Rockets Exercise Jones, Motiejunas Options
FRIDAY, 9:05am: Houston has indeed picked up the options, as the RealGM transactions log shows, even though the team still hasn’t made a formal announcement.
THURSDAY, 5:00pm: The Rockets have picked up the fourth-year team options on the rookie contracts of Terrence Jones and Donatas Motiejunas, Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle reports, though the team has yet to make a public acknowledgement. Jones will earn $2,489,530 during the 2015/16 season, and Motiejunas will pocket $2,288,205. These moves will give Houston a total of $55,137,043 in guaranteed salary commitments for 2015/16, and that figure doesn’t include the team option on Kostas Papanikolaou for $4,797,664.
Jones was selected with the 18th overall pick in the 2012 NBA draft, and has been the Rockets starting power forward for much of the past two seasons. His career numbers over 97 games are 10.8 PPG, 6.3 RPG, and 1.3 BPG. His career slash line is .533/.303/.615.
The 7’0″ Motiejunas was taken with the 20th overall pick back in the 2011 draft. He has appeared in 108 contests, including 17 as a starter, and has averaged 5.5 PPG and 3.0 RPG. His slash line is .448/.268/.613.
Hawks To Decline Option On John Jenkins
The Hawks intend to decline their fourth-year team option on the rookie scale contract of John Jenkins, Shams Charania of RealGM reports (Twitter link). If Atlanta had exercised the option they would have been on the hook for Jenkins’ 2015/16 salary of $2,228,025, but now he’s set up for unrestricted free agency next summer. The Hawks can still try to re-sign Jenkins, but they won’t be able to offer him more than the amount of his option, and this also would go for any team that acquired him by trade during the 2014/15 season.
Atlanta has approximately $41,215,385 in guaranteed salary on the books for the 2015/16 season, including the $1,763,400 third-year team option for Dennis Schröder which the team had picked up earlier this evening. Jenkins isn’t a big part of the Hawks’ rotation, and the team may feel better served in keeping as much cap space free as possible heading into next summer’s free agency period, when they also will have to make a decision regarding Paul Millsap, whose team-friendly $9.5MM deal expires at season’s end.
In 74 career games since being selected with the 23rd overall pick in the 2012 NBA draft, Jenkins’ numbers are 5.6 PPG, 1.6 RPG, and 0.96 APG. His career slash line is .438/.365/.851.
Hawks Pick Up Dennis Schröder’s Option
The Hawks have picked up their third-year team option for Dennis Schröder, according to the RealGM transactions log. Schröder is scheduled to make $1,763,400 during the 2015/16 campaign, and Atlanta now has approximately $41,215,385 in guaranteed salary on the books for that season, including Schröder’s money.
It’s not a surprise that the Hawks would pick up Schröder’s option, despite him not living up to having been the 17th overall selection in the 2013 NBA draft, at least to this point. With Jeff Teague entrenched as the starter, and under contract through 2016/17, Atlanta still hopes that Schröder can develop into a serviceable backup, and potential successor to Teague.
In 50 career games Schröder has averaged 3.7 PPG, 1.2 RPG, and 1.9 APG. His slash line is .383/.238/.667.
Warriors Pick Up Barnes Option, Decline Nedovic
The Warriors have exercised their fourth-year team option for Harrison Barnes, the team has announced in a press release. The team also intends to decline their third-year option for Nemanja Nedovic, the press release noted. With Golden State also picking up their team option for Festus Ezeli earlier today, the Warriors now have an estimated $62MM in guaranteed salary commitments for the 2015/16 season. That figure doesn’t include Klay Thompson, who is currently in talks with the team regarding a contract extension.
The 22-year-old Barnes has appeared in 160 games, including 106 as a starter, in his three seasons in Golden State. He has averaged 9.3 PPG, 4.1 RPG, and 1.3 APG, and his career slash line is .418/.349/.737. Barnes, who was selected with the seventh overall pick in the first round of the 2012 NBA Draft, was a First Team All-Rookie selection in 2012/13.
Nedovic, 23, appeared in 24 games with the Warriors last season as a rookie, averaging 1.1 points in 5.9 minutes per contest. It’s not a surprise that Golden State would decline their option on Nedovic, seeing as he is currently buried on the depth chart as the fourth point guard.
Warriors Pick Up Option On Festus Ezeli
THURSDAY, 6:09pm: Golden State has officially exercised Ezeli’s option, the team has announced.
WEDNESDAY, 9:13am: The Warriors will exercise their team option to keep Festus Ezeli on his rookie scale contract through 2015/16, reports Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter link). Ezeli will make nearly $2.009MM that season, as our Rookie Scale Team Option Tracker shows. The club also has 2015/16 rookie scale team options pending with Harrison Barnes and Nemanja Nedovic, with a decision due by the end of Friday.
Ezeli missed all of 2013/14 after undergoing right knee surgery, but he played a key role the previous year as a rookie, starting 41 games. He averaged 2.5 points and 4.0 rebounds in 14.4 minutes per contest over 78 appearances during the season as a whole. The now 25-year-old Ezeli saw just 15 minutes total in two preseason games this month, but it appears the Warriors are willing to let him prove his health over a longer period of time before giving up on the final pick of the 2012 first round.
Golden State is facing a salary crunch for the 2015/16 season, as Ezeli’s option will lift the team’s guaranteed salaries to about $58.1MM. That doesn’t include any money for Klay Thompson, who’s pushing for the maximum salary in extension talks with the team. A max deal for Thompson and picking up the team option on Barnes would put Golden State at roughly $77MM in guaranteed salary to eight players, and that doesn’t count a nearly $1.271MM player option for Brandon Rush and assumes the team turns down Nedovic’s option. That figure would put Golden State above this season’s $76.829MM luxury tax line, and while that line is expected to rise for 2015/16, it’s unclear by how much.
Hornets Sign Kemba Walker To Extension
Kemba Walker and the Hornets have officially signed a rookie-scale extension, the team acknowledged in a formal announcement. Marc Stein of ESPN.com first reported on Tuesday that the sides had agreed to terms on what is a four-year, $48MM deal. It contains no options or incentive clauses, Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders (Twitter link) confirms. Earlier Tuesday, Hornets owner Michael Jordan made it known that he intended to work out a new deal with Walker.
“Today is a great day for the Charlotte Hornets,” Hornets GM Rich Cho said in the team’s statement. “To be able to retain such an important piece of the core we are building here in Charlotte is exciting. Kemba is an integral part of the culture we’re trying to create within our organization and we are excited that he will continue to be a part of our team for years to come.”
Walker, a Jeff Schwartz client, averaged 17.7 PPG, 6.1 APG, and 4.2 RPG in a career-high 35.8 minutes per contest last season. Walker’s scoring average was identical to his 2012/13 mark and he’s accustomed to being a leading scorer for Charlotte. However, not everyone sees him as a go-to player and his $12MM average annual salary is sure to draw some criticism. About a month ago, Zach Lowe of Grantland wrote that he has heard from executives around the league that the the UConn product is not a “championship point guard.” Walker got his first taste of NBA postseason basketball last season and Charlotte has a good shot at a return trip this year.
As Chuck Myron of Hoops Rumors pointed out earlier, the Hornets had about $22.7MM in guaranteed salary on the books for 2015/16 prior to the Walker agreement, though that number increases when factoring in a $13.5MM player option for Al Jefferson, $10MM+ in rookie scale team options that the team has since exercised, and a $6MM player option for Gerald Henderson. With that in mind, the new deal for Walker doesn’t leave the Hornets much room to add an impact free agent next summer. However, if the Hornets didn’t lock up Walker to a new deal before then, they would have risked seeing two top players — Jefferson and Walker — potentially hit the open market.
Even though Walker’s scoring average stayed the same from 2012/13 to 2013/14, his shooting percentage dipped from 42.3% to 39.3% as his uptick in long two-point attempts cost him some accuracy. That slide was also reflected in his PER as it declined from 18.8 in 2012/13 to 16.8 this past season. Walker’s PER score in 2013/14 put him 17th amongst all qualified point guards.
Kyrie Irving, Kenneth Faried, Markieff Morris, and Marcus Morris have also taken advantage of the extension window that opened on July 1st.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Celtics Pick Up 2015/16 Options For Three
OCTOBER 29TH, 9:21pm: Boston has officially exercised the options for all three players, the team announced.
OCTOBER 22ND, 6:00pm: The Celtics will exercise their team options to keep Tyler Zeller, Jared Sullinger and Kelly Olynyk on their rookie scale contracts through 2015/16, A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com reports (Twitter link). These moves have been widely expected, as Blakely suggests. Zeller’s $2,616,975 salary for that season is the most expensive of the group. Sullinger is set to make $2,269,260, and Olynyk will collect $2,165,160, as our Rookie Scale Team Option Tracker shows.
Picking up these options increases Boston’s guaranteed salary commitments to approximately $33.5MM for the 2015/16 campaign, with Jeff Green also holding a player option for $9.2MM, which he is likely to exercise. Also not factored into that cap figure is Rajon Rondo, who becomes a free agent next summer, and it’s unclear as to whether the Celtics will attempt to re-sign him or deal him prior to the trade deadline. Rondo currently makes approximately $12.9MM, and will most likely seek an increase on that amount in his next contract.
Zeller was selected with the 17th overall pick by Dallas back in 2012 before being dealt to the Cavaliers. During his two years in Cleveland, Zeller averaged 6.9 PPG and 4.9 RPG while logging 21 minutes per night. He was acquired by Boston on July 10th of this year in a three-way deal involving the Celtics, Cavs, and Nets.
The 7’0″ Olynyk was chosen with the No. 13 overall pick in the 2013 draft, also by Dallas, but his draft rights were traded that night to the Celtics for Lucas Nogueira and two second-rounders. During his rookie campaign last season, Olynyk appeared in 70 contests, including nine starts, averaging 8.7 PPG and 5.2 RPG. After a strong training camp Olynyk is expected to be a major offensive contributor on a rebuilding Celtics squad.
Sullinger was drafted by Boston with the 21st overall pick in the 2012 NBA draft. The 6’9″ big man out of Ohio State has been held back by injuries in his young career, but appears to be healthy entering his third year in league. His career numbers are 10.5 PPG and 7.3 RPG, and his career slash line is .440/.268/.771.
Mavs Sign J.J. Barea
6:15pm: Dallas has officially signed Barea, the team has announced.
4:27pm: The Mavericks have reached an agreement with guard J.J. Barea, Eddie Sefko of The Dallas Morning News reports. Barea has officially cleared waivers, according to the RealGM transactions log, which frees him to sign with any team. Dallas has an agreement in principle with Barea that is a one year pact for the veteran’s minimum, though it’s unclear if there is any guaranteed money involved in the deal. The Mavs intend to waive Gal Mekel in order to create the required roster space to sign Barea, Sefko notes. Dallas’ roster currently sits at the regular season maximum of 15 players.
Barea will add depth to the Mavs’ backcourt and he will compete for playing time with Jameer Nelson, Devin Harris, and Raymond Felton. Dallas was looking to add another experienced point guard into their backcourt mix, with Harris having a history of injuries and Felton beginning the season injured. Inking the veteran Barea shows that the Mavs have title aspirations this season, since the organization seemed to be high on Mekel’s upside, notes Sefko.
The eight-year vet has appeared in a total of 509 games in his career, and Barea has averages of 8.3 PPG, 2.0 RPG, and 3.4 APG. His career slash line is .419/.347/.798.
Hornets Opt In With Kidd-Gilchrist, Zeller
The Hornets have exercised their fourth-year option on Michael Kidd-Gilchrist and their third-year option for Cody Zeller, the team has announced. These moves don’t come as a surprise since both players factor heavily into Charlotte’s current rotation and their future plans as well. Kidd-Gilchrist is set to earn $6,331,404 in 2015/16, and Zeller will take home $4,204,200, which brings the team’s current total salary commitment for that season to approximately $33.2MM. That figure doesn’t take into account Al Jefferson‘s $13.5MM, nor Gerald Henderson‘s $6MM player options.
Kidd-Gilchrist was the No. 2 overall pick in the 2012 NBA Draft, and he hasn’t quite lived up to being selected that high, averaging just 8.2 PPG, 5.6 RPG, and 1.2 APG for his career. His defense has always been a strength, but it’s on the offensive side of the game where Kidd-Gilchrist has lagged, with a career slash line of .464/.167/.682.
The 7’0″ Zeller was chosen with the fourth overall pick in the 2013 NBA Draft and averaged 6.0 PPG and 4.3 RPG during his rookie campaign last season. His shooting numbers were .426/.000/.730, not an excellent percentage of makes for a player of his size. Zeller was the only player to appear in every game for Charlotte last season and was one of just two rookies to play in all 82 contests.
Mavs Waive Gal Mekel
5:00pm: Dallas has officially placed Mekel on waivers, the team has announced.
WEDNESDAY, 4:00pm: The Mavs intend to waive Mekel once Barea officially clears waivers today, reports Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News.
TUESDAY, 6:10pm: Mavs owner Mark Cuban confirmed that Mekel would be the odd man out if Barea clears waivers and returns to Dallas, tweets Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com.
MONDAY, 2:26pm: The Mavs will waive point guard Gal Mekel to accommodate their planned signing of J.J. Barea, a source tells Jody Genessy of the Deseret News (Twitter link). The move is presumably contingent on Barea clearing waivers, which seems highly likely given Barea’s guaranteed salary of nearly $4.52MM for this season, though that’s just my speculation. In any case, the Mavs would be on the hook for minimum salaries both this year and next for Mekel should he clear waivers. Dallas couldn’t defray Mekel’s salary of more than $816K for this year using the Stretch Provision, but the team could spread the $947K and change that he’s owed for 2015/16 over a period of three years.
The Mavs had reportedly been trying to trade Mekel in an effort to clear roster space without eating guaranteed salary, but those efforts have apparently come up short. The point guard, now 26, saw action in just 31 games for Dallas as a rookie last season, averaging 2.4 points in 9.4 minutes per game. The Israeli native went undrafted in 2009, but the Mavs signed him to a fully guaranteed three-year contract for the minimum salary in 2013 after he won a championship with Israel’s Maccabi Bazan Haifa that season and drew attention from several other NBA teams.
The Dallas roster would remain at 15 as a result of releasing Mekel and adding Barea, though Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports wrote 10 days ago that the Mavs were seeking to open up a spot beneath the 15-man regular season maximum in his report about the team’s interest in trading Mekel. Charlie Villanueva‘s non-guaranteed contract gives Dallas some degree of flexibility, however. It remains to be seen whether the Mavs will guarantee any salary in Barea’s pact.