Friday, July 1, 2016

NBA Free Agency Tracker





There's an old saying about basketball: "Ball don't sleep".

As of late, those words have come to fruition.
Within a span of twelve days, we've crowned a new champion, welcomed a new draft class, and have now started free agency. In the heart of baseball season and football season inching closer and closer, what fantastic scheduling for the NBA to keep basketball on the minds of people across the sports world. Not to mention, NBA Summer League starts July 2nd. 

However it's time for the circus of basketball: NBA Free Agency. You have the traditional clowns that shell money out to players who don't deserve it with teams jumping through hoops in hopes of landing their championship piece, all in the midst of chaos. 

Will Kevin Durant bolt and leave the Thunder? Is this the year LA and New York regain momentum as prime destinations? Who can jockey their team back into serious title talk? Every question deserves an answer, and the summer of 2016 will speak anytime now. 

NBA Free Agency is officially underway, and here's what you need to know:

  • The Salary Cap- For 2016, the cap for the league is at $94.1 million, a $24 million jump from last year's $70 million cap. This means teams like the Lakers, who have $60 million in cap space, could essentially sign two players to a max-deal. In comparison, a team like the Clippers, who have a mere $15 million in cap space, will struggle to lure any big name players worth those pennies.

  • When Can Deals Become Official?- Although Free Agency technically started at 12:01 AM eastern time on Friday, deals cannot become official until July 7. Although most times deals are verbally agreed and kept well before the deadline, it is important to note that a deal is not official until ink hits the dotted line (i.e. google search DeAndre Jordan during last year's free agency). 

  • What is a max deal?- "The maximum amount of money a player can sign for is based on the number of years that player has played and the total of the salary cap. The maximum salary of a player with 6 or fewer years of experience is either $9,000,000 or 25% of the total salary cap (2013–14: $14,670,000), whichever is greater. For a player with 7–9 years of experience, the maximum is $11,000,000 or 30% of the cap (2013–14: $17,603,700), and for a player with 10+ years of experience, the maximum is $14,000,000 or 35% of the cap (2013–2014: $20,537,650).[14] There is an exception to this rule: a player is able to sign a contract for 105% of his previous contract, even if the new contract is higher than the league limit." - Wikipedia 
  For this offseason, the max contract for a veteran of 10+ years will be starting at $30.8 million per year.


  • Players WILL be overpaid- Basketball money is ridiculous, and the contracts show it. Every year, there's always a handful of players that receive more money than the general managers of social media believe they should've gotten. Teams need to spend their money, and when you have an excess of cash with fewer options (let's just pick a random franchise: The Los Angeles Lakers) you're forced to pay more than other teams would. 

Signed Players:

These are players who have officially signed contracts with their respective clubs. Unsigned players and players with a current offer-sheet that can still be matched are not included. This list is organized by position, and followed by total dollar amount of contract.


Point Guards
Mike Conley- Memphis Grizzlies- 5 years, $153 million
Matthe Dellavedova- Milwaukee Bucks- 4 years, $38.4 million
Jeremy Lin- Brooklyn Nets- 3 years, $36 million
Austin Rivers- Los Angeles Clippers- 3 years, $35 million
D.J. Augustin- Orlando Magic- 4 years, $29 million
Rajon Rondo- Chicago Bulls- 2 years, $28 million
Jerryd Bayless- Philadelphia 76ers- 3 years, $27 million 
Ish Smith- Detroit Pistons- 3 years, $18 million
Ramon Sessions- Charlotte Hornets- 2 years, $12.5 million
Deron Williams- Dallas Mavericks- 1 year, $10 million
Langston Galloway- New Orleans Pelicans- 2 year, $10 million
Seth Curry- Dallas Mavericks- 2 years, $6 million
Brandon Jennings- New York Knicks- 1 year, $5 million


Shooting Guards
Demar Derozan- Toronto Rapters- 5 years, $139 million
Bradley Beal- Washington Wizards- 5 years, $128 million
Evan Fournier- Orlando Magic- 5 years, $85 million
Allen Crabbe- Portland Trail Blazers- 4 years, $75 million
Kent Bazemore- Atlanta Hawks- 4 years, $70 million
Eric Gordon- Houston Rockets- 4 year, $53 million
Jordan Clarkson- Los Angeles Lakers- 4 years, $50 million
Tyler Johnson- Miami Heat- 4 years, $50 million
Courtney Lee- New York Knicks- 4 years, $48 million
Dwayne Wade- Chicago Bulls- 2 years, $47.5 million
Jamal Crawford- Los Angeles Clippers- 3 years, $42 million
Arron Afflalo- Sacremento Kings- 2 years, $25 million
Joe Johnson- Utah Jazz- 2 years, $22 million
Gerald Henderson- Philadelphia 76ers- 2 years, $18 million
Manu Ginobili- San Antonio Spurs- 1 year, $14 million Leandro Barbosa- Phoenix Suns- 2 years, $8 million


Small Forwards 
Nicolas Batum- Charlotte Hornets- 5 years, $120 million
Lebron James- Cleveland Cavaliers- 3 years, $100 million
Chandler Parsons- Memphis Grizzlies- 4 years, $94 million
Harrison Barnes- Dallas Mavericks- 4 years, $94 million
Luol Deng- Los Angeles Lakers- 4 years, $72 million
Evan Turner- Portland Trail Blazers- 4 years, $70 million
Marvin Williams- Charlotte Hornets- 4 years, $54.5 million
Kevin Durant- Golden State Warriors- 2 years, $54 million
Solomon Hill- New Orleans Pelicans- 4 years, $52 million 
Jared Dudley- Phoenix Suns- 3 year, $30 million
Wesley Johnson- Los Angeles Clippers- 3 years, $18 million
Festus Ezeli- Portland Trail Blazers- 2 years, $15 million
Jeff Green- Orlando Magic- 1 year, $15 million
Matt Barnes- Sacramento Kings- 2 years, $12 million
Richard Jefferson- Cleveland Cavaliers- 2 years, $5 million

Power Forwards
Ryan Anderson- Houston Rockets- 4 years, $80 million
Jon Leuer- Detroit Pistons- 4 years, $42 million
Meyers Leonard- Portland Trail Blazers- 4 years, $41 million
Dirk Nowitzki- Dallas Mavericks- 2 years, $40 million
Dwight Powell- Dallas Mavericks- 4 years, $37 million
Pau Gasol- San Antonio Spurs- 2 years, $30+ million 
Mirza Teletovic- Milwaukee Bucks- 3 years, $30 million
Darrell Arthur- Denver Nuggets- 3 years, $23 million
Trevor Booker- Brooklyn Nets- 2 years, $18 million
Jason Smith- Washington Wizards- 3 years, $16 million
Jared Sullinger- Toronto Rapters- 1 year, $6 million
Derrick Williams- Miami Heat- 1 year, $5 million
David West- Golden State Warriors- 1 year, $1.29 million
James McAdoo- Golden State Warriors- 1 year, $980,000


Centers
Andre Drummond- Detroit Pistons- 5 years, $130 million
Al Horford- Boston Celtics- 4 years, $113 million
Hassan Whiteside- Miami Heat- 4 years, $98 million
Joakim Noah- New York Knicks- 4 years, $72 million
Dwight Howard- Atlanta Hawks- 3 years, $70.5 million
Bismack Biyombo- Orlando Magic- 4 years, $70 million
Ian Mahinmi- Washington Wizards- 4 years, $64 million
Timofey Mozgov- Los Angeles Lakers- 4 years, $64 million
Al Jefferson- Indiana Pacers- 3 years, $30 million
Cole Aldrich- Minnesota Timberwolves- 3 years, $22 million
Boban Marjanovic- Detroit Pistons- 3 years, $21 million
Jordan Hill- Minnesota Timberwolves- 2 years, $8 million Roy Hibbert- Charlotte Hornets- 1 year, $5 million
Nene- Houston Rockets- 1 year, $2.9 million
Zaza Pachulia- Golden State Warriors- $2.9 million
Marreese Speights- Los Angeles Clippers- $1.4 million