Aldridge’s Latest: Thunder, Lopez, Jackson
The Thunder aren’t making moves simply out of fear that Kevin Durant will jump ship in 2016 and Russell Westbrook will follow suit the next year, a league source tells TNT’s David Aldridge for his Morning Tip column on NBA.com. Still, it’s been an active season for GM Sam Presti, who went over the tax line to acquire Dion Waiters and stayed above it after Thursday’s swap that sent out Reggie Jackson and brought in Enes Kanter. Aldridge has much more in his column, and we’ll hit the highlights, many of which are Thunder-related:
- The Thunder let the Nets know they wouldn’t do the proposed Jackson/Brook Lopez trade just 15 minutes before the deadline, Aldridge reports. The Nets likely would have dealt Jarrett Jack to the Wizards if they’d done that deal, Aldridge adds.
- The concern that Arron Afflalo would turn down his player option and hit the open market dissuaded the Thunder from trading for him, as Aldridge explains.
- The Rockets preferred Goran Dragic to Jackson and the Celtics weren’t willing to trade young players for the then-Thunder guard, Aldridge writes.
- The Thunder didn’t have plans to re-sign Kendrick Perkins in the summer even before they traded him at the deadline, according to Aldridge.
Financial Impact Of Deadline Trades: Southeast
Last week’s trade deadline was a dizzying affair, with 39 players and 17 teams involved in a dozen trades, including a trio of three-team transactions. The day had wide-ranging effects on the salary structures of those 17 teams, and we’ll examine the aftermath for each of them in this multipart series.
We’ll begin today with the Southeast Division, home to the Heat, who acquired Goran Dragic, arguably the top player involved in the deadline-day trades, and the Wizards, who engineered an Andre Miller trade for the second deadline in a row. The salary figures listed here denote this season’s salaries, though we’ll also discuss salary for future seasons.
Miami Heat
In: ($9,206,250)
- Goran Dragic ($7,500,000)
- Zoran Dragic ($1,706,250)
Out: ($6,159,673)
- Norris Cole ($2,038,206)
- Shawne Williams ($1,227,985)
- Justin Hamilton ($816,482)
- Danny Granger ($2,077,000)
The Heat slightly lowered their financial commitments for 2015/16, since Zoran Dragic‘s salary for next season is about $464K less than Danny Granger‘s player option. That’s rare for a team that acquires a star, but it’s not nearly the most significant financial upshot here. There was no reasonable chance that Miami would have had been able to clear the cap room to chase Goran Dragic with a fair offer in free agency if they hadn’t traded for him at the deadline. Making a play for Dragic without already having him in the fold would likely have required Dwyane Wade to down his $16.125MM for next season and agree to re-sign for mid-level exception money. Even a “Heat lifer” such as Wade would no doubt hesitate to do that. The motivation to trade for Dragic was much greater for the Heat than for the Knicks or the Lakers, two of the other teams Dragic was reportedly eyeing, and two teams expected to have enough cap room to pay him the max this summer. Those teams will still be out there once Dragic turns down his $7.5MM player option, as he plans to do, but now Miami has the financial advantage of Dragic’s Bird rights to go over the cap to sign him.
For the time being, the trade makes it more difficult for the Heat to find a way to offset the loss of Chris Bosh for the season, since it causes the Heat’s team salary to leap by $3MM, putting them only around $1MM shy of the tax line. That makes it unlikely the team uses the full value of its nearly $2.653MM disabled player exception.
Washington Wizards
In: ($2,077,000).
- Ramon Sessions ($2,077,000)
Out: ($4,625,000)
- Andre Miller ($4,625,000)
Sacramento used a trade exception to accommodate this swap, which gave the Kings more than twice as much salary as they gave up, and that in turn allowed the Wizards the chance to create a trade exception of their own. The precise value of that new exception is unknown, since J. Michael of CSNWashington.com writes that the team used part of its $4,329,089 Trevor Ariza trade exception to absorb Sessions, while Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders figures the Wizards kept that exception intact (Twitter link). Michael’s way lets the Wizards create a new exception equivalent to Miller’s $4,625,000 salary, leaving the Ariza exception at $2,252,089. Pincus has the Wizards creating a new exception worth the difference between the salaries for Miller and Sessions, which comes to $2.548MM. If I had to take a guess, I’d say the Wizards did it as Michael indicates, since in that case the larger exception would be the newer of the two, giving it a later expiration date. However, that’s just my speculation.
What is clear is that Washington gave up some cap flexibility next season, taking on Sessions’ 2015/16 salary of more than $2.17MM instead of Miller’s contract, which expires at the end of this season, for some relief against the tax threshold this season. The Wizards were $1MM shy of the tax line going into the deadline, and now they have $3.548MM in breathing room. Even without the trade, Washington could still have added any player on a prorated portion of the minimum salary, which is all they have to give, and avoided the tax, assuming unlikely bonus clauses in the contracts of the players already on the roster didn’t trigger. I’d imagine the move was motivated more by Washington’s belief that Sessions can outperform Miller than by any immediate tax concerns, though that’s just my speculation. In any case, the team wouldn’t have had a chance to open enough cap room this summer to chase a marquee free agent before the trade, so adding Sessions’ salary for next season doesn’t do much harm. The Wizards should still have enough room beneath the projected $81MM tax threshold for 2015/16 to use the full biannual and non-taxpayer’s mid-level exceptions.
The Basketball Insiders salary pages were used in the creation of this post.
Eastern Notes: Canaan, Sixers, Wizards, Sanders
It didn’t take Sixers coach Brett Brown long to name his new starting point guard, according to Mark Macyk of The Inquirer. Isaiah Canaan, who came from Houston to Philadelphia along with a second-round draft pick on Thursday in exchange for K.J. McDaniels, has been chosen to replace the traded Michael Carter-Williams. “I’m excited to coach him,” Brown said of Canaan. “I think that there’s a youthful spirit and a competitiveness, along with what he’s really known for, which is his shot.”
There’s much more from the Eastern Conference:
- The parting of Carter-Williams and the Sixers was best for both parties, writes Keith Pompey of The Inquirer. Pompey charges that Carter-Williams is a poor shooter, often holds the ball too long, commits too many turnovers and is injury prone. He also cited two public disagreements with the coaching staff during lopsided Sixers’ losses.
- The Wizards followed Friday’s embarrassing loss to the Cavaliers with a “spirited” film session on Saturday, reports J. Michael of CSNWashington.com. The team discussed defensive breakdowns, post-game squabbles and the generally awful effort that led to a 38-point loss on national television. “When you got good guys like we got on the team, guys speak up and let guys know what need to be done,” said newly acquired guard Ramon Sessions. “As a pro you don’t look at that and take that in the wrong way. You take that in a way to make the team better. We’re going to be fine.”
- Larry Sanders gave up a lot of money Saturday in accepting a buyout from the Bucks, tweets Sam Amick of USA Today. Amick wrote that Sanders received about $15.2MM of the $38MM left on his contract, in addition to what he already earned this season.
- Cavaliers guard J.R. Smith tells Marc Berman of The New York Post that he “wasn’t the right fit” for the Knicks‘ triangle offense. Smith and Iman Shumpert were traded from New York to Cleveland on January 5th. “It was tough from a mental standpoint,” Smith said. “You start second-guessing yourself and your talent to a certain point. So many guys thrived in that triangle, and you want to put yourself in that class. Not living up to it is kind of disappointing.’’
Gary Neal To Push For Buyout
FEBRUARY 21ST, 6:37pm: The Timberwolves have no plans for a buyout with Neal, sources tell Wojnarowski (Twitter link). The season-ending injury to Shabazz Muhammad has no bearing on Minnesota’s thinking, Wojnarowski adds.
FEBRUARY 20TH, 9:35am: Saunders indicated that he remains disinclined to do a buyout, as Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune relays. “I’m not into buyouts,” Saunders said. “I’m not into paying a guy to play for someone else. It has to make sense for the team, not just the player.” To be clear, Neal would by definition be the party relinquishing money in a buyout, though Minnesota would still have to pay whatever remains on his contract, even if he hooks up with a new team.
5:42pm: The Wizards would have interest in Neal if he were to become a free agent, J. Michael of CSNWashington.com reports (Twitter link). Washington has an open roster spot it could use to add Neal, Michael adds.
4:21pm: The Bulls also have interest in Neal should he reach a buyout deal, according to K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune (Twitter link).
FEBRUARY 19TH, 11:38am: Neal wants a trade to a playoff team, and the Hawks remain one of four or five postseason-bound clubs with interest in trading for him, reports Ken Berger of CBSSports.com (Twitter links). He will indeed push for a buyout if there’s no trade, Berger adds (Twitter link).
6:38pm: The Wolves are trying to include Chase Budinger in any trade involving Neal, Marc Stein of ESPN.com reports (Twitter link).
FEBRUARY 18TH, 4:09pm: Neal continues to prefer either a trade or a buyout rather than remaining in Minnesota, Chris Mannix Of SI.com reports (Twitter link). Atlanta remains interested in Neal, Mannix adds.
FEBRUARY 13TH, 1:08pm: There’s a significant level of interest in Neal around the league, and the Hawks are among the teams that would like to sign him, but substantive buyout talks between the Relativity Sports client and the Wolves have yet to take place, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports.
9:12pm: Neal and his representatives will make a push to reach a buyout deal with the Wolves, in spite of Minnesota’s preference he remain on the roster for the remainder of the season, Wolfson tweets.
3:38pm: The Wolves have no plans to arrange a buyout with Neal, Wolves coach/executive Flip Saunders told reporters, including Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune (Twitter link). Instead, Saunders said he insisted on receiving a shooter in the deal with the Hornets, Zgoda notes, though Neal has slumped from behind the arc this year, as I noted (below).
12:40pm: Minnesota is looking at either a buyout or another trade involving Neal, Charania now says (on Twitter).
FEBRUARY 10TH, 12:22pm: The Wolves plan to explore a buyout with Gary Neal after having acquired him from the Hornets this afternoon, reports Shams Charania of RealGM (Twitter link) Charania previously reported that the team would look for ways to flip the guard (Twitter link), but his latest dispatch indicates that Minnesota won’t do that. Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities first raised the possibility that Neal would push for a buyout (on Twitter). In any case, the Wolves have plans for the roster spot that today’s trade opened up, tweets Jon Krawczynski of The Associated Press, adding that he’s heard that spot should be filled by day’s end.
Neal, 30, is making $3.25MM in the final season of a two-year contract that he signed in 2013 with the Bucks, who shipped him to the Hornets a year ago. He’s a client of Dan Fegan’s Relativity Sports, an agency with multiple Timberwolves clients, as Wolfson points out (Twitter link).
The fifth-year veteran is experiencing his worst three-point shooting season so far, nailing just 29.3%. He was a 39.4% three-point shooter during his first four seasons of action, and that skill led Charlotte to acquire him at last year’s deadline. Neal has averaged 9.6 points in 21.7 minutes per game across 43 appearances this season.
Southeast Notes: Dragic, Sessions, Wizards
Dwyane Wade is extremely pleased that the Heat acquired Goran Dragic, calling his new teammate the best point guard he’s ever been paired with, Ira Winderman of The Sun Sentinel writes. “I haven’t played with a point guard with his ability since I’ve been here, in the league,” Wade said. “This is going to be great for everyone, a guy who can penetrate, set guys up, but also a guy who can score the basketball, as well, someone who’s very tough. You want a tough guy to play with. He is that. Needless to say, I was very happy about what we were able to do at the trade deadline.”
Here’s more from the Southeast Division:
- The trade of Andre Miller to the Kings for Ramon Sessions gave the Wizards approximately $2.5MM more space beneath the luxury tax threshold to work with, which could come in handy if Washington needs to sign another player, Jorge Castillo of The Washington Post notes.
- The Wizards hope that Sessions will perform well enough to lock down the backup point guard duties for next season, when he is owed a reasonable $2,170,465, J. Michael of CSNWashington.com writes. “There’s no question about that. We’re not going to take on any real long-term contracts. We don’t want to hurt our long-term flexibility,” Washington GM Ernie Grunfeld said. “At the same time, when a player comes available you want to look at it. He’s under contract this year and next year and if you look at backup point guards that are going to be available next year, it’s not a great list. It’s not that many of them.“
- Sessions is happy to be a member of the Wizards, Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today relays. “Washington is a great situation for Ramon,” Sessions’ agent Jared Karnes said. “He’s obviously looking forward to going to the playoffs. He has a contract year coming up and this gives him a chance shake things up and be part of a playoff team. Ramon appreciated his time in Sacramento and wishes them success.“
Execs Losing Faith That Ray Allen Will Sign
There is a growing feeling among GMs and league executives who are interested in signing Ray Allen that the veteran guard won’t play this season, Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports reports. Allen has been mulling a comeback all season, but neither he, nor his agent Jim Tanner, have made any definitive statements that the player would return to the hardwood during the 2014/15 campaign, Wojnarowski adds. It was rumored that the 39-year-old sharpshooter was going to make a choice regarding his future shortly after the All-Star break.
Allen has been working out, but not at a pace that would allow him a quick transition into NBA playing shape, sources tell Wojnarowski. There’s still time for Allen to make a decision to return, but as one GM told the Yahoo! Sports scribe, “It’s getting late in the game for this to happen.”
The Grizzlies are one team that’s maintained an interest in Allen, as Ronald Tillery of The Commercial Appeal writes in a subscription-only piece. Other teams that have been reportedly linked to the veteran include the Warriors, Wizards, Cavs, Spurs, Heat and Hawks.
Eastern Notes: Sessions, Heat, Pacers
Ramon Sessions‘ agent, Jared Karnes, is excited to see his client join the Wizards, Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today Sports writes. “Washington is a great situation for Ramon,” Karnes said. “He’s obviously looking forward to going to the playoffs. He has a contract year coming up and this gives him a chance shake things up and be part of a playoff team. Ramon appreciated his time in Sacramento and wishes them success.”
Here’s more from the Eastern Conference:
- The Pacers made a serious bid to acquire Reggie Jackson from the Thunder, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports (on Twitter). Of course, the Pacers wound up losing out to the Pistons.
- The Heat made Hassan Whiteside an untouchable in trade talks along with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, according to Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports (on Twitter).
- Knicks president Phil Jackson can learn a lot about being a successful NBA executive from the Heat‘s Pat Riley, Mike Vaccaro of The New York Post writes.
- Raptors GM Masai Ujiri was happy enough with his roster to not make any moves prior to the trade deadline, Holly MacKenzie of NBA.com writes. “We feel confident in this team,” Ujiri said. “In terms of growth, in terms of growing, we’re still a long ways away. We understand that, but a lot of things that were put in front of us were things that maybe [helped] immediately, something that makes you a slightly better now, but it also takes away from younger guys continuing to grow. We felt it wasn’t the time.”
- Goran Dragic is likely to sign a long-term deal this summer to remain with the Heat, Sean Deveney of The Sporting News writes. More than anything else, Dragic desires stability in his career, Deveney adds. “Finding a place where I can be a part of something and build toward something, that is what I have wanted most, really. Having stability,” Dragic told the Sporting News scribe.
Zach Links contributed to this post.
Kings, Wizards Swap Sessions, Miller
4:53pm: The Kings have followed with an official announcement of their own.
“Adding Andre bolsters our backcourt with one of the most prolific ball distributors in the game,” Kings GM Pete D’Alessandro said. “He’ll also provide veteran leadership to the locker room and a wealth of experience at the point guard position. We’re excited to have him join the team. We also want to thank Ramon and wish him the best moving forward.”
4:13pm: The deal is official, the Wizards announce.
“Ramon is a proven veteran who will bring an up-tempo style to our second unit and give us quickness, energy and defensive presence,“ Wizards GM Ernie Grunfeld said. “He can make plays for himself as well as others and will help to solidify our bench as we head into the final 28 games of the season and the playoffs.“
11:02am: The Kings and Wizards have agreed to swap Ramon Sessions and Andre Miller, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter link). New Kings coach George Karl had pushed to acquire Miller, whom he coached in Denver, Wojnarowski writes in a full story. The Wizards had been seeking an upgrade in the backcourt as Miller had lost playing time to Garrett Temple of late.
Thunder, Others Interested In Norris Cole
12:11pm: The Pistons don’t have much interest in Cole, as Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press hears (Twitter link).
11:50am: Cole could be conveyed through the Suns to the Pistons if the Heat convince the Suns to take him on as part of a deal involving Goran Dragic, Wojnarowski tweets.
THURSDAY, 11:22am: The Thunder are a possible suitor for Cole as well, if they deal Reggie Jackson to the Nets, league sources tell Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter link).
5:31pm: The Pistons are also interested in acquiring Cole, Marc Stein of ESPN.com reports (Twitter link). The Heat are trying to attach Granger to any deal involving Cole, Stein confirms.
WEDNESDAY, 12:25pm: The Wizards have been in pursuit of Norris Cole, but the Heat have set a high asking price, league sources tell Shams Charania of RealGM. The Wizards have been looking for backcourt help, but they’ve appeared more likely to make a free agent signing than a trade. Still, Washington is reportedly willing to give up a first-round pick in a deal.
Miami reportedly tried to attach Danny Granger to Cole when the Pistons recently offered Jonas Jerebko for Cole. Heat team president Pat Riley denied that he proposed a deal that would have sent Cole to the Nets, but trade rumors have continued to swirl, as the Hornets and Bucks appear to have interest in the soon-to-be restricted free agent. Cole switched agencies this past offseason, hiring Cleveland-based Rich Paul, but he hasn’t been linked to the Cavs and former Heat teammate LeBron James.
Cole’s outside shot has been off this season, as I noted when I examined his trade candidacy, and proficient shooting has been an asset the Wizards have targeted. That suggests Washington wouldn’t go too far to satisfy Miami’s demands, though that’s just my speculation. Cole is making $2.038MM this season in the final year of his rookie scale contract.
Latest On Kevin Martin
9:24pm: Martin is happy in Minnesota, and out of the teams reported to be eyeing him, Martin would only be interested in playing for Dallas, Amick tweets.
8:29pm: The Rockets and Wizards are also interested in Martin, Sam Amick of USA Today reports (Twitter links). It’s also highly unlikely that the Wolves agree to a buyout with Martin if he remains on the roster past the trade deadline, Amick adds. The Mavs are also a team that likes Martin, Amick confirms.
3:50pm: Teams are still inquiring about Martin, but the feeling is growing that he will remain with the Wolves past the deadline, Chris Mannix of SI.com reports (Twitter link).
2:32pm: The Bulls and Kings among teams with interest in Kevin Martin, as Chad Ford of ESPN.com writes in his chat with readers, though he adds that it wouldn’t be a surprise to see the Timberwolves hang on to him. Ford also lists the Wizards as a team eyeing Martin, though there were conflicting reports about their level of interest earlier this month. Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports heard that Wolves coach/executive Flip Saunders has little interest in parting with Martin, though Ken Berger of CBSSports.com seemingly refuted that and put Martin on a list of players that teams are attempting to trade. Martin would be headed for a buyout if a trade doesn’t happen, according to Berger, but rival executives are surprised at the notion that Minnesota would consider a buyout, tweets Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders.
The Mavericks are another team that’s been linked to Martin, though it’s unclear if they truly have interest in trading for him. He’s making almost $6.793MM this season and $7.085MM next year, with a player option worth almost $7.738MM for 2016/17, so his contract figures to dissuade teams on the fence about pursuing before the deadline. The same clubs would figure to have greater interest in Martin should he buy his way off the Wolves and become available more cheaply, though that’s just my speculation.
Saunders said after making a pair of trades last week that he didn’t expect to be active again in advance of the deadline. The Wolves haven’t given the impression that they want to part with Martin, according to John Krawczynski of The Associated Press. The 32-year-old shooting guard is Minnesota’s leading scorer this season at 20.2 points per game.