2011/12 Taxpaying Teams
While teams get their books in order for the 2012/13 season, navigating the salary cap and the luxury tax threshold, Mark Deeks of ShamSports.com takes a look back at the league's 2011/12 finances. Deeks shares the official list of teams that paid the luxury tax in 2011/12, along with the amount each club paid. The list is as follows:
- Los Angeles Lakers: $12,557,264
- Boston Celtics: $7,365,867
- Miami Heat: $6,129,340
- Dallas Mavericks: $2,738,843
- San Antonio Spurs: $2,514,275
- Atlanta Hawks: $666,199
The more punitive luxury-tax penalties introduced in the new Collective Bargaining Agreement have yet to kick in, so the tax penalties for the aforementioned six teams come by way of the old system — teams are penalized $1 for every dollar they spend over the tax line. In 2011/12, that tax line was at $70,307,000, so the Hawks, for instance, spent $70,973,199 on their roster.
Tax penalties for 2012/13 will remain the same as in 2011/12, but next offseason the CBA's increased restrictions take effect in earnest. In the summer of 2013, teams over the luxury tax line are ineligible to acquire players in sign-and-trade deals, while clubs that exceed the tax threshold for the 2013/14 season will pay an incremental rate based on team salary.
Odds & Ends: Celtics, Hawks, Miles, Brewer
- With only four players remaining on the Hawks roster from last season, new general manager Danny Ferry has managed to clean his team's salary structure while keeping hopes high for the future, writes HoopsWorld.com's Lang Greene.
- C.J. Miles, a free agent who most expected to have found a new team by now, will meet with the Cavaliers this week, writes The Dallas Morning News' Eddie Sefko.
- The Timberwolves made Ronnie Brewer a "generous" offer, but the free agent forward decided to sign with the Knicks instead, according to TwinCities.com's Ray Richardson.
- Before signing A.J. Price, the Wizards were interested in signing Jonny Flynn to be John Wall's backup, but decided against it, writes the Washington Post's Michael Lee.
- ESPNNewYork.com's Jared Zwerling breaks down the Knicks decision to acquire Ronnie Brewer and Pablo Prigioni.
- Mavericks second-round pick Bernard James is expected to sign a contract with the team in the next day or two, reports ESPNDallas.com's Jeff Caplan.
- The Trail Blazers reportedly interviewed as many as 10 candidates to fill their empty head coach position in Las Vegas last week, but have yet to contact any of them to say they were advancing to a second round of discussion, according to The Oregonian's Jason Quick. The process remains in its infant stage.
- Agent Mark Bartelstein tells Rusty Simmons of the San Francisco Chronicle that he hopes Carl Landry and Dominic McGuire will make decisions in the next few days. Those two players, including free agent Brandon Rush, could be part of the Warriors' plan moving forward (Sulia links).
Agent: Pietrus Won’t Sign For Veteran’s Minimum
While the Celtics likely wouldn't mind having Mickael Pietrus on their roster for next season, it appears it will take more than the veteran's minimum to bring Pietrus back. Agent Bill McCandless tells WEEI.com's Ben Rohrbach that his client won't be accepting a minimum-salary contract this summer.
"[Pietrus] will not play for the veteran’s minimum. Period," said McCandless. "It’s not happening. That’s the beginning, middle and end of that…. He is not a veteran’s minimum player. There’s no chance he’ll ever sign for that."
The minimum salary for a nine-year veteran like Pietrus would be about $1.23MM, but McCandless says he's received an offer "triple that" from a team overseas. According to the agent, he's also engaged in serious talks with a few NBA teams about Pietrus, and has discussed money "much more than the veteran minimum."
"He’s looking for a team that likes him and respects what he does," Pietrus' agent said. "If he ends up on a championship or playoff contender, that’ll take care of itself…. He’s still open to a return. He loved Boston. Everybody knows that. But we’re all big boys, and this is a big boy business."
Odds & Ends: Howard, Celtics, Turiaf, Warriors
While it's always a little dangerous to read too much into Summer League results, it's still worth looking back at the month's top performers in Orlando and Las Vegas. A pair of SBNation.com scribes have done just that, with Mike Prada ranking the drafted rookies, from Damian Lillard to Fab Melo, while Scott Schroeder lists a few of the top "veterans," including Josh Selby, Tobias Harris, and Markieff Morris.
Here are a few more odds and ends from around the Association:
- We haven't heard many updates about the Dwight Howard talks involving the Magic, Lakers, and Cavaliers in the last couple days, but Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio hears they're not entirely dead — they're just in a holding pattern for now, with teams (particularly the Magic) weighing other options.
- An opposing executive tells Amico that it's too early to evaluate Chris Grant's job performance as Cavs GM.
- Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com takes an in-depth look at the Celtics' roster and payroll situation
- Spain's Real Madrid is eyeing big men, and Ronny Turiaf is on their radar, according to Javier Maestro of Encestando.es (English link via HoopsWorld).
- Matt Steinmetz of CSNBayArea.com names a few forwards the Warriors could still potentially target in free agency.
Celtics Sign Jamar Smith
The Celtics have signed free agent guard Jamar Smith, according to Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald. Bulpett says the move was made earlier this month, and though the team has yet to confirm the signing, Greg Payne of ESPNBoston.com says Smith has earned an official invitation to training camp in the fall. So, it's likely Smith has a non-guaranteed deal, perhaps with a team option for a second season, as RealGM.com suggests.
The 6'3" Smith, 25, went undrafted in 2010 out of Southern Indiana and played last season for BK Prostejov in the Czech Republic. The Celtics had him in camp in 2010, and he's a part of the Celtics summer league team this year. He appeared in 48 games for the Maine Red Claws, Boston's D-League affiliate, in 2010/11, racking up 13.7 points and 5.0 assists per game to go with 43.2% three-point shooting.
Bulpett adds that the team is also pursuing Dionte Christmas, a 6'5" guard out of Temple who went to camp with the Sixers in 2009.
Greg Stiemsma Still Waiting For Offer From Wolves
Greg Stiemsma and agent Mike Naiditch have been patiently awaiting an offer from the Timberwolves while the team deals with other priorities, but that's about to change, according to Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune. Naiditch said Stiemsma's willing to give the Wolves a discount, but suggested that won't be the case unless an offer is made today (Twitter link).
Stiemsma would like to play near his native Wisconsin, as Zgoda notes, and with the Bucks never a serious contender for him, Minnesota represents his closest option (Twitter link). Last night Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com reported that an unidentified team has made a significant offer, noting that it's not the Wolves. It's not the Celtics, either, since they're limited to offering the biannual exception of $1.957MM and appear likely to withdraw their qualifying offer, making Stiemsma an unrestricted free agent.
Stiemsma seems likely to sign for more than $2MM per year, and could fit into a team's $3MM mini mid-level exception or the $2.5MM room exception. A team with cap room could sign him, too, of course. He could wind up with the Cavs, who might be after frontcourt help following the loss of free agent Antawn Jamison and their unsuccessful amnesty waiver claim of Luis Scola, but that's just my speculation. If the Wolves don't sign him, Zgoda suggests Ronny Turiaf might be next in line for the team (Twitter link).
Celtics Acquire Courtney Lee
5:49pm: The second-round picks the Blazers will get are both for 2013, tweets Joe Freeman of The Oregonian. They'll receive the Celtics' own selection, along with the Timberwolves' pick that the C's acquired in an earlier deal. Freeman also passes along word from Blazers GM Neil Olshey, who says he is hopeful Pavlovic will make the team out of camp (Twitter link). Freeman confirms, via Twitter, that the Celtics will send the Blazers cash to cover Pavlovic's salary, which will likely be the veteran's minimum. Pavlovic's 2012/13 contract is non-guaranteed, so he could be waived without the Blazers taking a cap hit, Freeman confirms in an email to Hoops Rumors.
4:05pm: In making their own official announcement about the trade, the Trail Blazers noted that they'll acquire two future second-rounders from the Celtics, rather than just one (Twitter link).
2:12pm: The Rockets have officially announced the Lee sign-and-trade agreement in a press release. Based on the team's announcement and a tweet from Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe, the deal looks like this:
- Celtics receive: Courtney Lee (sign-and-trade from Rockets)
- Rockets receive: JaJuan Johnson, E'Twaun Moore, Sean Williams, Bobcats' 2013 second-round pick (from Celtics), and the rights to Jon Diebler (from Trail Blazers)
- Trail Blazers receive: Sasha Pavlovic, second-round pick (from Celtics)
According to ESPN.com's John Hollinger (via Twitter), Lee will earn exactly $5MM in his first year, making his total contract worth the same as the maximum mid-level exception (four years, $21.35MM). The Rockets, meanwhile, are expected to waive Moore and Williams in the very near future. Diebler, the player whose rights Houston receives from Portland, was selected by the Blazers 51st overall in 2011 and spent last season overseas.
Celtics Likely To Withdraw Offer To Stiemsma
9:57pm: Forsberg says the team making the offer is not the Timberwolves, though he doesn't identify which team it is.
9:17pm: The Celtics have been outbid for Greg Stiemsma and are likely to withdraw their qualifying offer for the 6'11" big man, making him an unrestricted free agent, tweets Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune. Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com hears that a team has made an offer to Stiemsma that exceeds the $1.054MM qualifying offer from the Celtics, and Zgoda hears the same via Stiemsma's agent (Twitter links).
I'd guess the team making the offer to Stiemsma is the Timberwolves, since a report earlier this week from A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com indicated Minnesota was prepared to offer him an annual salary of nearly $3MM. That would be about $1MM more than the Celtics could offer with their biannual exception. Boston, which has only had Stiemsma under contract for a year, has non-Bird rights on Stiemsma, allowing for a 120% raise or the amount of his qualifying offer, whichever is greater — and in Stiemsma's case, the qualifying offer is greater. The biannual exception amount of $1.957MM would be the most the Celtics could pay him, but it appears that still won't be enough to bring Stiemsma back.
Stiemsma and agent Mike Naiditch have expressed a willingness to be patient while the Wolves work on other priorities, but with Nicolas Batum, Courtney Lee and Jordan Hill eluding the team's grasp, it appears Stiemsma is finally the priority atop Wolves GM David Kahn's desk. Stiemsma was a revelation for the Celtics last season after spending most of his career overseas and in the D-League after going undrafted out of the University of Wisconsin in 2008. The 13.9 minutes per game he saw in 55 contests for the Celtics were more than he averaged in any of his four collegiate seasons, He put up 2.9 points, 3.2 rebounds and 1.5 blocks a night in the regular season before an aching left foot limited his playing time and effectiveness in the playoffs.
E’Twaun Moore Headed To Bulls?
E'Twaun Moore was just traded to the Rockets in the three-team Courtney Lee deal, but by all accounts Houston is likely to waive the 6'4" guard soon. According to Mike Petraglia of WEEI.com, Moore already has a new team lined up, saying he expects to wind up with the Bulls.
Moore would have to clear waivers before signing with the team of his choice, so it's unclear whether Chicago is simply his preference or if the Bulls have given him indication they'll claim him off waivers. He has a non-guaranteed deal for the minimum salary for next season that becomes guaranteed if he's not waived by the end of summer league this weekend.
Moore, the 55th overall pick in the 2011 draft, averaged 2.9 points and made 37.8% of his three-point attempts in 38 games for the Celtics last season.
Odds & Ends: Kirilenko, Hill, Green, Grizzlies
After spending 10 productive seasons (19.1 career PER) with the Jazz, Andrei Kirilenko played overseas last season, but was widely viewed as a good bet to return to the NBA for 2012/13. Now, it's not clear whether or not Kirilenko will return to the Association, with one report suggesting he was on the fence, while another indicated a decision was likely by August 1st.
The latest on the Russian forward? NetsDaily passes along comments Kirilenko made to a Russian reporter, where he suggested that the Nets are still a possibility for him. It's hard to imagine Kirilenko settling for the veteran's minimum, which is all Brooklyn could offer at this point, so I still think CSKA Moscow is the 31-year-old's likeliest destination, but we'll have to wait out his decision.
Here are a few more Friday morning odds and ends from around the NBA:
- Grant Hill expected to re-sign with the Suns this summer, but only received a minimum-salary offer from the team, according to Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic.
- While the Celtics have received some criticism for signing Jeff Green to a four-year, $36MM deal, agent David Falk insists there were other teams willing to make big offers for his client, as he tells Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald.
- According to Ronald Tillery of the Memphis Commercial Appeal, commissioner David Stern thinks an official decision regarding Robert Pera's purchase of the Grizzlies is still a couple months away.
- The decision is still pending a Board of Governors vote, but the NBA will likely begin including small advertisements on uniforms beginning in 2013, as ESPN.com's Paul Lukas writes.