Clippers Looking Outside NBA For Point Guard
With Chris Paul separating his shoulder Friday night against the Mavericks it appears the point guard will spend a substantial amount of time on the bench. Head coach and Senior Vice President of Basketball Operations Doc Rivers hinted that the Clippers may be looking as far as players outside the NBA to fill this hole. Rivers told Eric Patten of Clippers.com they “aren’t going to do much right now” and will just “wait and see what the report is on Chris and how Maalik Wayns is coming along.”
Wayns hasn’t played since the preseason when he tore his meniscus but was activated January 1st shortly before the Clippers played the Bobcats. Rivers told Patten that Wayns still isn’t ready to join the rotation and as we have noted, the Clippers have to make a decision on whether they even want to keep Maalik before his contract becomes fully guaranteed on January 10th.
With only Darren Collison guaranteed to play at point guard for the next few weeks, Doc Rivers told Patten they are looking at a few guys that could get out of their contracts in China. Rivers did also hint that they may not sign a point guard and may look for a shooting guard that could handle the ball.
According to ESPN’s Arash Markazi, two point guards currently playing in China that could be options for LA are Delonte West and Bobby Brown. (Twitter Link) West last played in the NBA for the Mavericks in 2011/12 and Brown last saw regular season NBA action with the Clippers back in 2009/10. West seems to have the advantage to get Clipper consideration over Brown as he played for Rivers two separate times in Boston.
The Clippers are at the 15-man maximum roster limit so any signing will subsequently require a player to be waived. The two players most likely to be waived would be those playing with non-guaranteed contracts, previously mentioned Wayns and 13 year veteran Stephen Jackson.
Magic Waive Solomon Jones
TUESDAY, 4:29pm: Jones has cleared waivers, according to Marc Stein of ESPN.com (via Twitter).
SATURDAY, 9:04pm: According to a team announcement, the Magic have waived center Solomon Jones. Jones had not seen much time this season due to tearing his meniscus in late October. He only had the chance to play in 11 games for the Magic and averaged 7.7 minutes in those games, averaging 1.3 points and 1.5 rebounds.
It appears the Magic did not need until Tuesday’s deadline to decide how they would handle their non-guaranteed contracts. Orlando’s roster is now down to 13 players, all on guaranteed contracts.
How They Were Signed: Early Bird & Non-Bird Exception
After looking at the frequently used Bird exception earlier this week, we will now inspect which NBA players have been signed to their current contracts using one of the lesser-used forms of the Bird exception. These variations to the Bird exception are the Early Bird exception and the Non-Bird exception. Both exceptions are similar to the Bird exception in that they were designed to allow teams to re-sign their players regardless of that NBA team’s current cap space.
As we discussed previously, in order for a player to earn their Bird rights they need to play for their NBA team for at least three seasons. However, a player can earn their Early Bird rights after playing for a team for only two seasons. Once a player has earned those rights their NBA team can re-sign that player for up to four years for either 175% of that player’s previous year’s salary or the league-average salary, whichever is greater. Whatever the first year salary becomes under this exception, the team may raise that player’s salary each year up to 7.5% of the previous year’s salary. More details on the Early Bird exception can be read here.
Even less playing time is needed for a player to earn their Non-Bird rights. If a player ends a season on an NBA roster, they are eligible for Non-Bird rights. Once a player has earned those rights, their NBA team can re-sign that player for the greatest of 1) 120% of the player’s previous salary, 2) 120% of the minimum salary, or 3) the amount of a qualifying offer that player may have if they are a restricted free agent. Once the first year salary is agreed upon, the team can sign that player for up to four years and give them up to 4.5% annual raises each year. More details on the Non-Bird exception can be read here.
Below is a team-by-team list of players who were signed using the Early Bird or Non-Bird exception. It is assumed the players signed via the Early Bird exception unless otherwise noted.
- Atlanta Hawks
- None
- Boston Celtics
- Brooklyn Nets
- Reggie Evans (Non-Bird Exception)
- Andray Blatche (Non-Bird Exception)
- Charlotte Bobcats
- None
- Chicago Bulls
- None
- Cleveland Cavaliers
- Dallas Mavericks
- Denver Nuggets
- Randy Foye (Non-Bird Exception)
- Detroit Pistons
- Golden State
- None
- Houston Rockets
- None
- Indiana Pacers
- Los Angeles Clippers
- Willie Green (Non-Bird Exception)
- Los Angeles Lakers
- Robert Sacre (Non-Bird Exception)
- Memphis Grizzlies
- Miami Heat
- None
- Milwaukee Bucks
- None
- Minnesota Timberwolves
- None
- New Orleans Pelicans
- None
- New York Knicks
- Oklahoma City Thunder
- None
- Orlando Magic
- None
- Philadelphia 76ers
- None
- Phoenix Suns
- Ishmael Smith (Non-Bird Exception)
- Portland Trailblazers
- None
- Sacramento Kings
- None
- San Antonio Spurs
- Danny Green
- Patrick Mills (Non-Bird Exception)
- Toronto Raptors
- Utah Jazz
- Washington Wizards
StorytellersContracts and ShamSports were used in the creation of this post.
Poll: What Happens To Andrew Bynum Now?
News broke this morning that the Cavaliers have indefinitely suspended Andrew Bynum for conduct detrimental to the team. This news started a flurry of rumors regarding Bynum’s future with the Cavaliers. We have put together a comprehensive list of all those rumors. Most of those rumors have included teams that will not be interested in trading or signing Bynum if waived rather than teams that are interested in Bynum. Two teams – the Heat and Clippers, have emerged as teams that would be interested in Bynum if waived.
Due to Bynum’s injury history, the contract he signed with the Cavaliers is not fully guaranteed. This will make the guarantee date of January 7th an important date for Cleveland’s front office. If they don’t trade or cut Bynum by then, they will owe him his entire $12.25MM salary for 2013/14 instead of his only $6MM currently guaranteed salary.
Odds & Ends: Magic, Stephenson, Warriors
Shortly after playing in his first game back since he suffered a torn meniscus, Solomon Jones told Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel he is enjoying more than being able to return to playing for the Magic. Jones, who is playing on a minimum salary contract this season, has enjoyed living close to his childhood home and his family. Averaging almost eight minutes in the games he has played, it will be seen whether Jones will play his way into another season near his home town.
A few other notes around the league.
- According to Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated (Twitter Link), rival NBA executives are predicting that Pacers guard Lance Stephenson will be worth between $7-9MM per season when he enters free agency next summer. While the Pacers and Stephenson have both expressed interest in re-signing with each other next season, a $9MM price tag would almost guarantee they will only be able to re-sign either Stephenson or fellow Pacer free agent, Danny Granger.
- The Warriors have assigned center Ognjen Kuzmic and guard Nemanja Nedovic to their NBA D-League team, the Santa Cruz Warriors. In a team announcement, the Warriors said both rookies will be able to play in tonight’s D-League game. Kuzmic has missed most of this season with a hand injury but has averaged 4.1 MPG in the games he has played with the Warriors. Nedovic has appeared in all but 10 of the Warriors games averaging 6.4 MPG, and 1.1 PPG.
- According to Jason Lloyd of the Beacon Journal, the Cavaliers biggest need this season is at the small forward position. Former head coach Byron Scott told Lloyd in the summer of 2012 that the Cavaliers have been trying to resolve that position for some time but have not been successful to date. Aware that Cleveland spent their first overall pick on small forward Anthony Bennett, Lloyd still thinks the Cavaliers are looking to fill that hole and could do so in this season’s trade market. The only issue according to Lloyd is every inquiring team wants Dion Waiters in any trade they do with Cleveland which is a move the Cavaliers are unwilling to make.
- Although we knew Brook Lopez‘s season is over, Mike Mazzeo of ESPN New York reports that Brook Lopez will undergo surgery on his foot January 4th officially ending his 2013/14 campaign. Unless the Nets trade him, Lopez will be back for Brooklyn next season continuing the 4 year contract he signed back in 2012.
No Trades Or Coaching Changes for Knicks?
1:35pm: The Knicks front office remains in active pursuit of trades and is making contingency plans in the event Woodson is fired, writes Frank Isola of the New York Daily News. Isola figures Dolan felt compelled to meet with the team to quell internal speculation about potential changes ahead. In any case, the future of the Knicks appears to remain shrouded in mystery.
11:15am: Marc Stein of ESPN.com reports that Knicks chairman James Dolan told players yesterday morning that there will be no trades or changes in the coaching staff. Stein says the meeting was held by Dolan to convince the players to come together behind head coach Mike Woodson and his plan to “win [the Atlantic Division]”.
The Knicks have started the season 9-19 which has created many rumors that Woodson would be the first NBA coach fired this season and be without a job as early as this weekend. They have also been included in many trade rumors including a trade for Toronto’s Kyle Lowry, and a trade for Boston’s Rajon Rondo. Knicks players considered to be trade candidates so far this season included Iman Shumpert, Carmelo Anthony, and Metta World Peace.
Time, and the Knicks’ place in the standings, will tell whether Dolan sticks with this plan. The trade deadline which would force the Knicks to stick to this plan is Thursday, February 20th.
Free Agency Notes: Hayward, Billups, Parker
Although a report came out this morning that Mike Woodson’s job is currently safe it hasn’t stopped anyone from speculating otherwise. Another person to come to Woodson’s defense is former University of Indiana teammate, and former Knicks head coach, Isiah Thomas. Thomas told Marc Berman of the New York Post that he expects Woodson to hold up well and succeed once he gets all his players back from injury.
A few notes regarding players who could join Woodson in looking for jobs soon.
- Since Gordon Hayward and the Jazz were unable to reach an agreement on an extension this offseason, Hayward will be headed to restricted free agency next summer. Hayward expressed to Lang Greene of HoopsWorld that the Jazz remain his preferred option because he loves the way the franchise is headed. Of particular interest to Hayward is the Jazz’s core group of players, a bunch of young players whom he thinks will be successful in the near future. As Greene points out, the Jazz only have $27MM in guaranteed salaries next season which will allow them to be a competitor in free agency next summer.
- David Mayo of MLive Media Group passed along in a Q&A session that he doesn’t think either the Pistons or Chauncey Billups will want Detroit to exercise their team option on Billups $2.5MM contract next year.
- Although the Knicks have been promised no trades for the near future, their moves in free agency are still a major focal point of discussion around the league. One upcoming free agent that has been linked with the Knicks is the Spurs‘ Tony Parker. Dan McCarney broke down the likelihood of Parker signing with the Knicks in 2015. McCarney believes Parker’s past loyalty to the Spurs will continue through his next round of free agency and doesn’t imagine we will ever see Parker in any jersey other than San Antonio’s.
How They Were Signed: Bird Exception
Continuing the discussion of how players have signed around the league, we now look at the very popular exception – the Bird exception. The Bird exception is named after Larry Bird and lets teams go over the salary cap to re-sign their own players. The purpose of this exception is to allow teams to re-sign their star players regardless of their current cap situation.
Very briefly, a player can become eligible to be re-signed under the Bird exception if they have played on the same team for three years or longer. There are many more rules to this exception and a more detailed breakdown of those rules can be viewed here.
If a player signs a contract with the Bird exception they are eligible to sign a max salary contract that increases up to 7.5% each year for a maximum of five years. The maximum salary amount is determined by the amount of years the player has played in the NBA. For example, the maximum salary in 2013/14 for a player with 0-6 years’ experience is $13.70MM, 7-9 years’ experience $16.44MM, and 10+ years’ experience $19.18MM.
A team is also allowed to sign players under what is called the Non-Bird Exception, and Early Bird Exception but we will focus on those another time. For now, below is a team by team list of players who were signed using the Bird 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
- Memphis Grizzlies
- Miami Heat
- Milwaukee Bucks
- Minnesota Timberwolves
- New Orleans Pelicans
- New York Knicks
- Oklahoma City Thunder
- Orlando Magic
- Philadelphia 76ers
- 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.
Odds & Ends: Anthony, Carter-Williams, Kelly
This weekend appears to be a big weekend for the Knicks and head coach Mike Woodson as they have the opportunity to finish the weekend one game out of first place in the Atlantic Division. Some have speculated this is also a prime opportunity to replace Woodson if the 9-19 Knicks don’t turn things around. If they do in fact replace Woodson, Ian Begley of ESPN New York recommends the Knicks inquire who Carmelo Anthony will want to play for if they want a chance at his pending free agency next summer. The Knicks have said they want to re-sign Anthony and having a coach he favors could go a long way in achieving that goal.
A few other morning notes around the league.
- Although there is still a lot of the season left, the Sixers are in rebuilding mode and any roster moves will, and should, focus on how they complement breakthrough star of 2013, Michael Carter-Williams. Bob Cooney of the Philadelphia Daily News thinks this will be the Sixers plan for the rest of the season. With only seventeen game opportunities, Carter-Williams has proven he is a pro the team can build around and Cooney believes they will treat him just like they did Jrue Holiday in previous seasons.
- Ryan Kelly has embraced his role as a bench player for the Lakers. The 48th overall pick in last summer’s draft was limited in pre-draft activities due to an injured foot but is hoping to make the most of his rookie minimum salary deal with the goal of it becoming vested after the new year. Kelly told Dave McMenamin of ESPN Los Angeles he is “taking [every possession] like it’s his last” in order to “make it past Jan. 10”.
- Former Mavericks GM Gersson Rosas has officially returned to his prior role with the Rockets as executive vice president. Rosas expressed to Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle it is “good to be home” and that he is returning from Dallas with “some unfinished work to do”.
Eastern Notes: Knicks, Udrih, Trade Candidates, Wizards
According to Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld.com, 87.5% of the teams at the top of their division on Christmas Day in the past four years have ended the season still in first place. These odds of making the playoffs shouldn’t come as a surprise to the fans of the Heat, Pacers, Spurs, Thunder, or Clippers but may be odds Trail Blazer or Raptor fans want to hold onto.
A few notes in the Eastern Conference regarding teams that don’t have very good playoff odds.
- It was no Christmas surprise that the Knicks are quickly unraveling this season. Following a double digit blowout to the Thunder, Brian Windhorst of ESPN compared the Knicks continuous offseason mistakes to those of the Thunder’s offseason successes. The Knicks address their transactions with a “think big” mentality which has caused them to whiff big by chasing, and missing, expensive free agents. On the contrary, the Thunder have thought small and invested in young talent through the draft. Windhorst claims the Knicks aren’t planning to stop this cycle anytime soon either as they are now looking at expensive names in their near future such as Rajon Rondo, Kevin Love, LaMarcus Aldridge, Roy Hibbert, Marc Gasol, Tony Parker or re-signing Carmelo Anthony,
- Speaking of Knicks unraveling, what sold Beno Udrih on signing as a free agent with the Knicks was the opportunity to play in a two point guard lineup with Raymond Felton. Udrih told The Wall Street Journal’s Chris Herring (Twitter link) this selling point has yet to come to fruition with the Knicks even when Felton was healthy.
- Eric Pincus of HoopsWorld.com looked forward to the six NBA players who are most likely to move teams in 2014. The list includes Omer Asik, Kyle Lowry, Jimmer Fredette, Dion Waiters, Iman Shumpert and an assortment of Sixers players.
- Emir Preldzic, whose NBA rights are held by the Wizards, has extended his contract with Turkey’s Fenerbache Ulker through the 2016/17 season, according to Emiliano Carchia of Sportando.