And-Ones: Hornets, Celtics, D-League
The contracts of Alonzo Gee (Nuggets) and James Ennis (Heat) both became fully guaranteed today, and a partial guarantee of $250K has kicked in for Dewayne Dedmon (Magic), since both Dedmon and Ennis were on their teams’ respective rosters come opening night, and Gee was still on his team’s roster past October 29th, as is shown on our schedule of contract guarantee dates.
Here’s more from around the league:
- The Celtics look to improve upon their 25-win season of a year ago, and began their quest at home tonight with a 121-105 victory over the Nets. In his season preview, A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com believes Boston’s outlook has improved, and Rajon Rondo will have a strong season as he looks to silence his doubters and maximize his value heading into next summer.
- In a separate article, Blakely looks at the top five players who changed teams and donned new uniforms this summer. Blakely also examined the five best rookies making their debuts this season, including Elfrid Payton, Jabari Parker, and Marcus Smart.
- Hornets owner Michael Jordan believes that the addition of Lance Stephenson gives his team a legitimate shot to contend in the Eastern Conference, the Associated Press reports. Jordan especially likes Stephenson’s “fight,” saying, “One of the reasons why I admire his game is he takes on challenges. For us to get any place in the East, we need someone to challenge LeBron. He challenged LeBron.”
- Former Sixers coach Larry Brown slammed the organization’s rebuilding through “tanking” plan, John N. Mitchell of The Philadelphia Inquirer writes. “I hate what’s going on in Philly,” Brown said. “They don’t have a basketball person in the organization. It makes me sick to my stomach.”
- Malcolm Turner of Wasserman Media Group has been hired as the president of the NBA D-League, Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports reports (Twitter link).
- Roger Mason has been hired as the NBPA’s director of player relations, Howard Beck of Bleacher Report tweets. It is unclear if accepting this position would prevent Mason from continuing his playing career. The 34-year-old Mason made 25 appearances for the Heat last season, averaging 3.0 PPG in 10.4 minutes-per-game.
Celtics Pick Up 2015/16 Options For Three
OCTOBER 29TH, 9:21pm: Boston has officially exercised the options for all three players, the team announced.
OCTOBER 22ND, 6:00pm: The Celtics will exercise their team options to keep Tyler Zeller, Jared Sullinger and Kelly Olynyk on their rookie scale contracts through 2015/16, A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com reports (Twitter link). These moves have been widely expected, as Blakely suggests. Zeller’s $2,616,975 salary for that season is the most expensive of the group. Sullinger is set to make $2,269,260, and Olynyk will collect $2,165,160, as our Rookie Scale Team Option Tracker shows.
Picking up these options increases Boston’s guaranteed salary commitments to approximately $33.5MM for the 2015/16 campaign, with Jeff Green also holding a player option for $9.2MM, which he is likely to exercise. Also not factored into that cap figure is Rajon Rondo, who becomes a free agent next summer, and it’s unclear as to whether the Celtics will attempt to re-sign him or deal him prior to the trade deadline. Rondo currently makes approximately $12.9MM, and will most likely seek an increase on that amount in his next contract.
Zeller was selected with the 17th overall pick by Dallas back in 2012 before being dealt to the Cavaliers. During his two years in Cleveland, Zeller averaged 6.9 PPG and 4.9 RPG while logging 21 minutes per night. He was acquired by Boston on July 10th of this year in a three-way deal involving the Celtics, Cavs, and Nets.
The 7’0″ Olynyk was chosen with the No. 13 overall pick in the 2013 draft, also by Dallas, but his draft rights were traded that night to the Celtics for Lucas Nogueira and two second-rounders. During his rookie campaign last season, Olynyk appeared in 70 contests, including nine starts, averaging 8.7 PPG and 5.2 RPG. After a strong training camp Olynyk is expected to be a major offensive contributor on a rebuilding Celtics squad.
Sullinger was drafted by Boston with the 21st overall pick in the 2012 NBA draft. The 6’9″ big man out of Ohio State has been held back by injuries in his young career, but appears to be healthy entering his third year in league. His career numbers are 10.5 PPG and 7.3 RPG, and his career slash line is .440/.268/.771.
Central Notes: Gasol, Cavs, James
Pau Gasol thought the Bulls were the best overall situation for him when choosing his free agent destination this summer, Zach Braziller of The New York Post writes. The veteran did give the Knicks some consideration before making his decision, saying, “I considered them just because of different factors, mainly Phil [Jackson] and Derek [Fisher] being involved, the Knicks being a great organization as wel. It would’ve been interesting, but I thought there were better situations for me.”
Gasol also added that it was possible that his brother Marc Gasol could end up in New York when he becomes a free agent, notes Braziller. “We’ll see what happens next year what he decides and hopefully he’ll have a strong year and all the options in the world because he’s one of the top centers, interior players in the league, so any team would be fortunate to have him,” Gasol said. “It’s a personal decision. I talked to my brother enough about Phil that he knows what he brings to the table.”
Here’s more from the Central Division:
- The Bulls hold no ill will toward Carmelo Anthony for spurning them in free agency this past summer, Braziller writes in a separate article. “He made his decision, and like I said at the time, of course who wouldn’t want to play with a talent like that,” Derrick Rose said. “But he came back [to the Knicks]. You can’t get mad at him.” Chicago is perfectly happy with their roster as currently constituted and believe they have the depth to contend in the east, Braziller writes.
- Even when things appeared to be at their worst Cavs, owner Dan Gilbert never believed his relationship with LeBron James was irreparable, Jason Lloyd of The Akron Beacon Journal writes. “Unless you’re really doing some significant harm to another human being, I don’t think the bridge is ever burned,” Gilbert said. “We had a night where emotions were flying high on all sides. Things like that happen a lot in business where people have phone calls and heated exchanges and people are writing each other emails and letters, and then the next day they’re eating lunch and doing business. It’s not a be-all or end-all type thing.”
- Veteran guard Mike James will be joining the Texas Legends of the NBA D-League in an effort to showcase himself for NBA teams, Marc Stein of ESPN.com reports (Twitter link). James appeared in 11 games for the Bulls last season, and his career numbers are 9.9 PPG, 2.2 RPG, and 3.5 APG.
Lakers Notes: Randle, Bryant, Roster
The Lakers have already suffered some significant blows to their roster with both Steve Nash and Julius Randle being lost for the season with injuries. Even if the franchise is approved for Disabled Player Exceptions, they will still have two of their maximum 15 roster spots occupied by injured personnel. If Los Angeles loses another player to injury the team could apply for a temporary hardship increase that would allow the franchise to carry up to 16 players, Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders notes (Twitter links). This scenario could help the team maintain its depth in the wake of another player loss, but once one of the injured players was able to return to action, the 15 player max would resume, Pincus notes.
Here’s more from Los Angeles:
- The only bright side to the Lakers losing Randle for the season is that the team will be in contention for a top-five lottery pick next summer, J.A. Adande of ESPN.com opines. Los Angeles’ 2015 first-rounder is owed to the Suns but is protected for picks one-through-five, notes Adande.
- The Lakers should take a page out of the Sixers’ playbook and try to hit bottom this season, Chad Ford of ESPN.com (Insider subscription required) writes. This includes trying to convince Kobe Bryant to waive his no trade clause and dealing the future Hall-of Famer, Ford opines. Ford lists the Knicks, Nets, Mavs, and Hornets as teams that would potentially be interested in obtaining Bryant.
- The loss of Randle will hurt the Lakers much more than losing Nash, Yannis Koutroupis of Basketball Insiders opines. Los Angeles wasn’t expecting much from Nash, and had Jeremy Lin and Ronnie Price on board to make up for any time that Nash would have missed. With Randle, this season was important for his development, and the team was planning to run a large portion of their offense through him, Koutroupis notes.
- The Lakers and Bryant have faced criticism for the two year, $48.5MM contract extension he signed back in 2013. Hornets owner and former NBA great Michael Jordan defended Bryant for inking the pact, DeAntae Prince of The Sporting News writes. “Can I criticize him for maximizing his opportunity from a financial standpoint? No,” Jordan said. “Does his decision have an effect on how the team will structure certain things? Maybe.”
Dates That Teams Can Trade Offseason Signees
The focus around the league will shift from free agency to trades after the regular season begins Tuesday, but several restrictions in the collective bargaining agreement figure to keep most swaps from taking place until several more weeks have passed. NBA teams are generally unable to trade any player they sign for three months after he puts his signature on the dotted line, or December 15th of the following season, whichever is later.
This rule doesn’t apply to draft picks, as they can be traded just 30 days later, even if the signing were to occur after the season had already begun, or years down the line, which happens in the case of draft-and-stash players. Sign-and-trades are a bit different, as the initial trade is allowed, but the 90-day restriction holds for the purposes of any subsequent deals.
There is also a restriction on making a trade that aggregates the salary of a player who was acquired via trade within the last two months. Those players may be traded by themselves or in a package in which their salaries aren’t aggregated, however. For example, the Wolves acquired Andrew Wiggins and Anthony Bennett in the deal that sent Kevin Love to Cleveland, and their salaries were aggregated in that trade for matching purposes. Neither Wiggins nor Bennett would have been eligible for inclusion in another trade that aggregated their salaries until October 23rd, two months after the Love trade became official.
Another notable circumstance that restricts when a player can be traded is if a player is claimed off waivers. If a player is claimed during the season, the claiming team cannot trade him for a period of 30 days. If the waiver claim was made in the offseason, then the claiming team could not trade that player until the 30th day of the following regular season. Examples of this would be Kendall Marshall of the Bucks and Willie Green of the Magic. Neither team can deal them until November 26th. Players claimed off amnesty waivers can’t be traded until the following July, a rule that applies to only Carlos Boozer this year.
Tony Parker and Zach Randolph are the only players who fall under the rule against trading players who sign veteran extensions. Their teams can’t trade them for six months from the day they sign their extensions if their new deals are more lucrative or lengthy than those allowed in an extend-and-trade transaction. That’s the case with Parker and Randolph, so they’re staying put for now. The same rule doesn’t apply to rookie scale extensions, though the Poison Pill Provision exists to discourage teams from trading those players.
There are also a number of players who cannot be dealt without their consent. This covers players with no-trade clauses in their contracts. For example, when the Celtics dealt Kevin Garnett to the Nets, Garnett had to waive his no-trade clause in order for the trade to happen. Any team that matches an offer sheet for a player can’t trade him for a year without his consent, so Gordon Hayward holds veto power if the Jazz attempt to trade him this season. Any player who re-signs with his team but commits only to a one-year contract receives a de facto no-trade clause. This also applies to two-year deals that include team or player options. Players such as Greg Monroe and Kevin Seraphin, who have signed one-year qualifying offers, cannot be traded without their consent, either. Players with de facto no-trade clauses have an incentive not to agree to a swap. If such a player did OK a trade, he would enter free agency the following summer as a Non-Bird rights player instead of a player with Early Bird or full Bird rights, thus drastically lowering his team’s power to exceed the salary cap to re-sign him.
Those players are nonetheless listed below, regardless of how likely or unlikely they are to be traded. So, if the Cavaliers and LeBron James decide their fences haven’t been mended after all and the team risks the ire of its fans in an attempt to trade him, no deal could take place before December 15th. Similarly, the team LeBron left behind is severely limited in its trade options for now, since 11 of the players on the Heat roster are ineligible to be traded.
Here’s the date that each player acquired during the offseason becomes eligible for a trade, grouped by team:
76ers
- Jerami Grant (10/29/14)
- Chris Johnson (11/26/14)
- K.J. McDaniels (10/29/14)
- JaKarr Sampson (12/17/14)
- Malcolm Thomas (1/24/15)
Bucks
- Jerryd Bayless (12/15/14)
- Kendall Marshall (11/26/14)
Bulls
- Aaron Brooks (12/15/14)
- Pau Gasol (12/15/14)
- Kirk Hinrich (12/15/14)
- Nazr Mohammed (12/22/14)
- E’Twaun Moore (12/18/14)
Cavaliers
- Louis Amundson (12/26/14)
- LeBron James (12/15/14)
- James Jones (12/15/14)
- Alex Kirk (12/15/14)
- Shawn Marion (12/15/14)
- Mike Miller (12/15/14)
- A.J. Price (12/26/14)
Celtics
- Avery Bradley (1/15/15)
- Evan Turner (12/28/14)
Clippers
- Jared Cunningham (12/17/14)
- Glen Davis (12/15/14)
- Chris Douglas-Roberts (12/15/14)
- Jordan Farmar (12/15/14)
- Spencer Hawes (12/15/14)
- Hedo Turkoglu (12/15/14)
- Ekpe Udoh (12/15/14)
Grizzlies
- Vince Carter (12/15/14)
- Zach Randolph (12/30/14)
- Beno Udrih (12/15/14)
Hawks
- Kent Bazemore (12/15/14)
- Elton Brand (12/15/14)
- Shelvin Mack (12/15/14)
- Mike Scott (12/15/14)
- Thabo Sefolosha (12/15/14)
Heat
- Chris Andersen (1/15/15)
- Chris Bosh (12/15/14)
- Shannon Brown (12/15/14)
- Mario Chalmers (12/15/14)
- Andre Dawkins (12/23/14)
- Luol Deng (12/15/14)
- Danny Granger (12/15/14)
- Udonis Haslem (12/15/14)
- Josh McRoberts (12/15/14)
- Dwyane Wade (12/15/14)
- Shawne Williams (12/15/14)
Hornets
- Jason Maxiell (12/26/14)
- Jannero Pargo (12/15/14)
- Brian Roberts (12/15/14)
- Lance Stephenson (12/15/14)
- Marvin Williams (12/15/14)
Jazz
- Trevor Booker (12/15/14)
- Jordan Hamilton (12/15/14)
- Gordon Hayward (12/15/14)
- Joe Ingles (12/24/14)
- Toure’ Murry (12/15/14)
Kings
- Omri Casspi (12/18/14)
- Darren Collison (12/15/14)
- Ryan Hollins (12/18/14)
- Eric Moreland (12/15/14)
- Ramon Sessions (12/22/14)
Knicks
- Cole Aldrich (12/15/14)
- Carmelo Anthony (12/15/14)
- Jason Smith (12/15/14)
- Travis Wear (12/15/14)
Lakers
- Ed Davis (12/15/14)
- Wayne Ellington (12/22/14)
- Xavier Henry (12/15/14)
- Jordan Hill (1/15/14)
- Wesley Johnson (12/15/14)
- Ryan Kelly (12/15/14)
- Ronnie Price (12/24/14)
- Nick Young (12/15/14)
Magic
- Channing Frye (12/15/14)
- Ben Gordon (12/15/14)
- Willie Green (11/26/14)
- Luke Ridnour (12/15/14)
Mavericks
- Al-Farouq Aminu (12/15/14)
- Devin Harris (12/15/14)
- Richard Jefferson (12/15/14)
- Jameer Nelson (12/15/14)
- Dirk Nowitzki (12/15/14)
- Chandler Parsons (12/15/14)
- Charlie Villanueva (12/23/14)
Nets
- Alan Anderson (12/15/14)
- Jerome Jordan (12/15/14)
Nuggets
- Alonzo Gee (12/30/14)
Pacers
- Lavoy Allen (12/15/14)
- C.J. Miles (12/15/14)
- Damjan Rudez (12/15/14)
- Rodney Stuckey (12/15/14)
- Shayne Whittington (12/15/14)
Pelicans
- Jimmer Fredette (12/15/14)
- Darius Miller (12/15/14)
- John Salmons (12/15/14)
- Patric Young (12/15/14)
Pistons
- D.J. Augustin (12/15/14)
- Caron Butler (12/15/14)
- Cartier Martin (12/15/14)
- Jodie Meeks (12/15/14)
- Greg Monroe (12/15/14)
Raptors
- James Johnson (12/15/14)
- Kyle Lowry (12/15/14)
- Patrick Patterson (12/15/14)
- Greg Stiemsma (12/15/14)
- Greivis Vasquez (1/15/15)
Rockets
- Jeff Adrien (12/15/14)
- Trevor Ariza (12/15/14)
- Tarik Black (12/15/14)
- Troy Daniels (12/15/14)
- Joey Dorsey (12/15/14)
- Francisco Garcia (12/29/14)
- Kostas Papanikolaou (12/29/14)
- Ish Smith (12/15/14)
Spurs
- Aron Baynes (12/26/15)
- Matt Bonner (12/15/14)
- Boris Diaw (1/15/15)
- Patty Mills (1/15/15)
- Tony Parker (2/1/15)
Suns
- Eric Bledsoe (12/24/14)
- Zoran Dragic (12/27/14)
- Isaiah Thomas (12/15/14)
- Anthony Tolliver (12/15/14)
- P.J. Tucker (12/15/14)
Thunder
- Grant Jerrett (12/15/14)
- Anthony Morrow (12/15/14)
- Sebastian Telfair (12/15/14)
- Lance Thomas (12/29/14)
Timberwolves
- Robbie Hummel (12/15/14)
- Mo Williams (12/15/14)
Trail Blazers
- Steve Blake (12/15/14)
- Chris Kaman (12/15/14)
Warriors
- Leandro Barbosa (12/15/14)
- Justin Holiday (12/15/14)
- Shaun Livingston (12/15/14)
- Brandon Rush (12/15/14)
Wizards
- DeJuan Blair (12/15/14)
- Rasual Butler (12/26/14)
- Drew Gooden (12/15/14)
- Marcin Gortat (1/15/15)
- Kris Humphries (12/15/14)
- Paul Pierce (12/15/14)
- Kevin Seraphin (1/15/14)
- Garrett Temple (12/15/14)
Larry Coon’s Salary Cap FAQ and the RealGM transactions log were used in the creation of this post.
Mavs Sign J.J. Barea
6:15pm: Dallas has officially signed Barea, the team has announced.
4:27pm: The Mavericks have reached an agreement with guard J.J. Barea, Eddie Sefko of The Dallas Morning News reports. Barea has officially cleared waivers, according to the RealGM transactions log, which frees him to sign with any team. Dallas has an agreement in principle with Barea that is a one year pact for the veteran’s minimum, though it’s unclear if there is any guaranteed money involved in the deal. The Mavs intend to waive Gal Mekel in order to create the required roster space to sign Barea, Sefko notes. Dallas’ roster currently sits at the regular season maximum of 15 players.
Barea will add depth to the Mavs’ backcourt and he will compete for playing time with Jameer Nelson, Devin Harris, and Raymond Felton. Dallas was looking to add another experienced point guard into their backcourt mix, with Harris having a history of injuries and Felton beginning the season injured. Inking the veteran Barea shows that the Mavs have title aspirations this season, since the organization seemed to be high on Mekel’s upside, notes Sefko.
The eight-year vet has appeared in a total of 509 games in his career, and Barea has averages of 8.3 PPG, 2.0 RPG, and 3.4 APG. His career slash line is .419/.347/.798.
Hornets Opt In With Kidd-Gilchrist, Zeller
The Hornets have exercised their fourth-year option on Michael Kidd-Gilchrist and their third-year option for Cody Zeller, the team has announced. These moves don’t come as a surprise since both players factor heavily into Charlotte’s current rotation and their future plans as well. Kidd-Gilchrist is set to earn $6,331,404 in 2015/16, and Zeller will take home $4,204,200, which brings the team’s current total salary commitment for that season to approximately $33.2MM. That figure doesn’t take into account Al Jefferson‘s $13.5MM, nor Gerald Henderson‘s $6MM player options.
Kidd-Gilchrist was the No. 2 overall pick in the 2012 NBA Draft, and he hasn’t quite lived up to being selected that high, averaging just 8.2 PPG, 5.6 RPG, and 1.2 APG for his career. His defense has always been a strength, but it’s on the offensive side of the game where Kidd-Gilchrist has lagged, with a career slash line of .464/.167/.682.
The 7’0″ Zeller was chosen with the fourth overall pick in the 2013 NBA Draft and averaged 6.0 PPG and 4.3 RPG during his rookie campaign last season. His shooting numbers were .426/.000/.730, not an excellent percentage of makes for a player of his size. Zeller was the only player to appear in every game for Charlotte last season and was one of just two rookies to play in all 82 contests.
Rockets Waive Robert Covington
MONDAY, 9:44am: Houston has officially released Covington, the team announced via press release.
SUNDAY, 5:31pm: The Rockets have waived Robert Covington, as is reflected by the RealGM transactions log. There has been no formal announcement by the team yet, but this news doesn’t come as a surprise. Covington has reportedly been away from the team for the last two weeks weighing some guaranteed offers to play in Europe.
Waiving Covington will cost Houston $150K, which was the amount of his partial guarantee. The Rockets still have some trimming to do on their preseason roster which stands at 17 after Covington’s departure. The team will have until tomorrow afternoon to whittle down their numbers to the regular season maximum of 15.
Covington spent much of last season with Houston’s D-League affiliate despite being on the team’s NBA roster the entire year. He earned himself a trip to the D-League’s All-Star game by averaging 23.2 PPG and 9.2 RPG in 34.1 minutes per game in 42 D-League appearances.
And-Ones: Gasol, Tyler, Crawford, Griffin
Grizzlies big man Marc Gasol still won’t open up about his impending free agency, as Ronald Tillery of The Commercial Appeal writes in a subscription-only piece. “That’s so far down the line that it’s not on my mind. I just want to do my job every day,” Gasol said. “You never know what might happen in seven or eight months. The franchise might go in a different direction. We’re going to see how we all feel in July. All of the talk now won’t change that fact.” Tillery also mentions the Knicks as a possible suitor for Gasol if he hits free agency, pointing to Phil Jackson’s belief that Gasol would be a perfect fit in the triangle offense.
Here’s more from around the league:
- The contract Jeremy Tyler signed with Shanxi of the Chinese Basketball Association is fully guaranteed, tweets Emiliano Carchia of Sportando. Tyler, who was released from the Lakers per his request to sign with Shanxi, will have a chance to catch on with an NBA team in March when the CBA playoffs come to a close.
- Guard Jordan Crawford has yet to take off in the NBA and he’s now looking to make his mark in China, writes David Pick for Basketball Insiders. “During the offseason I didn’t think I’d sign in China. I thought I would get a good deal in the NBA, but I was overlooked,” Crawford said. “I knew some players who came over here from the NBA. I work out with Bobby Brown and Pooh Jeter all the time, so I learned a lot from them. One thing I heard were stories of Stephon Marbury and his success in China.”
- After the Thunder parted ways with James Harden over their refusal to give him the max salary, Moke Hamilton of Basketball Insiders wonders what they’re thinking when it comes to Reggie Jackson. Oklahoma CIty has until October 31st to work out an extension with the talented young guard, and Hamilton opines that a team playing for a title can’t afford to allow its young talent to walk out the door.
- Free agent Eric Griffin, recently waived by the Mavs, has agreed to a deal with the Texas Legends of The NBA D-League, Shams Charania of RealGM reports (Twitter link).
Zach Links and Chris Crouse contributed to this post.
Eastern Notes: Bosh, Celtics, Smith
The Heat’s roster is still full of talent, post LeBron James, but it will take time for all the new pieces to come together, writes Joseph Goodman of the Miami Herald. Chris Bosh, who signed a five year, $118,705,300 contract this offseason, understands that the circumstances this season will be different.
“It’s a process, and every time we step out on the floor we’re used to being extremely successful and for things to come a little easier,” Bosh said. “We haven’t had this process in a very long time. We’re used to the same guys coming back, and we know our rotations and it’s just a matter of getting in shape. We’re used to knowing where the ball is going to go. We knew everything and now is a time when we have to really be patient with it because even though we’re out there playing, we have to remember that we’ve only played eight preseason games together and we’re not going to be where we need to be.”
Here’s more from the Eastern Conference:
- Celtics owner Wyc Grousbeck says that he has received “two serious offers” to sell the team in the last two weeks, writes Kevin Paul Dupont of The Boston Globe. However, he and Steve Pagliuca have no interest in selling, and Grousbeck would not say if those offers came with dollar amounts attached to them.
- Former Knicks guard Chris Smith has entered the D-League draft with the hope of getting another opportunity to play in the NBA, writes Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com. The younger brother of J.R. Smith says that he has drawn interest from some D-League teams as well as clubs overseas.
- Even with LeBron James returning to Cleveland, the Heat will still be one of the better teams in the East, as A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com writes in his preview of the Southeast Division.
Chris Crouse contributed to this post.