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10-Day Contract Trends In 2015/16

April 5th, 2016 at 11:55am CST by Chuck Myron

The NBA regular season has fewer than 10 days remaining, so the 10-day contract signing period is over, as The Vertical’s Bobby Marks points out (Twitter link). The book on 10-day signings isn’t completely closed, since it remains to be seen if some of those who signed the short-term deals will end up latching on for the rest of the season. That’s expected to be the case for at least one player who’s still on a 10-day contract, as James Ennis is reportedly poised to re-sign with the Pelicans.

Regardless, we now can look at a few trends, facts and other noteworthy developments that emerged from this year’s batch of 10-day pacts, with the help of our 10-Day Contract Tracker:

  • Teams signed 33 players to 10-day contracts this year, down from 48 last year and the fewest since 2012, when 32 players received 10-day deals.
  • The Grizzlies signed more players to 10-day contracts than any other team, with eight. The Suns were next with six, and the Pelicans signed five. Orlando Johnson signed 10-day contracts with both Phoenix and New Orleans.
  • Johnson, Lorenzo Brown (Pistons and Suns), Sean Kilpatrick (Nets and Nuggets), Jordan McRae (Cavs and Suns) and Alex Stepheson (Clippers and Grizzlies) all signed 10-day contracts with multiple teams.
  • One of McRae’s two 10-day pacts with Phoenix was actually a 12-day contract. That’s because all 10-day deals have to cover at least three games. If a team signs a player to a 10-day contract and it doesn’t play at least three games over the next 10 days, the contract runs as long as necessary to get three games in. The NBA’s lengthy All-Star break was the reason for the extra two days on McRae’s deal, which was worth $37,065 instead of the $30,888 he would have seen on a regular 10-day.
  • Teams ended 10-day contracts early on five occasions last season, but that only happened once this year, when the Sixers released Christian Wood on just the fourth day of his contract to claim Sonny Weems. Philly later reversed course on that decision, cutting Weems to sign Wood to a second 10-day contract.
  • Impact Sports and Octagon were the leading agencies involved with 10-day contracts this year, landing 10-day deals for four clients apiece. Impact client Jeff Ayres went on to sign for the rest of the season with the Clippers, while Octagon’s Alan Williams did the same with the Suns.
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Hoops Rumors Community Shootaround 4/4/16

April 4th, 2016 at 11:00pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The NBA took a break on Monday, ceding the spotlight to the NCAA title game between Villanova and North Carolina. The championship is sure to attract a big audience but the ratings, compared to recent seasons, are virtually certain to drop.

Why? College basketball’s championship landed on cable this year, with TBS paying for the broadcast rights. According to a New York Times article, CBS and TBS will take turns broadcasting the title game through 2024.

While a majority of Americans have cable, it’s still somewhat controversial to not broadcast a major sports championship on network TV. Not too long ago, it would have been considered taboo to deny anyone without cable the opportunity to watch a championship game.

Of course, times have changed, with more people watching sports on their phones and computers. Yet, selling the broadcast rights for a major sports championship to a cable company still raises some eyebrows.

For the most part, top professional championships have remained on broadcast TV, including the Super Bowl, NBA Finals and World Series. But many playoff games can only be seen on cable TV.

Some other big events, such as the new College Football Playoff and top tennis tournaments, have been moved to ESPN and other cable stations.

The NBA broadcasts many of its playoff games on TNT, ESPN and even NBA TV. But the Finals have remained on ABC, allowing everyone with a TV access to the best-of-seven series.

This leads us to our question of the day: Would you have a problem with the NBA broadcasting the Finals on a cable network, like the NCAA has done with its major basketball and football title games?

Please take to the comments section below to share your thoughts and opinions on the subject. We look forward to what you have to say.

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Fate Of Many Traded 2016 First-Rounders Up In Air

April 4th, 2016 at 4:40pm CST by Chuck Myron

Only 10 days remain in the regular season, and a majority of the 20 possible traded 2016 first-round pick exchanges are still unresolved. Seven are mathematical certainties, but the rest will be decided over the next week and a half, or through next month’s draft lottery. Some exchanges appear more likely than others, but five are still too close to call. Using the reverse standings and lottery odds as a guide, here’s how all 20 scenarios stand:

Toss-ups:

  • Rockets to Nuggets (top-14 protected) — This pick comes down to whether or not Houston makes the playoffs. The Rockets are outside the playoffs for now but trail the Jazz and Mavs, who are in a seventh-place tie, by only one game. Only three games separate Houston from the banged-up Grizzlies, who are in fifth place.
  • Lakers to Sixers (top-three protected) — A mathematical chance exists that the Lakers fall into a tie for the fourth lottery position, but they’re three and a half games clear of Phoenix for the second slot with six games to play, so they’ll probably enter the lottery at No. 2. A top-three pick would still be far from guaranteed, as the team in second entering the lottery stands about a 44% chance of dropping to fourth or fifth. The Lakers know this well, having benefited last year when the Knicks fell to No. 4 from No. 2 in the lottery, allowing L.A. to move up.
  • Knicks to Nuggets (Denver gets the better pick of its own and New York’s) —The Nuggets have but a one-game lead on the Knicks, so this one is anyone’s guess.
  • Knicks to Raptors (Toronto gets New York’s pick if it comes after Denver’s pick) — The Raptors will end up with whichever pick the Nuggets don’t take in the pick swap described immediately above, so with precious little separation between New York and Denver, this one is just as hard to call.
  • Nuggets to Raptors (Toronto gets Denver’s pick if it comes after New York’s pick) — See the explanation for the last two picks.

Mathematically certain to happen:

  • Nets to Celtics (unprotected)
  • Cavaliers to Suns (top-10 protected)
  • Thunder to Sixers (Philadelphia gets Oklahoma City’s pick if it falls outside the top 15 and comes before Golden State’s pick, which will happen.)

Likely to happen:

  • Wizards to Suns (top-nine protected) — The Wizards are stuck in a nether world, four games back of the playoffs with five to play and mathematically eliminated from any hopes of moving up to the ninth spot in the lottery. Washington could still move up in the lottery itself, but less than a 4% chance exists of that happening.
  • Mavericks to Celtics (top-nine protected) — The Mavs have only a one-game lead for a playoff spot that would make this pick transfer a certainty, but the highest they can climb in the reverse standings is No. 12, which would bear less than a 3% chance of a top-seven pick.
  • Heat to Sixers (Philadelphia gets Miami’s pick if it falls outside the top 10 and comes before either Golden State’s pick or Oklahoma City’s pick) — The Heat would have to miss the playoffs for there to be even a ghost of a chance that this wouldn’t happen, and Miami is five and a half games up on a postseason berth with six to play.
  • Trail Blazers to Nuggets (top-14 protected) — Denver gets this pick if Portland makes the playoffs. The Blazers have four games to play and are in sixth place with a two-game lead in the loss column on the ninth-place Rockets.

Unlikely to happen:

  • Grizzlies to Nuggets (Denver gets the Memphis pick if it falls anywhere from No. 6 to No. 14) — The Grizzlies are still in fifth place, but they’re only three games up on the ninth-place Rockets with five to play. Normally, that would be a fairly safe lead, but with so many key Grizzlies out with injury, the playoffs aren’t assured in Memphis.
  • Kings to Bulls (top-10 protected) — Sacramento is in eighth in the reverse standings, but with five games to play, only two games separate them from 11th place. Still, if the Kings can hang on to at least 10th in the lottery, less than a 10% chance exists that they’d drop to No. 11.
  • Kings to Sixers (Philadelphia gets the better of Sacramento’s pick and its own if Sacramento’s pick falls inside the top 10) — Sacramento could enter the lottery as high as No. 6 in the order, but that entails only about a 22% chance of moving into the top three. The Sixers, who’ll be No. 1 in the lottery order, have a 35.7% chance of dropping to fourth.
  • Sixers to Kings (Sacramento gets the inferior of its own pick and Philadelphia’s pick if its own pick falls inside the top 10) — See the scenario immediately above.

Mathematically impossible:

  • Timberwolves to Celtics (top-12 protected)
  • Heat to Warriors — Golden State would get Miami’s pick if it falls outside the top 10 and comes after Golden State’s pick and Oklahoma City’s pick, but that can’t happen.
  • Thunder to Warriors — Golden State would get Oklahoma City’s pick if it falls outside the top 15 and comes after Miami’s pick and Golden State’s pick, but that can’t happen.
  • Warriors to Sixers — Philadelphia would get Golden State’s pick if it comes before either Miami’s pick or Oklahoma City’s pick, as long as Miami’s pick falls outside the top 10 and Oklahoma City’s pick falls outside the top 15. Golden State’s pick won’t come before either Miami’s or Oklahoma City’s, so this won’t happen.

Check out the movement on these scenarios compared to our last update from early March.

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Key 2016 Offseason Dates

April 4th, 2016 at 11:58am CST by Chuck Myron

The 2015/16 regular season ends in little more than a week, so the playoffs and the offseason are fast approaching. With just a few dates still to come on our list of Key 2015/16 Dates, we’ll look ahead to what’s next. The 2016 offseason figures to be among the most entertaining in years, with Kevin Durant poised to hit the open market for the first time and teams across the league flush with cash thanks to a salary cap expected to rise to between $90MM and $95MM.

Some specific contractual deadlines and other dates pertaining to relatively obscure collective bargaining agreement clauses aren’t represented below, but the idea here is to provide a digest of the days likely to have relevance to most teams and players. So, with that in mind, here’s a glance at the important deadlines and events that will influence player movement for the next several months across the league, right up until the start of training camps next fall:

April 13th — Last day of the regular season; luxury tax penalties calculated based on payroll as of this day.

April 15th — Playoff rosters set (2pm Central)

April 16th — Playoffs begin

April 24th — Deadline for early entrants to declare for draft (10:59pm Central)

May 11th-15th — Draft combine

May 17th — Draft lottery

May 25th — Last day for early entrants to withdraw from draft and retain their NCAA eligibility

June 13th — Deadline for early entrants to withdraw from draft (4pm Central)

June 23rd — Draft

June 24th — Last day for pending restricted free agents to exercise player options

June 29th — Last day for decisions on player, team and early termination options, unless individual contracts specify otherwise (see list of contracts that specify otherwise).

June 30th — Last official day of 2015/16 season; last day for teams to make qualifying offers to players eligible for restricted free agency.

July 1st — Official start of 2016/17 season; July moratorium begins.

July 6th — Last day of July moratorium

July 7th — Moratorium over; teams can begin signing players and making trades.

July 15th — Last day for teams to issue required tenders to unsigned first-round picks; those players become free agents July 16th if not tendered.

July 23th — Last day for teams to unilaterally withdraw qualifying offers to restricted free agents

August 31st — Last day teams may waive players and apply the stretch provision to their 2016/17 salaries.

September 5th — Last day for teams to issue required tenders to unsigned first-round picks; those players become free agents September 6th if not tendered.

Late September (specific dates TBA) — Training camps open

Larry Coon’s Salary Cap FAQ and NBA.com were used in the creation of this post.

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Hoops Rumors Community Shootaround 4/3/16

April 3rd, 2016 at 11:00pm CST by Arthur Hill

Brook Lopez and Thaddeus Young aren’t injured, but Nets GM Sean Marks announced today that they will be held out of games for the rest of the season. The Kings began resting their best players earlier this week, and coach George Karl said Friday that DeMarcus Cousins won’t play any more road games this season.

Sacramento has incentive to protect its first-round draft pick, which will go to Chicago if it falls outside the top 10. The Kings are currently seventh in Hoops Rumors’ reverse standings with a 31-46 record, but only one and a half games separate them from 11th-place Orlando. The Knicks, Nuggets and Bucks are also in that mix. That’s likely why Cousins, Rajon Rondo and Rudy Gay were held out of last Monday’s game, along with Marco Belinelli, who has an aching right foot.

Brooklyn doesn’t have to worry about its first-rounder, which is already pledged to Boston with no protection. The Nets are more concerned about possible injuries to Lopez and Young, who are their most productive players and best potential trade assets. “I think two people had gotten injured playing in meaningless games finishing up the season,” Lopez said to ESPN.com’s Mike Mazzeo. “So [Marks] just wanted to take sort of a precautionary angle going forward.”

Resting healthy players isn’t a new issue in the NBA. Contending teams have been doing it for years, especially once their playoff fates are sealed. Spurs coach Gregg Popovich has been willing to risk league discipline for giving his stars a night off when he believes a grueling schedule calls for it. In 2012, he was famously fined $250K for leaving Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili and Danny Green in San Antonio for a televised game in Miami.

But resting players to keep them fresh for the playoffs is different than keeping them out to avoid losing a draft pick or to prevent a late-season injury. There are ethical concerns, especially when fans pay high ticket prices to watch stars perform. That leads us to tonight’s question: Should the NBA adopt new rules to prevent the resting of healthy players and should the Nets and Kings be punished for their actions?

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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2015/16 Salary Cap Update: San Antonio Spurs

April 2nd, 2016 at 5:14pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The NBA’s salary cap for 2015/16 is set at $70MM, which is good for an 11% increase from last season, and the luxury tax line is fixed at $84.74MM. With the February 18th cutoff date for trades and the de facto deadline of March 1st for buyouts now past, we at Hoops Rumors are in the process of updating the salary cap commitments for each NBA franchise for the 2015/16 campaign. Here’s the cap breakdown for the San Antonio Spurs, whose regular season roster can be viewed here:

  • 2015/16 Salary Cap= $70,000,000
  • 2015/16 Luxury Tax Line= $84,740,000
  • Fully Guaranteed Salary Commitments= $86,844,995*
  • Remaining Cap Room= –$16,844,995
  • Amount Above Luxury Tax Line= $2,104,995

*Note: This amount includes the $507,711 due Jimmer Fredette and the $947,276 owed Ray McCallum, both of whom were waived by the team.

Cap Exceptions Available:

  • None

Cash Available to Send Out In Trades= $3,400,000

Cash Available to Receive Via Trade= $3,400,000

Note: Despite the trade deadline having passed, the NBA season technically doesn’t end until June 30th. Teams are able to again make trades upon the completion of the regular season or when/if they are eliminated from the playoffs, whichever comes later. So these cash limits still apply.

The Basketball Insiders salary pages were used in the creation of this post

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Hoops Rumors Originals 3/27/16-4/2/16

April 2nd, 2016 at 2:45pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Here’s a look back at the original analysis generated by the Hoops Rumors staff this past week…

  • If you missed the week’s live chat, you can view the transcript here.
  • Chuck Myron ran down the timeline for all the signings related to the injury woes the Grizzlies endured in March.
  • As part of our Top Bloggers series, Chuck spoke with Ethan Rothstein, the managing editor of SB Nation’s The Dream Shake, a Rockets blog.
  • Dana Gauruder profiled Providence point guard Kris Dunn.
  • Zach Links highlighted some of the better basketball blogs around in his weekly installment of Hoops Links.
  • I ran down the updated 2015/16 salary cap numbers for the Sixers, Suns, Trail Blazers and Kings.
  • Chuck ran down the players who parlayed 10-day deals into longer contracts this season.
  • If you missed any of our daily reader-driven discussions, be sure to check out the Community Shootaround archives.
  • Here’s how you can follow Hoops Rumors on social media and RSS feeds.
  • You can keep track of where your favorite team stands in relation to the 2016 NBA draft lottery with our reverse standings tracker.
  • We reviewed our commenting policy. Play nice everyone.
  • Here’s how you can follow specific players on Hoops Rumors.
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Hoops Rumors Community Shootaround 4/1/16

April 1st, 2016 at 9:14pm CST by Arthur Hill

Stories of unhappiness continue to emerge from Washington, and coach Randy Wittman seems most likely to pay the price. It has been a disappointing season for the Wizards, who entered tonight 10th in the Eastern Conference, three games out of a playoff spot at 36-39. With seven games remaining, they would need to leapfrog both the Pacers and Bulls just to earn a place in the postseason.

Much more was expected from a team that went 46-36 a year ago and won a playoff series. Injuries have been part of the problem, but the real reasons for the Wizards’ poor showing go much deeper, as J. Michel of CSN Mid-Atlantic details. The team is making too many poor decisions on the court, Michael writes, and there has been constant feuding between veterans and younger players. There are also charges that the backcourt of John Wall and Bradley Beal can be too stubborn and difficult to approach during games.

Another problem Michael addresses is communication, especially on defense where he says the team does a poor job of switching on screens. Much of the blame for that falls on Wittman, who Michael says is slow to make in-game adjustments and who has seen his authority questioned publicly several times this season.

Wittman had a dispute with Marcin Gortat in November when he criticized the center for finishing a game with just one rebound. Gortat went months without talking to his coach about the incident, and hard feelings persist between them. Michael claims they have had a “checkered” relationship since Gortat first arrived in Washington in 2013.

Wittman guided poor teams in Cleveland and Minnesota before being promoted to head coach of the Wizards midway through the 2011/12 season. His overall record in Washington is 173-197, and Washington’s back-to-back playoff appearances are the only two winning seasons of his career. He has one year remaining on his contract, but next season only carries a partial guarantee.

That brings us to the topic for tonight. Should the Wizards fire Wittman once the season is over, and who should replace him if they do? There are plenty of proven coaches on the market right now. David Blatt, Tom Thibodeau, Kevin McHale and Monty Williams all guided teams into the playoffs last season. If the Wizards believe they have a real shot at Kevin Durant in free agency, maybe former Oklahoma City coach Scott Brooks should get some consideration. Or should the Wizards concentrate on the college ranks and try to duplicate the success that Billy Donovan has brought to the Thunder?

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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Decisions On Some Player Options Due Early

April 1st, 2016 at 11:03am CST by Chuck Myron

Two Kings will have to make major decisions earlier than most. The player option in the contract for James Anderson must either be picked up or declined by no later than the seventh day after Sacramento’s last game, and the 10th day after Sacramento’s finale is the decision date for Seth Curry‘s player option. The Kings aren’t headed for the playoffs, so that means the deadlines for Anderson and Curry to make their choices come in late April, two months before most who have player options.

The standard deadline date is June 29th. Contracts are allowed to specify an earlier date, but not a later date. Many contracts take advantage of this provision, though April dates are rare. Bismack Biyombo‘s player option also triggers as early as seven days after Toronto’s last game, but since the Raptors are primed for a deep playoff run, he won’t have to make his call for a while.

The most popular decision date this year is June 22nd, the day before the draft. A least 13 players have to opt in or opt out no later than that day, and Biyombo could join that list if the Raptors make the finals. Note that players don’t have to take action by those dates if they want to opt out. Player options only require players to say whether they’re opting in. The option is automatically declined if the player doesn’t file paperwork.

We went in depth on all the player options here and here, but below is a list of players whose option decisions come due before the standard June 29th:

April 20th

April 23rd

June 1st

June 13th

June 15th

June 21st

June 22nd

June 27th

The Basketball Insiders salary pages were used in the creation of this post.

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Hoops Rumors Community Shootaround 3/31/16

March 31st, 2016 at 11:29pm CST by Arthur Hill

A year after giving Jimmy Butler one of the richest contracts in franchise history, the Bulls are reportedly thinking about putting the All-Star shooting guard on the trading block. Back in July, Butler turned down a host of other suitors and signed a five-year, $92.34MM deal to stay in Chicago.

It was supposed to mark the continuation of a dream backcourt alongside point guard Derrick Rose, but the injury-plagued Bulls have struggled to gain traction in the Eastern Conference and are in danger of missing the playoffs as the regular season enters its final two weeks. Moreover, rumblings have emerged about a power struggle behind the scenes involving Butler and Rose.

When Butler made comments in December suggesting that new coach Fred Hoiberg was too “laid back” to be successful, Nick Friedell of ESPN.com saw it as an effort to step out of Rose’s shadow and claim leadership of the team. Friedell also indicated that Butler was speaking for several players in the Bulls’ locker room, but it wasn’t clear if Rose was among them. Rumors of a rift between the star guards had been simmering since Butler signed his new contract, and a Chicago Sun-Times report in October indicated through an unidentified source that Butler doesn’t respect Rose’s work ethic.

There’s little doubt that changes are coming in Chicago this summer, whether or not the Bulls can squeak into the playoffs. Pau Gasol has already said it’s likely that he will opt out of his contract. Joakim Noah, who has been sidelined since mid-January with a separated shoulder, is also headed toward free agency and may be leaving town.

But the most important decision for GM Gar Forman may be whether to bring an end to the Butler-Rose pairing. Butler still has four years and $72.475MM left on the deal he signed last summer, although the final season is a player option, while Rose is under contract for one more year at $21,323,250.

That brings us to the topic for this evening: If the Bulls decide to break up their backcourt, should they trade away Butler or Rose? Butler is 26 and has become the team’s most reliable scorer, putting up his second straight season with a scoring average above 20 points per game. Rose is 27 and appears to be leaving behind the effects of the ACL injury that cost him the entire 2012/13 season. Tonight’s game is his 63rd of the season, which is the most he has played since 2010/11, although his scoring and assist numbers are well below what they were five years ago.

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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