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Longest-Tenured GMs In The NBA

October 17th, 2012 at 1:28pm CST by Luke Adams

Over a quarter of the NBA's 30 teams have made significant front office changes since the 2011/12 season ended, with nine clubs hiring or promoting executives for their general manager openings. But while many teams are making changes, a number of GMs have been with their current franchises for years, or even decades.

Most of their names at the top of our list of longest-tenured GMs are to be expected — Pat Riley, Joe Dumars, Mitch Kupchak, R.C. Buford, and Danny Ainge make up five of the top six, and each have brought championship banners to their respective franchises since taking over. Still, there are a few surprises, including the number one longest-tenured GM: Geoff Petrie of the Kings.

Not all of the executives listed below necessarily have the title of "general manager," as many top execs are their team's president of basketball operations, or hold a similar title. For clubs that have both a a general manager and a president of basketball ops, the GM is listed below, with the president indicated in parentheses.

Here's the list of the longest-tenured GMs in the NBA, along with the date they assumed the role:

  1. Geoff Petrie, Kings: June 1994
  2. Pat Riley, Heat: September 1995
  3. Joe Dumars, Pistons: June 2000
  4. Mitch Kupchak, Lakers: August 2000
  5. R.C. Buford, Spurs: July 2002
  6. Danny Ainge, Celtics: May 2003
  7. Ernie Grunfeld, Wizards: June 2003
  8. Donnie Nelson, Mavericks: June 2005
  9. Bryan Colangelo, Raptors: February 2006
  10. Daryl Morey, Rockets: May 2007
  11. Sam Presti, Thunder: June 2007
  12. Chris Wallace, Grizzlies: June 2007
  13. John Hammond, Bucks: April 2008
  14. Gar Forman, Bulls: May 2009
  15. David Kahn, Timberwolves: May 2009
  16. Chris Grant, Cavaliers: June 2010
  17. Billy King, Nets: July 2010
  18. Dell Demps, Hornets: July 2010
  19. Lance Blanks, Suns: August 2010 (Lon Babby is president of basketball operations)
  20. Masai Ujiri, Nuggets: August 2010
  21. Glen Grunwald, Knicks: June 2011 (as interim GM; became permanent in April 2012)
  22. Rich Cho, Bobcats: June 2011 (Rod Higgins is president of basketball operations)
  23. Bob Myers, Warriors: April 2012
  24. Neil Olshey, Trail Blazers: June 2012
  25. Rob Hennigan, Magic: June 2012
  26. Danny Ferry, Hawks: June 2012
  27. Kevin Pritchard, Pacers: June 2012 (Donnie Walsh is president of basketball operations)
  28. Dennis Lindsey, Jazz: August 2012 (Kevin O'Connor is executive VP of basketball operations)
  29. Gary Sacks, Clippers: September 2012
  30. Tony DiLeo, Sixers: September 2012
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Recent Rookie-Scale Extensions

October 14th, 2012 at 11:33am CST by Chuck Myron

The deadline for teams to reach rookie-scale extension agreements with eligible fourth-year players is a little more than two weeks away. Blake Griffin got the max from the Clippers in July, and Serge Ibaka reached a four-year, $49MM accord with the Thunder in August, but those are the only two players to sign extensions so far this offseason. History indicates there will be more, and all of them don't figure to be as lucrative as the deals Griffin and Ibaka got.  

Though some of the rules have changed since the new CBA was implemented in 2011, most notably the stipulation that only one player per team may receive a five-year deal, a look back at rookie-scale extensions from the last several years reveals some clues about the kind of players who might get extensions this year. The volume of secondary players on this list suggests guys like Eric Maynor, Gerald Henderson and Taj Gibson won't be overlooked by their teams, despite most of the extension talk centering around names like James Harden, Stephen Curry and Brandon Jennings.

While the idea behind a rookie extension is to lock a player up long-term, it doesn't mean the player is a safe bet to finish the contract with his team. Jameer Nelson is the only one of the five players who inked a five-year extension in 2007 who remains with the team he signed with, and he's with the Magic only because he signed a new deal this summer after opting out of the final season of his extension.

The extension recipients are listed below by the year in which they signed. The extensions kick in the season after they're signed, meaning the agreements reached in 2007 didn't show up in the ledger until 2008/09. For more about players eligible for extensions this year, check out our Extension Candidate series. 

2011/12 (usual October deadline extended into January because of the lockout)

2010

2009

2008

2007

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Guaranteed Minimum Deals: Western Conference

October 13th, 2012 at 3:31pm CST by Chuck Myron

Following up on the list of fully guaranteed minimum-salary contracts in the Eastern Conference, here is the corresponding Western Conference list. While the idea is to identify players who might be vulnerable to getting cut when teams pare their rosters down for the regular season, some on this list are safer than others — the Kings don't figure to cut loose Isaiah Thomas, for instance. Still, the guys on this list, along with the players on partial and non-guaranteed deals, would be the most financially friendly to cut. 

The league reimburses teams for the cost of veteran minimum-salary players who earn more than $854,389 based on their years of experience, so that's what everyone below is making, unless otherwise noted.

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Guaranteed Minimum Deals: Eastern Conference

October 13th, 2012 at 2:01pm CST by Chuck Myron

We've been tracking players on non-guaranteed deals with a list that also includes those with partial guarantees, but as preseason goes on and we edge closer to the time when teams must make their final cuts, those without a full guarantee aren't the only ones who might be vulnerable. A number of guys are on fully guaranteed minimum-salary contracts, but it wouldn't cost their clubs too much to eat their guarantees if they decide someone else is more deserving of a roster spot.

The amount of the minimum salary is based on a player's years of service, but since the league reimburses teams for anything above the third-year minimum, no team is obligated to more than $854,389 for a minimum-salary player. If a team is carrying a first- or second-year player on the minimum, his salary is noted in parentheses below. We'll follow up with the Western Conference list soon.

*-contract includes an additional fully guaranteed year beyond 2012/13

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Hoops Rumors On Facebook/Twitter/RSS

October 12th, 2012 at 3:47pm CST by Luke Adams

With training camps fast approaching, there are a number of different ways you can follow Hoops Rumors to keep tabs on the latest NBA news and rumors for the rest of the offseason and throughout the regular season.

You can Like us on Facebook, and receive headlines and links for all our posts via your Facebook account. You can also follow us on Twitter to have all our posts and updates sent directly to your Twitter feed. And our RSS feed is located here, if you'd like to follow us using your RSS reader of choice.

If you prefer to receive updates only on roster moves such as signings, cuts, and trades, you can follow our transactions-only feeds via RSS and Twitter.

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Team Facebook/Twitter/RSS

October 11th, 2012 at 11:34am 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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Returnees By Team: Western Conference

October 10th, 2012 at 8:21pm CST by Chuck Myron

We specialize in news about roster movement here at Hoops Rumors, but sometimes looking at the players who stay put can provide just as much insight on the plans of their teams. So we've rounded up the returning players from each Western Conference team, just as we did with the Eastern Conference yesterday.

Unlike the East, where most of the stabillity was found amongst lottery teams — with the exception of the Heat, who brought back a dozen players — five of the West's top six teams with the most returning players made the playoffs last season. The lone exception is the Kings, who finished with the second-worst record in the conference but still brought back 11 guys. The Spurs have the most returnees of any team in the league, with 13.

The players listed here were all under contract with their teams at the end of 2011/12. So, Andrew Bogut is listed as a returnee for the Warriors even though he's never played a game for the team, since his rights were acquired in a midseason trade last year. Likewise, Raja Bell is on this list since he remains on the Jazz roster despite his absence from camp as he continues to work on a buyout with the team.

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Rookie Contract 2013/14 Option Tracker

October 10th, 2012 at 4:51pm CST by Luke Adams

As I noted last month, October 31st represents this year's deadline not only for fourth-year players to sign rookie scale extensions, but also for option decisions on second- and third-year players.

All of the players listed below are under contract with their respective teams for the 2012/13 season, but only have team options for 2013/14. Their clubs must decide by Halloween whether to lock up these guys for '13/14 for the contract amount indicated in parentheses, or to let them become unrestricted free agents.

That October 31st deadline is still three 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 2013/14 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:

Read more

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Returnees By Team: Eastern Conference

October 9th, 2012 at 4:02pm CST by Chuck Myron

There's been plenty of roster turnover this offseason, and some teams have been significantly more active than others, as usual. Though the Heat added Ray Allen and Rashard Lewis, most of the players from their championship team last year were under contract for at least one more season, so they bring back a dozen members of last year's squad, more returnees than any other Eastern Conference team. 

Success is not necessarily a harbinger of stability, though, with only other Eastern Conference playoff team bringing back more than seven guys. Six lottery teams have eight or more returnees, including the woeful Bobcats, who have eight of the same players from the team that set a record for the lowest winning percentage in NBA history last year. 

This list includes players who were under contract with their teams at the end of last season, so Jeff Green, whose deal with the Celtics was voided last year, and Mickell Gladness, who played for the Warriors after the Heat cut him loose, are seen here. We'll follow up soon with the Western Conference list.

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Teams With Designated Players

October 6th, 2012 at 2:06pm CST by Chuck Myron

The October 31st deadline for teams with players eligible to extend their rookie-scale contracts is drawing near, and as it does, the new CBA provides an extra wrinkle to consider. Teams can only agree a five-year rookie-scale extension with one player, known as the "designated player" in CBA parlance. As long as the designated player is on the roster, none of the team's other first-round picks nearing the end of their original deals may receive an extension of longer than four years.

The Thunder, for instance, are barred from giving James Harden a fifth year in an extension because they agreed to a five-year extension with Russell Westbrook in January. If they had that option, it would have given Oklahoma City an opportunity to spread out Harden's cap hit over one more season, easing the team's luxury tax concerns.

Teams can acquire one more designated player via trade, and extensions signed under the old CBA are grandfathered in. The latter exception explains how Westbrook was able to get a five-year extension after Kevin Durant had already signed a five-year extension in 2010. Still, the rule presents a challenge for teams like the Thunder who have built through the draft.

Only three teams have designated players so far, with more likely by the end of the month. Here's a breakdown of those teams, and how the five-year extensions they've handed out limit them in the future:

Bulls — Derrick Rose (signed five-year extension on December 11th, 2011 that runs through 2017)
Others limited to rookie-scale extension of four years or fewer:

  • Taj Gibson (extension-eligible in 2012)
  • Jimmy Butler (extension-eligible in 2014)
  • Marquis Teague (extension-eligible in 2015)
  • Any first-round pick the team adds next summer will be ineligible for a five-year extension as well, since he'd be eligible for an extension in 2016, when Rose is still under his extension.

Thunder — Russell Westbrook (signed five-year extension on January 19th, 2012 that runs through 2017)
Others limited to rookie-scale extension of four years or fewer:

  • James Harden (extension-eligible in 2012)
  • Eric Maynor (extension-eligible in 2012)
  • Cole Aldrich (extension-eligible in 2013)
  • Lazar Hayward (extension-eligible in 2013)
  • Reggie Jackson (extension-eligible in 2014)
  • Perry Jones (extension-eligible in 2015)
  • Any first-round pick the team adds next summer will be ineligible for a five-year extension as well, since he'd be eligible for an extension in 2016, when Westbrook is still under his extension. 

Clippers — Blake Griffin (signed five-year extension on July 11th, 2012 that runs through 2018)
Others limited to rookie-scale extension of four years or fewer:

  • Eric Bledsoe (extension-eligible in 2013)
  • Any first-round picks the team adds next summer and in will 2014 be ineligible for a five-year extension as well, since they'd be eligible for an extension in 2016 and 2017, when Griffin is still under his extension.
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