Hoops Rumors Featured Feedback
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Yesterday, the Heat signed Hassan Whiteside and waived Shannon Brown to clear a roster spot for the big man. Reader Z…. points out that the move to release Brown was likely due to the strong play of Shabazz Napier and Miami’s fondness for Andre Dawkins.
- Brown has played well defensively, and had a backer in Dwyane Wade. My assumption is that this move is brought on by the good play of Napier, and the fact that we’ve had injuries to our big men, namely [Josh McRoberts], Birdman [Chris Andersen], and [Justin] Hamilton. I also really like Dawkins, and my guess is that the Heat do as well, which is probably why he is still on the roster
NBA commissioner Adam Silver mentioned in an interview with Chuck Klosterman of GQ.com that one of the changes he would like to implement is a harder, more restrictive salary cap for the league. Reader Curtis Smith believes that this potential stance, plus the NBPA’s likely push for doing away with maximum salary restrictions altogether, will mean that some compromises will need to be made in order to avoid a potential lockout in 2017.
- Sounds like Adam Silver wants a hard cap. Prepare for another lockout. The players are going to try to get rid of max salaries. Something has to give.
In an entertaining back and forth discussion, reader Sky14 disagreed with my opinion that the Timberwolves should consider trading Nikola Pekovic for younger, cheaper assets.
- It will be an interesting couple of years for the Wolves. They have a lot of individually talented players but always seem to have trouble putting it together. Could not disagree more on your take about Pekovic. He has not averaged below his career averages in points or rebounds since his rookie year. He is much more of a 17 and 9 guy that he has been the past two seasons. In fact, his PER has been over 20 the past three seasons, and last season he was 23rd in the NBA, one spot behind Dwight Howard and 61 spots ahead of Thaddeus Young, whom you mentioned would be in line for $12MM per year in his next contract.
In a recent reader poll we asked in response to Eric Bledsoe‘s comments about whether the Kentucky Wildcats could defeat the Sixers in a seven game series, reader alphakira agreed with the plurality of voters who disagreed with Bledsoe’s assertion that Philadelphia would fall to the college squad.
- You said it perfectly already. The Sixers may be a bottom-feeder in the NBA, but they’re players in the NBA…which means they were all in the top 60 players in all of college basketball when they were drafted. If you voted for Kentucky, please look at Andrew Wiggins and Jabari Parker (and basically the rest of the elite draft class). They were the top two players in all of college last year and have yet to prove much in the NBA.
Check out what more readers had to say in previous editions of Hoops Rumors Featured Feedback. We appreciate everyone who adds to the dialogue at Hoops Rumors, and we look forward to seeing more responses like these from you!
Largest Player Options For 2015/16
Player options can be a nuisance for teams. Teams interested in trading for Corey Brewer earlier this month reportedly sought to have him waive his $4.905MM player option for 2015/16, and Brewer doesn’t even possess a particularly expensive option. No team would mind having LeBron James at the value of his league-high $21.573MM player option for next season, but the specter of Roy Hibbert‘s $15.514MM option, tied for the fifth-most expensive 2015/16 player option in the NBA, is a complication for the Pacers.
There’s a decent chance that the salary would be better than any that Hibbert would be able to command in free agency, but he’d probably be able to secure a much greater amount of money over the long term if he opts out, so it isn’t easy for the Pacers to guess what he’ll do. President of basketball operations Larry Bird and company are no doubt keyed into the thinking of the center who’s been a part of the team since 2008, but until they know for sure, the Pacers will have to look ahead to next summer with uncertainty about whether they’ll have significant cap room. Add to the mix David West‘s $12MM player option, another one that could go either way, and there’s no clear picture of the summer ahead for Indiana, which, aside from the options, currently has about $36MM in commitments for 2015/16.
Hibbert and West possess two of the NBA’s nine 2015/16 player options worth more than $10MM, but the Pacers are just one of three teams with multiple players holding such lucrative options. The Cavs, with two of the three most expensive ones, and the Heat are the others. The tenth-most expensive player option in the league, which belongs to Thaddeus Young, is actually an early termination option, though it functions much the same way as a standard player option does.
Jared Dudley holds the only other early termination option for 2015/16, but the possibility, if not the assumption, that he’ll opt in led the Clippers to trade him to the Bucks this summer for a pair of contracts with non-guaranteed salary for 2015/16 instead. The Clippers didn’t have to factor in that non-guaranteed money when they waived Carlos Delfino and Miroslav Raduljica, the two players they acquired in the Dudley trade, and used the Stretch Provision to spread their salaries. Conversely, the value of Dudley’s option would have counted if the Clippers were to have simply waived and stretched him, so even though Dudley may never end up seeing that money, it’s already influenced where he’s playing. However, if Dudley’s option were merely a player option instead of an early termination option, the salary wouldn’t necessarily have counted. Players and teams who sign contracts that contain player options choose whether or not the player will receive the salary in the option year in the event that he’s waived before he has a chance to decide on the option.
The presence of player and early termination options will no doubt come into play again as teams discuss trades between now and the February 19th trade deadline. All 33 player options for 2015/16 are listed below and rounded to the nearest $1K.
- LeBron James, Cavaliers: $21.573MM
- Brook Lopez, Nets: $16.744MM
- Kevin Love, Cavaliers: $16.744MM
- Dwyane Wade, Heat: $16.125MM
- Eric Gordon, Pelicans: $15.514MM
- Roy Hibbert, Pacers: $15.514MM
- Al Jefferson, Hornets: $13.5MM
- David West, Pacers: $12.6MM
- Luol Deng, Heat: $10.152MM
- Thaddeus Young, Timberwolves: $9.972MM (early termination)
- Jeff Green, Celtics: $9.2MM
- Monta Ellis, Mavericks: $8.72MM
- Arron Afflalo, Nuggets: $7.5MM
- Goran Dragic, Suns: $7.5MM
- J.R. Smith, Knicks: $6.4MM
- Gerald Henderson, Hornets: $6MM
- Paul Pierce, Wizards: $5.544MM
- Chase Budinger, Timberwolves: $5MM
- Corey Brewer, Timberwolves: $4.905MM
- Jared Dudley, Bucks: $4.25MM (early termination)
- Raymond Felton, Mavericks: $3.95MM
- Kirk Hinrich, Bulls: $2.855MM
- Mike Miller, Cavaliers: $2.855MM
- Jameer Nelson, Mavericks: $2.855MM
- Steve Blake, Trail Blazers: $2.17MM
- Jordan Farmar, Clippers: $2.17MM
- Danny Granger, Heat: $2.17MM
- Alan Anderson, Nets: $1.333MM
- Cartier Martin, Pistons: $1.271MM
- Brandon Rush, Warriors: $1.271MM
- Al-Farouq Aminu, Mavericks: $1.101MM
- Ed Davis, Lakers: $1.101MM
- Garrett Temple, Wizards: $1.101MM
The Basketball Insiders salary pages and Larry Coon’s Salary Cap FAQ were used in the creation of this post.
Offseason In Review: San Antonio Spurs
Hoops Rumors is in the process of looking back at each team’s offseason, from the end of the playoffs in June right up until opening night. Trades, free agent signings, draft picks, contract extensions, option decisions, camp invitees, and more will be covered, as we examine the moves each franchise made over the last several months.
Signings
- Boris Diaw: Four years, $28MM. Re-signed via Bird rights. Third year partially guaranteed for $3MM. Fourth year non-guaranteed.
- Patty Mills: Three years, $11MM. Re-signed via Bird rights.
- Aron Baynes: One year, $2.077MM. Re-signed via mid-level exception.
- Matt Bonner: One year, $1.448MM. Re-signed via minimum-salary exception.
Extensions
Trades
- Acquired 2014 pick No. 54 from the Sixers in exchange for 2014 pick No. 58 and 2014 pick No. 60.
Waiver Claims
- None
Draft Picks
- Kyle Anderson (Round 1, 30th overall). Signed via rookie exception to rookie scale contract.
- Nemanja Dangubic (Round 2, 54th overall): Playing overseas.
Camp Invitees
- Bryce Cotton
- Josh Davis
- Fuquan Edwin
- JaMychal Green
- John Holland
- Robert Vaden
Departing Players
Rookie Contract Option Decisions
- None
The NBA has learned not to mess with the team from south Texas, and the team from south Texas has learned not to mess with success. The Spurs have begun 2014/15 with a roster almost identical to the one that steamrolled the Heat in the Finals last season. The only difference is that Damion James, who scored just six points in five regular season games and didn’t appear in the playoffs, is no longer around and Kyle Anderson, the last pick of the first round this year, is in his place. Still, it’s not as if GM R.C. Buford and Gregg Popovich, who carries the dual title of coach and president of Spurs basketball, were without decisions to make in the offseason.
Before Buford and Popovich could make their decisions, Tim Duncan had to make his. The franchise icon had a player option for 2014/15, one that the league adjusted from $10MM to more than $10.361MM, and he briefly considered retirement before ultimately opting in for a chance to win back-to-back titles for the first time. There were also questions surrounding Manu Ginobili‘s willingness to return for another season, but Ginobili had no player option on his contract, which runs through this season, and he said in April that he was “pretty sure” he would be back for this season. He confirmed that in June, saying that he plans to play through 2014/15 and maybe 2015/16.
The future of Duncan and Ginobili reportedly played into extension talks with Kawhi Leonard last month. Leonard had been seeking the max in the months after winning the 2014 Finals MVP, but such a commitment would have compromised San Antonio’s potential to open significant cap space this coming summer. That’s space the Spurs are apparently thinking about using to pursue marquee free agents if Duncan and Ginobili retire. The Spurs have close to $34.2MM in salary commitments against a projected $66.5MM salary cap for 2015/16. That doesn’t count cap holds for the seven players whose contracts expire at season’s end, including Duncan, Ginobili and Leonard. The Spurs could renounce their rights to Duncan and Ginobili if they retire, but because the team decided against an extension for Leonard, his cap hold will only take up slightly more than $7.235MM. San Antonio could spend up to the cap and still give Leonard a new deal, or match another team’s offer sheet, via Bird rights. Several league executives told Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports that the Brian Elfus client will command max offer sheets in the summer, but the Spurs would almost certainly match any offer sheets that come his way, Wojnarowski wrote. So, it seems that San Antonio’s decision to pass on an extension for the 23-year-old has more to do with timing and salary cap strategy than doubts about his ability, even though Leonard’s three straight games of 20 or more points in the Finals constituted the first such stretch of his career.
It’s not as if the Spurs are opposed to extensions. They handed out a rare veteran extension to Tony Parker, giving him the maximum amount such an extension would allow. Parker could have signed a new contract with the Spurs or another team next summer for much more in annual salary and either four or five years instead of the three that the veteran extension rules allow. Instead, he again gave San Antonio a discount, just as he did when he signed his last extension. Parker made it clear that he wants to eventually finish his career in San Antonio, underscoring the unusual, if not unique, deference that he, Duncan and Ginobili so often give to the only NBA organization for which they’ve ever played. Parker very well could have commanded a salary in the neighborhood of $20MM for 2015/16, depending on where the maximum salary is set, but with only about $13.438MM coming his way, the Spurs have significantly more spending power to replenish their roster should Duncan and Ginobili retire.
It’s no surprise that the organization decided to recommit itself to the man at the controls of that culture of sacrifice, signing Popovich to a multiyear extension. Popovich has been the NBA’s Coach of the Year two out of the last three seasons, and he’s done so while wielding front office power in tandem with Buford, the reigning NBA Executive of the Year. The 65-year-old Popovich has joked that he’ll walk away from his job when Duncan retires, but he’s reportedly eager to coach four or five more years, and he’s suggested that he promised Parker that he’ll continue for the duration of the point guard’s extension, which runs through 2017/18.
Boris Diaw‘s contract will also keep him in San Antonio for that timeframe, providing the Spurs continue to want him around. San Antonio lavished better than mid-level money on the versatile big man, protecting themselves with non-guaranteed salary at the back end and some creative clauses, including incentives tied to Diaw’s ability to keep his weight in check. The Blazers were the only other team linked to the Doug Neustadt client, so it was a bit surprising to see San Antonio pay a premium on a long-term deal to a 32-year-old who only started 24 regular season games last season. Still, Diaw’s unselfishness on offense, which fits snugly into San Antonio’s philosophy, and his ability to guard multiple positions on defense helped prove his value.
The Spurs balanced their expensive deal for Diaw against a discount for Patrick Mills, whose shoulder injury derailed his free agency. The point guard reportedly had mutual interest in the Knicks, but once he received his diagnosis, it became clear he would re-sign with the Spurs. The Hornets, too, apparently planned to go after Mills but changed their minds when the injury surfaced. The 26-year-old will be making salaries roughly equivalent to the taxpayer’s mid-level exception the next three years, which is a team-friendly arrangement for a point guard who emerged as one of the league’s best backups last season.
San Antonio spent much of the summer with 14 players under fully guaranteed contracts for this season while negotiations dragged on with restricted free agent Aron Baynes, who eventually became the 15th. The Spurs spent time mulling sign-and-trade possibilities and Baynes cast an eye toward signing with a European team. San Antonio reportedly looked at alternatives including NBA veterans Ray Allen, Gustavo Ayon, Michael Beasley, Jamaal Franklin and Hakim Warrick, among others. San Antonio was particularly persistent with Ayon, who wound up heading overseas after a pair of Spanish teams resolved a dispute over his rights. That left the Spurs to circle back to Baynes, though San Antonio reportedly continues to eye Allen.
Change will eventually come to the Spurs, but for now, just about everyone involved has agreed that the chance to a repeat as champions, perhaps the lone accomplishment the Popovich-Duncan era team hasn’t achieved, is enticing enough to stick around for. San Antonio is the rare team that’s been able to maintain its success while keeping plenty of flexibility for the future, thanks in large measure to sacrifice from Parker and others, and while Duncan and Ginobili near the end, San Antonio’s run as an elite team seems poised to continue for the foreseeable future.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images. The Basketball Insiders salary pages were used in the creation of this post.
Hoops Rumors Originals
Here’s a look at the original analysis generated by the Hoops Rumors staff this week..
- Chuck Myron looked back at the Bulls’ offseason.
- If everything doesn’t go the Pacers’ way, it could be at least a few years before they become relevant again in the Eastern Conference title race, Eddie Scarito writes.
- I recapped the Nets’ offseason of downsizing.
- Alex Lee asked the Hoops Rumors readers what they think the Thunder should do with Reggie Jackson. Nearly 42% of you said that they shouldn’t match anything above $12MM per year. Meanwhile, about 31% of you say that he should have been traded by now since he doesn’t fit with Russell Westbrook.
- About 79% of you say that the Rudy Gay extension was a good move for the Kings.
- Here’s a rundown of teams that owe second round picks.
- Eddie isn’t wild about the deal the Mavs gave to Chandler Parsons.
- Could the Kentucky Wildcats beat the 76ers in a seven game series? Most of you (about 67%) say no.
- The Nuggets aren’t in great shape, Chuck writes.
- A recap of the Wolves’ summer, courtesy of Eddie.
- Most of you feel that the Cavs would be a better fit for Corey Brewer than the Rockets.
- If you missed out on this week’s chat, get caught up with the transcript here.
- Check out all of our great features, including the new Trade Rumors app.
Offseason In Review: Minnesota Timberwolves
Hoops Rumors is in the process of looking back at each team’s offseason, from the end of the playoffs in June right up until opening night. Trades, free agent signings, draft picks, contract extensions, option decisions, camp invitees, and more will be covered, as we examine the moves each franchise made over the last several months.
Signings
- Mo Williams: One year, $3.75MM. Signed via mid-level exception.
- Robbie Hummel: One year, $880K. Re-signed via Non-Bird rights.
Extensions
Trades
- Acquired cash from the Nets in exchange for 2014 pick No. 44.
- Acquired cash from the Rockets in exchange for 2014 pick No. 53.
- Acquired Andrew Wiggins, Anthony Bennett and Thaddeus Young in a three-way trade with the Cavaliers and Sixers in exchange for Kevin Love, Luc Mbah a Moute and Alexey Shved.
Waiver Claims
- None
Draft Picks
- Zach LaVine (Round 1, 13th overall). Signed via rookie exception to rookie scale contract.
- Glenn Robinson III (Round 2, 40th overall). Signed via minimum-salary exception for one year, $507K. Partially guaranteed for $250K.
Camp Invitees
- Kyrylo Fesenko
- Brady Heslip
Departing Players
Rookie Contract Option Decisions
- Anthony Bennett (third year, $5,803,560) — Exercised
- Gorgui Dieng (third year, $1,474,440) — Exercised
- Shabazz Muhammad (third year, $2,056,920) — Exercised
For the second time in seven years, the Timberwolves were forced to deal away their star player and begin anew. Team president Flip Saunders certainly hopes this time around brings Minnesota better results than when Kevin Garnett was shipped to Boston back in 2007, seeing as the franchise has only averaged 25 wins per season since that trade.
In this rebuilding sequel the player being dealt was Kevin Love, and much of the offseason headlines and speculation around the league were focused squarely on where Love was headed, and what kind of package it would take for the Wolves to hit the reset button on the franchise. It turns out that a package of the last two No. 1 overall picks from the Cavs was the answer to that riddle, along with Thaddeus Young, by way of the Sixers, whose talent level makes him much more than just a throw-in.
While I understand how frustrating it must be for fans of the Wolves to see yet another highly talented player leave town, the fact is that the team wasn’t headed to the NBA Finals with Love anytime soon. The franchise hasn’t so much as sniffed the playoffs during his tenure, so this is nowhere near the step back that losing Garnett was. Love was almost assured of leaving the team next summer, when he can opt out the contract that former GM David Kahn designed when he wouldn’t commit to a five-year extension for Love, so Saunders made a tough call, but a correct one.
A deal that sends away a superstar for a package of lesser assets doesn’t usually help the franchise that relinquishes the better player, as is illustrated in my Trade Retrospective Series. This trend might continue with Minnesota, but I applaud Saunders for pulling the trigger on flipping Love for the best possible package available in Wiggins, Bennett, and Young. The Wolves aren’t likely to contend in the brutal Western Conference for a few more seasons, but if and when they do finally break through, this deal could be looked back upon as one that laid the foundation for that achievement.
The primary piece that Saunders acquired is this year’s No. 1 overall draftee, Andrew Wiggins. It will take some time, but Wiggins has superstar potential, and he’s a player whom a franchise can build around, as well as someone the Wolves can use as a marquee attraction to sell season tickets, given his ridiculous athleticism and above-the-rim antics. The only real knock on Wiggins is that he seemingly lacks the killer instinct present in most, if not all, of the true alphas in the NBA. But if that’s true, Minnesota is the perfect place for Wiggins to develop, outside of the spotlight of a major market where he can play for a team not expected to make the playoffs this season. I think Wiggins will end up surprising many in this regard and figure things out sooner than expected. In a few seasons, the Cavs could be ruing the day they traded him.
The other pieces Minnesota acquired are wild cards, however. There is no denying that Young is a talent, and he’ll be counted on for veteran leadership. But the ex-Sixer may be too weary from all those losing seasons in Philadelphia to go through the process again with the Wolves, and with an early termination option for next season in his possession, it’s quite possible he’ll end up having been merely a one-season rental. I’d be surprised if Young didn’t exercise his ETO, as the long-term security of a brand new deal would be the smart play, and he’s almost assured to do better salary-wise than the $9,971,739 that he’s set to earn next year. A strong season by Young should thrust his market value into the neighborhood at least the $12MM per year. That doesn’t necessarily mean he won’t re-sign with the Wolves, but he’d be remiss if he didn’t at least explore the free agent market.
As for Bennett, he’s clearly not going to live up to his status as the top pick in the 2013 NBA draft, though there’s an easy argument to make that he should never have been selected that high to begin with. The Wolves have little to lose by giving him a shot to develop, and he has looked much improved this season, though he’s not likely to be an All-Star anytime soon. Any production they can get from Bennett, whom the Wolves are using almost exclusively at power forward this season after the Cavs tried him at small forward last year, is a bonus.
Minnesota is not viewed as a true free agent destination, as smaller cold-weather cities rarely are in the NBA. So the team is forced to mine the second tier of available free agents. That template certainly applies to the team’s lone free agent acquisition this offseason. The Mo Williams signing was another shrewd move by Saunders, as the team certainly needed veteran leadership, as well as depth at the point guard spot. With the injury to Ricky Rubio, Williams’ presence is even more valuable. At the very least Williams could provide the team with a valuable trade asset later in the season.
The draft is extremely important to the fortunes of the team, given Minnesota’s lack of appeal to marquee free agents. Saunders’ selection of Zach LaVine comes with some intriguing possibilities. LaVine is a stellar athlete who has off-the-charts leaping ability, and his potential is unlimited. But he’s incredibly raw, having played only one season at UCLA, and he wasn’t even a starter during that time. Scouts have compared LaVine favorably to another Bruins alum, Russell Westbrook. That is a tough legacy to live up to, though Westbrook entered the league with many of the same concerns about his game, and he turned out pretty well for the Thunder. It’s going to take some time to be able to accurately gauge what kind of player LaVine will be, but Saunders deserves some credit for gambling on him.
With his second round pick, Saunders selected Glenn Robinson III, another player with intriguing long-term potential. Robinson has the skills to develop into a useful rotation player, though he’ll likely spend more time in the D-League than on the NBA hardwood this season.
Saunders also needed to find a new head coach to replace the retired Rick Adelman. He surveyed a number of marquee college coaches, and at one point owner Glen Taylor was keen on Saunders hiring ex-Raptors coach Sam Mitchell, who had a long career with the Timberwolves as a player. But Saunders’ primary target became Grizzlies head man Dave Joerger, whose job security was tenuous at best since Memphis owner Robert Pera was revamping his entire front office and had been rumored to be considering firing Joerger back in November of 2013. But Joerger and Pera patched up their relationship and Joerger signed an extension to remain in Memphis. This led Saunders to fill the role himself, though his arrangement is “open-ended” in terms of length, meaning Saunders will have the opportunity to revisit a search for someone else to coach the team in the future.
The final move the team made during its active offseason, and perhaps the most important one aside from the Love trade, was to lock up Rubio on a long-term extension. Saunders was obviously determined not to run the risk of losing yet another player to free agency, though $55MM plus incentives over four years may be a bit of an overpay for the 24-year-old from Spain. Prior to his injury, Rubio was enjoying an excellent season, averaging 9.4 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 10.0 assists per game. If Rubio can ever develop a reliable jump shot, something his contract incentives are tied directly to, and resume his early-season production level when he returns, he’ll be worth that chunk of cap space.
Heading into 2015/16, the team currently has more than $49MM committed in guaranteed salaries. That figure doesn’t include Young’s salary, though he’ll likely exercise his ETO, and the player options for Chase Budinger ($5MM) and Corey Brewer ($4.905MM). If the team re-signs Young, and if both Budinger and Brewer opt in, which is likely in Budinger’s case, the team won’t have much room under the cap to play with. Brewer is currently the subject of numerous trade rumors, though Saunders has hinted that he’s too valuable to trade. That is something I believe is posturing on Saunders’ part, designed to try and increase any return the team would receive for Brewer. Budinger, too, found his name in trade rumors prior to the season.
Another contract on his books that Saunders should consider trying to unload is Nikola Pekovic‘s. The team still owes him three more years and $35.8MM after this season, numbers not in line with Pekovic’s production. While talented big men are at a premium in the league, their importance in the guard-oriented NBA world we currently live in has been diminished. And at 28 years of age, Pekovic isn’t likely to provide much more than his career averages of 13.0 points and 6.9 rebounds per game. This contract will hamper the team’s growth similar to how Roy Hibbert‘s deal is hamstringing the Pacers.
With Love gone, the immediate outlook for the Timberwolves’ fortunes hasn’t improved, though they weren’t likely to shine even if Love had remained in Minnesota. For the long term, the team’s outlook has a glimmer of hope in the core of Wiggins, Rubio, and LaVine. The franchise will continue to struggle to attract top-tier free agents, but if the Wolves can maximize their future draft picks and add the right mix of role players, the long-suffering fans in Minnesota just might have something to cheer about.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images. The Basketball Insiders salary pages were used in the creation of this post. Chuck Myron contributed to this post.
Offseason In Review: Indiana Pacers
Hoops Rumors is in the process of looking back at each team’s offseason, from the end of the playoffs in June right up until opening night. Trades, free agent signings, draft picks, contract extensions, option decisions, camp invitees, and more will be covered, as we examine the moves each franchise made over the last several months.
Signings
- C.J. Miles: Four years, $17.955MM. Signed via mid-level exception. Fourth year is player option and non-guaranteed.
- Damjan Rudez: Three years, $3.449MM. Signed via mid-level exception.
- Rodney Stuckey: One year, $1.228MM. Signed via minimum-salary exception.
- Lavoy Allen: One year, $948K. Signed via minimum-salary exception.
- Shayne Whittington: One year, $507K. Signed via minimum-salary exception. Partially guaranteed for $25K.
Extensions
- None
Trades
- Acquired cash from the Knicks in exchange for 2014 pick No. 57.
Waiver Claims
- None
Draft Picks
- None
Camp Invitees
- C.J. Fair
- Arinze Onuaku
- Chris Singleton
- Adonis Thomas
Departing Players
Rookie Contract Option Decisions
- Solomon Hill (third year, $1,358,880) — Exercised
It can be argued that Indiana’s 2014/15 season was effectively scuttled on August 1st, the day that the team’s star, Paul George, broke his leg during a Team USA intrasquad scrimmage. With George likely to miss the entire season and the franchise’s second-best offensive weapon, Lance Stephenson, having defected to the Hornets via free agency, it’s going to be a difficult year for Pacers faithful.
While it’s hard to fault Pacers president of basketball operations Larry Bird for the team’s current state, since George’s injury was not an event that could be anticipated, the team’s roster was already flawed before George went down. Indiana nearly played itself out of the top seed in the Eastern Conference during the second half of last season, and though the Pacers made it to the Eastern Conference Finals for the second straight year, it appeared by the end of that series that the Pacers had taken a step back.
Letting Stephenson go was a difficult call and one that Bird likely would have rethought if George’s injury had occurred prior to the start of free agency in July. Stephenson’s talent level has always been weighed against his propensity for odd and sometimes disruptive behavior, but the 24-year-old shooting guard out of Cincinnati had a fan in Bird, and Stephenson himself signaled his desire to return to Indiana. But as John Steinbeck wrote, “the best laid plans of mice and men often go awry.”
The Pacers appeared to move on from Stephenson rather quickly after he turned down the team’s initial five-year, $44MM offer when the team inked C.J. Miles, Damjan Rudez, and Rodney Stuckey. These deals largely eliminated any wiggle room the franchise had underneath the luxury tax threshold, a line that the team has been adamant about not crossing.
Miles was the team’s most lucrative expenditure, and while the deal feels like a bit of an overpay for a 27-year-old, one-dimensional role player, he would have been a nice complementary piece to the team’s rotation if Paul wasn’t injured. Indiana needed to add an outside threat to spread the floor for Roy Hibbert and David West, which Miles certainly can do when he’s “on,” but as a player the team is relying upon to carry a heavy offensive load, the flaws in his game will be exposed. I like the idea of a one- or two-year deal for Miles, but four years is stretching the bounds of good sense.
The deals the Pacers gave to Stuckey and Rudez are ones that I am fonder of. The Pacers had a need for more depth and production at the point, and while Stuckey is more of a scorer than a distributor, he certainly can help the team, and there’s a decent chance that his one-year deal will have been a bargain. Indiana brought Rudez from overseas with the hope that he could compete for minutes at small forward, but a guaranteed three-year pact is a risk for an NBA-unproven European talent. Still, his near-minimum salaries are not amounts that will hamstring the team moving forward.
What is hurting the Pacers is the $14,898,938 chunk of cap space that they allocated to Hibbert. Bird must have had a flashback to the NBA of his playing days, an era when teams needed a dominant big man to have a shot at contention, when he signed Hibbert to a four-year, $58.37MM contract in 2012 to keep him from jumping to the Blazers. Hibbert is a staunch rim protector, something that is still quite valuable, but his offensive game hasn’t developed as the team had hoped and his career 6.8 rebounds per game average is shameful for a player of his size. It also doesn’t help that he doesn’t match up well with smaller, athletic centers and the team is forced to sit him for long stretches, as occurred numerous times during last season’s playoffs. Indiana should pray that Hibbert declines his 2015/16 player option, worth more than $15.514MM, though that is highly unlikely.
Indiana doesn’t have much in the way of movable assets it can use to turn around its fortunes this season. David West would be a likely candidate, since his veteran leadership and ample skills could help many a contender, but West has yet to play this season courtesy of an ankle injury he sustained back in October. His $12MM salary would also make a trade difficult, and Indiana would be unlikely to garner any game-changing pieces in such a deal. West also has a player option for next season, when he is slated to make $12.6MM, but he has also hinted at retiring rather than continuing his distinguished career. A change of scenery and a chance to be part of a contending team could motivate him to keep playing, but moving him wouldn’t be advisable for Indiana unless the Pacers could somehow net some combination of an expiring contract, a younger player, and a draft pick.
One rumored deal the Pacers should revisit is the idea of a Chris Copeland–J.R. Smith trade with the Knicks. Copeland is currently Indiana’s leading scorer, but that isn’t saying much on a squad averaging a paltry 91.9 PPG. Smith would bring headaches of his own, though nothing in the realm of Stephenson’s nightly oddities. The Knicks have a glut of shooting guards and would be all too anxious to rid themselves of Smith and his 2015/16 player option for nearly $6.4MM. Smith could offset some of the loss of George, and while he wouldn’t thrust the team into contention this year, he would at least make the Pacers watchable on the offensive side. Smith would also pair nicely alongside George next season, which should be the team’s focus this year anyway since it isn’t moving up in the standings anytime soon. Still, the Pacers would have to add more salary to any such deal to make it legal.
The Pacers are almost assuredly heading toward the NBA draft lottery and will have a chance to nab a valuable young piece for the future. Indiana has about $36MM in guaranteed salaries on the books for 2015/16, but Hibbert’s and West’s player options could inflate that by about another $28.1MM. That will not leave the franchise with much in the way of cap space to make a splash in the free agency market next summer. So unless Bird can work some trade magic this season, it is looking increasingly likely that the Pacers’ window to contend has shut. Indiana must hope that George can return to his pre-injury form, the team can score big in the draft, and both Hibbert and West are off the roster by next season. Otherwise, it will be at least a few years before Indiana becomes relevant again in the Eastern Conference title race.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images. The Basketball Insiders salary pages were used in the creation of this post.
Offseason In Review: Chicago Bulls
Hoops Rumors is in the process of looking back at each team’s offseason, from the end of the playoffs in June right up until opening night. Trades, free agent signings, draft picks, contract extensions, option decisions, camp invitees, and more will be covered, as we examine the moves each franchise made over the last several months.
Signings
- Pau Gasol: Three years, $22.346MM. Signed via cap room. Includes a 15% trade kicker.
- Kirk Hinrich: Two years, $5.587MM. Signed via room exception.
- E’Twaun Moore: Two years, $1.964MM. Signed via minimum-salary exception. First year is guaranteed for $425K. Second year is non-guaranteed.
- Nazr Mohammed: One year, $1.448MM. Signed via minimum-salary exception. Non-guaranteed.
- Aaron Brooks: One year, $1.146MM. Signed via minimum-salary exception.
Extensions
- None
Trades
- Acquired 2014 pick No. 11 and Anthony Randolph from the Nuggets in exchange for 2014 pick No. 16, 2014 pick No. 19, and the less favorable of Chicago’s and Portland’s 2015 second-round picks.
- Acquired the rights to Milovan Rakovic from the Magic in exchange for Anthony Randolph, the more favorable of Chicago’s and Portland’s 2015 second-round picks, the more favorable of Chicago’s and Portland’s 2016 second-round picks, and cash.
- Acquired the rights to Tadija Dragicevic from the Mavericks in exchange for Greg Smith.
Waiver Claims
- None
Draft Picks
- Doug McDermott (Round 1, 11th overall). Signed via rookie exception to rookie scale contract.
- Cameron Bairstow (Round 2, 49th overall). Signed via cap room for three years, $2.333MM. Second year is $425K guaranteed. Third year is non-guaranteed.
- Nikola Mirotic (2011, Round 1, 23rd overall). Signed via cap room for three years, $16.631MM. Includes a 15% trade kicker.
Camp Invitees
Departing Players
Rookie Contract Option Decisions
- Tony Snell (third year, $1,535,880) — Exercised
The Bulls didn’t end up with Carmelo Anthony or Kevin Love this year, but they nonetheless made their most significant upgrades since Derrick Rose‘s MVP season in 2010/11. The past calendar year has featured upheaval in Chicago, starting with the January trade of Luol Deng, and the Bulls gave every indication that more changes were on the way heading into the summer. Their pursuit of Anthony was always fraught with pitfalls, thanks mostly to the salary cap chicanery that GM Gar Forman and executive VP of basketball operations John Paxson would have had to pull off to give him a contract anywhere near the max. It was Plan A, to be sure, but Forman and Paxson weren’t without intriguing alternatives that extended beyond what for the most part appeared to be a long shot bid to trade for Love.
To affect any of the major changes they sought, the Bulls had to unload Carlos Boozer‘s unwieldy $16.8MM salary. They held the amnesty provision in their quiver, but waiving him meant still having to pay him, even if he would vanish from the team’s cap figure. So, the Bulls sought to trade the power forward who’d never quite lived up to having been the team’s marquee signing from 2010, the last time Chicago made such sweeping changes.
Forman and Paxson kept the notion of a Boozer trade alive even as they neared a deal with Pau Gasol for more than they would have been able to pay if they had kept Boozer and remained over the salary cap. The Bulls had talks with the Lakers about turning the Gasol acquisition into a sign-and-trade that would have allowed Chicago to cobble together matching salaries to send out. Chicago also wound up giving Nikola Mirotic a deal with a starting salary at precisely the amount of the mid-level exception, the most the team could have paid him while remaining over the cap. Ultimately, no palatable trade for Boozer came about, forcing the Bulls to amnesty him. Chicago moved on from the idea of a sign-and-trade for Gasol and simply inked him outright into the cap space that the amnesty had created, using the rest of the cap room on Mirotic and a long-term deal for second-round pick Cameron Bairstow. Still, the Bulls caught a break when the Lakers claimed Boozer off waivers, defraying a $3.251MM portion of the cost of Boozer’s salary.
Gasol gives the Bulls a gifted passer and a player whose game is more multidimensional than Boozer’s, and coach Tom Thibodeau has already taken advantage of the opportunity to pair Gasol with center Joakim Noah in a twin-towers starting lineup. The Spanish center is an odd fit to a degree because of Taj Gibson, whose game continued to grow last season. Still, Gibson is seeing even more minutes per game this year than he did last year, though the maladies that have kept Noah and Gasol out of a few games have no doubt contributed to that. Mirotic plays power forward, too, so the Bulls wouldn’t have been in a bind without either Boozer or Gasol. Still, given the team’s title aspirations, a proven and still capable veteran with two championship rings trumps the intrigue of a rookie, even if that rookie was perhaps the best player who wasn’t in the NBA last season.
Mirotic has nonetheless seen 12.1 minutes per game so far this year, about the same amount of playing time that Thibodeau has given to small forward Doug McDermott, the 11th overall pick in this year’s draft. The Bulls saw fit to consolidate their pair of later first-round picks to move up for McDermott, even if it meant absorbing the guaranteed salary of Anthony Randolph to do so. Randolph complicated Chicago’s pursuit of cap flexibility until the Bulls attached him to a pair of second-round draft picks and cash in a trade that sent him to Orlando. That move, combined with the acquisition of McDermott, meant the Bulls had turned two first-rounders and two second-rounders into a single first-rounder, but the first-rounder the Bulls wound up with was the only lottery pick in the bunch. There are plenty of doubts about McDermott’s ability to translate his high-scoring college game to the NBA, particularly given Thibodeau’s defense-first approach, but contenders like Chicago rarely have a chance to add a player of his talent through the draft. It’s a risk worth taking, and it demonstrates that Forman and Paxson are thinking of the long-term future even as they try to win the title this year.
Still, the Bulls held the line with Jimmy Butler, reportedly offering him somewhat more than $11MM a year in extension proposals that the swingman turned down. The former 30th overall pick is off to a roaring start this season, averaging 21.3 points per game and answering the questions that surrounded his offensive capabilities, which had seemed to lag behind his defense. The Bulls may end up having to shell out much more than $11MM a year if Butler can keep it up, but the Happy Walters client has pledged to remain with the Bulls, and Forman and Paxson would no doubt be willing to pay a premium for a budding two-way star.
Key to preserving success in the near term and the long term is loyalty, and Kirk Hinrich showed his affection for the Bulls organization when he reportedly turned down better offers to accept the room exception from Chicago. The 33-year-old had spent nine of his 11 years in the NBA as a Bull, averaging as many as 16.6 PPG during the 2006/07 season. That scoring average was nearly cut in half two years later, and he’s spent most of his time since as an afterthought on offense. The former Kansas standout is never going to be an elite scoring force, but he might have had a much more significant role than the one he’s played in Chicago if he had signed with either the Hornets or the Jazz, the pair of teams that apparently challenged the Bulls for his services. Neither of those clubs would have given him his best chance at his first championship, however. Given the eternal questions surrounding Rose’s health, Hinrich’s ability to both fill in for the former MVP when necessary and play alongside him when not makes Hinrich more valuable to Chicago than his salary or his statistics reflect.
Yet the Bulls aren’t going to win the title if Hinrich, or fellow offseason signee Aaron Brooks, ends up starting at point guard. The Bulls rise and fall with Rose, and short of the acquisition of a star like ‘Melo or Love, that’s not going to change. Forman and Paxson did their best this summer to keep the Bulls in the title hunt this season and for years to come, but they remain beholden to the knees of the team’s former No. 1 overall pick.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images. The Basketball Insiders salary pages were used in the creation of this post.
Offseason In Review: Dallas Mavericks
Hoops Rumors is in the process of looking back at each team’s offseason, from the end of the playoffs in June right up until opening night. Trades, free agent signings, draft picks, contract extensions, option decisions, camp invitees, and more will be covered, as we examine the moves each franchise made over the last several months.
Signings
- Chandler Parsons: Three years, $46.085MM. Signed via cap room. Third year is player option. Includes 15% trade kicker.
- Dirk Nowitzki: Three years, $25MM. Signed via cap room. Third year is player option. Includes no-trade clause.
- Devin Harris: Four years, $17.563MM. Signed via cap room. Fourth year is partially guaranteed for $1.34MM.
- Jameer Nelson: Two years, $5.587MM. Signed via room exception. Second year is player option.
- Al-Farouq Aminu: Two years, $2.082MM. Signed via minimum-salary exception. Second year is player option.
- Richard Jefferson: One year, $1.448MM. Signed via minimum-salary exception.
- Charlie Villanueva: One year, $1.317MM. Signed via minimum-salary exception. Non-guaranteed.
- Bernard James: One year, $915K. Signed via minimum-salary exception. Subsequently waived.
Extensions
- None
Trades
- Acquired Tyson Chandler and Raymond Felton from the Knicks in exchange for Jose Calderon, Samuel Dalembert, Shane Larkin, Wayne Ellington, 2014 pick No. 34 and 2014 pick No. 51.
- Acquired Greg Smith from the Bulls in exchange for the rights to Tadija Dragicevic.
- Acquired the rights to Emir Preldzic from the Wizards in exchange for DeJuan Blair.
Waiver Claims
- None
Draft Picks
- None
Camp Invitees
- Renaldo Balkman
- Eric Griffin
- Ivan Johnson
- Doron Lamb
- Yuki Togashi
Departing Players
- DeJuan Blair
- Jose Calderon
- Vince Carter
- Samuel Dalembert
- Wayne Ellington
- Bernard James
- Shane Larkin
- Shawn Marion
Rookie Contract Option Decisions
- None
For teams residing in the brutally tough Western Conference the margin for error when constructing a roster is paper thin. It’s also a task that, even when making all of the proper moves, can have an incredibly short window for success. This was a lesson that the Mavericks learned quite well after bringing home the NBA title back in 2010/11. Since allowing a number of key contributors from that squad to depart, the franchise hasn’t made it out of the first round of the playoffs. With Mavs icon Dirk Nowitzki inching closer to retirement with each passing minute, owner Mark Cuban and GM Donnie Nelson decided to significantly overhaul his roster this past offseason.
Of course, before he could build around Nowitzki, Nelson first had to re-sign the 36-year-old star who was an unrestricted free agent. It was never a matter of if Nowitzki would re-sign with the Mavs but simply a question of how much of a discount he would give them. Many athletes throw out the requisite chatter about winning being more important than money, but most usually end up signing for top dollar anyway. Nowitzki is the rare player who backed up the talk by accepting a ridiculously team-friendly deal, making him an absolute steal on his three-year, $25MM contract.
At the opposite end of the spectrum is the three-year, $46.085MM deal to which Cuban and Nelson inked restricted free agent Chandler Parsons. Dallas had to overpay in order to prevent the Rockets from matching the offer sheet, but one has to think that the opportunity to stick it to Houston GM Daryl Morey, an archrival, clouded the better judgment of the Mavs here.
To say that I dislike this deal would be a gross understatement. I like Parsons as a complementary player, but he is in no way worth the amount he is being paid, and Dallas would have been much wiser to forgo Parsons and pursue Trevor Ariza instead. Ariza has a very similar offensive skill set to Parsons, but is a superior defender, and his four-year, $32MM contract would have been a much wiser long-term investment. Parsons’ contract is virtually unmovable, as Morey pointed out, and will haunt the Mavs for its duration.
Nelson and Cuban also signed a number of veteran players to fill out the team’s depth chart. Nabbing Jameer Nelson. Al-Farouq Aminu, Richard Jefferson and Charlie Villanueva on team-friendly deals were all solid moves, and necessary if the team hopes to make waves in the west. I’m not as bullish about Nelson re-signing Devin Harris for four years and $17.563MM though. It’s too long of a contract for a 31-year-old point guard with his injury history and declining production. This is another contract that will hamper the franchise’s future moves regardless of the fact that the fourth year is non-guaranteed.
Part of the impetus to bring back Harris was the trade the Mavs worked out with the Knicks to reacquire Tyson Chandler, a player that both Cuban and Nelson acknowledged should have been retained after that championship season. To complete the deal, the Mavs shipped out starting point guard Jose Calderon, who was New York’s main target, as well as intriguing young guard Shane Larkin, who only saw limited action during his rookie season in Dallas.
A motivated and healthy Chandler can be a true difference maker for the Mavericks, who sorely missed the big man’s fire and defensive leadership. Chandler certainly seems like his old self thus far, averaging 11.5 points and 10.3 rebounds, a nice upgrade over Samuel Dalembert, who also went to the Knicks as a part of the Chandler trade.
As wise a move as it was to bring back Chandler, it nonetheless negatively affected the team’s depth and production at point guard, and Calderon’s marksmanship, ball-handling, and leadership will be difficult to replace. The trade also meant that Dallas would take on the remaining two years and $7,744,306 of Raymond Felton‘s contract. He has a player option for 2015/16, but unless Felton has a bounceback season this year after he returns from his injury and the subsequent four-game suspension that he must serve, he’s more than likely to opt in.
The Knicks’ motivation to make the trade was as much about ridding themselves of Felton as it was about obtaining Calderon. The 30-year-old Felton was one of the worst starting point guards in the league last year statistically, and he had worn out his welcome in New York. While Dallas may be able to make up for Calderon’s departure in aggregate, the Mavs may live to regret dealing away Shane Larkin, who has quite a bit of potential.
This uncertainty about their point guard situation also led Dallas to re-sign J.J. Barea to a prorated minimum salary contract for the rest of the season after the Wolves waived him just as the season began. To accommodate Barea’s signing the Mavs had to part with another young point guard with potential in Gal Mekel. With Dallas’ veteran roster and the team trying to maximize the time remaining in the league for Nowitzki, going the veteran route makes sense, but it is always a risk when mortgaging the future for the now.
So far the Mavs’ re-tooling has worked out, and the team is off to a 8-3 start to the season. With the west a bit more wide open than expected thanks to the injuries the Thunder have endured, Dallas has a chance to snag a higher playoff seeding than anticipated. But this team isn’t constructed for the long-term, with only three players who possess contracts with no options or non-guaranteed salary for next season. Chandler is set to become a free agent and there are four players (Felton, Monta Ellis, Nelson, and Aminu) who possess player options for the 2015/16 campaign. Nowitzki’s sweetheart deal will help Cuban and Nelson restock next summer, but Parsons’ bloated contract will negate some of that flexibility. It will take quite a bit of luck for the Mavs to advance deep into the playoffs this season, and the team had better hope that the addition of Chandler was worth the hit they took at the point to obtain him.
Photo courtesy of USA Today. The Basketball Insiders salary pages were used in the creation of this post. Chuck Myron contributed to this post.
Hoops Rumors Features
Hoops Rumors passes along the latest news and rumors on NBA player movement 365 days a year, but those aren’t the only updates you’ll see on the site. On our right sidebar, you’ll find a number of additional features and featured posts. Here’s a rundown of a few of them:
- The new Trade Rumors App lets you stay on top of all of the rumors wherever you go. The App has customizable feeds that let you filter the news from Hoops Rumors and our sister sites MLB Trade Rumors and Pro Football Rumors. Versions are available for both iOS and Android. Best of all, it’s free!
- We’re keeping track of the players eligible for free agency in 2015 as the ability for LeBron James, Kevin Love, Rajon Rondo, Marc Gasol and others to hit the market next year begins to affect the landscape of the league.
- Kevin Durant isn’t the only player set for free agency in 2016. Many NBA front offices are already scoping out the full class of 2016 free agents.
- Our agency database is a handy reference point for determining the representation for virtually every NBA player.
- Several NBA teams can pay no more than the minimum salary to any free agent signee. Our updated list identifies these clubs.
- We’re about midway through our look at how each of the NBA’s 30 teams fared during the offseason with our Offseason In Review series. Every franchise receives in-depth treatment on the complete scope of the offseason, from the draft, through free agency, and up to the October 31st rookie scale extension deadline.
- Teams are already pivoting their focus toward the trade deadline, but many players remain ineligible to be traded for several more weeks. Here’s the date that each offseason acquisition may be traded.
- Our list of outstanding traded player exceptions is updated whenever a trade exception is created, used or expires.
- Some teams have more flexibility than others, and our roster counts show which of them have room beneath the 15-man maximum. It also lets you see which players have non-guaranteed salary, making them more vulnerable should their teams look to make a move.
- Our Rookie Scale Team Option Tracker is a team-by-team recap of every player whose 2015/16 rookie scale team option was either exercised or declined before the October 31st deadline.
- Eddie Scarito is looking back on notable trades from the past several years to see how they’ve panned out over time. He recently examined the deals that sent Dwight Howard to the Lakers, Deron Williams to the Nets, and Kevin Garnett to the Celtics.
- Using our 10-day contract tracker, you can find any 10-day contract signed this year or in any season since the 2006/07. You can sort by player, team, year and other variables.
- We give you a turn in the spotlight when we showcase the best reader comments with our Hoops Rumors Featured Feedback posts.
- On Wednesdays at 3:00pm CT, I answer reader questions in a live chat. You can check out transcripts of our past discussions here.
- We’re tracking each team’s use of the amnesty clause. Our complete table shows which clubs have used the provision and which still have it available.
- The Hoops Rumors glossary helps explain some of the more complex concepts in the NBA’s collective bargaining agreement. Recently, I added an entry on D-League assignments, which should continue to grow in frequency this season.
- We’ll be keeping track of each of those D-League assignments and recalls throughout the year, categorizing them by team.
- Zach Links rounds up the best of the blogosphere with Hoops Links on Sundays.
- If you’re looking to catch up, our Week in Review posts compile the top news and rumors from the past seven days, while our Hoops Rumors Originals posts recap the site’s original content for the week. Both roundups are published every Sunday.
- Be sure to check out the Featured Posts section on the right sidebar for more original pieces from the Hoops Rumors writing team. Recently, we debuted the Hoops Rumors 2015 Free Agent Power Rankings, spoke with Knicks D-League assistant coach and former Bulls guard Craig Hodges, and examined the more than $450MM handed out in rookie scale extensions this year.
Offseason In Review: Denver Nuggets
Hoops Rumors is in the process of looking back at each team’s offseason, from the end of the playoffs in June right up until opening night. Trades, free agent signings, draft picks, contract extensions, option decisions, camp invitees, and more will be covered, as we examine the moves each franchise made over the last several months.
Signings
- Alonzo Gee: One year, $1.063MM. Signed via minimum-salary exception.
Extensions
Trades
- Acquired 2014 pick No. 16, 2014 pick No. 19, and the less favorable of Chicago’s and Portland’s 2015 second-round picks from the Bulls in exchange for 2014 pick No. 11 and Anthony Randolph.
- Acquired Arron Afflalo from the Magic in exchange for Evan Fournier and 2014 pick No. 56.
Waiver Claims
- None
Draft Picks
- Jusuf Nurkic (Round 1, 16th overall). Signed via rookie scale exception to rookie scale contract.
- Gary Harris (Round 1, 19th overall). Signed via rookie scale exception to rookie scale contract.
- Nikola Jokic (Round 2, 41st overall). Playing overseas.
- Erick Green (2013, Round 2, 46th overall): Signed via mid-level exception for three years, $2.333MM. First year is partially guaranteed for $50K. Second and third years are non-guaranteed.
Camp Invitees
- Jerrelle Benimon
- Pops Mensah-Bonsu
- Marcus Williams
Departing Players
Rookie Contract Option Decisions
- None
Perhaps the greatest additions the Nuggets made to their lineup this offseason were simply the healthy returns of several players who missed significant time with injuries last season. Danilo Gallinari and JaVale McGee, two would-be starters who accounted for nearly $20.9MM in payroll, appeared in a total of five games put together during 2013/14. J.J. Hickson and Nate Robinson, two key acquisitions from the summer of 2013, suffered torn ACLs. A roster that was largely unchanged from a 57-win squad in 2012/13 sunk to just 36 wins, 13 games out of the playoffs.
The Nuggets entered the summer without the capacity to create cap room short of a trade and seemingly little motivation to make a substantive change, short of the availability of a superstar. They were reportedly involved in trade talk for Kevin Love, and at one point they were apparently Minnesota’s most favored trading partner outside of the Cavs and Warriors, but it never looked as though a deal was close. Denver had already acquired another team’s leading scorer by the time July began, bringing back Arron Afflalo from his two-year sojourn in Orlando, where he’d taken on much of the offensive load for a still-developing team. GM Tim Connelly used the sizable trade exception left over from the sign-and-trade deal that sent Andre Iguodala to Golden State the year before, and since it was Iguodala whom the Nuggets acquired to replace Afflalo back in 2012, this summer’s deal completed a circle.
The now 29-year-old Afflalo returns to Denver a more accomplished player than when he left, and one who showed a greater knack for making it to the free throw line even as he took a career-high 4.1 three-point attempts per game last year. Afflalo is also closer to the end of his contract, which pays him $7.5MM this year and would do the same in 2015/16, though he appears poised to opt out this summer. The cost to the Nuggets seemed low at the time of the trade, as Evan Fournier had yet to show why former GM Masai Ujiri spent the 20th overall pick of 2012 on him, but the Magic reportedly chose the shooting guard over other Afflalo trade packages that would have given them a future first-rounder. The wisdom of Ujiri and Magic GM Rob Hennigan is more readily apparent as Fournier has averaged 17.3 points per game to start the season in Orlando, nearly as many as Afflalo put up last season, though Fournier’s 50.9% three-point shooting suggests a regression is in order.
In any case, with a veteran to slot in at shooting guard, where Denver had been weak after the departure of Iguodala, Connelly and his staff decided two mid first-round rookies were better than one, trading the No. 11 overall pick in this year’s draft for Nos. 16 and 19. The presence of Afflalo, Randy Foye and a healthy Robinson will keep 19th pick Gary Harris from having a significant effect for a while, but 16th pick Jusuf Nurkic is already nudging his way into the rotation at center. Coach Brian Shaw has at times given Nurkic, McGee and Timofey Mozgov all meaningful minutes during games, a three-headed center rotation that worked for Shaw’s mentor, Phil Jackson, with the Bulls in the 1990s but is far from ideal. The Cavs showed consistent trade interest in Mozgov this past offseason, and while the Nuggets seemed just as consistent in turning them away, Nurkic’s development adds an intriguing subplot to Mozgov’s situation.
The Nuggets can also go three deep at power forward with Kenneth Faried, Hickson and Darrell Arthur, but that didn’t stop the team from investing heavily in Faried. The dreadlocked former 22nd overall pick made noticeable strides in his game last season and over the summer with Team USA. Connelly and company reportedly gauged the trade market for Faried about a year ago, but nothing came of early season rumors connecting him to the Knicks and Iman Shumpert, and the Nuggets reaped the benefits of Faried’s improvement.
Still, a report this week suggested that Denver isn’t as thrilled with his on-court performance as his four-year, $50MM extension would indicate, further asserting that the PR benefits of the deal played into the team’s thinking. Failing to extend Faried would have left some unanswered questions about the franchise’s future, but it also would have given the team a greater degree of flexibility. As it is, the Nuggets have about $58.2MM in commitments against a 2015/16 salary cap that’s likely to check in around $66-68MM. Some combination of Afflalo’s player option and non-guaranteed salary for Wilson Chandler and Foye could eat up whatever modest cap room Denver would otherwise be able to clear.
Perhaps leaving some questions unanswered and taking Faried to restricted free agency might have been the wisest move, particularly if Denver’s front office still has doubts about his game. The Nuggets have in the post-Carmelo Anthony era treaded the perilous waters of mediocrity, in true contention neither for the title nor the No. 1 overall pick. The team’s early season struggles have it lower in the standings than usual, but that’ll probably change once Denver’s coterie of players returning from injury get their legs back. It’s difficult to see just what the Nuggets are planning for the future even though they’ve invested in Faried as a major part of it.
Connelly’s ultimate aim appears to be packaging the team’s multitude of steady contributors in a trade for a star, as this summer’s talks involving Love suggest. Doing the Carmelo trade in reverse seemed to have been Ujiri’s end game, too, but as difficult as it can be to trade a superstar, it’s much harder to obtain one. For now, it’s a waiting game, and for Denver, it’s possible that over time Faried, Nurkic and maybe others will continue their development and become stars in their own right. It’s probably more likely that they fall short of that level, as most do. All of it leaves Denver in a position that’s not particularly appealing, one with which the Nuggets have become all too familiar.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images. The Basketball Insiders salary pages were used in the creation of this post.