- The Sixers dared to dream big and it’s paying off, according to Dan Devine of The Ringer. James Harden has created easier shots for the entire team, including MVP candidate Joel Embiid, and second-year guard Tyrese Maxey has been outstanding. The Sixers have won five straight (four with Harden) and hold a 39-23 record after defeating the Cavs 125-119 on Friday. Philadelphia has jumped up to the No. 2 seed in the East.
The 2021/22 NBA season will be a record-setting one for luxury tax payments.
According to data from Albert Nahmad of HeatHoops.com and Yossi Gozlan of HoopsHype, the league’s previous single-year record for total luxury tax payments was $173.3MM, back in 2002/03.
This season, the Warriors‘ tax penalties alone will nearly match that league-wide record. And they’ll be joined by six other projected taxpayers whose combined end-of-season bills would eclipse the previous record even without Golden State’s help.
[RELATED: Hoops Rumors Glossary: Luxury Tax Penalties]
In the space below, we’ve done our best to ballpark the current tax bill for each of this season’s seven projected taxpayers. These numbers may end up looking slightly different after the season, since it can be tricky to pin down the precise amount of a tax bill during the season.
Earned and unearned incentives in certain players’ contracts can affect eventual tax payments, and not all of the criteria for those incentives are public. Even the incentives that are known may not have been decided yet — for instance, Nets guard Kyrie Irving will earn a $137,500 bonus if he makes at least 88.5% of his free throws this season. He’s currently at 91.9%, but has only had 62 attempts, so it remains possible his free throw rate will dip below 88.5%, costing him that bonus and reducing Brooklyn’s tax bill.
Additionally, even after the trade deadline, a team’s tax bill remains fluid due to possible forthcoming roster moves, suspensions, and a handful of other factors. The Sixers‘ projected tax bill just increased last night when they officially signed DeAndre Jordan to a rest-of-season contract.
With all that in mind, here are the current projected penalties for this season’s probable taxpayers, based on our math, along with salary data from Spotrac and Basketball Insiders:
- Golden State Warriors: $170.3MM
- Brooklyn Nets: $97.0MM
- Los Angeles Clippers: $82.5MM
- Milwaukee Bucks: $56.5MM
- Los Angeles Lakers: $45.0MM
- Utah Jazz: $18.8MM
- Philadelphia 76ers: $13.9MM
In total, these seven teams project to owe a staggering $484MM in luxury tax payments.
Half of that total will be dispersed to the league’s non-taxpayers, which means that 23 teams should be in line to split a pot of about $242MM. That would work out to a payment of approximately $10.5MM for each of those 23 non-taxpayers.
These numbers make it more obvious why a team like the Celtics made a concerted effort to get out of luxury tax territory at the trade deadline. A tax bill of $2MM or so wouldn’t break the bank for Boston’s ownership group, but the C’s generated more than just $2MM in savings by ducking below the tax line — they’re now in line to be one of those 23 teams that receives a $10MM+ windfall.
It’s worth noting too that the Warriors are the only one of these seven projected taxpayers who will be subjected to “repeater” penalties this season, so it’s not as if those more punitive repeater penalties are fueling this year’s record-setting totals. Even without the repeater penalties, the Dubs would still owe approximately $131.1MM in taxes.
MARCH 3, 7:58pm: The Sixers have officially signed Jordan and ended Cauley-Stein’s 10-day deal, the team confirmed in a press release. Jordan will earn a rest-of-season salary of $592,103, while Philadelphia takes on a cap hit of $374,126.
MARCH 3, 1:55pm: Jordan is expected to sign with the Sixers unless a team claims him off waivers prior to the 4:00pm CT deadline Thursday, sources tell ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link). A waiver claim is considered unlikely, says Wojnarowski.
The Sixers plan to release Willie Cauley-Stein from his 10-day contract a couple days early in order to sign Jordan, Wojnarowski tweets. Cauley-Stein’s 10-day deal had been on track to run through March 5.
FEBRUARY 28: The Sixers are the frontrunners to acquire DeAndre Jordan, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, though the timing of such a move will have luxury tax implications.
The Lakers are waiving DeAndre Jordan in order to add free agent guard D.J. Augustin. Once Jordan hits the waiver wire, his veteran’s minimum contract could be claimed by any team. Philadelphia, which has the seventh-best record in the league, is low in the pecking order.
As Bobby Marks of ESPN points out (Twitter link), Philadelphia currently has a projected $13.19MM tax bill and that would rise to $16.1MM if the team claims Jordan and his $1.66MM cap hit.
If the Sixers wait for Jordan to pass through waivers with the hope no other team claims him, they could sign him for the prorated veteran’s minimum. In that scenario, their projected tax bill would only increase to $13.8MM.
The Sixers have been seeking a veteran center to back up Joel Embiid since trading Andre Drummond to Brooklyn in the Ben Simmons–James Harden blockbuster. They acquired Paul Millsap in that deal but Millsap, 37, is 6’7”’ and a natural forward. They also signed Willie Cauley-Stein to a 10-day deal but may view Jordan as a better option.
James Harden‘s effort level came under scrutiny during his final games in Brooklyn, but he appears more motivated to keep his foot on the gas pedal for his new team. As Tim Bontemps of ESPN writes, Harden raved about the environment in Wells Fargo Center on Thursday after making his home debut with the Sixers, calling it “exciting” to play in front of the Philadelphia fans.
“The love, the fans, it feels like home. Just the love, the support, man, from looking around, hearing, ‘We love you, James,'” Harden said. “That right there makes me go out and play harder, and I just wanted to do whatever it takes to get the win.”
While the Sixers have looked great since Harden made his debut last Friday, two of their three wins have come against a reeling Knicks team. With matchups against Cleveland, Miami, Chicago, and Brooklyn up next on the schedule, the 76ers will face a tougher test as they look to continue developing chemistry and push for the top seed in the Eastern Conference.
“Every game for us is gonna be tough,” Harden said, per Bontemps. “We’re new, we’re fairly new, we’re still learning each other. Every game is going to be a learning experience for us, and we’ve got to just find ways to continue to chip away, continue to get better, win or lose. Obviously it’s better when you win to figure it out, but it’s going to be great tests for us and we’re really looking forward to it.”
Here’s more from around the East:
- Pacers center Jalen Smith was fined $20K by the NBA for “directing profane language toward a game official,” the league announced on Wednesday. Smith was ejected from the game as a result of the incident, which took place during the third quarter of Indiana’s loss to Orlando on Monday.
- Heat guard Victor Oladipo has returned to the team after taking part in three practices this week with the Sioux Falls Skyforce, Miami’s G League affiliate, writes Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald. The Heat still haven’t provided an update on Oladipo’s potential season debut, but Chiang confirms that the club is hoping he’ll be able to play within the next couple weeks, as ESPN reported over the weekend.
- After coming out of the trade deadline with three open roster spots, the Bucks filled two of them with former Nets, and both DeAndre’ Bembry and Jevon Carter have given Milwaukee a boost with their intensity and versatility on defense, says Eric Nehm of The Athletic. “It’s fun, man,” Carter said after Monday’s game. “I was telling the guys … I haven’t played this hard in I don’t know how long. … Just being out there playing with a team that’s locked in defensively is just, for me, it’s just fun to be a part of, honestly. That’s really all I can say, I’m just having fun.”
The Sixers explored potential trades involving Tobias Harris last month in case they had to clear cap room to sign James Harden in free agency, and those talks could result in a deal during the offseason, Brian Windhorst of ESPN says on his latest podcast.
“I’ve talked to league executives because I’m asking league executives a lot about Philly and everyone’s seen them for just a brief period of time,” Windhorst said. “But they’re already speculating what Tobias Harris trades they might look at this summer.”
Now that he has acquired Harden, there has been speculation that president of basketball operations Daryl Morey might pursue another star to pair with him and Joel Embiid. He’d likely have to unload a lot of salary to make that happen, and a logical starting point is Harris, who will make $37.6MM next season and $39.3MM in 2023/24.
The Sixers reportedly talked to the Hawks and Kings about possibly dealing for Harris, and there was speculation that the Thunder might be willing to take on his salary if enough assets are attached. Philadelphia may find even more options this summer when teams have more room below the cap or tax.
Harris has been one of the mainstays of Philadelphia’s offense since being acquired in a trade with the Clippers three years ago. However, his scoring average and shots per game have both declined slightly this season and he appears to be looking at a further reduced role now that Harden has arrived.
Second-year Sixers guard Tyrese Maxey, who has shifted over one position to starting shooting guard since James Harden joined the lineup, is off to a hot start as part of the new-look backcourt, writes Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer. The 21-year-old is averaging 24.5 PPG while shooting 66.6% from the floor in his first two games with Harden.
Now that Harden has mostly taken over ball-handling duties, Maxey is able to function more as a scorer than as a set-up man.
“He’s actually playing the position now that he’s played his whole life,” head coach Doc Rivers said. “So in some ways, he’s very comfortable playing the way he’s playing.”
For the season, his first as a full-time starter, Maxey is averaging 17.2 PPG, 4.5 APG and 3.6 RPG, all career highs.
There’s more out of the City of Brotherly Love:
- Sixers reserve big man Paul Millsap is excited for a fresh start in Philadelphia. Millsap, a four-time All-Star, revealed that the Sixers were the first club to recruit him in free agency last summer, per Gina Mizell of the Philadelphia Inquirer. Millsap said the deal that sent him and Harden to the Sixers from the Nets was “meant to be.” Across four games with Philadelphia, the 37-year-old is averaging 5.5 PPG and 3.0 RPG in 11.0 MPG.
- After the Sixers offloaded Ben Simmons, Seth Curry and future draft picks for All-NBA guard Harden and Millsap, a reduction in touches was in order for Philadelphia forward Tobias Harris. The 6’8″ vet appreciates the necessity of his new role in the club’s pecking order, per Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer. “That’s what winning basketball is all about,” Harris said of the change. In his two games played with Harden thus far, Harris has taken a total of 18 shots from the floor, averaging just 9.0 PPG, 4.0 RPG and 3.0 APG. Across 51 total games this season, Harris is averaging 18.3 PPG, 7.2 RPG, and 3.6 APG on .479/.347/.855 shooting splits.
- Given that Harden has just successfully forced his way off a team with apathetic on-court performances for the second time in two NBA seasons, Tommy Beer of Basketball News opines that several other star players could follow suit, as has been happening for the past few seasons.
The Lakers are waiving DeAndre Jordan and are signing free agent guard D.J. Augustin. They also plan to sign forward Wenyen Gabriel to a two-way deal, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link). The team had been seeking depth at the point behind Russell Westbrook.
Jordan played nine minutes in the blowout loss to New Orleans on Sunday but has seen limited action over the last two months. Overall, Jordan averaged 4.1 PPG and 5.4 RPG in 12.8 MPG in 32 games with the Lakers on a veteran’s minimum contract.
Jordan may not be out of work for long. The Sixers will aggressively pursue Jordan, either via a waiver claim or after he clears waivers, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link).
Augustin, meanwhile, was waived by the Rockets at the trade deadline. The 5’11” point guard, a 14-year NBA veteran, averaged 5.4 PPG, 2.2 APG and 1.2 RPG across 15.0 in 34 contests with Houston this season. Augustin, who has logged 955 regular-season games, will be playing for his 11th team.
Gabriel has spent time with the Nets, Clippers and Pelicans in 2021/22. All of his NBA contracts during this season were 10-day deals under the hardship provision.
Gabriel, who was waived by the Bucks during training camp, has played in seven NBA games this season — six for the Clippers and one for the Nets. The 24-year-old didn’t play at all during his most recent 10-day deal with New Orleans, but appeared in 21 games for the Pelicans last season. Overall, he has 58 career NBA appearances.
Los Angeles has Mason Jones and Sekou Doumbouya on two-way deals, so one of those players must be waived to make room for Gabriel.
James Harden was brilliant in his Sixers debut Friday night, but he couldn’t escape questions about whether his reputation has suffered after issuing trade demands to two teams in 13 months, writes Brian Hall of The Associated Press. The former MVP put up a near triple-double with 27 points, 12 assists and eight rebounds in a win at Minnesota, but the postgame conversation centered around the circumstances that led to his departure from Brooklyn.
“Just because the current situation happened, whatever happened, happened,” Harden said. “It doesn’t mean that I’m a bad teammate. Me, personally, I feel like I needed to do what’s best for my career, and help myself and be happy. It doesn’t harp on whether I’m a bad teammate or not.”
Sixers players and coaches are extremely happy to have Harden on board. Doc Rivers raved about how Harden has raised the level of communication since arriving, and Joel Embiid noticed an immediate difference in the quality of shots that he’s getting.
“I’ve never been wide open like this in my life,” Embiid said. “Seriously, the passing, like I wasn’t even expecting it and it was just coming.”
There’s more from the Atlantic Division:
- Although the Raptors were blown out Saturday for the second straight night, Precious Achiuwa continues to be impressive, notes Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca. The 22-year-old big man, who was acquired from the Heat in the Kyle Lowry trade, put up 21 points and nine rebounds in 30 minutes off the bench. He could be on the way to replacing Khem Birch in the starting lineup, tweets Josh Lewenberg of TSN Sports.
- The Celtics‘ decision to keep Payton Pritchard at the trade deadline is paying off, says Trevor Hass of Boston.com. The second-year guard played an important role in Saturday’s win at Detroit, delivering 19 points and six assists in 27 minutes, the most he has logged in two months. “My confidence never should waver,” Pritchard said. “For me, it’s just staying ready and trying to find little ways to help this team win. That’s my job, so I’m going to keep doing it.”
- The slumping Knicks could use a boost from Immanuel Quickley, who is mired in a long shooting slump, writes Peter Botte of The New York Post. Quickley, who’s expected to become a primary ball-handler off the bench with Derrick Rose and Kemba Walker both unavailable, is shooting 30.7% from the field and 26.6% from three-point range in his last 19 games. “Teammates tell me all the time, sometimes they go in, sometimes they don’t, but you just gotta keep the main thing, which is playing defense every night, playing hard every night and just bringing other things to the table,” Quickley said. “You can do other things good when you don’t shoot well. You can still bring other things to win.”
- James Harden, who made his Sixers debut on Friday, wanted to play with Joel Embiid “for a long time,” president of basketball operations Daryl Morey told ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne. “James is a basketball genius,” Morey said. “And he’s been wanting to play with Joel for a long time. I think he’s always thought Joel was, like, the perfect guy to pair with him.”
The James Harden era in Philadelphia will officially begin on Friday. Harden will make his Sixers debut at Minnesota, Shams Charania of The Athletic tweets.
Philadelphia announced on February 14th that Harden wouldn’t play until after the All-Star break. Harden apparently feels he’s ready to go after rehabbing a minor left hamstring injury, receiving treatment and participating in on-court training.
Harden hasn’t played since February 2nd. He averaged 22.5 PPG, 10.2 APG and 8.0 RPG before the Nets moved him in the year’s biggest blockbuster.
The primary player that went to Brooklyn, Ben Simmons, has yet to make his Nets debut.
Doc Rivers recently said he doesn’t anticipate a big transition period. “Listen, putting James Harden into an offense is not that hard. It really isn’t,” the Sixers coach said. “I mean, he’s just a terrific basketball player, so you don’t need to overcomplicate it.”