2020/21 Salary Cap Preview: Los Angeles Clippers
Hoops Rumors is looking ahead at the 2020/21 salary cap situations for all 30 NBA teams. Due to the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on the NBA, it’s impossible to know yet where the cap for 2020/21 will land. Given the league’s lost revenue, we’re assuming for now that it will stay the same as the ’19/20 cap, but it’s entirely possible it will end up higher or lower than that.
After going all-in during the 2020 offseason, giving up a boatload of draft picks – and rising star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander – in order to land Kawhi Leonard and Paul George, the Clippers were one of the NBA’s best teams in 2019/20. Despite only firing on all cylinders a handful of times throughout the season due to some injury and chemistry issues, the club entered the league’s hiatus with a 44-20 record, good for second in the West.
The Clippers will be one of the teams hit hardest if the NBA can’t resume its 2019/20 season and play out its postseason. After all, Leonard and George will be entering contract years in ’20/21, so it’s unclear how long the team’s window will be open. As for the 2020 offseason, the Clips have some big free agent decisions to make and may have to go into tax territory if they want to retain Montrezl Harrell, Marcus Morris, and JaMychal Green.
Here’s where things stand for the Clippers financially in 2020/21, as we continue our Salary Cap Preview series:
Guaranteed Salary
- Paul George ($35,450,412)
- Kawhi Leonard ($34,379,100)
- Patrick Beverley ($13,333,333)
- Lou Williams ($8,000,000)
- Ivica Zubac ($7,000,000)
- Rodney McGruder ($5,192,307)
- Landry Shamet ($2,090,040)
- Mfiondu Kabengele ($2,075,880)
- Terance Mann ($1,517,981)
- Total: $109,039,053
Player Options
- JaMychal Green ($5,005,350)
- Total: $5,005,350
Team Options
- None
Non-Guaranteed Salary
- Joakim Noah ($2,692,991)
- Amir Coffey (two-way)
- Total: $2,692,991
Restricted Free Agents
- Johnathan Motley ($1,678,854 qualifying offer / $1,678,854 cap hold): Bird rights
- Total (cap holds): $1,678,854
Unrestricted Free Agents / Other Cap Holds
- Marcus Morris ($18,000,000): Non-Bird rights
- Montrezl Harrell ($11,400,000): Bird rights
- Reggie Jackson ($1,620,564): Non-Bird rights
- Patrick Patterson ($1,620,564): Non-Bird rights
- Total: $32,641,128
Offseason Cap Outlook
With $109MM+ in guaranteed money committed to nine players for 2020/21, the Clippers aren’t in bad shape — even if the cap doesn’t increase, that would give them plenty of wiggle room below the tax line to fill out the final five or six spots on their roster.
However, if they intend to bring back all their key free-agents-to-be, they may need all that wiggle room and then some. Harrell is due a significant raise on his current $6MM salary; Morris will likely be in line for another eight-figure salary; and Green will add another $5MM+ to the books if he simply exercises his player option. Team salary would increase further if the club wants to make use of its mid-level exception to bring in more talent.
For now, we’re assuming the Clippers will do all they can to retain their rotation players, which will likely mean entering tax territory. But the team could gain more cap flexibility if one or two of those key free agents don’t return.
Cap Exceptions Available
- Taxpayer mid-level exception: $5,718,000 1
- Trade exception: $3,567,720 (expires 2/8/21)
- Trade exception: $1,445,697 (expires 2/8/21)
Footnotes
- This is a projected value. If the team doesn’t approach the tax apron, it could have the full mid-level exception ($9,258,000) and bi-annual exception ($3,623,000) available.
Note: Minimum-salary and rookie-scale cap holds are based on the salary cap and could increase or decrease depending on where the cap lands.
Salary information from Basketball Insiders and Early Bird Rights was used in the creation of this post. Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Hoops Rumors Glossary: Maximum Salary
There are many NBA players technically on maximum salary contracts, but most of those players aren’t earning identical salaries this season, making the league’s “maximum salary” something of a misnomer. While each NBA player has a maximum salary that he can earn in a given season, that number varies from player to player, with a handful of factors playing a part in determining the exact figure.
The primary factor in determining a player’s maximum salary is his years of service. If a player has been in the NBA for no more than six years, he can earn up to 25% of the salary cap in the first year of his deal. Players with seven to nine years of experience can earn up to 30%, while veterans with 10 or more years in the NBA are eligible for up to 35% of the cap. In 2019/20, the salary cap is $109,140,000, meaning the maximum salaries are as follows:
| Years in NBA | Salary |
|---|---|
| 0-6 | $27,285,000 |
| 7-9 | $32,742,000 |
| 10+ | $38,199,000 |
The figures above help explain why nine-year veteran Kemba Walker, who signed a maximum salary contract as part of a sign-and-trade to the Celtics last July, is earning a salary of $32,742,000 this season. But they don’t explain why Lakers star Anthony Davis, who is also in that 7-9 year window and is on a max contract of his own, is earning just $27,093,018.
The reason Davis’ maximum salary is a few million shy of Walker’s is that those league-wide maximum salary figures only apply to the first year of a multiyear contract. When a player signs a maximum contract, he can receive annual raises of up to either 8% or 5%, depending on whether he signs with his previous team or a new team. So by the third, fourth, or fifth year of his contract, he could be earning significantly more or less than the updated max for that season.
Davis signed his maximum salary contract extension in 2015 and it went into effect in 2016/17, when he had fewer than six years of NBA experience. Although he has received annual 8% raises since then, those raises haven’t been enough to keep up with the annual cap growth and with his move into the 7-9 year window. As a result, he’s earning about $5.65MM less than his actual max in 2019/20, despite being on a “max contract.”
Davis will get to start over on a new max deal in ’20/21, assuming he turns down his player option this offseason. If he wants to maximize his earnings going forward, he’ll likely opt for a shorter-term deal that gives him the opportunity to sign a new contract in 2022 when he gains 10 years of NBA experience and qualifies for a starting salary of up to 35% of the cap.
Here are a couple more ways a player’s usual maximum salary can fluctuate:
- A free agent’s maximum salary is always at least 105% of his previous salary. For example, Warriors star Stephen Curry is earning $40,231,758 this season. He’s under contract for two more years after 2019/20, but if he were eligible for free agency this offseason, he’d be able to sign for a starting salary of up to $42,243,346 (105% of this year’s salary), even if that figure exceeds 35% of the 2020/21 cap.
- In certain situations, players eligible for new contracts can earn the maximum salary for the level above the one they’d typically fall into. For instance, a player receiving a designated rookie extension can earn up to 30% of the cap instead of 25% if he meets certain criteria. A veteran can become eligible to earn up to 35% of the cap instead of 30% if he meets the same criteria, which are related to MVP, Defensive Player of the Year, or All-NBA honors.
A player who signs a maximum salary contract can receive a trade kicker as part of his deal, but he can’t cash in on that bonus for any amount beyond his maximum salary in a given league year. For instance, Karl-Anthony Towns‘ max salary contract with the Timberwolves features a 5% trade kicker, but if he had been traded this season, he wouldn’t have been eligible to receive that bonus, since he’s already earning his maximum salary of $27,285,000.
Similarly, a maximum salary player whose team finishes the season below the minimum salary floor isn’t eligible to receive a share when the team distributes that money to its players, since his max salary for that year can’t be exceeded.
Note: This is a Hoops Rumors Glossary entry. Our glossary posts will explain specific rules relating to trades, free agency, or other aspects of the NBA’s Collective Bargaining Agreement. Larry Coon’s Salary Cap FAQ was used in the creation of this post.
Earlier versions of this post were previously published by Luke Adams and Chuck Myron. Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Poll Results: Hoops Rumors’ 2020 All-NBA Teams
The coronavirus pandemic and the resulting NBA hiatus have thrown award season into disarray, but it’s probably safe to assume that any remaining regular season games for 2019/20 won’t affect award races too significantly. With that in mind, we asked you to vote last week on the 15 players you feel deserve All-NBA spots for ’19/20.
Last Monday, we opened voting for the All-NBA First Team. We moved on to the Second Team on Wednesday, then opened the polls for the Third Team on Friday. The results of all those polls are in, so let’s check them out.
- Guard: Luka Doncic (Mavericks)
- Guard: James Harden (Rockets)
- Forward: Giannis Antetokounmpo (Bucks)
- Forward: LeBron James (Lakers)
- Center: Anthony Davis (Lakers)
- Guard: Damian Lillard (Trail Blazers)
- Guard: Bradley Beal (Wizards)
- Forward: Kawhi Leonard (Clippers)
- Forward: Pascal Siakam (Raptors)
- Center: Nikola Jokic (Nuggets)
- Guard: Devin Booker (Suns)
- Guard: Chris Paul (Thunder)
- Forward: Jayson Tatum (Celtics)
- Forward: Jimmy Butler (Heat)
- Center: Joel Embiid (Sixers)
Your top vote-getters in the final round of polling who didn’t quite earn spots on the Third Team: Trae Young (Hawks), Russell Westbrook (Rockets), and Paul George (Clippers).
My own All-NBA Teams would look somewhat similar to the ones you picked, though the guard position is a tricky one. Booker likely wouldn’t be one of my 15 choices, and Beal would be a Third Team pick at best for me. Both players put up great offensive numbers, but their teams didn’t have great seasons and they’re poor defenders (Booker ranked 132nd out of 137 shooting guards in Defensive Real Plus-Minus, per ESPN; Beal was 137th).
There’s no shortage of candidates who could replace Booker and potentially Beal — Kyle Lowry and Kemba Walker were veteran leaders on two of the league’s best teams, Westbrook had a monster season in Houston, Donovan Mitchell was the leading scorer for a top-four team in the West, and Ben Simmons’ elite defensive ability makes his case stronger than his offensive numbers would suggest.
I might opt for Westbrook and Lowry over Booker and Beal. I’d also be tempted to find room for Khris Middleton at forward and Bam Adebayo or Rudy Gobert at center, though Butler and/or Embiid would be tough cuts. I’d likely bump Tatum up to the Second Team as well, pushing Siakam down to Third Team.
Of course, the official All-NBA teams will hinge in part on what positions are assigned to certain players. Can Davis be considered a center or will he be deemed a forward? Will James be eligible for a guard spot? Will Butler be a guard or a forward? Those positional decisions, particularly for the Lakers’ stars, could have a ripple effect on other selections.
What do you think? Do you disagree strongly with any of these choices? Do you expect major discrepancies when the official All-NBA teams are announced? Let us know in the comment section!
Community Shootaround: NBA Draft
Due to a lack of live sports action, the NFL is drawing record ratings for its annual draft.
The NBA may have to follow the NFL’s lead and hold its draft remotely, though it’s very unlikely the draft will remain in June unless the season is already canceled by that point.
There are some obvious differences between the NBA and NFL drafts in any year, particularly the way business is conducted and needs are filled. NFL teams are filling out their rosters and addressing their remaining holes after free agency, while the NBA does it the opposite way. NBA teams go into the draft not knowing which players they might acquire or lose in free agency.
When trades are made during the NBA draft, they often cannot be made an official until the following month due to contractual and salary-cap issues. NFL teams don’t have to fuss with those technicalities. Commissioner Roger Goodell can announce those trades and call out the name of the team that has acquired the pick. As we’ve often seen, NBA prospects must don the cap of the team in that draft slot, even if it’s known through the grapevine they’ve been dealt to another organization.
An advantage of holding the NBA draft before free agency in a normal year is that teams can change their strategy in free agency after the draft unfolds. For example, if a lottery team gets a starter-quality point guard in the draft, it doesn’t have to spend its free agent dollars on that position. Holding the draft before free agency is also a boon to the summer leagues and allows teams more time to get their rookies prepared for their first season.
That brings us to our question of the day: Should the NBA holds its draft after free agency, as the NFL does? Or do you prefer to leave it the way it is?
Please take to the comments section to weigh in on this topic. We look forward to your input.
2020/21 Salary Cap Preview: Indiana Pacers
Hoops Rumors is looking ahead at the 2020/21 salary cap situations for all 30 NBA teams. Due to the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on the NBA, it’s impossible to know yet where the cap for 2020/21 will land. Given the league’s lost revenue, we’re assuming for now that it will stay the same as the ’19/20 cap, but it’s entirely possible it will end up higher or lower than that.
Despite some speculation that they’d struggle without Victor Oladipo for the first half of the 2019/20 season, the Pacers were just fine, thanks to a hot start by Malcolm Brogdon and a breakout season from Domantas Sabonis.
Oladipo’s rust following his 12-month absence contributed to some up-and-down play (Indiana was 9-9 after his return), but it would be interesting to see if a fully healthy version of the roster could win a playoff series in the East. With 11 players of this year’s players on guaranteed contracts for next season, the Pacers could run it back with a pretty similar squad in 2020/21.
Here’s where things stand for the Pacers financially in 2020/21, as we continue our Salary Cap Preview series:
Guaranteed Salary
- Victor Oladipo ($21,000,000)
- Malcolm Brogdon ($20,700,000)
- Domantas Sabonis ($18,500,000)
- Myles Turner ($18,000,000)
- T.J. Warren ($11,750,000)
- Jeremy Lamb ($10,500,000)
- Doug McDermott ($7,333,333)
- T.J. Leaf ($4,326,825)
- Goga Bitadze ($2,957,520)
- Aaron Holiday ($2,345,640)
- Monta Ellis ($2,245,400) — Waived via stretch provision.
- Edmond Sumner ($2,160,000)
- T.J. McConnell ($1,000,000) — Partial guarantee. Non-guaranteed portion noted below. 1
- Total: $122,818,718
Player Options
- None
Team Options
- None
Non-Guaranteed Salary
- T.J. McConnell ($2,500,000) 1
- Total: $2,500,000
Restricted Free Agents
- Alize Johnson ($1,820,564 qualifying offer / $1,820,564 cap hold): Early Bird rights
- Brian Bowen (two-way qualifying offer / $1,445,697 cap hold): Non-Bird rights
- Naz Mitrou-Long (two-way qualifying offer / $1,445,697 cap hold): Non-Bird rights
- Total (cap holds): $4,711,958
Unrestricted Free Agents / Other Cap Holds
- Justin Holiday ($5,720,400): Non-Bird rights
- JaKarr Sampson ($1,620,564): Non-Bird rights
- Total: $7,340,964
Offseason Cap Outlook
Last summer’s series of transactions – adding Brogdon, Warren, and Lamb, while extending Sabonis – will limit the Pacers’ flexibility going forward and eliminate any chance that they’ll have cap room during the 2020 offseason.
Still, barring a trade that adds salary, an aggressive deployment of the full mid-level exception, or an unexpected decline in the salary cap, the team should have a decent amount of breathing room below the tax line.
Cap Exceptions Available
- Mid-level exception: $9,258,000 2
- Bi-annual exception: $3,623,000 2
Footnotes
- McConnell’s salary becomes fully guaranteed after October 17.
- This is a projected value. If the Pacers’ team salary continues to increase, it’s possible they’d be limited to the taxpayer mid-level exception ($5,718,000).
Note: Minimum-salary and rookie-scale cap holds are based on the salary cap and could increase or decrease depending on where the cap lands.
Salary information from Basketball Insiders and Early Bird Rights was used in the creation of this post. Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Poll: 2020 All-NBA Third Team
With the coronavirus pandemic and the resulting NBA hiatus throwing award season into disarray, we’re assuming the 2019/20 regular season is close enough to over that it’s safe to start making our unofficial picks for the league’s end-of-year honors. And we’re working on our All-NBA teams this week.
After closing the polls for the All-NBA First Team on Wednesday, we’ve brought the vote for the All-NBA Second Team to an end today. Some of the results in those Second Team polls were predictable — Nikola Jokic, for instance, was the runaway winner at center. However, there were much tighter races for the Second Team guards and forwards.
Here are the voting results so far:
- Guard: Luka Doncic (Mavericks)
- Guard: James Harden (Rockets)
- Forward: Giannis Antetokounmpo (Bucks)
- Forward: LeBron James (Lakers)
- Center: Anthony Davis (Lakers)
- Guard: Damian Lillard (Trail Blazers)
- Guard: Bradley Beal (Wizards)
- Forward: Kawhi Leonard (Clippers)
- Forward: Pascal Siakam (Raptors)
- Center: Nikola Jokic (Nuggets)
A pair of cornerstones on last year’s title-winning Raptors claimed the forward spots here, with Siakam narrowly edging out Jayson Tatum for the second spot. Meanwhile, Lillard and Beal will likely both miss the postseason this year, but had monster individual seasons for losing teams and earned your Second Team votes.
We’re moving on today to the All-NBA Third Team, so be sure to cast your votes below for the two guards, two forwards, and one center that you believe are most deserving of being named to that squad. Don’t forget that a few players qualify at two positions.
You’ll have the entire weekend to finalize your votes before we round up the results on Monday. You’ll also have the opportunity to select two players apiece in the guard and forward polls, so be sure to take advantage of that.
Guards:
(Choose two)
Who are your All-NBA Third Team guards?
-
Devin Booker (Suns) 15% (302)
-
Chris Paul (Thunder) 12% (247)
-
Trae Young (Hawks) 11% (230)
-
Russell Westbrook (Rockets) 11% (215)
-
Jimmy Butler (Heat; also at F) 9% (184)
-
Kemba Walker (Celtics) 8% (163)
-
Donovan Mitchell (Jazz) 6% (119)
-
CJ McCollum (Trail Blazers) 6% (118)
-
Kyle Lowry (Raptors) 6% (116)
-
Ben Simmons (Sixers) 4% (88)
-
Ja Morant (Grizzlies) 3% (65)
-
Jaylen Brown (Celtics; also at F) 3% (53)
-
Zach LaVine (Bulls) 2% (35)
-
D'Angelo Russell (Warriors/Timberwolves) 2% (31)
-
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (Thunder) 1% (25)
-
Dennis Schroder (Thunder) 1% (15)
-
De'Aaron Fox (Kings) 1% (14)
Total votes: 2,020
Trade Rumors app users, click here to vote on the All-NBA Third Team guards.
Forwards:
(Choose two)
Who are your All-NBA Third Team forwards?
-
Jayson Tatum (Celtics) 29% (466)
-
Jimmy Butler (Heat; also at G) 20% (329)
-
Paul George (Clippers) 11% (182)
-
Brandon Ingram (Pelicans) 11% (179)
-
Khris Middleton (Bucks) 9% (142)
-
Bam Adebayo (Heat; also at C) 7% (111)
-
Jaylen Brown (Celtics; also at G) 3% (56)
-
Kristaps Porzingis (Mavericks; also at C) 3% (48)
-
DeMar DeRozan (Spurs) 3% (46)
-
Bojan Bogdanovic (Jazz) 2% (33)
-
Tobias Harris (Sixers) 2% (28)
Total votes: 1,620
Trade Rumors app users, click here to vote on the All-NBA Third Team forwards.
Center:
(Choose one)
Who is your All-NBA Third Team center?
-
Joel Embiid (Sixers) 34% (284)
-
Bam Adebayo (Heat; also at F) 16% (134)
-
Rudy Gobert (Jazz) 13% (108)
-
Karl-Anthony Towns (Timberwolves) 12% (100)
-
Domantas Sabonis (Pacers) 8% (70)
-
Kristaps Porzingis (Mavericks; also at F) 5% (38)
-
Andre Drummond (Pistons/Cavaliers) 3% (21)
-
Nikola Vucevic (Magic) 3% (21)
-
LaMarcus Aldridge (Spurs) 2% (18)
-
Montrezl Harrell (Clippers) 2% (18)
-
Hassan Whiteside (Trail Blazers) 2% (13)
Total votes: 825
Trade Rumors app users, click here to vote on the All-NBA Third Team center.
Allen Iverson Among Greatest NBA/NFL What-Ifs
The world of sports is filled with dual-sport athletes who likely would have excelled if they had chosen another path. Mekhi Becton, who was selected by the New York Jets in this year’s NFL draft, was an explosive high school basketball athlete in Highland Springs, Virginia, before deciding to attend Louisville and focus on football full-time.
[Did you know that we are a dual-sport threat? Be sure to check out Pro Football Rumors for the latest news and rumors on the NFL Draft and offseason.]
One of the most famous examples of a player dominating in two sports and picking one over the other before college is another Virginia native, Allen Iverson.
Before going on to become a Hall of Fame player in the NBA, Iverson was in position to have a great football career. The Sixers great earned the State of Virginia’s High School Football Player of the Year and Basketball Player of the Year in the same season, as Tim Casey of VICE Sports details.
Iverson would have college recruiters, including Florida State’s staff, show up to his games. FSU believed Iverson could play quarterback for its football team while also playing point guard for the basketball team, similar to how Charlie Ward played both sports (Ward won a Heisman trophy in 1993 before playing 11 years in the NBA).
“We were on him hard,” former Florida State assistant head coach Chuck Amato previously told Casey “He was just a great athlete and a competitor. He would’ve been the first Michael Vick.”
Vick, another Virginia athlete, was arguably the most electric playmaker ever to play college football. Iverson ultimately played basketball at Georgetown, but he missed the gridiron. While in the program, he approached coach John Thompson about playing for Georgetown’s football team and had his request denied.
“He said, ‘I’ll tell you what I think about you playing football. If you don’t get your skinny black [explicit] the eff out of my face…you better,'” Iverson told SLAM back in 2012. “Just like that. I never thought about playing football again after that. I mean, he made it clear that this is not why I was here.”
Iverson’s former football coach believes the now 44-year-old would have had a career similar to Deion Sanders. Iverson certainly thrived in the craft he pursued — he was the No. 1 pick in 1996 by the Sixers and he made 11 All-Star games in his career. Still, you wonder, what if…
“Football is always going to be my No. 1 sport,” Iverson said back in 2016. “It was my first love. Obviously if things went another way, I probably would have ended up playing football instead of basketball, but God got his way of doing things.”
In honor of this week’s NFL draft, here are a few others who showed off a combination of basketball and football talent:
- Longtime NBA guard and three-time Slam Dunk champion Nate Robinson, who appeared in more than 600 regular season games for eight NBA teams, initially enrolled at the University of Washington on a football scholarship before concentrating on basketball beginning in his sophomore year. At the end of his 11-year NBA career in 2016, the former Huskies defensive back tried out for the NFL’s Seattle Seahawks.
- Antonio Gates, one of the NFL’s all-time best tight ends, put up impressive numbers as a basketball player at Kent State, averaging 20.6 PPG, 7.7 RPG, and 4.1 APG in 2002/03 on his way to All-MAC First Team honors. While Gates’ 955 career receptions and 116 total touchdowns in the NFL suggest he made the right choice, he has admitted to wondering how he might have performed in the NBA.
- Before he was an NBA team president or head coach, Pat Riley was a two-sport athlete, having been drafted in 1967 by the San Diego Rockets in the NBA and as a wide receiver by the Dallas Cowboys in the NFL. The Cowboys selected Riley and recruited him despite the fact that he hadn’t played football since high school. Although Riley says he considered playing in the NFL, he ultimately opted for the more viable basketball path and has now spent more than five decades in in the NBA as a player, broadcaster, coach, and executive.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
2020/21 Salary Cap Preview: Houston Rockets
Hoops Rumors is looking ahead at the 2020/21 salary cap situations for all 30 NBA teams. Due to the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on the NBA, it’s impossible to know yet where the cap for 2020/21 will land. Given the league’s lost revenue, we’re assuming for now that it will stay the same as the ’19/20 cap, but it’s entirely possible it will end up higher or lower than that.
The Rockets took small-ball to another level at this year’s trade deadline when they sent Clint Capela to Atlanta in a four-team deal that left them without a real center. Houston’s ensuing “micro-ball” experiment brought out the best in Russell Westbrook and looked awfully effective at times, though the team turned in a few March duds, including losses to New York and Charlotte.
If the NBA is unable to resume its 2019/20 season, not getting to see how the Rockets’ lineup performed in the postseason will be a major loss — not just for fans, but for Houston’s front office, which didn’t get much of a sample to evaluate whether the experiment was worth extending beyond this season.
Here’s where things stand for the Rockets financially in 2020/21, as we continue our Salary Cap Preview series:
Guaranteed Salary
- Russell Westbrook ($41,358,814)
- James Harden ($41,254,920)
- Eric Gordon ($16,869,276)
- Robert Covington ($12,138,345)
- P.J. Tucker ($7,969,537)
- Danuel House ($3,717,000)
- Troy Williams ($122,741) — Waived via stretch provision.
- Total: $123,430,633
Player Options
- Austin Rivers ($2,436,046)
- Total: $2,436,046
Team Options
- David Nwaba ($1,824,003)
- Total: $1,824,003
Non-Guaranteed Salary
- Ben McLemore ($2,283,034) 1
- Chris Clemons ($1,517,981)
- Total: $3,801,015
Restricted Free Agents
- Michael Frazier (two-way qualifying offer / $1,445,697 cap hold): Early Bird rights
- William Howard (two-way qualifying offer / $1,445,697 cap hold): Non-Bird rights
- Total (cap holds): $2,891,394
Unrestricted Free Agents / Other Cap Holds
- Tarik Black ($3,948,000): Non-Bird rights 3
- Bruno Caboclo ($1,620,564): Early Bird rights
- DeMarre Carroll ($1,620,564): Non-Bird rights
- Tyson Chandler ($1,620,564): Non-Bird rights
- Jeff Green ($1,620,564): Non-Bird rights
- Thabo Sefolosha ($1,620,564): Non-Bird rights
- Kenneth Faried ($1,620,564): Non-Bird rights 3
- Trevon Duval ($1,445,697): Non-Bird rights 3
- Total: $15,117,081
Offseason Cap Outlook
With more than $123MM in guaranteed money committed to just six players for the 2020/21 season, the Rockets figure to exceed the luxury tax line if it stays at $132.6MM, and could become a taxpayer even if faced with a more forgiving tax threshold.
Of course, Houston has navigated its way out of the tax in each of the last two years, and team owner Tilman Fertitta has been particularly hard this season by the club’s lost China revenue and the coronavirus pandemic, which has affected many of his other businesses. As such, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see the Rockets cut costs, at least to some extent. For now, we’re assuming they’ll be limited to the taxpayer’s mid-level exception, but that could change.
Cap Exceptions Available
- Taxpayer mid-level exception: $5,718,000 4
- Trade exception: $3,595,333 (expires 2/5/21)
- Trade exception: $2,564,753 (expires 2/5/21)
- Trade exception: $1,620,564 (expires 2/5/21)
- Trade exception: $1,620,564 (expires 2/8/21)
Footnotes
- McLemore’s salary becomes fully guaranteed after October 18.
- The cap holds for Black, Faried, and Duval remain on the Rockets’ books because they haven’t been renounced after going unsigned in 2019/20. They can’t be used in a sign-and-trade deal.
- This is a projected value. If the team cuts costs, it could have the full mid-level exception ($9,258,000) and bi-annual exception ($3,623,000) available.
Note: Minimum-salary and rookie-scale cap holds are based on the salary cap and could increase or decrease depending on where the cap lands.
Salary information from Basketball Insiders and Early Bird Rights was used in the creation of this post. Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Follow NFL Draft Day At Pro Football Rumors
The 2020 NFL Draft is just hours away! Whether you’re a hardcore football fan or a casual Sunday watcher, you’re going to want to follow every draft pick, trade, and rumors with Pro Football Rumors (@pfrumors on Twitter).
So far, the Bengals have laughed off every trade offer for their No. 1 pick, but the Dolphins won’t take no for an answer. The ‘Fins are trying to trade for the Lions‘ No. 3 pick, keep their own pick at No. 5, and ship both of ’em to Cincinnati for the top choice. The Bengals have been laser-focused on Joe Burrow for months, but the Dolphins believe they can change their minds with a ludicrous package.
Beyond that, practically every other pick is in play. The Dolphins, Falcons, and Tom Brady’s Buccaneers are all exploring aggressive leaps to move up the board. Meanwhile, the Lions, Panthers, and Jaguars are willing to part with their top-10 picks, if the price is right. Oh, and tons of big-name veterans are on the block, too – Redskins left tackle Trent Williams, Jaguars defensive end Yannick Ngakoue, and Buccaneers tight end O.J. Howard, just to name a few.
For breaking NFL Draft news – without tipped picks, for your viewing pleasure – stay tuned to Pro Football Rumors (@pfrumors on Twitter).
2020/21 Salary Cap Preview: Golden State Warriors
Hoops Rumors is looking ahead at the 2020/21 salary cap situations for all 30 NBA teams. Due to the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on the NBA, it’s impossible to know yet where the cap for 2020/21 will land. Given the league’s lost revenue, we’re assuming for now that it will stay the same as the ’19/20 cap, but it’s entirely possible it will end up higher or lower than that.
With Kevin Durant, Andre Iguodala, and Shaun Livingston gone and Klay Thompson out for the season with an ACL injury, the Warriors were expected to fall off to some extent in 2019/20. Once Stephen Curry went down with a long-term hand injury, Golden State bottomed out completely, entering the NBA’s hiatus with a 15-50 record, worst in the league.
Armed with a top-five pick in the 2020 draft and a $17MM+ trade exception, the Warriors are uniquely positioned to bring back multiple healthy stars while continuing to upgrade their roster — assuming they’re willing to pay a substantial tax penalty to do so.
Here’s where things stand for the Warriors financially in 2020/21, as we continue our Salary Cap Preview series:
Guaranteed Salary
- Stephen Curry ($43,006,362)
- Klay Thompson ($35,361,360)
- Andrew Wiggins ($29,542,010)
- Draymond Green ($22,246,956)
- Kevon Looney ($4,821,429)
- Jordan Poole ($2,063,280)
- Eric Paschall ($1,517,981)
- Alen Smailagic ($1,517,981)
- Marquese Chriss ($800,000) — Partial guarantee. Non-guaranteed portion noted below. 1
- Shaun Livingston ($666,667) — Waived via stretch provision.
- Damion Lee ($600,000) — Partial guarantee. Non-guaranteed portion noted below.
- Total: $142,144,026
Player Options
- None
Team Options
- None
Non-Guaranteed Salary
- Ky Bowman ($1,517,981)
- Mychal Mulder ($1,517,981)
- Juan Toscano-Anderson ($1,517,981)
- Damion Lee ($1,162,796)
- Marquese Chriss ($1,024,003) 1
- Total: $6,740,742
Restricted Free Agents
- None
Unrestricted Free Agents / Other Cap Holds
- No. 2 overall pick ($8,730,240)
- Matt Barnes ($1,620,564): Non-Bird rights 2
- Andrew Bogut ($1,620,564): Non-Bird rights 2
- Jonas Jerebko ($1,620,564): Non-Bird rights 2
- David West ($1,620,564): Early Bird rights 2
- Marcus Derrickson ($1,445,697): Non-Bird rights 2
- Total: $16,658,193
Offseason Cap Outlook
Barring a series of cost-cutting moves, it looks as if the Warriors will probably have the NBA’s highest team salary and tax bill next season by a comfortable margin. A roster that starts with their eight fully guaranteed salaries, plus full salaries for Chriss, Lee, and Bowman, would approach $146MM. Throw in a pricey lottery pick, plus potential additions using their massive trade exception and the taxpayer mid-level exception, and the cost of this roster would be eye-popping.
It will be interesting to see whether a reduced salary cap for 2020/21 will have a noticeable impact on the Warriors’ aggressiveness. The current ownership group hasn’t been shy about spending big, and it will want to take advantage of a still-open championship window with Curry, Thompson, and Green in their early 30s. But if the team does go all-in, its luxury tax bill will end up being comically large.
Cap Exceptions Available
- Taxpayer mid-level exception: $5,718,000 3
- Trade exception: $17,185,185 (expires 7/7/20)
- Trade exception: $2,177,483 (expires 1/25/21)
- Trade exception: $1,925,880 (expires 2/8/21)
- Trade exception: $1,897,800 (expires 2/8/21)
- Trade exception: $1,620,564 (expires 2/8/21)
- Trade exception: $1,620,564 (expires 2/8/21)
- Trade exception: $1,597,100 (expires 7/8/20)
- Trade exception: $1,597,100 (expires 7/8/20)
- Trade exception: $869,699 (expires 7/7/20)
- Trade exception: $407,257 (expires 7/8/20)
Footnotes
- Chriss’ new salary guarantee date is unknown.
- The cap holds for Barnes, Bogut, Jerebko, West, and Derrickson remain on the Warriors’ books because they haven’t been renounced after going unsigned in 2019/20. They can’t be used in a sign-and-trade deal.
- This is a projected value.
Note: Minimum-salary and rookie-scale cap holds are based on the salary cap and could increase or decrease depending on where the cap lands.
Salary information from Basketball Insiders and Early Bird Rights was used in the creation of this post. Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.