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Hoops Rumors Glossary: Mid-Level Exception

May 4th, 2015 at 1:32pm CST by Chuck Myron

The mid-level exception is the most common way for NBA teams that are over the salary cap to sign free agents from other clubs. Teams can make use of the mid-level every season, and they can split it among multiple players. Different mid-level exceptions apply based on a team’s proximity to the cap.

The most valuable kind of mid-level exception is available to teams that are over the cap but less than $4MM above the tax threshold. Still, clubs deep into the tax, and even those under the cap, have access to less lucrative versions of the mid-level. Here’s a glance at how all three forms of the exception are structured:

For teams with cap room:

  • Commonly called the room exception
  • Contract can cover no more than two seasons
  • First-year salary is worth $2,814,000 for 2015/16

For over-the-cap teams:

  • Commonly called either the full mid-level exception or the non-taxpayer’s mid-level exception
  • Contract can cover up to four seasons
  • First-year salary is worth $5,464,000 for 2015/16
  • Once used, the team cannot surpass the “tax apron” ($4MM above tax line) for the remainder of the season.

For teams above the cap and the tax apron:

  • Commonly called the taxpayer’s mid-level exception
  • Contract can cover up to three seasons
  • First-year salary is worth $3,376,000 for 2015/16

Each form of the mid-level allows for annual raises of up to 4.5% of the value of the first season’s salary. So, here are the maximum amounts a free agent could receive this summer under each of the three forms of the mid-level exception:

Room Exception

  • 2014/15: $2,814,000
  • 2015/16: $2,940,630
  • Total: $5,754,630

Non-Taxpayer’s MLE

  • $5,464,000
  • $5,709,880
  • $5,955,760
  • $6,201,640
  • Total: $23,331,280

Taxpayer’s MLE:

  • $3,376,000
  • $3,527,920
  • $3,679,840
  • Total: $10,583,760

Few teams used the mid-level to give out contracts for as much as they could and for as many years as they could to any single player in 2014/15. Spencer Hawes (non-taxpayer’s), Bojan Bogdanovic (taxpayer’s), Kirk Hinrich (room), Mike Miller (room), Jameer Nelson (room) and Udonis Haslem (room) were the only players to sign for the full values of the various mid-level exceptions this past season.

Note: This is a Hoops Rumors Glossary entry. Our glossary posts will explain specific rules relating to trades, free agency, or other aspects of the NBA’s Collective Bargaining Agreement. Larry Coon’s Salary Cap FAQ and the Basketball Insiders salary pages were used in the creation of this post.

Earlier versions of this post appeared on April 24th, 2012, May 10th, 2013 and May 11, 2014.

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Offseason Outlook: Milwaukee Bucks

May 4th, 2015 at 11:02am CST by Chuck Myron

Guaranteed Contracts

Non-Guaranteed Contracts

Options

Restricted Free Agents/Cap Holds

Other Cap Holds

  • No. 17 pick ($1,444,200)

Draft Picks

  • 1st Round (17th overall)
  • 2nd Round (46th overall)

Cap Outlook

  • Guaranteed Salary: $43,885,920
  • Non-Guaranteed Salary: $947,276
  • Options: $4,250,000
  • Cap Holds: $4,169,203
  • Total: $53,252,399

The league-worst 15-67 season of 2013/14 makes this year’s .500 mark look like a revelation, but the bounceback season the Bucks had this year isn’t quite as impressive in the context of the 38-44 record the team compiled just two years ago. The team is largely swimming in the same waters it has since 2008/09. That was the first of a six-season stretch in which Milwaukee has finished within 10 games above or below .500 every year except last season’s low point. Still, the partnership of Wesley Edens, Marc Lasry, Jamie Dinan atop Milwaukee’s ownership structure appears committed to breaking the franchise out of mediocrity, so there’s reason for optimism.

"MarThe team enters the offseason with only one player certain to hit free agency. The secret’s out about Khris Middleton, who led the Bucks in scoring during their six-game first-round loss to the Bulls. The Bucks reportedly insisted on Middleton’s inclusion in the 2013 Brandon Jennings/Brandon Knight swap, and he’s proven significantly more than a throw-in the past two seasons in Milwaukee. He’s canned 41.0% of his three-pointers over that span, and he averaged 13.4 points in 30.1 minutes per game this season. ESPN’s Defensive Real Plus/Minus metric rates him as the league’s top shooting guard in that category, but he primarily played power forward this season, as Basketball-Reference shows. Basketball-Reference lists him with a rather pedestrian 0.5 Defensive Box Plus/Minus but 22nd among all players who saw at least 1,000 minutes this season in defensive win shares.

The 23-year-old’s value, never mind his position, is hard to pinpoint, and the power the Bucks have to match all offers for him makes next year’s salary even more unpredictable. Michael Scotto of SheridanHoops and Gery Woelfel of The Journal Times have each heard from a group of multiple executives who came up with two different consensuses. Scotto cited estimates of around $10MM, while Woelfel heard expectations of $8MM salaries.

The Bucks are likely to match offers from opposing teams for the former 39th overall pick, but it seems there’s just enough dichotomy in the way front offices view him that it’s conceivable that a team comes in with an offer for more than what Milwaukee could stomach. The Mavs set the bar with their near-max offer sheet to Chandler Parsons last summer, one that included an opt-out after two years and a 15% trade kicker. Middleton wasn’t as productive this season as Parsons was last year, at least not offensively, but the Bucks have to gird themselves for the possibility of a bloated offer. It no doubt helps Milwaukee that Middleton’s agent, Mike Lindeman, works for Excel Sports Management, the company founded by Jeff Schwartz, who represents coach Jason Kidd. The coach has plenty of say in personnel decisions, and Middleton said recently that he’d like to re-sign in spite of some earlier doubts about the team’s decision to trade away Knight at the deadline this year. Either way, Middleton made clear his distaste for the drawn-out process that Eric Bledsoe and Greg Monroe went through last summer, so it seems we’ll know by the end of July where Middleton will play and what he’ll be making.

Milwaukee will know by a month before then whether Jared Dudley will opt in, though it seemed obvious that Dudley would opt in when the Bucks traded for him last summer, a deal in which Milwaukee received a first-round pick largely for taking on Dudley’s contract. The pact that proved troublesome for the Clippers, who were pressed against their hard cap, instead proved a rather fair arrangement for Milwaukee. His raw numbers didn’t change much, but back at full health this season, the 29-year-old Dudley rebounded from career lows in PER, win shares and Box Plus Minus, according to Basketball-Reference. Kidd, too, will apparently play a major part in his free agency this summer, as Dudley said he’s the primary reason he’s willing to take a discount on a long-term deal to stay in Milwaukee. He’d have to opt out for that to happen this year, and it’s unclear just how he and agent Mark Bartelstein define discount, but it appears a would-be burden will turn into a bargain.

Dudley wouldn’t be alone among Bucks on team-friendly deals. The Bucks have six players whose rookie scale contracts carry through next season, and they’re in line to draft a seventh in June. It’s part of the financial flexibility the Bucks garnered when they gave up Knight, a move for the long-term that stands apart from the sort of trade that former owner Herb Kohl might have green-lighted to give this year’s team a better chance at winning a playoff series or two. Knight will probably end up with a salary next season that’s at or near twice what Michael Carter-Williams, Miles Plumlee and Tyler Ennis, the three players the Bucks acquired in return, will make in 2015/16. None of them can produce like Knight, at least not yet, but the Bucks instead have a Rookie of the Year in Carter-Williams, the starting center from last year’s 48-win Suns team in Plumlee, and an attractive mid-first-round draft product in Ennis, all at a cheaper total cost.

The Bucks have a chance at serious cap room this summer as a result. Milwaukee will have about $52.3MM committed against a projected $67.1MM salary cap if Dudley opts in, they hold off on officially signing Middleton, and they keep their first-round pick. That means the worst-case scenario involves them having nearly enough cap flexibility to make a maximum-salary bid on a free agent eligible for the 25% max, and it wouldn’t be difficult for the Bucks to find a taker for that first-rounder or another contract if they want to get to the full 25% max. They could even get in the market for Knight, though that would make little sense unless they envision a long-term future with a pairing of Carter-Williams and Knight in the backcourt. Other options include Tristan Thompson and Enes Kanter, while attractive unrestricted alternatives who’d come at less than the 30% or 35% max, like Omer Asik, Robin Lopez, would probably be easier to land. Thompson, Kanter, Asik and Lopez would help the team fill the hole in the middle left from the Larry Sanders debacle, though the Bucks may feel that John Henson, who averaged 11.3 rebounds and 2.4 blocks per 36 minutes in the playoffs, deserves a long look as a starter in the final year of his rookie scale deal.

The team’s cap flexibility, extra first-rounder and tons of young talent also position it well to trade for a star. The Bucks could offer a team more NBA-ready talent than the Sixers, who chiefly have draft assets to spend, and the presence of two potential budding stars in Jabari Parker and Giannis Antetokounmpo could make Milwaukee a more attractive trade destination than the Celtics to a marquee trade candidate who has leverage. Still, true stars aren’t often available, so the Bucks would have to be patient with such an approach, and with Parker as the centerpiece, it’s quite possible that Milwaukee can build a contender from within.

Parker doesn’t have the star potential of Andrew Wiggins, the player taken just before him, or even Joel Embiid, the player whom the Sixers drafted immediately after. Parker is also coming off a torn ACL, and Antetokounmpo is still a work in progress. Yet with both on rookie scale contracts for at least two more seasons, the Bucks have an opportunity to chase more expensive talent either now or in the summer of 2016 as part of their quest to become the true title contenders they haven’t really been since the 1980s. The future of the Bucks in Milwaukee is somewhat uncertain as talks about public funding for a new arena proceed against the urgency of an NBA-imposed timetable that demands progress. But the future of the Bucks on the court is such that the team can continue to focus squarely on a promising tomorrow without the need for bold moves this summer.

Cap Footnotes

1 — The Bucks waived Sanders in February and used the stretch provision to spread his remaining guaranteed salary over the next seven seasons.
2 — The cap hold for Dudley would be $8,075,000 if he opts out.
3 — Middleton’s cap hold would be $947,276 if the Bucks decline to tender a qualifying offer.

The Basketball Insiders Salary Pages were used in the creation of this post. Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

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Hoops Rumors Glossary: Non-Bird Rights

May 4th, 2015 at 8:58am CST by Chuck Myron

Players and teams have to meet certain criteria to earn Bird rights and Early Bird rights, but Non-Bird rights are something of a given. They apply to players who’ve spent a single season or less with their teams, as long as they end the season on an NBA roster. Teams can also claim Non-Bird rights on Early Bird free agents if they renounce them. The primary utility in doing so would be so that the team could sign the free agent to a one-year contract, a move that’s not permitted via Early Bird rights.

Teams are permitted to sign their own free agents using the Non-Bird exception for a salary starting at 120% of the player’s previous salary or 120% of the minimum salary, or the amount of a qualifying offer (if the player is a restricted free agent), whichever is greatest. Contracts can be for up to four years, with 4.5% annual raises. The cap hold for a Non-Bird player is 120% of his previous salary, unless the previous salary was the minimum. In that case, the cap hold is equivalent to the two-year veteran’s minimum salary, which in 2015/16 is $947,276.

The salary limitations that apply to Non-Bird rights are more severe than those pertaining to Bird rights or Early Bird rights, so in many cases, the Non-Bird exception isn’t enough to retain a well-regarded free agent. For instance, the Pacers have Non-Bird rights with Rodney Stuckey, who signed a one-year, minimum salary contract with the team in the summer of 2014 after having spent several years with the Pistons. Indiana can only use Non-Bird rights to sign him for 120% of the 2015/16 minimum salary without dipping into cap space or another exception. Stuckey was the third-leading per-game scorer for the Pacers this season, so it’s reasonable to suspect that he’s in line for a heftier raise than his Non-Bird rights can provide.

Non-Bird rights might not be of help to the Pacers and Stuckey, but there are cases in which the exception proves useful. Josh Smith signed a $2.077MM deal for the rest of the season to join the Rockets in December after the Pistons waived him. Houston can offer up to $2,492,400 for 2015/16, 120% of his 2014/15 salary, without using cap space or another exception. Smith will already be raking in more than $5MM from his stretched Pistons contract and he and the Rockets have mutual interest in a new deal. A Non-Bird signing would probably come in below market value for Smith, but the forward would still see a healthy NBA income and allow the Rockets to preserve other mechanisms for adding players in their quest for a title.

Note: This is a Hoops Rumors Glossary entry. Our glossary posts will explain specific rules relating to trades, free agency, or other aspects of the NBA’s Collective Bargaining Agreement. Larry Coon’s Salary Cap FAQ was used in the creation of this post.

Earlier versions of this post appeared on April 20th, 2012, April 26, 2013 and June 16th, 2014.

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Offseason Outlook: Dallas Mavericks

May 3rd, 2015 at 1:59pm CST by Chuck Myron

Guaranteed Contracts

Non-Guaranteed Contracts

Options

Restricted Free Agents/Cap Holds

Unrestricted Free Agents/Cap Holds

Draft Picks

  • 1st Round (21st overall)
  • 2nd Round (52nd overall)

Cap Outlook

  • Guaranteed Salary: $28,064,039
  • Non-Guaranteed Salary: $845,059
  • Options: $13,770,915
  • Cap Holds: $44,655,711
  • Total: $87,335,724

Mavericks owner Mark Cuban undoubtedly didn’t start the season with the thought that it would end with a meek 4-1 series loss to archrival Houston in the first round of the playoffs. Such an ending had seemingly become much less likely when the Mavs traded for Rajon Rondo in December. Instead, Rondo didn’t play like the top-tier point guard he used to be, clashed with coach Rick Carlisle, and came to a mutual agreement with the team to part ways midway through that Rockets series. The most significant move Dallas made this past season could scarcely have turned out more poorly. It wasn’t the true worst-case scenario, since the Mavs made the playoffs and avoided having to forfeit their would-be lottery pick per the terms of the Rondo trade, but times have changed from when it appeared that Cuban would do whatever was necessary to keep the starting lineup together for next season.

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The failure of Rondo to play up to expectations leaves the Mavs at square one in their quest for the high-performing point guard that so many other NBA teams have nowadays. Backup Devin Harris was an All-Star in 2009 and is signed through 2017/18, but his time as an elite point guard was fleeting, and it would be surprising to see the Mavs settle on him as the starter. The free agent market is thin for point guards this summer, with Goran Dragic and Reggie Jackson strong bets to return to the Heat and Pistons, respectively. The Suns will surely be loath to let Brandon Knight go after giving up their protected first-rounder from the Lakers in the trade to acquire him, so it would take a bloated offer sheet for Phoenix to even consider not matching.

Dallas could travel the same route it took with Chandler Parsons last summer and give Knight a deal close to the maximum salary with a player option after year two, one that the Rockets found too player-friendly to match. Paying at or near max money to two players who aren’t truly worthy of those salaries comes with its consequences, though Knight, like Parsons last year, is only eligible for the 25% max, not the 30% or 35% the NBA reserves for longer-tenured veterans. The catapulting salary cap would render such a deal much less burdensome in years two and three, so it’s a strategy to consider. The Mavs also have a chance to evoke Parsons memories if they chase Patrick Beverley, which would entail a bid for a Rockets restricted free agent a second year in a row. There’s mutual interest between Houston and Beverley in a new deal, though again, the Mavs could shoehorn their way into consideration with an offer to overpay him.

Still, there are legitimate questions about whether Beverley or Knight can play the point at an elite level. The trade market might be more fruitful, with Ty Lawson the most obvious candidate. Deron Williams could probably be had, but finding the salaries to match wouldn’t be easy, and Nets coach Lionel Hollins put it bluntly this weekend when he said that Williams isn’t a franchise player anymore. Maybe the Bulls would entertain a Derrick Rose deal if they can’t get past a weakened Cavs team in the playoffs, but his salary and questions about his status as a franchise player are complicating factors, too.

The frontcourt is a different story, and there appears to be a level of mutual interest between the Mavs and both LaMarcus Aldridge and DeAndre Jordan. The most natural fit would be Jordan, who would give the Mavs a chance to upgrade from soon-to-be free agent Tyson Chandler with a younger, more athletic version of Chandler. Aldridge is generally the more well-regarded player, but he plays the same position as franchise icon Dirk Nowitzki, who’s still perhaps the team’s best player. It would be difficult for the Mavs to get by defensively with either Aldridge or Nowitzki at center or small forward, so it’s tough to envision them playing side-by-side for significant stretches. The Mavs, with only about $28MM in guaranteed salary against a projected $67.1MM cap, technically have the wherewithal to sign both, but Raymond Felton is almost certain to opt in for more than $3.95MM, and if Monta Ellis opts in to $8.72MM, the idea of signing two max-level free agents is essentially kaput barring salary-clearing trades. Regardless, signing both Aldridge and Jordan would be overloading the frontcourt at the expense of the guard positions, and it would more than likely require the team to renounce its rights to Ellis if he does opt out.

An Ellis opt-out would present the Mavs with another conundrum. He led the team in scoring but slumped in the second half and shot an atrocious 16.9% from three-point range in regular season games after the All-Star break. He canned 11 of 30 three-point attempts in the playoffs, but outside shooting has never been his calling card. That’s an inauspicious trait for a shooting guard who’ll turn 30 when next season begins, so a long-term deal at market value would be troublesome for the Mavs. Still, Ellis has probably played his way into making eight-figure salaries again after two years of pulling in an average of a little more than $8MM with the Mavs. Even a starting salary of $14.63MM, the most Dallas could give him through his Early Bird rights, wouldn’t impinge upon the Mavs, at least in a vacuum, as long as he agrees to a short-term arrangement. Still, if the team signs a scorer at another position, perhaps Dallas would look harder at lower-cost alternatives at shooting guard, like Arron Afflalo, Lou Williams and Wesley Matthews.

Cuban acknowledged that he erred when he let Chandler go after one season in 2011, but a repeat wouldn’t necessarily be a mistake this time around. The 32-year-old was healthy this year, playing in 75 games, and he delivered the third-best rebounding season of his career while finishing 10th in Basketball-Reference’s Defensive Box Plus Minus among centers who played at least 1,000 minutes. Still, Jordan was fifth in that metric and the league’s leading rebounder, so the chance to upgrade would be difficult for the Mavs to pass up. Chandler probably wouldn’t accept a backup role or the salary that would come with it if Jordan came to take his place. Jordan probably represents the Mavs’ best shot at landing a defensive anchor who’s clearly superior to Chandler, so if the Clippers re-sign their center, the wisdom of re-signing Chandler becomes a matter of his willingness to sign a short-term deal, just as with Ellis.

Felton, whom the Mavs took on in order to reacquire Chandler last summer, and Harris were the only two Mavs reserves who weren’t making the minimum salary at the end of the season. That’ll have to change if the Mavs want to retain the best of their bench, particularly Al-Farouq Aminu, who’s opting out. He and the Mavs have mutual interest in a new deal, but the Celtics intend to wedge their way into the discussion, and other opposing teams will probably follow for the versatile forward who proved an eminently valuable defender. The Mavs only have his Non-Bird rights, and if they open cap space, they’d either have to use a chunk of that or the $2.814MM room exception to re-sign Aminu, the latter of which would probably require the Raymond Brothers client to take a discount from market value.

The same could be said for Amar’e Stoudemire, who still averaged double-digit scoring even in just 16.5 minutes per game down the stretch for Dallas. J.J. Barea has hinted that it won’t be as difficult for the Mavs to re-sign him this time around as when he bolted for a four-year, $18MM deal in 2011, so perhaps Dallas could retain him using Non-Bird rights for a 20% raise on the minimum salary. Charlie Villanueva was a long shot to make this year’s team on a non-guaranteed minimum-salary deal, but he did so and averaged 6.3 PPG in 10.6 MPG, probably enough to warrant a guaranteed minimum salary arrangement this time around, and he’s spoken of a desire to keep working with Carlisle.

The Mavs still haven’t landed the marquee free agent they’ve hoped for ever since breaking up their 2011 championship team, the Parsons signing notwithstanding, and they still haven’t won a playoff series since walking off the floor with the NBA title. Dallas nonetheless has the makings of an attractive destination, with no state income tax, relatively mild winter weather and, most importantly, an existing roster that won 50 games this past season. The ultimate decisions rest with the elite free agents, and not the Mavs, so if they overlook Dallas again, there will be more pressure than ever on Cuban and GM Donnie Nelson to make creative moves to maintain a winning team around the aging Nowitzki.

Cap Footnotes

1 — The Mavs waived Mekel in October and used the stretch provision to spread his guaranteed salary for 2015/16 over a three-year period. The number represented above is the amount owed to Mekel in 2015/16 following the application of the provision.
2 — Powell’s salary becomes fully guaranteed if he remains under contract through opening night.
3 — The cap hold for Ellis would be $11,336,000 if he opts out.
4 — The cap hold for Felton would be $7,505,595 if he opts out.
5 — The cap hold for Aminu would be $947,276 if he opts out.
6 — The cap hold for James would be $947,276 if the Mavericks decline to make a qualifying offer.
7 — The cap hold for Chandler will be the lesser of $22,270,331 and the NBA’s maximum salary for a veteran of 10 or more seasons.

The Basketball Insiders salary pages were used in the creation of this post. Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

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2014/15 D-League Usage Report: Lakers

May 2nd, 2015 at 4:09pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The relationship between the NBA and the D-League continues to grow, and 17 NBA franchises currently have one-to-one D-League affiliates amongst the 18 D-League teams. The remaining 13 NBA teams shared the Fort Wayne Mad Ants this season. We at Hoops Rumors will be recapping each team’s use of the D-League this season, looking at assignments and recalls as well as the players signed out of the D-League. We’ll continue onward with a look back at how the Lakers utilized the D-League during the 2014/15 campaign…

D-League Team: Los Angeles D-Fenders

Affiliation Type: One-to-one

D-League Team Record: 17-33

Number of NBA Players Assigned To D-League: 4

Total D-League Assignments: 9

Player Stats While On Assignment

  • Jordan Clarkson: 5 assignments, 5 games, 22.6 PPG, 5.0 RPG, 7.8 APG. .500/.222/.810.
  • Xavier Henry: 2 assignments, 2 games, 26.0 PPG, 3.0 RPG, 3.0 APG. .455/.500/.895.
  • Tarik Black: 1 assignment, 1 game, 23.0 PPG, 12.0 RPG, 3.0 APG. .643/.500/.833.
  • Ryan Kelly: 1 assignment, 1 game, 30.0 PPG, 4.0 RPG, 2.0 APG. .444/.333/.917.

D-League Signings

Assignment/Recall Log

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Hoops Rumors Weekly Mailbag 4/26/15-5/2/15

May 2nd, 2015 at 2:10pm CST by Eddie Scarito

In addition to our weekly chat, which Chuck Myron facilitates every Wednesday, we have a second 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 me a line at HoopsRumorsMailbag@Gmail.com or @EddieScarito on Twitter. Now for this week’s inquiries:

“If both Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili return to the Spurs next season, what happens to San Antonio’s chances to land a big name free agent like LaMarcus Aldridge?” — Kelly

Well, the short answer is that it doesn’t help those chances one bit financially. But from a recruitment standpoint it would be a nice selling point for Spurs GM R.C. Buford to have in his pocket when he meets with Aldridge and his representatives. The appeal of playing alongside those two veterans, along with young star Kawhi Leonard, sure sounds better than what most teams would be able to sell Aldridge. And that’s on top of playing in his home state of Texas, which also happens to lack a state income tax, which would mean more of Aldridge’s salary would remain in his possession.

As for the numbers involved, the Spurs have roughly $34,159,326 in guaranteed salary on the books for next season already, not counting Leonard’s cap hold, which will be in the ballpark of $7,235,148. With the 2015/16 salary cap expected to be approximately $67MM, some quick math shows that would leave San Antonio around $25,605,526 to work with. If the team were to offer Aldridge a max contract, which is what it would likely take to reel him in, that would eat up roughly $19MM of that amount. While Duncan and Ginobili are both fantastic team-first guys, the idea of them splitting under $7MM of salary for next season seems like a tremendous flight of fancy to me. Of course, Aldridge could elect to take less, or sign a one-year deal to try and cash in on the expected salary cap jump in 2016. But those are extremely unlikely scenarios as well. So, if both veterans return next season, the Spurs probably can’t land Aldridge, or Marc Gasol, who is also reportedly on the team’s wish list this offseason.

“If the Mavs have to choose between signing DeAndre Jordan and Tyson Chandler this offseason, who should they pick?” — Deacon

This is going to be a difficult call for the Mavs this summer. Chandler is a great team guy who seems to love it in Dallas, and he obviously fits in with the franchise’s culture. Not a small consideration in the wake of how poor a fit Rajon Rondo was after being acquired from Boston. But Chandler, 32, is six years older than Jordan, which is a lifetime when looking at NBA big men. Chandler showed he can still be an asset with his play this season, but his best basketball is most assuredly behind him.

Jordan is currently in his prime, and will be coming off a very solid and highly productive campaign for the Clippers. Replacing Chandler with Jordan would certainly be considered an upgrade, both in the short-term, as well as over the life of a four-year contract, which is almost assuredly what Jordan will be seeking this offseason. The Mavs do need to work on getting younger, and adding a talented big man like Jordan would certainly help this process.

The wildcard here is what other moves the Mavs wish to make this offseason. I haven’t seen any reports on what kind of deal Chandler will be seeking this summer just yet. If he is interested in signing a short deal (one or two years), and would accept a paycut from the $14,846,887 he earned in 2014/15, then Chandler may in fact be the better option. If the team could retain Chandler for another season, then have him off its books in time for the summer of 2016, that may be the wiser move. But if both big men were seeking similar contract terms, then youth will always be the wiser choice.

“Now that Kevin Love is done for the year, what is your assessment of the Cavs/Wolves trade? Which team is the winner?”  — Xavier

I don’t know that this trade can be fairly judged after just one season. Love being out of action for four to six months certainly doesn’t help Cleveland’s side of the ledger here. But if the Cavs won the title with Love in the lineup, then things would certainly be judged differently by many. Hanging banners from the rafters always paints risky roster decisions in a more favorable light.

As for the trade, I thought it was a bad move when the Cavs pulled the trigger on it, and I think the same thing today. Love’s injury aside, Cleveland gave up far too much for a player who has never proven that he is more than a stat sheet filler, and who can leave after this season to boot. Andrew Wiggins is a potential superstar, and I think Cavs fans will really begin to feel the sting of what could have been as he continues to improve and develop.

So if I have to crown a winner right now, then I’ll go with the Wolves on this one. They turned an asset (Love) who was almost assuredly going to be lost after this season to free agency, and netted themselves the Rookie of the Year. Wiggins has the potential to carry a franchise for years to come, and he also fits in well with what Flip Saunders is building in Minnesota. It’s hard to find fault on the Wolves’ side of things. However, if Love re-signs with the Cavs and they win a title or two during his tenure, then I’ll reassess my position.

“You’re on record as being a Knicks fan. What is your opinion of Phil Jackson forcing the triangle offense on the team for better or worse?” — Sammy

I take it that you’re not a fan of the system judging from your tone. That makes two of us. The league has changed quite a bit from when the Bulls and Lakers were winning titles and running that particular offense. Players who are entering the league nowadays are as a whole, less disciplined and experienced than in the past, and with the AAU pipeline emphasizing more of a ball-dominating style of offense, there are simply not enough players who can thrive in such a complex, and unselfish system like the triangle.

But I’ve also never been a fan of teams trying to shoehorn players into a particular system instead of designing one around the strengths of their rosters. Admittedly, the 2014/15 campaign isn’t a great case study in how effective the system can be in New York, considering the Knicks’ roster would have struggled to make the D-League playoffs this past season. But I’m not thrilled with the organization’s seemingly stubborn commitment to sticking with the triangle regardless of who is suiting up for the team next season. Time will tell on this one, but I can’t shake the feeling that Jackson will bolt by year three of his five-year deal, and then the team will have to start from scratch once again, rendering this whole triangle experiment pointless.

That’s all the space I have for this week. As always, I appreciate all of the submissions, and please keep them coming! I’ll be back next week with more responses and opinions.

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Hoops Rumors Originals 4/26/15-5/2/15

May 2nd, 2015 at 12:09pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Here’s a look at the original analysis generated by the Hoops Rumors staff this past week…

  • I profiled projected 2015 first-rounder Tyus Jones. You can view all of our Prospect Profiles for the 2015 NBA draft here.
  • As a part of our offseason outlook series Chuck examined where the Pelicans, Raptors, and Celtics stand heading into the summer.
  • Zach Links highlighted some of the better basketball blogs around in his weekly installment of Hoops Links.
  • I ran down how the Nuggets, Warriors, Rockets, Clippers, Pacers and Pistons utilized the NBA D-League this past season.
  • We highlighted some of the best reader comments in Featured Feedback.
  • Zach interviewed 2015 NBA draft prospect Richaun Holmes.
  • In a reader poll, Chuck called for you to vote on whether or not the Pelicans need to make major offseason changes. To which the majority responded that New Orleans indeed requires roster alterations in order to take the next step forward as a franchise.
  • Dana Gauruder examined the free agent stock of Reggie Jackson.
  • Chuck provided a refresher on how Bird Rights and Early Bird Rights work in relation to free agency.
  • Here’s how you can follow specific players on Hoops Rumors.
  • If you missed this week’s chat you can view the full transcript here.
  • Here’s how you can follow Hoops Rumors on Facebook, Twitter, and your RSS feed.
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2014/15 D-League Usage Report: Pacers

May 1st, 2015 at 9:28pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The relationship between the NBA and the D-League continues to grow, and 17 NBA franchises currently have one-to-one D-League affiliates amongst the 18 D-League teams. The remaining 13 NBA teams shared the Fort Wayne Mad Ants this season. We at Hoops Rumors will be recapping each team’s use of the D-League this season, looking at assignments and recalls as well as the players signed out of the D-League. We’ll continue onward with a look back at how the Pacers utilized the D-League during the 2014/15 campaign…

D-League Team: Fort Wayne Mad Ants

Affiliation Type: Shared

D-League Team Record: 28-22

Number of NBA Players Assigned To D-League: 1

Total D-League Assignments: 2

Player Stats While On Assignment

D-League Signings

  • None

Assignment/Recall Log

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Prospect Profile: Tyus Jones

May 1st, 2015 at 7:15pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Tyus Jones‘ decision to leave Duke after a single season is a move that should pay off for the young point guard. The freshman’s stock isn’t likely to rise much higher than it is right now, with Jones having been part of Duke’s National Championship squad this season, as well as being named as the Most Outstanding Player of the 2014/15 NCAA Final Four in the process. With NBA scouts already divided in their opinions of Jones, returning to Durham would have been a big risk for the 18-year-old. His stock could have only fallen by spending another season at the collegiate level, so making the jump to the NBA at this time is firmly in Jones’ best interests.

NCAA Basketball: Final Four-Championship Game-Wisconsin vs DukeJones is quite possibly the best pure point guard in this year’s draft. He possesses remarkable floor vision, is a reliable and consistent performer, and has all of the leadership qualities that a coach could desire from a floor general. But it is Jones’ size, 6’1″, and lack of elite athleticism that have his doubters unconvinced that he can make a successful transition to the NBA.

The point guard is currently ranked as the No. 19 overall prospect by Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress, while Chad Ford of ESPN.com (Insider subscription required) slots Jones 21st amongst his top-100 prospects. If you added another two inches to Jones’ frame, or if he was just a bit faster, then the player would likely be thrust into the discussion when debating the potential top five picks in June’s draft.

“I want to love him [Jones],” one NBA GM told Ford. “He’s really, really good. His feel for the game is tremendous and now that his jump shot is falling, he’s very difficult to guard. I’m just worried that given the size of so many elite point guards in our league and how great so many of them are athletically, whether he can keep up on either end of the floor. That was my concern last year with Tyler Ennis and he was bigger and more athletic. I just don’t know when you take him.”

While his athleticism might not be on par with the upper echelon of point guards in the NBA, Jones has all of the intangibles you could hope for, and also demonstrated that he can perform when the lights are at their brightest. In 39 games with the Blue Devils, Jones averaged 11.8 points, 3.5 rebounds, 5.6 assists, and 1.5 steals in 33.9 minutes per contest. His shooting numbers were .417/.379/.889. In his six NCAA tournament appearances, Jones committed only eight turnovers in total, including just one in his 37 minutes of action versus Wisconsin in the title game.

The 18-year-old possesses outstanding ball-handling skills, and is a dynamic passer who sees the floor and reads defenses incredibly well for a player with his limited experience. The combination of Jones’ floor vision, ball distribution, and his ability to consistently sink jump shots off the dribble make him a handful in pick-and-roll sets, Givony notes. Jones also demonstrated good accuracy from beyond the three-point line, with nearly 38% of his deep balls finding their mark. This is a very important aspect of Jones’ game going forward, since he won’t be able to make a living in the NBA without being able to keep defenders honest with his shooting.

If Jones is to find any success at the next level, he’ll have to continue to improve on his outside game, since he doesn’t have the speed necessary to blow by most NBA guards. The freshman also isn’t especially adept at creating his own shot with any level of consistency. However, this is an area I think the young guard will improve upon as he gains more playing experience. Jones also needs to become more effective when he is able to take it to the rim, having converted just 44% of his shots in the paint while at Duke. Thankfully, Jones is quite adept at creating contact on his drives, and is a sharpshooter from the charity stripe, nailing nearly 89% of his free throws during the 2014/15 campaign.

The young point guard’s lack of explosiveness also impacts him while on defense. To put it bluntly, Jones was not a good defender during his time at Duke. His lack of lateral quickness and strength will certainly be exploited at the NBA level, though with his high basketball IQ, Jones might be able to compensate after a time. What will require immediate adjustment is Jones’ overall defensive intensity and dedication to becoming a ball-stopper. If he hopes to earn regular rotation minutes at the pro level, some serious defensive improvement will be required on Jones’ part.

Despite all of the knocks against his athleticism, Jones is quite simply a winner. One who plays his best ball when the stakes are high and the intensity is at its peak. He is also a player who can make his teammates around him better. Some serious D-League time will be required during his rookie campaign, but for a patient team Jones could be a worthwhile investment. Unless he surprises NBA scouts and executives during his pre-draft workouts, expect Jones to have his name called somewhere in the 17-25 range this June.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

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2014/15 D-League Usage Report: Clippers

May 1st, 2015 at 4:40pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The relationship between the NBA and the D-League continues to grow, and 17 NBA franchises currently have one-to-one D-League affiliates amongst the 18 D-League teams. The remaining 13 NBA teams shared the Fort Wayne Mad Ants this season. We at Hoops Rumors will be recapping each team’s use of the D-League this season, looking at assignments and recalls as well as the players signed out of the D-League. We’ll continue onward with a look back at how the Clippers utilized the D-League during the 2014/15 campaign…

D-League Team: Fort Wayne Mad Ants

Affiliation Type: Shared

D-League Team Record: 28-22

Number of NBA Players Assigned To D-League: 1

Total D-League Assignments: 1

Player Stats While On Assignment

  • C.J. Wilcox: 1 assignment, 5 games, 13.2 PPG, 3.4 RPG, 1.6 APG. .531/.450/.556.

D-League Signings

Assignment/Recall Log

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