Offseason Salary Cap Digest: Detroit Pistons
It’s no secret by now that the Pistons will keep Andre Drummond officially unsigned as long as they can to maintain his relatively paltry cap hold instead of a max-salary figure on their books. The maneuver will give the Pistons an opportunity to open cap space, but it won’t be a massive amount. They’ll most likely have less than $20MM to spend against a projected $92MM cap, which wouldn’t be enough for even the lowest tier of max salaries, and with eight players on the roster who have fully guaranteed salaries, not including Drummond, don’t expect drastic changes unless they come by trade. The Pistons have nearly $5MM in non-guaranteed salary to four players, giving them plenty of trade ballast, if necessary. See how Detroit’s cap situation looks for 2016/17 as Hoops Rumors continues its offseason salary cap digest series.
Guaranteed salary
- Tobias Harris ($17,200,000)
- Reggie Jackson ($14,956,522)
- Aron Baynes ($6,500,000)
- Jodie Meeks ($6,540,000)
- (Josh Smith $5,331,729) — Salary remaining from release via stretch provision
- Marcus Morris ($4,625,000)
- Kentavious Caldwell-Pope ($3,678,319)
- Stanley Johnson ($2,969,880)
- Reggie Bullock ($2,255,644)
- Darrun Hilliard ($500,000) — Partial guarantee; non-guaranteed portion listed below
- Total: $64,557,094
Player options
- None
Team options
- None
Non-guaranteed salary
- Joel Anthony ($2,500,000)
- Lorenzo Brown ($1,015,696)
- Spencer Dinwiddie ($980,431)
- Darrun Hilliard ($374,636) — Partial guarantee; guaranteed portion listed above
- Total: $4,870,763
Restricted Free Agents (Qualifying Offers/Cap Holds)
- Andre Drummond ($4,433,683/$8,180,228)
Unrestricted Free Agents (Cap Holds)
- Anthony Tolliver ($3,900,000)
- Steve Blake ($2,821,605)
- Total: $6,721,605
Other Cap Holds
- No. 18 pick ($1,420,100)
Projected Salary Cap: $92,000,000
The Basketball Insiders salary pages were used in the creation of this post.
Offseason Salary Cap Digest: Memphis Grizzlies
The key for the Grizzlies this summer is re-signing Mike Conley, but if Memphis can quickly secure a verbal commitment from the point guard, the team can manipulate his relatively small cap hold to sign other free agents into cap space before circling back to formally sign him. It’s much the same strategy the Spurs employed when they used Kawhi Leonard‘s minuscule cap hold to create room to sign LaMarcus Aldridge last summer and the Pistons plan to execute with Andre Drummond‘s cap hold this summer. Conley isn’t a restricted free agent like Leonard was and Drummond will be, but because he’s on such a bargain contract, his cap hold is much cheaper than the estimated $26MM maximum salary he’s eligible to sign for. So, look for the Grizzlies to keep him unsigned as long as possible, thus maintaining a roughly $14MM cap hit instead of one nearly twice as large. See how the Grizzlies’ cap situation looks for 2016/17 as Hoops Rumors continues its offseason salary cap digest series.
Guaranteed salary
- Marc Gasol ($21,165,675)
- Zach Randolph ($10,361,445)
- Brandan Wright ($5,709,880)
- Tony Allen ($5,505,618)
- Vince Carter ($2,000,000) — Partial guarantee; non-guaranteed portion listed below
- Jordan Adams ($1,465,080)
- Jarell Martin ($1,286,160)
- (Jamaal Franklin $163,296) — Salary remaining from release via stretch provision
- Total: $47,657,154
Player options
- None
Team options
- Lance Stephenson ($9,405,000)
- Xavier Munford ($874,636)
- Total: $10,279,636
Non-guaranteed salary
- Vince Carter ($2,264,057) — Partial guarantee; guaranteed portion listed above
- JaMychal Green ($980,431)
- Total: $3,244,488
Restricted Free Agents (Qualifying Offers/Cap Holds)
- Bryce Cotton ($1,180,431/$1,180,431)
- Xavier Munford ($1,074,636/$1,074,636) — Pending team option
- Totals: ($2,255,067/$2,255,067)
Unrestricted Free Agents (Cap Holds)
- Mike Conley ($14,082,639)
- Lance Stephenson ($11,700,000) — Pending team option
- Chris Andersen ($9,500,000)
- Matt Barnes ($6,730,750)
- P.J. Hairston ($1,253,160)1
- Jordan Farmar ($980,431)
- Total: $44,246,980
Other Cap Holds
- No. 17 pick ($1,494,800)
- Nick Calathes ($1,180,431)
- Keyon Dooling ($980,431)
- Total: $3,655,662
Projected Salary Cap: $92,000,000
Footnotes:
- The Grizzlies can’t re-sign Hairston to a contract with a starting salary worth more than the amount listed here because the Hornets declined their team option on his rookie scale contract before the start of the season. Charlotte subsequently traded Hairston to Memphis, which inherits the restriction.
The Basketball Insiders salary pages were used in the creation of this post.
Offseason Salary Cap Digest: Houston Rockets
Rockets GM Daryl Morey will have plenty of cap flexibility this summer to pivot away from the profound disappointment of this season, as long as Dwight Howard opts out as expected. Houston’s guaranteed salary commitments only come to about half the projected salary cap, so if the team moves on from the disjointed pairing of Howard and James Harden, it’ll have the chance to sign a new maximum-salary free agent and then some. See how the Rockets’ cap situation looks for 2016/17 as Hoops Rumors continues its offseason salary cap digest series.
Guaranteed Salary
- James Harden ($16,784,032)
- Trevor Ariza ($7,806,971)
- Corey Brewer ($7,612,172)
- Patrick Beverley ($6,000,000)
- K.J. McDaniels ($3,333,333)
- Sam Dekker ($1,720,560)
- Clint Capela ($1,296,240)
- Montrezl Harrell ($1,045,000)
- Total: $45,598,308
Player Options
- Dwight Howard ($23,282,457)
Team Options
- None
Non-Guaranteed Salary
- Michael Beasley ($1,403,611)
- Andrew Goudelock ($1,015,696)
- Total: $2,419,307
Restricted Free Agents (Qualifying Offers/Cap Holds)
- Donatas Motiejunas ($4,433,683/$5,720,513)
- Terrence Jones ($3,532,643/$6,223,825)
- Totals: ($7,966,326/$11,944,338)
Unrestricted Free Agents (Cap Holds)
- Dwight Howard ($30,300,000) — pending player option1
- Josh Smith ($980,431)
- Jason Terry ($980,431)
- Total: $32,260,862
Projected Salary Cap: $92,000,000
Footnotes:
- The cap hold for Howard if he opts out will be the maximum salary for a veteran of 10 or more seasons. The number shown here is an estimate based on the projected cap figure.
The Basketball Insiders salary pages were used in the creation of this post.
Offseason Salary Cap Digest: Dallas Mavericks
The salary cap puzzle for the Mavericks this summer depends largely on three player options worth more than $30MM. Chandler Parsons will almost certainly decline his to seek more on the open market, and Dirk Nowitzki has said he plans to opt in as long as the Mavs don’t start a rebuilding project. Deron Williams is undecided, though his is the smallest of the options. A Williams opt-in would nonetheless make it a tight squeeze for the team to sign a player for the middle-tier max of roughly $25MM, presuming the Mavs also re-sign Parsons. Here’s a look at the numbers for the Mavs as owner Mark Cuban and president of basketball operations Donnie Nelson prepare for the summer ahead.
Guaranteed Salary
- Wesley Matthews ($17,145,838)
- Devin Harris ($4,227,996)
- J.J. Barea ($4,096,950)
- Justin Anderson ($1,514,160)
- Jeremy Evans ($1,227,286)
- (Maurice Ndour $437,318) — Salary remaining from release via stretch provision
- (Gal Mekel $315,759) — Salary remaining from release via stretch provision
- Total: $28,965,307
Player Options
- Chandler Parsons ($16,023,000)
- Dirk Nowitzki ($8,692,184)
- Deron Williams ($5,621,026)
- Total: $30,336,210
Team Options
- None
Non-Guaranteed Salary
- JaVale McGee ($1,403,611)
- Salah Mejri ($874,636)
- Total: $2,278,247
Restricted Free Agents (Qualifying Offers/Cap Holds)
- Dwight Powell ($1,180,431/$1,180,431)
Unrestricted Free Agents (Cap Holds)
- Chandler Parsons ($19,969,950) — Pending player option
- Dirk Nowitzki ($12,500,001) — Pending player option
- Zaza Pachulia ($9,880,000)
- Raymond Felton ($7,505,595)
- Deron Williams ($6,454,769) — Pending player option
- David Lee ($2,502,805)
- Charlie Villanueva ($980,431)
- Total: $59,793,551
Projected Salary Cap: $92,000,000
The Basketball Insiders salary pages were used in the creation of this post.
Offseason Salary Cap Digest: New York Knicks
The Knicks will once more go big-game hunting in free agency this summer, though whether they’ll have the cap flexibility necessary to sign maximum-salary free agents, most of whom will cost upward of $25MM for next season, depends in large measure on what Arron Afflalo and Derrick Williams decide to do with their player options. New York could alternatively create room by offloading Jose Calderon, as we note below. As Hoops Rumors continues its look at each’s team salary cap situation for the season ahead, here are the numbers in the books that team president Phil Jackson and GM Steve Mills will tend to:
Guaranteed Salary
- Carmelo Anthony ($24,559,380)
- Robin Lopez ($13,219,250)
- Jose Calderon ($7,708,427)1
- Kristaps Porzingis ($4,317,720)
- Kyle O’Quinn ($3,918,750)
- Jerian Grant ($1,643,040)
- Total: $55,366,567
Player Options
- Arron Afflalo ($8,000,000)
- Derrick Williams ($4,598,000)
- Total: $12,598,000
Team Options
- None
Non-Guaranteed Salary
- Tony Wroten ($1,050,961)
Restricted Free Agents (Qualifying Offers/Cap Holds)
- Langston Galloway ($2,725,003/$2,725,003)
- Cleanthony Early ($1,180,431/$1,180,431)
- Totals: ($3,905,434/$3,905,434)
Unrestricted Free Agents (Cap Holds)
- Arron Afflalo ($9,600,000) — Pending player option
- Derrick Williams ($5,280,000) — Pending player option
- Kevin Seraphin ($3,376,800)
- Lance Thomas ($2,127,895)
- Lou Amundson ($2,126,119)
- Sasha Vujacic ($980,431)
- Total: $23,491,245
Projected Salary Cap: $92,000,000
Footnotes:
- Waiving Calderon via the stretch provision, a maneuver that’s been the subject of much speculation, would reduce his salary for next season to $2,569,475.
The Basketball Insiders salary pages were used in the creation of this post.
Offseason Salary Cap Digest: Brooklyn Nets
New Brookyn GM Sean Marks is poised to have maximum-level cap flexibility to work with in the offseason ahead, even if all three of the Nets who have player options decide to opt in, and even with multiple cap hits remaining from previous buyouts. Hoops Rumors is looking at each team’s cap situation for next season, starting with the Nets:
Guaranteed Salary
- Brook Lopez ($21,165,675)
- Thaddeus Young ($12,278,652)
- (Deron Williams $5,474,787) — Salary remaining from buyout via stretch provision
- Bojan Bogdanovic ($3,573,020)
- Rondae Hollis-Jefferson ($1,395,600)
- Chris McCullough ($1,191,480)
- Sean Kilpatrick ($980,431)
- Jarrett Jack ($500,000) — Partial guarantee; non-guaranteed portion listed below
- (Andrea Bargnani $323,599) — Salary remaining from buyout
- Total: $46,883,244
Player Options
- Wayne Ellington ($1,567,500)
- Shane Larkin ($1,500,000)
- Thomas Robinson ($1,050,961)
- Total: $4,118,461
Team Options
- None
Non-Guaranteed Salary
- Jarrett Jack ($5,800,000) — Partial guarantee; guaranteed portion listed above
Restricted Free Agents (Qualifying Offers/Cap Holds)
- Shane Larkin ($1,875,000/$1,875,000) — Pending player option
- Willie Reed ($1,215,696/$1,215,696)
- Markel Brown ($1,180,431/$1,180,431)
- Totals: ($4,271,127/$4,271,127)
Unrestricted Free Agents (Cap Holds)
- Sergey Karasev ($2,463,754)1
- Wayne Ellington ($1,800,000) — Pending player option
- Thomas Robinson ($980,431) — Pending player option
- Donald Sloan ($980,431)
- Henry Sims ($980,431)
- Total: $7,205,047
Other Cap Holds
- Andray Blatche ($1,788,285)
- Jason Collins ($980,431)
- Jerry Stackhouse ($980,431)
- Total: $3,749,147
Projected Salary Cap: $92,000,000
Footnotes:
- The Nets can’t re-sign Karasev to a contract with a starting salary worth more than the amount listed here because they declined their team option on his rookie scale contract.
The Basketball Insiders salary pages were used in the creation of this post.