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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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Players Eligible For Rookie Scale Extensions In 2023

April 22nd, 2023 at 10:00am CST by Luke Adams

When the NBA’s 2023/24 league year begins this summer, players eligible for free agency will be able to begin negotiating and reaching contract agreements with suitors. In addition to those free agents, another group of players will also become eligible to sign new deals.

For players who are entering the fourth and final year of their rookie scale contracts, the first day of the new league year (July 1) is the first day they can agree to rookie scale extensions. Those players, who were almost all 2020 first-round selections, will have until the day before the 2023/24 regular season starts to finalize long-term agreements with their current teams.

Players eligible for rookie scale extensions can sign new deals that run for up to five years, with those contracts taking effect beginning in 2024/25. If they don’t sign extensions during the coming offseason, those players will be eligible for restricted free agency in the summer of 2024.

Eleven players who were eligible for rookie scale extensions during the 2022 offseason signed new deals. That number tied a record set a year earlier, and continued a recent trend — we’ve seen an uptick in rookie extensions during the last few offseasons as more teams look to lock up their promising young players in advance of free agency.

We should expect several more rookie scale extensions to be signed between July and October of this year.

Here are the players who will be eligible to sign rookie scale extensions during the 2023 offseason:

The following players were selected in the first round of the 2020 draft along with the players listed above. However, they aren’t eligible for rookie scale extensions this year for the reasons noted:

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NBA Team Option Decisions For 2023/24

April 21st, 2023 at 12:53pm CST by Luke Adams

Having already created a space to track this offseason’s player option decisions, we’re turning our attention today to team options. Over the next couple months, we’ll use the space below to keep tabs on all the team options for 2023/24, making note of whether they’re exercised or declined.

True team options are different than non-guaranteed salaries, which aren’t listed in the space below. Non-guaranteed salaries are less restrictive and provide a little more flexibility than team options, which clubs must act upon by a specific date (June 29) each year.

However, team options can be useful at the end of a contract, since turning down that option allows the team to retain some form of Bird rights on the player — waiving a player with a non-guaranteed salary doesn’t present that same opportunity. Additionally, a handful of contracts still don’t become fully guaranteed once an option is picked up, giving teams an extra level of flexibility.

The list below doesn’t include rookie scale team options for 2023/24, since those third- and fourth-year options function differently than team options on standard veteran contracts. Those ’23/24 rookie scale team option decisions were made during the 2022 offseason, and can be found here.

The standard team options for 2023/24 are listed below. This list – which can be found anytime under the “Hoops Rumors Features” menu on the right sidebar on our desktop site or on the “Features” page in our mobile menu – will be updated throughout the fall to note the latest decisions as they’re reported and/or announced.

Unless otherwise indicated, a player’s salary will become guaranteed once his team option is exercised.

Boston Celtics

Cleveland Cavaliers

Detroit Pistons

Houston Rockets

Los Angeles Lakers

Memphis Grizzlies

Minnesota Timberwolves

New Orleans Pelicans

New York Knicks

Oklahoma City Thunder

Orlando Magic

Phoenix Suns

Portland Trail Blazers

Sacramento Kings

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Players Likely To Get Rookie Scale Max Extensions In 2023

April 19th, 2023 at 11:06am CST by Rory Maher

The 2020 NBA draft was a strange one for a number of reasons. It wasn’t viewed as the strongest class by scouts and analysts, and there was no consensus top overall pick. The COVID-19 pandemic also (understandably) made it much more difficult for teams to scout and interview players due to travel restrictions.

Rookies from the class were also negatively impacted, as they were drafted in November and the 2020/21 season started one month later, with shortened training camps. Normally rookies have up to four months to spend with their new teams, including summer league and full training camps. The truncated offseason put all players behind the curve, but the ones without NBA experience were hit hardest.

It’s fair to say the 2020 class has been relatively disappointing overall to this point, especially some of the players drafted in the top 10.

However, there are still some excellent players who were selected in the first round, and I believe three of them are basically locks to receive maximum-salary rookie scale extensions at the beginning of July (the new contracts will kick in starting in ‘24/25). They all have areas they need to improve on, but the potential and production are there.

The top candidates

Anthony Edwards, G/F, Timberwolves

After spending much of his first two seasons playing small forward, Edwards primarily played shooting guard in 2022/23 and had a career year, averaging 24.6 points, 5.8 rebounds, 4.4 assists and 1.6 steals on .459/.369/.756 shooting in 79 regular season games (36.0 MPG). The top overall pick of 2020 was named an All-Star for the first time this season.

Edwards has been durable, has improved nearly across the board in each of his three seasons, is arguably the best athlete in the class, and is only 21 years old. The fact that the Wolves were able to stay afloat with Karl-Anthony Towns missing most of the season is a testament to Edwards’ growth, and there’s still plenty of room for improvement.

LaMelo Ball, G, Hornets

The 2020/21 Rookie of the Year was an All-Star in year two after averaging 20.1 points, 6.7 rebounds, 7.6 assists and 1.6 steals on .429/.389/.872 shooting in 75 games (32.3 MPG). Ball, the third overall pick in 2020, followed that up by averaging 23.3 points, 6.4 rebounds, 8.4 assists and 1.3 steals on .411/.376/.836 shooting in ’22/23.

The problem was, Ball sustained multiple left ankle sprains and then fractured his right ankle on a non-contact play at the end of February, which limited him to 36 games this season.

I highly doubt those ankle injuries will impact his next contract, though they are a little worrisome. It’s possible the Hornets might push for some type of protections on the deal, but I’d be a little surprised — Ball played 75 games in ‘21/22.

Tyrese Haliburton, G, Pacers

Several draft analysts had Haliburton high on their boards, but he wound up falling to the Kings at No. 12 overall. He played very well in his stint with Sacramento, but his fit with fellow point guard De’Aaron Fox was less than perfect, particularly defensively, and the Kings memorably traded him in February 2022 for a package headlined by big man Domantas Sabonis.

The deal has worked out well for both teams. Haliburton thrived as a full-time point guard for the Pacers to end last season, and he was outstanding in 2022/23, making his first All-Star appearance while averaging 20.7 points, 3.7 rebounds, 10.4 assists and 1.6 steals on a sparkling .490/.400/.871 shooting line in 56 games (33.6 MPG).

Advanced stats nearly universally say Haliburton has been the top player from his class through three seasons. His efficiency and excellent decision-making stand out.

The 23-year-old only averaged 2.5 turnovers per game this season, good for a 4.15-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio – an excellent mark. Indiana went 28-28 with him in the lineup, versus 7-19 without him.

The borderline candidates

Two other first-round picks from 2020 are likely to receive massive extension offers this summer, but I’m not sure if they’ll get the full max – I could see it going either way.

Tyrese Maxey, G, Sixers

Given his relatively modest numbers as a rookie, Maxey’s enormous leap in ‘21/22 was pretty surprising (and impressive). He averaged 17.5 points, 3.2 rebounds and 4.3 assists on .485/.427/.866 shooting in 75 games (35.3 MPG) in his second NBA season. The former 21st overall pick had a strong playoff showing as well, averaging 20.8 points, 3.5 rebounds and 3.9 assists on .484/.377/.940 shooting in 12 games (40.4 MPG).

Maxey maintained his great outside shooting this season, averaging 20.3 points, 2.9 rebounds and 3.5 assists on .481/.434/.845 shooting in 60 games (33.6 MPG).

Still just 22 years old, Maxey is electric with the ball in his hands and is one of the fastest players in the league, making him a terror in transition. While he rarely turns the ball over, he’s more of a shooting guard than a point guard at this time, frequently looking to score instead of distribute.

However, he’s only 6’2″, so he can realistically only defend point guards, and he doesn’t have great instincts on that end. Most of the players listed here need to work on becoming more consistent defenders, but the other players have size advantages and are better at making plays both on and off the ball defensively.

The new CBA allows players eligible for rookie scale extensions to sign five-year deals – they were previously limited to four-year contracts. With that in mind, I think Maxey is highly likely to receive an offer in the range of $160-170MM over five years, but I’d be mildly surprised if he gets the full projected $200MM+ due to his limitations as a play-maker and defender (whether he accepts less than a max deal is another story).

Desmond Bane, G/F, Grizzlies

A four-year college player out of TCU, Bane was the last pick of the first round in 2020. He had a quality rookie season, mostly off the bench, averaging 9.2 points and 3.1 rebounds on .469/.432/.816 shooting in 68 games (17 starts, 22.3 MPG).

Like Maxey, Bane emerged as one of the most improved players in the league last season, averaging 18.2 points, 4.4 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.2 steals on .461/.436/.903 shooting in 76 games (29.8 MPG). He was even better in ‘22/23, putting up 21.5 PPG, 5.0 RPG, 4.4 APG and 1.0 SPG on .479/.408/.883 shooting in 58 games (31.7 MPG).

From a statistical standpoint, the 24-year-old has a legitimate argument for getting a max deal. He’s an elite shooter and is a solid play-maker and defender.

My only real questions as far as a max deal are: Can Bane be one of the best players on a championship-level team? Is he good enough at creating his own shot? I did view Memphis as a legitimate contender this year until Steven Adams and Brandon Clarke went down with injuries.

Bane is already an excellent player who has shown consistent improvement year over year. Every team in the league would love to have him. I’m just not totally sold on a full max, though I wouldn’t be surprised if he gets it, and it’s hard to say he hasn’t earned it.

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