Over the next week, we’ll be breaking down 2016 NBA free agent spending by division, examining which teams – and divisions – were the most active this July.
These divisional breakdowns won’t present a full picture of teams’ offseason spending. Some notable free agents, including LeBron James, remain unsigned, so there’s still money out there to be spent. Our lists also don’t include money spent on this year’s first- and second-round picks or draft-and-stash signings. There are a few free agent names missing in some instances as well, since those deals aren’t yet official or terms haven’t been reported.
Still, these closer looks at divisional spending should generally reveal how teams invested their money in free agency this summer, identifying which clubs went all-out and which ones played it safe.
With the help of our Free Agent Tracker and contract info from Basketball Insiders, we’ll kick off the series today with a look at the Southwest division. Let’s dive in…
1. Memphis Grizzlies
- Total money committed: $266,310,613
- Guaranteed money committed (including player options): $251,079,762
- Largest expenditure: Mike Conley (five years, $152,607,578)
- Other notable signings:
- Chandler Parsons (four years, $94,438,523)
- Troy Daniels (three years, $10,000,000)
- James Ennis (two years, $5,926,410)
- Notes:
- Wayne Selden‘s deal is not included in these totals, since it’s a summer contract and won’t count toward the Grizzlies’ cap unless he makes the regular-season roster.
- The fifth year of Conley’s deal is not fully guaranteed for now, but will become guaranteed if Conley plays in 55 games in the 2018/19 or 2019/20 seasons.
2. Dallas Mavericks
- Total money committed: $208,352,773
- Guaranteed money committed (including player options): $173,518,115
- Largest expenditure: Harrison Barnes (four years, $94,438,523)
- Other notable signings:
- Dirk Nowitzki (two years, $50,000,000)
- Dwight Powell (four years, $37,268,750)
- Deron Williams (one year, $9,000,000)
- Seth Curry (two years, $5,926,410)
- Notes:
- Keith Hornsby‘s contract with the Mavericks is not included in these figures, since details haven’t yet been reported.
- Nowitzki’s deal contributes significantly to the gap between the Mavs’ total money and guaranteed money committed, since his second year ($25MM) is a team option.
3. Houston Rockets
- Total money committed: $135,784,790
- Guaranteed money committed (including player options): $135,784,790
- Largest expenditure: Ryan Anderson (four years, $80,000,000)
- Other notable signings:
- Eric Gordon (Four years, $52,886,790)
- Nene (One year, $2,898,000)
- Notes:
- The Rockets are believed to have two-year, minimum-salary agreements in place with Pablo Prigioni, Kyle Wiltjer, Isaiah Taylor, and Gary Payton II. However, those deals haven’t been made official, so they’re not included in our totals.
- Bobby Brown‘s deal is not included in these totals, since it’s believed to be a summer contract which won’t count toward the Rockets’ cap unless he makes the regular-season roster.
4. New Orleans Pelicans
- Total money committed: $99,104,431
- Guaranteed money committed (including player options): $99,104,431
- Largest expenditure: Solomon Hill (four years, $48,000,000)
- Other notable signings:
- E’Twaun Moore (four years, $34,000,000)
- Langston Galloway (two years, $10,634,000)
- Tim Frazier (two years, $4,090,000)
- Notes:
- Terrence Jones will earn $1,050,961 on a minimum-salary contract, but the Pelicans will only pay $980,431 of that salary, with the NBA footing the rest of the bill.
- The Pelicans still figure to add non-guaranteed deals to fill out their preseason roster, but all their signees so far have had fully guaranteed contracts.
5. San Antonio Spurs
- Total money committed: $57,678,976
- Guaranteed money committed (including player options): $54,981,536
- Largest expenditure: Pau Gasol (two years, $31,697,500)
- Other notable signings:
- Manu Ginobili (one year, $14,000,000)
- Dewayne Dedmon (two years, $5,926,410)
- David Lee (two years, minimum salary)
- Notes:
- Lee’s contract hasn’t been formally announced, but it’s said to be a two-year, minimum-salary pact with a player option in year two. We’ve included that deal in our count, but not Patricio Garino‘s, since the official terms on that one haven’t been reported.
- Ryan Arcidiacono and Bryn Forbes are the only Spurs free agent signings without fully guaranteed deals so far.