Extension Leftovers: Hayward, Bledsoe, Bogut
Although several players signed lucrative long-term contract extensions over the course of the offseason, last night’s deadline came and went with a whimper, rather than a bang. Extension candidates like Gordon Hayward, Eric Bledsoe, and Avery Bradley failed to work out last-minute deals, meaning they’ll become free agents next summer. News continues to trickle in on a few of those players and their motives for passing on new contracts, so let’s round up the latest….
- Agent Mark Bartelstein, who represents Hayward, tells Sam Amick of USA Today that extensions are often the most difficult deals to complete: “Teams sometimes have a view of wanting to get something for doing it early, and the player wants to get what he perceives his value to be, so they’re hard to do.” Bartelstein added that the Jazz put in a “tremendous amount of time and effort,” so it wasn’t for lack of trying that nothing was agreed upon.
- Suns president Lon Babby echoed Bartelstein’s thoughts on the challenge of extension negotiations, telling Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic that the lack of a deal with Bledsoe “doesn’t in any way suggest” the Suns aren’t committed long-term to their new point guard.
- While 2014 free agency is still a ways off, Grantland’s Zach Lowe notes (via Twitter) that the Magic will likely be a strong rival suitor for Bledsoe.
- Discussing the Hayward and Bledsoe negotiations, ESPN.com’s Marc Stein says Bledsoe was believed to be seeking a deal worth at least $10MM annually. Hayward, meanwhile, wasn’t seeking the max, but wanted a contract “commensurate with his standing as the face of Utah’s rebuilding effort,” according to Stein.
- One executive suggested to Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com that extending Derrick Favors and not Hayward was an “odd message” for the Jazz to send (Twitter link).
- Andrew Bogut‘s new contract is a veteran extension, rather than a rookie scale extension, but we’ll include this update here anyway: Eric Pincus of HoopsWorld has the specifics on Bogut’s salaries for the next several years, which start at about $12.29MM in 2014/15 and drop to about $11.03MM for 2016/17.
Pacific Rumors: Bledsoe, Jimmer, Kobe, Frye
It’s been an unusually busy day for news out west, so we’re following up this morning’s round of Pacific rumors with a few afternoon updates. Here’s the latest:
- There are “no indications” that the Suns and Eric Bledsoe will reach an agreement on a contract extension before tonight’s deadline, tweets Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic. The two sides have until 11:00 pm CT to work something out.
- On the heels of reporting that the Kings won’t exercise Jimmer Fredette‘s 2014/15 option, Sam Amick of USA Today passes along a little more Jimmer news. According to Amick, about six teams have expressed some trade interest in Fredette. The Jazz aren’t one of those six, however.
- The highest-paid player in the NBA will receive most of his salary tomorrow, according to Eric Pincus of the Los Angeles Times, who says Kobe Bryant will be paid more than $24MM by the Lakers on November 1st.
- Mark Deeks of ShamSports, writing for SBNation.com, suggests that extending Andrew Bogut for three years and $36MM+ represents an unnecessary risk for the Warriors. As Deeks notes, Golden State still could have extended Bogut in the spring, prior to free agency, which would have given the team another full season to evaluate the big man.
- In a separate piece for The Score, Deeks discusses the Suns/Wizards trade, writing that it’s the sort of deal that doesn’t necessarily have a winner or loser, since both teams got what they wanted. Deeks also points out that the Suns will have an “extremely logical” trade candidate in Channing Frye if he starts the season healthy and productive.
- The Kings won’t sign Greivis Vasquez or Patrick Patterson to a contract extension today.
Pacific Rumors: Kings, Vasquez, Warriors
The Suns and Kings aren’t expected to be contenders in 2013/14, but both teams got off to good starts in their home openers last night, defeating the Trail Blazers and Nuggets, respectively. Two more Pacific teams are in action tonight, as the Clippers aim to become the last team in the division to get in the win column when they host the Warriors. While we look forward to that game, let’s round up a few items out of the Pacific….
- In examining which rookie scale players will sign new contracts today, Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld discusses a pair of Kings, noting that extensions remain in play for Patrick Patterson and Greivis Vasquez. According to Kyler, the “framework” of a deal for Vasquez is in place, but it’s not clear whether or not Sacramento is interested in finalizing anything today.
- The Warriors and Mark Jackson have not talked recently about an extension for the head coach, tweets Tim Kawakami of the San Jose Mercury News. Jackson is under contract through the 2014/15 season, so extension negotiations could wait until next year.
- Dwight Howard decided to sign with the Rockets this summer despite “relentless negative campaigning” from rival suitors, including the Warriors, writes Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. Wojnarowski hears from sources that Warriors advisor Jerry West was disparaging of James Harden during Golden State’s pitch to the free agent center. Asked about West’s comments on Harden, Howard laughed and replied, “Well, Jerry West said a lot of things.”
- While Kings minority owner Shaquille O’Neal boldly predicted that the team would earn a playoff spot this season, Vivek Ranadive is more focused on the long term. According to Joe Davidson of the Sacramento Bee, Ranadive doesn’t plan to judge the season on wins and losses, but rather on whether the new system shows forward progress.
NBA Teams With Open Roster Spots
NBA teams are permitted to carry 15 players into the regular season, so now that opening night rosters are set, as many as 450 players could be under contract around the league. Instead, only 439 players are currently on NBA rosters, leaving 11 openings spread out among nine clubs. With the help of our roster count tool, here are the teams bringing open roster spots into the regular season:
Two openings:
- Chicago Bulls
- Memphis Grizzlies
One opening:
- Boston Celtics
- Golden State Warriors
- Indiana Pacers
- Los Angeles Clippers
- Oklahoma City Thunder
- Phoenix Suns
- San Antonio Spurs
Teams carrying a full 15-man roster know that not all 15 players will see regular minutes in NBA games this season. Still, keeping an extra prospect or two under control, perhaps assigning them to the D-League to get them frequent playing time, could pay off in the long run, and has little downside. Many end-of-bench players are still on non-guaranteed contracts, so they don’t adversely affect a team’s roster flexibility, since they can be easily cut if the team wants to make a trade or signing.
The only real downside of carrying 15 players is having to pay 15 players. That’s why we shouldn’t be surprised to see that many of the teams listed above are either taxpayers or clubs hovering dangerously close to tax territory. For teams like the Bulls and Clippers, who are more focused on title contention than player development, carrying a 15th man all season isn’t worth the extra tax penalties. Meanwhile, the Grizzlies, Celtics, Thunder, and Pacers all have $68MM+ in guaranteed team salary on their books, so paying a 15th player would reduce cap flexibility for those clubs, who are looking to steer clear of the $71.748MM tax line.
We’ll be keeping our list of roster counts up to date throughout the 2013/14 season, so if you’re curious about whether or not a team has room to add a free agent or make an unbalanced trade, keep an eye on that page.
Pacific Notes: Fredette, Clips, Bledsoe, Warriors
NBA teams have until Thursday evening to exercise or decline rookie contract options for 2014/15, and the Kings‘ decision on Jimmer Fredette isn’t a no-brainer. Since being drafted 10th overall in 2011, Fredette hasn’t made the impact at the NBA level that many were anticipating. I still expect Sacramento to pick up the relatively cheap option (about $3.11MM), but it sounds like the decision will go down to the wire.
“We have until Thursday, so we’ll have an internal process and conversation and come to a decision,” Kings GM Pete D’Alessandro told Jonathan Santiago of Cowbell Kingdom. “Obviously, we’ll have to do it by then. So I would think probably we’ll take our time up until the deadline.”
Here’s more from around the Pacific Division:
- Chris Kaman believes the Clippers will never truly surpass prestige of the Lakers, but says Clippers owner Donald Sterling has been “turning over a new leaf” with his newfound willingness to spend money on his team, according to Mike Bresnahan of the Los Angeles Times. Of course, based on what we heard last night about Sterling nearly spiking the J.J. Redick deal, Sterling still appears to have a long way to go.
- A contract extension for Eric Bledsoe is atop the Suns‘ to-do list, but his recent arrival in Phoenix and his lack of significant minutes make his value difficult to pinpoint, writes Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic. Coro also wonders how much interest Bledsoe has in an extension, since he hasn’t talked about wanting Phoenix to be his long-term home when given the opportunity.
- The costs of the Warriors‘ San Francisco arena project are starting to pile up, says John Coté of the San Francisco Chronicle.
- Ailene Voisin of the Sacramento Bee profiles new Kings head coach Michael Malone, who inherits the Sacramento job under new ownership and a new front office.
Chuck Myron contributed to this post.
Pacific Notes: Bogut, Kobe, Tyler, Suns
Let’s round up a few Monday items out of the Pacific Division….
- Grantland’s Zach Lowe examines last Friday’s two big deals, the Wizards‘ acquisition of Marcin Gortat and the Warriors‘ extension for Andrew Bogut. In Lowe’s view, the Suns made out very well in the Gortat swap, which looks like the result of a win-now mandate for Washington. Meanwhile, Lowe considers Bogut’s deal a risky one for Golden State, but hopes it works out, since the league is better off with the former first overall pick healthy.
- Tim Kawakami of the San Jose Mercury News goes in-depth on Bogut’s new contract and the Warriors‘ long-term cap situation, reporting some new details on the agreement with Bogut. According to Kawakami, there is no trade kicker included in Bogut’s extension, which features up to 15% in unlikely bonuses in each season.
- In his latest piece for SBNation.com, Tom Ziller examines Jim Buss’ comments on Kobe Bryant‘s contract situation and attempts to identify Buss’ motives.
- After cutting him last week, the Knicks are trying to obtain Jeremy Tyler‘s D-League rights from Golden State’s D-League affiliate, the Santa Cruz Warriors, reports Marc Berman of the New York Post. Tyler, who is rehabbing a foot injury, is free to sign with any NBA team, but can’t join a D-League team besides Santa Cruz unless the Warriors agree to a deal to relinquish his rights.
- Dionte Christmas, Ishmael Smith, and Viacheslav Kravtsov, who earned spots on the Suns‘ opening night roster, have learned not to take having an NBA job for granted, as Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic details.
Pacific Notes: Dragic, Bogut, Kings, Iguodala
Many around the NBA believe Goran Dragic will be the next player the Suns trade away after Friday’s Marcin Gortat deal, but Phoenix GM Ryan McDonough insists that won’t be the case, as Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic notes. “He’s a good player on a good contract and a great guy,” McDonough said. “So, no, we’re not looking to move Goran Dragic.” Andrew Bogut is another player who probably won’t be traded this year now that he’s signed his extension, and he’s glad to stick around the Warriors, as we explain amid our look around the Pacific:
- Andrew Bogut understands he could have snagged a better payday if he had held off on an extension and performed well this season, but he tells Sam Amick of USA Today that he didn’t want to play the season as a trade candidate on an expiring contract. Bogut says he’s put his anger about the Warriors‘ pursuit of Dwight Howard behind him and encourages his teammates to take discounts on their next deals so the team can stay together.
- The Kings face a Thursday deadline for decisions on Jimmer Fredette‘s fourth-year option and extensions for Greivis Vasquez and Patrick Patterson, and GM Pete D’Alessandro remains circumspect, observes Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee. “We’re still looking at things and evaluating before making a decision. … I think there’s some spirited conversations going on about all the guys near the deadline,” D’Alessandro said.
- The moves that D’Alessandro and company have made so far during their brief tenure aren’t above reproach, but the key is whether their long-term investment in DeMarcus Cousins works out, The Bee’s Ailene Voisin opines.
- Carl Landry should be out a few more months with his hip injury, so camp invitee Hamady N’Diaye could remain with the Kings for a while, tweets Shams Charania of RealGM.com.
- Andre Iguodala‘s arrival to Golden State raises the expectations for the Warriors, as Rusty Simmons of the San Francisco Chronicle examines.
Odds & Ends: Tinsley, Durant, 76ers, Bogut
Only three players who remained unsigned this month started more games for their team last year than the 32 that Jamaal Tinsley started for the Jazz, who finally re-signed him to a minimum-salary contract this week. The point guard still didn’t get anxious as he stayed at home without a contract this fall.
“Not at all,” Tinsley said to Steve Luhm of The Salt Lake Tribune. “I’ve been through way tougher things in my life than this. I’m blessed to get the opportunity to play basketball. I’d do this for free. I’ve been running up and down the court the last four (or) five months without a job. … So it wasn’t frustrating.”
Here’s more from around the league:
- Marc Stein of ESPN.com wrote this week that the Thunder “would be wise not to relax” about Durant’s willingness to remain in OKC when his contract ends in 2016, and Durant tells Darnell Mayberry of The Oklahoman that he’s not sure what his future holds.
- Thaddeus Young hopes he remains with the Sixers, the only NBA team he’s ever played for, but he understands the team is in flux and could trade him or teammates Evan Turner and Spencer Hawes this season, as Tom Moore of The Intelligencer observes. “There definitely is some talk,” Young said. “At the end of the day, it’s a business. If they see fit to trade one of us, two of us or all three of us, we have to pack up and go. It’s still a job. We have to remain calm and we can’t be mad.”
- Whether or not Young stays, the Sixers roster will almost certainly change during the season, writes Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer. GM Sam Hinkie acknowledges that plenty of work remains to turn the team into an elite organization.
- Kevin Pelton figures Andrew Bogut will be healthy for most of the three years of his extension, but he still thinks the Warriors absorb more financial risk than Bogut does, arguing in an Insider piece for ESPN.com that the team should have waited until he hit free agency to do a deal.
- Pelton mentions the Mavericks as a potential suitor for Bogut had he become a free agent, and Warriors brass indeed perceived the Mavs as a threat, just as they saw the Bobcats as a rival for Stephen Curry, tweets Marcus Thompson II of the Bay Area News Group.
Western Notes: Brown, Green, Morey, Ebanks
Shannon Brown remains on the Wizards roster for now following last night’s trade, though the team is expected to let him go. He isn’t a lock to clear waivers, but if he does, HoopsWorld’s Steve Kyler hears he’d like to sign with the Lakers (Twitter link). Marc Stein of ESPN.com tweets that several teams are interested, and Brown has yet to make up his mind. Fellow ESPN.com scribe Ramona Shelburne isn’t sure the Lakers will be too inclined to pick up Brown, since they already have 15 players under contract (Twitter link). Here’s more from the West:
- After being bounced among seven NBA teams and two international stops by age 27, Gerald Green is OK with waiting for his turn to get minutes in the Suns‘ rotation, writes Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic. Green, who came to Phoenix in the Luis Scola deal, is one of three small forwards on the team, but he should see more time at two-guard now that Brown is elsewhere.
- Rockets GM Daryl Morey paid no attention to rumors that his job was on the line in recent years, writes Sam Amick of USA Today. “I heard second hand those rumblings, and it never made sense to me,” Morey said. “Maybe because I knew Mr. Alexander had a lot of faith in what we were doing and was really an architect in a lot of the strategy, so we were executing on a plan and the owner knew it. I think that, yeah, if we hadn’t been able to turn the corner like we hoped, then at some point he probably says, ‘Hey, I’ve got to change horses,’ and that’s fine. That’s his right. I wouldn’t have been bothered. But he had a lot of belief in us, and I don’t forget that.”
- Former Lakers forward Devin Ebanks was among the players the Mavs cut this week, and he has committed to play with the the Texas Legends, the D-League affiliate of Dallas, according to Marc J. Spears of Yahoo (Twitter link).
- Bob Myers was an agent before he became GM of the Warriors, and that experience shows in his masterful negotiations on extensions for Andrew Bogut and Stephen Curry, writes Marcus Thompson II of the Bay Area News Group. We had plenty more on Bogut’s extension in a post earlier today.
Zach Links contributed to this post.
Fallout From Andrew Bogut’s Extension
The Warriors took a risk Friday, committing eight-figure salaries through 2017 to Andrew Bogut, who’s played just 44 regular season games over the past two seasons because of multiple injuries. It’s a foray into the unknown that GM Bob Myers appears comfortable with.
“Taking a cue from (co-owner) Joe Lacob, when we see something we like, we try to keep it,” Myers said. “We don’t want it to hit the market. I think that was the same we felt in regards to Steph (Curry). This was an asset we didn’t want to lose. So if it meant betting on our player, we were willing to do that. … Maybe it’s a philosophy of the organization.”
Marcus Thompson II of the Bay Area News Group passes along that quote and plenty more in a pair of pieces on the extension. We’ll cover the highlights from those, as well as reaction from others to Golden State’s gamble:
- Thompson pegs the maximum amount Bogut can earn at $41.4MM, and estimates his base salary as $12.9MM for 2014/15, $12MM in ’15/’16, and $11.1MM in ’16/’17. Those numbers are lower than the ones previously reported. The extension is still worth much more than $10MM a year, a threshold that Bogut found important to surpass, according to Thompson.
- Still, a three-year, $30MM deal wouldn’t have been acceptable to Bogut, as fellow Bay Area News Group scribe Tim Kawakami hears. The extension didn’t come cheaply for the Warriors, but the team made the right move in locking him up long-term, Kawakami opines.
- Bogut believes he can attain his incentives, triggered each season if he plays 65 games and makes either the All-Star Game, one of the All-Defensive or All-NBA teams, or is named Defensive Player of the Year. “We came up with a number that was fair for both parties,” Bogut said, according to Thompson. “Obviously, I gave up a little bit now from what we could’ve gotten in the offseason. If you can walk in a straight line and chew gum, there is a premium on 7-footers in the league. I knew that. But I’ve enjoyed my time in the Bay here … so once we came to some common ground, it was a no-brainer for me.”
- The Warriors told Bogut at the end of last season that they wanted to sign him to an extension, and Bogut set Friday as the deadline to come to a deal, Thompson writes. Rusty Simmons of the San Francisco Chronicle provides detail on how negotiations for the extension got started.
- Bogut sacrificed money in the deal to allow the team to preserve cash for Klay Thompson, who’s extension-eligible next summer, Marcus Thompson tweets.