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Financial Impact Of Leonard/DeRozan Blockbuster

July 18th, 2018 at 3:54pm CST by Luke Adams

The blockbuster trade completed today by the Spurs and Raptors involving Kawhi Leonard and DeMar DeRozan will, of course, have massive on-court ramifications for both teams. However, it’s also worth taking a closer look at the deal from a financial perspective to see exactly how it worked, how it will impact the players involved, and how it will affect the Spurs’ and Raptors’ short- and long-term cap outlook.

Let’s dive right in and examine the financial implications of today’s mega-deal…

No more Designated Veteran Extension for Kawhi

By earning a spot on the All-NBA First Team in two of the last three seasons, Leonard became eligible for a super-max contract known as a Designated Veteran Extension. Generally, players with Leonard’s years of NBA experience are only eligible for maximum-salary contracts worth up to 30% of the cap, but Kawhi’s All-NBA nods qualified him for a deal starting at up to 35% of the cap in 2019/20.

As we outlined on Tuesday, a five-year Designated Veteran Extension starting in ’19/20 is currently worth a projected $221MM+ based on the NBA’s latest cap projections. However, since a player can only get that form of contract extension from the team that signed him to his initial rookie scale extension, Leonard will no longer qualify. Instead, he’ll be eligible next summer for a five-year deal with the Raptors worth a projected $189.66MM, or a four-year contract with another team worth a projected $140.6MM.

While many observers will say that Leonard “lost” $30MM+ (or $80MM) due to today’s trade, that’s not necessarily accurate. There’s no guarantee that San Antonio would have put that Designated Veteran Extension offer on the table for Kawhi as he came off an injury-plagued season, so it’s not as if he formally turned down $221MM+. Depending on how his 2018/19 season plays out, there’s also no guarantee he’ll be in line for a max deal next offseason — a lot can change in a year.

Still, Leonard’s maximum possible earnings for the next several years have a lower ceiling as a result of today’s trade.

Leonard gets a trade bonus

It wasn’t all bad news for Leonard, who lost access to that super-max extension and will move to Canada from Texas, a state with no income tax. His contract included a 15% trade kicker, so he’ll receive a modest bonus as a result of today’s trade.

Because player-option years aren’t taken into account when calculating trade bonuses, Leonard’s 15% trade kicker will only apply to his $20,099,189 salary for 2018/19. His 15% bonus will be worth $3,014,878, increasing his ’18/19 earnings to $23,114,067.

How salary-matching worked in the trade

Due to the size of the contracts changing hands in this deal, both the Raptors and Spurs were permitted to take back up to 125% (plus $100K) of their outgoing salaries. This was slightly complicated by the fact that Leonard counted for $20,099,189 (no trade kicker) from the Spurs’ perspective and $23,114,067 (15% trade kicker) from the Raptors’ perspective.

For the Spurs, simply sending out Leonard wasn’t enough to take back DeRozan ($27,739,975), let alone Jakob Poeltl ($2,947,320). San Antonio had to include more salary in the swap, which was one reason why Danny Green ($10,000,000) was part of the deal. Combining Leonard’s and Green’s cap hits, San Antonio was eligible to absorb up to about $37.72MM. DeRozan and Poeltl comfortably fit within that threshold.

For the Raptors, simply sending out DeRozan’s $27,739,975 salary allowed them to take back up to about $34.77MM. That was more than enough to absorb both Leonard and Green, even after taking into account Kawhi’s trade kicker.

Since Poeltl wasn’t needed for salary-matching purposes, the Raptors will create a traded player exception worth his $2,947,320 salary. It’s the only TPE generated in the deal, and Toronto will have until July 18, 2019 to use it.

Impact on 2018/19 cap outlook

In an unusual development, both the Spurs’ and Raptors’ team salaries will actually increase as a result of this deal due to Leonard’s trade kicker. That’s not a big deal for San Antonio, whose team salary will only increase very marginally — the Spurs are still well below the luxury-tax threshold.

For the Raptors though, the modest increase in 2018/19 salary will have an impact. By my count, the club now has about $138.99MM committed to 13 players. That would result in a total tax bill of about $29.59MM, and that number will increase when Toronto fills out its roster with a 14th player.

A cost-cutting move is a possibility for the Raptors. C.J. Miles ($8,333,333) and Norman Powell ($9,367,200) became more expendable today with Leonard and Green joining the small forward mix, so perhaps Toronto will explore moving one of them. For now though, this projects to be one of the league’s most expensive rosters.

Impact on 2019/20 and beyond

While the Raptors added a little salary for 2018/19, they cleared their cap for future seasons in today’s deal. DeRozan remains under contract for $27,739,975 in 2019/20, with a player option worth the same amount in 2020/21, while Poeltl has a ’19/20 team option worth $3,754,886. Conversely, Leonard and Green are on expiring contracts.

Prior to today’s trade, the Raptors had $113.27MM in projected guaranteed money on their cap for 2019/20, with player options for Miles and Jonas Valanciunas bringing that number up to $139.62MM. In other words, the team was a strong bet to remain in the tax again next season.

By removing $31.49MM from that total in today’s deal, the Raps no longer project to be a tax team in 2019/20. They probably won’t have cap room, which would be a problem if Leonard walks. But the club would be loaded with expiring contracts in that scenario — by 2020/21, only Powell ($10,865,952) and OG Anunoby ($3,872,215) remain on the books, creating a ton of flexibility for Toronto to go in any number of directions a couple years from now if the Leonard experiment doesn’t work.

As for the Spurs, they’ve significantly reduced their potential cap flexibility for next summer, with their projected guarantees increasing from about $59.16MM to $90.65MM, by my count. That total doesn’t include Marco Belinelli‘s player option or Bryn Forbes‘ salary, since the exact details of those newly-signed contracts aren’t yet known. With a cap of $109MM projected for 2019/20, the Spurs may not end up having any real space available.

The Spurs’ 2020/21 outlook might not be impacted by the deal, since DeRozan and Poeltl can both reach free agency that year. However, if DeRozan exercises his $27,739,975 player option and the Spurs look to lock up Poeltl beyond his rookie deal, those deals would once again eat into the club’s projected space.

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

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Checking In On 2018’s Unsigned Draft Picks

July 17th, 2018 at 2:45pm CST by Luke Adams

The 2018 NBA draft took place less than a month ago, but over three quarters over the players selected on the night of June 22 have already signed their first NBA contracts. That includes each of the 30 players picked in the first round, all of whom are now under contract.

The following players have not yet signed contracts with their new NBA teams:

  1. Detroit Pistons: Khyri Thomas, SG (Creighton)
  2. Orlando Magic: Justin Jackson, F (Maryland)
  3. Washington Wizards: Issuf Sanon, G (Olimpija Ljubljana)
  4. Oklahoma City Thunder: Hamidou Diallo, SG (Kentucky)
  5. Houston Rockets: De’Anthony Melton, G (USC)
  6. San Antonio Spurs: Chimezie Metu, F/C (USC)
  7. New Orleans Pelicans: Tony Carr, PG (Penn State)
  8. Oklahoma City Thunder: Devon Hall, SG (Virginia)
  9. Philadelphia 76ers: Shake Milton, G (SMU)
  10. Charlotte Hornets: Arnoldas Kulboka, SF (Capo D’Orlando)
  11. Dallas Mavericks: Ray Spalding, PF (Louisville)
  12. Oklahoma City Thunder: Kevin Hervey, SF (Texas-Arlington)
  13. Denver Nuggets: Thomas Welsh, C (UCLA)

Sanon, Carr, and Kulboka will reportedly spend the 2018/19 season overseas, so we can safely remove their names from this list — they won’t be signing NBA contracts this offseason. Welsh, meanwhile, has reportedly agreed to terms on a two-way contract with Denver, though it’s not yet official.

That leaves just nine players from 2018’s draft class who we should still expect to sign at some point. Of those nine players, the higher picks such as Thomas (Pistons), Jackson (Magic), Diallo (Thunder), and Melton (Rockets) are good bets to sign multiyear NBA contracts. Even though some of those teams have luxury-tax concerns, they’ll have to fill out their rosters somehow, and a rookie contract at or near the minimum is the best way to avoid significantly increasing their potential tax penalties.

The players selected in the 50s may be candidates for two-way deals. A year ago, no player selected between Nos. 49-60 received a standard NBA contract, with all of those players signing two-way contracts, agreeing to straight G League contracts, or heading overseas to join an international team.

[RELATED: 2018/19 NBA Two-Way Contract Tracker]

As such, players like Hall (Thunder), Milton (Sixers), Spalding (Mavericks), and Hervey (Thunder) should be considered two-way options. For now though, Dallas doesn’t have a two-way slot open, and Oklahoma City only has one, so it remains to be seen what the future holds for these late second-rounders. We should find out in the coming weeks.

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NBA Maximum Salary Projections For 2019/20

July 17th, 2018 at 8:40am CST by Luke Adams

Earlier this year, Devin Booker signed a new five-year, maximum-salary contract extension with the Suns. That deal was reported as a $158MM agreement, but that number is just an estimate for now.

Because Booker’s new contract won’t go into effect until the 2019/20 season and the NBA won’t finalize the ’19/20 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 2018/19 season on June 30, the league also updated its cap projections for the following two years. The league’s current projection for the 2019/20 cap is $109MM, though that number could fluctuate over the course of the next 11 months or so.

For now, we’re basing our maximum-salary estimates on that presumed $109MM cap figure. Listed below are the early maximum-salary projections for 2019/20, based on a $109MM 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 2019/20:

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
2019/20 $27,250,000 $32,700,000 $38,150,000
2020/21 $29,430,000 $35,316,000 $41,202,000
2021/22 $31,610,000 $37,932,000 $44,254,000
2022/23 $33,790,000 $40,548,000 $47,306,000
2023/24 $35,970,000 $43,164,000 $50,358,000
Total $158,050,000 $189,660,000 $221,270,000

The “6 years or less” column here is what Booker’s new extension would look like. The second column reflects what players like Jimmy Butler, Klay Thompson, and Kyrie Irving could get if they re-sign with their own teams as free agents 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, which Kawhi Leonard did before he was traded.

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

Year 6 years or less 7-9 years 10+ years
2019/20 $27,250,000 $32,700,000 $38,150,000
2020/21 $28,612,500 $34,335,000 $40,057,500
2021/22 $29,975,000 $35,970,000 $41,965,000
2022/23 $31,337,500 $37,605,000 $43,872,500
Total $117,175,000 $140,610,000 $164,045,000

If a player changes teams as a free agent, he doesn’t have access to a fifth year or 8% raises. So if Booker had opted to sign an offer sheet next summer, he would have been limited to a deal projected to be worth about $117MM. If Butler, Irving, Thompson, Leonard, and other veterans with between seven and nine years of NBA experience want to change teams in 2019, they’ll be limited to contracts in the $140MM range.

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Weekly Mailbag: 7/9/18 – 7/15/18

July 15th, 2018 at 4:53pm CST by Arthur Hill

We have an opportunity for you to hit us up with your questions in this, our weekly mailbag feature. Have a question regarding player movement, the salary cap or the NBA draft? Drop us a line at HoopsRumorsMailbag@Gmail.com.

Do you think Trae Young will become another Stephen Curry based on their skills? -Greg Dizon

Curry has three championship rings and two MVP awards, so that’s a lot to ask from anyone. The important thing for Young is that the Hawks be patient and not expect him to become a dominant scorer right away. Young obviously patterns his game after Curry, but he’ll need time to adjust to the NBA. College teams were able to figure out how to neutralize him over the second half of the season, and NBA opponents will borrow from those tactics. Curry averaged 17.5 PPG during his rookie season and didn’t become a 20-point scorer until his fourth season in the league. That’s probably a realistic expectation for Young.

What’s the likelihood Jahlil Okafor gets another shot in the league? — Dennis McDaniels, via Twitter

At age 22, Okafor is too young and too skilled to be washed up. He fell completely out of favor in Philadelphia and didn’t produce much in 26 games with Brooklyn, but he’ll definitely get another chance. Okafor’s low-post scoring skills have been devalued as the league puts a greater emphasis on floor spacing and outside shooting, and the concerns about his defense and lateral quickness have been justified. Still, he remains a legitimate weapon on offense if he’s willing to accept a reduced role and goes to a team that knows how to maximize his strengths. It may not happen until much later this summer, but Okafor will get a camp invitation from somebody.

Do you think the Clippers will re-sign Montrezl Harrell? I hope they re-sign Tyrone Wallace as well. — Richard Garcia

Harrell has fallen into the same trap as most restricted free agents. Teams don’t want to tie up their resources early in free agency while waiting for the incumbent franchise to match, then eventually the money dries up and there aren’t many clubs that can afford to make a significant offer to someone like Harrell. His first year with the Clippers was very productive, averaging 11.0 PPG and 4.0 RPG, and his role should expand with DeAndre Jordan now in Dallas. Expect L.A. to re-sign him, probably at a bargain price. Wallace is also restricted and will be much cheaper after playing on a two-way contract last season. If he receives an offer sheet, it shouldn’t cost much for the Clippers to match.

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Community Shootaround: Jabari Parker In Chicago

July 14th, 2018 at 9:59pm CST by Arthur Hill

Whether Jabari Parker becomes a star or a bust, he’s not going to do it in Milwaukee. The 23-year-old forward, who seemed like a vital part of the Bucks’ future when they made him the second player taken in the 2014 draft, is headed to their division rivals in Chicago.

Two ACL injuries prevented Parker from reaching his full potential in Milwaukee. The first came during his rookie season and limited him to 25 games. The second, in January of 2017, cost him a significant part of two seasons. Parker was showing signs of stardom before that injury struck, posting a 20.1/6.2/2.8 line through 51 games.

Despite his medical history, the Bulls were willing to gamble on Parker’s talent, giving him $40MM over two years to make a fresh start in Chicago. The organization limited its risk by guaranteeing only the first season, with a team option on the second.

If Parker’s health holds up, it could be a major win for the maligned front office duo of John Paxson and Gar Forman. Parker would be a valuable piece alongside Zach LaVine, Lauri Markkanen, Kris Dunn and Wendell Carter Jr., giving the Bulls one of the best collections of young talent in the East.

Chicago has only been out of the playoffs for one year, but Paxson and owner Jerry Reinsdorf quickly grew frustrated with the rebuilding process, according to Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times. They wanted a shortcut to become a contender again, and Parker may able to provide that.

We want to get your predictions on the move. Will Parker be able to revive his career in Chicago and turn the Bulls into a winner again, or is this a reckless gamble on a player whose knees will always be a concern? Please leave your responses in the space below.

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Hoops Rumors’ 2018 NBA Free Agent Tracker

July 13th, 2018 at 4:00pm CST by Luke Adams

We’re nearly two weeks into 2018’s free agent period and with news of contract agreements and signings continuing to break, 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:

  • Some 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 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 2018 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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Cap Impact Of Thursday’s Trades For Nets, Hawks, Nuggets

July 13th, 2018 at 8:39am CST by Luke Adams

After a relatively quiet day in terms of NBA transactions on Thursday, a flurry of agreements were reached in the evening. The Nuggets‘ free agent deal with veteran guard Isaiah Thomas kicked off a series of moves that saw Denver agree to send Kenneth Faried and Darrell Arthur to Brooklyn, with the Nets flip Jeremy Lin to the Hawks in order to create the cap room necessary to absorb the Nuggets’ unwanted contracts.

As we detailed on Thursday, the Hawks and Nets were two of the only teams with any cap room still available. The Nuggets, meanwhile, entered Thursday with one of the NBA’s highest projected payrolls, and were looking for a way to get out of luxury-tax territory. The 2018/19 cap outlooks for all three teams were altered significantly by last night’s trade agreements.

With the help of salary data from Basketball Insiders and information from cap experts Bobby Marks and Albert Nahmad, here’s a breakdown of how each team involved in last night’s action will be impacted from a cap – and tax – perspective:

Atlanta Hawks

There are a few factors to consider when determining exactly how much cap room the Hawks still have available. For one, we’re still not sure whether or not Lin is waiving his trade kicker as part of his move to Atlanta. If he doesn’t waive that trade kicker – and he’d have no real reason to – his bonus will increase his cap hit from $12.5MM to $13.75MM, cutting into the Hawks’ cap space.

Atlanta also still has Jaylen Morris and Antonius Cleveland under contract. Both players are on modest non-guaranteed salaries worth $1.38MM apiece.

If we assume that Lin’s trade kicker will increase his cap hit and Morris and Cleveland remain on the Hawks’ roster, the team projects to have about $7.7MM in cap space remaining. However, that number would increase to nearly $10.5MM without Morris and Cleveland.

Brooklyn Nets

Most of the Nets‘ leftover cap room will be eaten up by Faried’s and Arthur’s salaries. After Brooklyn completes its reported deal with second-round pick Rodions Kurucs, the team will have less than $3MM in cap space available.

The Nets still haven’t finalized their contract agreements with Joe Harris and Ed Davis, since it makes sense to use up all their cap room before they use their Early Bird rights to go over the cap for Harris and sign Davis with the room exception.

If Brooklyn determines that it will have no use for its remaining $2-3MM in cap space, the club could complete those signings after officially locking up Kurucs. However, GM Sean Marks figures to explore all options with that leftover cap room before going over the cap by signing Harris and Davis.

Denver Nuggets

There are plenty of moving parts in play for the Nuggets, who still have to finalize Thomas’ signing and waive Isaiah Whitehead, whose non-guaranteed contract will be acquired in the trade with the Nets. We also don’t have final, official figures for new contracts for Nikola Jokic, Will Barton, and Jarred Vanderbilt.

Based on what we know though, it appears the Nuggets will have a team salary of about $115MM after waiving Whitehead and signing Thomas, putting the team approximately $8.7MM below the tax line.

As Nahmad observes (via Twitter), Denver has a few unlikely incentives to consider for Jokic, Paul Millsap, and Gary Harris. The 2018/19 cap hits for those players would increase if they earn their incentives, so the Nuggets will want to leave a little breathing room to account for that. Still, the team has flexibility to use its full mid-level exception.

So far, the Nuggets have used a reported $2.84MM of their mid-level to sign Torrey Craig and Vanderbilt, which would leave about $5.8MM of the $8.64MM exception available. Denver could also technically use its $3.382MM bi-annual exception, though the team would become hard-capped if it uses any of its BAE or uses more than the taxpayer portion ($5.337MM) of the mid-level.

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NBA Teams With 2018/19 Cap Room Remaining

July 12th, 2018 at 4:00pm CST by Luke Adams

Last Wednesday, we noted that only three NBA teams still had significant cap room available. Depending on your definition of “significant,” that’s still the case. One of those three teams – the Kings – made a player for another’s restricted free agent, but the Bulls matched Sacramento’s offer sheet for Zach LaVine and still have plenty of flexibility themselves.

While the Kings, Bulls, and Hawks are still the only teams that can create more than $15MM in cap space without trading any players or waiving and stretching any guaranteed salaries, a number of other clubs technically still have cap room available too.

Using our own data and salary information from Basketball Insiders, our current cap room estimates – as of July 12 – are below. If you have any questions or notice any errors, please let us know in the comment section.

Here’s a breakdown:

Atlanta Hawks

  • Current space: $17.9MM
  • Space if they waive non-guaranteed salaries and renounce UFAs: $23.91MM
  • The Hawks have had a quiet offseason so far, but could clear the most cap room if any team if they renounce Malcolm Delaney and waive the non-guaranteed contracts of Jaylen Morris and Antonius Cleveland.

Sacramento Kings

  • Current space: $19.53MM
  • The Kings already renounced their free agents and waived Nigel Hayes‘ non-guaranteed salary in order to help accommodate LaVine’s offer sheet. With LaVine’s offer matched by the Bulls, Sacramento will have to find another use for its space.

Chicago Bulls

  • Current space: None
  • Space if they waive non-guaranteed salaries and renounce UFAs: $18.94MM
  • The Bulls continue to technically operate as an over-the-cap team since they haven’t renounced their trade, mid-level, and bi-annual exceptions, or Noah Vonleh‘s $10MM+ cap hold. Once they decide they want to use their cap room, they could clear up to almost $19MM without withdrawing David Nwaba‘s qualifying offer.

Brooklyn Nets

  • Current space: $9.97MM
  • Space if they waive non-guaranteed salaries and renounce UFAs: $12.17MM
  • The Nets aren’t about to waive Spencer Dinwiddie‘s non-guaranteed salary, but cutting Isaiah Whitehead and renouncing Quincy Acy would create a little extra space if they need it. Once the Nets use their cap room or decide they don’t need it, they’ll finalize deals for Joe Harris (Early Bird rights) and Ed Davis (room exception).

Dallas Mavericks

  • Current space: $5MM
  • Space if they waive non-guaranteed salaries: $5.54MM
  • It’s not clear if Dorian Finney-Smith‘s salary is still non-guaranteed — he had a reported July 5 salary guarantee deadline, but there has been no confirmation that that date wasn’t pushed back. If Finney-Smith doesn’t have his full guarantee yet, the Mavericks could get to $6MM+ in space. The team figures to use either its cap room or its room exception to re-sign Dirk Nowitzki.

Philadelphia 76ers

  • Current space: $1.69MM
  • Space if they waive non-guaranteed salaries: $4.89MM
  • Getting up to $4.89MM in room would mean waiving T.J. McConnell and Richaun Holmes, which is probably unlikely. Still, the Sixers could use that $1.69MM in room to sign a player like Jonah Bolden to a long-term deal if they so choose. They’ll eventually finalize Nemanja Bjelica‘s deal using their room exception.

Phoenix Suns

  • Current space: $1.18MM
  • Space if they waive non-guaranteed salaries: $3.25MM
  • The Suns could create a little extra flexibility by waiving Shaquille Harrison and Davon Reed, but the team may not need that remaining room either way.

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

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Community Shootaround: Available Restricted Free Agents

July 12th, 2018 at 12:31pm CST by Luke Adams

NBA restricted free agency can be a double-edged sword — this summer, for instance, it has been beneficial for players like Aaron Gordon, Zach LaVine, and Dante Exum, who have each signed player-friendly deals that don’t look much different than contracts they might have earned as unrestricted free agents.

For other players though, the lack of leverage in restricted free agency creates tough decisions. Those players may have to choose between settling for a multi-year offer lower than what they believe they’re worth, or signing their one-year qualifying offer in the hopes of securing a better offer as an unrestricted free agent in 2019.

Clint Capela (Rockets), Marcus Smart (Celtics), Jabari Parker (Bucks), and Rodney Hood (Cavaliers) are among the big-name restricted free agents still on the board, with Montrezl Harrell (Clippers), Yogi Ferrell (Mavericks), David Nwaba (Bulls), and Patrick McCaw (Warriors) also still unsigned.

There’s a sense that if any one of those players signed an offer sheet within reason, his current team would match it. But those clubs may not be eager to negotiate directly and risk bidding against themselves — they’d rather let the market set the price for those restricted free agents. But with only a small handful of teams still able to offer more than the mid-level exception to free agents, the market simply hasn’t developed for some of these players.

While things may look bleak for a few restricted free agents on July 12, we expect all of them to be back under contract by October 12. So we want to know how you think some of these contract situations will be resolved.

Will the Rockets, Celtics, Bucks, or Cavaliers negotiate long-term deals with their restricted free agents? Will any of the teams with substantial cap room – the Hawks, Kings, Bulls, and Nets – make a play for one of the available RFAs?

Will anyone sign his qualifying offer with an eye toward unrestricted free agency in 2019? Do you foresee any major negotiating missteps for any of this year’s RFAs, like Nerlens Noel turning down a $70MM offer in 2017?

Jump into the comment section below to weigh on 2018’s remaining RFAs!

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Friday Is Deadline For Teams To Unilaterally Withdraw QOs

July 12th, 2018 at 9:37am CST by Luke Adams

July 13 represents a minor deadline for NBA free agency. It’s the last day that an NBA team can unilaterally withdraw a qualifying offer from a restricted free agent, making him an unrestricted free agent.

If a team decides to leave its qualifying offer on the table through this Friday, that club won’t be able to rescind the offer later without the player’s consent. From July 14 until October 1, a player with a qualifying offer still on the table would be able to accept that one-year offer at any time.

After October 1, the qualifying offer would no longer be an option for a restricted free agents — RFAs would still be restricted after that date, but they’d no longer have the one-year QO to fall back on.

This set of rules and deadlines applies to players who received two-way qualifying offers in addition to bigger-name players like Marcus Smart, Clint Capela, and Jabari Parker, who were tendered standard qualifying offers. We’ve seen two-way players like Derrick Walton (Heat) and JaKarr Sampson (Kings) have their QOs rescinded within the last week, making them unrestricted free agents.

It’s possible that a couple more RFAs will have their qualifying offers withdrawn today or tomorrow. Last year on July 13, for instance, the Spurs made the surprise decision to withdraw Jonathon Simmons‘ QO.

Here are the restricted free agents who still have qualifying offers on the table:

Players on NBA contracts:

Players on two-way contracts:

Note: Qualifying offers for two-way players are one-year, two-way contracts with a $50K guarantee.

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