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Midseason Signees On Playoff Rosters

April 27th, 2013 at 3:03pm CST by Chuck Myron

A pair of unexpected starters delivered performances that were even more surprising this week in the playoffs. Andrew Goudelock of the Lakers sprang for 20 points last night, while Patrick Beverley delivered 16 points, 12 rebounds and six assists for the Rockets in Wednesday's loss to the Thunder.

Beverley also lunged at Russell Westbrook, who was trying to call for a timeout, and that resulted in a tear of the right lateral meniscus in Westbrook's knee. The injury will keep Westbrook out for the rest of the playoffs, the team announced today. That could open up an opportunity for Derek Fisher, another player who wasn't on an opening-night roster, just like Beverley and Goudelock. Similarly, Aron Baynes may be thrust into the spotlight with Tiago Splitter out indefinitely with a sprained ankle, just as Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News suggests (Twitter link).

All but three playoff teams have players who went from out of the league on opening night to the postseason. The Celtics, Heat, Rockets and Grizzlies all have three such players. Here's a complete list:

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Best Mid-Level Exception Signings Of 2012/13

April 26th, 2013 at 6:33pm CST by Chuck Myron

Thirteen teams made use of the mid-level exception this year, going with different strategies as they did so. Some teams deployed the full mid-level, with a starting salary of $5MM, while others used the taxpayer's mid-level of $3.09MM, which allowed them to exceed the $74.307MM tax apron. Many teams committed all of their mid-level to one player, while some split it up to sign multiple guys. 

Still, a couple of common themes developed. Most of the best signings involved players who came off the bench and shot well from behind the arc. We'll chronicle this year's top mid-level signings here, in no particular order:

  • Louis Williams, Hawks (three years, $15.675MM): Atlanta committed its full non-taxpayer's mid-level to the former Sixer, and he carried his off-the-bench scoring punch to the Hawks, averaging 14.1 PPG in 28.7 MPG until he tore his right ACL in January.
  • Kyle Singler, Pistons (three years, $3.135MM): Usually, teams use their mid-level exceptions for veterans, but occasionally they use a part of them to lock up their second-round picks, and that's what Detroit did with Singler, their 2011 second-round selection who spent last season overseas. Singler started 74 games and displayed a decent stroke from outside, hitting 35% of his three-point attempts.
  • Carl Landry, Warriors (two years, $8MM): Golden State became a playoff team thanks in part to Landry's contributions as the first big man off the bench. He averaged 9.3 rebounds per 36 minutes, his best rate since he was a rookie.
  • Jamal Crawford, Clippers (four years, $21.35MM): His final two seasons are partially guaranteed, which prevents the deal from being the best possible mid-level arrangement for a player, but Crawford sure looks like he deserved all he could get. He made a push for an All-Star berth and the Sixth Man of the Year award, and led the team in points per 36 minutes, with 20.3.
  • Ray Allen, Heat (two years, $6,319,050): Miami used its full taxpayer's mid-level and got just what they were looking for in Allen, a sharpshooter who came off the bench and enhanced the team's floor spacing on offense. He shot 41.9% from three-point land, bettering his career mark.
  • Randy Foye, Jazz (one year, $2.5MM): The small size and short length of this contract have as much to do with its inclusion on this list as Foye's performance. Still, the former No. 7 overall pick started 72 games this season, the most in his career, and he shot 41% from three-point range. The Jazz still might have been better off if they had been able to bring Foye and his shooting off the bench, as other teams did with their mid-level signings this year.
  • Martell Webster, Wizards (one year, $1.75MM): Few would have predicted that Webster, a cousin of Jason Terry, would have outperformed his relative, but that's what happened this season. Webster set career marks in PPG (11.4) and three-point percentage (42.2%), prompting the Wizards to prioritize re-signing him this summer. They'll probably need to give him a raise to make that happen.

Honorable mention: Jodie Meeks, Lakers; Draymond Green, Warriors; Jason Kidd, Knicks; Boris Diaw, Spurs.

Storytellers Contracts was used in the creation of this post.

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Hoops Rumors Features

April 25th, 2013 at 8:54am CST by Luke Adams

Hoops Rumors passes along the latest news and rumors on NBA player movement 365 days a year, but those aren't the only updates you'll see on the site. On our right sidebar, you'll find a number of additional features and featured posts. Here's a rundown of a few of them:

  • We'll be keeping a close eye on free agency this summer with the help of our list of 2013 free agents. If you want to look ahead to the summer of 2014, we've rounded up those free agents as well. Both lists will continue to be modified as needed.
  • Our Free Agent Tracker, which features data sortable by team, position, contract years, and contract amount, currently includes last summer's signings and will be used to track the upcoming summer's deals as well.
  • Speaking of those upcoming signings, we've started looking ahead to a number of specific free agent cases in our Free Agent Stock Watch series, which we'll continue through July.
  • Our agency database is a handy reference point for determining the representation for virtually every NBA player.
  • Throughout the season, we kept tabs on the year's D-League assignments and recalls and all the in-season trades consummated this year.
  • NCAA underclassmen who have declared for June's draft are rounded up on our list of 2013 early entrants.
  • We've taken a closer look at a number of those early entrants for this year's draft in our Prospect Profile series.
  • Using our 10-day contract tracker, you can find any 10-day contract signed since 2007, sorting by player, team, year, and other variables.
  • On Mondays at 4:00pm CT, I answer readers' questions in a live chat. You can check out transcripts of our past live discussions here.
  • Our list of outstanding traded player exceptions is updated whenever a trade exception is created, is used, or expires.
  • We're also tracking teams' amnesty provisions — using our complete list, you can check to see which clubs have used the amnesty clause and which will carry it into the summer.
  • The Hoops Rumors glossary helps explain some of the more complex concepts in the NBA's Collective Bargaining Agreement.
  • Zach Links rounds up the best of the blogosphere every Sunday in his weekly Hoops Links feature.
  • If you're looking to catch up on a few days worth of content, our Week in Review posts round up the week's news and rumors, while our Hoops Rumors Originals posts recap the site's original content for the week. Both round-ups are published every Sunday.
  • Be sure to check out the Featured Posts section on the right sidebar for more original pieces from the Hoops Rumors writing team. Recently, we examined draft debts and credits, explained how playing time will affect certain players' qualifying offers this summer, and spoke to Alan Anderson about his upcoming free agency.
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2013/14 NBA Free Agent List Updated

April 22nd, 2013 at 8:52am CST by Luke Adams

With the 2012/13 regular season behind us and the postseason underway, we don't figure to see many more NBA roster changes until at least June. As our Chuck Myron detailed yesterday, there will occasionally be a transaction of note while the playoffs are still ongoing, but for the most part we won't see any signings or other moves.

As such, we've moved all the notable players who finished this season as free agents to our list of 2013/14 free agents, retiring our list of 2012/13 free agents. For the most part, players were only moved to our '13/14 list if they played in the NBA this past season. However, in some cases, I moved notable veterans to this summer's FA list, even if they didn't appear in an NBA game in '12/13. For instance, players like Gilbert Arenas, Delonte West, and Michael Redd show up in the current list, since I think they'll draw some NBA interest and perhaps even sign with a team this offseason.

Our list of 2013/14 free agents is quite extensive at the moment, as it includes players who have player or team options for next season, as well as players whose contracts are non-guaranteed. Some of those players will be removed from the list by the time July arrives — the Raptors will undoubtedly guarantee Kyle Lowry's contract, for instance, while Ben Gordon is a lock to exercise his player option, putting off his free agency for a year.

For now though, check out our '13/14 list to get an idea of which players your favorite team might target this offseason.

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Recent Significant Transactions During Postseason

April 21st, 2013 at 12:31pm CST by Chuck Myron

The NBA usually focuses strictly on basketball during the playoffs, but front offices don't go completely dark during this time of year. Scouts and executives are preparing for the draft and free agency, and sometimes teams get a jump-start on the summer with a key move. Here are five such transactions from the past three springs.

June 20th, 2012: Pelicans (then Hornets) trade Emeka Okafor and Trevor Ariza to Wizards for Rashard Lewis and the 46th pick in the 2012 draft — None of the players in this deal had team-friendly contracts, but New Orleans swapped two years of Okafor and Ariza for one season of Lewis, whose massive $22.7MM salary for 2012/13 was only guaranteed for $13.7MM. New Orleans waived Lewis to save the $9MM difference. The Wizards played well in stretches this season, but Okafor and Ariza failed to help them into the playoffs. Both intend to opt in for next season, at a combined cost of $22.2MM.

May 30th, 2011: Timberwolves sign Ricky Rubio — Rubio and the Wolves ended a nearly two-year wait, finally agreeing on a rookie-scale contract after Minnesota made him the fifth overall pick in 2009. The two-year delay made Rubio slightly more expensive, since he signed for the 2011 scale amount, rather than the figure from 2009, but it also bought the Wolves some time before they have to extend or re-sign Rubio with his next contract, which figures to include a sizable raise. If Minnesota had signed Rubio in 2009, his rookie contract would be up this summer.

April 20th, 2011: Grizzlies extend Zach Randolph — Eighth-seeded Memphis had a 1-0 lead on the No. 1 seed Spurs when the Grizzlies finalized their four-year, $66MM extension. Z-Bo paid immediate dividends, leading Memphis to a series victory over San Antonio and helping push the Thunder to seven games in the next round. The past two seasons haven't been as fruitful, though, as Randolph's scoring has declined to an average of 14.4 points per game in 2011/12 and 2012/13 after four straight 20-PPG seasons.

June 17th, 2010: Kings trade Spencer Hawes and Andres Nocioni to Sixers for Samuel Dalembert — The Kings sent the 10th pick in the 2007 draft away with one season remaining on his rookie-scale contract for Dalembert, who also had just one season left on his deal. Unlike the affordable Hawes, Dalembert cost $13.4MM that season, and gave the Kings just 24.2 minutes per game. Nocioni had a similar cap hit spread out over two seasons, with $13.5MM left on his deal through 2012, but he never played a significant role in Philadelphia.

April 20, 2010: Trail Blazers extend Marcus Camby — Camby signed a two-year, $17.7MM extension, but after helping the Blazers to their third straight playoff appearance in 2011, Portland traded Camby to the Rockets at the deadline in 2012. In return, the Blazers received only Hasheem Thabeet and Jonny Flynn, neither of whom is with the team anymore, along with a future second-round pick. The Rockets signed-and-traded Camby last summer for a package of three players who are no longer with them, either.

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Players Who Made China-To-NBA Jump This Year

April 19th, 2013 at 8:16pm CST by Chuck Myron

Last year's lockout prompted many NBA players without contracts to jump to a league they might not have otherwise considered. Chinese Basketball Association teams don't allow their imports from overseas an out in case the NBA comes calling, but with the 2011/12 season in doubt, Wilson Chandler, J.R. Smith, Aaron Brooks and a handful of others took the chance and signed to play in China. 

The lockout ended in December, but since the Chinese league's season ends much earlier than the NBA's, the prominent Americans playing in China were able to come back stateside. The gamble paid off particularly well for Chandler, who inked a five-year, $31.72MM deal with the Nuggets upon his return. 

Even without the specter of the lockout this season, the CBA has continued to funnel talent to the NBA, with the early end to its schedule a key factor. No team took advantage quite like the Celtics, who brought three players over from China when injuries depleted their roster. Here's a look at all the players who wound up in the NBA after playing in the CBA this season: 

  • Shavlik Randolph, Celtics: After pouring in 32.0 PPG and 14.5 RPG for the Foshan Long Lions, Boston signed Randolph to a pair of 10-day contracts and a deal that covers the rest of the season and beyond. The power forward was the CBA's leading scorer and third-leading rebounder in 2012/13.
  • Josh Akognon, Mavericks: The 5'11" guard parlayed 29.0 PPG and four made three-pointers per contest for the Liaoning Jiebao Hunters into a 10-day contract with the Mavericks, who re-signed him to a deal for the rest of this season with a team option for next year.
  • Solomon Jones, Knicks: Akognon's Liaoning teammate put up 15.8 PPG and 10.4 RPG, and that got him a deal with the Knicks. It didn't last long, as the Knicks waived him two games and less than 72 hours later.
  • Terrence Williams, Celtics: Williams was the first of Boston's three China refugees to sign for the rest of the season and beyond, even though his numbers for the Guangdong Southern Tigers weren't eye-popping. He averaged 17.9 PPG and 4.1 APG, and shot worse from the field (42%) and from three-point range (31.7%) than he has with Boston.
  • Tracy McGrady, Spurs: San Antonio followed up its surprising release of Stephen Jackson with McGrady's unexpected signing this week. The two-time NBA scoring champ showed an all-around game for the Qingdao Double Star Eagles, racking up 25.0 PPG, 7.2 RPG and 5.1 APG.
  • D.J. White, Celtics: Gilbert Arenas, White's teammate on the Shanghai Sharks, carries much more starpower, but White was the Chinese team's leading scorer this season, at 21.6 PPG. He also notched 9.7 RPG en route to a pair of 10-day contracts with the Celtics, who ultimately signed him for the rest of the season with a team option for 2013/14.
  • Honorary mention: James Singleton of the Xinjiang Flying Tigers had an agreement in place to sign with the Knicks last week, but the Tigers had trouble arranging his FIBA letter of clearance, which is required when players jump between leagues in different countries. That prevented Singleton's deal with the Knicks from coming to fruition.
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Highest-Paid Players By Team For 2013/14

April 19th, 2013 at 3:23pm CST by Luke Adams

As non-playoff teams prepare to seek offseason upgrades, it's worth taking a look at a few of the salary commitments already on teams' books for 2013/14. We'll do this more thoroughly in the coming weeks, as we preview each club's offseason individually. But for now, let's check in on each team's highest-paid player.

In some cases, a free-agent-to-be will ultimately become the highest-paid player on his team for 2013/14. In other instances, a player that currently projects to be his club's highest-paid player may be traded before next season gets underway. But at the moment, here are the players expected to be in line for the most money next season on each of the NBA's 30 teams:

Storytellers Contracts was used in the creation of this post.

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Recap Of 2013’s 10-Day Contracts

April 19th, 2013 at 10:11am CST by Luke Adams

It was another busy year for short-term NBA contracts, as 32 players signed at least one 10-day deal following the beginning of the 10-day signing period in early January. We followed each of this year's signings using our handy 10-day contract tracker, so let's use the data there to break down the details on this year's 10-day deals….

Players whose first 10-day contract wasn't extended:

Players who signed two 10-day contracts, but weren't signed for the season:

Players who signed one 10-day contract, then were signed for the season:

Players who signed two 10-day contracts, then were signed for the season:

Notes on this year's 10-day contracts:

  • No players signed more 10-day deals this season than Jannero Pargo and Shelvin Mack, who each inked a total of four 10-day contracts with two separate teams before landing rest-of-season deals.
  • Pargo, Mack, Malcolm Thomas, and Maalik Wayns each signed at least one 10-day contract with two different teams. All four players ultimately signed rest-of-season deals.
  • The Celtics, Mavericks, Heat, Timberwolves, Hornets, and Sixers all signed three or more players to at least one 10-day contract. The Celtics' and Heat's end-of-season rosters each include three players that started on 10-day deals — Terrence Williams, Shavlik Randolph, and D.J. White for Boston, and Chris Andersen, Jarvis Varnado, and Juwan Howard for Miami.
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Amnesty Provision Refresher

April 16th, 2013 at 3:18pm CST by Luke Adams

In the wake of Kobe Bryant's Achilles injury, the amnesty provision has dominated Bryant-related discussion, with various writers and fans speculating that perhaps the Lakers could amnesty Kobe this summer. While that's a real long shot, the amnesty clause has been in enough headlines that it's worth revisiting how exactly it works, which teams still have the opportunity to use it, and which players might be amnesty candidates….

How does it work?

The amnesty provision provides a team an opportunity to clear a bad contract from its books for salary cap and luxury tax purposes. Although a team still has to pay the remainder of the amnestied player's salary, as it would for any released player, the player's salary no longer counts against the team's cap (except for minimum payroll purposes) when the amnesty clause is used. So in the unlikely event that the Lakers amnestied Bryant, the team would still have to pay him his $30MM+ salary for 2013/14, but would remove that figure from its cap, significantly reducing its tax bill.

The amnesty provision can be used on any player, as long as the following rules are observed:

  • A team can only amnesty one player — not one player per season.
  • The amnesty provision can only be used on a player who signed his contract prior to July 1st, 2011. If a contract was signed, extended, or renegotiated after that date, the player cannot be amnestied.
  • A team can only use its amnesty provision on a player who was on its roster on July 1st, 2011. If a player was traded after that date, he cannot be amnestied.
  • The amnesty clause can only be used during the seven days following the July moratorium. If a team doesn't amnesty a player during that week, it won't get another chance to do so until the following July. This year's amnesty period is set to begin on July 10th.
  • A team that has yet to use its amnesty clause can do so in any of the next three years. The 2015/16 season is the last year that a player can be amnestied under the current CBA.

Amnestied players are placed on waivers, but the waiver rules are slightly different than usual. An under-the-cap team can still place a full waiver claim on an amnestied player, if it doesn't mind being on the hook for the rest of the player's contract. However, clubs also have the option to submit partial waiver claims, in what essentially amounts to an auction for the player's services. If no team places a full claim, the team with the highest partial claim is awarded the player. If two teams bid the same amount, the club with the worse record wins out.

For a few more details on the amnesty process, check out our complete explanation in the Hoops Rumors glossary.

Which teams still have the amnesty provision available?

Exactly half of the NBA's 30 teams have used the amnesty provision in the last two offseasons, leaving 15 clubs with the option of amnesty still at their disposal. These are the teams still in play, per our amnesty provision tracker:

  • Atlanta Hawks
  • Boston Celtics
  • Charlotte Bobcats
  • Chicago Bulls
  • Detroit Pistons
  • Los Angeles Lakers
  • Memphis Grizzlies
  • Miami Heat
  • Milwaukee Bucks
  • New Orleans Hornets
  • Oklahoma City Thunder
  • Sacramento Kings
  • San Antonio Spurs
  • Toronto Raptors
  • Utah Jazz

Which players are still eligible to be amnestied?

While there are 37 players still eligible to be amnestied, some are likelier candidates than others. I examined a few of this summer's potential amnesty candidates back in March, but here's the complete list of players that technically remain amnesty-eligible, along with the money left on their deals (starting in 2013/14):

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Decline Of College Seniors In Draft Continues

April 11th, 2013 at 10:45pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Portsmouth Invitational Tournament got under way yesterday, but what once was a key pre-draft showcase now seems the exclusive territory of second-round hopefuls and future D-Leaguers. The tournament is for the top college seniors, but seniors have become decreasingly relevant in the draft. Even the most highly regarded seniors are now staying away from Portsmouth, yet the more significant development is the lack of highly regarded seniors at all.

The No. 1 senior on Jonathan Givony's DraftExpress board is Duke's Mason Plumlee, whom Givony ranks 13th overall. C.J. McCollum of Lehigh is the top senior for Chad Ford of ESPN.com, and he likewise checks in at No. 13 on Ford's overall list.

In 2006, the first year of the NBA's current age limit eliminating high schoolers from the draft, the Hawks took Duke senior Shelden Williams fifth overall. He was the first of three consecutive college seniors taken in that draft, and a total of eight went in the first round. Since then, only one senior has been drafted in the top 10: Jimmer Fredette, who went 10th overall to the Kings in 2011.

The past 15 drafts show a steady decline in the number of seniors drafted in the first round each year, and that's also reflected in the draft position of the highest senior selected. Nearly half of the first-round picks from 1998 to 2000 were seniors, as were two of the three No. 1 overall selections in that span. Since then, no senior has gone higher than Williams at No. 5 in 2006. Fredette was the only senior to become a lottery pick in the past three seasons.

The "one-and-done" eligibility rule, which sees many top-ranked prospects spend one year in college before entering the draft, is an easy target for explaining why fewer college seniors are picked, but the number of first-round seniors was dwindling even before 2006. Underclassmen have, for years, taken advantage of the opportunity to jump to the NBA as soon as they're deemed ready by scouts and executives, who in turn continue to draft them. Players and teams alike perpetuate the phenomenon.  

Here's a look at the number of seniors taken in each draft since 1998, with the highest senior picked in parentheses:

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