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Checking In On NBA’s Remaining Free Agents

July 11th, 2019 at 2:58pm CST by Luke Adams

We’re not even two full weeks into the NBA’s 2019 free agent period, but the list of noteworthy unsigned players has dwindled in a major way since the evening of June 30.

Two names on our list of the year’s 50 best free agents don’t have a formal agreement in place with teams, and that’s only because deals they initially agreed upon are now in jeopardy.

[RELATED: 2019 NBA Free Agent Tracker]

Marcus Morris, who initially appeared headed to San Antonio on a two-year contract, is now re-evaluating his options and is said to be mulling an offer from the Knicks. New York was able to gain the flexibility to make that offer to Morris because the team’s two-year deal with Reggie Bullock has to be re-worked due to an issue that arose during Bullock’s physical.

Besides Morris and Bullock, the rest of our top 50 free agents are off the board. So are most of the names we mentioned as “honorable mentions” on that list — swingman Justin Holiday and stretch four Trey Lyles are the only players in that group who have yet to secure deals.

Still, there are a handful of intriguing names out there for teams still scouring the open market for potential bargains. Here’s a quick look at some of those free agents:

Point guards:

In addition to veteran journeymen like Jose Calderon, Devin Harris, Raymond Felton, and Jeremy Lin, the list of remaining point guards includes former lottery picks such as Trey Burke and Cameron Payne, and young players like Frank Mason, Isaiah Briscoe, and Shaquille Harrison. Jerian Grant and Shelvin Mack are among the other free agents who saw regular minutes as backups last season.

The most appealing target on the point guard market may be one who is not technically a free agent yet — Shaun Livingston is expected to clear waivers on Friday.

Wings:

Bullock and Holiday are probably the most notable veterans in this group, but Kyle Korver isn’t far behind. At age 38, he doesn’t contribute much more than three-point shooting, but his outside stroke remains deadly.

Jamal Crawford, Ian Clark, David Nwaba, Iman Shumpert, Jonathon Simmons, Vince Carter, Lance Stephenson, and Thabo Sefolosha are among the other most wings available who could play rotation roles in 2019/20.

Stretch fours:

Lyles isn’t the only power forward with an outside shot who is still on the board. Ryan Anderson fits that bill, as do Jonas Jerebko and Dante Cunningham. Dragan Bender never developed into that sort of player, but he’s still just 22 years old and could be worth a flier.

Carmelo Anthony probably can’t realistically be considered a stretch four, but we’ll include him here — we haven’t heard much about potential landing spots for him this offseason though, outside of some speculation that he’ll become the Lakers’ 15th man.

Big men:

Teams in need of a veteran center still have a few options. Tyson Chandler is out there, as are Joakim Noah, Nene, Kosta Koufos, Amir Johnson, Zaza Pachulia, and Greg Monroe.

Pau Gasol is still recovering from a procedure on his foot, but he wants to keep playing and could be a worthwhile addition if he gets healthy.

Here are our full lists of remaining free agents by position/type and by team.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

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Poll: Early Western Conference Favorites

July 11th, 2019 at 12:43pm CST by Luke Adams

No team besides the Golden State Warriors has represented the Western Conference in the NBA Finals since 2014, but when the 2019/20 season begins, the Warriors almost certainly won’t be most fans’ pick to come out of the West again.

In the wake of their acquisitions of Kawhi Leonard and Paul George, the Clippers emerged as the betting favorites to win the conference – and the NBA championship – and it’s not hard to see why. George was one of the league’s best players in the regular season last season, while Leonard was the best postseason player. They join a 48-win team that’s bringing back many of its most important role players.

Still, the Clippers aren’t the overwhelming frontrunners. Leonard only played 60 games last season and battled a leg injury in the playoffs, while George underwent surgeries on both shoulders this spring and isn’t a lock to be ready for opening night. Plus, it’s not as if the Clips are bringing back all the key members of last year’s team — Danilo Gallinari and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had be to be dealt for George.

The Lakers are viewed as perhaps the most significant threat to the Clippers in the West, as they added a perennial MVP contender themselves by trading for Anthony Davis. He’ll join LeBron James and a collection of role players both new (Danny Green, Quinn Cook, Avery Bradley) and returning (Rajon Rondo, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, JaVale McGee). The Lakers also managed to hold Kyle Kuzma out of the Davis blockbuster and signed DeMarcus Cousins to a team-friendly deal in the hopes that he can recapture his All-Star form.

Outside of Los Angeles, there are a number of other clubs threatening to make a deep playoff run in the West. The Nuggets claimed the No. 2 seed last season and will bring all their primary contributors back, along with newly-acquired Jerami Grant, a versatile defender and someone who can make three-pointers on offense.

The Trail Blazers, who beat Denver to advance to the Western Finals this spring, underwent some changes this summer, with the likes of Al-Farouq Aminu, Maurice Harkless, Meyers Leonard, Evan Turner, Seth Curry, and Jake Layman being replaced by Hassan Whiteside, Kent Bazemore, Anthony Tolliver, Nassir Little, and Mario Hezonja. Most importantly though, the club’s stars – Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum – will be back.

The Rockets appeared on the verge of blowing things up after a disappointing second-round exit this spring, but they now seem prepared to bring back a strong group led by James Harden, Chris Paul, Clint Capela, P.J. Tucker, and Eric Gordon. During the past two seasons, no Western team came closer than Houston to knocking off the Warriors.

[UPDATE: The Rockets have agreed to acquire Russell Westbrook in a trade for Paul.]

Speaking of those Warriors, it’s definitely premature to write them off, as they still have a trio of All-Star caliber players in Stephen Curry, Draymond Green, and newly-acquired D’Angelo Russell. If Klay Thompson returns to full strength from his torn ACL down the stretch, no one will want to face Golden State in the postseason.

Finally, the Jazz had one of the most impressive offseasons of any NBA team, revamping their starting five by acquiring Mike Conley in a trade and then signing Bojan Bogdanovic in free agency to join Rudy Gobert, Donovan Mitchell, and Joe Ingles. While Utah will miss contributors like Derrick Favors and Jae Crowder, the team did well to add role players like Ed Davis, Jeff Green, and Emmanuel Mudiay on the cheap.

What do you think? Which of these Western teams is your early pick to make it to the Finals next spring? Or is there another team in the conference that you like even more?

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

Trade Rumors app users, click here to vote.

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Few NBA Teams Still Have Meaningful Cap Space

July 10th, 2019 at 10:38am CST by Luke Adams

After a flurry of activity during the first 10 days of an especially active 2019 free agent period, only a small handful of teams around the NBA still have any meaningful cap room available.

According to Jeff Siegel’s data at Early Bird Rights and Bobby Marks’ numbers at ESPN, the Knicks, Mavericks, Hawks, Pacers, and Clippers are the only clubs that project to have more than $2MM in leftover cap space.

Here’s a look at those five teams that still project to have a bit more room remaining:

New York Knicks

The Knicks had seemingly exhausted nearly all their cap room based on their reported agreements with free agents. However, one of those deals – Reggie Bullock‘s two-year, $21MM pact – is no longer in place after an issue arose with Bullock’s physical. It sounds like the two sides still plan to work something out, but for now, the team has regained enough flexibility to reportedly offer Marcus Morris $15MM for one year.

The Knicks’ precise cap room projection will depend on how they structured all the deals they finalized earlier this week, but Marks lists them at $15.5MM for now. That space would go away if Morris reneges on his deal with the Spurs and heads to New York. If not, the Knicks will have more cap flexibility than any other team, at least until they reach a new deal with Bullock.

Dallas Mavericks

According to Siegel’s numbers (and my own math), the Mavericks can get up as high as about $14.61MM in cap room. However, there’s no guarantee that Dallas even intends to function as an over-the-cap team this offseason.

So far, the Mavs have acquired Delon Wright via sign-and-trade, agreed to deals with free agents Seth Curry and Boban Marjanovic, and come to terms on new contracts for three of their own players (Kristaps Porzingis, Maxi Kleber, and Dorian Finney-Smith). Only the Wright acquisition is official.

If the Mavs wanted to, they could use cap room to acquire Wright and sign Curry, retain the cap holds for their own free agents, and hold off on the Marjanovic signing — that would create $14.61MM in cap room. Once that room is used, Dallas could go over the cap to lock up Porzingis, Kleber, and Finney-Smith, and then sign Boban using the room exception.

However, Dallas has another potential path — stay over the cap by taking Wright’s contract into a preexisting $21MM+ trade exception created in February’s Harrison Barnes deal, sign Curry using the mid-level exception, sign Marjanovic using the bi-annual exception, and re-sign their own free agents using their Bird or Early Bird rights.

In that scenario, the Mavs would forfeit any potential cap room, but would retain about $12MM of that Barnes trade exception, which could be used at anytime up until February 7, 2020.

Trade exceptions aren’t as versatile as cap room, since they can’t be used to sign free agents outright. However, the trade exception’s shelf life would be longer. If Dallas doesn’t find a way to use cap room now, the team would lose it once it makes its agreements with Porzingis, Kleber, and Finney-Smith official. Those players’ cap holds only account for just over $20MM for now, but their combined first-year salaries are expected to total closer to $40MM.

My best guess is that the Mavs used the Barnes trade exception to acquire Wright, and are now actively exploring the free agent and trade markets to assess whether it makes more sense to dip below the cap or to remain above it.

Atlanta Hawks

The Hawks‘ situation is pretty simple. Once the signing of Jabari Parker is official, Atlanta will have a team salary in the $103-104MM range, giving the club between $5-6MM in cap room to work with. That figure come in at about $5.8MM if Parker’s deal has a standard 5% raise from year one to year two, per Siegel.

The Hawks could create up to $7.2MM in space if they waive Jaylen Adams‘ non-guaranteed contract. It’s not clear yet what their plans are for that remaining space though.

Indiana Pacers

The Pacers‘ projection will hinge on how they intend to sign T.J. McConnell. McConnell’s two-year, $7MM deal, which isn’t yet official, could be completed using the room exception. That would leave the Pacers with about $4.82MM in cap room available right now, which would need to be used before the team finalizes its agreements with McConnell and Edmond Sumner.

If the club simply finalizes those McConnell and Sumner contracts and eats up its remaining cap room, it would still have the full $4.77MM room exception at its disposal.

Los Angeles Clippers

Like the Mavericks, the Clippers have agreed to a series of deals that they’ve yet to make official. That’s probably because they’re trying to determine if they can do anything with their remaining space (up to approximately $3.59MM).

That projection accounts for cap holds for Patrick Beverley, Ivica Zubac, and Rodney McGruder, all of whom will be re-signed. It also takes into account Kawhi Leonard‘s maximum-salary contract, and Danilo Gallinari‘s and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander‘s cap hits, since trading them for Paul George figures to be one of the last moves the Clippers make.

Our Clippers’ projection was at about $4.49MM before the team officially signed second-round pick Terance Mann on Tuesday, adding his cap hit to the books — we’re assuming that contract will start at the rookie minimum, but L.A. had the room to give him more.

Once the Clippers determine what they’ll do with their remaining cap space and officially use it up, they’ll be able to move forward on all those deals, including signing JaMychal Green using the room exception.

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Community Shootaround: Expansion

July 5th, 2019 at 9:21pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The NHL expanded into Las Vegas and the Golden Knights reached the Stanley Cup Finals during their inaugural 2017/18 season. The league will add a team in Seattle for the 2021/22 season.

Those two cities have also been prominently mentioned for NBA franchises. Despite the success of the Las Vegas Summer League and the feeling among many that Seattle didn’t deserve to lose the SuperSonics, there is no movement afoot regarding NBA expansion into those cities or anywhere else.

Commissioner Adam Silver said as much in Vegas on Thursday.

“There’s no doubt there are a number of cities in the United States that could host NBA basketball, but we analogize it to selling equity,” he said. “I think we would want to make sure at the time we expanded we felt it would help grow the entire league and not just support the NBA in that particular city.”

Since New Orleans got an NBA franchise in 2002, expansion has grinded to a halt. There are plenty of places that could support an NBA team, including cities that previously hosted a franchise, such as Kansas City, San Diego, St. Louis and Buffalo. Vancouver, former home of the Grizzlies, and Montreal would be worthy of consideration as well as other foreign cities such as Mexico City and London.

That leads us to our question of the day: When the NBA decides to expand again, which city is most worthy of a franchise?

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

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Hawks, Cavs, Nuggets Quiet So Far In Free Agency

July 5th, 2019 at 2:26pm CST by Luke Adams

As our 2019 NBA Free Agent Tracker shows, 27 of the league’s 30 teams have reached an agreement on a standard NBA contract with at least one player. Not every one of those clubs has made a huge splash, but they’ve been involved in free agency to some extent.

That leaves just three teams that have stayed out of the proceedings so far: Atlanta, Cleveland, and Denver. Two of those teams (the Hawks and Cavaliers) have at least signed an undrafted rookie to a two-way contract, but none have reached an agreement to add an NBA free agent on a standard deal.

The Hawks‘ inactivity on the free agent market so far is unsurprising. When he looked ahead to the free agent period more than two months ago, general manager Travis Schlenk predicted that the team would be patient, waiting to see which players slipped through the cracks after the first wave of signings.

Atlanta has used some its cap room to absorb salary (Allen Crabbe), but still has up to about $14MM in space available, per Jeff Siegel of Early Bird Rights. Given Schlenk’s fondness for taking on unwanted contracts, we’ll see if he goes that route to use the rest of the Hawks’ space, or if the team has its eye on any remaining free agents. For what it’s worth, the deal that will send Miles Plumlee and Solomon Hill to Memphs for Chandler Parsons will open up an extra roster spot for Atlanta.

As for the Cavaliers, their cap situation makes it difficult for them to be too aggressive in free agency. Even if they waive J.R. Smith‘s non-guaranteed contract, they’re still right up against the tax line. A couple years ago, that wouldn’t have stopped them from adding another free agent or two, but ownership won’t want to risk repeater-tax penalties for the current roster.

If the Cavs waive and stretch a veteran, their mid-level exception could be in play, but for now I don’t expect them to be throwing any money at free agents.

Finally, the Nuggets essentially made their big free agency move when they decided to exercise Paul Millsap‘s $30MM+ team option for 2019/20. Denver still has enough wiggle room below the luxury-tax line to use its mid-level exception, though Trey Lyles remains a wild card. Lyles is a restricted free agent with a $4.5MM qualifying offer, and the Nuggets may ultimately have to choose between retaining him and using their full mid-level, assuming they want to stay below the tax.

Still, the Nuggets should have enough room to add a lower-cost free agent or two if they want to. A Denver Post report last weekend suggested the team would be on the lookout for a combo guard, a wing defender, and/or another big man.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

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2019/20 NBA Two-Way Contract Tracker

July 5th, 2019 at 1:11pm CST by Luke Adams

One of the most notable additions to the NBA’s most recent Collective Bargaining Agreement, which went into effect at the start of the 2017/18 league year, is the two-way contract.

As we explain in depth in our FAQ, two-way contracts allow NBA teams to carry two extra players in addition to the 15 on their regular season roster. These players spend most of their time with the club’s G League affiliate, but are eligible to join the NBA roster for up to 45 days per season, and remain under team control — they can’t be poached by rival franchises.

Since the inception of the two-way deal, several two-way players have proven crucial to their respective teams’ success. Quinn Cook, Tyrone Wallace, Danuel House, Allonzo Trier, Gary Clark, and Edmond Sumner are among those who have parlayed two-way contracts into NBA deals over the last two years.

NBA teams have begun to fill in their two-way slots for the 2019/20 league year, so we’ll track all those deals in the space below. Some two-way players from 2018/19 inked two-year contracts and remain under contract for this season, while others have been newly signed.

If a signing hasn’t been officially announced as a two-way contract, but has been reported as such, we’ll make a note of that, and update the info as necessary. Players who are in the first year of two-way contracts that cover two years (the maximum length), will be noted with an asterisk once that info is confirmed.

This tracker will continue to be updated throughout the 2019/20 league year, and can be found anytime in the “Hoops Rumors Features” menu on the right-hand sidebar of our desktop site, or in the “Features” menu on our mobile site.

Here are 2019/20’s two-way players:

Updated 6-30-20

Atlanta Hawks

  1. Charlie Brown Jr., G/F
  2. Empty

Boston Celtics

  1. Tremont Waters, PG
  2. Tacko Fall, C

Brooklyn Nets

  1. Chris Chiozza, PG
  2. Jeremiah Martin, PG *

Charlotte Hornets

  1. Kobi Simmons, PG
  2. Ray Spalding, PF *

Chicago Bulls

  1. Adam Mokoka, SG
  2. Max Strus, SG

Cleveland Cavaliers

  1. Matt Mooney, G *
  2. Empty

Dallas Mavericks

  1. Antonius Cleveland, SG
  2. Josh Reaves, SG

Denver Nuggets

  1. Bol Bol, C *
  2. Tyler Cook, PF
    • Signed as substitute player for summer restart.

Detroit Pistons

  1. Louis King, SF
  2. Jordan Bone, PG

Golden State Warriors

  1. Empty
  2. Empty

Houston Rockets

  1. Michael Frazier, SG
  2. William Howard, G/F

Indiana Pacers

  1. Brian Bowen II, G/F
  2. Naz Mitrou-Long, SG

Los Angeles Clippers

  1. Amir Coffey, G/F *
  2. Johnathan Motley, F/C

Los Angeles Lakers

  1. Kostas Antetokounmpo, F
  2. Devontae Cacok, F/C *

Memphis Grizzlies

  1. Yuta Watanabe, G/F
  2. John Konchar, SG

Miami Heat

  1. Gabe Vincent, PG
  2. Kyle Alexander, PF

Milwaukee Bucks

  1. Cameron Reynolds, SG
  2. Frank Mason, PG

Minnesota Timberwolves

  1. Jordan McLaughlin, PG
  2. Kelan Martin, SF

New Orleans Pelicans

  1. Zylan Cheatham, F
  2. Josh Gray, PG

New York Knicks

  1. Kenny Wooten, PF *
  2. Jared Harper, PG

Oklahoma City Thunder

  1. Kevin Hervey, PF
  2. Devon Hall, SG
    • Signed as substitute player for summer restart.

Orlando Magic

  1. B.J. Johnson, G/F
  2. Vic Law, F

Philadelphia 76ers

  1. Marial Shayok, G/F *
  2. Ryan Broekhoff, G/F
    • Signed as substitute player for summer restart.

Phoenix Suns

  1. Tariq Owens, PF
  2. Empty

Portland Trail Blazers

  1. Jaylen Hoard, F
  2. Moses Brown, C

Sacramento Kings

  1. Kyle Guy, G *
  2. DaQuan Jeffries, G/F

San Antonio Spurs

  1. Drew Eubanks, F/C
  2. Quinndary Weatherspoon, SG

Toronto Raptors

  1. Oshae Brissett, F
  2. Paul Watson, SG *

Utah Jazz

  1. Jarrell Brantley, PF
  2. Justin Wright-Foreman, PG

Washington Wizards

  1. Garrison Mathews, SG
  2. Johnathan Williams, C
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Hoops Rumors’ 2019 NBA Free Agent Tracker

July 5th, 2019 at 12:15pm CST by Luke Adams

With free agency underway and news of contract agreements breaking all week, Hoops Rumors is here to help you keep track of which players are heading to which teams this July. To this end, we present our Free Agent Tracker, a feature we’ve had each year since our inception in 2012. Using our tracker, you can quickly look up deals, sorting by team, position, free agent type, and a handful of other variables.

A few notes on the tracker:

  • During the July moratorium (July 1-6), most of the information you’ll find in the tracker will reflect tentative agreements, rather than finalized deals. As signings become official, we’ll continue to update and modify the data as needed.
  • Similarly, contract years and dollars will be based on what’s been reported to date, so in many cases those amounts will be estimates and approximations rather than official figures. Salaries aren’t necessarily fully guaranteed either.
  • A restricted free agent who signs an offer sheet won’t be included in the tracker right away. We’ll wait to hear whether the player’s original team will match or pass on that offer sheet before we update our tracker in order to avoid confusion.
  • If you’re viewing the tracker on our mobile site, be sure to turn your phone sideways to see more details.

Our 2019 Free Agent Tracker can be found anytime on the right sidebar of our desktop site under “Hoops Rumors Features,” and it’s also under the “Tools” menu atop the site. On our mobile site, it can be found in our menu under “Free Agent Lists.”

The tracker will be updated throughout the offseason, so be sure to check back for the latest info. If you have any corrections, please let us know right here.

Our lists of free agents by position/type and by team break down the players who have yet to reach contract agreements.

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Poll: Which Team Will Kawhi Leonard Choose?

July 5th, 2019 at 8:46am CST by Luke Adams

While every other top-15 player in our list of 2019’s best free agents came off the board on June 30, Kawhi Leonard took his time, lining up meetings and considering all his options. Five days later, he’s still weighing his decision.

For much of the season, the Clippers were considered Leonard’s most likely destination by league insiders. The team repeatedly sent executives to Raptors games, cleared its cap to make a run at Leonard (and another star), and gained a reputation as an increasingly stable, well-run organization.

However, after striking out on other top free agents this summer, the Clippers no longer look like a clear-cut favorite for Leonard, as they face intense competition for the two-time Defensive Player of the Year from two other clubs.

One of those clubs wasn’t a destination that was on Leonard’s wish list when he asked out of San Antonio last summer. However, the Raptors built a relationship with the star forward over the course of the most successful season in team history, helping him stay healthy and surrounding him with the talent necessary to win a championship.

The trust that Leonard established with his teammates, the front office, the coaches, and the training staff in Toronto could be an important factor as he weighs his decision, and no star has ever left in free agency immediately after winning a title. Still, rumors persist that the Southern California native wants to return home to Los Angeles, which was his reported desire when his trade request first surfaced in 2018.

That alleged desire to move to Los Angeles helped fuel the Clippers rumors, but it also makes the Lakers a very viable landing spot for the Finals MVP. Having secured a deal for Anthony Davis and nearly carved out enough cap room for a maximum-salary slot, the Lakers can sell Leonard on an AD-LeBron James-Kawhi “Big Three” that would immediately make the franchise the overwhelming frontrunner for the 2020 title.

There has been increasing chatter over the last week or two that the Lakers are a strong contender for Leonard, with Cris Carter of Fox Sports 1 suggesting this morning on First Things First (video link) that he views the Lakers as the best fit for Kawhi.

Carter has a long-standing relationship with the San Diego State alum and his reps, so it’s possible his opinion is being influenced by what he has heard from Leonard’s camp. However, as of late, the rumor mill has pointed as much toward a Raptors return as a move to the Lakers.

In other words, no one really knows anything. But for what it’s worth, Carter believes an announcement from Leonard’s camp will come today. I probably wouldn’t recommend betting the house on that, but with the process apparently nearing an end, we want to get your predictions on Leonard’s decision.

Will Kawhi be a Clipper, Raptor, or Laker in 2019/20?

Vote in our poll below, then to the comment section to explain your thinking.

Trade Rumors app users, click here to vote.

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Community Shootaround: Team-Friendly Free Agent Deals

July 4th, 2019 at 6:39pm CST by Austin Kent

It’s the fourth full day of NBA free agency and we’ve finally topped the 100 transaction mark so far this offseason. That means now is as good a time to pore through the deals that have been reported thus far and start analyzing which ones we think may prove to be the biggest bargains.

For a complete list of all the transactions I’m talking about, check out the Hoops Rumors 2019 Free Agent Tracker.

Below are a few of the bargain deals that stand out to me. I encourage you to pore through the complete list on your own and get back to us with the contracts that you think will most favor the NBA teams that inked them.

Young Bigs That Minnesota Bought Low On

MIN – Jordan Bell (1 year, $1.6MM)

MIN – Noah Vonleh (1 year, $2.0MM)

It’s safe to say that there’s a reason Bell didn’t step into significant minutes with the Warriors at any point over the course of the past few seasons. Perhaps he didn’t see eye-to-eye with the coaching staff. In any event, the Wolves will now give the 24-year-old a fresh start in a low pressure environment and perhaps the stark contrast between sunny, 60-win seasons in California and dreary, Minnesota winter slogs to the 35-win plateau will serve as a wake-up call for the talented center.

Vonleh may not have worn out his welcome with any of the teams that he’s played for, but that could be because he hasn’t stuck around long enough with any of them to do it. Vonleh had the dubious distinction of being a raw talent coming out of the draft. That, coupled with his low draft age led to high expectations. Well, we’re four years into Vonleh’s career now and while he hasn’t evolved into much more than a high energy rebound guy, he’s a pretty darn good one. Vonleh has played for four teams in five seasons and is still only 23-years-old.

Guys Who Fill The Stat Sheet When The Stars Align

WAS – Thomas Bryant (3 years, $25MM)

SAC – Richaun Holmes (2 years, $9.8MM)

Bryant didn’t end up sticking with the Lakers team that drafted him but caught on in an infinitely better environment. The 21-year-old’s low-post potential has been evident since his days as a Hoosier but he’s the type of prospect that a team would have to be in an awfully grim position to fully audition in live game action. Enter, the Washington Wizards. The Wiz were so shallow at the five last year that Bryant got the call and immediately developed chemistry with club star Bradley Beal. Don’t get me wrong, I know the NBA isn’t trending in Bryant’s favor, but he averaged 19.9 points and 11.2 rebounds in games where he saw north of 30 minutes and he showed up for the team in crunch time. The fact that Washington will lock him down with an average annual value of $8.3MM is a win. He doesn’t even have to keep the starting spot to outperform that.

The Sacramento Kings suddenly have one of the league’s most interesting frontcourts. That’s mostly due to the two sophomores they’ll return in 2019/20, but also because of the addition of chronically underrated center Dewayne Dedmon and the mysterious, springy 25-year-old Holmes, whom they just poached from the Phoenix Suns. Sacramento’s bigs may not be the best in the league, but if Holmes’ is the fourth-best on the roster, then that’s some solid depth. Holmes will make less than $5MM this year to, for the first time in his career, show what he’s capable of on a team that isn’t just spinning its tires. #ThingsYouNeverThoughtYouWouldSayAboutTheKings

Former All-Stars That Maybe, Just Maybe, Have More In The Tank

DET – Derrick Rose (2 years, $15MM)

WAS – Isaiah Thomas (1 year, $2.3MM)

Rose enjoyed an almost inconceivable comeback season in 2018/19, highlighted by a 54-point performance that will go down as one of the most memorable moments of his already dramatic career. Rose’s ridiculous early season production petered off slightly when the Wolves introduced new head coach Ryan Saunders and his fancy rational rotations but we saw enough throughout the year to know that the former MVP was capable of actually contributing at an elite level again. Rose was thrown into the deep end after six seasons of uncertainty and/or chaos. He’ll provide a badly needed offensive punch for a Detroit Pistons team that isn’t afraid to go all out for a semblance of respectability.

Thomas is two years removed from an All-NBA Second Team performance. While we all should have known that 2017/18 was going to be a wash once details of his hip injury came to light, he didn’t have much more of a chance to prove himself in 2018/19 either. The Nuggets saw years of careful drafting and asset accumulation finally start to pay off last year and rode that to their best finished in a decade, there was no room for trotting out Thomas and hoping for the best. Perhaps IT can benefit from a comeback season on the Wizards like Rose enjoyed in 2018/19. The fact that we’re even considering that as a possibility makes his one-year minimum a bargain.

One-Dimensional Bigs That Earned The Room Exception

UTA – Ed Davis (2 years, $9.8MM)

BOS – Enes Kanter (2 years, $9.8MM)

Despite the ancient proverb that board men get paid, that wasn’t the case for Davis, an all around positive force on a 2018/19 Brooklyn Nets team that cleared house to bring in a pair of superstar free agents this week. Davis was reluctantly abandoned by the Trail Blazers last summer too, and will now ply his trade for yet another franchise that’s serious about being taken seriously. Davis just needs 20 minutes of action to pull down 10-12 rebounds a night. He’ll settle in just fine on a Utah Jazz squad that’s betting big on depth.

I am convinced that Kanter was overrated for so long that he became underrated. While anything Kanter does on the offensive end will ultimately be judged by his performance on the other side of the ball, that doesn’t mean he can’t still be utilized effectively on a winning ball club. Kanter averaged 11.4 points and 9.7 rebounds per game for the Blazers in the 2019 postseason. They made it to the Western Conference Finals. Complemented by returning big man Daniel Theis, whose expertise skews toward defense, and you’ve got a very interesting, very affordable committee at the five.

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NBA Maximum Salary Projections For 2020/21

July 4th, 2019 at 12:02pm CST by Luke Adams

Note: This post was updated in February 2020 to reflect the NBA’s latest cap projection for 2020/21.

One of the most lucrative new deals agreed up on this week was a five-year, maximum-salary contract extension for Nuggets guard Jamal Murray. Ben Simmons is expected to soon finalize a similar extension with the Sixers. Those deals were reported as having total values of $170MM apiece, but that number is just an estimate for now.

Because Murray’s new contract won’t go into effect until the 2020/21 season and the NBA won’t finalize the ’20/21 salary cap until the start of next year’s free agency, we can only ballpark what maximum-salary contracts will look like based on the NBA’s latest cap projections.

When the NBA confirmed its salary cap data for the 2019/20 season on June 29, the league also updated its cap estimates for the following two years. The current projection for the 2020/21 cap is $117MM, though that number could fluctuate over the course of the next 12 months or so.

[UPDATE: It has fluctuated multiple times since then — a September projection put the 2020/21 estimate at $116MM, while a January update moved it to $115MM]

For now, we’re basing our maximum-salary estimates on the presumed $115MM cap figure. Listed below are the early maximum-salary projections for 2020/21, based on a $115MM cap. The first chart shows the maximum salaries for a player re-signing with his own team — a player’s previous club can offer five years instead of four, and 8% annual raises instead of 5% raises. The second chart shows the maximum salaries for a player signing with a new team.

A player’s maximum salary is generally determined by his years of NBA experience, so there’s a wide gap between potential earnings for younger and older players. Unless they qualify for a more lucrative extension by meeting certain performance criteria, players with no more than six years of NBA experience are limited to a starting salary worth up to 25% of the cap. For players with seven to nine years of experience, that number is 30%. For players with 10 or more years of experience, it’s 35%.

Here are the the early max-salary projections for 2020/21:

A player re-signing with his own team (8% annual raises, up to five years):

Year 6 years or less 7-9 years 10+ years
2020/21 $28,750,000 $34,500,000 $40,250,000
2021/22 $31,050,000 $37,260,000 $43,470,000
2022/23 $33,350,000 $40,020,000 $46,690,000
2023/24 $35,650,000 $42,780,000 $49,910,000
2024/25 $37,950,000 $45,540,000 $53,130,000
Total $166,750,000 $200,100,000 $233,450,000

The “6 years or less” column here is what Murray’s and Simmons’ new extensions would look like, assuming those deals don’t meet certain Rose Rule triggers.

The second column reflects what a player like Anthony Davis could get if he re-signs with his own team as a free agent next summer.

The third column applies not just to players with 10+ years of experience, but also to players who meet the Designated Veteran Extension criteria (Davis would have been eligible for that amount if he had signed an extension with the Pelicans).

A player signing with a new team (5% annual raises, up to four years):

Year 6 years or less 7-9 years 10+ years
2020/21 $28,750,000 $34,500,000 $40,250,000
2021/22 $30,187,500 $36,225,000 $42,262,500
2022/23 $31,625,000 $37,950,000 $44,275,000
2023/24 $33,062,500 $39,675,000 $46,287,500
Total $123,625,000 $148,350,000 $173,075,000

If a player changes teams as a free agent, he doesn’t have access to a fifth year or 8% raises. So if Murray had opted to sign an offer sheet next summer, he would have been limited to a four-year deal projected to be worth just shy of $124MM.

If Davis or another veteran with between seven and nine years of NBA experience wants to change teams in 2019, he would be limited to a contract worth less than $150MM.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

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