Eastern Notes: Stern, ‘Melo, Rondo, Embiid
An end of an era is drawing near when NBA commissioner David Stern will turn the keys over to Adam Silver at the end of this month. Mark Heisler of Sheridan Hoops reminisces on his memories of Stern and the great impact he had on the NBA. Heisler sums up his memories with the following statement. “Whether you loved him, hated him, respected him or lived in fear of angering him, if you played, worked in or followed the NBA, you have him to thank. For people like me, you have him to remember and to miss.”
For those of us who will still be following the NBA beyond Stern’s retirement, here are a few notes around the Eastern Conference.
- According to Al Iannazzone of Newsday, the primary job for the Knicks‘ front office until February 20th is to figure out if Carmelo Anthony wants to stay in New York and what it will take to keep him there. Iannazzone thinks the Knicks should use every effort they can over the next month to get whomever Carmelo wants to play with or they won’t likely have Anthony’s services next season. If they can’t get who Carmelo wants for teammates, Iannazzone urges the Knicks to trade Anthony before the deadline. If not, they risk a very likely chance they lose Carmelo this summer while getting nothing in return.
- One of Carmelo’s desired teammates is rumored to be Rajon Rondo. Reports of Rondo being traded have resurfaced of late and Matt Moore of CBS Sports breaks down why trading Rondo makes sense for the Celtics. Moore believes if the Celtics can get a first-round pick for him they should trade Rondo right away. With Rondo entering a contract year next year Moore reasons the Celtics (as typical of most teams under the current CBA) are unlikely to extend Rondo during the season and wait until the following summer. Moore believes that will be too late for Boston because Rondo won’t wait around for the Celtics current rebuilding project. In addition, according to Moore “the number one rule for any rebuild is you move your best player on a big contract. It gets you the most assets back.”
- While not currently in the NBA, a look at our reverse standings indicates Joel Embiid will very likely join a team from the Eastern Conference next summer. After Embiid’s performance yesterday Jeff Goodman of ESPN (Insider piece), Josh Newman of Zagsblog, and Gary Parrish of CBS Sports all think Embiid has moved into at least the top three of next summer’s draft and potentially the number one pick overall.
Odds & Ends: Pelicans, Burke, Clippers, Pistons
The Pelicans may be looking to switch things up before the trade deadline according to Mitch Lawrence of the New York Daily News. With things not going as planned for New Orleans this season it appears everyone but Jrue Holiday and Anthony Davis are movable assets for the Pelicans. Sam Amico of FOX Sports points out (via Twitter) that list of movable assets would include Eric Gordon and Tyreke Evans.
Other notes on the Pelicans and teams around the league.
- When the Pelicans waived Lou Amundson it was believed the reason was to bring up Pierre Jackson from their D-League affiliate. It appears the recent acquisition of point guard Tyshawn Taylor squelches those rumors and the rumors of Jackson being allowed to seek a trade are more likely. Jackson told Gino Pilato of D-League Digest “it’s a business, and things happen like that. I’m just going to continue to do whatever I can here in the D-League to help this team win games.”
- Kent Youngblood of the Star Tribune asks fans to not look at Trey Burke as another “one that got away” because the Timberwolves would have never drafted him if they weren’t planning to trade him away. Minnesota had three point guards at the time (Ricky Rubio, J.J. Barea, and Luke Ridnour) and were drafting him purely to acquire Shabazz Muhammad from Utah. It is the belief that Ricky Rubio is the team’s future at point guard and drafting Trey Burke would have conflicted with that belief.
- It appears the Clippers roster will remain intact for some time. Head coach and senior vice president of basketball operations Doc Rivers told Arash Markazi of ESPN the Clippers aren’t “looking to make changes” right now. This is a team that Rivers likes and he would be fine ending the season with them plus Chris Paul added back from injury.
- While the Clippers roster may be set, the Pistons are expected to be “really active” as the trade deadline approaches. Vincent Goodwill of the Detroit News discussed (via Twitter) that he anticipates Detroit will make at least one trade prior to next month’s deadline.
Latest On Sixers, Trade Candidates
To date, Sixers GM Sam Hinkie has only made one big move in his short time in Philadelphia: trading for Nerlens Noel. Bigger transactions may lie ahead, but they might not happen until the summer, according to Tom Moore of the Bucks County Courier Times, who believes there should be no rush to deal any of Evan Turner, Spencer Hawes, or Thaddeus Young, the club’s three prime trade candidates.
The Sixers would ideally get a 2014 first-rounder and an expiring contract in return for Turner and Hawes, Moore writes, and Hinkie is willing to deal either player if another team meets his price. It’s unclear from Moore’s report just how open Hinkie is to dealing Young, though the team is apparently upping its aggressiveness in trade talks regarding the power forward, according to Grantland’s Zach Lowe.
If the Sixers keep Turner, they’re unlikely to extend him the $8.7MM qualifying offer he’s due in order to allow the team to match offers for him this summer. That would make Turner an unrestricted free agent. Moore says Hawes, who’ll hit unrestricted free agency this sumemr regardless, might not be the best fit for Philadelphia’s future with Noel returning from injury. If Turner and Hawes choose to leave, Moore suggests the Sixers could work out a sign-and-trade.
Ultimately, Moore doesn’t think February’s deadline should rush the Sixers to making a move. If no one will give Hinkie what he is asking for, he should roll the dice with free agency this summer to see if the asking prices for Turner and Hawes will fit in the Sixers budget, Moore opines. For what it’s worth, Young holds a slight lead on Turner among Hoops Rumors readers who shared their thoughts on which of the three is most likely to be traded.
Speaking of Hinkie rolling the dice, Nerlens Noel has drawn some Greg Oden comparisons but the Sixers GM remains confident that trading for Noel will prove to be smart. Hinkie told Mike Sielski of the Philadelphia Inquirer that “Nerlens is indicative of what we’re doing here,” which Sielski interprets to be “swinging for the fence at every pitch.”
Noel has not played in a NBA game since being drafted last summer but the Sixers are hoping the rookie will be able to recover from knee surgery and become a franchise player. However, if it doesn’t work out that way, Hinkie doesn’t believe it will destroy Philadelphia and has gathered other assets in future draft picks and flexible cap room to make sure it won’t hinder the near future of the franchise.
Draft & D-League Notes: Kobe, Embiid, Bennett
Instead of coming back and playing for the Lakers chances to play in June for a 17th NBA Championship, Bill Plaschke of the Los Angeles Times thinks Kobe Bryant should “play for June” by not coming back from his injury this season and hurting the Lakers June draft position. Plaschke believes the Lakers chances of winning it all this season are impossible so any improvement Kobe would bring hurts their draft chances this summer.
A few other notes about players that will be playing in the NBA for years to come.
- Joel Embiid is a player that has rapidly climbed in draft stock this season. One person whose draft board he hasn’t risen on is Bill Self, his coach at Kansas, and that’s because he has always been at the top of Self’s draft board. Self told Eric Prisbell of USA TODAY that he informed Embiid the moment he stepped on campus that he would be the No. 1 pick, whenever Embiid decided to come out (Twitter link).
- The Rockets have called up Robert Covington from their D-League affiliate according to Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle. The rookie scored 33 points Friday for the Rio Grande Valley Vipers and was on Houston’s active roster Saturday night. Coming into tonight, Covington had yet to log any minutes in the NBA.
- Someone who may be heading to the D-League is Cavaliers rookie Anthony Bennett. According to Bob Finnan of The News-Herald, Cleveland needs to send Bennett to their D-League affiliate in order to rectify what has gone wrong this season.
Dwight Howard Promised Trade To Nets
In a discussion with Jessica Camerato of Basketball Insiders Dwight Howard revealed the Magic promised he would be traded to the Nets in the summer of 2012. Howard was eventually traded to the Lakers that August.
Howard was “upset for a while” that he was not sent to Brooklyn but didn’t sign with them when he became a free agent this past summer. If Howard had been traded to the Nets, Brooklyn would have held his Bird Rights and been able to offer him a larger and longer contract than any other team this summer. Howard instead chose to sign with the Rockets, where he has averaged 17.9 PPG and 12.5 RPG so far this season. The Nets acquired Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and others in the blockbuster trade of the summer.
Odds & Ends: Rondo, Bosh, McCollum
Fallout from the two Nets trades earlier today continues into the evening. Joel Brigham of Basketball Insiders provides his analysis to the trades. According to Brigham, the deal “makes sense for everyone involved”.
A few other notes around the league.
- The famous trade that sent Kevin Garnett to the Celtics may have never happened if it wasn’t for Timberwolves‘ owner, Glen Taylor removing his demand for Rajon Rondo. Peter May of The New York Times writes that Celtics’ owner Wyc Grousbeck stayed firm on his offer and wasn’t willing to part with Rondo in any trade with the Timberwolves.
- Regarding current trade possibilities, Chris Bosh has taken a note from Pau Gasol‘s book by trying to find interests outside of basketball when trade rumor volume increases each year. Bosh noted to Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel that he likes how Gasol can be “comfortable in who he is” and not let the constant rumors bother him.
- C.J. McCollum revealed to Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders his friendship with fellow Trail Blazer Damian Lillard extends long before becoming teammates this summer. Lillard was someone McCollum wanted to play like and began learning from the guard prior to his last season at Lehigh University.
Western Notes: Gasol Trade Options, Lee, Miller
As the trade deadline approaches Ben Bolch of the Los Angeles Times thinks the Lakers should trade Pau Gasol while they can still get something in return for him. Gasol in the last year of his contract and the Lakers with little financial flexibility after extending Kobe Bryant seem to be parting ways after the season according to Bolch. Bolch suggests a few trades the Lakers should look into. First, the Nets to see if they can acquire injured Brook Lopez for Gasol. Next, the Grizzlies to pair Pau with his younger brother Marc Gasol in exchange for Zach Randolph. If neither are interested, Bolch suggests contacting the Rockets for Omer Asik. Finally, Bolch states the Hawks have coveted Gasol for some time and he thinks they may be willing to part with Paul Millsap in order to fill the gap created by an injured Al Horford. If all else fails, Bolch prompts the Lakers to at least get draft picks for Gasol and avoid “a bleak future”.
A few other notes around the Western Conference.
- Although Andre Miller is one year removed from being called one of George Karl’s all-time favorite players, Steve Luhm of The Salt Lake Tribune believes we have seen the last of Miller in a Nuggets jersey. With a new coach in town and the Nuggets resurgence since Miller’s departure, Luhm thinks it is inevitable Miller’s absence will soon become permanent.
- Courtney Lee didn’t need to prove anything to the Grizzlies front office for them to want to trade for him says Michael Cohen of The Commercial Appeal. Lee had already done that five years prior when training for the draft with his former agent Jason Levien and his former development coach Stu Lash. Levien, now the CEO of the Grizzlies, and Lash, now the Grizzlies director of player personnel and basketball development, both admired Lee’s hard work ethic and defensive prowess when they represented him five years ago, prompting them to bring him to Memphis.
- While no one hopes for injuries, they have proven beneficial to Jodie Meeks‘ playing time and wallet. Eric Pincus of The Los Angeles Times writes that Meeks is halfway to hitting bonus incentives in his contract that will pay him $200K. Meeks has playing time bonuses that are triggered for averaging both 20 minutes and 25 minutes a game. With Lakers players down with injury, Meeks has been averaging 31.6 MPG so far this season.
- Not every wise transaction has to involve athletes, as John Canzano of The Oregonian points out. Canzano inspects the transactions Trail Blazers owner Paul Allen has made regarding GM Neil Olshey, president Chris McGowan, and head coach Terry Stotts. In fact, Canzano predicts Allen will extend Stotts’ head coaching contract before the All-Star Game. Stotts contract has a team option for next year but nothing beyond that.
How They Were Signed: Rookie Exception
Continuing the discussion as to how teams have signed the players on their roster, we now turn our attention to the rookie exception. The rookie exception allows teams to sign players drafted in that year’s NBA draft regardless of their current cap situation.
Unlike previous exceptions we have discussed that can be quite complicated, the rookie exception is fairly straightforward. It applies only to picks drafted in the first round and allows a team to sign their first round pick for up to 120% of that year’s rookie scale amount. A player’s rookie scale amount is dependent on how highly they were drafted. Under this exception, a rookie is given two guaranteed seasons and the team is given options to extend that contract for the third and fourth seasons.
If the team picks up the third and fourth season team options, the rookie scale also provides a one-year qualifying offer amount the team must offer the player if they want him to stay beyond a fourth season. The qualifying offer triggers restricted free agency. In many cases, the player warrants a higher salary and a contract that covers a greater length of time, but the qualifying offer serves as a baseline for negotiation. The amount of the qualifying offer can change if a player meets “starter criteria,” which you can read more about here.
The salaries for the first three seasons of the rookie scale contract are set figures, whereas the fourth year and the qualifying offer are percentages of the previous year’s salary.
An example of what the rookie scale for the top 5 picks of the 2013/14 draft looks like is listed below:
|
Pick |
Year 1 |
Year 2 |
Year 3 Team Option |
Year 4 Team Option (% over year 3 salary) |
Qualifying Offer: (% increase over year 4 salary) |
|
1 |
$4,436,900 |
$4,636,600 |
$4,836,300 |
26.1% |
30.0% |
|
2 |
$3,969,800 |
$4,148,500 |
$4,327,100 |
26.2% |
30.5% |
|
3 |
$3,565,000 |
$3,725,400 |
$3,885,800 |
26.4% |
31.2% |
|
4 |
$3,214,200 |
$3,358,800 |
$3,503,500 |
26.5% |
31.9% |
|
5 |
$2,910,600 |
$3,041,600 |
$3,172,600 |
26.7% |
32.6% |
Remember that teams can, and usually do, sign their rookies to 120% of that player’s rookie scale amount. Proof of that is what the contracts for the top 5 picks of this draft actually turned out to be. They were all signed to the maximum amount (120% of the rookie scale) allowed under the rookie scale.
|
Player |
Year 1 |
Year 2 |
Year 3 Team Option |
Year 4 Team Option |
|
5,324,280 |
5,563,920 |
5,803,560 |
7,318,289 |
|
|
4,763,760 |
4,978,200 |
5,192,520 |
6,552,960 |
|
|
4,278,000 |
4,470,480 |
4,662,960 |
5,893,981 |
|
|
3,857,040 |
4,030,560 |
4,204,200 |
5,318,313 |
|
|
3,492,720 |
3,649,920 |
3,807,120 |
4,823,621 |
Feel free to read Hoops Rumors explanation of the rookie scale for more information as to how this exception works. Below is a team-by-team list of players who were signed using the rookie exception.
- Atlanta Hawks
- Boston Celtics
- Brooklyn Nets
- Charlotte Bobcats
- Chicago Bulls
- Cleveland Cavaliers
- Dallas Mavericks
- Denver Nuggets
- Detroit Pistons
- Golden State
- Houston Rockets
- Indiana Pacers
- Los Angeles Clippers
- Los Angeles Lakers
- None
- Memphis Grizzlies
- Miami Heat
- Milwaukee Bucks
- Minnesota Timberwolves
- New Orleans Pelicans
- New York Knicks
- Oklahoma City Thunder
- Orlando Magic
- Philadelphia 76ers
- Evan Turner
- Nerlens Noel
- Michael Carter-Williams
- Tony Wroten
- Arnett Moultrie
- Phoenix Suns
- Portland Trailblazers
- Sacramento Kings
- San Antonio Spurs
- Toronto Raptors
- Utah Jazz
- Washington Wizards
StorytellersContracts and ShamSports were used in the creation of this post.
Eastern Notes: Drake, Raptors, Cavs, Bynum
In September the Raptors and rapper Drake agreed to a partnership in preparation for the Raptors 20th anniversary and the 2016 All-Star game. A product of that partnership was tonight’s game being labeled “Drake Night” featuring among other festivities, Drake announcing Toronto’s starting line up. Prior to the evening, Drake held a press conference in which he disclosed (Twitter Link) to Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun that he has weekly discussions with Raptors GM Masai Ujiri and CEO Tim Leiweke. Whether Drake is the one advising the Raptors to “start from the bottom” and draft Andrew Wiggins next summer is still to be seen.
- Speaking of Raptors transactions, Sean Highkin of USA Today describes how Toronto has changed for the better since the Rudy Gay trade. Additionally, Highkin points out the Raptors aren’t the only one doing better as Gay himself has improved since joining the Kings.
- Tom Moore of the Bucks County Courier Times examined the contract situations for the impact players on the Sixers to preview what next year’s lineup could look like. Moore is of the belief that the current roster, two lottery picks, and $30MM in available free agency money isn’t enough to solve the Sixers missing pieces.
- Now that the dust has settled from the Cavaliers trade for Luol Deng, Bob Finnan of The News-Herald details what Deng will be seeking in free agency next summer. Finnan believes the Cavaliers won’t be able to keep Deng around if he becomes an unrestricted free agent so Cleveland will have to try their best to extend Deng for the maximum three-years, $49.5MM before June 30th. Deng has already shown by turning down Chicago’s extension offer that he believes his value is above $10MM per year but has repeatedly denied ever asking for a deal near $15MM a year.
- Finnan also evaluates what Andrew Bynum‘s options may be with his upcoming free agent decision. It looks like the Heat may still be a favorite. The Pacers and Rockets are also being rumored as options according to Mary Schmitt Boyer of The Plain Dealer.
- Cavaliers GM Chris Grant didn’t rule out the possibility of another trade prior to the deadline but he did tell Boyer of The Plain Dealer that his preference is to not be active and let the guys “settle in and learn”. In relation to settling in, Boyer also believes the Cavs plan to stick long term with both Anthony Bennett and Anderson Varejao.
Kupchak On Bryant, Gasol, Free Agency, Draft
Earlier today, Lakers’ General Manager Mitch Kupchak spoke to Mike Trudell of Lakers.com regarding questions every Lakers fan has seemed to ask so far this season. It is a great read for anyone interested in the direction the Lakers are headed in the near future. Here are a few takeaways from the discussion.
- It was no coincidence at the beginning of this season that the Lakers’ payroll aligned to only have Steve Nash under contract beyond this season. Kupchak and the Lakers made a conscious decision to plan their roster this way so they could take a fresh look at everyone on their roster. Kupchak’s didn’t want to fall in the same trap as other championship teams who sign star players a few years beyond their prime. Although extending Kobe Bryant was a diversion from this plan, Kupchak believes the Lakers still have plenty of flexibility to sign a max contract free agent each of the next two summers.
- Which free agent the Lakers pursue is still up in the air because according to Kupchak, the league is “too competitive” to plan for one player’s contract actions. Kupchak did hint however that if the 2014 free agent market doesn’t turn out like he hopes the Lakers may not sign a maximum contract player this summer and instead wait until the 2015 or 2016 free agent markets.
- Looking at the young players on the team, Kupchak credited his familiarity with watching the college careers of Xavier Henry and Kendall Marshall as selling points in signing both of them this season. For Nick Young, it was the conversations between his agent, Mark Bartelstein, and Kupchak that sold Young on the Lakers as a place he could thrive with playing time and style of play. Kupchak would like to continue giving Young playing time as he hopes Nick will opt in to his player option this summer and become “a Laker for a long time”.
- On an older player on the roster, Pau Gasol, Kupchak thinks he is having a great year given the circumstances. Gasol never planned to return from major surgery to a Lakers lineup sans Bryant, Steve Nash, and Steve Blake but has handled it well according to Kupchak. Regarding Gasol’s upcoming free agency, Kupchak knows Pau will have other offers but thinks if all things remain constant, Gasol would “love to continue to play here, and we’d love to have him here”. He also believes Gasol is bound for the Hall of Fame.
- On the luxury tax, Kupchak said the “ownership here has never been afraid to be in the tax.” He also agreed with Trudell that the luxury tax is a major factor to be aware of but for the Lakers it is not a black and white line they aren’t allowed to cross.
- Regarding next summer’s draft, Kupchak thinks the first 10 players drafted will be as “good as [he’s] seen in a long time”. Kupchak also noted he prepares for every draft so that he could make every pick, 1 through 60.