Western Notes: Blazers, Tolliver, Westbrook
The Trail Blazers have had a busy offseason as the franchise hopes to keep the momentum going from its surprising 2015/16 season. GM Neil Olshey, speaking at a press conference to formally announce C.J. McCollum‘s extension, noted that keeping the roster intact was his first priority heading into the summer, Sean Meagher of The Oregonian relays.
“Player retention was big this summer,” Olshey said. “We did what we could in terms of free agency, bringing in skill sets more than players – skill sets from the outside. But at the end of the day when you’re the youngest team in the playoffs last year, you made the second round, we had a much better second half of the year than we did the first half, we felt like we were tracking up … it was imperative we keep this group together because we think it has tremendous upside and potential and it’s going to continue to grow.”
Here’s more from out West:
- Anthony Tolliver, who inked a two-year deal with the Kings this offseason, hopes he can help mentor DeMarcus Cousins as well as produce on the court this season, Dan Lovi of NBA.com relays. “He has all the talent in the world,” Tolliver said of Cousins. “He’s phenomenal, especially on the offensive end, but I really feel like he can improve. Hopefully I help him become better.”
- The Clippers made the most out of their limited cap space this offseason, adding a number of players via below-market contracts who should bolster their bench in 2016/17, Bobby Marks of The Vertical writes in his review of Los Angeles’ summer. The scribe also opines that it is vital for the team to develop 2016 draftees Brice Johnson and Diamond Stone, given the team’s lack of cap flexibility.
- While Russell Westbrook‘s renegotiation and extension with the Thunder appeared sudden to many, it was a move that had been in the works for a couple of weeks, writes Royce Young of ESPN.com. According to the scribe, OKC knew it had a commitment from Westbrook when it rescinded its qualifying offer to Dion Waiters. A move that was needed to free up the necessary cap space to complete the arrangement.
Salary Cap Snapshot: Detroit Pistons
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 Pistons’ team page accessible here.
Here’s a breakdown of where the Pistons currently stand financially:
Guaranteed Salary
- Andre Drummond — $22,116,750 [Contract has Trade Kicker of 8%]
- Tobias Harris — $17,200,000
- Reggie Jackson — $14,956,522
- Jon Leuer — $10,991,957
- Boban Marjanovic — $7,000,000
- Aron Baynes — $6,500,000
- Ish Smith — $6,000,000
- Josh Smith — $5,331,729 [Waived via Stretch Provision]
- Marcus Morris — $4,625,000
- Kentavious Caldwell-Pope — $3,678,319
- Stanley Johnson — $2,969,880
- Reggie Bullock — $2,255,644
- Henry Ellenson — $1,704,120
- Beno Udrih — $980,431 [Actual Salary — $1,551,659]
- Darrun Hilliard — $874,636
- Michael Gbinije — $650,000
- Nikola Jovanovic — $30,000 [Waived by team]
- Trey Freeman — $25,000 [Waived by team]
- Ray McCallum — $11,949 [Waived by team]
Total Guaranteed Salary= $107,901,937
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: $107,901,937
Salary Cap: $94,143,000
Estimated Available Cap Space: –$13,758,937
Luxury Tax Threshold: $113,287,000
Amount Below Luxury Tax: $5,385,063
Last Updated: 1/11/17
The Basketball Insiders salary pages and The Vertical’s salary database were used in the creation of this post.
Hoops Rumors Originals: 7/31/16-8/6/16
Here’s a look back at the original content and analysis generated by the Hoops Rumors staff this past week.
- We ran down the players who are eligible for rookie-scale extensions.
- Dana Gauruder examined Russell Westbrook as an extension candidate.
- Luke Adams looked at the free agent spending this summer by NBA teams separated by Division:
- We asked readers to do over the 2005 NBA Draft. Here’s who you selected for picks No. 1, No. 2, No.3 and No.4 overall.
- Will Joseph highlighted some of the better basketball blogs around in his weekly installment of Hoops Links.
- Luke broke down how teams are using the Room and Mid-Level Exceptions this offseason.
- We ran down all the players in the NBA possessing Trade Kickers in their contracts.
- We looked at the 2016/17 Salary Cap figures for the:
- Arthur Hill answered reader questions in our Weekly Mailbag. Here’s how you can submit your own questions for our mailbag feature.
- In our Community Shootarounds this week we discussed the Bulls’ offseason, Russell Westbrook’s future, what direction the Heat should take and what player is most likely to be traded prior to the season.
- We ran down all the players who are eligible to ink veteran extensions this year.
- Our Free Agent Tracker continues to have up-to-date data on this summer’s contract agreements and signings from around the NBA.
- If you haven’t already, be sure to download the Trade Rumors app for your iOS or Android device.
Cavaliers Sign Kay Felder
1:50pm: Felder’s deal is for three years and is worth $2.49MM with a partial guarantee of $1MM included, Tony Paul of The Detroit News reports.
9:01am: The Cavaliers have officially signed 2016 second-rounder Kay Felder, the team announced. The exact length and terms of the arrangement are not yet known, but it is likely a minimum salary pact that include a partial guarantee.
Cleveland acquired the rights to the diminutive guard on draft night from the Hawks in exchange for $2.4MM, so the team already has made a significant investment in the rookie. LeBron James was reportedly a supporter of the move to nab Felder, which certainly doesn’t hurt his chances of sticking with the Cavs this season, though he’ll likely be ticketed for some extended D-League time early in the season to help speed up his development.
Felder, 5’9″, impressed with his play in the Las Vegas Summer League for Cleveland’s squad. In seven contests he averaged 15.3 points, 3.4 rebounds and 3.9 assists in 29.9 minutes per outing while shooting .420/.227/.783.
During the 2015/16 campaign, Felder appeared in 35 contests for Oakland, averaging 24.4 points, 4.3 rebounds, 9.3 assists and 2.0 steals. Over his three-year collegiate career, all with Oakland, he played in a total of 101 games with averages of 17.5 points, 4.3 rebounds, 7.8 assists and 1.6 steals in 35.9 minutes per contest. His career shooting line was .426/.345/.822.
Poll: 2005 NBA Draft Take Two (Pick No. 5)
Drafting players is far from an exact science, and many a GM has been second-guessed for his draft night decisions. While life, and the NBA, doesn’t often allow for second chances, we at Hoops Rumors believe it’s fun to give our readers a second take at picking players, complete with the benefit of hindsight.
We’ve previously tackled the 2003 and 2013 NBA Drafts and the next one we’re tackling is 2005’s, 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.
In the weeks ahead, we’ll be 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 continue onward with the Bobcats/Hornets, who held the No. 5 pick that season. Readers, you are now on the clock! Cast your vote for Charlotte’s pick and check back Sunday night for the results, as well as for your chance to vote for whom the Trail Blazers should have taken at No. 6. 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.
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 — ? [Actual Pick — Raymond Felton]
If you’re a Trade Rumors app user, click here.
Week In Review: 7/31/16-8/6/16
With 2016’s major free agent period 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 Knicks signed Ron Baker.
- The Warriors signed Elliot Williams.
- The Knicks signed J.P. Tokoto.
- The Raptors signed Jarrod Uthoff.
- The Cavaliers re-signed James Jones.
- The Clippers signed Alan Anderson.
- The Cavaliers signed DeAndre Liggins.
- The Knicks signed Chasson Randle.
Extensions
- The Thunder finalized a renegotiation and extension with Russell Westbrook
International
- Ryan Boatright signed with the Foshan Lions in China.
- Carlos Boozer will also play in China next season.
- Amar’e Stoudemire signed with Hapoel Jerusalem.
- Jimmer Fredette signed with the Shanghai Sharks of China.
- Kenny Gabriel signed with Kuban of Russia.
Waivers
- The Cavaliers waived Dahntay Jones.
News/Rumors
- The Wizards intend to exercise their third-year option on Kelly Oubre.
- The Timberwolves hired Noah Croom as their new assistant GM.
- The Sixers officially announced that they named Jim O’Brien and Kevin Young as assistant coaches, John Bryant and Alvin Williams as player development coaches, John Townsend as shooting coach, Chris Babcock as assistant director of player development and Dr. Lance Pearson as director of applied analytics. Philadelphia also relayed that Eugene Burroughs, who spent the last two seasons as the Sixers’ shooting coach, has been promoted to head coach of the team’s D-League affiliate in Delaware.
Submit Your Questions For Hoops Rumors Mailbag
We at Hoops Rumors love interacting with our readers. This is why we provide an opportunity for you to hit us up with your questions in our weekly mailbag feature, which is posted every Sunday.
Have a question regarding player movement, free agent rumors, the salary cap, the NBA draft, or the top storylines of the week? You can e-mail them here: hoopsrumorsmailbag@gmail.com. Feel free to send emails throughout the week, but please be mindful that we may receive a sizable number of questions and might not get to all of them.
If you missed out on any past mailbags and would like to catch up, you can view the full archives here.
Salary Cap Snapshot: Denver Nuggets
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 Nuggets’ team page accessible here.
Here’s a breakdown of where the Nuggets currently stand financially:
Guaranteed Salary
- Danilo Gallinari — $15,050,000 (Deal includes 15% Trade Kicker)
- Kenneth Faried — $12,078,652
- Wilson Chandler — $11,233,146
- Darrell Arthur — $8,070,175
- Roy Hibbert — $5,000,000
- Jameer Nelson — $4,540,525
- Will Barton — $3,533,333
- Mike Miller — $3,500,000
- Emmanuel Mudiay — $3,241,800
- Jamal Murray — $3,210,840
- Mason Plumlee —$2,328,530
- Mo Williams — $2,194,500 [Waived by team]
- Juan Hernangomez — $1,987,440
- Gary Harris — $1,655,880
- Malik Beasley — $1,627,320
- Nikola Jokic — $1,358,500
- Nick Johnson — $980,431 [Waived by team]
- Alonzo Gee — $417,848 [Waived by team]
- Robbie Hummel — $150,000 [Waived by team]
- Jarnell Stokes — $150,000 [Waived by team]
- Alonzo Gee — $57,672 [10-day contract (Jan 8); actual salary — $77,379]
- Johnny O’Bryant — $57,672 [10-day contract (Jan 26)]
- Johnny O’Bryant — $57,672 [10-day contract (Feb 6)]
- D.J. Kennedy — $50,000 [Waived by team]
- Nate Wolters — $50,000 [Waived by team]
Total Guaranteed Salary= $82,581,936
Cash Sent Out Via Trade: $0 [Amount Remaining $3.5MM]
Cash Received Via Trade: $3.5MM — Received $650K from Hawks in Mo Williams trade. Received $2.85MM from Trail Blazers in Mason Plumlee trade. [Amount Remaining $0]
Payroll Exceptions Available
- Room Exception: $2,898,000
Total Projected Payroll: $82,581,936
Salary Cap: $94,143,000
Estimated Available Cap Space: $11,561,064
Luxury Tax Threshold: $113,287,000
Amount Below Luxury Tax: $30,705,064
Salary Cap Floor: $84,729,000
Amount Below Salary Cap Floor: $2,147,064
Last Updated: 2/24/17
The Basketball Insiders salary pages and The Vertical’s salary database were used in the creation of this post.
Western Notes: McCollum, Nance Jr., Wolves
Speaking at a press conference today, Blazers guard C.J. McCollum raved about the team’s moves this offseason and what they mean for the season ahead, Joe Freeman of The Oregonian relays. “I think we have a little bit of everything,” McCollum said. “You look at the roster, the way we put different pieces together, bringing in Festus Ezeli, a guy who has championship-level experience defensively, impacts the game right way. Can hedge ball screens. Can do a lot of things we’re not accustomed to. Then you look at Mason Plumlee, a big who can handle the ball, can initiate the offense, can kind of serve as our defacto point guard a lot of times in situations where Dame (Damian Lillard) and I were getting trapped. Bringing back (Allen Crabbe) was big, a guy who can knock down shots, defend high-level wings. Bringing in Evan Turner, a versatile wing, who can pass, play-make, play on the ball, and I think he’ll be an improved three-point shooter.
So we brought back Maurice Harkless, we brought back Meyers Leonard, we brought back a lot of young guys who are thirsty, thirsty to get better, thirsty to prove that the success wasn’t a fluke, thirsty to prove they’re worth what they are getting. A lot of guys are looking forward to the challenge of, like Neil said before, exceeding expectations again and continuing to win and build. Because we care about the city, we care about where we come from, we care about what we represent. And I think that’s what you get, guys who are team-first.”
Here’s more from out West:
- Lakers forward Larry Nance Jr., who injured his wrist during Las Vegas Summer League play, is progressing well and is expected to resume full basketball activities in two weeks time, per an announcement by the team.
- In his look at the Timberwolves‘ offseason moves, Bobby Marks of The Vertical opines that the most important addition was coach/executive Tom Thibodeau, who will be counted on to teach the young roster how to be winners. The scribe also notes that the additions of Cole Aldrich and Jordan Hill were vital for the franchise, given the health concerns of Nikola Pekovic and Kevin Garnett.
Poll: 2005 NBA Draft Take Two (Pick No. 4)
Drafting players is far from an exact science, and many a GM has been second-guessed for his draft night decisions. While life, and the NBA, doesn’t often allow for second chances, we at Hoops Rumors believe it’s fun to give our readers a second take at picking players, complete with the benefit of hindsight.
We’ve previously tackled the 2003 and 2013 NBA Drafts and the next one we’re tackling is 2005’s, 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.
In the weeks ahead, we’ll provide 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 continue onward with the Hornets/Pelicans, who held the No. 4 pick that season. Readers, you are now on the clock! Cast your vote for New Orleans’s pick and check back Saturday night for the results, as well as for your chance to vote for whom the Charlotte Bobcats should have taken at No. 5. 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.
Selections
- Bucks — Chris Paul [Actual Pick — Andrew Bogut]
- Hawks — Deron Williams [Actual Pick — Marvin Williams]
- Jazz — Monta Ellis [Actual Pick — Deron Williams]
- Hornets/Pelicans — ? [Actual Pick — Chris Paul]