I guess it's that time of year already! I typically make this post after the NBA draft, but now that deals started pouring in over the weekend, I'm starting now and will just add draft day moves in here.
This will be constantly updated throughout the summer, so I'll be adding the latest news at the top to be readily available upon revisiting the page instead of always having to scroll down. Or in other words, it goes in chronological order from the bottom up.
As usual, players already under contract have their figures listed based on Keith Smith's work at Spotrac.com while salaries in bold italics are my own estimates based on reported numbers and the standard 5% or 8% raises that the teams could give. Salaries are also color coded if they are a player option, a team option, not fully guaranteed, or a "mutual option" (a player option that's not fully guaranteed) based on the reporting, with parentheses to credit whoever broke the news and when.
6/30 update: The NBA officially announced that the salary cap for this season is $164,961,000, which is slightly lower than the $165 million that was projected. The luxury tax line, First Apron, and Second Apron are subsequently $200,428,000, $209,015,000, and $221,686,000, respectively.
That means these are the maximum starting salaries and total possible contracts based on years of experience:
- 6 or fewer years (25% of the cap): $41,240,250 for up to 4 years, $177,333,075 with a new team or 5 years, $239,193,450 with their previous team.
- 7-9 years (30%): $49,488,300 for up to 4 years, $212,799,690 with a new team or 5 years, $287,032,140 with their previous team.
- 10+ years (35%): $57,736,350 for up to 4 years, $248,266,305 with a new team or 5 years, $334,870,830 with their previous team.
And the amount available for the various exceptions can go up to the following starting salaries and totals:
- Full Mid-Level Exception (MLE): $15,044,000 for up to 4 years, $64,689,200
- Taxpayer MLE: $6,064,000 for up to 2 years, $12,431,200
- Room Mid-Level Exception: $9,366,000 for up to 3 years, $29,502,900
- Bi-Annual Exception: $5,477,000 for up to 2 years, $11,227,850 (can only be used every other year)
- Minimum Exception: a $2,449,421 cap hit, aka the minimum for players with two years of experience, as long as it's a one year deal. The league subsidizes the cap hit and pays the difference between that and their actual salary that they earn based on years of experience.
Now back to the deals:
Williams re-signs with the Thunder: 1 year, $5 million (Haynes 7/2)
Anderson signs with the Raptors: 1 year, minimum contract (Shams 7/2)
Simons signs with the 76ers: 2 years, $12.3 million (Shams 7/2)
It looks like Simons is getting the rest of Philadelphia's MLE after Wade, and Ariel Hukporti's deal would be with the BAE. So if they are really pursuing LeBron, who overlapped with new top executive Gansey in Cleveland, it would have to be for the minimum or with something pretty creative. Teammates in Chicago at the end of last season, Simons and Sexton have been consistently mentioned as similar potential fits with teams as small scoring guards from the 2018 draft. Now both have had to take big discounts from their last contracts on 1+1 deals to try to rebuild their value on a playoff team before potentially hitting the market again next summer.
Simons had to settle for even less than what Sexton got yesterday, and according to both Stein and Siegel, his offers from the Warriors and Heat were even lower, likely the minimum. Now after the 76ers' big trade yesterday for Brown, they add his teammate from the start of last season as a key sixth man to backup Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe before rookie Labaron Philon is ready.
Bagley signs with the Nuggers: 1 year, likely minimum contract (Shams 7/1)
Dallas adds yet another front court player (Shams 7/1)
Mavericks receive:
Grizzlies receive:
I would guess that Dallas is using most of their $20.8 million Trade Exception from when they dealt Anthony Davis in order to take in Aldama's salary, and both Johnson and that 1st rounder were also from that trade. They have plenty of flexibility under the luxury tax to add salary, so it's a nice move to add the 25 year old who can do a little bit of everything as a stretch four.
I mentioned in the Morant trade section below that Memphis would create a small Trade Exception of about $4.3 million, and that will likely be put to use already here with Johnson's salary. That way, they create a bigger TPE worth all of Aldama's salary here to go with the $28.87 million one that they have from their Jackson trade in February. I previously thought that their trade for Stewart last week would involve the MLE, but it's more likely to be through this Aldama trade instead. John Hollinger pointed out that Stewart's unlikely bonuses mean that his salary won't actually fit into the MLE and thus would have required using a large chunk of the Jackson TPE.
Philly is Brown's shocking destination (Shams 7/1)
76ers receive:
2031 1st round pick
After dangling Brown in a trade offer for Giannis (and in past years for KD, AD, and a much younger PG13), it felt like things might have gone too far for Boston to bring him back into the fold, but after the talk was that they were seeking as many as four 1st round picks, this is a stunner. George has not lived up to his 35% max contract from two years ago, so the fact that Philadelphia was able to offload that and add an All-NBA player for just this package is incredible. Drafted with the #3 pick at this time 10 years ago, Brown is just two years removed from winning Finals MVP and Eastern Conference Finals MVP during Boston's championship run and is coming off of the best season of his career. For them to send him to a long-time division rival who just knocked them out of the playoffs when, by all accounts, he hasn't asked for a trade, is a already a tough pill for their fans to swallow even before considering this underwhelming return.
The details of the picks so far doesn't help things since both Shams and Fischer described the 2028 1st as "could convert to a swap that is more favorable to Boston" (word for word from probably the same source). The 76ers already owes a top-8 protected pick that year to the Nets from their trade for Harden but own the Clippers unprotected pick that year from when they dealt out Harden, so we'll see what exactly the language is written as here with any protections involved. The Celtics also owe a pick swap to the Spurs in that year, so the swap aspect here would likely come after that, if applicable. Update: Smith has the complicated details here. Basically, if the LA or Philly pick is in the top half of the draft, then Boston will swap up to that spot (after the San Antonio swap), but if both of those teams are in the bottom half of the draft, the Clippers' pick will go to the Celtics outright. Those are pretty favorable terms for the 76ers at first glance.
In any case, I'm still shocked that Boston pulled the trigger on such a light package, especially since George's contract is viewed has been viewed in such a negative light since he's started looking his age, which is now 36 aka 6.5 years older than Brown. I get wanting to get a player back that can help you try to still compete, but if you're getting so much less draft capital than what Leonard and Kessler just went for over the past day and a half, just swallow your pride and work things out with Brown.
Due to injuries and a 25 game suspension for "improper medication," George has only played in 89 total games (including the playoffs) over the past two years as a 76er, and his production dipped to levels from his early Pacer days when he first won Most Improved Player. Part of that was due to playing off of Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey, and the result was that almost half of his field goals were threes with only 2.7 free throw attempts per game. George made 37.5% of the 6.7 long balls per game over that span to average 16.7 points, 5.3 rebounds, 4 assists, and 1.8 steals against 2.2 turnovers while still making an impact on defense as usual. He did look refreshed after his suspension to average 21 points behind 41.5% three point shooting on 8.2 attempts over the final 10 games before making 49.3% of his 6.5 threes per game in the playoffs. Having no hesitation to launch that many attempts will fit right in with this Celtics team, but while he could provide better secondary playmaking than Brown, it just doesn't seem likely that George can still dial up the scoring punch that they'll need anymore.
Although Jayson Tatum made a wildly impressive return just 11 months after tearing his right Achilles, his health will still be a question mark after playing just 16 regular season games and 6 in the playoffs before missing the crucial Game 7 against these 76ers with left knee stiffness. Brown just averaged 28.7 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 5.1 assists, albeit with 3.6 turnovers, (all career-highs) on 47.7%/34.7%/79.5% shooting to lead the Celtics to 56 wins and the #2 seed despite Tatum's absence and the losses of Holiday, Porzingis, and Horford. Yes, he is owed a ton of money and may want an extension for even more when eligible later this month, but he was a foundational part of winning a ton of games this past decade.
The 76ers will happily take that contract that goes one further year than the older George's. Pundits theorized that they would have to attach a 1st rounder just to get off of that salary, so in a way, they're only giving up one other 1st (which may end up a swap) and a couple of upside 2nd rounders to add Brown. Whether or not Embiid can stay healthy will always be a question, but now if he's out, they still have another All-NBA player in his prime to go with Maxey and rising star VJ Edgecombe. The top of the East is in flux with so many teams making moves, but you'd imagine that this new-look Philly team will be among the top contenders.
