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2013 Free Agent Market

Maggette Most Experienced Of NBA Camp Invitees

September 29th, 2013 at 11:23am CST by Chuck Myron

The dozens of players joining NBA teams this week with hopes of turning training camp invitations into full-time jobs come from a diverse array of sources, as I examined earlier this month. Players from overseas, undrafted guys straight out of college, and D-League veterans all make up sizable contingencies. So, too, do players with NBA experience, many of whom are looking to get back in the league after spending 2012/13 elsewhere. Others have spent their entire careers on NBA rosters and find their continued employment in the Association up in the air this month, like Corey Maggette.

No 2013/14 camp invitee has appeared in more NBA games than Maggette has. He's trying to latch on with the Spurs and add to his total of 827 appearances. He's one of a half dozen hopefuls with more than 500 games played, two of whom — Dahntay Jones and Mike James — are attempting to make the Bulls opening night roster. Conversely, there are seven players with fewer than 10 games of NBA experience, including D.J. Kennedy and Xavier Silas, who've seen just two games of action apiece.

For the purposes of this list, a camp invitee is defined as a player who is believed to be on a non-guaranteed minimum-salary contract that covers only the 2013/14 season. The players appear in descending order of regular season games played.

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Italy Leads Globe In Deals For Ex-NBA Players

September 16th, 2013 at 2:48pm CST by Chuck Myron

There's no shortage of free agent movement worldwide, as our constantly updated International Player Movement Tracker shows. Some of the most intriguing signings involve players who have NBA experience. Many ex-NBA types wind up in Spain, where the ACB league is widely considered the best professional circuit outside of the Association. China, too, is an increasingly popular destination, especially since its season ends early, giving players a chance to jump back to the NBA for the stretch run.

Neither of those two countries boasts the greatest number of ex-NBA players who've agreed to deals with overseas teams this summer. Italy has that honor, boasting 20 players with NBA experience who'll be joining teams in that country this year, including Kim English and Samardo Samuels, who saw NBA action as recently as this past season. Russia is next on the list, with the likes of Luke Babbitt, Mickael Gelabale, Andrew Goudelock and Jeremy Pargo. Some of the guys whose names appear below have limited NBA resumes, and a few only appeared in a single NBA game. Still, they represent the growing global connection between the NBA and leagues around the world.

This list doesn't include players who will be playing overseas on existing deals, and not all agreements are final. China, in particular, figures to see more NBA players migrate its way in the weeks ahead because of its convenient schedule, and many training camp invitees who fail to make NBA opening-night rosters will probably end up playing international ball. Those caveats aside, here's each country with pro teams that have combined for at least three new deals with former NBA players this offseason: 

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Pre-Camp Roster Outlooks: Western Conference

September 15th, 2013 at 11:41am CST by Chuck Myron

Yesterday, we looked at the way training camp rosters were shaping up for Eastern Conference teams, and today we'll do the same for the Western Conference. Camps open in two weeks, meaning its crunch time for unsigned free agents and teams with roster spots to fill. Using our updated roster counts and our list of non-guaranteed contracts, as well as the rumors we've been tracking throughout the summer, I've examined what each team likely to do in the weeks ahead:

  • Clippers: Slightly above the tax line, the Clippers could slip beneath it if they drop their non-guaranteed contracts and dump a little salary via trade, as HoopsWorld's Steve Kyler recently suggested. That indicates that the team might not carry more than the 13 fully guaranteed contracts it currently has, but with only 15 total players, the Clippers will surely sign more for camp. They were still interested in Lou Amundson as of earlier this month.
  • Grizzlies: Memphis is another team with 15 players and 13 guaranteed deals, and though the Grizzlies find themselves a few million dollars short of the tax line, they're still exercising financial caution, having released Fab Melo last month. The front office will almost certainly add more bodies for camp, but they'll all be long shots to make the team.
  • Jazz: Expectations aren't high for Utah this year, and with a year that seems focused on player development ahead, I wouldn't be surprised to see them bring the full complement of 20 players to camp. That means there's work to do for GM Dennis Lindsey and company, who have agreements with only 14 players, just 12 of whom have fully guaranteed deals. They were reportedly scheduled to audition Justin Holiday and James Nunnally this past week, and it sounds like they recently took at look at Ronald Murray and Dallas Lauderdale, as well. Second-rounder Raul Neto is unsigned, but it seems most likely that he'll play overseas.
  • Kings: Sacramento might have rounded out its roster with its addition Friday of DeQuan Jones for camp, and with 14 fully guaranteed contracts, that leaves one regular season job up for grabs, at most. The Kings are at 17 players, leaving Jones, C.J. Aiken, and the partially guaranteed Trent Lockett to battle for the 15th opening-night spot.
  • Lakers: The purple-and-gold figure to have a wide open camp, with just 14 players and 11 guaranteed contracts in tow as the preseason draws near. Second-round pick Ryan Kelly remains unsigned as he deals with injury, and as the only NBA team without a rookie-scale contract on the books, the Lakers could use an infusion of young talent. They'll probably add several young players, and they may be in the mix for veterans Lou Amundson and Sebastian Telfair, too.
  • Mavericks: NBA teams are never done dealing, but Dallas is as likely as any team in the league to stand pat in advance of camp. They have 15 guaranteed contracts and four others on fully non-guaranteed deals. The Mavs could fill one more preseason roster spot, but there's no pressing need to do so, given that they appear to have their opening-night roster set.
  • Nuggets: Denver added a pair of camp invitees this week, bringing their roster to 17. The Nuggets have 14 players on fully guaranteed deals and Quincy Miller on a partially guaranteed contract, so they may have all the bodies they need for the preseason.
  • Pelicans: Lance Thomas has spent the past two seasons with New Orleans and has a tiny $15K guarantee for this year, but he's not a shoo-in for opening night. Only 13 Pelicans have fully guaranteed deals, and with just 15 total players, the Pelicans will almost certainly be signing more in the days ahead. James Nunnally is one possibility.
  • Rockets: They may have 19 players, but the Rockets continued to pursue guys even after they hit the 20-man offseason roster limit last summer, so if that's any indication, there could be more movement in Houston before camp starts. Only 13 Rockets players possess fully guaranteed deals, but three more have partially guaranteed contracts.
  • Spurs: San Antonio has 14 players on 14 fully guaranteed contracts, and though that leaves a spot open for 28th overall pick Livio Jean-Charles, he'll probably remain overseas this year. That means the Spurs are likely to bring in several players to audition for the 15th spot, though they're under no obligation to fill it. It sounds like they're prioritizing veterans, as Damien Wilkins worked out for them last week, while Mike Bibby, Mickael Pietrus, Sebastian Telfair and Josh Childress have all been linked to the team this month, though they're set to audition James Nunnally, too.
  • Suns: Phoenix is in a tricky situation with 16 fully guaranteed contracts, meaning the Suns will either have to trade or cut one of them before opening night. Dionte Christmas is also with the team on a partially guaranteed contract, further complicating matters. They can bring three more players to camp, but any of them would be longshots to make the team. The Suns are among many looking at James Nunnally, and it appears they're also interested in Royal Ivey.
  • Thunder: A report indicated the Thunder were unlikely to sign anyone of note for training camp as a replacement for DeAndre Liggins, whom the club waived last week. With a team salary approaching the tax line and 15 players already on board, the club may have its opening-night roster in place, but I still expect the team to sign a few young players for camp, if for no other reason than to retain their D-League rights for the Tulsa 66ers, their exclusive affiliate. Diante Garrett looks like he'll be one of them, and another might be second-round pick Grant Jerrett, who remains unsigned.
  • Timberwolves: The T-Wolves have 14 players on 14 guaranteed contracts, and we've frequently heard that Othyus Jeffers, Robbie Hummel and second-round pick Lorenzo Brown will compete for the 15th opening-night roster spot, though none of the three have signed.
  • Trail Blazers: It will be hard to earn a spot in Portland, where among the 19 players, 15 have full guarantees and another two are partially guaranteed. One of the non-guaranteed players is Terrel Harris, who seems unlikely to make the club in light of his impending league suspension. Still, anyone else who signs with Portland would appear destined for the team's D-League affiliate.
  • Warriors: Golden State only has 12 fully guaranteed contracts, but the team is carrying three guys with partial guarantees, which is as many as any team in the league. Cameron Jones is with the team on a non-guaranteed pact, and it sounds like 2012 second-rounder Ognjen Kuzmic will be in camp, too.
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Pre-Camp Roster Outlooks: Eastern Conference

September 14th, 2013 at 5:00pm CST by Chuck Myron

Training camps start in two weeks, meaning time is dwindling for teams to fill out their rosters and for remaining free agents to secure invitations. Teams can carry as many as 20 players in training camp, and between 13 and 15 in the regular season, but not all of those jobs have been filled. Our updated roster counts show a wide variance in the number of open spots around the league, so some clubs will probably be more aggressive on the market than others in the days ahead. We'll break down each team's situation, starting with the Eastern Conference:

  • 76ers: The team just began to reach deals with free agents this week, bringing Darius Morris, Rodney Williams and Khalif Wyatt aboard. They still haven't signed first-round picks Michael Carter-Williams and Nerlens Noel. Once they bring them aboard, they'll have only 11 fully guaranteed contracts among their 16 players, and with plenty of room under the cap, not to mention the league's minimum salary floor, the Sixers seem like an intriguing destination for unsigned free agents. That's particularly so given how much playing time is up for grabs. 
  • Bobcats: The 'Cats have been relatively quiet this month as they sit at 15 players and 12 fully guaranteed contracts, but that inactivity isn't likely to last. They may be bringing Troy Daniels to camp, and the same goes for Abdul Gaddy. 
  • Bucks: Milwaukee has 15 players under contract, all of them on guaranteed deals. That indicates that the team has a strong idea of what its opening-night roster will look like, but it seems like a safe bet that the Bucks will bring a few players to camp to grab their D-League rights and evaluate them for the future, if nothing else. Finding a place to stash those D-League players could be tough, though with five other NBA teams sharing their affiliate.
  • Bulls: Chicago has only 11 fully guaranteed deals, and four of the other five are completely non-guaranteed. That indicates that there will be a wide open competition for spots at the end of the bench. The Bulls are keeping an eye on Kurt Thomas, and it seems likely they'll add at least one or two more bodies before camp starts.
  • Cavaliers: The team appears to be looking to add a big man and a backup point guard, so perhaps the Cavs will prioritize those positions as they fill out their camp roster. They're another club that only has 11 guaranteed deals, and with just 15 total players under contract, they have plenty of room for more.
  • Celtics: Space is at a premium in Boston, where the Celtics already have 19 players, 14 of whom are on guaranteed deals. The C's are about $500K under the tax line, which is motivation to simply keep their 14 guaranteed guys and leave the 15th spot open. Still, they have one more training camp slot available, and with the team's focus on player development, there's a decent chance we see Boston make another non-guaranteed signing.  
  • Hawks: GM Danny Ferry appears busy as he targets probably two to four more players to add to the 16 the team already has. Adonis Thomas is a likely camp invitee, and the Hawks had an eye on Devin Ebanks before he signed with the Mavs. They've been linked to Chris Allen and Damien Wilkins in recent days. The Hawks have 13 players with at least a partial guarantee, and it sounds like the team will only carry 14 guys in the regular season, so everyone could be fighting over a single job.
  • Heat: It sounds like there's a strong chance the Heat will carry only 13 players in the regular season. They already have 13 guaranteed contracts, and with four others on non-guaranteed deals, there's no pressing need to make another signing, even though three camp slots are available. Still, the Heat are among a group of teams reportedly looking at Hassan Whiteside, and they had workouts lined up this week for Julyan Stone, who signed with the Raptors, and Vander Blue.
  • Knicks: New York only has agreements with 16 players, and with but 12 guaranteed contracts, it sounds like more signings are on the way. The team will probably add another big man, with names like Hassan Whiteside and Hamed Haddadi among the possibilities. If the Knicks seek to bolster another position, Richard Hamilton could be in the mix.
  • Magic: The team still appears to be working on a deal with second-round pick Romero Osby, who would bring the roster to 15. Devin Ebanks spurned the Magic this week, but I suspect they have others lined up, with only 12 fully guaranteed contracts and the looming possibility of Hedo Turkoglu's release.
  • Nets: Brooklyn, like Milwaukee, has 15 players and 15 fully guaranteed contracts, so the chances are slim that a training camp invitee will make the team. A report indicated Kyle Hunt would work out with the Nets at some point this month, and while there's been little other chatter surrounding the team, it would be a surprise if Brooklyn didn't bring a few more players to camp.
  • Pacers: Larry Bird and company have mined the D-League for three training camp invitees so far, and with only 16 players and 13 fully guaranteed contracts, they may do so again. Like the Nets, they're taking a look at Kyle Hunt, who went undrafted in June.
  • Pistons: Just like last September, the Pistons have 15 players with at least a partial guarantee as camp approaches. They haven't been linked to anyone of late, but last year they brought aboard two high profile invitees who didn't make the regular season roster in Terrence Williams and Jonny Flynn. We'll see if Joe Dumars goes that route again this time around or if he prefers young players instead.
  • Raptors: It looks like there will be at least 17 players in Toronto's camp, meaning the club will likely add to the 16 guys it has for now after bringing aboard Julyan Stone and Chris Wright on Friday. Still, the Raptors have 14 players under fully guaranteed contracts, and there's no indication that number will change when the regular season rolls around. 
  • Wizards: The Wizards are another team that seems to have its 15-man roster in place, and with seven players on rookie-scale deals, there's no compelling need to bring on young talent. They'll probably bring at least a couple of players to camp, but since they're sharing a D-League affiliate with four other teams, they may not be interested in securing the D-League rights of their camp invitees, as other NBA clubs do.
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Teams Draw From Variety Of Sources For Camp

September 13th, 2013 at 10:29pm CST by Chuck Myron

Training camp invitations dominate NBA headlines in September, when unfamiliar names fill our transactions page and fans often wonder just where some of these guys came from. The most frequent answer, at least this year, is that they come from pro teams overseas, but there's no single dominant source of training camp bodies. Players who spent 2012/13 in the NBA are nearly as legion among training camp invitees as the international imports are, and plenty of others come directly from college and D-League teams.

The list below shows each player who's accepted a training camp invitation by the kind of team with which he finished the 2012/13 season. It's sometimes difficult to discern whether a player is a mere camp invitee or whether a club has greater expectations of him, so this analysis includes only those who've agreed to deals that are presumably non-guaranteed for the minimum salary and cover no more than one season. So, for instance, we've excluded Jordan Henriquez's non-guaranteed minimum salary contract with the Rockets, since the deal runs through 2015/16.

Within each category, the players are grouped by the teams bringing them to camp, which shows the Pacers' unrivaled use of D-Leaguers to fill their preseason roster this year. The names of the players who've appeared in at least one NBA regular season game link to their respective Basketball-Reference pages, revealing that only one of this year's invitees from overseas has experience in the Association.

International

  • Eric Dawson, Hawks — Philippines (Meralco Bolts)
  • David Lighty, Hawks — France (Nanterre)
  • DeShawn Sims, Celtics — Lebanon (Sagesse)
  • Kammron Taylor, Celtics — Germany (Neckar Ludwigsburg)
  • Patrick Christopher, Bulls — Turkey (Besiktas)
  • Kalin Lucas, Bulls — Turkey (Banvit)
  • Mickey McConnell, Mavericks — Italy (Verona)
  • Justin Hamilton, Heat — Croatia (Cibona)
  • Eric Griffin, Heat — Fileni Jesi (Italy)

NBA

College

  • Chris Babb, Celtics — Iowa State
  • Damen Bell-Holter, Celtics —  Oral Roberts
  • James Southerland, Bobcats — Syracuse
  • Kenny Kadji, Cavaliers — Miami (Fla.)
  • C.J. Aiken, Kings — St. Joseph's
  • E.J. Singler, Trail Blazers — Oregon
  • Reginald Buckner, Nuggets — Mississippi

D-League

  • D.J. Kennedy, Mavericks — Rio Grande Valley Vipers
  • Damion James, Nuggets — Bakersfield Jam
  • Cameron Jones, Warriors — Santa Cruz Warriors
  • Rasual Butler, Pacers — Tulsa 66ers
  • Ron Howard, Pacers — Fort Wayne Mad Ants
  • Darnell Jackson, Pacers — Reno Bighorns
  • Toure Murry, Knicks — Rio Grande Valley Vipers

Missed 2012/13

The Hoops Rumors International Player Movement Tracker was used in the creation of this post.

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How Agencies Fared In Free Agency (Part 2)

September 12th, 2013 at 6:53pm CST by Luke Adams

Yesterday, we published the first installment in our look at how agencies fared in this summer's free agency period. Today, we'll be bringing you the second part of that post, focusing on the eight agencies who landed the most overall guaranteed money for their clients in free agency. Before we dive in though, let's revisit a few caveats….

  • The info in our free agent tracker is based on contract details that have been reported to date. In some cases, a player has been said to have a partial guarantee on his contract, but we haven't heard specifics on how big that guarantee is. If those details have yet to be reported, we're excluding those players from our calculations, and considering them to be non-guaranteed for now. That includes guys like Ronnie Brewer, Darius Morris, Richard Howell, and Rodney Williams, among others.
  • Players who signed overseas, players believed to have accepted non-guaranteed camp invites, and draft picks who signed deals with NBA teams aren't included in this summary. That means, for our purposes, BDA Sports won't get credit for Luke Babbitt's deal in Russia (an international signing), Wasserman Media won't get credit for Fab Melo's deal with the Mavs (reportedly a non-guaranteed camp invite), and Relativity Sports won't get credit for Nick Calathes' deal with the Grizzlies (Memphis held Calathes' draft rights, rather than signing him as a free agent).
  • Our overall figures for each agency are based on guaranteed salary, which doesn't include team options, but does include player options and early termination options, since the player is guaranteed that money if he chooses to accept it. The figures in our tracker are also rounded to the nearest thousand, so our totals may not be accurate down to the dollar, but they're very close.
  • There are a small handful of 2013 signees whose agents we have yet to confirm, but those guys all signed minimum-salary contracts, so their absence won't have a significant impact our totals.

With those qualifiers in mind, here are the eight agencies who did best in free agency this summer, by our calculations:

Agency: Perennial Sports & Entertainment
Notable deals: Josh Smith, Pistons (4/$54MM); Anthony Morrow, Pelicans (2/$2.173MM)
Overall guaranteed money: $56.173MM

Perennial is the last agency on our list to have one big deal account for nearly their entire overall guarantee. But for an agency that only represents a handful of NBA players, this was certainly an eventful offseason. Perennial's other big client, Derrick Favors, is also extension-eligible up until October 31st.

As for Smith's and Morrow's deals themselves, it's worth mentioning a couple details not listed above: Smith's contract includes several unlikely incentives, which could increase the overall value of the deal, while Morrow's contract includes language that reduces his guarantee for 2014/15 if he misses a certain amount of games due to back issues.

Agency: Landmark Sports Agency
Notable deals: Andre Iguodala, Warriors (4/$48MM); O.J. Mayo, Bucks (3/$24MM)
Overall guaranteed money: $78.699MM

A few of Landmark's clients appear to have signed deals worth less than what they might have earned elsewhere. That list includes Iguodala, who reportedly had offers worth $50MM+, and a pair of new Lakers, Chris Kaman and Wesley Johnson. Considering Landmark and agent Rob Pelinka also represent Kobe Bryant, it's likely no coincidence that Kaman and Johnson ended up taking modest, cap-friendly deals to join the Lakers.

Agency: ASM Sports
Notable deals: Jeff Teague, Hawks (4/$32MM); J.J. Hickson, Nuggets (3/$16.145MM)
Overall guaranteed money: $84.189MM

ASM has a ton of NBA clients, but this year's free agent class didn't have quite the same amount of starpower as last year's for the agency. Kevin Garnett and Ersan Ilyasova landed big contracts last season, while Serge Ibaka inked a contract extension worth nearly $50MM. This time around, only Teague landed more than mid-level money. Still, Andy Miller and ASM did well to negotiate larger paydays than I would've expected for guys like Hickson, Marreese Speights, and Chauncey Billups.

One oddity related to ASM's deals this summer was the agency's fondness for actual team options. Typically, non-guaranteed seasons take the place of official team options, but the contracts for Timofey Mozgov, Speights, and Billups all include the latter. Perhaps the agency prefers that form of option because decisions are always due by the end of June, which would make clients available for potential suitors at the start of free agency. For non-guaranteed contracts, the player's team often doesn't have to make a decision until later in July.

Agency: Priority Sports & Entertainment
Notable deals: Jose Calderon, Mavericks (4/$29MM); Carl Landry, Kings (4/$26.047MM)
Overall guaranteed money: $84.91MM

Like ASM, Mark Bartelstein and his associates at Priority didn't have a marquee free agent hitting the market this summer, but the agency still had a strong offseason. It wouldn't have surprised me to see Calderon and Landry signed for mid-level money, so the fact that each player earned a guaranteed four-year contract worth more than that was impressive. Even the agency's smaller deals, like Will Bynum's, DeMarre Carroll's, and Ronny Turiaf's, were worth slightly more guaranteed money than I would have expected ($5.75MM, $5MM, and $3MM, respectively).

There were at least a couple Priority clients who signed for less than I anticipated, but even then, second-year player options were negotiated into the contracts to allow those players (Mo Williams and Nick Young) to hit the market again next summer, if they so choose.

Agency: Creative Artists Agency
Notable deals: Chris Paul, Clippers (5/$107.343MM); J.R. Smith, Knicks (3/$17.947MM)
Overall guaranteed money: $138.362MM

The Knicks and CAA are often mentioned in the same breath, and for good reason — Carmelo Anthony, Mike Woodson, Andrea Bargnani, C.J. Leslie, and the Smith brothers (J.R. and Chris Smith) are all represented by the agency. But this summer's deals almost suggest that Houston is becoming New York West; CAA clients Omri Casspi, Aaron Brooks, and Ronnie Brewer all signed with the Rockets this offseason.

Of course, focusing on how the agency has a tendency to group its clients on the same teams is burying the lede. The prize jewel of free agency this summer was Paul, who signed for about $20MM more than any other player. CAA would have fared well this offseason without Paul's massive contract, but his $107MM+ guarantee catapults the agency into the summer's top five.

Agency: Wasserman Media Group
Notable deals: Tyreke Evans, Pelicans (4/$44MM); Tiago Splitter, Spurs (4/$36MM); J.J. Redick, Clippers (4/$27.755MM)
Overall guaranteed money: $155.983MM

I don't know exactly how negotiations transpired for Wasserman's top free agents this offseason, but on the surface it seems like the agency did an exceptional job getting its clients into their preferred situations. Even though Evans was a restricted free agent, the Kings eventually agreed to sign-and-trade him to New Orleans in a deal that landed another Wasserman client (Greivis Vasquez) in Sacramento. The same sort of thing happened for Redick, who wouldn't have landed an annual salary worth nearly $7MM with the Clippers unless the Bucks had agreed to sign-and-trade him.

Even Splitter's four-year, $36MM contract reportedly came as a result of the Trail Blazers making a similar offer. If the restricted free agent big man had wanted to play in Portland, Wasserman's track record suggests Arn Tellem and company would have made it happen. But Splitter preferred to stay in San Antonio, and ultimately signed outright with the club rather than forcing the Spurs to match a rival offer sheet.

Agency: Relativity Sports
Notable deals: Dwight Howard, Rockets (4/$87.591MM); Kevin Martin (4/$27.805MM); Monta Ellis, Mavericks (3/$25.08MM)
Overall guaranteed money: $180.303MM

The super-agency formed by Happy Walters and Dan Fegan finished a close second in our free agent rankings, but had we included rookie-scale extensions, Relativity Sports would have blown away its competition. Both John Wall and Larry Sanders are Relativity clients, and their new long-term deals would bring the agency's total guaranteed money this summer to well over $300MM.

Still, even just taking into account free agency, Relativity made out well. Howard gave up some guaranteed money by leaving Los Angeles, and Ellis may have done the same (albeit before he joined Relativity) by turning down an extension from the Bucks. But Martell Webster's four-year contract with the Wizards was one of the surprises of the offseason, and few players did better in free agency than Keith Bogans, who will earn more than $5MM in guaranteed money in 2013/14. Unusual CBA rules and plenty of luck played roles in Bogans' deal, but it's still a feather in Relativity's cap.

Agency: Excel Sports Management
Notable deals: Nikola Pekovic, Timberwolves (5/$60MM); Al Jefferson, Bobcats (3/$40.5MM); Brandon Jennings, Pistons (3/$24MM); Kyle Korver, Hawks (4/$24MM)
Overall guaranteed money: $185.738MM

It wasn't a perfect summer for Jeff Schwartz and Excel Sports, but considering Pekovic's $60MM guarantee was only the third-highest among free agents this offseason, it's impressive that they finished atop our list. It's also the second straight huge summer for the agency, which saw Deron Williams and Blake Griffin ink max deals a year ago.

While Pekovic and Korver were among Excel's big signees who remained with their previous teams, the agency pursued unexpected opportunties for many of its other free agents. Very few people would have predicted that Jefferson would land in Charlotte, or that Jarrett Jack would sign with the Cavs, but both players received lucrative multiyear contracts with those clubs. Throw in the fact that Excel landed No. 1 overall pick Anthony Bennett, and it's hard to make the case that many agencies had a better summer.

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How Agencies Fared In Free Agency (Part 1)

September 11th, 2013 at 11:49am CST by Luke Adams

NBA agents work to represent the best interests of their clients all year round, but those agents really earn their money – including a nice commission – during free agency. Not many players will earn maximum-salary contracts like Chris Paul and Dwight Howard, so an agency that squeezes out a couple extra million dollars or an extra guaranteed year in negotiations can make a huge difference for a client.

Based on the data in our 2013 free agent tracker, well over 100 players signed contracts with NBA teams that included at least a partial guarantee. By cross-referencing those contract figures with the information in our agency database, we can get an idea of which agencies fared this best this summer, and determine whether certain reps have developed similar negotiating habits for multiple clients.

A few caveats before we dive into the breakdown:

  • The info in our free agent tracker is based on contract details that have been reported to date. In some cases, a player has been said to have a partial guarantee on his contract, but we haven't heard specifics on how big that guarantee is. If those details have yet to be reported, we're excluding those players from our calculations, and considering them to be non-guaranteed for now. That includes guys like Ronnie Brewer, Lance Thomas, Trent Lockett, Richard Howell, and Rodney Williams, among others.
  • Players who signed overseas, players believed to have accepted non-guaranteed camp invites, and draft picks who signed deals with NBA teams aren't included in this summary. That means, for our purposes, BDA Sports won't get credit for Luke Babbitt's deal in Russia (an international signing), Wasserman Media won't get credit for Fab Melo's deal with the Mavs (reportedly a non-guaranteed camp invite), and Relativity Sports won't get credit for Nick Calathes' deal with the Grizzlies (Memphis held Calathes' draft rights, rather than signing him as a free agent).
  • Our overall figures for each agency are based on guaranteed salary, which doesn't include team options, but does include player options and early termination options, since the player is guaranteed that money if he chooses to accept it. The figures in our tracker are also rounded to the nearest thousand, so our totals may not be accurate down to the dollar, but they're very close.
  • There are a small handful of 2013 signees whose agents we have yet to confirm, but those guys all signed minimum-salary contracts, so their absence won't have a significant impact our totals.

Without further ado, here's a look at the first 10 agencies to secure guaranteed NBA deals for multiple NBA clients this offseason. Part two of our feature, which will include the summer's top eight agencies, will be published tomorrow.

Agency: Impact Sports Basketball
Notable deals: Jeff Pendergraph, Spurs (2/$3.579MM); Donald Sloan, Pacers (2/$1.832MM)
Overall guaranteed money: $5.411MM

Their overall total may not show it, but Impact Sports did a nice job in free agency this season, securing multiyear guarantees for a couple of players that don't figure to be cracking an NBA team's starting lineup anytime soon. In addition to finding deals for Pendergraph and Sloan, the agency also secured camp invites for clients like Dexter Pittman and Michael Snaer.

Agency: Pinnacle Management Corp.
Notable deals: Samuel Dalembert, Mavericks (2/$5.5MM); Metta World Peace, Knicks (2/$3.255MM)
Overall guaranteed money: $10.027MM

The Knicks are known for having a handful of CAA clients on their roster, but it's worth noting that two Pinnacle clients (World Peace and Beno Udrih) took discounts to join the club this summer. That may merely be a coincidence, considering both players talked about how much they wanted to play in New York, but it's interesting nonetheless.

Agency: Falk Associates Management Enterprises
Notable deals: Gary Neal, Bucks (2/$6.5MM); Elton Brand, Hawks (1/$4MM)
Overall guaranteed money: $12.1MM

David Falk might not be the same super-agent he was a decade or two ago, but he and his agency are still doing solid work around the edges. This summer's deals for Neal, Brand, and Toney Douglas are all fully guaranteed, with Brand and Douglas landing slightly larger salaries than I would've predicted. FAME also convinced the Spurs to withdraw their qualifying offer to Neal, opening up the market for him a little.

Agency: Goodwin Sports Management
Notable deals: Matt Barnes, Clippers (3/$7.646MM); Nate Robinson, Nuggets (2/$4.123MM)
Overall guaranteed money: $14.352MM

Goodwin Sports only has a handful of current NBA players on its roster, so this was an eventful offseason for the agency, and the results were something of a mixed bag. I was surprised that Robinson couldn't score a slightly larger payday, but landing Francisco Garcia a deal with a second-year player option was impressive, after he underperformed on his last contract. Goodwin negotiated a second-year player option for Robinson as well, so both he and Garcia will have the opportunity to explore free agency again next summer.

Agency: Interperformances
Notable deals: Manu Ginobili, Spurs (2/$14.5MM), Reggie Williams (2/$474K)
Overall guaranteed money: $14.974MM

Luol Deng and the Bulls explored a possible contract extension this summer, but Ginobili's negotiations with the Spurs likely remained the top priority for Herb Rudoy and Interperformances. Despite the fact that Ginobili will take a significant pay cut when it comes to annual salary, the agency still did well to get him a $14.5MM guarantee — given Manu's declining production and health concerns, a contract worth around mid-level money wouldn't have been a surprise.

Agency: Vartanian/Simmons Sports Management
Notable deals: Paul Millsap, Hawks (2/$19MM)
Overall guaranteed money: $19MM

The first of two agencies on our list that didn't actually have multiple NBA clients sign guaranteed deals this summer, Vartanian/Simmons had to be included for representing one of the league's marquee free agents. Still, Millsap's pact with the Hawks is generally viewed as one of the more team-friendly contracts of the offseason. Perhaps Millsap was so enamored of Atlanta's pitch that he didn't feel the need to shop around further, but it's hard to believe another team wouldn't have topped the Hawks' offer.

Agency: IAM Sports & Entertainment
Notable deals: Tony Allen, Grizzlies (4/$20MM); Al-Farouq Aminu, Pelicans (1/$3.75MM)
Overall guaranteed money: $23.75MM

Raymond Brothers and IAM Sports locked up one of the jewels of the 2013 draft by signing Victor Oladipo, but July wasn't overly active for the agency. Allen and Aminu both re-signed with their previous teams, and in my opinion, the years and dollars for both players are pretty fair.

Agency: Williams & Connolly
Notable deals: Zaza Pachulia, Bucks (3/$15.6MM); Brandan Wright, Mavericks (2/$10MM)
Overall guaranteed money: $25.6MM

Free agency perhaps wasn't quite as dramatic this time around for Williams & Connolly, who also represent players like Ray Allen and Jeremy Lin. Allen's and Lin's free agencies last summer resulted in wars of words between the Heat and Celtics, and Knicks and Rockets, but Pachulia and Wright signed fairly quietly. In any case, I like both deals for the agency — Pachulia in particular seems a little overvalued at $5MM+ per year, so Williams & Connolly did well to get all three years guaranteed.

Agency: BDA Sports Management
Notable deals: Chase Budinger, Timberwolves (3/$15MM); Josh McRoberts, Bobcats (2/$5.423MM)
Overall guaranteed money: $31.071MM

No team in part one of this feature had nearly as many clients sign at least partially-guaranteed deals as BDA, who had eight by our count. There isn't a marquee name among BDA's group — Budinger is the only player to receive a guarantee worth more than McRoberts' $5.423MM. But BDA made sure plenty of players, all the way down to guys like Ian Clark and Matthew Dellavedova, received at least a partial guarantee.

The most curious case here was Greg Oden's. BDA negotiated player options for several of their other players, including Budinger, McRoberts, and Darren Collison, so it's odd that Oden didn't ultimately get the second-year option he was initially reported as having. That suggests to me that the former first overall pick badly wanted to play for the Heat, giving the team leverage to make a smaller offer (in both years and dollars) than other suitors might have.

Agency: Octagon Sports
Notable deals: David West, Pacers (3/$36.6MM)
Overall guaranteed money: $36.6MM

Like Vartanian/Simmons, Octagon represented only one big-name free agent this summer, negotiating a new three-year deal in Indiana for West. While it wasn't necessarily the busiest summer for the agency, the coming season could make up for that. Jimmer Fredette, Kendall Marshall, and Rudy Gay are among the Octagon clients whose names may surface in trade rumors before February's deadline.

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Introducing Hoops Rumors’ International Player Movement Tracker

September 10th, 2013 at 12:00am CST by Luke Adams

Even when NBA rosters expand to a 20-player maximum during the offseason, there are only a limited number of openings for all the NBA hopefuls worldwide. Given how hard it is to earn a roster spot in the Association, many talented players ultimately end up on teams in Europe, South America, Asia, and Australia.

At Hoops Rumors, we focus primarily on NBA roster moves, or at least players that have recently been on NBA rosters, passing along only the more notable international transactions. But we're still interested in following player movement in those non-NBA leagues, which is why we're proud to unveil our International Player Movement Tracker.

Working with Mark Porcaro of Secret Rival, we've created a database of thousands of players, tracking which teams they played for last season, and where they'll play for the coming 2013/14 campaign. Using our tracker, you can search and sort players by the team they played for or the country they played in either last season or this season, as well as the college they attended (or their home country).

For instance, if you're curious about which former Kansas players are on roster overseas, you can use this link to check on the statuses of Keith Langford, Julian Wright, Aaron Miles, and others. If you'd like to see players currently on the CSKA roster in Russia, you can search by current team and find this list.

Mark will be updating our database daily, leading up to the 2013/14 season, so be sure to check back often. We'll continue to pass along word of more noteworthy international transactions on Hoops Rumors, but our tracker will also include plenty of players not mentioned in posts on the site.

Our International Player Movement Tracker can be found anytime under the "Hoops Rumors Features" menu on the right-hand sidebar.

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Update On 2013’s 10-Day Signees

August 28th, 2013 at 10:27am CST by Luke Adams

Of the many free agents still on the market, plenty will join NBA training camp rosters for October, and some will even earn a place on a regular-season roster. But plenty of those available players are more likely to sign a contract overseas or land a spot on a D-League squad to start the 2013/14 season.

Still, as the season progresses, injuries will start piling up for NBA teams, and fresh bodies will be needed. At that point, some of those guys who missed out on roster spots earlier could ink 10-day contracts, potentially parlaying that into a rest-of-season deal.

In 2012/13, as our 10-day contract tracker shows, 21 players signed one or two 10-day contracts with a team before signing a rest-of-season contract with that team. Most of those deals included non-guaranteed salaries for the coming season, giving the clubs some flexibility to retain or cut those 10-day signees, depending on other roster moves. In some cases, the player's performance down the stretch earned him a spot on the team's 2013/14 roster, either on an existing deal or a new contract.

Listed below are the 21 guys who signed rest-of-season contracts with teams in 2013 after initially signing at least one 10-day deal. Let's take a look at what their outlooks are for the coming season….

Returning to their previous teams:

  • Chris Andersen (Heat): Andersen's rest-of-season contract last season didn't include an option for this year, but he and Miami nonetheless reached an agreement to reunite for the minimum salary.
  • Chris Johnson (Timberwolves): Johnson made out better than most of his fellow 10-day signees, as his deal with the T-Wolves for the coming year is fully guaranteed.
  • Shelvin Mack (Hawks): For now, Mack remains under contract with Atlanta on a non-guaranteed contract, but it's unclear how secure his spot on the roster is. If he ends up being cut, he would reportedly still try to land another NBA job, rather than heading overseas.
  • Kenyon Martin (Knicks): Martin's trajectory with the Knicks closely matched Chris Andersen's with the Heat — the former first overall pick impressed on his one-year deal last season, earning him a new fully guaranteed contract with the club this time around.
  • Jerel McNeal (Jazz): McNeal remains on the Jazz on a non-guaranteed contract, and considering the team is in rebuilding mode, his roster spot looks reasonably safe for now, despite the fact that he's never appeared in an NBA game.
  • Jannero Pargo (Bobcats): Charlotte was impressed enough by Pargo's performance last season that the club re-signed him to be the third point guard behind Kemba Walker and Ramon Sessions. The deal isn't fully guaranteed, but it's partially guaranteed for $300K, giving Pargo a leg up on any non-guaranteed players for a roster spot.
  • Jarvis Varnado (Heat): Varnado's rest-of-season deal with the Heat last season included a non-guaranteed 2013/14 salary, and the team has yet to cut him. There's no rush to make a decision on Varnado yet, but $250K of his salary becomes guaranteed on opening night, and at least one local beat writer views the big man as a long shot to remain on the roster that long.
  • Maalik Wayns (Clippers): Wayns remains on the Clippers on a non-guaranteed contract, and we've yet to hear one way or the other if the team plans to hang on to him into the regular season. For now, the Clips only have 13 guaranteed deals on the books, so there could be room for Wayns.

Playing elsewhere:

  • Josh Akognon (Grizzlies): Due to a need for cap room, the Mavericks released Akognon last month, but the young point guard didn't even have a chance to weigh his free agent options before the Grizzlies snapped him up on waivers. His contract is still non-guaranteed, but Memphis' decision to move Tony Wroten could bode well for Akognon's chances of making the team.
  • Mickael Gelabale (Russia): Like 2012/13 Timberwolves teammate Chris Johnson, Gelabale's rest-of-season deal last year included a second year. But unlike Johnson, Gelabale had a non-guaranteed salary for 2013/14, making him a cap casualty last month. The French forward has since signed with BC Khimki in Russia.
  • Terrel Harris (Trail Blazers): Harris' non-guaranteed contract was included in last month's Tyreke Evans swap for salary purposes, so it's not clear if the Blazers actually like him, or whether they simply took him on out of necessity. Harris is also facing a suspension for a drug violation, so he'd probably need to have a very strong training camp to avoid being cut.
  • Kris Joseph (China): After being waived for the second time in the last year by the Celtics, Joseph reportedly caught on with a Chinese team, though not all the details of his rumored deal have surfaced yet.
  • Jeremy Pargo (Russia): While Pargo inked a rest-of-season contract with the Sixers, he didn't actually last the full year with the team, which cut him to make room for Justin Holiday in April. Pargo bounced back nicely though, landing a lucrative deal with Russia's CSKA Moscow well before the NBA free agency period even got underway.
  • DaJuan Summers (Ukraine): The Clippers waived Summers early in July, but by the end of the month, the forward was employed again, landing with Ukraine's Budivelnyk Kyiv.

Current free agents:

  • Juwan Howard: The Heat seem willing to pay Howard to be on the roster regardless of how often he'll actually see the court, so perhaps that happens again later in the 2013/14 season. For now, he remains unsigned.
  • Mike James: After spending a good chunk of last season with the Mavericks, James was said to be in talks with the team again nearly a month ago. Dallas has 15 guaranteed contracts on the books, and a pretty crowded backcourt, so a reunion seems unlikely, but the 38-year-old still hopes to continue his playing career.
  • Scott Machado: Machado was a roster casualty for the Warriors, waived last month along with two other non-guaranteed players. He appears to be drawing overseas interest though, recently telling Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com that he has four international offers.
  • Shavlik Randolph: Much to the chagrin of several Celtics fans in our comments section, Randolph was released by the club a few weeks ago. I have a feeling the decision was based much more on Boston's proximity to the tax line than on Randolph himself, who played well in 2012/13. He has been mentioned as a possible Knicks target since being cut by the C's.
  • Malcolm Thomas: Despite consistently solid play in Summer League and D-League action, Thomas hasn't been able to stick with an NBA team. The Bulls released him last month, reducing their tax bill, and we haven't heard him mentioned in any rumors since then.
  • D.J. White: Entering July on a non-guaranteed contract, White was included as a spare part in the blockbuster that sent Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce to Brooklyn, and was quickly waived by the Nets. White has since worked out for the Knicks, but is also reportedly considering offers from Chinese teams.
  • Terrence Williams: Williams had a solid stint for the Celtics in the second half of 2012/13, but it wasn't enough to keep him on the roster any further — he was released back in June. The only Williams-related rumor we've heard since then involves the swingman changing agents, from Aaron Goodwin to Herb Rudoy.
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Free Agent Spending By Division

August 27th, 2013 at 1:00pm CST by Luke Adams

A year ago, when we looked at 2012 free agent spending by division, the Atlantic blew away the field, in large part due to the Nets' incredible spending spree. The total amount of money Brooklyn committed to free agents ($243MM+) was greater than every other division except the Southwest ($262MM+).

That script was flipped this year, as the Atlantic Division has been the league's smallest-spending division, with no team spending more than the Knicks' $32MM, including the Sixers, who have yet to sign a single free agent. The turnaround isn't surprising — last summer, the Nets had a virtually empty roster, with plenty of top free agents to re-sign, such as Deron Williams and Brook Lopez. This offseason, with all those players already locked up, the Nets didn't have much flexibility to continue adding big free agent contracts.

Using our free agent tracker, we've put together a list of total money committed to free agents this offseason, by division. These figures won't necessarily be 100% accurate — we're still sorting out a few details of the latest signings, which include summer contracts, and good portions of this money could be non-guaranteed. For example, we consider the Cavs' commitment to Andrew Bynum to be $24.79MM, but only $6MM of that amount is guaranteed. Keeping those caveats in mind, here's the breakdown of 2013 free agent spending by division so far:

  1. Southwest: $327.536MM. Most: Rockets ($105.882MM). Least: Grizzlies ($24.302MM).
  2. Central: $270.964MM. Most: Pistons ($94.082MM). Least: Bulls ($8.825MM).
  3. Pacific: $256.009MM. Most: Clippers ($154.26MM). Least: Suns ($0MM).
  4. Southeast: $194.254MM. Most: Hawks ($86.45MM). Least: Heat ($4.952MM).
  5. Northwest: $183.722MM. Most: Timberwolves ($119.912MM). Least: Thunder ($2.586MM).
  6. Atlantic: $83.277MM. Most: Knicks ($32.002MM). Least: Sixers ($0MM).

After ranking second among spending by division last summer, the Southwest was at it again this year, topping the list of highest-spending divisions. While the Rockets' big commitment to Dwight Howard was the key signing this time around, the Pelicans played a large role in the division's standing in both 2012 and 2013; New Orleans spent big on Eric Gordon and Ryan Anderson a year ago, and inked Tyreke Evans to a $44MM pact last month.

The Clippers and Rockets, with their max contracts for Chris Paul and Howard respectively, rank among the year's highest spenders, with their totals representing a significant chunk of their respective divisions' totals. But the second-highest spender, nestled in between L.A. and Houston, may surprise you: That'd be the Timberwolves, who committed $60MM to Nikola Pekovic and inked Kevin Martin, Chase Budinger, and Corey Brewer to lucrative multiyear deals as well.

Also notable: The Sixers and Suns, the league's two teams who haven't committed a dollar to a free agent this summer, are among the smallest-spending clubs, but so are the Heat, Thunder, and Bulls, all expected to be title contenders in 2013/14. Spending big in free agency doesn't necessarily translate to on-court success, particularly when a strong core is already in place.

Still, it may be worth noting that the two smallest-spending divisions from a year ago (the Northwest and Southeast) only sent two teams to the 2013 postseason, while the other four divisions sent three teams each. We'll see if that's a pattern that continues this season, or merely a coincidence.

The Hoops Rumors Free Agent Tracker was used in the creation of this post.

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