Wizards Identifying Finalists In Head Coaching Search
Having moved through the first phase of their head coaching search, the Wizards are identifying finalists and are zeroing in on a handful of assistant coaches from around the NBA, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link).
Jamahl Mosley (Mavericks), Darvin Ham (Bucks), Charles Lee (Bucks), and Wes Unseld Jr. (Nuggets) are among the candidates who remain in contention for Washington’s coaching job and who will meet with the team again, Wojnarowski reports. Sources tell Wojnarowski that Mosley and Unseld are also serious candidates to fill the Magic‘s coaching vacancy.
While some clubs that have sought a new head coach this offseason have made it a priority to land a candidate with previous head coaching experience, it appears the Wizards are very open to the idea of hiring a first-timer. Virtually all of the candidates linked to Washington throughout the process – including those listed above – lack head coaching experience.
As we’ve noted in previous stories, hiring Unseld would perhaps be the best story for the Wizards, since his father was a D.C. legend who played for the team and held various positions with the organization following his retirement. However, Mosley, Ham, and Lee are all also accomplished assistants who have worked for multiple NBA teams and who have received head coaching interest in the past.
In addition to the Wizards and Magic, the Pelicans also continue to search for a new head coach, as our tracker shows.
Hawks Rumors: Collins, Huerter, Young, Reddish, Fields
There are still some people in the Hawks‘ front office who have concerns about John Collins‘ defensive abilities and may not be in favor of offering the restricted free agent a full maximum-salary contract this offseason, writes Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report.
However, Collins – who never seriously considered Atlanta’s four-year, $90MM+ extension offer last year – played a key role in the Hawks’ deep playoff run and may ultimately force the club’s hand, Fischer says. Many league personnel expect Collins to re-sign with Atlanta, Fischer adds.
Collins isn’t the only Hawks starter eligible for a new long-term contract this summer. Kevin Huerter can receive a rookie scale extension starting in August, and there’s a belief around the league that the team will try to get something done with him, according to Fischer. Huerter’s strong season and postseason has solidified his place in the team’s plans — the Hawks shopped him in trade talks as recently as the 2020 offseason, Fischer notes.
Of course, Trae Young is also extension-eligible for the first time this offseason, and Fischer says there’s no doubt the team’s leading scorer will receive a maximum-salary offer. The only question is how much it will ultimately be worth — a standard max extension for Young projects to pay about $168MM over five years, but he and the Hawks will likely negotiate Rose Rule language that would increase the value to as much as $201MM+ if he earns an All-NBA spot next season.
Here’s more from Fischer on the Hawks:
- Cam Reddish‘s impressive four-game run in the Eastern Conference Finals (12.8 PPG on .528/.643/.800 shooting) will give the Hawks a lot to think about this summer. According to Fischer, multiple rival front offices were hoping Reddish would be a buy-low option in trade talks, but that may no longer be the case.
- Hawks assistant general manager Landry Fields continues to draw interest from rival teams, including the Celtics as a possible GM under new president of basketball operations Brad Stevens, Fischer reports. If the Hawks were to promote Fields to GM in their own front office, Celtics VP of player development Allison Feaster may be the leading candidate to become Boston’s general manager, per Fischer.
- Nate McMillan‘s “gruffer, old-school approach” contributed to his exit in Indiana, but he has changed his tone with the Hawks, taking a patient approach with the club’s younger players, including Young, says Fischer. “He’s reinvented himself, which is rare,” one team scout said. “You give him a lot of credit.”
Poll: 2021 NBA Finals Winner
The 2021 NBA Finals matchup has been set, and it’s an unlikely one. The Suns, representing the Western Conference, haven’t played in the Finals since 1993 and have never won a championship. The Bucks, out of the East, last played in the Finals in 1974 and won their only title in 1971.
Entering this season, the Suns hadn’t finished above .500 since 2013/14 and hadn’t made the postseason since 2010, so their year should already be considered a major success. Expectations were higher for the Bucks, who had the NBA’s best record for two consecutive years entering 2020/21 and were just two wins away from the Finals in 2019.
However, that doesn’t mean that Milwaukee will enter the Finals as the favorite. According to sports betting site BetOnline.ag, the Suns are currently the -190 favorites, meaning you’d have to risk $190 on a Phoenix win in order to make a $100 profit.
The health of Giannis Antetokounmpo is a major factor in that line. The two-time Most Valuable Player missed the last two games of the Eastern Conference Finals – both Bucks wins – after hyperextending his knee in Game 4.
A report last week suggested that Antetokounmpo might get the green light to play in Game 7 vs. Atlanta if it had been necessary, which is a sign that he could be good to go for Game 1 of the Finals. However, since they’re no longer facing a win-or-go-home scenario, the Bucks may feel less pressure to bring Giannis back for the first game of what could be a long series if he’s still not feeling fully healthy.
Whether or not Antetokounmpo is available for Game 1, this should be a compelling and entertaining showdown.
In his preview of the Finals, John Hollinger of The Athletic suggests that one of the most intriguing subplots will be how the Bucks choose to defend Suns guards Devin Booker and Chris Paul. Jrue Holiday can only guard one of the two, and their ability to knock down jump shots will make it difficult for Milwaukee to lean on its preferred drop coverage.
Phoenix may also be able to take advantage of the Bucks’ lack of depth, Hollinger notes, especially if Antetokounmpo remains sidelined along with Donte DiVincenzo.
However, if and when Antetokounmpo is ready to go, he’ll present a matchup challenge for the Suns, who may need to rely on some combination of Jae Crowder, Cameron Johnson, and Deandre Ayton against the star forward, with Mikal Bridges handling the Khris Middleton assignment, writes Hollinger.
Hollinger is picking the Suns in seven, with Antetokounmpo’s injury and Phoenix’s home-court advantage helping to tip the scales. But we want to know what you think.
Which team do you expect to win the 2021 NBA Finals? How many games will it take? What will be the deciding factors? Who will be named MVP?
Vote in our poll, then head to the comment section below to share your thoughts!
Which team will win the NBA Finals?
-
Phoenix Suns 59% (1,183)
-
Milwaukee Bucks 41% (815)
Total votes: 1,998
Trade Rumors app users, click here to vote.
12-Team Field Set For Tokyo Olympics
Slovenia, Germany, Italy, and the Czech Republic have secured their spots in the men’s basketball tournament at the Tokyo Olympics, winning their respective qualifying tournaments over the weekend. NBA players Luka Doncic (Slovenia), Moritz Wagner (Germany), and Tomas Satoransky (Czech Republic) were the MVPs of their tournaments, tweets Marc Stein.
Those four teams will join the U.S., Spain, Australia, France, Argentina, Nigeria, Iran, and Japan to make up the 12-team field for the tournament.
The groups are as follows:
- Group A: Czech Republic, France, Iran, United States
- Group B: Australia, Germany, Italy, Nigeria
- Group C: Argentina, Japan, Slovenia, Spain
The preliminary round will begin on July 24, with each team facing the other three clubs in its group once. Following the round-robin portion of the tournament, the top two teams in each group – along with the two highest-ranked third-place teams – will advance to the single-elimination quarterfinals.
Rosters for the Olympics haven’t been officially locked in yet, but we have a pretty good idea of what most of the squads will look like. Team USA will, of course, feature the most star-studded group, with Damian Lillard, Kevin Durant, Jayson Tatum, and Bradley Beal leading the way.
Three players participating in the NBA Finals – Devin Booker, Khris Middleton, and Jrue Holiday – are expected to be part of the U.S. Olympic squad. It’s possible those Finals could run as late as July 22 if they go seven games, but even in that scenario, the plan is for those Suns and Bucks players to fly to Tokyo right away in the hopes of being available for the July 25 contest vs. France.
While the U.S. will be the heavy favorite and will have the most NBA stars on its roster, a number of other NBA players will be taking part in the tournament.
Patty Mills, Joe Ingles, Aron Baynes, and Matisse Thybulle are among the players representing Australia; Rudy Gobert, Evan Fournier, and Nicolas Batum are among those playing for France; Rui Hachimura and Yuta Watanabe will suit up for Japan; Doncic will play for Slovenia; Marc Gasol, Ricky Rubio, and Juan Hernangomez are among the veterans in Spain’s player pool; and it sounds like Danilo Gallinari will play for Italy.
Nigeria, meanwhile, still has a ton of cuts to make, but could have as many as 10 NBA players on its roster for Tokyo, including Monte Morris, Josh Okogie, and Jahlil Okafor. For more details on the NBA players involved in the Olympics, check out the tracker from Albert De Roa of HoopsHype.
Serbia, Lithuania, Brazil, Croatia, Turkey, Greece, and Canada are among the notable programs that will miss out on the Tokyo Olympics. It was a particularly disappointing outcome for Team Canada, which lost to the Czech Republic in the semifinal of the qualifiers despite having eight current NBA players on its roster.
We won’t be closely covering the results of the Olympic tournament — the event overlaps with both the draft and free agency, so we’ll be busy focusing on the NBA. But we’ll keep an eye on Tokyo in case there are any injuries or other notable stories affecting the current NBA players involved in the games.
Heat Rumors: Oladipo, Herro, Yurtseven, Hardaway, Adebayo
An ESPN report in May suggested that Victor Oladipo could resume full-contact basketball activities as soon as November following his quad tendon surgery. However, the Heat aren’t counting on him being ready for NBA games at that point, according to Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald. Jackson says Oladipo’s camp is hopeful he’ll be able to return to action at some point between mid-December and early February.
It’s uncertain whether the Heat will make much of an effort to re-sign Oladipo, per Jackson, who notes that any deal between the two sides would likely be a “low-money” one.
Given that Oladipo may not be ready until the halfway point of the season, it’s even possible he’ll sit out the year and focus on getting healthy if he and his representatives don’t like the offers they get, Jackson writes. In that scenario, the plan would be for the two-time All-Star to get back to 100% and then return to free agency in July 2022.
Here’s more on the Heat:
- Despite some whispers that the Heat haven’t been thrilled with Tyler Herro‘s off-court social life and his work ethic, a team official told Jackson there’s no concern with the 21-year-old in that regard. “He’s a hard worker,” Jackson’s source said, adding that there are no attitude issues with Herro either.
- Some people within the Heat’s front office are extremely high on late-season signee Omer Yurtseven and believe he could develop into a skilled big man, according to Jackson. In a separate story, Jackson outlines how Yurtseven’s agent Keith Glass originally approached the Heat about his client because of the team’s strong track record for developing young players.
- Tim Hardaway Jr., who will become an unrestricted free agent this summer, is intrigued by the Heat, reports Greg Sylvander of Five Reasons Sports. However, the timing of free agency and cap/contract details are viewed by the Mavericks wing and his camp as obstacles that could impede the two sides from seriously exploring a deal.
- Asked if he’ll be looking to sell his U.S. teammates on the Heat during the Tokyo Olympics, big man Bam Adebayo smiled and replied, “I might. Or they might ask me. It’s my job to be honest” (link via Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel).
Draft Notes: Early Entrant Decisions, Mintz, Obanor, Duarte
Kentucky guard Davion Mintz has withdrawn from the draft and will return to the Wildcats for another year, per an ESPN report.
Jalen Wilson (Kansas), Orlando Robinson (Fresno State), Josh Mballa (Buffalo), Moussa Cisse (Memphis), Stanley Umude (transferring to Arkansas from South Dakota), and Alex Morales (Wagner) are also pulling out of the draft in order to return to school, according to a series of tweets from Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports.
The NCAA’s early entrant deadline is July 7, so players who declared for the draft and are testing the waters will have until next Wednesday to either withdraw or keep their names in the pool.
Here’s more on the draft:
- Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports takes a look at a dozen college programs whose rosters for 2021/22 will be affected by key decisions made on or before the July 7 early entrant withdrawal deadline.
- Nebraska guard Dalano Banton will remain in the 2021 draft, he told Jonathan Givony of ESPN (Twitter link). Iowa forward Joe Wieskamp and Evansville wing Sam Cunliffe are staying in the draft too, while Coppin State wing Koby Thomas has also signed with an agent and will go pro rather than returning to school, according to Rothstein (Twitter links).
- Illinois big man Kofi Cockburn and Oral Roberts forward Kevin Obanor have entered the transfer portal but are remaining in the draft for now, according to reports from Adam Zagoria of ZagsBlog.com and Jeff Goodman of Stadium (Twitter link). Obanor has worked out for the Warriors and Cavaliers and has auditions lined up with the Sixers and Magic, per Goodman.
- Oregon guard Chris Duarte tells Michael Scotto of HoopsHype that he believes he should be a lottery pick in this year’s draft.
2021 NBA Offseason Preview: Indiana Pacers
The Pacers were a beacon of regular-season consistency for most of the 2010s. Beginning in 2011/12, they finished below .500 just once in nine years, making the playoffs in eight of those seasons.
However, Indiana’s postseason runs were generally short-lived. The team was eliminated in the first round five straight times from 2016-20 and was just 3-16 in the playoffs during head coach Nate McMillan‘s tenure, resulting in McMillan’s ouster prior to the 2020/21 campaign.
There was optimism entering the season that new head coach Nate Bjorkgren and two-time All-Star Victor Oladipo – nearly two years removed from a brutal leg injury – could lead the Pacers to greater heights. Instead, injuries to Oladipo and several other key players derailed Indiana’s year, and Bjorkgren alienated Pacers players and coaches alike. Oladipo was traded during the season and Bjorkgren was dismissed after just one year.
Indiana still had enough talent to make the play-in tournament in May, and there’s reason to believe that better injury luck and the influence of new head coach Rick Carlisle could produce far better results in 2021/22. If not, the roster could be in line for a major overhaul.
The Pacers’ Offseason Plan:
Most of the Pacers’ starters and rotation players are under contract for the 2021/22 season, but there are a pair of notable exceptions who will be unrestricted free agents.
T.J. McConnell played an increased role during his second season in Indiana, and responded by establishing career-best marks in PPG (8.6), APG (6.6), and FG% (55.9%). The 29-year-old is a career backup who is never a threat to score 40 points in a game (his career high is 23), but his contributions shouldn’t be overlooked. He’s a talented play-maker and hard-nosed defender, and the Pacers were better both offensively and defensively when he was on the court this year.
Doug McDermott is the team’s other key unrestricted free agent. He’s considered a three-point specialist, and he certainly does that well, having knocked down 41.1% of his attempts from beyond the arc during his three years with the Pacers. But he has also shown that he’s more than just a catch-and-shoot player, developing new ways to score off the dribble and inside the arc — his 13.6 PPG and .532 FG% in 2020/21 were easily career highs.
The Pacers enter the offseason over the cap, so re-signing both McConnell and McDermott won’t be simple, but Carlisle singled out both players as priorities during his introductory press conference this week.
Indiana could create some extra cap flexibility to bring those free agents back by being active on the trade market. While it remains to be seen whether this will be the year that the team finally decides to break up the frontcourt duo of Domantas Sabonis and Myles Turner, there are other trade candidates on the roster.
Jeremy Lamb, who is on an expiring deal, and Aaron Holiday, who has long been mentioned in trade rumors, are potential candidates to be on the move. The No. 13 pick in this year’s draft would be an appealing chip if Indiana doesn’t want to bring in a rookie, but the cost certainty of that pick would help balance some of the higher-priced players on the roster.
T.J. Warren is also entering the final year of his contract, but seems less likely to be dealt unless the Pacers don’t expect him to re-sign in 2022. If any of the team’s starters are dealt, it would likely only be for an upgrade. The Pacers reportedly offered Malcolm Brogdon in a deal for Ben Simmons, for instance.
Salary Cap Situation
Note: Our salary cap projections are based on a presumed 3% increase, which would result in a $112.4MM cap for 2021/22.
Guaranteed Salary
- Malcolm Brogdon ($21,700,000)
- Domantas Sabonis ($19,800,000)
- Myles Turner ($18,000,000)
- Caris LeVert ($17,500,000)
- T.J. Warren ($12,940,000)
- Jeremy Lamb ($10,500,000)
- Justin Holiday ($6,006,420)
- Aaron Holiday ($3,980,551)
- Goga Bitadze ($3,098,400)
- Monta Ellis ($2,245,400) — Waived via stretch provision.
- Amida Brimah (two-way)
- Total: $115,770,771
Player Options
- None
Team Options
- Edmond Sumner ($2,320,000): Bird rights
- Total: $2,320,000
Non-Guaranteed Salary
- Oshae Brissett ($1,701,593)
- Kelan Martin ($1,701,593) 1
- Total: $3,403,186
Restricted Free Agents
- None
Two-Way Free Agents
Draft Picks
- No. 13 overall pick ($3,749,520)
- No. 54 overall pick (no cap hold)
- No. 60 overall pick (no cap hold)
- Total: $3,749,520
Extension-Eligible Players
- Aaron Holiday (rookie scale)
- Malcolm Brogdon (veteran)
- Jeremy Lamb (veteran)
- Caris LeVert (veteran)
- Edmond Sumner (veteran)
- Myles Turner (veteran)
- T.J. Warren (veteran)
Unrestricted Free Agents / Other Cap Holds
Doug McDermott ($13,933,333): Bird rights- T.J. McConnell ($4,550,000): Early Bird rights
- JaKarr Sampson ($1,669,178): Early Bird rights
- Total: $20,152,511
Offseason Cap Outlook
The Pacers will begin the offseason operating above the cap and under the tax, with nearly $116MM in guaranteed salaries on their books. It’s possible the team could approach luxury-tax territory, losing access to the full mid-level exception, but this organization isn’t one I’d expect to pay tax penalties unless its roster is clearly capable of winning a championship. I don’t think the current group qualifies.
Cap Exceptions Available
- Mid-level exception: $9,536,000 2
- Bi-annual exception: $3,732,000 2
- Trade exception: $4,796,296
- Trade exception: $2,808,844
Footnotes
- Martin’s salary becomes fully guaranteed after August 7.
- These are projected values. If the Pacers approach or cross the tax line, they may forfeit these exceptions and instead gain access to the taxpayer mid-level exception ($5.9MM).
Salary and cap information from Basketball Insiders, RealGM, and ESPN was used in the creation of this post. Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Giannis Has No Structural Damage In Knee, Doubtful For Game 5
4:02pm: Antetokounmpo has been listed as doubtful for Game 5, according to the Bucks (Twitter link). The team added in a press release that today’s MRI on Giannis’ knee confirmed the original diagnosis of a hyperextension.
3:24pm: Further testing on Giannis Antetokounmpo‘s injured left knee revealed no structural damage, according to Zach Lowe and Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link). His ligaments are sound, sources tell ESPN’s duo.
That’s great news for the Bucks and Antetokounmpo, who was diagnosed with a hyperextended left knee after falling awkwardly during Game 4 on Tuesday. However, the two-time MVP’s timetable to return remains unclear, per Lowe and Wojnarowski.
Both Antetokounmpo and Hawks star Trae Young are dealing with injuries and haven’t yet been cleared to play in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Finals on Thursday. We should learn more about their respective statuses either later today or early tomorrow.
The Bucks, who are already down one starter (Donte DiVincenzo), will have to lean more heavily on stars Khris Middleton and Jrue Holiday if Giannis is unable to play on Thursday in Milwaukee. Brook Lopez and/or Bobby Portis could also be asked to play a larger role in the frontcourt.
2021 NBA Offseason Preview: San Antonio Spurs
After missing the postseason for the first time in 23 years in 2019/20, the Spurs didn’t exactly bounce back with a vengeance in ’20/21. Their 33-39 record was just a half-game improvement over the year before, and while San Antonio earned a spot in the play-in tournament, the team was quickly eliminated by Memphis, missing the playoffs two years in a row for the first time in franchise history.
San Antonio’s struggles can be traced back to an inability to maximize the return for All-NBA forward Kawhi Leonard in 2018. That wasn’t entirely the team’s fault – Leonard’s injury situation and his discontent with the organization hurt his value – but it was a problem.
The Spurs haven’t been bad enough in recent years to land high in the lottery and potentially draft a new franchise player. As a result, the club that went from David Robinson to Tim Duncan to Leonard now lacks a cornerstone for its next phase.
Still, given where the Spurs have drafted in recent years, there’s plenty of promising young talent on the roster, including Dejounte Murray, Derrick White, Keldon Johnson, Lonnie Walker, and Devin Vassell, so it’s not as if the cupboards are totally bare going forward. San Antonio still has one of the league’s better developmental programs, and as long as those youngsters continue to improve, it shouldn’t be much longer until the team is back in the postseason.
The Spurs’ Offseason Plan:
With the exception of the occasional major move – such as the Leonard trade in 2018 or the signing of LaMarcus Aldridge in 2015 – the Spurs can rarely be counted on for action-packed offseasons that feature a bunch of roster turnover. Their general preference is to identify guys they like and then to keep re-signing them, favoring continuity and development over constantly seeking out potential upgrades.
Having said that, if the Spurs do want to significantly turn over their roster, this would be the time to do it. Aldridge departed earlier this year, highly-paid veterans DeMar DeRozan, Rudy Gay, and Patty Mills are among the team’s five unrestricted free agents, and the club currently has less than $57MM in guaranteed salary on its books for 2021/22.
While the opportunity is there, I wouldn’t expect the Spurs to renounce all their vets to create the cap room necessary to make a run for a top restricted free agent such as John Collins. They could surprise me, but it just doesn’t feel like their M.O.
There are rumors that DeRozan may look to sign elsewhere, however. In that case, perhaps the Spurs focus on re-signing Mills and Gay. If the team can bring back that duo for a combined 2021/22 cap hit of about $25-30MM, it would still leave enough room to make a play at a second- or third-tier free agent or two.
Lauri Markkanen would be an intriguing target as a reclamation project, since the former lottery pick has seen his value dip a little in Chicago. Josh Hart and Bruce Brown also strike me as Spurs-type players.
However, all of those guys are restricted free agents, so San Antonio would either have to be aggressive with an offer sheet, work out a sign-and-trade, or hope that the player’s current team is only lukewarm on bringing him back. That may be the case with Markkanen and the Bulls, but I imagine the Pelicans and Nets will prioritize Hart and Brown, respectively.
Kelly Olynyk, Otto Porter, JaMychal Green, and Kelly Oubre are among the unrestricted free agents I could envision as fits for the Spurs. Justise Winslow might also be an intriguing target if the Grizzlies don’t pick up his $13MM option.
Of course, the big question looming over the Spurs is how much longer Gregg Popovich will patrol the team’s sidelines. A year or two ago, there was speculation that the NBA’s longest-tenured head coach would retire after coaching Team USA at the 2020 Olympics. The Tokyo games have since been pushed back a year and there’s still no indication that Popovich plans to call it career once they conclude. But he’s 72 years old, so it’s hard to imagine his run as the Spurs’ coach will last too much longer.
Salary Cap Situation
Note: Our salary cap projections are based on a presumed 3% increase, which would result in a $112.4MM cap for 2021/22.
Guaranteed Salary
- Derrick White ($15,678,571)
- Dejounte Murray ($15,428,880)
- Jakob Poeltl ($8,750,000)
- Lonnie Walker ($4,447,896)
- Devin Vassell ($4,235,160)
- Luka Samanic ($2,959,080)
- Keldon Johnson ($2,145,720)
- Tre Jones ($1,517,981)
- DeMarre Carroll ($1,242,340) — Bought out.
- Drew Eubanks ($500,000) — Partial guarantee. Non-guaranteed portion noted below. 1
- Total: $56,905,628
Player Options
- None
Team Options
- DaQuan Jeffries ($1,701,593) 2
- Total: $1,701,593
Non-Guaranteed Salary
- Drew Eubanks ($1,262,796) 1
- Total: $1,262,796
Restricted Free Agents
- None
Two-Way Free Agents
Draft Picks
- No. 12 overall pick ($3,946,800)
- No. 41 overall pick (no cap hold)
- Total: $3,946,800
Extension-Eligible Players
- Lonnie Walker (rookie scale)
Unrestricted Free Agents / Other Cap Holds
DeMar DeRozan ($39,344,970): Bird rights 4- Rudy Gay ($21,750,000): Bird rights
- Patty Mills ($20,303,571): Bird rights
- Marco Belinelli ($7,600,000): Early Bird rights 5
- Trey Lyles ($7,150,000): Early Bird rights
- Dante Cunningham ($2,984,400): Non-Bird rights 5
- Nikola Milutinov ($2,096,880) 6
- Gorgui Dieng ($1,669,178): Non-Bird rights
- Joffrey Lauvergne ($1,669,178): Non-Bird rights 5
- David Lee ($1,669,178): Non-Bird rights 5
- Donatas Motiejunas ($1,669,178): Non-Bird rights 5
- Quincy Pondexter ($1,669,178): Non-Bird rights 5
- Total: $109,575,711
Offseason Cap Outlook
Taking into account the cap hold for their lottery pick, the Spurs have about $61MM committed to nine roster spots, putting them in position to open up a serious chunk of cap room. However, they also have nearly double that amount in options, non-guaranteed salary, and free agent cap holds, meaning they could very well operate as an over-the-cap team to start the offseason.
The Spurs’ decision on DeRozan may dictate whether or not they dip below the cap. If he re-signs at a salary close to this season’s $27.7MM figure, staying over the cap probably makes sense, but if he walks for nothing, the club might as well take advantage of its financial flexibility.
Cap Exceptions Available
- Room exception: $4,910,000 7
Footnotes
- Eubanks’ salary becomes fully guaranteed after August 20.
- Jeffries will be eligible for restricted free agency if his option is declined.
- Because he has been on a two-way contract with the Spurs for two seasons, Weatherspoon is eligible for a standard minimum-salary qualifying offer.
- This is a projected value. DeRozan’s cap hit will be either the maximum salary for a player with 10+ years of NBA service or $41,609,963 (whichever is lesser).
- The cap holds for these players remain on the Spurs’ books from prior seasons because they haven’t been renounced. They can’t be used in a sign-and-trade deal.
- The 26th overall pick in 2015, Milutinov has yet to sign his rookie scale contract. His cap hold will remain on the Spurs’ books unless the team receives permission to remove it, which would ensure Milutinov won’t be signed in 2021/22.
- This is a projected value. If the Spurs operate over the cap, they’d have the mid-level exception ($9.5MM) and the bi-annual exception ($3.7MM) available.
Salary and cap information from Basketball Insiders and RealGM was used in the creation of this post.
Coaching Notes: W. Green, Vaughn, Team USA, L. Brown
A new name has surfaced in the Pelicans‘ head coaching search, according to Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report, who says (via Twitter) that Suns assistant Willie Green is a candidate for the top job in New Orleans. While Fischer doesn’t specify whether the Pelicans have already talked to Green or have a meeting lined up with him, he reports that the former NBA wing has interviewed with both the Magic and Wizards, and made strong impression on both clubs.
Here are a few more coaching-related updates:
- Although Jacque Vaughn decided to withdraw from consideration for all current head coaching openings, the Nets assistant does have interest in becoming a head coach again at some point, a source tells Michael Scotto of HoopsHype. If the right opportunity present itself a year from now, Vaughn would be more inclined to take it, Scotto says.
- USA Basketball officially announced that Erik Spoelstra, who is coaching the U.S. Select Team in July, will be joined by a pair of notable assistants: Gonzaga head coach Mark Few, and Mavericks assistant Jamahl Mosley. The Select Team will primarily consist of younger players and will practice and scrimmage with Team USA’s Olympic squad in advance of the Tokyo games.
- Penny Hardaway, who announced on Tuesday that he’ll remain at the University of Memphis, will be adding a Hall-of-Fame coach to his staff, as Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports (Twitter link) reports that Larry Brown is joining the Tigers’ staff as an assistant. Brown’s 1,098 NBA regular-season wins are the eighth-most in league history.
- In case you missed it, we passed along items earlier today on the Wizards’ head coaching search and David Fizdale joining the Lakers’ coaching staff.