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Contract Implications Of Today’s All-NBA Announcement

May 10th, 2023 at 9:13am CST by Luke Adams

The NBA will announce its All-NBA teams for the 2022/23 on Wednesday night, unveiling the First, Second, and Third teams during a TNT broadcast beginning at 6:00 pm Central time (Twitter link).

For many of this year’s All-NBA candidates, earning a spot on one of the three teams will simply bolster their career résumés, perhaps increasing their chances of being inducted into the Hall of Fame down the line.

But there are a handful of players who have – or could have – a significant amount of money riding on tonight’s announcement. Those players would become eligible for a more lucrative contract by making an All-NBA team.

The NBA’s Collective Bargaining Agreement typically restricts players who have six or fewer years of NBA experience from signing deals worth more than 25% of the salary cap. However, earning an All-NBA berth at the right time can make those players eligible to sign for up to 30% up the cap.

Similarly, players with between seven and nine years in the league are usually limited to signing contracts worth up to 30% of the cap, but an All-NBA nod can make them eligible to receive up to 35% of the cap instead.

We have more specific details on how Rose Rule deals and Designated Veteran contracts work in a pair of glossary entries, so you can check those out for more information. Here are the players who could be the most financially impacted by this year’s All-NBA voting results:

Jayson Tatum (Celtics)

Tatum will only have six years of NBA experience at the end of this season, so he’s not yet eligible to sign a super-max extension. However, assuming he makes an All-NBA team – which is a virtual lock – he’ll have met the performance criteria for a Designated Veteran extension.

Players who have seven years of NBA experience and who made the All-NBA team in two of the last three seasons are super-max eligible. That means that an All-NBA nod tonight would put Tatum in position to sign a five-year DVE (worth 35% of the 2025/26 cap) in the 2024 offseason regardless of whether he makes an All-NBA team next season, since he’ll have done so in both 2022 and 2023.

Jaylen Brown (Celtics) / Pascal Siakam (Raptors)

We’re grouping Brown and Siakam together here, since they’re in identical situations. Both members of the 2016 draft class are finishing up their seventh year in the NBA and have contracts that expire in 2024.

If they earn All-NBA honors this season, both Brown and Siakam would be eligible to sign five-year Designated Veteran extensions that begin in 2024/25 and start at up to 35% of that season’s cap.

Unlike Tatum, neither Brown nor Siakam is a slam dunk to make an All-NBA team. The odds of both players making the cut are probably slim, but they each have a chance at a Third Team spot. I’d view Brown as the slightly stronger candidate, given Boston’s regular season record relative to Toronto’s.

Ja Morant (Grizzlies)

Morant has actually already signed a rookie scale extension, completing that deal with the Grizzlies last offseason. However, its exact value will look drastically different depending on whether or not Morant makes an All-NBA team tonight. If he earns a spot, his contract would start at 30% of the 2023/24 salary cap; if he misses out, his deal would start at 25% of next season’s cap.

Based on a $134MM salary cap, the difference between Morant’s two possible deals is nearly $40MM — he’ll earn a projected $233MM across five years if he’s named to an All-NBA team and about $194MM if he’s not.

Morant looked like a safe bet to earn All-NBA honors during the first half of the season, but an eight-game suspension for waving a gun in a Colorado strip club derailed his second half and made him more of a borderline candidate. It wouldn’t be a surprise if he doesn’t make it.

Pelicans forward Zion Williamson and Cavaliers guard Darius Garland also signed Rose Rule rookie scale extensions last summer and would have salaries worth 30% of the 2023/24 cap (instead of 25%) if they make an All-NBA team. That won’t happen for Williamson, who was limited to 29 games this season. It probably won’t happen for Garland either, though he has a far better chance to show up on some ballots.

Non-eligible candidates

To be eligible for a super-max extension worth 35% of the cap, a player can’t have been traded since his second NBA contract began. That rule will make Kings center Domantas Sabonis ineligible for a super-max deal even if he shows up on the All-NBA Third Team tonight.

Several other All-NBA candidates, including Mavericks guard Luka Doncic, Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and Kings guard De’Aaron Fox, could become super-max eligible down the road, but don’t have enough NBA experience to qualify yet. They would each need to make at least one more All-NBA team in a future season to become eligible, regardless of what happens this year.

Daniels Hoping To Improve Over Offseason; Guillory Mailbag

May 8th, 2023 at 4:26pm CST by Rory Maher

Pelicans guard Dyson Daniels had a strong rookie season on the defensive end, but he knows he has a lot of work to do on offense to make the impact he wants going forward, writes Christian Clark of NOLA.com. “For me, I was disappointed how it went this year,” said Daniels, who plans to play in Summer League. “I think I could have made more of an impact. But for me, it’s about learning now and getting the work in this summer and being ready for next year.”
In a mailbag for The Athletic, William Guillory thinks it would be “extreme” for the Pelicans to explore trading Zion Williamson this summer, viewing it as a total non-starter. Williamson is too talented to deal away so early in his career despite his significant injury troubles, according to Guillory. Adding a shooter in free agency will likely be a priority for New Orleans this offseason, Guillory adds.

NBA Announces All-Rookie Teams

May 8th, 2023 at 1:12pm CST by Rory Maher

Rookie of the Year winner Paolo Banchero was a unanimous choice for the 2022/23 All-Rookie First Team, the NBA announced today (via Twitter).

Players receive two points for a First Team vote and one point for a Second Team vote, and Banchero received the maximum possible 200 points.

Here’s the full five-man squad, listed in order of their total points received via voters:

Magic forward Banchero (200)
Thunder guard/forward Jalen Williams (199)
Jazz center Walker Kessler (195)
Kings forward Keegan Murray (185)
Pacers guard Bennedict Mathurin (170)

The All-Rookie Second Team was announced as well, with a couple of teammates headlining the group (Twitter link).

Pistons guard Jaden Ivey (142)
Pistons center Jalen Duren (85)
Rockets forward Jabari Smith (72)
Spurs forward Jeremy Sochan (66)
Rockets forward Tari Eason (47)

In my opinion, the most surprising omission from the All-Rookie Second Team was Pacers guard Andrew Nembhard, who received 46 points. Nembhard was actually listed on one more ballot than Eason, but Eason received two First Team votes versus Nembhard’s zero, giving him a narrow edge.

That’s not to say Eason (or anyone else) was undeserving — he had a strong season as a tenacious offensive rebounder and defender. I just thought Nembhard should have been honored because he started the majority of the season for a competitive Indiana team and was frequently tasked with guarding the opposing teams’ best player, as Scott Agness of Fieldhouse Files notes (via Twitter).

According to the NBA (Twitter link), others receiving votes included Trail Blazers guard Shaedon Sharpe (36), Hawks wing AJ Griffin (26), Nuggets forward Christian Braun, Thunder center Jaylin Williams (seven), Mavericks guard Jaden Hardy (four), Spurs guard Malaki Branham (three), Pelicans guard Dyson Daniels (two), Hornets center Mark Williams (two) and Bucks wing MarJon Beauchamp (one).

In case you missed it, more NBA awards will be coming later this week. The All-Defensive teams will be announced on Tuesday, followed by All-NBA on Wednesday and the Teammate of the Year award on Thursday.

Hope To Hire An Assistant With Head Coaching Experience

May 5th, 2023 at 9:25pm CST by Rory Maher

Hiring an assistant coach with head coaching experience is a priority for the Pelicans, according to Christian Clark of NOLA.com, who notes (via Twitter) that head coach Willie Green has a good relationship with advisor Mike D’Antoni.

Pistons Notes: Coaching Search, Ollie, Murphy, Draft Picks

May 5th, 2023 at 6:00pm CST by Rory Maher

The Pistons could hire a new head coach soon, according to James L. Edwards III of The Athletic, who reports in his latest mailbag that the top candidates for the job are set to meet with owner Tom Gores next week in Los Angeles.

Bucks associate head coach Charles Lee, former Connecticut and Overtime Elite coach Kevin Ollie, and Pelicans assistant Jarron Collins are considered the leading candidates. However, Edwards believes that Ollie, a former NBA player, is the frontrunner for the position.

Here’s more on the Pistons:

DeJanai Raska says she was sexually harassed and assaulted by former assistant GM Rob Murphy over a period of several months, she tells Tresa Baldas of The Detroit Free Press (subscriber link). There are too many details to list here, but Raska reported her allegations to the Pistons last fall. The team put Murphy on leave, but didn’t announce that he was fired until after Raska sued both the organization and Murphy. “I grew up in the city really looking up to the Pistons, the Bad Boys … and to be treated this way is heartbreaking,” Raska said.
Who are the top five prospects Detroit should be considering with its first-round pick, which can land no lower than fifth overall? Edwards ranks those players in order for The Athletic. Obviously Victor Wembanyama is No. 1, but Brandon Miller edges out Scoot Henderson for No. 2. Rounding out Edwards’ top five are Henderson, Houston forward Jarace Walker and Arkansas guard Anthony Black.
On a related topic, if the pick does land fifth in the lottery — and there’s a 47.9% chance that it will — who should the Pistons select? Omari Sankofa II of The Detroit Free Press (subscriber link) makes the case for Villanova wing Cam Whitmore, arguing that his physical tools and flashes of shooting make him the best choice at that spot.

Trajan Langdon, Milt Newton Among Wizards’ GM Candidates

May 5th, 2023 at 2:25pm CST by Luke Adams

The Wizards are taking their time as they seek out a replacement for former president of basketball operations Tommy Sheppard, who was let go last month. However, they have identified at least a couple initial candidates, per Ava Wallace of The Washington Post.

Wizards owner Ted Leonsis and a “small group of decision-makers” have spoken to Pelicans general manager Trajan Langdon and Bucks assistant GM Milt Newton, according to Wallace, who adds that the team is still believed to be in the “information-gathering” stage of its search.

Langdon has been with the Pelicans since 2019, when he left his role as an assistant GM with the Nets to work under David Griffin in New Orleans. He received consideration from the Timberwolves when they sought a new head of basketball operations in 2019 and from the Kings when they did the same in 2020.

Newton, hired by the Bucks in the summer of 2017, was the Timberwolves’ general manager from 2013 to 2016 and has also previously worked for the Sixers and the NBA’s league office. Perhaps most notably, he was employed by the Wizards as their VP of player personnel from 2003-13, so he’s no stranger to Washington. Newton was a candidate for the Bulls’ top front office job in 2020 before they hired Arturas Karnisovas.

Wizards VP of player programs John Thompson III and assistant GM Brett Greenberg are running the team’s basketball operations department while the search for a new head of basketball operations continues.

Pelicans Interested In James Borrego

May 5th, 2023 at 1:12pm CST by Luke Adams

Having previously reported that former head coach James Borrego is drawing interest from Dallas for a spot on Jason Kidd‘s staff, Stein says there are other teams interested in hiring Borrego as an assistant coach, including the Pelicans. Stein identifies the Rockets and Nets as two more teams that may pursue Borrego, noting that both Ime Udoka and Jacque Vaughn have previously worked with Borrego.

And-Ones: Hustle Award, Free Agent Guards, Brooks, Hawkins

May 4th, 2023 at 12:44pm CST by Rory Maher

Celtics guard Marcus Smart has won the NBA’s Hustle Award for 2022/23, the league announced in a press release (story via Brian Martin of NBA.com). The 29-year-old also won the award last season, becoming the first back-to-back winner, and has now been the recipient three times in the past five seasons.

This is the seventh season for the Hustle Award, which was created in ’16/17, Martin notes. It is a merit-based award reflective of NBA.com’s hustle stats, including charges drawn, loose balls recovered, deflections, box outs, screen assists and contested shots.

The top-five finishers for the award, in order, were Smart, Warriors forward/center Draymond Green, Pacers forward Aaron Nesmith, Knicks center Mitchell Robinson and Pelicans forward Herbert Jones.

Here are a few more odds and ends from around the basketball world:

Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report takes a look at the best guards available on the 2023 free agent market and their potential landing spots. Pincus thinks a team with cap room might try to pry restricted free agent Austin Reaves from the Lakers with a large offer sheet, but he thinks L.A. will ultimately match.
John Hollinger of The Athletic, who used to work for the Grizzlies and was part of the front office that drafted Dillon Brooks, believes the small forward can still be a positive contributor for a number of teams as long as he can toe “The Line” between “competitive and crazy.” Teams over the cap but below the luxury tax line could offer the impending free agent the full mid-level exception, and Hollinger points to the Bulls, Hornets, Mavericks, Kings, Trail Blazers and Hawks as clubs that could use defensive help on the wing. As for teams with cap room, the Pistons, Rockets, Pacers and Jazz might be interested in Brooks if they miss out on pricier targets, according to Hollinger.
UConn guard Jordan Hawkins has been invited to the NBA draft combine, which takes place later this month, according Adam Zagoria of ZagsBlog.com (Twitter link). Considered one of the best shooters in the 2023 class, Hawkins is a potential lottery pick, currently ranked No. 13 on ESPN’s big board. As Zagoria previously reported, Hawkins will be joining a couple of his teammates (Andre Jackson and Adama Sanogo) at the combine.

CJ McCollum Had Thumb Surgery, Won’t Require Shoulder Surgery

April 26th, 2023 at 3:52pm CST by Rory Maher

Pelicans guard CJ McCollum underwent successful right thumb surgery on Tuesday to repair a torn ulnar collateral ligament, the team announced in a press release.

According to the Pelicans, McCollum consulted with a specialist about the torn labrum in his right shoulder, but that injury will not require surgery. Instead, he will rehab the shoulder in the offseason in order to stabilize and strengthen it.

The 31-year-old is expected to fully recover from both injuries before training camp begins in the fall, per the team.

The news of the thumb surgery was expected, as McCollum had previously revealed that it was the most likely outcome. He had been playing through the injury for months, but he never seriously considered shutting it down during the season despite the thumb affecting nearly everything he did offensively.

The torn labrum was a more recent development. He reportedly played through it for the final seven games of the 2022/23 regular season and New Orleans’ loss in the play-in tournament.

It was a difficult season for the Pelicans, who were the top seed in the West in mid-December at 18-8, then went on a 10-game losing streak in January to drop below .500. A late-season surge saw the Pelicans rebound and make the play-in tournament, but they lost their matchup with the Thunder.

Several key players were injured throughout the season, including Brandon Ingram, Herbert Jones, Zion Williamson, Larry Nance Jr., Jose Alvarado and McCollum. The veteran guard described ’22/23 as “the most difficult season I’ve been a part of physically and mentally.”

Despite dealing with the injuries, McCollum managed to play 75 games (35.3 MPG) and averaged over 20 points per game (20.9) for the eighth consecutive season. He also recorded 5.9 APG and 4.4 RPG along with a .437/.389/.769 shooting line.

Pelicans Notes: Valanciunas, McCollum, Murphy

April 25th, 2023 at 9:26pm CST by Dana Gauruder

If the Pelicans decide to shake things up this summer, Jonas Valanciunas could be on the move, Christian Clark of the New Orleans Times-Picayune writes. Valanciunas will have an expiring $15.435MM contract next season and the Pelicans’ coaching staff showed a lack of trust in the veteran center during high-leverage moments, Clark observes. He averaged 14.1 points and 10.2 rebounds per game.

We have more on the Pelicans:

The fact that CJ McCollum played 37 games with a torn ligament in the thumb of his shooting hand shouldn’t be overlooked, Rod Walker of the Times-Picayune opines. By doing so, McCollum displayed the importance of leading by example, a role he embraces both on and off the court. Despite the injury, McCollum averaged 20.9 points and 5.7 assists in 75 games this season.
The growth of Trey Murphy in his second season was one of the few bright spots for the franchise in 2022/23, Clark writes in a separate story. Murphy raised his scoring average from 5.4 points per game as a rookie to 14.5 PPG this season. He has developed into a prolific shooter, averaging 48.4% from the field overall, 40.6% on 3-point attempts and 90.5% from the free throw line.
In case you missed it, top executive David Griffin said he didn’t anticipate making “huge moves” this offseason.