- All season long LeBron James commented that he’d like the Cavaliers‘ front office to go out and get a playmaker. Little did he know then that one would fall into their laps. In Deron Williams, Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com writes, the Cavs got just what they wanted. In his first game with Cleveland, Williams became the first reserve to dish out more than four assists in a game all season (he managed seven).
March 4, 12:13pm: It’s official. According to an official press release on their website, the Cavaliers have signed Derrick Williams to a contract for the remainder of the season.
March 1, 8:13pm: Signing for the rest of the season would give Williams $268,029, tweets Bobby Marks of The Vertical. That will count $230,690 against the cap for the Cavaliers and will result in $576,725 in luxury taxes.
7:22pm: Cavaliers forward Derrick Williams will receive a contract for the remainder of the season when his second 10-day deal expires Saturday, tweets Shams Charania of The Vertical.
The 25-year-old has been productive since joining the team in early February. He has appeared in seven games, averaging 10.1 points and 3.4 rebounds in 24 minutes per night. Williams started the season in Miami, where he played 25 games before being waived.
It’s uncertain how Williams’ role in the rotation will be affected by the additions of Deron Williams and Andrew Bogut this week or the eventual return from injury by Kevin Love and J.R. Smith. If he signs just for the rest of the season, Williams will be a free agent this summer for the third straight year.
Cavs coach Tyronn Lue is hopeful J.R. Smith can return from injury within two weeks, according to a report from Marla Ridenour of the Akron Beacon Journal. Smith recently rejoined the Cavs during their three-game road trip, albeit without the intention of making his on-court return.
“Hopefully the next 10 days to two weeks he’ll be back,” Lue told Ridenour. “They’re saying he’s been looking better and better every day, he had a good workout yesterday, so hopefully we get him back soon.”
Smith’s recovery process from a fractured thumb has been a complicated one. Following a report from Chris Haynes and Dave McMenamin of ESPN that Smith could return in mid-March, J.R. tweeted “Please don’t believe the hype. Still a ways to go.” (Twitter link)
Smith, who last made an on-court appearance on December 20, signed a four-year, $57MM contract over the offseason. Kyle Korver has performed admirably in Smith’s absence, shooting 50.4% from beyond the arc since being acquired from Atlanta.
The Cavs would obviously like to have Smith back as the postseason nears, particularly while Kevin Love recovers from arthroscopic surgery on his left knee. In late February, Cavs GM David Griffin announced Smith was progressing “on schedule, maybe slightly ahead of schedule.”
Now that the 2017 trade deadline is behind us, team salaries around the NBA shouldn’t fluctuate too drastically between now and the end of the season. Teams will continue to make minor roster changes, but as of today, a rest-of-season contract worth the minimum salary would count for no more than $237K on a club’s books. That’s a drop in the bucket when the salary cap is over $94MM.
The relative stability of team payrolls ensures that we can start looking ahead to assess which teams around the NBA will end up in luxury tax territory at season’s end. As it did in free agency last summer, the huge spike in the league’s salary cap continues to have an impact when it comes to taxpayers. Typically, at least a handful of teams pays the tax every year — last season, seven teams did. This season, however, since going into tax territory requires spending more than $113MM on team salary, only two clubs have crossed that threshold.
It’s possible that could change by the end of the 2016/17 season. The Trail Blazers, for instance, are only about $434K below the tax line, so if they need to make some roster changes in the coming weeks, they could get dangerously close to going over the threshold. But at this point, I don’t think Portland will be eager to sign anyone new to replace an injured player or two, since it’s simply not worth it for a club with a 25-35 record to risk becoming a taxpayer this late in the season.
No team besides Portland is all that close to going into the tax. The Mavericks had been about $1MM away prior to the trade deadline, but dumping Andrew Bogut‘s salary in the Nerlens Noel swap with Philadelphia didn’t just help the Sixers reach the salary floor — it also helped Dallas move comfortably away from tax territory.
So which two teams are likely to be the NBA’s only taxpayers this season? Well, the first one comes as no surprise…
Cleveland Cavaliers
- Team salary for tax purposes: $127,262,331
- Amount above the luxury tax line: $13,975,331
- Projected tax bill: $26,188,328
The Cavaliers actually project to go even further into the tax this weekend, once Derrick Williams‘ second 10-day contract expires and the team locks him up to a rest-of-season deal. However, it could be worse. Cleveland’s January trade that sent Mo Williams and Mike Dunleavy to Atlanta in exchange for Kyle Korver actually reduced the team’s salary and tax bill noticeably.
Prior to that move, the Cavs had been more than $15MM above the tax line, meaning they were a tier-four taxpayer, accruing $3.25 in taxes for every dollar spent. Now that they’re back in the third tier, their tax bill is slightly more manageable.
Los Angeles Clippers
- Team salary for tax purposes: $114,740,032
- Amount above the luxury tax line: $1,453,032
- Projected tax bill: $3,632,580
The Clippers were always close enough to the luxury tax line that it seemed plausible they could duck below it at some point this season by dumping a little salary in a trade. However, doing so almost certainly would have meant parting with a rotation player, and Doc Rivers has seemed perfectly content to stand pat — the Clippers haven’t made a single signing or cut all season.
While the Clippers won’t be on the hook for nearly as big a tax bill as Cleveland, the fact that the team remains in the tax isn’t great news. It’ll be the fourth consecutive year that Steve Ballmer‘s club has been a taxpayer, and with lucrative new contracts for Chris Paul, Blake Griffin, and J.J. Redick potentially on tap this summer, the Clippers likely won’t be cutting costs in 2017/18. If they’re in the tax again next season, the Clips will continue to fact the more punitive penalties for repeat taxpayers.
Salary data in this post is based on our own math, plus contract figures from The Vertical and Basketball Insiders.
The Cavaliers were quiet at the trade deadline but have made two significant moves since adding recently waived veterans Andrew Bogut and Deron Williams. Chris Mannix and Bobby Marks of The Vertical discussed the signings in a recent video.
Not only do the March moves shed light on why the club didn’t make a drastic move at the trade deadline — they also tie into the previously reported LeBron James “playmaker” demands. The Cavs knew that they had March 1 in their back pocket all along. While they may not have known specifically that Bogut or Williams would fall to them, it would have been reasonable for general manager David Griffin to assume that the reigning champions would at least be on the short list of any new veteran free agent hoping for a playoff run.
Limited tradeable assets and draft picks gave the Cavaliers little other choice, Marks argues, but they can rest assured that they’ve bolstered their lineup with some solid depth. Mannix mentions Williams’ possible impact in particular. The Cavs have been without a veteran backup at the point guard position since Matthew Dellavedova signed with the Bucks and Mo Williams abruptly retired.
“The gap between the Cavaliers and everybody else in the Eastern Conference just got a little bit wider,” Mannix says.
There’s more from Cleveland:
- Once again, LeBron James is making a case to win the NBA’s Most Valuable Player, writes ESPN’s Dave McMenamin. Veteran forward James Jones spoke about James’ bid for yet another award and why his case sometimes gets overlooked. “Sometimes they get bored with what they know is coming, even if that’s still the best option out there.”
- Agents have substantial influence on the waiver wire, writes Joe Vardon of Cleveland.com. Vardon suggests that NBA front offices would be wise to heed an agent’s request to not put in a bid for a veteran player going through the waiver processes, lest they want to damage their chances of doing business with the agency in the future.
- Veteran Kyle Korver spoke about his recent return to Atlanta and Marla Ridenour of the Akron Beacon Journal published video of the conversation. “It felt like I was on a really long road trip and I came back,” he said. The forward speaks fondly of his time with the Hawks but is grateful for his opportunity in Cleveland.
Some team executives have proposed changing the buyout process that favors successful organizations, according to Zach Lowe of ESPN.com. That inequity was on display this week as the Cavaliers added Deron Williams and Andrew Bogut and the Warriors picked up Matt Barnes after Kevin Durant was injured.
Possible solutions include moving the date that players have to be waived to retain postseason eligibility to before the trade deadline or creating a “buyout wire.” The wire would allow teams with cap room to bid on players who get bought out, with the highest bidder winning regardless of the players’ wishes. Early Bird rights could even be tied to this system to encourage more bidding, Lowe states. If there are no bidders, then teams over the cap would be allowed to pursue the players, possibly in reverse order of record.
There’s more news from around the basketball world:
- The NBA announced several initiatives Thursday to improve the quality of officiating, relays Brian Mahoney of The Associated Press. The league will introduce an Officiating Advisory Council and will expand the number of referees from 64 to at least 70 next season. There are also plans to change their travel schedule and the system of evaluation. Overseas officials will be among those considered for NBA jobs. “Twenty-five percent of our players now are international or not born in the U.S., so why shouldn’t we try to match some of that in terms of talent coming from international flavor into the ref population as well?” said Byron Spruell, the president of league operations.
- Lorenzo Brown, who has played for three teams in three NBA seasons, has signed a contract with the D-League, tweets Chris Reichert of The Step Back. The Grand Rapids Drive, Detroit’s affiliate, owns the rights to the 26-year old point guard, who had been playing in China. Brown spent eight games with the Suns last season. He has also played for the Sixers and Wolves.
- Joel Brighham of Basketball Insiders examines whether teams on the postseason bubble are better off making the playoffs or getting a lottery pick.
MARCH 2: The Cavaliers have officially signed Bogut, the team announced today in a press release. Cleveland waived Jordan McRae on Wednesday in order to open up a spot on the roster for Bogut.
FEBRUARY 28: Andrew Bogut has committed to signing with the Cavaliers, tweets Marc Stein of ESPN and he’s expected to do so this weekend. The center won’t officially clear waivers until 5 PM EST on Wednesday but was released in time to be eligible to play for the Cavs during the postseason.
The Australian big man had strongly considered the Rockets and Celtics, Shams Charania of The Vertical tweets, but decided to head to Ohio after toiling away on a lottery-bound Mavs team for the past few month. Of the multitude of suitors hoping to lure the center, Houston was the one that could offer the most money, but Bogut was legitimately impressed with Boston’s pitch. Per Adam Himmelsbach of the Boston Globe, Bogut and his agent will likely consider the Celtics when the offseason free agency period opens on July 1.
In Cleveland, Bogut has the clearest path to the NBA Finals, where he could possibly clash against his former team. Just last summer, the center was hastily dealt by Golden State to the Mavs in order for the Warriors to free up space to sign Kevin Durant.
In 26 games this season, Bogut has averaged 3.0 points and 8.3 rebounds per game but the biggest benefit the Cavaliers will get from the 32-year-old veteran is his interior defense.
Bogut was recently bought out by the Sixers after being dealt from Dallas to Philadelphia in the Nerlens Noel/Justin Anderson swap. The two parties immediately pursued buyout options.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Second-year guard Jordan McRae expressed no bitterness on his way out the door after being waived today, relays Joe Vardon of Cleveland.com. He was released to open a roster spot for the signing of free agent center Andrew Bogut. McRae appeared in 37 games for the Cavs this season, starting four, but was only playing about 10 minutes per night. He will receive all of his nearly $1.15MM salary. “All smiles here,” McRae posted on his Instagram account. “Not a bad thing to say about any player or anybody that has anything to do with this organization. I’m proud to say I am a part of Cleveland’s first-ever NBA championship. The memories I will take with me for the rest of my life. Best of luck to this great group of guys, brothers for life love you guys. Thanks Cleveland.”
There’s more tonight out of Cleveland:
Andrew Bogut will clear waivers today and is expected to sign with the Cavaliers shortly thereafter, meaning the team has to clear a spot on its 15-man roster. According to Dave McMenamin of ESPN.com (via Twitter), Cleveland will create that opening by waiving Jordan McRae. The Cavs have since confirmed the transaction in a press release.
McRae, who will turn 26 later this month, appeared in 37 games for the Cavs this season, averaging 4.4 PPG in 10.4 minutes per contest. Although the club guaranteed McRae’s full-season salary by keeping him on the roster through January’s guarantee deadline, the 6’6″ guard was mentioned in multiple trade rumors in recent weeks, suggesting he may not finish the season in Cleveland.
After initially joining the Cavs down the stretch in 2015/16, McRae earned a minimum salary (about $875K) for the team this season. Assuming McRae goes unclaimed on waivers, the Cavs will remain on the hook for that cap hit, but won’t carry any dead money beyond the current league year — the former second-round pick had been on track for restricted free agency this summer.
If McRae does catch on with another NBA team, he’ll retain his playoff eligibility, having been waived before the end of the day on March 1.
- J.R. Smith, who continues to recover from a thumb fracture, has rejoined the Cavaliers, though he’s not expected to play during the club’s current three-game road trip, writes Joe Vardon of Cleveland.com.