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2024 NBA Trade Deadline Recap

February 8th, 2024 at 11:50pm CST by Luke Adams

Most of the marquee in-season trades that took place during the 2023/24 season happened well before the trade deadline, including James Harden to the Clippers in November, OG Anunoby to the Knicks in December, and Pascal Siakam to the Pacers in January.

Still, there was no shortage of trade activity during the 30 hours leading up to the deadline, with 22 teams getting together to complete 19 trades on Wednesday and Thursday. A total of 46 NBA players were on the move in those deals, along with four more draft-and-stash players and plenty of draft picks and cash.

Here’s a recap all of 2024’s deadline deals:

Trades made on deadline day

The Knicks pick up a pair of solid rotation players (story)

The Sixers trade for one of the NBA’s best three-point shooters (story)

  • Sixers acquire Buddy Hield.
  • Pacers acquire Doug McDermott, Furkan Korkmaz, the Raptors’ 2024 second-round pick, the Trail Blazers’ 2029 second-round pick, and cash (from Sixers).
  • Spurs acquire Marcus Morris, the Clippers’ 2029 second-round pick, and cash (from Sixers).
  • Note: The 2024 second-rounder technically has “most favorable” language, but there’s essentially no chance it won’t be Toronto’s pick.

Danny Ainge continues to stockpile draft assets (story)

  • Raptors acquire Kelly Olynyk and Ochai Agbaji.
  • Jazz acquire Otto Porter, Kira Lewis, and either the Thunder’s, Clippers’, Rockets’ (top-four protected), or Jazz’s (top-10 protected) 2024 first-round pick (whichever is least favorable).

The Mavericks undo an offseason acquisition and swap power forwards (story)

  • Mavericks acquire P.J. Washington, the Celtics’ 2024 second-round pick, and a 2028 second-round pick.
  • Hornets acquire Grant Williams, Seth Curry, and the Mavericks’ 2027 first-round pick (top-two protected).

The Mavericks line up a draft asset to use in a separate deal… (story)

  • Mavericks acquire either the Thunder’s, Clippers’, Rockets’ (top-four protected), or Jazz’s (top-10 protected) 2024 first-round pick (whichever is second-least favorable).
  • Thunder acquire the right to swap first-round picks with the Mavericks in 2028.

… The Mavs make use of that draft asset to upgrade at center (story)

  • Mavericks acquire Daniel Gafford.
  • Wizards acquire Richaun Holmes and either the Thunder’s, Clippers’, Rockets’ (top-four protected), or Jazz’s (top-10 protected) 2024 first-round pick (whichever is second-least favorable).

The upstart Thunder add a veteran for their playoff run (story)

The Suns acquire some extra help on the wing (story)

  • Suns acquire Royce O’Neale and David Roddy.
  • Nets acquire Keita Bates-Diop, Jordan Goodwin, either the Pistons’, Bucks,’ or Magic’s 2026 second-round pick (whichever is least favorable; from Suns), the Grizzlies’ 2028 second-round pick (from Suns), the Grizzlies’ 2029 second-round pick (from Suns), and the draft rights to Vanja Marinkovic (from Grizzlies).
  • Grizzlies acquire Yuta Watanabe, Chimezie Metu, and the right to swap their own 2026 first-round pick for either the Suns’, Magic’s, or Wizards’ 2026 first-round pick (whichever is least favorable).

The Timberwolves aim to solidify their backup point guard spot (story)

The Nets swap point guards, while the Raptors clear more 2024 cap room (story)

The Bucks look to improve their perimeter defense with the help of a conference rival (story)

The Celtics add some frontcourt depth (story)

  • Celtics acquire Xavier Tillman.
  • Grizzlies acquire Lamar Stevens, the Hawks’ 2027 second-round pick, and the Mavericks’ 2030 second-round pick.

The Celtics add some backcourt depth (story)

  • Celtics acquire Jaden Springer.
  • Sixers acquire either the Bulls’ or the Knicks’ 2024 second-round pick (whichever is most favorable).

The Pistons land an RFA-to-be wing who’s in their future plans (story)

The Sixers dip below the luxury tax line (story)

  • Pistons acquire Danuel House, the Knicks’ 2024 second-round pick, and cash.
  • Sixers acquire the Pistons’ 2028 second-round pick (top-55 protected).

The Warriors and Pacers make a deal that financially benefits both sides (story)

  • Pacers acquire Cory Joseph, the Hornets’ 2025 second-round pick (top-55 protected) and cash ($5.8MM)
  • Warriors acquire the least favorable of the Pacers’ 2024 second-round picks.
  • Note: In all likelihood, the 2024 pick will be the least favorable of the Bucks’ and Cavaliers’ second-rounders.

The Bucks dump some salary (story)

The Celtics reduce their tax bill (story)

  • Trail Blazers acquire Dalano Banton and cash.
  • Celtics acquire either the Trail Blazers’ or Pelicans’ 2027 second-round pick (whichever is least favorable; top-55 protected).

The Clippers take advantage of their last opportunity to trade cash for a while (story)

  • Clippers acquire the draft rights to Ismael Kamagate.
  • Nuggets acquire cash ($2.68MM).

Notable trade candidates who stayed put

Players waived on deadline day

Officially released:

Expected to be bought out or waived:

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Community Shootaround: 2024 Trade Deadline Winners, Losers

February 8th, 2024 at 9:26pm CST by Tristan Tucker

The NBA’s 2024 trade deadline came and went on Thursday, with 18 deals officially completed on deadline day. It was a busy day filled with teams moving draft capital in exchange for rotation players to bolster playoff runs.

The Pistons made the most trades at the deadline, bringing in the likes of Quentin Grimes, Simone Fontecchio, Evan Fournier and Shake Milton. In the process, they moved on from Bojan Bogdanovic and Alec Burks, along with waiving former No. 7 overall pick Killian Hayes.

Bogdanovic was one of the top talents moved on deadline day, having been traded to the Knicks alongside Burks in exchange for Grimes, Fournier and more. New York, who is 16-4 since the New Year, bought in on its roster while maintaining flexibility to pursue a star in the offseason by adding a large, but partially guaranteed, salary in Bogdanovic ($19MM with $2MM guaranteed).

The Hornets, like Detroit, sold a pair of players in P.J. Washington and Gordon Hayward for various players and picks, including bringing in Grant Williams, Tre Mann and a 2027 first-rounder. Charlotte got a decent return in exchange for two players who likely weren’t in their long-term plans while sending Washington (to Dallas) and Hayward (to Oklahoma City) to a pair of Western Conference contenders.

In addition to getting Washington, the Mavericks brought in Daniel Gafford from the Wizards for a first-round pick. The Thunder moved off a handful of players who weren’t seeing minutes for Hayward, who can still pass, dribble and shoot at a high enough level.

The Sixers made a handful of deals at the deadline, acquiring Buddy Hield — who earlier requested a trade from Indiana — in exchange for some second-round picks and salaries. They then swapped Patrick Beverley for Cameron Payne and traded Jaden Springer to Boston, recouping up a second-round selection in both deals.

Brooklyn didn’t end up trading Dorian Finney-Smith, who was a popular target, but sent out Spencer Dinwiddie and Royce O’Neale in separate deals to Toronto and Phoenix, respectively. The Nets brought in Dennis Schröder, as well as Keita Bates-Diop in the series of moves. The Raptors later waived Dinwiddie, but were able to move off future salary by sending out Schröder. They also added Ochai Agbaji and Kelly Olynyk from the Jazz in exchange for Otto Porter, Kira Lewis and a first-round pick.

Other veterans on the move at the deadline included Simone Fontecchio (to Detroit), Xavier Tillman (to Boston), Doug McDermott (to Indiana), Monte Morris (to Minnesota) and Yuta Watanabe (to Memphis).

While there were plenty of storylines from the teams that did make trades, some of the names who weren’t moved were equally intriguing. The Hawks didn’t make a deadline-day deal after having conversations regarding the likes of Dejounte Murray, Clint Capela and AJ Griffin. Murray, the biggest name on the list, was sought after by teams like the Pelicans and Lakers, but neither team got a deal done.

The Lakers didn’t make any moves after being one of the more active teams at last year’s deadline. They’ll be banking on the team’s health improving over time and improved play from their rotation to make a postseason run akin to last year’s Western Conference Finals appearance.

The Bulls didn’t make a trade deadline move for the third year in a row despite having conversations regarding Zach LaVine, DeMar DeRozan, Alex Caruso and Andre Drummond and will instead continue to try and compete for a playoff spot.

Most of the available talent on the trade market was moved before deadline day. Nine in-season deals were completed before Thursday, including All-Stars James Harden and Pascal Siakam switching teams. The Knicks might not have been as aggressive if they hadn’t already acquired OG Anunoby and moved toward the top of the Eastern Conference standings. Meanwhile, the Heat got one of the top guards on the market in Terry Rozier a couple weeks ago.

In total, Thursday capped off an NBA trade season with 27 in-season deals.

We want to hear from you. Which teams do you think did the best for themselves at the trade deadline? Which teams made the wrong moves? Were there any trades that surprised you? How do you feel about the teams who stood pat?

Personally, I’m most impressed with the additions the Celtics, Thunder and Knicks made without having to sacrifice many assets and staying flexible for the offseason.

Sound off in the comments below with your picks.

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Hoops Rumors’ 2024 NBA Trade Deadline Primer

February 8th, 2024 at 6:00am CST by Luke Adams

Deadline day is finally here. NBA teams will have until today at 2:00 pm Central time to finalize trade agreements. Anyone not traded by that time will be ineligible to be moved until after his team’s season comes to an end this spring.

While it began as a relatively quiet week, three deals were agreed to on Wednesday, and many more significant trades were completed earlier in the season, with James Harden, Pascal Siakam, OG Anunoby, Immanuel Quickley, Terry Rozier, and Steven Adams among the players on the move.

[RELATED: 2023/24 In-Season NBA Trades]

Those agreements took plenty of this season’s most noteworthy trade candidates off the market, but there are still plenty of storylines to keep an eye on as Thursday’s deadline nears. Dejounte Murray, Bojan Bogdanovic, Kyle Kuzma, Bruce Brown, Buddy Hield, Miles Bridges, Andrew Wiggins, and Tyus Jones are among the names that have continually popped up in trade rumors.

We’ll be keeping tabs on all the latest news and rumors all day long on Hoops Rumors, leading up to 2:00 pm CT.

In the meantime, here are some of our features and trackers to help you prepare for today’s action:

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Community Shootaround: Bulls’ Deadline Approach

February 4th, 2024 at 5:44pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Will Zach LaVine’s season-ending foot injury push the Bulls‘ front office over the edge?

Chicago has been reluctant to break up its core group but it may be hard to justify keeping the roster together at this point.

If the plan hadn’t gone awry due to injuries and underperformance, the Bulls might have been a contender in the Eastern Conference. They’d have Nikola Vucevic, Patrick Williams, DeMar DeRozan, LaVine and Lonzo Ball in the lineup and solid players like Coby White and Alex Caruso on the second unit.

Of course, Ball has been plagued by knee injuries and hasn’t played for more than two years. Williams, currently sidelined by a foot injury, hasn’t developed into the impact player the front office anticipated when using a high lottery pick on the power forward.

White has emerged as a reliable starter in his fifth season. Otherwise, the Bulls have not shown any improvement. They’re four games under .500 with little reason for optimism of turning things around.

The Bulls do have players with some trade value. DeRozan is on an expiring contract and could boost a contender’s chances. The hard-nosed Caruso would be a quality pickup for a team needing backcourt depth.

Vucevic’s contract extension was cost-effective and there are teams looking for centers. His backup, Andre Drummond, is on a bargain deal, which might make him even more attractive than Vucevic.

Ball’s contract includes a $21.4MM player option for next season. The Bulls could include him in a wider-ranging deal to shed salary and create more flexibility for 2024/25.

That brings us to our topic of the day: Should the Bulls go into fire sale mode before the trade deadline and start a serious rebuild? Should they wait to retool until the summer? Or should they look for trades to remain competitive?

Please take to the comments section to weigh on this topic. We look forward to your input.

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Minimum Salary Players Who Can’t Be Acquired Using Minimum Salary Exception

February 4th, 2024 at 1:30pm CST by Luke Adams

As we explain in our glossary entry, the NBA’s minimum salary exception doesn’t just allow over-the-cap teams to sign players to minimum salary contracts. It also allows clubs to trade for players earning the minimum without having to send out any matching salary.

However, not every player earning the minimum can be acquired using the minimum salary exception. Essentially, any contract that couldn’t have been signed using the minimum salary exception also can’t be acquired using the exception.

For instance, since the exception only allows teams to sign players to one- or two-year contracts, similar rules apply in trades. A team can’t use the minimum salary exception to acquire a player on a three- or four-year contract, even if he’s earning the minimum. If a player signs a two-year contract that exceeds the minimum in year one and is worth the minimum in year two, he’s ineligible to be acquired using the minimum salary exception.

What does that mean in practical terms? Let’s use Grizzlies big man Xavier Tillman as an example, since his name has surfaced in some trade rumors in recent months.

Tillman is earning $1,930,681 this season, which is his minimum salary based on the contract he signed in 2020. Since he’s currently in the fourth season of a four-year contract though, a team acquiring him can’t absorb his salary using the minimum salary exception. That team, assuming it’s over the cap, would either have to own a trade exception big enough to take on Tillman’s $1,930,681 salary or send out a player to match it.

If Tillman were on a one- or two-year minimum salary contract, he could be traded straight up for, say, a draft pick without his new team requiring a trade exception or an outgoing salary. That’s the case for a trade candidate like Bucks point guard Cameron Payne, who is on a one-year minimum deal.

This rule shouldn’t be a major impediment for any transactions this season, since many teams have trade exceptions available and those that don’t should have at least one expendable minimum salary player to send out for matching purposes.

Still, it’s worth keeping tabs on the minimum salary players like Tillman who fit this bill, since it could affect how certain deals are constructed at this season’s deadline.

Here’s the list of players earning the minimum salary who can’t be acquired using the minimum salary exception in 2023/24:

Atlanta Hawks

Boston Celtics

Charlotte Hornets

Cleveland Cavaliers

Dallas Mavericks

Denver Nuggets

Golden State Warriors

Los Angeles Clippers

Los Angeles Lakers

Memphis Grizzlies

Miami Heat

Milwaukee Bucks

Minnesota Timberwolves

New Orleans Pelicans

New York Knicks

Oklahoma City Thunder

Philadelphia 76ers

Phoenix Suns

Portland Trail Blazers

San Antonio Spurs

Utah Jazz

Washington Wizards

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Updated Maximum, Minimum, MLE, BAE Projections For 2024/25

February 3rd, 2024 at 2:02pm CST by Luke Adams

The NBA issued a new salary cap projection for the 2024/25 season on Tuesday, updating its estimate for next year’s cap to $141MM.

There are a number of salary figures directly connected to the cap, including the league-wide maximum and minimum salaries, the mid-level exception, and the bi-annual exception. Those figures increase or decrease each year by the same percentage the cap does.

The NBA’s new cap projection meant we had a series of ’24/25 projections of our own in need of updating. Here are the links to those updated numbers:

Maximum salary projections for 2024/25

These are the projected earnings for players who signed maximum salary extensions that will go into effect in 2024, including Tyrese Haliburton, Anthony Edwards, LaMelo Ball, Devin Booker, Karl-Anthony Towns, and Jaylen Brown.

Brown’s record-setting super-max extension with the Celtics is now projected to be worth $286,230,000 over five seasons.

Minimum salary projections for 2024/25

These are the minimum salaries that a player who signs a standard contract in 2024/25 will be eligible to earn. Next year’s rookie minimum is currently projected to be worth about $1.16MM, while the minimum salary for a veteran with at least 10 years of NBA experience will surpass $3.3MM.

Mid-level, bi-annual projections for 2024/25

These projections cover the various mid-level exceptions available to teams, including the full (non-taxpayer) mid-level exception, the taxpayer version of the MLE, and the “room” exception for teams that use cap space. A player who signs a four-year contract worth the full mid-level amount during the 2024 offseason would be in line to receive more than $55MM over the life of the deal.

The bi-annual exception is also included in these projections — it projects to be worth a record $4,681,000 in ’24/25.

These projections can be found anytime on the right-hand sidebar of our desktop site under “Hoops Rumors Features” or on the “Features” page in our mobile menu. They’ll be updated again later this season if the NBA issues another new cap projection.

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Community Shootaround: NBA All-Star Snubs

February 2nd, 2024 at 4:00pm CST by Luke Adams

The Kings currently hold a top-five seed in the Western Conference, with a pair of former All-Stars leading the way.

Center Domantas Sabonis has averaged 19.9 points, a league-leading 13.0 rebounds, and 8.0 assists in 46 games so far this season while shooting a career-best 61.6% from the floor. Point guard De’Aaron Fox is putting up career-best numbers in points per game (27.2) and three-point percentage (38.0%) while also averaging 5.5 assists, 4.1 rebounds, and 1.6 steals per night.

Neither player was part of the group of 2024’s Western All-Star reserves announced by the NBA on Thursday, however, which shocked head coach Mike Brown, according to Marc J. Spears of Andscape.

“It’s clear to anyone who watches the NBA and Kings basketball that De’Aaron and Domantas should have been selected for this year’s All-Star game,” Brown told Spears. “They are playing at an unbelievably elite level, Domantas establishing historic numbers with his double-doubles and De’Aaron setting a new career mark for three-point field goals. Every year, there are deserving players left off the team but, to me, this is truly a glaring wrongdoing.”

Sabonis and Fox were two of the most notable snubs in the Western Conference, but there’s no shortage of worthy candidates who missed the cut. Jazz forward Lauri Markkanen, Nuggets guard Jamal Murray, Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert, and Rockets center Alperen Sengun are among those who had strong cases for consideration.

Of course, naming the snubs is easier than naming the All-Stars who don’t deserve to be there. It’s a little odd that the .500 Lakers had two players make the game, but LeBron James was voted a starter and Anthony Davis is having a monster year. Karl-Anthony Towns‘ selection was a minor surprise, but the Timberwolves have the best record in the conference, which perhaps warrants more than one All-Star rep. The Warriors are the West’s 12th seed and Stephen Curry‘s shooting percentages are below his career rates, but…he’s still Stephen Curry.

Over in the East, the list of snubs isn’t as long or as egregious. You could make a case for Hawks guard Trae Young, Cavaliers center Jarrett Allen, Raptors forward Scottie Barnes, Heat swingman Jimmy Butler, Magic forward Franz Wagner, and a couple more Celtics (Kristaps Porzingis and Derrick White), but none of those omissions look especially glaring.

Of course, it looks like the NBA will need to name a couple injury replacements in the East, since both Joel Embiid and Julius Randle are currently sidelined. Since the East already has six guards on the roster, the league will likely stick to the frontcourt pool, which could open the door for two players from that group of Allen, Barnes, Butler, Wagner, and Porzingis.

With nearly two more weeks of games before the All-Star break, it’s possible an injury replacement or two will be necessary in the West as well, but that doesn’t appear to be the case for now. Sabonis would likely be first on the list of replacements if a frontcourt player misses the game, which would be a major financial boon for the Kings big man — his contract includes a $1.3MM bonus if he makes the All-Star team.

We want to know what you think. Were there any players that absolutely deserved to be All-Stars who didn’t make the cut? If so, who should they replace? And which two players in the East should be chosen as injury replacements for Embiid and Randle (assuming both are unavailable)?

Head to the comment section below to share your two cents!

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Cash Sent, Received In NBA Trades For 2023/24

January 28th, 2024 at 2:51pm CST by Luke Adams

During each NBA league year, teams face limits on the amount of cash they can send out and receive in trades. Once they reach those limits, they’re no longer permitted to include cash in a deal until the following league year.

For the 2023/24 NBA season, the limit is $7,005,000. If a team is including cash in a deal, the minimum amount required is $110,000.

The limits on sending and receiving cash are separate and aren’t dependent on one another, so if a team sends out $7,005,000 in one trade, then receives $7,005,000 in another, they aren’t back to square one — they’ve reached both limits for the season and can’t make another deal that includes cash.

Adding cash to a deal can serve multiple purposes. It can be a sweetener to encourage a team to make a deal in the first place – like when a club acquires a second-round pick in exchange for cash, or sends out an unwanted contract along with cash – or it can be a necessity to meet CBA requirements.

For instance, when the Thunder agreed to acquire Victor Oladipo and a pair of second-round picks from the Heat last summer, Miami essentially just wanted to clear some salary and Oklahoma City just wanted those draft assets. But the Heat had to receive something in the deal, so the Thunder sent $110K, the minimum amount that can change hands in any trade involving cash.

We’ll use the space below to track each team’s cash sent and received in trades for the 2023/24 season, updating the info as necessary leading up to the 2024 trade deadline and for the first part of the 2024 offseason next June. These totals will reset once the ’24/25 league year begins on July 1.

Note: Data from ESPN’s Bobby Marks and Eric Pincus of Sports Business Classroom was used in the creation of this post.

Atlanta Hawks

  • Cash available to send: $7,005,000
    • Sent unknown amount to Heat.
  • Cash available to receive: $5,905,000
    • Received $1,100,000 from Thunder.

Boston Celtics

  • Cash available to send: $4,005,000
  • Cash available to receive: $7,005,000

Brooklyn Nets

  • Cash available to send: $7,005,000
  • Cash available to receive: $6,895,000

Charlotte Hornets

  • Cash available to send: $7,005,000
  • Cash available to receive: $5,505,000
    • Received $1,500,000 from Thunder.

Chicago Bulls

  • Cash available to send: $7,005,000
  • Cash available to receive: $7,005,000

Cleveland Cavaliers

  • Cash available to send: $5,895,000
    • Sent $1,000,000 to Spurs.
    • Sent $110,000 to Jazz.
  • Cash available to receive: $7,005,000

Dallas Mavericks

  • Cash available to send: $6,895,000
  • Cash available to receive: $7,005,000

Denver Nuggets

  • Cash available to send: $7,005,000
  • Cash available to receive: $4,318,747

Detroit Pistons

  • Cash available to send: $6,128,905
    • Sent $110,000 to Nets.
    • Sent $766,095 to Jazz.
  • Cash available to receive: $2,370,078
    • Received $1,634,922 from Sixers.
    • Received $3,000,000 from Knicks.

Golden State Warriors

  • Cash available to send: $1,205,000
  • Cash available to receive: $7,005,000

Houston Rockets

  • Cash available to send: $7,005,000
  • Cash available to receive: $7,005,000

Indiana Pacers

  • Cash available to send: $6,895,000
  • Cash available to receive: $0

Los Angeles Clippers

  • Cash available to send: $0
  • Cash available to receive: $7,005,000

Los Angeles Lakers

  • Cash available to send: $7,005,000
  • Cash available to receive: $7,005,000

Memphis Grizzlies

  • Cash available to send: $7,005,000
  • Cash available to receive: $7,005,000

Miami Heat

  • Cash available to send: $7,005,000
  • Cash available to receive: $6,895,000
    • Received $110,000 to Thunder.
    • Received unknown amount from Hawks.

Milwaukee Bucks

  • Cash available to send: $7,005,000
    • Sent unknown amount to Kings.
  • Cash available to receive: $7,005,000

Minnesota Timberwolves

  • Cash available to send: $7,005,000
  • Cash available to receive: $7,005,000

New Orleans Pelicans

  • Cash available to send: $7,005,000
  • Cash available to receive: $6,895,000
    • Received $110,000 from Pacers.

New York Knicks

  • Cash available to send: $4,005,000
  • Cash available to receive: $5,505,000

Oklahoma City Thunder

  • Cash available to send: $3,795,000
  • Cash available to receive: $5,905,000

Orlando Magic

  • Cash available to send: $7,005,000
  • Cash available to receive: $7,005,000

Philadelphia 76ers

  • Cash available to send: $4,190,078
  • Cash available to receive: $5,005,000

Phoenix Suns

  • Cash available to send: $1,320,000
    • Sent $5,685,000 to Spurs.
  • Cash available to receive: $7,005,000

Portland Trail Blazers

  • Cash available to send: $7,005,000
  • Cash available to receive: $4,005,000
    • Received $3,000,000 from Celtics.
    • Received unknown amount from Thunder.

Sacramento Kings

  • Cash available to send: $7,005,000
  • Cash available to receive: $5,676,253

San Antonio Spurs

  • Cash available to send: $7,005,000
  • Cash available to receive: $320,000
    • Received $1,000,000 from Cavaliers.
    • Received $5,685,000 from Suns.
    • Received unknown amount from Sixers.

Toronto Raptors

  • Cash available to send: $7,005,000
  • Cash available to receive: $7,005,000

Utah Jazz

  • Cash available to send: $7,005,000
  • Cash available to receive: $6,128,905

Washington Wizards

  • Cash available to send: $7,005,000
  • Cash available to receive: $7,005,000
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Clarifying The NBA’s New Rule On Post-Buyout Signings

January 24th, 2024 at 2:04pm CST by Luke Adams

The NBA’s trade deadline is just 15 days away, which means we’re nearly in buyout season. Several veteran players on lottery-bound teams who are in the final year of their respective contracts will become candidates to be bought out if they’re not traded to a new team on or before February 8.

When the league and the players’ union finalized a new Collective Bargaining Agreement in 2023, they agreed to a new rule that affects the buyout market. This rule hasn’t been a factor yet this season, but it will likely be relevant in the coming weeks. And in the wake of the deal that sent Kyle Lowry to Charlotte, making him a buyout candidate, I’ve seen some confusion about how the rule works and which players are affected, so we’ll offer some clarity here.

First, here’s the new rule: A team whose salary is above either the first or second tax apron is not permitted to sign a free agent on the buyout market if his pre-waiver salary exceeded the non-taxpayer mid-level exception.

For the 2023/24 season, that means that any team whose taxable salary is above $172,346,000 is ineligible to sign a player who was cut this season if he was earning more than $12,405,000.

This applies to both buyouts and standard waivers, so regardless of whether or not the player agreed to give up any money as part of his release, he’s ineligible to sign with an apron team if he had been earning more than $12,405,000.

As Bobby Marks of ESPN noted earlier this week (via Twitter), these are the clubs whose team salaries are currently above the apron levels:

  • Boston Celtics
  • Denver Nuggets
  • Golden State Warriors
  • Los Angeles Clippers
  • Miami Heat
  • Milwaukee Bucks
  • Phoenix Suns

That means that a player like Lowry, whose $29.7MM salary far exceeds the mid-level exception, would currently be ineligible to sign with one of those seven teams if he’s bought out by the Hornets. However, that list of teams is subject to change as rosters changes and salaries fluctuate.

The Heat, for instance, reduced their payroll in the deal that sent out Lowry for Terry Rozier, whose cap charge is several million dollars smaller than Lowry’s. The Heat are currently above the first apron but well below the second, per Eric Pincus of Sports Business Classroom, so if they were to further trim their payroll, they could gain the ability to sign any player on the buyout market (well, with the exception of Lowry, due to a separate rule prohibiting a team from re-signing a player it traded if he’s waived by his new team).

Conversely, if a team like the Sixers, whose salary is currently less than $3MM shy of the first apron, took on several million dollars in salary in a deadline trade, they’d become ineligible to sign a player like Lowry in the buyout market.

A team can be above the luxury tax line but remain eligible to sign a player on the buyout market, since there’s a gap of approximately $7MM between the tax threshold ($165,294,000) and the first apron. The Lakers, for example, currently project to be a taxpayer, but they have enough room below the apron to ensure this restriction won’t apply to them.

In order to be eligible to sign a player who had been earning more than $12,405,000, the team must have a salary below the first apron upon the completion of the signing — that means a team whose salary is $1MM below the apron can’t offer a player a rest-of-season contract worth $1.2MM.

If a team were to sign a player like Lowry or Gordon Hayward (who is earning $31.5MM) on the buyout market, that club would subsequently be hard-capped at the first apron and would be prohibited from having its salary exceed $172,346,000 for the rest of the season.

Outside of Lowry, Hayward, and perhaps Knicks wing Evan Fournier, it doesn’t look like there will be many buyout candidates earning above the mid-level who would be particularly intriguing on the free agent market.

Players like Gary Harris, Marcus Morris, or Doug McDermott would certainly draw interest, but I don’t see them as viable candidates for buyouts unless they’re traded to a team that views them as a pure salary-matching chip. Guys like Davis Bertans and Joe Harris may appeal to a team in need of shooting, but they’ve barely played this season, so if they were bought out, the competition for their services may not be particularly fierce.

Still, even if this rule only affects a couple players this season, it’s worth keeping in mind. After all, several of the teams in that aforementioned group of seven are legitimate championship contenders. Those are the sorts of clubs that would benefit most from adding one more depth piece, so the fact that that they won’t have access to certain targets on the buyout market is noteworthy.

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Poll: NBA’s First Half Most Valuable Player

January 21st, 2024 at 11:03am CST by Luke Adams

Sixers star Joel Embiid sits atop the latest Most Valuable Player ladder published by Michael C. Wright at NBA.com. Embiid was also Dan Devine’s choice for first half MVP in a half-season awards roundup for Yahoo Sports this week.

There’s certainly no question that Embiid has submitted an MVP-caliber performance when he’s back on the court. He’s leading the NBA in scoring for a third straight season with a career-high 35.0 points per game to go along with 11.4 rebounds and a career-best 5.9 assists for the 28-13 Sixers. On Saturday, he scored 30 or more points for a 20th consecutive game, becoming only the third player in NBA history to achieve that feat (Twitter link).

But Embiid has also missed 10 of Philadelphia’s 41 games so far, putting him on track to sit out 20 for the season. Maintaining that pace would mean he’d fall short of the 65-game minimum required for end-of-season award winners, making him ineligible for this year’s MVP award, as we covered in detail yesterday.

Even if Embiid does reach that 65-game minimum, he may not be a runaway choice for MVP, given that several other NBA superstars are having transcendent seasons for contending teams.

Two-time MVP Nikola Jokic has been providing the defending champion Nuggets with his usual All-NBA caliber production, including 25.7 points, 11.9 rebounds, and 9.1 assists per night.

Jokic has also played in 42 of 43 possible games, logging 348 more minutes more than Embiid so far. That’s not an unimportant detail, given that the 29-14 Nuggets have a +11.0 net rating when their star center is on the court, compared to a -7.5 mark when he isn’t — Jokic’s ability to stay on the floor has been crucial to the team’s success.

The surprising Thunder are a half-game ahead of Denver in the standings at 29-13, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has been fueling that ascent by putting up career highs in points (31.1), assists (6.3), and steals (2.2) per game to go along with a 54.9% field goal percentage. Like Jokic, Gilgeous-Alexander has only missed one game this season and has led his club to a +11.0 net rating during his minutes.

Giannis Antetokounmpo‘s elite production has become routine by this point, but his incredible production – 31.2 PPG, 11.4 RPG, and 6.0 APG with a .609 FG% – shouldn’t be overlooked. The 29-13 Bucks have a -4.6 net rating when Antetokounmpo isn’t on the court; that mark increases to +7.3 when he’s playing.

Mavericks guard Luka Doncic has boosted his scoring average to a career-best 33.6 points per game this season while also contributing 9.2 assists and 8.3 rebounds, with a .485/.376/.778 shooting line. Dallas will likely have to improve its place in the standings to help earn Doncic a real shot at this season’s award though — currently the team sits in sixth place in the West with a 24-18 mark.

Conversely, while Celtics forward Jayson Tatum has certainly had an impressive statistical season so far (26.9 PPG, 8.4 RPG, 4.4 APG, .472/.367/.812 shooting), his numbers aren’t quite as gaudy as the ones posted by the players mentioned above. But his team has a 32-10 record, which is the best in the league. ESPN analyst Kendrick Perkins referred to Tatum on Friday as his pick for first half MVP (YouTube link).

Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton, Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard, and Kings center Domantas Sabonis are a few of the other players hovering on the fringes of the MVP race, but they’re dark-horse candidates for now.

We want to know what you think. If you were voting for an MVP based on the season to date, who would you pick? Is Embiid’s missed time a deciding factor for you or has he been valuable enough in his 31 games to earn the top spot on your ballot?

Vote below, then head to the comment section to share your two cents!

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