Week In Review: 8/14/16-8/20/16
With 2016’s offseason winding down and the preseason on its way, here’s a look back at all the notable news and events from around the NBA this past week:
Signings/Agreements
NBA
- The Thunder signed Ronnie Price.
- The Nets signed Trevor Cooney.
- The Nuggets signed D.J. Kennedy.
- The Warriors signed Phil Pressey.
- The Trail Blazers signed Grant Jerrett.
- The Heat signed Beno Udrih.
- The Wizards signed Casper Ware.
- The Bucks signed Jason Terry.
- The Jazz signed Joel Bolomboy.
- The Nuggets agreed to a deal with Nate Wolters.
International
- Earl Clark signed with the Turkish club Beskitas.
- Joey Dorsey re-signed with Barcelona.
- Devin Ebanks signed with Reales de La Vega in the Dominican Republic.
News/Rumors
- Jarnell Stokes hired Priority Sports as his new representation.
- The Bucks hired Craig Robinson as the franchise’s vice president of player organization and development.
- The Hawks hired Richard Midgley as their west coast scout.
- The Hornets officially announced that the “Spectrum Center” will be replacing “Time Warner Cable Arena” as the name of the team’s home arena.
- The Lakers hired Coby Karl, son of former NBA coach George Karl, to be head coach of their D-League affiliate.
- New Orleans was selected to replace Charlotte as the host for the 2017 All-Star Game.
- The Lakers hired Jud Buechler, Brian Keefe and Theo Robertson as player development coaches.
Bucks To Re-Sign Steve Novak
The Bucks are planning to re-sign unrestricted free agent Steve Novak, according to Charles F. Gardner of The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. The details of the proposed arrangement are unknown, but with Milwaukee over the cap, it is more than likely for the veteran’s minimum. The team does still have the Room Exception available, but it would be surprising if it was used in this instance. The addition of Novak would give the team 15 players under contract, which is the regular season maximum.
Milwaukee is seeking to add veteran leadership to its bench, which also prompted the reported signing of Jason Terry, notes Gardner. The Bucks currently have the youngest roster in the league and the additions of the 38-year-old Terry and 33-year-old Novak would bring some balance and leadership to the locker room, Gardner adds. Novak has worked with the Bucks medical and training staff this summer to rehab the sprained left MCL that prematurely ended his season and his deal would be finalized after receiving medical clearance, a team source told Gardner.
Novak has garnered some interest around the league, per his agent Mark Bartelstein, but the veteran has been holding off on making a decision because his clear preference is to remain in Milwaukee. “There have been a few teams that we’ve talked to; you always got to keep your doors open,’’ Bartelstein had said earlier this week. “But we’re still talking with the Bucks and, hopefully, we’ll make a deal with them. Steve would love to stay in Milwaukee. It’s a very special place for him.’’
The forward was the No. 32 overall pick in 2006. He has appeared in 459 career regular season games, averaging 4.7 points and 1.3 rebounds in 12.3 minutes per outing. He owns a career shooting line of .438/.431/.877.
Salary Cap Snapshot: Memphis Grizzlies
With the free agent signing period winding down and teams looking ahead to the preseason, we at Hoops Rumors will be tracking the Salary Cap figures for each team around the league. These posts will be maintained throughout the season once financial data is reported. They will be located on the sidebar throughout the year, once all the teams’ cap figures have been relayed. You can always check RosterResource.com for up-to-date rosters for each franchise, with the Grizzlies’ team page accessible here.
Here’s a breakdown of where the Grizzlies currently stand financially:
Guaranteed Salary
- Mike Conley — $26,540,100
- Chandler Parsons — $22,116,750
- Marc Gasol — $21,165,675 [Contract has 15% Trade Kicker]
- Zach Randolph — $10,361,445
- Brandan Wright — $5,709,880 [Contract has 15% Trade Kicker]
- Tony Allen — $5,505,618
- Vince Carter — $4,264,057 [Contract has 15% Trade Kicker]
- Troy Daniels — $3,332,940
- James Ennis — $2,898,000
- Wade Baldwin — $1,793,760
- Deyonta Davis — $1,369,229
- Jarell Martin — $1,286,160
- Jordan Adams — $1,220,900 [Waived by team]
- JaMychal Green — $980,431
- Andrew Harrison — $945,000
- Troy Williams — $543,471 [Waived by team]
- Toney Douglas — $379,159 [Waived by team (Mar 18)]
- Jamaal Franklin — $163,296 [Waived via Stretch Provision]
- Toney Douglas — $100,593 [Waived by team (Dec 15)]
- Wayne Selden — $83,199
- Toney Douglas — $57,672 [10-day contract (Jan 30); actual salary — $77,379]
- Toney Douglas — $57,672 [10-day contract (Feb 9); actual salary — $77,379]
- D.J. Stephens — $35,000 [Waived by team]
- Matt Costello — $31,500 [Waived by team]
- Tony Wroten — $25,000 [Waived by team]
Total Guaranteed Salary= $110,966,507
Cash Sent Out Via Trade: $250K — Sent $250K to Hornets in Troy Daniels trade [Amount Remaining $3.25MM]
Cash Received Via Trade: $0 [Amount Remaining $3.5MM]
Payroll Exceptions Available
- None [Room Exception used to sign James Ennis]
Total Projected Payroll: $110,966,507
Salary Cap: $94,143,000
Estimated Available Cap Space: –$16,823,507
Luxury Tax Threshold: $113,287,000
Total Projected Payroll For Tax Purposes: $111,470,216
Amount Below Luxury Tax: $1,816,784
Last Updated: 3/20/17
The Basketball Insiders salary pages and The Vertical’s salary database were used in the creation of this post.
Largest Expiring Contracts For 2016/17
With the marked jump in the salary cap this season, expiring contracts aren’t quite what they used to be as trade chips. The shorter contracts that have come about in the past few years thanks to new rules imposed in the 2011 collective bargaining agreement have meant more teams have the opportunity to open cap space each year, which decreases the value of trading for a player in the final year of his contract.
The majority of teams will start next summer under the cap, and many will possess the amount of cap space necessary to sign a maximum-salary free agent. Still, expiring contracts can be effective trade assets under the right circumstances. These players come with little financial risk to the teams acquiring them, given they will be off a team’s books by the time the next free agent signing period commences. The cost in acquiring players in this category is often below their actual value, since they are ostensibly just short-term rentals. Plus, it also allows franchises to see how a pending free agent fits within its system and locker room culture.
Here’s a rundown of each player who has an expiring contract with a salary of greater than $8MM for the 2016/17 campaign:
- Derrick Rose [Knicks] — $21,323,252
- Jeff Green [Magic] — $15,000,000
- Manu Ginobili [Spurs] — $14,000,000
- Serge Ibaka [Magic] — $12,250,000
- Stephen Curry [Warriors] — $12,112,359
- Amir Johnson [Celtics] — $12,000,000
- Jrue Holiday [Pelicans] — $11,286,518
- Andre Iguodala [Warriors] — $11,131,368
- Andrew Bogut [Mavericks] — $11,027,027
- Zach Randolph [Grizzlies] — $10,361,445
- Tyreke Evans [Pelicans] — $10,203,755
- Deron Williams [Mavericks] — $9,000,000
- Taj Gibson [Bulls] — $8,950,000
- Jeff Teague [Pacers] — $8,800,000
- Tiago Splitter [Hawks] — $8,550,000
- Ersan Ilyasova [Thunder] — $8,400,000
- Kevin Garnett [Timberwolves] — $8,000,000
- George Hill [Jazz] — $8,000,000
- Sergio Rodriguez [Sixers] — $8,000,000
Which of the above players, excluding Curry for obvious reasons, is the most valuable trade chip this season? Take to the comments section below to share your thoughts.
Note: The Basketball Insiders salary pages were used in the creation of this post.
Eastern Notes: Rose, Wizards, Pistons
Derrick Rose caused some eyes to roll when he compared the new-look Knicks to the Warriors, terming New York a potential “super team,” and the point guard isn’t walking those comments back, Ian Begley of ESPN.com writes. “I still believe that,” Rose said. “Like I said, with that Super Team term, you have to be very careful, I guess, if you’re in the United States. But I feel like if you’re in any team in the NBA — it don’t have to be the NBA, it could be the college level, high school level — you should believe in yourself and have the confidence in yourself that you’re playing on a super team anywhere. So I have a lot of confidence, and I’m not taking that back.”
Rose also noted that he plans to share the ball more this season than he has in the past, Begley adds. “We have more options on this team. With the Bulls, we had more options too but the offense really went through me and Jimmy Butler,” Rose said. “With the Knicks, we have [Kristaps Porzingis], we have [Carmelo Anthony], we have [Joakim Noah] rolling to the rim. We’ve got Courtney Lee.”
Here’s more from the Eastern Conference:
- New Wizards coach Scott Brooks is looking forward to coaching the backcourt combo of John Wall and Bradley Beal, a pairing he believes can be one of the league’s top duos, Ben Standig of CSNMid-Atlantic relays. “I haven’t had a chance to coach them yet, but on paper [and] having coached against them, it’s a perfect fit,” Brooks said. “We can have one of the best two-way backcourts in the league.“
- Pistons coach/Executive Stan Van Gundy believes the team’s roster is more versatile than it was a season ago, which he believes will make Detroit a legitimate threat come playoff-time, Keith Langlois of NBA.com relays. “The thing that keeps coming home to me, the more and more you watch the league now but especially in the playoffs, you’ve got to be able to play a lot of different ways,” Van Gundy said. “Everybody thinks about ‘small,’ but then you see Oklahoma City go with Enes Kanter and Steven Adams together. Well, can you play big? Can you play with two point guards together? Can you play with no point guard? And maybe you can’t cover all of those things, but I think you want the flexibility and the versatility on your roster to be able to play as many different ways as you can. And I think we can do that now.”
Poll: 2008 NBA Draft Take Two (Pick No. 1)
Scouting players and predicting how their skills will translate to the NBA is one of the more difficult tasks front offices have on their plates. Looking back over past drafts and how many lottery picks never evolved into stars or even made a significant impact in the league illustrates just how often stats, combine numbers and pure gut instinct often come up short. Of course, we get the opportunity to critique these moves with the benefit of hindsight — a luxury that GMs don’t have on draft night. having said that, it’s still fun to go back in time and take a theoretical look at how these drafts should have/could have gone.
We just finished revisiting the lottery portion of the 2005 NBA Draft, which was one of the weakest in recent memory. In drafts light on impact talent, the GM who can find a diamond in the rough is king. But drafts that have a number of star-potential players can also be difficult and many an executive has made what turned out to be the wrong call. Greg Oden over Kevin Durant immediately springs to mind (sorry Blazers fans), likewise taking Sam Bowie over Michael Jordan…ouch!
The 2008 draft, which is the next one we’ll be tackling, had a number of players who have gone on to post big numbers in the league. This was the year of Derrick Rose (No. 1 overall), Russell Westbrook (No. 4), Kevin Love (No. 5), Brook Lopez (No. 10) and Nicolas Batum (No. 25). Over the next few weeks we’ll be posting a series of polls asking readers to vote on whom teams should have selected in each spot.
We’ll kick this thing off with the Bulls, who held the No. 1 overall pick that year. Should Chicago take Rose, who posted MVP numbers prior to injuries taking hold, or go in a different direction? Well readers, it’s up to you to answer that on by casting your votes below. Check back on Friday to see the results and to vote on who the Heat should have nabbed second overall. Also, don’t limit yourself to a simple button click. Take to the comments section below and share your thoughts on the pick and why you voted the way that you did. Also, if I fail to list a player who you think should be selected, feel free to post that in the comments section and I’ll be certain to tally those votes as well.
Selections
- Bulls — ?? [Actual Pick — Derrick Rose]
If you’re a Trade Rumors app user, click here to vote.
Salary Cap Snapshot: Los Angeles Lakers
With the free agent signing period winding down and teams looking ahead to the preseason, we at Hoops Rumors will be tracking the Salary Cap figures for each team around the league. These posts will be maintained throughout the season once financial data is reported. They will be located on the sidebar throughout the year, once all the teams’ cap figures have been relayed. You can always check RosterResource.com for up-to-date rosters for each franchise, with the Lakers’ team page accessible here.
Here’s a breakdown of where the Lakers currently stand financially:
Guaranteed Salary
- Luol Deng —$18,000,000
- Timofey Mozgov —$16,000,000
- Jordan Clarkson —$12,500,000
- Jose Calderon —$7,315,950 [Waived by team; 7,708,427 cap hit reduced by buyout]
- Corey Brewer —$7,612,172
- Tarik Black —$6,191,000
- Nick Young —$5,443,918
- D’Angelo Russell —$5,332,800
- Brandon Ingram — $5,281,680
- Julius Randle —$3,267,120
- Tyler Ennis —$1,733,880
- Larry Nance Jr. —$1,207,680
- Ivica Zubac —$1,034,956
- Metta World Peace — $980,431 [Actual Salary — $1,551,659]
- Thomas Robinson — $980,431 [Actual Salary — $1,050,961]
- Anthony Brown —$874,636 [Waived by team]
- Yi Jianlian — $250,000 [Waived by team]
- David Nwaba — $73,528
- Zach Auguste — $60,000 [Waived by team]
- David Nwaba — $31,969 [10-day contract (Feb 28)]
- David Nwaba — $31,969 [10-day contract (Mar 11)]
Total Guaranteed Salary= $94,204,120
Cash Sent Out Via Trade: $0 [Amount Remaining $3.5MM]
Cash Received Via Trade: $0 [Amount Remaining $3.5MM]
Payroll Exceptions Available
- Room Exception: $2,898,000
Total Projected Payroll: $94,204,120
Salary Cap: $94,143,000
Estimated Available Cap Space: –$61,120
Luxury Tax Threshold: $113,287,000
Amount Below Luxury Tax: $19,082,880
Latest Update: 3/24/17
The Basketball Insiders salary pages and The Vertical’s salary database were used in the creation of this post.
Eastern Notes: LeBron, Hornets Arena, Bradley
LeBron James doesn’t want his involvement in the NBA to end when his playing career does, with the Cavs superstar having designs on owning and running a team in the future, Joe Vardon of The Northeast Ohio Media Group relays. “I feel like my brain as far as the game of basketball is unique and I would love to continue to give my knowledge to the game,” James said. “And I would love to be a part of a franchise, if not at the top. My dream is to actually own a team and I don’t need to have fully hands on. If I’m fortunate enough to own a team, then I’m going to hire the best GM and president that I can. But I have a feel like I have a good eye for not only talent, because we all see a lot of talent, but the things that make the talent, the chemistry, what type of guy he is, his work ethic, his passion, the basketball IQ side of things, because talent only goes so far.”
While we await all the “LeBron already owns the Cavaliers” comments, here’s more out of the East:
- The Hornets officially announced that the “Spectrum Center” will be replacing “Time Warner Cable Arena” as the name of the team’s home arena. “We are pleased to have Charter’s Spectrum brand become a part of our arena as Charter prepares to make its entrance into the Charlotte area,” said Hornets Sports & Entertainment president & COO Fred Whitfield. “We look forward to partnering with Charter for many years to come as we continue to provide the best in sports and entertainment for Charlotte and the Carolinas at Spectrum Center.”
- A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com weighed in on what he believes Celtics guard Avery Bradley‘s ceiling and floor is as a player. The scribe lauds Bradley’s positive impact on the team, noting that if he can improve his outside shooting, the guard could perform at an All-Star level for the team. At worst, Bradley will remain a defensive-stopper who provides far more than shows up in the nightly box score, Blakely opines.
- The Knicks added a number of potential high-reward players this offseason that carry little long-term risk for the franchise, but the team’s bench remains dangerously thin, Bobby Marks of The Vertical opines in his look at New York’s offseason.
Contract Notes: Sacre, Sabonis, Jerrett
Here are the latest free agent and 2016 draft pick contract details, courtesy of Basketball Insiders’ Eric Pincus:
- Grant Jerrett‘s training camp deal with the Trail Blazers is a one-year, non-guaranteed pact worth $980,431, Pincus tweets. If the forward makes Portland’s regular season roster, his deal won’t be guaranteed until the January 10th, 2017, which is the leaguewide date for contracts this season. The Blazers currently have $112,354,979 in guaranteed salary on the books for 2016/17.
- The summer contracts the Raptors inked Drew Crawford and Yanick Moreira to are both non-guaranteed deals worth $543,471 apiece, per Pincus (Twitter link). Each deal would become fully guaranteed on December 15th, 2016, provided they made the regular season roster. Toronto currently has $106,077,999 in guaranteed salary already on the books for this campaign.
- In keeping with the non-guaranteed summer contract trend we have going here, the Pelicans agreements with Robert Sacre and Chris Copeland will count as $980,431 against the cap each, with both players actual salaries set at $1,050,961, Pincus relays (on Twitter). Shawn Dawson‘s non-guaranteed deal will pay him $543,471, should he make the team, the scribe adds. All three deals would become fully guaranteed if they remain on the roster past January 10th, 2017. The Pelicans’ fully guaranteed commitments currently stand at $97,799,631 for the coming season.
- Domantas Sabonis‘ rookie-scale deal with the Thunder will pay him $2,440,200 this season, $2,550,000 in 2017/18, $2,659,800 in 2018/19 and $3,529,555 the final season, Pincus tweets. Ronnie Price‘s two-year pact, which is fully guaranteed, will see him earn $2,557,545 this year and $2,442,445 in 2017/18, Pincus adds. OKC’s guaranteed commitments currently total up to $91,860,496 for 2016/17.
Poll: 2005 NBA Draft Take Two (Pick No. 14)
We’ve been revisiting the 2005 NBA Draft lottery, which is the year that the Bucks nabbed big man Andrew Bogut with the No. 1 overall pick. That year’s draft class is generally viewed as one of the weaker ones in recent memory, though, there were quite a few second-rounders that year (Ersan Ilyasova, Monta Ellis, Lou Williams, Amir Johnson and Marcin Gortat) who have gone on to have very solid NBA careers.
We’ve been posting a series of reader polls that ask you to vote on the player whom you believe should have been selected with each pick. We’ll finish off the lottery with the Timberwolves, who held the No. 14 pick that season. Readers, you are now on the clock! Cast your vote for Minnesota’s pick and check back Thursday for the results. But don’t limit yourself to a simple button click. Take to the comments section below and share your thoughts on the pick and why you voted the way that you did. Also, if I fail to list a player who you think should be selected, feel free to post that in the comments section and I’ll be certain to tally those votes as well.
After today’s pick, per reader choice, we’ll be jumping forward in time a few years and checking out the 2008 Draft. That was the year of Derrick Rose, Russell Westbrook, Kevin Love and Brook Lopez. But for now, let’s finish off 2005…
Selections
- Bucks — Chris Paul [Actual Pick — Andrew Bogut]
- Hawks — Deron Williams [Actual Pick — Marvin Williams]
- Jazz — Monta Ellis [Actual Pick — Deron Williams]
- Hornets/Pelicans — Andrew Bogut [Actual Pick — Chris Paul]
- Bobcats/Hornets — Danny Granger [Actual Pick — Raymond Felton]
- Trail Blazers — David Lee [Actual Pick — Martell Webster]
- Raptors — Andrew Bynum [Actual Pick — Charlie Villanueva]
- Knicks — Marcin Gortat [Actual Pick — Channing Frye]
- Warriors — Lou Williams [Actual Pick — Ike Diogu]
- Lakers — Marvin Williams [Actual Pick — Andrew Bynum]
- Magic — Channing Frye [Actual Pick — Fran Vazquez]
- Clippers — Amir Johnson [Actual Pick — Yaroslav Korolev]
- Bobcats/Hornets — Ersan Ilyasova [Actual Pick — Sean May]
- Timberwolves — ?? [Actual Pick — Rashad McCants]