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2015/16 Salary Commitments: Pistons

March 21st, 2015 at 5:20pm CST by Eddie Scarito

With the NBA trade deadline now passed, teams are focusing on locking down playoff spots or vying for a better chance in the draft lottery. Outside of the players who are added on 10-day deals, or those lucky enough to turn those auditions into long-term contracts, teams’ rosters are relatively set for the remainder of the season.

We at Hoops Rumors are in the process of taking a look ahead at each franchise’s salary cap situation heading into the summer, and the free agent frenzy that occurs every offseason. While the exact amount of the 2015/16 salary cap won’t be announced until July, the cap is projected to come in somewhere around $67.4MM, with the luxury tax threshold projected at approximately $81MM. This year’s $63.065MM cap represented an increase of 7.7% over 2013/14, which was well above the league’s projected annual increase of 4.5%.

We’ll continue onward by taking a look at the Pistons’ cap outlook for 2015/16…

Here are the players with guaranteed contracts:

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope — $2,891,760
Spencer Dinwiddie — $845,059
Andre Drummond — $3,272,091
Aaron Gray (Stretch Provision) — $452,049
Brandon Jennings — $8,344,497
Jodie Meeks — $6,270,000
Josh Smith (Stretch Provision) — $5.4MM

Here are the players with non-guaranteed contracts:

Caron Butler — $4.5MM
Quincy Miller — $981,348
Anthony Tolliver — $3MM ($400K Guaranteed)
Shawne Williams — $1,356,146

Players with options:

Cartier Martin (Player Option) — $1,270,964

The Pistons’ Cap Summary for 2015/16:

Guaranteed Salary: $27,875,456
Options/Non-Guaranteed Salary: $10,708,458
Total: $38,583,914

The Basketball Insiders salary pages were used in the creation of this post.

Central Notes: George, Bucks, MCW

March 20th, 2015 at 8:34pm CST by ChrisCrouse

Paul George could return to the court within the next week and possibly as early as Saturday against the Nets, multiple sources tell Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com. “A lot of guys know I’m pushing to come back,” George said. “It’s a matter of how I’m feeling and [how] the medical staff thinks I look. I definitely want to play still. … But I want to be fully healthy.” The Pacers are currently tied with Boston for the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference with a record of 30-37.

Here’s more from the Central Division:

The plan for the arena in Milwaukee is slow moving, yet progressing. A source familiar with the Bucks‘ plan said the team is expected to come up with better cost estimates in the next week or two, which will allow the city of Milwaukee an opportunity to make adjustments to its plan, according to Don Walker of the Journal Sentinel. Walker notes that the franchise is signalling that its owners will not go beyond their $250MM commitment for the project.
On the court, the Bucks have struggled since acquiring Michael Carter-Williams, but coach Jason Kidd stresses that success will not be measured by wins this year, writes Charles F. Gardner of the Journal Sentinel. “We’re here to build something, not to do something in six months. There’s a bigger picture. We feel we have a core here that will be around for a long time and have success,” Kidd said. Milwaukee is 3-9 since the Syracuse product made his debut, but the team still owns the sixth seed in the conference with a record of 34-34.
Reggie Jackson will be a restricted free agent this offseason and about 45% of our readers believe the point guard will land a starting salary of less than $11MM in his next contract, according to latest poll by Chuck Myron of Hoops Rumors.

And-Ones: Lottery, Monroe, Harris

March 20th, 2015 at 4:40pm CST by Dana Gauruder

NBA commissioner Adam Silver said changes to the draft lottery favored by the majority of teams will likely be postponed because the NBA Players Association recently turned down the league’s smoothing proposal regarding salary-cap increases, Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle reports. The dramatic increase in the salary cap from $63MM to an estimated $90MM during the summer of 2016 makes changes to the lottery system unfeasible, Silver told Houston-based reporters on Thursday. “What I am hearing from some of the general managers in the league is that because it’s unclear how the cap will operate with a massive amount of cap room in ’16 and ’17 and potentially in the year after that it may be premature to change the lottery until we have a better understanding of what the changed behavior will be, so it’s something we are going to continue to look at,” Silver said.

In other news around the league:

The Pistons are unlikely to sign and trade Greg Monroe this summer, David Mayo of MLive.com opines. Mayo doubts that any team interested in signing Monroe, who becomes an unrestricted free agent this summer, would give up anything of value for him. The Pistons would probably have to take back a bad contract to execute such a deal, which makes it unwise for them to make such a move, Mayo continues. The only party who would truly benefit from a sign-and-trade deal would be Monroe, who could get a bigger contract without having to return to Detroit, Mayo concludes.
Dirk Nowitzki is averaging 20.3 points on 52.4% shooting from the field for the Mavericks over the last three games and a less taxing schedule is the primary reason for the veteran forward’s recent outburst, according to Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com. Nowitzki said to the team’s beat writers that longer stretches in-between games has made him feel fresher, “Going into the break, I think we had the most games in the league,” Nowitzki said. “Then coming out of the break, we had the shortest break and then we had five games in seven days. A brutal stretch for us, but finally it slowed down a little bit. It allowed us to get a little healthy, mix in some good rest with good work. I think it helped us and helped me.”
The Cavaliers assigned guard Joe Harris to their D-League affiliate, the Canton Charge, Cleveland GM David Griffin announced Friday on the team’s official website. Harris has appeared in 47 games with the Cavs this season, averaging 2.5 points in 9.2 minutes per game. He has played in seven games for the Charge, averaging 17.0 points, 5.4 rebounds and 3.3 assists in 32.3 minutes per game.

Poll: What Will Reggie Jackson Make Next Year?

March 20th, 2015 at 9:53am CST by Chuck Myron

It’s been a discombobulated season for Reggie Jackson. It began under the shadow of extension negotiations with the Thunder that ultimately failed to produce a deal, seemingly in part because some teams reportedly believed he’d draw offers of $13-14MM in free agency and because Jackson made it clear he wants to be a starting point guard. That sort of role wasn’t going to come open for him in Oklahoma City, at least on any long-term basis. Still, the 24-year-old had a brief chance to audition for the sort of job he sought when Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook both missed most of November.

Jackson averaged 20.2 points and 7.8 assists against 3.3 turnovers per game in 13 contests without both Durant and Westbrook in November, a stretch during which the Thunder went 3-10. He also grabbed 5.2 rebounds a night, displaying all-around talent that nonetheless came amid a high volume of 17.9 field goal attempts per game, 27.0% three-point shooting, and Oklahoma City’s losing record. The poor outside shooting was no shock for the career 28.8% three-point shooter, and neither was the regression in his stats to 10.2 PPG, 3.1 APG, 3.6 RPG and 9.3 shot attempts per game from the time Westbrook made his return through the trade deadline.

Still, there was enough potential there for Pistons coach/executive Stan Van Gundy to pull the trigger on a deadline-day deal that cost Detroit D.J. Augustin, Kyle Singler and a pair of second-round picks in return for Jackson. It wasn’t a dire price to pay, but it seems there’ll be a steeper cost for retaining Jackson when his contract is up this summer.

Jackson has so far compiled a decidedly up-and-down track record for GMs around the league to evaluate in his brief tenure as the starting point guard for the Pistons. He put up an eye-popping 23 points and 20 rebounds against a Grizzlies team without Mike Conley on Tuesday and followed it up with a triple-double against the Sixers the next night. He nearly recorded a triple-double against the Cavs in just his second game as a Piston, posting 22 points, nine assists and eight rebounds. The next game he shot just 5 for 24 against the Knicks, and his two-point, 1 for 9 performance against the Lakers is another red flag. Most disturbingly, the Pistons are just 2-11 when Jackson plays.

It’s the same Pistons core that went 12-4 in between the day the team waived Josh Smith and the time Brandon Jennings missed his first game with his season-ending Achilles tear. The presence of Jennings, who’ll be on an expiring contract next season, further complicates Jackson’s impending free agency for Detroit.

There are probably almost as many question marks about Jackson among other teams as there are for the Pistons. So, let us know the sort of starting salary you think the Aaron Mintz client will end up scoring on his next deal, and elaborate on your choice in the comments.

What Will Reggie Jackson Make Next Season?

Less than $10MM 23.09% (136 votes)

$10-11MM 21.73% (128 votes)

$11-12MM 21.05% (124 votes)

$12-13MM 18.51% (109 votes)

$13-14MM 8.49% (50 votes)

The max (about $15.5MM) 4.75% (28 votes)

$14-$15.5MM 2.38% (14 votes)

Total Votes: 589

Central Notes: George, Kaun, Van Gundy

March 19th, 2015 at 8:59am CST by Chuck Myron

Paul George should come back to play if he’s healthy enough to do so before season’s end, but not so he can help the Pacers win more games down the stretch, argues Steve Aschburner of NBA.com. Instead, the focus should be on helping George shake off the rust so he can be ready to go full-speed next season, even if there’s concern that inserting him into the lineup would disrupt the rhythm of this year’s team, Aschburner believes. Here’s more from around the Central Division, which has a strong chance to send the Pacers and three other teams to the playoffs this year:

The Cavs are giving thought to signing draft-and-stash prospect Sasha Kaun this summer, according to Sportando’s Emiliano Carchia. The 29-year-old from Kansas is on an expiring contract with Russia’s CSKA Moscow, as Mark Porcaro shows in our Draft Rights Held Players database, and Carchia hears that Kaun has told the Russian club that he won’t be back next season. Cavs coach David Blatt coached Kaun on the Russian national team, Carchia notes.
The Pistons are in line for the seventh overall pick pending the lottery, as our Reverse Standings show, but coach and president of basketball operations Stan Van Gundy admits that he hasn’t seen an entire Kentucky game all year, MLive’s David Mayo observes. Van Gundy’s coaching duties have kept him from seeing much college basketball at all this season, and breaking down prospects is a task that he’s left to scouts and other staffers, as Mayo details. Still, Van Gundy added that he intends to watch video before the draft of just about every game the top 10 or 15 prospects played this season, according to Mayo.
Draft-and-stash signee Nikola Mirotic has raised his game to fill the void of the injured Jimmy Butler, Derrick Rose and Taj Gibson, turning into the sort of shooter the Bulls had hoped fellow rookie Doug McDermott would become, writes Nick Friedell of ESPNChicago.com.

Eastern Notes: Rose, Stevens, LeBron, Pistons

March 17th, 2015 at 10:12pm CST by Charlie Adams

After Derrick Rose tore his meniscus, he was given a six-week recovery timeline that began on February 27th, but Tom Thibodeau said today that the former MVP is “ahead of schedule” in the healing process, notes K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune. Thibodeau also said he was “hopeful” that Taj Gibson and Jimmy Butler would return to action this week, but the Bulls coach stopped short of making any guarantees. Here’s tonight’s look at the Eastern Conference:

Celtics coach Brad Stevens is defying stereotypes and proving a coach hired straight out of the NCAA can be effective in the NBA, writes Chris Bernucca of Sheridan Hoops, who points to P.J. Carlesimo, Tim Floyd, Leonard Hamilton, Lon Kruger, Mike Montgomery, Jerry Tarkanian, and Rick Pitino as big names who failed to make their mark at the NBA level.
Pat Riley admitted he was surprised when LeBron James left the Heat to re-join the Cavs, and he regarded the decision made by LeBron a result of the “contemporary attitude of today.” However, Terry Pluto of The Plain Dealer isn’t shocked in the least at James’ decision and argues that the same attitude is the what led LBJ to originally leave Cleveland in 2010.
The Pistons took a risk when they made a deal to acquire Reggie Jackson, and given Detroit’s 2-10 record in games in which Jackson appears, both the soon-to-be restricted free agent and the team are hoping they can figure out how to effectively mesh during the last month of the season, as David Mayo of MLive details. It’s worth noting that Jackson scored 23 points and dished out 20 assists in tonight’s win over the Grizzlies.

Pistons Sign Quincy Miller To Two-Year Deal

March 15th, 2015 at 11:02pm CST by Eddie Scarito

SUNDAY, 11:02pm: The Pistons still haven’t made a formal public announcement of the move, but the RealGM transactions log shows the signing as having taken place Friday.

10:34am: There’s been no formal announcement from the team, but Miller took to Twitter to declare that he is “officially a Piston,” and Keith Langlois of Pistons.com retweeted Miller’s dispatch. Charania indicates in a follow-up story that the figure approaching $1MM represents Miller’s full salary and not the amount of his partial guarantee, and he’s followed up with a tweet that confirms that’s the case. Miller is receiving a minimum-salary deal, as Charania clarifies, rather than one via the room exception.

THURSDAY, 7:45am: The deal is for two years and is partially guaranteed for nearly $1MM next season, a source tells Shams Charania of RealGM (Twitter link). Since Miller would make $981,348 next season on a minimum-salary deal, it sounds like the Pistons are using a portion of their room exception to accommodate the signing, though that’s not entirely clear.

WEDNESDAY, 8:37pm: The Pistons intend to sign Quincy Miller for the remainder of the season, Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports reports (Twitter link). The deal also includes a training camp invite for next season, but there doesn’t appear to be any guaranteed money for 2015/16 included, though that is just my speculation since training camp deals usually carry little or no guaranteed cash.

Miller, 22, has not appeared in a game for Detroit thus far, despite being on his second 10-deal with the club. The forward did notch six appearances for the Kings while on two 10-day contracts earlier this season. Miller averaged 2.8 points and 2.0 rebounds in 10.2 minutes per game for Sacramento, who had reportedly discussed inking him for the rest of the season, but no deal came to fruition.

The forward put up strong numbers in the D-League with Sacramento’s affiliate in Reno earlier this season, averaging 25.3 PPG and 7.6 RPG in 28.9 MPG across 15 appearances. Those stats served to rebuild Miller’s value after the Nuggets cut him at the end of the preseason after failing to find a taker for him in the trade market.

Central Notes: Jackson, Bulls, Love, Pacers

March 15th, 2015 at 9:00am CST by ChrisCrouse

The Pistons are only 1-10 since Reggie Jackson made his debut. The team parted with D.J. Augustin and Kyle Singler to obtain the point guard at this year’s deadline and Jackson hasn’t been spectacular since coming to Detroit, especially on the defensive end. However, I believe the team’s woes have just as much to do with losing Singler as they do with Jackson’s struggles. The Pistons did not have much depth before the deadline and making a two-for-one trade further diminished an area of weakness. Detroit sits at 23-43 on the season, which is seven games behind Charlotte for eighth place in the Eastern Conference.

Here’s more from the Central Division:

The Bulls have lost four out of their last five games and coach Tom Thibodeau is concerned about how the team is playing, writes Vincent Goodwill of CSNChicago.com. “Everyone is going through the same thing right now, you’re headed down the stretch,” Thibodeau said. “So if your house is not in order now, you’re in trouble.” Chicago currently has a 14-man roster, as our Expanded Roster Counts Page indicates. Adding someone, even on a 10-day contract, to help the team while Derrick Rose and Jimmy Butler recover from their respective injuries, may be something the team should look into.
The Cavs‘ recent stretch of success has helped Kevin Love cope with his struggles this season, writes Michael Wallace of ESPN.com. “Everything is easier when you’re winning,” Love said. “So you can have some really good games, and then some tough times. The rotation might be different. But as long as you’re winning, it kind of makes up for everything. And that’s the kind of way it’s been here.” In my latest poll, nearly 60% of Hoops Rumors’ readers believe Love will leave Cleveland in the offseason.
Paul George‘s return may be dominating headlines in Indiana, but the team is focused on making the playoffs with the players currently on the court, writes Shaun Powell of NBA.com. “Honestly, we’re not even thinking about Paul right now,” coach Frank Vogel said. “How effective is he going to be having not played in a year? This is a serious injury. He still has a lot of hurdles to pass before he even gets back on the court. We’re trying to become the best possible team we can be without him and if he gets back, that’s just going to be a bonus.” The Pacers own a record of 30-35, which is good for seventh place in the Eastern Conference.

Central Notes: Cavaliers, Ennis, Middleton

March 14th, 2015 at 5:29pm CST by Arthur Hill

Kyrie Irving‘s recent performance is vindication for former Cavaliers GM Chris Grant, argues Terry Pluto of The Plain Dealer. Grant, who was fired in February of 2014, is widely remembered for his misstep in taking Anthony Bennett with the top selection in the 2013 draft. But Pluto contends Grant deserves more credit than he receives for identifying Irving as the best player in the 2011 draft class, then making a deal with the Clippers to acquire an unprotected pick that turned out to be number one overall.

There’s more from the Central Division:

This hasn’t been the rookie season he expected, but the Bucks‘ Tyler Ennis is finally getting to display his skills, writes Charles F. Gardner of The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. The 20-year-old out of Syracuse is getting a chance to play after being shipped to Milwaukee from Phoenix in a three-team deal at the trade deadline. Ennis has moved into the reserve point guard role behind Michael Carter-Williams. “I’m feeling a lot more comfortable, not only with the offense but with the speed of the game,” Ennis said. “I’m getting a lot more experience now and my teammates are telling me to be aggressive. With the second unit I try to go out there and make as many plays as possible. Coach (Jason Kidd) is giving me the freedom to do that.”
The Bucks‘ Khris Middleton is in elite company when it comes to real plus-minus rating this season, according to Bradford Doolittle of ESPN Insider (subscription required). Middleton currently ranks seventh in the league in that category, behind six players who are the leading candidates for MVP. Middleton, who was a topic of conversation at the recent MIT Sloan Analytics Conference, also leads the Bucks in Wins Above Replacement Player.
The Pistons don’t expect a long negotiation with newly acquired guard Reggie Jackson, tweets Vincent Ellis of The Detroit Free Press. Jackson, who came to Detroit from the Thunder in a deadline-day deal, can become a restricted free agent this summer.
The Pistons will be without forward Shawne Williams for tonight’s game with the Jazz, according to Ellis (Twitter link). Williams and Blazers center Joel Freeland each received a one-game suspension after an altercation in Friday’s game.

Eastern Notes: Celtics, Van Gundy, Eddie

March 14th, 2015 at 11:25am CST by Dana Gauruder

Celtics coach Brad Stevens said there is no disconnect between him and president of basketball operations Danny Ainge as the team fights for a playoff berth, Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald writes. Stevens has not been asked by Ainge to use younger players at the expense of winning, according to Bulpett, who points out that rookie James Young has lost his spot in the rotation. Ainge made several trades this season with an eye to the future, including deals that shipped out veterans Rajon Rondo and Tayshaun Prince. “To me, there doesn’t need to be any separation. This is the focus we have,” Stevens said to the team’s beat reporters. “Obviously [Ainge] has got to look at everything from a roster standpoint and the development standpoint and everything else, but I think our progress as a team and the way we’re progressing, all that stuff goes hand in hand.”

In other news around the Eastern Conference:

Pistons coach Stan Van Gundy is unhappy about his team playing 22 back-to-backs this season, tying his team with the Hornets for the most in the league, Keith Langlois of Pistons.com notes. Van Gundy believes the problem is due to the league’s contract with TNT which prevents teams from scheduling games on most Thursday nights, Langlois adds. “If you looked at the schedule and said, they’ve got 45 home games and they’ve only got 37, everybody would go crazy,” Van Gundy said to Langlois. “But on the back to backs, we don’t say anything. I think that is something to be addressed.”
Jarell Eddie will not receive a second 10-day contract from the Hawks, Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reveals. Eddie, whose first 10-day contract expires on Saturday, did not appear in any games after he was signed away from the D-League’s Austin Spurs. He will likely return to Austin, Vivlamore continues.