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2013 Amnesty Primer

July 9th, 2013 at 1:28pm CST by Luke Adams

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:

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FA Updates: Brewer, Teague, Hawks, Knicks, Lucas

July 9th, 2013 at 12:18pm CST by Luke Adams

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.
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Spurs Likely To Re-Sign Neal; Bucks Interested

July 9th, 2013 at 10:35am CST by Luke Adams

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.

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Odds & Ends: Morrow, Ellis, Rivers, Collison

July 7th, 2013 at 9:20pm CST by Zachary Links

Here's tonight's look around the Association..

  • The Grizzlies, Warriors, and Bobcats are the latest teams to show interest in Anthony Morrow, tweets Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld.  The Lakers, Spurs, Suns, Rockets, and Knicks have all reached out as well.
  • Nothing is imminent at this point between the Hawks and Monta Ellis, but the two sides are engaged in talks, Kennedy tweets.
  • Celtics co-owner Wyc Grousbeck took a shot at former coach Doc Rivers, telling Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald that "Doc left us, period." Still, Grousbeck is confident his team can rebuild, as Bulpett observes in a separate piece.
  • Many around the league are surprised that the Clippers were able to snag Darren Collison for a starting salary of just $1.9MM, Grantland's Zach Lowe tweets.
  • The Spurs called 6'8" sharpshooter James Southerland to see if he would consider playing overseas next season if they took him with the 58th pick in last month's draft. Southerland turned down the offer and went undrafted, and is trying to prove himself with the Sixers and Warriors in summer league, as Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer writes.
  • Josh Smith's agreement with the Pistons shatters the notion that marquee free agents won't come to Detroit, observes MLive's David Mayo, who examines how Smith fits on the team and what moves might be next for Joe Dumars and company.
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Cavs Notes: Clark, FA Targets, Korver, Dunleavy

July 7th, 2013 at 2:19pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Cavaliers made a couple of moves this week, agreeing to terms with Earl Clark and Jarrett Jack, as our Free Agent Tracker Shows. They still figure to have close to $15MM in cap space remaining, so they're not done yet. Terry Pluto of the Plain Dealer, amid his look across the spectrum of Cleveland sports, passes along news on the Cavs' summer so far and what might be next, as we detail here:

  • Pluto has the value of Clark's deal at $8.5MM, slightly smaller than the $9MM total that Sean Deveney of The Sporting News originally reported.
  • The Cavs are in the hunt for a swingman who can shoot and a true center, according to Pluto. They were considering Kyle Korver before he agreed to re-sign with the Hawks, Pluto adds.
  • Pluto also confirms Marc Stein's ESPN report that Marco Belinelli passed up more money from the Cavs to go to the Spurs, and says that Mike Dunleavy did the same when he agreed to head to the Bulls.
  • Fellow Plain Dealer scribe Mary Schmitt Boyer answers reader questions in her mailbag column, and she touches on the notion of LeBron James returning to the Cavs.
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Odds & Ends: Barea, Kenyon, Sampson, Copeland

July 6th, 2013 at 12:41am CST by Chuck Myron

Here's more from the NBA on an landmark night in free agency:

  • A Dallas source tells Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities that the Mavs' agreement with Jose Calderon likely knocks them out of discussions for J.J. Barea. Still, the Wolves remain upbeat about their chances of a Barea deal with the Mavs, in what would be a salary dump enabling Minnesota to clear money for a defensive-minded wing player (All Twitter links).
  • The Spurs have been one of many teams reportedly interested in Kenyon Martin, and now they're "in hot pursuit" of the veteran big man, though the Knicks and others remain in play, tweets Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com. 
  • Ric Bucher of 95.7 The Game heard that Rockets assistant coach Kelvin Sampson wouldn't return to the team, but Sampson tells Mark Berman of Fox 26 Houston that he'll be back in Houston. (Twitter links). "That's just a bad rumor," Sampson said. "I'm looking forward to a great year with the Rockets."
  • The Pacers and Chris Copeland discussed a third year that would have been a team option, but settled instead on their two-year, $6.12MM agreement, writes Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com.
  • Marcus Thompson of the Bay Area News Group briefly looks at what the Warriors could do with the trade exceptions they'll acquire as part of their deal with the Jazz. He also hears that the W's see Andre Iguodala as capable of handling backup point guard duties, so the team will prioritize finding a backup center over a backup point guard (Sulia link).
  • In a separate piece, Thompson recounts the steps Iguodala took on the way to his agreement with the Warriors, noting that Iggy has long considered Golden State a desirable destination. 
  • Lately, agent Dan Fegan has been preoccupied with other free agent clients, such as Dwight Howard, so he and the Wizards have yet to begin discussing an extension for John Wall, writes J. Michael of CSNWashington.com. Wall is extension-eligible this season, and will hit restricted free agency next summer if he and the Wizards don't strike a deal by Halloween.
  • In an interview with DraftExpress.com, Dario Saric suggests that the Mavericks were interested in making him a promise at No. 13 had he not withdrawn from last week's draft.

Luke Adams contributed to this post.

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Free Agent Rumors: Kirilenko, Andersen, Collison

July 5th, 2013 at 11:32pm CST by Luke Adams

It's been a busy night in NBA free agency, as Dwight Howard has decided, after much back-and-forth, that he'll sign with the Rockets. His decision appears to have set in motion a domino effect, with Jose Calderon heading to the Mavs and a pair of ex-Jazz players agreeing to terms with the Hawks. Here's more on the latest from around the league:

  • The Wolves and Andrei Kirilenko didn't speak about the notion of a return today, but the team hasn't given up and retains his Non-Bird Rights, as Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities reports via Twitter.
  • With several teams showing interest in him, Chris Andersen remains in "decision mode," according to Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com. Andersen, who was expressed a desire to re-sign with the Heat, figures to make a decision early next week, says Zwerling (Twitterlinks).
  • Darren Collison will be prioritizing winning over salary or a starting role in free agency, sources tell Bill Ingram of HoopsWorld. According to Ingram, Collison has been in contact with the Cavs, Kings, Spurs, and Clippers so far. We had previously heard about Cleveland's interest, but the rest of that list of potential suitors is new.
  • The Blazers are still pursuing Dorell Wright, but they're one of several teams with strong interest, according to The Oregonian's Jason Quick. (Twitter link). His agent, presumably Greg Lawrence, tells Quick a decision is coming soon.
  • Though the Hawks used up some of their cap space on agreements with Paul Millsap and DeMarre Carroll tonight, Atlanta remains the team most likely to make a lucrative offer to try to lure Nikola Pekovic from the Wolves, tweets Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune.
  • The Hawks were considering an offer to Mo Williams before they decided to do a deal with Millsap instead, tweets HoopsWorld's Yannis Koutroupis.
  • The Knicks had strong interest in re-signing Chris Copeland, but never made him an offer before he chose the Pacers instead, notes Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com (on Twitter).
  • The Nets are still seeking to sign a backup point guard, tweets Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News.

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.

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Odds & Ends: Blazers, Iguodala, Knicks, Morrow

July 4th, 2013 at 4:58pm CST by Luke Adams

Now that the Trail Blazers have struck a deal to acquire a big man (Robin Lopez), the team figures to move on to address other needs. As Jason Quick of the Oregonian tweets, Portland's focus could shift to a wing player next, with Francisco Garcia, Matt Barnes, and Corey Brewer representing possible targets.

Here are a few more odds and ends from around the Association:

  • Andre Iguodala will likely make a decision on a team early next week, according to Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com (via Twitter).
  • The Knicks are likely out of the running for Matt Barnes and Nate Robinson now that the team no longer has its full mini mid-level exception, tweets Zwerling.
  • Before they agreed to sign C.J. Watson, the Pacers expressed interest in Robinson, says Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld (via Twitter).
  • Kennedy also tweets that free agent shooter Anthony Morrow has been in contact with the Lakers, Spurs, Suns, Rockets, and Knicks.
  • A source tells Marc Berman of the New York Post (Twitter link) that the Mavericks weren't willing to commit $8MM a year to J.R. Smith, let alone $10MM. The market for Smith was fairly modest, according to Berman.
  • Jared Dudley wasn't looking to be traded out of Phoenix, and is open to returning to the Suns at some point down the road. But as he tells Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic, if the Suns were going to move him, Dudley couldn't have asked for a much better fit than the Clippers.
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Stein’s Latest: Nets, Spurs, Cavs, Belinelli, Neal

July 4th, 2013 at 3:35pm CST by Luke Adams

In between arguments about the relative merits of In-N-Out Burger, ESPN.com's Marc Stein has found time this afternoon to pass along several nuggets related to free agency. Here are the highlights from the ESPN.com scribe's Twitter account:

  • The Nets are still targeting point guards, with Shaun Livingston and John Lucas III among the players on the team's radar, says Stein (via Twitter). The club lost C.J. Watson to the Pacers in free agency.
  • Prior to agreeing to sign with the Spurs, Marco Belinelli had a more lucrative offer on the table from the Cavaliers, says Stein, adding that Belinelli couldn't resist the lure of the Spurs' "all-world operation" (Twitter link).
  • There are "strong indications" that restricted free agent Gary Neal won't be returning to the Spurs, which is why the team moved quickly to bring Belinelli aboard, tweets Stein. According to Stein (via Twitter), Neal is receiving interest at a price point that San Antonio is reluctant to match.
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Odds & Ends: Celtics, Smith, Billups, Martin, More

July 3rd, 2013 at 8:37pm CST by Alex Lee

The news that the Celtics have landed Brad Stevens to be their next coach has shocked the NBA world.  Sean Deveney of the Sporting News points out, via Twitter, that of the twelve new head coaches hired this offseason, eight have now been first timers, adding that the Sixers will probably make it nine of thirteen. The Stevens hire has also led to some speculation that Rajon Rondo will be on his way out of Boston.  The Pistons have explored the possibility of trading for both Rondo and/or Rudy Gay, according to HoopsWorld's Alex Kennedy (via Twitter).  For what it's worth, Rudy Gay tweeted tonight that he hopes to play a full season in Toronto this year.

With the NBA offseason in full swing, let's look at some of the news churning out of the rumor mill:

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