Values Of 2017/18 Mid-Level, Bi-Annual Exceptions
The salary cap for the 2017/18 NBA league year won’t be finalized and announced for several more days, which means we’re still relying on the NBA’s $99MM projection when we calculate the value of maximum salary contract or attempt to determine how much cap room teams will have.
[RELATED: NBA Maximum Salary Projections for 2017/18]
However, while some contract figures won’t be finalized until we know where the salary cap ultimately lands for 2017/18, others have already been established. In the case of the mid-level, bi-annual, and room exceptions, the NBA’s latest Collective Bargaining Agreement includes specific figures for the ’17/18 season, so we already know what the values of those exceptions will be next year.
Listed below are the maximum annual and total values of each of these exceptions, along with a brief explanation of how they work and which teams will have access to them.
Mid-Level Exception (Non-Taxpayer):
| Year | Salary |
|---|---|
| 2017/18 | $8,406,000 |
| 2018/19 | $8,826,300 |
| 2019/20 | $9,246,600 |
| 2020/21 | $9,666,900 |
| Total | $36,145,800 |
The non-taxpayer mid-level exception is the primary tool available for over-the-cap teams to add free agents. As long as a team hasn’t dipped below the cap and doesn’t go over the tax apron (currently projected to be $127MM) at all, it can use this MLE, which runs for up to four years with 5% annual raises.
In 2016/17, this exception was only worth up to $5,628,000 in year one, so it will rise in value significantly next season. That makes it a legitimate option to land second- or third-tier free agents who would have required cap room to sign in the past.
Mid-Level Exception (Taxpayer):
| Year | Salary |
|---|---|
| 2017/18 | $5,192,000 |
| 2018/19 | $5,451,600 |
| 2019/20 | $5,711,200 |
| Total | $16,354,800 |
If an over-the-cap team currently projects to be a taxpayer, or expects to move into tax territory later in the 2017/18 season, it will have access to this smaller mid-level exception for taxpaying teams. If a team uses more than $5.192MM of its mid-level exception, it is forbidden from surpassing the tax apron (projected at $127MM) at any time during the league year. So even if a team isn’t above the apron when it uses its MLE, it might make sense to play it safe by avoiding using the full MLE and imposing a hard cap.
In 2016/17, the taxpayer mid-level exception – which was only used by the Cavs – was worth $3,477,000. The taxpayer MLE can be used to sign a player for up to three years, with 5% annual raises.
Room Exception:
| Year | Salary |
|---|---|
| 2017/18 | $4,328,000 |
| 2018/19 | $4,544,400 |
| Total | $8,872,400 |
Although this is also a mid-level exception of sorts, it’s colloquially known as the “room” exception, since it’s only available to teams that have used cap room. If a club goes under the cap, it loses its full mid-level exception, but gets this smaller room exception, which allows the team to go over the cap to sign a player, once the team has used up all its cap space.
In 2016/17, this exception was worth $2,898,000, and resulted in some valuable signings, including Seth Curry (Mavericks), Dion Waiters (Heat), Zaza Pachulia (Warriors), and Nene (Rockets). It can be used to sign players for up to two years, with a 5% raise for the second season.
Bi-Annual Exception:
| Year | Salary |
|---|---|
| 2017/18 | $3,290,000 |
| 2018/19 | $3,454,500 |
| Total | $6,744,500 |
The bi-annual exception, as its name suggests, is only available to teams once every two years. Of the NBA’s 30 clubs, only the Clippers used it in 2016/17, signing Luc Mbah a Moute to a deal that started at $2,203,000. That means the league’s other 29 teams could theoretically use it this season.
Still, even if a team didn’t use its BAE in ’16/17, that club doesn’t necessarily have access to it for the coming year. As is the case with the non-taxpayer MLE, this exception disappears once a team goes under the cap. It’s also not available to teams over the tax apron — using the BAE creates a hard cap at the apron.
The BAE can be used to sign players for up to two years, with a 5% raise after year one.
Weekly Mailbag: 6/19/17 – 6/25/17
We have an opportunity for you to hit us up with your questions in this, our weekly mailbag feature. Have a question regarding player movement, the salary cap or the NBA draft? Drop us a line at HoopsRumorsMailbag@Gmail.com. Here are this week’s inquiries:
What happens to LaMarcus Aldridge? — Terrance, via Twitter
Words like “unhappy” and “frustrated” were used this week to describe Aldridge, who signed with San Antonio two years ago in hopes of winning a title, but now appears to be looking for a way out of town. The Spurs made some calls ahead of the draft to see if they could land a top 10 pick in exchange for Aldridge, but came away empty. That’s not surprising, as lottery teams in the midst of rebuilding don’t have much need for a 31-year-old who might be a short-term rental. If San Antonio can get a commitment from Chris Paul, look for Aldridge and his $21.46MM contract to be shipped somewhere, along with a generous sweetener, to clear cap room. More likely, he spends another unhappy season with the Spurs, then opts out next summer.
Who will Gordon Hayward sign with? — Peter Chiu, via Twitter
The Celtics and Heat are the top threats to the Jazz. Boston offers an instant contender, along with a reunion with his college coach, Brad Stevens. Miami has a clear need at small forward, a history of swinging for the fences in free agency and no state income tax, which lessen’s Utah’s financial advantage. It’s going to be interesting to watch how many big-name free agents leave the Western Conference over the next few years if the Warriors continue to dominate. Hayward might lean that way, but he reportedly likes the security of a five-year deal that only the Jazz can offer. The best guess is he stays in Utah.
The Timberwolves were clearly the draft day winners with the acquisition of Jimmy Butler. With Butler in the fold, is Minnesota a legitimate free agent destination? If so, what are some potential free agent targets to complement the trio of Butler, Karl-Anthony Towns and Andrew Wiggins? — Matt Trapp
The Wolves plan to pursue point guards, with Kyle Lowry as the top choice, followed by Jrue Holiday, Jeff Teague and George Hill. Lowry will demand a maximum deal for sure, and the others will be at least close. Minnesota needs to shed roughly $10MM in salary to be able to afford that, and the obvious candidate is Ricky Rubio, who will make $14.25MM next season. If they can’t find a taker for Rubio and don’t want to part with Gorgui Dieng, the Wolves will have to find someone willing to deal for Cole Aldrich ($7.3MM) and Jordan Hill (a little more than $4M).
Five Key Offseason Questions: Golden State Warriors
The Warriors set a new NBA record by winning 73 regular-season games in 2015/16, but 2016/17 was truly their scorched-earth season. Golden State kicked off the NBA’s new league year last summer by landing Kevin Durant, the top free agent on the market, then cruised to a 67-win regular season and turned it up another notch in the playoffs — the Dubs won 16 of 17 postseason contests en route to their second title in three years.
In the wake of the Warriors’ NBA Finals win over the Cavaliers, NBA observers fretted over Golden State’s dominance, wondering if it’s even worth it for 80% of the league’s teams to make win-now moves this summer. That means this offseason should be a cakewalk for the Warriors, right? Well… maybe not. Although they don’t expect to lose any stars, the Dubs only have five players under contract heading into July, so there’s still plenty of work to do.
Here are five key questions facing the Warriors this offseason:
1. Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant will definitely be back, right?
Yes. As fun it would be to have either of these guys lining up a handful of free agent meetings like Durant did last July, they’re not going anywhere. Both former MVPs will technically become unrestricted free agents on July 1, but they’ll quickly come to terms on new deals with the Warriors. It’s just a matter of figuring out what those new agreements will look like.
For Curry, who is eligible for a Designated Veteran Extension, there’s no reason to think that the Warriors will offer him any less than the full super-max, which currently projects to pay him just over $200MM for five years. The two-time MVP has been one of the NBA’s best bargains on his current four-year, $44MM contract, and the Warriors won’t gain any additional cap flexibility by asking him to accept less than the max.
Durant’s case is a little trickier, but it sounds like he’s willing to settle for less than a maximum salary contract in 2017/18. A true max for Durant is currently projected to be worth $34.5MM next season, but the Warriors would have to create cap room to make such a deal work. By signing another short-term deal and settling instead for about $31.85MM, a 20% raise on last year’s salary, the 28-year-old would let the Warriors to stay over the cap. That would allow the team to hang onto its Bird rights for key contributors like Andre Iguodala and Shaun Livingston.
Community Shootaround: Jimmy Butler Trade
No matter how the picks pan out, draft night 2017 will be remembered for the Jimmy Butler trade.
After more than a year of rumors, the Bulls pulled the trigger on a deal, sending Butler and the No. 16 pick to Minnesota in exchange for Zach LaVine, Kris Dunn and the No. 7 selection. Conventional wisdom says the trade changes the course of both franchises, with the Wolves vaulting to contender status in the West while the Bulls embark on a rebuilding project.
It was remarkably similar to a proposal between the teams a year ago, and Chicago fans might have been much happier if the deal had been completed on draft night 2016. LaVine would have been more appealing before his season-ending ACL tear in February, and Dunn was considered the top point guard in the draft at the time. His stock has fallen considerably after a lackluster rookie season in which he averaged 3.8 points per game and shot 38% from the field.
A key for the Bulls was the seventh pick, which they used on Lauri Markkanen, a stretch four out of Arizona. Chicago was 26th in the league in 3-point percentage this season and needs more shooters to fit into coach Fred Hoiberg’s preferred offense. Bulls management has been criticized for surrendering the 16th choice, which Minnesota used to grab Creighton center Justin Patton, but the Wolves reportedly wouldn’t have done the trade without that pick.
If the Bulls are rebuilding, they still have a long way to go. Chicago will have a starting backcourt with a combined age of 66 if it brings back Rajon Rondo (31) to team with Dwyane Wade (35), who has already announced his intention to opt in for next season.
The Bulls have until Friday to make a decision on Rondo, whose $13.397MM salary for next season only has a $3MM guarantee through the end of June. If they opt to release or trade Rondo, the remaining point guards are on the roster are Cameron Payne, who spent much of his time in the D-League after being acquired in February, Jerian Grant, who was briefly handed the starting role this season, and Isaiah Canaan, a journeyman shooter. There’s also, Dunn, of course, and free agent Michael Carter-Williams.
If the plan is to build around LaVine and Markkanen, there are very few young stars on the roster to join them. Starting center Robin Lopez turned 29 in April, and Nikola Mirotic and Cristiano Felicio are both free agents.
So considering the current makeup of the Bulls’ roster, did they get enough for their franchise player? Please leave your comments below. We look forward to what you have to say.
Hoops Rumors Originals: 6/17/17 – 6/24/17
Every week, the Hoops Rumors writing team compiles original content to complement our news feed. Here are some of our favorite segments and features from the past seven days:
- Here are the 2017 NBA Offseason Trades thus far.
- Luke Adams and Arthur Hill alternated picks in a mock first round ahead of Thursday’s draft.
- Updated Maximum Salary Projections for 2017/18 can be found here.
- Here are the Projected Rookie Contracts for 2017 First Round Picks.
- Here are the NBA G League Affiliations for 2017/18.
- We offer seven more installments in our Five Key Offseason Questions series with the Mavericks, Knicks, Magic, Suns, Pelicans, Hornets, Celtics, and Cavaliers. The entire series can be found here, minus the forthcoming Warriors edition.
- Arthur Hill discusses which stars could be traded on draft night, draftee comparisons, and the likelihood of a specific trade in his weekly Sunday mailbag. Submit your questions via Twitter (@HoopsRumors) or by sending us an email (hoopsrumorsmailbag@gmail.com).
- In his weekly Hoops Links roundup of interesting articles from around the blogosphere, Austin Kent shares pieces on the red carpet being laid out for the Nets‘ new point guard, D’Angelo Russell, the importance of remaining skeptical about unsubstantiated rumors, and the Spurs going for the fences in free agency.
- Check out our free Trade Rumors app available for IOS and Android.
- Here are the questions we asked you in our Community Shootaround discussions this week:
- Is communication necessary between a star player and his owner?
- Who were the winners and losers of the 2017 NBA Draft?
Five Key Offseason Questions: Cleveland Cavaliers
Coming off their third consecutive appearance in the NBA Finals, the Cavaliers are in a very unusual spot. Cleveland went 12-1 against Eastern Conference foes in the playoffs, asserting its dominance in the conference once again, but there’s still a sense that the team has to shake things up and make major moves this offseason in order to be able to truly compete with the Warriors.
For a team led by LeBron James, who has appeared in seven consecutive Finals, anything short of a championship has become a letdown. With LeBron once again just a year from potential free agency, there will be tremendous pressure on the Cavaliers’ front office this summer to make tangible upgrades to a roster that’s already extremely talented — not to mention capped out.
Here are five key questions facing the Cavs this offseason:
The lucrative contracts received by the likes of Tristan Thompson and J.R. Smith in recent years make it easy to joke that LeBron is the general manager in Cleveland. But the Cavs were actually fairly adept at adding talent in creative ways under David Griffin, generating and making use of trade exceptions, and finessing the cap despite being well over the tax line. Griffin and the front office deserve credit for that.
Heading into the 2017 free agent period though, Griffin is no longer making the team’s basketball decisions, having been unable to reach a new deal with owner Dan Gilbert. Senior VP Trent Redden is out as well, leaving assistant GM Koby Altman and perhaps Gilbert himself as the ones reportedly burning up the phone lines in search of a blockbuster trade.
Not every one of Griffin’s decisions as GM was optimal, and the Cavs are in a tough spot with the salary cap heading into 2017/18. But he’s a smart guy who was intimately familiar with the Cavs’ roster and knew what sort of moves were possible. It’s not clear yet if the same can be said for Chauncey Billups, who is reportedly the frontrunner to become the club’s new president of basketball operations.
Billups has no front office experience, and would likely need to be paired with an experienced executive who could step into the GM role. It’s possible that could work in the long-term, but the fact that it remains up in the air at this point in the summer – Billups is reportedly still considering an offer from Cleveland – isn’t a great sign.
Projected Rookie Contracts For 2017 First Round Picks
As we explained in May when we published the rookie scale salary figures for 2017/18, the value of the contracts for this year’s first round picks depend on where they’re drafted. The NBA’s rookie scale for 2017/18 – which won’t change between now and next month, no matter where the salary cap lands – will determine what each player makes.
Each first round pick who signs an NBA contract this season will ink a four-year deal with two guaranteed seasons and team options on the third and fourth years. Players are eligible to sign for up to 120% of the rookie scale amount, or as little as 80% of that amount. However, virtually every rookie contract comes in at 120%. In fact, the new Collective Bargaining Agreement even alters the rules so that cap holds for first round picks count as 120% of the rookie amount now.
So even though the rookie scale amount for the No. 1 overall pick in 2017/18 is $5,855,200, Markelle Fultz‘s cap hold for the Sixers will be $7,026,240 — that’s 120% of his rookie scale figure, and the amount he’ll almost certainly receive in year one of his new NBA deal.
Listed below are this year’s top 30 picks, along with their projected rookie salaries, assuming they sign for 120% of their rookie scale amount. The total value of these contracts assumes that the third- and fourth-year team options will be exercised.
Additionally, we’ve listed the figures for players like Anzejs Pasecniks, even though he’s not expected to come to the NBA immediately. The rookie salaries for first round picks who are stashed overseas will look slightly different if they sign a year a two from now.
Here are this year’s expected rookie scale contracts:
2017 NBA Offseason Trades
As we did with last year’s offseason trades and the in-season swaps from 2016/17, Hoops Rumors will be keeping track of all of the trades made this offseason, right up until the start of the 2017/18 season, updating this post with each transaction.
Trades are listed here in reverse chronological order, with the latest on top. So, if a player has been traded multiple times, the first team listed as having acquired him is the one that ended up with him.
If a trade has not yet been formally finalized, it won’t be listed here. So, if a deal agreed upon during the draft June isn’t made official until July, it will show up on our list after it’s completed in July.
For our full story on each trade, click on the date above it. For more information on the specific conditions dictating if and when draft picks involved in these deals will actually change hands, be sure to check out RealGM.com’s breakdown of the details on traded picks.
Here’s the full list of the NBA’s 2017 offseason trades:
2017/18 League Year
- Hawks acquire Richard Jefferson, Kay Felder, less favorable of Timberwolves’ and Lakers’ 2019 second-round picks, Trail Blazers’ 2020 second-round pick (top-55 protected), and cash ($3MM).
- Cavaliers acquire draft rights to Dimitrios Agravanis and draft rights to Sergiy Gladyr.
- Thunder acquire Carmelo Anthony.
- Knicks acquire Enes Kanter, Doug McDermott, and Bulls’ 2018 second-round pick.
- Hawks acquire DeAndre Liggins and cash ($100K).
- Clippers acquire Hawks’ 2018 second-round pick (top-55 protected).
- Suns acquire Troy Daniels and a 2018 second-round pick.
- Pick will be second-most favorable of Grizzlies’, Heat’s, and Hornets’ 2018 second-round picks.
- Grizzlies acquire Suns’ 2018 second-round pick (top-55 protected).
- Bulls acquire Quincy Pondexter, Pelicans’ 2018 second-round pick, and cash ($2.5MM).
- Pelicans acquire draft rights to Ater Majok.
- Celtics acquire Kyrie Irving.
- Cavaliers acquire Isaiah Thomas, Jae Crowder, Ante Zizic, Nets’ 2018 first-round pick, and Heat’s 2020 second-round pick.
- Trade was modified on August 30 to add Heat’s 2020 second-round pick.
- Nets acquire Allen Crabbe.
- Trail Blazers acquire Andrew Nicholson.
- Knicks acquire rights to hire Scott Perry.
- Kings acquire a 2019 second-round pick and cash ($400K).
- Pick will be second-most favorable of Cavaliers’, Rockets’, and Magic’s 2019 second-round picks.
- Pacers acquire Cory Joseph.
- Raptors acquire draft rights to Emir Preldzic.
- Nets acquire DeMarre Carroll, Raptors’ 2018 first-round pick (top-14 protected), and less favorable of Lakers’ and Magic’s 2018 second-round picks.
- Raptors acquire Justin Hamilton.
- Pistons acquire Avery Bradley and the Pistons’ own 2019 second-round pick.
- Celtics acquire Marcus Morris.
- Mavericks acquire Josh McRoberts, Heat’s 2023 second-round pick, and cash ($5.1MM).
- Heat acquire A.J. Hammons.
- Clippers acquire Danilo Gallinari (sign-and-trade).
- Hawks acquire Jamal Crawford, Diamond Stone, Rockets’ 2018 first-round pick (top-three protected; from Clippers), and cash ($1.3MM from Clippers).
- Nuggets acquire Wizards’ 2019 second-round pick (from Hawks).
- Bucks acquire draft rights to Sterling Brown (No. 46 pick).
- Sixers acquire cash ($1.9MM).
- Agreed upon in June.
- Clippers acquire draft rights to Jawun Evans (No. 39 pick).
- Sixers acquire cash ($3.2MM).
- Agreed upon in June.
- Thunder acquire Paul George.
- Pacers acquire Victor Oladipo and Domantas Sabonis.
- Agreed upon in June.
2016/17 League Year
- Jazz acquire Ricky Rubio.
- Timberwolves acquire Thunder’s 2018 first-round pick (top-14 protected).
- Rockets acquire Jarrod Uthoff.
- Mavericks acquire cash.
- Rockets acquire Chris Paul.
- Clippers acquire Lou Williams, Patrick Beverley, Sam Dekker, Montrezl Harrell, Kyle Wiltjer, DeAndre Liggins, Darrun Hilliard, Rockets’ 2018 first-round pick (top-three protected), and cash ($661K).
- Rockets acquire Shawn Long.
- Sixers acquire Rockets’ 2018 second-round pick and cash ($100K).
- Rockets acquire Darrun Hilliard.
- Pistons acquire cash ($1MM).
- Rockets acquire Tim Quarterman.
- Trail Blazers acquire cash ($100K).
- Rockets acquire Ryan Kelly.
- Hawks acquire cash ($75K).
- Rockets acquire DeAndre Liggins.
- Mavericks acquire cash ($175K).
- Clippers acquire draft rights to Sindarius Thornwell (No. 48 pick).
- Bucks acquire cash ($2MM).
- Pacers acquire draft rights to Edmond Sumner (No. 52 pick).
- Pelicans acquire cash ($1MM).
- Grizzlies acquire draft rights to Dillon Brooks (No. 45 pick).
- Rockets acquire least favorable of Grizzlies’, Hornets’, and Heat’s 2018 second-round picks.
- Jazz acquire draft rights to Tony Bradley (No. 28 pick).
- Lakers acquire draft rights to Josh Hart (No. 30 pick) and Thomas Bryant (No. 42 pick).
- Pelicans acquire draft rights to Frank Jackson (No. 31 pick).
- Hornets acquire draft rights to Dwayne Bacon (No. 40 pick) and cash ($1.8MM).
- Warriors acquire draft rights to Jordan Bell (No. 38 pick).
- Bulls acquire cash ($3.5MM).
- Grizzlies acquire draft rights to Ivan Rabb (No. 35 pick).
- Magic acquire Nets’ 2019 second-round pick.
- Lakers acquire Brook Lopez and draft rights to Kyle Kuzma (No. 27 pick).
- Nets acquire D’Angelo Russell and Timofey Mozgov.
- Sixers acquire draft rights to Anzejs Pasecniks (No. 25 pick).
- Magic acquire Thunder’s 2020 first-round pick (top-20 protected) and less favorable of Knicks’ and Nets’ 2020 second-round picks.
- Thunder pick is top 20-protected through 2022. If it doesn’t convey, Magic will instead acquire Thunder’s 2022 and 2023 second-round picks.
- Jazz acquire draft rights to Donovan Mitchell (No. 13 pick).
- Nuggets acquire Trey Lyles and draft rights to Tyler Lydon (No. 24 pick).
- Trail Blazers acquire draft rights to Zach Collins (No. 10 pick).
- Kings acquire draft rights to Justin Jackson (No. 15 pick) and Harry Giles (No. 20 pick).
- Timberwolves acquire Jimmy Butler and draft rights to Justin Patton (No. 16 pick).
- Bulls acquire Zach LaVine, Kris Dunn, and draft rights to Lauri Markkanen (No. 7 pick).
- Wizards acquire Tim Frazier.
- Pelicans acquire No. 52 pick (later traded again).
- Hornets acquire Dwight Howard and No. 31 pick (later traded again).
- Hawks acquire Miles Plumlee, Marco Belinelli, and the No. 41 pick (used on Tyler Dorsey).
- Sixers acquire No. 1 pick (used on Markelle Fultz).
- Celtics acquire No. 3 pick (used on Jayson Tatum) and Lakers’ 2018 first-round pick (top-1 protected and 6-30 protected).
- If Lakers’ 2018 first-round pick doesn’t convey, Celtics will instead acquire more favorable of Kings’ and Sixers’ 2019 first-round picks (top-1 protected).
- Magic acquire rights to hire Jeff Weltman.
- Raptors acquire Magic’s 2018 second-round pick.
Community Shootaround: NBA Draft Winners/Losers
While there weren’t many shocking picks, the 2017 NBA Draft featured plenty of activity, with a dozen trades having been officially announced and two more reportedly agreed upon. After the dust settled, Markelle Fultz is a Sixer, Lonzo Ball is a Laker, and…. wait, Jimmy Butler is a Timberwolf?
Minnesota’s acquisition of Butler was the big news on Thursday night, and the Timberwolves have been widely lauded for the deal they made, which saw them give up Kris Dunn, Zach LaVine, and the No. 7 pick for Butler and the No. 16 pick. However, the Wolves weren’t the only team that has received praise for its night.
[RELATED: Complete 2017 NBA Draft Results]
Several NBA pundits loved the night for the Kings, who landed De’Aaron Fox at No. 5, and also added Justin Jackson, Harry Giles, and Frank Mason later in the night. The Lakers also came away with an intriguing collection of prospects in addition to Ball, drafting Kyle Kuzma, Josh Hart, and Thomas Bryant.
The Jazz traded up twice and ended up with Donovan Mitchell and Tony Bradley. The Hornets didn’t have to move up to nab Malik Monk outside of the top 10, and the Raptors may have gotten a steal at No. 23 in OG Anunoby, assuming he returns to full health.
What do you think? Which teams were the winners and losers of draft night? Weigh in below in the comments section with your thoughts!
2017 NBA Offseason Previews By Team
The NBA offseason is officially in full swing, and over the last several weeks, Hoops Rumors has been previewing this summer’s roster moves and decisions for each of the league’s 30 teams, asking – and attempting to answer – five key questions for every club.
Our offseason previews of this year’s NBA Finals combatants, the Warriors and Cavaliers, will be published sometime after the draft — while it’s possible both teams will be involved tonight, neither club currently has a draft pick, so their major moves are more likely to come in July.
Our previews for the NBA’s other 28 teams are below:
EASTERN CONFERENCE
Atlantic Division
Central Division
Southeast Division
WESTERN CONFERENCE
Northwest Division
Pacific Division
Southwest Division


