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Southeast Notes: Hornets, Walker, Heat

August 5th, 2016 at 9:01am CST by Luke Adams

The Hornets committed nearly $200MM to free agents this summer, including over $187MM in guaranteed money, but that doesn’t mean the team didn’t lose several key players from last year’s roster. Asked about an offseason that saw the team lose Al Jefferson, Courtney Lee, and Jeremy Lin, Kemba Walker told Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer that “it sucks” to see so many teammates depart, especially when one of those players was Jefferson.

“But that’s the business: You’re always going to play with some new guys every year,” said the Hornets’ starting point guard. “You think about Big Al, who I wish we could have kept. He helped change this franchise around big time from the day he got here.”

Here’s more from Walker, along with a couple more items from out of the Southeast division:

  • While Walker was sad to see Jefferson, Lee, and Lin go, he’s optimistic about the Hornets’ new additions, and is particularly intrigued by center Roy Hibbert. “I think, if he can get back to the level he once was at, he can be a huge help to us,” Walker told Bonnell. The point guard also added that he’s fully recovered from offseason knee surgery.
  • Within his latest mailbag for the South Florida Sun Sentinel, Ira Winderman discusses the Heat‘s Plan B for 2017 free agency now that Russell Westbrook won’t be available, and examines whether point guard Beno Udrih – who reportedly has a standing contract offer from the team – is even a fit this year in Miami.
  • Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders identifies some of the summer’s most notable team-friendly contracts, writing that Dion Waiters‘ modest deal with the Heat represents an impressive low-risk, high-reward investment for the team.
  • As we detailed earlier this week, two Southeast teams (Atlanta and Miami) have used most or all of their room exceptions, while the other three clubs in the division still have that $2.898MM exception available.
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Hornets Offer Training Camp Invite To Andrew Andrews

August 2nd, 2016 at 8:01pm CST by Eddie Scarito
  • The Hornets have invited undrafted free agent Andrew Andrews to attend training camp with the team, Michael Scotto of Sheridan Hoops reports (via Twitter). The point guard appeared in 34 games for the Washington Huskies last season, averaging 20.9 points, 5.7 rebounds and 4.9 assists in 33.8 minutes per outing.
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Free Agent Spending By Division: Southeast

August 1st, 2016 at 12:29pm CST by Luke Adams

Over the next several days, 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 focus today on the Southeast division. Let’s dive in…

1. Washington Wizards

  • Total money committed: $239,223,166
  • Guaranteed money committed (including player options): $234,026,744
  • Largest expenditure: Bradley Beal (five years, $127,171,313)
  • Other notable signings:
  • Notes:
    • Marcus Thornton will earn $1,315,448 on a minimum-salary contract, but the Wizards will only pay $980,431 of that salary, with the NBA footing the rest of the bill.

2. Charlotte Hornets

  • Total money committed: $197,549,753
  • Guaranteed money committed (including player options): $187,517,567
  • Largest expenditure: Nicolas Batum (five years, $120,000,000)
  • Other notable signings:
  • Notes:
    • Brian Roberts will earn $1,050,961 on a minimum-salary contract, but the Hornets will only pay $980,431 of that salary, with the NBA footing the rest of the bill.
    • Sessions’ deal contributes significantly to the gap between the Hornets’ total money and guaranteed money committed, since his second year ($6.27MM) is a team option.

3. Orlando Magic

  • Total money committed: $197,000,000
  • Guaranteed money committed (including player options): $197,000,000
  • Largest expenditure: Evan Fournier (five years, $85,000,000)
  • Other notable signings:
  • Notes:
    • The Magic have yet to add any camp invitees or players on partially-guaranteed deals, so the four players listed above make up the team’s entire free agent haul so far.

4. Miami Heat

  • Total money committed: $186,713,810
  • Guaranteed money committed (including player options): $175,347,388
  • Largest expenditure: Hassan Whiteside (four years, $98,419,537)
  • Other notable signings:
  • Notes:
    • Like Sessions for the Hornets, Ellington’s second-year salary of $6.27MM is not guaranteed, which contributes to the gap between the Heat’s total money and guaranteed money committed.

5. Atlanta Hawks

  • Total money committed: $151,929,151
  • Guaranteed money committed (including player options): $150,530,431
  • Largest expenditure: Dwight Howard (three years, $70,500,000)
  • Other notable signings:
  • Notes:
    • Jarrett Jack will earn $1,551,659 on a minimum-salary contract, but the Hawks will only pay $980,431 of that salary, with the NBA footing the rest of the bill.

Previously:
Southwest

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Salary Cap Snapshot: Charlotte Hornets

July 28th, 2016 at 6:21pm CST by Eddie Scarito

With the free agent signing period winding down and teams looking ahead to the preseason, we at Hoops Rumors will be tracking the Salary Cap figures for each team around the league.  These posts will be maintained throughout the season once financial data is reported. These posts will be located on the sidebar throughout the year, once all the teams’ cap figures have been relayed. You can always check RosterResource.com for up-to-date rosters for each franchise, with the Hornets’ team page accessible here.

Here’s a breakdown of where the Hornets currently stand financially:

Guaranteed Salary

Total Guaranteed Salary= $102,038,983

Cash Sent Out Via Trade: $0 [Amount Remaining $3.5MM]

Cash Received Via Trade: TBD. $250K was received from Memphis in the Troy Daniels trade. $750K was received from the Cavaliers in the Chris Andersen trade. An unknown amount was received from the Bucks in the Miles Plumlee trade. [Amount Remaining $2.5MM]

Payroll Exceptions Available

  • Trade Exception — $1,666,470 (Troy Daniels trade) — Expires on 7/12/17
  • Room Exception — $2,898,000

Total Projected Payroll: $102,038,983

Salary Cap: $94,143,000

Estimated Available Cap Space: –$7,895,983

Luxury Tax Threshold: $113,287,000

Amount Below Luxury Tax: $11,248,017

Last Updated: 3/20/17

The Basketball Insiders salary pages and The Vertical’s salary database were used in the creation of this post.

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Mike Tobey Contract Details

July 28th, 2016 at 10:49am CST by Luke Adams
  • Mike Tobey received a $75K on his two-year, minimum-salary contract with the Hornets, while Beau Beech got $45K guaranteed on his one-year, minimum-salary pact with the Nets, according to Pincus (Twitter links).
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Hornets Sign Treveon Graham

July 26th, 2016 at 4:25pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The Hornets have signed unrestricted free agent Treveon Graham, the team announced. The length and terms of the arrangement were not relayed, though it is most likely a minimum salary deal with little or no guaranteed money.

“We were impressed by Treveon’s play last season in the D-League and followed him closely during his four-year career at VCU,” said GM Rich Cho. “We are excited to add someone with Treveon’s ability on both sides of the ball to our training camp roster.”

Graham appeared in 46 games for the Idaho Stampede in the NBA D-League during the 2015/16 season, averaging 15.7 points, 6.1 rebounds and 1.6 assists in 30.4 minutes per contest. The swingman participated in summer league ball this offseason with the Jazz in Las Vegas and with the Magic in Orlando, earning 2016 All-Southwest Airlines Orlando Pro Summer League honors along the way.

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Noel Gillespie Named D-League Coach

July 25th, 2016 at 10:42pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Center Sasha Kaun has retired after playing one season with the Cavaliers, according to Gary Bedore of KUSports.com. The 31-year-old Kaun played sparingly with Cleveland, appearing in 25 games. He was traded to the Sixers earlier this month, then waived. He played seven seasons with CSKA Moscow after completing his college career at Kansas. “I was very blessed and fortunate to play as long as I have,” he told the Journal-World from Colorado.

In other news around the league:

  • Warriors reserve center Anderson Varejao has returned to the U.S. from Brazil to undergo tests on his back, according to Brazil’s Olympic website. The report, which was later posted by the San Jose Mercury News, puts Varejao’s Olympic participation in doubt and clouds his availability for training camp. Varejao just re-signed with the Warriors last week after playing spot minutes the second half of last season and during the playoffs.
  • Noel Gillespie has been named head coach of the Greensboro Swarm, the Hornets’ new D-League affiliate, the team announced on its website. Gillespie spent the last three seasons as an assistant coach for the Nuggets. Before that, he was on the Suns’ staff for 10 seasons.
  • The Mavericks probably overpaid to obtain Harrison Barnes as a restricted free agent, according to the Dallas Morning News’ Eddie Sefko. Dallas hopes that Barnes blossoms now that he’ll be a bigger part of its offense than he was with the Warriors, but he’s been a middle-of-the-road player and there’s no guarantee he’ll get much better, Sefko adds. Barnes was lured away with a four-year, $94MM offer sheet that Golden State couldn’t match.
  • Yogi Ferrell’s minimum contract with the Nets has a $100K guarantee, Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders tweets. The former Indiana University point guard agreed to a one-year deal with Brooklyn last week after going undrafted.
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Hornets Sign Mike Tobey

July 25th, 2016 at 2:38pm CST by Luke Adams

The Hornets have added an undrafted free agent to their roster, announcing today in a press release that they’ve signed center Mike Tobey to an NBA contract. Terms of the agreement were not disclosed, though a minimum-salary deal seems likely.

Tobey, a 7’1″ center out of Virginia, averaged 7.3 PPG and 4.4 RPG in 15.7 minutes per contest during his senior year. The 21-year-old joined the Hornets for Summer League action in Orlando, and recorded 10.0 PPG, 6.8 RPG, 1.6 BPG, and 1.0 SPG in his five appearances with the squad.

[RELATED: Hornets’ depth chart at RosterResource.com]

The Hornets entered the day with only 14 players on their offseason roster, so the team figures to add a few more bodies before training camp begins in the fall. Depending on the terms of his new contract, Tobey could have an opportunity to compete for a roster spot, though Charlotte already has some depth at the center position, with Cody Zeller, Roy Hibbert, and Spencer Hawes under contract.

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Kidd-Gilchrist Feels Fully Healed

July 24th, 2016 at 11:45am CST by Arthur Hill

Despite rumors that he was happy in Europe, Tomas Satoransky always planned to come to the NBA, relays J. Michael of CSNMidAtlantic.com. The 6’7″ combo guard, who has played overseas since being drafted in 2012, signed with the Wizards Thursday for $9MM over three seasons. Satoransky had frequent meetings with team vice president Tommy Sheppard during his time in Europe, Michael reports. Satoransky was reluctant to commit to Washington earlier because he believed he needed more experience and wasn’t sure there was room on the roster for him. The Wizards have since gotten rid of Andre Miller, Ramon Sessions, Gary Neal and Garrett Temple. Satoransky sought a $5.5MM mid-level exception from the Wizards in 2014, but they decided to use the money on Paul Pierce. They now have Satoransky signed for the next three years at about half that price. “I’m realistic,” he said. “I know it will take some time for me to adjust for a new type of game, for an NBA style of game.”

There’s more from the Southeast Division:
  • The Heat may have kept Gerald Green if he had made 3-pointers like they expected, writes Ira Winderman of The Sun-Sentinel. The veteran swingman connected on just 84 of 260 shots from long range, or 32%. He shot 35% and 40% from downtown in his two seasons with Phoenix before coming to Miami. Winderman adds that the Heat feel like they have to give a greater role to Tyler Johnson after matching his $50MM offer sheet from the Nets. With Justise Winslow expected to start at small forward, Josh Richardson earning more minutes and James Johnson and Derrick Williams added in free agency, there was little playing time left to offer Green.
  • Michael Kidd-Gilchrist doesn’t believe he came back too early from an injury last season, he states in an interview posted on the Charlotte Observer website. After having surgery on his right shoulder in October, the Hornets forward returned in January and managed just seven games before tearing his labrum for a second time. He blames the repeat injury on bad luck. “I just fell on my shoulder,” he said. “It was a freak accident.” The fully recovered Kidd-Gilchrist declares himself to be “200 percent” and says he’s looking forward to next season.
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Details On The D-League Expansion Draft

July 19th, 2016 at 10:58pm CST by ChrisCrouse

The D-League will add three new teams this upcoming seasons. The Bulls (Windy City Bulls), Hornets (Greensboro Swarm), and Nets (Long Island Nets) are all set to have one-on-one affiliates and the expansion draft will take place on August 24th, Adam Johnson of D-League Digest reports.

The league hasn’t had three teams join at the same time since 2006 and it has made some tweaks to the rules, sources tell Johnson. Previously, teams would be able to select 16 players from the available pool of players, but this year, the expansion teams will only be able to make 12 selections.

The draft will be serpentine and existing D-League teams can protect 10 players currently on their roster, which is down from 12 in previous expansion drafts. One thing remaining the same is where the expansion teams will pick during the D-League draft. The three teams will have the selections between the non-playoff teams and the playoff teams, which this year are the 12th, 13th, and 14th overall picks. The determination of the order in which these team pick during the annual draft will be set by the inverse of the expansion draft order, meaning the team that receives the first pick in the expansion draft will receive the 14th pick in the annual draft and the others will follow in that pattern.

Once a player is selected by the expansion team, that team owns his rights for at least two seasons. Last season, Toronto’s expansion team, Raptors 905, was the only team participating in the draft. Of the 16 players they selected, only Scott Suggs saw action for the team.

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