NBA Salary Rankings By Position
Hoops Rumors took the time to run down all of the salary cap hits for the 2014/15 and 2015/16 campaigns for each of the five positions on the hardwood. All told, NBA teams are on the hook for a total of $2,026,765,359 in cap hits this season, not counting 10-day contract amounts. This works out to an average salary of $4,575,091 for the players around the league this season. For the 2015/16 season, teams have already committed to $1,664,932,831 in cap hits, for an average player salary of $5,801,160. However, it should be noted that the list and rankings for next season will change greatly depending on how the free agent market develops this summer. These figures prove without a doubt that being a professional basketball player is great work to have if you can earn a roster spot.
I also should add that teams won’t necessarily pay out every dollar listed here. There are quite a few players who have non-guaranteed or partially guaranteed contracts. Some of those players will be sweating it out until the January 2016 contract guarantee deadline. That’s when teams must waive players with no specific guarantee date written into their contracts to avoid having to guarantee their salaries for the rest of that season.
Most salaries align with cap hits, but that’s not the case for players like Jeremy Lin, who’s receiving close to $15MM from the Lakers during the 2014/15 season even though his cap hit is little more than half that amount, because of the deal he signed through the Gilbert Arenas Provision. In addition, incentive clauses that a player either triggers or fails to meet can leave a player with more or less money than his cap hit reflects. Still, the purpose of this list is to show the relative pay scale by position, which is why all contracts are included in this post.
Here are the links to each season’s rankings separated by position:
Note: Players were classified by their positions listed on the official rosters for each team.
2014/15 Season
2015/16 Season
The Basketball Insiders Salary Pages were used in the creation of these posts.
Kelly Olynyk Expected To Miss A Month
Celtics big man Kelly Olynyk is expected to miss at least a month of action, A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com reports. Olynyk sprained his ankle during the fourth quarter of Boston’s 90-89 win over the Trail Blazers on Thursday night. The 23-year-old will undergo further testing this weekend to determine the exact extent of his injury, Steve Bulpett of The Boston Herald reports (Twitter link). The Celtics currently have the league maximum of 15 players in their roster, which includes Andre Dawkins, who inked a 10-day contract with the team today. Boston would need to release or trade a player if it wishes to add more frontcourt depth.
“He’s unlikely to be available until potential right at or after the All-Star break,” Celtics coach Brad Stevens said of Olynyk. “I think it’s a sprained ankle. The MRI will tell us more but he got it pretty good. It wasn’t just a twist.” Stevens also confirmed that the center has returned to Boston for further medical attention and testing, Blakely notes.
Olynyk has appeared in 40 games for the Celtics this season, including 13 as a starter. In 24.5 minutes per of action per night he is averaging 11.1 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 1.7 assists. Olynyk’s career averages since being selected with the No. 13 pick in the 2013 NBA draft are 9.6 PPG, 5.3 RPG, and 1.6 APG. His career slash line is .482/.352/.757.
Trade Candidate: Jose Calderon
The Knicks believed that they had solved a number of their issues with one trade this past summer. That’s when newly appointed team president Phil Jackson dealt Tyson Chandler and Raymond Felton to the Mavericks for Jose Calderon, Samuel Dalembert, Shane Larkin, Wayne Ellington, and two 2014 second round draft picks. But as was stated in a proverb that the poet Robert Burns first wrote and that John Steinbeck later made popular, the best laid schemes of mice and men often go awry.
New York’s Achilles’ heel during the 2013/14 campaign was its point guard play, or to be specific, a complete lack of production from the group it threw out on the floor to facilitate the offense. The Knicks as a team averaged a meager 20.0 assists per game, which was good for the third lowest total in the league. Felton was one of the worst starting point guards in the league statistically, and his off the court issues involving the possession of a handgun certainly didn’t help raise his stock around the league and with the team.
With Jackson needing to live up to whatever promises that he may have made to Carmelo Anthony in order to get him to re-sign with the Knicks, the Zen Master must have figured adding a more competent ball distributor in Calderon was a good place to begin. While I was certainly a fan of the team cutting ties with Felton, I will point out that he actually had a higher assist per game average during the 2013/14 campaign (5.7) than Calderon did (4.7) with the Mavs that same season.
But Calderon was also brought in to help spread the floor with his outside shooting, something that Felton didn’t provide for the Knicks. Also, with the team switching to the triangle offense, the change in scheme was supposed to remove part of the need for a point guard to rack up gaudy assist totals in order to be successful. The Spaniard is also known as a good teammate, and was looked at as a player who could help provide veteran leadership, something that the Knicks sorely missed with the retirement of Jason Kidd and the departure of Kenyon Martin.
Unfortunately for the Knicks and their fans, Calderon has not produced at the level that the team had hoped for when it acquired him. In 30 appearances this season, Calderon has averaged 9.3 points, his lowest total since the 2006/07 season, a career-low 4.3 assists, and he’s shooting a career-worst 39.9% from the field. He has looked a step slow on both ends of the court, and it’s unclear if age is finally catching up with him, if Calderon’s apathetic due to New York’s lost season, or if he’s still hampered by the calf injury that he suffered during the preseason.
With the Knicks seemingly in full on tank-mode for the remainder of the season, a veteran point guard like Calderon is an expendable piece. Jackson would probably love to clear the remaining two years on Calderon’s contract off of the team’s books to provide the franchise with additional flexibility. New York has been reported to be actively shopping Calderon along with some of the other remaining veterans on its squad. The Spaniard is making $7,097,191 this season, due to make $7,402,812 in 2015/16, and owed $7,708,427 for 2016/17. Those numbers don’t necessarily make Calderon untradeable, but the trick for Jackson will be finding a deal for players with expiring contracts so that he can maximize New York’s cap space to pursue free agents over the next two summers.
Despite Calderon’s lack of production this season and not quite desirable contract, there still should be a market for his services, though it is highly unlikely that he would bring the Knicks much of a return on his own. Unless Calderon is packaged with other players and draft picks, any deal would become more of a salary dump than a franchise changing transaction. But dealing players in return for little more than future cap space is something that seems to fit with the current Knicks philosophy, so there shouldn’t be an issue there.
While no teams have been specifically reported to be interested in acquiring Calderon, here are a few franchises that could be potential fits for a deal. It should be noted that these are purely my speculation, and not based off of any published reports:
- Oklahoma City: The Thunder could use a veteran like Calderon to add backcourt depth, especially with the team’s injury history. The acquisition of Dion Waiters, who can play the point if required to, lessens the Thunder’s need at this position. But if OKC decides that it has little chance or desire to re-sign Reggie Jackson, then GM Sam Presti could decide to unload him, though the Knicks probably don’t have enough in addition to Calderon to offer for a talent such as Jackson to close a deal without getting a third team involved.
- Chicago: The Bulls appear to be set for the moment at point guard, with Derrick Rose working his way back into form, and Aaron Brooks providing solid production as a backup. But these are the Bulls, who are seemingly always dealing with injuries, especially late in the season. Calderon would provide extra insurance in the event of another injury to Rose or Kirk Hinrich, but fitting his salary in would be quite a challenge.
- Boston: The Celtics have reportedly let teams know that they would be willing to take on cap-eating contracts, and they could use more depth at point guard in the wake of the Rajon Rondo trade. This would make Boston a logical trade partner, but the Knicks lack the draft picks that the Celtics would likely require in order to take on a contract such as Calderon’s. But if president of basketball operations Danny Ainge decides that rookie Marcus Smart isn’t ready to lead the team, a trade for Calderon could become a very real possibility.
- Philadelphia: The Sixers have become the salary cap dumping ground for the league, and with the team not sold on the long-term viability of Michael Carter-Williams, Calderon would seem like a potential fit. Couple that with Tony Wroten‘s injury, and it’s clear that the Sixers have a definite need at the one spot. But with Philly GM Sam Hinkie determined to collect every second round draft pick between now and 2020, the Knicks would have an issue scratching that itch for the Sixers. It’s possible that Jackson could flip Pablo Prigioni for a second-rounder, as he is reportedly seeking to do. But it’s not clear if that would be enough to get Hinkie to bite on two more seasons of being committed to Calderon.
- Cleveland: The Cavaliers have a definite need for a stronger backup at the point. Matthew Dellavedova is a nice player, but if Kyrie Irving is injured, Dellavedova’s not likely to inspire confidence in a deep playoff run as a starter. Cleveland may not be too keen on taking on the final two years of Calderon’s deal, but with the franchise in win-now mode, it’s a deal it would likely consider pulling the trigger on.
- Miami: The Heat would be a longshot here, but the team has a definite need for an upgrade at the point guard spot. Miami is in an odd position, with the team needing to rebuild after LeBron James‘ departure while having a veteran-laden roster. Calderon could step right in and provide an immediate upgrade, but the length of his deal could scare the team off from pursuing a trade with the Knicks.
- Los Angeles Lakers: The Lakers could absolutely use a player like Calderon, and would be able to deal the expiring contract of Steve Nash as part of a package to obtain him. Los Angeles is still likely entertaining thoughts of inking Rondo this offseason, though that is far from a done deal, especially since Rondo appears to be settling in nicely in Dallas. With Kobe Bryant in the waning years of his career, Calderon could be seen by GM Mitch Kupchak as a player who could bolster the roster and allow him to concentrate on adding much needed frontcourt talent this offseason.
While Calderon’s trade value has taken a definite hit since the beginning of the season, he’s a player who still could help a number of teams. I also believe that a change of scenery, and the chance at playing for a playoff team, could revitalize his play. Calderon is one of the Knicks’ most tradeable of assets currently, though his contract length will be a hurdle that Jackson will need to overcome in order to remove Calderon from the team’s balance sheet. The veteran point guard is likely to be the subject of numerous rumors leading up to the deadline, and if he still remains a Knick beyond that date, it’s because Jackson couldn’t find a taker, and not because he was unwilling to part with Calderon.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Flip Saunders On Wiggins, Muhammad, Dieng
Flip Saunders, the Timberwolves’ president of basketball operations and coach, sat down for an interview with Britt Robson of MinnPost.com to discuss the state of the team and the progress of some of its younger players this season. The entire interview is worth a read, and here are some of the highlights…
On the development of rookie Andrew Wiggins:
“When we made the [Kevin Love] trade, there is no question that we switched somewhat, although we thought if we kept Ricky [Rubio] together with those guys we could be a blended team [of veterans and young players]. So based on where we were, and where everyone thought Wiggins was — coming out of college in Kansas people thought he was inconsistent and that you didn’t know what you were going to get out of him — I think over the last month or six weeks we are way ahead of where I thought we would be. Andrew wants to be good and will accept criticism. He has gotten to the point now where he knows when he is making a mistake. That is the difference between him and Zach LaVine at times. Zach still doesn’t know at times that he is making a mistake when he makes mistakes.
On which kind of role he envisions for Wiggins in the future:
“We want him to be like LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, and Scottie Pippen. Because they are all two-way players. A lot of those guys were their team’s best offensive player but also their team’s best defensive player. And their tenacity, the team goes through it. Wiggins is in a much more difficult situation than what Kevin Garnett had here [as a younger player]. Because Garnett had some vets that were going to be there for awhile and really locked in and we just don’t have the same type of guys. So we never asked KG to carry us offensively [early in his career]. We have had to ask that of Wiggins. My biggest thing, the one thing KG could always do, he could always create shots at the end of games — that’s tough when you are a power forward. Wiggins will be able to create shots for himself or for somebody else and be able to do that off the bounce.”
On what other players have been bright spots this season:
“Shabazz Muhammad. There is no question that Muhammad — Wig probably misses him a little bit now, because with those two guys in there you are always creating some type of mismatch. There will have to be a smaller guy on one of them. But if you look at where Muhammad was at a year ago compared to where he is now, he is one of the top five guys [in the league] in terms of most-improved player. Then there is the development of Gorgui Dieng. He has proven he is a solid guy and one of the top young big players in the league. And Zach [LaVine] is a lot better now than he was the first week of the season and through training camp.”
On if the team would seek to bolster its guard positions:
“I’ll put it this way: If we can get backcourt help that is someone we feel could be in a long-term situation with us, we would do that.“
Pacific Notes: Bryant, Suns, Farmar
The results of an MRI exam performed earlier today showed that Lakers icon Kobe Bryant has suffered a torn rotator cuff in his right shoulder, the team has announced. Bryant will return to Los Angeles to be examined by team doctors on Friday, and an update will be given on his condition at that time. This marks the third season in a row that Bryant has suffered a significant injury.
Here’s more from the Pacific Division:
- Bryant didn’t appear too worried about his latest malady after Wednesday night’s game, the contest during which the injury had occurred, Baxter Holmes of ESPNLosAngeles.com writes. “I’ve played on a torn labrum before,” Bryant said. “I’m not too concerned about it.” Prior to receiving the MRI results, coach Byron Scott had stated that Bryant could potentially continue to play this season in spot duty and on a minutes limit, Holmes notes.
- The Suns have assigned Tyler Ennis and T.J. Warren to the Bakersfield Jam, their D-League affiliate, the team has announced. This will be the third trek to the D-League of the season for both players.
- Jordan Farmar relinquished $949,998 in his buyout deal with the Clippers, reports Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders (Twitter link). He’ll draw nearly $1.765MM of his $2.077MM salary this season, and the rest of his buyout fee is deducted from the more than $2.17MM he would have made if he’d exercised his player option for next season. The team used the stretch provision on Farmar’s remaining salary for next season, so it’ll be spread in equal amounts of about $511K each season from 2015/16 through 2017/18, as Pincus shows on the Basketball Insiders salary page for the Clips.
Chuck Myron contributed to this post.
And-Ones: Rondo, Karl, Allen, Turner
George Karl still wants to return to coaching in the NBA, and he had thought that the opportunity to do so presented itself when the Kings fired Michael Malone, Sam Amick of USA Today writes. But Sacramento promoted assistant coach Tyrone Corbin for the remainder of the season instead. “There’s obviously been communication,” Karl said. “But have they ever talked to me about being the head coach? We’ve talked around it, but we’ve probably never talked about that situation. Do I feel I’m on their list? Yes, but I think they made it very clear when they made the decision to give Corbin the opportunity to coach that that was what they were going to do.” Karl is indeed likely to be among the candidates for the Kings head coaching position, unless the team performs unexpectedly well under Corbin, according to Amick, who also notes that Warriors assistant Alvin Gentry is also expected to be a candidate. Sacramento has discussed Mark Jackson‘s potential candidacy internally, but he appears to have a minimal shot at landing the job, Amick writes
Here’s more from around the league:
- Though the Mavs are said to be the favorites to re-sign Rajon Rondo when he becomes an unrestricted free agent this summer, Kobe Bryant hasn’t given up on recruiting Rondo to come and join the Lakers, Steve Bulpett of The Boston Herald writes. “No way,” Bryant said. “I’m not done. I’m not stopping until he signs an extension.”
- With the Celtics now fully in rebuilding mode, veteran swingman Evan Turner said that Boston’s situation is markedly different from what he experienced as a member of the Sixers last season, Bulpett adds in the same article. “This isn’t anything like it was with the Sixers,” Turner said. “They traded everybody, and on top of that they’d just go and get new players every 10 days. So this is sweet compared to that. When we make trades this year and get new players, I’ve actually heard of them. In Philly, they’d bring somebody in, and you just never heard of the person in your life. They’d introduce me to them, and I’d just go about my business. This is kind of typical. I can deal with these type of trades. The other stuff was crazy. I guess this is new to a lot of guys here, but this is small compared to what I was going through last year.”
- Ray Allen has been leaning toward retiring instead of returning to action this season, but the veteran sharpshooter is hinting that he may have changed his thinking regarding suiting up to play, Dave Brousseau of The South Florida Sun Sentinel writes.
Western Notes: Holiday, Aldridge, Goodwin
Pelicans guard Jrue Holiday is expected to miss two to four weeks of action after tests revealed that he has developed a stress reaction in his lower right leg, the team has announced. The injury is in the same leg that required surgery during the 2013/14 campaign. In 37 appearances this season, Holiday is averaging 15.2 points, 3.5 rebounds and 7.1 assists in 33.7 minutes per game.
Here’s more from the Western Conference:
- Josh Davis, who was in training camp this season with the Spurs, is leaving the D-League to sign a contract with the Meralco Bolts in the Philippines, Shams Charania of RealGM reports (Twitter link). Davis has appeared in 22 games for Austin, San Antonio’s D-League affiliate, averaging 13.8 points, 10.6 rebounds, and 2.1 assists in 34.0 minutes per contest.
- The Suns have informed inquiring teams that Archie Goodwin is a big part of the franchise’s future, Charania writes in a separate article. Goodwin’s comments about being frustrated with his playing time were taken out of context, according to his agent, Charles Briscoe, Charania notes. “Archie doesn’t want out of Phoenix,” Briscoe said. “His words have been twisted in a recent article: We’re willing to wait for Archie’s opportunity. Any player in the NBA wants to play immediately, but we understand that Phoenix is in a playoff push. If we have to wait for next year, we’re OK with that. We know he will get his opportunity, and he’ll be ready.”
- A number of league executives have brought up the possibility that LaMarcus Aldridge could sign with the Spurs this summer, something that Dan McCarney of The San Antonio Express-News thinks is highly unlikely to occur. Either Tim Duncan or Manu Ginobili would need to retire for San Antonio to free up enough cap space to sign Aldridge, and neither player is a safe bet to stop playing, McCarney notes.. Aldridge would also have to sacrifice roughly $30MM in salary to leave the Blazers, which is also improbable, McCarney adds.
- The Clippers have recalled C.J. Wilcox from the Fort Wayne Mad Ants of the NBA D-League, the Mad Ants have announced. Wilcox has appeared in five games for Fort Wayne this season, averaging 13.2 points and 3.4 rebounds per contest.
Eastern Notes: Alexander, Seraphin, Harris
Joe Alexander has been labeled as a bust after lasting just two seasons in the league following his selection by the Bucks with the No. 8 overall pick in the 2008 NBA draft, something that doesn’t sit too well with the player, David Pick of Basketball Insiders writes. “I don’t think there is a hard definition of what a ‘draft bust’ is,” Alexander told Pick. “Ultimately not being in the NBA is on me, but as far as ‘who is a bust?’ you have to look at Milwaukee and the management that drafted me. If you want to label anyone with the term ‘bust’ — it’s the Bucks. When Milwaukee drafted me, I was touted as a ‘project’ and someone with a lot of potential who could contribute had I learned to play the game. That’s what the Bucks told me. I needed time. I didn’t start playing basketball until I was 16 years old, but I was the most athletic guy in the entire draft. The Bucks knew that. Everyone understood this. I could’ve been drafted by any other team in the league and they would’ve given me time to develop.”
While injuries definitely affected Alexander’s NBA career, he firmly believes that he was also the victim of a dysfunctional regime in Milwaukee, Pick adds. “I had a normal, mediocre NBA rookie season,” Alexander said. “If you look at my per-36 numbers, I was on par with every player in the draft except for Derrick Rose. There are players in the league who a few years ago played spotty minutes and made mistakes, but were able to learn from them. That’s an opportunity I wasn’t given in Milwaukee.”
Here’s more from the East:
- Kevin Seraphin is set to become an unrestricted free agent this summer, but the big man would like to re-sign with the Wizards, Lang Greene of Basketball Insiders writes. “I’ve been here for five years,” Seraphin said. “For sure. For sure I’d like to be here long term, a very long time. Especially now that our team is good. Why wouldn’t I want to be here?”
- Sixers coach Brett Brown hasn’t completely ruled out injured rookie Joel Embiid playing this season, Tom Moore of Calkins Media tweets. But Brown did add that there would be no chance of Embiid returning to the court prior to the All-Star break, Moore adds.
- The Cavaliers have recalled Joe Harris from the Canton Charge, their D-League affiliate, the team has announced. This was Harris’ first trip of the year to Canton.
Knicks Notes: Smith, Prigioni, Galloway
Carmelo Anthony believes that the trade that sent J.R. Smith to the Cavaliers was the best thing that could have happened to the former Knicks guard, Marc Berman of The New York Post writes. “I’ve seen him play a couple of games,’’ Anthony said. “He’s playing well. I know the type of game he has and what he can do. He looks comfortable out there, looks like he’s settling in very well. I’m actually happy for him — a change of environment for him, a new thought process, new mindset mentally. It looks like he has some clarity right now. I believe LeBron [James] will help him make that adjustment that much better.’’
Here’s more out of the Big Apple:
- ‘Melo didn’t necessarily dispute Smith’s parting statement that the Knicks’ players were “walking on eggshells” under the franchise’s new regime, Berman adds. “I don’t know exactly what he meant by that,’’ Anthony said. “I’ve heard him say that before in conversations we’ve had. Anytime something is new, trying to incorporate something, everybody’s trying to do the right things, so it can be a tense situation where you can feel like walking on eggshells. Because you don’t want to do the wrong thing. You want to impress the coaches, want to impress the front office, impress your teammates. If that’s what he’s coming from that standpoint, I agree with it.’’
- With 10-day signee Langston Galloway continuing to impress, Pablo Prigioni has seen his playing time wither, but that doesn’t necessarily mean the veteran is done with the team, Berman adds. “I don’t think it’s where we are in the season,’’ coach Derek Fisher said. “It’s just continuing to find ways to help the team be successful. Sometimes that means personnel changes and adjustments. It’s the way it’s working right now. It doesn’t mean it will stay that way. It’s just the way the last couple of games have worked. If I feel it’s something that can stay that way for a while, I’d try to pull them to the side and let them know it’s the direction we’re going.” The Knicks are reportedly looking to deal Prigioni for a second round draft pick.
- Clarence Gaines Jr., team president Phil Jackson‘s top adviser, deserves much of the credit for bringing Galloway to New York, Berman writes in a separate article. Gaines first noticed Galloway during a pre-draft camp last spring, and he believed the undrafted rookie fit the profile of the type of player whom Jackson sought, Berman adds.
D-League Notes: Anderson, Harris, Green
The D-League is becoming an integral part of the NBA’s process of developing younger players, as well as a source for locating hidden gems to bolster rosters during the course of the season. You can easily stay on top of which players are coming and going from the D-League all season by checking out our 2014/15 D-League Assignments, Recalls tracker, which is updated daily. You can also find this page anytime on the right sidebar under “Hoops Rumors Features.”
Here are the latest D-League moves:
- With Iman Shumpert set to return from his shoulder injury and expected make his Cavs debut this week, Cleveland has assigned Joe Harris to its D-League affiliate, the Canton Charge, the team has announced. This will be Harris’ first stint of the season in the D-League.
- The Nuggets have assigned Erick Green to the Fort Wayne Mad Ants, the team has announced. Green becomes the first player of the season assigned by Denver to the D-League.
- The Spurs have assigned Kyle Anderson to the Austin Spurs, their D-League affiliate, the team announced. This will be Anderson’s second trek of the season to Austin, where he logged 18 points, 11 rebounds, and 6 assists in 41 minutes of action in his only D-League appearance.
- The Grizzlies have re-assigned Jordan Adams, Russ Smith, and Jarnell Stokes to the Iowa Energy, the team has announced. This will be each player’s fourth D-League sojourn of the season.
- John Jenkins was recalled from the Idaho Stampede, the Jazz‘s D-League affiliate, the Hawks have announced. The third-year shooting guard wound up with Idaho via the new rules that allow the Hawks and the dozen other NBA teams that share the Fort Wayne Mad Ants as their D-League affiliate to assign players to other affiliates if the Mad Ants are out of room. In 11 D-League games this season, Jenkins is averaging 18.0 points, 3.7 rebounds and 1.5 assists in 28.4 minutes.