2013 Free Agent Market

After eight of this summer's most intriguing restricted free-agents-to-be signed contract extensions last offseason, and plenty more potential restricted free agents didn't receive qualifying offers, we ended up with fewer than usual restricted players last month. Only 12 players were tendered qualifying offers, and two of those QOs were withdrawn before the players signed contracts.

While there weren't many restricted free agents on the market in 2013, the ones that were on the board ended up making out fairly well. No players landed max contracts like Eric Gordon, Roy Hibbert, and Brook Lopez did a year ago. But conversely, no players ended up like D.J. Augustin did last summer, ultimately having to sign for a salary that paid less than a qualifying offer would have.

Let's take a closer look at how this year's restricted free agents fared….

Nikola Pekovic, Timberwolves: Five years, $60MM (plus incentives)
Tyreke Evans, Pelicans: Four years, $44MM
Tiago Splitter, Spurs: Four years, $36MM
Timofey Mozgov, Nuggets: Three years, $14MM (third-year team option)
Robert Sacre, Lakers: Three years, $2.69MM

These five guys make up our first group because they should have no real complaints about how the free agent process turned out. Pekovic was the only restricted free agent to land a five-year deal, and easily scored the biggest payday of the bunch. Evans was voted by Hoops Rumors readers as the worst $40MM+ signing of the summer, but if his deal is considered an overpay by the Pelicans, then it looks pretty good from Evans' perspective.

Meanwhile, Splitter received a lucrative long-term deal to return to a championship contender, while Mozgov and Sacre both signed three-year pacts that will certainly pay them a higher annual salary than what they were worth in 2012/13 — both players have upside, but they won't necessarily have to realize that upside to earn very good salaries for the next two or three years.

Jeff Teague, Hawks: Four years, $32MM
Chris Copeland, Pacers: Two years, $6.14MM

It'd be hard for either Teague or Copeland to complain about the pay checks they'll have coming based on their new contracts, but it's not clear if either player ended up with his preferred team. Teague signed an offer sheet with Milwaukee and talked about looking forward to joining the Bucks, but had that sheet matched by the Hawks. As for Copeland, a few early reports hinted that his first choice was the Knicks, and that he may be willing to accept a discount to make a reunion happen. Ultimately though, it's hard to fault him for choosing the Pacers when Indiana offered more than the Knicks could afford.

Brandon Jennings, Pistons: Three years, $24MM
Gerald Henderson, Bobcats: Three years, $18MM (third-year player option)
Pablo Prigioni, Knicks: Three years, $4.9MM (third year is partially guaranteed)

Jennings, Henderson, and Prigioni seem perfectly happy with where they landed, but all three players may have hoped for a little higher salary. Jennings was reportedly looking for $12MM per year, while Henderson was said to be seeking $8MM annually. Prigioni's asking price wasn't reported, but I would guess he wouldn't have minded getting a larger portion of the Knicks' mini mid-level exception — that's just my speculation though, and that third year on his deal seems like a reasonable compromise.

Gary Neal, Bucks: Two years, $6.5MM
Tyler Hansbrough, Raptors: Two years: $6.5MM (second year is partially guaranteed)

Neither Neal nor Hansbrough was technically a restricted free agent when he signed, since both players had their qualifying offers rescinded by that point. But both guys still made out reasonably well. Hansbrough is the only player of this entire group who you could argue should have accepted his qualifying offer. If he had done so, he would've returned to the Pacers on a one-year, $4.14MM contract. Instead, he'll earn about $3.18MM from the Raptors in 2013/14. Still, that second season on his deal is partially guaranteed for $1MM, so his overall guarantee is just slightly larger than it would have been if he'd returned to Indiana.

One of the most prominent features of the new collective bargaining agreement is the stipulation that taxpaying teams may not acquire players via sign-and-trade. The rule is one of many changes from the old CBA that are being phased in, so this summer is the first with the new restriction. Ostensibly, limiting certain teams from receiving signed-and-traded players would lead to fewer sign-and-trade deals. That appears to be the case if you compare this year to last, but a broader look shows that, at least so far, more sign-and-trade transactions are taking place under the new CBA than when the old one was in place.

That's partly because of several nuances involved in the changes to sign-and-trades. The restriction applies only to clubs with team salaries above the tax apron — a line $4MM above the mark where the tax kicks in. So, not every team that pays the tax is barred from doing a sign-and-trade. The rule also applies only to teams that receive players via sign-and-trade, and not when a club uses a sign-and-trade to send a player elsewhere. So, for instance, the Nets, in record-high payroll territory, could still get something in return if another team wants to sign Jerry Stackhouse.

Teams above the tax apron, set this year at $75.748MM, can even receive players via sign-and-trade as long as they send out enough salary to take them under the apron. So, if the Heat, with more than $80MM in team salary, want to acquire a player via sign-and-trade, they could, as long as the other team in the deal agreed to take back a sizable contract or a bunch of smaller ones. Conversely, teams under the apron can't receive a player in a sign-and-trade deal if the transaction would put them over the apron. 

There are other limits to sign-and-trade deals that the new CBA sets forth. It used to be that sign-and-trades could take place year-round, but now they can only happen in the offseason. Players who ink sign-and-trade deals must also have finished the previous season on an NBA roster. That eliminates the sort of pact that saw Keith Van Horn signed-and-traded nearly two years after he set foot on an NBA court, just so the Mavs and Nets could make the salaries match up in the Jason Kidd deal. Also, starting this year, teams that use the taxpayer's mid-level exception can't acquire a player in a sign-and-trade.

Even with all these limitations, there have been 23 sign-and-trade deals since the new CBA took effect following the 2011 lockout. That's an average of 7.67 a year. There were 30 sign-and-trades during the six years of the most recent prior CBA, so the average number was five. There was even a year when just a single sign-and-trade took place, with Keyon Dooling going from the Magic to the Nets in a swap that didn't exactly make the same sort of headlines as the sign-and-trade that sent LeBron James from the Cavs to the Heat a couple years later.

We've only had one summer of the full restrictions that the new CBA sets forth, and the offseason isn't over yet, so the possibility of another sign-and-trade in 2013 exists. We don't know whether the recent uptick in sign-and-trades will continue, so it's probably too early for a definitive judgment. Still, it seems like this is one example of front offices taking more creative approaches to player movement, even as the rules are making it tougher for them.

Here's a breakdown of sign-and-trades from each year since 2005.

2013 — 8

• Brandon Jennings, Bucks to Pistons
• Kevin Martin, Thunder to Timberwolves
• Keith Bogans, Nets to Celtics
• J.J. Redick, Bucks to Clippers
• Randy Foye, Jazz to Nuggets
• Quentin Richardson, Knicks to Raptors
• Andre Iguodala, Nuggets to Warriors
• Tyreke Evans, Kings to Pelicans

2012 — 12

• Willie Green, Hawks to Clippers
• Robin Lopez, Suns to Hornets
• Sasha Pavlovic, Celtics to Trail Blazers
• Courtney Lee, Rockets to Celtics
• Jared Jeffries, Knicks to Trail Blazers
• Raymond Felton, Trail Blazers to Knicks
• Ian Mahinmi, Mavericks to Pacers
• DeShawn Stevenson, Nets to Hawks
• Marcus Camby, Rockets to Knicks
• Steve Nash, Suns to Lakers
• Reggie Evans, Clippers to Nets
• Ryan Anderson, Magic to Hornets

2011 — 3

• Glen Davis, Celtics to Magic
• Von Wafer, Celtics to Magic
• Tyson Chandler, Mavericks to Knicks

2010 — 10

• Jon Brockman, Kings to Bucks
• C.J. Watson, Warriors to Bulls
• Josh Childress, Hawks to Suns
• Anthony Morrow, Warriors to Nets
• David Lee, Knicks to Warriors
• LeBron James, Cavaliers to Heat
• Chris Bosh, Raptors to Heat
• Hakim Warrick, Bulls to Suns
• Amare Stoudemire, Suns to Knicks
• Carlos Boozer, Jazz to Bulls

2009 — 3

• Carlos Delfino, Raptors to Bucks
• Hedo Turkoglu, Magic to Raptors
• Shawn Marion, Raptors to Mavericks

2008 — 1

• Keyon Dooling, Magic to Nets

2007 — 3

• Keith Van Horn, Mavericks to Nets*
• Aaron McKie, Lakers to Grizzlies*
• Rashard Lewis, SuperSonics to Magic

2006 — 4

• Al Harrington, Pacers to Warriors
• Darrell Armstrong, Mavericks to Pacers
• Andre Owens, Jazz to Warriors
• Peja Stojakovic, Pacers to Hornets

2005 — 9

• Eddy Curry, Bulls to Knicks
• Jermaine Jackson, Knicks to Bulls
• Dan Dickau, Hornets to Celtics
• James Jones, Pacers to Suns
• Joe Johnson, Suns to Hawks
• Marko Jaric, Clippers to Timberwolves
• Kwame Brown, Wizards to Lakers
• Antoine Walker, Celtics to Heat
• Laron Profit, Wizards to Lakers

*—Sign-and-trade took place during the season, which isn't allowed under the new CBA.

The RealGM transaction log and Larry Coon's Salary Cap FAQ were used in the creation of this post.

As the NBA's third season under the latest Collective Bargaining Agreement begins, most of the changes written into the new CBA have now taken effect. The repeater-tax penalty is still a year away, but more punitive tax penalties will be implemented this season, and the annual increases to the salary cap, tax threshold, and cap-exception amounts are in full swing.

At this point then, the effects of the league's CBA are starting to become more obvious. Outside of the Nets, most teams are trying to avoid going too deep into tax territory, with even the deep-pocketed Lakers and Heat amnestying key role players to reduce the overall cost of their respective rosters. Under the new CBA, the three-superstar model has become less viable, draft picks are more valuable than ever, and cost-controlled players are crucial for building an annual contender without breaking the bank.

We've discussed the added value that three– and four-year contracts can provide for a team, and of course the NBA's rookie scale for first-round picks has resulted in many of the best bargains in the league. But there are other ways that teams can maximize cap flexibility, and one that's worth exploring is how clubs handle players coming off of those rookie-scale contracts.

During the first year of the new CBA, only five players received rookie-scale extensions: Derrick Rose, Russell Westbrook, Kevin Love, Danilo Gallinari, and Kosta Koufos. That meant that many extension-eligible players hit restricted free agency in the summer of 2012, and many of those guys landed big contracts that offseason. As our '12 Free Agent Tracker shows, Brook Lopez, Eric Gordon, and Roy Hibbert all signed maximum-salary deals, while Nicolas Batum and JaVale McGee also inked for $11MM+ annually.

What that offseason showed is that when a talented young player hits free agency, there will be plenty of interest, even if that player isn't viewed as a "sure thing." Lopez and Gordon had missed most of the 2011/12 season with injuries, but the Suns were still willing to offer Gordon the max, and Lopez may have fielded max offers of his own if the Nets hadn't locked him up first. Hibbert was healthy in '11/12, but wasn't an elite two-way player, yet it didn't take long for him to receive a max offer from the Blazers.

Batum and McGee didn't get max offers, but considering Batum's track record, the four-year, $45MM offer sheet he received from the Wolves raised a few eyebrows. As for McGee's four-year, $44MM deal, perhaps the Nuggets, who extended Gallinari and Koufos earlier in the year, would have tried to lock up McGee as well, for a few million dollars less, had he been on the roster before the extension deadline.

By comparison, as I outlined last fall, by the time the rookie-scale extension deadline passed in year two of the new CBA, eight players had inked new deals for a total of over $420MM. As illustrated below, both of those figures represented high watermarks for the last several years.

All those rookie-scale extensions meant that only a handful of intriguing restricted free agents were available this summer. As our 2013 Free Agent Tracker shows, Nikola Pekovic, Tyreke Evans, Tiago Splitter, Jeff Teague, and Brandon Jennings were this year's big restricted FA signings, and none of them received maximum salaries.

Pekovic and Splitter hadn't been eligible for rookie-scale extensions, since both players were second-round picks, so they hit the open market out of necessity, rather than because their respective teams' chose not to extend them. And among the other three top restricted FAs, it should have come as no real surprise that they didn't receive extensions last fall — the Kings were still owned by the Maloofs when Evans was extension-eligible, making a long-term commitment unlikely. And reports surfaced over the last several months that Teague and the Hawks and Jennings and the Bucks didn't see eye to eye, reducing the likelihood of a long-term marriage. Teague did still end up in Atlanta, but only after the Hawks had few other viable options.

In other words, here's the main takeaway from this past season: Virtually every team that wanted to keep a high-level restricted free-agent-to-be (and had the means to do so) ended up reaching an extension agreement with that player prior to free agency. Because these rookie-scale players aren't eligible for the same kind of maximum salaries that long-time NBA veterans are, even max deals like Blake Griffin's and James Harden's don't cripple a team's flexibility, as Chuck Myron of Hoops Rumors detailed recently.

Of course, since we're essentially only two years into this CBA, it's hard to argue that a pattern has been established. It's entirely possible that in the next few months we could see a repeat of that 2011/12 season, with plenty of fourth-year players heading for restricted free agency next summer, rather than agreeing to extensions. Still, to me it looks like teams have recognized another way to maximize value and flexibility.

Consider the Thunder a year ago with Serge Ibaka. Oklahoma City reached an agreement with Ibaka on a four-year, $49.4MM contract extension. Had Ibaka hit free agency this summer at age 23, he almost certainly would've received a max offer sheet, like Hibbert did a year ago. The Thunder would've matched, but it would've cost the team about $10MM over the course of his four-year deal. For a small-market team right up against the tax, $2.5MM per year is not an inconsequential figure.

Stephen Curry's four-year, $44MM pact with the Warriors is another example of a team rolling the dice a year early rather than opting to battle multiple suitors in free agency. Curry's extension was viewed as a major risk at the time, considering the ankle issues he had battled early in his NBA career, but in hindsight, the deal looks incredibly savvy. If Curry had been a free agent this summer, he would've had no problem landing a max offer. As is, the money Golden State saved by locking him up early was put toward bringing in a couple extra veteran contributors to round out the team's rotation.

As I previously noted, it's a little early to conclude that a pattern is developing, but the current offseason should provide a hint. So far, John Wall has signed a long-term deal with the Wizards, and Larry Sanders is closing in on an extension of his own with the Bucks. If last year represented a one-year blip, perhaps we'll only see two or three more new deals signed before the October 31st deadline. But if NBA teams view these extensions as a way to maximize their cap flexibility, we should see more than that. Paul George, DeMarcus Cousins, Derrick Favors, Gordon Hayward, Eric Bledsoe, Avery Bradley, and Greg Monroe are a few of the summer's other extension-eligible players, and I wouldn't be surprised to see most of them locked up by opening night.

As we explain in the Hoops Rumors Glossary, there are essentially three different types of mid-level exceptions for NBA teams to use. These MLEs allow clubs to sign one or more players to contracts without having to use cap space.

The traditional MLE is for over-the-cap teams, and allows for signings of up to four years. For 2013/14, it starts at $5.15MM. For teams who are over the cap but also into luxury-tax territory, the mid-level can only be used for contracts of up to three years, starting at $3.183MM. Finally, for teams that have used cap space, there's not technically a mid-level exception available, but the so-called "room exception" acts as an MLE of sorts. After a team uses its cap space, the room exception can be used to sign players for up to two years, with a starting salary of $2.652MM.

Listed below are the statuses of all 30 mid-level exceptions at this point this year. Teams can continue using their remaining exception money throughout the regular season, though the values begin to pro-rate as of January 10th. We'll be running an accompanying post later this afternoon with some observations, analysis, and explanations for a few of these specific teams' situations. In the meantime, here's the complete list:

Room exception:

• Atlanta Hawks: $2,652,000 remaining.
• Charlotte Bobcats: Used. Signed Josh McRoberts ($2,652,000).
• Cleveland Cavaliers: $2,652,000 remaining.
• Dallas Mavericks: Used. Signed Wayne Ellington ($2,652,000).
• Detroit Pistons: $2,652,000 remaining.
• Houston Rockets: $2,652,000 remaining.
• Milwaukee Bucks: $2,652,000 remaining, plus cap space.
• New Orleans Pelicans: $2,652,000 remaining.
• Phoenix Suns: $2,652,000 remaining.
• Portland Trail Blazers: Used. Signed Mo Williams ($2,652,000).
• Sacramento Kings: $2,652,000 remaining.
• Utah Jazz: $2,652,000 remaining, plus cap space.

Full mid-level:

• Boston Celtics: $2,659,820 remaining. Signed Vitor Faverani ($2,000,000) and Phil Pressey ($490,180).
• Denver Nuggets: Used. Signed J.J. Hickson ($5,150,000).
• Golden State Warriors: $50,000 remaining. Signed Marreese Speights ($3,500,000) and Toney Douglas ($1,600,000).
• Indiana Pacers: $2,150,000 remaining. Signed Chris Copeland ($3,000,000).
• Los Angeles Clippers: Used. Signed Matt Barnes ($3,250,000) and Darren Collison ($1,900,000).
• Memphis Grizzlies: $4,615,000 remaining. Signed Jamaal Franklin ($535,000).
• Minnesota Timberwolves: $650,000 remaining. Signed Corey Brewer ($4,500,000).
• Oklahoma City Thunder: $5,150,000 remaining.
• Orlando Magic: $2,650,000 remaining. Signed Jason Maxiell ($2,500,000).
• Philadelphia 76ers: $5,150,000 remaining.
• San Antonio Spurs: $650,000 remaining. Signed Marco Belinelli ($2,750,000) and Jeff Pendergraph ($1,750,000).
• Toronto Raptors: Used. Signed Tyler Hansbrough ($3,183,000), D.J. Augustin ($1,267,000) and Dwight Buycks ($700,000).
• Washington Wizards: Used. Signed Martell Webster ($5,150,000).

Taxpayer mid-level:

• Brooklyn Nets: Used. Signed Andrei Kirilenko ($3,183,000).
• Chicago Bulls: Used. Signed Mike Dunleavy ($3,183,000).
• Los Angeles Lakers: Used. Signed Chris Kaman ($3,183,000).
• Miami Heat: $3,183,000 remaining.
• New York Knicks: $1,650 remaining. Signed Pablo Prigioni ($1,591,350) and Metta World Peace ($1,590,000).

HoopsWorld and ShamSports were used in the creation of this post.

For years, it's seemed that size matters in the NBA. This year's free agent class suggests that it might not have the sway we always thought.

Thanks in large measure to Chris Paul's maximum-salary contract, free agents listed as 6'0" at Basketball-Reference.com earned deals worth the highest average annual value among those signed this summer. Paul's hefty contract skews that $10.842MM figure, since he's one of only five 6'0" guys to sign this summer. The rest of the 6-footers check in with an average annual salary of just $1.987MM.

Players who stand 6'11" did well for themselves, as a dozen of them cashed in to the tune of a $6.027MM average annual salary this summer, second highest on the list, buoyed by Dwight Howard's mega deal. That puts them over top of the vaunted 7-footers, including the 7'0" bunch, who scored just $2.901MM in average annual value. That figure was lower than any group of players aside from the sub-6-footers.

After players at 6'0" and 6'11", the 6'6" and 6'4" groups are the next most highly paid, at $5.49MM and $5.133MM, respectively. That means three of the four best-paid heights are shorter than the league average height of 6'7".

The complete list is below. Where Basketball-Reference values weren't available, we went with the heights listed on RealGM.com. Summer contracts, undrafted rookies and non-guaranteed contracts are included, but draft picks aren't.

• 5'9": One player (Nate Robinson), two years total, $2.062MM average annual salary
• 5'10": None
• 5'11": Two players, five years total, $1.09MM average annual salary
• 6'0": Five players, 11 years total, $10.842MM average annual salary
• 6'1": Five players, eight years total, $4.23MM average annual salary
• 6'2": Six players, 11 years total, $3.807MM average annual salary
• 6'3": Fourteen players, 31 years total, $3.406MM average annual salary 
• 6'4": Six players, 18 years total, $5.133MM average annual salary
• 6'5": Five players, 11 years total, $3.831MM average annual salary
• 6'6": Eleven players, 27 years total, $5.49MM average annual salary
• 6'7": Twelve players, 29 years total, $4.031MM average annual salary
• 6'8": Five players, eight years total, $3.838MM average annual salary
• 6'9": Eighteen players, 40 years total, $4.927MM average annual salary
• 6'10": Ten players, 21 years total, $3.75MM average annual salary
• 6'11": Twelve players, 28 years total, $6.027MM average annual salary
• 7'0": Seven players, 14 years total, $2.901MM average annual salary
• 7'1": One player (Timofey Mozgov), three years total, $4.667MM average annual salary

As the free agent signing period slows down, we'll continue to use the data compiled in our Free Agent Tracker to assess the offseason's trends and items of interest. Already, Chuck Myron has examined the most and least active NBA teams in free agency, as well as listing each team's most expensive free agent addition.

Today, we'll turn our attention to the two-year contracts signed so far by this offseason's free agents. Based on reports to date, 47 players have signed two-year deals with NBA teams. However, only a small fraction of those contracts are guaranteed for two full seasons. In most cases, either the player or the team has the chance to opt out after the first year of the deal, or perhaps even before that.

The increasing popularity of this sort of contract shouldn't come as a surprise, considering the league's latest Collective Bargaining Agreement has reduced the length of contracts in general. With teams valuing cap flexibility more than ever, it makes sense that clubs would be interested in locking up a player for one guaranteed season, then re-assessing the situation next summer.

Meanwhile, for players who may have been unable to score the lenghty multiyear deal they were originally seeking, accepting one guaranteed year with a player option is a decent compromise. A successful season will give the player another chance to test the market a year from now, while that option provides some financial security in the event of a down year.

Of the 47 players who have signed two-year contracts this offseason, 14 have a second-year player option. 12 more have a team option or non-guaranteed salary for their second year, after a fully guaranteed first year. Three more only have a partially guaranteed first season to go along with a non-guaranteed second year. Four (Donald Sloan, Ian Clark, Jeremy Tyler, and Elias Harris) are not believed to have fully guaranteed deals, though the exact terms of their agreement aren't yet known. That leaves just 14 of 47 players with two fully guaranteed seasons on their deals.

Interestingly, those fully guaranteed two-year contracts were typically handed out by the same few teams. The Spurs, Pistons, Pacers, Mavericks, and Hawks all signed multiple players to fully guaranteed two-year deals. That doesn't necessarily mean those teams had the same motivations — the Pacers and Spurs appear unlikely to be major players in 2014's free agent period, so perhaps including options for '14/15 was unnecessary. On the other hand, the Mavs and Hawks may not want to go year-to-year with their rosters, constantly using cap space to plug in players on one-year contracts. Or perhaps some of the players these teams signed simply demanded that guaranteed second year, lest they take their services elsewhere.

In any case, while teams may not be handing out lucrative one-year deals as frequently as they used to, it's clear that teams still value the flexibility that de facto one-year contracts provide. Here's the complete list of players who signed two-year deals this summer, broken down by contract type:

Fully guaranteed:

• Paul Millsap (Hawks): $19MM
• Manu Ginobili (Spurs): $14.5MM
• Brandan Wright (Mavericks): $10MM
• Mike Dunleavy (Bulls): $6.51MM
• Gary Neal (Bucks): $6.5MM
• Chris Copeland (Pacers): $6.14MM
• Will Bynum (Pistons): $5.75MM
• Marco Belinelli (Spurs): $5.62MM
• DeMarre Carroll (Hawks): $5MM
• Wayne Ellington (Mavericks): $5MM
• C.J. Watson (Pacers): $4.09MM
• Jeff Pendergraph (Spurs): $3.58MM
• Luigi Datome (Pistons): $3.5MM
• Ronny Turiaf (Timberwolves): $3MM

Second-year player option:

• Andrei Kirilenko (Nets): $6.51MM. $3.33MM option.
• Josh McRoberts (Bobcats): $5.42MM. $2.77MM option.
• Mo Williams (Trail Blazers): $5.42MM. $2.77MM option.
• Eric Maynor (Wizards): $4.12MM. $2.11MM option.
• Nate Robinson (Nuggets): $4.12MM. $2.11MM option.
• Darren Collison (Clippers): $3.89MM. $1.99MM option.
• Metta World Peace (Knicks): $3.52MM. $1.66MM option.
• Andray Blatche (Nets): $2.81MM. $1.44MM option.
• Chris Andersen (Heat): Minimum salary. $1.45MM option.
• Nick Young (Lakers): Minimum salary. $1.23MM option.
• Anthony Morrow (Pelicans): Minimum salary. $1.15MM option.
• Greg Oden (Heat): Minimum salary. $1.15MM option.
• Alan Anderson (Nets): Minimum salary. $1.06MM option.
• Byron Mullens (Clippers): Minimum salary. $1.06MM option.

Second-year non-guaranteed or team option:

• Earl Clark (Cavaliers): $8.5MM. $4.25MM non-guaranteed.
• Samuel Dalembert (Mavericks): $7.57MM. $2.07MM non-guaranteed.
• Tyler Hansbrough (Raptors): $6.51MM. $2.33MM non-guaranteed.
• Chauncey Billups (Pistons): $5MM. $2.5MM team option.
• Jason Maxiell (Magic): $5MM. $2.5MM non-guaranteed.
• John Lucas III (Jazz): $3.2MM. $1.6MM non-guaranteed.
• Pero Antic (Hawks): $2.45MM. $1.25MM non-guaranteed.
• Dwight Buycks (Raptors): $1.52MM. $816K non-guaranteed.
• Francisco Garcia (Rockets): Minimum salary. $1.32MM non-guaranteed.
• Ronnie Price (Magic): Minimum salary. $1.32MM non-guaranteed.
• Omri Casspi (Rockets): Minimum salary. $1.06MM non-guaranteed.
• Austin Daye (Raptors): Minimum salary. $1.06MM non-guaranteed.

Both years non-guaranteed or partially guaranteed:

• Andrew Bynum (Cavaliers): $24.79MM. $6MM of first year guaranteed.
• Reggie Williams (Rockets): Minimum salary. 50% of first year guaranteed.
• C.J. Leslie (Knicks): Minimum salary. $200K of first year guaranteed.

Details not yet known (believed to be partially guaranteed):

• Ian Clark (Jazz)
• Elias Harris (Lakers)
• Donald Sloan (Pacers)
• Jeremy Tyler (Knicks)

HoopsWorld and ShamSports were used in the creation of this post.

Last year, eight players signed one-year deals with NBA teams for at least $1.6MM, as our 2012 Free Agent Tracker shows. There's still time left in this offseason, but with most of the major deals complete, the market for high-dollar one-year contracts appears to have receded.

Chris Kaman scored the best one-year deal in 2012, an $8MM arrangment with the Mavs. He wound up with another one-year contract this year, a $3.183MM pact worth the value of the taxpayer's mini mid-level exception. Still, it qualifies as the summer's third-most expensive one-year deal, according to this year's Free Agent Tracker. The top money-maker on that list, Elton Brand, will receive $4MM from the Hawks this year, precisely half of what Kaman got when they were together with the Mavericks last year.

The Mavs' plan in 2012 was to find talent willing to come together for just a single season, allowing the team to clear cap space for a run at Dwight Howard and Chris Paul this summer. The plan didn't work, and the Mavs have abandoned it, but it's interesting to note that Kaman's deal was the team's only true one-year contract that exceeded the upper reaches of the minimum salary. The rest of the Dallas short-timers were on expiring contracts or de facto one-year deals that included options and non-guaranteed seasons. The Mavs acquired Brand for the final season of his long-term contract through amnesty waivers.

Four players on one-year deals last year made as much or more than Brand, including Nick Young, who signed with the Sixers for $5.6MM. Young's instant walk year didn't go as planned, and he wound up settling this time for a two-year minimum-salary deal with the Lakers. The opposite happened for J.J. Hickson, who exceled on one-year, $4MM contract for the Trail Blazers last year and cashed in with a three-year, $16.15MM deal from the Nuggets.

Below is every player who signed a one-year deal last year worth more than the minimum salary for veterans with 10 or more years of service ($1,352,181).Their follow-up contracts from this summer are also listed. Note that Martell Webster, who had the cheapest deal on the list, is the only player to re-sign with his team, and his new contract is the most expensive of any here:

• Chris Kaman, Mavs, $8MM: Signed a one-year, $4MM deal with the Lakers.
• Nick Young, Sixers, $5.6MM: Signed a two-year, minimum-salary deal with the Lakers.
• Chauncey Billups, Clippers, $4.3MM: Signed a two-year, $5MM deal with the Pistons.
• J.J. Hickson, Trail Blazers, $4MM: Signed a three-year, $16.5MM deal with the Nuggets.
• D.J. Augustin, Pacers, $3.5MM: Signed a one-year, $1.267MM deal with the Raptors.
• Randy Foye, Jazz, $2.5MM: Signed-and-traded on a three-year, $9.135MM deal to the Nuggets.
• Marco Belinelli, Bulls, $1.957MM: Signed a two-year, $5,623,750 deal with the Spurs.
• Martell Webster, Wizards, $1.6MM: Re-signed to a four-year, $21,990,500.

Here's what this year's list looks like, with two-thirds of the entries coming from the Pelicans and Warriors. This year's minimum salary for veterans of 10 seasons or more is $1,399,507, so we'll exclude anyone who isn't making more than that.

• Elton Brand, Hawks, $4MM.
• Al-Farouq Aminu, Pelicans, $3.75MM.
• Chris Kaman, Lakers, $3.183MM.
• Greg Stiemsma, Pelicans, $2.676MM.
• Jermaine O'Neal, Warriors, $2MM.
• Toney Douglas, Warriors, $1.6MM.

ShamSports was used in the creation of this post.

Most of the money teams are handing out to free agents this summer is guaranteed, as usual, but that still leaves several players who'll have to prove they're worth the full value of their deals before they can collect on them. Most non-guaranteed contracts are for the minimum salary or slightly more, but a few leverage quite a lot of cash on a player's performance. None of this year's signees have as much on the line as Andrew Bynum, as the Cavaliers can dodge more than 75% of his nearly $25MM contract.

The majority of the money on Keith Bogans' deal is non-guaranteed, too, but even though there aren't nearly the health questions about him as there are of Bynum, the veteran shooting guard seems much less likely to collect on his entire contract. The Nets shipped him to the Celtics in a sign-and-trade that allowed the salaries to match up for the Kevin Garnett/Paul Pierce blockbuster. Sign-and-trade contracts must be for three years, but there's no stipulation that any season other than the first be guaranteed. So, Bogans' contract is non-guaranteed in years two and three.

Seven veterans have agreed to deals that include at least $3MM in non-guaranteed money. Marreese Speights is one of them, even though his non-guaranteed money is in the form of a team option for 2015/16. Several first-round picks have $3MM+ in team options on their rookie-scale deals, but since that's standard practice, we'll leave them off this list:

• Andrew Bynum, Cavaliers: $18,790,000 of his $24,790,000
• Keith Bogans, Celtics: $10,799,252 of his $15,857,450
• Martell Webster, Wizards: $5,845,250 of his $21,990,500
• Jarrett Jack, Cavaliers: $5,800,000 of his $25,200,000
• Earl Clark, Cavaliers: $4,250,000 of his $8,500,000
• Marreese Speights, Grizzlies: $3,815,000 of his $10,972,500 (in the form of a team option for 2015/16)
• Carlos Delfino, Bucks: $3,250,000 of his $9,750,000

Just barely missing the cutoff is Quentin Richardson, for whom $2,987,948 of his three-year minimum salary deal is non-guaranteed. Richardson was signed-and-traded as part of the Andrea Bargnani swap, and, as with Bogans, the second and third years of his deal are non-guaranteed. Those seasons become fully guaranteed if he's not waived on or before this coming New Year's Day, so the Raptors seem like a safe bet to release him by that date.

ShamSports was used in the creation of this post.

Note: These lists, compiled with the help of the Hoops Rumors Free Agent Tracker, don't include signed draft picks, players acquired in trades, or contract extensions. They do include players acquired via sign-and-trade, players who re-signed, and players who signed non-guaranteed training camp invitations, sometimes known as "summer contracts." The dollar figures include any non-guaranteed money the teams have doled out. Some of the signings are not yet official.

Below are the figures for each team:

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