2015/16 Salary Commitments: Pelicans
With the NBA trade deadline passed, teams are focusing on locking down playoff spots or vying for a better chance in the draft lottery. Outside of the players who are added on 10-day deals, or those lucky enough to turn those auditions into long-term contracts, teams’ rosters are relatively set for the remainder of the season.
We at Hoops Rumors are in the process of taking a look ahead at each franchise’s salary cap situation heading into the summer, and the free agent frenzy that occurs every offseason. While the exact amount of the 2015/16 salary cap won’t be announced until July, the cap is projected to come in somewhere around $67.4MM, with the luxury tax threshold projected at approximately $81MM. This year’s $63.065MM cap represented an increase of 7.7% over 2013/14, which was well above the league’s projected annual increase of 4.5%.
We’ll continue onward by taking a look at the Pelicans’ cap outlook for 2015/16…
Here are the players with guaranteed contracts:
- Ryan Anderson — $8.5MM
- Anthony Davis — $7,070,730
- Tyreke Evans — $10,734,586
- Jrue Holiday — $10,595,507
- Quincy Pondexter — $3,382,023
Here are the players with non-guaranteed contracts:
- Toney Douglas — $1,185,784
Players with options:
- Eric Gordon (Player Option) — $15,514,031
The Pelicans’ Cap Summary for 2015/16:
- Guaranteed Salary: $40,582,846
- Options/Non-Guaranteed Salary: $16,699,815
- Total: $57,282,661
The Basketball Insiders salary pages were used in the creation of this post.
Nuggets Claim Ian Clark Off Waivers
6:50pm: The move is official, the Nuggets announced.
4:30pm: The Nuggets have claimed Ian Clark off of waivers, Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports reports (Twitter link). Clark was waived by the Jazz on Thursday in order for the team to ink Chris Johnson for the remainder of the season. The addition of Clark will raise the Nuggets’ roster count to 14 players.
Denver will have to pay the remainder of his $816,482 one-year veteran’s minimum salary once the move becomes official. That’ll amount to a small fraction of that number for the Nuggets, but the entire salary goes on the team’s cap figure. That helps the team move closer to the $56.759MM team salary floor without costing Denver more than a few weeks of pay on his minimum salary deal. The Nuggets have been carrying only about $54.1MM against the cap, so the move wouldn’t bring the team all the way to the floor, but even if Denver doesn’t make up the rest of the difference, the team wouldn’t have to distribute quite as much among its players as penalty for failing to meet the minimum payroll.
The Jazz are also under the cap, but not far enough that the subtraction of Clark from their team salary would bring them under salary floor. So, Utah simply benefits from not having to pay Clark for the final weeks of the season.
Clark’s contract is set to expire at season’s end. The waiver claim would give the Nuggets a chance to tender Clark a qualifying offer worth slightly more than $1.147MM, which would make him a restricted free agent, allowing the team to match any offer he receives this summer. In the short term, the 24-year-old would presumably be behind Randy Foye and Gary Harris on the team’s depth chart.
The guard appeared in 23 contests for the Jazz this season, averaging 1.9 points in 7.0 minutes per game. Clark has made seven appearances this season for the Idaho Stampede, Utah’s D-League affiliate, averaging 14.0 points, 2.3 rebounds, and 2.7 assists in 32.0 minutes per contest.
Chuck Myron contributed to this post.
2015/16 Salary Commitments: Timberwolves
With the NBA trade deadline passed, teams are focusing on locking down playoff spots or vying for a better chance in the draft lottery. Outside of the players who are added on 10-day deals, or those lucky enough to turn those auditions into long-term contracts, teams’ rosters are relatively set for the remainder of the season.
We at Hoops Rumors are in the process of taking a look ahead at each franchise’s salary cap situation heading into the summer, and the free agent frenzy that occurs every offseason. While the exact amount of the 2015/16 salary cap won’t be announced until July, the cap is projected to come in somewhere around $67.4MM, with the luxury tax threshold projected at approximately $81MM. This year’s $63.065MM cap represented an increase of 7.7% over 2013/14, which was well above the league’s projected annual increase of 4.5%.
We’ll continue onward by taking a look at the Wolves’ cap outlook for 2015/16…
Here are the players with guaranteed contracts:
- Anthony Bennett — $5,803,560
- Gorgui Dieng — $1,474,440
- Zach LaVine — $2,148,360
- Kevin Martin — $7,085,000
- Shabazz Muhammad — $2,056,920
- Adreian Payne — $1,938,840
- Nikola Pekovic — $12.1MM
- Ricky Rubio — $12.7MM
- Andrew Wiggins — $5,758,680
Here are the players with non-guaranteed contracts:
- Lorenzo Brown — $947,276
Players with options:
- Chase Budinger (Player Option) — $5MM
The Wolves’ Cap Summary for 2015/16:
- Guaranteed Salary: $51,065,800
- Options/Non-Guaranteed Salary: $5,947,276
- Total: $57,013,076
The Basketball Insiders salary pages were used in the creation of this post.
Week In Review 3/22/15-3/28/15
The Thunder’s playoff hopes took a major blow with the announcement that Kevin Durant would undergo surgery on his ailing right foot and miss the rest of the season. Durant played in just 27 games this season, the first time in his NBA career that he’s missed more than eight contests. The 26-year-old is expected to return to basketball activity in four to six months, OKC GM Sam Presti said in the official statement, a timeframe that should hopefully have Durant ready for the start of training camp in the fall. Here’s the rest of the week’s happenings…
Signings
- The Suns signed A.J. Price to a 10-day contract and released Seth Curry.
- Toure’ Murry inked a second 10-day pact with the Wizards.
- The Kings signed David Wear to a 10-day deal.
- Metta World Peace signed a contract with Italy’s Pallacanestro Cantù for the remainder of the season.
- The Pelicans signed Toney Douglas for the remainder of the season.
- Jack Cooley signed a multiyear deal with the Jazz.
- The Jazz waived Ian Clark and signed Chris Johnson to a multiyear deal of his own.
- The Hawks inked Austin Daye to a second 10-day contract.
- Earl Clark signed a 10-day deal with the Nets.
- The Wizards released Toure’ Murry and signed Will Bynum to a 10-day deal.
2015 NBA Draft News
- LSU sophomore power forward Jarell Martin will enter the 2015 NBA draft.
- Fellow LSU sophomore Jordan Mickey is also leaning toward entering the 2015 NBA draft.
- University of Florida junior shooting guard Michael Frazier has decided to enter this year’s NBA draft.
- There were conflicting reports regarding UNLV freshman shooting guard Rashad Vaughn‘s plans to enter the draft.
News/Rumors
- Free agent JaVale McGee relaxed his stance on requiring a player option for the 2015/16 season.
- Jose Calderon is likely done for the season after undergoing a procedure on his strained left Achilles tendon
- The Rockets are reportedly willing to give draft-and-stash point guard Sergio Llull a three-year deal worth a total of at least $17MM.
- Andrei Kirilenko plans to retire at the end of this season.
- The Wizards and the Nets are both interested in one-to-one affiliations with D-League teams.
- Bojan Dubljevic, whose rights are owned by the Timberwolves, will be with Valencia of the Euroleague for at least the next two seasons without the possibility of arranging a buyout.
- The Jazz officially acquired the Idaho Stampede, becoming the eighth NBA team to fully own and operate their own D-League franchise
- All of the week’s NBA D-League assignments and recalls can be found here.
- The Sixers and rookie Glenn Robinson III reportedly have mutual interest in working out a deal that would keep the player in Philadelphia beyond this season.
- The Mavericks have indicated that they have interest in re-signing Amar’e Stoudemire after the season.
- Chris Mullin is a candidate to take over for Steve Lavin, who was fired as coach of St. John’s University.
- The Rockets announced that Donatas Motiejunas will be restricted from basketball activities for one to two weeks because of back issues.
Central Notes: Mozgov, Prince, Bucks
Tayshaun Prince says that he has two or three more seasons left in him, and that he wouldn’t be opposed to returning to the Pistons next season, Vincent Ellis of The Detroit Free Press relays (Twitter links). The 35-year-old, who is earning $7,707,865 in the final year of his contract, says that his preference would be to play for a contending team. Detroit won’t likely fit that description next season. In 16 games for the Pistons this season, Prince is averaging 7.6 points and 4.3 rebounds in 25.4 minutes per night.
Here’s more from the Central Division:
- One of the turning points of the Cavaliers‘ season was the acquisition of center Timofey Mozgov, who has been stellar since arriving in Cleveland, Steve Aschburner of NBA.com writes. “I think since Mozgov came to the team we’re fifth in pick-and-roll defense, and it’s just because of his length, his size and him protecting the rim,” LeBron James said. “That’s huge for our team, having someone who can get down, guard pick-and-roll and can protect the rim. And also, at the other end, makes the opposing ‘5’ man respect him.“
- Kendrick Perkins believes that all of the drama regarding how well the Cavs‘ players get along has been overblown, Ken Berger of CBSSports.com writes. “What people don’t understand is that this is not a place that requires you to be best friends,” Perkins said. “I think sometimes people don’t realize that this is work for us. So when you go to work every day, that doesn’t mean your co-worker has to be your best friend. This is our job. You don’t have to be best friends to come out here and work together.”
- Bryan Toporek of BballBreakdown.com notes how poorly the trade for Michael Carter-Williams has worked out for the Bucks. The point guard’s shooting woes are stifling the team on the offensive end, Toporek opines. Since pulling the trigger on the deal Milwaukee has gone 6-13, and Carter-Williams has averaged 13.7 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 5.6 assists. The 23-year-old is shooting 39.3% from the field, and an anemic 11.1% from beyond the arc.
Hoops Rumors Originals 3/22/15-3/28/15
Here’s a look at the original analysis generated by the Hoops Rumors staff this past week…
- Chuck Myron looked at the maximum salaries for select 2015 free agents.
- Chris Crouse asked in a reader poll whether or not Draymond Green was worth a maximum salary contract. The majority of voters gave the thumbs down to that level of financial commitment to Green.
- Chuck chatted with Dan Woike of the Orange County Register, a reporter who covers the Clippers.
- I took a look at the salary commitments for the 2015/16 season for the Bucks, Heat, Pistons and the Pacers.
- Chuck looked at the rarity of team options.
- Will Joseph looked at the free agent stock of DeAndre Jordan.
- I also ran down the 2015/16 salary commitments for the Warriors, Grizzlies, Rockets, Clippers, and Lakers.
- Here’s how you can follow specific players on Hoops Rumors.
- Chuck looked at staggered deals for 10-day signees.
- The Phoenix Suns topped the list in teams with new players who have arrived since the start of the season.
- I answered reader questions in our weekly mailbag.
- Chuck asked in a reader poll if the Thunder needed to make roster upgrades in order to win an NBA title next season. The majority of you indicated that GM Sam Presti should indeed look to make some changes this offseason.
- If you missed out on this week’s chat, check out the transcript.
- Here are the important dates that NCAA underclassmen face.
- Play nice, everyone. Here’s a refresher on our commenting policy.
- Here’s how you can follow Hoops Rumors on Facebook, Twitter, and your RSS feed.
2015/16 Salary Commitments: Bucks
With the NBA trade deadline passed, teams are focusing on locking down playoff spots or vying for a better chance in the draft lottery. Outside of the players who are added on 10-day deals, or those lucky enough to turn those auditions into long-term contracts, teams’ rosters are relatively set for the remainder of the season.
We at Hoops Rumors are in the process of taking a look ahead at each franchise’s salary cap situation heading into the summer, and the free agent frenzy that occurs every offseason. While the exact amount of the 2015/16 salary cap won’t be announced until July, the cap is projected to come in somewhere around $67.4MM, with the luxury tax threshold projected at approximately $81MM. This year’s $63.065MM cap represented an increase of 7.7% over 2013/14, which was well above the league’s projected annual increase of 4.5%.
We’ll continue onward by taking a look at the Bucks’ cap outlook for 2015/16…
Here are the players with guaranteed contracts:
- Giannis Antetokounmpo — $1,953,960
- Jerryd Bayless — $3MM
- Michael Carter-Williams — $2,399,040
- Tyler Ennis — $1,662,360
- John Henson — $2,943,221
- Ersan Ilyasova — $7.9MM
- Damien Inglis — $855K
- O.J. Mayo — $8MM
- Johnny O’Bryant — $845,059
- Zaza Pachulia — $5.2MM
- Jabari Parker — $5,152,440
- Miles Plumlee — $2,109,294
- Larry Sanders (Stretch Provision) — $1,865,546
Here are the players with non-guaranteed contracts:
- None
Players with options:
- Jared Dudley (Early Termination Option) — $4,250,000
The Bucks’ Cap Summary for 2015/16:
- Guaranteed Salary: $43,885,920
- Options/Non-Guaranteed Salary: $4,250,000
- Total: $48,135,920
The Basketball Insiders salary pages were used in the creation of this post.
Hoops Rumors Weekly Mailbag 3/22/15-3/28/15
In addition to our weekly chat, which Chuck Myron facilitates every Wednesday, we have added a second opportunity for you to hit us up with your questions in this, our weekly mailbag feature. Have a question regarding player movement, the salary cap, or the NBA draft? Drop me a line at HoopsRumorsMailbag@Gmail.com or @EddieScarito on Twitter. Now for this week’s inquiries:
“Do you see DeAndre Jordan commanding a max salary in free agency?” — Phil B.
I can certainly see Jordan seeking a max deal, but I’m not sure that he gets one. He’s having a great season, but the league doesn’t revolve around centers the way that it used to. Jordan will certainly be in line for a raise from the $11.4MM he is making this season. I just can’t see him being worth a $17MM+ annual salary. $15MM per feels about the right ballpark for him, though even that is a risk given how poorly big men age in the NBA.
The big unknown involved here is how the 2016 salary cap increase will change teams’ approaches this summer. There may be a few more franchises that will be willing to go into the luxury tax in 2015/16, knowing that the cap will increase significantly the following year. Plus, if upper tier salaries are going to jump as much as some speculate, Jordan inking a max deal this summer could end up looking like a bargain in three years time.
“What are the chances that John Calipari ends up coaching the Knicks next season?” — Tim
I’ll go with slim-to-none on this one. I just don’t see Calipari and Phil Jackson working well together. Plus, Calipari would likely ask for some level of control over personnel moves as part of his contract. That’s a likely deal-breaker in New York right now. I also don’t see the team giving up on Derek Fisher after a single season unless there are some serious philosophical differences that pop up between the coach and the front office. Plus, if Calipari actually wants to leave Kentucky, he can do much better than the Knicks for an NBA gig. Flip Saunders may want to get off of the sidelines in Minnesota and Coach Cal has a bit of experience developing young talent…
“Will both Monta Ellis and Rajon Rondo be in Dallas’ starting backcourt next season?” — Randall J.
It’s not looking good right now for the two to re-team next season in Dallas. The team’s offense has been flowing better with Rondo on the bench — not a great sign when talking about a point guard. I was willing to give the two players the benefit of the doubt, but it’s looking more and more like Ellis and Rondo just aren’t compatible. Rondo’s clashes with coach Rick Carlisle aren’t a great incentive for Rondo to want to return either. So there’s all of that.
But the factor that is usually the true determining one in these situations is money. Rondo is likely to seek a maximum salary deal, which isn’t something he’s likely to be worth at this stage of his career. I don’t see the Mavs offering that level of financial commitment to retain Rondo. With the Knicks and Lakers both set to have cap space and tons of desperation this summer, Rondo could be one of the beneficiaries. I think Rondo leaves Dallas for more zeroes on his paycheck.
As for Ellis, he has a tougher decision to make. The veteran guard has a player option worth $8.72MM for next season. It’s not clear yet whether or not he’ll opt out and try to secure a long-term deal. The cap is set to jump in 2016, so opting in and hitting the market that summer may hold more appeal. Out of the two players, Ellis is the one who is more likely to be back.
“Does J.R. Smith opt out of his deal this summer? Do you see him staying in Cleveland long-term?” — Alex V.
A couple of months ago I would have been sure that Smith would opt in on his $6,399,750 player option for 2015/16. I’m not so certain any more. That’s what competing for a contending team will do for a player’s energy level and stat line. Smith has fit in rather well in Cleveland, so there’s that to consider. He could opt in and try to cash in when the cap jumps during the summer of 2016. That would be the safe play. But if Smith has a stellar playoffs and can control his antics, he could be looking at a number of long-term offers. I’d speculate that the Mavs would be interested in signing Smith if Ellis departs as a free agent. My guess is that barring a spectacular individual playoff run, Smith opts in or works out a long-term deal with the Cavs.
“Give me your mock draft for the top five picks (using the current standings as the draft order)” — Aaron
It’s still a bit early to make an accurate mock draft. Quite a few things can change during the pre-draft process. But now that I’ve blanketed myself in the warmth of a disclaimer I’ll answer the question. Using Hoops Rumors’ Reverse Standings to determine the draft order, here’s how I see the first five picks shaking out…
- Knicks — C Jahlil Okafor (Duke)
- Timberwolves — F Karl-Anthony Towns (Kentucky)
- Sixers — G Emmanuel Mudiay (China)
- Lakers — G D’Angelo Russell (Ohio State)
- Magic — F Kristaps Porzingis (Latvia)
That’s all the space I have for this week’s inquiries. Please keep all the submissions coming and I’ll be back next Saturday with more thoughts and opinions.
Atlantic Notes: D-League, Lopez, Noel
Despite the Nets’ reported attempts to trade Brook Lopez prior to the February deadline, the big man is keeping the team in the playoff hunt, Mike Mazzeo of ESPNNewYork.com writes. Over his past four games, Lopez is averaging 30.8 points, 9.0 rebounds and 3.5 blocks in 36.8 minutes while shooting 65.8% from the field. Lopez has a player option worth $16,744,218 for 2015/16, and while he may want to opt out and try to secure a long-term deal given his injury history, the center might be wise to wait until the salary cap increases in 2016 to test the free agent market, Mazzeo opines.
Here’s more from the Atlantic Division:
- The switch to the triangle offense has also been a difficult one for the Knicks‘ D-League affiliate, Marc Berman of The New York Post writes. Westchester owns the second-worst record of the 18 teams D-League teams with a mark of 10-35. There are also rumblings that coach Kevin Whitted hasn’t been on the same page as assistant Craig Hodges all season, a league source tells Berman. There’s speculation Hodges could be Westchester’s head coach next season, according to Berman’s source.
- Westchester has also failed to develop its younger players, Berman’s source relayed. That opinion also included that the team has filled out its roster with too many veterans. Knicks second-rounder Thanasis Antetokounmpo was not considered not ready to play for a woeful New York squad after a season in Westchester, Berman notes. In addition, prospect Orlando Sanchez left the squad recently because of financial reasons when told he wasn’t going to be signed to an NBA deal, according to Berman.
- Nerlens Noel has begun to prove that he can remain healthy and become a force for the Sixers, Scott Howard-Cooper of NBA.com writes. Coach Brett Brown has been particularly impressed with how well the 216 pound rookie has held up this season, Howard-Cooper adds. “He’s 216 pounds and an NBA center right now,” Brown said of Noel. “We’re trying to play him as a four or a five. The fact that he’s got through it with no knee problem and only missed four games, one because of another injury and a few because of sickness, to only miss four games as a rookie, that is a hell of an effort. To take it further and zoom in on the knee, I just feel like he is heading in the right direction on all levels.”
And-Ones: Pistons, World Peace, Calderon
There’s a chance that soon-to-be free agents Kyle Singler and Jonas Jerebko return to Detroit this summer, but it’s unlikely either winds up back with the Pistons, who traded them both away at the deadline, MLive’s David Mayo argues in his weekly mailbag. Mayo also figures Tayshaun Prince will leave in free agency while the team retains Anthony Tolliver on his partially guaranteed contract next season.
Here’s more from around the league:
- Metta World Peace, 35, says that he won’t quit playing professionally until he’s 40 years old, Daniella Matar of NBA.com writes. The veteran recently inked a deal with Italy’s Pallacanestro Cantù for the remainder of the season. ”I always wanted to play in Europe for a long time,” World Peace said. ”They move the ball and they move bodies, and that’s what I like doing. I’m looking forward to playing team basketball and being smart as well as scoring. I can score but I’m excited about team basketball.”
- With the season winding down a number of coaches could soon find themselves out of work. Kevin Arnovitz of ESPN.com runs down six top prospects who could be hired as replacements. Arnovitz’s list includes Celtics assistant Jay Larranaga, Arizona coach Sean Miller, and Spurs assistant Ime Udoka.
- Knicks guard Jose Calderon is expected to be in a walking boot for another 10 days, Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com tweets. Calderon still hopes to return to action this season, but he admitted that scenario was unlikely, Begley adds. The 33-year-old averaged 9.1 points and 4.7 assists while shooting a career-low 41.5% from the field for New York this season.
- The Rockets announced that Donatas Motiejunas will be restricted from basketball activities for one to two weeks, and he’ll be reevaluated at that time. The forward is suffering from lower back issues. In 71 games this season, including 62 starts, the seven-footer is averaging 12.0 PPG, 5.9 RPG, and 1.8 APG in 28.7 minutes per contest.
Chuck Myron contributed to this post.