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2023 NBA Offseason Preview: Utah Jazz

May 9th, 2023 at 4:00pm CST by Luke Adams

The Jazz were supposed to bottom out in 2022/23.

They’d just traded away nearly their entire starting lineup, including All-Stars Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell and forwards Bojan Bogdanovic and Royce O’Neale. Those roster moves – and the fact that several other veterans were still on the trade block – suggested that CEO Danny Ainge, general manager Justin Zanik, and the rest of the front office were all-in on the Victor Wembanyama sweepstakes.

Then the season started and Utah looked more like a powerhouse than a bottom-feeder. The Jazz won 10 of their first 13 games out of the gate and held the No. 1 spot in the Western Conference over a month into the regular season.

Utah eventually slid down the standings, as expected, but the team easily exceeded preseason expectations by winning 37 games, even after trading away starting point guard Mike Conley and other key rotation players during the season.

When the Jazz dealt Gobert and Mitchell during the 2022 offseason, the focus was on the draft assets they received, since the packages they got for their two stars were heavy on unprotected future first-rounders.

But it was Lauri Markkanen (acquired in the Mitchell deal) and Walker Kessler (part of the Gobert package) who paid big early dividends for the franchise. Markkanen earned his first All-Star berth and was named the NBA’s Most Improved Player, while Kessler finished third in Rookie of the Year voting and was fourth in the league in blocks per game (2.3) despite averaging only 23.0 MPG.

With Markkanen and Kessler under contract for multiple seasons, the Jazz have two intriguing cornerstones to build around and an opportunity to accelerate their rebuild even if they don’t have any luck in the 2023 draft lottery.

The Jazz’s Offseason Plan:

The Jazz are ninth in the lottery standings, so their odds of landing a top-three pick aren’t great (14.5%). That’s not the end of the world though. While Utah would obviously love to add one of 2023’s top prospects to its current core, the team is well positioned to continue adding talent even if that pick stays at No. 9.

For one, that lottery selection is just one of three first-rounders the Jazz own this June. They also control the Timberwolves’ pick at No. 16 and the Sixers’ at No. 28, putting them in position to either add a handful of rookies to the roster or to turn one or two of those picks into a trade asset.

The Jazz will also enter the offseason with the ability to generate significant cap space. Their guaranteed salary total of $47.6MM is a little misleading, since there could be as many as four player options to account for, along with some non-guaranteed salaries and cap holds for draft picks. But if we assume Talen Horton-Tucker, Rudy Gay, and Damian Jones all opt in, Kelly Olynyk and Kris Dunn are retained, and Utah keeps all three of its first-rounders, there could still be in excess of $42MM in cap room.

The big question will be at what pace the Jazz want to proceed as they build their roster. Ainge and Zanik are smart enough to recognize that just because the team won 37 games in 2022/23, that doesn’t mean that number will continue to rise as long as the front office makes an upgrade or two to the roster. Growth isn’t necessarily linear and a similar group could just as easily take a step back next season.

In theory, Utah is in a strong position to use its projected cap room to sign one impact player and to package its trade assets (including five future unprotected first-round picks from Minnesota and Cleveland) for a second impact player.

But after going into sell mode last offseason, I don’t expect the Jazz to do a 180 and essentially pull off the inverse of those Gobert and Mitchell trades this summer. The club seems more likely to exercise patience in building its new-look roster, despite last season’s success.

That means Utah’s cap room might be best used to accommodate salary dumps. With a more punitive new CBA taking effect in 2023/24, there will be teams around the NBA looking to move off unwanted money. The Jazz could capitalize on their cap flexibility by lessening the financial burden for one or two of those teams and acquire more draft picks in the process.

Assuming the front office takes the long view, I wouldn’t be surprised to see them trade one of their three 2023 first-rounders for a pick or two in a future year. That would allow the Jazz to continue building up their collection of future draft assets and to avoid bringing three first-round picks to camp this fall.

The team will also have to decide whether or not Jordan Clarkson is in its long-term plans. A Sixth Man of the Year winner during his time in Utah, Clarkson has proven to be an effective scorer for the Jazz and was a good value on his four-year, $52MM contract, but will likely turn down his $14.3MM player option in search of a more lucrative deal.

The Jazz have the financial flexibility necessary to accommodate Clarkson, but re-signing him could cut their cap room nearly in half, and Ainge has spent the last year moving off virtually every other veteran on the roster — perhaps Clarkson will be next.

The 2022/23 season showed that the Jazz probably won’t need to spend several years mired in a long rebuilding process, but they’re not on a fast-track to contention yet. The next steps are crucial and will help determine just how quickly Utah can move past its roster teardown and reclaim its place as an annual playoff team in the West.

Salary Cap Situation

Guaranteed Salary

Dead/Retained Salary

  • None

Player Options

Team Options

  • None

Non-Guaranteed Salary

  • Kelly Olynyk ($9,195,122)
    • Note: Partial guarantee. Olynyk’s salary would become fully guaranteed if he’s not waived on or before June 28.
  • Kris Dunn ($2,586,665)
    • Note: Dunn’s salary would become fully guaranteed if he’s not waived on or before October 23.
  • Luka Samanic ($2,066,585)
    • Note: Samanic would receive a partial guarantee ($400K) if he’s not waived on or before July 18. That partial guarantee would increase to $600K if he’s not waived on or before October 23.
  • Vernon Carey Jr. ($1,997,238)
    • Note: Carey’s salary would become fully guaranteed if he’s not waived on or before October 23.
  • Total: $15,845,610

Restricted Free Agents

  • None

Two-Way Free Agents

Draft Picks

  • No. 9 overall ($5,487,120)
    • Note: This is only a placeholder until the draft order is determined via the lottery.
  • No. 16 overall ($3,831,960)
  • No. 28 overall ($2,412,240)
  • Total: $11,731,320

Extension-Eligible Players

  • Jordan Clarkson (veteran)
  • Rudy Gay (veteran)
  • Talen Horton-Tucker (veteran)
  • Lauri Markkanen (veteran)
  • Kelly Olynyk (veteran)

Note: These are players who are either already eligible for an extension or will become eligible before the 2023/24 season begins. Gay and Horton-Tucker would only become eligible if their player options are exercised.

Unrestricted Free Agents / Other Cap Holds

Note: Whiteside’s cap hold remains on the Jazz’s books from a prior season because it hasn’t been renounced. He can’t be used in a sign-and-trade deal.

Cap Exceptions Available

  • Room exception: $7,609,000
  • Trade exception: $9,614,379
    • Note: Expires on July 6.
  • Trade exception: $6,745,122
    • Note: Expires on September 22.
  • Trade exception: $5,009,633
  • Trade exception: $4,374,000
  • Trade exception: $2,740,000
    • Note: Expires on August 25.
  • Trade exception: $202,202
    • Note: Expires on June 30.
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Hoops Rumors Glossary: Cap Holds

May 9th, 2023 at 10:29am CST by Luke Adams

The Mavericks have a little less than $104MM in guaranteed money committed to player salaries for 2023/24. However, even though next season’s salary cap is expected to come in at $134MM, Dallas won’t begin the 2023 offseason with $30MM+ in cap room to spend.

In fact, the Mavericks technically won’t open the new league year with any cap space at all. Each of Dallas’ own free agents will be assigned a free agent amount – or “cap hold” – until the player signs a new contract or the Mavericks renounce his rights.

The general purpose of a cap hold is to prevent teams from using room under the cap to sign free agents before using Bird rights to re-sign their own free agents. If a team wants to take advantage of its cap space, it can renounce the rights to its own free agents, eliminating those cap holds. However, doing so means the team will no longer hold any form of Bird rights for those players — if the team wants to re-sign those free agents, it would have to use its cap room or another kind of cap exception.

The following criteria are used for determining the amount of a free agent’s cap hold:

  • First-round pick coming off rookie contract: 300% of the player’s previous salary if prior salary was below league average; 250% of previous salary if prior salary was above league average.
  • Bird player: 190% of previous salary (if below league average) or 150% (if above average).
  • Early Bird player: 130% of previous salary.
  • Non-Bird player: 120% of previous salary.
  • Minimum-salary player: Two-year veteran’s minimum salary, unless the free agent only has one year of experience, in which case it’s the one-year veteran’s minimum.
  • Two-way player: One-year veteran’s minimum salary.

A cap hold for a restricted free agent can vary based on his contract status. A restricted free agent’s cap hold is either his free agent amount as determined by the criteria mentioned above or the amount of his qualifying offer, whichever is greater.

No cap hold can exceed the maximum salary for which a player can sign. For example, the cap hold for a Bird player with a salary above the league average is generally 150% of his previous salary, as noted above. But for someone like Mavericks star Kyrie Irving, whose cap charge was $39,204,557 this season, 150% of his previous salary would be nearly $59MM, well beyond his projected maximum salary.

Instead, Irving’s cap hold will be equivalent to the maximum salary for a player with 10+ years of NBA experience. If we assume a cap of $134MM, that figure works out to $46.9MM.

One unusual case involves players on rookie contracts whose third- or fourth-year options are declined. The amount of their declined option becomes their cap hold, and if the player’s team wants to re-sign him, his starting salary can’t exceed that amount.

For instance, the Jazz declined Udoka Azubuike‘s 2023/24 fourth-year option last fall. As a result, Utah won’t be able to offer Azubuike a starting salary this offseason worth more than $3,923,484, the amount of that option. That figure will also be his cap hold.

That rule is in place so a team can’t circumvent the rookie scale and decline its option in an effort to give the player a higher salary. It applies even if the player is traded after his option is declined, but only to the club the player is part of at season’s end. Any team besides the Jazz could offer Azubuike a starting salary greater than $3,923,484 this offseason.

If a team holds the rights to fewer than 12 players, cap holds worth the rookie minimum salary are assigned to fill out the roster. So, even if a front office chooses to renounce its rights to all of its free agents and doesn’t have any players under contract, the team wouldn’t be able to fully clear its cap. An incomplete roster charge in 2023/24 projects to be worth $1,102,929, meaning a team without any guaranteed salary or any other cap holds would have closer to $121MM in cap room than $134MM due to its 12 rookie minimum holds.

A player who has been selected in the draft but has not yet officially signed his rookie contract only has a cap hold if he was a first-round selection. A cap hold for a first-round pick is equivalent to 120% of his rookie scale amount, based on his draft position. An unsigned second-round pick doesn’t have a cap hold.

Cap holds aren’t removed from a team’s books until the player signs a new contract or has his rights renounced by the club. For example, the Warriors are still carrying cap holds on their books for retired players like David West and Matt Barnes, who never signed new contracts since playing for Golden State.

Keeping those cap holds allows teams some degree of cushion to help them remain above the cap and take advantage of the mid-level exception and trade exceptions, among other advantages afforded capped-out teams. If and when the Warriors want to maximize their cap room, they’ll renounce West and Barnes, but they’ve remained over the cap – and haven’t needed to remove those holds – since those players became free agents in 2017.

Note: This is a Hoops Rumors Glossary entry. Our glossary posts will explain specific rules relating to trades, free agency, or other aspects of the NBA’s Collective Bargaining Agreement. Larry Coon’s Salary Cap FAQ and the Basketball Insiders salary pages were used in the creation of this post.

Earlier versions of this post were published in previous years by Luke Adams and Chuck Myron.

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2023 NBA Offseason Preview: Charlotte Hornets

May 8th, 2023 at 2:23pm CST by Rory Maher

The Hornets have missed out on the playoffs for seven straight seasons. They don’t exactly have a great track record of success – they’ve only recorded 50-plus wins three times in 33 seasons and made the postseason a total of 10 times. None of those 50-win seasons and just three of their playoff berths have come in the last 19 years since they rejoined the NBA as an expansion team.

After going 23-42 in 2019/20, it seemed like Charlotte was on an upward trajectory — the team increased its win total by 10 in both ’20/21 (33-39) and ’21/22 (43-39). However, the Hornets were blown out as the No. 10 seed in the play-in tournament in ’21 and ’22, which led to former head coach James Borrego getting fired.

Unfortunately, the Hornets took a major step back this season from a win/loss perspective, going 27-55. Injuries to players up and down the roster certainly played a part in that decline, with only P.J. Washington playing 70 or more games (73). Off-court problems were another factor, as Miles Bridges missed the entire season after being arrested for felony domestic violence charges, later pleading no contest.

Even when relatively healthy though, the Hornets didn’t perform up to expectations. They had the worst offensive rating in the league by a pretty significant margin, struggling to score from all over the court.

Having said that, I don’t think the future is as gloomy as it might appear on the surface. In addition to having a 12.5% chance at the top overall draft pick, the Hornets have four other selections in the 27-42 range, giving them some interesting short-term options to improve.

The Hornets’ Offseason Plan:

If the Hornets choose to not bring back any of their players on non-guaranteed deals and renounce all of their free agents and other cap holds (besides their first-round picks), they could operate as a below-the-cap team and have more than $30MM in room to go after free agents. However, the odds of that happening are extremely remote.

President of basketball operations Mitch Kupchak already stated Charlotte doesn’t plan to be a major player in free agency and will instead look to retain its own free agents and add talent through the draft. That makes sense, both from a financial and team-building perspective.

Not only are the Hornets’ own free agents likely better than the players they could add with that theoretical cap room, but operating as an over-the-cap team also gives them access to the full mid-level exception ($12.2MM) and the bi-annual exception ($4.5MM). If they went the other route, they’d only have the $7.6MM room exception to fill out the roster (on top of their cap space).

Re-signing Bridges probably won’t be a popular choice, but it has seemed inevitable for a long time. He was set to be one of the top players on the market last summer but was arrested mere days before an enormous payday.

The Hornets never withdrew his qualifying offer, so he’ll be a restricted free agent again in 2023 as long as the team reissues that QO this summer. It’s hard to say how much he’ll get paid on his next contract given everything that’s happened — I still think he’s likely to get something in the $25MM+ per year range, but it probably won’t approach a max like it may have last offseason.

Washington is the other key restricted free agent for Charlotte. His next contract might be less lucrative than Bridges’, but I think the Hornets will match any offer sheet up to around $20MM per year. They’d certainly prefer to pay him less than that though, perhaps in the range of $14-16MM annually – I would bet on Washington’s agents looking for more money from a rival team if that’s as high as Charlotte goes. It will be interesting to see how his situation plays out.

The team’s unrestricted free agents include Kelly Oubre, Svi Mykhailiuk and Dennis Smith Jr. Both Oubre (multiple times) and Smith have spoken about wanting to remain with the Hornets, and I wouldn’t be surprised if they return, but that might depend on how the draft goes.

Oubre made $12.6MM in ‘22/23 and I think he’ll probably get something in the ballpark of that figure on annual basis this summer, perhaps on a two- or three-year deal. I don’t expect Smith to have a robust market due to his scoring struggles, but he has become a much better decision-maker and an outstanding point-of-attack defender. They Hornets will have his Non-Bird rights if they want to give him a modest raise on his minimum-salary deal — otherwise they’ll have to use one of the aforementioned exceptions to give him a bit more money.

Giving LaMelo Ball a rookie scale extension is probably a mere formality. The former All-Star dealt with multiple ankle injuries in ‘22/23, but I still think he’s likely going to get a max contract.

My expectation is the Hornets will be involved in at least a couple of trades this offseason. If they keep all of their players on guaranteed contracts, re-sign Bridges, Washington, Oubre and Smith, and keep JT Thor’s non-guaranteed deal, they’d have 16 players under standard contracts if you include their two first-round picks. That’s one more than permitted.

They’ll also have three second-rounders ranging from No. 34-42. They could package those to try to move up in the first round, but Kupchak has had some nice second-round finds since he’s been in charge, so I’m not sure that’s likely. Even with the addition of a third two-way slot, the Hornets will still have a roster crunch, so look for some trade activity.

Salary Cap Situation

Guaranteed Salary

Dead/Retained Salary

  • None

Player Options

  • None

Team Options

  • None

Non-Guaranteed Salary

Restricted Free Agents

Two-Way Free Agents

Draft Picks

  • No. 4 overall ($8,678,400)
    • Note: This is only a placeholder until the draft order is determined via the lottery.
  • No. 27 overall ($2,427,360)
  • No. 34 overall (no cap hold)
  • No. 39 overall (no cap hold)
  • No. 42 overall (no cap hold)
  • Total: $11,105,760

Extension-Eligible Players

  • Gordon Hayward (veteran)
  • JT Thor (veteran)
  • LaMelo Ball (rookie scale)

Unrestricted Free Agents / Other Cap Holds

Note: The cap holds for Thomas, Kulboka, and Lewis remain on the Hornets’ books from prior seasons because they haven’t been renounced. They can’t be used in a sign-and-trade deal.

Cap Exceptions Available

  • Mid-level exception: $12,220,600
  • Bi-annual exception: $4,448,000
  • Trade exception: $1,930,681
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2023 NBA Offseason Preview: Houston Rockets

May 6th, 2023 at 1:24pm CST by Rory Maher

The Rockets finished with a .500 or better record for 14 consecutive seasons from 2007-20. When their franchise player, former MVP James Harden, asked for — and was granted — a trade to start 2020/21, it was the beginning of a rough three-year stretch of basketball in Houston.

The team finished with the worst record in the league in both ’20/21 and ’21/22, and was tied with San Antonio at 22-60 for the NBA’s second-worst mark in ’22/23. The Rockets finished 30th, 30th and 29th in defensive rating over those three seasons, so obviously improving on that front will be a top priority under new head coach Ime Udoka, who replaced Stephen Silas after the Rockets declined to pick up their option on the last year of Silas’ contract.

The past two draft lotteries have seen the Rockets land the second (Jalen Green) and third (Jabari Smith) overall picks. Will 2023 be the year they win the lottery and select Victor Wembanyama?

They’re certainly hoping that’s the case. After winning a tiebreaker with the Spurs, Houston will draft no lower than sixth overall.

The Rockets’ Offseason Plan:

There have been conflicting reports over the past week about the status of at least one member of the team’s core. One rumor stated that, while interviewing head coaches, the Rockets broached the subject of including Green in trade talks to try and acquire a star this summer. Another indicated that Green, Smith, Tari Eason and Alperen Sengun were Houston’s primary core.

I don’t think the idea of trading Green should be entirely dismissed, but I’d be surprised if he’s moved. He’s still only 21 years old and has two years left on his rookie contract. Sure, he’s struggled with scoring efficiency and defense, but those are normal growing pains for a young player, and it’s not like the Rockets had a strong foundation on either end of the court.

The other three players mentioned should be safe. One big knock I had against Silas was how disorganized the Rockets were offensively. The fact that he admitted the team rarely ran plays for Smith – who struggled to find quality looks throughout his rookie season – was unacceptable to me, because they were setting him up to fail — it’s not like he was known as a shot creator coming out of Auburn.

Kevin Porter Jr. and/or Jae’Sean Tate look to me like the most likely trade candidates on the roster. That’s not to suggest I necessarily think they will be traded or that they’re bad players — just that they make the most sense to be on the block from a fit standpoint. I don’t think Porter is a true point guard, and while Tate brings a lot of positive attributes, he’s not a good three-point shooter.

After a solid third season, Kenyon Martin Jr. is a good bet to return, either on his minimum-salary team option or – if the Rockets turn down his option to negotiate with him as a restricted free agent, like they did last summer with Tate – on a new contract. I don’t think Daishen Nix will be on the roster in ‘23/24 – his salary is non-guaranteed, and while he’s only 21, he was among the worst semi-regular rotation players in the NBA this season.

Armed with the most cap room in the NBA this summer (about $60MM), the Rockets will certainly look to be aggressive and make major strides in ‘23/24, for a number of different reasons. For starters, if the team is unable to land any of its top targets, I could see general manager Rafael Stone getting fired before the season even begins, because the front office has been very forthright about building toward this point in time.

A report in December indicated that owner Tilman Fertitta has grown “antsy” with the state of the Rockets’ rebuild. That makes sense – it’s a drastically different team than the one he purchased, and it has lost a lot of games lately.

Another reason Houston wants to improve next season is the team owes its 2024 first-round pick (top-four protected) to Oklahoma City as part of the Chris Paul/Russell Westbrook trade (the Rockets owe the Thunder their 2026 first-rounder as well).

When you’re as bad as the Rockets have been over the past three seasons, you need help everywhere. Aside from the defense, three other areas in particular stand out: three-point accuracy, assists and turnovers. They finished last in the league in all three of those categories.

Perhaps that’s why the Rockets have been consistently linked to Harden this season. One of the most prolific scorers and three-point shooters in NBA history, the 33-year-old led the league in assists for the second time in ’22/23 at 10.7 APG. He also posted a career-best 3.17-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio.

Harden holds a $35.64MM player option for ‘23/24 and is far from a lock to leave Philadelphia, where he has a much better shot at winning his first championship. Still, there’s a reason the rumors won’t go away, and his ties to Houston are obvious.

The problem is, if the Rockets give him a four-year max deal projected to start at $46.9MM (and a total of $201.67MM), they won’t have enough remaining cap room to sign another veteran impact player — maybe someone like Jerami Grant. Perhaps Harden would be willing to take another discount like he did last summer to improve the team, but that’s a tougher sell with a team that isn’t close to contention.

That’s one reason why I wouldn’t be surprised if Porter is dealt, because it could open up enough salary to sign another player at a starting salary of about $31MM.

Harden might not even be atop Houston’s wish list. He’s a decade older than most of the players on the roster, as is Khris Middleton, another player who has been floated as a potential target.

They’ll have other options. Not a ton, because it’s not a great free agent class, but there are alternatives.

Splitting that $60MM to go after Fred VanVleet and Grant could be one route they could take. Or VanVleet and a big offer sheet to Cameron Johnson. Or using some of their cap room on a free agent and the rest to accommodate a trade for a disgruntled star. You get the point.

The Rockets’ draft assets shouldn’t be overlooked either. While the club probably won’t trade its lottery pick, its second first-rounder (No. 20) could be a useful sweetener if the team wants to make a win-now trade.

The most important thing will be to not strike out, because the advantage of remaining below the cap floor has been reduced in the new CBA, and the Rockets have plenty of incentives to improve.

Salary Cap Situation

Guaranteed Salary

Dead/Retained Salary

  • None

Player Options

  • None

Team Options

  • Kenyon Martin Jr. ($1,930,681): Bird rights
    • Note: If Martin’s option is exercised, his salary would become guaranteed two days before the July moratorium. If it’s not exercised, he would be eligible for restricted free agency.
  • Total: $1,930,681

Non-Guaranteed Salary

Restricted Free Agents

  • None

Two-Way Free Agents

Draft Picks

  • No. 2 overall ($10,718,760)
    • Note: This is only a placeholder until the draft order is determined via the lottery.
  • No. 20 overall ($3,170,400)
  • Total: $13,889,160

Extension-Eligible Players

  • Kenyon Martin Jr. (veteran)

Note: These are players who are either already eligible for an extension or will become eligible before the 2023/24 season begins.

Unrestricted Free Agents / Other Cap Holds

Note: Frazier’s cap hold remains on the Rockets’ books from a prior season because it hasn’t been renounced. He can’t be used in a sign-and-trade deal.

Cap Exceptions Available

  • Room exception: $7,609,000
  • Trade exception: $3,892,917
    • Note: Expires on June 26.
  • Trade exception: $3,089,360
  • Trade exception: $293,920
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Hoops Rumors Glossary: Maximum Salary

May 6th, 2023 at 10:48am CST by Luke Adams

There are many NBA players technically on maximum salary contracts, but most of those players didn’t earn identical salaries this season, making the league’s “maximum salary” something of a misnomer. While each NBA player has a maximum salary that he can earn in a given season, that number varies from player to player, with a handful of factors playing a part in determining the exact figure.

The primary factor in determining a player’s maximum salary is his years of service. If a player has been in the NBA for no more than six years, he can earn up to 25% of the salary cap in the first year of his deal. Players with seven to nine years of experience can earn up to 30%, while veterans with 10 or more years in the NBA are eligible for up to 35% of the cap. In 2022/23, the salary cap is $123,655,000, meaning the maximum salaries are as follows:

Years in NBA Salary
0-6 $30,913,750
7-9 $37,096,500
10+ $43,279,250

The figures above explain why Zach LaVine, who signed a maximum salary contract with the Bulls last July following his eighth NBA season, earned a salary of $37,096,500 this season. But they don’t explain why Suns star Devin Booker, who is also in that 7-9 year window and is on a max contract of his own, made just $33,833,400.

The reason Booker’s maximum salary is a few million shy of LaVine’s is that those league-wide maximum salary figures only apply to the first year of a multiyear contract.

When a player signs a maximum contract, he can receive annual raises of up to either 8% or 5%, depending on whether he signs with his previous team or a new team. So by the third, fourth, or fifth year of his contract, he could be earning significantly more or less than his updated max for that season, depending on the rate the salary cap has been increasing and whether or not he has moved into a new “years of service” group.

Booker signed his first maximum salary contract extension in 2018 and it went into effect in 2019/20, when he had fewer than six years of NBA experience. Although he has received annual 8% raises since then, those raises haven’t been enough to keep up with the annual cap growth and with his move into the 7-9 year window. As a result, he earned about $3.26MM less than his actual max in 2022/23, despite being on a “max contract.”

Booker signed a new contract extension last summer that will go into effect in 2024/25, at which point he’ll receive a major pay bump and surpass LaVine’s annual earnings.

Here are a couple more ways a player’s usual maximum salary can fluctuate:

  • A free agent’s maximum salary is always at least 105% of his previous salary. For example, Warriors star Stephen Curry is earning $48,070,014 this season. He’s under contract for three more years, but if he were eligible for free agency this offseason, he’d be eligible to receive a starting salary of up to $50,473,515 (105% of this year’s salary), even though that figure will easily exceed 35% of the 2023/24 cap.
  • In certain situations, players eligible for new contracts can earn the maximum salary for the level above the one they’d typically fall into. A player receiving a designated rookie extension can earn up to 30% of the cap instead of 25% if he meets certain criteria. A veteran can become eligible to earn up to 35% of the cap instead of 30% if he meets the same criteria, which are related to MVP, Defensive Player of the Year, or All-NBA honors.

A player who signs a maximum salary contract can receive a trade kicker as part of his deal, but he can’t cash in on that bonus for any amount beyond his maximum salary in a given league year. For instance, Bradley Beal‘s max salary contract with the Wizards features a 15% trade kicker, but if he had been traded this season, he wouldn’t have been eligible to receive that bonus, since he was already earning his maximum salary of $43,279,250.

Similarly, a maximum salary player whose team finishes the season below the minimum salary floor isn’t eligible to receive a share when the team distributes that money to its players, since his max salary for that year can’t be exceeded.

The current figures for maximum salaries in 2023/24 are as follows, based on the NBA’s projection of a $134MM salary cap:

Years in NBA Salary
0-6 $33,500,000
7-9 $40,200,000
10+ $46,900,000

These figures will apply to players who previously signed maximum salary extensions that will go into effect in ’23/24, including Ja Morant, Zion Williamson, Darius Garland, and Nikola Jokic.

Note: This is a Hoops Rumors Glossary entry. Our glossary posts will explain specific rules relating to trades, free agency, or other aspects of the NBA’s Collective Bargaining Agreement. Larry Coon’s Salary Cap FAQ was used in the creation of this post.

Earlier versions of this post were previously published by Luke Adams and Chuck Myron.

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Community Shootaround: Open Head Coach Jobs

May 6th, 2023 at 9:29am CST by Luke Adams

The Rockets completed their head coaching search a week-and-a-half ago, hiring Ime Udoka to replace Stephen Silas. However, there are still three NBA teams still in the market for new coaches.

[RELATED: 2023 NBA Head Coaching Search Tracker]

Interestingly, those three clubs – the Bucks, Pistons, and Raptors – are at very different stages in terms of their development, so even if they consider some of the same candidates, they’ll likely have very different expectations for their new hires, especially in the short term.

Milwaukee won a title in 2021 and expected to make it back to the NBA Finals in each of the last two seasons. The fact that they only won a single playoff series during that stretch is why Mike Budenholzer is out of work — his replacement will be expected to make deeper postseason runs with a roster headed by two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo.

While the Bucks’ roster has championship upside, the NBA’s new Collective Bargaining Agreement will limit the front office’s flexibility going forward and could hamstring the team’s ability to make additional upgrades. It also may force management to make difficult decisions on upcoming contracts for key contributors on the wrong side of 30, including Khris Middleton and Brook Lopez.

Detroit is on the opposite side of the spectrum, having won no more than 23 games in a season in any of the last four years. There are some promising young pieces here – including Cade Cunningham, Jaden Ivey, Jalen Duren, and whichever player the team drafts in the top five next month – but the Pistons are all about unrealized potential.

No one on the roster has made an All-Star team, and the next step for the club will be contending for a play-in spot, not a championship. So while a new head coach will be expected to help Detroit take a step forward right away, there won’t be any immediate expectations of winning playoff series.

The Raptors are somewhere in the middle of those two extremes. The team’s 41-41 record this past season was a disappointment, given the presence of former All-Stars like Pascal Siakam and Fred VanVleet, along with 2022 Rookie of the Year Scottie Barnes and three-and-D standout OG Anunoby. But the roster probably lacks the star power and depth necessary to legitimate vie for a championship.

Toronto traded away its 2024 first-round pick with minimal (top-six) protection, so the team won’t want to take a step back next season, even if it makes some significant roster changes. The new head coach will be expected to get the Raptors back to the postseason and not just to make a quick exit.

We want to know what you think: which of the NBA’s three current head coaching vacancies do you view as the most and least appealing jobs? What sort of candidates do you think would be good fits in Milwaukee, Detroit, and Toronto?

Head to the comment section below to share your thoughts!

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2023 NBA Offseason Preview: Portland Trail Blazers

May 5th, 2023 at 4:00pm CST by Luke Adams

After an abdominal injury limited Damian Lillard to just 29 games in 2021/22 and the Trail Blazers posted their worst record in 16 years (27-55), the hope in Portland was that better injury luck and a quick retooling of the roster – centered around the acquisition of Jerami Grant – would put the team back in the postseason a year later.

The Blazers were hit hard again by injuries in ’22/23, but even if they’d stayed healthy, their roster wasn’t strong enough to make them a legitimate contender. Portland finished at 33-49, once again tanking hard in the second half — their minus-12.2 net rating after the trade deadline was easily the NBA’s worst, while their 6-21 record during that time ranked dead last in the West.

Lillard has repeatedly pledged his loyalty to the Blazers, expressing a desire to spend his entire career in Portland and making it clear he’s not looking for an exit ramp. But he has also stressed that he doesn’t want to spend his last few prime years on a perennial lottery team. The seven-time All-Star will turn 33 this summer and the Blazers are running out of time to surround him with a strong supporting cast.

Heading into the 2023 offseason, it feels as if general manager Joe Cronin and the front office will get at least one more opportunity to turn the Lillard-led Blazers into a playoff team, but given how quickly situations can change in the NBA, you never know. It has become increasingly rare to get through an offseason without at least one star player making a trade request. If Lillard becomes that player this summer, the Blazers will be forced to alter their roster building plans in a major way.

The Blazers’ Offseason Plan:

The trade package the Blazers gave up for Grant last July wasn’t massive, but it wasn’t insignificant either. And given that Grant performed well in his first season in Portland, averaging 20.5 PPG with a career-best .401 3PT% and solid defense, there’s no reason to think the team won’t do all it can to re-sign the veteran forward this offseason to ensure that he’s not one-and-done as a Blazer.

Frankly, the Blazers would’ve preferred to lock up Grant to an in-season extension rather than having to compete with outside suitors in free agency, but CBA rules limited their maximum offer to about $113MM over four years. It appears Grant will opt for free agency instead, and that’s certainly justifiable — he’s in his prime and possesses a coveted skill set. It’s not unrealistic to expect him to match or exceed the four-year, $120MM deal that Gordon Hayward signed with Charlotte back in 2020.

Even if we assume the Blazers are able to re-sign Grant without engaging in a major bidding war, at least one more move will be required to tangibly upgrade the roster. The trade market might be Portland’s best bet, with Anfernee Simons and Shaedon Sharpe among the club’s top trade assets.

I’d expect the Blazers’ potential trade partners to view Sharpe as the more desirable player of those two, given his tantalizing ceiling. If Portland pursues a wing like OG Anunoby, for instance, Sharpe would likely be the first player the Raptors ask about. And there’s some logic in the idea that the Blazers would be open to moving Sharpe, figuring that the 19-year-old won’t reach his prime until Lillard has exited his.

Simons looks to me like the preferred trade chip from Portland’s perspective though. The Blazers’ Achilles heel during their eight consecutive postseason appearances from 2014-21 was that the undersized backcourt of Lillard and CJ McCollum couldn’t hold up defensively against the league’s best scorers. After trading away McCollum, the Blazers have essentially replicated that dynamic with Simons alongside Lillard — I’m skeptical they can seriously contend for a title with both players in their starting lineup.

Center Jusuf Nurkic could also be a trade candidate, given that his salary is appropriately sized for matching purposes. And Portland’s best overall trade chip might be its lottery pick. Of course, if the Blazers luck out and land the No. 1 overall choice, they’re hanging onto it and calling Victor Wembanyama‘s name on draft night. It would probably make sense to keep it at No. 2 or No. 3 too, since Brandon Miller is the sort of wing who would fit perfectly on the current roster.

The Blazers have less than a one-in-three shot to move into the top three though, so if their pick lands where it’s most likely to (No. 6 or No. 7), they should think long and hard about including it in a trade package for an impact player. Their future first-rounders are tied up to a certain extent because they owe one to Chicago that’s protected through 2028, and beyond the top three players, this year’s draft class is heavy on question marks and light on players who are expected to make an immediate impact.

Besides Grant, the Blazers have a handful of other noteworthy players up for new contracts. Cam Reddish and Matisse Thybulle are eligible for restricted free agency and seem more likely to receive qualifying offers now than they did three months ago, having finished the season strong in Portland.

It wouldn’t shock me if the Blazers re-sign both players. But of the two, I view Thybulle as the one more likely to get a qualifying offer and to remain with the team, since he’s the better defender and his QO is worth about $1.5MM less than Reddish’s.

Drew Eubanks and Justise Winslow will also be free agents. Eubanks has been a solid reserve and could be back as long as he’s willing to accept another minimum-salary deal or something close to it. Winslow showed flashes of promise in Portland, but couldn’t overcome the health issues that have plagued him his entire career. I wouldn’t expect him to stick with the Blazers unless they have trouble fortifying their wing depth in free agency or on the trade market.

Salary Cap Situation

Guaranteed Salary

Dead/Retained Salary

Player Options

  • None

Team Options

Non-Guaranteed Salary

Restricted Free Agents

Two-Way Free Agents

Draft Picks

  • No. 5 overall ($7,858,920)
    • Note: This is only a placeholder until the draft order is determined via the lottery.
  • No. 23 overall ($2,805,240)
  • No. 43 overall (no cap hold)
  • Total: $10,664,160

Extension-Eligible Players

  • None

Unrestricted Free Agents / Other Cap Holds

Note: The cap holds for McLemore, Hollis-Jefferson, Blevins, and Leaf remain on the Blazers’ books from prior seasons because they haven’t been renounced. They can’t be used in a sign-and-trade deal.

Cap Exceptions Available

  • Mid-level exception: $12,220,600
  • Bi-annual exception: $4,448,000
  • Trade exception: $8,300,000
  • Trade exception: $2,626,019
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Community Shootaround: Timberwolves’ Offseason

May 4th, 2023 at 4:21pm CST by Rory Maher

After trading away several first-round picks (including center Walker Kessler, who finished third in Rookie of the Year voting) to acquire Rudy Gobert last summer , the Timberwolves don’t have many ways to improve the roster going forward. They only have one draft pick in 2023, at No. 53 overall.

With huge contracts committed to Gobert and Karl-Anthony Towns, the only realistic pathway to drastically reshape the roster would seemingly be to trade Towns. The problem is he was limited to 29 regular season games after a severe calf strain, and he struggled in the playoffs for the second straight year, posting 10 assists against 18 turnovers while shooting 25% on threes in Minnesota’s first-round loss to Denver.

The Wolves still seem intent on keeping the two big men together, with head coach Chris Finch expressing optimism about the pairing after Game 5. Let’s say they retain both players and build out the roster with their limited available resources. There are plenty of other important decisions to be made this summer.

For starters, Naz Reid, Jaylen Nowell, Nickeil Alexander-Walker (RFA), Austin Rivers, Nathan Knight ($1,997,238 team option), Luka Garza (two-way) and Matt Ryan (two-way) are all possible free agents, while Mike Conley, Taurean Prince and Jordan McLaughlin have either partially guaranteed or non-guaranteed contracts for 2023/24.

Of that large group, Conley and Prince are likely to return, as both were important contributors. But Conley will be 36 years old when next season starts and is on an expiring contract, so finding a long-term solution at point guard will be a priority.

The Wolves have talked about wanting to re-sign or extend Reid, but he may be looking for a bigger opportunity in his first free agency foray. Alexander-Walker has expressed a desire to be back after providing impressive defense down the stretch.

The future of everyone else mentioned is very much up in the air. And with lucrative rookie scale extensions for Anthony Edwards and Jaden McDaniels likely to be signed this offseason, the cap sheet for ’24/25 and beyond is looking pretty messy.

We want to know what you think. What should the Timberwolves do this offseason to build around Edwards? Which of their free agents should they re-sign, and which should they let go? Head to the comments section to share your thoughts.

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2023 NBA Offseason Preview: San Antonio Spurs

May 4th, 2023 at 8:00am CST by Rory Maher

From 1998 to 2019, the Spurs made the playoffs for 22 consecutive seasons, including 19 campaigns with 50-plus wins (in 1998/99, they went 37-13 due to a lockout – a 61-win pace – and went on to win the championship). From 2020-22, the Spurs went 32-39, 33-39 and 34-48, missing the postseason each time.

Trading Derrick White to Boston at the 2022 trade deadline was the first signal that San Antonio was entertaining a full-on rebuild. Dealing Dejounte Murray to Atlanta last summer further cemented that plan, and the Spurs wound up trading two more veterans on expiring deals – Jakob Poeltl and Josh Richardson – at February’s deadline.

The Spurs finished this season 22-60, tied for the second-worst record in the league with Houston. The last time they finished with a record that poor was in ’96/97, when they won the draft lottery and selected Tim Duncan first overall, which led to five championships and the aforementioned playoff streak.

If the plan was to do a short-term tank while (hopefully) developing young players, ’22/23 was the season to do it. San Antonio will be hoping to cash in on its 14% odds and land another potential generational talent in French phenom Victor Wembanyama.

The Spurs’ Offseason Plan:

Considering they finished 29th in offense and 30th in defense with the worst net rating in the league (a brutal minus-9.9), it’s safe to say the Spurs need help wherever they can find it. A star to build around would be a great place to start, but they’ll almost certainly have to hope that will come via the draft or through internal development.

San Antonio has long been known as one of the most inscrutable organizations in the NBA. Predicting what the team will do in the offseason is a fool’s errand, but I’ll give it my best shot.

There are likely several young players the Spurs will have little to no interest in trading. Jeremy Sochan, Keldon Johnson and Devin Vassell are in that group, with Sochan probably the closest to untouchable on the roster.

The Spurs have a history of coming to agreements on rookie scale extensions, and I think the odds are pretty high that Vassell will get a new deal after averaging 18.5 PPG, 3.9 RPG, 3.6 APG and 1.1 SPG on .439/.387/.780 shooting in his third season (he was limited to 38 games due to left knee surgery).

Youngsters Malaki Branham, Blake Wesley and Charles Bassey all need time to develop. I expect them all to be on the roster to start next season.

It wouldn’t be surprising if the Spurs gauge the trade values of Doug McDermott and Devonte’ Graham, but I don’t expect there to be a ton of interest – they’re fine role players, but their contracts probably have neutral value at best. Khem Birch’s NBA future is up in the air due to lingering knee problems, but his contract is also expiring, so they’ll likely just live with his $7MM-ish cap hit in ‘23/24 and hope he gets healthy enough to resume his career (waiving him outright to clear a roster spot is another viable option).

Zach Collins’ $7.7MM salary is a lock to be guaranteed, as longtime head coach Gregg Popovich has already said he would be the starting center entering next season. Injuries have plagued Collins throughout his six-year career, but he’s still only 25 years old and played well in ’22/23.

I expect Tre Jones, a restricted free agent, to be back next season, though I don’t have a great feel for what type of contract he might receive – he has plenty of desirable traits, but he’s a small point guard who doesn’t shoot threes well, making his market value tricky to gauge. I’m less optimistic about Romeo Langford returning unless he takes a discount – his qualifying offer isn’t team-friendly, so he’ll probably become an unrestricted free agent.

As for the other impending free agents, I wouldn’t be surprised if both two-way players (Dominick Barlow, Julian Champagnie) are retained one way or another, but it could go either way with the remaining three (Sandro Mamukelashvili, Keita Bates-Diop, Gorgui Dieng).

Assuming they guarantee Collins’ salary, re-sign Jones at a starting salary of $11MM (just a rough estimate), select No. 3 overall like their placeholder cap hold, and renounce their other free agents, the Spurs will have approximately $29MM to spend on free agents, plus the $7.6MM room exception.

I don’t expect them to go after any of the marquee names in free agency given the state of their rebuild, but some second-tier guys like Max Strus or P.J. Washington might be worth watching (Washington will be restricted if given a qualifying offer, as expected). They could also add assets by taking on unwanted salaries from rival clubs, like they did during ’22/23.

Salary Cap Situation

Guaranteed Salary

Dead/Retained Salary

Player Options

  • None

Team Options

  • None

Non-Guaranteed Salary

Restricted Free Agents

Two-Way Free Agents

Draft Picks

  • No. 3 overall ($9,625,800)
    • Note: This is only a placeholder until the draft order is determined via the lottery.
  • No. 32 overall (no cap hold)
    • Note: This pick could be No. 33 instead if the Spurs pick earlier than Houston in the first round.
  • No. 44 overall (no cap hold)
  • Total: $9,625,800

Extension-Eligible Players

  • Khem Birch (veteran)
  • Zach Collins (veteran)
  • Devonte’ Graham (veteran)
  • Doug McDermott (veteran)
  • Devin Vassell (rookie scale)

Note: These are players who are either already eligible for an extension or will become eligible before the 2023/24 season begins.

Unrestricted Free Agents / Other Cap Holds

Cap Exceptions Available

  • Room exception: $7,609,000
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2023 NBA Offseason Preview: Detroit Pistons

May 2nd, 2023 at 3:03pm CST by Rory Maher

It’s hard to say 2022/23 was anything but a disappointment for the Pistons, who finished with the worst record in the NBA at 17-65 after entering the season hoping to make a push for the play-in tournament.

Injuries certainly played a role in that – 2021 No. 1 overall pick Cade Cunningham was limited to just 12 games due to a shin injury, which required surgery. Still, it’s not as though they were lighting the world on fire to start the season with Cunningham healthy – they went 3-9 in the games he played, including six lopsided losses.

The Pistons had two separate losing streaks of 11 games and nine other losing streaks ranging between three and seven games. They managed consecutive victories only one time in ’22/23. It marked the fourth consecutive season in which Detroit has won fewer than 24 games.

Part of the problem with being bad every year, drafting early in the lottery, and trying to develop young players is that most rookies are not good NBA players. Some develop into winning players in the following years; some never do. The Pistons need more players on their roster to take significant steps forward in ‘23/24.

That’s not to say this past season was a total lost cause. Both of Detroit’s lottery picks – Jaden Ivey and Jalen Duren – showed encouraging signs of progress, and the team can land no lower than No. 5 overall in June’s draft.

The Pistons’ Offseason Plan:

Hiring a new head coach is the first order of business after Dwane Casey moved to a front office role. Charles Lee, Kevin Ollie and Jarron Collins are considered frontrunners for the job, though the Pistons reportedly plan to take their time in evaluating their options.

Getting lucky in the draft again would obviously be beneficial – Victor Wembanyama is considered the best prospect since LeBron James was selected in 20 years ago. However, even if the Pistons do land Wembanyama, there are still question marks up and down the roster.

Ivey and Cunningham appear secure as the two starting guards, but they’re inexperienced and neither has proven to be a great shooter yet. They’ve also been turnover prone, which is normal for young guards.

Former No. 7 overall pick Killian Hayes had a 14-game stretch from mid-November to mid-December when people ignored his previous shooting woes and thought he was turning the corner, as he shot 41.0% from three. He wound up shooting 24.7% from deep over his remaining 46 games, struggling mightily to score from inside the arc as well.

I like Hayes’ defense and he improved as a play-maker and decision-maker in year three, but unless he drastically improves as a scorer, it’s hard to see him ever having positive value – his 45.5% true shooting percentage was the worst mark in the NBA. I definitely don’t see him getting a rookie scale extension in the offseason.

Duren seems like the center of the future, but the frontcourt is already chock full of young players like Isaiah Stewart, James Wiseman and Marvin Bagley III.

On one hand, you could argue that having a couple of former No. 2 overall picks in Wiseman and Bagley was a worthwhile gamble on their talent, despite disappointing tenures with their former teams. On the other, neither has shown the ability to consistently set solid screens, stretch the floor, or play defense, and there are only so many minutes to go around.

Stewart may not be a household name to non-Pistons fans, but he made progress with his outside shot and is a solid defensive player. As with Wiseman, he’ll be eligible for a rookie scale extension this summer – I suspect Stewart is more likely to receive a new deal, but it wouldn’t be surprising if they wait on both players.

After trading Saddiq Bey for Wiseman, Detroit has Bojan Bogdanovic and Isaiah Livers at forward, with Alec Burks splitting minutes between the two and three. Bogdanovic and Burks were involved in a lot of trade rumors heading into the February deadline, but the Pistons wound up keeping them both. I didn’t mind that decision, because having productive veterans on an otherwise extremely young team is important.

In terms of the club’s own free agents (or potential free agents), Burks and Livers are essentially locks to have their club options exercised, but as James L. Edwards III of The Athletic recently predicted, it wouldn’t be surprising if none of the remaining players (Hamidou Diallo, Cory Joseph, Rodney McGruder, R.J. Hampton, Eugene Omoruyi) return.

Diallo can’t shoot, but he’s an elite athlete and finisher who really improved on defense. I think he’ll get a multiyear contract from someone. The other players are probably looking at minimum-salary, partially guaranteed, or non-guaranteed contracts for various reasons.

The Pistons need more shooting and defense at basically every position, and they’ll have options to improve. Assuming they pick up their options on Burks and Livers and renounce all their other cap holds, they’ll have $107.4MM committed to 11 players, including Dewayne Dedmon’s dead money hit (he was previously waived and stretched) and the cap hold for the incoming top-five pick.

Where that pick lands will determine exactly how much cap room they’ll have available – if it’s  No. 1 overall, they’d have about $26.6MM to spend on free agents, based on the latest projections for next season’s salary cap. If it falls to No. 5 – and there’s a 47.9% chance that it will – then they’d have another $4MM+ in cap room.

Wherever the pick lands, that’s enough money to add at least one impact veteran. Former Pistons forward Jerami Grant, whom the team traded to Portland last offseason, has been floated as one possibility for the cap room – he’ll be an unrestricted free agent if he doesn’t sign an extension with the Blazers. Detroit will also have the room mid-level exception available, which increased in value in the new CBA – it can now run up to three years and is projected to start at about $7.6MM.

Salary Cap Situation

Guaranteed Salary

Dead/Retained Salary

Player Options

  • None

Team Options

Non-Guaranteed Salary

Restricted Free Agents

  • None

Two-Way Free Agents

Draft Picks

  • No. 1 overall ($11,979,960)
    • Note: This is only a placeholder until the draft order is determined via the lottery.
  • No. 31 overall (no cap hold)
  • Total: $11,979,960

Extension-Eligible Players

  • Alec Burks (veteran)
  • Isaiah Livers (veteran)
  • James Wiseman (rookie scale)
  • Killian Hayes (rookie scale)
  • Isaiah Stewart (rookie scale)

Note: These are players who are either already eligible for an extension or will become eligible before the 2023/24 season begins. Burks and Livers would only become eligible if their team options are exercised.

Unrestricted Free Agents / Other Cap Holds

Cap Exceptions Available

  • Room exception: $7,609,000
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