Submit Your Questions For Hoops Rumors Mailbag
We at Hoops Rumors love interacting with our readers. This is why we provide an opportunity for you to hit us up with your questions in our weekly mailbag feature, which is posted every Sunday.
Have a question regarding player movement, free agent rumors, the salary cap, the NBA draft, or the top storylines of the week? You can e-mail them here: hoopsrumorsmailbag@gmail.com. Feel free to send emails throughout the week, but please be mindful that we may receive a sizable number of questions and might not get to all of them.
If you missed out on any past mailbags and would like to catch up, you can view the full archives here.
Salary Cap Snapshot: Denver Nuggets
With the free agent signing period winding down and teams looking ahead to the preseason, we at Hoops Rumors will be tracking the Salary Cap figures for each team around the league. These posts will be maintained throughout the season once financial data is reported. They will be located on the sidebar throughout the year, once all the teams’ cap figures have been relayed. You can always check RosterResource.com for up-to-date rosters for each franchise, with the Nuggets’ team page accessible here.
Here’s a breakdown of where the Nuggets currently stand financially:
Guaranteed Salary
- Danilo Gallinari — $15,050,000 (Deal includes 15% Trade Kicker)
- Kenneth Faried — $12,078,652
- Wilson Chandler — $11,233,146
- Darrell Arthur — $8,070,175
- Roy Hibbert — $5,000,000
- Jameer Nelson — $4,540,525
- Will Barton — $3,533,333
- Mike Miller — $3,500,000
- Emmanuel Mudiay — $3,241,800
- Jamal Murray — $3,210,840
- Mason Plumlee —$2,328,530
- Mo Williams — $2,194,500 [Waived by team]
- Juan Hernangomez — $1,987,440
- Gary Harris — $1,655,880
- Malik Beasley — $1,627,320
- Nikola Jokic — $1,358,500
- Nick Johnson — $980,431 [Waived by team]
- Alonzo Gee — $417,848 [Waived by team]
- Robbie Hummel — $150,000 [Waived by team]
- Jarnell Stokes — $150,000 [Waived by team]
- Alonzo Gee — $57,672 [10-day contract (Jan 8); actual salary — $77,379]
- Johnny O’Bryant — $57,672 [10-day contract (Jan 26)]
- Johnny O’Bryant — $57,672 [10-day contract (Feb 6)]
- D.J. Kennedy — $50,000 [Waived by team]
- Nate Wolters — $50,000 [Waived by team]
Total Guaranteed Salary= $82,581,936
Cash Sent Out Via Trade: $0 [Amount Remaining $3.5MM]
Cash Received Via Trade: $3.5MM — Received $650K from Hawks in Mo Williams trade. Received $2.85MM from Trail Blazers in Mason Plumlee trade. [Amount Remaining $0]
Payroll Exceptions Available
- Room Exception: $2,898,000
Total Projected Payroll: $82,581,936
Salary Cap: $94,143,000
Estimated Available Cap Space: $11,561,064
Luxury Tax Threshold: $113,287,000
Amount Below Luxury Tax: $30,705,064
Salary Cap Floor: $84,729,000
Amount Below Salary Cap Floor: $2,147,064
Last Updated: 2/24/17
The Basketball Insiders salary pages and The Vertical’s salary database were used in the creation of this post.
Poll: 2005 NBA Draft Take Two (Pick No. 4)
Drafting players is far from an exact science, and many a GM has been second-guessed for his draft night decisions. While life, and the NBA, doesn’t often allow for second chances, we at Hoops Rumors believe it’s fun to give our readers a second take at picking players, complete with the benefit of hindsight.
We’ve previously tackled the 2003 and 2013 NBA Drafts and the next one we’re tackling is 2005’s, the year that the Bucks nabbed big man Andrew Bogut with the No. 1 overall pick. That year’s draft class is generally viewed as one of the weaker ones in recent memory, though, there were quite a few second-rounders that year (Ersan Ilyasova, Monta Ellis, Lou Williams, Amir Johnson and Marcin Gortat) who have gone on to have very solid NBA careers.
In the weeks ahead, we’ll provide a series of reader polls that ask you to vote on the player whom you believe should have been selected with each pick. We’ll continue onward with the Hornets/Pelicans, who held the No. 4 pick that season. Readers, you are now on the clock! Cast your vote for New Orleans’s pick and check back Saturday night for the results, as well as for your chance to vote for whom the Charlotte Bobcats should have taken at No. 5. But don’t limit yourself to a simple button click. Take to the comments section below and share your thoughts on the pick and why you voted the way that you did. Also, if I fail to list a player who you think should be selected, feel free to post that in the comments section and I’ll be certain to tally those votes as well.
Selections
- Bucks — Chris Paul [Actual Pick — Andrew Bogut]
- Hawks — Deron Williams [Actual Pick — Marvin Williams]
- Jazz — Monta Ellis [Actual Pick — Deron Williams]
- Hornets/Pelicans — ? [Actual Pick — Chris Paul]
If you’re a Trade Rumors app user, click here.
Players Eligible For Veteran Extensions
Outside of Kevin Durant, perhaps the two most notable stars to sign new contracts so far this summer are players who weren’t yet free agents. James Harden renegotiated and extended his deal with the Rockets, while Russell Westbrook recently did the same with the Thunder. In both cases, the player received a significant raise on his 2016/17 salary in addition to tacking on a couple extra years to his contract.
The Rockets and Thunder, however, were only permitted to bump up Harden’s and Westbrook’s current-year salaries because they had the cap space necessary to accommodate those raises. For over-the-cap teams, contracts can be extended, but renegotiated raises of that magnitude aren’t allowed. Veteran players are generally only eligible to sign extensions with a new starting salary worth up to 7.5% more than the salary in the final season of the contract under its existing terms, or, in special cases, the contract’s average salary.
Veteran extensions aren’t like rookie-scale extensions, which allow teams to go over the cap to sign players for a salary up to the maximum. Plus, veteran extensions can cover no more than three new seasons (four total), whereas rookie-scale extensions can run as long as five. That’s why rookie-scale extensions are fairly common, while veteran extensions are much rarer — it usually makes more sense for veterans to wait until free agency, even if they want to re-up with their current teams.
Further limiting the scope of veteran extensions is the fact that a player may only sign one if he’s been under his existing contract for three years, or once three years have passed since the last time he signed an extension. That means any contract that doesn’t run at least four seasons can’t be extended.
The limitations on veteran extensions mean that we likely won’t see many more of those deals agreed upon this offseason, if any at all. There are some teams, such as the Jazz and Sixers, who have the cap room necessary to give their extension-eligible players a renegotiated raise for 2016/17, making such a deal plausible. And some extension-eligible veterans may not be in line for a major pay increase in 2017’s free agent period anyway, making them more inclined to ink an extension now. For the most part though, these players will eventually reach free agency without a new agreement in place.
The complete list of players currently eligible for veteran extensions is as follows:
- Atlanta Hawks
- Chicago Bulls
- Dallas Mavericks
- Andrew Bogut (eligible as of October 25)*
- Golden State Warriors
- Indiana Pacers
- Paul George (eligible as of September 25)
- Jeff Teague*
- Los Angeles Clippers
- Los Angeles Lakers
- Memphis Grizzlies
- Minnesota Timberwolves
- Nikola Pekovic (eligible as of August 15)
- New Orleans Pelicans
- Tyreke Evans
- Jrue Holiday
- Quincy Pondexter (eligible as of October 31)
- New York Knicks
- Orlando Magic
- Philadelphia 76ers
- Sacramento Kings
- DeMarcus Cousins (eligible as of September 30)
- Utah Jazz
- Derrick Favors (eligible as of October 19)
- George Hill
- Washington Wizards
* — These players have been traded within the last six months, so they face further constraints. Veteran extensions for them can cover only two new years (three total), and the starting salary can be no more than 4.5% greater than the salary in the last season of the existing contract.
See the list of players eligible for rookie-scale extensions right here.
Roster Resource was used in the creation of this post. Chuck Myron contributed to this post.
Community Shootaround: Miami Heat
It’s been an offseason of surprises in Miami, where the Heat’s roster looks much different than it did a couple months ago.
After months of posturing over whether or not the team would be willing to offer Hassan Whiteside the max, Miami relented, holding off aggressive rival suitors to re-sign the star center to a four-year deal. However, several days later, the Heat lost their other key free agent, longtime star guard Dwyane Wade, when he decided to head to Chicago. With Wade no longer on their books, the Heat turned around and matched Tyler Johnson‘s pricey four-year offer sheet from the Nets, an outcome that likely surprised even Johnson.
The Heat also got one of the bargains of the summer when they signed Dion Waiters using their room exception, but the addition of Waiters – along with veterans like James Johnson, Wayne Ellington, and Luke Babbitt – raises questions about the club’s plan for 2016/17.
Will Miami hand the reins to young players like Whiteside, Johnson, Justise Winslow, and Josh Richardson, and start looking ahead to the future? Or is this still a team focused on immediately contending with the help of its veterans?
The status of Chris Bosh could go a long way toward determining the Heat’s future, at least in the short term. If Bosh can return to the court, the club will have its eye on the playoffs and on the 2017 free agent market, where it could pursue an impact player to complement Whiteside, Bosh, and the team’s other core players. If Bosh is deemed medically unfit to return, the Heat may shift into retooling mode. Of course, even with Bosh on the floor, it doesn’t look like Miami has enough talent to seriously challenge LeBron James and the Cavaliers in the East.
Complicating matters is Russell Westbrook‘s recent extension with the Thunder — if the Heat were already looking ahead to the 2017 free agent period, Westbrook likely would have been atop the club’s wish list. Instead, he no longer looks like a viable target until at least 2018.
What do you think? How do you think the Heat should move forward? Should they shift into retooling mode, allowing their young players to take on larger roles? Or should the team still be exploring the trade market and looking ahead to next summer’s free agent market in an effort to make upgrades and compete immediately? Are those two scenarios even mutually exclusive, or is there a way for the club to do both?
Take to the comments section below to share your opinions on the Heat. We look forward to hearing your thoughts.
Players With Trade Kickers
Trade kickers are contractual clauses that pay players a bonus when they’re traded, and they represent one of the tools teams have to differentiate their free agent offers from the deals competing clubs put on the table. According to the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA), the bonus must be paid by the team that trades the player, rather than the acquiring team.
Sometimes the kicker is a fixed amount, but usually it’s based on a percentage of the remaining value of the contract. So, a player who has a 10% trade kicker is given 10% of the amount of money he’s yet to collect on his deal. Regardless of whether the trade kicker is set at a fixed amount or a percentage, the bonus can’t exceed 15% of the remaining value of the contract. That means that if a set amount of $1MM would equal more than 15% of what the player is owed, the kicker would pay out less than $1MM in the event of a trade. If you want a more detailed explanation of how trade kickers work, check out our Hoops Rumors Glossary entry on the subject.
Most trade kickers are worth 15%, the highest percentage allowed. The trade kicker that Tyreke Evans is unusual, as it calls for him to see either a set amount ($1MM) or 15% of the value of his contract, whichever is less. Below is a list of every NBA player with an active trade kicker, listed alphabetically, along with the details of the kickers. Players who signed deals this summer are marked with an asterisk.
- * Steven Adams (Thunder) — 15%
- LaMarcus Aldridge (Spurs) — 15%
- Carmelo Anthony (Knicks) — 15%
- * Harrison Barnes (Mavericks) — 8%
- * Tarik Black (Lakers) — 10%
- Bojan Bogdanovic (Nets) — 15%
- Jimmy Butler (Bulls) — 5%
- Vince Carter (Grizzlies) — 15%
- * Allen Crabbe (Trail Blazers) — 15%
- Andre Drummond (Pistons) — 8%
- * Kevin Durant (Warriors) — 15%
- Tyreke Evans (Pelicans) — 15% [Capped at $1MM]
- Danilo Gallinari (Nuggets) — 15%
- Marc Gasol (Grizzlies) — 15%
- Blake Griffin (Clippers) — 15%
- James Harden (Rockets) — 15%
- Gordon Hayward (Jazz) — 15%
- * Al Horford (Celtics) — 15%
- Andre Iguodala (Warriors) — 15%
- Kyrie Irving (Cavaliers) — 15%
- * Tyler Johnson (Heat) — 15%
- DeAndre Jordan (Clippers) — 15%
- Enes Kanter (Thunder) — 15%
- Kawhi Leonard (Spurs) — 15%
- * Jeremy Lin (Nets) — 10%
- Nikola Mirotic (Bulls) — 15%
- Chris Paul (Clippers) — 15%
- J.J. Redick (Clippers) — 5%
- * Dion Waiters (Heat) — 15%
- Brandan Wright (Grizzlies) — 15%
The Basketball Insiders salary pages were used in the creation of this post.
Salary Cap Snapshot: Dallas Mavericks
With the free agent signing period winding down and teams looking ahead to the preseason, we at Hoops Rumors ware tracking the Salary Cap figures for each team around the league. These posts will be maintained throughout the season once new financial data is reported. They will be located on the sidebar throughout the year, once all the teams’ cap figures have been relayed. The next franchise we’ll be looking at are the Dallas Mavericks, who currently are well over the league’s salary cap of $94,143,000 for the 2016/17 season. You can always check RosterResource.com for up-to-date rosters for each franchise, with the Mavericks’ team page accessible here.
Here’s a breakdown of where the Mavs currently stand financially:
Guaranteed Salary
- Dirk Nowitzki — $25,000,000
- Harrison Barnes — $22,116,750 [Deal includes 8% Trade Kicker]
- Wesley Matthews — $17,145,838
- Deron Williams — $9,000,000 [Waived by team]
- Dwight Powell — $8,375,000
- Nerlens Noel —$4,384,490
- Devin Harris — $4,227,996
- J.J. Barea — $4,096,950
- Seth Curry — $2,898,000
- DeAndre Liggins —$1,015,696
- Salah Mejri — $874,636
- A.J. Hammons — $650,000
- Quincy Acy — $593,233 [Waived by team; $1,050,961 cap hit reduced by setoff]
- Nicolas Brussino — $543,471
- Dorian Finney-Smith — $543,471
- Jonathan Gibson — $543,471 [Waived by team (Oct 22)]
- Maurice Ndour — $437,318 [Waived by team]
- Gal Mekel — $315,759 [Waived via Stretch Provision]
- Yogi Ferrell — $207,798
- Jonathan Gibson — $137,466 [Waived by team (Dec 27)]
- Kyle Collinsworth — $70,000 [Waived by team]
- Manny Harris — $57,672 [10-day contract (Mar 9); actual salary — $59,747]
- Manny Harris — $57,672 [10-day contract (Mar 19); actual salary — $59,747]
- Jarrod Uthoff — $47,953
- Pierre Jackson — $41,560 [Waived by team (Jan 6)]
- Pierre Jackson — $31,969 [10-day contract (Jan 15)]
- Pierre Jackson — $31,969 [10-day contract (Jan 25)]
- Yogi Ferrell — $31,969 [10-day contract (Jan 28)]
- Ben Bentil — $31,969 [10-day contract (Feb 26)]
- Quinn Cook — $31,969 [10-day contract (Feb 26)]
- Jarrod Uthoff — $31,969 [10-day contract (Mar 9)]
- Jarrod Uthoff — $31,969 [10-day contract (Mar 19)]
- Jameel Warney — $20,000 [Waived by team]
Total Guaranteed Salary= $103,625,983
Cash Sent Out Via Trade: Sent $3,227,286 to Jazz as part of Jeremy Evans trade [Amount Remaining $272,714]
Cash Received Via Trade: $0 [Amount Remaining $3.5MM]
Payroll Exceptions Available
- Trade Exception: $6,642,537 (Andrew Bogut trade) — Expires on 2/23/18
- Trade Exception: $1,514,160 (Justin Anderson trade) — Expires on 2/23/18
- Room Exception: $0 (used on Seth Curry)
Total Projected Payroll: $103,625,983
Salary Cap: $94,143,000
Available Cap Space: –$9,482,983
Luxury Tax Threshold: $113,287,000
Estimated Amount Below Luxury Tax: $9,661,017
Last Updated: 4/15/17
The Basketball Insiders salary pages and The Vertical’s salary database were used in the creation of this post.
Poll: 2005 NBA Draft Take Two (Pick No. 3)
Drafting players is far from an exact science, and many a GM has been second-guessed for his draft night decisions. While life, and the NBA, doesn’t often allow for second chances, we at Hoops Rumors believe it’s fun to give our readers a second take at picking players, complete with the benefit of hindsight.
We’ve previously tackled the 2003 and 2013 NBA Drafts and the next one we’re tackling is 2005’s, the year that the Bucks nabbed big man Andrew Bogut with the No. 1 overall pick. That year’s draft class is generally viewed as one of the weaker ones in recent memory, though, there were quite a few second-rounders that year (Ersan Ilyasova, Monta Ellis, Lou Williams, Amir Johnson and Marcin Gortat) who have gone on to have very solid NBA careers.
In the weeks ahead, we’ll provide a series of reader polls that ask you to vote on the player whom you believe should have been selected with each pick. We’ll continue onward with the Jazz, who held the No. 3 pick that season. Readers, you are now on the clock! Cast your vote for Utah’s pick and check back Friday night for the results, as well as for your chance to vote for whom the New Orleans Hornets should have taken at No. 4. But don’t limit yourself to a simple button click. Take to the comments section below and share your thoughts on the pick and why you voted the way that you did. Also, if I fail to list a player who you think should be selected, feel free to post that in the comments section and I’ll be certain to tally those votes as well.
Selections
- Bucks — Chris Paul [Actual Pick — Andrew Bogut]
- Hawks — Deron Williams [Actual Pick — Marvin Williams]
- Jazz — ? [Actual Pick — Deron Williams]
If you’re a Trade Rumors app user, click here.
Community Shootaround: Russell Westbrook
After a month of trade speculation, Russell Westbrook shut down that talk earlier today when he signed a brand-new contract extension with the Thunder. According to Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical, the Oklahoma City brass had been prepared to explore the trade market for a package of young players and draft picks if Westbrook had given the team the impression that he was “unenthusiastic” about the future in OKC. However, in the wake of Kevin Durant‘s departure, Westbrook re-committed to the Thunder, forgoing free agency in 2017.
“The idea of running out to find a super team, that isn’t who he is,” a source close to Westbrook told Wojnarowski. “He thought, ‘These are my guys here,’ and he wanted to go to battle with them.”
While Thunder fans – along with GM Sam Presti – can breathe a sigh of relief for now, Westbrook’s “three-year” extension essentially only guarantees him one extra season in Oklahoma City. The first year of the deal is 2016/17, for which he was already under contract, and the third year (2018/19) is a player option, meaning Westbrook could opt out in 2018, when he becomes eligible for a higher maximum salary.
It’s entirely possible that Westbrook intends to re-sign with the Thunder again at that point, but the team certainly can’t take that for granted, and will have to work hard to fortify the roster around Westbrook over the next year or two. Within his column (linked above), Wojnarowski reiterates something he reported in July, writing that OKC has its eye on Blake Griffin, who played his college ball in Oklahoma and can become a free agent in 2017.
With Westbrook locked up, the Thunder would have to make a trade or two – or part ways with one or two of its RFAs-to-be – in order to create room for Griffin, but the cap work certainly wouldn’t be a major roadblock for the team — the bigger challenge would be convincing Griffin to leave Los Angeles to return to Oklahoma City.
Of course, even if signing Griffin isn’t in the cards, there are a number of other avenues – in free agency or on the trade market – that Presti and the front office could explore to upgrade the roster before Westbrook reaches the open market in 2018.
Today’s discussion questions revolve around the future for the Thunder and for Westbrook: Do you expect Westbrook to stay in Oklahoma City beyond 2018? Is this just a temporary reprieve for the Thunder, or is it a sign that Westbrook is committed to the franchise for the long run? What moves do you expect the Thunder to pull off in the next year or two to get back into title contention?
Take to the comments section below to share your opinions on the future for the Thunder and for Westbrook. We look forward to hearing your thoughts.
Free Agent Spending By Division: Pacific
Over the course of the last week, we’ve been breaking down 2016 NBA free agent spending by division, examining which teams – and divisions – were the most active this summer.
These divisional breakdowns won’t present a full picture of teams’ offseason spending. Some notable free agents, including LeBron James, remain unsigned, so there’s still money out there to be spent. Our lists also don’t include money spent on this year’s first- and second-round picks or draft-and-stash signings. There are a few free agent names missing in some instances as well, since those deals aren’t yet official or terms haven’t been reported.
Still, these closer looks at divisional spending should generally reveal how teams invested their money in free agency this summer, identifying which clubs went all-out and which ones played it safe.
With the help of our Free Agent Tracker and contract info from Basketball Insiders, we’ll focus today on the Pacific division. Let’s dive in…
1. Los Angeles Lakers
- Total money committed: $186,000,000
- Guaranteed money committed (including player options): $186,000,000
- Largest expenditure: Luol Deng (four years, $72,000,000)
- Other notable signings:
- Timofey Mozgov (four years, $64,000,000)
- Jordan Clarkson (four years, $50,000,000)
- Notes:
- The Lakers have yet to finalize long-ago reported deals for Tarik Black and Marcelo Huertas. Based on estimated values for those contracts, they’ll likely total about $16MM+ combined, but we haven’t included them in the team’s totals for now.
2. Los Angeles Clippers
- Total money committed: $105,428,788
- Guaranteed money committed (including player options): $93,928,788
- Largest expenditure: Jamal Crawford (three years, $42,000,000)
- Other notable signings:
- Austin Rivers (three years, $35,475,000)
- Wesley Johnson (three years, $17,643,780)
- Luc Mbah a Moute (two years, $4,505,135)
- Marreese Speights (two years, minimum salary)
- Notes:
- Raymond Felton ($1,551,659), Brandon Bass ($1,551,659), and Alan Anderson ($1,315,448) will be paid $980,431 apiece by the Clippers, with the NBA on the hook for the rest of their minimum salaries.
- Crawford’s $14.5MM third-year salary is only guaranteed for $3MM, creating the gap between the Clippers’ total money and guaranteed money committed.
3. Sacramento Kings
- Total money committed: $77,525,625
- Guaranteed money committed (including player options): $60,525,625
- Largest expenditure: Arron Afflalo (two years, $25,000,000)
- Other notable signings:
- Garrett Temple (three years, $24,000,000)
- Anthony Tolliver (two years, $16,000,000)
- Matt Barnes (two years, $12,525,625)
- Notes:
- Afflalo and Tolliver only have small partial guarantees in the second years of their respective contracts. $1.5MM of Afflalo’s $12.5MM second-year salary is guaranteed, while $2MM of Tolliver’s $8MM second-year salary is guaranteed.
4. Golden State Warriors
- Total money committed: $61,094,229
- Guaranteed money committed (including player options): $61,094,229
- Largest expenditure: Kevin Durant (two years, $54,274,505)
- Other notable signings:
- Zaza Pachulia (one year, $2,898,000)
- David West (one year, minimum salary)
- Anderson Varejao (one year, minimum salary)
- Notes:
- The reported deals for JaVale McGee and Elliot Williams aren’t yet official and exact details on those contracts aren’t known, so they haven’t been included here.
- West ($1,551,659), Varejao ($1,551,659), and Ian Clark ($1,015,696) will be paid $980,431 apiece by the Warriors, with the NBA on the hook for the rest of their minimum salaries.
5. Phoenix Suns
- Total money committed: $38,000,000
- Guaranteed money committed (including player options): $34,500,000
- Largest expenditure: Jared Dudley (three years, $30,000,000)
- Other notable signings:
- Leandro Barbosa (two years, $8,000,000)
- Notes:
- The second year of Barbosa’s deal, worth $4MM, is only guaranteed for $500K, creating the gap between the Suns’ total money and guaranteed money committed.