The NBA’s salary cap for the 2014/15 season is set at $63.065MM and the luxury tax line at $76.829MM. Not all the money that teams pay out in player salary goes toward the players currently on their regular season rosters. When players with guaranteed contracts are waived, their teams are still on the hook for any dollar amount that fell under a full or partial guarantee. The player is removed from the franchise’s roster, but their salary still counts against the team’s salary cap figure.
Teams are already on the hook for approximately $40.627MM in “dead money” this season to players who won’t score a point, grab a rebound, or even warm a spot on the bench for the teams writing their checks. The Magic are the biggest spenders in this category, owing $14,705,259 in salary to players who no longer wear their jersey, or approximately 23.3% of this year’s cap amount.
Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders recently took a look at the salary owed to players no longer on rosters around the league, and since then, millions more in dead money accumulated as teams made a flurry of cuts to set their opening-night rosters. Listed below are the players who are owed “dead money” from their former teams for the 2014/15 season. Please note that these amounts do not include any cash owed to players who were let go using the amnesty provision. Teams that amnesty players are still responsible to fulfill the contracted dollar amounts, but that money doesn’t count against the salary cap.
76ers
- Drew Gordon ($40K)
- Pierre Jackson ($400K)
- Malcolm Lee ($50K)
- Eric Maynor ($1,120,920)
- Travis Outlaw ($3MM)
- Ronald Roberts Jr. ($35K)
- Malcolm Thomas ($474K)
- Jarvis Varnado ($75K)
Total=$5,194,920
Bucks
- None
Total=$0
Bulls
- Richard Hamilton ($333,333)
Total=$333,333
Cavaliers
- Chris Crawford ($20K)
Total=$20K
Celtics
- Will Bynum ($2,915,908)
- Erik Murphy ($100K)
Total=$3,015,908
Clippers
- Carlos Delfino ($650K)
- Miroslav Raduljica ($300K)
Total=$950K
Grizzlies
- Jamaal Franklin ($163,296)
- Fab Melo ($437,080)
Total=$600,376
Hawks
- John Salmons ($1MM)
Total=$1MM
Heat
- Khem Birch ($50K)
- Larry Drew II ($25K)
- Tyler Johnson ($75K)
Total=$150K
Hornets
- None
Total=$0
Jazz
- Dee Bost ($65K)
- Jack Cooley ($65K)
- Carrick Felix ($816,482)
- Kevin Murphy ($65K)
Total=$1,011,482
Kings
- Sim Bhullar ($35K)
- Wayne Ellington ($923,780)
Total=$958,780
Knicks
- Langston Galloway ($31K)
- Arnett Moultrie ($1,136,160)
- Orlando Sanchez ($15K)
- Jordan Vandenberg ($27K)
- Metta World Peace ($555,166)
Total=$1,764,326
Lakers
- None
Total=$0
Magic
- Kadeem Batts ($150K)
- Drew Crawford ($75K)
- Seth Curry ($150K)
- Glen Davis ($6.6MM)
- Al Harrington ($3,804,900)
- Jameer Nelson ($2MM)
- Anthony Randolph ($1,825,359)
- Peyton Siva ($100K)
Total=$14,705,259
Mavericks
- Eric Griffin ($150K)
- Bernard James ($915,243)
- Ivan Johnson ($25K)
Total=$1,090,243
Nets
- None
Total=$0
Nuggets
- Jerrelle Benimon ($35K)
- Quincy Miller ($150K)
Total=$185K
Pacers
- None
Total=$0
Pelicans
- None
Total=$0
Pistons
- Aaron Gray ($1,227,985)
Total=$1,227,985
Raptors
- Marcus Camby ($646,609)
- Will Cherry ($25K)
Total=$671,609
Rockets
- Jeff Adrien ($915,243)
- Robert Covington, ($150K)
- Akil Mitchell ($150K)
- Ish Smith ($915,243)
Total=$2,130,486
Spurs
- Bryce Cotton ($50K)
- Josh Davis ($20K)
- JaMychal Green ($60K)
- John Holland ($20K)
Total=$150K
Suns
- Michael Beasley ($777,778)
Total=$777,778
Thunder
- None
Total=$0
Timberwolves
- J.J. Barea ($4,519,500)
Total=$4,519,500
Trail Blazers
- Diante Garrett ($30K)
Total=$30K
Warriors
- Aaron Craft ($35K)
- Sean Kilpatrick ($35K)
- James Michael McAdoo ($35K)
- Nemanja Nedovic ($1.1MM)
- Mitchell Watt ($35K)
Total=$1.24MM
Wizards
- None
Total=$0
The Basketball Insiders salary pages were used in the creation of this post.
You forgot Josh Smith in the Pistons section.
Well played.