Hoops Rumors Originals

It hasn’t even been nine months since we last checked in on the NBA’s longest-tenured players by team. Since then though, there has been some major roster turnover around the league. Of the NBA’s 30 teams, 12 have bid farewell to their longest-tenured player since last December.

That list includes Patty Mills, who left San Antonio for Brooklyn after being with the Spurs for over nine years. Nikola Vucevic and James Harden had been in Orlando and Houston, respectively, since 2012 until they were traded earlier this year. And Kyle Lowry left Toronto for Miami this summer after nine seasons with the Raptors.

Of course, some of the teams with a new longest-tenured player didn’t exactly lose a franchise legend. Blake Griffin, for instance, was the longest-tenured Piston until he was bought out this year. And no Thunder player had been in Oklahoma City longer than Hamidou Diallo before he was traded in March.

Here are the NBA’s current longest-tenured players by team:

(Note: This is a snapshot as of August 2021 and won’t be updated throughout the season.)

1. Miami Heat: Udonis Haslem (free agent), August 2003
2. Golden State Warriors: Stephen Curry (draft), June 2009
3. Washington Wizards: Bradley Beal (draft), June 2012
4. Portland Trail Blazers: Damian Lillard (draft), June 2012
5. Milwaukee Bucks: Giannis Antetokounmpo (draft), June 2013
6. Utah Jazz: Rudy Gobert (draft trade), June 2013
7. Philadelphia 76ers: Joel Embiid (draft), June 2014
8. Boston Celtics: Marcus Smart (draft), June 2014
9. Denver Nuggets: Nikola Jokic (draft), June 2014
10. Cleveland Cavaliers: Kevin Love (trade), August 2014
11. Dallas Mavericks: Dwight Powell (trade), December 2014
12. Minnesota Timberwolves: Karl-Anthony Towns (draft), June 2015
13. Indiana Pacers: Myles Turner (draft), June 2015
14. Phoenix Suns: Devin Booker (draft), June 2015
15. Toronto Raptors: Pascal Siakam (draft), June 2016
16. San Antonio Spurs: Dejounte Murray (draft), June 2016
17. Houston Rockets: Eric Gordon (free agent), July 2016
18. Brooklyn Nets: Joe Harris (free agent), July 2016
19. Orlando Magic: Terrence Ross (trade), February 2017
20. Sacramento Kings: Buddy Hield (trade), February 2017
21. Atlanta Hawks: John Collins (draft), June 2017
22. Chicago Bulls: Zach LaVine (draft trade), June 2017
    • Note: Lauri Markkanen was acquired by the Bulls in the same trade as LaVine and would share the title of Chicago’s longest-tenured player if he re-signs with the team.
23. Memphis Grizzlies: Dillon Brooks (draft trade), June 2017
24. New York Knicks: Kevin Knox (draft) / Mitchell Robinson (draft), June 2018
    • Note: Knox (No. 9 pick) and Robinson (No. 36) were drafted by the Knicks on the same night.
25. Charlotte Hornets: Miles Bridges (draft trade), June 2018
26. Los Angeles Lakers: LeBron James (free agent), July 2018
27. New Orleans Pelicans: Zion Williamson (draft), June 2019
28. Los Angeles Clippers: Ivica Zubac (trade), February 2019
29. Detroit Pistons: Sekou Doumbouya (draft), June 2019
30. Oklahoma City Thunder: Darius Bazley (trade) / Luguentz Dort (free agent), July 2019
    • Bazley and Dort officially joined the Thunder on the same day (July 6, 2019). The team reached agreements on draft night (June 20) to acquire Bazley and sign Dort.

The bi-annual exception is one of the tools available to NBA teams who are over the cap, giving those clubs the flexibility to offer free agents more than the minimum salary. In 2021/22, the bi-annual exception is worth $3,732,000, and can be used to offer a deal worth up to $7,650,600 over two years.

However, the bi-annual exception isn’t available to every team. Clubs that go below the cap in order to use cap room lose access to the exception. Additionally, using the BAE imposes a hard cap of $143,002,000 (the tax apron) on a club. So if a team has surpassed the tax apron – or wants to retain the flexibility to do so – that team can’t use the bi-annual exception.

Finally, as its name suggests, the bi-annual exception can’t be used by a team in consecutive years. In 2020/21, four teams used the BAE — the Nuggets (Facundo Campazzo), Lakers (Wesley Matthews), and Bucks (Bobby Portis) As such, the exception isn’t available to those clubs during the 2021/22 league year. They’ll be able to use it again next summer.

With all those factors in mind, here’s a breakdown of how teams are using – or not using – their respective bi-annual exceptions in 2021/22:

Available Bi-Annual Exceptions:

Unused:

• Atlanta Hawks
• Boston Celtics
• Cleveland Cavaliers
• Houston Rockets
• Indiana Pacers
• Miami Heat
• Minnesota Timberwolves
• New Orleans Pelicans
• Oklahoma City Thunder
• Orlando Magic
• Phoenix Suns
• Portland Trail Blazers
• Sacramento Kings
• Toronto Raptors
• Washington Wizards

Although all of these teams technically have the ability to use their bi-annual exceptions at some point in 2021/22, it’s more realistic for some than others. For instance, the Trail Blazers still have most of their mid-level exception available and are only about $7MM below the tax apron, so there’s virtually no chance they’ll end up using the BAE this season.

Used:

• Chicago Bulls
  • Used: $1,000,000 (Tristan Thompson)
  • Available: $2,732,000
• Dallas Mavericks
  • Used: $3,000,000 (Sterling Brown)
  • Available: $732,000

Typically, about three or four teams in a given league year use the bi-annual exception, but so far this season, Dallas is the only team that has done so. The Mavericks have shown a willingness to make use of the BAE when it’s available — they got it back this season after using it in 2019 to sign Boban Marjanovic.

Unavailable Bi-Annual Exceptions:

Went under cap:

• Charlotte Hornets
• Detroit Pistons
• Memphis Grizzlies
• New York Knicks
• San Antonio Spurs

These five teams forfeited their right to the bi-annual exception when they went under the cap and used space this offseason.

Over (or near) tax apron:

• Brooklyn Nets
• Golden State Warriors
• Los Angeles Clippers
• Philadelphia 76ers
• Utah Jazz

In theory, major cost-cutting moves by these teams could put them in position to use their bi-annual exceptions. In actuality though, that possibility is remote, especially for teams like the Nets, Warriors, and Clippers, who are far over the tax apron.

Used last year:

• Denver Nuggets
• Los Angeles Lakers
• Milwaukee Bucks

As noted in the intro, these are the three teams that used their bi-annual exceptions in 2020/21 and, as a result, won’t have them again until 2022/23.

Salary information from Basketball Insiders was used in the creation of this post.

In addition to receiving approximately $112.4MM in cap room and being allowed to surpass that threshold in order to sign players using Bird Rights or the minimum salary exception, each NBA team also receives a mid-level exception. The value of this exception varies depending on a club’s total team salary.

A team that goes under the cap to use its available cap room, for instance, receives only a modest form of the MLE known as the room exception. An over-the-cap team receives the full mid-level exception, unless that team is also over the tax apron, in which case it gets a taxpayer version of the MLE that falls in between the full MLE and the room exception. We detailed the exact values of each form of mid-level exception earlier this offseason, but here’s a quick breakdown:

• Room exception: Can be used for contracts up to two years, with a starting salary worth up to $4,910,000.
• Taxpayer mid-level exception: Can be used for contracts up to three years, with a starting salary worth up to $5,890,000.
• Full/non-taxpayer mid-level exception: Can be used for contracts up to four years, with a starting salary worth up to $9,536,000.
  • Note: Though its name suggests otherwise, using the non-taxpayer mid-level exception doesn’t mean a team can’t or won’t be above the tax line ($136,606,000) at season’s end; it simply means the team’s total salary can’t surpass the tax “apron” ($143,002,000).

Now that nearly all of the NBA’s teams have used up their cap space, it’s worth keeping an eye on which teams still have part or all of their mid-level exceptions available, which we’ll do in the space below. This list will be kept up to date throughout the 2021/22 league year.

Note: As of January 10, the value of the exceptions below began to prorate downward by 1/174th per day, based on the amount of the exception on Jan. 10. For instance, if a team had $1MM of its exception left on Jan. 10, it declines in value by $5,747 per day for the rest of the season.

Here’s where things currently stand:

Mid-Level Exception:

Non-taxpayer: $9,536,000
Taxpayer: $5,890,000

Atlanta Hawks

• Used: $4,000,000 (Gorgui Dieng)

Boston Celtics

• Used: $5,890,000 (Dennis Schröder)
  

Brooklyn Nets

• Used: $5,890,000 (Patty Mills)
• Note: Limited to taxpayer mid-level exception.

Chicago Bulls

• Used: $8,600,000 (Alex Caruso); $925,258 (Marko Simonovic)

Cleveland Cavaliers

• Used: $1,669,178 (Kevin Pangos)

Dallas Mavericks

• Used: $9,536,000 (Reggie Bullock)
  

Denver Nuggets

• Used: $4,500,000 (Jeff Green)

Golden State Warriors

• Used: $0
• Note: Limited to taxpayer mid-level exception.

Houston Rockets

• Used: $1,489,065 (Armoni Brooks); $2,000,000 (Garrison Mathews); $612,000 (Daishen Nix)

Indiana Pacers

• Used: $4,878,049 (Torrey Craig); $950,000 (Duane Washington); $600,000 (Terry Taylor)

Los Angeles Clippers

• Used: $3,902,439 (Justise Winslow); $1,062,303 (Jason Preston); $925,258 (Brandon Boston)
• Note: Limited to taxpayer mid-level exception.

Los Angeles Lakers

• Used: $5,000,000 (Kendrick Nunn)
• Note: Limited to taxpayer mid-level exception.

Miami Heat

• Used: $7,000,000 (P.J. Tucker); $290,967 (Haywood Highsmith)

Milwaukee Bucks

• Used: $4,000,000 (George Hill); $925,258 (Georgios Kalaitzakis); $28,799 (Rayjon Tucker)
• Note: Limited to taxpayer mid-level exception.

Minnesota Timberwolves

• Used: $0

New Orleans Pelicans

• Used: $1,700,000 (Herb Jones); $1,500,000 (Jose Alvarado)
  

Oklahoma City Thunder

• Used: $3,500,000 (Mike Muscala); $2,000,000 (Jeremiah Robinson-Earl); $925,258 (Vit Krejci)

Orlando Magic

• Used: $5,000,000 (Robin Lopez); $100,000 (Devin Cannady)

Philadelphia 76ers

• Used: $3,300,000 (Georges Niang); $925,258 (Charles Bassey)
• Note: The Sixers could technically use more than taxpayer portion of mid-level exception, but are in the tax and likely won’t.

Phoenix Suns

• Used: $5,000,000 (JaVale McGee)

Portland Trail Blazers

• Used: $925,258 (Greg Brown); $436,482 (Trendon Watford)

Sacramento Kings

• Used: $3,732,000 (Alex Len)

Toronto Raptors

• Used: $6,350,000 (Khem Birch); $250,000 (Armoni Brooks)

Utah Jazz

• Used: $5,890,000 (Rudy Gay)
• Note: Limited to taxpayer mid-level exception.

Washington Wizards

• Used: $1,500,000 (Isaiah Todd)

Room Exception:

Available: $4,910,000

Charlotte Hornets

• Used: $4,500,000 (Ish Smith)

Detroit Pistons

• Used: $4,910,000 (Cory Joseph)

Memphis Grizzlies

• Used: $1,901,625 (Killian Tillie)

New York Knicks

• Used: $4,910,000 (Taj Gibson)

San Antonio Spurs

• Used: $4,500,000 (Bryn Forbes)

Salary information from Basketball Insiders and Spotrac was used in the creation of this post. Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Free agent signees, trade acquisitions, and 2021 draftees have been the most common additions to NBA rosters in recent weeks. However, a small number of players come via the draft-and-stash route, as teams bring aboard players drafted in previous years.

First-round draftees from the last three years – such as Leandro Bolmaro of the Timberwolves – are limited to the 2021 rookie scale. Players who were previously selected in the second round of a draft – or who were first-round picks more than three years ago – are free to sign any type of contract via cap room or exceptions.

Listed below are the draft-and-stash prospects who have signed so far this offseason, with contract details noted. If and when more teams add draft-and-stash players, we’ll update this list, which can be found at anytime on the right-hand sidebar of our desktop site under “Hoops Rumors Features,” or in the “Features” page in our mobile menu.

• Chicago Bulls: Marko Simonovic, F/C (2020 draft; No. 44) (story)
  • Simonovic spent another season with Crvena Zvezda in Serbia after being selected in the second round of last year’s draft, but he was one of Arturas Karnisovas‘ first draft picks and the plan was always for him to come stateside at some point. The Bulls saved a portion of their mid-level exception for Simonovic to ensure they were able to give him a third non-guaranteed year on top of his two guaranteed seasons.
  • Contract: Three years, $4.32MM (minimum salary). First two years guaranteed.
    
• Charlotte Hornets: Arnoldas Kulboka, F (2018 draft; No. 55) (story)
  • After being drafted in 2018, Kulboka remained with Brose Bamberg, his team in Germany, for another year. He then joined Bilbao in Spain for the next two seasons before coming stateside for the 2021/22 campaign. The 23-year-old will start his NBA career on a two-way deal, so he’ll be limited to 50 games at the NBA level this season unless he’s promoted to the 15-man roster.
  • Contract: Two-way contract.
• Oklahoma City Thunder: Vit Krejci, G (2020 draft; No. 37) (story)
  • Krejci was still recovering from a knee injury when the Thunder acquired him in the 2020 draft, so he spent the season with the Oklahoma City Blue in the G League rehabbing that injury. A year later, the 21-year-old has officially signed his first NBA contract with the Thunder.
  • Contract: Four years, $6.31MM (minimum salary). First year guaranteed. Second year partially guaranteed.
    
• Minnesota Timberwolves: Leandro Bolmaro, G (2020 draft; No. 23) (story)
  • Bolmaro was stashed for a year in Spain after the Timberwolves used one of their 2020 first-round picks to nab him. He won a Liga ACB championship and a Spanish Cup title with Barcelona in 2021, and was named the ACB Most Spectacular Player, proving he was ready to make the leap to the NBA.
  • Contract: Four years, $11.81MM. First two years guaranteed. Third- and fourth-year team options.
• Denver Nuggets: Petr Cornelie, F (2016 draft; No. 53) (story)
  • Cornelie played for Denver’s Summer League team several times after being selected in the 2016 draft, but didn’t actually make the move stateside until this season, when he filled one of the team’s two-way contract slots. He had spent the last eight years (from 2013-21) playing in his home country of France, including for Elan Bearnais in 2020/21.
  • Contract: Two-way contract.

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Although NBA rosters are limited to 15 players during the regular season, teams are allowed to carry up to 20 players during the offseason. Expanded offseason rosters allow clubs to bring in players on contracts that aren’t fully guaranteed, giving those players a chance to earn a regular season roster spot or getting a closer look at them before sending them to their G League affiliate.

In addition to the usual 15-man rosters, NBA teams are permitted to carry two players on two-way contracts. Two-way deals, which we describe in detail in our glossary, essentially give clubs the NBA rights to two extra players, though they often spend much of the season in the G League rather than with the NBA team. While two-way players don’t count toward the 15-man regular season roster limit, they do count toward the 20-man offseason limit.

Over the course of the 2021 offseason and 2021/22 season, we’ll keep tabs on how many players are on each NBA team’s roster, breaking them down into a few groups. Here are the various categories you’ll find in our list:

• Official: These players are officially under contract with a given team, on guaranteed deals.
• Reported: These are players whose contract agreements have been reported but haven’t been made official. We’re expecting them to be finalized at some point, though it’s possible that some will fall through or were reported erroneously.
• 10-day: These are players officially signed to 10-day contracts, along with the expiry date on those deals.
• Two-way: These are players signed to two-way contracts. Unless otherwise noted, these deals are official. You can find a specific team’s two-way players right here.
• Total: A team’s total roster count, taking into account all of the above.

Here are the NBA’s roster counts for 2021/22, which we’ll continue to update through the rest of the regular season:

Updated 4-10-22 (11:00pm CT)

Atlanta Hawks

• Official: 15
• Two-way: 2
• Total: 17

Boston Celtics

• Official: 15
• Two-way: 2
• Total: 17

Brooklyn Nets

• Official: 15
• Two-way: 1
• Total: 16

Charlotte Hornets

• Official: 15
• Two-way: 2
• Total: 17
  

Chicago Bulls

• Official: 15
• Two-way: 2
• Total: 17

Cleveland Cavaliers

• Official: 15
• Two-way: 2
• Total: 17

Dallas Mavericks

• Official: 15
• Two-way: 2
• Total: 17

Denver Nuggets

• Official: 15
• Two-way: 2
• Total: 17

Detroit Pistons

• Official: 15
• Two-way: 2
• Total: 17

Golden State Warriors

• Official: 15
• Two-way: 2
• Total: 17

Houston Rockets

• Official: 15
• Two-way: 2
• Total: 17

Indiana Pacers

• Official: 15
• Two-way: 2
• Total: 17

Los Angeles Clippers

• Official: 15
• Two-way: 2
• Total: 17

Los Angeles Lakers

• Official: 15
• Two-way: 2
• Total: 17

Memphis Grizzlies

• Official: 15
• Two-way: 2
• Total: 17

Miami Heat

• Official: 15
• Two-way: 2
• Total: 17

Milwaukee Bucks

• Official: 15
• Two-way: 2
• Total: 17

Minnesota Timberwolves

• Official: 15
• Two-way: 2
• Total: 17

New Orleans Pelicans

• Official: 15
• Two-way: 2
• Total: 17

New York Knicks

• Official: 15
• Two-way: 2
• Total: 17

Oklahoma City Thunder

• Official: 15
• Two-way: 2
• Total: 17

Orlando Magic

• Official: 15
• Two-way: 2
• Total: 17

Philadelphia 76ers

• Official: 15
• Two-way: 2
• Total: 17

Phoenix Suns

• Official: 15
• Two-way: 1
• Total: 16

Portland Trail Blazers

• Official: 15
• Two-way: 2
• Total: 17

Sacramento Kings

• Official: 15
• Two-way: 1
• Total: 16

San Antonio Spurs

• Official: 15
• Two-way: 2
• Total: 17

Toronto Raptors

• Official: 15
• Two-way: 2
• Total: 17

Utah Jazz

• Official: 15
• Two-way: 1
• Total: 16

Washington Wizards

• Official: 15
• Two-way: 2
• Total: 17