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Longest-Tenured NBA GMs/Presidents

August 11th, 2017 at 11:15am CST by Luke Adams

When we examined the NBA’s longest-tenured head coaches earlier this week, we noted that it has been over a year since any team has made a coaching change, an improbable and impressive run of league-wide stability. However, the same can’t be said for teams’ front offices. Since the 2016/17 season ended, seven NBA clubs have named new heads of basketball operations, and that list doesn’t include the Lakers, who re-shaped their front office earlier in the year.

Although there have been more recent changes in front offices than on NBA sidelines, the same name tops the list of longest-tenured head coaches and GMs/presidents: Gregg Popovich actually became the Spurs‘ president of basketball operations two years before he took over as the club’s head coach. Still, his place in San Antonio’s hierarchy is one of a handful of situations around the league that’s somewhat difficult to pin down.

While just one person holds a team’s head coaching job, that same team could carry a variety of front office executives with titles like general manager, president of basketball operations, or executive VP of basketball operations. In some cases, it’s not always which clear which executive should be considered the club’s head of basketball operations, or which one has the ultimate final say on roster decisions. That distinction becomes even more nebulous when taking into account team ownership.

For our list of the longest-tenured GMs/presidents in the NBA, we’ve done our best to identify the top exec in each front office. In the case of the Spurs, we’ve listed Popovich as the club’s top man, since he has the final say on basketball decisions, even though GM R.C. Buford plays a huge part in that process too. If there’s any ambiguity in a front office, we’ve added a note below to explain our thinking.

Without further ado, here’s the list of the NBA’s longest-tenured heads of basketball operations, along with their respective titles and the dates they were hired or promoted:

  1. Gregg Popovich, Spurs (president): May 31, 1994
    • GM R.C. Buford has had a significant voice in personnel moves since becoming GM in 2002, but Popovich still has final say on those decisions.
  2. Pat Riley, Heat (president): September 2, 1995
  3. John Paxson, Bulls (executive VP): April 14, 2003
    • GM Gar Forman has played a major part in personnel decisions since his hiring in 2009, but Paxson is believed to still be the head of basketball operations, reporting only to ownership.
  4. Danny Ainge, Celtics (president): May 9, 2003
  5. Ernie Grunfeld, Wizards (president): June 30, 2003
  6. Donn Nelson, Mavericks (GM/president): March 19, 2005
    • Owner Mark Cuban is also heavily involved in basketball decisions and ultimately has final say.
  7. Daryl Morey, Rockets (GM): May 6, 2007
  8. Sam Presti, Thunder (GM/executive VP): June 7, 2007
  9. Dell Demps, Pelicans (GM/senior VP): July 21, 2010
    • Executive VP of basketball operations Mickey Loomis is also in the picture here, but Loomis – who is also the top man in the New Orleans Saints’ front office – seems to let Demps handle basketball decisions for the most part.
  10. Rich Cho, Hornets (GM): June 14, 2011
  11. Bob Myers, Warriors (GM/president): April 24, 2012
  12. Neil Olshey, Trail Blazers (president): June 4, 2012
  13. Dennis Lindsey, Jazz (GM): August 7, 2012
  14. Ryan McDonough, Suns (GM): May 7, 2013
  15. Masai Ujiri, Raptors (president): May 31, 2013
  16. Tim Connelly, Nuggets (GM/executive VP): June 17, 2013
  17. Stan Van Gundy, Pistons (president): May 14, 2014
  18. Chris Wallace, Grizzlies (GM): May 19, 2014
    • Initially named the Grizzlies’ GM in June 2007, Wallace was demoted in 2012 as Jason Levien assumed control of basketball operations. Wallace regained his front office power in May 2014.
  19. Vlade Divac, Kings (GM): March 3, 2015
  20. Sean Marks, Nets (GM): February 18, 2016
  21. Bryan Colangelo, Sixers (president): April 10, 2016
  22. Tom Thibodeau, Timberwolves (president): April 20, 2016
  23. Magic Johnson, Lakers (president): February 21, 2017
  24. Kevin Pritchard, Pacers (president): May 1, 2017
  25. Jeff Weltman, Magic (president): May 22, 2017
  26. Travis Schlenk, Hawks (GM): May 25, 2017
  27. Jon Horst, Bucks (GM): June 16, 2017
  28. Koby Altman, Cavaliers (GM): June 19, 2017
    • Initially the Cavaliers’ interim GM, Altman had his role made permanent on July 24, 2017.
  29. Steve Mills, Knicks (president): June 28, 2017
    • Initially the Knicks’ interim president, Mills had his role made permanent on July 14, 2017.
  30. Lawrence Frank, Clippers (executive VP): August 4, 2017
    • Frank was given control over the Clippers’ front office on August 4, 2017, but it’s not clear if he received a new title or if he’s still the executive VP of basketball ops.

Information from Basketball-Reference was used in the creation of this post.

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Players Who Can’t Be Traded Until December 15

August 10th, 2017 at 12:55pm CST by Luke Adams

As teams consider what sort of packages to offer for potential trade targets around the NBA, there are a number of trade restrictions that those clubs must take into account. For instance, recently-signed draft picks can’t be traded for 30 days and waiver claims can’t be traded for until the 30th day of the regular season. Most notably, newly-signed free agents can’t be dealt until at least December 15.

The NBA’s Collective Bargaining Agreement states that a free agent who signs with an NBA team can’t be traded for three months or until December 15, whichever is later. So, players who sign new contracts prior to September 15 won’t be trade-eligible until at least December 15.

There are also some recently-signed players who meet a few specific criteria and can’t be traded until January 15. We’ve covered those players in a separate article.

Listed below are the players who aren’t eligible to be traded until December 15. Players whose contracts haven’t been officially finalized aren’t yet listed, while players who have the ability to veto trades in 2017/18 are marked with an asterisk. We’ll continue to update this page over the next few months, as players are signed or waived.

Updated 11-2-17 (11:58am CT)

Atlanta Hawks

Boston Celtics

Brooklyn Nets

Charlotte Hornets

Chicago Bulls

Cleveland Cavaliers

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Community Shootaround: NBA Schedule

August 9th, 2017 at 8:23pm CST by Arthur Hill

The schedule for next season is due out this week, and some specifics are already being leaked. Offseason player movement always gives us a handful of can’t-miss games, and there are several to circle on the calendar this year:

  • Paul George‘s return to Indiana — A four-time All-Star, George was the top player on several very good Pacers teams in recent years. He formed a strong bond with Indiana fans, especially after returning from a devastating tibia-fibia fracture he suffered while playing for Team USA. However, George reportedly is leaning toward opting out next summer and signing with the Lakers, and his agent informed the Pacers that they weren’t in his long-term plans. A surprise trade just before the start of free agency sent him to the Thunder. It will be interesting to watch the fan reaction during his lone appearance in Indiana this season with Oklahoma City.
  • Jimmy Butler‘s return to Chicago — Butler was a fan favorite in Chicago, but he didn’t fit the team once the front office decided to rebuild. His draft-night trade to Minnesota reunites him with coach/executive Tom Thibodeau and makes the Wolves a playoff contender in the West. Bulls fans may have a long, difficult season ahead of them, but they will get to welcome back Butler for one night.
  • Gordon Hayward‘s return to Utah — Hayward was another beloved player during his seven seasons with the Jazz, finally earning All-Star status last season and becoming a cornerstone of a team on the rise in the West. He was the last major free agent to make a decision in July, and he put Utah fans through an excruciating wait before formally announcing his decision to join the Celtics. Hayward’s loss pushes Utah back to the middle of the pack in the ultra-competitive Western Conference as Jazz fans will get just one opportunity to watch him in person this year.
  • Chris Paul‘s return to Los Angeles — Paul teamed with Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan to form the nucleus of some very good Clippers teams that were never able to make a prolonged playoff run. Paul decided he wanted to join James Harden in Houston, leaving the Clippers with little option but to trade him there before free agency began. Paul was a popular player in L.A., but we’ll see how Clippers fans receive him after he broke up their Big Three.
  • Kyrie Irving‘s return to Cleveland? — This will be must-see TV if Irving gets the trade he told owner Dan Gilbert that he wants. A simmering feud with LeBron James and Irving’s desire to run his own team will serve as subplots if the man who hit the title-winning shot in 2016 returns to Quicken Loans Arena in another uniform.
  • Carmelo Anthony‘s return to New York? — After surviving an ugly feud with former team president Phil Jackson, Anthony has agreed to waive his no-trade clause, but reportedly only for the Rockets. The teams couldn’t find the right mix of other franchises to make a deal work, and talks were paused when Scott Perry took over as Knicks GM. If Anthony does get dealt, the reaction of Knicks fans when he comes back to the Garden could depend on what their team gets in return.

Those are six potential landmark games for the upcoming season, but there are many more. We want to know the game you’re most looking forward to and why. Please leave your comments below.

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NBA Teams Carrying At Least 15 Guaranteed Contracts

August 9th, 2017 at 4:42pm CST by Luke Adams

As we detailed earlier today in our breakdown of each NBA team’s current roster count, clubs can carry up to 20 players in the offseason, but are limited to 15 players on their regular season rosters. As such, teams will often only carry 13 or 14 players on guaranteed contracts into training camp, giving a non-guaranteed player or two the opportunity to impress coaches and earn a spot on the 15-man squad.

However, even with training camps still a month and a half away, several NBA teams are already carrying 15 or more players with fully guaranteed salaries, limiting their roster flexibility and their ability to take fliers on camp invitees.

Here’s a breakdown of those teams, with their fully guaranteed salaries noted in parentheses:

  • Boston Celtics (16)
  • Golden State Warriors (15)
  • Memphis Grizzlies (15)
  • Sacramento Kings (15)
  • Utah Jazz (15)

Of those five teams, the Celtics are the only club that will absolutely have to trade or waive a player on a guaranteed contract before the regular season gets underway. Shane Larkin and Daniel Theis may be the most at-risk players, since they don’t have any guaranteed money on their deals beyond the 2017/18 season. Abdel Nader and Semi Ojeleye also don’t have fully guaranteed salaries beyond this season, though they have partial guarantees for 2018/19.

Meanwhile, the Grizzlies will be in the same boat as Boston if they ultimately bring back restricted free agent JaMychal Green. A new deal for Green would give Memphis 16 guaranteed salaries. The Grizzlies also haven’t signed second-round pick Ivan Rabb, so if they intend to do so, they could create an even more significant roster crunch.

The other teams on the list above should, for the most part, have their 15-man regular season rosters locked in at this point, but if changes need to be made, the Kings should be willing to eat a guaranteed contract — they’re still well below the cap. The Jazz could afford to eat some money too, if necessary. The Warriors may be the team that needs to best make use of all 15 roster spots as they look to defend their title, but replacing a player on a guaranteed contract would be pricey, since Golden State is already deep into tax territory.

Finally, one other team worth watching is the Thunder. Currently, Oklahoma City only has 14 players on guaranteed contracts for 2017/18, but that figure doesn’t include Jerami Grant or Semaj Christon, both of whom could have a place on the club’s roster this season. I don’t think Grant will be going anywhere, so the Thunder may have to decide whether to part ways with Christon or whether another move can be made to keep him on the 15-man roster.

Salary information from Basketball Insiders was used in the creation of this post.

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2017/18 NBA Roster Counts

August 9th, 2017 at 8:59am CST by Luke Adams

While NBA teams are allowed to carry up to 20 players during the offseason, rosters are limited to 15 players during the regular season. Expanded offseason rosters allow clubs to bring in players on contracts that aren’t fully guaranteed, giving those players a chance to earn a regular season roster spot or getting a closer look at them before sending them to their G League affiliate.

In addition to the usual 15-man rosters, NBA teams are permitted – as of this season – to carry two players on two-way contracts. Two-way deals, which we describe in detail in our glossary, essentially give clubs the NBA rights to two extra players, though they’ll spend the majority of the season in the G League, rather than with the NBA team.

Here are the various categories you’ll find in our roster count list:

  • NBA: These players are officially on standard NBA contracts with a given team. The total number of players under contract is listed, with the number of players on fully guaranteed contracts noted in parentheses. So a team with 13 guaranteed contracts and two players on 10-day deals will be listed as “15 (13).” If you’re curious about which contracts aren’t fully guaranteed, that list can be found right here.
  • Two-way: These are players officially signed to two-way contracts. You can find a specific team’s two-way players right here.
  • Reported: These are players whose contract agreements have been reported but haven’t been made official. When they’re finalized, we’ll move them to the “Official” or “Two-way” category. We’ll also use this section to make note of cuts that have been reported but not finalized.
  • Total: A team’s total roster count, taking into account all of the above.

Here are 2017’s NBA roster counts, which we’ll continue to update through the season:

Updated 4-12-18 (9:43am CT)

Atlanta Hawks

  • NBA: 15 (15)
  • Two-way: 2
  • Total: 17

Boston Celtics

  • NBA: 16 (16)

    • Note: Celtics granted an extra roster spot via the hardship provision.
  • Two-way: 2
  • Total: 18

Brooklyn Nets

  • NBA: 15 (15)
  • Two-way: 2
  • Total: 17

Read more

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Three 2017 Free Agents Signed Five-Year Contracts

August 7th, 2017 at 3:55pm CST by Luke Adams

The NBA’s current Collective Bargaining Agreement is designed to give teams certain benefits when it comes to re-signing their own free agents. Many players who reach free agency, for instance, are permitted to get 8% annual raises from their own teams, while they can only get 5% raises from another team. More notably, Bird rights free agents can sign five-year contracts with their own teams, but can only go up to four years with other clubs.

In some cases, that extra year doesn’t make much of a difference. For instance, Gordon Hayward left Utah for Boston and signed a four-year contract with the Celtics, even though the Jazz likely would have been willing to do a five-year max.

Still, for at least a small handful of players, that five-year contract may have played a part in their decisions to return to their own teams. As our Free Agent Tracker shows, three free agents signed five-year deals this year, and all three of those contracts were worth at least $131MM. One was a maximum salary pact, and another was very close to the max.

Here are those five-year contracts, which will run through the 2021/22 season:

  • Stephen Curry (Warriors): Five years, $201,158,790 (maximum salary)
  • Blake Griffin (Clippers): Five years, $171,174,820 (fifth-year player option)
  • Jrue Holiday (Pelicans): Five years, $131,100,000 (fifth-year player option)

Curry was never a threat to leave Golden State, but Griffin and Holiday reportedly drew interest from several other teams. The Suns were believed to be eyeing Griffin, while Holiday was said to have received interest from the Mavericks, Knicks, and others. However, the fact that those players’ old teams were willing to offer five years likely made negotiations much simpler, since no rival suitor could offer that fifth year.

Although neither Griffin nor Holiday received the max from their respective teams, they’ll both earn more money over five years than any other team could have offered over four — Holiday’s deal is believed to include unlikely incentives that could increase its total value to $150MM.

Meanwhile, Griffin and Holiday also received fifth-year player options, which gives them a safety net for the summer of 2021. If they’re still playing at a high level at that point, it might make sense to opt out and sign a new, longer-term contract. If their production has slipped, or if they’re battling injuries, they’ll have the option of remaining in their current contract and collecting a big pay check in that fifth year.

The ability to offer an additional year to their own free agents hasn’t always prevented teams from losing top-tier players on the open market, but there are still a few instances where that fifth year seems to make a difference. In 2017, there may have only been a couple scenarios where that fifth year was a difference-maker, but the Clippers and Pelicans are likely happy that it remained written into the new CBA.

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Longest-Tenured NBA Head Coaches

August 7th, 2017 at 1:27pm CST by Luke Adams

The turnover in the NBA’s coaching ranks reached a high point during the 2016 offseason, when 10 teams – one-third of the league – named new permanent head coaches. Since then, however, none of the NBA’s 30 teams have made a coaching change.

The current streak without a firing is an impressive one, and is perhaps reflective of the prevailing belief that head coaches need time to find their footing — and that significant value should be placed on continuity. It’s no coincidence that many of the NBA’s most highly-regarded franchises, including the Spurs, Heat, and Mavericks, feature some of the league’s longest-tenured head coaches.

Of course, that doesn’t mean we won’t see some changes in the head coaching ranks during – or after – the 2017/18 season, but for the first time since Hoops Rumors’ inception, our annual list of the league’s longest-tenured head coaches doesn’t include any new hires.

Here are the NBA’s longest-tenured head coaches, sorted by the date they were hired:

  1. Gregg Popovich, Spurs: December 1996
  2. Erik Spoelstra, Heat: April 2008
  3. Rick Carlisle, Mavericks: May 2008
  4. Dwane Casey, Raptors: June 2011
  5. Terry Stotts, Trail Blazers: August 2012
  6. Mike Budenholzer, Hawks: May 28, 2013
  7. Steve Clifford, Hornets: May 29, 2013
  8. Doc Rivers, Clippers: June 2013
  9. Brad Stevens, Celtics: July 2013
  10. Brett Brown, Sixers: August 2013
  11. Stan Van Gundy, Pistons: May 14, 2014
  12. Steve Kerr, Warriors: May 14, 2014
  13. Quin Snyder, Jazz: June 2014
  14. Jason Kidd, Bucks: July 2014
  15. Billy Donovan, Thunder: April 2015
  16. Alvin Gentry, Pelicans: May 2015 (remained Warriors assistant through playoffs)
  17. Fred Hoiberg, Bulls: June 2, 2015
  18. Michael Malone, Nuggets: June 15, 2015
  19. Tyronn Lue, Cavaliers: January 2016
  20. Earl Watson, Suns: February 2016
  21. Kenny Atkinson, Nets: April 17, 2016 (remained Hawks assistant through Atlanta’s playoff run)
  22. Tom Thibodeau, Timberwolves: April 20, 2016
  23. Scott Brooks, Wizards: April 26, 2016
  24. Luke Walton, Lakers: April 29, 2016 (remained Warriors assistant through playoffs)
  25. Dave Joerger, Kings: May 9, 2016
  26. Nate McMillan, Pacers: May 16, 2016
  27. Frank Vogel, Magic: May 20, 2016
  28. David Fizdale, Grizzlies: May 29, 2016
  29. Mike D’Antoni, Rockets: June 1, 2016
  30. Jeff Hornacek, Knicks: June 2, 2016
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NBA Teams Projected To Be 2017/18 Taxpayers

August 7th, 2017 at 11:28am CST by Luke Adams

In the wake of 2016’s salary cap spike, the luxury tax line was higher than ever in 2016/17, and only two teams finished the season above it. The Clippers barely crossed over into taxpayer territory, while the Cavaliers blew past that threshold and were on the hook for a big tax bill.

In 2017/18, the salary cap increase was far more modest, and as a result, it appears that several more teams will finish the season as taxpayers, surpassing this year’s $119.266MM tax line. Teams have until the end of the ’17/18 regular season to adjust team salary in an effort to get back under the tax line, but most of those clubs will have little leverage if they try to dump salary, so it won’t be easy to cut costs.

Here’s an early look at the teams likely to finish 2017/18 as taxpayers:

Cleveland Cavaliers
Current guaranteed team salary (approximate): $139.73MM
No team is further over the tax line than the Cavaliers, and Cleveland will also qualify as a repeat taxpayer for the first time this year, making the penalties levied against the franchise more punitive. Currently, the Cavs’ projected tax bill is approaching $70MM, which explains why the team is interested in attaching an extra contract or two to Kyrie Irving in any trade.

Golden State Warriors
Current guaranteed team salary (approximate): $135.36MM
Last year’s dominant Warriors team actually didn’t have one of the more expensive rosters in the league, but that will change this time around, with several players signing lucrative new deals. The biggest raise belongs to Stephen Curry, who played out the final season of a four-year, $44MM deal in 2016/17, and will now start a five-year, $200MM+ pact.

Oklahoma City Thunder
Current guaranteed team salary (approximate): $125.99MM
Years ago, the Thunder decided to move on from James Harden when he and the team couldn’t agree to terms on an extension that would have created luxury-tax issues for the franchise. Now, Oklahoma City has the third-highest team salary in the NBA, and a projected tax bill that will exceed $10MM.

Portland Trail Blazers
Current guaranteed team salary (approximate): $124.25MM
The Trail Blazers managed to slash their projected tax bill significantly a couple weeks ago when they sent Allen Crabbe to the Nets for Andrew Nicholson. Assuming they eventually waive and stretch Nicholson’s contract, as expected, the pair of transactions will save the club upwards of $40MM in tax payments alone.

Washington Wizards
Current guaranteed team salary (approximate): $123.54MM
Going into tax territory was necessary if the Wizards wanted to match Otto Porter‘s offer sheet from the Nets and bring him back. Fortunately for the club, John Wall‘s new super-max extension won’t go into effect until 2019/20 — his current salary is far below the 2017/18 max, which will save the Wizards from paying more exorbitant tax penalties.

Milwaukee Bucks
Current guaranteed team salary (approximate): $119.38MM
The Bucks currently project to be over the tax threshold by a very small amount, and I’d be surprised if the team doesn’t make every effort to trim payroll and sneak below that line before the season is over. Milwaukee isn’t a big-market team, and the opportunity to be on the receiving end of the luxury tax – rather than the paying end – will be tantalizing.

Outside of the six teams listed above, a handful of other clubs are inching dangerously close to tax territory. Among them: The Clippers, whose estimated guaranteed team salary sits about $100K below the tax threshold; the Pelicans, who are less than $1MM below the tax line; and the Rockets, who only have about $114.75MM in guarantees, but are carrying several million more dollars in non-guaranteed contracts.

Salary information from ESPN, Basketball Insiders, and HeatHoops was used in the creation of this post.

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Hoops Rumors’ 2017 NBA Free Agent Tracker

August 7th, 2017 at 10:18am CST by Luke Adams

With the majority of 2017’s top free agents off the board, and news of contract agreements still trickling in, Hoops Rumors is here to help you keep track of which players are heading to which teams this offseason. To that end, we present our Free Agent Tracker, a feature we’ve had each year since our inception in 2012. Using our tracker, you can quickly look up deals, sorting by team, years, salary, and a handful of other variables.

A few notes on the tracker:

  • Some of the information you’ll find in the tracker will reflect reported agreements, rather than finalized deals. As signings become official, we’ll continue to update and modify the data.
  • Similarly, contract years and dollars will be based on what’s been reported to date, so in many cases those amounts will be approximations rather than official figures. Listed salaries aren’t necessarily fully guaranteed either.
  • A restricted free agent who agrees to or signs an offer sheet will be included in the tracker, but the team won’t be specified until his original club matches or passes on the offer sheet, in order to avoid confusion.
  • Two-way contracts and draft pick signings aren’t included in the tracker.
  • Click on a player’s name for our full report on his deal.
  • If you’re viewing the tracker on mobile, be sure to turn your phone sideways to see more details.

Our 2017 Free Agent Tracker can be found anytime on the right sidebar under “Hoops Rumors Features,” and it’s also under the “Tools” menu atop the site. It will be updated throughout the offseason, so be sure to check back for the latest info. If you have any corrections, please let us know right here.

Our lists of free agents by position/type and by team break down the players who have yet to reach contract agreements.

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Poll: Northwest Division Winner

August 6th, 2017 at 4:57pm CST by ChrisCrouse

The Jazz made the leap last season, winning 51 games while taking home the Northwest Division crown. After an offseason of change, a repeat is far from certain. Utah lost Gordon Hayward in free agency, something that should knock them down in the standings. Kevin Pelton of ESPN.com projects the Jazz to take home under 45 wins next season.

Pelton predicts that the Wolves will win the division after they brought in 3-time All-Star Jimmy Butler this offseason. Minnesota added several other pieces in free agency, including Jeff Teague and Taj Gibson. Pelton has the Thunder placing second in the division with his model predicting OKC takes home 49.5 wins.

The statistician has the Nuggets finishing third in the division with Utah and Portland behind them. The mathematical model gives Denver 47.2 wins which puts them third in the division and seventh in the conference. Adding a proven veteran like Paul Millsap will certainly increase a team’s chances of making the postseason, something that the franchise hasn’t done in each of the last four seasons. The addition of Millsap, along with the progression of the team’s young nucleus, should also give the team a chance to steal the division’s crown and land a top-4 seed in the Western Conference.

What do you think? Which team will win out in what should be a tight race for the Northwest Division crown? Weigh in below with your vote and jump into the comment section to share your thoughts.

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