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NBA 2016/17 Dead Money: Atlantic Division

November 14th, 2016 at 3:32pm CST by Luke Adams

The concept of “dead money” on a salary cap isn’t as common in the NBA as it is in the NFL, but it essentially functions the same way in both leagues. Dead money refers to the salary remaining on a team’s cap for players that are no longer on the roster.

For NFL teams, taking on a certain amount of dead money is a common practice, since signing bonuses affect cap hits differently, and big-money players are more likely to be released before playing out their entire contracts. That practice is less common in the NBA.

Still, with the NBA’s salary cap on the rise, teams may be a little more willing to part ways with players on guaranteed salaries, since that increased cap gives clubs more flexibility than they used to have. Within the last month, we’ve seen players like Ronnie Price and Greivis Vasquez, who each had $4-5MM in guaranteed money left on their contracts, waived in order to clear room for newcomers.

Over the next few days, we’ll examine each of the NBA’s 30 teams, breaking them down by division, to figure out which teams are carrying the most dead money on the cap for 2016/17, and what that information might tell us about those teams. We got things underway on Friday by examining the Central division. Today, we’ll move on to the Atlantic.

Here are the 2016/17 dead money figures for the Atlantic teams:

1. Philadelphia 76ers
Total dead money: $12,098,851
Full salary cap breakdown

The Sixers’ dead money list is essentially a means to end. Veterans like Carl Landry ($6.5MM), Tibor Pleiss ($3MM), and Sasha Kaun ($1.333MM) weren’t exactly players Philadelphia went out and targeted for their on-court contributions. They were players with burdensome contracts, which the Sixers agreed to take on if they got something out of the deal — usually a second-round pick or two.

Since they’re still in rebuilding mode, the 76ers haven’t needed all their cap room to go out and sign immediate contributors, which means they can afford to use some of that room to essentially buy draft picks. In that sense, their $12MM in dead money isn’t a problem at all.

Of course, not all of the Sixers’ dead-money charges were beneficial. The club is paying Elton Brand‘s full $980K salary for this season after he decided to retire, and the $155K guarantee Brandon Paul received from Philadelphia seems unnecessary, now that he’s neither on the roster nor on the Sixers’ D-League squad.

2. Brooklyn Nets
Total dead money: $10,891,212
Full salary cap breakdown

A handful of point guards are responsible for the majority of the Nets’ dead money, with Deron Williams ($5.475MM) and Greivis Vasquez ($4.348MM) leading the way. Brooklyn is also carrying dead money for point guards Jarrett Jack ($500K) and Yogi Ferrell ($100K). In nearly all of those cases, the Nets’ desire to move on from veteran players and get younger resulted in those veterans leaving some dead money on the cap. The only exception is Ferrell, who got a partial guarantee from the club as a camp invitee, was waived, and is now back on a new contract.

Egidijus Mockevicius ($100K) and Beau Beech ($45K) also got partial guarantees as camp invitees, and Andrea Bargnani ($324K) represents another veteran player who the team is paying not to play for them. But even once you add all that dead money up, it’s not having a huge impact on the Nets’ 2016/17 cap — the team remains well below the salary floor, and could be willing to take on even more dead money by the end of the season.

3. Boston Celtics
Total dead money: $1,550,240
Full salary cap breakdown

The Celtics continue to be patient when it comes to stockpiling assets and seeking out an ideal trade partner, but that patience may have cost them a little last month. With so many candidates for the 15-man roster, Boston had to waive R.J. Hunter and eat his guaranteed salary ($1.2MM). Additionally, the C’s gave second-round pick Ben Bentil a $250K bonus in the hopes of convincing him to play for their D-League affiliate, the Maine Red Claws. But Bentil ultimately signed a second deal with the Pacers, giving Indiana his D-League rights.

While the Celtics’ dead money charges for Hunter and Bentil represent a couple youngsters who got away, the team’s other partial guarantees – $50K for Damion Lee and $25K apiece for Marcus Georges-Hunt and Jalen Jones – were worthwhile investments. All three camp invitees landed in Maine to start the season.

4. New York Knicks
Total dead money: $1,180,431
Full salary cap breakdown

The Knicks gave partial guarantees worth $100K apiece to Chasson Randle and J.P. Tokoto, who are now members of the D-League’s Westchester Knicks. The team’s other dead-money cap charge belongs to Lou Amundson, who got a fully guaranteed minimum salary contract from the club during the offseason. New York isn’t close to the tax line, and probably won’t get anywhere close this season, barring a major trade, so that Amundson deal won’t hurt them. Still, it was an odd decision to give a fully guaranteed salary to a borderline NBA player at a time in the offseason when most remaining free agents weren’t getting guaranteed deals.

5. Toronto Raptors
Total dead money: $206,500
Full salary cap breakdown

With no veteran cuts taking up room on their cap, the Raptors’ $206.5K in dead-money charges belong to four of the club’s camp invitees: Brady Heslip ($56.6K), Yanick Moreira ($50K), E.J. Singler ($50K), and Jarrod Uthoff ($50K). Toronto was ultimately able to add all four players to Raptors 905, the club’s D-League affiliate, so those modest cap hits paid off.

Salary information from Basketball Insiders was used in the creation of this post.

Bondy: Five Issues Knicks Must Address To Improve

November 14th, 2016 at 1:36pm CST by Luke Adams

The Knicks are “a wreck until they prove otherwise,” according to Stefan Bondy of The New York Daily News, who identifies the five most important issues the team must address in order to improve. Among the Knicks’ problems, in Bondy’s view? Joakim Noah hasn’t been protecting the rim effectively, and Derrick Rose has been too tentative.
Earlier today, we passed along a few interesting comments from Knicks president Phil Jackson.

Phil Jackson Talks Triangle, Rose, Noah, Opt-Out

November 14th, 2016 at 10:42am CST by Luke Adams

A report last week suggested that Knicks president Phil Jackson was unhappy with his team’s offense, having felt that the club should be using triangle sets more often. At the time that story surfaced, the Knicks’ defense was also a mess, prompting the team to assign Kurt Rambis exclusively to that side of the ball in an attempt to clean things up. Reports later in the week indicated that Rambis’ new assignment came from head coach Jeff Hornacek, but Jackson still seems a little more hands-on than most team presidents around the NBA.

In an interview with ESPN’s Jackie MacMullan, Jackson addressed his reported displeasure with the club’s offensive sets, along with several other topics. The entire discussion is worth checking out, but here are a few highlights from the Knicks president:

On whether he’s frustrated with the lack of triangle sets in the Knicks’ offense:

“No. But when they run it, I want them to run it the right way. If you are going to do it, use your skills and run it the right way. I’m not frustrated at all. Derrick Rose missed three weeks of training camp (because of a civil trial). It’s totally understandable where we are as a ball club. We have guards that do a lot of stuff off the dribble. I want them to understand they can do things off the pass. It has to be a combination.”

On the decision to trade for Rose in the summer:

“Mike Conley was the best choice as a free agent, but he’s making $30MM a year. That’s almost insane. We saw that was going to happen. We had the opportunity to play with Derrick and see if he does have enough left in the tank — he’s 27 years old — before we have to get into that (free) agent market again. It gave us an opportunity to build a team around him, Carmelo [Anthony] and Kris[taps Porzingis].

“And, having experiences with Joakim [Noah] over the years, not only as a player with talent, but a guy who showed up at my door in Montana, he knows Derrick and he knows how to play with him. It gives us an advantage. Both are coming back into playing form.”

On whether he’ll exercise the opt-out clause in his contract after this season:

“I have not entertained that. I’m looking for this Knicks team to get back into a situation where they are competitive. Do I have to win a championship before I feel I’ve done the job I’ve been asked to do, which is to bring this group back to that competitive level? No, I don’t. We’re starting to make progress. I like a lot of the things we are doing here. But we’ve got more to do.

“The real issue with the opt out was simply my rationale regarding the (potential) lockout. If it was going to happen in December and everybody chose to walk away, there was no way I was going to sit in New York for three, four months when I didn’t have a job, because (the players) aren’t even allowed to show up to work.”

On the possibility of returning to the Lakers:

“They’re moving forward in the right direction. Luke [Walton] has them engaged, Brian [Shaw] is an associate head coach; they have a core group of guys that will get it done. It was never important to me to go back and be a part of that. Especially not now. I have this job, this commitment.”

Rose Shows Signs Of Frustration

November 13th, 2016 at 7:21pm CST by Arthur Hill

There are indications that Knicks point guard Derrick Rose is getting frustrated with his new team, writes Marc Berman of The New York Post. Rose, who was acquired from the Bulls in an offseason trade, had promised to wait 20 games to judge the team, but a 3-6 record and a dreadful defense are testing his patience. “Losing hurts, period,” Rose said. “I’ve never been a loser in my life. We got to figure ways out, we’re getting closer. We’re getting a lot closer, but the effort we have, we got to have that effort throughout the entire game.”

Anthony To Stay Quiet Around Tony Brothers

November 13th, 2016 at 9:01am CST by Arthur Hill

Lucas Nogueira may be able to fill the Raptors‘ hole at backup center left by the departure of Bismack Biyombo, writes Michael Grange of Rogers Sportsnet. Nogueira’s latest impressive performance came Saturday night with six points, 10 rebounds, five blocks and three steals in a win over the Knicks. The 7-footer is now averaging 8.3 points and 7.3 rebounds in four games. Nogueira says Biyombo appointed him as his successor when he signed with the Magic over the offseason. “During the summer [Biz] told me, ‘Lucas, your time to shine, go get it.’ I know Biz since I’m 15, playing in Spain against each other,” Nogueira said. “So we have a mutual respect for each other. It’s special, when he’s gone, he told me, ‘It’s your time, go get it.’ And I took it serious.”

The Knicks’ Carmelo Anthony plans to diffuse the situation with referee Tony Brothers by staying quiet around him, writes Stefan Bondy of The New York Daily News. After Anthony was tossed from Friday’s game, Anthony’s wife suggested on social media that Brothers has a vendetta against him. “It ain’t personal with me, on my end,” Anthony said. “I don’t have anything to say to him. He refs. I’ll play. I’ll keep my mouth shut next time.”

Offense Unpopular, Effort On Defense Still A Problem

November 12th, 2016 at 6:29pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Knicks need Carmelo Anthony to become a better and smarter leader, argues Marc Berman of The New York Post. Anthony is under fire for getting tossed from Friday’s game in the second quarter for arguing a foul call. He left the locker room without talking to reporters, but his wife tweeted that referee Tony Brothers has carried on a running dispute with Anthony. Berman says the Knicks, who are off to a 3-5 start despite adding Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah this summer, need Anthony to lead by example.
Although coach Jeff Hornacek said it’s too early to panic, the Knicks‘ early problems on offense and defense may last all season, writes Newsday’s Al Iannazzone. The triangle offense remains unpopular with the players, and the lack of effort on defense has continued even though Kurt Rambis was appointed as defensive coordinator earlier this week. “We’re starting off in a hole every game,” Noah said. “We got to get better. We got to get better defensively. We got to get better executing, and stop pressing.”
Sean Kilpatrick, who is having a breakout season with the Nets, is thankful to late Timberwolves coach Flip Saunders for giving him his first NBA opportunity, relays Jerry Zgoda of the Star-Tribune. Minnesota was short on healthy players in 2014 and turned to Kilpatrick because he was the best D-League player who could get to Madison Square Garden in time for a game with the Knicks. Kilpatrick lasted just four games with the Wolves, but took advantage of his chance with Brooklyn last season. He impressed the team on two 10-day contracts and was signed for the rest of the year. “He’s grinded through some tough times to get where he is,” said Nets coach Kenny Atkinson. “He keeps blossoming. We’re giving him a lot of responsibility, and he has answered the bell. We’re thrilled with what he’s giving us so far.”

Hernangomez Gets Thrust Into Rotation

November 12th, 2016 at 3:58pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Knicks rookie Willy Hernangomez has been inserted into the rotation but his first outing in that role was a mixed bag, Marc Berman of the New York Post writes. Hernangomez grabbed 12 rebounds in 23 minutes against the Celtics on Friday but also made five turnovers and blew a couple of layups. The 6’10” Hernangomez has displaced Kyle O’Quinn, who only played three garbage-time minutes. Hernangomez was signed to a partially-guaranteed four-year, $5.9MM contract in July.

Hornacek: Rambis' New Role Was My Idea, Not Jackson's

November 11th, 2016 at 9:00am CST by Luke Adams

Knicks head coach Jeff Hornacek says that the decision to install Kurt Rambis as a defensive assistant was his own, and didn’t come from team president Phil Jackson. Marc Berman of The New York Post has the details, along with the quotes from Hornacek.

Brandon Jennings: Don't Lend A Helping Hand

November 10th, 2016 at 9:29pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Brandon Jennings doesn’t want his Knicks teammates helping opponents get up if they fall on the court, Ian Begley of ESPN.com writes. Jennings wants his teammates to take a tougher approach, Begley adds. “I wouldn’t want another opponent to help me up,” he told Begley and other writers. “That’s just showing too much respect. In between the lines, you don’t have a New York jersey on, then you don’t mean nothing to me.”
The Celtics, who have been playing without top free agent acquistion Al Horford for the last four games, could make a lineup change, Mike Pedraglia of Greenstreet.weei.com relays. Horford isn’t expected to return for the team’s game against the Knicks Friday. Coach Brad Stevens said could break up the current lineup of Isaiah Thomas, Avery Bradley, Jaylen Brown, Amir Johnson and Tyler Zeller. “We’ll give thought to lineup change,” Stevens told reporters. “We’ll make the right thing for our team. But the bottom line is the guys that are playing are going to play because of our numbers in some part.”

Five Veteran Extension Candidates To Watch

November 10th, 2016 at 2:53pm CST by Luke Adams

As we discussed earlier this year when we identified the veteran players eligible for contract extensions, the limits imposed on veteran extensions by the NBA’s Collective Bargaining Agreement make such deals rare. Teams are afforded plenty of cap flexibility to finalize rookie-scale extensions for fourth-year players, but that same flexibility doesn’t exist for veteran extensions.

While the league’s new CBA is expected to reduce this figure, players currently have to wait for three full years after signing their contract to renegotiate and/or extend it. Most veteran NBA contracts don’t run for more than three years to begin with, which means the pool of players eligible to extend their deals are small.

Additionally, even players who are eligible for a veteran extension often choose to wait until free agency, since there is little incentive to complete an extension early. Over-the-cap teams can extend veteran contracts, but can’t accommodate significantly renegotiated salaries for the current season — a club must have the cap room necessary to give a player a big raise in 2016/17. Plus, veteran extensions can cover no more than three new seasons (four total).

So, for a player like Blake Griffin, who is extension-eligible in the final year of his contract, it doesn’t make sense for him to re-up now with the over-the-cap Clippers. Even if he wants to re-sign with Los Angeles, he would be eligible for more years and larger salaries if he waits until next July to work something out with the team.

In other words, for a player to be a realistic candidate for a veteran contract extension before next summer, he must meet one of the following criteria, in addition to having signed his current deal at least three years ago:

His team has sufficient cap room to give him an immediate raise. This applies to guys like Russell Westbrook and James Harden, who added an extra year or two to their deals earlier this summer in exchange for getting a big pay bump in 2016/17.
He won’t receive a major raise in free agency anyway. Given the rising salary cap, this doesn’t apply to many players in their prime, but guys nearing the tail end of their careers could be happy to settle for a small raise rather than rolling the dice on a bigger payday in free agency.

With those criteria in mind, let’s take a look at five players who are viable candidates for veteran extensions in 2016/17…

Derrick Favors (Jazz)
Contract: $11,050,000 salary in 2016/17; UFA in 2018

Favors is perhaps the most obvious extension candidate on our list. The Jazz are still below the salary floor, meaning the team has more than enough cap room to give him a raise all the way up to the maximum. Favors is also still two years away from free agency, so the opportunity to get significant pay increases for the next two years should make him very willing to add a couple more years of team control for Utah.

Still, this is no lock to happen. The Jazz won’t be overly motivated to simply hand Favors a maximum salary when there’s no pressure to do so quite yet, so he’d probably have to take a little less for the team to pull the trigger. If he wants a short-term raise, it makes sense to go for it. If he wants to wait another year, he’d be eligible for a higher max in 2017/18, and the Jazz might feel a little more pressure to get something done at that point, since it’d be a contract year for the big man.

George Hill (Jazz)
Contract: $8,000,000 salary in 2016/17; UFA in 2017

Of course, the Jazz’s talks with Favors are also complicated by the fact that the club has another strong candidate on its roster for a renegotiation and extension. Hill hasn’t been with the team for very long, but he’s made a great early impression. If Utah isn’t confident in handing the reins to Dante Exum next fall, reaching a new agreement with Hill would make a lot of sense.

As is the case with Favors, the Jazz have more than enough cap flexibility to offer Hill a big raise right away. However, the team’s current cap room (about $14MM) won’t be enough to accommodate significant renegotiations for both players. If each of them have interest in getting something done during the season, Utah would have a choice to make, and I imagine the team would lean toward Favors.

Paul George (Pacers)
Contract: $18,314,532 salary in 2016/17; Can opt out in 2018

I took a more extensive look at George’s situation back in September, so I won’t spend long re-hashing those points. As I explained at that time, the Pacers would be happy to get a max deal done sooner rather than later, but there are pros and cons for George, so it will come down to what he wants.

It certainly wouldn’t be a bad choice for George to sign a deal immediately if he wants to secure an immediate raise – which the Pacers have the cap room to give him – and shut down any speculation about a possible departure from Indiana. But there are reasons why it makes sense to wait too, and with the team off to a sluggish start, it seems that’s what he’ll do for now.

Derrick Rose (Knicks)
Contract: $21,323,252 salary in 2016/17; UFA in 2017

Rose is the first player on our list whose team is over the cap, meaning he wouldn’t get a raise this season if he were to work out a new deal with the Knicks. Still, he’s already on a maximum-salary contract, and even though he’ll be eligible for a much higher max next season (approximately $29MM based on current cap projections), there’s certainly no guarantee he’ll get those kind of offers on the open market.

The Knicks haven’t had a reliable, long-term starter at point guard for quite some time, so if things go well with Rose this year, they could make an effort to lock him up before he reaches free agency. The team could offer up to three additional years, with a 2017/18 starting salary worth up to nearly $23MM.

Ersan Ilyasova (Sixers)
Contract: $8,400,000 salary in 2016/17; UFA in 2017

It’s absolutely premature to consider Ilyasova an extension candidate in Philadelphia. The veteran power forward has been traded four times since signing his current contract, suggesting teams are more likely to move on from him than to want to lock him up.

Still, indications out of Philadelphia when the Sixers acquired Ilyasova last week were that they like how he fits on their roster, providing some much needed outside shooting and helping the club stretch the floor. In his first four games with the Sixers, he has averaged 12.8 PPG and shot 42.1% from three-point range — the sample size is minuscule, but those would be his best averages since 2012/13.

If Ilyasova continues to play well as a Sixer, a contract like the three-year, $30MM deal signed by Mirza Teletovic this summer looks like a reasonable goal for him, and Philadelphia could certainly afford something like that. It’s more likely that they’ll let him reach free agency, but if they like what they see this season from Ilyasova, the 76ers could at least explore what sort of deal it would take to keep him off the market.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.