Projected 2014/15 Cap Space For Each Team

Decisions on rookie scale extensions and options are due by October 31st, and many teams will be thinking of their 2014/15 cap space when they make their calls. Let’s take a look at where each team stands heading into next summer, when the cap is expected to rise to $62.1MM and the tax line to $75.7MM. We’ve ranked each NBA club by the amount of money it has committed for the ’14/’15 season:

1. Nets: $82,998,463: The Nets don’t have any rookie options or extensions due by the end of the month, but they’re almost certain to remain a tax team next season.
2. Clippers: $66,322,769: The Eric Bledsoe trade cleared the only rookie scale option or extension decision from L.A.’s table.
3. Thunder: $62,056,871: Oklahoma City is set to remain without cap room regardless of whether it picks up $5,535,570 worth of rookie scale options.
4. Blazers: $61,280,581: Portland has already picked up its rookie scale options, virtually assuring the club will be a cap team in 2014/15.
5. Bulls: $60,994,844: Marquis Teague has surfaced in trade rumors, but the Bulls are certain to pick up Jimmy Butler‘s $2,008,748 option for 2014/15, pushing Chicago to the cap.
6. Pacers: $60,615,028: Paul George‘s max extension eats up the team’s cap room, meaning Indiana faces a talent drain if they don’t use Bird rights to re-sign Danny Granger and Lance Stephenson.
7. Nuggets: $57,315,378: Denver wouldn’t have much cap room even if it surprised and turned down the options of either Kenneth Faried, Evan Fournier, or both. More than $5.5MM worth of player options for Nate Robinson and Darrell Arthur make it almost certain the Nuggets will be over the cap.
8. Timberwolves: $57,001,059: The Wolves aren’t about to turn down Ricky Rubio‘s $4,660,479 rookie scale option, making Minnesota a likely cap team for 2014/15 regardless of what it does with Derrick Williams.
9. Rockets: $56,983,489: Planned option pick-ups for Terrence Jones and Donatas Motiejunas leave the club without much wiggle room below the cap for next season. That space should get even tighter if Francisco Garcia picks up his $1,316,809 player option by June 30th and the Rockets hang on to Chandler Parsons past January 1st, when an additional $624,771 of Parsons’ contract becomes guaranteed for 2014/15.
10. Pelicans: $53,107,429: This number includes the already exercised options for Anthony Davis and Austin Rivers, so the team should have at least a small amount of cap room next summer, even if Anthony Morrow picks up his $1,145,685 player option.
11. Kings: $52,997,837: Sacramento could easily cross into cap territory with a $3,110,796 option decision due on Jimmer Fredette and an extension for Greivis Vasquez. The team won’t have too much room in any event, thanks to the max extension it’s already given to DeMarcus Cousins.
12. Warriors: $50,846,420: Pending options worth $7,238,680 to Klay Thompson, Harrison Barnes and Festus Ezeli will likely make the club’s potential cap space all but vanish.
13. Pistons: $50,226,170: The total includes Andre Drummond‘s option, which has already been exercised. Greg Monroe is unlikely to sign an extension, leaving Detroit to decide whether to wipe out its potential cap room with a deal for him next summer or seek to replace him via trade or free agency. Jonas Jerebko‘s $4.5MM player option could limit the team’s ability to sign a replacement for Monroe.
14. Celtics: $48,730,705: The C’s only have about $3.6MM in pending rookie scale options, so this number shouldn’t change much. Still, the thought of committing nearly $2.2MM to MarShon Brooks is no slam-dunk when that kind of money might make a difference to a free agent the C’s are trying to sign with cap space next summer.
15. Hawks: $45,336,656: John Jenkins and Jared Cunningham represent less than $3MM worth of option decisions, but Atlanta may decline at least one of them so that the team keeps its cap space close to the total necessary to make a max offer to a restricted free agent next summer.
16. Bucks: $42,789,682: Even with Larry Sanders‘ $11MM-a-year extension and exercised options for John Henson and Brandon Knight, Milwaukee figures to have some cap room to play with.
17. Grizzlies: $39,947,212: Extensions for either Ed Davis or Quincy Pondexter seem unlikely, but this number figures to grow because it doesn’t include Zach Randolph‘s $16,973,333 player option, which would wipe out any significant cap space.
18. Wizards: $36,953,480: Washington still has room left over after John Wall‘s max extension, though $4,505,280 will almost certainly be added to the total when the team exercises its option for Bradley Beal. A play for a significant free agent is not out of the question next summer.
19. Magic: $33,448,634: This number includes four rookie scale option pickups and leaves Orlando with enough room for a marquee free agent next summer.
20. Spurs: $28,477,500: San Antonio’s commitments figure to grow thanks to Tim Duncan‘s $10MM player option, an almost certain $2,894,059 option pickup on Kawhi Leonard, and an extra $9MM in non-guaranteed money on Tony Parker‘s contract that San Antonio surely won’t pass up.
21. Mavericks: $28,267,575: With no rookie options or extensions due, this number looks solid. Dallas will have a chance to spend the summer chasing another marquee free agent if Dirk Nowitzki agrees to a pay cut
22. Knicks: $27,286,556: Like the Heat, New York is another team with a low 2014/15 cap number that doesn’t include large amounts in player and early termination options. Even if Carmelo Anthony chooses free agency, Amar’e Stoudemire, Andrea Bargnani and Metta World Peace could opt to rake in another $36,494,955 combined.
23. Raptors: $26,092,556: Rudy Gay‘s $19,317,326 player option looms over the team’s plans, and nearly $7MM in almost-certain rookie scale option pickups for Jonas Valanciunas and Terrence Ross shouldn’t leave Toronto with much cap room if Gay decides to opt in.
24. Bobcats: $25,744,248: Keeping Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Kemba Walker and Bismack Biyombo around would cost another $12,162,449, but that still leaves plenty of cap space.
25. Cavaliers: $18,214,242: This number could nearly double in the coming days, with $17,974,920 worth of rookie scale options pending for Kyrie Irving, Tristan Thompson, Dion Waiters and Tyler Zeller.
26. Jazz: $17,720,831: This figure assumes the $49MM+ extension for Derrick Favors starts at $12.25MM next season. Utah will likely commit more than $8.5MM on options for Alec Burks and Enes Kanter, and another large-scale commitment could be coming in the form of an extension for Gordon Hayward. Still, the Jazz figure to have some cap room next season.
27. Suns: $16,539,978: This number could vault significantly with an extension for Eric Bledsoe, a pending $6.8MM player option for Channing Frye, and about $9MM in rookie options that have yet to be picked up.
28. Sixers: $15,026,029: Philly could add to this number with another $4.1MM in rookie scale option pickups, but with no extension likely forthcoming for Evan Turner, the team is set to have plenty of cap room in the summer.
29. Lakers: $10,616,243: L.A.’s books are as clean as can be for 2014/15, and there aren’t any rookie scale options or extensions that could add to that total this month. Just how much of a discount Kobe Bryant is willing to offer in free agency this summer will be the key.
30. Heat: $2,038,206: Norris Cole‘s exercised rookie scale option is the only contract guaranteed to be on the team’s books, but the low number is deceptive, since the Heat have $71,212,490 in player and early termination options.

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