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Three Teams Still Have Significant 2018 Cap Room

July 4th, 2018 at 9:32am CST by Luke Adams

We knew coming into the 2018 NBA free agent period that there may not be enough cap room to go around for all the players who hoped to sign lucrative new deals. Now, on the fourth day of the new league year, that’s more true than ever.

Teams like the Lakers, Sixers, Pacers, Nets, Mavericks, and Suns have devoted most or all of their projected cap room to free agent commitments or agreed-upon trades. While many of those clubs could theoretically open up more space with certain moves, they currently don’t project to have a ton of room available once they complete their reported deals.

The early activity from those clubs leaves just three teams with substantial projected cap room for 2018/19. These teams will be worth watching closely in the coming days – and perhaps weeks – to see how they intend to use their remaining cap room.

Will any of them make a run at one of the many intriguing restricted free agents still on the board, such as Clint Capela, Jabari Parker, Zach LaVine, Marcus Smart, or Jusuf Nurkic? Will they want to collect assets by taking on another team’s unwanted contracts, with into-the-tax clubs like the Thunder, Nuggets, and Raptors perhaps looking to cut costs? Their cap room will give these three teams some leverage no matter what path they choose.

Here’s a breakdown of the three clubs in question:

Atlanta Hawks

It’s been a quiet July so far for the Hawks, who signed their three first-round picks and inked Jaylen Adams to a two-way contract, but have otherwise stayed out of the fray. That’s no surprise, as GM Travis Schlenk said last week that the team expected to take a wait-and-see approach to free agency.

Currently, the Hawks have about $22.1MM in available cap room. They could increase that number to approximately $24.8MM by cutting Jaylen Morris and Antonius Cleveland, who are on modest non-guaranteed deals.

The Hawks are the midst of a rebuilding process and will be very patient as they put together their roster. That could mean wanting to use their cap room to take on a bad contract or two, adding more picks to their cache of draft assets. However, if they think the time is right to make a swing for a young restricted free agent who could be a cornerstone piece, they’re in position to do so. One weekend report linked them to LaVine.

Chicago Bulls

Speaking of LaVine, the Bulls‘ projected cap room will be impacted by what happens with the RFA guard. With or without him though, Chicago will have plenty of flexibility.

Currently, with cap holds for LaVine and fellow RFA David Nwaba on their books, along with non-guaranteed contracts for Sean Kilpatrick and Paul Zipser, the Bulls project to have approximately $22.6MM in cap space. The team could increase that number to $26.2MM by releasing Kilpatrick and Zipser. Waiving those players and renouncing their two RFAs would get the Bulls up to about $37.5MM, though that scenario is unlikely.

If the Bulls decide to use their space to pursue an outside RFA target, Chicago native Jabari Parker could be an option.

Sacramento Kings

The Kings have been linked to both LaVine and Parker during the free agent process, but may no longer be eyeing Parker.

Assuming they renounce the cap holds for free agents Vince Carter and Bruno Caboclo, the Kings will have about $18.2MM in cap room. Waiving Nigel Hayes, who has a non-guaranteed contract, would bump that number up to approximately $19.5MM.

If they plan to keep Hayes, the Kings are already 14 players on their roster, so it could make sense for them to use their remaining cap room in one fell swoop if there’s an opportunity they like.

Other teams that could create flexibility

While there are a number of teams that could theoretically clear cap room if they’re willing to waive or trade players on guaranteed contracts, there are a couple clubs whose path to space is quicker and easier than most.

The Nets are one such team. Once they complete their acquisition of Dwight Howard, the Nets project to have approximately $6.6MM in space. That doesn’t include Ed Davis‘ new $4.4MM deal, since Brooklyn figures to complete that signing using the room exception. It also include Joe Harris‘ modest $1.5MM cap hold rather than his new $8MM-ish salary, since the Nets will likely use all their cap room before going over the cap to re-sign Harris.

With a buyout agreement in place for Howard, the Nets are in position to increase their cap room. While it’s not clear how much Howard will give up in his agreement with Brooklyn, let’s say he gives back $5.337MM, the amount he’s reportedly receiving on his new deal with the Wizards. In that scenario, the Nets could add that amount to their $6.6MM in space, getting up to approximately $12MM.

The Lakers are another team to watch. Based on their roster moves to date, they project to have approximately $5.7MM in space. While it looks like they’ll avoid taking on multiyear deals, preferring to preserve cap flexibility for 2019, they could create significant flexibility right away if they’re willing to waive and stretch Luol Deng. Doing so would increase their cap room to about $15.5MM.

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

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NBA 2018 Free Agency: July 3 Recap

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

The NBA’s free agent list continued to shrink on Tuesday, as several more intriguing names came off the board. We also got our first trade agreement of July, with the Nuggets and Sixers reaching an agreement on a deal.

Listed below are July 2’s notable contract and trade agreements. For the most part, these deals aren’t yet official, so the reported terms could change — or agreements could fall through altogether. Generally speaking though, teams and players are on track to finalize these deals sometime after the July moratorium ends on Friday.

Be sure to use our 2018 NBA Free Agent Tracker to keep tabs on all of this summer’s contract agreements. Our lists of free agents by position/type and by team show which players are still available.

Previously:

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Poll: Where Will Kawhi Leonard End Up?

July 3rd, 2018 at 2:02pm CST by Luke Adams

There have been plenty of huge NBA headlines during the first few days of July, with LeBron James agreeing to become a Laker, Paul George deciding not to become a Laker, and DeMarcus Cousins lining up a deal with the defending-champion Warriors, among others.

However, for the most part, all has been quiet on the Kawhi Leonard front.

After Leonard’s camp made a public trade request earlier in mid-June, the Spurs forward seemed likely to dominate the offseason rumor mill, but for now, the primary suitors for the two-time Defensive Player of the Year may be playing it safe.

As Jordan Schultz of Yahoo Sports tweets, the Celtics and Sixers appear to be “playing the long game” on the Leonard front, not wanting to do anything rash with their rosters in great shape and LeBron finally out of their conference.

As for James’ new team in Los Angeles, the Lakers‘ other deals this offseason have suggested the club is retaining flexibility for the 2019 offseason, leaving the door open for Leonard to sign as a free agent and for the Lakers to keep all their young players and picks.

While the Lakers – wary of being too patient after what happened with George – may increase their efforts to land Leonard in a trade at some point, they “aren’t keen” on giving up Brandon Ingram, tweets Schultz. Meanwhile, the Celtics won’t give up Jayson Tatum and aren’t enthusiastic about moving Jaylen Brown, and the Sixers prefer to keep Markelle Fultz, Schultz adds.

While Schultz believes Leonard – who is unhappy in San Antonio and reportedly wants to play in Los Angeles – will be dealt eventually, he’s not sure where the star forward will end up. So we’re opening up that question to you.

What team to do you expect Leonard to be with to start the 2018/19 season? Will he get his wish to join the Lakers? Can the Spurs convince him to stick around a little longer? Will a budding Eastern powerhouse like the Celtics or Sixers go all-in for him? Could L.A.’s other team, the Clippers make a surprise play to land him? Or will a wild-card suitor enter the fray and steal him away?

Vote below in our poll and jump into the comment section to share your thoughts!

Trade Rumors app users, click here to vote.

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Rookie Scale Salaries For 2018 First Round Picks

July 3rd, 2018 at 12:36pm CST by Luke Adams

With the NBA’s salary cap set at $101,869,000 for the 2018/19 league year, the rookie scale has been set as well. The rookie scale locks in the value of contracts for first-round picks.

In every NBA league year, rookie scale amounts are assigned to each first-round slot, from No. 1 through No. 30. Teams can sign their first-rounders to as little as 80% of that rookie scale amount, or up to 120% of that figure. While that rule theoretically affords teams some flexibility, first-round picks virtually always sign contracts worth 120% of their rookie scale amount, and unsigned first-rounders have a cap hold worth 120% of their rookie scale amount.

Listed below, via Coon and RealGM, are the salary figures that represent 120% of the rookie scale amounts for 2018 first-round picks. Players will sign for these amounts unless they accept a deal worth less than the maximum allowable 120%. Rookie scale contracts are guaranteed for the first two years, with team options on the third and fourth years.

Here’s the 2018 breakdown:

Pick Player 2018/19 2019/20 2020/21 2021/22 Total
1 Deandre Ayton $8,165,160 $9,562,920 $10,018,200 $12,632,950 $40,379,230
2 Marvin Bagley $7,305,600 $8,556,120 $8,963,640 $11,312,114 $36,137,474
3 Luka Doncic $6,560,640 $7,683,360 $8,049,360 $10,174,391 $32,467,751
4 Jaren Jackson $5,915,040 $6,927,480 $7,257,360 $9,180,560 $29,280,440
5 Trae Young $5,356,440 $6,273,000 $6,571,800 $8,326,471 $26,527,711
6 Mo Bamba $4,865,040 $5,697,600 $5,969,040 $7,568,742 $24,100,422
7 Wendell Carter $4,441,200 $5,201,400 $5,448,840 $6,920,027 $22,011,467
8 Collin Sexton $4,068,600 $4,764,960 $4,991,880 $6,349,671 $20,175,111
9 Kevin Knox $3,739,920 $4,380,120 $4,588,680 $5,845,978 $18,554,698
10 Mikal Bridges $3,552,960 $4,161,000 $4,359,000 $5,557,725 $17,630,685
11 Shai Gilgeous-Alexander $3,375,360 $3,952,920 $4,141,320 $5,495,532 $16,965,132
12 Miles Bridges $3,206,640 $3,755,400 $3,934,320 $5,421,493 $16,317,853
13 Jerome Robinson $3,046,200 $3,567,720 $3,737,520 $5,340,916 $15,692,356
14 Michael Porter $2,894,160 $3,389,400 $3,550,800 $5,258,735 $15,093,095
15 Troy Brown $2,749,080 $3,219,480 $3,372,840 $5,170,564 $14,511,964
16 Zhaire Smith $2,611,800 $3,058,800 $3,204,600 $4,915,856 $13,791,056
17 Donte DiVincenzo $2,481,000 $2,905,800 $3,044,160 $4,675,830 $13,106,790
18 Lonnie Walker $2,357,160 $2,760,480 $2,892,000 $4,447,896 $12,457,536
19 Kevin Huerter $2,250,960 $2,636,280 $2,761,920 $4,253,357 $11,902,517
20 Josh Okogie $2,160,720 $2,530,680 $2,651,040 $4,087,904 $11,430,344
21 Grayson Allen $2,074,320 $2,429,400 $2,545,320 $4,054,695 $11,103,735
22 Chandler Hutchison $1,991,520 $2,332,320 $2,443,440 $4,019,459 $10,786,739
23 Aaron Holiday $1,911,960 $2,239,200 $2,345,640 $3,980,551 $10,477,351
24 Anfernee Simons $1,835,520 $2,149,560 $2,252,040 $3,938,818 $10,175,938
25 Moritz Wagner $1,762,080 $2,063,520 $2,161,920 $3,893,618 $9,881,138
26 Landry Shamet $1,703,640 $1,995,120 $2,090,040 $3,768,342 $9,557,142
27 Robert Williams $1,654,440 $1,937,520 $2,029,920 $3,661,976 $9,283,856
28 Jacob Evans $1,644,240 $1,925,880 $2,017,320 $3,641,263 $9,228,703
29 Dzanan Musa $1,632,240 $1,911,600 $2,002,800 $3,615,054 $9,161,694
30 Omari Spellman $1,620,480 $1,897,800 $1,988,280 $3,588,845 $9,095,405
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NBA 2018 Free Agency: July 2 Recap

July 2nd, 2018 at 11:30pm CST by Luke Adams

While the second day of the 2018 NBA free agent period didn’t feature as many contract agreements as day one, we still got a handful of major news items, plus one genuine jaw-dropper when DeMarcus Cousins decided on his new team.

Listed below are July 2’s notable NBA contract agreements. For the most part, these deals aren’t yet official, so the reported terms could change — or agreements could fall through altogether. Generally speaking though, teams and players are on track to finalize these deals sometime after the July moratorium ends on Friday.

Here’s our breakdown of July 2’s notable NBA contract agreements:

Be sure to use our 2018 NBA Free Agent Tracker to keep tabs on all of this summer’s contract agreements. Our lists of free agents by position/type and by team show which players are still available.

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30 Of Hoops Rumors’ Top 50 FAs Still Available

July 2nd, 2018 at 9:46am CST by Luke Adams

Over 30 NBA contract agreements were completed during the first day of 2018’s free agent period, as all five of Hoops Rumors’ top five free agents of 2018 – LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Nikola Jokic, Paul George, and Chris Paul – came off the board.

However, despite the early flurry of action, there are still plenty of interesting names on the market. Out of our top 50 free agents, 30 have yet to commit to a team for 2018/19.

Here’s the complete list of our top 50 free agents who haven’t agreed to a deal:

  1. Clint Capela, C, Rockets (RFA)
  2. DeMarcus Cousins, C, Pelicans
  3. Julius Randle, F/C, Lakers (RFA)
  4. Jabari Parker, F, Bucks (RFA)
  5. Zach LaVine, G, Bulls (RFA)
  6. Tyreke Evans, G, Grizzlies
  7. Marcus Smart, G, Celtics (RFA)
  8. Jusuf Nurkic, C, Trail Blazers (RFA)
  9. J.J. Redick, G, Sixers
  10. Rajon Rondo, G, Pelicans
  11. Derrick Favors, F/C, Jazz
  12. Isaiah Thomas, G, Lakers
  13. Rodney Hood, G, Cavaliers (RFA)
  14. Avery Bradley, G, Clippers
  15. Brook Lopez, C, Lakers
  16. Kyle Anderson, F, Spurs (RFA)
  17. Wayne Ellington, G, Heat
  18. Nerlens Noel, C, Mavericks
  19. Montrezl Harrell, C, Clippers (RFA)
  20. Kyle O’Quinn, C, Knicks
  21. Dwyane Wade, G, Heat
  22. Dante Exum, G, Jazz (RFA)
  23. Luc Mbah a Moute, F, Rockets
  24. David Nwaba, G, Bulls (RFA)
  25. Anthony Tolliver, F, Pistons
  26. Tony Parker, G, Spurs
  27. Nemanja Bjelica, F, Timberwolves (RFA)
  28. Amir Johnson, F/C, Sixers
  29. Michael Beasley, F, Knicks
  30. Jeff Green, F, Cavaliers

Be sure to check out our full top-50 list for breakdowns on all 30 unsigned players. Our 2018 free agent tracker has details on the contract agreements for the other 20, along with the rest of the free agents who have already reached deals.

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Breaking Down Lakers’ 2018/19 Cap Situation

July 2nd, 2018 at 8:33am CST by Luke Adams

The Lakers‘ 2018/19 salary cap outlook has been a subject of much speculation in the days, weeks, and months leading up to 2018’s free agent period, and it continues to be an area of particular interest for NBA fans now that the team has reached agreements to sign LeBron James, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Lance Stephenson, and JaVale McGee.

Do the Lakers still have cap room available? Can they keep Julius Randle and sign another free agent? If they let Randle walk, could they realistically make a play for a star free agent like DeMarcus Cousins?

Before Monday’s news cycle gains momentum, we want to take a quick look at those questions, breaking down what the Lakers can and can’t do with their remaining cap room.

First, let’s take a closer look at the commitments already on the Lakers’ books. Listed below are the contracts and contract agreements that will eat into the team’s cap room. Tentative salaries for free agents are listed in green, while cap holds are noted in blue. Stephenson’s and McGee’s deals aren’t listed because – based on reported terms – they can be completed using exceptions after the Lakers have used all their cap room.

Here’s the breakdown:

Player Salary
LeBron James $35,654,150
Luol Deng $18,000,000
Julius Randle $12,447,727
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope $12,000,000
Lonzo Ball $7,461,960
Brandon Ingram $5,757,120
Moritz Wagner $1,762,080 *
Kyle Kuzma $1,689,840
Josh Hart $1,655,160
Ivica Zubac $1,544,951
Incomplete roster charge $838,464
Incomplete roster charge $838,464
Total $99,649,916

* Note: There are ever-so-slightly conflicting figures out there for Wagner’s rookie scale amount. Our figure is based on RealGM’s rookie scale data.

With a salary cap of $101,869,000 for the 2018/19 season, the Lakers currently only have about $2.2MM in space. That’s not enough meaningful room to use on a veteran player, but it gives them some flexibility to sign their second-round picks (Isaac Bonga and Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk) or undrafted free agents to contracts with a longer term than two years, which could be useful.

It’s possible that the Lakers will simply use that leftover space on smaller deals, go over the cap to re-sign Randle using his Bird rights, and fill out their roster with the $4.449MM room exception (earmarked for Stephenson) and minimum-salary deals. Doing so would allow the club to maximize its flexibility for future seasons, depending on the terms of Randle’s new deal.

However, if the Lakers want to create space to make a run at another free agent, there are viable paths to doing so. Here are a few scenarios:

  • Waiving and stretching Deng: $12.02MM in total cap room.
  • Renouncing Randle: $13.83MM in total cap room.
  • Trading Deng without taking back any salary: $19.38MM in total cap room.
  • Waiving and stretching Deng and renouncing Randle: $23.63MM in total cap room.
  • Trading Deng without taking back any salary and renouncing Randle: $30.99MM in cap room.

In other words, there are still ways for the Lakers to create significant cap space. However, trading Deng would likely involve attaching multiple young players and/or draft picks to him. Those are pieces the Lakers would prefer to keep or use in a deal for an impact player, so the club may hold off on such a move.

Meanwhile, there aren’t many free agents out there who are better bets than Randle, so the Lakers may prioritize working out a new deal with their own restricted free agent rather than making multiple roster moves to pursue an outside target.

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

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NBA 2018 Free Agency: July 1 Recap

July 2nd, 2018 at 12:22am CST by Luke Adams

With cap space around the NBA expected to be scarce this offseason, a number of free agents decided not to wait around for better offers and reached agreements quickly when the 2018/19 league year officially got underway on July 1. The result was an action-packed day that saw many of our top 50 free agents of 2018 come off the board.

For the most part, these deals aren’t yet official, so the reported terms could change — or agreements could fall through altogether. Generally speaking though, teams and players are on track to finalize these contract agreements sometime after the July moratorium ends on Friday.

Here’s our breakdown of July 1’s notable NBA contract agreements:

Be sure to use our 2018 NBA Free Agent Tracker to keep tabs on all of this summer’s contract agreements. Our lists of free agents by position/type and by team show which players are still available.

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Community Shootaround: Best Deal Of The Day

July 1st, 2018 at 5:05pm CST by ChrisCrouse

The first day of free agency is almost complete and several big names are already off the market.

Paul George will stay in Oklahoma City for the next four years, bringing approximately $137MM. DeAndre Jordan will make roughly the same ($24MM) in Dallas this season as he would have had he opted in with the Clippers. Chris Paul remains in Houston on a four-year, $160MM deal and Kevin Durant will stay in Golden State for at least one more year, as he signed a two-year, $61.5MM deal that will allow him to hit the open market again next summer.

Outside of the top players, many rotational players got paid on mid-sized deals. Ed Davis landed a one-year, $4.4MM deal with the Nets. The Spurs retain Rudy Gay on a one-year, $10MM pact and bring back old friend Marco Belinelli on a two-year, $12MM deal. Trevor Ariza cashes in with the Suns on a one-year, $15MM deal and Joe Harris will stay with the Nets, earning $16MM over the next two seasons.

Tonight’s community shootaround is all about which team made the best deal. The Warriors re-signing Durant is arguably the most important deal of the group and the Thunder retaining George has to be seen as one of the greatest accomplishments during GM Sam Presti’s reign. Aside from those two deals, which contract has the most value?

The Raptors re-signing Fred VanVleet stands out as another coup in a long list of positives during GM Masai Ujiri’s tenure. At $9MM per season, he’ll provide excellent value off the bench and he’s more than capable of starting for Toronto should the club deal Kyle Lowry (no one on the roster is untouchable in trades, per reports).

Which team do you think negotiated the best deal? Do you agree that VanVleet’s contract holds the most value outside of Durant’s and George’s or do you believe another deal is more team-friendly? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below. We look forward to what you have to say!

 

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Hoops Rumors’ 2018 NBA Free Agent Tracker

July 1st, 2018 at 3:00am CST by Luke Adams

With free agency officially underway and news of contract agreements already breaking, 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 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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