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Pelicans Sign Quinn Cook

September 24th, 2016 at 1:12pm CST by Eddie Scarito

1:12pm: The signing is official, the team announced.

12:23pm: The Pelicans are signing unrestricted free agent Quinn Cook for training camp, Justin Verrier of ESPN.com reports (via Twitter). The length and terms of the arrangement are unknown, though it is likely a minimum salary pact that may include a small partial guarantee.

The point guard went undrafted out of Duke in 2015 and spent the 2015/16 season in the D-League playing for the Canton Charge, Cleveland’s affiliate. In 43 appearances Cook averaged 19.6 points, 4.0 rebounds and 5.4 assists in 33.8 minutes per outing. His slash line was .466/.382/.863.

Cook participated in the Las Vegas Summer League this offseason, making five appearances and averaging 6.2 points, 1.4 rebounds and 2.4 assists while shooting 27.8% from the field. With Jrue Holiday out indefinitely while he attends to family matters, New Orleans is in need of backcourt depth. The 23-year-old is already practicing with the team, Verrier tweets.

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Western Conference Salary Rankings: Centers

September 24th, 2016 at 12:48pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Hoops Rumors is in the process of ranking the salaries, separated by conference, for each NBA player by position. We’ve already looked at the point guards of the Western Conference and will now turn our attention toward the conference’s centers.

All told, the teams out west have committed a total of $247,911,928 in cap hits this season to the men who man the middle. The average conference salary for the five spot this season is $5,634,362, with Marc Gasol and DeAndre Jordan topping the list with a more than respectable $21,165,675 to account for on their year-end W-2 forms.

It should be noted that teams won’t necessarily pay out every dollar listed here. There are quite a few players who have non-guaranteed or partially guaranteed contracts. Some of those players won’t make it out of the preseason, while others will be sweating it out until January 10th. That’s when teams must waive players with no specific guarantee date written into their contracts to avoid having to guarantee their salaries for the rest of the season. In addition, incentive clauses that a player either triggers or fails to meet can leave a player with more or less money than his cap hit reflects. Still, the purpose of this list is to show the relative pay scale by position, which is why all contracts are included in this post.

I should also add that not every player listed below will play center this season, as some will likely play power forward. To maintain uniformity, I used their positions listed on the teams’ official rosters to determine which list to include them on. So if you see a player who isn’t expected to play center for his team this season listed below, that’s why.

The Western Conference’s centers are listed below, in descending order of salary:

  1. Marc Gasol [Grizzlies] — $21,165,675
  2. DeAndre Jordan [Clippers] —$21,165,675
  3. Enes Kanter [Thunder] —$17,145,838
  4. DeMarcus Cousins [Kings] —$16,957,900
  5. Timofey Mozgov [Lakers] —$16,000,000
  6. Pau Gasol [Spurs] —$15,500,000
  7. Tyson Chandler [Suns] —$12,415,000
  8. Nikola Pekovic [Wolves] —$12,100,000
  9. Andrew Bogut [Mavs] — $11,027,027
  10. Omer Asik [Pelicans] —$9,904,494
  11. Kosta Koufos [Kings] —$8,046,500
  12. Cole Aldrich [Wolves] —$7,643,979
  13. Festus Ezeli [Blazers] —$7,400,000
  14. Tarik Black [Lakers] —$6,191,000
  15. Karl-Anthony Towns [Wolves] —$5,960,160
  16. Alex Len [Suns] —$4,823,621
  17. Alexis Ajinca [Pelicans] —$4,638,203
  18. Jordan Hill [Wolves] —$4,000,000
  19. Willie Cauley-Stein [Kings] —$3,551,160
  20. Anderson Varejao [Warriors] — $3,535,664 *See note below
  21. Steven Adams [Thunder] —$3,140,517
  22. Dewayne Dedmon [Spurs] —$2,898,000
  23. Nene [Rockets] —$2,898,000
  24. Zaza Pachulia [Warriors] — $2,898,000
  25. Gorgui Dieng [Wolves] —$2,348,783
  26. Mason Plumlee [Blazers] —$2,328,530
  27. Georgios Papagiannis [Kings] —$2,202,240
  28. Rudy Gobert [Jazz] —$2,121,287
  29. Jusuf Nurkic [Nuggets] — $1,921,320
  30. Anderson Varejao [Warriors] — $1,551,659
  31. JaVale McGee[Warriors] — $1,403,611
  32. Marreese Speights [Clippers] —$1,403,611
  33. Nikola Jokic [Nuggets] — $1,358,500
  34. Clint Capela [Roclets] —$1,296,240
  35. Damian Jones [Warriors] — $1,171,560
  36. Greg Stiemsma [Blazers] — $1,139,123
  37. Robert Sacre [Pelicans] —$1,050,961
  38. Ivica Zubac [Lakers] —$1,034,956
  39. Jeff Withey [Jazz] —$1,015,696
  40. Salah Mejri [Mavs] — $874,636
  41. Joffrey Lauvergne [Thunder] —$854,860
  42. A.J. Hammons [Mavs] — $650,000
  43. Chinanu Onuaku [Rockets] — $543,471
  44. Diamond Stone [Clippers] —$543,471

Note: Varejao’s salary includes the $1,551,659 he is earning from the Warriors and the $1,984,005 he is being paid by the Blazers, who waived him via the Stretch Provision.

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Hoops Rumors Originals: 9/17/16-9/24/16

September 24th, 2016 at 11:30am CST by Eddie Scarito

Here’s a look back at the original content and analysis generated by the Hoops Rumors staff this past week.

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Week In Review: 9/17/16-9/24/16

September 24th, 2016 at 10:16am CST by Eddie Scarito

With 2016’s offseason winding down and training camps set to begin, here’s a look back at all the notable news and events from around the NBA this past week:

Trades

Signings/Agreements

NBA

International

News/Rumors

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Chris Bosh Pledges “Everything Will Work Out”

September 24th, 2016 at 9:01am CST by Eddie Scarito

Heat forward Chris Bosh, who failed his most recent physical and was not cleared by team doctors to participate in training camp, vowed to continue his attempt to make it back to the court, Brian Windhorst of ESPN relays. Speaking in a videotaped segment published online, Bosh called the news “a down moment right now,” while pledging that everything would work out.

“I had the intention of releasing Episode 2 of ‘Uninterrupted: Bosh Rebuilt’ today under the assumption I would be cleared to go for camp,” Bosh said in the video. “Unfortunately that is not the case. But that doesn’t stop me from wanting to share my creative side with you guys and hoping that you want to come along on the journey with me. Just because the journey has ups and downs doesn’t mean I will stop sharing with you guys. So I will just continue to share despite what’s going on.”

“Little setbacks happen. But that doesn’t change my intentions and what I want to accomplish,” Bosh continued. “So I hope you continue to watch. I hope you continue to just take in my journey and just come along with me with the ups and downs. So it’s a down moment right now, but everything’s going to be all right.”

This statement from Bosh seems to indicate that he currently doesn’t intend to retire, which leaves the Heat in a difficult spot. Miami currently has 15 players under contract with fully guaranteed deals, including Bosh. If Bosh is unwilling to retire, the team will either be forced to retain Bosh, thus losing a valuable regular season roster spot and hurting its depth, or to waive the player and eat the cap hit. The 32-year-old is set to earn $23,741,060 this season, $25,289,390 in 2017/18 and $26,837,720 the following year, which is the final one in his current deal.

The Heat’s most recent exams discovered “evidence of some continued clotting,” which is thought to be related to one of the previous blood clot episodes that sidelined Bosh for parts of the last two seasons. The clotting complication isn’t viewed as life-threatening, but it will require medication, and the club doesn’t consider it realistic for Bosh to get back on the court and play in his current condition, as Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald reported on Friday.

The primary deadline to keep an eye on regarding Bosh and Miami’s salary cap is February 9th, 2017. If Bosh has been unable to play for Miami by that date, and a doctor jointly approved by the NBA and the Players’ Association rules him medically unable to return, the Heat could remove his current and future cap hits from their books, creating significant cap space. However, if the team made that move and Bosh was eventually cleared to return, he wouldn’t be able to rejoin the Heat. Though, the two sides’ relationship could turn openly contentious by that point and neither party may have interest in a reunion anyway.

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Clippers Were Interested In Signing Garnett

September 24th, 2016 at 8:30am CST by Eddie Scarito

The Clippers were interested in signing Kevin Garnett prior to him announcing his retirement from the game after 21 seasons, L.A. coach/executive Doc Rivers told ESPN’s Jackie MacMullen. KG and the Wolves have reportedly agreed to a buyout arrangement that will allow the future Hall-of-Famer to retire while still collecting most of the $8MM salary he was due to earn in 2016/17.

Rivers, who previously had declared Garnett his favorite player to coach, told MacMullen that he spoke with the player about his intentions. “He doesn’t want to play,” Rivers said. “I’m sure he won’t play again. I think he realized, ‘Why am I doing this?’ I would have absolutely been interested in bringing him here. You always find a place for a guy like that, whose voice in the locker room is so strong, so clear, so impactful.

He’s such a great teacher in practice. He should start a course in leadership. The NBA should designate who the best player is on each team and then they could bring Kevin in and he could teach them how to be the best player and the best leader. Better yet, they could bring him and Tim Duncan in and they could teach it together and show people how it can be done in two completely opposite ways.”

Minnesota’s firing of interim coach Sam Mitchell and GM Milt Newton at the completion of the 2015/16 campaign played a major part in Garnett’s decision to walk away from the game, MacMullen relays. Garnett was visibly upset when he received the news of the duo’s ouster and his strained relationship with Wolves owner Glen Taylor further deteriorated as a result, league sources told MacMullen.

Taylor acknowledged this week that he hadn’t spoken with Garnett for months and Rivers noted that Garnett’s departure from Minnesota was not what he had envisioned, and his ownership opportunity has all but vanished, MacMullen writes. “It wasn’t a great ending,” Rivers said. “I’m not going to say too much about it, but once Flip passed away it threw a wrench into everything.”

Rivers did add that Garnett feels “really great” and that he was working out as recently as a couple of weeks ago, the scribe relays. His knee issues, Rivers believes, could be handled with the proper regimen of rest and treatment. “The sad thing is he could play another year if he wanted to,” Rivers told MacMullen. “Maybe that’s why he’s retired but not retired. He loves the young guys on that Minnesota team. They’re great listeners and he loved working with them. It’s too bad it’s ending like this for him.”

Garnett does intend to stay in the game in some capacity, Rivers confirmed to MacMullen, and said he’s already thinking up ways to add him to the organization. Garnett does own a home in nearby Malibu, California. “I’m going to offer him something,” Rivers said. “I don’t want to say too much right now. I just know he’d be a great asset to any team.”

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Wizards Sign Johnny O’Bryant

September 24th, 2016 at 7:58am CST by Eddie Scarito

SEPTEMBER 24th: The signing is official, per the RealGM transactions log.

SEPTEMBER 10th: The Wizards have agreed to a deal with unrestricted free agent Johnny O’Bryant, Jeff Goodman of ESPN.com reports (via Twitter). The terms of the deal are unknown, but with Washington well over the cap, it is almost assuredly for the league minimum. The team does still possess its mid-level exception, but it would be surprising if it was used in this case.

The 23-year-old will have his work cut out for him to make the regular season roster, though, he should at least have a legitimate shot to make it to opening night given the team’s current roster composition. The addition of O’Bryant will give the Wizards a preseason roster count of 17, but only 12 of those contracts possess full guarantees. Washington does not have its own D-League affiliate, so designating O’Bryant as an affiliate player is not an option should he fail to make the final cut.

O’Bryant appeared in 66 games for the Bucks in 2015/16, averaging 3.0 points and 2.7 rebounds in 13.0 minutes per outing. His shooting line on the campaign was .411/1.000/.675.

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Western Conference Salary Rankings: Point Guards

September 23rd, 2016 at 10:27pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Hoops Rumors is in the process of ranking the salaries, separated by conference, for each NBA player by position. The first spot on the hardwood that I’ll be looking at is the Western Conference’s point guards, which is one of the most vital positions on the hardwood.

All told, the teams out west have committed a total of $314,940,435 in cap hits this season to the men who facilitate their offenses. The average conference salary for the one spot this season is a respectable $5,525,271, with Mike Conley and Russell Westbrook topping the list with a whopping $26,540,100 to account for on their year-end W-2 forms.

It should be noted that teams won’t necessarily pay out every dollar listed here. There are quite a few players who have non-guaranteed or partially guaranteed contracts. Some of those players won’t make it out of the preseason, while others will be sweating it out until January 10th, 2017. That’s when teams must waive players with no specific guarantee date written into their contracts to avoid having to guarantee their salaries for the rest of the season. In addition, incentive clauses that a player either triggers or fails to meet can leave a player with more or less money than his cap hit reflects. Still, the purpose of this list is to show the relative pay scale by position, which is why all contracts are included in this post.

I should also add that not every player listed below will play at the one spot this season, as some are combo guards, while others may be used exclusively at shooting guard. To maintain uniformity, I used their positions listed on the teams’ official rosters to determine which positional list to include them on. So if you see a player who isn’t necessarily expected to play point guard for his team this season listed below, that’s why.

The Western Conference’s point guards are listed below, in descending order of salary:

  1. Mike Conley [Grizzlies] — $26,540,100
  2. Russell Westbrook [Thunder] —$26,540,100
  3. Damian Lillard [Blazers] —$24,328,425
  4. Chris Paul [Clippers] —$22,868,827
  5. Tony Parker [Spurs] —$14,445,313
  6. Eric Bledsoe [Suns] —$14,000,000
  7. Ricky Rubio [Wolves] —$13,550,000
  8. Brandon Knight [Suns] —$12,606,250
  9. Jordan Clarkson [Lakers] —$12,500,000
  10. Stephen Curry [Warriors] — $12,112,359
  11. Jrue Holiday [Pelicans] —$11,286,518
  12. Austin Rivers [Clippers] —$11,000,000
  13. Deron Williams [Mavs] — $9,000,000
  14. George Hill [Jazz] —$8,000,000
  15. Jose Calderon [Lakers] —$7,708,427
  16. Patrick Beverley [Rockets] —$6,000,000
  17. Shaun Livingston [Warriors] — $5,782,450
  18. D’Angelo Russell [Lakers] —$5,332,800
  19. Darren Collison [Kings] —$5,229,454
  20. Jameer Nelson [Nuggets] — $4,540,525
  21. Devin Harris [Mavs] — $4,227,996
  22. J.J. Barea [Mavs] — $4,096,950
  23. Dante Exum [Jazz] —$3,940,320
  24. Kris Dunn [Wolves] —$3,872,520
  25. Patty Mills [Spurs] —$3,578,948
  26. Emmanuel Mudiay [Nuggets] — $3,241,800
  27. Ronnie Price [Thunder] —$2,557,545
  28. Shelvin Mack [Jazz] —$2,433,334
  29. Zach LaVine [Wolves] —$2,240,880
  30. Cameron Payne [Thunder] —$2,112,480
  31. Tim Frazier [Pelicans] —$2,090,000
  32. Jordan Farmar [Kings] — $1,921,519 *See note below
  33. Wade Baldwin [Grizzlies] — $1,793,760
  34. Tyler Ennis [Rockets] —$1,733,880
  35. Raymond Felton [Clippers] — $1,551,659
  36. Marcelo Huertas [Lakers] —$1,500,000
  37. John Lucas III [Wolves] — $1,403,611
  38. Shabazz Napier [Blazers] —$1,350,120
  39. Tyus Jones [Wolves] —$1,339,680
  40. Ty Lawson [Kings] — $1,315,448
  41. Dejounte Murray [Spurs] —$1,180,080
  42. Pablo Prigioni [Rockets] — $1,050,961
  43. Tony Wroten [Grizzlies] — $1,050,961
  44. Bobby Brown [Rockets] —$980,431
  45. Nate Wolters [Nuggets] — $980,431
  46. Andrew Harrison [Grizzlies] — $945,000
  47. Raul Neto [Jazz] —$937,800
  48. Tyler Ulis [Suns] —$918,369
  49. Xavier Munford [Clippers] — $874,636
  50. Ryan Arcidiacono [Spurs] —$543,471
  51. Semaj Christon [Thunder] —$543,471
  52. Isaiah Cousins [Kings] —$543,471
  53. Jonathan Gibson [Mavs] — $543,471
  54. Patrick McCaw [Warriors] — $543,471
  55. Marcus Paige [Jazz]—$543,471
  56. Gary Payton II [Rockets] —$543,471
  57. Isaiah Taylor [Rockets] — $543,471

*Note: Farmar’s salary total includes the $1,410,598 he is being paid by Memphis, plus the $510,921 he is collecting from Clippers, who waived him via stretch provision.

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Pelicans Notes: Stephenson, Holiday, Evans, Hill

September 23rd, 2016 at 9:15pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Lance Stephenson, who recently signed with the Pelicans, sat down with Justin Verrier of ESPN.com to discuss a number of topics, included how the swingman believes he has changed over the past few years. “When you come into the NBA as a youngster, you got babied all your life,” Stephenson said. “Everybody from when you were younger saying, ‘You’re gonna be in the NBA. You’re this and that.’ But once you get in the NBA, there are a lot of guys similar to you, so you have to learn how to do different things to keep developing. So you’ve got to put in the hard work and learn from other guys, see how they work out. Really, I feel like all the stuff I’ve been through has made me a better player. I feel like God puts you in situations to help you succeed in the long run.”

When asked why he chose to join New Orleans, Stephenson told Verrier, “I liked this team, and I see a couple young guys that I could potentially help and show all the other stuff that I learned from other places, from guys like Chris Paul, Paul George, Paul Pierce. Just teach them, and help them believe and show them the right way to work out there and what it takes to make it to the conference finals, and getting that work in every day.”

Here’s more from New Orleans:

  • Pelicans GM Dell Demps told Verrier (Twitter link) that there is no timetable for Jrue Holiday to return to the team, but he’ll be welcomed back with “open arms” when he does. The point guard has taken a leave of absence to help care for his ailing wife and their newborn child.
  • Demps confirmed to Verrier (via Twitter) that Tyreke Evans won’t be available to play until at least December. The exact timetable should become clearer within the next two-to-four weeks, Verrier adds. Evans is still recovering from the two surgeries on his right knee he underwent last season.
  • Evans isn’t the only ailing Pelican, with Quincy Pondexter also not likely to be available until December at the earliest, though, the forward could potentially be sidelined until January, journalist Guerry Smith tweets. Pondexter underwent cartilage replacement surgery on his left knee back in January.
  • Solomon Hill, who signed a four-year, $48MM deal with the Pelicans in July, understands more will be asked of him this season, writes Scott Kushner of The New Orleans Advocate. “I wouldn’t say the actual role is so much different,” Hill said. “But the level where I need to be for this team is definitely different.”
  • Chris Copeland nearly joined the Pelicans three seasons ago, but he landed in Indiana instead, the forward told Jim Eichenhofer of NBA.com. The 32-year-old is excited that he is now in New Orleans after signing with the team this week, the scribe relays. “I’ve thought I was coming here a few times before this,” Copeland said. “For whatever reason, it didn’t pan out. I’m just glad it actually came full circle and I get the opportunity to try again this year. It’s a great city. I tell people time and time again, it has some of the best food in the world, and the atmosphere here is special.”
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2016/17 Salary Cap Snapshots

September 23rd, 2016 at 8:00pm CST by Eddie Scarito

We at Hoops Rumors have been breaking down the salary cap and luxury tax figures for each team, as well as tracking how much cash each franchise has remaining to use in trades and what payroll exceptions have been utilized and which are still available. As players are signed, waived or traded, we’ll continue to update these posts throughout the year as financial terms are relayed and moves are made official. You’ll be able to find this master list posted on our sidebar to the right, and if you follow us on Twitter, we’ll alert you as to when any changes have been made to your favorite team.

Listed below, separated by Conference and Division, are the links to the Salary Cap Snapshots for each franchise:

EASTERN CONFERENCE

Atlantic Division

Central Division

Southeast Division

WESTERN CONFERENCE

Northwest Division

Pacific Division

Southwest Division

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