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Contract Incentives: Millsap, Lowry, Holiday, More

September 17th, 2017 at 9:57pm CST by Luke Adams

Thirty-four players around the NBA have incentives included in their contracts for the 2017/18 season, according to ESPN’s Bobby Marks, who notes that total doesn’t include players with trade kickers or bonuses for Summer League participation. Of those 34 players, 14 signed new contracts as free agents during the summer of 2017, including Nuggets big man Paul Millsap, who has several interesting incentives in his new deal.

Millsap will earn an extra $500K on top of his base salary if he earns a spot in the All-Star Game in 2017/18, and would also get a bonus for making an All-NBA team, per Marks. Interestingly, Millsap’s contract also features a handful of incentives related to his defensive play — he’d receive $150K for making the All-Defensive second team, or $250K for a spot on the All-Defensive first team. The Nuggets forward will also be in line for a $150K bonus if he appears in at least 65 games and records at least seven defensive rebounds per 36 minutes.

Here are a few other details of note from Marks’ piece:

Kyle Lowry can earn up to an extra $2MM this season based on a series of individual and team accomplishments. If Lowry appears in 65 games and averages at least 25.0 MPG, he can earn bonuses for making the All-Star or All-NBA teams, and for the Raptors reaching the Eastern Conference Finals or NBA Finals.
Jrue Holiday‘s potential likely and unlikely incentives for 2017/18 on his new contract with the Pelicans total $4.7MM. Playing in 66 games and totaling at least 2,075 minutes this season would result in an extra $510K bonus for Holiday, for instance.
Rudy Gobert‘s extension with the Jazz, which goes into effect this year, pays him an extra $1MM if he’s named to the All-Star team (not as a replacement), plus an extra $750K for making an All-Defensive team and meeting certain rebounding criteria. Another unusual incentive in Gobert’s deal? He makes an extra $250K if his defensive rating is below 100.
Dewayne Dedmon‘s new contract with the Hawks includes a fascinating incentive — the center will get $900K if he appears in 41 or more games and averages 16 or more combined points, rebounds, and assists.
As Marks notes, unlikely incentives don’t count against a team’s cap hit right now, but they’re considered when taking into account a club’s hard cap. For instance, the Pelicans have $5.4MM in total unlikely bonuses, which reduces their room below the hard cap from about $9.25MM to just $3.85MM.

Contract Details: Tucker, Holiday, Lowry, Collison

July 8th, 2017 at 8:48am CST by Luke Adams

With more and more of the early free agent contract agreements being finalized, official numbers on those deals are starting to trickle in, and Eric Pincus, who operates Basketball Insiders’ salary database, is passing along the specifics on many of them. In instances where the official numbers are essentially identical to what was reported initially, we won’t pass along that info, but we want to provide updates in cases where new details surface.

Here are some new contract details on this week’s deals, with all links via Pincus’ Twitter feed:

Western Conference:

The Rockets split their mid-level exception between two players, with P.J. Tucker getting about $7.59MM and Zhou Qi getting the remaining $816K or so. Tucker’s contract is partially guaranteed in its fourth year ($2.6MM of $8MM guaranteed), while Zhou’s four-year pact isn’t guaranteed beyond year one (Twitter links).
As was expected based on initial reports, Jrue Holiday‘s total earning potential over five years with the Pelicans ranges from $126-150MM based on bonuses (Twitter link).
Dirk Nowitzki‘s two-year pact with the Mavericks will pay him an even $5MM in each of the next two seasons, with a second-year team option (Twitter link).
The first season of Wayne Selden‘s two-year minimum salary deal with the Grizzlies is fully guaranteed (Twitter link).
The Suns‘ new four-year contract for second-rounder Davon Reed is fully guaranteed for the first year, half guaranteed in the second year, and non-guaranteed in years three and four (Twitter link).

Eastern Conference:

Although Kyle Lowry‘s three-year contract with the Raptors can be worth up to $100MM, the base value is $93MM, with the remaining $7MM coming in the form of unlikely bonuses. Unlikely bonuses don’t count against the cap at this point (Twitter link).
The second year of Darren Collison‘s contract with the Pacers is only partially guaranteed. Currently, $2MM of his $10MM second-year salary is guaranteed (Twitter link).
The Hornets signed Michael Carter-Williams using a portion of their taxpayer mid-level exception. Since he’s receiving an even $2.7MM, the team doesn’t have a hard cap at this point (Twitter link).
Eric Moreland‘s three-year deal with the Pistons includes a $500K guarantee for year one. The deal starts at $1.7MM, which means it was finalized using the amount of the mid-level exception that was left over after Langston Galloway‘s signing (Twitter link).

Raptors Re-Sign Kyle Lowry

July 7th, 2017 at 11:39am CST by Luke Adams

JULY 7, 11:39am: The Raptors have officially signed Lowry to his new deal, the team announced today in a press release.

“Kyle has been a valuable part of our team’s success the past five years,” Raptors president Masai Ujiri said in a statement. “He has grown as a player and person during his time in Toronto and we are excited that he wants to be here to help us continue building a championship program.”

JULY 2, 4:24pm: Lowry’s new deal with the Raptors will be for three years and $100MM, according to Michael Scotto of Basketball Insiders (Twitter link). That’s just a little less than a maximum salary deal for the veteran point guard, and it includes incentives, tweets Sam Amick of USA Today.

4:19pm: The Raptors and Kyle Lowry have agreed to a new deal. Terms of the agreement aren’t yet known, but Lowry has announced in a piece for The Players’ Tribune that he has decided to remain with Toronto.

“I’m coming back to Toronto because my heart is telling me that it’s home — and because staying home, for me and my family, feels like the right thing to do,” Lowry writes. “My heart is telling me that this is the best city in the world, with the best basketball fans in the world. It’s telling me that the Raptors can be a championship-level team, sooner than later. And I’ll be honest (and don’t hate) — it’s telling me that I’ve still never had poutine.”

[RELATED: 2017 NBA Free Agent Tracker]

Lowry, 31, entered this summer as one of the top free agents available at point guard or any position. He’s coming off his third straight All-Star season, having averaged a career-best 22.4 PPG to go along with 7.0 APG, 4.8 RPG, 1.5 SPG, and a shooting line of .464/.412/.819. The Philadelphia native was limited to 60 games due to a broken wrist and missed Toronto’s last two postseason contests due to an ankle injury, but will be 100% for the start of the 2017/18 season.

While it wasn’t a sure thing that Lowry would re-sign with the Raptors this season, many of his other potential suitors addressed their point guard position in other ways within the last week or two. For instance, the Sixers drafted Markelle Fultz, the Nets acquired D’Angelo Russell in a trade, and the Timberwolves committed to sign Jeff Teague.

Those moves – and others – all nudged Lowry back in the direction of Toronto, and his return looked more than ever like a lock when Serge Ibaka reached an agreement with the club earlier today. Lowry and Ibaka share an agent, ASM’s Andy Miller, and it made a lot of sense for the team to re-sign one player if the other returned, since the Raps wouldn’t have any cap room to sign a suitable replacement.

With both Lowry and Ibaka back in the fold, the Raptors project to be well over the luxury tax line, but they’re exploring ways to reduce team salary. The club is said to be discussing a Cory Joseph trade with the Pacers, which would move Joseph’s $7.63MM salary in return for draft-pick compensation. DeMarre Carroll and Jonas Valanciunas are also trade candidates, though it would be virtually impossible to move Carroll without attaching an asset or two to him.

Lowry and Ibaka both agreed to three-year deals, which puts them on track to expire in the summer of 2020. That’s the same offseason that DeMar DeRozan will have the chance to opt out and return to the free agent market as well, so it looks like Toronto aims to contend with its same core for at least the short-term future. The Raps will have the opportunity to potentially reconsider their options by that summer of 2020.

The development of some of the Raptors young players could be key in determining whether or not the club can take the next step and truly challenge for a spot in the NBA Finals. Delon Wright and Fred VanVleet, in particular, could be asked to take on larger roles backing up Lowry if Joseph is dealt. Norman Powell also figures to play more minutes with P.J. Tucker headed to Houston, while Jakob Poeltl and Lucas Nogueira could see more playing time in the frontcourt if Patrick Patterson departs and/or Jonas Valanciunas is traded.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Eastern FA Rumors: Lowry, Bogdanovic, Celtics

July 1st, 2017 at 10:53pm CST by Luke Adams

There’s a “growing sense” among executives around the NBA that Kyle Lowry will ultimately sign a new deal with the Raptors, according to Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today (Twitter link). Zillgitt says not to be surprised if Lowry gets a three-year deal in the range of $27MM annually from Toronto, which would put him right in the neighborhood of his good friend and teammate DeMar DeRozan — DeRozan’s contract calls for an annual salary of $27,739,975 over the next three years, with a player option worth the same amount in 2020/21.

Here are more free agent updates from around the Eastern Conference:

The Hawks are among Bojan Bogdanovic‘s most “ardent” suitors, tweets TNT’s David Aldridge. As Aldridge observes, Bogdanovic is a restricted free agent, but it will be difficult for the Wizards to match a competitive offer sheet for the sharpshooter if they also have to match a max offer for Otto Porter.
The Knicks, who have already been linked to several point guards in the first 24 hours of free agency, have also expressed interest in Shelvin Mack, a source tells Jeff Goodman of ESPN.com.
Although the Heat‘s recruiting efforts today were focused on Gordon Hayward, the team also made time to show some love to Udonis Haslem, as Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press details in a pair of tweets. A free agent again this summer, Haslem is probably a good bet to re-sign with Miami on a minimum salary contract.
The Celtics, Hayward’s other Eastern Conference suitor, have talked to multiple free agents besides Hayward, according to Mark Murphy of The Boston Herald (Twitter link). Murphy notes that the most notable conversation has been with Danilo Gallinari, though the two sides hadn’t yet set up a meeting as of this afternoon.

Raptors Remain Confident About Retaining Lowry, Ibaka

July 1st, 2017 at 1:31pm CST by Luke Adams

The Raptors remain confident about their chances of bringing back top free agents Kyle Lowry and Serge Ibaka, according to Michael Grange of Sportsnet (via Twitter).

Lowry and Ibaka share an agent in ASM’s Andy Miller, and Miller met with the Raptors “late into the night” on Saturday morning after the free agent period opened, according to David Aldridge of TNT (Twitter link). While neither Lowry or Ibaka agreed to a deal following those meetings, the two sides remain in contact.

If the Raptors do lock up both Lowry and Ibaka to market-value deals, the team figures to go into luxury-tax territory for the first time. That could potentially be avoided by moving another player on a sizable contract – such as DeMarre Carroll or Jonas Valanciunas – but Toronto will likely wait on decisions from Lowry and Ibaka before considering how to address the rest of its roster.

The odds of the Raptors re-signing P.J. Tucker may not be quite as high, as the club is facing “competition” on the veteran forward, according to Grange. The Kings are said to be meeting with Tucker today, while the Timberwolves, Nuggets, Sixers, and Clippers have also been linked to him.

Wolves Target Teague Among Other PG Options

June 30th, 2017 at 4:58pm CST by Austin Kent

Immediately after trading Ricky Rubio to the Jazz for a first-round pick, the Timberwolves have made Jeff Teague their favorite target available, Sam Amick of USA Today writes.

Of course that doesn’t necessarily mean the interest is mutual but there’s reason to believe that Minnesota has a pretty good idea of who their starting point guard will be in 2017/18.

Per Josh Lewenberg of TSN, the Timberwolves wouldn’t make the Rubio trade without knowing who their replacement would be. He speculates that it could be Kyle Lowry but notes that it would make more sense for the club to pursue Teague or George Hill.

If the decision did come between Teague and Lowry, Darren Wolfson of 5 Eyewitness News suggests that the 29-year-old Teague could have the upper hand over his 31-year-old counterpart with the flexibility to offer a shorter deal so that the Wolves could save money.

Another option that has been floated by Chris Mannix of Yahoo Sports is Rajon Rondo. Mannix notes that T-Wolves head coach Tom Thibodeau saw the best of Rondo during his stint with the Celtics.

As of now, ESPN’s Jeff Goodman notes, the only point guard on Minnesota’s roster is Tyus Jones

Eastern FA Rumors: Bulls, Teodosic, Nets, Raptors

June 30th, 2017 at 10:04am CST by Luke Adams

The Nets were considered the frontrunners in the Milos Teodosic sweepstakes for much of the year, but point guard became less of a priority for the team after last week’s D’Angelo Russell, opening the door for another NBA team to make a play for Teodosic. According to Tony Jones of The Salt Lake Tribune (via Twitter), that team may be Chicago — Jones has heard the Bulls are “close” to reaching a deal with the EuroLeague star.

If the Bulls end up finalizing a deal with Teodosic, he would be the team’s third major point guard addition of 2017. Chicago also acquired Cameron Payne in a trade with Oklahoma City at the deadline, and landed Kris Dunn from Minnesota in last week’s Jimmy Butler blockbuster.

Here are a few more free agency rumors from around the Eastern Conference:

The Wizards and Pistons are bracing for the Nets to make a strong push on restricted free agents Otto Porter and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, respectively, tweets ESPN’s Marc Stein. Although those players have somewhat similar skill-sets, the Nets aren’t focused on filling a specific need or position in free agency, as head coach Kenny Atkinson tells Brian Lewis of The New York Post.
The Raptors‘ brass will likely meet with agent Andy Miller in Orlando this weekend, according to Michael Grange of Sportsnet (Twitter link). Miller represents both Kyle Lowry and Serge Ibaka, Toronto’s top two free agents, who figure to be a part of those meetings as well.
Rudy Gay has been linked to the Heat in the past, but Miami isn’t currently among the teams to arrange a free agent meeting with him this weekend, a source tells Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald.
Asked if the Knicks were still be seeking free agents who fit into a specific system, head coach Jeff Hornacek suggested this week that the team’s focus will be more on talent than system fit, per Ian Begley of ESPN.com. That sounds like good news for free agents who weren’t fond on Phil Jackson‘s triangle.

Free Agent Rumors: Lowry, Paul, Teodosic, Pachulia, Heat

June 27th, 2017 at 5:00pm CST by Joshua Fischman

Michael Grange of Sportsnet spoke to NBA team sources, as well as longtime player agents, to delve into Kyle Lowry‘s free agency. Grange writes that “it is becoming increasingly evident that Lowry will take the opportunity to test the market.” He also adds that the Raptors are the only team that can guarantee a fifth year in a contract offer to Lowry and can pay more over four years than any other suitor. Grange finds a consensus among his sources that Lowry will not be receiving a max deal out in the market and that “his ceiling will top out at $30 million annually, although that would most likely be on a shorter deal.”

Here are some other relevant free agent rumors:

According to Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical (link via Twitter), Chris Paul and his agents met with the Clippers on Tuesday and discussed the player’s future. Paul’s camp and Clippers officials will speak again soon.
Milos Teodosic announced that he will likely leave his Russian team and wishes to play in the NBA, via Novosti by way of Sportando: “I will not stay with CSKA Moscow almost for sure. But I don’t know yet where I will continue my career,” Teodosic said. “Going to the NBA is my wish but when I will know where, I will say that.”
Zaza Pachulia back with the Hawks? The reunion is an interesting idea that Chris Vivlamore of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution floats, as the team has just one center at present (Miles Plumlee) and Pachulia is an unrestricted free agent and likely to move on from the Warriors. Furthermore, Vivlamore points out that Atlanta’s new GM Travis Schlenk knows Pachulia from his time with the Dubs.
Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald asks and answers key questions about the Heat‘s free agency. If Miami were to land Gordon Hayward or Blake Griffin, could they still keep James Johnson or Dion Waiters? Jackson says it would be difficult but not impossible. Click through for his detailed answer.

Wolves Plan To Target Kyle Lowry, Three Others

June 24th, 2017 at 7:24pm CST by Arthur Hill

With Jimmy Butler now on board, the Timberwolves’ next step is an upgrade at point guard, tweets Mitch Lawrence of The Sporting News.

Toronto’s Kyle Lowry tops Minnesota’s free agent wish list, according to Lawrence, followed by New Orleans’ Jrue Holiday, Indiana’s Jeff Teague and Utah’s George Hill.

Minnesota has about $20MM in remaining cap room, so more salary would have to be unloaded to offer a max deal. One way to do that, especially if a point guard is being targeted, is to find a taker for incumbent starter Ricky Rubio, who will make $14.25MM next season and $14.8MM in 2018/19.

The Wolves had discussions involving Rubio with the Knicks at last season’s deadline and the Mavericks more recently, but both teams just picked up new point guards in the draft.

Lowry is the most likely of the four to receive maximum money. Coming off three straight All-Star appearances, the 11-year veteran made $12MM with the Raptors this season. Although limited to 60 games by injuries, he averaged a career-high 22.4 points per game.

All four teams have Bird rights on their guards, so they will have the competitive advantage of being able to offer more money and one more season than Minnesota can.

Jimmy Butler Warned Not To Come To Cleveland?

June 21st, 2017 at 2:38pm CST by Arthur Hill

2:38pm: A team source tells Amico Hoops that there’s no truth to the idea that members of the Cavs are telling Butler it’s in his best interest not to come to Cleveland.

11:28am: Several Cavaliers players have advised Bulls star Jimmy Butler to resist any trade to Cleveland, according to Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times.

Unidentified players, who had been encouraging Butler to seek a deal to the Cavs, are now telling him to stay away from the sudden chaos in the organization after the decision not to re-sign GM David Griffin.

Butler had planned to ask Bulls GM Gar Forman and VP of basketball operations John Paxson to find a way to get him to Cleveland, Cowley reports. However, he apparently changed his mind Tuesday afternoon after being contacted by a few Cavaliers.

There are no other teams that Butler wants to join, including the Celtics, according to Cowley, and Chicago’s front office has set an asking price so high that it makes a deal virtually impossible.

Dwyane Wade‘s decision on Tuesday to opt in next season for $23.8MM is also related to the situation in Cleveland, Cowley states. Because Wade is a close friend of LeBron James, he understands how angry James is about Griffin’s departure and knew that Butler is likely to remain a Bull.

Cowley also reports a likely breakup of “The Three Alphas” in Chicago, with Butler and Wade pushing for an alternative to Rajon Rondo. While they like Rondo personally, both stars would prefer a point guard who can shoot from the outside to help space the court.

Butler, who played with Kyle Lowry at the Olympics last year, has been talking to the Raptors free agent about coming to Chicago, and Kyrie Irving has indicated that he might seek a trade to escape a possible shakeup in Cleveland.

Irving’s asking price would be too steep for the Bulls, Cowley speculates, so a third team would have to be involved.