The NBA just completed the most hectic trade deadline day in league history. There were 16 trades made, involving 23 teams and 46 players. Multiple future draft picks also changed hands.
While some teams remade themselves for playoff runs this year, only a small handful changed their salary cap projections for the summer of 2021. Pre-deadline, nine teams projected to have cap space with five teams having space for at least one max contract. Post-deadline, those numbers dropped to seven teams with projected space and five with room for at least one max contract.
The free agent class isn’t expected to be a strong one, but there are a few gems. Some of the best players are restricted free agents, so that could make for an interesting offer sheet market this summer. And with a few teams (Oklahoma City, New Orleans and Houston) holding significant draft capital in future years, it could be a very active trade market as well.
A few notes on the projections in the tables:
- The current cap projection of just over $112 million is used. This represents the minimum three percent growth as agreed to by the NBA and NBPA.
- Rookie Scale, Minimum Scale and Exceptions all bump up accordingly by the percentage of the cap increase.
- Projections are made on which options will be picked up (both player and team), and which partial/non-guaranteed players will be waived or kept.
- Draft Pick Cap Holds are factored in based on projected 2021 order of finish by 538.
- Starting Cap Space = the amount of space each team will have without renouncing or waiving any players/picks. Projected 2021 draft picks not included.
- Maximum Cap Space = the amount of space each team could have if they waived or renounced all players/picks who are not fully guaranteed.
- Projected Cap Space = the amount of space each team is projected to have after roster decisions are made.
Starting Cap Space
|
Team |
Starting |
|
Oklahoma City |
$ (5,110,649) |
|
New York |
$ (5,518,306) |
|
Cleveland |
$ (6,950,846) |
|
Sacramento |
$ (7,201,938) |
|
Memphis |
$ (10,278,404) |
|
Detroit |
$ (11,775,142) |
|
Charlotte |
$ (21,302,424) |
|
Phoenix |
$ (25,587,632) |
|
Indiana |
$ (29,314,875) |
|
Atlanta |
$ (31,473,069) |
|
Orlando |
$ (37,786,757) |
|
Houston |
$ (40,150,566) |
|
Dallas |
$ (41,364,099) |
|
New Orleans |
$ (42,726,930) |
|
LA Clippers |
$ (46,470,060) |
|
Portland |
$ (50,526,428) |
|
Denver |
$ (52,346,369) |
|
Chicago |
$ (52,454,054) |
|
LA Lakers |
$ (52,998,707) |
|
Philadelphia |
$ (53,108,357) |
|
Boston |
$ (54,508,515) |
|
Toronto |
$ (57,174,236) |
|
Milwaukee |
$ (59,273,887) |
|
Minnesota |
$ (59,370,868) |
|
San Antonio |
$ (59,797,260) |
|
Washington |
$ (66,554,955) |
|
Utah |
$ (67,092,307) |
|
Brooklyn |
$ (71,035,110) |
|
Golden State |
$ (85,276,523) |
|
Miami |
$ (85,810,650) |
Maximum Cap Space
|
Team |
Maximum |
|
New York |
$ 72,794,572 |
|
Oklahoma City |
$ 61,434,251 |
|
San Antonio |
$ 51,807,340 |
|
Dallas |
$ 35,357,351 |
|
Toronto |
$ 34,212,605 |
|
Chicago |
$ 33,006,870 |
|
Charlotte |
$ 30,009,634 |
|
Miami |
$ 28,104,730 |
|
Memphis |
$ 27,477,952 |
|
Cleveland |
$ 21,823,332 |
|
Detroit |
$ 21,458,119 |
|
Atlanta |
$ 21,147,489 |
|
New Orleans |
$ 19,057,594 |
|
Houston |
$ 17,866,765 |
|
Orlando |
$ 15,937,793 |
|
Sacramento |
$ 10,680,096 |
|
Denver |
$ 9,288,969 |
|
Portland |
$ 9,060,415 |
|
LA Clippers |
$ 8,480,142 |
|
Milwaukee |
$ 1,653,188 |
|
LA Lakers |
$ (4,336,563) |
|
Indiana |
$ (6,132,545) |
|
Washington |
$ (9,220,691) |
|
Philadelphia |
$ (10,157,116) |
|
Phoenix |
$ (15,190,095) |
|
Minnesota |
$ (17,137,029) |
|
Utah |
$ (20,081,227) |
|
Boston |
$ (20,770,977) |
|
Golden State |
$ (45,357,606) |
|
Brooklyn |
$ (46,385,434) |
Projected Cap Space
|
Team |
Projected |
|
New York |
$ 53,161,418 |
|
Oklahoma City |
$ 51,360,447 |
|
San Antonio |
$ 47,661,358 |
|
Dallas |
$ 34,480,552 |
|
Toronto |
$ 28,403,333 |
|
Charlotte |
$ 24,154,475 |
|
Detroit |
$ 13,948,289 |
|
Cleveland |
$ (12,977) |
|
Memphis |
$ (3,823,688) |
|
Sacramento |
$ (11,320,956) |
|
Phoenix |
$ (27,596,672) |
|
Indiana |
$ (28,599,842) |
|
Atlanta |
$ (33,972,699) |
|
New Orleans |
$ (46,881,330) |
|
LA Clippers |
$ (47,117,640) |
|
Chicago |
$ (47,300,684) |
|
Portland |
$ (50,526,428) |
|
Orlando |
$ (50,869,757) |
|
LA Lakers |
$ (52,052,467) |
|
Houston |
$ (53,853,126) |
|
Denver |
$ (54,515,129) |
|
Philadelphia |
$ (55,132,157) |
|
Boston |
$ (57,168,075) |
|
Milwaukee |
$ (59,273,887) |
|
Utah |
$ (69,086,827) |
|
Minnesota |
$ (69,420,988) |
|
Miami |
$ (70,750,650) |
|
Washington |
$ (72,542,955) |
|
Brooklyn |
$ (73,131,990) |
|
Golden State |
$ (85,241,180) |