RealGM Analysis
As a followup to previous looks at cap space of the summer of 2016, here and here, this is an updated look now that things have more or less settled in.
The cap is scheduled to make the first of two large jumps this offseason. The cap is currently set at $70 million for 15-16 and will increase to $92 million for 16-17 and then to $108 million for 17-18.
As the cap increases, it resets all contract values relative to the portion of the cap they now encompass.
Stephen Curry, who is currently being paid just over $11 million and is an incredible value, becomes an absurd value next year at just over $12 million. Salaries of at least an average value of $10 million dollars will become commonplace and that amount may even approach the average salary.
A few items have crystallized since the last time we looked at cap space:
- The NBA Draft Lottery took place and all teams are now settled into their slots
- All-NBA and All-Defense awards were announced, impacting the cap situation for a few players and teams:
- Damian Lillard did make the All-NBA team does qualify for the Rose Rule. However, Lillard and the Trail Blazers agreed to split the difference and he is signing for 27.5% instead of 30%.
- Anthony Davis did not make the All-NBA team and does not qualify for the 5th Year 30% Max Critera, commonly known as the Rose Rule.
- Andrew Bogut did not make the All-Defense team and thus his salary was reduced by approximately $1.6 million for next season.
The tables below represent each team’s starting cap space, maximum available cap space, and projected cap space to start the offseason. There are a couple of qualifiers:
- Starting cap space assumes that all options will be declined, but that all cap holds are retained, all partial/non-guaranteed players are kept and all qualifying offers are issued.
- Maximum cap space assumes that there are no cap holds for FAs or Draft Picks, and all partial/non-guaranteed players are waived.
- Projected cap space is the projection of what players teams will retain cap holds for, renounce, waive, and not waive.
|
Team |
Starting |
Maximum |
Projected |
Guaranteed Contracts |
Partial/Non-Guaranteed Contracts |
Potential |
|
Atlanta |
$ (2,445,814) |
$ 38,124,459 |
$ 12,024,877 |
8 |
2 |
5 |
|
Boston |
$ 14,532,085 |
$ 56,397,958 |
$ 14,532,085 |
9 |
3 |
3 |
|
Brooklyn |
$ 23,150,739 |
$ 42,055,930 |
$ 34,896,013 |
6 |
1 |
8 |
|
Charlotte |
$(23,743,182) |
$ 42,830,474 |
$(20,566,624) |
6 |
1 |
8 |
|
Chicago |
$(11,053,540) |
$ 26,097,124 |
$(11,053,540) |
9 |
2 |
4 |
|
Cleveland |
$(35,100,819) |
$ 13,601,688 |
$(33,349,160) |
6 |
2 |
7 |
|
Dallas |
$ (1,193,836) |
$ 59,230,396 |
$ 25,102,230 |
5 |
2 |
8 |
|
Denver |
$ 16,926,596 |
$ 34,776,000 |
$ 18,887,458 |
9 |
3 |
3 |
|
Detroit |
$ (2,101,109) |
$ 24,748,702 |
$ 12,067,192 |
8 |
4 |
3 |
|
Golden State |
$(16,030,972) |
$ 17,408,237 |
$(12,650,541) |
6 |
1 |
8 |
|
Houston |
$ (7,034,814) |
$ 44,227,808 |
$ (7,034,814) |
8 |
2 |
5 |
|
Indiana |
$ 15,750,713 |
$ 33,139,581 |
$ 20,550,713 |
9 |
2 |
4 |
|
LA Clippers |
$(26,651,021) |
$ 11,035,849 |
$(20,328,577) |
6 |
1 |
8 |
|
LA Lakers |
$ (1,777,253) |
$ 65,613,020 |
$ 51,872,502 |
6 |
0 |
9 |
|
Memphis |
$ (9,126,196) |
$ 41,032,020 |
$ (6,831,196) |
6 |
3 |
7 |
|
Miami |
$(11,743,015) |
$ 39,424,898 |
$ 37,907,307 |
4 |
2 |
9 |
|
Milwaukee |
$ (5,732,206) |
$ 28,248,938 |
$ 21,048,225 |
8 |
2 |
5 |
|
Minnesota |
$ 19,743,046 |
$ 29,962,303 |
$ 27,278,674 |
11 |
1 |
2 |
|
New Orleans |
$(26,346,500) |
$ 24,781,447 |
$ 7,239,032 |
7 |
3 |
8 |
|
New York |
$ 8,185,793 |
$ 33,372,607 |
$ 30,046,625 |
6 |
1 |
8 |
|
OKC |
$(23,255,738) |
$ 25,006,757 |
$(22,275,307) |
10 |
1 |
4 |
|
Orlando |
$ (2,413,740) |
$ 53,354,805 |
$ 27,392,205 |
7 |
2 |
5 |
|
Philadelphia |
$ 43,386,832 |
$ 61,220,813 |
$ 46,351,567 |
6 |
4 |
5 |
|
Phoenix |
$ 15,791,584 |
$ 36,713,388 |
$ 21,547,684 |
7 |
3 |
4 |
|
Portland |
$ (6,714,586) |
$ 40,040,003 |
$ 14,358,236 |
7 |
2 |
6 |
|
Sacramento |
$ 9,814,042 |
$ 28,519,110 |
$ 11,486,742 |
8 |
1 |
6 |
|
San Antonio |
$ (7,047,769) |
$ 18,309,765 |
$ (310,549) |
6 |
2 |
7 |
|
Toronto |
$ (9,224,030) |
$ 21,003,159 |
$ (9,224,030) |
10 |
0 |
5 |
|
Utah |
$ 22,799,849 |
$ 34,895,769 |
$ 22,799,849 |
11 |
3 |
1 |
|
Washington |
$(11,954,731) |
$ 43,103,848 |
$ 29,410,634 |
5 |
2 |
8 |
Sorted by Starting Cap Space (most to least):
|
Team |
Starting |
|
Philadelphia |
$ 43,386,832 |
|
Brooklyn |
$ 23,150,739 |
|
Utah |
$ 22,799,849 |
|
Minnesota |
$ 19,743,046 |
|
Denver |
$ 16,926,596 |
|
Phoenix |
$ 15,791,584 |
|
Indiana |
$ 15,750,713 |
|
Boston |
$ 14,532,085 |
|
Sacramento |
$ 9,814,042 |
|
New York |
$ 8,185,793 |
|
Dallas |
$ (1,193,836) |
|
LA Lakers |
$ (1,777,253) |
|
Detroit |
$ (2,101,109) |
|
Orlando |
$ (2,413,740) |
|
Atlanta |
$ (2,445,814) |
|
Milwaukee |
$ (5,732,206) |
|
Portland |
$ (6,714,586) |
|
Houston |
$ (7,034,814) |
|
San Antonio |
$ (7,047,769) |
|
Memphis |
$ (9,126,196) |
|
Toronto |
$ (9,224,030) |
|
Chicago |
$(11,053,540) |
|
Miami |
$(11,743,015) |
|
Washington |
$(11,954,731) |
|
Golden State |
$(16,030,972) |
|
Oklahoma City |
$(23,255,738) |
|
Charlotte |
$(23,743,182) |
|
New Orleans |
$(26,346,500) |
|
LA Clippers |
$(26,651,021) |
|
Cleveland |
$(35,100,819) |
Sorted by Maximum Cap Space (most to least):
|
Team |
Maximum |
|
LA Lakers |
$65,613,020 |
|
Philadelphia |
$61,220,813 |
|
Dallas |
$59,230,396 |
|
Boston |
$56,397,958 |
|
Orlando |
$53,354,805 |
|
Houston |
$44,227,808 |
|
Washington |
$43,103,848 |
|
Charlotte |
$42,830,474 |
|
Brooklyn |
$42,055,930 |
|
Memphis |
$41,032,020 |
|
Portland |
$40,040,003 |
|
Miami |
$39,424,898 |
|
Atlanta |
$38,124,459 |
|
Phoenix |
$36,713,388 |
|
Utah |
$34,895,769 |
|
Denver |
$34,776,000 |
|
New York |
$33,372,607 |
|
Indiana |
$33,139,581 |
|
Minnesota |
$29,962,303 |
|
Sacramento |
$28,519,110 |
|
Milwaukee |
$28,248,938 |
|
Chicago |
$26,097,124 |
|
Oklahoma City |
$25,006,757 |
|
New Orleans |
$24,781,447 |
|
Detroit |
$24,748,702 |
|
Toronto |
$21,003,159 |
|
San Antonio |
$18,309,765 |
|
Golden State |
$17,408,237 |
|
Cleveland |
$13,601,688 |
|
LA Clippers |
$11,035,849 |
Sorted by Projected Cap Space (most to least):
|
Team |
Projected |
|
LA Lakers |
$ 51,872,502 |
|
Philadelphia |
$ 46,351,567 |
|
Miami |
$ 37,907,307 |
|
Brooklyn |
$ 34,896,013 |
|
New York |
$ 30,046,625 |
|
Washington |
$ 29,410,634 |
|
Orlando |
$ 27,392,205 |
|
Minnesota |
$ 27,278,674 |
|
Dallas |
$ 25,102,230 |
|
Utah |
$ 22,799,849 |
|
Phoenix |
$ 21,547,684 |
|
Milwaukee |
$ 21,048,225 |
|
Indiana |
$ 20,550,713 |
|
Denver |
$ 18,887,458 |
|
Boston |
$ 14,532,085 |
|
Portland |
$ 14,358,236 |
|
Detroit |
$ 12,067,192 |
|
Atlanta |
$ 12,024,877 |
|
Sacramento |
$ 11,486,742 |
|
New Orleans |
$ 7,239,032 |
|
San Antonio |
$ (310,549) |
|
Memphis |
$ (6,831,196) |
|
Houston |
$ (7,034,814) |
|
Toronto |
$ (9,224,030) |
|
Chicago |
$(11,053,540) |
|
Golden State |
$(12,650,541) |
|
LA Clippers |
$(20,328,577) |
|
Charlotte |
$(20,566,624) |
|
Oklahoma City |
$(22,275,307) |
|
Cleveland |
$(33,349,160) |
As with the previous examinations at cap space this summer, several teams will start assured of having cap space. They’ll be joined by several more as roster decisions are made leading up to the summer. With so much available cap space, the free agent and trade markets will be more active than usual. With Boston, Denver and Philadelphia each holding multiple picks, things could pick up as soon as the NBA Draft. And, once again, start resetting your expectations now as to what constitutes a “good” contract as everything is about to change.
