuike, who drew raves from owner Mark Cuban last night, will start off with the Texas Legends, the Mavs D-League affiliate, notes Eddie Sefko of The Dallas Morning News.
- The Hawks expressed interest in trading for Ramon Sessions before the Cavs wound up dealing him to the Lakers, Kennedy tweets.
- Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel answered reader questions about the Heat. Despite this week's signing of Ronny Turiaf, much of the talk still revolves around the center position.
- Jason Fleming of HoopsWorld rounds up the players who could sign contracts worth as much as $10MM a year as free agents this summer.
- Syracuse sophomore guard Dion Waiters hasn't made up his mind about whether he'll enter the NBA Draft just yet, but he says the Spurs, Thunder and Jazz have called him in case he wants to give it a go, according to Adam Zagoria of SNY. He's projected to go in the middle of the first round, and could climb into the lottery, Zagoria writes.
Damian Lillard Expected To Enter Draft
Weber State junior point guard Damian Lillard will enter this year's NBA Draft, sources have told Gary Parrish of CBS Sports. The 6'3" Oakland, California native averaged 24.5 points, 5.1 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game this year.
Lightly recruited out of high school, he projects as the 12th overall pick by NBADraft.net and 13th by Draft Express. It's a fast rise for a lightly recruited player out of high school who appeared in only nine games last season because of a broken right foot. Earlier this season, Walker Beeken of Draft Express examined his game, praising his shooting and ball-handling while wondering about his playmaking skills and abilities to play NBA-level defense. Tyler Ingle of NBADraft.net likes how he gets to the free-throw line, but doesn't think he's a true point guard, which his low assist total backs up.
Warriors Sign Keith Benson To 10-Day Contract
The Warriors, in need of big-man help, have signed 6'11" Keith Benson from the Sioux Falls Skyforce of the D-League to a 10-day contract, the team announced today. The news was first reported via Twitter by Skyforce broadcaster Daniel Peters and passed along by Scott Schroeder of Ridiculous Upside.
Benson was a second-round pick last June by the Hawks, but didn't make the team. He averaged 15.1 points, 7.6 rebounds and 1.4 blocks a game. The Warriors signed Mickell Gladness earlier this week, but still have an open roster spot to bring Benson on board.
Odds & Ends: Butler, Heisley, Kroenke, Bayless
Much of the NBA spent the evening with concerns about Celtics swingman Mickael Pietrus, who suffered a head injury during tonight's game with the 76ers and left the arena in an ambulance. It originally appeared Pietrus would spend the night in a hospital, as ESPN's Chris Forsberg and others reported, but apparently his injury, a concussion, will allow him to return home for the night, Forsberg tweets. Here's more from around the Association:
- Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel reports that Rasual Butler, who is drawing attention from the Bulls, would have gotten a look from the Heat at the beginning of the season had they not signed Shane Battier (Twitter link).
- Grizzlies owner Michael Heisley is out of the running to buy the Los Angeles Dodgers, but separate groups that include Magic Johnson and Nuggets owner Stan Kroenke remain in the hunt with a decision looming as soon as next week, according to Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times.
- Raptors backup point guard Jerryd Bayless shined while starter Jose Calderon missed games with injury earlier this month, and Alex Raskin of HoopsWorld argues the team should bring back the restricted free agent this summer and give him a larger role.
- Despite a loss to the Raptors tonight, the Knicks have been playing markedly better since Mike Woodson took over as coach, but that doesn't mean the team had quit on former coach Mike D'Antoni, Tyson Chandler says, according to Newsday's Al Iannazzone.
- Chris Tomasson of Fox Sports Florida tweets that the Pistons have offered retiring Ben Wallace a job for when he hangs up his sneakers, but Wallace is undecided on whether he'll take it.
Lakers Notes: Buss, Bryant, Bynum, Sessions
The Lakers appear to be distancing themselves from their in-house rivals, establishing a three-game lead over the struggling Clippers as they settle into third place in the Western Conference. New point guard Ramon Sessions was in the starting lineup tonight, thanks to the comfort level coach Mike Brown and the team have with him on the floor, notes Dave McMenamin of ESPN Los Angeles. Here's the rest of what's happening with the Purple and Gold:
- McMenamin summed up the comments of Jim Buss, Lakers executive vice president of player personnel and son of owner Jerry Buss, on the Mason & Ireland Show on 710 ESPN. Buss said the team has no interest in trading Kobe Bryant, and that he expects Bryant to play longer than the two years remaining on his contract.
- Buss also rejected the assertion that his fondness for Andrew Bynum gets in the way of deals that would help the Lakers, and said the team was upset when the Chris Paul deal fell through."Basically, we had a deal and the commissioner didn't think that it was a good deal and he has every right to veto it," he said. "It shocked us. I was in (Lakers general manager) Mitch (Kupchak's) office when that happened and I was ducking from things that he was throwing against the wall."
- Using the small sample size of the past week, Brian and Andy Kamenetzky look at the impact new point guard Ramon Sessions is having on the Lakers, while passing along some analysis on the matter from Sports Illustrated's Zach Lowe as well.
- Marc Stein of ESPN passes along a scout's take on Sessions' impact as well.
- Brian Kamenetzky looks at how coach Brown is shortening the rotation as the playoffs draw near.
Spurs Expected To Sign Justin Dentmon
The Spurs plan to sign guard Justin Dentmon to a 10-day contract, Scott Schroeder of Ridiculous Upside reports. Dentmon had been playing with the Austin Toros, San Antonio's D-League affiliate, where he put up 22.9 points and 5.3 rebounds a night to go along with 42% three-point shooting.
The move gives the Spurs depth at point guard, as Tony Parker missed tonight's game with hamstring soreness and Patrick Mills is still finalizing his work visa. The Diaw signing put the Spurs roster at the maximum 15 players, so they'll have to drop someone before Dentmon can officially join the team. Eric Dawson's 10-day contract is up in a couple days, so the team may simply elect not to re-sign him. Cory Joseph was sent down to the Toros earlier this week, so he could be let go instead.
Southwest Rumors: Azubuike, Carlisle, Diaw
The defending Southwest Division champs met the defending NBA champs tonight, with the first-place Spurs coming away with a 104-87 win, padding their lead as they seek a second straight division title. Here's more on two of the Southwest's top teams:
- Mavs owner Mark Cuban thinks his team's signing of Kelenna Azubuike will be a steal if his knee holds up, according to Mavs.com writer Earl K. Sneed. Cuban isn't sure if Azubuike will help the team this year, but has his eyes on the future, calling the team option for the second year "pretty much a lock" to be exercised (All Twitter links).
- Mavs coach Rick Carlisle didn't respond to questions about his future when asked about his contract, which expires at the end of the year, on ESPN Dallas 103.3 FM’s Galloway and Company. While Mavs GM Donnie Nelson indicated that the team intends to retain the coach, Tim McMahon of ESPN Dallas cites rumors linking Carlisle to the Blazers and suggests the Knicks and Clippers as possible destinations.
- The recent moves the Spurs have made aren't surprising to Carlisle, who's particularly intrigued by the acquisition of Patrick Mills and Boris Diaw, Tim Griffin of the Express-News writes.
- Diaw had to wait a week to sign with the Spurs because of visa issues, but he's been waiting much longer to fulfill his childhood dream of playing with fellow frenchman Tony Parker, according to Griffin. Diaw is Parker's best friend in the NBA, but the point guard didn't push the team to sign his buddy.
- ESPN's Marc Stein spoke with new Spur Stephen Jackson, who shared some revelations about his time with the Bucks and says he "never should have left" San Antonio after 2003.
Warriors Latest: Jefferson, Bogut, Lacob
- New Warriors forward Richard Jefferson has already begun to share his veteran wisdom with the team, writes Marcus Thompson II of the Bay Area News Group, but he didn't exactly sound psyched about getting traded away from the Spurs. "At some point, man, you just get too old to really get pissed off," he said. "I could get traded at the end of the summer or I could be here the next five years. I could go out and get hurt and my career could be over. So at the end of the day, whatever the opportunity is, if I'm still able to play on my terms, and step on the court, then I'm blessed and I'm happy. I'm not going to sit and cry and whine and complain."
- Andrew Bogut shot down speculation that he might return before the end of the season, saying he's "99% sure" his season is over, Thompson notes. Without a chance to see him on the floor, Thompson believes that means skepticism surrounding his acquisition will continue into the offseason (Twitter link).
- Bogut was a little caught off guard by the enthusiasm of Lacob, who burst into a sweat when discussing potential free agent signings when the two sat down for their first meeting following last week's trade, but the Australian center likes the direction his new team is headed, notes Rusty Simmons of the San Francisco Chronicle.
Largest Cap Holds
With teams making some final tweaks to their rosters heading into the final weeks of the season, let’s take a look at one of the most interesting wrinkles in the NBA salary cap. The cap hold exists primarily to close a loophole. Without cap holds, a team could structure a bunch of its contracts to end simultaneously, giving them cap room to pursue other teams’ free agents while still possessing Bird rights on its own free agents. Almost every team in the NBA has a cap hold on someone. There are free agent cap holds and draft pick cap holds, but the largest ones fall into the free agent category. Whenever a player’s contract with a team ends, it creates a cap hold (see Larry Coon’s CBA FAQ for how the amount of the cap hold is determined).
So even though a player is no longer getting paid, he can still be on the books for a large number. The cap hold doesn’t go away unless the team waives the player or renounces its rights to him, or until the player signs with another team or formally files retirement papers with the league. Players are often slow to file that paperwork, as there’s no real impetus to do so until they’re eligible for a pension. Teams often won’t renounce the rights to retired players so they can throw them into trades, as with the Keith Van Horn deal a few years ago, and because there’s little reason to do so if the team is over the cap anyway, since cap holds don’t count for luxury tax purposes.
For more on cap holds, check out this post on ShamSports. Here are the largest current cap holds, according to Storytellers Contracts:
Andrei Kirilenko, Jazz: $18,091,250
Wally Szczerbiak, Cavs: $18,091,250
Jeff Green, Celtics: $11,139,970
Marcus Banks, Hornets: $9,210,413
Darius Songaila, 76ers: $9,154,200
Richard Hamilton, Pistons: $8,430,293
Nenad Krstic, Celtics: $8,314,674
Pat Garrity, Magic: $7,342,075
Julian Wright, Raptors: $7,145,143
Steven Hunter, Grizzlies: $7,022,400
Robert Horry, Spurs $6,897,000
Greg Ostertag, Jazz: $6,305,000
Aaron Brooks, Suns: $5,041,730