Community Shootaround: Chicago Bulls
Following a season in which they missed the playoffs, the Bulls figured to be busy this summer. That’s certainly been the case, though they have made a number of surprising moves and decisions.
They traded former franchise player Derrick Rose, which appeared to signal they were in a rebuild mode. Rumors were rampant that their best player, Jimmy Butler, would also be dealt on draft night. Unsatisfied with the packages offered by the Timberwolves and Celtics, among others, Chicago decided to hold onto Butler.
Free agency provided its own series of twists and turns. Veteran big men Pau Gasol and Joakim Noah found new homes, as expected. But rather than build around younger players, the Bulls chose to replace Rose with free agent Rajon Rondo. Then came the big shocker, as Dwyane Wade bolted the Heat and signed with his hometown team.
Second-year coach Fred Hoiberg must now blend the talents of Rondo, Wade and Butler on the court and massage their egos off it. None are adept at 3-point shooting, leaving forwards Doug McDermott and Nikola Mirotic as their main long-distance threats. They also don’t have a lot of inside punch with Robin Lopez, Taj Gibson and Bobby Portis in the rotation.
The addition of Wade still makes the Bulls an intriguing team to watch. Unfortunately, they’re in an increasingly tough division. Not only are the Cavaliers poised to defend their title, the Pacers and Pistons upgraded their rosters after making the playoffs last season. The Bucks have some serious young talent of their own and should also be on the upswing.
That leads us to our question of the day: Did the Bulls’ moves this offseason make them a playoff team or did they take another step back?
Take to the comments section below to share your thoughts and opinions on the topic. We look forward to what you have to say.
Hoops Rumors Originals: 7/24/16-7/30/16
Here’s a look back at the original content and analysis generated by the Hoops Rumors staff this past week.
- We’re keeping tabs on this offseason’s draft-and-stash signings, as teams formally sign players whose draft rights they held.
- We looked at the upcoming guarantee dates for players possessing non-guaranteed pacts.
- We looked at the Salary Cap figures for the Hawks, Nets, Hornets and Bulls.
- Luke Adams looked at the free agent spending this summer by the teams of the Southwest Division.
- Will Joseph highlighted some of the better basketball blogs around in his weekly installment of Hoops Links.
- We ran down the largest free agent contracts handed out this offseason.
- Arthur Hill answered reader questions in our Weekly Mailbag. Here’s how you can submit your own questions for our mailbag feature.
- In our Community Shootarounds this week we discussed the Rio Olympics, the best remaining free agents, where J.R. Smith might end up, who is the NBA’s worst team and the chances the Celtics pull off a blockbuster trade.
- Our Free Agent Tracker continues to have up-to-date data on this summer’s contract agreements and signings from around the NBA.
- If you haven’t already, be sure to download the Trade Rumors app for your iOS or Android device.
Salary Guarantees To Watch This Weekend
Earlier today, the Pacers announced that they’d parted ways with Shayne Whittington, placing the big man on waivers. The timing of the move seemed odd at first glance, but it made sense when considering the language in Whittington’s contract — his full salary for the 2016/17 season would have become guaranteed if he’d remained on Indiana’s roster beyond August 1.
As our list of upcoming salary guarantee deadlines shows, Whittington isn’t the only player who will either make some money or lose his roster spot within the next few days. Six other players will have some or all of their ’16/17 salary guaranteed if they remain on their respective teams’ rosters beyond August 1.
Here’s a closer look:
- Jonathon Simmons (Spurs): Full $874,636 salary to become guaranteed
- Simmons’ guarantee date is actually on Saturday, rather than Monday, but it shouldn’t make much of a difference. After averaging about 15 minutes per game in 55 regular-season contests for the Spurs in his rookie season, Simmons may be in line for a bigger role in 2016/17, as we heard earlier this month.
- Michael Beasley (Rockets): Full $1,403,611 salary to become guaranteed
- Beasley, who played the role of mentor for the Rockets during Summer League action, will be kept beyond his guarantee date, according to a Houston Chronicle report from early July.
- Dahntay Jones (Cavaliers): Full $1,551,659 salary to become guaranteed
- Jones appeared in 15 playoff games for the NBA champions in the spring, but his most memorable moment may have involved earning a one-game suspension for hitting Bismack Biyombo in the groin. There has been no indication yet whether the Cavs, who will likely be back in tax territory in 2016/17, intend to keep Jones — he’s a candidate to be cut.
- Rodney McGruder (Heat): $150,000 of $543,471 salary to become guaranteed
- The Heat just signed McGruder about three weeks ago, so it seems unlikely they’d waive him already, especially since only a small portion of his 2016/17 salary will become guaranteed on Monday.
- Josh Richardson (Heat): Full $874,636 salary to become guaranteed
- In the wake of Dwyane Wade‘s departure, the Heat will be going younger this season, and Richardson figures to be a big part of that youth movement. He’s not going anywhere.
- Glenn Robinson III (Pacers): Full $1,050,500 salary to become guaranteed
- When the Pacers announced Whittington’s release without cutting Robinson as well, it was a sign that the former Wolverine should be safe. Assuming that’s the case, he’s a good bet to earn a regular-season roster spot for Indiana.
Salary Cap Snapshot: Chicago Bulls
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. These posts 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 Bulls’ team page accessible here.
Here’s a breakdown of where the Bulls currently stand financially:
Guaranteed Salary
- Dwyane Wade — $23,200,000
- Jimmy Butler — $17,552,209 (Contract includes 5% Trade Kicker)
- Rajon Rondo — $14,000,000
- Robin Lopez — $13,219,250
- Nikola Mirotic — $5,782,450 (Contract includes 15% Trade Kicker)
- Anthony Morrow —$3,488,000
- Michael Carter-Williams —$3,183,526
- Cameron Payne —$2,112,480
- Denzel Valentine — $2,092,200
- Joffrey Lauvergne —$1,709,719
- Jerian Grant — $1,643,040
- Bobby Portis — $1,453,680
- Isaiah Canaan — $1,015,696
- Cristiano Felicio — $874,636
- Paul Zipser — $750,000
- R.J. Hunter — $425,000 [Waived by team]
- Thomas Walkup — $69,500 [Waived by team]
Total Guaranteed Salary= $92,551,106
Cash Sent Out Via Trade: $0 [Amount Remaining $3.5MM]
Cash Received Via Trade: $0 [Amount Remaining $3.5MM]
Payroll Exceptions Available
- Trade Exception — $5,462,000 (Taj Gibson trade) — Expires on 7/12/17
- Room Exception — $2,898,000
Total Projected Payroll: $92,551,106
Salary Cap: $94,143,000
Estimated Available Cap Space: $1,591,894
(Note: team would have to renounce trade exception to use cap space)
Luxury Tax Threshold: $113,287,000
Amount Below Luxury Tax: $20,735,894
Last Update: 2/24/17
The Basketball Insiders salary pages and The Vertical’s salary database were used in the creation of this post.
Free Agent Spending By Division: Southwest
Over the next week, we’ll be breaking down 2016 NBA free agent spending by division, examining which teams – and divisions – were the most active this July.
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 kick off the series today with a look at the Southwest division. Let’s dive in…
1. Memphis Grizzlies
- Total money committed: $266,310,613
- Guaranteed money committed (including player options): $251,079,762
- Largest expenditure: Mike Conley (five years, $152,607,578)
- Other notable signings:
- Chandler Parsons (four years, $94,438,523)
- Troy Daniels (three years, $10,000,000)
- James Ennis (two years, $5,926,410)
- Notes:
- Wayne Selden‘s deal is not included in these totals, since it’s a summer contract and won’t count toward the Grizzlies’ cap unless he makes the regular-season roster.
- The fifth year of Conley’s deal is not fully guaranteed for now, but will become guaranteed if Conley plays in 55 games in the 2018/19 or 2019/20 seasons.
2. Dallas Mavericks
- Total money committed: $208,352,773
- Guaranteed money committed (including player options): $173,518,115
- Largest expenditure: Harrison Barnes (four years, $94,438,523)
- Other notable signings:
- Dirk Nowitzki (two years, $50,000,000)
- Dwight Powell (four years, $37,268,750)
- Deron Williams (one year, $9,000,000)
- Seth Curry (two years, $5,926,410)
- Notes:
- Keith Hornsby‘s contract with the Mavericks is not included in these figures, since details haven’t yet been reported.
- Nowitzki’s deal contributes significantly to the gap between the Mavs’ total money and guaranteed money committed, since his second year ($25MM) is a team option.
3. Houston Rockets
- Total money committed: $135,784,790
- Guaranteed money committed (including player options): $135,784,790
- Largest expenditure: Ryan Anderson (four years, $80,000,000)
- Other notable signings:
- Eric Gordon (Four years, $52,886,790)
- Nene (One year, $2,898,000)
- Notes:
- The Rockets are believed to have two-year, minimum-salary agreements in place with Pablo Prigioni, Kyle Wiltjer, Isaiah Taylor, and Gary Payton II. However, those deals haven’t been made official, so they’re not included in our totals.
- Bobby Brown‘s deal is not included in these totals, since it’s believed to be a summer contract which won’t count toward the Rockets’ cap unless he makes the regular-season roster.
4. New Orleans Pelicans
- Total money committed: $99,104,431
- Guaranteed money committed (including player options): $99,104,431
- Largest expenditure: Solomon Hill (four years, $48,000,000)
- Other notable signings:
- E’Twaun Moore (four years, $34,000,000)
- Langston Galloway (two years, $10,634,000)
- Tim Frazier (two years, $4,090,000)
- Notes:
- Terrence Jones will earn $1,050,961 on a minimum-salary contract, but the Pelicans will only pay $980,431 of that salary, with the NBA footing the rest of the bill.
- The Pelicans still figure to add non-guaranteed deals to fill out their preseason roster, but all their signees so far have had fully guaranteed contracts.
5. San Antonio Spurs
- Total money committed: $57,678,976
- Guaranteed money committed (including player options): $54,981,536
- Largest expenditure: Pau Gasol (two years, $31,697,500)
- Other notable signings:
- Manu Ginobili (one year, $14,000,000)
- Dewayne Dedmon (two years, $5,926,410)
- David Lee (two years, minimum salary)
- Notes:
- Lee’s contract hasn’t been formally announced, but it’s said to be a two-year, minimum-salary pact with a player option in year two. We’ve included that deal in our count, but not Patricio Garino‘s, since the official terms on that one haven’t been reported.
- Ryan Arcidiacono and Bryn Forbes are the only Spurs free agent signings without fully guaranteed deals so far.
Community Shootaround: NBA’s Worst Team
Much of the offseason discussion over the last month has centered on the Warriors’ chances to make history now that they’ve added Kevin Durant to a team coming off a 73-win season. While most of us expect Golden State to be the NBA’s No. 1 team in 2016/17, it’s also worth taking a look at the clubs on the other end of the spectrum.
Very few NBA franchises head into training camp without playoff aspirations, but there are a handful of teams that will be facing a challenging uphill battle if they attempt to earn a trip to the postseason this season.
The Sixers, despite adding some veteran talent to go along with incoming rookies Ben Simmons and Dario Saric, are still in rebuilding mode, and the Nets are right there with them. The Suns and Lakers signed some veterans in free agency too, but it’s not clear whether either club has enough talent to even aim for a .500 record.
When ESPN released its Eastern and Western Conference forecasts for the 2016/17 season this week, those four clubs were the only ones projected to win less than 30 games. ESPN has the Suns down for 26 victories, with the Lakers (25), Sixers (20), and Nets (20) right behind them. Meanwhile, the Heat, Magic, Pelicans, Nuggets, and Kings are considered likely to compile win totals in the low-to-mid-30s, per ESPN.
What do you think? Which team will be the NBA’s worst in 2016/17? Will the Sixers earn that title for the second straight year, or will another club slip below them? Does ESPN’s projection model have it generally right, or is there a club heading for disaster that’s being overlooked?
Take to the comments section below to share your opinions on which team will be the worst in the NBA in 2016/17. We look forward to hearing your thoughts.
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 each 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: Charlotte Hornets
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. These posts 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 Hornets’ team page accessible here.
Here’s a breakdown of where the Hornets currently stand financially:
Guaranteed Salary
- Nicolas Batum — $20,869,566
- Michael Kidd-Gilchrist — $13,000,000
- Miles Plumlee —$12,500,000
- Marvin Williams — $12,250,000
- Kemba Walker — $12,000,000
- Jeremy Lamb — $6,511,628
- Marco Belinelli — $6,333,333
- Ramon Sessions — $6,000,000
- Cody Zeller — $5,318,313
- Frank Kaminsky — $2,730,000
- Chris Andersen — $980,431 [Waived by team; actual salary — $1,551,659]
- Brian Roberts — $980,431 [Actual salary — $1,050,961]
- Christian Wood — $874,636
- Treveon Graham — $543,471
- Aaron Harrison — $375,579 [Waived by team]
- Johnny O’Bryant — $161,483
- Briante Weber — $128,623
- Mike Tobey — $75,000 [Waived by team (Oct 22)]
- Ray McCallum — $63,440 [10-day contract (Feb 13); actual salary — $65,722; contract lasted 11 days to allow for three games]
- Ray McCallum — $57,672 [10-day contract (Feb 3); actual salary — $59,747]
- Johnny O’Bryant — $57,672 [10-day contract (Feb 24)]
- Johnny O’Bryant — $57,672 [10-day contract (Mar 6)]
- Briante Weber — $51,449 [10-day contract (Feb 27)]
- Briante Weber — $51,449 [10-day contract (Mar 9)]
- Mike Tobey — $35,166 [10-day contract (Feb 13); contract lasted 11 days to allow for three games]
- Mike Tobey — $31,969 [10-day contract (Feb 3)]
Total Guaranteed Salary= $102,038,983
Cash Sent Out Via Trade: $0 [Amount Remaining $3.5MM]
Cash Received Via Trade: TBD. $250K was received from Memphis in the Troy Daniels trade. $750K was received from the Cavaliers in the Chris Andersen trade. An unknown amount was received from the Bucks in the Miles Plumlee trade. [Amount Remaining $2.5MM]
Payroll Exceptions Available
- Trade Exception — $1,666,470 (Troy Daniels trade) — Expires on 7/12/17
- Room Exception — $2,898,000
Total Projected Payroll: $102,038,983
Salary Cap: $94,143,000
Estimated Available Cap Space: –$7,895,983
Luxury Tax Threshold: $113,287,000
Amount Below Luxury Tax: $11,248,017
Last Updated: 3/20/17
The Basketball Insiders salary pages and The Vertical’s salary database were used in the creation of this post.
Largest NBA Free Agent Contracts Of 2016
The NBA’s salary cap took an unprecedented leap this offseason, as the cap limit for the league’s 30 teams jumped from $70MM to $94MM+. As we saw earlier this month, that substantial cap increase predictably resulted in substantial spending in free agency. Six players landed deals worth more than $100MM+, and another 11 players signed contracts worth at least $70MM.
While Kevin Durant was the focus of the most free agency rumors, speculation, and discussion, his contract won’t even rank among the NBA’s top 20 biggest deals of 2016 in terms of total value, since he signed for just two years. The title of largest contract of the offseason – and also in NBA history – goes to Mike Conley, who inked a five-year, $152,607,578 pact with the Grizzlies.
Conley’s deal isn’t yet fully guaranteed for the final season, but even if we were to remove the non-guaranteed portion of that fifth year, the veteran point guard would still rank atop the list of 2016’s largest overall free agent deals.
With the help of our 2016 Free Agent Tracker and the contract data at Basketball Insiders, here are the NBA’s top 20 biggest free agent contracts of 2016, by total value:
- Mike Conley (Grizzlies): Five years, $152,607,578
- DeMar DeRozan (Raptors): Five years, $137,500,000
- Bradley Beal (Wizards): Five years, $127,171,313
- Andre Drummond (Pistons): Five years, $127,171,313
- Nicolas Batum (Hornets): Five years, $120,000,000
- Al Horford (Celtics): Four years, $113,326,230
- Hassan Whiteside (Heat): Four years, $98,419,537
- Harrison Barnes (Mavericks): Four years, $94,438,524
- Chandler Parsons (Grizzlies): Four years, $94,438,524
- Evan Fournier (Magic): Five years, $85,000,000
- Ryan Anderson (Rockets): Four years, $80,000,000
- Allen Crabbe (Trail Blazers): Four years, $74,832,500
- Joakim Noah (Knicks): Four years, $72,590,000
- Luol Deng (Lakers): Four years, $72,000,000
- Dwight Howard (Hawks): Three years, $70,500,000
- Kent Bazemore (Hawks): Four years, $70,000,000
- Evan Turner (Trail Blazers): Four years, $70,000,000
- Bismack Biyombo (Magic): Four years, $68,000,000
- Ian Mahinmi (Wizards): Four years, $64,000,000
- Timofey Mozgov (Lakers): Four years, $64,000,000
LeBron James isn’t on that list, since he remains unsigned, but even if he had re-upped with the Cavaliers already, there’s a chance that LeBron’s deal wouldn’t be among the top 20 in terms of overall salary. Like Durant did with the Warriors, LeBron may end up signing a one- or two-year contract with the Cavs, allowing him to opt out and sign for more money a year from now.
While James and Durant are among the veterans who figure to be on big-money, short-term deals, they aren’t the only ones. Other longtime All-Stars, such as Dirk Nowitzki and Dwyane Wade, are also on shorter deals that will pay them significant annual salaries. So after examining the league’s top 20 free agent signings by total value, it’s worth taking a look at the top 20 by annual average value — that list looks a little different, though Conley still ranks first.
Here are the NBA’s top 20 free agent contracts of 2016 in terms of annual average salary:
- Mike Conley (Grizzlies): $30,521,516
- Al Horford (Celtics): $28,331,558
- DeMar DeRozan (Raptors): $27,500,000
- Kevin Durant (Warriors): $27,137,253
- Bradley Beal (Wizards): $25,434,263
- Andre Drummond (Pistons): $25,434,263
- Dirk Nowitzki (Mavericks): $25,000,000
- Hassan Whiteside (Heat): $24,604,884
- Nicolas Batum (Hornets): $24,000,000
- Harrison Barnes (Mavericks): $23,609,631
- Chandler Parsons (Grizzlies): $23,609,631
- Dwight Howard (Hawks): $23,500,000
- Dwyane Wade (Bulls): $23,500,000
- Ryan Anderson (Rockets): $20,000,000
- Allen Crabbe (Trail Blazers): $18,708,125
- Joakim Noah (Knicks): $18,147,500
- Luol Deng (Lakers): $18,000,000
- Kent Bazemore (Hawks): $17,500,000
- Evan Turner (Trail Blazers): $17,500,000
- (tie) Evan Fournier (Magic) / Bismack Biyombo (Magic): $17,000,000
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Community Shootaround: J.R. Smith
In a recent Community Shootaround discussion, we asked which free agent – besides LeBron James – represented the best option still available on the open market. Those of you who responded gave plenty of support to J.R. Smith over other options like Dion Waiters and Maurice Harkless, who have since signed deals, and guys like Lance Stephenson and Donatas Motiejunas, who remain unsigned.
While most observers believe that Smith will eventually re-sign with the Cavaliers, that’s not necessarily a given. We’ve certainly seen plenty of surprising free agent departures this month, and one report from mid-July suggested that Smith was seeking a $15MM annual salary — assuming the Cavs lock up LeBron James for a max or near-max deal, a $15MM salary for Smith would put the team way over the tax line once again, even after this year’s huge salary cap leap.
Meanwhile, as Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders detailed on Wednesday, the 76ers, Nuggets, and Nets all have over $18MM in cap room, while teams like the Thunder, Lakers, Timberwolves, Suns, and Jazz are all above $12.5MM. Not all of those clubs have a need for a player like Smith, and he may not be interested in a few of them, but perhaps there’s a fit somewhere in that list of eight teams — or with another club for a more modest price.
The Cavaliers are limited in what they can offer outside free agents, making Smith a logical fit, since the team can go over the cap to sign him. But how high should the Cavs be willing to go? And how long should they be willing to wait for Smith to compromise on his asking price? Do you see a more ideal fit for Smith with another team?
Take to the comments section below to share your opinions on Smith. We look forward to hearing your thoughts.