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Latest On How New CBA Will Affect Trades, Extensions

December 19th, 2016 at 9:47am CST by Luke Adams

Details on the league’s new Collective Bargaining Agreement continue to trickle out, and Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders passes along a particularly interesting nugget this morning. According to Pincus, the term sheet for the new CBA suggests that a player who signs a deal under the new agreement will only have the guaranteed portion of his contract used for salary-matching purposes in a trade.

As an example, Pincus points to Arron Afflalo, whose $12.5MM salary in 2017/18 is only guaranteed for $1.5MM. Afflalo won’t be directly affected by this change, since his contract was signed under the previous CBA, but going forward, it will impact players who sign similar deals. Based on the new CBA rules, that salary would count for just $1.5MM in a trade, rather than $12.5MM. The change should help deter teams from acquiring players on non-guaranteed salaries and then immediately waiving them to cut costs.

Pincus also shares several more details on the new CBA, so we’ve rounded up some of the highlights below. As usual, these details are part of the tentative agreement, but that agreement has yet to be formally ratified, so it’s subject to change. Be sure to check out Pincus’ full article for more info.

Contract extensions:

Under the previous CBA, a veteran became extension-eligible if at least three years had passed since he signed a contract of four years or more. The new CBA will allow players to sign veteran extensions two years after they signed their previous deal, and three-year contracts will be eligible to be extended.
Designated player extensions can only be signed during the offseason, beginning on July 1, similar to rookie scale extensions. The salary in the first year of a designated player extension will be between 30-35% of the cap, and there will be language in the deal to potentially grandfather in players who signed extensions this past offseason, such as Giannis Antetokounmpo.
The criteria for the designated player extension for players coming off rookie contracts will be the same as for the veteran designated player extension. Those criteria relate to All-NBA, MVP, or Defensive Player of the Year awards, with All-Star starts no longer included.
The deadline for rookie scale extensions will be moved up to one day before the regular season begins. Previously, the deadline was October 31.

Suspensions:

A player who is suspended without pay will now be docked 1/145th of his salary per day, rather than 1/110th. However, suspensions of 20+ games will still result in a player losing 1/110th of his salary per day.
A player who tests positive for a steroid or performance-enhancing drug will be suspended 25 games if he’s a first-time offender, and 55 games if he’s a second-time offender.

Salary cap:

The NBA will determine the salary cap for a given league year before the July moratorium gets underway, rather than calculating it during the moratorium.

Eastern Notes: Smith, Antetokounmpo, Embiid

September 20th, 2016 at 8:36pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Ish Smith, who inked a three year, $18MM deal with the Pistons this summer, believes that Detroit has a legitimate shot to win an NBA title, Keith Langlois of NBA.com relays. “I always ask people, ‘What wakes you up at night?’ For me, now it’s the pursuit of a championship,” Smith said. “That really is what the case is. It’s like, we’ve got a real chance to be champions. And I know that sounds crazy and people think, ‘Naaah. Yeah, you guys got better; not champions.’ But we’ve really got a real legit chance. And as long as we believe it, nobody else matters.”

The point guard noted that he was tempted to remain with the Sixers, but was swayed by coach/executive Stan Van Gundy’s sales pitch on the franchise, Langlois adds. “Through the whole process, I looked at all the teams pursuing me and Detroit just stood out to me,” Smith said. “For the simple fact we were all young, Coach wanted to play with pace, Coach wants tons of pick and rolls. All those things fit into the way I want to play. Defensively, he wants us to climb into people. Getting to the playoffs was a huge goal, so now we have to come – me, [fellow free agents] Jon Leuer, big Bobie (Boban Marjanovic) – and be that help and hopefully we take it to the next level.”

Here’s more from the Eastern Conference:

Sixers coach Brett Brown confirmed that center Joel Embiid will be on a strict minutes restriction this season and isn’t likely to play on back-to-back nights, Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer relays.
With his future in Milwaukee secure thanks to his new four-year, $100MM extension, Giannis Antetokounmpo noted that he never had any doubts about being with the Bucks for the long-term, Charles F. Gardner of The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel relays. “I can’t imagine me being somewhere else,” Antetokounmpo said. “I don’t say this just for the media but from the bottom of my heart. I know after this five years, hopefully, we’ll be doing great, and I’ll be here five more years. As I said last summer, I want to be here for 20 years. I don’t like change, anyway.”
Antetokounmpo could have pushed for a maximum salary extension, but chose to leave some money on the table to help the Bucks maintain future flexibility, Dan Feldman of NBCSports.com writes. “There was a max number out there, and that was discussed, discussed internally and externally,” GM John Hammond said. “And the one thing we asked Giannis to do was take that into consideration as we move forward. Give us every opportunity. We want to become a championship-level team. There’s going to be guys and guys who have done that, players who have given back some. And it’s a little bit of the time, as we move forward, hopefully we’re going to have other guys with the organization willing to do that. Those small pieces can turn into a bigger chunk at some point.“
The crew over at Basketball Insiders weighed in with their predictions for the Hawks‘ 2016/17 campaign. The writers are divided in their opinions, pegging Atlanta to finish anywhere from first to third in the Southeast Division.

Bucks, Giannis Antetokounmpo Agree To Extension

September 19th, 2016 at 1:20pm CST by Luke Adams

1:20pm: The Bucks have officially confirmed that they have an extension agreement in place with Antetokounmpo, announcing the deal in a press release. According to Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com (via Twitter), there will be no player or team options on the contract. Windhorst adds (via Twitter) that Antetokounmpo was willing to take less than the max to help the Bucks retain talent going forward.

12:57pm: The Bucks and Giannis Antetokounmpo have agreed to a four-year extension worth $100MM, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical. The deal will go into effect next year, keeping the 21-year-old under contract through the 2020/21 season.

Antetokounmpo had been on track to become a restricted free agent in the summer of 2017, at which point he likely would have commanded enough interest around the NBA to ensure that he landed a maximum-salary deal. By locking him up now, the Bucks appear to have avoided paying the max. Maximum salaries and cap figures for 2017/18 won’t be set until next July, but the NBA’s latest projection would mean a starting max salary of about $24MM for ’17/18, with subsequent raises of $1.8MM annually — Antetokounmpo will make a little less than that.

The 15th overall pick in the 2013 draft, Antetokounmpo was viewed as a raw talent with huge upside when the Bucks selected him, and has since adjusted to the NBA more rapidly than expected. He has increased his averages in nearly every meaningful category from year to year, enjoying the best season of his young career in 2015/16, when he averaged 16.9 PPG, 7.7 RPG, 4.3 APG, 1.4 BPG, and 1.2 SPG while shooting an impressive 50.6% from the field.

While Antetokounmpo’s traditional position is at forward, he’s also capable of handling the ball, and his versatility and his youth suggest that his best basketball should still be ahead of him. In the first installment of our free agent power rankings for 2017, he placed the Greek Freak third, behind only Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant, and ahead of Blake Griffin and Chris Paul. Of course, when we update those power rankings, Antetokounmpo’s name will no longer show up on the list.

Instead, Antetokounmpo will remain in Milwaukee as another key piece of the Bucks’ core, joining a handful of players who have already been locked up for the next several seasons. Khris Middleton and Mirza Teletovic are under team control through 2019, while Miles Plumlee, John Henson, Matthew Dellavedova, and Thon Maker are under control through 2020.

Antetokounmpo is the second player entering the final year of his rookie contract to reach an agreement on an extension this offseason, joining C.J. McCollum of the Trail Blazers. His Bucks teammate, Michael Carter-Williams, is also extension-eligible until October 31, though Carter-Williams isn’t considered as strong a candidate for an extension as Antetokounmpo had been. When our Arthur Hill examined Antetokounmpo’s case for an extension last month, he called it an easy decision for the Bucks to offer a lucrative, long-term deal.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Extension Candidate: Giannis Antetokounmpo

August 15th, 2016 at 6:42pm CST by Arthur Hill

Of all the teams with rookie extension decisions to make this offseason, the easiest one belongs to the Bucks.

Giannis Antetokounmpo has developed into a team leader during his first three years in Milwaukee, averaging 16.9 points, 7.7 rebounds and 4.3 assists last season. At age 21, the Greek star is seen as the future of the franchise, which is trying to build a contending team around a core of young, versatile athletes.

That process starts with Antetokounmpo, who has emerged as one of the best young players in the league and is considered to be a future All-Star and possibly an MVP candidate one day.

Jared Dudley, who spent the 2014/15 season with the Bucks, talked about the development of Antetokounmpo during a recent appearance on a podcast with ESPN’s Zach Lowe. Dudley had a first-hand view as Antetokounmpo began to evolve from a rookie to a legitimate NBA star.

“It’s Giannis’ team,” Dudley said. “You’re only going to go as far as him. Once Jabari [Parker] takes that next step — he was a lot better second half than he was first — but as of right now, people have to know this is Giannis’ team. You fall in line to try to make people better around him.

“If you see [coach Jason Kidd], he was strict on Giannis when I was there. He was on Giannis more than anybody, because he knew. And now he’s given Giannis the keys.”

“The keys” came via a decision to run the offense through Antetokounmpo after a mid-season injury to Michael Carter-Williams. After the point guard went down with a torn labrum in his left hip that required season-ending surgery, Antetokounmpo took over that position and flashed frightening glimpses of what he can do as a creator.

Once he became the main ball handler after the All-Star break, Antetokounmpo posted averages of 18.8 points, 8.6 rebounds, 7.2 assists and 1.9 blocks, and the Bucks’ offensive efficiency increased by 2.2 points per game. Opposing defenses scrambled to find a way to deal with a speedy 6’11” point guard who has impeccable court vision and elite leaping ability.

Kidd explained the move in a post on his website, saying it was something he had been considering since training camp, but he felt more freedom to experiment once the Bucks slid out of the playoff race. Kidd said Antetokounmpo still has a lot to learn about his new position, but the switch provides a better showcase for his athleticism and creativity.

“It got him in the open court, which highlights his natural abilities,” Kidd wrote. “One of his strengths is being able to find guys, and he did a really good job with that. Being able to see the floor the way that he does makes the game easy. It makes it exciting for his teammates because they all know they have a chance of getting the ball. Being as tall as he is, he has so many natural advantages. His skill set — to be able get into the paint and finish — puts a lot of pressure on a defense.

“There are still plenty of things he has to learn, and hopefully, as a point guard myself, I can help him understand game management—the importance of time and score, and just the little things it takes to be a good point guard. … He’s a competitor. He wants to win and he wants to be great. It’s just a matter of time before he’s an All-Star on a consistent basis.”

That’s why the Bucks would like to get an extension with Antetokounmpo wrapped up as quickly as possible. They face an October 31st deadline to finalize a new deal that would prevent him from becoming a restricted free agent next summer.

Antetokounmpo is eligible for a five-year extension that would pay him approximately $138MM, and both he and the team have expressed a desire to get a deal done. In an interview shortly after last season ended, Antetokounmpo told Gary D’Amato of The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel that he believes his long-term future is in Milwaukee. “That was what everyone’s been working for, for them to extend me,” Antetokounmpo said. “Hopefully, I stay here 20 years and I get my Greek Freak Day like Kobe [Bryant].”

One reason the deal hasn’t been signed already is that Antetokounmpo has been spending the summer completing his obligation to the Greek army. All Greek men who live permanently overseas are required to prove three months of service to the military, and Giannis and his brother Thanassis have been working at an armor training center near Athens.

Once Antetokounmpo’s military training is complete, the extension will be a high priority for Milwaukee before training camp opens. The Bucks know what they have in Antetokounmpo. He earned the “Greek Freak” nickname because of his 7’4″ wingspan, his elite athleticism and a breathtaking ability to go from one end of the court to the other in four dribbles or fewer. He’s the cornerstone of what the Bucks are trying to build, and the idea of him spending 20 years in Milwaukee seems very possible.

Jeff Hanisch / USA TODAY Sports Images

And-Ones: Beal, Oladipo, Gasol, Gobert

August 3rd, 2016 at 10:20pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Turnover among NBA coaches has been extremely high over the past few seasons, with only four current head coaches having been with their respective teams for at least five seasons. Just this calendar year alone there have been 12 new coaching hires made, with more likely to come if some teams get off to rocky starts to the 2016/17 season. Cody Taylor of Basketball Insiders ran down the coaches who are under the most pressure to perform well this coming campaign, including Alvin Gentry (Pelicans), Steve Kerr (Warriors) and Quin Snyder (Jazz).

Here’s more from around the league:

Each season there are a number of players who exceed expectations or fail to live up to the hype or their previous season’s performance. Looking ahead to 2016/17, Lang Greene of Basketball Insiders weighed in on who he believes will have bounce back seasons (ie: Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Bradley Beal, Joakim Noah) and those who will disappoint (ie: Kyle Korver, Pau Gasol).
With most offseason moves now officially in the books, Kevin Pelton of ESPN.com (Insider Subscription required) broke down the teams he believes to be winners. Franchises getting high marks from the scribe include the Warriors, Celtics, Cavs and Wolves.
Teams have until October 31st to work out extensions with eligible players and Kurt Helin of NBCSports.com notes that the most likely candidates to reach new agreements prior to the deadline are Giannis Antetokounmpo, Victor Oladipo, Rudy Gobert, Dennis Schroder and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope.

Eastern Notes: Beal, Knicks, Antetokounmpo

May 23rd, 2016 at 4:55pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Shooting guard Bradley Beal believes he’s worthy of a max deal as he heads into restricted free agency this summer, Jorge Castillo of the Washington Post reports. Beal will sign an offer sheet from a suitor willing to pay that price if the Wizards don’t make a max offer when free agency begins in July, he told Castillo in a phone interview. “I feel like I’m a max player and that’s what I’m looking for,” he said. “If Washington can’t meet that requirement then I may be thinking elsewhere. I’m pretty sure that they probably won’t [let me go].” Beal declined a contract extension prior to the beginning of this past season and doesn’t believe his injury history will affect his bargaining power, Castillo adds. “The injury thing, that’s behind me,” Beal said. “I’m moving forward. I’m past it.”

In other news around the Eastern Conference:

Jerry Sichting, Jeff Hornacek’s offensive assistant with the Suns, could land an assistant coaching job with the Knicks under Hornacek, according to Marc Berman of the New York Post. Sichting was let go against Hornacek’s wishes last season while Corey Gaines, another former Hornacek assistant who was not retained by the Suns after the season, is also a candidate to join Hornacek’s staff, Berman continues. Hornacek is not expected to retain ex-coach Derek Fisher’s hires of former Thunder assistants Brian Keefe, Joshua Longstaff and David Bliss.
Power forward Anthony Tolliver, center Joel Anthony and point guards Steve Blake and Lorenzo Brown are unlikely to return next season, according to Keith Langlois of Pistons.com in his roster review. It’s 50-50 whether the team will bring back oft-injured shooting guard Jodie Meeks and third-string point guard Spencer Dinwiddie, Langlois continues. Meeks could be tossed into a trade, while the club has a mid-July deadline to decide whether to guarantee Dinwiddie’s contract for next season, Langlois adds.
Power forward Giannis Antetokounmpo wants to play for the Greek National Team in the Olympic Qualifier at Turin, Italy, Sportando reports via Eurohoops. “I want to play for the national team. The Bucks know it,” he said to Eurohoops. “We have not talked yet for this matter. Even if they are negative, I would try to convince them to let me play.”

Bucks Notes: Plumlee, Antetokounmpo, Arena

April 17th, 2016 at 3:01pm CST by Will Joseph

The Bucks have interest in re-signing Miles Plumlee, who is set to be a restricted free agent, after the center showed value late in the season, Charles F. Gardner of the Journal Sentinel details. Center is a high priority for the Bucks this summer, Gardner writes, despite the franchise signing Greg Monroe to a three-year maximum contract last summer. There were high hopes for the Bucks this season after Monroe signed for $50MM, but Milwaukee largely disappointed with a 33-49 record. Plumlee is a solid fit for the Bucks, Gardner adds, because he is athletic and can run the floor, and the Bucks want to push the pace with their young roster.

Here’s more out of Milwaukee:

Giannis Antetokounmpo, who will be in the final year of his rookie-scale deal next season, is poised to be an All-Star for several years, especially if he can improve his 3-point shooting, Gary D’Amato of the Journal Sentinel opines. Antetokounmpo, who starred at the point guard position during the second half of the season, will be eligible for a contract extension before October 31st and the Bucks plan on locking him up, D’Amato writes.
Speaking of Antetokounmpo, Michael Carter-Williams, who started 37 games at point guard before suffering a torn labrum in his left hip and missing the season’s final 23 games, believes the two players can coexist on the court, relays Matt Velazquez of the Journal Sentinel. Carter-Williams is also poised to enter the final year of his rookie contract.
Groundbreaking is set for June on the Bucks’ new downtown arena that is scheduled to open by the 2018/19 season, as Genaro C. Armas of The Associated Press details.

Bucks Notes: Howard, Antetokounmpo, Knight

March 31st, 2016 at 4:23pm CST by Arthur Hill

If the Bucks are looking to make a splash in free agency for the second straight summer, Dwight Howard could be the player to target, writes Tim Bontemps of The Washington Post. The Rockets’ center has expressed his intention to turn down a player option for next season worth $23.282MM and seek a maximum contract starting at about $30MM. Milwaukee was among the teams that expressed interest in acquiring him before last month’s trade deadline, and Howard said he was intrigued by the possibility. Bontemps believes Howard would be the kind of defensive anchor that Greg Monroe failed to become after he signed with the Bucks last offseason. Depending where the salary cap is set, Milwaukee could have more than $20MM to spend if it doesn’t re-sign Jerryd Bayless, Greivis Vasquez and O.J. Mayo.

There’s more news out of Milwaukee:

Giannis Antetokounmpo could be in line for a maximum contract extension over the summer, Bontemps writes in the same piece. Coach Jason Kidd recently anointed Antetokounmpo as the Bucks’ starting point guard for next season, and the franchise could reward him with a max deal. At age 21, the third-year pro has blossomed in Milwaukee, averaging 18.5 points, 8.8 rebounds, 7.3 assists, 1.6 steals and 1.9 blocks per game since the All-Star break.
The Bucks had to make a choice last season between giving a long-term contract to Khris Middleton or Brandon Knight, according to Charles F. Gardner of The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Milwaukee shipped Knight to Phoenix in a three-team trade in February of 2015 and re-signed Middleton at $70MM over five years. “We had a good time while we played,” said Knight, who on Wednesday returned to Milwaukee for his first game there since the deal. “I think we [the Bucks] were just scratching the surface. Who knows where we could have went to?”
Wednesday marked the first game for Vasquez since November 27th, Gardner notes in a separate story. The backup point guard had surgery on his right ankle in December and was sidelined for 58 games. “You miss that many games, and the coach gives you an opportunity to play the game that you love, it means a lot to me,” Vasquez said. “It also shows what a class act this franchise is, because they’ve been with me the whole time.” Vasquez is headed toward free agency after earning $6.6MM this season.

Central Notes: Butler, Noah, Antetokounmpo

March 30th, 2016 at 1:59pm CST by Chuck Myron

Several executives around the NBA say the Magic are a team to watch in regard to Jimmy Butler, The Vertical’s Chris Mannix reports. The swingman is in the first season of a five-year contract with the Bulls, but the tension between him and coach Fred Hoiberg, who’s just starting a five-year deal of his own, led several teams, including the Celtics, to ask the Bulls about trading for Butler before last month’s deadline. Orlando, with enough cap flexibility to add Butler and another maximum-salary player this summer, has several intriguing young players and coach Scott Skiles, a defensive taskmaster with similarities to former Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau.

See more from the Central Division:

Many expect Joakim Noah to leave the Bulls in free agency this summer, Mannix writes in the same piece. Noah has also been linked to the Magic, though only speculatively.
Bucks coach Jason Kidd said a few days ago that Giannis Antetokounmpo won’t be guarding point guards and alluded to the need for a traditional point guard like Michael Carter-Williams to fill that duty, but Kidd on Tuesday said Antetokounmpo will be the team’s primary ball handler next season, notes Charles F. Gardner of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Antetokounmpo and Carter-Williams will both be eligible for rookie scale extensions in the offseason.
Miles Plumlee is fond of the Bucks organization and Kidd admires the center’s perseverance, Gardner notes in the same piece. Plumlee is set for restricted free agency at season’s end.
Some Thunder players still have raw feelings about Reggie Jackson, who pushed his way off the team and into the trade that sent him to the Pistons last season, as Royce Young of ESPN.com details. Russell Westbrook disapproved of Jackson’s animated celebration at the end of Detroit’s win Tuesday over Oklahoma City. “Yeah, I did actually,” Westbrook said. “Honestly, I think that was some real [expletive]. I don’t appreciate it for our team and our organization. I don’t like it at all. But it is what it is. We’ll see him down the line. We’ll take care of that when we get there.”

Eastern Notes: Noel, Antetokounmpo, Pistons

March 24th, 2016 at 10:28pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The Pistons as a franchise feel that their core is set and intend to focus this offseason on finding players whose positions and skill sets complement their current roster, David Mayo of MLive writes. “We’ve got to really look at our roster, realistically, and decide where we want to go,” coach/executive Stan Van Gundy said. “And also, you’re assessing the guys, quite honestly, in terms of value, so that when deals are presented, you’ve sat and talked and have a value on all of your guys.” Van Gundy added that “maybe quicker, more athletic” defenders and off-the-dribble creators are on the team’s shopping list for the summer, Mayo relays.

Here’s more from the Eastern Conference:

Giannis Antetokounmpo is excited at the prospect of being the Bucks‘ focal point on offense and said the added pressure will only make him toil more this offseason, Spencer Davies of AmicoHoops.net relays. “It’s that special. I’ve got a lot of responsibility in my hands, so I’ve got to handle it real well and try to get better — show my coach that I can handle it no matter how old I am,” Antetokounmpo told Davies. “But I feel good enough. I feel proud of myself because I’ve been working hard these past years that I was in the league. Seeing all this, my hard work, paying off — it feels nice. That makes me want to work harder.”
Sixers big man Nerlens Noel admits all the losses the franchise has endured the past two seasons are starting to weigh on him mentally, Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer writes. “Yeah, I’m human. So it’s tough,” Noel said. “I can’t lie about that. Sometimes it’s tougher than other times. When you feel that it starts affecting you personally, you do your best to try to make it turn [in the right direction]. But it’s been a long year, especially this one, and dealing with a lot more [losses.]” Philadelphia’s record since Noel was drafted in 2013 is a woeful 46-190 overall.