Odds & Ends: Kobe, Sixers, Seattle, Hibbert
Kobe Bryant is celebrating his 35th birthday today, but the passage of time doesn't bode well for his chances to catch Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for the top spot on the all-time scoring list. He has 6,671 points to go, notes Marc Stein of ESPN.com, who adds that Abdul-Jabbar, Karl Malone and Robert Parish are the only players to score at least that many points after they turned 35 (Twitter link). Of course, breaking records involves outperforming history anyway, so the numbers seem as unlikely to deter the Black Mamba as most of the defenders he's faced over the years. Here's more from the Association:
- Bob Cooney of the Philadelphia Inquirer outlines the Sixers' priorities for the rest of the offseason, which likely include a few more front office hires. He also says Jason Richardson will likely miss the entire season and Kwame Brown will probably be waived, but that appears to be speculation on both points.
- Brier Dudley of The Seattle Times thinks Steve Ballmer's announcement today that he's retiring as Microsoft CEO is a boost to Seattle's effort to land an NBA team. Dudley also wonders if Ballmer will follow Paul Allen, another tech magnate, as owner of the Blazers (hat tip to Golliver).
- USA Basketball executive director Jerry Colangelo would have interest in making Roy Hibbert part of the program, but Hibbert's appearance with Jamaica during a game in 2010 likely precludes the Pacers center from ever joining Team USA. Michael Pointer of the Indianapolis Star provides further explanation.
- Ben Golliver of SI.com gives the Thunder a grade of D+ for their offseason moves, but he's high on first-round pick Steven Adams, doesn't think the departure of Kevin Martin will hurt too much, and believes the team could again win 60 games this season.
- Doc Rivers hasn't been with the Clippers for long, but the onus is on him to convert the team's potential into accomplishment, as Zach Harper of CBSSports.com examines.
NBA’s Largest Available Traded Player Exceptions
Earlier this month, the one-year anniversary of the Dwight Howard trade came and went without a ton of fanfare. By that point, Howard, Andre Iguodala, and Andrew Bynum, the three biggest names in last August's four-team blockbuster, had already hit free agency and signed with teams other than the ones that acquired them a year ago.
Perhaps the most notable detail relating to the one-year anniversary of the four-team swap was that the Magic let a mammoth traded player exception expire. Created by breaking down their side of the trade into several parts, the Magic held a TPE worth $17,816,880, and had a year to use it. However, by the time the calendar turned to August 11th this year, Orlando still hadn't touched that exception.
The fact that the Magic didn't use the exception isn't a total surprise. Orlando continues to pay a significant amount for a team that's in full-fledged rebuilding mode, so using that TPE to take on even more salary wasn't really a viable option unless the deal involved landing a core asset. Still, occasionally these sizable trade exceptions will come in handy — the Lakers gained an $8.9MM TPE when they sent Lamar Odom to the Mavs, then used that exception to acquire Steve Nash the following offseason.
While Orlando's massive Howard trade exception has expired, there are still a handful of teams around the league that hold large TPEs, which could be difference-makers later this offseason, at the 2014 trade deadline, or even next summer. Using our complete list of TPEs, here's a breakdown of the current top five (expiration date in parentheses):
- Golden State Warriors: $11,046,000 (7/10/2014)
- Boston Celtics: $10,275,136 (7/12/2014)
- Denver Nuggets: $9,868,632 (7/10/2014)
- Memphis Grizzlies: $7,489,453 (1/30/2014)
- Oklahoma City Thunder: $6,500,000 (7/11/2014)
Because a team can't use cap space and carry a trade exception at the same time, it makes sense that these five clubs all have team salaries that easily exceed the $58.68MM cap. In fact, all five teams are carrying at least $66MM-ish in guaranteed salary, with the Celtics, Grizzlies, and Thunder all flirting with the luxury tax threshold.
Given these teams' proximity to the tax, it may be unrealistic to expect any of them to take on a significant contract using their TPEs during the 2013/14 season. Still, it's not out of the realm of possibility. Here's one hypothetical scenario that involves two of the teams with big TPEs:
Let's say Darrell Arthur of the Nuggets suffers a season-ending injury a couple months into the 2013/14 campaign (of course, I hope to see Arthur play a full 82-game slate, but this is just an example). If Denver remains in contention and a team like the Celtics falls out of the hunt, perhaps the Nuggets could bolster their frontcourt by sending Arthur to Boston in exchange for Brandon Bass.
The two players' salaries don't match up using standard trade rules, but Bass ($6.45MM) would fit into Denver's TPE, while Arthur ($3.23MM) would fit into Boston's. Both teams would have some TPE money left over, and would create new exceptions worth Arthur's salary (for Denver) and Bass' salary (for Boston). The Nuggets could add a rotation piece without going into the tax, while the C's could reduce costs, clear some long-term salary, and not have to worry about their place in the 2013/14 standings. Everybody wins.
As I noted, that situation is purely hypothetical. Nonetheless, it's one example of how these teams could utilize their sizable trade exceptions in the coming year. Like Orlando's $17.8MM TPE, most of these will probably expire without being used, but they're worth keeping an eye on all the same.
For a more in-depth explanation of how traded player exceptions work, be sure to check out our Hoops Rumors glossary entry.
Odds & Ends: Heat, Jamison, Scott, TPEs
Sports, science, and technology are more closely linked than ever before and eight NBA clubs are at the forefront of the latest craze in athletics, writes Jeff Caplan of NBA.com. The Spurs, Mavericks, Rockets, and Knicks plus four other teams that have kept their identities secret have invested in complex GPS tracking devices that track a player's movements to help better protect them. If a player is overexerting themselves – which is the time when injuries typically occur – then his activity can be shut down before anything goes south. Here's tonight's look around the Association..
- In today's mailbag, Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel points out that the Heat have tons of options if they want to carry more than the minimum of 13 players. Antawn Jamison is available, but he's joined on the open market by fellow veterans such as Lamar Odom, Stephen Jackson, DeShawn Stevenson, and Richard Hamilton.
- Hawks forward Mike Scott got a $100K guarantee on his contract when he wasn't waived on/before Thursday. Scott averaged 4.6 PPG in 9.4 MPG for Atlanta last season.
- The Thunder didn't make major upgrades this offseason, but that's not a problem at all in the eyes of Darnell Mayberry of The Oklahoman.
- Luke Adams updated the Hoops Rumors' running guide of outstanding trade exceptions. The Celtics and Nuggets have the most to work with of any club.
- Do you have what it takes to play in the D-League? Probably not. But you can find out by trying out, as detailed by Keith Schlosser of Ridiculous Upside.
Odds & Ends: D’Antoni, Durant, Jackson
The Lakers aren't expected to be contending for an NBA title this season after losing Dwight Howard to the Rockets in free agency. Many Lakers fans blame coach Mike D'Antoni for playing an important role in driving him out of town. Plus, the phantasm of former coach Phil Jackson still hovers above the Staples Center court where he's won five rings during his former time on the bench.
As D'Antoni told the Los Angeles Times' Mike Bresnahan, it probably will continue to be that way through the foreseeable future.
"I think anybody that comes in here the next 10, 15 years, it's going to be that way," D'Antoni remarked. "I don't think there is any doubt that he was so good and so large and he's still sitting out there. Had that bothered me, I shouldn't have taken the job because you know it's going to be there. I wasn't stupid enough to think that, 'Oh, they won't remember him.' Sure they will. It doesn't really affect what we do day-to-day and how we approach the game."
After getting swept in the the first round of the playoffs by the Spurs this past season, the 62-year-old D'Antoni still has two guaranteed years left on his contract with the Lakers. With Kobe Bryant's torn Achilles tendon and the aging Steve Nash and Pau Gasol representing the backbone of this year's Lakers team, things might not get much better as D'Antoni prepares for the 2013/14 season.
Here's what else is happening around the Association on a quiet Saturday evening, including an update on Jackson's coaching future.
- The Zen Master told Mark Jones of the Williston Herald that he doesn't plan on coaching because "I am still recovering from multiple surgeries."
- In 2005, strength trainer Alan Stein walked up to a 15-year-old Kevin Durant and told him, "Look, man, you have all the tools to be one of the best players in the world, but the only way you can do that is to get stronger," Stein recalled to the Oklahoman's Anthony Slater. “I can help you. Give me a shot.”
- Four-year former Florida Gator Kenny Boynton went undrafted in the 2013 NBA Draft, but he did catch on with the Lakers' Summer League squad before failing to land a contract. Sportando's Emiliano Charchia reports, via Twitter, that Boynton's deal with Barack Netanya of Israel's BSL is now official.
- On that European note, via a re-tweet from Ridiculous Upside's Keith Schlosser, SecretRival.blogspot.com has compiled a list of former NBA players, picks and recent NCAA players who are in the top 10 European leagues.
Observations On 2013/14 Mid-Level Exceptions
Earlier this afternoon, we published a piece detailing the current status of the 2013/14 mid-level exceptions for all 30 NBA teams. While the list is straightforward, for the most part, it's worth examining it a little more closely and breaking down a few issues and questions….
1. Who has the most exception money available?
With all of the major free agents off the board, there likely won't be many more bidding wars for highly-coveted players, but it could still be beneficial for a team to have extra spending flexibility. If a player is bought out by his current team later in the season, for instance, it could take more than the minimum salary to sign him. In that case, the following teams could be in good position:
- Oklahoma City Thunder: $5.15MM remaining.
- Memphis Grizzlies: $4.62MM remaining, though a portion will likely be used to officially sign Nick Calathes.
- Miami Heat: $3.18MM remaining.
- Boston Celtics: $2.66MM remaining.
Several teams have $2.65MM in leftover exception money, while the 76ers and Bucks also have good chunks of cap space available.
2. Some MLE money technically available can't or won't realistically be used.
Teams using more than the taxpayer portion of the MLE aren't permitted to exceed the tax apron ($75,748,000, or $4MM above the tax line) at any point before next July. That means that if the Celtics were to use the rest of their MLE, their flexibility would be extremely limited, since they'd be left with only about $56K in wiggle room before hitting that hard cap. That doesn't mean the C's can't use the full non-taxpayer MLE, but it makes it unlikely.
Similarly, a few teams have very small portions of their MLEs available. In some cases, those could theoretically be used. A team like the Warriors, for example, could use the $50K remaining on their mid-level to sign a player late in the season — if they wanted to sign that player for three years, rather than the two allowed by the minimum salary exception, they could use the $50K on their MLE, since its value pro-rates starting on January 10th.
On the other hand, the $1,650 left on the Knicks' MLE is too small an amount to even use to sign a player on the last day of the season, so it can't be used.
3. Which form of MLE do the Pelicans have available?
The salary databases compiled by Mark Deeks of ShamSports.com and Eric Pincus of HoopsWorld.com are at odds when it comes to how two teams acquired players this summer. The Pelicans are the first — Deeks has New Orleans listed as having signed Greg Stiemsma using a portion of the non-taxpayer mid-level exception, while Pincus suggests the Pelicans have the full room exception available, which must mean Stiemsma was signed using cap space.
The Pelicans pulled off a tricky series of moves in July that don't make the answer obvious, but the deal in which they acquired Jrue Holiday provides a big clue. The Holiday deal couldn't have been consummated using rules for over-the-cap trades, since New Orleans didn't send out enough salary. Therefore, the team must have absorbed Holiday's contract using cap space, in which case, the non-taxpayer mid-level exception was no longer available.
Based on my math, the Pelicans must have finalized the Holiday deal and Stiemsma's signing using cap space before they formally landed Tyreke Evans, Jeff Withey, and Anthony Morrow. If the club made the Holiday and Stiemsma deals official prior to the other moves, team salary would have stood at $58,668,416, just a hair below the league's $58,679,000 salary cap. The Evans deal then could have been completed using over-the-cap trade rules, with Morrow signed using the minimum salary exception.
In short: The Pelicans used cap space this summer, and should still have their full room exception available.
4. Which form of MLE do the Timberwolves have available?
The Timberwolves are the other team on which Deeks and Pincus seem to disagree. Deeks' data suggests the team went below the cap and then signed Ronny Turiaf to a portion of the room exception, while Pincus' numbers have the club above the cap, with Turiaf signing for a portion of the bi-annual exception, while Corey Brewer got most of the MLE. Based on my calculations, it appears the Wolves could have used either approach.
In Deeks' scenario, Minnesota would have renounced Andrei Kirilenko, absorbed Kevin Martin's signed-and-traded contract using cap space, squezed Brewer's deal into the remaining cap room, then gone over the cap to finalize contracts for Chase Budinger, Gorgui Dieng, Shabazz Muhammad, Nikola Pekovic, and Turiaf.
In Pincus' scenario, the team would have used over-the-cap trade rules to take on Martin's salary in exchange for Luke Ridnour's contract. That would have allowed the Wolves to keep all their exceptions, including a small trade exception created when they traded Malcolm Lee on draft night. Brewer and Turiaf would have subsequently been signed using the MLE and BAE, respectively.
My guess is that the team opted for the former scenario for a couple reasons. First, by using cap space, the team would be able to avoid using its bi-annual exception this year, keeping it available for next season. Additionally, the Wolves would still have $1.152MM on their room exception to use on a single player, rather than having $650K of the MLE and $516K of the BAE, two amounts that couldn't be combined.
In short: The T-Wolves probably used cap space this summer, and should still have $1,152,000 of their room exception available.
HoopsWorld and ShamSports were used in the creation of this post.
Contract Details: Oden, Pargo, Williams, Udrih
Mark Deeks of ShamSports.com has updated his invaluable database of NBA salaries with details on many of the players who have signed over the last couple weeks. We hadn't yet heard the specifics on a number of those contracts, so let's round up the new info….
- Initially reported as a two-year contract with a second-year player option, Greg Oden's deal with the Heat is actually only for one season, according to Deeks.
- Jannero Pargo's one-year, minimum-salary pact with the Bobcats is only currently guaranteed for $300K. Pargo will be assured of his full salary (about $1.4MM) if he remains on the roster past December 10th.
- The Trail Blazers signed Mo Williams using their full room exception, and included a 15% trade kicker in his deal.
- There's also a 15% trade kicker on Beno Udrih's minimum-salary contract with the Knicks.
- Another Knicks signee, Jeremy Tyler, has a $100K guarantee on his two-year deal.
- Carrick Felix's four-year deal with the Cavaliers was originally reported as being fully guaranteed for three seasons. However, according to Deeks, the third year is non-guaranteed, and the fourth year is a team option.
- The first year of Peyton Siva's pact with the Pistons is partially guaranteed for $150K.
- Jeff Withey has a fully guaranteed rookie year with the Pelicans, while his second-year salary won't become guaranteed until next July.
- Ryan Gomes' contract with the Thunder is currently non-guaranteed. He'll receive three $25K bonuses if he remains on the roster beyond September 1st, October 1st, and October 30th, but his salary won't become fully guaranteed until January.
Odds & Ends: Union, Lucas, Draft, Brown
With the offseason winding down, Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld identified who the real contenders will be in 2013/14. The back-to-back champion Heat top the list with some of the other usual suspects, including the Spurs and Thunder. The Bulls should be vaulted back into contention with the long-awaited return of Derrick Rose. The Clippers are a bona fide contender after re-signing Chris Paul, landing Doc Rivers as coach, and adding J.J. Redick. The Nets, who now boast the most expensive roster in the NBA by far, hope to be among the league's elite with first-time coach Jason Kidd at the helm. And of course, the Rockets will be one of the most intriguing teams to keep an eye on after luring Dwight Howard away from L.A. Here's more from around the Association..
- NBPA executive committee member Jerry Stackhouse told Ken Berger of CBSSports.com that LeBron James' comments about the union felt like a "kick in the stomach". "I don't think he's had any dialogue with anybody since the All-Star break, but it is what it is," Stackhouse said. "To make that statement about where we are as a union right now, he was misinformed."
- Point guard John Lucas III was a safe choice for the Jazz, in the sense that he won't threaten Trey Burke or expect to be the main one-guard for the long-term. However, Utah believes they have more than a capable stop-gap and more than a positive locker room influence in the veteran, writes Bill Oram of the Salt Lake Tribune.
- Chad Ford of ESPN.com (Insider sub. req'd) runs down the 2014 NBA Draft and notes that its remarkable depth could make it the best ever. Ford's latest big board has Andrew Wiggins at the top, followed by Kentucky's Julius Randle, Australian Dante Exum, Duke's Jabari Parker, and Oklahoma State's Marcus Smart.
- Sean Deveney of the Sporting News gives his immediate and long-term outlook for the league's 13 new coaches. The list starts with the latest hire, 76ers coach Brett Brown.
- Jordan Hill's summer assignment is to become the stretch four that the Lakers need, writes Dave McMenamin of ESPNLosAngeles.com. Hill missed 53 games last year, mostly because of back and hip trouble.
Thunder Notes: Abrines, Durant, Mid-Level
The Thunder couldn't do a whole lot this offseason, but they were able to make an intriguing late-summer addition when they inked Ryan Gomes to a one-year deal. Gomes, who first agreed to a deal in late July and formally signed last week, spent last season overseas. Prior to that, the seven-year vet had career averages of 10.2 PPG and 4.6 RPG for three different teams. Here's the latest out of OKC..
- Thunder second round draft pick Alex Abrines will remain overseas in 2013/14, writes Darnell Mayberry of The Oklahoman. The 6'6" swingman for FC Barcelona was drafted with the No. 32 overall pick in the 2013 Draft.
- Mayberry also spoke with Kevin Durant, who is confident about the Thunder this season, despite a changing landscape in the Western Conference. The Thunder were fairly handcuffed this summer, but he likes the squad as is. “People that really knew, as far as our money situation, knew that we couldn't sign anybody too big,” Durant said. “We got myself, Russell Westbrook, (Kendrick Perkins) and Serge Ibaka all locked in on big contracts so it's kind of hard to sign (someone). Everybody wants us to get the biggest free agents, but it's kind of hard to do that with the money that we have (committed) and the tax and the new CBA. So it was kind of difficult. But we knew the business side of it. But we know we have a really good team.”
- Eric Pincus of HoopsWorld notes that the Thunder have the largest exception of anyone to offer in their $5.2MM mid-level exception. However, the cap-conscious club is far more likely to trim its payroll than add to it.
International Notes: McGrady, Cooley, Snaer
The NBA free agent market is drying up, leading many players to look for work overseas. Here's the latest from the international scene:
- Tracy McGrady spent most of 2012/13 in China before hooking on with the Spurs in the final week of the regular season, and he's mulling whether to return to China or seek another NBA deal, according to the Global Times.
- We heard yesterday that undrafted big man Jack Cooley spurned several training camp invitations from NBA teams for a deal with a Turkish team, and agent Adam Pensack let Shams Charania of RealGM.com know the identity of those clubs, some of whom offered partially guaranteed contracts. The Blazers, Grizzlies, Spurs, Thunder, Nets, Heat, Lakers, Rockets, Pacers and Cavs all wanted to sign Cooley, Pensack says.
- The Nets also invited Michael Snaer to camp, but Sportando's Enea Trapani hears that he'll sign with Enel Brindisi of Italy instead (Twitter link).
- A report last month indicated that 42nd overall pick Pierre Jackson, whom the Pelicans acquired in the Jrue Holiday trade, would sign with ASVEL Villeurbanne of France, and Jackson added confirmation via Instagram. Tony Parker owns a share of the French team.
- Shooting guard Carlon Brown was in training camp with the Warriors last fall and spent the season in the D-League, but he'll be overseas for 2013/14, having signed with Hapoel Tel Aviv of Israel. The Israeli league announced the signing via Twitter (hat tip to Emiliano Carchia of Sportando).
Thunder Sign Ryan Gomes
August 7th, 5:14pm: The Thunder have officially announced the signing of Ryan Gomes, according to a press release from the team.
July 29th, 9:05pm: The Thunder reached agreement with Ryan Gomes on a one-year deal, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports (via Twitter). The forward spent last season in Germany with the with the Artland Dragons.
Gomes last played in the NBA in 2011/12 for the Clippers and averaged 2.3 PPG and 1.9 RPG in 32 games. The seven-year veteran has career averages of 10.2 PPG and 4.6 RPG for three different teams.
The 30-year-old was released from the Clippers via the amnesty clause, allowing him to cash in on his $4MM salary for last season. Gomes worked out for the Bobcats and other clubs last fall, but was unable to find a taker in the NBA. The Spurs also had interest in Gomes during this go-round.