Hoops Rumors Originals

Since last week’s trade deadline, four teams have promoted a player from a two-way contract to a 15-man roster spot — the Celtics (Sam Hauser), Thunder (Aaron Wiggins), Rockets (Daishen Nix), and Heat (Caleb Martin) all took advantage of roster openings to make such a move.

For a playoff-bound team like Miami, promoting a two-way player to the 15-man roster ensures he’ll be eligible to play in the postseason.

That’s not exactly a pressing concern for a team like Oklahoma City or Houston, but it still made sense for them to promote Wiggins and Nix, respectively, because they were able to lock those rookies up to four-year contracts that will be worth the minimum salary going forward. Both Wiggins and Nix have non-guaranteed third and fourth years on those deals, so the Thunder and Rockets will have the ability to bail early if their investments don’t work out.

Even after that flurry of promotions, there are still several players around the NBA on two-way contracts who are candidates to get new deals before the end of the regular season.

Here’s a closer look at which players could be next in line for a bump up to the 15-man roster:

Amir Coffey (Clippers)

Coffey has emerged as a regular rotation player for the Clippers this season, averaging 22.2 minutes per contest in 48 games (20 starts). He hasn’t missed a game or played fewer than 13 minutes since December 20 and is averaging 8.4 PPG and 3.0 RPG with a solid shooting line (.459/.380/.886).

The Clippers don’t currently have an open spot on their 15-man roster, so there’s no clear path for Coffey to sign a standard contract unless someone is waived. Newly-acquired swingman Rodney Hood or forward Semi Ojeleye are probably be the best candidates to be released — L.A.’s deadline deal to acquire that duo from the Bucks appeared to be more about tax considerations than about targeting those specific players.

Kessler Edwards (Nets)

Like Coffey, Edwards has been a regular contributor lately, starting 19 of 20 Brooklyn’s games. And like the Clippers, the Nets have a full 15-man roster, creating a temporary roadblock for an Edwards promotion.

It’s trickier finding expendable pieces on the Nets’ roster. Bruce Brown, James Johnson, and Blake Griffin are among those on expiring contracts and they haven’t exactly been setting the world on fire, but they’ve been rotation players when healthy. Jevon Carter has been in and out of the rotation, but is owed a guaranteed $3.9MM salary next season.

Edwards slumped badly entering the All-Star break, averaging 2.3 PPG on 18.9% shooting in his last eight games. If that trend continues, the Nets probably won’t need to find room for him on their 15-man squad. But if he bounces back, the team may want to ensure he’s playoff-eligible.

Jose Alvarado (Pelicans)

Alvarado appeared in just eight of New Orleans’ first 35 games, then played in the next 23 before getting a DNP-CD on Thursday. The addition of CJ McCollum may limit Alvarado’s playing time going forward, but the rookie has proven he’s capable of stepping in and providing the Pelicans with solid minutes. The team’s open roster spot could be earmarked for him or fellow two-way player Gary Clark.

Trent Forrest (Jazz)

Forrest has had a nice February for Utah, putting up 8.0 PPG, 4.1 APG, and 1.6 SPG on 52.4% shooting in seven games (22.6 MPG). The Jazz have an opening on their roster and could create a second one if they decide Juan Hernangomez isn’t in their plans. I’d expect Forrest to claim one of those spots by the end of the season, though the in-the-tax club may prefer to hold off for a few more weeks in order to keep its tax bill in check.

Justin Champagnie (Raptors)

Champagnie’s role as a rookie has been inconsistent, but the Raptors like his potential and will probably try to sign him to a multiyear deal before the end of the season if they can negotiate favorable terms. Toronto currently has an open roster spot and still has some of its mid-level exception available to offer Champagnie a contract of up to four years.

Trendon Watford (Trail Blazers)

The Trail Blazers have a full 15-man roster for now, but that group includes at least one expendable veteran in Joe Ingles, who is on an expiring contract and will miss the rest of the season with a torn ACL. It’s also unclear if recently-acquired players like Eric Bledsoe, Elijah Hughes, and Didi Louzada will finish the season in Portland.

In other words, if the Blazers want to promote Watford, who has played in every one of the team’s games in 2022, there should be a path to do so.

Davon Reed (Nuggets)

At one point, Reed looked like a prime candidate for a promotion to the Nuggets’ 15-man roster, but his playing time has decreased in the last month, and if Denver wants to keep DeMarcus Cousins for the rest of the season, the veteran center would become the club’s 15th man.

A standard contract isn’t out of the question for Reed – injured forward Vlatko Cancar could be waived if the Nuggets need to make room for both Cousins and Reed – but the Nuggets may decide to see how the next few weeks play out before deciding whether or not to make the young wing playoff-eligible.

Duane Washington / Terry Taylor (Pacers)

With Indiana shifting into rebuilding mode, Washington and Taylor should both continue to play regularly, like they have in recent weeks. Taylor, in particular, has been very productive in limited minutes, averaging 9.5 PPG and 6.8 RPG on .598/.444/.769 shooting in 13 games (19.0 MPG).

The Pacers already have one open roster spot and could create a second one by waiving injured guard Ricky Rubio, though if they value his Bird rights, they’ll want to keep Rubio on the roster. Still, I’d be surprised if at least one of Washington and Taylor doesn’t sign a standard contract in the next month-and-a-half.

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The 2022 NBA trade deadline is behind us, but that doesn’t mean teams are finished making roster moves. With over a month-and-a-half left in the 2021/22 regular season, there are still many roster spots to be filled around the NBA, as well as veterans who might not finish the year with their current teams.

The NBA’s buyout market has been active since the trade deadline and could feature several more moves in the next week or two.

[RELATED: Hoops Rumors Glossary: Buyouts]

A veteran in an undesirable situation due to his playing time or his team’s place in the standings (or both) could ask to be released and may even be willing to give back a little money to accommodate the move. Some teams might make that decision unilaterally, opting to release a veteran to open up a roster spot for a younger player.

Over the rest of the month, we’ll use the space below to monitor the buyout market, keeping tabs on which veteran players have been bought out or released, and which have found new teams. We’ll also keep an eye on players who are potential buyout candidates. The list will be updated daily.

A player on an NBA contract must be waived by the end of the day on March 1 in order to retain his playoff eligibility, so that will be a key date to watch.

Here’s our breakdown of the 2022 NBA buyout market:

Last updated 3-3-22 (8:08pm CT)

Veterans who have been recently bought out or released and are free agents:

• Enes Freedom, C
  

Not every player who has been cut since the trade deadline will be mentioned here. Essentially, this list is just made up of players with at least a few years of NBA experience who could be of immediate interest to teams in the playoff mix.

To that end, we’re not listing young players such as Jahmi’us Ramsey, KZ Okpala, Armoni Brooks, or Moses Brown, since they’d be unlikely to draw interest from playoff teams who are in win-now mode and looking for veteran depth.

We’re also not listing injured veterans like PJ Dozier, Cody Zeller, Michael Carter-Williams, or E’Twaun Moore, unless it becomes clear that the player will be able to return in the coming days or weeks.

Veterans who have been bought out or released and joined new teams:

• DeAndre’ Bembry, G/F: Released by Nets; signed with Bucks.
• Tristan Thompson, C: Bought out by Pacers; signed with Bulls.
• Goran Dragic, G: Bought out by Spurs; signed with Nets.
• Kevin Pangos, G: Bought out by Cavaliers; signed with CSKA Moscow.
• Jevon Carter, G: Released by Nets; signed with Bucks.
• Tomas Satoransky, G: Bought out by Spurs; signed with Wizards.
• D.J. Augustin, G: Released by Rockets; signed with Lakers.
• DeAndre Jordan, C: Released by Lakers; signed with Sixers.

Other veterans who could be candidates to be bought out or released:

• Kent Bazemore, Lakers
• Eric Bledsoe, Trail Blazers
• Gorgui Dieng, Hawks
• Wayne Ellington, Lakers
• Gary Harris, Magic
• Juan Hernangomez, Jazz
• Rodney Hood, Clippers
• Josh Jackson, Kings
• Robin Lopez, Magic
• Semi Ojeleye, Clippers
• John Wall, Rockets

We had viewed these players as possible buyout candidates, with some more realistic than others. However, they all made it through the March 1 playoff eligibility waiver deadline without being cut, so they appear likely to finish the season with their respective clubs.

Under the NBA’s previous Collective Bargaining Agreement, the values of various salary cap exceptions like the mid-level and bi-annual were established years in advance, but the league’s current CBA tweaked how those exceptions are calculated.

Rather than being determined ahead of time, the mid-level and bi-annual exceptions – along with several other cap-related figures and exceptions – are dependent on the movement of the salary cap from year to year. If the cap increases by 5% from one league year to the next, the exceptions increase by the same rate.

As such, we don’t know yet exactly what those exceptions will be worth in 2022/23, but we can make an educated estimate. When the NBA released its new salary cap estimates, the league projected a $123,655,000 cap for the ’22/23 season. That means we’re due for an update on next season’s mid-level and bi-annual projections.

[RELATED: Maximum Salary Projections For 2022/23]

Based on a $123,655,000 cap, here’s what the mid-level and bi-annual exceptions would look like in 2022/23:

Mid-Level Exception

The standard mid-level exception is available to over-the-cap teams that haven’t dipped below the cap to use room and don’t go over the tax apron. It can run for up to four years, with 5% annual raises. Once a team uses the standard/non-taxpayer MLE, that team is hard-capped at the tax apron for the rest of the league year.

[RELATED: Hoops Rumors Glossary: Mid-Level Exception]

The taxpayer mid-level exception is for in-the-tax teams, or teams that want the flexibility to surpass the tax apron later. It can run for up to three years, with 5% annual raises.

The room exception is for teams that go under the cap and use their space. Once they’ve used all their cap room, they can use this version of the mid-level exception, which runs for up to two years with 5% annual raises.

Bi-Annual Exception

The bi-annual exception – which can be used for contracts up to two years, with a 5% raise after year one – is only available to teams that are over the cap and under the tax apron.

It can also only be used once every two years, which will disqualify the Mavericks and Bulls from using it in 2022/23 — Dallas and Chicago were the only teams to use the BAE in 2021/22.

The maximum salaries for a given NBA season aren’t determined until the salary cap for that league year has been set, which typically happens just before free agency begins. So even though several players have already signed maximum-salary contract extensions that will begin in 2022/23, we won’t know the exact amount of those contracts until the summer.

[RELATED: 2021/22 NBA Contract Extension Tracker]

However, we can ballpark next season’s maximum salaries based on the NBA’s salary cap projections. Last August, we provided maximum salary projections for 2022/23 based on an estimated $119MM cap, but the NBA has since updated its cap projection for ’22/23 to $123,655,000. We’re updating our maximum salary projections today based on that new cap estimate.

Listed below are the maximum salary projections for 2022/23. The first chart shows the maximum salaries for a player re-signing with his own team — a player’s previous club can offer five years instead of four, and 8% annual raises instead of 5% raises. The second chart shows the maximum salaries for a player signing with a new team.

A player’s maximum salary is generally determined by his years of NBA experience, so there’s a wide gap between potential earnings for younger and older players. Unless they qualify for a more lucrative extension by meeting certain performance criteria, players with no more than six years of NBA experience are limited to a starting salary worth up to 25% of the cap. For players with seven to nine years of experience, that number is 30%. For players with 10 or more years of experience, it’s 35%.

Here are the the maximum salary projections for 2022/23:

A player re-signing with his own team (8% annual raises, up to five years):

The “6 years or less” column here is what the new extension for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander will look like in 2022. This is also the maximum amount that a free-agent-to-be like Deandre Ayton would be eligible for this offseason.

Players like Luka Doncic and Trae Young met the Rose Rule criteria, so the 30% max column reflects the projected value of their new extensions.

The third column (35%) represents the projected salaries a veteran star like Bradley Beal would receive if he signs a new maximum-salary contract as a free agent this summer. Beal has a 2022/23 player option on his current contract, but would have to decline that option to have a shot at $251MM+ over the next five years.

A player signing with a new team (5% annual raises, up to four years):

If a player changes teams as a free agent, he doesn’t have access to a fifth year or 8% raises. So if Ayton were to sign an offer sheet with a new team this summer, he’d be limited to a four-year deal projected to be worth nearly $133MM.

If Zach LaVine – or another veteran with between seven and nine years of NBA experience – wants to change teams this offseason, he would be able to sign a four-year contract worth up to a projected $159.5MM.

Beal or another veteran with 10+ years of experience would be limited to about $186.1MM across four years if he changes teams as a free agent in 2022.

One exception in this last group is James Harden — he’s already earning more than the maximum salary, since the raises on his current contract have outpaced the NBA’s annual salary cap increases. If Harden becomes a free agent this summer, he’d be eligible for a 5% raise on his current $44.3MM salary, rather than having to take a pay cut to the league-wide maximum.