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NBA’s Top Spenders In 2014 Free Agency

August 18th, 2014 at 1:22pm CST by Chuck Myron

There’s probably no way the Heat can make up for the loss of LeBron James, but it won’t be for a lack of financial commitment. The Heat spent more than $220MM on players this summer, nearly doubling the team with the next greatest total of expenditures since July 1st.

I looked at each team’s most expensive signing last week, and while Chris Bosh, Miami’s representative, put the Heat second on that list, the full picture of the team’s summer signings shows just how much team president Pat Riley and company shelled out. It helps that Norris Cole was the only player under contract to begin July, but the Sixers have retained plenty of cap space all summer, and they’ve yet to sign anyone for more than the minimum.

As with last week’s list of the most expensive signings by team, there are some ground rules at play. The list below includes non-guaranteed salary and option years, but it doesn’t consider trade acquisitions. It doesn’t take into account rookie scale contracts, either. To help weed out summer contracts and many of the players who won’t be on NBA rosters come opening night, I’ve eliminated deals for the minimum salary. This listing does include non-minimum signings of second-round picks and undrafted players, as well as Nikola Mirotic, a former first-round pick who signed for more than the rookie scale. I’ve also thrown in Carlos Boozer for the Lakers, who claimed him off amnesty waivers. Here’s the complete list, rounded to the nearest $1K, with salary data via our 2014 Free Agent Tracker. The number of years committed and the number of players to whom the money is going are in parentheses.

Heat: $220.578MM (21 years, eight players)
Knicks: $127.343MM (six years, two players)
Mavericks: $96.317MM (14 years, five players)
Wizards: $93.748MM (14 years, five players)
Raptors: $84.15MM (11 years, four players)*
Jazz: $72.74MM (six years, two players)**
Cavaliers: $50.515MM (seven years, four players)
Suns: $49.5MM (nine years, three players)
Magic: $49.21MM (11 years, four players)
Lakers: $47.033MM (10 years, five players)
Hornets: $46.905MM (seven years, three players)
Bulls: $44.564MM (eight years, three players)
Rockets: $41.398MM (six years, two players)
Spurs: $38.999MM (seven years, two players)***
Pistons: $36.335MM (10 years, four players)
Hawks: $33.3MM (11 years, four players)
Celtics: $32MM (four years, one player)****
Clippers: $26.9MM (six years, two players)
Pacers: $21.404MM (seven years, two players)
Warriors: $16.631MM (three years, one player)
Grizzlies: $16.511MM (five years, two players)
Kings: $15.041MM (three years, one player)
Trail Blazers: $14.063MM (four years, two players)
Nets: $12.887MM (five years, two players)
Thunder: $10.032MM (three years, one player)
Bucks: $8.425MM (five years, two players)
Timberwolves: $4.63MM (two years, two players)
Pelicans: $2MM (one year, one player)
Nuggets: No qualifying signings
Sixers: No qualifying signings

* — Jordan Hamilton has agreed to a deal with the Raptors, and while it seems likely that it’s a minimum-salary arrangement, that has yet to be reported. Hamilton isn’t included in the tallies for Toronto.
** — The Jazz and Kevin Murphy have a deal that’s presumably for the minimum salary, though the precise value has not yet been made public. His figures aren’t reflected here.
*** San Antonio’s contract with JaMychal Green is presumably for the minimum, but that point has yet to be reported. It’s not included here.
**** — The Celtics also have a deal with Evan Turner that’s reportedly for a portion of the mid-level exception, but the precise value is not yet publicly known. His numbers aren’t shown in Boston’s totals.

And-Ones: Parker, Heat, Roberts. Allen

August 17th, 2014 at 12:13pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Jabari Parker knows the history of second-overall pick busts in the NBA, and is determined not to be the next, writes Brett Pollakoff of NBC Sports.com. The Bucks rookie said, “There’s been a lot of second pick busts. I’m just trying not to be that bust. Everyday that I step on the court, I just remind myself that I have a long ways to go. If I want to be one of those guys in the first tier of the NBA, like a LeBron [James], like a Kobe [Bryant] , like a [Blake Griffin], then I have to have that mentality starting off from the ground, and work my way up.”

Here’s more from around the league:

The Cavs are optimistic about their chances to sign Ray Allen prior to the start of training camp, tweets Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports.
With the NBA reportedly considering a change in the lottery system, Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel explains why such a move would be an overreaction from Adam Silver and company.
The Heat’s win total this season could be affected if any changes are made to the NBA Draft lottery system, writes Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel. If there is less of a reason for franchises to tank, then Miami couldn’t necessarily count on padding their record against the Sixers, Magic, and Bucks, opines Winderman.
The selection of Michele Roberts as NBPA head was a historic one, with Roberts becoming the first female to lead a professional sports union. In an interview with Andrew Keh of The New York Times, Roberts said she was all too aware that if she was selected, she would represent several hundred male athletes in the NBA; she would deal with league officials and agents who were nearly all men; and she would negotiate with team owners who were almost all men. To this, Roberts said, “My past is littered with the bones of men who were foolish enough to think I was someone they could sleep on.”
Kentucky freshman Karl-Anthony Towns will be a strong possibility to be the No. 1 overall pick in next year’s NBA Draft, writes Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv. DraftExpress currently has Towns ranked fourth behind Jahlil Okafor, Cliff Alexander and Emmanuel Mudiay.

Cray Allred contributed to this post.

Western Notes: Marion, Barbosa, Curry

August 17th, 2014 at 8:58am CST by Eddie Scarito

Team USA defeated Brazil 95-78 in an exhibition game at the United Center last night. The game not only featured Derrick Rose returning to action on his home court, but also strong performances from the Pelicans‘ Anthony Davis and the Rockets‘ James Harden. Davis recorded 20 points, nine rebounds and five blocks, while Harden scored 18, along with five rebounds and five assists.

Here’s more from the Western Conference:

The Clippers are now showing interest in Shawn Marion, tweets Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports. Spears adds that the Cavs, Pacers, and Heat remain interested in the small forward as well.
Leandro Barbosa has had discussions with a few NBA teams about a possible free agent deal, and is hoping to use the upcoming FIBA World Cup to further prove his health, writes Shams Charania of RealGM. Barbosa said, “I don’t know what owners think about the World Cup, but hopefully I do a great job over there and a team sees. I feel healthy and my body is feeling healthy. If I have free agency in my mind, I won’t be able to be myself on the court. Hopefully, I sign a contract and I’ll be happy.” Barbosa appeared in 20 games with the Suns last season, averaging 7.5 PPG, 1.9 PPG, and 1.6 APG, while playing 18.4 minutes a night.
In an interview with Beckley Mason of the New York Times, Warriors star Stephen Curry was asked about playing for yet another new head coach in Steve Kerr. Curry responded by saying, “This is one that I haven’t gone through before. This is my fourth coach going into my sixth year. Last three coaching changes, we were a bad team trying to become competitive. Now we have a lot of talent. Pretty much the same team back, with some additions, but a new coach. It’s a different experience. The expectations are already high, and we have to deal with that. Thinking about it, it will kind of be similar to last year. People thought we were a 50-win team, and we accomplished that, but it still didn’t feel like we accomplished as much as we should have. That’s basically the theme I have in my head thinking about what’s going to happen next year. Just in training camp, in that locker room, that adjustment with Coach Kerr and setting his system up. I think we’re going to be able to adjust well.”

Charlie Adams contributed to this post.

Eastern Rumors: Pistons, Heat, Oden

August 16th, 2014 at 7:57pm CST by Cray Allred

Derrick Rose is set to start for Team USA in tonight’s match-up with Brazil, and a good performance will be a nice Saturday night treat for fans in Chicago and basketball lovers in general. Here’s a rundown of Eastern notes:

John Zitzler of Basketball Insiders recaps the Pistons‘ offseason and comes to the conclusion that Stan Van Gundy is attempting to set up Detroit for a playoff push in the coming year, but the team will need some serious reconstruction in order to achieve long-term success.
In a mailbag response, Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel suggests that the allure of “Heat culture” being a draw for free agents took a blow when LeBron James left.
In a separate subscription-only piece, Winderman looks back at Greg Oden‘s time with the Heat, which went from a hopeful story of redemption to disappointment on the court and turbulence off it.

Charlie Adams contributed to this post.

Eastern Notes: Melo, Monroe, Birdman, Celtics

August 15th, 2014 at 4:49pm CST by Zachary Links

Carmelo Anthony‘s new, slimmer look was spurred by his desire to lead by example for the Knicks, writes Marc Berman of the New York Post. “Amazing people have been hired [in the Knicks organization] and he wants to come in as the leader and a top-three player in the world,’’ trainer Idan Ravin said. “If [he’s] being meticulous, you should not just follow [his] word, but follow [his] actions.’’ More out of the Eastern Conference..

If Greg Monroe signs for the qualifying offer with the Pistons, it would be in their best interest to trade him between now and the February trade deadline, writes Percy A. Farrell of the Detroit Free Press. Of course, Monroe would have the right to veto any trade after signing the QO, but Detroit would surely prefer to get something in return for the big man rather than just let him walk after the 2014/15 season.
The Pistons could move Monroe after he signs the QO, but that’s not likely to happen, writes David Mayo of MLive.com. Monroe would lose his Bird rights if he signed off on a deal and he’s reportedly angling for a maximum contract, so any team trading for him would probably have to commit to a monster deal.
In today’s mailbag, a reader expresses concern to Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel over some of the new contracts the Heat have dished out this offseason, including Chris Andersen‘s two-year, ~$10MM pact. Winderman says that the real contract to look out for is Chris Bosh‘s as he might not be able to play well enough to attract free agents in 2016. Instead, his salary could potentially weigh down Miami in the fourth and fifth years of his deal.
Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com polled some of the web’s foremost Celtics bloggers to ask whether Rajon Rondo will have a career year amidst the trade speculation surrounding him. The panel wound up split, with some suggesting that he can’t top what he did alongside Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce while others believe that he’ll use the trade talk as motivation to excel.
Jordan Hamilton‘s odds of making the Raptors are slim due to the team’s full roster and glut at the wing, tweets Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun. Toronto agreed to sign Hamilton to a partially-guaranteed deal yesterday.

And-Ones: Carroll, Heat, Humphries, Fernandez

August 14th, 2014 at 4:56pm CST by Zachary Links

A longer All-Star break just might put the fun back in All-Star weekend, writes Ken Berger of CBSSports.com. Each team will have a minimum of seven days between games with the new format, with the majority of the league not resuming play until the Friday after the All-Star Game. However, there is one catch for players. Since the season doesn’t begin any sooner or end any later than usual, there are more back-to-backs in this year’s schedule. Here’s more from around the league..

With some help from Jared Zwerling of Bleacher Report Hawks small forward DeMarre Carroll writes that Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce tried to convince the Celtics to sign him in 2011 after a strong summer. “The Celtics got with my agent, Mark Bartelstein, but that didn’t work out. To this day, [Pierce] always tells Danny, ‘I told you DeMarre was going to be good,'” said Carroll.
In today’s mailbag, a reader asks Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel if the Heat could conceivably put together a package for Pacers center Roy Hibbert. Winderman explains that the only players the Heat can put into a trade are Norris Cole, Justin Hamilton, and Shabazz Napier since since every veteran free agent signed this offseason cannot be dealt until December 15th. Of course, there’s no guarantee the two sides could be a match for a deal beyond that date.
Big man Kris Humphries has become a more efficient player and he’s excited to bring his new game to the Wizards, writes Jorge Castillo of the Washington Post. Hump’s 8.6 PPG and 5.9 RPG aren’t the double-double figures he was posting for the Nets during his best season, but he got those points and boards more efficiently with the C’s as he played just 19.9 minutes per game.
Real Madrid announced that they have extended guard Rudy Fernandez through the 2018 season, according to the ACB League’s official Twitter (translation via Sportando). A report in February indicated that Fernandez had attention from the Thunder and other NBA teams, but Darnell Mayberry of The Oklahoman recently said that there was nothing between the 29-year-old and OKC.
Former NBA forward Derrick Byars has signed a two-year deal with ACB Baloncesto Sevilla in Spain, according to Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports (on Twitter). Byars played in two games for the Spurs in 2011/12 and was in training camp with the Grizzlies last season.

Eastern Rumors: Pacers, Heat, Humphries

August 13th, 2014 at 9:30pm CST by Cray Allred

The biggest remaining free agent name from an Eastern Conference team is Greg Monroe, and the big man is reportedly close to accepting a qualifying offer to remain with the Pistons for what would almost assuredly be his final year in Detroit. Here’s a rundown of other notes out of the East:

In a reader chat response, Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders says he hears that the Pacers are working the phones and gauging interest in their players for trades.
Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel suggests that, outside of financial limitations, the Heat haven’t signed some of the better remaining free agents because team cohesiveness is being prioritized over talent for end-of-the-bench spots. Winderman says an abundance of quality players vying for playing time in Miami has created tension in recent years.
Kris Humphries told reporters including Jorge Castillo of The Washington Post that his time in Boston made him a more efficient player, and that he’s excited to play for the up-and-coming Wizards this season. “I talked to Brad all the time and it’s just one of those things where, ‘Man, you got me a lot better,’” said Humphries. “Handling the ball, making plays, things like that. Shooting. I’m grateful for that. I’m grateful for the opportunity to keep playing in a lot of situations like the one I was in.”

Toure’ Murry Close To Deal With Jazz

August 13th, 2014 at 5:30pm CST by Eddie Scarito

WEDNESDAY, 5:30pm: The Jazz are finalizing the deal with Murry, writes Stein, who adds that the Lakers were also interested in the guard’s services.

5:53pm: Murry’s agent, Bernie Lee, said the report of a pending deal with the Jazz is “news to him,” notes Jody Genessy of the Deseret News (Twitter link).

TUESDAY, 5:31pm: Toure’ Murry is close to signing a two-year, $2MM deal with the Utah Jazz, reports Marc Stein of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Murry had also been pursued by the Heat, and his former team, the Knicks, notes Stein. Murry will be able to provide depth at both guard positions for the Jazz, and will compete for playing time off the bench.

Utah will most likely begin the season with Trey Burke as the starting point guard, and Alec Burks at the two guard position. No. 5 overall pick, Dante Exum, will begin his career at shooting guard, but the franchise hopes he can develop his ball-handling and decision-making skills enough to eventually shift over to the point.

Last year, his first season in the league, Murry appeared in 51 games for the Knicks, and averaged 2.7 PPG, 0.9 RPG, and 1.0 APG, while logging 7.3 minutes a night. His slash line was .434/.417/.590.

Heat Sign Reggie Williams

August 12th, 2014 at 3:02pm CST by Eddie Scarito

AUGUST 12TH: The deal is official, the team announced via press release.

AUGUST 7TH, 5:53pm: Williams and the Heat have agreed to the deal, reports Shams Charania of RealGM (Twitter link). It’ll be a one-year contract.

5:45pm: Free agent swingman Reggie Williams is nearing a deal with the Heat, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter links). Williams will provide Miami with some scoring punch off the bench, notes Wojnarowski. The 6’6″, 27 year-old went undrafted out of Virginia Military Institute back in 2008.

In parts of five seasons in the league, Williams has played for the Warriors, Hornets, and most recently, the Thunder. He appeared in three games last season for Oklahoma City, averaging 3.7 PPG, while making 55.6% of his field goal attempts. Williams also appeared in 25 games for Tulsa in the NBA D-League last year, where he averaged 20.1 PPG, 5.7 RPG, and 4.9 APG.

For his career, Williams has averaged 8.5 PPG, 2.6 RPG, and 1.6 APG. His career slash line is .460/.371/.743.

Photo courtesy USA Today Sports Images.

East Notes: Melo, Oden, Knicks, DeRozan

August 11th, 2014 at 8:34pm CST by Zachary Links

Like most Knicks fans, Carmelo Anthony isn’t expecting to win it all this season, as Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com writes. “I don’t expect to win a championship this year,” Anthony said in an article posted on PrimeraHora.com and translated by ESPN Deportes’ Marly Rivera. “That is something that takes time and everything has to be (synchronized) — from the front office to the players. We have a lot of work to do but that is something that motivates me. I know that we can start creating the basis for what (we want) to accomplish eventually. And this is a great start for the process.” Anthony was said to be prioritizing winning in his free agent decision and while he ostensibly expects to win a ring in New York, he knows it won’t happen overnight. More from the Eastern Conference..

Free agent center Greg Oden has been charged with felony battery, misdemeanor domestic battery, and misdemeanor battery resulting in serious bodily injury after allegedly punching his ex-girlfriend in the face during a fight, according to The Associated Press. The former No. 1 pick spent last season with the Heat but basketball is probably the furthest thing from the 26-year-old’s mind at the moment.
Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPNNewYork.com looked at where the Knicks stand in terms of management. The suits earn high marks thanks to James Dolan’s willingness to spend and president Phil Jackson’s championship clout. However, there are obstacles, including Jackson’s lack of experience in this role and potential clashing between him and Dolan.
Raptors star DeMar DeRozan kept hearing from the critics in 2012 when he inked a four-year, $38MM deal, but he has continued to improve thanks to his tireless work ethic, writes Holly MacKenzie of Raptors.com.