Hoops Rumors Originals

2015/16 Salary Commitments: Celtics

March 12th, 2015 at 6:29pm CST by Eddie Scarito

With the NBA trade deadline now passed, teams are focusing on locking down playoff spots or vying for a better chance in the draft lottery. Outside of the players who are added on 10-day deals, or those lucky enough to turn those auditions into long-term contracts, teams’ rosters are relatively set for the remainder of the season.

We at Hoops Rumors are in the process of taking a look ahead at each franchise’s salary cap situation heading into the summer, and the free agent frenzy that occurs every offseason. While the exact amount of the 2015/16 salary cap won’t be announced until July, the cap is projected to come in somewhere around $68MM, with the luxury tax threshold projected at approximately $81MM. This year’s $63.065MM cap represented an increase of 7.7% over 2013/14, which was well above the league’s projected annual increase of 4.5%.

We’ll continue by taking a look at the Celtics’ cap outlook for 2015/16…

Here are the players with guaranteed contracts:

Avery Bradley — $7,730,337
Kelly Olynyk — $2,165,160
Marcus Smart — $3,431,040
Jared Sullinger — $2,269,260
Isaiah Thomas — $6,912,869
Evan Turner — $3,425,510
Gerald Wallace — $10,105,855
James Young — $1,749,840
Tyler Zeller — $2,616,975

Here are the players with non-guaranteed contracts:

Chris Babb — $947,276
Phil Pressey — $947,276

Players with options:

The Celtics’ Cap Summary for 2015/16:

Guaranteed Salary: $40,406,846
Options/Non-Guaranteed Salary: $1,894,552
Total: $42,301,398

The Basketball Insiders salary pages were used in the creation of this post.

2015 NBA Draft Prospect Power Rankings 4.0

March 12th, 2015 at 4:30pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The 2015 NBA draft is a few months away, and the NCAA tournament will play a major part in determining the fates of the 20 players whose names appear on the list below, as well as those who haven’t made the cut just yet. Front offices and scouting departments throughout the NBA are hard at work trying to determine which players they will pin the future of their franchises on, and Hoops Rumors will be doing the same all the way up until June’s draft.

Keep in mind that this list includes both underclassmen and players from overseas, neither of whom are guaranteed to declare for the draft. But just like the NBA scouting departments, we’ll need to be prepared for the possibility that all of these players will be available to hear their names called by commissioner Adam Silver in what will be his second opportunity to be on the stage during the first round.

Here are my current top 20 players in descending order with last month’s ranking in parentheses:

1 (1) Jahlil Okafor-C (Duke/Freshman)

-6’11”, 272 pounds

–DraftExpress Rank: No. 1

–ESPN Rank: No. 1

–Stats: 17.6 PPG, 9.2 RPG, and 1.4 BPG. .668/.000/.524.

Okafor continues to abuse college competition. A true center, he has shown excellent athleticism and remarkable polish on the offensive side of the game. He has an NBA-ready body and will continue to develop into an absolute monster down in the paint. His defense is still a work in progress, which isn’t at all uncommon for a young big. Both Karl-Anthony Towns and D’Angelo Russell continue to gain ground on Okafor, but I still believe it would take a pre-draft injury to unseat the big man from the top spot in this year’s NBA draft.

2 (3) D’Angelo Russell-SG/PG (Ohio State/Freshman)

-6’5″, 176 pounds

-DraftExpress Rank: No. 3

-ESPN Rank: No. 4

-Stats: 19.2 PPG, 5.6 RPG, and 5.2 APG. .459/.422/.748.

No player has improved his draft stock more than Russell since the beginning of the college season. Though he plays shooting guard at Ohio State, NBA scouts are now viewing Russell as an NBA point guard, which will only serve to increase his draft stock further. The lefty has excellent ball-handling skills, and he’s very effective off the dribble, though he needs to improve upon his ability to finish at the rim if he wants to be an effective pro. “There’s so much to love about his game,” one NBA GM told Chad Ford of ESPN.com about Russell. “Even when he has a bad game, it looks like a good one because every time the ball leaves his [hands], it looks like it’s going in. He plays with such great confidence and has a terrific feel. I think he could be a James Harden-type player at the next level. That’s what kind of scorer and playmaker he could be.”

3 (4) Karl-Anthony Towns-PF/C (Kentucky/Freshman)

-7’0″, 250 pounds

–DraftExpress Rank: No. 2

–ESPN Rank: No. 2

–Stats: 9.7 PPG, 6.6 RPG, and 2.4 BPG. .558/.250/.790.

Towns is a player who cannot be judged on his NCAA numbers, thanks to Kentucky’s ridiculous depth. But the big man is all but guaranteed to blow away scouts in his individual pre-draft workouts. There are a number of scouts and GMs who have speculated that Towns will become a superior player to Okafor in a few years, which could place the freshman in the running for the No. 1 overall pick. “You put Towns on any other team in college basketball, maybe with the exception of Duke, and everyone is talking about him as a legitimate player of the year candidate,” one NBA GM told ESPN’s Chad Ford. “His stats, or lack thereof, aren’t an issue of talent, it’s an issue of so much talent on the floor that he can take a back seat.”

4 (3) Emmanuel Mudiay-PG (Guangdong)

-6’5″, 200 pounds

-DraftExpress Rank: No. 4

-ESPN Rank: No. 3

-Stats: 18.9 PPG, 6.6 RPG, and 6.3 APG. .493/.321/.586

Mudiay, despite not having played in months due to an ankle injury, is still considered the most talented guard in the draft, though Russell is changing that conversation with every game he dominates. Not playing college ball didn’t hurt Dante Exum prior to the 2014 draft, and Mudiay is a more NBA-ready prospect than he was, and it wouldn’t be a complete shock for him to go No. 1 overall, depending on the team selecting first and its needs (ie: the Sixers). Mudiay is almost sure to dazzle in his pre-draft workouts, and he’ll definitely be selected in the top five.

5 (6) Willie Cauley-Stein-C (Kentucky/Junior)

-7’0″, 244 pounds

-DraftExpress Rank: No. 7

-ESPN Rank: No. 7

-Stats: 8.9 PPG, 6.4 RPG, and 1.6 BPG. .588/.000/.579.

Cauley-Stein’s decision to return to Kentucky for his junior season is still paying off handsomely for him. He is an absolute defensive monster, and can step into an NBA rotation immediately. The big man is still limited offensively, and that isn’t likely to change anytime soon. I project Cauley-Stein to produce similar numbers to Tyson Chandler, which isn’t a bad thing at all.

6 (5) Stanley Johnson-SF (Arizona/Freshman)

-6’7″, 237 pounds

-DraftExpress Rank: No. 5

-ESPN Rank: No. 10

-Stats: 13.9 PPG, 6.6 RPG, and 1.5 SPG. .449/.353/.735.

Johnson is an absolute man-child with an NBA-ready body and excellent strength. He reminds me a bit of Larry Johnson (no relation), though he is nowhere near as polished on the offensive end as the elder Johnson was coming out of UNLV. What will continue to make Johnson a question mark is his limited outside game, which to his credit, has been steadily improving as the season wears on. His individual workouts will make or break him as a top 10 pick, but I love his aggressiveness, defense, and rebounding. There isn’t a huge separation between Johnson, Justise Winslow and Kelly Oubre right now. Hopefully their play in the NCAA tournament will provide more clarity for their rankings. I gave Johnson the nod because of his consistency and physical prowess.

7 (8) Kristaps Porzingis-PF (Baloncesto Sevilla)

-7’0″, 220 pounds

-DraftExpress Rank: No. 8

-ESPN Rank: No. 5

-Stats: 11.1 PPG, 4.2 RPG, and 1.2 BPG. .538/.424/.730.

Porzingis is a likely top five pick, but I still remain unimpressed with his game. He has excellent athleticism, and is a talented three-point shooter, but Porzingis hasn’t necessarily dominated in European competition yet, which raises all kinds of red flags with me. There have been plenty of European players who have entered the league with high expectations based on their physical skills, only to turn out to be draft busts. Porzingis is a project with an extremely high upside, but I would think twice about taking him in the top five. My first instinct was to rank him outside the top 10, but it’s almost assured that some team will take a gamble on him near the top of the draft. Porzingis is being compared to Nikola Mirotic by some scouts, though I don’t believe he has the same level of polish that the Bulls rookie had at the same age.

8 (7) Justise Winslow-SF (Duke/Freshman)

-6’6″, 221 pounds

-DraftExpress Rank: No. 9

-ESPN Rank: No. 12

-Stats: 12.4 PPG, 5.8 RPG, and 2.0 APG. .479/.398/.598.

Winslow has seemingly recovered from his uninspiring run to end November, and is once again putting up solid numbers and displaying his wide range of skills and fantastic athleticism. His three-point shooting has improved, which was a big question mark in his game entering the season. NBA teams have little use for wings who can’t spread the floor, and if Winslow can keep it up he’ll secure a spot in the top 10 selections.

9 (9) Kevon Looney-PF (UCLA/Freshman)

-6’9″, 220 pounds

-DraftExpress Rank: No. 13

-ESPN Rank: No. 6

-Stats: 12.3 PPG, 9.5 RPG, and 1.0 BPG. .474/.444/.641.

Looney is still rising up the draft boards despite his production tailing off since the first month of the season. The freshman is a bit of a tweener, similar to Aaron Gordon a year ago in that respect, but has a far more polished offensive game than Gordon did at Arizona last season. I’ve continued to be impressed with his ball-handling and passing, and both are skills that will translate well to the pros. Looney probably won’t crack the top five selections, but if that is the case, whichever team he falls to could be getting a steal.

10 (13) Mario Hezonja-SG (Barcelona Regal)

-6’7″, 200 pounds

-DraftExpress Rank: No. 6

-ESPN Rank: No. 8

-Stats: 8.6 PPG, 2.0 RPG, and 1.3 APG. .484/.414/.762.

Hezonja is a projected lottery pick, but I’m not sold on his long-term future in the NBA. He’s a possible draft-and-stash pick, which could benefit him since he needs quite a bit more development before making the jump to the NBA. Hezonja is very athletic and can light it up from the outside when he’s “on,” but he’s a poor defender, which doesn’t help his value. He also isn’t putting up eye-catching numbers overseas, which doesn’t bode well for his NBA fortunes. There have also been some red flags raised about his attitude, ability to accept coaching, and overall maturity. These concerns could serve to lower Hezonja’s draft stock around the league.

11 (10) Myles Turner-C (Texas/Freshman)

-6’11”, 242 pounds

-DraftExpress Rank: No. 10

-ESPN Rank: No. 9

-Stats: 10.6 PPG, 6.6 RPG, and 2.8 BPG. .460/.267/.839.

Turner is a project, but he’s one who could pay dividends for a patient team. He’s a good scorer with range out to the three-point line, but he lacks aggressiveness. Turner is a solid shot blocker, but he needs to improve as a rebounder if he wants to be more than just a rotation player in the NBA. There are also some legitimate concerns regarding his knees due to his odd way of running. Big men tend to break down faster than players at other positions, so long-term health is a definite concern with Turner. The big man’s production has declined steadily since the beginning of the season, but Turner’s upside is too high for him to slide too far down the draft boards.

12 (11) Kelly Oubre-SF (Kansas/Freshman)

-6’6″, 204 pounds

-DraftExpress Rank: No. 11

-ESPN Rank: No. 11

-Stats: 9.0 PPG, 5.1 RPG, and 0.8 APG. .451/.373/.683.

Oubre’s draft stock had taken a hit since the beginning of the season when he looked lost during the limited playing time he was receiving. The swingman has shown significant growth since the beginning of the season, averaging 13.3 points over his last four contests. The freshman is still maddeningly inconsistent, and disappears on the floor far too often for my tastes. Oubre needs quite a bit of polish, and would greatly benefit from another year in school, but that scenario is highly unlikely.

13 (12) Devin Booker-SG (Kentucky/Freshman)

-6’6″, 195 pounds

-DraftExpress Rank: No. 15

-ESPN Rank: No. 13

-Stats: 10.9 PPG, 1.8 RPG, and 1.3 APG. .477/.436/.817.

Booker has certainly come on since the beginning of the season, and he made a name for himself during conference play for Kentucky. He is by far one of the best shooters in the entire draft, which will certainly raise his stock and draft position should he decide to leave school after just one season. Booker isn’t a freakish athlete though, which makes him more of a one-dimensional threat. But with the NBA placing a premium on players who can stretch the floor, that shouldn’t prevent Booker from possibly sneaking into the lottery. The fact that he’s the Wildcats’ best, and possibly only, reliable deep threat, should make the NCAA tournament a great showcase for the young swingman.

14 (17) Jerian Grant-PG (Notre Dame/Senior)

-6’5″, 185 pounds

-DraftExpress Rank: No. 14

-ESPN Rank: No. 21

-Stats: 16.8 PPG, 2.9 RPG, and 6.7 APG. .494/.331/.754.

Grant is having himself a heck of a season, and may just be the best point guard in college basketball right now. His age may work against him a bit in the draft, such is the NBA world we live in nowadays. But his combination of size, skill, and leadership makes him a solid mid first round selection. Grant needs to improve on his jump shot consistency, and despite his 16.8 PPG average, is more of a pass-first point man at heart. He’ll definitely need to bulk up to be able to guard NBA guards, but whichever team nabs him in June will be getting a very solid player.

15 (15) Bobby Portis-PF (Arkansas/Sophomore)

-6’11″, 242 pounds

-DraftExpress Rank: No. 16

-ESPN Rank: No. 14

-Stats: 17.8 PPG, 8.7 RPG, and 1.5 BPG. .563/.423/.748.

Portis has emerged as a potential mid first round pick since the beginning of the season. He’s really been pouring it on lately, having averaged 20.5 PPG over his last four appearances. The big man isn’t an elite athlete, but he’s good enough to have a solid NBA career if he improves his defense and footwork in the post. Portis prefers to launch jump shots rather than mix-it-up in the paint, but with the NBA falling in love with stretch fours, this isn’t necessarily the negative it used to be when profiling big men. I’ve become more enamored with him as a player lately, and as a mid first-rounder he’ll be a good value pick, though he’ll need D-League seasoning before he’ll be ready to step into an NBA rotation.

16 (14) Montrezl Harrell-PF (Louisville/Junior)

-6’8″, 243 pounds

-DraftExpress Rank: No. 17

-ESPN Rank: No. 19

-Stats: 15.8 PPG, 9.4 RPG, and 1.3 APG. .573/.243/.585.

It was surprising to see Harrell return to Louisville for his junior season, but the move will likely reward him with a higher draft selection than he would have garnered in 2014. There’s a lot to like about Harrell’s game, but he bears the dreaded tweener tag. He’s neither a true power forward nor a classic small forward. He can score from almost anywhere on the floor and has a high motor. He’s also a very good rebounder and a physical defender. But Harrell lacks a defined NBA position (ie: Derrick Williams and Thomas Robinson), which could end up lowering his draft stock as well as his ceiling as a player.

17 (19) Frank Kaminsky-C (Wisconsin/Senior)

-7’0″, 242 pounds

-DraftExpress Rank: No. 12

-ESPN Rank: No. 15

-Stats: 18.4 PPG, 8.1 RPG, and 1.6 BPG. .559/.410/.752.

Kaminsky isn’t likely to become a star in the NBA, nor even an effective starter. But he’ll be able to contribute on the offensive end immediately for whichever team selects him. Kaminsky reminds me quite a bit of the Celtics’ Kelly Olynyk offensively, which isn’t a bad thing at all. Unfortunately, he also shares Olynyk’s weaknesses as a rebounder and defender. As a mid first-rounder, Kaminsky will be a solid pick, though he will have a limited ceiling thanks to his athletic shortcomings. The big man has really been pouring it on lately, logging 23.5 points per game over his last five appearances.

18 (16) Jakob Poeltl-C (Utah/Freshman)

-7’0″, 230 pounds

-DraftExpress Rank: No. 19

-ESPN Rank: No. 20

-Stats: 8.6 PPG, 6.9 RPG, and 1.8 BPG. .689/.000/.417.

Poeltl has cooled off a bit after a strong start to the season, though he did drop 18 points on Washington last Saturday. The Austrian is a good defender, can rebound very well, and has a fluid and effective mid range game. His stats aren’t eye-popping, but bigs with his combination of size, skill, and athleticism will always have a place in the NBA. Poeltl definitely needs to hit the weight room if he hopes to survive in the NBA paint area, but that could be said of the majority of big men turning pro. His post game also needs quite a bit of work, but don’t be surprised if he ends up becoming a top 20 pick. However, teams may need to wait another season before getting a chance to draft Poeltl. Ford previously noted that Poeltl was leaning towards returning to school for his sophomore season, but the lure of the NBA can be a strong deterrent toward continuing one’s collegiate career.

19 (18) R.J. Hunter-SG (Georgia State/Junior)

-6’5″, 185 pounds

-DraftExpress Rank: No. 27

-ESPN Rank: No. 18

-Stats: 19.7 PPG, 4.8 RPG, and 3.8 APG. .396/.305/.872.

Hunter has cooled off a bit, but I’m not ready to give up on him just yet. I really like Hunter’s game and his potential, and he strikes me as a player who will make a better pro than college player. Hunter’s not an elite athlete, which could limit his potential somewhat. He’s a very good passer, but his ball-handling needs work for him to be an effective pro. Hunter will also have difficulty guarding the quicker twos in the NBA, but he has the ability to be a valuable contributor as a sixth man. Hunter is one of the players most likely to surprise on draft night with how high he is taken.

20 (20) Tyus Jones-PG (Duke/Freshman)

-6’1″, 184 pounds

-DraftExpress Rank: No. 26

-ESPN Rank: No. 25

-Stats: 11.8 PPG, 3.7 RPG, and 5.7 APG. .424/.400/.882.

The 18-year-old Jones has shown remarkable poise as a freshman, and he reminds me quite a bit of Tyler Ennis, another player I was extremely high on heading into the 2014 draft. Jones lacks elite athleticism, needs to work on his outside shot, and won’t be ready to play significant minutes his rookie season. But his court vision and basketball IQ will make him a valuable rotation piece in a couple of seasons. Jones’ turnover rate has increased significantly since conference play began, but he has still displayed remarkable on court leadership for a freshman. Jones is the type of player whose value doesn’t always show up in the box score, and he is overshadowed by Okafor and Winslow on a talented Duke squad. But this kid has the potential to be an effective pro, and a mid first round gem for a patient team.

Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Midseason Signees On Multiyear Contracts

March 12th, 2015 at 1:51pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Pistons are reportedly set to make Quincy Miller one of more than a dozen players who’ve signed contracts since the start of the season that last beyond season’s end. Agent Jared Karnes secured a partial guarantee on next year’s salary for Miller, but many who travel his path are not so lucky. Quite often, multiyear deals favor teams, because they afford them the chance to keep the player into the offseason without any guarantee that they’ll pay him beyond the first season of the contract. It’s the case for the majority of the players who signed multiyear deals after the start of this season.

That made it easy for the teams who’ve parted with midseason signees on multiyear deals even before year one reached its conclusion. The Sixers made this maneuver four times this year, in part because GM Sam Hinkie employs a strategy of signing marginal players to long-term deals using the team’s cap space to secure their rights, even if there’s little chance those contracts will run to term. Even teams without cap space can use the minimum-salary exception to sign players to two-year deals, and that’s been a boon for the Heat, who tacked an extra year at the minimum salary onto Hassan Whiteside‘s deal.

Here’s a look at each midseason signee who’s on a multiyear deal:

Quincy Miller, Pistons — His two-year deal is partially guaranteed for next season.
JaMychal Green, Grizzlies — His three-year deal worth nearly $1.96MM is partially guaranteed for $150K next season and non-guaranteed for the third season. The third year becomes partially guaranteed for $200K if he remains under contract through July 11th, 2016, and that partial guarantee escalates to a full guarantee if he remains under contract through New Year’s Day, 2017.
Reggie Williams, Spurs — His two-year minimum-salary deal is non-guaranteed for next season.
Lorenzo Brown, Timberwolves — His two-year minimum-salary deal is non-guaranteed for next season.
Hassan Whiteside, Heat — His two-year minimum-salary deal is non-guaranteed for next season.
James McAdoo, Warriors — His two-year minimum-salary deal is partially guaranteed for $100K next season.
Joffrey Lauvergne, Nuggets — His three-year deal worth nearly $5.21MM is fully guaranteed for next season and non-guaranteed for the third year.
Tyler Johnson, Heat — His two-year minimum-salary deal is non-guaranteed for next season, unless he remains under contract through August 1st, in which case the salary will be 50% guaranteed.
Langston Galloway, Knicks — His two-year minimum-salary deal is non-guaranteed for next season, unless he remains under contract through July 1st, in which case the salary will be partially guaranteed for $220K. That partial guarantee jumps to $440K if he remains under contract through September 15th.
Elijah Millsap, Jazz — His three-year deal worth more than $2.067MM is non-guaranteed beyond this season.
Furkan Aldemir, Sixers — His four-year deal worth nearly $11.421MM is non-guaranteed beyond next season. The third year becomes partially guaranteed for $1.4MM if he remains under contract through August 5th, and the same is true of the fourth year.
Darius Morris, Nets — His two-year minimum salary deal is non-guaranteed for next season, unless he remains under contract through July 1st, in which case the salary will be partially guaranteed for $25K.
Robert Covington, Sixers — His four-year deal worth more than $4.103MM is non-guaranteed beyond this season. The final year is also a team option.

The following players signed multiyear deals during the season, but they’ve already been waived:

Malcolm Thomas, Sixers — His four-year deal for about $4.1MM was non-guaranteed beyond this season.
Ronald Roberts Jr., Sixers — His four-year deal for about $3.3MM was non-guaranteed beyond this season.
Patrick Christopher, Jazz — His two-year, minimum salary deal was non-guaranteed beyond this season.
Malcolm Lee, Sixers — His four-year deal for about $4MM was non-guaranteed beyond this season.
Gal Mekel, Pelicans — His two-year, minimum salary deal was non-guaranteed beyond this season.
Drew Gordon, Sixers — His four-year deal for about $3.3MM was non-guaranteed beyond this season.
Will Cherry, Cavaliers — His two-year, minimum salary deal was non-guaranteed beyond this season.

The Basketball Insiders salary pages were used in the creation of this post.

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Hoops Rumors Originals

2015/16 Salary Commitments: Hawks

March 11th, 2015 at 7:11pm CST by Eddie Scarito

We’ll begin by taking a look at the Hawks’ cap outlook for 2015/16…

Here are the players with guaranteed contracts:

Al Horford — $12MM
Kent Bazemore — $2MM
Kyle Korver — $5,746,479
Shelvin Mack — $2,433,333
Dennis Schröder — $1,763,400
Mike Scott — $3,333,333
Thabo Sefolosha — $4MM
Jeff Teague — $8MM

Here are the players with non-guaranteed contracts:

Mike Muscala — $947,276

Players with options:

The Hawks’ Cap Summary for 2015/16:

Guaranteed Salary: $39,276,545
Options/Non-Guaranteed Salary: $947,276
Total: $40,223,821

The Basketball Insiders salary pages were used in the creation of this post.

2016/17 Cap Commitments For Each NBA Team

March 11th, 2015 at 5:11pm CST by Chuck Myron

A salary cap of around $90MM for the 2016/17 season has seemed like an inevitability since last month, when the players union rejected the league’s proposal to gradually phase in the effect of the league’s $24 billion TV deal. Today’s news that the league and the union couldn’t agree on any “cap smoothing” measure after revisiting the issue is further confirmation that the cap will spike drastically after next season. That means every team has enough flexibility, or nearly enough, to sign at least one free agent to a maximum-salary contract that summer. The max salaries will escalate, too, since they’re tied to a percentage of the cap, but that the Wizards and Clippers are the only teams with enough salary commitments for 2016/17 to come close to squeezing themselves out of the chance to clear max-level space.

The Trail Blazers and Sixers are on the opposite end. Neither team has any guaranteed salary on the books for that season, though the Blazers will be sorely disappointed if that doesn’t change by this summer, with LaMarcus Aldridge, Wesley Matthews and Robin Lopez all set for free agency. Philadelphia, too, will no doubt add to its 2016/17 ledger when it picks up rookie scale team options for Joel Embiid and Nerlens Noel, though the Sixers are probably better positioned for a spending spree than any other team. Of course, that assumes that they’ll have the ability and willingness by the summer of 2016 to convince desirable free agents that their radical rebuilding will have hit a turning point.

Brooklyn and Dallas have the next fewest dollars committed, though each of those teams must contend with more than $20MM in player options. The Bucks and Lakers follow as the only teams other than the Sixers and Blazers to have no player options and fewer than $10MM in commitments for 2016/17.

No team has more than four fully guaranteed contracts for that season, meaning none of them could strip their payrolls quite as bare as the numbers below indicate. For instance, if the Lakers were to renounce the rights to every player on their roster except Nick Young, who holds the team’s lone fully guaranteed 2015/16 salary, they’d incur roster charges for all but one open spot on their roster underneath the regular season roster minimum of 13. That means the Lakers would be hit with 11 roster charges worth the rookie minimum salary, which is $543,471 for that season. That would add close to $6MM to L.A.’s books, giving the team a total of roughly $11.4MM that it couldn’t use to sign free agents.

Of course, these figures will surely change quite a bit between now and the summer of 2016, and a great deal of those alterations will take place in the offseason ahead. Teams have already demonstrated that they’ve become cautious about handing out guaranteed contracts that run beyond next season, and that will surely be the case in the summer ahead for all but the top free agent talent. Just how willing teams are to spend on deals that cover 2016/17, and whom they’re willing to give up flexibility for, will be key questions in the 2015 offseason.

For now, here’s a look at every team’s salary commitments for 2016/17, ranked in descending order of money on the books, along with the number of fully guaranteed contracts for each club. The list also makes note of player options.

Sixers: $0
Trail Blazers: $0
Nets: $4.073MM (plus a $22.331MM player option for Deron Williams), 1 guaranteed deal
Mavericks: $4.544MM (plus a $16.023MM player option for Chandler Parsons and a $8.692MM player option for Dirk Nowitzki), 1 guaranteed deal
Bucks: $4.753MM, 0 guaranteed deals
Lakers: $5.444MM, 1 guaranteed deal
Hornets: $12MM, 1 guaranteed deal
Pistons: $12.392MM, 1 guaranteed deal
Celtics: $14.857MM, 2 guaranteed deals
Hawks: $17.089MM, 3 guaranteed deals
Grizzlies: $18.03MM, 2 guaranteed deals
Raptors: $18.05MM, 2 guaranteed deals
Magic: $19.557MM, 2 guaranteed deals
Pelicans: $25.108MM, 3 guaranteed deals
Nuggets: $25.292MM, 2 guaranteed deals
Timberwolves: $25.5MM (plus a $7.378MM player option for Kevin Martin), 2 guaranteed deals
Rockets: $25.571MM (plus a $23.282MM player option for Dwight Howard), 3 guaranteed deals
Cavaliers: $26.407MM, 1 guaranteed deal
Suns: $28.303MM, 3 guaranteed deals
Wizards: $28.958MM, 2 guaranteed deals
Spurs: $29.274MM, 3 guaranteed deals
Heat: $29.524MM, 2 guaranteed deals
Pacers: $30.898MM, 3 guaranteed deals
Knicks: $32.268MM, 2 guaranteed deals
Thunder: $33.869MM, 3 guaranteed deals
Bulls: $36.056MM (plus a $7.77MM player option for Pau Gasol), 3 guaranteed deals
Jazz: $37.278MM, 3 guaranteed deals
Kings: $45.594MM, 4 guaranteed deals
Warriors: $53.934MM, 4 guaranteed deals
Clippers: $57.631MM, 4 guaranteed deals

The Basketball Insiders salary pages were used in the creation of this post.

Categories:
Hoops Rumors Originals

Camp Cuts Currently On NBA Rosters

March 11th, 2015 at 2:15pm CST by Chuck Myron

When Seth Curry signed his 10-day contract with the Suns today, he became a member of a not-so-exclusive club. Players that teams let go at the end of the preseason to trim to the 15-man regular season roster limit are usually lightly regarded, but Curry is now one of 23 camp cuts currently occupying a place on an NBA roster. That means approximately 15% of camp invitees who didn’t make it to opening night have made their way back to the league. The percentage would be even higher if we included those who appeared on regular season rosters earlier this season but are no longer in the Association.

That total of 23 also doesn’t count either Jordan Hamilton or Chris Johnson, since both were waived in advance of opening night but claimed off waivers by other teams. Many of the 23 are on 10-day contracts, while others have already established themselves as fixtures for the team. There’s no name more prominent among them than Hassan Whiteside, who slipped through the hands of the Grizzlies at the end of the preseason and again in November before the Heat snapped him up. Michael Beasley is another Grizzlies camp refugee who’s now with the Heat, hoping his second 10-day contract will lead to a deal for the rest of the season and a Whiteside-like breakthrough.

Here’s the complete list of 23, with details on how they went from camp cuts to regular season players:

Seth Curry — Cut from the Magic on October 25th; signed a 10-day contract with the Suns on March 11th.
Jabari Brown — Cut from the Lakers on October 25th; re-signed with Lakers on March 10th.
Michael Beasley — Cut from the Grizzlies on October 9th; signed the first of a pair of 10-day contracts with the Heat on February 26th.
Jerrelle Benimon — Cut from the Nuggets on October 27th; signed a 10-day contract with the Jazz on March 6th.
Bryce Cotton — Cut from the Spurs on October 23rd; signed the first of a pair of 10-day contracts with the Jazz on February 24th.
Jarell Eddie — Cut from the Celtics on October 27th; signed a 10-day contract with the Hawks on March 5th.
Elliot Williams — Cut from the Sixers on October 27th; signed the first of a pair of 10-day contracts with the Jazz on January 7th; signed a 10-day contract with the Hornets on February 4th; signed a 10-day contract with the Pelicans on March 4th.
Earl Barron — Cut from the Suns on October 25th; re-signed with the Suns on the first of a pair of 10-day contracts on February 21st.
Bernard James — Cut from the Mavericks on October 25th; re-signed with the Mavs on February 11th to the first of a pair of 10-day contracts that led to a deal for the rest of the season.
Quincy Miller — Cut from the Nuggets on October 27th; signed the first of a pair of 10-day contracts with the Kings on January 17th; signed the first of a pair of 10-day contracts with the Pistons on February 21st.
JaMychal Green — Cut from the Spurs on October 25th; re-signed with the Spurs on a 10-day contract on January 18th; signed with the Grizzlies on February 2nd to the first of a pair of 10-day contracts that led to a multiyear deal.
John Lucas III — Cut from the Wizards on October 25th; signed with the Pistons on February 2nd to the first of a pair of 10-day contracts that led to a deal for the rest of the season.
Reggie Williams — Cut from the Heat on October 13th; signed with the Spurs on January 28th to the first of a pair of 10-day contracts that led to a deal for the rest of the season.
James McAdoo — Cut from the Warriors on October 25th; re-signed with the Warriors on January 19th to the first of a pair of 10-day contracts that led to a deal for the rest of the season.
Tyler Johnson — Cut from the Heat on October 25th; re-signed with the Heat on January 12th to the first of a pair of 10-day contracts that led to a deal for the rest of the season.
Dahntay Jones — Cut from the Jazz on October 22nd; signed with the Clippers on January 14th to the first of a pair of 10-day contracts that led to a deal for the rest of the season.
Langston Galloway — Cut from the Knicks on October 25th; re-signed with the Knicks on January 7th to the first of a pair of 10-day contracts that led to a deal for the rest of the season.
Elijah Millsap — Cut from the Bucks on October 16th; re-signed with the Jazz on January 5th to the first of a pair of 10-day contracts that led to a deal for the rest of the season.
Darius Morris — Cut from the Trail Blazers on October 25th; signed with Nets on December 11th.
Hassan Whiteside — Cut from the Grizzlies on October 22nd; re-signed with the Grizzlies on November 19th; waived by the Grizzlies on November 20th; signed with the Heat on November 24th,
Robert Covington — Cut from the Rockets on October 27th; signed with the Sixers on November 15th.
Ish Smith — Cut from the Rockets on October 27th; signed with the Thunder on November 7th; traded on February 19th to the Pelicans, who immediately waived him; claimed off waivers by the Sixers on February 21st.
J.J. Barea — Cut from the Timberwolves on October 27th; signed with the Mavericks on October 29th.

Categories:
Hoops Rumors Originals

Team Facebook/Twitter/RSS

March 11th, 2015 at 1:26pm CST by Chuck Myron

If you want to keep tabs on all the stories and updates at Hoops Rumors, you can follow us on Twitter, like us on Facebook, or subscribe to our feed through your RSS reader of choice. If you prefer to receive only news about your favorite NBA team, we still have you covered. You can even get updates only when teams make a move with our Transactions-only Twitter and RSS feed. Below are links to our Facebook, Twitter, and RSS pages and feeds for all 30 teams.

Atlantic

76ers: Facebook / Twitter / RSS
Celtics: Facebook / Twitter / RSS
Knicks: Facebook / Twitter / RSS
Nets: Facebook / Twitter / RSS
Raptors: Facebook / Twitter / RSS

Central

Bucks: Facebook / Twitter / RSS
Bulls: Facebook / Twitter / RSS
Cavaliers: Facebook / Twitter / RSS
Pacers: Facebook / Twitter / RSS
Pistons: Facebook / Twitter / RSS

Southeast

Hawks: Facebook / Twitter / RSS
Heat: Facebook / Twitter / RSS
Hornets: Facebook / Twitter / RSS
Magic: Facebook / Twitter / RSS
Wizards: Facebook / Twitter / RSS

Southwest

Grizzlies: Facebook / Twitter / RSS
Mavericks: Facebook / Twitter / RSS
Pelicans: Facebook / Twitter / RSS
Rockets: Facebook / Twitter / RSS
Spurs: Facebook / Twitter / RSS

Northwest

Jazz: Facebook / Twitter / RSS
Nuggets: Facebook / Twitter / RSS
Thunder: Facebook / Twitter / RSS
Timberwolves: Facebook / Twitter / RSS
Trail Blazers: Facebook / Twitter / RSS

Pacific

Clippers: Facebook / Twitter / RSS
Kings: Facebook / Twitter / RSS
Lakers: Facebook / Twitter / RSS
Suns: Facebook / Twitter / RSS
Warriors: Facebook / Twitter / RSS

Transactions only: Twitter / RSS

Categories:
Hoops Rumors Originals

All Disabled Player Exceptions Expire

March 11th, 2015 at 8:50am CST by Chuck Myron

Tuesday was the final day that teams could use disabled player exceptions, meaning a combined total of nearly $14.307MM in salary cap flexibility has gone by the wayside. The NBA granted the relief to the Pacers, Lakers, Heat and Cavaliers this season, but only the Cavs put their disabled player exception to use. The Lakers forfeited the most flexibility Tuesday, watching two exceptions worth a total of more than $6.349MM disappear.

Coincidentally, the Lakers used another injury-related provision Tuesday, signing Jabari Brown to a 10-day contract via hardship, which allowed the team to add Brown to the roster without dropping another player even though L.A. was already carrying 15 players. The hardship provision only gives teams an extra roster spot, however. It doesn’t allow them any grace as it relates to the salary cap. That’s what disabled player exceptions are for. They allow teams that are already above the salary cap a means to add players for more than the minimum, up to the value of the exception. That same amount can be used to claim a player off waivers, and teams may trade for a player who makes the value of the exception plus $100K.

But, there are a couple of stipulations that help explain why so many disabled player exceptions went unused. They can’t go toward any player whose contract runs beyond this season. So, teams with disabled player exceptions can’t sign anyone to a multiyear deal or claim or trade for a player who isn’t on an expiring contract. Also, the exception doesn’t absolve a team of any luxury tax burden it might incur if using the exception would take it over the tax threshold. That’s probably why the Heat and the Pacers, both of whom would cross the tax line if they used the full amounts of their exceptions, decided to stand pat.

Unlike other exceptions, the disabled player exception may only be used on one player. So, even though the Cavs used only a partial amount of their $4,852,273 exception to trade for Iman Shumpert‘s $2,616,975 salary, they weren’t allowed to spend the rest on another player, meaning the exception disappeared as soon as Cleveland put it to use.

For more detail on disabled player exceptions, including information on how their values are determined, check out our Hoops Rumors Glossary entry. Here’s a look at this season’s exceptions and the ones that expired at the end of Tuesday.

Pacers: granted to offset the injury to Paul George — ($5,305,000) EXPIRED UNUSED
Cavaliers: granted to offset the injury to Anderson Varejao — ($4,852,273) USED: Iman Shumpert
Lakers: granted to offset the injury to Steve Nash — ($4,850,500) EXPIRED UNUSED
Heat: granted to offset the injury to Josh McRoberts — ($2,652,500) EXPIRED UNUSED
Lakers: granted to offset the injury to Julius Randle — ($1,498,680) EXPIRED UNUSED

Categories:
Hoops Rumors Originals

Poll: Should The Raptors Target Canadians?

March 10th, 2015 at 8:59pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Raptors GM Masai Ujiri indicated that one of the franchise’s priorities is to add a Canadian player to its roster. There are currently 10 Canadian players in the NBA, and they are responsible for $30,511,748 in cap hits, or an average salary of $3,051,175 for the 2014/15 campaign. Ujiri, who’s in the second year of a five-year contract, promised that the team will have a Canadian player even if he doesn’t have a long tenure in charge of the Raptors.

“We are studying it. I even considered last year hiring somebody to concentrate just on Canadian players and I think I’m going to go through with it because the growth of the game here is so big,” Ujiri said. “It’s the fit. We can maybe take our time and study it a little bit so it is the right fit and not do it just to do it. It’s going to come, there is no doubt in my mind. It’s an obligation that I think we have to fulfil. We are a Canadian team and I think to have Canadian players, I think will be phenomenal.”

It’s understandable that the Raptors would like to add an element of national pride to their roster. Having a Canadian to cheer for certainly couldn’t hurt ticket and merchandise sales, but unless the player added something tangible to the team, the idea isn’t necessarily a wise one given how precious each roster spot has become in this day and age. As far as the players are concerned, one advantage that the team would have in luring Canadian free agents or retaining a Canadian player obtained via a trade is that those players would already be accustomed to Canada’s higher tax rate, something that can be a hindrance when competing dollar-for-dollar for NBA talent with U.S. based teams. Though, representing one’s country on the hardwood on a nightly basis could prove to be a daunting task. A player would need to weigh the added pressure and attention versus the desire to play for his country’s only NBA squad.

What do you readers say? Is it a smart idea for the Raptors to target Canadian players? Cast your vote below and feel free to take to the comments section to expand on the topic.

Should The Raptors Prioritize Signing Canadian Players?

No. Just sign players who can help the team win regardless of where they are from. 62.44% (384 votes)

Yes. National pride is an important aspect of team building. 37.56% (231 votes)

Total Votes: 615

NBA Teams With 16 Players In 2014/15

March 10th, 2015 at 3:58pm CST by Chuck Myron

The NBA’s hardship rule was little-known and little used when the season began, but the ability for teams to exceed the 15-man roster limit during the regular season has come into play more frequently in 2014/15. Multiple teams have also used the league’s suspended list to add a 16th player to their rosters. The Lakers became the sixth team to carry 16 players during the 2014/15 regular season when they signed Jabari Brown to a 10-day contract today. Here’s a look back at the five other instances in which teams carried 16 men this season:

Indiana signed A.J. Price on November 6th into the 16th roster spot created through the league’s injury hardship provision. The team’s initial plan was reportedly to sign Gal Mekel instead, but visa issues tripped up that would-be deal. Mekel’s visa might have been ready by the 7th, but teams only have two days to use the hardship provision once the NBA grants it, so Indiana wasn’t in position to wait. The Pacers waived Price to get back down to 15 players on November 28th, and the Cavs claimed him off waivers. Cleveland ultimately let go of Price on January 7th.
The Thunder used the injury hardship provision to sign Ish Smith on November 7th. They kept Smith as a 16th man until November 26th, when they elected to waive Sebastian Telfair and hang on to Smith even as they cut back down to 15 players. Oklahoma City finally parted ways with Smith at the trade deadline, sending him to the Pelicans, who promptly waived him. The Sixers claimed him off waivers and still have him on the roster, so a contract that was supposed to be a temporary arrangement persists.
The Grizzlies were an odd candidate to go up to 16 players on November 19th, since they were carrying only 14 players. However, a stomach virus befell several Memphis players, leaving the team shorthanded. The injury hardship exception would have required that the team have four players who’d already missed multiple games, but that wasn’t the case for the Grizzlies. Instead, they used the league’s 20-game suspension of Nick Calathes to place him on the suspended list and sign both Kalin Lucas and Hassan Whiteside to boost their roster to 16 players. They waived Lucas and Whiteside the next day to return to 14 players, though they probably would have been better served keeping Whiteside as a 15th man, since he went on to sign with the Heat and enjoy a breakout campaign.
Jeff Adrien became the 16th member of the Timberwolves when he signed with the team on November 29th thanks to the injury hardship provision. Minnesota reduced its roster to 15 players when it completed the unbalanced Corey Brewer trade on December 19th. Adrien stayed on as one of 15 players until the Wolves released him on January 7th.
The Sixers traded for Andrei Kirilenko on December 11th, but he never reported to the team. Philadelphia quietly exercised its right to suspend him for failing to do so, a move that wasn’t discovered until the team traded for Jared Cunningham on January 7th without giving up a player in the move. The Sixers quickly released Cunningham, but they had 15 players on the roster before he arrived, so they took advantage of the ability to place Kirilenko on the suspended list to squeeze Cunningham onto the team as a 16th player, even if only temporarily. They went back up to 16 players thanks to Kirilenko’s suspension when they signed Larry Drew II to a pair of 10-day contracts in late January and once more when they added Tim Frazier on the first of his pair of 10-day deals after Drew’s second 10-day pact expired. They stayed at 16 players through the trade deadline before waiving Kirilenko to return to 15 players on February 21st. They released Frazier from his 10-day deal early to claim Thomas Robinson off waivers on February 24th.
A suspension for Larry Sanders allowed the Bucks to add Jorge Gutierrez as a 16th man when they signed him to a 10-day contract in January. The NBA stipulated that the Sanders suspension would last at least 10 games, but they left the maximum length open-ended, leaving some uncertainty about whether the team would be able to re-sign Gutierrez when his contract came to an end. The 10th game of Sanders’ suspension coincided with the final day of Gutierrez’s deal. However, the Bucks evidently received the clarity they were seeking, and they re-signed Gutierrez to another 10-day contract shortly thereafter. Sanders’ suspension ended after 12 games, and Milwaukee didn’t sign Gutierrez to a deal for the rest of the season, bringing a close to the 16-man roster dynamic before the Bucks ultimately released Sanders in a buyout deal.

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