Given Rick Carlisle’s recent comments about this being the season Mavericks guard Rodrigue Beaubois‘ finally “puts it all together,” we at Hoops Rumors are wondering which of the listed players entering extension eligibility are most likely to stay with their current teams. Earlier this month I posted a poll asking which higher profile player was most likely to change teams, but here the question is inverted.
October 31st represents the deadline by which fourth-year players must sign extensions with their current teams or become ticketed for free agency next summer. However, that's not the only deadline that many teams will face as Halloween approaches.
A player entering the third year of his rookie contract is under contract for the 2012/13 season, but not necessarily for the 2013/14 season — that year is a team option. Rather than getting to make that option decision next summer, teams must decide by October 31st whether to exercise the option or turn it down. A declined option means that the player will hit unrestricted free agency next summer, rather than restricted free agency in 2014.
For the most part, these fourth-year options will be exercised. The cost is generally small enough and the first-round pedigree is strong enough that most teams would prefer to keep their young players around for another year. But that's not always the case. Last year, Jonny Flynn, Jordan Hill, Terrence Williams, and Hasheem Thabeet were among the third-year guys to have their fourth-year options declined, making them free agents this offseason. Flynn and Williams are still looking for work.
Here's the complete list of players for whom a fourth-year option decision is due by October 31st, sorted by team. The salary for the 2013/14 option year is in parentheses:
Earlier today, we listed the fourth-year players who are eligible for contract extensions of up to five years. The criteria for those players are fairly simple: If you're still playing on the deal you signed as a first-round draft pick and you're entering the final year of that contract, you're extension-eligible.
For veteran players, however, the criteria are a bit more convoluted. As Larry Coon explains in his invaluable CBA FAQ, veteran contracts of less than four years cannot be extended. However, longer deals can be extended in the following scenarios:
Given the specific circumstances required for a veteran contract extension, not a ton of players are eligible for them in any given year. Veteran extensions can also be for no more than four years, which includes the current season, meaning a player in the final year of his deal could only add three new seasons.
As such, top extension-eligible veterans (Dwight Howard, Chris Paul, Andrew Bynum, etc.) are more likely to wait until free agency, where they can maximize their earnings. On the other hand, many extension-eligible players such as DeSagana Diop, Hedo Turkoglu, and Charlie Villanueva have virtually no chance of receiving new deals from their current teams, who are just waiting to clear those salaries.
Still, somewhere in the middle, there are a handful of players that we can reasonably expect to at least discuss the possibility of a contract extension with their respective teams at some point before next June. Here's the complete list, by my count, of veteran players currently eligible for extensions:
Storytellers Contracts was used in the creation of this list.
While there are a number of different forms of contract extensions available to players under the NBA's Collective Bargaining Agreement, the most common type of extension is for guys entering the final year of their rookie scale contract. Unlike veteran extensions, which only add up to three new years to a player's current contract, rookie contract extensions can add up to five new years.
Blake Griffin became the first of 2012's extension-eligible fourth-year players to ink a new deal, agreeing to a five-year, maximum-salary contract with the Clippers early in July. Serge Ibaka and the Thunder finalized a four-year, $49MM extension a few weeks later. Griffin's and Ibaka's deals mean that a pair of prime extension candidates are locked up, but there are still plenty of rookie-scale players eligible for extensions. If they don't sign long-term deals with their current teams by October 31st, they'll become free agents next summer.
We've examined a number of these fourth-year, extension-eligible players in our Extension Candidate series, but here's the complete list, sorted by team:
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.
You can keep up with the offseason's free agent signings with the Hoops Rumors Free Agent Tracker, but that only tells one part of the player movement story. Here's a roundup of the offseason's trades, with the latest moves on top. Click the date above for details on the transaction. You can find out more about the trade exceptions changing hands by checking out our Outstanding Trade Exceptions post.
After taking a look at the roster sizes of teams in the Eastern Conference yesterday, here's the Western Conference version. There are two numbers at play for NBA teams this time of year. There's a 20-man limit for rosters during the offseason, but only 15 players can be around by the time the regular season starts. That means getting a guaranteed deal is important for the lingering free agents who want to make sure they stick around for opening day. Teams, given the choice between equals, would naturally prefer to waive someone whom they wouldn't have to pay.
We've combed reports from across the league over the summer, but teams don't officially announce the terms of their contracts, so we can't be completely sure that some of the contracts that are reportedly guaranteed actually are. In some cases, like yesterday's signings of second-round picks Darius-Johnson Odom by the Lakers and Kevin Murphy by the Jazz, there's been no indication of whether the contracts are guaranteed or not. For them, I've made reasonable assumptions — most second-rounders who've signed this year have gotten at least a partial guarantee for this season, so that's how we'll count them until we know more. The totals also include agreements that have been reached but haven't been finalized yet.
The first number is the total number of players under contract, and the number of players who have at least a partial guarantee is in parentheses.
Updated 11-1-12
Southwest Division
Grizzlies 13 (13)
Hornets 14 (13)
Mavericks 15 (14)
Rockets 15 (15)
Spurs 14 (13)
Northwest Division
Jazz 15 (14)
Nuggets 15 (15)
Thunder 13 (13)
Timberwolves 15 (15)
Trail Blazers 15 (14)
Pacific Division
Clippers 14 (14)
Kings 14 (14)
Lakers 15 (13)
Suns 15 (14)
Warriors 15 (15)
Training camps start to open two weeks from Saturday, and the scramble for the last available roster spots is under way. We've seen a significant uptick in free agent activity this past week, and that should continue as we get ever closer to the 2012/13 season. Teams can have as many as 20 players during the offseason and in camp, but once the regular season begins, the limit is 15. That's why many unsigned free agents are holding out for a guaranteed deal, since they would otherwise be vulnerable to getting waived, particularly if they sign with a team that's carrying more than 15 players right now.
A guaranteed deal ensures a player will get his money, but it doesn't mean he'll start the regular season with his current team. Some teams, like the Raptors and Pacers, have more than 15 players on at least partially guaranteed deals, so those clubs will either have to make a trade or waive one of their players, eating the guarantee in the process. Also, teams can carry as few as 13 players in the regular season, so even guys on teams with 14 or 15 players aren't completely assured of sticking.
Here's a rundown of the roster sizes for every Eastern Conference team, with the Western Conference to come soon. This includes some deals that have not yet been finalized, and because teams don't disclose the terms of their contracts even when they are finalized, there is a margin of error in these counts. However, they're based on a variety of reports from around the league this summer, so they're as accurate as possible. When we hear more, we'll update the count.
The first number is the total number of players under contract, and the number of players who have at least a partial guarantee is in parentheses.
Updated 10-29-12
Atlantic Division
Celitcs 15 (14)
Knicks 15 (13)
Nets 15 (13)
Raptors 15 (15)
Sixers 14 (13)
Southeast Division
Bobcats 14 (13)
Hawks 14 (14)
Heat 15 (13)
Magic 15 (14)
Wizards 15 (14)
Central Division
Bucks 15 (15)
Bulls 13 (13)
Cavaliers 15 (14)
Pacers 15 (14)
Pistons 15 (15)
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
Former NBA guard Kevin Ollie is set to replace long time coach Jim Calhoun as head coach of the University of Connecticut basketball team, according to CBSSports.com. A former player under Calhoun, Ollie spent last season as an assistant coach with the team.
According to a tweet from Yahoo! Sports columnist Adrian Wojnarowski, Thunder general manager Sam Presti was hoping to groom Ollie as his right hand man. Ollie finished his playing career after signing a one-year deal with the Thunder, retiring from the NBA in 2010.