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Warriors Remain Atop 2024 NBA Franchise Valuations

December 18th, 2024 at 1:08pm CST by Luke Adams

The Warriors remain the NBA’s most valuable team, according to Kurt Badenhausen of Sportico, who unveiled the website’s updated NBA franchise valuations for 2024 on Wednesday.

Badenhausen projects the Warriors’ value at $9.14 billion, making them one of three teams to surpass the $8 billion mark this year. The Knicks have a projected worth of $8.3 billion, while the Lakers come in at $8.07 billion, per Sportico. Only the NFL’s Dallas Cowboys – at $10.3 billion – have a higher valuation than Golden State among North American sports teams, says Badenhausen.

While Sportico’s figures suggest the Warriors, Knicks, and Lakers are worth significantly more than the fourth-place team (the Nets at $5.7 billion), the average value of an NBA franchise is up to $4.6 billion, with no team worth less than $3 billion.

That average has increased by 15% since Sportico released its 2023 valuations last December and has nearly doubled since the site published its first NBA franchise valuations four years ago, when the average was $2.37 billion.

The NBA’s new $77 billion media rights deal and a 15% increase in team sponsorship are among the factors contributing to the rising valuations of the league’s franchises, according to Badenhausen, who notes that a post-COVID boom in concerts and other major events has been good news for team owners who also control their arenas.

NBA team owners operated 10 of the world’s 20 highest-grossing concert venues in 2024, with the Nets’ Barclays Center coming in at No. 1, says Badenhausen. The Nets’ valuation is up 43% this year, per Sportico, easily the largest year-over-year increase among the 30 NBA franchises.

When Forbes put out its NBA franchise valuations in October, it pegged the average value of a team at $4.4 billion. In the past, we’ve used Forbes as our primary source for NBA franchise valuations, but with Badenhausen making the move from Forbes to Sportico in recent years and the outlet establishing itself as a go-to resource for sports business news, we begun highlighting Sportico’s projections as of 2023.

Of course, it’s worth noting that figures from Sportico, Forbes, or any other media outlet are just estimates and often don’t quite match up with the sale prices for franchises that change hands. But these projections are usually in the right ballpark and remain useful for getting a sense of the league’s most and least valuable teams.

Here’s Sportico’s full list of NBA franchise valuations for 2024:

Golden State Warriors: $9.14 billion
New York Knicks: $8.3 billion
Los Angeles Lakers: $8.07 billion
Brooklyn Nets: $5.7 billion
Los Angeles Clippers: $5.68 billion
Boston Celtics: $5.66 billion
Chicago Bulls: $5.56 billion
Miami Heat: $5 billion
Houston Rockets: $4.77 billion
Toronto Raptors: $4.66 billion
Philadelphia 76ers: $4.57 billion
Dallas Mavericks: $4.46 billion
Phoenix Suns: $4.32 billion
Sacramento Kings: $4.11 billion
Atlanta Hawks: $4.07 billion
Denver Nuggets: $4.06 billion
Washington Wizards: $3.98 billion
Cleveland Cavaliers: $3.95 billion
Milwaukee Bucks: $3.91 billion
San Antonio Spurs: $3.79 billion
Indiana Pacers: $3.74 billion
Utah Jazz: $3.67 billion
Portland Trail Blazers: $3.6 billion
Oklahoma City Thunder: $3.55 billion
Orlando Magic: $3.46 billion
Detroit Pistons: $3.45 billion
Charlotte Hornets: $3.39 billion
Minnesota Timberwolves: $3.29 billion
New Orleans Pelicans: $3.09 billion
Memphis Grizzlies: $3.06 billion

As Badenhausen notes, Sportico’s projections are based on a control sale price, rather than limited stake purchases. No NBA franchise saw its majority control change hands in 2024, but that could change in 2025, with control of the Celtics up for sale.

According to Badenhausen, team executives and investors have predicted a sale price ranging from $4.5 billion to $6.5 billion for the Celtics. The final valuation will be determined by a number of factors, including how many bidders are on the mix, what percentage of the team they can buy, and whether current governor Wyc Grousbeck insists on remaining in that role until 2028, which he has indicated is his goal.

Dennis Smith Jr. Signing G League Contract

December 18th, 2024 at 8:41am CST by Luke Adams

Free agent point guard Dennis Smith Jr. is signing a G League contract ahead of this week’s Winter Showcase in Orlando, sources tell Jake Fischer (Twitter link).

It’s not yet clear which team Smith will land with, but Marc Stein notes (via Twitter) that the Mexico City Capitanes and Long Island Nets are at the top of the NBAGL’s waiver order, meaning they’ll have first dibs once the veteran guard officially signs his contract. For now, there’s no mention of Smith in the G League’s transaction log.

The ninth overall pick in the 2017 draft, Smith has appeared in a total of 326 regular season games for the Mavericks, Knicks, Pistons, Trail Blazers, Hornets, and Nets over the course of seven NBA seasons. He made 56 appearances last season for Brooklyn, averaging 6.6 points, 3.6 assists, 2.9 rebounds, and 1.2 steals in 18.9 minutes per game, with a shooting line of .435/.294/.741.

Smith isn’t much of a scorer or shooter, with career marks of 40.7% from the floor and 29.8% on three-pointers. However, he’s a solid ball-handler and distributor and an above-average point-of-attack defender.

The 27-year-old will be looking to show executives and scouts in Orlando that he deserves another shot in the NBA. The G League’s Winter Showcase tips off on Thursday and runs through Sunday, with each team playing at least two games.

Big man Frank Kaminsky and point guard Devonte’ Graham are among the other NBA veterans who have recently signed G League contracts in the hopes of making an impression at the Winter Showcase.

Atlantic Notes: Knicks/Raptors Dispute, Shamet, Simmons, Beekman, Celtics

December 17th, 2024 at 3:02pm CST by Luke Adams

The NBA has scheduled an arbitration hearing regarding the Knicks/Raptors dispute for late July, reports Stefan Bondy of The New York Post (Twitter link). As Bondy points out, that means the hearing will occur nearly two years after the Knicks initially filed a lawsuit against the Raptors and over a year after a U.S. District Court judge referred the matter back to the league.

The Knicks filed a suit in August 2023 alleging that former video coordinator Ikechukwu Azotam illegally took thousands of proprietary files with him to a position with the Raptors and shared them with his new club. New York was seeking $10MM in damages from Toronto.

The Raptors, referring to the suit as “baseless,” argued that the issue ought to be resolved through the NBA’s arbitration process rather than in court. The Knicks countered by contending that commissioner Adam Silver can’t provide an impartial ruling due to his close relationship with Raptors chairman Larry Tanenbaum, who is also the chairman of the league’s Board of Governors.

The Knicks, who have put out statements every step of the way criticizing the league for its handling of the situation, did so again on Tuesday.

“Last June, the Courts ordered the NBA to arbitrate this theft of proprietary and confidential files – and now, after the NBA sat on this for seven months, we are being told that we will finally get a hearing in another seven months,” an MSG spokesperson said (Twitter link via Bondy). “We remain skeptical because the NBA has consistently demonstrated no desire to address this matter, most likely due to the fact that the Chairman of the NBA is the defendant.”

We have more from around the Atlantic:

Landry Shamet, who dislocated his shoulder during the preseason, returned to action on Monday for the Westchester Knicks, scoring 10 points on 4-of-10 shooting in 20 minutes. There has been a belief that the Knicks will re-sign Shamet once he’s healthy and ready to contribute at the NBA level, but that won’t happen quite yet, according to head coach Tom Thibodeau, who attended Monday’s game (Twitter video link). “It’s good to see him out there healthy again,” Thibodeau said. “(But) there’s a number of things that have to happen before he can play with us.”
Ben Simmons played a season-high 31 minutes on Monday in his first game as the Nets‘ primary point guard following the trade of Dennis Schröder, but struggled running the offense and turned the ball over six times in a blowout loss to Cleveland, notes Brian Lewis of The New York Post. “I think it’s just reading the game. When you speed up, you’re gonna have more errors,” said Simmons, who was making an effort to push the pace. “But that’s on me to just know where my guys are gonna be and taking care of the ball as a point guard.”
New Nets two-way player Reece Beekman wasn’t active on Monday, but he’s embracing his new opportunity after being sent to Brooklyn in the Schröder trade, Lewis writes in a separate New York Post story. “For this to be my rookie year and not even halfway through the season for me to get traded is a little crazy,” Beekman said. “But that’s life in the league. So I just got to be able to adjust fast. Just blessed for this opportunity. New situation, but got to get settled in and be ready to hoop. Just do whatever the team needs. I’m coming in with a work-hard mentality and try to do what’s best for the team to put ourselves in a better position.”
Brian Robb of MassLive takes a look at what the Celtics can and can’t do on the trade market this season, given their second-apron restrictions, and considers whether the team has any areas of need to address.

Central Notes: Atkinson, Okoro, Bucks, Giannis, Duarte

December 17th, 2024 at 1:01pm CST by Luke Adams

Visiting Brooklyn on Monday for the first time as the Cavaliers‘ head coach, Kenny Atkinson – who coached the Nets from 2016-20 – picked up a resounding win over his old team, with Cleveland blowing out Brooklyn by a score of 130-101. Magnanimous in victory, Atkinson made it clear he harbored no ill will toward the Nets for dismissing him midway through the 2019/20 season, according to Brian Lewis of The New York Post.

“I don’t look at it that way. I just look at it as part of the story, right, part of your growth,” Atkinson said. “You have good things happen, you have setbacks, and — it’s like a player, how do you bounce back? And it was definitely a bounce back. And in the long run, the journey after Brooklyn really helped me, helped me grow as a coach. Who knows? If that doesn’t happen, maybe I’m not in Cleveland; I don’t improve as much as a coach if that didn’t happen. So I look at it more as a positive.”

While Atkinson wasn’t necessarily seeking revenge or vindication entering Monday’s matchup, he admitted that facing his former team provided an extra layer of motivation.

“I’m competitive, right? And when you have setbacks, you remember things, right?” Atkinson said. “And players do the same thing. If something happened or a team beat you or you get fired, you’re motivated. You’re motivated to prove people wrong; and that’s kind of how I took it. It’s a chip on your shoulder or whatever you want to call it. But there’s definitely some of that. I think any competitor feels the same way.”

Here’s more from around the Central:

Isaac Okoro, who has been the Cavaliers‘ starting small forward since November 4 with Max Strus still sidelined, will undergo further testing on a right shoulder injury he sustained in Monday’s win over Brooklyn, reports Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com (subscription required).
Ahead of the Bucks‘ appearance in the final of the NBA Cup on Tuesday, Jamal Collier of ESPN and Eric Nehm of The Athletic explore how the team bounced back from its 2-8 start and the role Giannis Antetokounmpo has played in the turnaround, not just as an MVP-level performer but as a more confident leader. “He was being vocal, talking about things he wanted (on the court), talking before the game, things that the first couple years he didn’t really do as often as he does now,” Bobby Portis, who has been with the Bucks since 2020, told Collier. “It’s cool to see guys’ leadership go to another level. Especially at a time of the season when it was critical for us to get back to at least playing some good ball.”
Bucks rookies Tyler Smith and AJ Johnson aren’t playing much so far this season, but they’re poised to supplement their first-year salaries with lucrative bonuses as a result of the team’s NBA Cup run and are enjoying being part of the experience in Las Vegas. Jim Owczarski of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel has the story and the quotes from the two 20-year-olds.
The Bulls have assigned fourth-year wing Chris Duarte to the G League for the first time this season ahead of the Winter Showcase, per the team (Twitter link). Duarte, who was acquired in the DeMar DeRozan trade in July, has played sparingly for Chicago this season and is on an expiring contract, so he figures to be a trade candidate at the deadline — playing for the Windy City Bulls in Orlando at the G League Showcase, which begins Thursday, will give him an opportunity to try to catch the eye of scouts and executives from around the league.

Lakers Rumors: Trade Targets, LeBron, Davis, Bronny, Hachimura

December 17th, 2024 at 12:12pm CST by Luke Adams

The Lakers are expected to be one of the most active buyers on the trade market during the 2024/25 season, though it remains unclear how much of their available draft capital they’re willing to move and how significant a deal they’ll make, says Jovan Buha of The Athletic.

As Buha notes, the Lakers were also considered likely to buy last season, but ultimately stood pat at the February trade deadline, choosing not to surrender a first-round pick. However, there’s hope that Golden State’s deal for Dennis Schröder (which saw the Warriors give up three second-round picks and get one back) may be a signal that teams’ asking prices for useful role players will be more modest this time around.

The Lakers are believed to be in the market for three kinds of players, according to Buha: a “physical, defensive-minded” center, a three-and-D wing, and an athletic guard with some size who can defend at the point of attack. As Buha writes, players the Lakers have been linked to in the past, including Wizards center Jonas Valanciunas and Nets wings Cameron Johnson and Dorian Finney-Smith, are among the targets who would make sense at this season’s deadline.

Jazz guard Collin Sexton and center Walker Kessler, Raptors swingman Bruce Brown, Trail Blazers forward Jerami Grant and center Robert Williams, and Wizards forward Kyle Kuzma are some of the other potential players of interest who have come up in Buha’s conversations with team and league sources. However, the Lakers aren’t expected to be in on former All-Stars like Jimmy Butler, Zach LaVine, and Brandon Ingram, Buha adds.

Here’s more on the Lakers and their approach to the trade deadline:

Unsurprisingly, the Lakers aren’t considering trading LeBron James and Anthony Davis and almost certainly wouldn’t do so unless they asked to be dealt, sources tell Buha. Other players unlikely to be moved include Austin Reaves, Max Christie, and Dalton Knecht, who are viewed as potential long-term pieces.
While Bronny James isn’t untouchable, he’s not expected to be included in a trade that doesn’t involve his father, sources tell The Athletic.
One or more of the Lakers’ four mid-sized contracts – D’Angelo Russell ($18.69MM cap hit), Rui Hachimura ($17MM), Gabe Vincent ($11MM), Jarred Vanderbilt ($10.71MM) – figures to be included in any deal of note this season. Of those players, Hachimura looks like the one the Lakers would least want to move, Buha writes, though the forward would probably also have the most trade value of the four. Russell hasn’t drawn significant interest from potential suitors during previous discussions, Vincent has dealt with injuries and has struggled offensively since joining the Lakers, and Vanderbilt has yet to make his season debut as he recovers from offseason surgeries on both feet.

And-Ones: NBA Cup, Timma, Trade Candidates, Flagg

December 17th, 2024 at 10:56am CST by Luke Adams

While the NBA Cup figures to be a regular part of the league’s schedule going forward, there will likely still be some tweaks to the format and the schedule in future seasons, according to stories from Joe Vardon of The Athletic and Tim Bontemps of ESPN.

Managing the schedule for both the knockout round games and the extra regular season contests for teams not in Las Vegas is a challenge, but Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault isn’t thrilled that his team will play a road back-to-back set on Thursday and Friday on the East Coast after its Cup final in Vegas on Tuesday, as Vardon relays.

“We’re basically on a six-day West Coast road trip right now, and our next game coming out of this is three time zones away, four-hour flight to Orlando and then a back-to-back against Miami — which if you look that as a road trip, is an unprecedented road trip,” Daigneault said. “The NBA would never schedule that. They would never put a team a on six-day West Coast road trip, and then fly them east for a back-to-back.”

Besides considering potential scheduling tweaks, the league may explore a new location for the final four of the NBA Cup. According to Vardon, Abu Dhabi’s public investment fund has expressed interest in hosting the event, though that would create more significant scheduling issues. Cities like Mexico City, Nashville, Tampa and San Diego have also inquired about hosting, per Tom Friend of Sports Business Journal.

As for for the format, the NBA and Amazon – which will broadcast the NBA Cup knockout round beginning next season – have discussed possible changes, including possibly moving the tournament later in the regular season, says Bontemps.

Sources who spoke to ESPN cautioned that there’s no guarantee the format will look any different next season, but Bontemps suggests expanding the group-play stage from four games to eight is one idea the NBA may explore, since it would increase the odds of the league’s top teams advancing to the knockout round and create more marquee matchups.

We have more from around the basketball world:

Veteran Latvian forward Janis Timma has been found dead in Moscow, according to a report from the Russian news agency TASS (via Eurohoops), who say that authorities believe it was a suicide. Timma was selected by the Grizzlies with the No. 60 pick of the 2013 draft and had his rights traded to the Magic in 2015 but never signed an NBA contract, having spent most of his career competing in European leagues — in addition to playing in Latvia, Russia, Spain, Greece and Turkey, he also had stints in the G League and in Puerto Rico. Timma won Baltic League and Latvian League titles and was named an All-Star a total of five times in Latvia and Russia.
Sam Vecenie of The Athletic has published his first “trade board” of the 2024/25 season, identifying 30 of the most notable players who are candidates to be on the move by February 6. Vecenie’s list is headlined by Jimmy Butler, Zach LaVine, and Cameron Johnson and includes three or more players apiece from the Bulls, Nets, Hawks, Trail Blazers, Wizards, and Jazz.
Jeremy Woo of ESPN (Insider link) spoke to NBA executives and scouts about Duke freshman Cooper Flagg, exploring his strengths and weaknesses, what makes him a unique prospect, and why he’s the favorite to be the No. 1 pick in the 2025 NBA draft. Andrei Kirilenko, Jayson Tatum, Franz Wagner, Aaron Gordon and Grant Hill are some of the current and former NBA players Woo’s sources referenced as comparables for Flagg.“I don’t think he’s a generational guy — I think that word started getting used too frequently,” one executive said. “(But) when you look back at this draft, if he goes at 1, regardless of if other people end up better, nobody is going to say that was a bad pick.”

New York Notes: Nets, Simmons, Bridges, Sims, Towns

December 16th, 2024 at 9:44pm CST by Dana Gauruder

While dealing Dennis Schröder to Golden State is viewed as a tanking move for a team looking to accumulate assets, the Nets can now play at a faster pace, according to head coach Jordi Fernandez.

“Dennis was bottom ten slowest point guards in the NBA – pace doesn’t mean you’re better or worse – and Ben (Simmons) is 18th-fastest,” Fernandez said, per Lewis (Twitter link). “… We’re going to try to play faster. The ball is going to fly. He’s going to push. He’s going to throw it ahead.”

We have more from the New York teams:

Simmons, who underwent back surgery in March, hasn’t played more than 27:20 in any game this season. An unrestricted free agent after the season, the Nets‘ new top point guard said his playing time could expand soon, Lewis adds in another tweet. “I think my restriction right now is 27,” he said. “I think it’s around that. So hopefully that changes soon.”
In an era when playing in all 82 regular-season games is a rarity, Mikal Bridges has established himself as NBA’s iron man. The Knicks wing made his 500th consecutive appearance in Sunday’s 100-91 victory over the Magic, a streak that began with his first game with the Suns as a rookie, Stefan Bondy of the New York Post notes. “Everyone talks about offensive traits and talents and defensive traits and talents, but the most impactful and the greatest trait you can have is availability and he has it and he’s shown it,” Karl-Anthony Towns said. “Shoutout to him. That’s a huge accomplishment.”
Jericho Sims has garnered some trade interest, according to Bondy. Sims, playing on an expiring $2.1MM contract, has seen his playing time cut in recent games. The center position is the Knicks’ most obvious need, even though Mitchell Robinson is expected to return at some point. But the team doesn’t have many assets left after making two blockbuster trades in the offseason, though Miles McBride and/or Josh Hart could conceivably be dealt for the right player, Bondy suggests.
Towns will return to Minnesota on Thursday for the first time since he was traded to the Knicks. He’s not sure how he’ll be received, according to Bondy. “I don’t know (how they will embrace me). But I know that every single day that I put on that Timberwolves jersey I gave the absolute best of me even when I wasn’t 100 percent,” Towns said. “I gave them all of me mentally, physically, spiritually. I was there nine years, so I go there with a lot of pride and joy for the memories that I have.”

Nets Notes: Schröder, TPE, Beekman, Milton

December 16th, 2024 at 11:02am CST by Luke Adams

Discussing the trade that sent Dennis Schröder to Golden State, Nets general manager Sean Marks acknowledged that the veteran point guard, who was having perhaps the best season of his 12-year NBA career on the court, will be missed and explained why he decided to move him, per Brian Lewis of The New York Post.

“We’re going to miss Dennis the person, on and off the court. What he did for us in the locker room, his leadership, he exemplifies the Brooklyn grit we talk about,” Marks said on Sunday. “But these are decisions you have to make when your ultimate goal is long-term, sustainable success. We’re weighing a lot of factors … looking at the big picture, this is what’s best for our organization long term.”

Marks cited the draft assets the Nets acquired from the Warriors as a major reason why the team made the trade, but as Lewis writes, it’s more important to note that moving Schröder will help Brooklyn maximize the value of its own 2025 first-round pick, since losing him will hurt Brooklyn on the court.

The veteran point guard had been the driving force of an offense that was more effective than expected this fall — the Nets’ 113.1 offensive rating ranks 13th in the NBA, ahead of starrier teams like the Warriors and Lakers. It’s safe to assume that figure will drop with Schröder gone, which will make things harder on first-year head coach Jordi Fernandez. However, Fernandez made it clear on Sunday that he and the front office are aligned on the long-term vision for the franchise.

“Are we going to miss him here? Yes, because he’s a great guy and did great things for us. But we have assets, and moving forward that will be a good thing for our future,” Fernandez said. “So, I understand that’s how it works. It’s not my part of the job. My job is to work with these guys … and make them play hard. Our vision from ownership to the front office to the coaching staff is aligned, and we’re going to keep doing it this way.”

Here’s more on the Nets:

According to Lewis (Twitter link), the Nets opted against using their mid-level exception or the $23MM trade exception from the Mikal Bridges deal to take on Melton’s $12,822,000 salary. Using either one of those exceptions to acquire Melton would’ve generated a $13MM-ish exception worth Schröder’s outgoing salary, but Brooklyn opted to keep the MLE and the large TPE intact, creating just a minuscule TPE worth the difference between Schröder’s and Melton’s salaries ($203,250).
Kevin Pelton of ESPN (Insider link) gave the Nets a B-plus grade for the Schröder trade, though he wondered how much more value the club could’ve extracted if it had been willing to take back multiyear salary instead of expiring money.
Two-way player Reece Beekman, sent from Golden State to Brooklyn along with De’Anthony Melton, wasn’t just a throw-in. He’ll give the Nets another option at point guard, and Marks said on Sunday the team is looking forward to taking a “good close-up look” at the rookie, who will get a chance to compete for rotation minutes, Lewis writes for The New York Post. “Yeah, excited to have him,” Fernandez added. “Defensive-minded player; I think he led his conference in steals (last season). A point guard that will help our ball pressure, our activity on defense, play-making, running the team. So, excited to have him. He’ll get here soon, so we’ll get to work with him soon.”
Schröder’s exit also means that veteran guard Shake Milton figures to see more playing time at the point, which is a challenge he’s looking forward to taking on, according to Lewis. “Just continuing to do what we do: Get out, play fast, play with pace, pace and space. Get in the lane. Create for myself, create for others,” Milton said of his goals. “(Schröder’s) points for sure, something that we’re gonna miss. But he also (had) around seven assists a game. And then also he was the leader when it came to picking up full court. So those are important things you’ve got to pick up on, too.”

Players Traded After Monday Can’t Be Re-Aggregated By Feb. 6 Deadline

December 16th, 2024 at 10:05am CST by Luke Adams

As we explain in our glossary entry on salary aggregation, when a team trades for a player by matching salaries or using a cap exception, that team is typically ineligible to aggregate the player’s salary in a second trade for the next two months.

However, the most recent Collective Bargaining Agreement includes one exception to that rule. A player traded on or before December 16 can always be “re-aggregated” on the day before – or the day of – that season’s trade deadline.

The deal sending Thomas Bryant from Miami to Indiana on Sunday likely wasn’t made with that rule in mind — that was simply a case of the Pacers badly needing a backup center and going ahead with their acquisition of Bryant as soon as he became trade-eligible on December 15.

But the aggregation rule looks like one important reason why the Warriors and Nets moved quickly on their trade involving Dennis Schröder and De’Anthony Melton once Melton became trade-eligible on Sunday. Having completed that deal by December 16, Golden State will be eligible to aggregate Schröder’s $13MM expiring contract with other salaries on February 5 or 6, while Brooklyn will have the ability to do the same with Melton’s $12.8MM expiring contract.

Any player who is acquired in a trade via salary-matching or an exception after Monday will be ineligible to be aggregated at this season’s Feb. 6 trade deadline.

Now, there are two important points worth clarifying here. The first is what exactly it means to “aggregate” a contract.

Our glossary entry covers this rule in more depth, but aggregating a player’s salary with another salary means combining the two cap figures for matching purposes. For instance, a team operating over the cap and below the tax aprons can’t trade a $15MM player for a $35MM player, but that team could aggregate its $15MM player with a $20MM player in order to legally acquire the $35MM player.

Crucially, sending out multiple players in the same trade doesn’t necessarily mean they have to be aggregated. For example, if a team sends out a $15MM player and a $5MM player for a single player earning $15MM, there’s no need to aggregate the two outgoing salaries, since the $15MM player is enough to legally match the incoming $15MM salary on his own. So a player traded on Dec. 20 could still be flipped at the deadline in a multi-player trade — his salary simply couldn’t be combined with another player’s for matching purposes within that deal.

Only teams operating below the second tax apron are permitted to aggregate salaries, meaning this rule – and the Dec. 16 exception to it – won’t matter much for the four clubs currently above the second apron: Boston, Phoenix, Minnesota, and Milwaukee. Even if one of those teams were to trade for a player today, that player couldn’t be aggregated at the deadline unless his new team was able to shed enough salary to move below the second apron.

The second point worth clarifying is that this restriction doesn’t apply to players who are acquired using cap room. The Pistons are the only club currently operating under the cap, but they have about $14MM in space after waiving Paul Reed and signing Javante McCoy, meaning they’re in a great position to trade for one or more players without sending out any matching salary.

Let’s say the Pistons use their remaining cap room to acquire a player earning $14MM. Even if they make that trade on February 5, they could turn around and aggregate their new player’s salary with, say, Isaiah Stewart‘s $15MM cap hit the very next day in order to acquire a player earning $30MM. Because the $14MM player was acquired using cap room and not using an exception or by salary-matching, Detroit wouldn’t face the two-month aggregation restriction.

There has been no indication that any more trades will be made on Monday, but if they are, it’s worth keeping this rule in mind, since it will likely be a key reason for the timing of the move.

Stein’s Latest: Schröder, Johnson, Pelicans, Lakers, Kings, Reed

December 15th, 2024 at 7:05pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Warriors acquired a valuable rotation piece in Dennis Schröder this weekend, but it’s possible he won’t last the season with his new team. Schröder can traded again this season and could be part of a package to get a star-level player before February’s trade deadline, according to Marc Stein in his latest Substack post.

Miami’s Jimmy Butler could be among the players targeted by the Warriors, whom many rival teams believe will make a splashier move this season. Stein notes the Warriors aggressively pursued Lauri Markkanen and Paul George during the offseason.

The timing of the Warriors’ trade for Schröder was significant. The latest CBA instituted a new exception that allowed players who are traded by Dec. 16th to be aggregated in another deal before the trade deadline.

Golden State had interest in trading for Nets’ forward Cameron Johnson as well as Schröder but would likely have needed to include Jonathan Kuminga in a deal for both players, Stein suggests.

Here’s more from Stein:

The Pelicans aren’t inclined to trade young pieces Herbert Jones, Yves Missi and Trey Murphy but they are open to trade inquiries for virtually anyone else on the roster.
The Lakers aren’t looking to make a blockbuster move but they’d like to add depth and are expected to make at least one trade.
The Kings are dangling the contracts of Kevin Huerter and Trey Lyles in order to upgrade the roster.
The Sixers have some interest in a reunion with Paul Reed, who waived by the Pistons on Saturday. However, it’s unlikely they’d attempt to add him prior to the trade deadline in order to maximize their roster and cap flexibility. Reed was waived by Philadelphia during the offseason.