Eastern Notes: Bucks, Love, Johnson
The Bucks‘ new owners, Wes Edens and Marc Lasry, along with Peter Feigin, the team’s president, have reinvigorated the franchise and have raised expectations, Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today writes. In the near future, just making the playoffs, which seemed to be the ceiling under previous ownership, won’t be the goal, notes Zillgitt, who adds the team doesn’t need to land superstars; they need to sign talented players, similar to the Hawks signing Paul Millsap and Kyle Korver as free agents. With a promising young roster and under the leadership of Jason Kidd, the Bucks won 41 games this season after only winning 15 times last season.
Here’s more from Milwaukee and the Eastern Conference:
- In the same piece, Zillgitt writes that Bucks GM John Hammond said Kidd has been an integral part of the changing culture. “These jobs are all about managing people, and he’s done a great job with that,” Hammond said. “He was a very cool customer the way he played and he coaches the same way. Keeps his emotions in check, pushes the right buttons when necessary. I know at the end of the day the vote did not go this way, but in my book, he’s the coach of the year.” Kidd finished third for the award.
- Speaking of the Bucks’ plans for a better future, the team’s owners and state and local officials did not reach a financing deal for a new $500MM arena during a closed-door meeting last week, writes Scott Bauer of The Associated Press. The team, state and local leaders are trying to come up with a plan to split the costs of the new arena in downtown Milwaukee that would be part of a larger $1 billion entertainment district, as Bauer details. Without a new building by 2017, the NBA has said it will buy back the team and relocate it, according to Bauer.
- Amir Johnson said he hasn’t thought about whether or not Game 4’s elimination loss Sunday was his last game with the Raptors, Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun tweets. Johnson, who was linked to trade rumors earlier this season, is set to be an unrestricted free agent.
Southeast Notes: Porter, Playoffs, Magic
Not only is Paul Pierce hitting big shots in the Wizards‘ playoff series, his star pupil is, too, writes J. Michael of CSNWashington.com. Otto Porter made a key three-pointer in Washington’s Game 3 win Friday, and he has been an important defensive presence throughout the series. “I constantly stay in Otto’s ear pushing him, trying to get him to be the best he can be,” Pierce said. “He’s responded. He’s starting to play with a little bit more fire.” Porter is justifying the Wizards’ decision in October to exercise their third-year contract option on him.
There’s more from the Southeast Division:
- Pierce isn’t the only one noticing Porter’s value, reports Jorge Castillo of The Washington Post. The Raptors see it, too, and they are saying Porter is a big reason why the Wizards own a 3-0 series lead. “He’s been the difference,” said Toronto guard Greivis Vasquez. Washington can look forward to several more years of defensive prowess from Porter. It has club options on the young forward this offseason and next, and he can become a restricted free agent in the summer of 2017.
- The Magic have a chance to develop quickly if they keep their young core together, contends Jason Hall of Fox Sports Florida. He notes that Orlando had one of the youngest rosters in the NBA, and its nucleus of Elfrid Payton, Victor Oladipo, Tobias Harris, Aaron Gordon and Nikola Vucevic were all born after 1990. The first challenge for keeping the team together will be Harris, who will become a restricted free agent this summer.
Southeast Notes: Pierce, Heat, Hornets
The Wizards are getting exactly what they hoped for from Paul Pierce when they signed him last summer, writes Jabari Davis of Basketball Insiders. Pierce helped Washington claim a 3-0 series lead over Toronto with an 11-point fourth quarter in Friday’s Game 3. Davis says Pierce has also brought confidence and professionalism to the Wizards’ locker room. “[Pierce is] not scared of the moment,” said Wizards coach Randy Wittman. “He’s proved he can [still] play.” Washington signed Pierce in July after free agent Trevor Ariza left for Houston.
There’s more from the Southeast Division:
- Pierce understands that the clock is ticking on his NBA career, so he’s enjoying every experience while he can, according to Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPNNewYork.com. Pierce has a two-year deal with the Wizards, but can opt out this summer. “I know I see the light at the end of the tunnel,” he said. “So that appreciation goes up. … At this point in my career, I’m savoring these moments because I don’t know how many more of these moments I am going to have.”
- Although the Heat are likely to have a top 10 pick, team president Pat Riley seems more focused on free agency than the draft, writes Ira Winderman of The Sun Sentinel. “The very, very best teams in this league are playing developed players, who have had three or four years, or five or 10 years of experience,” Riley noted.
- The Hornets are making preparations for the dramatic rise in the salary cap that is expected next summer, according to Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer. The cap is expected to jump from around $67MM per team to about $90MM, and while that’s generally positive, it raises concerns about competitive imbalance. “There’s going to be a market for a lot of guys,” said Hornets vice chairman Curtis Polk, “and you’re going to have to be selective about who fits with what your team’s culture is as well as how the team is going to play offensively and defensively.”
Atlantic Notes: Ross, Jackson, Fisher
Knicks president Phil Jackson has indicated that he won’t be attending next month’s NBA draft lottery, which is something the Zen Master needs to rethink, opines Frank Isola of The New York Daily News. It’s important for Jackson to represent New York at the event not only for him to take ownership of the team’s 17-win season, but to show potential free agents that he is indeed a hands on executive working to right the ship, Isola adds.
Here’s more from the Atlantic Division:
- The Raptors‘ patience with Terrence Ross is beginning to pay dividends during this season’s NBA playoffs, Mike Ganter of The Toronto Sun writes. It took coach Dwane Casey removing him from the starting lineup midway through the season to accomplish it, but the forward’s focus on the defensive end has improved greatly during the second half of the 2014/15 campaign, Ganter notes. “The bench is a great motivator sometimes,” Casey said. “You don’t want to wear that out but I think he had a chance to sit back and watch and see what he needed to do and he’s done it.” Ross is eligible to ink a rookie scale extension this summer.
- Derek Fisher, reflecting on his rookie season as Knicks coach, was appreciative of the effort that his players provided him throughout the team’s dismal 2014/15 campaign, Marc Berman of The New York Post relays. “I’m thankful for each and every one of them regardless if they’re back or not,’’ Fisher said. “These guys will always be my first team, no matter what. Any success we have as an organization or me as a coach will start from there and from these guys. I think a number of them can be back. But at this point, I respect them too much to start trying to determine who that should or shouldn’t be. They’ve given this organization a lot.’’
- Though the Knicks‘ roster is expected to undergo a significant overhaul this offseason, 2014 second-rounder Cleanthony Early is one player whom the team considers part of its future, Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com writes. The 24-year-old didn’t live up to the team’s expectations this season, averaging just 5.4 points and 2.5 rebounds in 39 appearances. Injuries certainly played a factor, with Early dealing with knee and ankle issues the entire campaign, Begley notes.
Atlantic Notes: Williams, Bogdanovic, Varnado
Lou Williams paid dividends for the Raptors, and it seems he believes the trade that brought him to Toronto this year was mutually beneficial. The guard reiterated Monday after winning the Sixth Man of the Year award that he wants to re-sign with the Raptors in free agency, as Josh Lewenberg of TSN.ca observes.
“[Staying in Toronto] would be ideal for me,” he said. “Just the culture that they’re building here, just the identity that this team and this town has, I really want to be a part of it. I look forward to it. I don’t want to say hopefully we get something done, I’m really positive that we will get something done. I don’t see why not, at this point. So I just look forward to the future here.”
Here’s more from around the Atlantic Division:
- Bojan Bogdanovic struggled in his NBA playoff debut, but a player who has European postseason experience, as Bogdanovic does, has a measure of added value, notes Tim Bontemps of the New York Post. Bogdanovic is in his first NBA season after signing with the Nets for the taxpayer’s mid-level exception in the summer.
- Jarvis Varnado, who was in camp with the Sixers this past fall, has signed to play in Puerto Rico with Piratas de Quebradillas, Sportando’s Emiliano Carchia reports. Varnado also spent time with the Lakers D-League affiliate this season.
- The Sixers, who’ll pay Furkan Aldemir nearly $2.837MM in guaranteed salary next season, didn’t invest much in the former draft-and-stash prospect, but it still seems like too much for a player who showed limited skills, as John Gonzalez of CSNPhilly.com examines.
Atlantic Notes: Mbah a Moute, Smith, Williams
Luc Mbah a Moute, who will become an unrestricted free agent this offseason, would like to remain in Philadelphia and he believes the team wants him back as well, Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer writes.
“Ever since I came here, I didn’t get the sense that it was a one-year kind of deal,” said Mbah a Moute. “We will see what happens this summer, but pretty much what’s been kind of [established] is that I’m part of what they are trying to grow here. I’m part of the culture. When you been through a season like this, when you see ups and downs, you see glimpses of what could be you want to be a part of it. You want to be there when things turn around and we finally get hopefully that right team and become a good team. So yeah, [re-signing is] what I’m thinking now.”
The UCLA product enjoyed his best offensive season in the NBA last year and has worked to improve his shooting. He made 62 three-pointers after only making 24 total during his first six years in the league.
Here’s more from the Atlantic Division:
- Ish Smith, who has played for eight teams during his five year career, also would like to play for the Sixers again next season, Andy Jasner of NBA.com writes. “I hope so,” Smith said when asked if he’ll be back in Philadelphia. “I really like it here. I knew I had to play and work hard and not worry about all the other things. I figure that will all take care of itself. It was important to me to come in and do my work and take in everything the coaching staff was teaching me. I still have so much to learn.” The speedy point guard averaged 12.0 points and 6.1 assists per contest during his 25 games as a Sixer.
- Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun can’t envision Lou Williams, who earlier today was announced the winner of this year’s Sixth Man of the Year award, playing for Toronto next season due to the sizable contract he might earn in free agency (Twitter link). The Raptors already have slightly more than $49MM on the books for the 2015/16 season, as our Salary Commitment page shows.
- James Johnson, who didn’t play in Saturday’s game against the Wizards, understands his role and why the Raptors signed him, Eric Koreen of the National Post, writes. “Matchups. I’m here for matchup problems,” Johnson said. “I’m here for the long season, when Kyle [Lowry] got hurt or DeMar [DeRozan] got hurt. Those were when I had opportunities to play a lot. I’m the fill-in. And I’m OK with that.” The forward signed a two-year, $5MM deal with Toronto last offseason.
Lou Williams Wins Sixth Man Of The Year
11:41am: The NBA has released the ballot of each of media member who voted, in keeping with a transparency practice that began last year.
11:14am: Soon-to-be free agent Lou Williams has won this year’s Sixth Man of the Year award, the league announced via press release and on Twitter. Isaiah Thomas, whom the Suns signed to a four-year deal last summer and dealt at the deadline to the Celtics, finished second, with last year’s winner, Clippers guard Jamal Crawford, coming in third.
Williams finally looked back to his normal self this season for the first time since tearing his right ACL in January 2013. He was a strong fit for the Raptors despite the presence of fellow guards Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan, affirming GM Masai Ujiri‘s decision to absorb Williams’ salary in a swap with the Hawks just before the 2013/14 season officially ended last June. The 28-year-old Williams, who made $5.45MM this year, averaged a career-high 15.5 points in just 25.2 minutes per game.
Williams, a Leon Rose client, will look to further boost his stock in the postseason. He’s expressed a preference to return to Toronto, and the team will have his Bird rights. He won the award by a fairly wide margin, garnering 78 first-place votes to 33 for Thomas and topping Thomas 502-324 in total points. Media members cast the ballots, and the NBA assigned five points for each first place vote, three for a second-place vote and one for a third-place vote. Crawford, Andre Iguodala, Nikola Mirotic, Marreese Speights, Corey Brewer and Taj Gibson were the others who drew first-place votes.
Atlantic Notes: Raptors, Knicks, Salary Cap
The Raptors will face some difficult decisions this offseason, writes Michael Grange of Sportsnet. Amir Johnson, Lou Williams and Jonas Valanciunas will be free agents and Terrence Ross will be eligible for a rookie extension. Toronto won 49 games this season, one more than last year’s total, but the team went 12-16 over its final 28 games and didn’t look like a playoff-caliber team at times. GM Masai Ujiri has the challenge of figuring out if the young roster is still growing or if the team has plateaued as currently constructed.
“We’ll learn that as time comes,” Ujiri said. “This playoffs will help. We will continue with what we are preaching, we will continue to learn. It’s like at the trade deadline, if we added an older player, that would take away something from these guys showing themselves … [But] It’s going to take the playoffs, it’s going to take time to see [if] you keep this group or do you add in a player here or there. But they are building the stage and that’s what you want.”
The Raptors, who lost the first game in their series with the Wizards earlier today by a score of 93-86, haven’t won a playoff series since they beat the Knicks in the 2001 playoffs. Here’s some notes from Toronto’s rival in the Atlantic Division:
- The Knicks need to improve in almost every facet and Chris Herring of the Wall Street Journal examines a few areas that deserve the most attention. Herring identifies the point guard situation as an area the team should invest resources in this offseason. He believes Jose Calderon, who was the subject of trade discussions during the season, could be a contributor to the team, but as part of the second unit instead of a starter. Herring also identifies adding athleticism to the roster and working to improve coach Derek Fisher‘s game management among the areas the team should focus on.
- The projected salary cap increase over the next two seasons should help the Knicks land marquee free agents, opines Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork. League executives expect the salary cap to increase from its current $63.1MM figure to $67.1MM next season and $89MM during the 2016/17 season. Begley also cautions that the team should be careful when adding free agents this offseason; although the team will have roughly $22MM more to work with next offseason, the maximum salaries for players will also rise significantly since they are a product of the salary cap.
2015/16 Salary Commitments: Raptors
With the NBA trade deadline passed, teams are focusing on locking down playoff spots or vying for a better chance in the draft lottery. Outside of the players who are added on 10-day deals, or those lucky enough to turn those auditions into long-term contracts, teams’ rosters are relatively set for the remainder of the season.
We at Hoops Rumors are in the process of taking a look ahead at each franchise’s salary cap situation heading into the summer, and the free agent frenzy that occurs every offseason. While the exact amount of the 2015/16 salary cap won’t be announced until July, the cap is projected to come in somewhere around $67.4MM, with the luxury tax threshold projected at approximately $81MM. This year’s $63.065MM cap represented an increase of 7.7% over 2013/14, which was well above the league’s projected annual increase of 4.5%.
We’ll continue onward by taking a look at the Raptors’ cap outlook for 2015/16…
Here are the players with guaranteed contracts:
- Bruno Caboclo — $1,524,000
- DeMar DeRozan — $10.1MM
- James Johnson — $2.5MM
- Kyle Lowry — $12MM
- Lucas Nogueira — $1,842,000
- Patrick Patterson — $6,268,675
- Terrence Ross — $3,553,917
- Jonas Valanciunas — $4,660,482
- Greivis Vasquez — $6.6MM
Here are the players with non-guaranteed contracts:
- None
Players with options:
- None
The Raptors’ Cap Summary for 2015/16:
- Guaranteed Salary: $49,049,074
- Options/Non-Guaranteed Salary: $0
- Total: $49,049,074
The Basketball Insiders salary pages were used in the creation of this post.
Cavs, Raptors Eyeing Cory Joseph?
The Cavs and Raptors should be expected to “take long looks” at soon-to-be restricted free agent Cory Joseph, tweets Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun. The Spurs can match offers for the Toronto native with a qualifying offer of nearly $3.035MM, though they already have a backup point guard on a long-term deal in Patty Mills, as Grantland’s Zach Lowe points out, and Tony Parker signed a three-year extension that kicks in next season. Still, Spurs coach/president Gregg Popovich expressed hesitancy today to take playing time from Joseph, complimenting the 23-year-old’s tenacity, notes Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News (Twitter links).
It’s not the first time Joseph has impressed Popovich with his drive, though the Rich Paul client told McDonald a few months ago that he didn’t even ask his agent about a rookie scale extension when he was eligible this past offseason, figuring the team wouldn’t give him one. McDonald speculated when he wrote in January that it would be tough for San Antonio to afford Joseph this summer, considering his increase in minutes and production, though Joseph’s role has regressed since he filled in as a starter when both Parker and Mills were injured in December. The Spurs have Joseph’s Bird rights, though he’ll presumably be down the list of priorities with Kawhi Leonard, Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili, Danny Green and Marco Belinelli among the other Spurs set to hit free agency.
Raptors GM Masai Ujiri has pledged to pursue Canadian players, so it makes sense that he’d at least consider signing Joseph. Toronto has a chance to open up cap space, with only about $49MM in commitments for next season. The Cavs have even less guaranteed salary on their books, but that doesn’t include money for four of their five starters, including LeBron James, and they seem poised to zoom into luxury tax territory. So, Cleveland would have a tough time ending up with Joseph unless the team used the $3.376MM taxpayer’s mid-level exception or convinced him to take the minimum, though James and Joseph share the same agent.