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NBA Players Who Can’t Be Aggregated In Trades

January 28th, 2020 at 11:05am CST by Luke Adams

The NBA’s Collective Bargaining Agreement includes a rule that states players who are acquired using an exception (ie. not using cap space) can’t be aggregated in a second trade for two months after the original deal.

Aggregating a player in a trade refers to the act of combining his contract with another player’s contract for salary-matching purposes. For instance, an over-the-cap team can’t trade a player with a $5MM salary straight up for a player with a $13MM salary. But if the team aggregates that player with a second player who also earns $5MM, the deal would work.

The rule against including a player in an aggregated trade for two months after he’s acquired doesn’t preclude the player’s team from adding him to a multi-player deal. His salary simply can’t be combined upon with another player’s for matching purposes in such a trade.

For instance, even if a player earning a minimum salary can’t be aggregated in a trade, his team could still include him in a swap involving a pair of $10MM players, since his minimum-salary cap hit wouldn’t be needed for salary matching.

With those rules in mind, here’s the list of players who have been acquired using a cap exception within the last two months and can’t be aggregated in a deadline trade this season:

Trevor Ariza (Trail Blazers)
Kent Bazemore (Kings)
Willie Cauley-Stein (Mavericks)
Jordan Clarkson (Jazz)
Allen Crabbe (Timberwolves)
Dante Exum (Cavaliers)
Wenyen Gabriel (Trail Blazers)
Isaiah Roby (Thunder)
Caleb Swanigan (Trail Blazers)
Anthony Tolliver (Kings)

Dwight Powell Undergoes Achilles Tendon Surgery

January 27th, 2020 at 9:31pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Mavericks center Dwight Powell underwent surgery to repair the rupture of his right Achilles tendon on Monday, according to a team press release.

Powell suffered the season-ending injury against the Clippers on January 21. The surgery was performed by Dr. Bob Anderson in Green Bay, Wisconsin, the release adds.

There is no timetable for his return. It’s uncertain whether he’ll be ready for the start of the 2020/21 season, since recovery from an Achilles tear can take upwards of a full calendar year.

The former second-round pick appeared in 40 games, including 37 starts, this season. He averaged 9.4 PPG and 5.7 RPG in 26.5 MPG.

The Mavericks fortified their frontcourt by acquiring Willie Cauley-Stein from the Warriors over the weekend.

Cameron Payne Leaves CBA For G League

January 26th, 2020 at 1:49pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

After appearing in just two games in the Chinese Basketball Association, point guard Cameron Payne has departed the Shanxi Loongs for the G League, according to Nicola Lupo of Sportando. Payne joined the Loongs in November. He has been claimed off waivers by the Mavericks’ Frisco-based affiliate, the Texas Legends.

The former NBA point guard was drafted at the tail end of the 2015 NBA lottery with the No. 14 pick by the Thunder. The 6’3″ Murray State alum spent his four NBA seasons on the Thunder, Bulls and Cavaliers.

Over the course of his NBA career, Payne averaged a slash line of 6.0 PPG, 2.5 APG, and 1.8 RPG, while shooting 33.1% from three-point range on 2.4 attempts. He started in just 28 of a possible 153 games.

Mavs Notes: Cauley-Stein, Broekhoff, Cash, Green

January 26th, 2020 at 10:25am CST by Arthur Hill

The Mavericks officially acquired Willie Cauley-Stein from the Warriors yesterday, but it’s not clear when he’ll start playing, writes Brad Townsend of The Dallas Morning News. Cauley-Stein will report to the team today in Oklahoma City, but probably not in time for an afternoon practice. He may see a few minutes Monday against the Thunder or Tuesday against the Suns, but coach Rick Carlisle isn’t committing to either game.

“We’ll give him the crash course and try to simplify things for him initially, get him going and see where we are,” Carlisle said.

Forward Ryan Broekhoff could return tomorrow from a fractured left fibula, which lessens the need to use Cauley-Stein before he becomes familiar with the playbook. Carlisle said he spoke with his new center, who is excited to be joining the team.

“We think he’s a guy that has some really unique abilities,” Carlisle said. “We’ve got to get him integrated and get him ready. He’s a rim-protector. He’s a rim-roller. His rebounding is good. We feel there’s areas that he can get better. I talked to him a little bit about those things. We’ll coach him hard, and with a lot of respect, and we’ll see where we can help his game go from here.”

There’s more from Dallas:

The Mavericks received an A-minus grade on the deal from Sam Quinn of CBS Sports, who notes that Cauley-Stein is an above-average pick-and-roll threat who will benefit from a chance to play alongside Luka Doncic. He adds that Cauley-Stein is a better rebounder than Dwight Powell, who was lost for the season with an Achilles injury this week.
Dallas received $800K in cash from the Thunder in a separate deal that sent Isaiah Roby to Oklahoma City in exchange for Justin Patton, tweets Tim MacMahon of ESPN. Patton was waived to open a roster spot for Cauley-Stein.
Danny Green talked to ESPN’s Zach Lowe on The Lowe Post podcast this week about the Mavericks’ pursuit of him in free agency over the summer. Green signed a two-year, $30MM deal with the Lakers, but said if L.A. would have used that money to sign Kawhi Leonard, then Dallas would have been his next choice.

Mavs Acquire Willie Cauley-Stein From Warriors

January 25th, 2020 at 12:05pm CST by Dana Gauruder

JANUARY 25: The trade for Cauley-Stein is official, according to the Mavericks’ PR account (Twitter link). As expected, the team has waived Patton to open up the roster spot necessary to complete the deal.

JANUARY 24: The Mavericks are finalizing a deal to acquire center Willie Cauley-Stein from the Warriors, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN tweets.

Golden State will receive a 2020 second-rounder from the Jazz, which Utah owed to Dallas, in return for the big man, according to The Athletic’s Shams Charania. The Warriors don’t own their own second-rounders from 2020-26 except for the 2022 draft, so this gives them another asset, Anthony Slater of The Athletic tweets.

The Mavericks will open up a roster spot once they complete a trade agreed upon with the Thunder in which they’ll receive center Justin Patton for forward Isaiah Roby and then waive Patton.

Dallas is using its $11.7MM trade exception to acquire Cauley-Stein acquired in the Harrison Barnes deal with the Kings last season. It’s needed since Cauley-Stein was signed with part of the non-tax mid-level exception, according to Marks (Twitter link). Golden State will get a $2.17MM trade exception out of the deal.

Dallas was seeking a rotation player to replace Dwight Powell, who suffered a season-ending Achilles injury. Cauley-Stein, who is making $2.18MM this season and holds a $2.29MM option on his contract for next season, fits that role at a modest cost. He’s averaging 7.9 PPG, 6.2 RPG and 1.2 BPG in 23.0 MPG for the Warriors.

The Warriors have plenty of monetary reasons to make this deal. The deal will save them $5.66MM on their luxury-tax bill, dropping it to $9.3MM, according to Bobby Marks of ESPN (Twitter link). Golden State, which will have two roster openings once the deal is completed, will also drop $2.57MM below the hard cap. The team will have two weeks to get back up to the league-mandated minimum of 14 players.

And-Ones: 2020 Draft, Powell, Trade Market, Reed

January 24th, 2020 at 9:16pm CST by Dana Gauruder

A trio of guards — Georgia’s Anthony Edwards, LaMelo Ball and North Carolina’s Cole Anthony — top The Athletic’s Sam Vecenie’s latest draft board. Another guard, 18-year-old Killian Hayes, made the biggest move among the top 20 prospects. Hayes, who is playing in Europe, jumped from No. 16 to No. 7.

We have more from around the basketball world:

The Nuggets’ Malik Beasley, the Spurs’ Lonnie Walker and the Celtics’ Robert Williams are among five buy-low trade targets for teams seeking to fortify their benches, according to ESPN’s Mike Schmitz.
Dwight Powell‘s season-ending Achilles injury was not only a major setback for the Mavericks but also Team Canada, Michael Grange of SportsNet Canada notes. Powell was expected to be a foundation piece for Canada’s Olympic push and his size, smarts, and athleticism will be hard to replace, according to Grange.
Veteran center Willie Reed has signed with the G League and returned to the Salt Lake City Stars, Hoops Rumors’ JD Shaw tweets. Reed, 29, was playing in Greece but parted ways with Olympiacos earlier this month.

Thunder Trade Patton, Cash To Mavs For Roby

January 24th, 2020 at 7:08pm CST by Dana Gauruder

7:08pm: The trade is official, according to a Thunder press release. The Mavericks have also issued a press release confirmed the trade.

4:03pm: The Thunder and Mavericks have agreed to a trade that will send rookie forward Isaiah Roby to Oklahoma City in exchange for center Justin Patton and cash considerations, reports Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).

Though the Mavericks could use some depth in the middle in the wake of Dwight Powell‘s season-ending Achilles injury, Patton will not stick around. The Mavs made the move to clear a roster spot and intend to waive him, The Athletic’s Tim Cato tweets.

It also creates some cap flexibility going forward, Brad Townsend of the Dallas Morning News notes (Twitter link). Patton has a $1.62MM contract this season but the remaining two years on his deal are not guaranteed.

Roby, a second-round pick out of Nebraska, is making $1.5MM this season as well as next season and all that money is guaranteed. The last two seasons of his four-year contract — at $1.8MM and $1.9MM — are not guaranteed, Bobby Marks of ESPN tweets.

With the deal, Oklahoma City’s projected tax bill drops from $2.3MM to $2MM and the Thunder are now just $801K over the threshold, according to Marks. The team is in position to potentially sneak under the tax line at the trade deadline by moving a minimum-salary player.

Patton has appeared in nine NBA games since being drafted in the first round in 2017, including five with OKC. He has spent most of his time this season in the G League. Roby, who was acquired in a draft-night trade, has yet to make his NBA debut.

Mavs Looking To Open Up Roster Spot?

January 24th, 2020 at 1:44pm CST by Luke Adams

Rival teams believe the Mavericks are looking to open up a spot on their 15-man roster for added flexibility, according to Charania, who reiterates that Dallas is in the market for a wing and/or a big man. The Mavs could go the free agent route to acquire a big, Charania adds.

[SOURCE LINK]

Rival teams believe the Mavericks are looking to open up a spot on their 15-man roster for added flexibility, according to Charania, who reiterates that Dallas is in the market for a wing and/or a big man. The Mavs could go the free agent route to acquire a big, Charania adds.

Clippers, Mavs Exploring Market For Wings, Bigs

January 23rd, 2020 at 12:51pm CST by Luke Adams

The Clippers are exploring the trade market in search of “dependable size” and possible depth on the wing, league sources tell Marc Stein of The New York Times (Twitter links). According to Stein, the Clippers have some concern about how they match up with the Lakers up front, as well as Kawhi Leonard‘s and Paul George‘s nagging health issues.

As we observed earlier this month, the Clippers are in a good position to pursue a roster upgrade at this year’s deadline. Their 2020 first-round pick is available to include in a deal, Maurice Harkless‘ expiring contract is a good salary-matching piece, and their young prospects like Jerome Robinson, Terance Mann, and Mfiondu Kabengele could appeal to trade partners.

On top of that, while there’s no indication that the Clippers are looking to trade either Montrezl Harrell or Ivica Zubac, both centers would have plenty of trade value if the team makes them available in search of an upgrade. Harrell is earning just $6MM and will be a restricted free agent, while Zubac is locked up at a reasonable rate (about $7MM per year) through 2022/23.

The Clippers have been linked this winter to Marcus Morris and Thaddeus Young, among other potential trade targets.

Meanwhile, Stein adds (via Twitter) that the Mavericks are in a similar boat to the Clippers, scouring the market for possible help on the wing and/or in the frontcourt, especially in the wake of Dwight Powell‘s season-ending Achilles injury.

Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer suggested earlier today that the Mavs have expressed interest in Danilo Gallinari and Robert Covington. Dallas reportedly checked in on free agent big man Joakim Noah as well.

As the Clippers, Mavs, and other teams explore the idea of trading for a big, Stein also cites league sources who say the Suns aren’t shopping Aron Baynes but haven’t ruled out moving him at the deadline if the price is right (Twitter link). With a $5.45MM expiring contract, Baynes might be a more realistic target for a contender than a big-money player like Andre Drummond or Steven Adams.

O’Connor’s Latest: Gallinari, Mavs, Sixers, Drummond, More

January 23rd, 2020 at 9:52am CST by Luke Adams

Multiple playoff teams have expressed interest in Danilo Gallinari, according to Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer, who hears from league sources that the Mavericks and Sixers are two clubs who have made inquiries on the Thunder forward.

Gallinari entered the season looking like one of the NBA’s most obvious trade candidates, but the Thunder’s strong play has complicated the equation. It’s unclear how eager Oklahoma City will be to move one of its key contributors now that the team appears headed for a spot in the postseason.

As O’Connor points out, a lack of projected league-wide cap room this summer means the team with Gallinari on its roster to finish the season will likely have a significant leg up to sign him, thanks to his Bird rights. It remains to be seen if a team like Dallas or Philadelphia has the assets necessary to pry Gallinari out of OKC, but if a club makes a deal for him, the plan would presumably be to re-sign him in the offseason.

O’Connor’s article is ostensibly focused on the Mavericks’ need to add a third impact player to complement Luka Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis, but it includes a handful of noteworthy tidbits, not all of which are Mavs-related. Let’s round up a few other highlights…

As a report last week confirmed, the Hawks and Pistons had been discussing a trade that would have sent Andre Drummond to Atlanta for a package headlined by Chandler Parsons‘ expiring contract and the Nets’ lottery-protected 2020 first-round pick. Multiple league sources tell O’Connor that the Hawks ended up being unwilling to include that first-rounder due to concerns about how high Drummond’s contract demands are.
The Mavericks have made offers to the Timberwolves for Robert Covington, but have been turned down, according to O’Connor. While O’Connor doesn’t have the specific details on Dallas’ offers, I imagine they’d start with Courtney Lee‘s expiring contract and the Warriors’ 2020 second-round pick. The Mavs’ first-rounders are tied up for trade purposes until at at least 2025.
Despite denials that they plan to pursue him, league sources continue to view the Mavericks as a potential landing spot for Grizzlies forward Andre Iguodala, writes O’Connor. Dallas is one of the few contending teams that is well-positioned to make a trade offer for Iguodala rather than waiting for a possible buyout.