Around the NBA

[8on]

i could go for Robert Covington as a Kieff replacement, to be honest. shooting is shooting. better pieces around him will only make him better.

[TASTIC]

The 76ers should look to the Magic and offer them Noel for Frye + Fournier. That nets them a great locker-room guy and some guard help they actually need...

I'd LOVE Covington here, but the reality is he's on the best bargain contract in the entire league, 3 more years at $1m per? Madness...

[Qwigglez]

Frye is actually playing really well for the Magic since he got put in the starting lineup. It really opened up the floor for them.

[Cutter]

Frye is actually playing really well for the Magic since he got put in the starting lineup. It really opened up the floor for them.

Kieff for Frye anyone?

[bwgood77]

Frye is actually playing really well for the Magic since he got put in the starting lineup. It really opened up the floor for them.

Kieff for Frye anyone?

I think about 3 or 4 of us said we would do it at one point or another, but there are probably a few more than that want no part of Frye. I think letsgosuns even said he wouldn't trade him for Frye, and we all know how much he likes Kieff.

[lilfishi22]

Harden shooting 39.7FG% from the field is the second worst % in history for a player averaging 25+PPG. #1 is Iverson at 38.7%

[LukasBMW]

No wonder Al Jefferson has been playing like poop. He's smoking weed...or worse. LOL.

http://basketball.realgm.com/wiretap/240094/Al-Jefferson-Suspended-Five-Games-For-Drug-Violation

[bwgood77]

The Salary Cap is scheduled to make the first of two large jumps in time for the 16-17 season. Beginning with the 14-15 season the Cap has increased from just over $63 million to $70 million (15-16). Next season (16-17) the jump is projected to increase by $19 million up to $89 million and then jump to $108 million for the 17-18 season. These large increases are going to reset the NBA’s financial structure. Contracts north of $10 million per season will be commonplace and potentially even the average salary.

For the 2016 offseason, it is often described that that every team is going to have “maximum” cap space. While there will be more space available than ever before, there will still be the haves and have-nots when it comes to actual, workable cap space.

In the table below, you can see how much maximum cap space each team currently projects to have available (assuming a salary cap of $89 million). It is important to understand that maximum cap space means there are no cap holds for free agents or first round draft picks and all partial/non-guaranteed contracts are waived. Actual cap space will be less for most teams as teams and players make decisions on options, which partial/non-guaranteed contracts to retain, which free agents to keep rights on (thus retaining a cap hold) and draft pick positions (and the associated cap holds) settle in. This is simply a picture of where teams have the ability to be at come the opening of free agency next July.

Team

16-17 Maximum Cap Space

Guaranteed Contracts

Partial/Non-Guaranteed Contracts

Potential Free Agents

LA Lakers

$62,613,020.00

6

0

9

Philadelphia

$61,220,813.00

6

6

4

Boston

$53,397,958.00

9

2

4

Dallas

$48,081,683.00

6

3

6

Washington

$45,293,711.00

4

4

7

Portland

$41,813,658.00

7

2

6

Houston

$41,227,809.00

8

1

5

Charlotte

$39,830,474.00

6

1

8

Brooklyn

$38,636,058.00

5

1

9

Memphis

$38,082,020.00

6

4

5

Detroit

$38,005,231.00

7

4

4

Miami

$36,643,557.00

4

2

9

Atlanta

$34,652,234.00

9

3

3

Toronto

$32,385,182.00

10

0

5

Utah

$31,895,769.00

11

3

1

Denver

$31,776,000.00

9

2

4

New York

$30,372,607.00

6

0

8

Indiana

$30,139,491.00

9

2

4

Minnesota

$28,191,887.00

11

0

4

Phoenix

$26,856,859.00

8

2

4

Orlando

$26,834,775.00

9

1

4

Sacramento

$25,519,110.00

8

2

5

Milwaukee

$25,248,940.40

8

2

5

New Orleans

$22,431,197.00

7

2

7

OKC

$22,006,756.00

10

1

4

Chicago

$16,343,300.00

9

2

4

San Antonio

$15,309,766.00

6

2

7

Golden State

$10,987,516.00

6

2

7

Cleveland

$8,503,742.00

5

2

8

LA Clippers

$8,035,850.00

6

1

8

As you can see, once roster decisions noted above are made, several teams will actually have no cap space available at all. It is highly unlikely that any team from Oklahoma City and below will have any means available to them for improving their team, beyond exceptions and retaining their own free agents. As all of those teams are considered title contenders, their offseason options are limited. The teams chasing them will have the opportunity to build a contender rapidly, either through free agent signings or trades. Some clubs will potentially have space for up to two max contracts.

And therein lays the challenge with the 2016 offseason. While cap space is projected to be abundant; talent to spend that space on is not. RealGM maintains a very useful list of free agents that can be found here. A summarized list of major Unrestricted Free Agents basically boils down to Kevin Durant, Al Horford and Mike Conley Jr. All of those players can (and should) expect a maximum contract. Other potential Unrestricted Free Agents, pending option decisions, include DeMar DeRozan, Chandler Parsons, and Dwight Howard. LeBron James has a player option and will likely opt for free agency but the chances of him leaving Cleveland are essentially nil.

Where we can expect to see some extremely large offers made is in restricted free agency. RFAs include Bradley Beal, Andre Drummond, Evan Fournier and Harrison Barnes. There are several other RFAs on the market and due to the money available, they should net large contracts as well. This group includes Jared Sullinger, Dion Waiters, Terrance Jones, Donatas Motiejunas, Jordan Clarkson, Langston Galloway and Dewayne Dedmon.

For casual NBA fans, the contracts that will be agreed upon this summer will seem financially staggering, but it is time to begin mentally preparing for an eight-figure annual deal being the new norm. Even average players are going to start getting paid in a big way. In the minds of many, the NBA, due to its CBA and salary cap structure, has lagged behind the NFL and MLB in paying their players. After all, Stephen Curry is already a steal at just over $11 million this year and just over $12 million next year before he becomes a free agent in 2017.

Curry’s contract is already the biggest bargain in the NBA and that will look even more absurdly undervalued when the average salary approaches $10 million a season.

http://basketball.realgm.com/article/240096/The-Maximum-Available-2016-Cap-Space-For-All-30-NBA-Teams

[bwgood77]

No wonder Al Jefferson has been playing like poop. He's smoking weed...or worse. LOL.

http://basketball.realgm.com/wiretap/240094/Al-Jefferson-Suspended-Five-Games-For-Drug-Violation

Yeah, glad I have him on my fantasy team.

[RunDogGun]

Hot Rod died?

[8on]

not sure where the Hornacek/Nash/D'Antoni talk was, but this from Woj:

[tweet]https://twitter.com/WojYahooNBA/status/675549877070397440[/tweet]

the boys are back in town. certain Mike isn't a good fit with us, but....hey, good for Philly. what i'm stoked about is that it's yet another example, along with the Pelicans, Warriors, and others, of how widespread the influence of the SSOL Suns has been. Mike WASN'T a great coach (remember Mike "No D" Antoni), but because he was partly responsible for the kind of ball everyone is now trying to play, the Sixers' ownership is willing to give him a shot. i love it. #ssolallday

[RunDogGun]

Bucks win!

[thamadkant]

Bucks have long limbed players who can play multiple positions and guard shooters well... Just need a system and shooting to be a contender.

[sunskerr]

It's nice to see a former Sun (D'Antoni) getting a big job. Part of me thinks that what made him special is gone because every team now runs some form of his offense, in terms of the pace of the game. He certainly wasn't amazing when it came to things like minute management but he's very important now when it comes to basketball history.

Anyway, I had been thinking about the Golden State Warriors. It's quite strange to watch them because they remind me of what the Suns were and could have been. There's so much of the Suns' former top level guys on their squad.

Although it is strange, I can't help but feel good knowing these guys like Mike D'Antoni, Alvin Gentry and Steve Nash were all right about how to run an offense. Although the crowning piece of that "vindication" (to use Gentry's word for it) is their championship (which is pretty much the only way to get casual fans to acknowledge success), the fact that the pace of the league and 3 point attempts has increased beyond the SSOL Suns is the true measure of just how right Mike, Alvin and Steve were.

What do you guys think about that?

[8on]

http://basketball.realgm.com/wiretap/240153/Kerr-Stephen-Curry-Is-Like-Steve-Nash-On-Steroids

"He's doing things that nobody in the history of the game has ever done," Kerr said of Curry. "I told Steve Nash a few weeks ago, he's like Nash on steroids."

ehhhh.....i think people forget how Nashty #13 really was. is Steph the unbelievable playmaker that Steve was? no, i don't think so. the passes Steve used to make......Steph hasn't done that. he doesn't have to; he shoots from anywhere. but Steve turned Amar'e into a 25 pts/59% guy, one of the best scorers ever.

i don't know.....i think Steph and Steve or different, but i don't agree with this.

[lilfishi22]

http://basketball.realgm.com/wiretap/240153/Kerr-Stephen-Curry-Is-Like-Steve-Nash-On-Steroids

"He's doing things that nobody in the history of the game has ever done," Kerr said of Curry. "I told Steve Nash a few weeks ago, he's like Nash on steroids."

ehhhh.....i think people forget how Nashty #13 really was. is Steph the unbelievable playmaker that Steve was? no, i don't think so. the passes Steve used to make......Steph hasn't done that. he doesn't have to; he shoots from anywhere. but Steve turned Amar'e into a 25 pts/59% guy, one of the best scorers ever.

i don't know.....i think Steph and Steve or different, but i don't agree with this.

I could see where he's coming from. When he said he's like Nash on roids, he just means Steph is more exciting to watch by taking Nash's skills to the next level of excitement. He isn't the same calibre a playmaker and decision maker as Nash but his ball handling is flashier, his shot is insanely accurate, fast, he shoots it at a much higher volume and he's just a quicker player in general. Outside of Nash's flashier passing, the rest of Nash's game is pretty much excellent fundamentals.

[8on]

http://basketball.realgm.com/wiretap/240153/Kerr-Stephen-Curry-Is-Like-Steve-Nash-On-Steroids

"He's doing things that nobody in the history of the game has ever done," Kerr said of Curry. "I told Steve Nash a few weeks ago, he's like Nash on steroids."

ehhhh.....i think people forget how Nashty #13 really was. is Steph the unbelievable playmaker that Steve was? no, i don't think so. the passes Steve used to make......Steph hasn't done that. he doesn't have to; he shoots from anywhere. but Steve turned Amar'e into a 25 pts/59% guy, one of the best scorers ever.

i don't know.....i think Steph and Steve or different, but i don't agree with this.

I could see where he's coming from. When he said he's like Nash on roids, he just means Steph is more exciting to watch by taking Nash's skills to the next level of excitement. He isn't the same calibre a playmaker and decision maker as Nash but his ball handling is flashier, his shot is insanely accurate, fast, he shoots it at a much higher volume and he's just a quicker player in general. Outside of Nash's flashier passing, the rest of Nash's game is pretty much excellent fundamentals.

i think it speaks to the fact that even Steve Kerr might've forgotten about Steve Nashty. where Steph makes his impact felt by scoring, Steve made it by making his teammates better. i understand the comparison between Steph and Steve, but they were great in different ways. i just don't want people to forget how great Steve was, although Steph has been unquestionably phenomenal in his own way.

[lilfishi22]

The fact is, Steph is hottest thing in the NBA right now, he's also on his roster. Of course he'd talk him up. There are some great comparisons between the two though. Both are phenomenal shooters, both are flashy passers, both have elite handles and both make their team better (in different ways). Just so happens Steph is the darling of the NBA right now and he's doing some record setting things for himself and for the team.

Nash is and will always be my favourite player though. Steph just happens to be my favourite player to watch right now.

[8on]

The fact is, Steph is hottest thing in the NBA right now, he's also on his roster. Of course he'd talk him up. There are some great comparisons between the two though. Both are phenomenal shooters, both are flashy passers, both have elite handles and both make their team better (in different ways). Just so happens Steph is the darling of the NBA right now and he's doing some record setting things for himself and for the team.

Nash is and will always be my favourite player though. Steph just happens to be my favourite player to watch right now.

dig

[sunskerr]

Steph is just an amazing player. I sort of think of him as the scoring version of Steve Nash (who was a distributor). I remember watching him (Curry) in the 2013 playoffs and thinking "holy cow this guy is a lot like Steve". But Kerr is certainly right in that he's improved on Nash's scoring and shooting.