Latest On Potential Sale Of Timberwolves
It has been nearly six months since reports surfaced indicating that Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor was exploring a sale of the franchise. However, firm offers for the team have been “tepid,” sources tell Brian Windhorst of ESPN (Insider link).
In August, a report from The Athletic suggested that former Grizzlies minority owner Daniel Straus was closing in on a deal to buy the Timberwolves. According to Windhorst, Taylor and Straus got as far as a term sheet and continue to talk, but have been unable to finalize an agreement. Sources tell ESPN that Straus modified his offer once it became clear that fans wouldn’t fill arenas during the 2020/21 season.
Straus is still the favorite to become the team’s new owner, but Taylor’s history of exploring a sale and then pulling the team off the market creates some uncertainty, writes Windhorst. It also sounds as if valuations of the Wolves (which are in the $1.3-1.5 billion range, including debt, per ESPN) are lower than Taylor had hoped.
“I think Glen was hoping team values were still going up,” another team owner told ESPN. “I think we’re finding out they may not be right now.”
As we’ve noted in previous stories about a possible sale of the Wolves, Taylor’s insistence that the team remain in Minnesota is expected to put a ceiling on both the number of bidders and the sale price, since many potential suitors would be interested in relocating the club. Taylor has flatly rebuffed inquiries from those looking to relocate the Wolves, reports Windhorst.
A report last July indicated there were some preliminary discussions with the Wilf family – the owners of the NFL’s Minnesota Vikings – but that they didn’t advance, which Windhorst confirms. Former Timberwolves star Kevin Garnett was also said to have interest in putting together a group to make a bid, but there has been no traction on that front either, per Windhorst.
While Straus reportedly remains a viable buyer for the Wolves, there doesn’t seem to be a clear Plan B if those talks stall. Taylor acknowledged in a recent interview that there’s a very real possibility he could still control the franchise a year from now.
Highest-Paid NBA Players By Team
On Monday, we listed the top 50 highest-paid NBA players for the 2020/21 season. While that list presented a clear picture of the highest earners for the upcoming season, not every NBA team was represented.
Four of the league’s 30 franchises – the Hawks, Pacers, Grizzlies, and Knicks – didn’t have a single player in the top 50. Indiana was close, with Victor Oladipo and Malcolm Brogdon narrowly missing the cut, but none of the other three clubs have a player earning $20MM or more this season.
Our list of highest-paid players for 2020/21 also only provided a snapshot for the coming year. It featured veterans like Kyle Lowry, Otto Porter, and Andre Drummond, who will be well compensated for the coming season but are on expiring contracts.
Today, we’re shifting our focus to the highest-paid players by team. This will allow us to check in on the clubs that weren’t represented on our initial list, as well as exploring teams’ most lucrative multiyear commitments — we’ve included each club’s highest-paid player for the 2020/21 season and its highest-paid player in total.
Let’s dive in…
Atlanta Hawks
- 2020/21: Danilo Gallinari ($19,500,000)
- Total: Bogdan Bogdanovic (four years, $72,000,000)
- Note: Bogdanovic’s final year is a player option.
- Note: Bogdanovic’s final year is a player option.
Boston Celtics
- 2020/21: Kemba Walker ($34,379,100)
- Total: Jayson Tatum (six years, $172,897,710)
- Note: The value of Tatum’s contract would increase to $205,497,830 if he makes an All-NBA team in 2021. Its value is based on a projected 3% salary cap increase for 2021/22. Tatum’s final year is a player option.
- Note: The value of Tatum’s contract would increase to $205,497,830 if he makes an All-NBA team in 2021. Its value is based on a projected 3% salary cap increase for 2021/22. Tatum’s final year is a player option.
Brooklyn Nets
- 2020/21: Kevin Durant ($40,108,950)
- Total: Kevin Durant (three years, $126,056,700)
- Note: Durant’s final year is a player option.
Charlotte Hornets
- 2020/21: Gordon Hayward ($28,500,000)
- Total: Gordon Hayward (four years, $120,000,000)
Chicago Bulls
- 2020/21: Otto Porter ($28,489,239)
- Total: Zach LaVine (two years, $39,000,000)
Cleveland Cavaliers
- 2020/21: Kevin Love ($31,258,256)
- Total: Kevin Love (three years, $91,459,342)
Dallas Mavericks
- 2020/21: Kristaps Porzingis ($29,467,800)
- Total: Kristaps Porzingis (four years, $130,968,000)
- Note: Porzingis’ final year is a player option.
Denver Nuggets
- 2020/21: Nikola Jokic ($29,542,010)
- Total: Jamal Murray (five years, $158,253,000)
Detroit Pistons
- 2020/21: Blake Griffin ($36,810,996)
- Total: Blake Griffin (two years, $75,768,024)
- Note: Griffin’s final year is a player option.
Golden State Warriors
- 2020/21: Stephen Curry ($43,006,362)
- Total: Klay Thompson (four years, $157,161,600)
Los Angeles Clippers
Toronto RaptorsGrizzlies Sign Tim Frazier
6:37pm: The signing is official, pursuant to the NBA’s hardship roster rules, according to a team press release. The Grizzlies took advantage of the league’s rule tweaks and made it a 10-day contract, according to NBA.com’s transactions log.
12:31pm: The Grizzlies are set to complete the first NBA transaction of the 2021 calendar year, with Shams Charania of The Athletic reporting (via Twitter) that the club has reached a deal to sign free agent point guard Tim Frazier.
While terms of the deal haven’t been reported, it will almost certainly be a non-guaranteed minimum-salary contract.
Frazier, 30, has a total of 272 regular season NBA games for six teams under his belt. In 2019/20, he appeared in 27 games for the Pistons, averaging 3.6 PPG and 3.4 APG on .362/.333/.792 shooting in 13.1 minutes per contest. He was cut by Detroit last February to accommodate a deadline-day trade.
The Grizzlies don’t currently have an open roster spot available, but won’t have to waive a player to add Frazier, since they’ll sign him via the hardship provision, according to Charania.
The NBA can grant a team a hardship exception when that team has at least four players who have missed three or more games due to injury or illness and are expected to miss at least two more weeks. A hardship exception allows the club to add an extra player to its 15-man roster, increasing its roster limit to 16. When one of the four injured players is ready to return, the team must once again reduce its roster count to 15.
The Grizzlies have been without Jaren Jackson Jr. (knee), Justise Winslow (hip), and Jontay Porter (knee) all season so far, and recently lost Ja Morant for several weeks due to an ankle sprain. Morant missed his third consecutive game on Sunday, making Memphis eligible for a hardship exception.
Nets Expected To Apply For Disabled Player Exception
The Nets are expected to apply for a disabled player exception following Spencer Dinwiddie‘s ACL reconstruction surgery, reports ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link). While Brooklyn hasn’t officially provided a timeline for Dinwiddie’s return, Woj refers to the injury as “season-ending.”
The disabled player exception is a salary cap exception designed to allow teams to add a replacement for a player who suffers a major injury and is deemed highly likely to be sidelined for the season and the postseason. It’s worth either half the injured player’s salary or the value of the non-taxpayer mid-level exception, whichever is lesser.
In this case, half of Dinwiddie’s $11,454,048 salary is $5,727,024, so that would be the amount of the Nets’ disabled player exception if their request is approved.
The disabled player exception can be used to sign a free agent, to claim a player off waivers, or to acquire a player in a trade. However, it can only be used on one player and can only accommodate a player on a one-year deal. A free agent signee can’t get a multiyear contract, and any trade or waiver target must be in the final year of his contract.
A disabled player exception doesn’t give a team an extra roster spot, so the Nets would have to create an opening on their 15-man squad if they get a DPE and intend to use it. Any additional team salary would also increase the team’s already-substantial projected luxury tax bill.
So far this season, the Warriors (Klay Thompson) and Magic (Jonathan Isaac) have been granted disabled player exceptions. The deadline to use them is April 19.
NBA Tweaks Rules For Hardship Provision, 10-Day Contracts
The NBA has made a small adjustment to its roster rules for the 2020/21 season, allowing teams to sign players to 10-day contracts via the hardship provision before the annual window for standard 10-day signings opens, according to ESPN’s Bobby Marks (Twitter link).
As we outlined earlier today, the hardship provision allows a team hit hard by the injury bug to add an extra player to its roster if that club has four injured players who meet certain criteria. The Grizzlies are the first team this season to be granted a hardship exception.
A player signed via the hardship provision later in the season would receive a 10-day contract. But since 10-day deals can’t be signed until January 5 in a normal league year (February 23 this year), players signed via the hardship provision before that date receive minimum-salary contracts that are non-guaranteed but cover the full season. Once those players are cut, their cap hits are adjusted to reflect the amount of days they were under contract.
As Marks explains (via Twitter), allowing teams to sign players to 10-day contracts via the hardship provision earlier in the season opens the door for a hard-capped team to add a player. The cap hit for a 10-day contract worth the veteran’s minimum would be just $110,998 — even the teams that are closest to the hard cap would be able to squeeze that figure onto their books. A number of those teams wouldn’t be able to sign a player to a standard (full-season) minimum contract yet though, even if the contract is non-guaranteed and they’re granted a hardship exception.
Additionally, Marks notes, the rule tweak gives teams some protection in the event of a major injury. If a player suffers a season-ending injury while on a 10-day deal, he’d be owed the rest of his 10-day salary — if he suffers a season-ending injury while on a non-guaranteed standard contract, he’d be owed his full-season salary.
Players are typically only permitted to sign a maximum of two 10-day contracts with the same team in a single league year, but a 10-day deal signed using the hardship provision won’t count against that limit, tweets Marks.
Tim Frazier‘s deal with the Grizzlies via the hardship provision hasn’t been officially announced yet, but it seems likely Memphis will take advantage of this rule tweak and sign the veteran guard to a 10-day contract.
Warriors’ Smailagic Undergoes Knee Surgery
Second-year Warriors power forward Alen Smailagic underwent surgery today to address a minor meniscus tear in his right knee, the club announced in a press release.
According to the Warriors, Smailagic will begin the rehab process immediately. He’ll be re-evaluated in about four weeks, so we won’t see him back on the court until at least February.
The 39th overall pick in the 2019 draft, Smailagic appeared in 14 games as a rookie for Golden State, averaging 4.2 PPG and 1.9 RPG in 9.9 MPG. He has also played in 66 G League contests since the start of the 2018/19 season, recording 10.8 PPG and 4.7 RPG on 50.3% shooting in 19.8 MPG for the Santa Cruz Warriors.
While Smailagic is unlikely to be a regular rotation player for the Warriors in ’20/21 even once he gets healthy, the club still appears to be committed to his development for now. The 20-year-old is on a minimum-salary contract that runs through 2022/23, though it’s not guaranteed beyond this season.
Spencer Dinwiddie Undergoes ACL Reconstruction Surgery
Nets point guard Spencer Dinwiddie underwent successful ACL reconstruction surgery on his right knee this morning, the team announced today in a press release. Dinwiddie, who is expected to make a full recovery, will begin his rehab process next week, according to the Nets.
Dinwiddie suffered a partially torn ACL on December 27 in Brooklyn’s third game of the 2020/21 season. The veteran guard hadn’t gotten off to a particularly hot start, but the Nets enjoyed blowout wins in his only two full games and have since lost four of five, slipping below .500. Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot has replaced Dinwiddie in the starting lineup.
The Nets’ announcement today doesn’t mention a specific recovery timeline for Dinwiddie. Because he only sustained a partial ACL tear, there was some speculation that an accelerated return may be possible. However, the fact that he underwent an ACL reconstruction – rather than a repair – likely eliminates any chance that the 27-year-old will play again in 2020/21, tweets Brian Lewis of The New York Post.
Brooklyn has the option of applying for a disabled player exception that would be worth approximately $5.7MM. It wouldn’t give the Nets an extra roster spot, but would allow them to sign a free agent to a one-year contract or to trade for (or claim) a player on an expiring contract, assuming his salary fits into the DPE.
John Hollinger of The Athletic speculated earlier today that the Nets may not apply for that exception right away, since there’s no rush to use it and the team might have an easier time a few weeks from now proving that Dinwiddie will likely miss the entire season and postseason.
Marvin Bagley III Declines To Discuss Father’s Tweet
Speaking to the media on Sunday for the first time since his father published a tweet asking the Kings to trade him, Marvin Bagley III made it clear he didn’t want to discuss that tweet, which apparently stemmed from Bagley’s lack of recent fourth-quarter playing time and has since been deleted.
“Before we start, I just want to say that if there are no questions about the game tomorrow or what we’re going to do tomorrow, please don’t ask, I don’t want to give any extra information on nothing,” Bagley said on Sunday, per James Ham of NBC Sports California. “If you don’t have any questions about the team and tomorrow’s game, then hold off.”
As Jason Jones of The Athletic writes, Bagley’s statement to open his media session didn’t stop one reporter from asking whether his father’s comments were a distraction or whether the third-year big man wanted to directly dispel the notion that he may want a trade. However, Bagley ignored the question and continued to discuss Sacramento’s next game.
The NBA’s Collective Bargaining Agreement calls a fine for any player who publicly requests a trade, so it comes as no surprise that Bagley didn’t sign off on his father’s message. Still, his non-answer figures to fuel further speculation. If he’s happy in Sacramento, it would have been easy enough for Bagley to tell reporters that his father doesn’t speak for him and that he wants to stay, notes James Patrick of The Sacramento Bee.
Another Kings dad entered the social media fray on Sunday night, with De’Aaron Fox‘s father writing “Trade him” in reply to a tweet about Bagley, as Sean Cunningham of ABC10 Sacramento relays (via Twitter).
While the developments over the last 48 hours appear somewhat ominous for the Kings, Bagley continues to maintain an open line of communication with head coach Luke Walton, which is an improvement on his relationship with former Kings coach Dave Joerger, according to Jones. Bagley never connected with Joerger, but appears to be on good terms with Walton and spoke on Sunday about wanting to be a good teammate.
“We’ve had very honest talks,” Walton said. “Things we talk about I’m going to keep between us but throughout my time here we’ve had a lot of good talks about honest things which I believe a coach and a player should have. Nothing different, nothing new. But with him and all the guys I coach, I try to make that a high priority. Understanding that not everyone is always going to be happy, but the communication will always be there and always available.”
Bagley, 21, has posted 11.8 PPG and 8.0 RPG in six games this season, but is shooting just 37.5% from the floor and has played a total of two fourth-quarter minutes in Sacramento’s last three games.
Northwest Notes: Wolves, Campazzo, Hartenstein, McCollum
Following a 2-0 start, the Timberwolves have lost four straight games and are struggling to stay competitive without star center Karl-Anthony Towns available. As Chris Hine of The Star Tribune details, head coach Ryan Saunders attempted to jump-start the club on Sunday by shaking up his starting lineup, inserting Juan Hernangomez and Ed Davis in place of Ricky Rubio and Naz Reid.
According to Hine, the plan was to help Russell establish some pick-and-roll chemistry with Davis, his former teammate in Brooklyn, and to reduce Reid’s minutes against Nikola Jokic in the hopes of avoiding foul trouble.
Jarrett Culver, playing the three instead of the four in the new-look lineup, had his best game of the young season, and Davis led the team in rebounding, but the Timberwolves still lost by 15 points and Hernangomez’s early struggles continued. Still, Saunders said after the game that he saw some positive signs from the fifth-year power forward.
“I did think he had some good defensive possessions. I thought that helped us,” Saunders said of Hernangomez. “His size and length helped us a little bit even though we got beat on the glass, I thought he was able to get his hands on a few. He had some good looks, missed a couple that he’ll usually make around the basket. So for that reason, I see progress with Juancho as well.”
Here’s more from around the Northwest:
- Former Real Madrid star Facundo Campazzo had looked relatively invisible in his first five NBA games, but he showed on Sunday why the Nuggets brought him over from Spain this offseason, writes Mike Singer of The Denver Post. “I thought this was the best version of Facundo Campazzo that you could imagine,” head coach Michael Malone said of the 29-year-old point guard, who had 15 points and three steals in Denver’s win over Minnesota.
- Before he signed with the Nuggets as a free agent in November, Isaiah Hartenstein drew interest from the Trail Blazers, Cavaliers, Pelicans, and Wizards, league sources tell Singer in a separate Denver Post story.
- Typically a slow starter, Trail Blazers guard CJ McCollum has been excellent so far in 2020/21, having averaged 28.0 PPG with a .431 3PT% in six games. Jason Quick of The Athletic takes a look at what has fueled the hot start for McCollum, who said he’s motivated by wanting to secure a postseason berth without having to take part in the play-in tournament again.
NBA’s Top 50 Highest-Paid Players For 2020/21
While many of the NBA’s highest-paid players are on contracts considered maximum-salary deals, the 2020/21 salaries for those players vary significantly depending on when the player signed his contract and how much NBA experience he has. That’s why a player like Stephen Curry will earn nearly $16MM more than Brandon Ingram in ’20/21 despite both stars technically being on max deals.
When a player signs a maximum-salary contract, he doesn’t necessarily earn the NBA max for each season of that contract — he earns the max in year one, then gets a series of identical annual raises. In Curry’s case, his 2020/21 salary actually exceeds this year’s maximum, since his deal started in the summer of 2017 and includes 8% annual raises. The annual cap increases haven’t kept up with those 8% raises.
Listed below, with the help of salary data from Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders, are the top 50 highest-paid NBA players for the 2020/21 season. The players on this list don’t necessarily have the contracts with the largest overall value. The list below only considers salaries for ’20/21.
Additionally, we’ve noted players who could potentially increase their earnings via incentives or trade bonuses. We didn’t add those notes for players like Curry who have trade bonuses but are already earning the maximum — their salaries for this season can’t increase beyond their max.
The cutoff for a spot on this year’s top-50 list is a $21.25MM salary, so players like Pacers teammates Victor Oladipo ($21MM) and Malcolm Brogdon ($20.7MM) just missed out.
Here are the NBA’s 50 highest-paid players for the 2020/21 season:
- Stephen Curry, Warriors: $43,006,362
- Chris Paul, Suns: $41,358,814
Russell Westbrook, Wizards: $41,358,814 - James Harden, Rockets: $41,254,920
John Wall, Rockets: $41,254,920 - Kevin Durant, Nets: $40,108,950
- LeBron James, Lakers: $39,219,566
- Blake Griffin, Pistons: $36,810,996
- Paul George, Clippers: $35,450,412
- Klay Thompson, Warriors: $35,361,360
- Mike Conley, Jazz: $34,502,132
- Jimmy Butler, Heat: $34,379,100
Kawhi Leonard, Clippers: $34,379,100
Kemba Walker, Celtics: $34,379,100 - Tobias Harris, Sixers: $34,358,850
- Kyrie Irving, Nets: $33,460,350 (plus incentives; 15% trade kicker)
- Khris Middleton, Bucks: $33,051,724
- Anthony Davis, Lakers: $32,742,000
- Damian Lillard, Trail Blazers: $31,626,953
- Kevin Love, Cavaliers: $31,258,256
- Pascal Siakam, Raptors: $30,559,200
Ben Simmons, Sixers: $30,559,200 - Kyle Lowry, Raptors: $30,500,000
- Steven Adams, Pelicans: $29,592,695
- Joel Embiid, Sixers: $29,542,010
Nikola Jokic, Nuggets: $29,542,010
Andrew Wiggins, Warriors: $29,542,010 - Devin Booker, Suns: $29,467,800
Kristaps Porzingis, Mavericks: $29,467,800
Karl-Anthony Towns, Timberwolves: $29,467,800 - CJ McCollum, Trail Blazers: $29,354,152
- Bradley Beal, Wizards: $28,751,774
Andre Drummond, Cavaliers: $28,751,774 - D’Angelo Russell, Timberwolves: $28,649,250
- Gordon Hayward, Hornets: $28,500,000
- Otto Porter Jr., Bulls: $28,489,239
- DeMar DeRozan, Spurs: $27,739,975
- Giannis Antetokounmpo, Bucks: $27,528,088
- Rudy Gobert, Jazz: $27,525,281 (plus incentives)
- Al Horford, Thunder: $27,500,000
- Brandon Ingram, Pelicans: $27,285,000
Jamal Murray, Nuggets: $27,285,000 - Nikola Vucevic, Magic: $26,000,000
- Jrue Holiday, Pelicans: $25,876,111 (plus incentives)
- Buddy Hield, Kings: $24,701,834 (plus incentives)
- LaMarcus Aldridge, Spurs: $24,000,000 (15% trade kicker)
- Jaylen Brown, Celtics: $23,735,118 (plus incentives)
- Draymond Green, Warriors: $22,246,956 (15% trade kicker)
- Harrison Barnes, Kings: $22,215,909
- Fred VanVleet, Raptors: $21,250,000
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.