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Salary Cap Snapshot: Charlotte Hornets

July 28th, 2016 at 6:21pm CST by Eddie Scarito

With the free agent signing period winding down and teams looking ahead to the preseason, we at Hoops Rumors will be tracking the Salary Cap figures for each team around the league.  These posts will be maintained throughout the season once financial data is reported. These posts will be located on the sidebar throughout the year, once all the teams’ cap figures have been relayed. You can always check RosterResource.com for up-to-date rosters for each franchise, with the Hornets’ team page accessible here.

Here’s a breakdown of where the Hornets currently stand financially:

Guaranteed Salary

Total Guaranteed Salary= $102,038,983

Cash Sent Out Via Trade: $0 [Amount Remaining $3.5MM]

Cash Received Via Trade: TBD. $250K was received from Memphis in the Troy Daniels trade. $750K was received from the Cavaliers in the Chris Andersen trade. An unknown amount was received from the Bucks in the Miles Plumlee trade. [Amount Remaining $2.5MM]

Payroll Exceptions Available

  • Trade Exception — $1,666,470 (Troy Daniels trade) — Expires on 7/12/17
  • Room Exception — $2,898,000

Total Projected Payroll: $102,038,983

Salary Cap: $94,143,000

Estimated Available Cap Space: –$7,895,983

Luxury Tax Threshold: $113,287,000

Amount Below Luxury Tax: $11,248,017

Last Updated: 3/20/17

The Basketball Insiders salary pages and The Vertical’s salary database were used in the creation of this post.

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Largest NBA Free Agent Contracts Of 2016

July 28th, 2016 at 2:55pm CST by Luke Adams

The NBA’s salary cap took an unprecedented leap this offseason, as the cap limit for the league’s 30 teams jumped from $70MM to $94MM+. As we saw earlier this month, that substantial cap increase predictably resulted in substantial spending in free agency. Six players landed deals worth more than $100MM+, and another 11 players signed contracts worth at least $70MM.Mike Conley vertical

While Kevin Durant was the focus of the most free agency rumors, speculation, and discussion, his contract won’t even rank among the NBA’s top 20 biggest deals of 2016 in terms of total value, since he signed for just two years. The title of largest contract of the offseason – and also in NBA history – goes to Mike Conley, who inked a five-year, $152,607,578 pact with the Grizzlies.

Conley’s deal isn’t yet fully guaranteed for the final season, but even if we were to remove the non-guaranteed portion of that fifth year, the veteran point guard would still rank atop the list of 2016’s largest overall free agent deals.

With the help of our 2016 Free Agent Tracker and the contract data at Basketball Insiders, here are the NBA’s top 20 biggest free agent contracts of 2016, by total value:

  1. Mike Conley (Grizzlies): Five years, $152,607,578
  2. DeMar DeRozan (Raptors): Five years, $137,500,000
  3. Bradley Beal (Wizards): Five years, $127,171,313
  4. Andre Drummond (Pistons): Five years, $127,171,313
  5. Nicolas Batum (Hornets): Five years, $120,000,000
  6. Al Horford (Celtics): Four years, $113,326,230
  7. Hassan Whiteside (Heat): Four years, $98,419,537
  8. Harrison Barnes (Mavericks): Four years, $94,438,524
  9. Chandler Parsons (Grizzlies): Four years, $94,438,524
  10. Evan Fournier (Magic): Five years, $85,000,000
  11. Ryan Anderson (Rockets): Four years, $80,000,000
  12. Allen Crabbe (Trail Blazers): Four years, $74,832,500
  13. Joakim Noah (Knicks): Four years, $72,590,000
  14. Luol Deng (Lakers): Four years, $72,000,000
  15. Dwight Howard (Hawks): Three years, $70,500,000
  16. Kent Bazemore (Hawks): Four years, $70,000,000
  17. Evan Turner (Trail Blazers): Four years, $70,000,000
  18. Bismack Biyombo (Magic): Four years, $68,000,000
  19. Ian Mahinmi (Wizards): Four years, $64,000,000
  20. Timofey Mozgov (Lakers): Four years, $64,000,000

LeBron James isn’t on that list, since he remains unsigned, but even if he had re-upped with the Cavaliers already, there’s a chance that LeBron’s deal wouldn’t be among the top 20 in terms of overall salary. Like Durant did with the Warriors, LeBron may end up signing a one- or two-year contract with the Cavs, allowing him to opt out and sign for more money a year from now.

While James and Durant are among the veterans who figure to be on big-money, short-term deals, they aren’t the only ones. Other longtime All-Stars, such as Dirk Nowitzki and Dwyane Wade, are also on shorter deals that will pay them significant annual salaries. So after examining the league’s top 20 free agent signings by total value, it’s worth taking a look at the top 20 by annual average value — that list looks a little different, though Conley still ranks first.

Here are the NBA’s top 20 free agent contracts of 2016 in terms of annual average salary:

  1. Mike Conley (Grizzlies): $30,521,516
  2. Al Horford (Celtics): $28,331,558
  3. DeMar DeRozan (Raptors): $27,500,000
  4. Kevin Durant (Warriors): $27,137,253
  5. Bradley Beal (Wizards): $25,434,263
  6. Andre Drummond (Pistons): $25,434,263
  7. Dirk Nowitzki (Mavericks): $25,000,000
  8. Hassan Whiteside (Heat): $24,604,884
  9. Nicolas Batum (Hornets): $24,000,000
  10. Harrison Barnes (Mavericks): $23,609,631
  11. Chandler Parsons (Grizzlies): $23,609,631
  12. Dwight Howard (Hawks): $23,500,000
  13. Dwyane Wade (Bulls): $23,500,000
  14. Ryan Anderson (Rockets): $20,000,000
  15. Allen Crabbe (Trail Blazers): $18,708,125
  16. Joakim Noah (Knicks): $18,147,500
  17. Luol Deng (Lakers): $18,000,000
  18. Kent Bazemore (Hawks): $17,500,000
  19. Evan Turner (Trail Blazers): $17,500,000
  20. (tie) Evan Fournier (Magic) / Bismack Biyombo (Magic): $17,000,000

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

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Community Shootaround: J.R. Smith

July 28th, 2016 at 12:14pm CST by Luke Adams

In a recent Community Shootaround discussion, we asked which free agent – besides LeBron James – represented the best option still available on the open market. Those of you who responded gave plenty of support to J.R. Smith over other options like Dion Waiters and Maurice Harkless, who have since signed deals, and guys like Lance Stephenson and Donatas Motiejunas, who remain unsigned.

While most observers believe that Smith will eventually re-sign with the Cavaliers, that’s not necessarily a given. We’ve certainly seen plenty of surprising free agent departures this month, and one report from mid-July suggested that Smith was seeking a $15MM annual salary — assuming the Cavs lock up LeBron James for a max or near-max deal, a $15MM salary for Smith would put the team way over the tax line once again, even after this year’s huge salary cap leap.

Meanwhile, as Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders detailed on Wednesday, the 76ers, Nuggets, and Nets all have over $18MM in cap room, while teams like the Thunder, Lakers, Timberwolves, Suns, and Jazz are all above $12.5MM. Not all of those clubs have a need for a player like Smith, and he may not be interested in a few of them, but perhaps there’s a fit somewhere in that list of eight teams — or with another club for a more modest price.

The Cavaliers are limited in what they can offer outside free agents, making Smith a logical fit, since the team can go over the cap to sign him. But how high should the Cavs be willing to go? And how long should they be willing to wait for Smith to compromise on his asking price? Do you see a more ideal fit for Smith with another team?

Take to the comments section below to share your opinions on Smith. We look forward to hearing your thoughts.

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Download The Trade Rumors App Today

July 27th, 2016 at 9:02pm CST by Eddie Scarito

If you enjoy this website on your smartphone or tablet, you’ve got to download our free Trade Rumors app!

Trade Rumors, available for iOS and Android, is the best way to consume our content on a mobile device.  Here’s what it delivers, all for free:

  • All the articles from Hoops Rumors, MLB Trade Rumors, and Pro Football Rumors, in an easy-to-navigate, eye-catching format.  Swipe through stories to quickly consume all the news and rumors from our three sites.  Not into all three sports?  No problem – any sport can be easily removed.
  • Customize what you see.  You can create feeds for any team or player across any of our sites.
  • Notifications!  For any team or player, you can set up push notifications to ensure you always get breaking news instantly.  Notifications can also be set up at the sport level.
  • Commenting!  You can now read and contribute comments on the app seamlessly.
  • Customer service!  If you find a bug, we’ll fix it.  If you have a feature request, we’ll consider it.  The app is continually evolving and improving.
  • Did I mention Trade Rumors is a FREE app?  What do you have to lose?  Download now!
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Salary Cap Snapshot: Brooklyn Nets

July 27th, 2016 at 7:38pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Here’s a breakdown of where the Nets currently stand financially:

Guaranteed Salary

Total Guaranteed Salary= $83,392,084

Cash Sent Out Via Trade: $75K sent to Rockets in K.J. McDaniels trade [Amount Remaining $3.425MM]

Cash Received Via Trade: $0 [Amount Remaining $3.5MM]

Payroll Exceptions Available

  • Room Exception: $2,898,000

Total Projected Payroll: $83,392,084

Salary Cap: $94,143,000

Estimated Available Cap Space: $10,750,916

Luxury Tax Threshold: $113,287,000

Amount Below Luxury Tax: $29,894,916

Salary Cap Floor: $84,729,000

Amount Below Salary Cap Floor: $1,336,916

Last Update: 4/16/17

The Basketball Insiders salary pages and The Vertical’s salary database were used in the creation of this post.

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Update On Unsigned 2016 Draft Picks

July 27th, 2016 at 9:02am CST by Luke Adams

Over a month has passed since the 2016 NBA draft, and most of the 60 players selected in June – including first overall pick Ben Simmons – have been signed by their NBA teams, or have lined up overseas deals. Still, there are several players whose immediate futures have not yet been determined.

As our list of draft pick signings shows, there are still five first-rounders who have yet to either sign a contract with their NBA team or to strike a deal with an international club. Of those players, four were top-11 picks, so it’s likely just a matter of time until they sign their rookie-scale contracts. Only 15th overall pick Juan Hernangomez is a question mark — a recent report suggested he’d probably join the Nuggets immediately, but it’s not set in stone yet.

In the second round, eight of 30 draftees have unresolved situations, and many of those outcomes are more difficult to predict. Celtics draftee Abdel Nader, for instance, could end up signing with Boston, being joining the team’s D-League affiliate, or heading overseas as a draft-and-stash prospect.

We’ll pass along updates on 2016’s draft picks as they become available. For now, here’s the full list of players whose situation for the 2016/17 has yet to be resolved:

First Round:

  1. Los Angeles Lakers: Brandon Ingram, SF (Duke)
  2. Boston Celtics: Jaylen Brown, SF (California)
  3. Milwaukee Bucks: Thon Maker, PF (HS)
  4. Oklahoma City Thunder: Domantas Sabonis, PF/C (Gonzaga)
  5. Denver Nuggets: Juan Hernangomez, F (Estudiantes)

Second Round:

  1. Milwaukee Bucks: Malcolm Brogdon, SG (Virginia)
  2. Utah Jazz: Joel Bolomboy, PF (Weber State)
  3. Cleveland Cavaliers: Kay Felder, PG (Oakland)
  4. Utah Jazz: Marcus Paige, PG (North Carolina)
  5. Oklahoma City Thunder: Daniel Hamilton, SG (UConn)
  6. Boston Celtics: Abdel Nader, F (Iowa State)
  7. Sacramento Kings: Isaiah Cousins, SG (Oklahoma)
  8. Utah Jazz: Tyrone Wallace, PG (California)
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Salary Cap Snapshot: Atlanta Hawks

July 26th, 2016 at 8:43pm CST by Eddie Scarito

With the free agent signing period winding down and teams looking ahead to the preseason, we at Hoops Rumors will be tracking the Salary Cap figures for each team around the league.  These posts will be maintained throughout the season and updated as new financial data is reported. These posts will be located on the sidebar once all the teams’ cap figures have been relayed. You can always check RosterResource.com for up-to-date rosters for each franchise, with the Hawks’ team page accessible here.

Here’s a breakdown of where the Hawks currently stand financially:

Guaranteed Salary

Total Guaranteed Salary= $95,563,799

Cash Sent Out Via Trade: $1.15MM ($650K to Nuggets in Mo Williams trade. $500K to Suns in Mike Scott trade.) [Amount Remaining $2.35MM]

Cash Received Via Trade: $750K from Cavaliers in Kyle Korver trade [Amount Remaining $2.75MM]

Payroll Exceptions Available

  • Trade Exception: $3,333,334 (Mike Scott trade) — Expires on 2/23/18
  • Trade Exception: $2,194,500 (Mo Williams trade) — Expires on 1/18/18
  • Room Exception: $398,000 remaining [Used $2,500,000 to sign Malcolm Delaney]

Total Projected Payroll: $95,563,799

Salary Cap: $94,143,000

Estimated Available Cap Space: -$1,420,799

Luxury Tax Threshold: $113,287,000

Amount Below Luxury Tax: $17,723,201

Last Updated: 4/9/17

The Basketball Insiders salary pages and The Vertical’s salary database were used in the creation of this post.

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Upcoming Deadlines For Non-Guaranteed Salaries

July 26th, 2016 at 11:12am CST by Luke Adams

While the majority of NBA salaries are fully guaranteed, many teams end up carrying at least one or two players who only have partial guarantees – if that – on their deals. For those players, January 10 is generally the date to watch. If players on non-guaranteed contracts remain on an NBA team’s roster beyond January 10, their salaries for that season become fully guaranteed.

For some players on non-guaranteed or partially-guaranteed contracts, however, January 10 isn’t the only date of interest. Many contracts are written to include earlier deadlines and payment dates, forcing teams to make decisions on those players earlier.

Some of those dates have already come and gone this offseason — for instance, the Celtics guaranteed Amir Johnson‘s and Jonas Jerebko‘s salaries (totaling $17MM) by keeping them on their roster beyond their early-July guarantee deadlines. There are still several other deadlines to watch in the coming weeks and months though.

Listed below are the known guarantee deadlines that will occur for certain players prior to January 10, via Basketball Insiders. Our full list of non-guaranteed salaries features a complete breakdown of the players whose contracts aren’t fully guaranteed, so if any of those players aren’t listed here, it’s safe to assume that their salaries will become guaranteed on January 10.

This list can be found on the right-hand sidebar under “Hoops Rumors Features” and will continue to be updated throughout the offseason as old guarantee deadlines come and go, and as new ones are added.

July 30

August 1

August 9

  • Robert Covington (Sixers): $50,000 of $1,015,696 salary becomes guaranteed (✔️)

August 27

September 1

  • Alan Williams (Suns): Full $874,636 salary becomes guaranteed (✔️)

October 20

  • Nicolas Brussino (Mavericks): Full $543,471 salary becomes guaranteed (✔️)

October 24

November 1

December 1

  • JaVale McGee (Warriors): $500,000 of $1,403,611 salary becomes guaranteed (✔️)
  • Rodney McGruder (Heat): $400,000 of $543,471 salary becomes guaranteed (✔️)
  • Briante Weber (Heat): $655,978 of $874,636 salary becomes guaranteed (waived)
  • Okaro White (Heat): $271,736 of $543,471 becomes guaranteed (waived)

December 5

  • Dorian Finney-Smith (Mavericks): $200,000 of $543,471 salary becomes guaranteed (✔️)

January 1

  • Vince Carter (Grizzlies): Full $4,264,057 salary becomes guaranteed (✔️)
  • JaMychal Green (Grizzlies): Full $980,431 salary becomes guaranteed (✔️)

January 6

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

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The Ad Experience On Hoops Rumors

July 26th, 2016 at 8:42am CST by Tim Dierkes

Based on survey feedback and emails we’ve received, many of you are experiencing ads on our mobile site that automatically redirect your browser. Sometimes it goes to the app store, sometimes to other sites, but it’s always incredibly annoying. I’m sorry you’ve had to deal with it. At Hoops Rumors, we loathe these ads. We don’t make money from them; they are the result of shady ad networks violating their terms. You can read more about the issue here; it is something even Google and Apple have been unable to stop.

I don’t say that as an excuse, but just an explanation. We’ve worked to remove these redirect ads for years, but it’s been a game of Whac-A-Mole. This month I am putting additional resources toward the problem. I am also hopeful that eventually, browsers will be able to stop redirects, as was Apple’s intention for Safari in iOS 8.

In the meantime, there are a couple of options you might consider. The first is to download our free app, Trade Rumors, and use that instead of the mobile website. The app has fewer ads than our mobile site does, and has never had any redirect issues. It’s also a well-reviewed app that offers custom notifications and a sleek reading experience on mobile devices.

Another option is to sign up for Google Contributor. This paid service covers any website that shows Google ads (including all of the Trade Rumors sites) and reduces the number of ads you’ll see. Google Contributor automatically uses your monthly fee to attempt to outbid a website’s advertisers. When your bid wins, you don’t see an ad. You’ll instead see an empty space where the ad was, or pictures of cats if you prefer. While Contributor can be used across millions of websites that you can potentially visit, I personally use it exclusively to reduce the number of ads shown on my five favorite baseball websites. It removes thousands of ads per month for me on those sites, and any portion of my fee that I don’t use each month is refunded by Google. I consider Google Contributor a win-win, as I give a few bucks per month to my favorite websites and see fewer ads.

Finally, if you have experience with the web debugging proxy application Charles, you could try catching a redirect in the wild. It’s way more fun than catching Pokémon. If anyone is able to record a Charles session of a mobile redirect happening on Hoops Rumors, please send it to me at mlbtrhelp@gmail.com and I’ll make sure that offending ad is eliminated.

We’ll continue to do everything we can to root out the bad ad networks. Thanks for your patience and understanding in this matter.

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Community Shootaround: Boston Celtics

July 25th, 2016 at 7:51pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Celtics were expected to be quite active this offseason and they haven’t disappointed. Flush with salary-cap room and extra draft picks, Boston  made numerous changes to its roster with the promise of more to come.

It’s been one of the league’s worst-kept secrets that the Celtics want to acquire star players to get back into serious title contention. Thus far, they have been unable to land a big fish in the trade market, with a list that includes Blake Griffin, DeMarcus Cousins, Jimmy Butler, Russell Westbrook and Jahlil Okafor. They pulled a draft-day surprise when unable to swing a deal, selecting small forward Jaylen Brown with the third overall pick.

Free agency treated Boston well, as highly coveted big man Al Horford spurned other offers and headed to the Northeast. The Celtics added another rotation piece this weekend by agreeing to terms with swingman Gerald Green. They also regained the services of their own restricted free agent, Tyler Zeller.

Boston also lost some notable free agents in the process, though Evan Turner and Jared Sullinger were not a part of its long-term plan. It also retained forwards Amir Johnson and Jonas Jerebko by guaranteeing their contracts.

The Horford addition arguably makes the Celtics the top threat to the Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference, though the Raptors would surely beg to differ. That being said, Boston would likely need at least one more big-time player to put it on par with the defending champions.

It has the assets in the form of extra draft picks, including the gift that keeps on the giving, as the Nets owe them a couple more first-rounders for the ill-advised Kevin Garnett/Paul Pierce trade.

That leads us to our question of the day: Will the Celtics pull off a blockbuster trade prior to the season?

Take to the comments section below to share your thoughts and opinions on the topic. We look forward to what you have to say.

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