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NBA Teams With Open Roster Spots

October 21st, 2021 at 9:40am CST by Luke Adams

With the NBA regular season underway, most teams are taking full advantage of their ability to carry up to 17 players, including 15 on standard contracts and a pair on two-way deals. As our roster counts page shows, 23 of the league’s 30 teams have full 17-man squads.

Most of the teams not carrying a 15th player on a standard contract are either over the luxury tax line or are bumping up against it, and have opted for financial savings for now. Those clubs are all decent bets to add a 15th man by season’s end, but likely won’t be in any rush to do so unless they face depth issues.

Here are the teams that are currently carrying just 14 players on their standard rosters:

Miami Heat
Milwaukee Bucks
Minnesota Timberwolves
Phoenix Suns
Portland Trail Blazers
Utah Jazz

Of these six teams, three – the Bucks, Blazers, and Jazz – project to be taxpayers, while the Heat and Wolves would go over the tax line if they were to add a 15th man. The Suns are the only team in this group with no pressing tax concerns.

Meanwhile, there are two teams with an open two-way contract slot:

Orlando Magic
Phoenix Suns

The Magic’s inclusion here is a little surprising. They’re a rebuilding team with their own G League affiliate — it seems as if they’d benefit from taking a shot on a young prospect with that spot, and perhaps they will soon.

It’s less surprising that Phoenix is on this list. The Suns sold their G League affiliate last year, so they don’t have their own NBAGL team where they could send two-way players. Phoenix’s lone two-way player, Chandler Hutchison, will essentially serve as the team’s de facto 15th man for the time being.

Suns GM James Jones Talks Failed Ayton Negotiations

October 19th, 2021 at 4:01pm CST by Luke Adams

After not reaching a rookie scale extension agreement with center Deandre Ayton on Monday, Suns general manager James Jones tells Sam Amick of The Athletic that the team’s discussions with the former No. 1 overall pick have been mischaracterized.

According to Jones, it’s accurate that the Suns didn’t want to offer Ayton a five-year, maximum-salary extension. However, he disputes the notion that team owner Robert Sarver didn’t want to spend big money on Ayton, telling Amick that the club would’ve been happy to talk about a three- or four-year max deal.

Amick says Ayton’s agents – Bill Duffy and Nima Namakian – are adamant that no maximum-salary contract of any kind was offered, even informally, and that the message they received from the Suns was that the franchise, from Sarver on down, didn’t view the former No. 1 pick as a max player. Asked to respond to that claim, Jones said, “They know that a three- or four-year max was not an (acceptable) option for them.”

As Amick outlines, one reason the Suns were unwilling to offer a fifth year, according to Jones, was the fact that it would make Ayton the team’s second “designated rookie,” joining Devin Booker. The term is something of a misnomer, since a designated rookie isn’t a rookie at all, but rather a player who has signed a five-year rookie scale extension.

Teams are only permitted to carry up to two designated rookies, so signing Ayton to a five-year extension would have limited Phoenix’s options on the trade market, Jones pointed out. While that’s technically true, it’s hard to imagine a scenario in which the Suns would not only be able to acquire a third designated rookie before Booker’s current contract expires, but would be able to do so without giving up Booker or Ayton.

Here are few more of Jones’ comments to Amick on the failed negotiations with Ayton:

On the perception that Sarver is being cheap:

“It’s inaccurate. If you just look at the moves we’ve made, it’s inaccurate. It’s just not (true). If you look at all the moves we’ve made, and the things we’ve done, from (upgrading) the practice facility to the roster itself to acquiring Chris Paul, going and acquiring Jae Crowder, extending the guys that we have, that’s not accurate.

“When you boil this thing down, it’s disappointing that we didn’t get a deal done. It’s disappointing that it was a five-year-rookie-max-or-bust, or nothing to talk about, and we just didn’t have real substantial conversations. And that (idea that a) lack of a deal is a signal that we aren’t committed to Deandre or interested in continuing, that we don’t believe in him, that becomes the narrative. But it’s the furthest from the truth.

On the likelihood of the Suns paying the luxury tax starting next season:

“We’re gonna pay it. I can tell you, if you look at our roster now, all of the moves we’ve made — from Chris, Mikal (Bridges), Cam Payne, Landry (Shamet). All those moves that we’ve made have been to continue to build a team — a deep team. So we’re gonna pay the tax (and) continue to build a deep team.”

On the possibility of Ayton signing a maximum-salary offer sheet next summer:

“I don’t know what the market will be next year. I’m not projecting what the market will be next year. But it’s an issue about the five-year max — the five-year, designated rooke max, you know? That’s the issue. So if it’s a four-year max deal, it could be done, right? It could be done if you entertain it or consider it. But if you don’t, then the only thing you’re talking about is a five-year max deal. So we’re not talking about whether he’s getting paid. It’s whether or not he’s getting a five-year max.”

Cap/Contract Notes: Taxpayers, Allen, Carter, Shamet, Gafford

October 19th, 2021 at 10:10am CST by Luke Adams

Now that all 30 regular season rosters have been set, 10 teams project to be taxpayers, tweets ESPN’s Bobby Marks. The Warriors, Nets, Clippers, Lakers, Bucks, Jazz, Sixers, Celtics, Trail Blazers, and Raptors are currently over the luxury tax threshold.

Some of those teams are in better shape than others. While the Warriors ($159.9MM) and Nets ($110.4MM) project to have nine-figure tax bills, the Raptors are barely into tax territory and should be able to sneak below the line, perhaps by waiving one of their two players who have partially guaranteed deals.

Besides Golden State and Brooklyn, the Clippers, Lakers, Bucks, and Jazz all have projected tax bills exceeding $33MM, according to Marks. The Sixers, Celtics, Blazers, and Raptors would owe less than $8MM each based on the current numbers.

Of course, these numbers can and will change over the course of the season as teams make roster moves, since tax bills are determined by the team’s year-end salary. For now though, the 20 non-taxpayers project to receive year-end payments of $12.7MM, Marks notes.

Here are a few more cap- and contract-related notes from around the NBA:

Grayson Allen‘s two-year extension with the Bucks features a base value of $17MM ($8.5MM per year) in guaranteed money, plus incentives, tweets Michael Scotto of HoopsHype. The exact value of the incentives is $1.275MM annually, Hoops Rumors has learned. Currently, those are a mix of likely and unlikely bonuses, but since the deal doesn’t begin until 2022/23, those likely/unlikely designations will ultimately be based on what happens this coming season.
Wendell Carter Jr.‘s four-year extension with the Magic has a descending structure, Scotto tweets. It starts at $14.15MM in year one and dips to $10.85MM by year four. The deal is fully guaranteed, with no options.
In addition to having a team option on its fourth year, Landry Shamet‘s extension with the Suns has a non-guaranteed salary in year three, Hoops Rumors has learned. The last two years both have June 29 trigger dates, in 2024 and 2025. Only $19.75MM of Shamet’s $42.5MM deal is fully guaranteed for now.
Daniel Gafford‘s three-year extension with the Wizards doesn’t include any options or incentives, tweets John Hollinger of The Athletic.

Ayton, Sexton Among Players Who Don’t Agree To Extensions

October 18th, 2021 at 6:01pm CST by Dana Gauruder

While 11 players received rookie scale extensions this offseason, many notable players didn’t reach an agreement with their respective teams prior to Monday’s deadline.

As we detailed earlier, the Suns couldn’t come to terms with the No. 1 pick of the 2018 draft, Deandre Ayton. Phoenix was unwilling to offer Ayton a full max contract, which short-circuited any hopes of an agreement.

The Suns raised the concept of a shorter maximum contract — presumably for three or four years instead of the full five years — but never formally made the offer or broached the idea again with Ayton’s reps, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski and Brian Windhorst report. Ayton is unhappy with the franchise’s consistent stance that it simply doesn’t view him as a max player, the ESPN duo adds.

That adds an intriguing subplot to Phoenix’s drive to make the Finals again. Ayton will be headed toward restricted free agent next summer. Will he be motivated toward proving the front office wrong or will his unhappiness create a major distraction? Ayton could be the most attractive free agent on next year’s market and receive a giant offer sheet, which would force the Suns to decide to match it or let their franchise center walk away.

Ayton has some company among his peers. The Cavaliers and guard Collin Sexton were unable to reach an agreement and he’s headed toward restricted free agency, Chris Fedor of the Cleveland Plain Dealer tweets. Even though Sexton posted impressive offensive stats last season (24.3 PPG, 4.4 APG), his name was frequently mentioned in trade rumors this summer, a signal that the Cavs aren’t sold on the eighth pick of the 2018 draft as their long-term floor leader.

Sexton was hoping for a $100MM+, multi-year deal that aligned with his production over the first three years, Fedor reports. At one point this offseason, Sexton used De’Aaron Fox‘s five-year, $163MM extension in 2020 as a baseline. The Cavs were unwilling to go anywhere near that number and optimism waned in recent days about reaching an agreement.

The Hornets and swingman Miles Bridges also couldn’t come to terms, Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports tweets, nor could the Spurs and Lonnie Walker, Tom Orsborn of the San Antonio Express News tweets. Bridges averaged 12.7 PPG and 6.0 RPG last season, while Walker contributed 11.2 PPG in his third year.

Donte DiVincenzo, a key member of the Bucks’ rotation last season until he suffered a torn ligament in his ankle in July, is also headed to restricted free agency. DiVincenzo averaged 10.4 PPG, 5.8 RPG and 3.1 APG last season. Some of the other notables who didn’t sign an extension or were not offered one include the Kings’ Marvin Bagley III and the Magic’s Mohamed Bamba.

The list of players who did and did not receive rookie scale extensions can be found here.

Suns Sign Landry Shamet To Four-Year Extension

October 18th, 2021 at 5:49pm CST by Luke Adams

5:49pm: Shamet’s extension is official, according to NBA.com’s transactions log. The deal will include a team option in year four, says Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link).

4:20pm: The Suns are signing guard Landry Shamet to a four-year, $43MM rookie scale contract extension, agent George Landberg tells ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link).

The deal is almost identical to what a four-year deal using the full mid-level exception is projected to look like in 2022/23.

Shamet has yet to appear in a regular season game for Phoenix, having been acquired from Brooklyn in an offseason deal. However, as Wojnarowski notes (via Twitter), head coach Monty Williams pushed for that trade and is planning on having Shamet play a big role for the Suns.

The 24-year-old has bounced around the NBA since entering the league as the 26th overall pick, having already spent time with the Sixers, Clippers, and Nets. However, he has been considered a positive asset each time he has been traded — the Suns gave up Jevon Carter and the No. 29 pick for him this summer.

Shamet has also been a reliable outside shooter for each one of his teams so far, knocking down 39.7% of his career three-point attempts in 193 games. In 2020/21, he averaged 9.3 PPG in 61 games (23.0 MPG) for the Nets.

Even though the Suns were said to be high on Shamet, it’s still a little surprising that the team completed rookie scale extensions with two players this offseason and former No. 1 overall pick Deandre Ayton wasn’t one of them. Mikal Bridges also received a four-year deal from Phoenix, but extension negotiations with Ayton stalled and ended.

Outside of Ayton, the Suns now have their entire core locked up for multiple seasons. Devin Booker is under contract for the next three years, while Chris Paul‘s contract covers four seasons.

No Contract Extension For Suns, Deandre Ayton

October 18th, 2021 at 2:04pm CST by Luke Adams

The Suns and center Deandre Ayton have ended their contract extension negotiations, reports ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link).

As Wojnarowski explains, Ayton expected a maximum-salary deal and team owner Robert Sarver has remained unwilling to offer one, so the two sides won’t reach an agreement by today’s rookie scale extension deadline. While Phoenix was able to work out an extension with Mikal Bridges, the team’s former No. 1 pick is now on track to become a restricted free agent in 2022.

Wojnarowski first reported nearly two weeks ago that discussions between the two sides had reached an impasse due to their difference in opinion on Ayton’s value. The 23-year-old’s representatives felt their client deserved a commitment like the ones Luka Doncic, Trae Young, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander received from their respective teams this offseason, while the Suns’ ownership group felt Ayton wasn’t at the level of those young stars.

Ayton’s 14.4 PPG in 2020/21 was the lowest mark of his career, but he averaged double-digit rebounds (10.5 RPG) for a third straight season, made a career-best 62.6% of his shots from the field, improved as a defender, and played a key role in the Suns’ NBA Finals run. His modest scoring numbers were primarily a result of his willingness to accept a reduced role on offense following the arrival of Chris Paul to Phoenix. Ayton had averaged 18.2 PPG in ’19/20.

Since Ayton will be a restricted free agent in a year, Phoenix won’t be at any risk of losing him next summer. However, if these unsuccessful negotiations leave a bad taste in his mouth, Ayton could consider alternative options in free agency besides just reentering long-term contract talks with the Suns.

Accepting his qualifying offer would be one option for Ayton, though that’s not a path many high-level RFAs seriously consider. Signing the qualifying offer would be the equivalent of accepting a one-year contract and would put Ayton on track for unrestricted free agency in 2023. While it’s an unlikely scenario, it’s worth noting that Ayton’s qualifying offer will be worth $16.4MM, which I believe makes it the largest QO in NBA history to date.

Ayton would also have the option of going out and seeking an offer sheet from another team. The Suns would have the ability to match any offer sheet Ayton signs, but he could negotiate unfriendly terms, including perhaps an early opt-out and a 15% trade kicker.

Of course, it’s possible that when the Suns and Ayton return to the negotiating table next offseason, things go more smoothly and the two sides are able to work something out, like the Hawks did with John Collins this summer. For now though, it looks like we can safely pencil in Ayton as one of the top free agents in next year’s class.

Suns Sign Mikal Bridges To Four-Year Extension

October 18th, 2021 at 1:50pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

OCTOBER 18: The Suns have officially completed Bridges’ extension, the team announced today in a press release.

OCTOBER 17: The Suns have reached a deal to sign swingman Mikal Bridges to a four-year, $90MM rookie contract extension, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, who says the deal will be fully guaranteed. Bridges’ agents at Excel Sports Management, Sam Goldfeder and Jordan Gertler, informed Woj of the news.

Bridges, the tenth overall pick in the 2018 draft out of Villanova (where he won NCAA titles in 2016 and 2018), proved to be a crucial two-way contributor on a Phoenix club that broke through for its first NBA Finals appearance in 28 years during the 2020/21 season.

The 6’6″ small forward enjoyed a career year in 2020/21, averaging 13.5 PPG, 4.3 RPG, 2.1 APG, 1.1 SPG and 0.9 BPG for Phoenix, while appearing in all 72 games during the truncated season. Bridges posted an excellent shooting line of .543/.425/.840 and emerged as one of the league’s best young defenders.

Retaining Bridges, who still has All-Star upside, on a deal that will pay him $22.5MM annually through the 2025/26 season is a massive victory for Suns general manager James Jones.

Bridges’ teammate Deandre Ayton, Phoenix’s starting center selected in the same draft class out of Arizona, has yet to reach terms on his own rookie contract extension agreement with the club. The deadline for teams to reach rookie contract extensions is tomorrow at 5 p.m. CT.

Woj notes that the Suns are still having conversations about a possible extension for Ayton ahead of tomorrow’s deadline, in addition to newly-added reserve shooting guard Landry Shamet, the No. 26 selection in 2018 out of Wichita State.

“He is the player who buys into a culture as well as sets a culture,” Goldfelder said of his client.

“Mikal has worked tirelessly to bring winning basketball back to the Phoenix Suns,” Gertler said. “This is the culmination of his hard work.”

Roster Moves Still Required For Hornets, Spurs

October 17th, 2021 at 8:23am CST by Luke Adams

Nearly every NBA team currently has a roster in compliance with regular season limits — no more than 15 players on standard contracts and two on two-way deals.

[RELATED: 2021/22 NBA Roster Counts]

However, there are still a couple teams that will need to make at least one cut before Monday’s regular season roster deadline: Charlotte and San Antonio.

The Hornets are carrying 18 players — a pair on two-way contracts, plus 16 on fully guaranteed deals. One of those 16 will have to be traded or released, and while Charlotte could surprise us, Wesley Iwundu looks like the most obvious odd man out. He was included in the summer Devonte’ Graham sign-and-trade deal for salary/cap purposes, and played limited minutes for the Hornets during the preseason.

The Spurs only have 17 players, but just one is on a two-way deal, leaving 16 on guaranteed contracts. Like the Hornets, they’ll have to trade or cut one of those players by Monday. Al-Farouq Aminu is San Antonio’s equivalent of Iwundu, having been acquired in an offseason sign-and-trade (of DeMar DeRozan) for salary-matching purposes. However, his $10MM+ expiring salary could make him a useful midseason trade chip, so the Spurs may be a little more reluctant to waive him now.

Jock Landale, Keita Bates-Diop, and Drew Eubanks are other possibilities, but the Spurs just gave Landale and Bates-Diop guaranteed money earlier this offseason, and Eubanks has taken on a slightly bigger role in each of his three years in San Antonio. Aminu still appears to be the most likely release candidate, but we’ll see today or tomorrow what the Spurs have in mind.

As we explained on Saturday, while most teams completed their roster moves early, the Hornets and Spurs can afford to take an extra day or two to consider their options without any financial ramifications, since they won’t be cutting a player who has a fully non-guaranteed contract.

While Charlotte and San Antonio are the only teams that have to make moves today or tomorrow, we’ll likely see a little more roster shuffling before Monday’s deadline. Players who have been waived by one team might appeal to another club that has an open roster spot or an expendable 15th man. And some teams carrying 15 players may decide to make one more cut to get down to 14.

Additionally, seven teams still have one open two-way contract slot and may look to fill those openings before the season begins. Those clubs are the Celtics, Warriors, Lakers, Magic, Suns, Spurs, and Wizards, as our tracker shows.

Suns Release Chasson Randle

October 16th, 2021 at 3:07pm CST by Luke Adams

The Suns have waived veteran guard Chasson Randle, according to Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic (Twitter link).

Randle, 28, has appeared in a total of 119 NBA regular season games for the Sixers, Knicks, Wizards, Warriors, and Magic since making his debut in January 2017. Last season, he signed a two-way contract with Orlando in February and played a regular role for the team in the second half, averaging 6.5 PPG, 2.0 RPG, and 1.8 APG on .388/.338/.792 shooting in 41 games (20.4 MPG).

Randle signed a non-guaranteed contract with Phoenix prior to training camp and appeared in four preseason games for the team, but it appears he won’t make the opening night roster. His release also has no G League implications, since the Suns are one of two NBA teams without an NBAGL affiliate.

For the time being, the Suns are carrying just 15 total players — 14 on standard contracts, plus Chandler Hutchison on a two-way deal.

Pacific Notes: Suns, Bridges, CP3, Klay, Kawhi

October 15th, 2021 at 7:03pm CST by Luke Adams

The Suns‘ run to the NBA Finals in 2021 caught some NBA fans and observers off guard, but team owner Robert Sarver is confident that his club is well-positioned to “compete at a very high level again,” as Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic relays. Sarver believe Phoenix has a solid foundation in place and that a handful of offseason roster tweaks will help the team remain in title contention.

“We added a few players that I think will help us,” Sarver said. “I think you’re seeing a little bit of that in the preseason so far. So I think between the additions, between the foundation and then between what I call the organic growth, which is just our younger players keep getting better and better and developing year by year, I think we have an opportunity to make another step.”

One of those “younger” players the Suns are counting on to play a big role is three-and-D wing Mikal Bridges, who is eligible for a rookie scale extension. Bridges and the Suns have until Monday evening to work out a new deal that would keep him off the restricted free agent market next summer, and he told reporters on Friday that his priority is to remain in Phoenix (video link via Rankin).

“We want to be here,” Bridges said of himself and teammate Deandre Ayton, who is also up for an extension. “Plain and simple. We love this team, love this organization, what it’s done for us.”

Here’s more from around the Pacific:

Speaking to Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated, Suns point guard Chris Paul said he’s not thinking about retiring anytime soon and doesn’t have a specific goal in mind for what how many more years he’ll play. “I don’t know how long I’m going to play,” said Paul, who signed a new four-year contract in the offseason. “I’m going to play until God willing, and he says, ‘You need to sit down somewhere,’ or my kids tell me, ‘Daddy, you’re embarrassing us.'”
Warriors sharpshooter Klay Thompson is expected to be cleared to practice in full within the next month or so, says Shams Charania of The Athletic (video link). That’s a pretty vague timeline, and Charania cautions that Thompson will require a ramp-up period once he begins practicing, so it remains unlikely that he’ll be back in Golden State’s lineup before sometime in December.
The Clippers would rather have Kawhi Leonard on the floor, but while he’s recovering from ACL surgery, the team is glad he’s able to serve as a de facto coach on the sidelines, writes Mirjam Swanson of The Orange County Register. “He’s not like the loudest one, but no, he knows what to say, what to do,” Nicolas Batum said of his star teammate. “When he has (something) to say, especially on the side when we play five-on-five … he’ll take guys on the side and tell you what he sees, what he just saw the last previous play.”