2013 Amnesty Primer
Today is the last day of the July moratorium, which means NBA teams can officially resume full activity beginning tomorrow. In addition to signaling the end of the moratorium, July 10th also marks the first day that teams are eligible to amnesty players. This year's amnesty period will run from the 10th until the 16th — after that, teams that still haven't used their amnesty clause won't get another chance to do so until next July.
With amnesty week upon us, here's a refresher on how the process works, which teams still have the amnesty option available, and which players remain amnesty-eligible….
How does it work?
The amnesty provision provides a team an opportunity to clear a bad contract from its books for salary cap and luxury tax purposes. Although a team still has to pay the remainder of the amnestied player's salary, as it would for any released player, the player's salary no longer counts against the team's cap (except for minimum payroll purposes) when the amnesty clause is used. For instance, if and when the Lakers amnesty Metta World Peace, they'll still pay him his full $7,727,280 salary for 2013/14, but will remove that figure from the cap, significantly reducing the team's tax bill.
The amnesty provision can be used on any player, as long as the following rules are observed:
- A team can only amnesty one player — not one player per season.
- The amnesty provision can only be used on a player who signed his contract prior to July 1st, 2011. If a contract was signed, extended, or renegotiated after that date, the player cannot be amnestied.
- A team can only use its amnesty provision on a player who was on its roster on July 1st, 2011. If a player was traded after that date, he cannot be amnestied.
- The amnesty clause can only be used during the seven days following the July moratorium. If a team doesn't amnesty a player during that week, it won't get another chance to do so until the following July.
- A team that has yet to use its amnesty clause can do so in any of the next three years. The 2015/16 season is the last year in which a player can be amnestied under the current CBA.
Amnestied players are placed on waivers, but the waiver rules are slightly different than usual. An under-the-cap team can still place a full waiver claim on an amnestied player, if it doesn't mind being on the hook for the rest of the player's contract. However, clubs also have the option to submit partial waiver claims, in what essentially amounts to an auction for the player's services. If no team places a full claim, the team with the highest partial claim is awarded the player. If two teams bid the same amount, the club with the worse record wins out. If neither a full or partial claim is submitted, the player becomes an unrestricted free agent.
For a few more details on the amnesty process, check out our complete explanation in the Hoops Rumors glossary.
Which teams still have the amnesty provision available?
Exactly half of the NBA's 30 teams have used the amnesty provision in the last two offseasons, leaving 15 clubs with the option of amnesty still at their disposal. These are the teams still in play, per our amnesty provision tracker:
- Atlanta Hawks
- Boston Celtics
- Charlotte Bobcats
- Chicago Bulls
- Detroit Pistons
- Los Angeles Lakers
- Memphis Grizzlies
- Miami Heat
- Milwaukee Bucks
- New Orleans Pelicans
- Oklahoma City Thunder
- Sacramento Kings
- San Antonio Spurs
- Toronto Raptors
- Utah Jazz
The Pelicans no longer have any amnesty-eligible players left on their roster, and reports have suggested the Bobcats will amnesty Tyrus Thomas, while the Lakers will amnesty World Peace. That would leave just 12 teams with the amnesty option available.
Which players are still eligible to be amnestied?
While there are 35 players still eligible to be amnestied, some are likelier candidates than others. I examined a few of this summer's potential amnesty candidates back in March, but here's the complete list of players that technically remain amnesty-eligible, along with the total money left on their deals:
- Atlanta Hawks: Al Horford ($36MM)
- Boston Celtics: Rajon Rondo ($24.86MM), Avery Bradley ($2.51MM)
- Charlotte Bobcats: Tyrus Thomas ($18.08MM)
- Chicago Bulls: Joakim Noah ($36.7MM), Carlos Boozer ($32.1MM), Luol Deng ($14.28MM)
- Detroit Pistons: Charlie Villanueva ($8.58MM), Greg Monroe ($4.09MM)
- Los Angeles Lakers: Kobe Bryant ($30.45MM), Pau Gasol ($19.29MM), Metta World Peace ($7.73MM), Steve Blake ($4MM)
- Memphis Grizzlies: Zach Randolph ($34.3MM), Mike Conley ($26.08MM)
- Miami Heat: LeBron James ($61.77MM), Chris Bosh ($61.77MM), Dwyane Wade ($60.49MM), Mike Miller ($12.8MM), Udonis Haslem ($8.96MM), Joel Anthony ($7.6MM)
- Milwaukee Bucks: Drew Gooden ($13.37MM), Larry Sanders ($3.05MM)
- New Orleans Pelicans: No players eligible
- Oklahoma City Thunder: Kevin Durant ($56.99MM), Kendrick Perkins ($18.63MM), Nick Collison ($4.83MM), Thabo Sefolosha ($3.9MM)
- Sacramento Kings: John Salmons ($14.58MM), DeMarcus Cousins ($4.92MM)
- San Antonio Spurs: Tony Parker ($25MM), Matt Bonner ($3.95MM)
- Toronto Raptors: Amir Johnson ($13.6MM), Linas Kleiza ($4.6MM)
- Utah Jazz: Derrick Favors ($6.01MM), Gordon Hayward ($3.45MM)
FA Updates: Brewer, Teague, Hawks, Knicks, Lucas
With the July moratorium scheduled to be lifted tomorrow, free agent contracts can finally become official, and tomorrow should be a busy day, as teams and players formally finalize their agreements from the last nine days. However, there are still plenty of players on the market in search of a new team, or a deal with their old team. Here's the latest on a few of them:
- Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities tweets that the Timberwolves have spoken to Corey Brewer's reps, and Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune hears from a source close to Brewer that the Wolves "would love him" (Twitter link).
- The Bucks' interest in Jeff Teague is "undeniable," but it's not clear if the Hawks are ready to take back Brandon Jennings or Monta Ellis in a sign-and-trade, says ESPN.com's Marc Stein (via Twitter).
- After passing along a handful of Knicks updates this morning, Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com provides a couple more. According to Zwerling, there's still mutual interest between the Knicks and Aaron Brooks, and the team also has some interest in Shawne Williams, though there's "nothing firm" there (Twitter links).
- Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today reports that John Lucas III met with the Jazz in Orlando yesterday, and hears from agent Bernie Lee that Lucas will meet with another team today in his hometown of Houston. According to Bill Oram of the Salt Lake Tribune (via Twitter), four teams, including the Jazz, are interested in the free agent point guard.
- Before he agreed to sign with the Pistons, Italian forward Gigi Datome drew interest from the Celtics, Bucks, Rockets, Suns, Spurs, and Grizzlies, tweets Vincent Ellis of the Detroit Free Press.
Spurs Likely To Re-Sign Neal; Bucks Interested
10:35am: Neal is likely to re-sign with the Spurs, a league source tells Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com (Twitter link).
8:41am: Updates on Gary Neal have been scarce so far this month, with the 28-year-old's name only surfacing in discussions about how the Spurs' agreement with Marco Belinelli affects Neal's future in San Antonio. When the Spurs and Belinelli agreed to terms, ESPN.com's Marc Stein reported that there were "strong indications" Neal would be leaving San Antonio, since he was receiving interest from rival clubs at a higher price than the Spurs were willing to offer.
At the time, it wasn't clear which teams were in play for Neal, but Gery Woelfel of the Racine Journal Times reports (via Twitter) that the Bucks are a potential suitor. According to Woelfel, Milwaukee is one of four teams interested in the restricted free agent guard.
With Neal's Bird rights in hand, the Spurs will have the opportunity and the means to match any offer sheet he signs with another team. However, with Belinelli on board, it's not clear whether there will be enough minutes to go around. I would guess the Spurs will still be open to bringing Neal back if the price is right, but it sounds like they'll have plenty of competition.
Brandon Jennings Seeking $12MM Per Year?
With many of the top-tier unrestricted free agents off the board already, the focus this week may shift to the big restricted free agents still available, such as Nikola Pekovic and Brandon Jennings. Although we didn't hear a ton of news or rumors on Jennings during the first week of free agency, Gery Woelfel of the Racine Journal Times passes along an update today, tweeting that Jennings is seeking an annual salary of $12MM. According to Woelfel, the Bucks are "starting to cave," offering Jennings just over $11MM per year.
Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports reported last Tuesday that Jennings' representatives at Excel Sports had presented the Bucks with an undisclosed figure that the 23-year-old would be willing to accept to re-sign with the team. If we connect the dots and assume that the undisclosed amount was $12MM annually, and that Jennings is looking for a long-term deal, that would work out to $48MM over four years, or $60MM for five.
While re-signing Jennings is one option for the Bucks, it sounds as if it's not the only scenario the team is exploring. ESPN.com's Marc Stein reported overnight that Milwaukee and Atlanta are discussing a sign-and-trade deal that would send Jennings to the Hawks and Jeff Teague to the Bucks. If the two sides were able to reach an agreement, there'd be a new-look backcourt of Teague and O.J. Mayo in Milwaukee, with Jennings, Monta Ellis, and J.J. Redick all seemingly headed elsewhere.
Stein’s Latest: Ellis, Jennings, Teague, Fredette
As we noted already this morning, ESPN.com's Marc Stein was the first to pass along word that the Nuggets and Randy Foye were nearing a verbal agreement. Stein also includes a number of somewhat related tidbits in his latest entry on ESPN's TrueHoop blog, so let's dive in and round them up….
- An agreement between Denver and Foye would likely take the Nuggets out of the running for Monta Ellis, which would seem to open up the Hawks' lead for the free agent guard. Stein reported over the weekend that Ellis was Atlanta's top target.
- However, an alternative scenario appears to be in play for the Hawks. According to Stein, Atlanta and Milwaukee have discussed a deal that would send Jeff Teague to the Bucks and Brandon Jennings to the Hawks, both via sign-and-trade. If those talks get serious, Stein says Atlanta would likely rescind its interest in Ellis, considering an Ellis/Jennings backcourt didn't take the Bucks far last season. Milwaukee's interest in Teague was reported at the very start of free agency last week.
- The Kings also remain in the hunt for Ellis, according to Stein, who says Sacramento has been shopping Jimmer Fredette and Chuck Hayes to the Cavaliers in an effort to clear the necessary cap room.
- As Stein notes, Hayes may not appeal to the Cavs, who are attempting to retain as much 2014 cap space as possible. The veteran forward is owed close to $6MM in 2014/15, while Fredette has a team option worth about $3.11MM.
Latest On Monta Ellis, Andrew Bynum
Top-tier free agents are going fast, leaving Monta Ellis and Andrew Bynum among the best options remaining on the list of available players. Marc Stein of ESPN.com has the latest on teams in line for them:
- Ellis is the top target for the Hawks, according to Stein, who figures the team could make an offer with a starting salary around $10MM based on its available cap space. GM Danny Ferry and company have also given thought to signing Andrew Bynum.
- Bynum is the primary focus for the Mavs, Stein reports, adding that Dallas doesn't appear to have enough cap space left to make a competitive bid on Ellis, whom they've also been eyeing.
- The Nuggets also covet Ellis, Stein observes, and that's fueling the team's desire to trade Andre Miller.
- If Ellis hasn't signed elsewhere by the time the July Moratorium is over on Wednesday, Stein says the Bucks would have to renounce his rights to clear enough room to officially bring aboard free agents O.J. Mayo and Zaza Pachulia, with whom they have agreements.
Odds & Ends: Clippers, Pistons, Cavs, Ellington
The Clippers seem to be done with all their moves this summer and will probably just sign minimum level contracts from here on out, writes Eric Pincus of HoopsWorld (via Twitter). But Pincus also tweeted an update on the Clippers' salary info after the Darren Collison signing that used part of their available MLE earlier tonight.
The deal means Matt Barnes will get less as part of his announced re-signing with the Clippers yesterday. It was reported he'd worked out a three-year deal worth between $11-$12MM, but after Pincus' math that's likely to drop as they split the MLE with Barnes dropping to $10MM over three years.
Here's some more around the league, including teams pursuing free agent Wayne Ellington and the Cavs' future after signing Jarrett Jack.
- League sources tell RealGM's Shams Charania that the Kings are eyeing free agent Sam Young of the Pacers.
- Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio says free agent guard Wayne Ellington is drawing interest from the Bulls, Bucks and Pistons (Twitter).
- About the Pistons, USA Today's Jeff Zillgitt says (via Twitter) that even though they landed free agent Josh Smith, they still want a point guard and shooting wing, the latter role one Ellington could fulfill.
- Keith Langlois of Pistons.com says (via Twitter) that there are 34 players making over $13.5MM next season. He goes on to say that number helps put "youknowwhat" into perspective. We're guessing it's the four-year $54MM (or $56MM, with performance incentives) Josh Smith just agreed to signed for with the Pistons.
- A source has told 1500ESPN.com's Darren Wolfson the Timberwolves are maintaining a regular dialogue with unrestricted free agent Alan Anderson's camp (Twitter).
- Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal takes a look at how the Cavs roster is beginning to take shape in the wake of their agreement with Jarrett Jack.
- Lloyd adds (via Twitter) that the Jack signing probably ends their flirtation with Ellington, whom they didn't tender a qualifying offer because they wanted an upgrade of the kind Jack gives them.
Bucks Nearing Deal With Carlos Delfino
The Bucks are nearing agreement on a three-year deal with free agent Carlos Delfino, according to Marc Stein of ESPN.com (via Twitter). Houston was forced to cut Delfino loose this summer in order to create enough cap space to sign Dwight Howard outright.
We recently heard that the Knicks were showing interest in Delfino as they seek out a solid wing defender who can also shoot it from beyond the arc. He also received interest from a club in China, but the interest wasn't mutual.
Delfino and teammate Aaron Brooks were informed in mid-June that they wouldn't be brought back as the club had to make way for D12. Had his non-guaranteed deal been honored, Delfino would have made $3MM in 2013/14. The soon-to-be 31-year-old averaged 10.6 PPG and 3.3 RPG in 25.2 minutes per game last season.
Delfino is a client of ASM Sports, according to the Hoops Rumors Agency Database.
Nuggets Making Strong Push For Monta Ellis
8:28pm: Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports also hears the Nuggets have "major interest" in Ellis, but he says more suitors have emerged in the past few hours (Twitter link).
6:58pm: The Nuggets are engaged in a serious pursuit of Monta Ellis, reports Shams Charania of RealGM.com. Ellis has had "several substantial discussions" with teams, Charania hears, and some sign-and-trade possibilities arose. Still, the Nuggets will have some room available to sign Ellis now that Andre Iguodala is headed to Golden State.
Yet with about $51MM in guaranteed contracts, the Nuggets won't have that much space to offer a deal to Ellis. The salary cap is projected to be $58.5MM for this coming season, meaning Ellis would likely only be able to sign a deal with a starting salary of around $7.5MM with the Nuggets, unless the team pulled off a sign-and-trade or cleared cap room with another swap. That $7.5MM figure is a far cry from the $11MM figure Ellis turned down in an early-termination option with the Bucks.
Eastern Notes: 76ers, Rondo, Stevens, Copeland
As we continue further into the offseason, the 76ers remain the only NBA team without a head coach. When asked today if the team had begun interviewing head coaching candidates, GM Sam Hinkie was quick to avoid much comment, writes Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer. Pompey points out that their head coaching search might not conclude until after the summer league, and that Michael Curry – one of the candidates for the job – is leading their summer league roster. He also writes that Spurs assistant Brett Brown could still figure to be another candidate, along with other NBA assistant coaches – David Fizdale of the Heat, Melvin Hunt of the Nuggets, and Chris Finch and Kelvin Sampson from the Rockets – who were at some point tied to the job as well.
Here are some more news and notes out of the Eastern Conference:
- A source close to Rajon Rondo says that the 27-year-old point guard is approaching the Celtics' hiring of Brad Stevens with an open mind, tweets Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe.
- Washburn wonders if Stevens would considering bringing his former assistants from Butler – namely Matthew Graves (who was recently named the coach of South Alabama in March) and Drew Cannon – onto his coaching staff in Boston, noting that there may be an update on Cannon tomorrow (Twitter links).
- Bob Finnan of The News-Herald confirms that Cavaliers assistant general manager David Griffin reached out to forward Chris Copeland and his agent yesterday. Finnan isn’t sure that the team would look to sign him with Clark now on board, but notes that the team does have the flexibility to sign both players.
- Eric Pincus of Hoopsworld speculates that Brandon Jennings could be a candidate to play the upcoming year on a qualifying offer for the Bucks and become an unrestricted free agent next summer (Sulia link).
- With the market for small forwards drying up, the Cavs had to overpay a little bit in order to secure Earl Clark from free agency, tweets Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal. Though with Cleveland holding a team option for Clark’s second year, Lloyd adds that the team still has a chance to keep some flexibility next summer.
- Jan Vesely would still like to remain in the NBA once his contract expires with the Wizards after this year, according to his agent Alex Raskovic (hat tip goes to Emiliano Carchia of Sportando via Twitter).
- J. Michael of CSN Washington thinks that it would be wise for the Wizards to pass on a possible reunion with Antawn Jamison.
- In addition to Maz Trakh, John Loyer, and Bernard Smith, the Pistons are expected to add another assistant coach to Maurice Cheeks' staff on Sunday, tweets Keith Langlois of Pistons.com.