23 Trade Exceptions Generated In Deadline Deals
As we explain in our glossary entry on the NBA’s trade rules, teams that complete a “non-simultaneous” deal can create what’s called a traded player exception. These are salary cap exceptions a team can use anytime during the following calendar year to acquire one or more players whose salaries are no greater than the amount of that exception (plus $100K).
A number of the traded player exceptions created at the 2019 trade deadline expired this week without being used, but nearly two dozen new TPEs were generated as a result of the trades completed at this year’s deadline. They’ll expire next February, so they could be used during the offseason or sometime next season.
The full list of traded player exceptions created this week is below, sorted by amount. The player whose departure helped generate the TPE is noted in parentheses. The full list of available trade exceptions can be found right here.
- Miami Heat: $7,533,867 (James Johnson)
- Memphis Grizzlies: $4,185,185 (Andre Iguodala)
- New York Knicks: $3,988,766 (Marcus Morris)
- Houston Rockets: $3,595,333 (Clint Capela)
- Los Angeles Clippers: $3,567,720 (Jerome Robinson)
- Denver Nuggets: $3,321,030 (Juan Hernangomez)
- Sacramento Kings: $2,673,334 (Dewayne Dedmon)
- Houston Rockets: $2,564,753 (Nene)
- Portland Trail Blazers: $2,338,847 (Skal Labissiere)
- Golden State Warriors: $1,925,880 (Jacob Evans)
- Golden State Warriors: $1,897,800 (Omari Spellman)
- Philadelphia 76ers: $1,882,867 (James Ennis)
- Denver Nuggets: $1,845,301 (Shabazz Napier)
- Memphis Grizzlies: $1,845,301 (Bruno Caboclo)
- Detroit Pistons: $1,716,873 (Andre Drummond)
- Washington Wizards: $1,645,357 (Jordan McRae)
- Golden State Warriors: $1,620,564 (Alec Burks)
- Golden State Warriors: $1,620,564 (Glenn Robinson III)
- Houston Rockets: $1,620,564 (Jordan Bell)
- Houston Rockets: $1,620,564 (Gerald Green)
- Los Angeles Clippers: $1,445,697 (Derrick Walton Jr.)
- Minnesota Timberwolves: $879,813 (Gorgui Dieng)
- Washington Wizards: $1,620,564 (Isaiah Thomas)
In addition to the traded player exceptions from the deals completed on February 6, this list includes the exceptions created on February 5 in the four-team trade involving the Hawks, Timberwolves, Rockets, and Nuggets.
It doesn’t include trade exceptions generated in deals earlier this season, such as the $7,069,662 TPE the Trail Blazers got when they sent Kent Bazemore to Sacramento in a five-player trade. Again, the full list of current TPEs can be found here.
If you have any questions or corrections, please let me know in the comment section below.
Salary information from Basketball Insiders and Early Bird Rights was used in the creation of this post.
Warriors Sign Jeremy Pargo To 10-Day Contract
FEBRUARY 8: Pargo has officially signed his 10-day deal with the Warriors, the club confirmed today in a press release. The Warriors have now signed five players since the deadline, getting their roster count back up to 14.
FEBRUARY 7: The Warriors‘ run of free agent contract agreements will continue with a 10-day deal for Jeremy Pargo, according to Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports (via Twitter). Pargo is the fifth player to agree to a contract with Golden State in the last 24 hours.
Pargo will be called up from the Santa Cruz Warriors, but his résumé looks much different than a typical G-Leaguer’s. A combo guard, Pargo entered the NBA in 2011 and hasn’t appeared in a game since the 2012/13 season. Since then, he has had stops in Russia, Israel, China, Italy, and Lebanon. He also had a stint in the BIG3.
Pargo, who will turn 34 next month, appeared in 11 games for Golden State’s G League affiliate in 2017/18, then rejoined the club for the 2019/20 season. He has averaged 17.2 PPG, 5.8 APG, and 3.7 RPG with a .469/.331/.733 shooting line in 31 NBAGL games (31.1 MPG) this season.
It’s very unlikely that Pargo is part of the Warriors’ future plans, so this 10-day contract looks like a reward for his solid work in Santa Cruz. If and when he takes the court for Golden State, it will be his first NBA appearance since March 29, 2013.
The Warriors had six open roster spots after completing a series of deadline deals. They’ve since agreed to sign Pargo, Juan Toscano-Anderson, and Zach Norvell, and are promoting two-way players Ky Bowman and Marquese Chriss to their standard roster.
Nuggets Waive Gerald Green
As expected, the Nuggets have waived Gerald Green, the team announced today in a press release. Green was part of the massive 12-player trade completed this week by Denver and three other teams. He was sent to the Nuggets by the Rockets, having waived his ability to veto his inclusion.
Green re-signed with Houston during the 2019 offseason after averaging 9.2 PPG on .400/.354/.838 shooting in 73 games (20.2 MPG) in 2018/19. He was expected to be a rotation player for the team again, but a foot injury derailed his season. The veteran swingman underwent surgery a week in October and was ruled out for six months.
Green said last month that he hadn’t given up hope on the idea of returning for the playoffs. That could still be a possibility if he makes good progress in his recovery. By waiving him before March 1, Denver has assured that Green could sign with a team anytime between now and the end of the season and still be playoff-eligible. He’d be ineligible to rejoin the Rockets, however.
Denver will be on the hook for Green’s $1,620,564 cap hit. The club now has an open spot on its 15-man roster.
Timberwolves, Evan Turner Discussing Possible Buyout
After overhauling their roster at the trade deadline, the Timberwolves held a massive press conference today to officially introduce their new players. Malik Beasley, Juan Hernangomez, Jarred Vanderbilt, Omari Spellman, Jacob Evans, James Johnson, and – of course – D’Angelo Russell were are all in attendance.
However, one new Timberwolf was absent: Evan Turner. Acquired for salary-matching purposes in Minnesota’s Robert Covington trade, Turner may not be on the roster for long.
According to Darren Wolfson of SKOR North (Twitter links), Turner was in town this afternoon, but is leaving today before the Timberwolves host the Clippers on Saturday. Wolfson notes that talks were ongoing between Minnesota’s front office and Turner’s representation, with Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic confirming (via Twitter) that the two sides are discussing a possible buyout.
While nothing is done yet, Turner would like the opportunity to join a contender, so he and the Wolves are exploring their options, says Krawczynski.
If he sticks around, Turner could provide short-term ball-handling help for a Timberwolves team that has traded away point guards Jeff Teague and Shabazz Napier in recent weeks. However, he’s in the final season of a four-year contract and isn’t in Minnesota’s long-term plans, so it makes sense that the Wolves would be open to ending that contract early.
A report earlier this week indicated that Turner would likely generate interest if he reaches free agency. The Celtics – his old team – were among the clubs named as potential suitors.
NBA Teams With Open Roster Spots After Trade Deadline
The 2020 NBA trade deadline has come and gone, so teams that had been holding open roster spots in case they needed them before a last-minute deal can now fill those openings, if they so choose. The Nets did exactly that today — after holding their 15th roster spot open through the deadline, they signed Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot to a multiyear contract today to fill it.
While Brooklyn no longer has an open roster spot, a number of teams around the league still do. Here’s a quick breakdown of which clubs fit that bill and what their roster situations are, with their roster openings noted in parentheses:
- Golden State Warriors (3): The Warriors initially had six roster openings, but signed Juan Toscano-Anderson and promoted Ky Bowman and Marquese Chriss to fill three of them. Zach Norvell and Jeremy Pargo are expected to sign 10-day deals, allowing Golden State to get to the league-mandated minimum of 14. The Dubs will probably keep their 15th slot open as they attempt to stay below the tax line.
- Cleveland Cavaliers (2): Alfonzo McKinnie agreed to a long-term contract with the Cavaliers and will fill one of their two open spots once his deal becomes official. However, the team could re-open that second slot this weekend when Marques Bolden‘s 10-day contract expires.
- Houston Rockets (2): The Rockets figure to keep a close eye on the buyout market as they look to reinforce their depth. They’ll have up to two weeks to get back to at least 14 players.
- Atlanta Hawks (1): The Hawks opened a roster spot by trading Jabari Parker and Alex Len to Sacramento for Dewayne Dedmon. They’re not anywhere near the tax, so I’d expect them to fill that opening soon with a young player, either on a 10-day deal or a rest-of-season contract.
- Los Angeles Clippers (1): The Clippers opened up one roster spot by trading Derrick Walton. They’re expected to open up a second by waiving Isaiah Thomas, a move that isn’t yet official. Like Houston, the Clips figure to scour the buyout market in an effort to fill its roster. Darren Collison is also an option if he decides to make a comeback.
- Oklahoma City Thunder (1): The Thunder stood pat at the deadline and seem unlikely to fill that final roster spot anytime soon, since a 15th man would increase their projected tax bill.
- Portland Trail Blazers (1): The same goes for the Trail Blazers, who remain in the tax even after moving Skal Labissiere for nothing at the deadline.
- Denver Nuggets / Memphis Grizzlies / Orlando Magic (0): The Nuggets, Grizzlies, and Magic don’t currently have roster openings, but likely will soon. Denver is expected to waive Gerald Green, Memphis reportedly doesn’t intend to keep Dion Waiters, and Gary Clark‘s 10-day contract with Orlando will expire tonight.
Note: These roster counts are up to date as of the time of publication. This list is just a snapshot and won’t be updated to reflect subsequent moves, but our roster counts page will be.
Kerr On D-Lo: “Fit Was Questionable When We Signed Him”
A day after Golden State completed one of the biggest trades of the 2019/20 season, sending D’Angelo Russell to the Timberwolves, head coach Steve Kerr expressed confidence that newly-acquired forward Andrew Wiggins is in a good position to succeed the Warriors.
“Minnesota needed him to be a star,” Kerr said of Wiggins, per Drew Shiller of Warriors Outsiders (Twitter link). “And we’re not asking him to be a star. We’re asking him to play a role on a team that already has some star players.”
As Kerr explained (video link via Anthony Slater of The Athletic), Wiggins also figures to be a better positional fit for the Warriors than Russell once Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson are healthy. According to Kerr, Golden State isn’t expecting a whole lot of talented wings to be available during this year’s draft or free agent period, so the club is happy to add one like Wiggins now.
In his discussion of the trade, Kerr also acknowledged a point that many critics of the Warriors’ initial acquisition of Russell brought up last summer — D-Lo and the Dubs probably weren’t an ideal long-term match.
“To be perfectly blunt, the fit was questionable when we signed him,” Kerr said (video link via Slater). “… When you already have Steph and Klay and you add a ball-dominant guard, you can rightfully question the fit. That was one of the reasons the trade rumors started before the season even began.”
According to Kerr, even with Curry and Thompson sidelined this season, the Warriors got a “good enough look” over the first 50 games of the season to picture how Russell would fit on a fully healthy roster.
“I think you have an idea – I think we have an idea – that the other move, the other player (Wiggins) makes more sense,” Kerr said. “In this case, I would say (the fit is better) for both teams.”
Knicks Notes: Monk, DSJ, D-Lo, Rose, Payton, More
Before Steve Mills was removed from his position as the Knicks‘ president of basketball operations, there was some internal support for a potential trade with the Hornets that would have sent Malik Monk to New York, according to Ian Begley of SNY.tv.
Begley notes that Dennis Smith Jr. would’ve gone to Charlotte in the deal, though it’s not clear what other pieces would have been involved on either side. Both Smith and Monk were prospects the Knicks passed over in the 2017 draft for Frank Ntilikina.
Within his roundup of the Knicks’ deadline discussions, Begley also says that before Mills’ departure, there were members of the organization that felt as if they’d made “significant progress” toward a D’Angelo Russell trade with the Warriors.
We don’t know exactly how those talks played out, so it’s hard to say whether that confidence was warranted. But for what it’s worth, Sam Amick of The Athletic reported on Wednesday that none of New York’s offers had been “even remotely appealing” to Golden State. One of the Knicks’ proposals included Bobby Portis, Allonzo Trier, Ntilikina, and presumably some form of draft compensation, sources tell Begley.
Here’s more on the Knicks:
- Marc Berman of The New York Post takes a look at the Knicks’ impending hire of agent Leon Rose as their new head of basketball operations, citing one NBA executive who said, “MSG and CAA have been in bed for years. This shouldn’t be surprising.”
- Berman notes in his article on Rose that the veteran agent is tight with Kentucky head coach John Calipari. However, Calipari said today that he has no plans to become the Knicks’ next coach, according to Kyle Tucker of The Athletic (Twitter link). Calipari said he’d help Rose in any way he can — “It just wouldn’t be to coach.”
- One decision Rose will face this summer will be on Elfrid Payton‘s $8MM non-guaranteed salary for 2020/21. Berman examines the factors that will go into that decision, pointing out that Payton is a CAA client.
- In an interview on Showtime’s “All the Smoke,” Kevin Durant was once again asked about his free agency decision last summer. As Brian Lewis of The New York Post details, Durant replied that he didn’t seriously consider any teams beside the Nets. “I looked at other places — the Clippers, I took a peek at the Knicks just to do my due diligence — but I really wanted to play for the black and white,” Durant said.
Warriors Sign Marquese Chriss To Two-Year Deal
2:49pm: Chriss’ new deal with the Warriors is now official, according to a press release from the club.
11:25am: The Warriors have reached an agreement to sign Marquese Chriss to a two-year deal, reports ESPN’s Bobby Marks (via Twitter).
A promotion to the 15-man roster for Chriss, who had been on a two-way contract, had been widely expected after Golden State traded more than a third of its roster at the deadline. The Warriors’ deadline deals left them with just nine players on their standard roster. The team has since reached agreements with Ky Bowman (promotion from two-way deal), Juan Toscano-Anderson (standard contract), Zach Norvell (10-day contract), and now Chriss.
A former lottery pick, Chriss earned the Warriors’ final roster spot in the preseason and has averaged 7.9 PPG and 5.4 RPG in 47 contests (18.6 MPG) so far this season.
He briefly reached free agency last month when Golden State waived him before his 2019/20 salary could become fully guaranteed. He returned to the club on a two-way contract within a week and now will be moved back to the standard roster. Details of his new contract aren’t yet known, but it figures to be a minimum-salary deal and probably won’t be fully guaranteed for next season.
Even after completing all their reported signings, the Warriors will still have just 13 players under contract, so another move will be required to reach the NBA-mandated minimum of 14.
With Golden State moving both Bowman and Chriss to the standard roster, the team won’t have any two-way players for the rest of the season, since the deadline to sign players to two-way contracts was January 15.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Kyle O’Quinn Seeking Release From Sixers?
Sixers center Kyle O’Quinn wanted to be waived today, according to Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer (via Twitter). However, Philadelphia doesn’t plan to release him at this time, Pompey adds.
O’Quinn, who signed with Philadelphia as a free agent last summer, has played 22 games this season, averaging 3.5 PPG and 3.7 RPG in 10.0 minutes per contest. He has appeared in just three games since the start of January, and the return of two-way player Norvel Pelle to the NBA team figures to push him even further down the depth chart.
Having promoted Pelle today and acquired Alec Burks and Glenn Robinson III on Thursday, the 76ers had to open up three roster spots. They did so by trading James Ennis and releasing Trey Burke and Jonah Bolden.
If O’Quinn wanted out, it’s somewhat surprising that Philadelphia wouldn’t have made him one of its cuts, since the veteran has a one-year, minimum-salary contract and is rarely used. But perhaps the team views him as an important depth piece, given Joel Embiid‘s injury history.
The Sixers would have to open up a roster spot in the event they want to sign a player from the buyout market, Pompey notes (via Twitter), so waiving O’Quinn could still be a possibility. If he’s released by March 1 and subsequently signs with a new team, he’d be eligible to participate in the postseason.
O’Quinn has been ruled out for Friday’s game for personal reasons, tweets Kyle Neubeck of PhillyVoice.com.
Wizards GM: John Wall Not Expected Back This Season
Although John Wall has left the door open for the possibility of a return to the court before the 2019/20 season ends, Wizards general manager Tommy Sheppard essentially closed that door this week, as Chase Hughes of NBC Sports Washington relays. Having mentioned that Bradley Beal‘s life will be easier when Wall returns “next year,” Sheppard was asked for a follow-up and explained that the team doesn’t expect its starting point guard back until next season.
“I think we have maintained that all along. We didn’t plan on seeing him this year,” Sheppard said. “I think that’s fair to John, to manage the expectations for him. He’s on his way, but he’s not there and he’s not close yet. He’s a lot closer than he was a year ago when the injury happened.”
Given the Wizards’ 17-32 record, it makes sense that the team will be cautious with their star point guard and give him a few extra months to get to 100%. When he spoke to Chris Miller of NBC Sports Washington about visualizing his first game back, Wall talked as if he’s targeting opening night in 2020/21.
“I’ve gotta be honest with you, if our first game isn’t in D.C. then I probably won’t play,” Wall joked. “Just to be realistic. I’m going to try to force the NBA for my first game to be at home next season.”
Let’s round up a few more Wizards notes…
- Sheppard said on Thursday that almost every playoff team in both conferences inquired on Davis Bertans, Hughes writes for NBC Sports Washington. The Wizards hung onto Bertans and will aim to re-sign him this summer. “There was never a doubt in my mind that we wanted to keep him,” Sheppard said. “But I promise you that the more you say you want to keep somebody, the more teams don’t want to believe you and they keep calling.”
- Jerome Robinson hasn’t made major strides during his first two NBA seasons, but the Wizards liked him in the 2018 draft and are confident in a player development program that has had success with other young players like Moritz Wagner, says Fred Katz of The Athletic. Washington acquired Robinson from the Clippers in one of the team’s two deadline-day deals.
- Within that same story, Katz passes along word that the Wizards haven’t discussed a possible buyout with center Ian Mahinmi, who is on an expiring contract. “We’re obviously always open to anything that makes us better. But I wouldn’t even go down that road right now,” Sheppard said of the possibility. “Ian has done a great job for us this year, and he’s been a great leader, great professional for us.”
- Katz confirms (via Twitter) that the Wizards acquired Shabazz Napier‘s contract in their trade with Denver using their disabled player exception. Washington was the only team to use a DPE at the deadline.