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Nuggets, Thunder Hold Largest Trade Exceptions

August 5th, 2018 at 4:37pm CST by Luke Adams

Within the last month and a half, several of the most sizable traded player exceptions from around the NBA have expired. The Clippers‘ $7MM+ exception from last year’s Chris Paul deal expired in June, a pair of big Raptors TPEs went unused a couple weeks later, and the Trail Blazers saw their $13MM exception from last summer’s Allen Crabbe trade expire late in July.

None of these developments were particularly surprising. Traded player exceptions, even bigger ones, often go unused. That’s especially true for teams like Toronto and Portland, whose team salaries are over the tax line. For those clubs, taking on a salary using a traded player exception would cost exponentially more due to tax penalties.

Still, those bigger trade exceptions can occasionally come in handy and are worth keeping an eye on. For instance, the Cavaliers have a $5.8MM trade exception created in last August’s Kyrie Irving deal that would have expired if it hadn’t been used within the next few weeks. The Cavs are taking advantage of it by using it to finalize the acquisition of Sam Dekker without sending out any salary in return.

That Cleveland traded player exception had been the seventh-most valuable TPE around the NBA. Here are the top five, all of which could be used to acquire a player earning at least $7MM in 2018/19:

Denver Nuggets: $13,764,045 (Expires 7/15/2019)
Denver Nuggets: $12,800,562 (Expires 7/8/2019)
Oklahoma City Thunder: $10,883,189 (Expires 7/25/2019)
Charlotte Hornets: $7,819,725 (Expires 7/6/2019)
Detroit Pistons: $7,000,000 (Expires 1/29/2019)

Check out our tracker for the full list of available traded player exceptions. For more information on exactly how trade exceptions work, be sure to check out our glossary entry on the subject.

Thunder Notes: Luwawu-Cabarrot, Nader, Patterson, Adams

August 4th, 2018 at 8:48pm CST by Arthur Hill

Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot is a world traveler, but he hasn’t spent much time in his new home of Oklahoma City, writes Brett Dawson of The Oklahoman. The second-year forward, who played in today’s NBA Africa game, spent just one day in OKC after being traded from the Sixers in a three-team deal July 25.

“It’s a new start,” he said. “Everything is new. I haven’t been there for more than a day, so I can’t even fully realize that it’s gonna be a new life, a new city, a new coach, a new staff, new players, new friends, new things to do in the city, new restaurants. Everything is gonna be new. I love learning new things when I move somewhere.”

Luwawu-Cabarrot hopes the change of scenery is accompanied by an increase in playing time. He was a first-round pick in 2016, but had limited opportunity to show off his skills in Philadelphia, spending part of his first season in the G League and averaging 16.5 minutes of playing time in 121 NBA games. The Sixers didn’t use him at all in the playoffs.

“I feel like it’s a very good opportunity for me,” he added. “I feel like Philadelphia didn’t want me anymore, so it’s a good thing that they traded me.”

There’s more tonight from Oklahoma City:

Also getting used to a new home is Abdel Nader, whom the Thunder acquired from the Celtics July 23, notes Dan Shalin for The Chicago Tribune. A second-round pick in 2016, Nader played one season in Boston, but was dealt when it became clear there wasn’t a roster spot for him. He is doing rehab work on his right wrist after undergoing surgery in June. “When [the trade] happened, I was a little bummed,” Nader said. “But I flew down instantly to OKC, met with the GM [Sam Presti] and with the coaching staff. Everybody is on the same page, and they welcomed me with open arms, made it seem like they wanted me. It felt good that the organization was putting their trust in me.”
Patrick Patterson is hoping to put up better numbers in his second season with the Thunder, writes Nick Gallo of NBA.com. Even though he played in all 82 games, Patterson was limited at the start of last year because of a summer procedure on his knee.
Steven Adams blasts former Thunder guard Reggie Jackson in his new book and says players were relieved when he was traded to the Pistons in 2015, relays Ashish Mathur of AmicoHoops.

Diallo Relieved To Get A Contract

August 3rd, 2018 at 5:53pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Trail Blazers GM Neil Olshey doesn’t seem inclined to break up his smallish backcourt duo of Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum, Dan Feldman of NBC Sports notes. Olshey recently said he plans to keep his core group together, despite the team’s first-round flameout in the Western Conference playoffs last season. It might be wise to deal one of them for an impact forward but either Olshey has great faith in his guards or he’s tested the market and couldn’t find a worthwhile deal, Feldman adds.

We have more from the Northwest Division:

Hamidou Diallo feels a sense of relief after signing a contract with the Thunder but isn’t sure what kind of role he can carve out, Brett Dawson of The Oklahoman reports. The second-round rookie shooting guard was acquired in a draft-night deal. “We haven’t even spoken about a role yet,” Diallo told Dawson. “We’re still playing pickup ball and stuff like that, still training. Guys are just coming in, veteran players, and trying to teach us as much as possible as early as possible.” Diallo, who received a three-year, $4MM contract, will compete with newcomers Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot and Abdel Nader for backup minutes.
The Jazz brought back big man Ekpe Udoh because of his defense and positive attitude, according to Tony Jones of the Salt Lake Tribune. Udoh was signed by Utah last season because of his reputation as a strong defender and he lived up to that billing, posting an average of 1.2 blocks per game. He also showed a superior ability to guard on the perimeter during switches and pick-and-rolls, Jones continues. Udoh, who will serve as the team’s third center, never complained last season when his role diminished, Jones adds. Udoh had his $3.36MM salary guaranteed last month.
Nuggets guard Isaiah Thomas had to settle for a one-year, $2MM contract in free agency but he’s determined to be a major bargain for his new team, as he told Michael Lee of Yahoo Sports. “This has been tough, but it was only a tough year because I wasn’t healthy. My job is to get as healthy as I possibly can and then show the world what I’m capable of doing,” he said.

Thunder To Hire Beyer; George's Popularity In OKC On The Rise

August 2nd, 2018 at 6:43pm CST by Luke Adams

The Thunder are finalizing an agreement to add Bob Beyer to their coaching staff as an assistant, tweets Royce Young of ESPN.com. Beyer, who has previously served as an assistant in Toronto, Orlando, Golden State, Charlotte, and Detroit, would replace Adrian Griffin on Billy Donovan‘s bench.
While Paul George was already well-liked in Oklahoma City, his popularity in OKC figures to rise to another level after he decided to re-sign with the Thunder two years after Kevin Durant left, writes Berry Tramel of The Oklahoman.

Latest On Unsigned 2018 NBA Draft Picks

July 31st, 2018 at 1:20pm CST by Luke Adams

We’re a month into the 2018/19 NBA league year, and nearly all of this year’s draft picks have deals lined up for the coming season. Of the 60 players selected on draft day in June, 52 have signed NBA contracts, while three intend to play overseas. That leaves just five unsigned 2018 NBA draft picks whose outlook for the ’18/19 season remains unclear.

Here’s a quick breakdown of those players, along with their options:

43. Orlando Magic: Justin Jackson, F (Maryland)

The highest draft pick without a contract in place, Jackson doesn’t necessarily have a clear path to a roster spot in Orlando.

The Magic only have 14 players on guaranteed contracts, but 15th man Isaiah Briscoe received a partial guarantee and a three-year contract, suggesting Orlando doesn’t simply plan to waive him once the preseason ends. Additionally, both two-way contract slots in Orlando have been accounted for now that the club has reached a deal with Amile Jefferson.

Josh Robbins of The Orlando Sentinel recently tweeted that he expects Jackson to play in the G League with the Lakeland Magic in 2018/19 after missing most of last season with a torn labrum. Robbins didn’t specify what sort of contract Jackson will get, but perhaps he’ll follow the Isaiah Hartenstein route — last year’s 43rd overall pick spent a season with the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, Houston’s NBAGL affiliate, before signing a standard contract with the Rockets this summer.

46. Houston Rockets: De’Anthony Melton, G (USC)

The Rockets will still have multiple roster spots open even after signing Carmelo Anthony later this week, so Melton should sign with the team at some point and spend the year on Houston’s 15-man roster. The club may be exploring the trade market in an effort to put the finishing touches on its roster before making things official with its second-round pick.

When Melton does sign, it’s possible he’ll get a portion of the Rockets’ taxpayer mid-level exception. That would allow the team to give him a three-year deal rather than a two-year pact.

49. San Antonio Spurs: Chimezie Metu, F/C (USC)

The Spurs‘ looming decision on Brandon Paul may have an impact on Metu’s future. If Paul is retained and has his 2018/19 salary guaranteed, it would give San Antonio 15 players on guaranteed contracts, and it’s hard to see who Metu might replace, barring a trade.

Still, it’s worth noting that – according to ESPN’s Bobby Marks – the Spurs used their bi-annual exception to sign Dante Cunningham rather than using the rest of their mid-level exception to complete the signing. That’s a signal that the team has plans for its MLE — perhaps a three- or four-year deal for someone like Metu, since the BAE only would’ve allowed for a contract up to two years. If Paul is waived, Metu looks like the favorite to be the Spurs’ 15th man.

If the Spurs determine there’s no room on their 15-man roster for Metu, a two-way deal could be a possibility. San Antonio has yet to officially sign any players to two-way contracts for 2018/19.

53. Oklahoma City Thunder: Devon Hall, SG (Virginia)
57. Oklahoma City Thunder: Kevin Hervey, SF (Texas-Arlington)

Even after signing Hamidou Diallo last week, the Thunder have a pair of second-rounders without contracts. It will be interesting to see if Oklahoma City is willing to enter the season with a full 15-man roster, given the club’s luxury tax concerns. Carrying just 14 players would save some money, but would mean signing neither Hall nor Hervey.

Currently, counting Diallo and recently-acquired wing Abdel Nader, whose salary will become guaranteed on Wednesday, the Thunder have 15 players on guaranteed deals. They could reduce that number to 14 by waiving Kyle Singler.

If the Thunder opt not to add Hall or Hervey to their NBA roster, a two-way contract would probably be in play for one of the two — the club has already given one two-way deal to Deonte Burton. The odd man out in that scenario could play overseas or sign a G League contract, with OKC retaining his NBA rights.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Upcoming NBA Salary Guarantee Dates To Watch

July 29th, 2018 at 7:57pm CST by Luke Adams

Over the last month or so, we’ve seen a number of players traded or waived before their salary guarantees for the 2018/19 season kicked in. Players who sign contracts that feature non-guaranteed salaries in future years often have June or July trigger dates, forcing teams to make decisions fairly early in the offseason — that way, if the player is waived, he’ll still have the opportunity to catch on with a new club well before the new season begins.

We’ve been tracking those decisions using our list of guarantee dates for the summer of 2018. While most of those deadlines are now in the rear-view mirror, a few teams will have decisions to make within the next week.

Here’s a quick rundown of the decision dates to watch this week:

Brandon Jennings (Bucks): $2,222,803 salary becomes guaranteed after August 1.

Jennings’ salary was initially set to become guaranteed if he remained under contract through July 1, and there were reports at the start of the month suggesting he believed that would happen. Instead, the Bucks pushed back his guarantee date until the start of August, giving the team time to assess whether it needed the veteran guard on the roster once it was done making other offseason moves.

The Bucks recently agreed to add Pat Connaughton to their backcourt and haven’t been able to trade Matthew Dellavedova this summer, which may not bode well for Jennings’ roster spot. Even if Milwaukee decides to cut him though, Jennings could return on a new minimum-salary contract at some point — his current deal calls for a $2.22MM cap hit, but the Bucks could give him the same salary on a new one-year contract with a $1.51MM cap charge.

Brandon Paul (Spurs): $1,378,242 salary becomes guaranteed after August 1.

The Spurs tend not to throw in the towel early on developmental projects, preferring to give them time to ease their way into larger roles. Paul only averaged 9.0 minutes per contest last season, but he appeared in 64 games, signaling that San Antonio had enough confidence in him to continue giving him NBA minutes rather than hiding away in the G League. That’s a positive sign for Paul as decision day approaches.

Abdel Nader (Thunder): $1,378,242 salary becomes guaranteed after August 1. Already partially guaranteed for $450,000.

The Thunder went out of their way to acquire Nader from the Celtics in a trade last week even though the young wing already has a partial guarantee of $450K. Oklahoma City’s luxury-tax issues are well documented and the club wouldn’t have traded for him if it didn’t intend to keep him, so Nader looks like a virtual lock to have his full salary guaranteed.

Okaro White (Cavaliers): $1,544,951 salary becomes partially guaranteed for $772,476 after August 5.

White, who missed a good chunk of the 2017/18 season with a broken foot, talked earlier this month about how he’s still working to mentally get over that injury. He was physically healthy enough to play for the Cavaliers‘ Summer League team, but his performance in Las Vegas was a mixed bag. He showed off his energy and rebounding ability with 7.4 RPG in 23.9 minutes per contest, but struggled to put the ball in the basket, averaging just 6.0 PPG on 33.3% shooting.

The Cavs have roster spots to spare and could stick with White, but if they’re still unsure about his place on the roster, they’ll likely waive him by next Sunday to avoid guaranteeing half his salary for 2018/19.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Nerlens Noel Ready For A Fresh Start With OKC

July 29th, 2018 at 11:40am CST by Arthur Hill

After four disappointing seasons, former lottery pick Nerlens Noel has a chance to revive his career with the Thunder, writes Ben Nadeau of Basketball Insiders. Oklahoma City was aggressive in its pursuit of Noel, including phone calls from Russell Westbrook and Paul George in the opening minutes of free agency. He agreed to a two-year deal worth nearly $3.7MM that contains a player option for next summer.

Noel has a lot to prove after being the sixth player taken in the 2013 draft. He was stuck in a center logjam in Philadelphia before being traded to Dallas midway through the 2016/17 season. Injuries limited him to 30 games in his only full year with the Mavericks, and he welcomes the chance for a fresh start with the Thunder.

The current Thunder roster is heavily imbalanced with wing players, notes Berry Tramel of The Oklahoman. This week’s signing of Hamidou Diallo gives OKC 15 players under contract, with eight of them being wings. That includes Kyle Singler, whom Tramel expects OKC to use the stretch provision on if it can’t find a team willing to take him in a trade. Singler has two more years and about $10.3MM left on his contract. The team has just two centers and two power forwards, raising concerns about depth at both positions.

Thunder Sign Hamidou Diallo To Three-Year Deal

July 27th, 2018 at 2:08pm CST by Luke Adams

JULY 27: The Thunder have officially signed Diallo, according to the league’s transactions log.

JULY 25: The Thunder have agreed to terms with second-round pick Hamidou Diallo, reports ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (via Twitter). According to Wojnarowski, Diallo will sign a three-year, $4MM contract with Oklahoma City.

Diallo, who averaged 10.0 PPG and 3.6 RPG during his first and only season as a Kentucky Wildcat, entered the draft as an early entrant this spring and was selected 45th overall. While Diallo was technically drafted by the Nets, the No. 45 pick had already been traded twice by that point — he was ultimately sent from Brooklyn to Charlotte to OKC.

Based on the reported terms, Diallo’s first NBA contract could be a minimum-salary deal, which would work out to $3.92MM. Because it’s a three-year pact, the Thunder will have to use a small portion of their taxpayer mid-level exception to complete the signing.

Diallo’s deal will push Oklahoma City’s team salary back up to approximately $149.58MM and the club’s projected tax bill up to about $93.19MM — it will also fill OKC’s 15-man roster. The Thunder may not be done with their offseason moves, however, as Kyle Singler remains a candidate to be waived and stretched.

Thunder second-rounders Devon Hall and Kevin Hervey remain unsigned for now, as our tracker shows.

George: Schroder Is Best PG Backup

July 26th, 2018 at 10:46pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Paul George made up his mind to stay with the Thunder weeks before free agency, which is why he didn’t bother meeting with the Lakers, Marc Spears of ESPN relays. George, speaking after a Team USA practice on Thursday, acknowledged Oklahoma City took a gamble by trading for him last offseason after he previously made it known he wanted to play in L.A. That gamble paid off, even though it was “tempting” to meet with the Lakers, according to George.

“Honestly, I wanted to come back home. But again, I got traded to [the Thunder],” he said. “Loved the situation. Loved where I was at. I decided to stick around a little longer. … I just wanted my free agency to be over with.”

Thunder Received $450K In Nader Trade

July 26th, 2018 at 9:45pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Celtics will pay the Thunder $450K before December 2nd as part of the Abdel Nader trade, Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders tweets. The Celtics, who will get a trade exception at the same amount, will essentially be paying the guaranteed portion of Nader’s contract, Pincus notes. The swingman, who was on the verge of being waived, was dealt to OKC for guard Rodney Purvis.