Salary Cap Snapshot: Chicago Bulls
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. These posts 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 Bulls’ team page accessible here.
Here’s a breakdown of where the Bulls currently stand financially:
Guaranteed Salary
- Dwyane Wade — $23,200,000
- Jimmy Butler — $17,552,209 (Contract includes 5% Trade Kicker)
- Rajon Rondo — $14,000,000
- Robin Lopez — $13,219,250
- Nikola Mirotic — $5,782,450 (Contract includes 15% Trade Kicker)
- Anthony Morrow —$3,488,000
- Michael Carter-Williams —$3,183,526
- Cameron Payne —$2,112,480
- Denzel Valentine — $2,092,200
- Joffrey Lauvergne —$1,709,719
- Jerian Grant — $1,643,040
- Bobby Portis — $1,453,680
- Isaiah Canaan — $1,015,696
- Cristiano Felicio — $874,636
- Paul Zipser — $750,000
- R.J. Hunter — $425,000 [Waived by team]
- Thomas Walkup — $69,500 [Waived by team]
Total Guaranteed Salary= $92,551,106
Cash Sent Out Via Trade: $0 [Amount Remaining $3.5MM]
Cash Received Via Trade: $0 [Amount Remaining $3.5MM]
Payroll Exceptions Available
- Trade Exception — $5,462,000 (Taj Gibson trade) — Expires on 7/12/17
- Room Exception — $2,898,000
Total Projected Payroll: $92,551,106
Salary Cap: $94,143,000
Estimated Available Cap Space: $1,591,894
(Note: team would have to renounce trade exception to use cap space)
Luxury Tax Threshold: $113,287,000
Amount Below Luxury Tax: $20,735,894
Last Update: 2/24/17
The Basketball Insiders salary pages and The Vertical’s salary database were used in the creation of this post.
Mark Cuban On: Barnes, Parsons, Curry
Outspoken Mavericks team owner Mark Cuban joined The Afternoon Show with Cowlishaw and Mosley on ESPN Radio 103.3 KESN-FM (h/t to The Dallas Morning News) to discuss the team’s offseason and a number of other topics. The entire interview is worth a look, but here are some of the highlights:
On the Mavs switching to Plan B this offseason after missing out on a number of their top targets:
“We got lucky. There’s not other way to say it. We knew we were long shots with both Hassan Whiteside and with Mike Conley. We knew Mike Conley wasn’t going to turn down the largest contract in NBA history. But we also know that it’s not just about the short-term, it’s the long-term. We wanted to introduce the Mavericks, our style and our organization to both of them because you never know when they’re going to be available in a trade. You never know next free agency. So many things can happen over a period of time in an NBA.
Look what happened with D-Will (Deron Williams). I think our presentation to him from coach and Donnie [Nelson] in particular really set the groundwork for him understanding who we are. On one hand, we didn’t expect to get them to come to the Mavs, but we still think it served a function. From there Harrison Barnes reached out to me at 12:01 like, ‘Dude I want to come there. You’re my first pick, my only pick.’ I went back-and-forth with him like, ‘Yeah, we’d love you too but you’re a restricted free agent. Here’s our course of action. Here’s what we’re going to do.’ I laid it all out for him. He was like, ‘Okay, we’ll see what happens but you guys are my team.’ Fortunately it turned out the way it did.”
On essentially choosing Barnes of Chandler Parsons this summer:
“Can’t go into any details, but I’ll just say it wasn’t a basketball issue. Chandler obviously is a very, very skilled player. There’s a lot of great things to his game. But he’s, in essence, a different player from Harrison. Harrison is longer, more athletic, younger. Just like Chandler really didn’t get a chance to have his game blossom when he was with the Rockets. He just showed glimpses of it because of Dwight Howard and James Harden being there. I think Harrison was kind of in the same role. I think we’re going to give Harrison the opportunity and I know he’s excited about the opportunity to really shine and be a featured guy for us.”
On if Dallas is a better team now than in 2015/16:
“You never know until you know. That’s why we play the games. If you look at last year you look at New Orleans, you look at Houston, you just don’t know. I would have told you last year, and I think I did tell you guys, that we’re about eight sprained ankles away from being a top contender. Now we’re probably only three, maybe four. You just don’t know. Look at Portland and what happened there. You just don’t know.
But I do think we’re a better team. I know we’re far better defensively. I know we’re far more athletic. I think we’ve got more athletic depth. We will miss at some point the Ray Felton’s. There will be game situations where having that veteran presence would have been nice to have. But I really think between Juan Barea, Devin Harris and D-Will (Williams) we’ll make up for a lot of that. I think the explosiveness and the scoring punch of Jonathan Gibson and Seth Curry will more than make up for it.”
On what he expects to receive from Seth Curry:
“A dysfunctional team in Sacramento at the end of the year he played team ball. He struggled some to stick within kind of a dysfunctional system. But when he got the minutes and when he started he put up great numbers. But more importantly, from a catch-and-shoot perspective he’s almost automatic from three. We really didn’t have that. We didn’t have that guy where situationally you just knew if you can get him open he was going to hit that open three. We miss that 42-43% three-point shooter. We just didn’t have it. We think we have that with Seth. I think it’ll make life a little bit easier for Dirk Nowitzki. It’ll allow us to push the ball more and I think it’ll make everybody’s lives a bit easier.“
Dwyane Wade On: Butler, Riley, Chicago
Longtime face of the Miami Heat franchise, Dwyane Wade, was officially introduced today as a member of the Bulls. The veteran inked a two-year, $47MM deal with Chicago this offseason, leaving behind the only NBA team he had ever known. Wade addressed members of the media today and touched on a number of subjects. The transcription comes courtesy of ESPN.com and Ethan J. Skolnick of The Miami Herald. Here are some of the highlights from Wade’s press conference:
Discussing who the “alpha” is on the new-look Bulls:
“This is Jimmy’s team. It won’t be a tug and pull whose team it is.” Wade then recalled the 2004 offseason when Miami acquired big man Shaquille O’Neal, saying, “We had no championships at the time and I remember his press conference. I was playing in the Olympics at the time, like Jimmy is right now. And I remember Shaq said, ‘We’re not going to go through this all year. This is Dwyane Wade’s team.’ So, we’re not going to go through this all year. This is Jimmy Butler‘s team. Myself and Rajon Rondo are here to bring what we bring as athletes to this team and to this city. He’s the young Bull on this team. He’s a 26-year-old who can play 40 minutes if coach wants him to and maybe more. I ain’t trying to do all that. And we’re going to depend on him a lot.”
Discussing if he chose Chicago because of a rift with Heat president Pat Riley:
“I have no rift with Pat Riley. It’s funny the reports come out about a lot of different things. I’ve never seen nobody around me and Pat when me and him was talking. I didn’t see no one CC’d on the emails that we talk about. I have nothing but respect for what he’s done in this game. I have so much to learn. So I have no rift in that. This year, the direction and the focus for that organization in Miami — which I have nothing but love and respect for — was a little different than it has been in years past.
With that being said, my direction and my focus was a little different than it had been in year’s past. I communicated with them that ‘Hey I’ve only done this once, but I’m going to be a free agent. I’m going to go out and see what the market is saying about me.’ And, like I said, this opportunity with Chicago when first I said I was going to be a free agent, this was nothing that we all knew was going to happen. But it was things that happened along the way that made this even realer and realer. I made the decision.
I had a contract offer in Miami that I could have took. I decided not to take it. It was my decision to be selfish and to live out a dream of mine. I’ve brought a lot of excitement to Miami and it’s a home to me. It will always be. I want to bring a little bit here to Chicago when I have a little bit left. So, let’s clear up the notion that Pat Riley orchestrated me getting out of Miami because he didn’t offer me the money I wanted. This was not a money deal. If this was a money deal I wouldn’t be sitting here. I would have taken the most money. At the end of the day this is a place I wanted to be.”
Discussing Riley’s role, or lack thereof, in his recruitment this summer:
“I dealt with (team owner) Micky Arison, Nick Arison when it came to my contracts the last two years. That’s what he means when he said he wasn’t involved, meaning he didn’t sit at the table. He didn’t call or email or text or nothing like that to try to sway me or try to get me back. I guess that’s what he meant.
I dealt with two people I respect in the organization. And like I said, at the end of the day it wasn’t about Pat Riley, it wasn’t about Micky, it wasn’t about Nick. It was about me. I told that to the Arison family in our meeting. They asked me, ‘What else? Is there anything else we can do? I said, ‘This is a decision I’m going to have to make. And I made that decision.’
I wasn’t looking for Pat to reach out to me. That wasn’t the focus of mine. My focus was making the best decision for my family. He has to make the best decision for the organization, which he has done an amazing job over his tenure there. And we all benefited from it.“
Rockets Sign Pablo Prigioni
JULY 29th, 5:05pm: The signing is official, the team announced.
JULY 13th, 10:50pm: The Rockets and unrestricted free agent Pablo Prigioni have reached an agreement on a contract, Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical reports (Twitter link). It will be a two-year pact for the point guard, Wojnarowski adds, but the dollar amount of the arrangement is unknown at this time.
The 39-year-old appeared in 59 games for the Clippers this past season and averaged 2.56 points, 1.9 rebounds and 2.2 assist in 13.9 minutes per outing. His slash line was .374/.295/.875.
Prigioni becomes the only other true point guard currently on Houston’s roster and will serve as a veteran backup to starter Patrick Beverley.
And-Ones: NBPA, Monroe, Murray
On Wednesday, the NBPA announced in an unprecedented move, that it will now fund health insurance for all retired players who accrued three or more years of service time in the NBA (h/t RealGM). This program will be the first of its kind among North American professional sports, the release noted. “The game has never been more popular, and all the players in our league today recognize that we’re only in this position because of the hard work and dedication of the men who came before us,” said Chris Paul. “It’s important that we take care of our entire extended NBA family, and I’m proud of my fellow players for taking this unprecedented step to ensure the health and well-being of our predecessors.”
Here’s more from around the league:
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The Bucks are still looking to find a taker for Greg Monroe and it sounds like they’ve spoken to the Pelicans about him this offseason. “I think [the Bucks] got closer than maybe has been reported with New Orleans during either the draft or free agency,” ESPN’s Zach Lowe said during today’s episode of The Lowe Post podcast (54:25 mark for the relevant portion). “Monroe’s a New Orleans native,” ESPN’s Marc Stein added. “I think that’s where he wants to end up.” Neither Lowe nor Stein suggested that a deal between the Pelicans and Bucks is currently in the works, but Stein expects the big man to eventually be moved, and those two clubs also discussed Monroe prior to this year’s trade deadline.
- Richard Jefferson‘s contract with the Cavaliers is for three years, not for two as was previously reported, notes Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders (Twitter link). The veteran will earn $2.5MM in each of the first two seasons, with the final season worth a non-guaranteed $2.6MM, Pincus adds.
- Add former NBA player Flip Murray to the list of veterans considering making a return to the league, as he told Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders. “I would definitely bring a lot of veteran leadership because I know the game of basketball,” Murray said. “The way the game is now, I feel like I could fit perfectly in. I could be someone who comes off the bench and produces for the team. I’d also like to mentor the young guys and pass on some of the experiences and lessons I learned from playing against some of the guys I matched up against during my time. If I come in right now, I could bring a lot of veteran leadership and still be able to produce on the court.” The 36-year-old last appeared in the NBA during the regular season in 2009/10.
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 each 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.
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Southwest Notes: Parker, Nowitzki, Dedmon
Despite the retirement of Tim Duncan this summer, point guard Tony Parker still believes the Spurs will be a factor in the championship hunt in 2016/17, Tom Orsborn of The San Antonio Express-News writes. “Obviously, we are going to miss him a lot,” Parker said of Duncan. “You can’t replace a guy like Timmy. But we will try to do our best to keep the Spurs going and to keep winning. I’m just going to try to be a good leader and welcome all the new guys and try to help them as much as I can and just show them the Spurs culture and what we do here.”
Here’s more from out of the Southwest Division:
- Former Providence point guard God Shammgod has joined the Mavericks‘ staff as an assistant coach in charge of player development, Jon Rothstein of CBSSports.com tweets.
- Dirk Nowitzki‘s contract with the Mavs calls for him to earn $25MM per season, includes a no-trade clause and the second year is a team option with no guaranteed money, Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders relays (Twitter links).
- Center Dewayne Dedmon said his two best options this offseason were the Spurs and the Warriors, adding he chose San Antonio in order to have a shot a beating Golden State, Jabari Young of The San Antonio Express-News relays (Subscription required). The soon-to-be 27-year-old inked a two-year deal with the Spurs this offseason.
Salary Cap Snapshot: Charlotte Hornets
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. These posts 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 Hornets’ team page accessible here.
Here’s a breakdown of where the Hornets currently stand financially:
Guaranteed Salary
- Nicolas Batum — $20,869,566
- Michael Kidd-Gilchrist — $13,000,000
- Miles Plumlee —$12,500,000
- Marvin Williams — $12,250,000
- Kemba Walker — $12,000,000
- Jeremy Lamb — $6,511,628
- Marco Belinelli — $6,333,333
- Ramon Sessions — $6,000,000
- Cody Zeller — $5,318,313
- Frank Kaminsky — $2,730,000
- Chris Andersen — $980,431 [Waived by team; actual salary — $1,551,659]
- Brian Roberts — $980,431 [Actual salary — $1,050,961]
- Christian Wood — $874,636
- Treveon Graham — $543,471
- Aaron Harrison — $375,579 [Waived by team]
- Johnny O’Bryant — $161,483
- Briante Weber — $128,623
- Mike Tobey — $75,000 [Waived by team (Oct 22)]
- Ray McCallum — $63,440 [10-day contract (Feb 13); actual salary — $65,722; contract lasted 11 days to allow for three games]
- Ray McCallum — $57,672 [10-day contract (Feb 3); actual salary — $59,747]
- Johnny O’Bryant — $57,672 [10-day contract (Feb 24)]
- Johnny O’Bryant — $57,672 [10-day contract (Mar 6)]
- Briante Weber — $51,449 [10-day contract (Feb 27)]
- Briante Weber — $51,449 [10-day contract (Mar 9)]
- Mike Tobey — $35,166 [10-day contract (Feb 13); contract lasted 11 days to allow for three games]
- Mike Tobey — $31,969 [10-day contract (Feb 3)]
Total Guaranteed Salary= $102,038,983
Cash Sent Out Via Trade: $0 [Amount Remaining $3.5MM]
Cash Received Via Trade: TBD. $250K was received from Memphis in the Troy Daniels trade. $750K was received from the Cavaliers in the Chris Andersen trade. An unknown amount was received from the Bucks in the Miles Plumlee trade. [Amount Remaining $2.5MM]
Payroll Exceptions Available
- Trade Exception — $1,666,470 (Troy Daniels trade) — Expires on 7/12/17
- Room Exception — $2,898,000
Total Projected Payroll: $102,038,983
Salary Cap: $94,143,000
Estimated Available Cap Space: –$7,895,983
Luxury Tax Threshold: $113,287,000
Amount Below Luxury Tax: $11,248,017
Last Updated: 3/20/17
The Basketball Insiders salary pages and The Vertical’s salary database were used in the creation of this post.
Bulls Re-Sign Spencer Dinwiddie
The Bulls have circled back to guard Spencer Dinwiddie, with the team announcing via press release that he has been re-signed. The length and terms of the arrangement were not relayed in the release, but odds are that it is a minimum salary deal with little or no guaranteed money included. The addition of Dinwiddie gives the Bulls a roster count of 15, which is the regular season maximum.
Chicago had waived Dinwiddie back on July 7th in an effort to clear cap room for free agent pursuits. The Bulls had acquired the 23-year-old from Detroit in exchange for power forward Cameron Bairstow in June.
Dinwiddie completed the 2015/16 campaign, his second in the NBA, with averages of 4.8 points, 1.8 assists, 1.4 rebounds and 13.3 minutes over 12 contests. He was drafted by the Pistons with the No. 38 overall selection in the 2014 NBA Draft. Dinwiddie owns career averages of 4.4 points, 2.7 assists, 1.4 rebounds and 13.3 minutes through 46 regular season games in the league.
Atlantic Notes: Anthony, Nets, Bentil
Like many around the NBA, Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony was taken by surprise that Dwyane Wade left the Heat to join the Bulls this offfseason, Nick Friedell of ESPN.com writes. “I was shocked,” Anthony said. “I was shocked more from a standpoint it was just hard to see. It’s hard to see some players in different uniforms and he’s one of those guys who I never thought I would see in a different uniform other than Miami. But it happened, and I got a chance to talk to him and sit down with him and really dig deep about his feelings and what happened. He’s at peace now. And when he’s at peace, I’m at peace with it.”
Melo also took the time to express his happiness at the Knicks’ new-look roster, Friedell adds. “We love them,” Anthony said. “We love those additions. And we’re looking forward to getting the season going. And I think everybody is excited, the excitement is back. Right now there’s an adjustment on paper, but of course we have some work to do putting it all together, making it work. But we’re going to ride the wave of this excitement right now.”
Here’s more from the Atlantic Division:
- The Celtics have a crowded roster with 18 players currently under contract, and as a result, will have some difficult decisions to make during the preseason. Logan Mullen of 93.7FM’s Green Street broke down who he thinks will make the regular season roster and who is ticketed for Boston’s D-League affiliate in Maine.
- The Nets are stressing patience as the team rebuilds, which is a marked change from how the team has operated under owner Mikhail Prokhorov in the past, notes David Aldridge of NBA.com. “This goes from ownership all the way down,” GM Sean Marks said. “When Mikhail wrote his letter 9to season ticket holders), the lessons he learned, that sort of stood out. It stood out for me, that a guy of his stature realized, we’re going to go in a different direction this time. Now it’s up to us to put a product on the floor that’s going to be sustainable, and not just for a fleeting moment. I understand there could be some trying times here for the organization. We’re not going to win 50 games next year. We get that. But if we can put a product on the floor that we can be proud of, that fans can appreciate, if fans know that we’ll compete every night, that’ll speak volumes. Especially the Brooklyn-New York fan base will appreciate that.”
- Ben Bentil‘s three-year contract with the Celtics includes a partial guarantee of $250K for the first season, Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders tweets.
- Unrestricted free agent Shane Larkin, who appeared in 78 games for the Nets in 2015/16, has switched agents and is now represented by Jim Tanner of Tandem Sports, Liz Mullen of The Sports Business Journal tweets.
- The Celtics have officially renounced their rights to Gigi Datome, Pincus relays (on Twitter). The 27-year-old last appeared in the league during the 2014/15 campaign.