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Offseason In Review: New Orleans Hornets

December 14th, 2012 at 3:22pm CST by Luke Adams

Hoops Rumors is in the process of looking back at each team's offseason, from the end of the playoffs in June right up until opening night. Trades, free agent signings, draft picks, contract extensions, option decisions, camp invitees, and more will be covered, as we examine the moves each franchise made over the last several months.

Signings

Trades and Claims

Draft Picks

  • Anthony Davis (Round 1, 1st overall). Signed via rookie exception.
  • Austin Rivers (Round 1, 10th overall). Signed via rookie exception.
  • Darius Miller (Round 2, 46th overall). Signed via minimum salary exception.

Camp Invitees

Departing Players

Rookie Contract Option Decisions

Before the 2012 offseason was even officially underway, it looked as if it would be a successful summer for the Hornets. Having lucked into the No. 1 overall pick through the draft lottery, New Orleans was positioned to land Kentucky's Anthony Davis, a prospect considered by scouts to be even more intriguing than 2009 first overall pick Blake Griffin, who has already started an All-Star Game. Even Deron Williams, the top free agent on the market wasn't viewed by executives and scouts to be the kind of franchise cornerstone that Davis could be.

With success virtually assured before the team even made a move, the Hornets were free to get creative over the course of the summer. While many teams often have a singular focus in the offseason, whether that means adding veterans through free agency, cutting costs to create cap flexibility, or stocking up on draft picks, the Hornets were willing to explore a plethora of options if it meant improving the team's long-term outlook.

In dealing Emeka Okafor and Trevor Ariza to Washington for Rashard Lewis' monstrosity of a contract and a draft pick, the Hornets cleared some cap room for next summer. In acquiring Brad Miller from the Timberwolves, New Orleans added a couple draft picks in exchange for taking on an unwanted contract. In shipping out Jarrett Jack and Darryl Watkins, the Hornets moved out a couple unwanted salaries of their own.

Amidst all of this maneuvering, the Hornets made a few big splashes. Eric Gordon's offer sheet with the Suns was matched by New Orleans, which was always a certainty, in spite of Gordon's health woes. Gordon had been the centerpiece of last year's controversial Chris Paul trade, so to let him walk after one season wasn't a real option unless they were fairly compensated, and Phoenix really didn't have the necessary pieces for a sign-and-trade. Gordon's long-term injury risk and his desire to be in New Orleans may still be issues the Hornets need to address, but the team did well to lock up a player with his talent, even if the price tag was a little high.

While the Hornets decided not to sign-and-trade Gordon to Phoenix, New Orleans did take advantage of the sign-and-trade to acquire a couple players of their own. Ryan Anderson was the big name coming to town, traded for Gustavo Ayon and locked up to a four-year, $34MM deal. I wasn't in love with the move at the time, concerned that Anderson's 2011/12 success may have been a product of playing with Dwight Howard in Orlando. But based on his performance so far in 2012/13, it looks like Anderson is the real deal, and having a player of his caliber on the books for $8.5MM annually for his age 24-27 seasons could be a coup for New Orleans.

The Hornets also added Robin Lopez from the Suns via sign-and-trade, at a lesser cost in both trade chips and salary. Lopez isn't in the same class as his brother Brook, but he had recorded a 14.9 career PER for the Suns, and like Anderson, was just 24 years old, presumably with his best seasons ahead of him. With the second and third years of Lopez's deal not fully guaranteed, the Hornets were able to avoid overpaying to take a chance on the big man taking a step forward — and so far he's done just that, posting career-highs in a number of categories, including PER (19.7), early on in 2012/13.

In Davis, Anderson, Gordon, Lopez, and Austin Rivers, the Hornets have loaded up on young talent in the last 12 months, and figure to have found at least three or four long-term core players within that group. Interestingly enough, it was last year's Paul trade that created the domino effect allowing the Hornets to land most of those players. Gordon and Rivers were obviously acquired directly in the trade (Rivers was selected with the Timberwolves' draft pick sent by the Clippers). Additionally, the decision to load up on young players and picks in the Clippers' package rather than the veteran players the club would have landed from the Lakers and Rockets resulted in a less effective team on the court, putting the Hornets in position to win that draft lottery.

The Hornets caught a break when they landed the first overall pick in last June's draft, but that was only one piece of the puzzle (albeit a corner piece). Besides making the no-brainer call to draft Davis, the Hornets have made a few decisions that were significantly more challenging, rolling the dice on young talent. So far, the early returns have been great in some cases (Anderson, Lopez) and less inspiring in others (Gordon). But given where the franchise was just a year ago, shopping its superstar and searching for a buyer, the future certainly looks brighter for the Hornets – or rather, the Pelicans – going forward.

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Offseason In Review: Houston Rockets

December 13th, 2012 at 11:52am CST by Luke Adams

Hoops Rumors is in the process of looking back at each team's offseason, from the end of the playoffs in June right up until opening night. Trades, free agent signings, draft picks, contract extensions, option decisions, camp invitees, and more will be covered, as we examine the moves each franchise made over the last several months.

Signings

Extensions

Trades and Claims

Draft Picks

  • Jeremy Lamb (Round 1, 12th overall). Signed via rookie exception.
  • Royce White (Round 1, 16th overall). Signed via rookie exception.
  • Terrence Jones (Round 1, 18th overall). Signed via rookie exception.
  • Donatas Motiejunas (2011, Round 1, 20th overall). Signed via rookie exception.

Camp Invitees

  • Kyle Fogg
  • Demetri McCamey

Departing Players

Rookie Contract Option Decisions

A day after we examined the Spurs' offseason, which consisted primarily of standing pat and bringing back last year's roster, we're looking at the Rockets, the NBA's most active team this offseason. Only four players that were Rockets last year are back in Houston this season — Marcus Morris, Patrick Patterson, Chandler Parsons, and Greg Smith. As opposed to the Spurs, who didn't consummate a single trade over the summer, the Rockets completed an NBA-high seven swaps.

Both R.C. Buford of the Spurs and Daryl Morey of the Rockets are viewed as forward-thinking executives willing to explore creative methods of roster-building. So the difference between their summers is more a result of where their respective teams stand, rather than a huge divide in philosophy. While the Spurs were a few games from a championship in 2012, the Rockets haven't played in a postseason game since 2009. Houston not only lacked a star, but also didn't have many guys in place that could even be considered core pieces.

However, one thing the Rockets did have coming into the summer was "assets" such as cap space, expiring contracts, future draft picks, and young players. Morey set out to gather those assets and turn them into stars or core players with the same aggressiveness that I make moves in NBA2K13, finalizing two trades before draft night and another series of deals during July's free agency period. By the time the dust settled, many of last year's Houston starters, such as Kyle Lowry or Samuel Dalembert, were gone, but the Rockets had the pieces to put together a very attractive package for a difference-making player.

Many pundits, myself included, considered the Rockets to be the best bet to land Dwight Howard from the Magic this offseason, since Houston was the only suitor that could offer Orlando a combination of cap relief, young players, and future picks. However, the team's ability to take on the Magic's bad contracts was compromised a little when the Rockets unexpectedly landed a pair of restricted free agents: Omer Asik and Jeremy Lin.

Asik was probably the least surprising of the two signings. There was no guarantee that Chicago wouldn't match Houston's offer sheet for the big man, but the Bulls appeared more interested in retaining Taj Gibson long-term and were willing to let Asik walk. Lin's offer sheet, on the other hand, was thought of as a lock to be matched, but when the Knicks shocked the world and passed on it, the Rockets had suddenly committed nearly $17MM in cap space to two players who had 27 NBA starts between them.

Whether or not the Asik and Lin signings affected the Rockets' ability to land Howard, they certainly affected the team's flexibility, and led to the club amnestying a fairly productive veteran player in Luis Scola. Heading into training camp, the Rockets' roster was a little confounding, with its myriad power forwards and its lack of virtually any veteran besides Kevin Martin.

Morey wasn't done yet though. The GM finally landed his star mere days before the regular season began, trading Martin, Jeremy Lamb, and three draft picks to the Thunder for a package that included James Harden. The move vindicated Morey's asset-gathering, considering all three of the picks were acquired in trades (two earlier in the offseason), as was the pick that was used to draft Lamb in June. And even after the Rockets locked up Harden to a pricey five-year extension, the team still has the assets and the cap flexibility to pursue a maximum-salary player at the trade deadline or in free agency.

The Rockets are a young team, and aren't about to challenge for a title right away, but they do appear to be ahead of where they were last year. The 2011/12 team wasn't quite good enough to earn a playoff spot and didn't have many long-term pieces in place. This year's roster, however, features a handful of potential core players (Harden, Asik, Lin, Parsons), has room for growth, and retained enough pieces to make additional moves when the opportunity arises.

While Morey's rebuild may not have gone exactly according to plan, the emergence of players like Harden, Asik, and Parsons early in 2012/13 suggests that it was unfair of critics to pile on over the summer when Morey failed to land Howard. Even with the necessary pieces, a team can't land every one of its trade targets, but gathering those draft picks, young players, and expiring contracts ensures a club will be in good position when a star player becomes available. That was the case with Harden, and there's no doubt Morey continues to work aggressively toward similar deals in the future.

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Offseason In Review: San Antonio Spurs

December 12th, 2012 at 4:55pm CST by Luke Adams

Hoops Rumors is in the process of looking back at each team's offseason, from the end of the playoffs in June right up until opening night. Trades, free agent signings, draft picks, contract extensions, option decisions, camp invitees, and more will be covered, as we examine the moves each franchise made over the last several months.

Signings

Trades and Claims

  • None

Draft Picks

  • Marcus Denmon (Round 2, 59th overall). Will play overseas.

Camp Invitees

Departing Players

Rookie Contract Option Decisions

When the NBA returned from its lockout a year ago, much was made of the fact that teams would miss out on the usual training camps. With only a couple weeks between the free agent period and the beginning of the regular season, clubs that were undergoing major overhauls would barely have any time to develop chemistry before the season was underway. As such, teams that stayed relatively intact were considered to be ahead of the game, with the lengthy layoff and abridged preseason viewed as less of a handicap for players who had a history together.

While the 2011/12 season may not have followed precisely that template across the league, the rule certainly seemed true in the case of the Spurs, led as always by Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili, and Tony Parker. San Antonio, having been written off as too old by more than one pundit entering the season, cruised to the best record in the Western Conference for a second straight season. Were it not for a torrid stretch of shooting by the Thunder in the West Finals, it's not out of the question that LeBron James and Miami's Big Three could still be searching for their first title together.

Although the Spurs fell short of a championship last season, the team seemed to approach the offseason with the same attitude that prevailed following the lockout — the fewer changes, the better. The Spurs were the only team in the NBA that didn't add a player via trade or waiver claim, and the majority of their moves in free agency simply involved re-signing their own players.

San Antonio had the least roster turnover of any of the Association's 30 teams, with Nando De Colo representing the club's lone addition, while only Derrick Byars and James Anderson were missing from last year's roster. Not only that, but a few weeks into the season, Anderson was already back in the fold, having been signed to a non-guaranteed deal to provide depth with Kawhi Leonard and Stephen Jackson out of action.

Even the NBA's elite teams are always looking for ways to improve, with the defending champion Heat adding outside shooters like Ray Allen and Rashard Lewis over the summer. So what are we to make of the Spurs' relative stasis? Well, for one, players like Boris Diaw and Patty Mills were mid-season additions last year. With more time under their belts in San Antonio, they figure to only gain a better understanding of their respective roles with the Spurs.

Additionally, for all the talk about how "old" the Spurs are, the team has a pair of intriguing young players in Leonard and Danny Green. With Leonard only in the second year of his rookie deal and Green re-signed to an affordable three-year contract, San Antonio should expect improvements and increased contributions from both players, particularly on defense, where Green has exhibited the ability to be a lockdown defender on wing scorers.

Of course, without Duncan, Ginobili, and Parker, the Spurs wouldn't be in position to virtually stand pat with the current roster and still hope to contend for a title. Duncan took a significant pay cut this summer, and will earn $10MM annually over the life of his new deal, rather than the $21MM+ salary he was making in 2011/12. Such a cut makes sense for a player approaching the end of his career, but the Spurs clearly believe that the future Hall of Famer has plenty left in him, committing to a three-year contract. At 36 and 35 respectively, Duncan and Ginobili are probably a few years removed from their primes, but given how many players we've seen be effective into their late-30s, the Spurs' title window certainly remains open for now.

It's not easy to enthusiastically praise an offseason that consists of so few moves. But at the same time, it's hard to argue that the Spurs made any mistakes in essentially retaining the same team that was on a 20-game winning streak and two games from the NBA Finals when the Thunder's shooters caught fire last year. By bringing back the same players that took them deep into the playoffs last year, the Spurs are betting on the power of continuity, and hoping a few more bounces go their way when they return to the postseason in 2013.

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Offseason In Review: Orlando Magic

December 8th, 2012 at 3:56pm CST by Chuck Myron

Hoops Rumors is in the process of looking back at each team's offseason, from the end of the playoffs in June right up until opening night. Trades, free agent signings, draft picks, contract extensions, option decisions, camp invitees, and more will be covered, as we examine the moves each franchise made over the last several months.

Signings

Trades and Claims

Draft Picks

  • Andrew Nicholson (Round 1, 19th overall). Signed via rookie exception.
  • Kyle O'Quinn (Round 2, 49th overall). Signed via mid-level exception.

Camp Invitees

Departing Players

Rookie Contract Option Decisions

This offseason, like the season before it and everything in the foreseeable future for the Magic, was defined by Dwight Howard's exit. Orlando awoke from its "Dwightmare" on August 10th a fundamentally changed team with an uncertain road ahead. The philosophy of new GM Rob Hennigan is to rebuild using cap space and draft picks, but those assets are really only valuable if they're used wisely. In any case, there's no quick fix for the Magic, who figure to be down for a while before they regain the annual shot at a title that having Howard around always gave them.

The changes had begun even before the trade. The team fired coach Stan Van Gundy and parted ways with GM Otis Smith on the same day shortly after a first-round playoff exit. The moves seemed tied directly to Howard, especially the dismissal of Van Gundy, who told reporters in April that Howard sought to have him fired. His firing seems unnecessary now that Howard is gone, and with D12 seemingly destined to leave Orlando sooner or later, the falling ax appeared a desperate move of appeasement even as it happened. Van Gundy's style grates on veterans like Howard, but he's capable of connecting with young talent, as he did with an overachieving Heat team in 2003/04. He might have been just the man to guide the Magic through their post-Howard rebirth.

Smith's role in the front office reportedly had been shrinking, and he had begun talking retirement as he anticipated being fired by the club before he stepped down. Hennigan, the man who replaced him, along with new coach Jacque Vaughn, are disciples of the Spurs system, a tree of coaches and executives that always seems to sprout new branches. Yet Hennigan wasn't well-regarded by the Spurs, accoriding to Buck Harvey of the San Antonio Express-News, who noted that Hennigan was never Thunder GM Sam Presti's right hand man in Oklahoma City, either. Vaughn wasn't among the top three assistant coaches with the Spurs. Regardless of their resumes, experience doesn't appear to be an asset either can lean on, as Hennigan, who's 30, and Vaughn, at 37, are the league's youngest GM and coach, respectively.

Vaughn is working with a team that's not devoid of talent, as the Magic's win last week over Howard and the Lakers showed, but Hennigan has much more to do. The Howard trade brought in Arron Afflalo, whose contract is not necessarily overpriced, at $7.75MM a year for this season and the next two, followed by a $7.938MM player option in 2015/16. It's still a lengthy commitment for someone who, at 27, appears destined to be no more than the third- or fourth-best starter on a playoff team, and his skills might not be the right fit for the team that will be built alongside him.

Al Harrington is another veteran on a middle-grade contract whom the Magic netted in the Howard swap. He's on Orlando's books for $6.687MM this season, and has two more seasons totaling $14.758MM. Those final two seasons are only 50% guaranteed, however, and though injury has prevented Harrington from making his Magic debut, his shooting ability as a stretch four is an asset the Nuggets miss this year. Still, Harrington isn't the kind of player you can build around, and his contract figures to be nettlesome for Orlando going forward, particularly when put together with Afflalo's deal, as well as that of Glen Davis, who's due $19.4MM between now and the summer of 2015.

The Magic tried in vain to include Hedo Turkoglu in a Howard trade, but the 33-year-old remains with the team at a cost of $11.8MM this year and $12MM in 2013/14. After this year, Turkoglu's deal is only 50% guaranteed, just as with Harrington, but I'm not sure the Magic have the stomach to eat half their deals just to make them disappear from the roster. They waived Quentin Richardson and the final two years and $5.436MM of his deal on the eve of the season to make room for rookie DeQuan Jones, so they're already on the hook for a lot of money to someone who won't give them anything on the court.

The team added another deal in the high seven figures this summer, re-signing point guard Jameer Nelson for $8.6MM each of the next two seasons, and $8MM in in 2014/15. The final season is partially guaranteed for $2MM, perhaps as a check against a continued decline in play for the one-time All-Star, who put up career lows in points per game and shooting percentage last year. The early returns are mixed, as his 40.8% shooting would set yet another career low while his 6.5 assists per game would be a career high, though it seems some correction is in order given the small 12-game sample size. Nelson turned down the 2012/13 option on his old contract despite his poor showing last year because he sought stability, and he got it from the Magic. The signing happened before the Howard trade, and you have to wonder whether Orlando would have inked the deal after they got rid of Howard, since stability is clearly not the plan for the Magic. Nelson could provide some veteran leadership, but Orlando is already yoked to other veterans for as long as Nelson is around, so this contract doesn't really fit.

For just a little more money per season than they're paying Nelson, they could have instead retained Ryan Anderson, the 6'10" three-point gunner who's putting up even better numbers this season with the Hornets than he did for Orlando last year, when he won the league's Most Improved Player award. Anderson signed for an average of $8.5MM per year for four seasons with the Hornets in a sign-and-trade that brought Gustavo Ayon on board for a total of $3MM over the next two years.

Ayon was beaten out for the starting center job by Nikola Vucevic, one of the young assets the Magic got in the Howard trade. Vucevic, the 16th overall pick by the Sixers in 2011, might turn out to be the best player Orlando got in the deal. He's averaging a modest 9.6 points on 9.4 shots per game, but collects 8.9 rebounds a night on 29.4 minutes of playing time. The 22-year-old USC product opened eyes with a 17-point, 12-rebound effort against Howard and the Lakers last week. Rookie Maurice Harkless, the other Sixers first-rounder acquired in the trade, got a slow start because of injury and is seeing only 18.2 minutes per game, but the Magic clearly have high hopes for him, too.

Vucevic and Harkless represent the first wave of what appears to be an influx of youth headed for Orlando. Thanks to the Howard deal, the team has eight first-round picks over the next five seasons, and their own 2013 pick is destined to land in the lottery this spring. There could be more extra picks coming over the next few seasons if the team can convince other teams to take on some of their veterans via trade. Still, the Magic's only significant expiring contract this season is J.J. Redick's, and it seems they may prefer to keep him around because he fits the team culture.

Regardless of how much leadership veterans like Nelson and Redick contribute, Orlando's primary course of action appears to be to invest as much as possible in the future. If they waive Turkoglu and Harrington, absorbing their partial guarantees, and renounce their free agents, they could probably sign a player to a maximum-salary deal next summer, but that might be premature. NBA teams need more than one star to win, and the Magic might be best advised to wait for one of their youngsters to develop or for more of their contracts to expire before splurging on someone this summer. As Mark Cuban and the Mavs could tell you, it's not always easy to find another star to pair with the one you have, even if you have warm weather and no state tax. It wouldn't really be in keeping with the understated San Antonio model, either. As Hennigan moves forward from the Howard trade, it's likely the construction noise of the rebuilding project won't be too loud. 

Luke Adams contributed to this post.

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Offseason In Review: Atlanta Hawks

December 7th, 2012 at 4:53pm CST by Luke Adams

Hoops Rumors is in the process of looking back at each team's offseason, from the end of the playoffs in June right up until opening night. Trades, free agent signings, draft picks, contract extensions, option decisions, camp invitees, and more will be covered, as we examine the moves each franchise made over the last several months.

Signings

Trades and Claims

Draft Picks

  • John Jenkins (Round 1, 23rd overall). Signed via rookie exception.
  • Mike Scott (Round 2, 43rd overall). Signed via minimum salary exception.

Camp Invitees

Departing Players

Rookie Contract Option Decisions

  • None

The first and most important move the Hawks made this offseason was hiring Danny Ferry as the team's new president and general manager back in June. Ferry, who previously served as the Cavaliers' GM, had taken his talents to San Antonio and joined the Spurs front office about the same time LeBron James took his talents to South Beach. In Cleveland, Ferry had been tasked with continually trying to add talent to an over-the-cap roster to help out LeBron, but in Atlanta, his first few moves suggested an altogether different approach to roster building.

When Ferry took over the Hawks, the team had about $62MM committed to six players for 2012/13, with another $42MM+ on the books for just three players in 2013/14. Much of that money was earmarked for Joe Johnson, who remained productive, but massively overpaid, with nearly $90MM remaining over the last four years of his deal.

Although it's probably unfair to say that Ferry "took advantage" of the Nets when the two sides agreed to a swap that sent Johnson to Brooklyn, the Nets undoubtedly needed to make a big splash to ensure Deron Williams stuck around, and they were willing to take on a bad contract to do so. The Hawks were the beneficiaries, taking back five players who were owed no guaranteed money beyond '12/13.

Ferry's next cap-clearing move involved trading Marvin Williams straight-up to the Jazz for Devin Harris. Utah, having just acquired Mo Williams to man the point, had more of a need for a forward like Marvin, but it's hard to argue that the Hawks weren't on the better end of this swap as well. Harris is on an expiring contract and will come off Atlanta's books next summer, while Williams will still be owed $7.5MM in '13/14.

The flexibility created by those two deals alone was impressive, but what made the Hawks' moves even more admirable was that the team was able to clear so much long-term money from its cap while avoiding taking a huge hit on-court hit. Players like Louis Williams, Anthony Morrow, and Kyle Korver won't necessarily replicate the production that Johnson and Williams provided, but they won't be as far off as you might think.

Williams, last year's Sixth Man of the Year runner-up, was a particularly inspired signing. Despite estimates that the former Sixer could land a deal in the neighborhood of Thaddeus Young's five-year, $43MM pact, the Hawks were able to bring Williams aboard for a mere $15.68MM over three years. For a player who posted a 20.2 PER last season and has been even more efficient so far this year, that's an incredible bargain.

And while Al Horford was already a part of the roster before Ferry came aboard, the former All-Star missed all but 11 games last season, so having him back on the court represents a huge upgrade over the collection of big men that received minutes for the Hawks in 2011/12. Throw in a contract below seven figures for Ivan Johnson and a minimum-salary flier on Anthony Tolliver, and it was a tremendous first summer for Ferry in Atlanta.

Perhaps most importantly, the offseason seemed to have an effect on Josh Smith's perception of the franchise. Smith had reportedly had a long-standing request to be traded, and made comments a month before Ferry's hiring that suggested he was disenchanted with the Hawks' direction. However, this September, Ferry indicated that Smith had done a 180, and was very open to the idea of remaining in Atlanta long-term.

Smith's change of heart certainly makes some sense. Had Johnson and Williams remained under contract for the Hawks, a new contract for Smith next summer would have taken Atlanta over the cap without having a chance to add any other impact players. The Hawks were a solid team with their previous core in place, but it was clear to Smith and most NBA observers that the club as constructed wasn't a serious contender for the title.

With more cap flexibility going forward, the Hawks could now, in theory, afford to sign Smith to a long-term deal next summer and make a run at a maximum-salary free agent such as Dwight Howard, Chris Paul, or Andrew Bynum. The odds of landing one of those guys probably aren't high, but even so, Ferry has shown the ability to be creative when building a roster, and it sounds like Smith trusts him to make the best possible use of all that extra cap space. It may be hard for Ferry to top his first summer with the Hawks, but he's at least put himself in a great position to try.

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Offseason In Review: Washington Wizards

December 6th, 2012 at 8:10pm CST by Luke Adams

Hoops Rumors is in the process of looking back at each team's offseason, from the end of the playoffs in June right up until opening night. Trades, free agent signings, draft picks, contract extensions, option decisions, camp invitees, and more will be covered, as we examine the moves each franchise made over the last several months.

Signings

Trades and Claims

Draft Picks

  • Bradley Beal (Round 1, 3rd overall). Signed via rookie exception.
  • Tomas Satoransky (Round 2, 32nd overall). Will play overseas.

Camp Invitees

Departing Players

Rookie Contract Option Decisions

As far removed as they were from the 2012 playoffs, the Wizards seemed to have a reasonably clear direction heading into the offseason. Six of the team's players, including John Wall, were on rookie contracts, and while not all of them have lived up to expectations yet, they're still young, promising, and affordable enough that Washington picked up its 2013/14 options on all of them. Throw in the No. 3 overall pick and the trade-deadline acquisition that the team hopes will be a fixture for years to come (Nene) and it seemed the Wizards didn't need to make many major moves this summer.

The Wizards did need to make decisions on two overpaid, underperforming players, however, in Rashard Lewis and Andray Blatche. Lewis was under contract for one more year at $22.7MM, of which $13.7MM was guaranteed. Blatche, meanwhile, still had about $23.4MM remaining on his deal, though that amount was spread out over three years. Lewis and Blatche were coming off awful seasons and didn't appear to be part of the Wizards' plans, making both amnesty candidates.

Washington's eventual decision on the those players changed the team's outlook not only for this offseason, but for next offseason as well. Rather than amnestying Lewis to clear his entire $22.7MM from the cap, or simply releasing him and reducing his cap hit by $9MM, the Wizards found a team willing to trade for his contract. However, in exchange for the Hornets taking on Lewis, the Wizards gave up a second-round pick and took on two questionable contracts in their own right, in Emeka Okafor's (two years, $28MM) and Trevor Ariza's (two years, $15MM). Washington then used its amnesty clause to release Blatche.

The Wizards' thinking here is clear enough — the team rightly believed that even if it cleared out some cap space by amnestying or releasing Lewis, free agents were unlikely to come to Washington, a team that hasn't won more than 26 games since 2007/08. So rather than overpaying players on the open market, the Wizards acquired a couple of overpaid, but potentially productive, players via trade.

While I understand the logic, I don't agree with it. Had the Wizards, for instance, amnestied Blatche and released Lewis, it may not have freed up enough room to make another move this past summer, but it would have meant a ton of money coming off the books next July. Even if the team was pessimistic about luring top free agents, there are always players simply seeking the highest offer. If the Wizards had overpaid to sign someone, could the price have been much worse than having Okafor for $14.5MM and Ariza for $7.7MM in 2013/14?

On top of that, having cap room next summer wouldn't even have meant the Wizards needed to use that space to sign free agents. As other teams have shown, cap room can also be a valuable asset for facilitating trades in which a club with space takes on a bad contract and gets a draft pick or a talented young player as well. Generally, when a club takes on bad multiyear contracts like Okafor's or Ariza's, it should be receiving assets for its trouble, like the Bobcats did when they received Ben Gordon's multiyear deal and a first-round pick from the Pistons for Corey Maggette's expiring contract. Unfortunately for Washington, the team seems to simply be stuck in a cycle of trading one bad contract for another, from Gilbert Arenas to Lewis to Okafor and Ariza.

The Wizards were still able to land a potential core piece in the draft in Bradley Beal, and with Wall and Nene healthy, there will certainly be some talent on the roster. But a trade like the Okafor/Ariza acquisition is the sort of move a team makes when it's on the verge of big things and believes that there's a one- or two-year window to contend. Perhaps the Wizards thought the deal would help ensure that Wall wants to stay in Washington when he hits free agency in 2014, but even that argument doesn't make much sense to me. After all, Wall will be a restricted free agent that summer — even if he's not happy with the Wizards, there's no risk of the team losing him for nothing unless they choose to do so.

A club in the Wizards' position should be exercising a little patience, waiting for its young players to develop and building toward contention by continuing to add core assets. While Washington did that by drafting Beal, the trade for Okafor and Ariza was the kind of move that could set the team's rebuilding process back a year or two by handicapping its flexibility going forward.

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Offseason In Review: Charlotte Bobcats

December 4th, 2012 at 10:30pm CST by Chuck Myron

Hoops Rumors is in the process of looking back at each team's offseason, from the end of the playoffs in June right up until opening night. Trades, free agent signings, draft picks, contract extensions, option decisions, camp invitees, and more will be covered, as we examine the moves each franchise made over the last several months.

Signings

Trades and Claims

Draft Picks

Camp Invitees

Departing Players

Rookie Contract Option Decisions

The only glimmer of optimism for the Bobcats, as they finished off a season with the worst winning percentage in NBA history, was that it couldn't conceivably get any worse. Though the team failed to parlay a one-in-four chance of landing the No. 1 overall pick and the opportunity to select Anthony Davis in this year's draft, the Cats still wound up with the No. 2 pick, which they used on defensive ace Michael Kidd-Gilchrist. President of basketball operations Rod Higgins said around the trade deadline last year that he and GM Rich Cho weren't looking for any quick fixes, and it seems like, with expectations as low as they can be, owner Michael Jordan is content to let his front office build at a deliberate pace. That seems logical, given the daunting task of rebuilding ahead of them.

Charlotte's philosophy was reflected in its coaching search, which Higgins once referred to as moving at a "nice, slow pace." Cho said the team wanted a coach who saw the job as an opportunity rather than a burden, which may have been tough to find if many agreed with Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports, who called the opening "one of the least appealing coaching jobs in modern NBA history." The Bobcats made a surprising hire, going with Mike Dunlap, a relatively obscure college coach, over Nate McMillan, Brian Shaw and others. Dunlap has answered doubts as the team has shown competency early in the season, but even if the Bobcats had fallen flat, he'll be measured more by the development of the players than by wins and losses. The hiring came with risk, like any unconventional move, but he was an inexpensive choice, and the gamble could pay off if he's able to connect with the team's young talent.

Furthering their commitment to a slow-paced rebuild, the Bobcats traded Corey Maggette, who had one year at $10.9MM on his deal, for Ben Gordon, who'll get $12.4MM this season and will almost certainly exercise his $13.2MM player option for 2013/14. The payoff for taking on more money and more years is a protected first-round pick. The Pistons will keep the pick next June as long as they're in the lottery, which seems likely, but the selection is only top-eight protected in 2014 and top-one protected in 2015. If the Bobcats still haven't received the pick by then, it becomes unprotected for 2016. In any case, Charlotte seems destined for an extra lottery pick sooner or later, which seems to justify the use of cap space on Gordon that they probably wouldn't otherwise be using for a player who might put them over the top.

Other teams tried to convince the Bobcats to pull off one more trade, as the No. 2 pick in June's draft drew plenty of interest. They turned down an offer from the Wolves for 2011 second overall selection Derrick Williams, choosing to hold on to the pick and turn it into Kidd-Gilchrist, a lockdown perimeter defender who helps a Charlotte team that gave up 100.9 points last season, the fourth most in the NBA. Kidd-Gilchrist put up only 10.9 points per game in his only college season, but that's largely because he only averaged only 8.9 shots per contest for a loaded Kentucky team. The Cats also got Vanderbilt sharpshooter Jeff Taylor with the first pick in the second round, locking up a player who seemed targeted as a late first-rounder to a three-year deal at only slightly more than the minimum.

Higgins and Cho could have opened up more cap space by putting Tyrus Thomas on amnesty waivers, but there was no pressing need to do so. The team is looking to get rid of the final three years and $26.083MM of his contract via trades, though his left leg injury this season complicates that effort. The team used most of its available cap room to snatch up Ramon Sessions at an annual cost of $5MM for two years. Sessions declined his $4.55MM option with the Lakers for 2012/13 even though he said in May that he wanted to stay with the team, and when Steve Nash unexpectedly took his spot as the starting point guard in L.A., it short-circuited any plan Sessions might have had to re-sign with the Lakers. Sessions said last month that he opted out because he was looking for long-term stability, but he probably didn't envision going from a perennial contender to the worst team in the league on a two-year deal worth only slightly more money per season. He surely didn't imagine coming off the bench for the Bobcats, either, but he's served the team well in that capacity, as he's their second-leading scorer this season at 15.6 points per game. That's much more scoring than they got from D.J. Augustin, whom the team allowed to sign with the Pacers once Sessions was on board.

Charlotte used its cap space one more time to claim Brendan Haywood off amnesty waivers from the Mavs, winning his services with a bid worth slightly more than $2MM a year for three seasons. That's probably still too high a price for the 33-year-old big man, but for the Bobcats, the addition makes sense, since he's a legitimate center and 11-year vet who was a mainstay on a string of playoff teams with the Wizards. He's also a former teammate of Jordan's, which surely didn't hurt his chances of getting claimed by the Bobcats, even if the move does nothing to dispel Jordan's reputation for surrounding himself with cronies.

The Bobcats decided against an extension for Gerald Henderson, their 12th overall pick from 2009, an unsurprising decision that may signal the end of the swingman's time in Charlotte, particularly since the team drafted fellow wing players Kidd-Gilchrist and Taylor this year. Byron Mullens, who's exceeded expectations this season, will also hit restricted free agency next summer. Charlotte faces plenty of decisions on which of its young players to keep in the coming seasons, but offseasons like this past summer, in which the team isn't scrambling for a quick fix, will allow the Bobcats the flexibility to stay focused on youth and retain homegrown talent as they see fit.

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Offseason In Review: Miami Heat

December 3rd, 2012 at 8:44pm CST by Chuck Myron

Hoops Rumors is in the process of looking back at each team's offseason, from the end of the playoffs in June right up until opening night. Trades, free agent signings, draft picks, contract extensions, option decisions, camp invitees, and more will be covered, as we examine the moves each franchise made over the last several months.

Signings

Trades and Claims

  • Acquired No. 45 pick in 2012 draft and 2013 first-round pick from the 76ers in exchange for No. 27 pick in 2012 draft.

Draft Picks

  • Justin Hamilton (Round 2, 45th overall). Will play overseas.

Camp Invitees

Departing Players

Rookie Contract Option Decisions

The Heat needn't have done much this offseason to give themselves a strong chance at another championship in 2012/13, but the additions of Ray Allen and Rashard Lewis solidified their status atop the NBA pecking order and furthered a philosophical shift that began in the playoffs. The Heat doubled down on small ball, tapping outside shooters in their two most prominent offseason acquisitions. The Heat did nothing to address their lack of reliable, traditional big men, instead committing to Chris Bosh as the full-time starting center and undersized Shane Battier at power forward. LeBron James will see plenty of time at the four, too. The trend of "positionless" basketball, reflected even in the league's new All-Star ballot, seems destined to continue unless a team with stronger, more skilled inside players (the Lakers, perhaps?) is able to take down Miami.

As impressive as the Heat looked as they took apart the Thunder in the Finals, it's easy to forget the Celtics, another small-ball team, had extended them to seven games in the Eastern Conference Finals. That made the acquisition of Allen doubly impactful. Team president Pat Riley orchestrated a recruiting effort that allowed Heat beat out the Clippers, Grizzlies and Timberwolves, as well as the Celtics, for his services. Allen took a deal for the taxpayer's mid-level exception that was about half of what Boston was offering to woo him back. Allen's split with the Celtics became something of a sideshow in the offseason, as he spoke about his displeasure with the way the team had dangled him in trades as well as his differences with Rajon Rondo. The defection certainly fueled the Heat/Celtics rivalry over the summer, but it tilted the competition further in Miami's favor now that the games have begun.

Allen has seen consistent playing time as the team's sixth man, and is often on the floor down the stretch. The same can't be said for Lewis, who plays a more limited role on the fringe of the team's rotation. That's okay for a player on a minimum-salary contract, though, and the Heat took advantage of Lewis' $13MM buyout payment from the Hornets, as well as their status as a contender, to convince the 6'10" outside shooter to play for a relative pittance.

The floor spacing that long-distance threats Allen and Lewis give the team should allow James and Dwyane Wade to be even more dangerous offensively. Much of the intrigue early in the offseason was whether Mike Miller, whom the team signed in 2010 to provide that same shooting complement to their stars, would return. Plagued by a variety of injuries, Miller decided against retiring, and the Heat opted not to use the amnesty provision to get the final three years and $18.6MM of his contract off their books. He remains on the roster as an expensive insurance policy against injuries to others, recently filling an ailing Dwyane Wade's spot in the starting lineup. Miller is now healthy and plans to continue playing for at least the remaining years of his contract, and his presence is a luxury Miami may not be able to afford too much longer, particularly when more stringent tax rules take effect in 2014. James Jones is also back after considering retirement, and though he's no longer a part of the team's rotation, his total cost of $3MM over this season and next doesn't cause nearly as much trouble as Miller's contract.

The three members of last year's championship roster who didn't return are all big men, though the team kept a locker open for Juwan Howard, who joined the team in an advisory role while the possibility of his return to the Heat in a playing capacity loomed over training camp. Instead, the Heat decided to keep the non-guaranteed minimum salaries of Josh Harrellson and Terrel Harris, despite being linked to bigger names like Chris Andersen, Andray Blatche and Kenyon Martin. Several free agents looking for jobs at the end of the summer included the Heat on their wish lists, so the team could have probably added any of them as long as they were willing to commit to the minimum salary. Though they brought Harris back without a guarantee and for slightly less than they could have offered him via Non-Bird rights, the undrafted guard's inclusion on the roster is a strong indication of the club's confidence in him, as well as the need for Miami to develop young talent going forward.

The Lakers caused a stir when they seemed to indicate that they're angling to sign James when he becomes eligible to opt out of his contract in 2014, and some in the organization are reportedly worried about Wade's long-term health. Some day, there will come an end to the current star-studded iteration of the Heat, and that might be before the team wins the five, six or seven championships their marquee 2010 acquisitions promised in their introductions to Miami. For now, the Heat are on top of the NBA world, and while front offices must always focus on what lies ahead, the concerns this offseason were more about the immediate future. In that regard, the strong only got stronger.

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Offseason In Review: Los Angeles Lakers

December 2nd, 2012 at 9:00am CST by Chuck Myron

Hoops Rumors is in the process of looking back at each team's offseason, from the end of the playoffs in June right up until opening night. Trades, free agent signings, draft picks, contract extensions, option decisions, camp invitees, and more will be covered, as we examine the moves each franchise made over the last several months.

Signings

Trades and Claims

Draft Picks

  • Darius Johnson-Odom (Round 2, 55th overall). Signed via minimum salary exception.
  • Robert Sacre (Round 2, 60th overall). Signed via minimum salary exception.

Camp Invitees

Departing Players

Rookie Contract Option Decisions

  • None

It's certainly been a wild first month of the season for the Lakers, with coach Mike Brown's firing, the team's flirtation with Phil Jackson, the lengthy interim tenure of Bernie Bickerstaff and the ultimate arrival of Mike D'Antoni as the new man in charge. None of it might have happened, however, without the expectations that the offseason foised upon this year's Lakers. The summer already seemed enough of a success when L.A. became the surprise destination for free agent Steve Nash, but the trade for Dwight Howard made others in the league throw up their arms in disgust a yet another Lakers coup.

The Howard trade was hailed by most as an upgrade for the center position, and Andrew Bynum's renewed knee problems certainly support that theory. Still, at the time, Howard's own health problems made it a gamble. GM Mitch Kupchak and company swapped the younger Bynum, coming off his best statistical season by far, for a player coming off major back surgery who had just submarined his coach and put his team through an eight-month-long media firestorm. It seemed like Bynum could eclipse Howard as the league's best center if he kept improving, and the Lakers knew exactly what they were getting with the player they'd nurtured since he joined the team in 2005 as the youngest player in NBA history.

Still, Howard's superior basket protection makes sense given the team's acquisition of Nash, a defensive liability. That he's already established as the league's best center also gives Howard an edge on a squad that's built to win now, before Nash and Kobe Bryant decline. And since both Howard and Bynum are due to hit free agency in 2013, nothing's guaranteed beyond this season. Howard seems ecstatic about his new surroundings, despite the team's slow start, but even though the Lakers could give him an extra year on his next contract, Howard's track record suggests the Lakers must take nothing for granted.

The move that transformed the Lakers from a team adrift back into contention was the sign-and-trade that brought Nash aboard. That, too, was not without risks, since Nash will be making $9.7MM as he turns 41 in the final season of the three-year, fully guaranteed deal. His is the only contract on the Lakers' books for 2014/15, as executive vice president Jim Buss admitted in October that the team has been strategically clearing his books for the summer of 2014, when LeBron James can opt out of his deal with the Heat. Nash, though, was still going strong last season, when he turned 38, posted double-figure assists and tied a career high by shooting 53.2% from the field. He's a clear upgrade at the point, where Ramon Sessions struggled in the playoffs and left a void when he turned down his player option for 2012/13. The team used the trade exception left over from the Lamar Odom deal to faciliate the sign-and-trade for Nash, who'll make precisely the $8.9MM value of that exception in the first year of his contract.

Having beaten out the Knicks and Raptors for Nash, the Lakers convinced Jordan Hill to turn down overtures from the Timberwolves despite only being able to bring him back for the $3.6MM he would have earned in a team option the Lakers weren't even responsible for declining. The Rockets turned the option down before they traded Hill to L.A. at last season's trade deadline, when Hill's acquisition took a back seat to the deal that brought in Sessions. Hill, a former lottery pick who seemed on his way out the league, showed his value as an offensive rebounder in the playoffs, giving the Lakers the reliable big man off the bench they lacked after trading Odom.

The Lakers made another well-received move when they convinced Antawn Jamison, the second-leading scorer for the Cavs last season, to sign for the minimum, well below market value, particularly since the Lakers still had their taxpayer's mid-level exception available. By this time, L.A.'s status as a contender, if not title favorite, made them an attractive destination for free agents like Jamison who were chasing a ring and willing to make a monetary sacrifice to go after it. Jamison struggled at the start of the season playing small forward, but has improved since D'Antoni began using him in his usual capacity as a stretch four, though the change appears to have pushed Hill out of the rotation.

Right after the Howard trade, the Lakers once more relied on their title chances to convince a free agent to sign for less than he could have made elsewhere. They allocated a little less than half of their mid-level exception to pry Jodie Meeks away from more lucrative offers from the Bucks and Wizards. It's somewhat ironic that he'll be making more money than Jamison, since Meeks was benched and saw his minutes cut by more than half in the playoffs last year with the Sixers. Still, Meeks, who made 38.3% of his three-point shots the last two seasons,  gives the Lakers some of the outside shooting they've lacked.

The day they signed Meeks, the team also finalized its deal with former second-round pick Devin Ebanks after making him wait for more than a month after their agreement on his qualifying offer was reached. The Lakers were holding out in case Ebanks needed to be signed-and-traded in a deal for Howard. If the team had signed him right away, Ebanks couldn't have been traded until December 15th. Last season's opening night starter at small forward could have ditched the agreement and signed with another team, but the Lakers had the right to match offers for the restricted free agent, and there was no serious talk of another team getting involved.

The Ebanks signing allowed the Lakers to become the first team in NBA history to sign two players to qualifying offers in the same offseason, since they'd inked Darius Morris to his qualifying offer in July. That move has paid unexpected dividends with Nash and Steve Blake out with injury this year, as Morris has temporarily inherited the starting point guard job.

The Lakers are sitting on the remaining $1.59MM of their taxpayer's mid-level exception, giving them the flexibility to sign one of the remaining free agents on the market. If that's going to happen, it would make sense for them to do so by January 10th, when the exception begins to prorate down. Even though the bench, despite the additions of Jamison and Meeks, continues to be a sore spot, there seems no rush for the team to do so. The Lakers' payroll exceeds more than $100MM this season, and the choice of two rookies, who have no prior NBA experience and thus make a minimum salary roughly half that of the veteran's minimum, for the last two spots on the bench is a sign of subtle cost-cutting. Salary cap guru Larry Coon estimated shortly after the Howard trade that the team's salary and luxury tax bill for 2013/14 would be a record $185MM in 2013/14 if the team re-signs D12 to a maximum deal this summer. There may soon come an end to the team's seemingly limitless spending. For now, though, the priority remains championships above all else, and the team will surely use the rest of its mid-level exception if it deems it necessary.

Like their Staples Center neighbors, the Clippers, the Lakers pulled off a fairly significant overhaul without the benefit of cap room or a first-round pick in this summer's draft. Indeed, the Lakers will find themselves without first-round picks with regularity in the coming years, having traded every first-rounder they're allowed to give away under the Stepien Rule to acquire Howard and Nash. Though much is riding on Howard's decision next summer, the verdict on the 2012 offseason will come in the spring of 2013. It's championship or bust for the purple and gold, as usual.

Luke Adams contributed to this post.

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Offseason In Review: Los Angeles Clippers

December 1st, 2012 at 2:26pm CST by Chuck Myron

Hoops Rumors is in the process of looking back at each team's offseason, from the end of the playoffs in June right up until opening night. Trades, free agent signings, draft picks, contract extensions, option decisions, camp invitees, and more will be covered, as we examine the moves each franchise made over the last several months.

Signings

Extensions

Trades and Claims

  • Acquired Lamar Odom from the Mavericks in exchange for Mo Williams (sent to Jazz) and the rights to Furkan Aldemir.
  • Acquired the right to swap 2016 second-round picks with the Nets in exchange for Reggie Evans. Evans was signed-and-traded for three years, $5.09MM.
  • Acquired Willie Green from the Hawks in exchange for the rights to Sofoklis Schortsanitis. Green was signed-and-traded for three years, $4.22MM (second and third years non-guaranteed).

Draft Picks 

  • Furkan Aldemir (Round 2, 53rd overall). Rights traded to Rockets.

Camp Invitees

Departing Players

Rookie Contract Option Decisions

For a team that showed more promise last year than it ever has in more than 30 years in Southern California, the Clippers went through a startling number of changes this summer. It all began with the surprise defection of GM Neil Olshey to the Blazers, just three days after he reportedly agreed in principle to stay on board. Portland made a three-year offer nearly five times as lucrative as the one-year deal he was in line for with the Clippers. The news, coupled with the team's slow-moving approach to finding Olshey's successor, drove home the idea of Clippers owner Donald Sterling as a corner-cutter unwilling to spend what it takes to win, and cast doubt on whether the team would retain cornerstones Chris Paul and Blake Griffin, both of whom could have become free agents in 2013.

Part of that concern was quickly wiped away in July, when Griffin and the Clippers agreed to a five-year extension that could commit as much as 30% of the team's salary cap to the high-flying forward if he's voted an All-Star starter or makes an All-NBA team this year. It made Griffin the team's designated player, meaning the team can't sign anyone else to a five-year contract for the duration of Griffin's deal, and it was the only fully guaranteed five-year extension handed out this summer. It also came well in advance of all the other rookie-scale extensions this year, and appeared to be a full-throated rebuke of the idea that the Clippers would not pay to win. Question remains over whether it was a wise choice to make such a commitment to a player with a history of serious injury and a few notable flaws in his game, but the move appeared to set the tone for Paul, who appears to be leaning toward a return.

Paul took an active role in assisting the offseason decision-making of the triumrivate left to run the front office after Olshey left. Player personnel director Gary Sacks, team president Andy Roeser and coach Vinny Del Negro shared duties over the summer, and Roeser and Del Negro apparently retain some sway even after the September promotion of Sacks to vice president of basketball operations. Griffin, after he signed his extension, expressed support for Sacks, and the team also brought aboard Gerald Madkins, who worked with Paul in New Orleans, as director of basketball operations.

The upheaval in the front office mirrored the array of changes to the roster. The Clippers engineered Lamar Odom's return to L.A., bringing him over from the Mavs and sending Mo Williams away in a swap of nearly identical salaries. The Clippers seemed as natural a fit as any team for Odom, who clearly left his heart in Tinseltown when the Lakers traded him to the Mavericks before last season. His addition was nonetheless a gamble, and his production hasn't come close to matching what Williams gave them off the bench last year, but Odom's $8.2MM comes off the books next summer, so there's no long-term consequence for the team if he never regains his Sixth Man of the Year form.

The Clippers replaced Williams as the first guard off the bench with Jamal Crawford, another former Sixth Man of the Year. It seemingly came down to Crawford or Ray Allen, and though L.A. went with the younger option, it looked at first glance like Allen might have had more left in the tank. Crawford was coming off a poor season for the Blazers, having shot just 38.4% from the field, his lowest mark since his rookie season in 2000/01, and at age 32, there was legitimate question about whether his best days were behind him. He's dispelled those doubts early on this season, as he's leading the team in scoring at 17.5 points per game. As long as his production doesn't drop off a cliff this season or next, he looks like a worthwhile investment for the mid-level exception. His four-year contract is only partially guaranteed in the final two seasons.

The agreement with Crawford came at the same time as the club's decision to bring back Chauncey Billups, who's coming back from a torn Achilles tendon. The one-year, $4MM deal carried little risk, since they're not tied to the 36-year-old for more than a season in case he can't come back healthy, and his locker room presence might make up for any on-court deficiencies. Ostensibly to cover themselves while Billups would be out at the start of the season, the Clippers convinced the Hawks to engage in a sign-and-trade that brought Willie Green to L.A. on a three-year contract that only includes a guarantee for the first season, at $1.375MM. To faciliate the deal, the Clippers used part of a trade exception they acquired from participating in a sign-and-trade that sent Reggie Evans to the Nets.

It was one of many deft maneuvers the team used to make so many changes this summer, when they didn't have a first-round draft pick or any space under the salary cap. For a team with a front office in flux, those sorts of machinations showed uncommon poise, and indicated seamless communication between Sacks, Roeser and Del Negro.

One way the team gave itself some flexibility was in using the amnesty provision on Ryan Gomes. Though his contract, which had one year and $4MM left on it, wasn't particularly troublesome, it freed up space under the team's $74.3MM hard cap. 

The Clippers used their bi-annual exception on Grant Hill, and though it may have seemed unwise to bring aboard a 40-year-old coming off a season in which he put up a career-worst 12.3 PER, he nonetheless has been a double-figure scorer in each of his 17 seasons in the league, and has remained a capable perimeter defender. The second year of his two-year deal is only $500K, once more minimizing risk for the Clippers.

One of the weaknesses of the team's offseason was its handling of big men. The Clippers used the minimum salary to acquire Ronny Turiaf and Ryan Hollins after taking a pass on re-signing Evans and Kenyon Martin. Evans and Martin were often on the floor late in games last year because of the poor free throw shooting of Griffin and DeAndre Jordan, so going with minimum-salary replacements while spending far more liberally on the perimeter seems ill-advised. The September signing of Matt Barnes, who can handle the four when the team goes small, is a plus, and it's fair to say Barnes, Turiaf and Hollins are all bargains at the minimum. Still, unless Odom works out, the team may find itself wishing it had allocated more of its resources to the frontcourt.

The Clippers let go of several key members of its team from last season, but the offseason won't be judged on what was lost. Instead, the team made a concerted effort to improve its status as a contender, and, moreover, retain Griffin and Paul. With Griffin locked up for years to come, the ultimate referendum on the team's litany of changes in the summer of 2012 will likely come next summer, when Paul will decide whether he likes what he sees around him enough to re-sign. 

Luke Adams contributed to this post.

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