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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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Minimum Game Requirement For Awards Looms Large For Super-Max Candidates

January 20th, 2024 at 3:55pm CST by Luke Adams

As we detailed back in September, there are several players around the NBA who would benefit financially from making an All-NBA team or winning a Most Valuable Player of Defensive Player of the Year award in 2023/24.

Heat big man Bam Adebayo, Kings guard De’Aaron Fox, Pelicans forward Brandon Ingram, Nuggets guard Jamal Murray are among the players who would become eligible to sign a super-max (Designated Veteran) contract during the 2024 offseason by earning one of those honors this season.

Mavericks guard Luka Doncic and Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander could ensure they become eligible to sign a super-max extension in 2025 by making this year’s All-NBA team. Grizzlies big man Jaren Jackson Jr. could do the same by winning a second consecutive Defensive Player of the Year award.

Additionally, Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards, Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton, and Hornets guard LaMelo Ball signed maximum-salary rookie scale extensions that will be worth 30% of next season’s salary cap (instead of 25%) if they make an All-NBA team this spring. These “Rose Rule” contracts are essentially “mini” super-max deals.

Not all of those 10 players look like legitimate All-NBA, MVP, or DPOY candidates this season, but many of them will be in the mix. However, as Tim Bontemps and Bobby Marks write at ESPN.com, the newly implemented 65-game minimum requirement for award winners looms large for this group.

Without appearing in 65 games (including at least 63 of 20-plus minutes and two of 15-plus minutes), these players will be ineligible to earn an All-NBA spot, and without that end-of-season honor, they won’t be in position to receive a higher maximum salary.

According to Bontemps and Marks, a player who misses more than 17 of his team’s games, falling short of appearing in the required 65, can technically still qualify for award recognition, but only in very specific scenarios:

  1. If the player appeared in at least 62 games (and 85% of his team’s games to that point) and then suffers a season-ending injury.
  2. If the player files a grievance and presents “clear and convincing evidence” that his team limited his games or his minutes with the intention of depriving him of award eligibility.

While there’s also a clause for “extraordinary circumstances,” the NBA and NBPA don’t expect that clause to apply to injury absences, since it would essentially defeat the purpose of the rule, per ESPN’s duo.

Of the 10 players mentioned above, one is already ineligible for a major end-of-season award — Ball has appeared in just 19 of the Hornets’ first 39 games due to an ankle injury, so even if he doesn’t miss a game for the rest of the season, he’ll max out at 62 appearances. Given Charlotte’s spot in the standings, Ball would have been an All-NBA long shot anyway, but he has been playing at a very high level when he’s been healthy.

The 65-game mark remains within reach for the rest of this group, though some players can’t really afford any sort of extended absence. Adebayo, for instance, has missed 10 of Miami’s 42 games so far and only logged 12 minutes in an 11th, which means it won’t count toward his 65. Seven more missed games would cost him his award eligibility.

Murray is in a similar spot — he has missed 14 of Denver’s 43 games and played just 10 minutes in a 15th, so three more missed games would make him ineligible for award consideration.

Doncic has missed seven games for the Mavericks, while Fox has missed six for the Kings, so they’re on pace to play in enough games, but if either player turns an ankle or tweaks a hamstring and is forced to the sidelines for a couple weeks, he’d be in trouble.

It looked like that might happen with Haliburton, who sat out just three of the Pacers’ first 36 games, then strained his hamstring earlier this month. He was expected to be unavailable for at least a couple weeks, but returned to action on Friday night, ahead of schedule, after missing just five contests.

Haliburton is a legitimate All-NBA candidate and would be in line for a projected $41MM pay increase across his five-year extension if he earns one of those 15 spots. Were those financial considerations a factor in his early return to action? Would he still have been inactive on Friday if that 65-game minimum weren’t in play?

It’s hard to imagine the Pacers allowing their franchise player to risk potential re-injury by coming back too early, but Haliburton certainly has a ton of motivation to play in every game he can this year.

As Howard Beck of The Ringer writes, that 65-game minimum will be a fascinating subplot to follow in the second half of the season. Although we’ve focused here on players whose future earnings could be directly tied to whether or not they claim an end-of-season award, there are many other potential All-NBA candidates who may fall short of 65 games, changing the equation for voters.

Joel Embiid, Jimmy Butler, Kyrie Irving, Donovan Mitchell, Devin Booker, Zion Williamson, and Lauri Markkanen are among the stars who have been out for eight or more games so far this season, Beck observes. Kevin Durant has missed seven.

The 65-game minimum isn’t necessary to earn votes for Sixth Man of the Year, Rookie of the Year, or an All-Rookie spot, but the other major awards require at least 65 appearances.

In 2023, five of the 15 players who made an All-NBA team appeared in fewer than 65 games, but that won’t be the case in 2024. The players who have the most riding on All-NBA honors from a financial perspective may be the ones most motivated to stay on the court, but as Adebayo points out, you “can’t stop injuries from happening.”

“God forbid nobody gets hurt, but you can’t [prevent] injury,” he said, per Bontemps and Marks. “I think it’s crazy that we even have the rule. It’s one of those things where you just accept the rule. … I guess use your 17 games as wisely as possible.”

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Seventeen More Players Become Trade-Eligible

January 15th, 2024 at 7:02am CST by Luke Adams

Today is Monday, January 15, which means that a total of 17 players who signed free agent contracts meeting specific criteria this past offseason are now eligible to be traded.

Most offseason signees became trade-eligible on December 15, but players who met the following criteria were ineligible to be moved for an extra month:

  1. The player re-signed with his previous team.
  2. He got a raise of at least 20%.
  3. His salary is worth more than the minimum.
  4. His team was over the cap and used Bird or Early Bird rights to sign him.

The following players met that criteria and are eligible to be traded as of Monday:

(* Players marked with an asterisk have the ability to veto trades.)

Most of the players on NBA rosters are now eligible to be moved, though a small handful still can’t be dealt. That group includes Heat guard Dru Smith, who becomes trade-eligible on Monday, Hornets guard Ish Smith (trade-eligible on January 24), Lakers star Anthony Davis (trade-eligible on February 6), and Pistons forward Kevin Knox (trade-eligible on Feb. 8).

There are also several players who won’t become trade-eligible prior to this season’s February 8 deadline, including stars like Giannis Antetokounmpo, Kawhi Leonard, and Jaylen Brown. Players on 10-day contracts are also ineligible to be dealt.

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Community Shootaround: Two-Day Draft

January 14th, 2024 at 8:21pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The NBA has tinkered with the draft lottery in recent years, mainly to discourage tanking.

The draft itself has gone relatively untouched for decades. The NBA switched to a two-round format in 1989 with all the picks being made in one frenzied night.

The second round often runs past midnight Eastern time and by then, most NBA fans have already tuned out and turned in for the night.

With a nod toward the NFL, which stretches its draft across three days, the NBA is expected to change to a two-night format. The Players Association still must sign off on the proposal, but that seems likely.

Front office executives should benefit from the alteration. There is usually a flurry of activity in the second round and now the deal-makers will have more time to map out their strategies and ponder what moves they need to make. They’ll also have more time to decide which undrafted prospects they might look to add to their summer league teams and training camp rosters.

It’s unknown whether more time will be allotted between first-round picks but at least it should end at a more reasonable hour. The change could be nerve-wracking for prospects who are borderline first-round picks and second-rounders, since they might have to go through an extra night of suspense to find out if their names are called.

Considering most of the suspense of the NBA draft comes during the lottery, it’s also fair to wonder whether holding the second round on the following night will draw much of a TV audience.

That brings us to our topic of the day: What do you think of the NBA possibly switching to a two-night format for the annual draft?

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

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Community Shootaround: Charlotte Hornets

January 13th, 2024 at 4:31pm CST by Rory Maher

After going 27-55 last season, which was the fourth-worst record in the NBA, the Hornets entered 2023/24 with aspirations of reaching the playoffs, or at least the play-in tournament. Instead, they’ve been even worse — Charlotte currently holds an 8-28 record.

Certainly, injuries have played a role in the poor results. The Hornets were just 3-17 without LaMelo Ball, who recently returned from an ankle sprain. Second-year center Mark Williams has missed the past 16 games with a back injury, and they’ve gone 1-15 in that span. Williams has no timetable for a return.

Cody Martin has missed most of the season with a knee injury. Frank Ntilikina has yet to play (he’s close to making his season debut). Gordon Hayward (left calf strain) is out. Terry Rozier, Brandon Miller and P.J. Washington have missed time. You get the point.

Still, with a new ownership group and another disappointing season, it’s been a little surprising that we haven’t heard more noise about Charlotte looking to shake things up in some capacity, whether it be the front office, coaching staff or trades (or all of the above). For what it’s worth, general manager Mitch Kupchak and head coach Steve Clifford are reportedly in the final guaranteed years of their respective contracts.

Speaking with Kevin Gray of 97.1 The Freak, Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports said Hayward’s expiring $31.5MM contract is “absolutely for the taking,” though rival teams also wonder if the veteran forward will be a buyout candidate if Charlotte can’t find a suitable trade (Twitter link via The Trade Deadline).

Unless they’re willing to take on unwanted long-term salary, it’s hard to envision the Hornets receiving much in return for Hayward due to his large salary, impending free agency, age (34 in March) and lengthy injury history. He’s been fairly productive this season when he plays, but not compared to his cap hit.

Other veterans — like Rozier and Washington — would have more value. Rozier has put up career highs in multiple categories this season and is on a reasonable contract. It’s unclear what type of market value Miles Bridges would have due to his legal issues and impending free agency, plus he also has the ability to veto trades after signing his one-year qualifying offer.

It’s clear the Hornets should be open to a lot of different scenarios to improve their roster. They haven’t made the playoffs for seven straight seasons and appear headed for an eighth.

We want to know what you think. What would you do if you were running the Hornets? Which players would you keep, and who would you be trying to acquire? Head to the comments to share your thoughts.

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