- The Jazz have a handful of potential backup point guards available now that the roster is healthy, but it has been Alec Burks who has received a chance to fill that role a couple times lately, says Mike Sorensen of The Deseret News. Unlike Burks, who has a longer-term deal, Utah’s other four point guards are all eligible for free agency in 2017 or 2018.
With the NBA’s 2017 trade deadline fast approaching, it’s worth taking a look at which teams around the league remain below the salary floor for the 2016/17 season. Each NBA club is required to spend at least 90% of the cap in each league year — if a team doesn’t meet that requirement, it will have to make up the difference at year’s end by paying it out to its players.
While teams will make up the shortfall at year’s end if they have to, it makes more sense to find a way to reach the floor in the coming weeks. It’s why multiple teams below the salary floor acquired – or re-acquired – Mo Williams earlier this month, as I explained last week. It’s also why some of these teams may get involve in deadline deals to take on unwanted salary in exchange for a future draft pick or another asset.
Last February, for instance, the Trail Blazers reached the salary floor after agreeing to take on Anderson Varejao‘s contract from Cleveland, giving the Cavaliers a significant trade exception and allowing the Cavs to substantially reduce their luxury tax bill. In return, Portland secured a first-round draft pick for 2018 that the team later turned into a first-round pick for 2017. So, in exchange for taking on a contract and paying some money that they would’ve been on the hook for anyway, the Blazers ended up with an extra first-round pick in a strong ’17 draft.
The teams listed below will likely be on the lookout for that sort of opportunity in the coming weeks, and some of them will also be active in taking a look at various players on 10-day contracts.
Here’s the full list of teams that remain below the salary floor ($84.729MM), along with their accompanying cap data:
Brooklyn Nets
Team salary: $76,507,540
Amount below salary floor: $8,221,460
Note: Quincy Acy‘s new two-year deal, which is expected to move the Nets about $1.7MM closer to the floor, is not yet included in this total.
Philadelphia 76ers
Team salary: $76,986,092
Amount below salary floor: $7,742,908
Denver Nuggets
Team salary: $77,117,054
Amount below salary floor: $7,611,946
Utah Jazz
Team salary: $80,498,192
Amount below salary floor: $4,230,808
Phoenix Suns
Team salary: $80,921,006
Amount below salary floor: $3,807,994
Minnesota Timberwolves
Team salary: $81,427,199
Amount below salary floor: $3,301,801
Here are the D-League transactions for Saturday:
10:10 pm:
- The Bulls have assigned Denzel Valentine to their D-League affiliate, the Windy City Bulls, according to a team press release. Valentine has seen action in 27 contests for the NBA club. He’s averaging 3.3 points in 11.9 minutes per game this season.
- The Grizzlies have recalled Wade Baldwin from the Iowa Energy, according to the team’s website. Baldwin has appeared in 13 games for the Energy this season and he’s scoring 13.3 points per game.
11:56 am:
- The Mavs have recalled Nicolas Brussino from their D-League affiliate, the team has announced via press release. In two separate stints with the Dallas affiliate Texas Legends, Brussino has averaged 16.8 points and 7.0 rebounds per game.
- The Jazz have recalled rookie/birthday boy Joel Bolomboy from their D-League affiliate in Salt Lake City. Bolomboy has averaged 15.8 points and 12.9 rebounds per game in 14 D-League contests.
The Cavaliers are in the market for a point guard and Marc Stein of ESPN has explored two potential fits. Given Cleveland’s abundance of trade exceptions, the team could make a deal for a veteran point guard and absorb the player’s contract that way. With their Anderson Varejao trade exception, which expires on February 20, the club could deal for Jazz point guard Shelvin Mack.
In 42 games for the Jazz, Mack has averaged 7.9 points and 2.9 assists. He’s owed $2.4MM on a deal that will expire this offseason.
Another option at the point, one that has been discussed previously this week, is Nuggets guard Jameer Nelson. The 34-year-old is owed $4.5MM this season, which would necessitate the use of the $4.8MM trade exception the team procured in last month’s Kyle Korver trade.
Nelson has averaged 8.8 points and 4.6 assists per game in 45 tilts with Denver so far in 2016/17.
Here are Friday’s NBA D-League assignments and recalls from across the NBA:
- Three Pistons players were assigned to the D-League today, with Henry Ellenson, Darrun Hilliard, and Michael Gbinije all joining the Grand Rapids Drive, per a team release. Detroit has a fully healthy roster for the time being, meaning there aren’t enough minutes to go around for the club’s young players. The plan is for them to remain in the D-League for two games, tweets Rod Beard of The Detroit News.
- The Knicks assigned Maurice Ndour and Marshall Plumlee to the D-League earlier today, according to the team (Twitter link). Ndour led the Westchester Knicks with 22 points tonight, while Plumlee grabbed a team-high 13 rebounds.
- Rookie forward Joel Bolomboy was sent back to the Salt Lake City Stars by the Jazz, per a team press release. Bolomboy had 17 points and 15 boards for Utah’s NBADL affiliate tonight.
- The Mavericks assigned A.J. Hammons and Nicolas Brussino to the D-League, the team announced today in a press release. Both players were in the starting lineup tonight for the Texas Legends, scoring a club-high 19 points apiece.
- After being assigned to Long Island on Thursday, Chris McCullough was recalled by the Nets today, according to a press release. McCullough saw five minutes of action in Brooklyn’s loss against Cleveland tonight.
- Semaj Christon and Josh Huestis were also recalled to the NBA after a one-day D-League assignment, the Thunder announced in a press release. The duo contributed to the Oklahoma City Blue’s home win over Iowa on Thursday.
Here are Thursday’s D-League assignments and recalls from around the NBA:
7:49 PM
- The Grizzlies assigned rookie forward Troy Williams to the Iowa Energy, the team posted on its website. Williams has appeared in nine games over two previous assignments with the Energy, averaging 15.9 PPG, 4.1 RPG and 1.3 APG in 21.5 minutes. He has appeared in 24 games for the Grizzlies, averaging 5.3 PPG, 1.8 RPG and 1.0 SPG in 17.4 minutes.
- The Jazz recalled rookie forward Joel Bolomboy from the Salt Lake City Stars after assigning him to the D-League earlier in the day, the club announced in a press release. Although he has barely played for Utah this season, Bolomboy has been a double-double machine during his time in the D-League, averaging 15.2 PPG and 12.8 RPG in 13 games.
1:15 PM
- The Thunder have assigned guard Semaj Christon and forward Josh Huestis to the D-League, the club announced today in a press release. Although Christon had a rotation role for Oklahoma City earlier this season, he has seen his NBA role reduced since Cameron Payne returned to the lineup.
- The Mavericks have recalled A.J. Hammons from the D-League, according to a press release from the team. Hammons had eight points, five boards, and four blocks for the Texas Legends on Wednesday.
- The Nets have sent Chris McCullough back to the D-League, the team announced today in a press release. McCullough has spent a good chunk of the season with the Long Island Nets, averaging 19.0 PPG and 8.0 RPG in 25 contests for the club.
- Raul Neto, who has received several DNP-CDs this season, has been more involved the Jazz rotation lately, playing ahead of Shelvin Mack and sometimes Dante Exum, writes Mike Sorensen of The Deseret News. Neto has a non-guaranteed salary for 2017/18, so his play this year may determine whether he sticks with the team for another year.
The Jazz will remain in Salt Lake City for “generations to come,” as owner Gail Miller announced the team’s ownership and arena would be moved to a legacy trust. The legacy trust will be “managed by current and future generations of the Miller family,” the Jazz announced through its team website.
“As a family, we have always considered the Utah Jazz a community asset and it has been our privilege to serve as stewards of this team for more than 30 years,” Miller said at a press conference on Monday. “There have been many opportunities to sell and move the franchise, but from the day Larry and I purchased the Jazz our goal was to keep the team in Utah. The Legacy Trust will help to ensure this commitment is kept for generations to come.”
The Jazz moved from New Orleans to Utah in 1979, winning eight division titles from that point on. The Jazz have been subject to relocation rumors in recent years, but Monday’s announcement will quash those discussions for the foreseeable future.
As noted by The Associated Press (link via ESPN.com), this is believed to be the first legacy trust for a professional franchise in any of the four major U.S. leagues.
Here are Monday’s D-League assignments and recalls from around the NBA:
- Bruno Caboclo and Delon Wright have been sent to the Raptors‘ D-League affiliate, the team announced today (via Twitter). The duo figures to be in action for the Raptors 905 tonight against the Texas Legends.
- The Pacers have recalled Rakeem Christmas and Joseph Young from the Fort Wayne Mad Ants, according to a press release issued by the club. Both players have played sparingly for Indiana this season.
- Rookie forward Joel Bolomboy has been recalled to the NBA by the Jazz, per a press release. Bolomboy put up 19 points and nine rebounds for the Salt Lake City Stars on Sunday.
- The Trail Blazers are sending 2016 second-rounder Jake Layman on an assignment with the Windy City Bulls, a league source tells Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical (Twitter link). Portland doesn’t have a D-League affiliate of its own, so Layman will play for Chicago’s team via the flexible assignment rule.
- The Nets have recalled Chris McCullough from Long Island in advance of Brooklyn’s game against San Antonio tonight, the team announced in a press release.
- Jazz point guard George Hill put up 30 points, six rebounds and five assists Saturday night in his first game against the Pacers since they traded him last summer. Hill told Nate Taylor of the Indianapolis Star that he wasn’t trying to send a message to his former team. “No, no statement needed,” Hill said. “I was making shots and making plays and just trying to win and do the best I can to get everyone involved and have fun out there. I’m probably my biggest critic. It’s always good to get a win and play well at the same time.”