The Trail Blazers, Heat, and Thunder all reduced their projected end-of-season tax bills with their moves leading up to the trade deadline, while the Rockets and Warriors got out of tax territory altogether. The Timberwolves ended up sneaking slightly over the tax line as a result of the D’Angelo Russell trade, but the league-wide tax penalties for 2019/20 will be very modest overall, as ESPN’s Bobby Marks notes (via Twitter).
According to Marks’ calculations, the Trail Blazers will have the highest bill, at around $5.94MM, followed by the Heat ($2.96MM), Thunder ($2MM), and Timberwolves ($1.34MM). If those numbers don’t change between now and the end of the regular season, it would mean the league’s other 26 teams receive approximately $236K apiece in tax distribution, which would be the lowest mark in league history, according to Marks.
Here are more odds and ends from around the basketball world:
- Hawks point guard Trae Young was one of the notable omissions from the 44-player list of finalists released on Monday for Team USA’s 2020 Olympic roster. Young admitted that he would have liked to receive consideration, as Sarah K. Spencer of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution details. “I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t hurt by seeing it,” Young said. “Obviously I would have wanted to play on the team.”
- The Hawks, Knicks, and Pistons project to have more than enough cap room for a maximum-salary player this summer, with the Heat and Hornets potentially joining them, says John Hollinger of The Athletic. As Hollinger observes in his preview of the NBA’s 2020 cap outlook, there are several other teams that could create some cap room if free agents walk or players turn down options, but there won’t be much league-wide space this offseason.
- In an Insider-only article for ESPN.com, Marks and Kevin Pelton break down the buyout market, suggesting that Knicks forward Maurice Harkless would be among the most intriguing options if he reaches the open market.
- Mike Schmitz of ESPN (Insider link) makes the case that 19-year-old forward Deni Avdija, who is currently playing for Maccabi Tel Aviv in the EuroLeague, deserves to receive consideration as a possible top-three pick in the 2020 NBA draft.
And still it’s just the Rockets ownership that gets criticized for being cheap because they want to get under the tax line. But what about the others?
No, they are criticized because to get under the tax line they traded away their only regular minutes player taller than 2 meters. Furthermore, they also attached 1st round pick, even if Capela was the best player included in that trade. Don’t get me wrong, I am not complaining, as a Nuggets fan, I really think there is a strong possibility that pick will turn out to be reasonably high (and it sure is nice that dreaded lob treat is now eliminated).
No team wants to pay tax if (and in years that) it can be avoided. But timing, priority and frankness matter.
What other owner bought a 60 plus win team that was built under the assumption that it would go over the tax line the next season, and then immediately puts in a quasi-spending freeze, followed by a mandated trading spree which depletes assets for the purpose of getting under the tax line (vs improving the team), all while loudly proclaiming that none of it is tax driven? This year, fittingly, he’s taking heat he shouldn’t take for the Capella deal, as it wasn’t principally a tax driven deal (they were able to get under the tax line either way). Though, it was Wilponesque to bring up how they wanted to add D.Jordan to the deal, but the Nets said no.
Other teams, with championship aspirations (real or not), have been criticized for less in the same regard. Bucks have taken some heat for merely doing a S&T with Brogden. Of course, being 43-7 has exempted them from any criticism for awhile. But if they lose a playoff series where Brogden might have helped, it will resurface.
GSW is in a different category. I think getting under the line was always a backup priority this year, after Durant departed. Even then, they didn’t get under until they were out of the playoff picture. Having paid big tax the last 2 seasons, and planning to in the future, getting under this year made sense due to repeater penalties.
Brogdon is water under the bridge. He is having his usual injury filled season and is on pace to play 60 games. It is a real possibility he may not be healthy for the playoffs. The Bucks may have traded him to get under the tax but he is also an injury liability so there is another reason not to invest in him.
As I indicated, it’s water under the bridge unless and until they lose a playoff series. Then it will rise.
Avdija is so legit and because this draft might be more about need than talent this time because the field has no clear #1, he definitely could even go #1, in that he looks the like the best true wing of the group, so GSW might be into that at #1.
Headline: Starting All Star not picked for Olympic tryouts!
Trae was evaluated by the Olympic BBall Brain trust and deemed not worthy. Personally, I don’t think he is an all star.
Exactly. Difference between an ASG and the Olympics, the people picking the Olympic team are charged with the task of winning.
Ice Trae is one of the most amazing players I have ever seen, fast becoming a great favorite of mine, been watching the league since 1986, guards like him are beyond special, a megastar in the making. A real entertainer!!!
Which just goes to show that no matter how absurd the opinion, some muppets out there have it.
I don’t know if Trae deserves to be an all star, than means being one of the best 24 players in NBA, but for sure he is one of the best 44 ONLY AMERICAN players…
Remember that in ASG there are only 16 american players, and trae is in
Trae Young wouldn’t make the Olympic Team this year anyway, so having his name listed among the 44 is about as significant as, say, doing 100 pushups. Ok… whats next???
If he polishes up his game he should definitely be in the running for a spot on the 2024 team, and should probably earn a spot.
I mean is only the Olympics, the World Cup is more important & hard to win, lots of good tems, at the Olympics… not so much! You can take a B team & still win easily, hence that list.