Potential 2014 Amnesty Candidates
2013's amnesty period came to an end last night at 11:00pm CST, leaving just seven teams and 11 players still in play for the amnesty clause. The Bobcats, Lakers, Heat, Bucks, and Raptors all used the amnesty provision this year, making 20 teams in total that have taken advantage of it in the last three years.
While that leaves 10 teams who haven't amnestied a player yet, three of those clubs will no longer have any players eligible. The Pelicans entered this offseason with no amnesty-eligible players under contract, and the Pistons (Charlie Villanueva, Greg Monroe) and Jazz (Derrick Favors, Gordon Hayward) both elected to keep their remaining amnesty-eligible players, all of whom are on expiring contracts.
That leaves the following list of teams that could still release a player via amnesty next July:
- Atlanta Hawks: Al Horford
- Boston Celtics: Rajon Rondo
- Chicago Bulls: Joakim Noah, Carlos Boozer
- Memphis Grizzlies: Zach Randolph, Mike Conley
- Oklahoma City Thunder: Kevin Durant, Kendrick Perkins, Nick Collison
- Sacramento Kings: John Salmons
- San Antonio Spurs: Tony Parker
It's safe to assume that, barring a catastrophic, career-threatening injury, Horford, Rondo, and Parker are safe, meaning the Hawks, Celtics, and Spurs are unlikely to use the amnesty provision. That leaves just four teams in play. Here's a look at the candidates on those clubs:
Chicago Bulls:
Even though Noah will still have two years left on his contract entering next offseason, he's still young and productive enough that it's hard to imagine him becoming a realistic amnesty candidate before his deal expires. The same can't be said for Boozer. After being discussed as a potential victim last summer, he didn't inspire too many rumors this time around, but there's still a consensus that he could be in danger next July.
With Luol Deng's contract set to expire, the Bulls could clear a big chunk of cap space by letting Deng expire and amnestying Boozer. The veteran power forward is coming off a decent season, but he's not the same player he once was, and clearing his $16.8MM cap hit for 2014/15 could have significant cap and tax benefits.
Memphis Grizzlies:
Randolph and Conley both continue to be essential pieces of the Grizzlies' core, so I think it's extremely unlikely that either player becomes an amnesty candidate. Still, it's worth noting that Randolph is on the books for $16.5MM in 2014/15, and Conley will still have two years left on his contract heading into next summer. We've seen situations change quickly before, so I don't want to entirely shut the door on either possibility, but it's a long shot that Memphis uses its amnesty provision.
Oklahoma City Thunder:
Durant isn't going anywhere, and I doubt the Thunder will be so hard up for flexibility next summer that they'll need to clear Collison's modest $2.24MM cap hit from the books. But Perkins has been and continues to be a very viable amnesty candidate. OKC decided this year that Perkins still provides enough value on the court that it's not worth paying him to play for another team, but when his salary increases to $9.65MM in 2014, the club may change its stance.
Sacramento Kings:
On the surface, Salmons looks like one of the strongest amnesty candidates remaining, but after this season, most of his remaining salary is non-guaranteed — the Kings are only on the hook for $1MM of his $7MM total. That means that Sacramento could choose between saving $6MM in cap space by buying out Salmons for $1MM, or saving $7MM in cap space by paying him his full salary. It's pretty hard to imagine many scenarios in which clearing that extra $1MM in cap room is worth paying Salmons an extra $6MM, so it looks like the Kings won't use their amnesty clause.
Overall, while it remains possible that players like Boozer or Perkins could be released in 2014, it looks like most of the teams that are going to use the amnesty provision during this CBA have already done so.
Raptors Sign Dwight Buycks
JULY 16TH: The Raptors have officially signed Buycks, according to the team (via Twitter).
JULY 12TH: The Raptors have reached a contract agreement with point guard Dwight Buycks, according to Darnell Mayberry of the Oklahoman (via Twitter). Buycks will have a chance to earn the backup point guard job with the Raptors, says Mayberry, while Shams Charania of RealGM.com reports it will be a multiyear contract.
Buycks spent last season with BCM Gravelines in France, averaging 18.0 PPG on 48.6% shooting. Prior to playing in France, the 24-year-old played in Belgium and spent time with the Thunder's D-League team, the Tulsa 66ers. The Marquette product also had been playing well for Oklahoma City in Summer League play in Orlando this month, prompting Keith Schlosser of Ridiculous Upside to wonder if he'd earn an NBA contract.
The Raptors figure to head into 2013/14 with Kyle Lowry as the starting point guard, but may not have a veteran backing up, with Sebastian Telfair and John Lucas III on the open market. In addition to Buycks, the Raptors have also agreed to terms with Julyan Stone.
The Trail Blazers, Thunder, and Heat were also interested in Buycks before he agreed to sign with the Raptors, says Charania.
Northwest Notes: McCollum, Thunder, ‘Wolves
The Blazers' first round draft choice C.J. McCollum has impressed at Las Vegas' Summer League tonight, going 6-for-10 from the field for 15 points in the first half. CSNNW.com's Chris Haynes spoke with the Blazers' ROY last season, Damian Lillard, about teaming with McCollum in the back-court next season.
Lillard was happy the Blazers selected him, since they've been friends for a long time (Twitter link). Haynes tweets further praise for McCollum and alludes to a possible ROY nod.
Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld mimics Haynes' reports with his own tweet on the Lilliard-McCollum friendship, and 95.7 The Game's Ric Bucher applauds McCollum's steady hand during his first Summer League action in Vegas (Twitter link).
Here are a few more notes on the Blazers as well as the Thunder and Timberwolves:
- Joe Freeman of the Oregonian spoke with new Blazers center Robin Lopez who told him he’s a little atypical for the NBA.
- Freeman also has an update, via Twitter, on the leg injury suffered by rookie Victor Claver in his first Vegas Summer League game. It appears to be a quad contusion per Freeman's Tweet.
- Rookie Steven Adams was really impressed with the Thunder’s coaching staff last week, tweets the Oklahoman’s Darnell Mayberry
- CBSSports.com’s Royce Young on why the Thunder seem to have taken a step back by not making many moves this offseason.
- The Minnesota Star-Tribune’s Jerry Zgoda tweets that Corey Brewer’s Timberwolves’ recruitment was impressive. When majority owner Glen Taylor called, said Brewer, "I was like, 'Ok, they really do want me.'"
- Zgoda also writes that despite Brewer returning to the 'Wolves, they don't look anything like they did when Brewer sat on the bench after being drafted by them in 2007.
- Jim Souhan of the Star-Tribune opines that new GM Flip Saunders has set them up for success after all his moves this summer.
- Chase Budinger told Bruce Brothers of the Pioneer Press that the 'Wolves will be "very good."
Thunder Sign Steven Adams
The Thunder have officially signed 12th overall pick Steven Adams, the team announced today in a press release. As our chart of salaries for first-round picks shows, Adams figures to receive a salary of about $2.09MM in his rookie season.
Adams, who played just one season at the University of Pittsburgh, is the first player from New Zealand to be selected in the first round of the NBA draft. He was drafted using one of the picks the Thunder acquired from Houston in last October's James Harden trade.
The Thunder also officially announced the signing of Andre Roberson, which we passed along on Wednesday.
The Timberwolves And The Salary Cap
A year ago, under the guidance of then-GM David Kahn, the Timberwolves' roster underwent a series of changes that required some creative cap management, as I wrote about at the time. The Wolves' basketball operations are now headed by Flip Saunders, but that doesn't mean the club's cap machinations have gotten any simpler.
When it was initially reported during the moratorium that the Wolves would be signing Kevin Martin and were unlikely to retain Andrei Kirilenko, it looked as if Minnesota would be an under-the-cap team, using cap space to sign Martin. However, since then, the team has reached a series of agreements and completed multiple deals that make it clear that's not the case.
The Martin signing became official yesterday, but it turned out not to be a signing at all, as the Thunder, Bucks, and Wolves participated in a three-way deal that saw Martin signed-and-traded to Minnesota, while Luke Ridnour was sent to Milwaukee.
Because the Wolves continue to act as an over-the-cap team, the club was allowed to take back 150% (plus $100K) of Ridnour's $4,320,000 outgoing salary. That works out to $6,580,000, so we can probably assume that will be Martin's first-year salary (it'll also be the amount of the Thunder's new trade exception). Throw in annual 4.5% raises and the total figure for Martin's new four-year contract works out to $28,096,600, which is right around the total initially reported.
Without cap space, the Wolves will have to use their non-taxpayer mid-level exception to sign Corey Brewer, which also makes sense, considering Brewer's deal was reported to be worth $15MM over three years. If the team were to commit its full mid-level amount to Brewer, with max raises, his contract would be worth $16,145,250 over three years, so he may not quite get the full amount, but it'll be close.
Word also broke yesterday that Ronny Turiaf will sign a two-year deal with the Wolves for $3.2MM, which works out to more than the veteran's minimum. Having used the MLE on Brewer, the Wolves figure to use their bi-annual exception to accommodate Turiaf's new salary. A two-year deal worth the full bi-annual exception would total $4,122,720, so Turiaf, like Brewer, appears to be getting a portion of the exception, rather than the whole thing.
The Wolves also re-signed Chase Budinger and are working toward bringing back Nikola Pekovic. Since the team holds Bird rights for both players, no mid-level-type exception is required to accommodate their new salaries, as they could be offered any amount up to the max.
The Timberwolves' spending power is reduced slightly by the fact that the Martin sign-and-trade creates a hard cap of $75,748,000 for 2013/14, but even after re-signing Pekovic, the club should have plenty of breathing room. If we assume starting salaries of $5MM each for Budinger and Brewer, and $1.6MM for Turiaf (the actual figures may be a little different), the 2013/14 payroll will sit at about $56MM for 13 players. Even adding a starting salary of $12MM for Pekovic to that figure would bring it up to about $68MM, leaving more than $7MM in space before the team approaches its hard cap.
While there are still a few more steps required before all the Wolves' moves are finalized, the team has ultimately found a creative way to bring back existing talent and bring in new talent, having obtained more spending flexibility by remaining over the cap rather than clearing cap room.
Storyteller's Contracts was used in the creation of this post.
Wolves To Sign-And-Trade For Kevin Martin
JULY 11TH 9:13pm: The Timberwolves have officially announced, via the team's Twitter feed, that they've acquired Martin and cash from the Thunder and will send Ridnour and a 2014 second-round pick to the Bucks. The Wolves own the Lakers 2014 second rounder, which is the selection that will go to Milwaukee. Regarding the addition of Martin, Wolves president Flip Saunders said, "He is familiar with Coach Adelman's style of play and had success playing for him in Sacramento and Houston. We expect that to continue in Minnesota." (Twitter link)
The Bucks will send the draft rights to 2003 second round pick Szymon Szewczyk to Oklahoma City in the deal and get cash back from the Thunder, the team tweeted. The Thunder will have until July 11 of next year to acquire a player via the trade exception they picked up in the deal, tweets Darnell Mayberry of the Oklahoman.
JULY 11TH 10:18am: The Thunder will send cash to the T-Wolves as part of the sign-and-trade for Martin, and create a $7MM TPE, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (via Twitter). It's still not entirely clear what the Wolves are sending out in the trade — either that missing piece has yet to be reported, or the team intends to fold its Luke Ridnour deal into this one.
JULY 10TH: Marc Stein of ESPN.com pegs the deal in the $30MM range, noting that the Wolves and Thunder will roll the agreement into a sign-and-trade that will net Oklahoma City a trade exception. It's unclear exactly what the Thunder are getting in the trade, but presumably, draft picks and/or cash will be headed OKC's way.
JULY 2ND: Kevin Martin has reached agreement with the Wolves on a four-year, $28MM deal, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports (on Twitter). Sam Amick of USA Today (via Twitter) reported earlier tonight that Minnesota offered Kevin Martin a four-year deal in that vicinity. Martin is represented by Dan Fegan of Relativity Sports, according to the Hoops Rumors Agency Database.
Martin, of course, spent last season with the Thunder after coming over from Houston in the James Harden trade. The guard averaged 14.0 PPG while shooting 45% from the floor in 27.7 minutes per contest last season. Martin was a hot commodity this summer and the Blazers and Grizzlies were said to have serious interest in signing him.
It has been a busy day for the Timberwolves, who re-signed Chase Budinger just hours ago. The forward will get a $16MM, three-year deal from Flip Saunders & Co. Martin will pair with Ricky Rubio in the Wolves' backcourt, giving the club one of the more intriguing guard combos in the league.
The Thunder were said to be seeking a sign-and-trade for Martin if they could not retain him, but they'll now watch the guard leave without anything in return.
Bucks Exploring Luke Ridnour Trade
As the Timberwolves continue to explore ways to create enough room to bring aboard Corey Brewer, the Bucks have emerged as a potential destination for trade candidate Luke Ridnour, according to ESPN.com's Marc Stein. Stein reports that the Bucks are prepared to acquire Ridnour from the Wolves, which would allow Minnesota to sign Brewer and acquire Kevin Martin via sign-and-trade (Twitter links).
If the T-Wolves were to send Ridnour to the Bucks, Minnesota would have $47,420,858 in team salary on its books, by my estimation. That figure includes cap holds for Chase Budinger, Nikola Pekovic, Shabazz Muhammad, and Gorgui Dieng. With a cap line of $58,679,000 in play, the Wolves would have about $11.26MM in space to fit in Brewer and Martin.
$11.26MM in cap room would seem to be close to enough to sign both players outright, but Stein's indication that a sign-and-trade deal for Martin is in the works suggests that maybe Minnesota would have to clear a tiny bit more salary. According to Stein (Twitter link), the Thunder are willing to participate in a Martin sign-and-trade in order to acquire a trade exception, but perhaps they'll acquire a small-salary player like Chris Johnson from the Wolves in the proposed deal as well.
From the Bucks' perspective, it's not clear how the potential acquisition of Ridnour would affect their pursuit of Jeff Teague, or the possibility that they bring back Brandon Jennings.
Wolves Closing In On Deal With Corey Brewer
The Timberwolves are closing in on a three-year deal with Corey Brewer worth something in the $15MM range, reports ESPN.com's Marc Stein (via Twitter). The details of whether the Wolves would be able to sign Brewer outright or negotiate a sign-and-trade are still being worked out, according to Stein (via Twitter).
Meanwhile, there are no doubts that Kevin Martin remains on track to join the Timberwolves, according to Stein, who tweets that Martin has agreed to delay his signing to allow Minnesota the chance to obtain Brewer. We heard earlier today that the Thunder and Nuggets were resisting accommodating sign-and-trade deals for Martin and Brewer, respectively, but "rumbles persist" that Luke Ridnour could go to OKC as part of a possible sign-and-trade for Martin, according to Stein (via Twitter).
Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities reported today (via Twitter) that sign-and-trade talks involving Martin and Brewer are being pushed by Relativity Sports, the agency for both players.
Thunder Sign Andre Roberson
The Thunder have formally signed first-round pick Andre Roberson to a rookie-scale contract, according to RealGM.com's transactions log.
Roberson, 21, was selected 26th overall by Oklahoma City last month, after the club moved up three spots to snag him. The 6'7" forward averaged a double-double in his junior year at Colorado, recording 10.9 PPG to go along with 11.2 RPG.
Roberson will likely receive a first-year salary of about $1.11MM, 120% of his rookie-scale cap hold.
Spurs Made Run At Andrei Kirilenko
The Spurs explored the possibility of acquiring Andrei Kirilenko from the Timberwolves via a sign-and-trade deal, but talks between the two sides appear to have ended without an agreement, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports.
Although San Antonio seriously considered a multiyear offer for Kirilenko, the club doesn't have the cap space or exception room to add the Russian forward without a sign-and-trade. So far though, Timberwolves president Flip Saunders has shown little, if any, inclination to assist Kirilenko in securing a significant financial commitment from another club, sources tell Wojnarowski.
Kirilenko and the Spurs had been discussing an annual salary worth about $8-9MM, and Minnesota was unwilling to take back the salary necessary to complete a sign-and-trade for that amount, says Wojnarowski. Doing so would have compromised the Wolves' ability to add free agents Kevin Martin and Chase Budinger, and would have affected their continued pursuit of Corey Brewer.
According to Wojnarowski, the Thunder have resisted the idea of accommodating a sign-and-trade for Martin, while the Nuggets have been similarly reluctant to work out a sign-and-trade involving Brewer. Denver isn't interested in acquiring Luke Ridnour or J.J. Barea, which would likely be necessary for Brewer to earn a $5MM annual salary with the Wolves, notes Wojnarowski.
Although the Nuggets were also very interested in re-signing their own free agent swingman, the team has been unwilling to go as high as the Wolves on an offer for Brewer. With other teams also in the mix, it now appears unlikely that Brewer will return to Denver, according to Woj.