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Longest-Tenured Players For Each NBA Team

October 14th, 2013 at 2:14pm CST by Luke Adams

The league’s current Collective Bargaining Agreement has made it a little easier for teams to keep their own superstars, but it also reduced the maximum number of years for a player’s contract. Additionally, increasing tax penalties have prompted several teams with expensive payrolls to cut costs by trading or releasing veterans, reducing the likelihood that a given player will stay with the same team throughout his NBA career.

Taking into account the changes to roster-building dictated by the new CBA, it’s worth looking at which players have managed to stick with their current teams for the longest time. A handful of clubs, such as the Lakers with Kobe Bryant and the Spurs with Tim Duncan, have kept their respective stars under contract for well over a decade. But other teams, such as the Pelicans, haven’t carried any one player for more than the last three years, with their longest-tenured player (Jason Smith) having joined the team for the 2010/11 season.

Here’s a look at the longest-tenured player on each NBA team in chronological order, including details on how that player was initially acquired:

  1. Los Angeles Lakers: Kobe Bryant. Acquired via trade on July 11th, 1996.
  2. San Antonio Spurs: Tim Duncan. Drafted on June 25th, 1997.
  3. Dallas Mavericks: Dirk Nowitzki. Drafted on June 24th, 1998.
  4. Miami Heat: Dwyane Wade. Drafted on June 26th, 2003.
  5. Oklahoma City Thunder: Nick Collison. Drafted on June 26th, 2003.
  6. Chicago Bulls: Luol Deng. Drafted on June 24th, 2004.
  7. Orlando Magic: Jameer Nelson. Drafted on June 24th, 2004.
  8. Cleveland Cavaliers: Anderson Varejao. Acquired via trade on July 23rd, 2004.
  9. Indiana Pacers: Danny Granger. Drafted on June 28th, 2005.
  10. Portland Trail Blazers: LaMarcus Aldridge. Drafted on June 28th, 2006.
  11. Boston Celtics: Rajon Rondo. Drafted on June 28th, 2006.
  12. Atlanta Hawks: Al Horford. Drafted on June 28th, 2007.
  13. Memphis Grizzlies: Mike Conley. Drafted on June 28th, 2007.
  14. Philadelphia 76ers: Thaddeus Young. Drafted on June 28th, 2007.
  15. Detroit Pistons: Rodney Stuckey. Drafted on June 28th, 2007.
  16. Minnesota Timberwolves: Kevin Love. Drafted on June 26th, 2008.
  17. Brooklyn Nets: Brook Lopez. Drafted on June 26th, 2008.
  18. Sacramento Kings: Jason Thompson. Drafted on June 26th, 2008.
  19. Los Angeles Clippers: DeAndre Jordan. Drafted on June 26th, 2008.
  20. Golden State Warriors: Stephen Curry. Drafted on June 25th, 2009.
  21. Toronto Raptors: DeMar DeRozan. Drafted on June 25th, 2009.
  22. Charlotte Bobcats: Gerald Henderson. Drafted on June 25th, 2009.
  23. Denver Nuggets: Ty Lawson. Drafted on June 25th, 2009.
  24. Phoenix Suns: Channing Frye. Signed on July 14th, 2009.
  25. Milwaukee Bucks: Ersan Ilyasova. Signed on July 23rd, 2009.
  26. Washington Wizards: John Wall. Drafted on June 24th, 2010.¹
  27. Utah Jazz: Gordon Hayward. Drafted on June 24th, 2010.¹
  28. New York Knicks: Amar’e Stoudemire. Signed on July 8th, 2010.
  29. New Orleans Pelicans: Jason Smith. Acquired via trade on September 23rd, 2010.
  30. Houston Rockets: Chandler Parsons. Drafted on June 23rd, 2011.

¹ The Wizards and Jazz each landed multiple players on June 24th, 2010 that remain on their respective rosters. Trevor Booker and Kevin Seraphin (acquired via draft-night trade) join Wall for Washington, while Utah also added Jeremy Evans after drafting Hayward. Wall and Hayward were the first picks by each club, technically making them the longest-tenured players, if only by a matter of minutes.

Data from Mark Porcaro was used in the creation of this post

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Five NBA Players On $100MM+ Deals

October 12th, 2013 at 4:58pm CST by Chuck Myron

Kobe Bryant will earn more than $30MM this season, a salary that’s by far the NBA’s largest in 2013/14. Still, he’s not a member of the exclusive club of players signed to $100MM+ deals. Only five guys are currently on deals that include more than $100MM in base salary, including Chris Paul, who joined the club with his new max deal in July.

LeBron James is fittingly a part of the club, along with the other two members of the Heat’s power trio. Still, none of them touch Joe Johnson‘s staggering $123,658,089 contract that he signed under the old collective bargaining agreement, which allowed for six-year deals. That’s not a bad take for a player who’s only appeared on one All-NBA team during his 12-year career.

Johnson’s teammate Deron Williams ($98,772,325) and fellow New Yorker Amar’e Stoudemire ($99,743,996) fall just beneath the threshold. If Paul George and John Wall qualify for the 30% max on their recently signed extensions, they’ll likely fall a few million dollars shy of the nine-figure mark, too, barring a unforeseen jump in maximum salaries next July.

Here’s the complete $100MM+ club, as it stands now:

  • Joe Johnson, Nets ($123,658,089) — re-signed with the Hawks in 2010 to a six-year contract for the max.
  • Chris Bosh, Heat ($109,837,500) — signed-and-traded to the Heat in 2010 to a six-year contract.
  • LeBron James, Heat ($109,837,500) — signed-and-traded to the Heat in 2010 to a six-year contract.
  • Dwyane Wade, Heat ($107,565,000) — re-signed with the Heat in 2010 to a six-year contract.
  • Chris Paul, Clippers ($107,343,475) — re-signed with the Clippers in July to a five-year contract for the max.

ShamSports was used in the creation of this post.

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Each NBA Team’s Largest Salary Commitment

October 11th, 2013 at 8:36pm CST by Chuck Myron

We looked awhile back at the players who will make the highest salaries for their respective teams this season, but that post didn’t include the context of the money teams have committed beyond next summer. Large contracts that only cover one season are often highly coveted trade commodities in the NBA, but lucrative, long-term deals are often the most difficult to move.

A glance at each team’s largest salary commitment reveals a mix of franchise players and deals that have become albatrosses for front office executives. Derrick Rose is the face of the Bulls, and as long as he doesn’t suffer another devastating injury, the nearly $78MM he’ll make over the next four seasons won’t hurt the team. Amar’e Stoudemire is a role player for the Knicks these days, but no one on the team is due more money than he is.

There are plenty of oddities on this list. The Lakers have only four contracts that run past this season, so their largest commitment is Kobe Bryant‘s massive $30MM+ expiring contract. The Jazz have a few more deals that extend beyond this summer, but none of them add up to more than the $11,046,000 that Richard Jefferson will make in the final season of his contract this year. Chris Bosh and LeBron James have option clauses in their deals that will allow them to leave the Heat next summer, but in the meantime they share the designation as the Heat’s largest salary commitment, having signed identical contracts in 2010. Arron Afflalo of the Sixers and Goran Dragic of the Suns are due $22.5MM apiece from their respective teams, making them each club’s most sizable commitment.

The Pacers, Kings and Wizards handed out maximum-salary extensions this offseason, and because those maximums won’t be known until next summer, we don’t know exactly what Paul George, DeMarcus Cousins and John Wall will be making. In the meantime, It’s safe to assume that each of them represents his team’s largest salary commitment, and the salary figures listed for them below are estimates based on this year’s maximum salary. The rookie scale extension deadline is less than three weeks away, so a few players whose names aren’t found here might wind up as their team’s most expensive commitment by opening night.

This list doesn’t include non-guaranteed money or team option years, since clubs aren’t truly committed to that salary. It does include player and early-termination options, and they’re noted where applicable.

  • Atlanta Hawks: Al Horford, $36MM through 2015/16
  • Boston Celtics: Gerald Wallace, $30,317,565 through 2015/16
  • Brooklyn Nets: Deron Williams, $81,594,530 through 2016/17 (final season is ETO)
  • Charlotte Bobcats: Al Jefferson, $40.5MM through 2015/16 (final season is player option)
  • Chicago Bulls: Derrick Rose, $77,911,880 through 2016/17
  • Cleveland Cavaliers: Jarrett Jack, $19.4MM through 2016/17 (doesn’t include  $5.8MM in non-guaranteed money)
  • Dallas Mavericks: Jose Calderon, $29MM through 2016/17
  • Denver Nuggets: Ty Lawson, $48MM through 2016/17
  • Detroit Pistons: Josh Smith, $54MM through 2016/17
  • Golden State Warriors: Andre Iguodala, $48MM through 2016/17
  • Houston Rockets: Dwight Howard, $87,591,270 through 2016/17 (final season is player option)
  • Indiana Pacers: Roy Hibbert, $82,064,191 through 2018/19 (estimate; actual value of recently signed extension won’t be known until next summer)
  • Los Angeles Clippers: Chris Paul, $107,343,475 through 2017/18 (final season is ETO)
  • Los Angeles Lakers: Kobe Bryant, $30,453,805 through 2013/14
  • Memphis Grizzlies: Zach Randolph, $35,176,666 through 2014/15 (final season is player option)
  • Miami Heat: Chris Bosh and LeBron James (tie), $61,770,000 through 2015/16 (2014/15 is ETO, 2015/16 is player option)
  • Milwaukee Bucks: Larry Sanders, $47,053,368 through 2017/18
  • Minnesota Timberwolves: Nikola Pekovic, $60MM through 2017/18
  • New Orleans Pelicans: Eric Gordon, $44,696,813 through 2015/16 (final season is player option)
  • New York Knicks: Amar’e Stoudemire, $45,090,881 through 2014/15 (final season is ETO)
  • Oklahoma City Thunder: Russell Westbrook, $64,926,562 through 2016/17
  • Orlando Magic: Arron Afflalo, $22.5MM through 2015/16 (final season is player option)
  • Philadelphia 76ers: Thaddeus Young, $28,232,608 through 2015/16 (final season is ETO)
  • Phoenix Suns, Goran Dragic, $22.5MM through 2015/16 (final season is player option)
  • Portland Trail Blazers: Nicolas Batum, $35,296,500 through 2015/16
  • Sacramento Kings: DeMarcus Cousins, $65,887,537 through 2017/18 (estimate; actual value of recently signed extension won’t be known until next summer)
  • San Antonio Spurs: Tiago Splitter, $36MM through 2016/17
  • Toronto Raptors: DeMar DeRozan, $38MM through 2016/17
  • Utah Jazz: Richard Jefferson, $11,046,000 through 2013/14
  • Washington Wizards: John Wall, $86,242,113 through 2018/19 (estimate; actual value of recently signed extension won’t be known until next summer)

ShamSports was used in the creation of this post.

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Close To 100 Roster Cuts Still To Come

October 11th, 2013 at 12:08pm CST by Luke Adams

As I’ve outlined before, the Collective Bargaining Agreement allows NBA teams to carry up to 20 players during the offseason, a rule that many clubs have taken advantage of this fall. However, teams must reduce their rosters to 15 players in time for opening night, meaning several dozen players currently on NBA rosters will be looking for work by the end of the month.

Currently, by our count, the league’s 30 teams are carrying a total of 538 players. Taking into account all the roster moves happening this month, that number is in flux, and will likely change by the end of the day. But considering a maximum of 450 players can be on NBA rosters during the regular season, that current figure means that at least 88 players will be cut within the next two or three weeks.

Of course, some NBA teams won’t carry a full 15-man roster into the regular season. Considering the 14th and 15th players on rosters rarely see the court (except perhaps in the D-League), it’s no surprise that not every club wants to carry the maximum. Teams are required to carry at least 13 players, but some front offices prefer to keep a spot or two open, either to save some money or to create additional flexibility. That means those 88 cuts to come represent the minimum — the actual number could easily end up exceeding 100.

Every year, there are a handful of surprising names released before the season begins, but for the most part, the players waived will be camp invitees or guys owed little or no guaranteed money. As our list of NBA roster counts shows, only the Suns currently have more than 15 fully guaranteed contracts, so most teams shouldn’t be on the hook for much money owed to released players.

Here are a few more things to consider as the deadline for 15-man rosters approaches:

  • The Sixers, Trail Blazers, and Warriors are believed to be carrying more than 15 contracts that are either fully or partially guaranteed. So, barring any trades, those clubs will have to eat at least a little salary when they make cuts.
  • The Bulls and Pistons are currently the only teams with 15 or fewer players on their respective rosters, so they won’t necessarily need to make any moves. I’d expect the tax-conscious Bulls to start the season with just 13 or 14 players though.
  • The Sixers, Cavs, Hawks, Heat, Jazz, Knicks, and Mavericks are all at the preseason 20-man limit, so those clubs still have to waive at least five players.
  • As noted above, players on non-guaranteed contracts are the most likely candidates to be released this month. You can check out our complete list of partially guaranteed and non-guaranteed players right here.
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Team Facebook/Twitter/RSS

October 10th, 2013 at 8:58am CST by Luke Adams

If you want to keep tabs on all of Hoops Rumors’ stories and updates, you can follow us on Twitter, like us on Facebook, or subscribe to our feed through your RSS reader of choice. However, if you prefer to only receive news about your favorite NBA team, we have you covered. Below are links to our Facebook, Twitter, and RSS pages and feeds for all 30 teams.

Atlantic

Central

Southeast

Southwest

Northwest

Pacific

Transactions only: Twitter / RSS

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Upcoming October NBA Deadlines

October 7th, 2013 at 11:27am CST by Luke Adams

For the next several weeks, we’ll refer to the end of October as a deadline by which a number of decisions must be made by NBA teams. Whether it’s cutting rosters down to 15 players, exercising 2014/15 rookie contract options, or signing fourth-year players to extensions, teams have plenty of decisions to make by the end of the month. Here’s a quick rundown of what to look for by Halloween:

Monday, October 28th (Last day of offseason)

  • Teams must reduce rosters to a maximum of 15 players.
  • Last day for summer contracts to clear waivers without applying to team salary.
  • Last day to complete sign-and-trade deals this season.

Thursday, October 31st

While a number of decisions are due by the end of the month, not all of the important early-season deadlines occur in October. For instance, non-guaranteed contracts don’t become guaranteed for the rest of the season until January 10th, 2013, unless a different date was written into a player’s contract. If James Anderson, for example, remains on the 76ers’ roster beyond October 31st, his 2013/14 salary will become fully guaranteed, as our schedule of guarantee dates shows.

Larry Coon’s Salary Cap FAQ was used in the creation of this post.

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How New Execs Fared This Summer

October 5th, 2013 at 4:55pm CST by Chuck Myron

The unprecedented head coaching turnover this summer overshadowed the five executives who took over day-to-day basketball operations since the 2012/13 regular season came to a close. Technically, there's six such execs, since the Knicks replaced Glen Grunwald with Steve Mills last week, but Mills hasn't had a chance to make any major moves. So, we'll focus on the five who have as we look back on the debut offseason for the league's new executives:

  • Larry Bird, Pacers: Larry Legend returned to the Pacers after a one-year hiatus, and he jumped right into an active offseason. He re-signed free agent David West, made a trade for Luis Scola that was the centerpiece of the team's bench upgrade, and committed a max extension to Paul George. He's also decided against trading Danny Granger, at least so far, preferring to hold on to Granger's expiring contract as the Pacers eye a title run.
  • Pete D'Alessandro, Kings: Ben McLemore fell to Sacramento at the No. 7 pick in the draft, but the heavy lifting happened later in the offseason, when D'Alessandro traded former Rookie of the Year Tyreke Evans to the Pelicans for Greivis Vasquez and acquired Carl Landry and Luc Mbah a Moute. The most important decision might have come last month, when D'Alessandro and the Kings signed DeMarcus Cousins to a max extension.
  • Doc Rivers, Clippers: The coach is also in charge of picking the players in Clipperland, but the most significant move the team made may have been acquiring Rivers in the first place, since it helped cinch the re-signing of Chris Paul to a max contract. Rivers reportedly professed affection for Eric Bledsoe, but he OK'd a three-way swap that sent Bledsoe to the Suns and brought J.J. Redick to the Clippers.
  • Flip Saunders, Timberwolves: Former Wolves GM David Kahn was noted for his overemphasis on drafting point guards, and Saunders used another lottery pick on a point guard this summer. The difference is that Saunders traded point guard Trey Burke, the No. 9 overall pick, to the Jazz on draft night for Shabazz Muhammad and Gorgui Dieng, the 14th and 21st selections, respectively. Saunders focused on the wings, adding Kevin Martin and Corey Brewer and re-signing Chase Budinger before locking up restricted free agent Nikola Pekovic for five years.
  • Masai Ujiri, Raptors: Ujiri quickly made his presence felt, trading Andrea Bargnani — whom previous GM Bryan Colangelo had selected No. 1 overall soon after assuming control of the team — to the Knicks. Tyler Hansbrough was the team's most significant offseason acquisition, so other than the Bargnani trade, Ujiri appears content to see how the team he inherited performs this season.
  • Ryan McDonough, Suns: President of basketball operations Lon Babby remains in place, but McDonough had a hand in an offseason in which the team drafted Alex Len fifth overall, acquired Eric Bledsoe, and cut ties with Michael Beasley. There's plenty of work that remains to be done, and the long-term future of trade candidate Marcin Gortat is still unresolved.

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Notable Recent Preseason Trades

October 4th, 2013 at 8:21pm CST by Chuck Myron

October's NBA transactions are dominated by training camp cuts, as the pair of players hitting waivers today demonstrate. Still, teams make the occasional trade this time of year, and sometimes those swaps are significant. Last year's James Harden trade is a case in point, and while few recent preseason deals have drawn as much attention, the ripple effects that many of them made have drastically changed the fortunes of teams around the league. Other trades from recent Octobers haven't had long-lasting impacts, but they still involved key members of their respective teams. Here's a look at several notable trades that have taken place between October 1st and opening night around the NBA since 2005, when the most recent former collective bargaining agreement took effect.

  • October 27th, 2012: Thunder trade Harden, Cole Aldrich, Daequan Cook and Lazar Hayward to the Rockets for Jeremy Lamb, Kevin Martin, a 2013 first-round draft pick (Steven Adams), a future first-round draft pick and a future second-round draft pick — A salary dispute over an extension for Harden precipitated this trade, so perhaps we'll see one of this year's rookie-scale extension candidates change teams before the season begins.
  • October 23rd, 2010: Trail Blazers trade Jerryd Bayless to the Hornets for a 2011 first-round draft pick (Tobias Harris) — Bayless has always been a valuable bench piece, but Harris is showing signs of being more than that for the Magic, one of several teams to hold his rights in one form or another since the Bayless deal.
  • October 24th, 2007: Timberwolves trade Ricky Davis and Mark Blount to the Heat for Michael Doleac, Wayne Simien, Antoine Walker and a 2009 first-round draft pick (Ty Lawson) — Davis' best days were behind him, but the gem of this trade was the future draft selection. Minnesota later traded Lawson's rights to Denver, where he's turned into perhaps the best player on the Nuggets.
  • October 26th, 2005: Hornets trade Jamaal Magloire to the Bucks for Desmond Mason and a 2006 first-round draft pick (Cedric Simmons) — They're largely forgotten about now, but Magloire and Mason played significant roles, both appearing primarily as starters for their respective teams in the season prior to the trade as well as the one after it. Magloire was just a year and a half removed from playing in the 2004 All-Star Game.
  • October 4th, 2005: Bulls trade Eddy Curry, Antonio Davis and a 2007 first-round draft pick (Wilson Chandler) to the Knicks for Jermaine Jackson, Mike Sweetney, Tim Thomas, a 2006 first-round draft pick (LaMarcus Aldridge), a 2007 first-round draft pick (Joakim Noah), a 2007 second-round draft pick (Kyrylo Fesenko) and a 2009 second-round draft pick (Jon Brockman) — This was the most significant preseason swap until the Harden trade, and perhaps this one had an even greater effect. Curry, just like Harden, wound up with a lucrative deal as a result of the swap, receiving the six-year, $60MM contract from the Knicks that shortly thereafter turned him into perhaps the most overpaid player in the league. The Bulls got back their center of the future in the draft pick they used on Noah, and they could have used this deal to form an imposing frontcourt if they didn't wind up trading Aldridge to the Blazers on draft night.
  • October 4th, 2005: Raptors trade Rafer Alston to the Rockets for Mike James — The Rockets and Raptors swapped point guards, and both took over as starters for their new teams. 

RealGM.com and Basketball-Reference.com were used in the creation of this post.

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Hoops Rumors Seeking Part-Time Writers

October 3rd, 2013 at 4:40pm CST by Luke Adams

We're looking to add part-time contributors to the Hoops Rumors writing team. The position pays on an hourly basis. The criteria:

  • Exceptional knowledge of all 30 NBA teams, with no discernible bias. Knowledge of transaction-related concepts and CBA basics.
  • Extensive writing experience is necessary with professional experience preferred. A background in journalism is a plus.
  • Attention to detail — absolutely no spelling errors, especially for player and journalist names. Ability to follow the site's style and tone.
  • Ability to analyze articles and craft intelligent, well-written posts summing up the news in a few paragraphs. We need the best of both worlds: quick writing with thoughtful analysis. You must be able to add value to breaking news with your own insight, numbers, or links to other relevant articles.
  • Ability to use an RSS feed reader such as Feedly. Ability to use Twitter. Both of these are crucial.
  • Strong evening availability – typically 5-11pm central time shifts. Flexibility to cover daytime and weekend shifts is also a significant plus.
  • At least some college education is required.
  • If you're interested, email hoopsrumorsapplications@gmail.com and take a couple paragraphs to explain how you qualify and stand out. Many will likely apply, so unfortunately we cannot respond to all applications.

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Rookie Contract 2014/15 Option Tracker

October 2nd, 2013 at 9:00am CST by Luke Adams

October 31st represents the deadline for players entering the fourth year of rookie-scale contracts to sign extensions, but that’s not the only piece of business NBA teams must address by Halloween. Clubs also have to decide whether to exercise or decline 2014/15 options for rookie-scale players heading into their second or third NBA seasons.

The players listed below are already on guaranteed contracts with their respective teams for the 2013/14 season, but only have team options for 2014/15. These players’ clubs must decide by Halloween whether to lock them up for ’14/15 for the contract amount indicated in parentheses, or to let them become unrestricted free agents next summer. As Chuck Myron of Hoops Rumors wrote in September, many of these guys are locks to have their options picked up, but that’s not the case for all of them.

That October 31st deadline is still several weeks away, and many of the decisions on these players won’t become official until much closer to that date, but we’ll be tracking every decision right here for the rest of the month. You can find our rookie contract 2014/15 option tracker anytime on the right sidebar under “Hoops Rumors Features.” Here’s the list to date, with updates to come as decisions are announced:

76ers

Bobcats

Bucks

Bulls

Cavaliers

Celtics

Hawks

Heat

Jazz

Kings

Knicks

Magic

Nuggets

Pelicans

Pistons

Raptors

Rockets

Spurs

Suns

Thunder

Timberwolves

Trail Blazers

Warriors

Wizards

Storytellers Contracts was used in the creation of this post.

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