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Offseason Salary Cap Digest

2020/21 Salary Cap Preview: Boston Celtics

April 6th, 2020 at 3:20pm CST by Luke Adams

Hoops Rumors is looking ahead at the 2020/21 salary cap situations for all 30 NBA teams. Due to the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on the NBA, it’s impossible to know yet where the cap for 2020/21 will land. Given the league’s lost revenue, we’re assuming for now that it will stay the same as the ’19/20 cap, but it’s entirely possible it will end up higher or lower than that.

After a disappointing 2018/19 season, the Celtics bounced back in ’19/20, with Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown taking major steps forward and Kemba Walker providing the veteran stability that Kyrie Irving hadn’t. Prior to the NBA’s hiatus, Boston was 43-21 – third in the Eastern Conference – and looked like one of the only teams capable of seriously challenging Milwaukee for a spot in the NBA Finals.

Armed with three first-round picks in 2020, the Celtics are in position to continue adding intriguing young talent, even if the club no longer has the cap flexibility that it has in recent years.

Here’s where things stand for the Celtics financially in 2020/21, as we continue our Salary Cap Preview series:

Guaranteed Salary

Player Options

Team Options

Non-Guaranteed Salary

Restricted Free Agents

Unrestricted Free Agents / Other Cap Holds

  • No. 14 overall pick ($3,458,400)
  • No. 26 overall pick ($2,035,800)
  • No. 30 overall pick ($1,936,440)
  • Total: $7,430,640

Offseason Cap Outlook

Assuming Hayward exercises his lucrative player option for 2020/21 and Theis is brought back on his modest team option, the Celtics will have committed nearly $135MM in guaranteed money to 11 players.

The NBA’s most recent luxury-tax projection, based on an estimated $115MM cap, was $139MM. Once Boston fills out its roster, it figures to surpass that threshold, making the C’s a taxpaying team whether or not the cap ultimately falls short of that projection. Barring some cost-cutting moves or a surprise Hayward opt-out, that means the club won’t have the full mid-level exception or bi-annual exception available in the offseason.

Cap Exceptions Available

  • Taxpayer mid-level exception: $5,718,000 3

Footnotes

  1. If Ojelye’s team option is exercised, his salary becomes fully guaranteed after October 19.
  2. Theis’ salary becomes fully guaranteed after October 21.
  3. This is a projected value.

Note: Minimum-salary and rookie-scale cap holds are based on the salary cap and could increase or decrease depending on where the cap lands.

Salary information from Basketball Insiders and Early Bird Rights was used in the creation of this post. Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

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2020/21 Salary Cap Preview: Atlanta Hawks

April 2nd, 2020 at 3:49pm CST by Luke Adams

Hoops Rumors is looking ahead at the 2020/21 salary cap situations for all 30 NBA teams. Due to the coronavirus pandemic and its impact on the NBA calendar, it’s impossible to know yet where the cap for 2020/21 will land. Given the league’s lost revenue, we’re assuming for now that it will stay the same as the ’19/20 cap, but it’s entirely possible it will end up higher or lower than that.

After adding two more young cornerstones – De’Andre Hunter and Cam Reddish – to their roster in the 2019 draft lottery, the Hawks looked like one of the Eastern Conference’s most exciting young teams entering the 2019/20 campaign.

However, despite a monster offensive season from Trae Young, the Hawks didn’t take a major step forward this year. The team didn’t have a whole lot of effective veteran depth and its young players weren’t fully ready to carry the load — a 25-game John Collins suspension didn’t help either. Atlanta will head into ’20/21 hoping for continued growth from its young core and with the cap flexibility necessary to continue adding talent.

Here’s where things stand for the Hawks financially in 2020/21, as we launch our Salary Cap Preview series:

Guaranteed Salary

Player Options

  • None

Team Options

  • None

Non-Guaranteed Salary

  • Brandon Goodwin ($1,601,593) 1
  • Total: $1,601,593

Restricted Free Agents

Unrestricted Free Agents / Other Cap Holds

Offseason Cap Outlook

Regardless of where the cap for the 2020/21 league year ends up, the Hawks are in a good spot and should have more room than virtually any other NBA team. If the cap remains the same as it was in ’19/20, Atlanta could still easily get to $44MM+ in space.

Although that would be more than enough cap room to make a play for a maximum-salary player, I’m skeptical that GM Travis Schlenk would want to go that route, even if team ownership is getting antsy to make a major splash.

Cap Exceptions Available

  • Room exception: $4,767,000 2

Footnotes

  1. Goodwin’s new salary guarantee date is unknown.
  2. This is a projected value.

Note: Minimum-salary and rookie-scale cap holds are based on the salary cap and could increase or decrease depending on where the cap lands.

Salary information from Basketball Insiders and Early Bird Rights was used in the creation of this post. Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

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2019 NBA Offseason Salary Cap Digest: Toronto Raptors

June 20th, 2019 at 2:19pm CST by Luke Adams

After years of postseason disappointment, everything went right for the Raptors in 2018/19. Kawhi Leonard stayed healthy and proved he still belongs in the conversation about the best player in the NBA. Pascal Siakam emerged as the league’s Most Improved Player. Marc Gasol arrived in a deadline deal to help tighten up the club’s defense and improve its ball movement on offense. And after impressive series wins over Philadelphia and Milwaukee, Toronto knocked off the two-time defending champion Warriors to win the first title in team history.

Here’s where things currently stand for the Raptors financially, as we continue our Offseason Salary Cap Digest series for 2019:

Guaranteed Salary

Player Options

Team Options

  • None

Non-Guaranteed Salary

  • Malcolm Miller ($1,588,231) 2
  • Chris Boucher ($1,463,231) 1
  • Total: $3,051,462

Restricted Free Agents

Unrestricted Free Agents / Other Cap Holds

Projected Salary Cap: $109,000,000
Projected Tax Line: $132,000,000

Offseason Cap Outlook

  • Realistic cap room projection: $0
  • If Gasol opts in or Leonard re-signs with the Raptors, the team will be over the cap. If both happen, another year in luxury tax territory is probably on tap for the franchise. Should both players depart, the Raps could technically create up to about $20MM in cap room, but it would mean waiving Miller and Boucher and renouncing all their other free agents too.

Cap Exceptions Available

  • Trade exception: $2,947,320 (expires 7/18/19)
  • Trade exception: $1,569,360 (expires 2/6/20)
  • Trade exception: $1,512,601 (expires 2/7/20)
  • Trade exception: $2,536,898 (expires 2/7/20)
  • Mid-level exception: $9,246,000 4
  • Bi-annual exception: $3,619,000 4

Footnotes

  1. Boucher’s salary becomes fully guaranteed on the first day of the season.
  2. Miller’s salary becomes fully guaranteed after July 24.
  3. The cap holds for De Colo, Nogueira, and Thompson remain on the Raptors’ books because they haven’t been renounced after going unsigned in previous years. They can’t be used in a sign-and-trade deal.
  4. These are projected values. If the Raptors are at risk of going into tax territory, they may forfeit the bi-annual exception and have to use the taxpayer mid-level exception ($5,711,000) rather than the full mid-level exception. In the event they use cap room, they’d lose these exceptions, plus their trade exceptions, and would instead would gain access to the $4,760,000 room exception.

Note: Minimum-salary and rookie-scale cap holds are estimates based on salary cap projections and could increase or decrease depending on where the cap lands.

Salary information from Basketball Insiders, ESPN, and RealGM was used in the creation of this post. Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

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2019 NBA Offseason Salary Cap Digest: Golden State Warriors

June 19th, 2019 at 12:00pm CST by Luke Adams

The Warriors earned a spot in the NBA Finals for a fifth straight year in 2019, but health issues slowed them down against the Raptors and now appear likely to compromise their ability to contend for a title next season. With potential free-agents-to-be Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson recovering from a ruptured Achilles and torn ACL, respectively, Golden State may be preparing to commit huge money to two players who will barely see the court in 2019/20.

Here’s where things currently stand for the Warriors financially, as we continue our Offseason Salary Cap Digest series for 2019:

Guaranteed Salary

Player Options

Team Options

  • None

Non-Guaranteed Salary

  • Shaun Livingston ($5,692,308) 1
  • Alfonzo McKinnie ($1,588,231)
  • Total: $7,280,539

Restricted Free Agents

Unrestricted Free Agents / Other Cap Holds

Projected Salary Cap: $109,000,000
Projected Tax Line: $132,000,000

Offseason Cap Outlook

  • Realistic cap room projection: $0
  • If the Warriors let all their free agents go, they could create some cap room, but that’s extremely unlikely. Thompson, at least, is expected to sign a deal that would put the club over the cap, and Durant, Cousins, Cook, and Looney are all candidates to return too.

Cap Exceptions Available

  • Taxpayer mid-level exception: $5,711,000 4

Footnotes

  1. Livingston’s salary becomes fully guaranteed after June 30.
  2. The salaries for two-way players don’t count against a team’s cap, but their cap holds do during the offseason.
  3. The cap holds for Barnes and West remain on the Warriors’ books because they haven’t been renounced after going unsigned in 2018/19. They can’t be used in a sign-and-trade deal.
  4. This is a projected value. If the Warriors don’t re-sign both Thompson and Durant, they may be able to stay out of tax territory. In that case, they could instead have access to the full mid-level exception ($9,246,000) and the bi-annual exception ($3,619,000).

Note: Minimum-salary and rookie-scale cap holds are estimates based on salary cap projections and could increase or decrease depending on where the cap lands.

Salary information from Basketball Insiders and RealGM was used in the creation of this post. Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

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2019 NBA Offseason Salary Cap Digest Series

June 5th, 2019 at 2:10pm CST by Luke Adams

As we approach the 2019 NBA draft and free agent period, Hoops Rumors has been examining each team’s cap situation, breaking down the guaranteed salaries, non-guaranteed salaries, options, free agents, and cap holds on the books for each of the league’s teams.

We’re also previewing each club’s offseason in more depth, but these salary cap digests provide a bare-bones look at where teams are at with their spending, how much cap room they figure to have this summer, and which players may not be safe, given their contract situations.

You can find the link to your favorite team’s offseason salary cap digest below. You can find this post anytime on the right-hand sidebar of our desktop site under “Hoops Rumors Features,” or under “Features” in our mobile menu.

EASTERN CONFERENCE

Atlantic

Central

Southeast

WESTERN CONFERENCE

Northwest

Pacific

Southwest

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2019 NBA Offseason Salary Cap Digest: Milwaukee Bucks

June 1st, 2019 at 1:59pm CST by Luke Adams

The Bucks were a popular sleeper contender pick entering the 2018/19 season, but few fans or experts anticipated they’d make the sort of jump they did. After having failed to get past the first round of the playoffs since 2001, Milwaukee led the NBA with 60 wins and built a 2-0 lead in the Eastern Conference Finals before falling to Toronto. While falling short of the NBA Finals was a disappointment, the franchise took a huge step in the right direction this past year and is poised to build on that progress going forward.

Here’s where things currently stand for the Bucks financially, as we continue our Offseason Salary Cap Digest series for 2019:

Guaranteed Salary

Player Options

Team Options

  • None

Non-Guaranteed Salary

Restricted Free Agents

Unrestricted Free Agents / Other Cap Holds

Projected Salary Cap: $109,000,000
Projected Tax Line: $132,000,000

Offseason Cap Outlook

  • Cap room projection No. 1: $10.3MM
  • The Bucks’ cap situation is a fascinating one, given the various free agent cap holds and non-guaranteed contracts in play. This scenario is one I view as pretty plausible. It assumes the Bucks waive-and-stretch Hill, keep the rest of their players on guaranteed contracts, retain Connaughton, Brown, and their first-round pick, and keep the cap holds for Brogdon and Middleton ($19.5MM) on their books, renouncing the rest. That would leave $10.3MM in cap room for Lopez and/or other FA targets, plus the room exception. After using that room, the club could then go over the cap – and potentially even into the tax – to re-sign Middleton and Brogdon using Bird rights.
  • Cap room projection No. 2: $0
  • This scenario assumes the Bucks keep all their cap holds – including Lopez’s and Mirotic’s – on their books and remain an over-the-cap team. It’s another one of the most realistic outcomes, since Milwaukee would still be able to use some form of the mid-level exception. But it only really makes sense if the Bucks can re-sign Mirotic with his Bird rights or Lopez with his Non-Bird rights.
  • Cap room projection No. 3: $28.9MM
  • This projection assumes the same series of events as scenario No. 1, but assumes Middleton signs elsewhere and his cap hold comes off the team’s books. I don’t think that’s too likely, but the Bucks could get pretty close to a maximum-salary slot even without renouncing Brogdon.
  • It’s worth noting that the Bucks’ cap projection could look different than any of these scenarios if the team makes a trade or two, potentially dumping Snell’s contract to create more flexibility.

Cap Exceptions Available

  • Mid-level exception: $9,246,000 2

Footnotes

  1. Hill’s salary becomes fully guaranteed after July 1.
  2. This is a projected value. In the event the Bucks use cap room, they’d lose this exception and would instead would gain access to the $4,760,000 room exception. If the Bucks are at risk of going into tax territory, they may have to use the taxpayer mid-level exception ($5,711,000) rather than the full mid-level exception.

Note: Minimum-salary and rookie-scale cap holds are estimates based on salary cap projections and could increase or decrease depending on where the cap lands.

Salary information from Basketball Insiders, ESPN.com, and RealGM was used in the creation of this post. Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

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2019 Offseason Salary Cap Digest: Portland Trail Blazers

May 27th, 2019 at 10:38am CST by Luke Adams

Despite being swept out of the first round of the postseason in 2018, the Trail Blazers ran back virtually the same roster for the 2018/19 season and the team’s confidence in its core players paid dividends.

With a more favorable playoff draw in 2019, Portland won two series, earning a spot in the Western Conference Finals for the first time in nearly 20 years. The club’s success led to renewed faith in its core, including head coach Terry Stotts and president of basketball operations Neil Olshey, who both signed contract extensions.

Here’s where things currently stand for the Trail Blazers financially, as we continue our Offseason Salary Cap Digest series for 2019:

Guaranteed Salary

Player Options

  • None

Team Options

  • None

Non-Guaranteed Salary

  • None

Restricted Free Agents

Unrestricted Free Agents / Other Cap Holds

Projected Salary Cap: $109,000,000
Projected Tax Line: $132,000,000

Offseason Cap Outlook

  • Realistic cap room projection: $0
  • With $126MM already committed to 10 players for 2019/20, the Trail Blazers project to be back in the tax next season unless they can cut costs a little or fill out their roster extremely cheaply. Their odds of creating cap room are extremely slim.

Cap Exceptions Available

  • Taxpayer mid-level exception: $5,711,000 1

Footnotes

  1. This is a projected value. If the Trail Blazers were to reduce salary and stay out of tax territory, they could instead have access to the full mid-level exception ($9,246,000) and the bi-annual exception ($3,619,000).

Note: Minimum-salary and rookie-scale cap holds are estimates based on salary cap projections and could increase or decrease depending on where the cap lands.

Salary information from Basketball Insiders and RealGM was used in the creation of this post. Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

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2019 NBA Offseason Salary Cap Digest: Denver Nuggets

May 21st, 2019 at 11:03am CST by Luke Adams

After narrowly missing the playoffs in 2018, the Nuggets expressed confidence in their core by bringing back virtually the same group, and that bet paid off to the tune of 54 regular-season victories, the No. 2 seed in the West, and the club’s first playoff series win since 2009. The Nuggets will count on continued improvement from some of their young players going forward, but the team may also have a little flexibility to add more reinforcements.

Here’s where things currently stand for the Nuggets financially, as we continue our Offseason Salary Cap Digest series for 2019:

Guaranteed Salary

Player Options

  • None

Team Options

Non-Guaranteed Salary

  • None

Restricted Free Agents

Unrestricted Free Agents / Other Cap Holds

Projected Salary Cap: $109,000,000
Projected Tax Line: $132,000,000

Offseason Cap Outlook

  • Cap room projection w/Millsap: $0
  • There are few wild cards on the Nuggets’ books this offseason, but Millsap is a big one. Even if his $30MM option for 2019/20 is declined – which is a safe bet – re-signing him to a more modest deal would likely eat up any available cap room and make Denver an over-the-cap team. In that scenario, the Nuggets would have the mid-level ($9.25MM) and bi-annual ($3.62MM) exceptions available, along with a series of trade exceptions, detailed below.
  • Cap room projection w/o Millsap: $17MM
  • On the other hand, if Millsap is renounced, the team could create up to about $17MM in space without shedding any other salaries. That’s not enough to contend for maximum-salary free agents, but the players a notch or two below that tier could be within reach.

Cap Exceptions Available

  • Trade exception: $12,800,562 (expires 7/8/19)
  • Trade exception: $13,764,045 (expires 7/15/19)
  • Trade exception: $5,919,961 (7/15/19)
  • Mid-level exception: $9,246,000 4
  • Bi-annual exception: $3,619,000 4

Footnotes

  1. The salaries for two-way players don’t count against a team’s cap, but their cap holds do during the offseason.
  2. Because Lydon’s fourth-year rookie scale option was declined, the Nuggets are ineligible to offer him a starting salary greater than his cap hold.
  3. The cap hold for Jefferson remains on the Nuggets’ books because he hasn’t been renounced after going unsigned in 2018/19. He can’t be used in a sign-and-trade deal.
  4. These are projected values. In the event the Nuggets use cap room, they’d lose these exceptions, plus their trade exceptions, and would instead would gain access to the $4,760,000 room exception.

Note: Minimum-salary and rookie-scale cap holds are estimates based on salary cap projections and could increase or decrease depending on where the cap lands.

Salary information from Basketball Insiders, ESPN.com, and RealGM was used in the creation of this post. Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

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2019 NBA Offseason Salary Cap Digest: Philadelphia 76ers

May 17th, 2019 at 11:34am CST by Luke Adams

With a pair of homegrown franchise players in place for the 2018/19 season, new Sixers general manager Elton Brand decided the time was right to push his chips into the middle of the table. The team went out and acquired Jimmy Butler and Tobias Harris to team up with Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons, creating perhaps the most dominant starting lineup in the NBA. After a second-round exit, the club will now need to decide how aggressive it will be in trying to keep that group together to give it more time to jell.

Here’s where things currently stand for the Sixers financially, as we continue our Offseason Salary Cap Digest series for 2019:

Guaranteed Salary

Player Options

Team Options

  • None

Non-Guaranteed Salary

  • Jonathon Simmons ($4,700,000) 1
  • Total: $4,700,000

Restricted Free Agents

  • None

Unrestricted Free Agents / Other Cap Holds

Projected Salary Cap: $109,000,000
Projected Tax Line: $132,000,000

Offseason Cap Outlook

  • Realistic cap room projection: $0
  • This projection assumes that the Sixers retain both Butler and Harris, whose cap holds total nearly $53MM combined. In that scenario, Philadelphia would almost certainly remain an over-the-cap team.
  • Maximum cap room projection: $59.2MM
  • This is the Sixers’ cap room projection in the event that Butler, Harris, and Redick are all renounced. That seems extremely unlikely.
  • There are several variations that fall somewhere in between having no cap room and having $59MM+. For instance, if the 76ers only re-sign Butler, renouncing Harris and Redick, they could have $29.4MM in space. If they only bring back Harris and not those other two free agents, that figure could be $37.9MM. Re-signing Harris and Redick without Butler could result in $22.8MM in space, or even more if Redick signs for less a salary worth less than his cap hold.
  • Of course, other players, such as Ennis, Scott, and Pasecniks, could be wild cards here — the above projections assume that they’re not on next season’s roster.

Cap Exceptions Available

  • Trade exception: $957,480 (expires 11/12/19)
  • Trade exception: $2,339,880 (expires 2/7/20)
  • Mid-level exception: $9,246,000 4
  • Bi-annual exception: $3,619,000 4

Footnotes

  1. Simmons’ salary becomes fully guaranteed after July 1.
  2. Pasecniks was the 25th overall pick in the 2017 draft. His cap hold (the equivalent to the 25th overall pick in the 2019 draft) will remain on the Sixers’ books unless the team receives permission to remove it, which would ensure Pasecniks won’t be signed in 2019/20.
  3. Because Korkmaz’ fourth-year rookie scale option was declined, the Sixers are ineligible to offer him a starting salary greater than his cap hold.
  4. These are projected values. If the Sixers are at risk of going into tax territory, they may forfeit the bi-annual exception and have to use the taxpayer mid-level exception ($5,711,000) rather than the full mid-level exception. In the event they use cap room, they’d lose these exceptions, plus their trade exceptions, and would instead would gain access to the $4,760,000 room exception.

Note: Minimum-salary and rookie-scale cap holds are estimates based on salary cap projections and could increase or decrease depending on where the cap lands.

Salary information from Basketball Insiders and RealGM was used in the creation of this post. Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

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2019 NBA Offseason Salary Cap Digest: Houston Rockets

May 16th, 2019 at 10:00am CST by Luke Adams

After an early-season slump that was widely attributed to the loss of key role players during the 2018 offseason, the Rockets bounced back in a big way, adding new contributors to the rotation and roaring into the postseason with a ton of momentum. For a second straight year, however, Houston saw its momentum halted in the playoffs by the Warriors, sending Daryl Morey and the front office back to the drawing board.

Here’s where things currently stand for the Rockets financially, as we continue our Offseason Salary Cap Digest series for 2019:

Guaranteed Salary

Player Options

  • Nene ($3,825,360)
  • Total: $3,825,360

Team Options

  • None

Non-Guaranteed Salary

Restricted Free Agents

Unrestricted Free Agents / Other Cap Holds

Projected Salary Cap: $109,000,000
Projected Tax Line: $132,000,000

Offseason Cap Outlook

  • Realistic cap room projection: $0
  • The Rockets won’t be in position to create cap room this summer. They’re more likely to end up over the tax line rather than below the cap, unless they fill out the back half of their roster on the cheap.

Cap Exceptions Available

  • Trade exception: $1,544,951 (expires 8/2/19)
  • Trade exception: $2,584,136 (expires 9/2/19)
  • Trade exception: $955,172 (expires 1/7/20)
  • Trade exception: $1,512,601 (expires 1/22/20)
  • Trade exception: $3,620,016 (expires 2/7/20)
  • Trade exception: $3,206,160 (expires 2/7/20)
  • Trade exception: $1,621,415 (expires 2/7/20)
  • Trade exception: $1,544,951 (expires 2/7/20)
  • Trade exception: $1,512,601 (expires 2/7/20)
  • Taxpayer mid-level exception: $5,711,000 5

Footnotes

  1. This is a projected value.
  2. Hartenstein’s salary becomes fully guaranteed after July 15.
  3. The salaries for two-way players don’t count against a team’s cap, but their cap holds do during the offseason.
  4. The cap holds for Black, Johnson, and Brown remain on the Rockets’ books because they haven’t been renounced after going unsigned in 2018/19. They can’t be used in a sign-and-trade deal.
  5. This is a projected value. If the Rockets stay below the tax apron, they’d instead have access to the full mid-level exception ($9,246,000) and the bi-annual exception ($3,619,000).

Note: Minimum-salary and rookie-scale cap holds are estimates based on salary cap projections and could increase or decrease depending on where the cap lands.

Salary information from Basketball Insiders and RealGM was used in the creation of this post. Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

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