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Sign-And-Trades Up Despite Limits In New CBA

August 24th, 2013 at 5:00pm CST by Chuck Myron

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

2012 — 12

2011 — 3

2010 — 10

2009 — 3

2008 — 1

2007 — 3

2006 — 4

2005 — 9

*—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.

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Odds & Ends: Ivey, Cavs, Fredette, Lakers, Draft

August 24th, 2013 at 3:45pm CST by Chuck Myron

Former second-round pick Royal Ivey has never scored more than 5.6 points per game in the NBA, nor has he averaged as many as 20 minutes a night. Still, the 6'3" combo guard has consistently found work in the league, as he's spent the entirety of the last nine seasons on an NBA roster. He's unsigned this summer, but it looks like he'll have a chance to make it an even 10 years in the Association. Ivey will soon work out for the Hawks and Spurs, tweets Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com. Here's more on a few others looking to stick around the NBA awhile:

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Howard Wanted Kobe, D’Antoni Out Of L.A.

August 24th, 2013 at 2:24pm CST by Zachary Links

2:24pm: Bucher clarifies his earlier post, writing that Howard never specifically told the Lakers that he'd re-sign if the team fired D'Antoni (Sulia link). Bucher doesn't add any more about Howard's feelings toward Bryant, however.

8:41am: Since signing with the Rockets this summer, Dwight Howard has denied that he issued demands to the Lakers that weren't met.  However, various people close to the situation say that there were two prerequisites for the big man to stay: fire coach Mike D'Antoni and amnesty, or "at the very least muzzle," Kobe Bryant, according to Ric Bucher of 95.7 The Game (Sulia link).

The Lakers asked Dwight to be patient on both fronts for at least another season, telling him that he would have to tough things out for another year, according to one source.  However, Lakers VP of basketball operations Jim Buss spoke with Bucher and it sounds as though he's planning to keep Kobe well beyond 2014.  

"Dwight didn't want to play with Kobe for 2-3 more years," Buss said. "I'm going to stand behind Kobe because of his history with the franchise." 

Howard's rift with D'Antoni is well known and the big man reportedly felt as though he was lost in the Lakers' offense last season.  This isn't the first time that we've heard that Howard was looking for a change on the bench or for Kobe to get out of the picture, but it now appears that his requests were closer to demands and those demands being met could have kept him in L.A.

Howard's gutsy demands don't come completely without precedent in Lakers' history.  When Bryant re-signed in 2004, it coincided with Shaq being shipped to Miami and Phil Jackson being let go.  However, the front office didn't need to be pressured to make either move at the time as they were unhappy with both men.  

Nearly ten years later, it seems that the Lakers had the opportunity to hold on to the summer's most prized free agent.  However, the price tag was simply too high for them. 

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2013/14 Roster Counts

August 24th, 2013 at 2:15pm CST by Chuck Myron

With little more than a month to go before training camp opens, we’ve already seen several players invited to training camps on non-guaranteed contracts. In many cases, those deals have taken their respective teams over the 15-man regular season roster limit. That’s OK this time of year, since teams can carry as many as 20 players in the offseason. Clubs must pare their rosters down to no more than 15 by October 28th.

In the meantime, several teams will hang above that 15-man line. Some clubs have more than 15 contracts that are at least partially guaranteed. That means they’ll wind up paying a player who won’t be on their regular season roster, unless they can find a trade partner.

With more movement to come, here’s the latest look at each team’s roster size. Check out our schedule of guarantee dates for more information and to see the names of specific players without fully guaranteed deals.

Updated 4-17-14

  • 76ers (15): 15 fully guaranteed
  • Bobcats (15): 15 fully guaranteed
  • Bucks (15): 15 fully guaranteed
  • Bulls (15): 15 fully guaranteed
  • Cavaliers (15): 15 fully guaranteed
  • Celtics (15): 15 fully guaranteed
  • Clippers (14): 14 fully guaranteed
  • Grizzlies (15): 15 fully guaranteed
  • Hawks (15): 15 fully guaranteed
  • Heat (15): 15 fully guaranteed
  • Jazz (15): 15 fully guaranteed
  • Kings (15): 15 fully guaranteed
  • Knicks (15): 15 fully guaranteed
  • Lakers (15): 15 fully guaranteed
  • Magic (13): 13 fully guaranteed
  • Mavericks (15): 15 fully guaranteed
  • Nets (15): 15 fully guaranteed
  • Nuggets (15): 15 fully guaranteed
  • Pacers (15): 15 fully guaranteed
  • Pelicans (16): 16 fully guaranteed
  • Pistons (15): 15 fully guaranteed
  • Raptors (15): 15 fully guaranteed
  • Rockets (15): 15 fully guaranteed
  • Spurs (15): 15 fully guaranteed
  • Suns (15): 15 fully guaranteed
  • Thunder (15): 15 fully guaranteed
  • Timberwolves (15): 15 fully guaranteed
  • Trail Blazers (15): 15 fully guaranteed
  • Warriors (15): 15 fully guaranteed
  • Wizards (15): 15 fully guaranteed

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

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Western Notes: Adelman, Pelicans, Calathes, Grizzlies

August 24th, 2013 at 12:45pm CST by Zachary Links

Heading into the 2013/14 season, Moke Hamilton of HoopsWorld gives us a seat check on the coaches of the Western Conference.  The column starts with a look at Wolves coach Rick Adelman, who was the hire of previous decision maker David Kahn.  While Adelman has tons of respect in the basketball world, it's possible that Flip Saunders will look to bring in his own coach, especially if Adelman cannot end the club's nine-year playoff drought.  In Hamilton's view, the Rockets' Kevin McHale and Thunder coach Scott Brooks are also on the hot seat because of the lofty expectations their respective teams have.  Here's more out of the West..

  • It's more than just a new name.  Fran Blinebury of NBA.com writes that the Pelicans are serious about rebranding, especially when it comes to their roster.  While New Orleans made some seriously bold moves this summer, Blinebury wonders aloud if Eric Gordon, Jrue Holiday, and Tyreke Evans can all co-exist together.
  • New Grizzlies guard Nick Calathes says that he's not a normal rookie, writes Ronald Tillery of the Commercial Appeal.  The 24-year-old has succeeded in Europe and feels that he'll have a very smooth transition to the NBA.
  • Holiday only adds to the glut of talented guards in the Western Conference and Jeff Caplan of NBA.com writes that we're in store for some major All-Star snubs this winter.
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Atlantic Notes: Raptors, Gay, Celtics, Brooks

August 24th, 2013 at 11:55am CST by Zachary Links

Johan Petro landed a three-year, $10MM deal from the rebuilding Nets following the 2010 season but the big man never found his place on either side of the floor.  After being shipped to the Hawks in the Joe Johnson deal last year, Petro hit the open market in the summer and apparently didn’t find an NBA deal to his liking.  Yesterday, the 27-year-old Frenchman reached agreement with a Chinese team on a deal that somewhat surprisingly doesn’t include an NBA-opt out clause.  Here’s more out of the Atlantic..

  • Joel Brigham of HoopsWorld runs down the clubs that could potentially be 2014’s new playoff teams, including the Raptors.  Toronto was only four games out of the Eastern Conference playoff picture last year and they’ll now have Rudy Gay for a full season with Masai Ujiri at the helm in the front office.  
  • Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com has another installment of his summer forecast series on the Celtics and this time the focus is on who the club’s biggest underachiever might be.  Forsberg compiled votes from C’s bloggers who gave him a whopping 12 potential underachievers.  The leading votegetter was Jeff Green, but newcomer MarShon Brooks was also among those receiving significant votes.
  • While the Raptors have been known to carry several international players in years past, Doug Smith of the Toronto Star says that it wasn’t a coordinated effort to rope in foreign-born fans.
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Heat Notes: Wade, Odom, Riley, LeBron

August 24th, 2013 at 10:30am CST by Zachary Links

Here's a look at the latest out of South Beach..

  • A rumored meeting with Dwyane Wade and Pat Riley wooing Lamar Odom this summer didn't happen, writes Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel.  Furthermore, Wade said he removed himself from the team's free agent recruitment this offseason. "I left that all to them," Wade said. "I got away, understanding that we have little that we can do. And Pat Riley is the best at what he does, so he's fine. We all understand the nature of the beast, what we're dealing with."
  • Winderman also spoke with NBPA treasurer James Jones about LeBron James' decision not to run for union president and his own aspirations within the union.  Jones doesn't sound poised to make a run for president after Chris Paul is done with the job and says that he's happy to put his finance degree to use wit his current role.
  • In today's mailbag, one reader asks Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel if the acquisition of Greg Oden is overshadowing Chris Andersen.  Winderman explains that Oden is not in Miami to replace Birdman by any means, but rather to serve as a complement to him.  Last year, Andersen struggled with certain matchups to the point where he had to be held out of two games against the Spurs and Tim Duncan.
  • ESPN's J.A. Adande and Bomani Jones debate the contenders for the 2014 title, with particular focus on the Heat (video link).  The Pacers and Rockets are also among the teams covered.
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Top 25 New Contracts By Average Annual Value

August 23rd, 2013 at 10:40pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Hoops Rumors Free Agent Tracker makes it easy to see who signed for the greatest total amount of money this summer. Just click on the word "Amount," atop the column farthest to the right, and the tracker will sort by contract value, allowing you to see Chris Paul atop the list. Still, the tool doesn't show the deals by average annual value, so that's where this post comes in.

Paul's five-year, $107.343MM pact with the Clippers is by far the most lucrative in terms of total value, but Dwight Howard has him beat when it comes to yearly take. Both signed maximum salary deals, and Paul got the extra year and higher raises because he re-signed with his club rather than bolt to another team, as Howard did. Yet, thanks to Howard's superior paychecks last season, he was eligible for a new deal with a starting salary nearly $2MM more than Paul's. The fifth year and better raises still aren't enough for Paul to make up the difference in the average annual value rankings.

The player at No. 5 on this list has the 17th most lucrative contract in terms of total value. That's because Andrew Bynum signed for two years rather than three, four or five, as everyone above him did. Bynum would rank even lower on a list of players who signed for the most guaranteed salary, since he's only assured of receiving $6MM. No one else who signed this summer agreed to nearly as much in non-guaranteed pay. 

The three players receiving $8MM annually in their new contracts all have ties to the Bucks. Milwaukee reached a deal with shooting guard O.J. Mayo within the first week of free agency, and had the same salary slot in mind for point guard Jeff Teague when they signed him to an offer sheet a few days later. The Hawks matched, making it seem as though Milwaukee was destined to re-sign incumbent point guard Brandon Jennings. The Bucks instead pulled off a surprise sign-and-trade that sent Jennings to the Pistons, and Jennings' contract details revealed an average annual value that precisely matches what Teague got. So, it seems the Bucks clearly would have preferred Teague as their point guard, since they apparently weren't willing to pay Jennings an annual salary equal to what they were prepared to dish out for Teague.

The next two names on the list are a pair of Spanish-speaking guards who signed for identical $7.25MM average annual salaries. Manu Ginobili reached his deal with the Spurs before Jose Calderon and the Mavericks came to their agreement, so perhaps Ginobili served as a model, as he so often does with foreign-born players in the NBA.

The list ends with Martell Webster, the only player to truly receive the full amount of the mid-level exception: a four-year deal with the maximum 4.5% raises on a $5.15MM starting salary equal to the value of the non-taxpayer's version of the exception. The salaries in Webster's deal, like many on the list, escalate with each successive year, so the average annual values shown here aren't necessarily a player's salary in any particular season. They're simply derived from taking the full value of the contract and dividing it by the number of seasons the deal calls for.

  1. Dwight Howard, Rockets: $21.898MM
  2. Chris Paul, Clippers: $21.469MM
  3. Al Jefferson, Bobcats: $13.5MM
  4. Josh Smith, Pistons: $13.5MM
  5. Andrew Bynum, Cavaliers: $12.395MM
  6. David West, Pacers: $12.2MM
  7. Andre Iguodala, Warriors: $12MM
  8. Nikola Pekovic, Timberwolves: $12MM
  9. Tyreke Evans, Pelicans: $11MM
  10. Paul Millsap, Hawks: $9.5MM
  11. Tiago Splitter, Spurs: $9MM
  12. Monta Ellis, Mavericks: $8.36MM
  13. Brandon Jennings, Pistons: $8MM
  14. O.J. Mayo, Bucks: $8MM
  15. Jeff Teague, Hawks: $8MM
  16. Jose Calderon, Mavericks: $7.25MM
  17. Manu Ginobili, Spurs: $7.25MM
  18. Kevin Martin, Timberwolves: $6.951MM
  19. J.J. Redick, Clippers: $6.939MM
  20. Carl Landry, Kings: $6.512MM
  21. Jarrett Jack, Cavaliers: $6.3MM
  22. Gerald Henderson, Bobcats: $6MM
  23. Kyle Korver, Hawks: $6MM
  24. J.R. Smith, Knicks: $5.982MM
  25. Martell Webster, Wizards: $5.498MM
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Odds & Ends: Kobe, Sixers, Seattle, Hibbert

August 23rd, 2013 at 9:21pm CST by Chuck Myron

Kobe Bryant is celebrating his 35th birthday today, but the passage of time doesn't bode well for his chances to catch Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for the top spot on the all-time scoring list. He has 6,671 points to go, notes Marc Stein of ESPN.com, who adds that Abdul-Jabbar, Karl Malone and Robert Parish are the only players to score at least that many points after they turned 35 (Twitter link). Of course, breaking records involves outperforming history anyway, so the numbers seem as unlikely to deter the Black Mamba as most of the defenders he's faced over the years. Here's more from the Association:

  • Bob Cooney of the Philadelphia Inquirer outlines the Sixers' priorities for the rest of the offseason, which likely include a few more front office hires. He also says Jason Richardson will likely miss the entire season and Kwame Brown will probably be waived, but that appears to be speculation on both points.
  • Brier Dudley of The Seattle Times thinks Steve Ballmer's announcement today that he's retiring as Microsoft CEO is a boost to Seattle's effort to land an NBA team. Dudley also wonders if Ballmer will follow Paul Allen, another tech magnate, as owner of the Blazers (hat tip to Golliver).
  • USA Basketball executive director Jerry Colangelo would have interest in making Roy Hibbert part of the program, but Hibbert's appearance with Jamaica during a game in 2010 likely precludes the Pacers center from ever joining Team USA. Michael Pointer of the Indianapolis Star provides further explanation.
  • Ben Golliver of SI.com gives the Thunder a grade of D+ for their offseason moves, but he's high on first-round pick Steven Adams, doesn't think the departure of Kevin Martin will hurt too much, and believes the team could again win 60 games this season.
  • Doc Rivers hasn't been with the Clippers for long, but the onus is on him to convert the team's potential into accomplishment, as Zach Harper of CBSSports.com examines.
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Comparing Salaries For No. 1 Overall Picks

August 23rd, 2013 at 7:51pm CST by Chuck Myron

This week, No. 1 overall pick Anthony Bennett finally signed his rookie-scale contract with the Cavaliers. Barring a significant surprise, he'll make the standard 120% of his scale amount, so his salary will undoubtedly be $5,324,280, as our salary chart for first-round picks shows.

That's a far cry from what a No. 1 pick can earn on his second contract. Blake Griffin is entering the first season of a maximum-salary extension this year, a deal made even more lucrative when Griffin met the Derrick Rose Rule criteria for a higher max. The money gets better still when a No. 1 pick hits unrestricted free agency for the first time, as Dwight Howard's new four-year $87,591,270 max deal demonstrates.

Not every No. 1 overall pick fulfills his promise, of course, but even players who become serviceable, if not superstars, can earn eight-figure salaries, like Andrew Bogut and Andrea Bargnani. Of course, few top picks have ever panned out as poorly as Greg Oden, who's managed to play only the equivalent of one season since the Trail Blazers picked him first in 2007. Unless he suffers yet another injury, he'll be back on the court this season with the Heat, but only at the minimum salary.

Kenyon Martin will make the minimum this year, too, but part of that has to do with his advanced age. At 35, he's not the player he once was. K-Mart doesn't engender much sympathy when compared to Tim Duncan, however. Duncan is two years older and in the midst of a three-year, $30MM contract he signed last summer.

At least Martin is still playing. Michael Olowokandi and Yao Ming, No. 1 picks who entered the league after Duncan did, saw their careers come to premature ends. Allen Iverson, the No. 1 pick a year before the Spurs drafted Duncan, finally appears ready to give up the ghost, as he's reportedly set to announce his retirement, more than three years since his last NBA game.

It's been an active summer for No. 1 overall picks on the market, as Davis, Oden, Howard, Martin and Elton Brand have all signed new deals. John Wall signed a maximum-salary extension that will kick in for 2014/15, and the Raptors traded Andrea Bargnani, their top pick seven years ago, to the Knicks.

Here's every No. 1 overall pick since 1996, along with their 2013/14 salaries:

ShamSports was used in the creation of this post.

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