Butler’s post drew a response from ex-Celtic Ray Allen, who alienated many teammates in 2012 when he signed with the Heat. The bitter feelings still linger, as Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce excluded Allen from a Celtics reunion in May. “But since the team does it I guess it’s just business,” Allen wrote in response to Butler’s post. “Smh!! It is just a business so when the teams do it there’s no difference when the players do it!!”
Tuesday’s massive trade between the Celtics and Cavaliers shook up the NBA during a time in the offseason when the news cycle is typically at its slowest. Like an oasis in the desert, the deal – which features a pair of All-Stars in Kyrie Irving and Isaiah Thomas – has provided NBA observers with a fascinating topic of discussion, just when it seemed as if we’d said nearly all we could say about the roster changes made in June and July.
Of course, we already delved into the blockbuster trade at length on Tuesday night with a discussion post and a cap/roster analysis, but we have plenty more items from around the league to pass along today. Let’s dive in and round up some of the highlights, sorted by Cavs- and Celtics-centric stories…
Cavaliers:
- While some Cavaliers players had hoped Irving would remain with the team, the star point guard had let it be known prior to Tuesday’s deal that he would rather not report to training camp than to begin the season with Cleveland, sources tell Dave McMenamin of ESPN.com. McMenamin also reports that Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert had a desire to add a “big-name” player in an Irving trade — Thomas, the Eastern Conference’s leading scorer in 2016/17, fit that bill, despite questions about his hip.
- Gilbert issued a much more traditional and respectful statement following Irving’s departure than he did when LeBron James left the franchise back in 2010. As Joe Vardon of Cleveland.com details, Gilbert thanked Irving for his six years in Cleveland and wished him well during the next phase of his career.
- James issued a statement of his own via Twitter on Tuesday night, indicating that he has “nothing but respect” for Irving and calling the point guard a “special talent.”
- In a piece focused on the Cavaliers‘ long-term outlook, ESPN’s Bobby Marks examines how swapping Irving for Thomas and picking up the Nets’ 2018 first-rounder will give Cleveland some options and insurance in the event that LeBron leaves next summer.
- James’ silence on his plans beyond 2018 was a driving force behind the Cavaliers‘ decision to honor Irving’s trade request and plan ahead for the team’s future, writes Sam Amick of USA Today.
Celtics:
- After president of basketball operations Danny Ainge finally used some of his top assets and pulled the trigger on a blockbuster trade, the Celtics have signaled that they’re ready to go for it now, not later, writes Steve Bulpett of The Boston Herald.
- Thomas’ emotional bond with Celtics fans and his role as the team’s leader made the decision to trade him a very difficult one for Ainge and the franchise, as Mark Murphy of The Boston Herald outlines.
- The Celtics had 16 players on guaranteed contracts prior to the trade, but now have just 14, leaving a potential open spot for their regular season roster. According to Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe (Twitter link), the Celtics expect many agents to reach out about that opening, but Boston would be comfortable starting the regular season with just 14 players and maintaining some roster flexibility.
- As John Schuhmann of NBA.com observes (via Twitter), the Celtics now have just four players returning from last year’s roster, and fall to 29th in Schuhmann’s team continuity rankings. There’s optimism in Boston that the club’s new-look roster has more talent and upside, but the roster turnover will be a challenge for head coach Brad Stevens, particularly at the start of the season.
The rest:
- ESPN’s Stats & Information department takes a look at some of the stats behind the trade, while ESPN’s Kevin Pelton (Insider link) assigns grades for the swap, handing out an A to the Cavaliers and just a C to the Celtics.
- Tom Ziller of SBNation.com likes the deal for both teams on the surface, but explores how it could go “terribly wrong” for both the Cavaliers and Celtics.
- Although the Heat were named as one of Irving’s preferred landing spots, the package the Cavaliers received from the Celtics was one that Miami couldn’t possibly match, says Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel. Even if a Goran Dragic/Justise Winslow package might have intrigued the Cavs, the 2018 Nets pick included by Boston was a “game-changer,” Winderman adds.
The Heat’s decision to sign forward Jordan Mickey on Sunday will not impact their ability to make another roster addition, as Ira Winderman of the Sun-Sentinel points out. Mickey signed a $1.5MM contract for the upcoming season and Miami holds an option on a second year. The Heat were already over the salary cap, so it didn’t eat into any available space. Miami still has its $4.328MM room exception available to fill out the roster.
- Impressive summer-league outings by Derrick Walton convinced the Heat to sign the undrafted point guard to a two-way contract, Winderman reports in a separate story. Walton’s offensive pacing and 3-point shooting while playing for the Magic’s summer team caught Miami’s attention, Winderman notes. “We just had a mutual interest in joining each other and making something work out and when the opportunity presented itself, we both took it,” the former University of Michigan star told Winderman.
The Heat have officially signed former Celtics forward Jordan Mickey, the team announced on its website. The contract has been reported as a two-year deal with a $1.5MM veteran’s minimum guaranteed for the first season and a team option on the second.
The 33rd pick in the 2015 draft, Mickey spent two years with Boston, but played most of that time in the G League. He appeared in 25 games for the Celtics last season, averaging 1.5 points in 5.6 minutes per contest.
The signing gives the Heat 17 players for training camp, three under the maximum. Miami now has 13 players with guaranteed money for the 2017/18 season, along with one on a two-way contract.
Two more Heat players have spoken out about the possibility of bringing back Dwyane Wade if he agrees to a buyout with the Bulls, relays Ira Winderman of The Sun Sentinel. Hassan Whiteside and Wayne Ellington both endorsed the move during an appearance Saturday at a Whiteside Foundation fundraiser. “He’s a great basketball-IQ guy,” Whiteside said. “He can find you on a lob. He can find you on a pick-and-roll situation. He’s a great scorer.”
Whiteside had previously backed a reunion with Wade through a nodding GIF on social media, but these were his first public comments on the potential move. Wade, who spent 13 years in Miami before signing with Chicago last summer, remains a popular figure in South Florida, but he would have to give up a significant portion of his $23.8MM salary for a buyout to occur. Ellington, who is among the players who might see a reduced role if Wade returns, is also on board. “Obviously this is something that D-Wade helped build,” he said, “so obviously this city and us as a team being able to have somebody like that on our team would be amazing.”
There’s more today from the Southeast Division:
- The terms of Jordan Mickey‘s two-year agreement with the Heat have been confirmed, Winderman adds in the same story. The former Celtic’s first season will be guaranteed at the $1.5MM veteran’s minimum and the second will be a team option.
- The Hornets are in the market for a new assistant coach after Bob Weiss left to join the Nuggets, writes Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer. The 75-year-old had been with Charlotte since Steve Clifford was hired as head coach in 2013. Weiss opted to take a job in Denver to be closer to his grandchildren, and Clifford hopes to find another veteran coach to replace him.
- Sharecare, a digital health company based in Atlanta, agreed to a five-year deal this week to become the Hawks‘ jersey patch sponsor, according to WSB-TV in Atlanta. “Every team has had their own strategy with regard to patch partners,” said Andrew Saltzman, executive vice president and chief revenue officer for the team. “But ours is very clear: true to Atlanta and making this a component of a much larger and fully integrated partnership that benefits our fan base, Atlanta as a whole and certainly our partner and ourselves.”
During the 2016 NBA offseason, when the salary camp jumped from $70MM to $94MM, 27 teams had cap room available, with only three clubs operating over the cap all year. A more modest cap increase this year to $99MM meant that fewer teams had cap space to use. So far, 14 teams – less than half the league – have used cap room to sign players.
Of those 14 teams, several have since used up all their cap room, including the Celtics, Knicks, Jazz, Lakers, and Timberwolves. However, there are still several teams around the NBA that have room available, or could create it without waiving and stretching any players on guaranteed salaries.
With the help of data from HeatHoops and Basketball Insiders, here’s a quick breakdown of teams that still have cap room available, along with their estimated space:
- Atlanta Hawks: $4.6MM. The Hawks could gain slightly more space by waiving Luke Babbitt, whose salary is only partially guaranteed, but Atlanta just signed Babbitt, so that’s not a likely move.
- Brooklyn Nets: $6.6MM. The Nets could gain slightly more space by waiving Spencer Dinwiddie, whose minimum salary contract is mostly non-guaranteed. However, I expect Brooklyn to keep Dinwiddie on its roster.
- Denver Nuggets: $2.8MM. With Mason Plumlee‘s cap hold still on their books, the Nuggets’ cap room is fairly negligible. Denver could get up to about $8.6MM by renouncing Plumlee, but there’s no indication that’s in the plans.
- Indiana Pacers: $7.6MM.
- Philadelphia 76ers: $15.1MM. The Sixers could create even more space by waiving a player on a non-guaranteed contract, but the team isn’t about to part with Robert Covington, Richaun Holmes, or T.J. McConnell.
- Phoenix Suns: $6.3MM. Alex Len‘s cap hold is taking up $12MM right now, and Phoenix is carrying a pair of non-guaranteed contracts (Elijah Millsap and Derrick Jones), so in theory the Suns could get all the way up to $21.2MM in space by renouncing Len and cutting those non-guaranteed players.
- Sacramento Kings: $4.3MM.
The following two teams are essentially capped-out, but could create a very small amount of room if necessary:
- Miami Heat: The Heat could create close to $1MM in space by waiving Rodney McGruder and Okaro White, whose salaries aren’t fully guaranteed. That almost certainly won’t happen.
- Orlando Magic: The Magic are currently under the cap by about $550K, and could create up to about $1.34MM in space by waiving Khem Birch, whose salary is mostly non-guaranteed. Again, that’s not likely.
The following two teams are technically operating over the cap at the moment, with various trade and mid-level exceptions pushing them over the threshold, but they could create room if they choose to go under the cap:
- Chicago Bulls: The Bulls could immediately create about $13.5MM in room by renouncing the rest of their MLE and the $15MM trade exception generated in the Jimmy Butler deal. If the team chose to waive David Nwaba, who is on a non-guaranteed deal, and renounced its free agent cap holds, including Nikola Mirotic‘s, that figure would increase to about $25.8MM.
- Dallas Mavericks: Even without renouncing Nerlens Noel‘s cap hold, the Mavericks could get to $11.6MM in cap room by waiving their non-guaranteed players and dipping below the cap. Removing Noel’s cap hold on top of that could get the Mavs up over $22MM in room, but there’s been no indication that Dallas plans to go that route.
A Dwyane Wade reunion with the Heat would create rotation and chemistry issues, Ira Winderman of the Sun-Sentinel explains in his latest mailbag. A buyout agreement between Wade and the rebuilding Bulls is possible, though not close to happening. It’s widely assumed Wade would seriously consider returning to Miami but the Heat already have plenty of options at the guard spots, Winderman notes. Goran Dragic and Dion Waiters, who was re-signed this summer, are the starters and Tyler Johnson is being paid lavishly to be the main backup. Josh Richardson, Rodney McGruder and Wayne Ellington are also viable rotation options and if Wade were to close out games, coach Erik Spoelstra would have a tough dilemma deciding which player loses those minutes, Winderman continues. In fact, the Heat brass and coaching staff may privately be wishing they’re not faced with the prospect of Wade getting bought out and looking to re-join them, Winderman adds.
The Heat and forward Jordan Mickey are close to an agreement on a two-year contract, Shams Charania of The Vertical tweets. Mickey would receive the guaranteed minimum of $1.5MM for the upcoming season and the team would hold an option on the second year, Charania adds. Ira Winderman of the Sun-Sentinel confirms that the club is planning to sign Mickey (Twitter link) and that the contract is not a two-way deal.
Mickey was drafted 33rd overall in 2015 by the Celtics. He appeared in 16 games with them as a rookie and saw the court in 25 games, including one start, last season. The 6’8” power forward averaged 1.5 PPG and 1.4 RPG in 5.6 MPG in 2016/17.
The Heat, who are over the cap, have 12 players on guaranteed deals, two with partial guarantees, plus another on a non-guaranteed contract. He projects as the No. 3 power forward behind another former Celtic, Kelly Olynyk, and James Johnson.
The Celtics waived Mickey in mid-July in order to clear cap space and sign Gordon Hayward to a maximum salary contract. Mickey had an non-guaranteed contract with Boston for the upcoming season. He went unclaimed and became an unrestricted free agent but had little success finding a team until the Heat came calling.
When Mickey wasn’t playing in Boston the last two seasons, he was suiting up for the G-League’s Maine Red Claws. He averaged 18.6 PPG, 9.7 RPG, and 3.8 BPG in 35 G League contests.
Veteran forward Udonis Haslem is the latest Heat player to express interest in bringing back Dwyane Wade if he agrees to a buyout in Chicago, writes Ira Winderman of The Sun Sentinel. Interest in the possibility was reignited with a report Wednesday that Wade and the Bulls could part ways at some point this season.
Wade has a $23.8MM salary and doesn’t seem to fit on a team that started rebuilding by trading Jimmy Butler and not re-signing Rajon Rondo. A buyout is always a possibility, tweets K.C. Johnson of The Chicago Tribune, but the Bulls haven’t changed their position that it would have to be “advantageous” to them, meaning Wade would have to give up a substantial amount of money.
He would have several options if that happens, with one obvious choice being a return to Miami, where he spent the first 13 seasons of his NBA career.
“I talk to D-Wade every day,” Haslem said today on radio station WQAM. “My advice to D-Wade and his advice has always been to me is, ‘Take it one day at a time. Just take it one day at a time, step by step.’ We kind of understand the direction that Chicago is going in. We kind of understand the direction that Dwyane wants to go in the last couple of years of his career. The business side of things sometimes doesn’t always allow both sides to co-exist.”
On Tuesday, Heat center Hassan Whiteside sent out a GIF on social media indicating he would like to see Wade return, and Dion Waiters endorsed the idea on Twitter in July.
The Heat are well over the salary cap after re-signing Waiters and James Johnson this summer and adding Kelly Olynyk in free agency. However, they have retained their mid-level exception, which gives them up to $4.3MM to offer Wade.
Winderman notes that a crowded backcourt could hinder the move, with Waiters and Goran Dragic cemented as starters and Tyler Johnson, Josh Richardson, Rodney McGruder and Wayne Ellington in reserve. There’s also the possibility that Wade could find a reunion with LeBron James in Cleveland more desirable than a return to Miami.
The contract extension that 2015 second-round pick Josh Richardson is eligible for with the Heat would value him similarly to NBA role players Matthew Dellavedova and Cristiano Felicio, Ira Winderman of the Sun-Sentinel writes.
Considering that Richardson is an established high character rotation piece already familiar with the Heat’s system, such an investment wouldn’t exactly be excessive.
Through two seasons with the Heat, Richardson has averaged 8.4 points on .374 shooting from beyond the arc. His length and ability to contribute on the defensive end make him one of the team’s most well-rounded assets.
As we wrote earlier this week, Richardson may be wise to wait until the June 2018 deadline before making his decision. If he doesn’t accept the four-year, $42MM extension with the Heat he’ll be a restricted free agent come July 1, 2018.
- Miami beat writer Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel recently ranked Heat players in terms of their importance to the franchise. While Hassan Whiteside came in at No. 1, recently re-signed James Johnson slipped in at No. 2 ahead of Goran Dragic, Dion Waiters and Justise Winslow.