RealGM Analysis
With most of the big spending done for the 17-18 season, it is time to begin projecting cap space for the summer of 2018. There are still team options to be picked up on rookie scale contracts and extensions worked out for other players who are in the fourth year of their rookie deal, but the cap picture is coming into place.
Overall, the NBA is settling back into its normal cap environment. Approximately 80 percent of the league will be over the cap. The cap spike that caused multiple teams to have copious amounts of cap space each summer from 2015 through 2017 has now flattened out. Large contracts having been handed out over the previous three years, combined with the cap flattening and the increase in rookie scale deals, will see the NBA back to its regular state.
As it was before the spike, a handful of teams will be angling towards cap space. This year that group projections to include the Los Angeles Lakers, who haven’t been overly transparent in their plans to pursue LeBron James and Paul George as free agents, see the $500,000 fine for tampering. The Chicago Bulls and Dallas Mavericks similarly seem to be setting up to be a part of this exclusive club for the summer of 2018 as well.
In addition, for the first time in years, no team is guaranteed to start the summer with at least some cap space. In recent years, Brooklyn and Philadelphia have been virtual locks to have space to start out the summer. With both franchises having made trades, signings and, in the case of the 76ers, made high draft picks, they are positioned to start the summer over the cap.
A few notes on the projections in the tables:
- Latest cap projection of $102 million is used.
- Rookie Scale, Minimum Scale and Exceptions all bump up accordingly with percentage of the cap increase.
- Projections are made on which options will be picked up, both player and team.
- No extension projections are made.
- Cap holds for first round draft picks have been added to Projected Cap Space but not to Starting Cap Space.
- Starting Cap Space = the amount of space each team will have without renouncing or waiving any players/picks.
- 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.
|
Team |
Starting |
Maximum |
Projected |
|
Atlanta |
$(2,769,282) |
$44,051,771 |
$14,510,343 |
|
Boston |
$(30,520,894) |
$1,371,874 |
$(26,005,427) |
|
Brooklyn |
(8,056,642) |
$37,874,757 |
$(4,384,518) |
|
Charlotte |
$(28,748,823) |
$(13,268,035) |
$(29,444,411) |
|
Chicago |
$(2,434,244) |
$60,232,538 |
$37,631,336 |
|
Cleveland |
$(68,196,323) |
$21,900,115 |
$(63,630,868) |
|
Dallas |
$(23,223,672) |
$52,175,118 |
$18,705,345 |
|
Denver |
$(12,797,776) |
$49,074,668 |
$(6,004,201) |
|
Detroit |
$(27,683,356) |
$2,754,401 |
$(18,594,048) |
|
Golden State |
$(60,278,505) |
$(3,583,756) |
$(57,122,140) |
|
Houston |
$(46,068,886) |
$18,839,300 |
$(41,034,033) |
|
Indiana |
$(7,087,903) |
$57,190,878 |
$47,264,315 |
|
LA Clippers |
$(52,805,592) |
$38,163,626 |
$(40,843,767) |
|
LA Lakers |
$(41,515,972) |
$49,948,102 |
$36,152,225 |
|
Memphis |
$(30,176,696) |
$5,938,688 |
$(19,803,669) |
|
Miami |
$(24,026,026) |
$(5,986,994) |
$(22,503,353) |
|
Milwaukee |
$(43,491,955) |
$12,407,293 |
$(40,469,068) |
|
Minnesota |
$(24,419,820) |
$21,422,715 |
$(24,547,498) |
|
New Orleans |
$(34,145,989) |
$6,225,151 |
$(29,870,527) |
|
New York |
$(28,890,347) |
$30,637,435 |
$(20,480,571) |
|
Oklahoma City |
$(63,519,582) |
$44,245,068 |
$(52,256,334) |
|
Orlando |
$(25,607,325) |
$21,461,177 |
$(24,779,630) |
|
Philadelphia |
$(14,891,561) |
$75,788,326 |
$(18,562,457) |
|
Phoenix |
$(1,001,460) |
$36,646,315 |
$(8,979,900) |
|
Portland |
$(47,810,695) |
$(11,814,194) |
$(48,016,425) |
|
Sacramento |
$(356,624) |
$43,595,139 |
$(11,947,037) |
|
San Antonio |
$(53,703,846) |
$41,604,178 |
$(44,482,010) |
|
Toronto |
$(44,331,083) |
$(13,494,109) |
$(35,964,192) |
|
Utah |
$(37,206,213) |
$18,293,131 |
$(37,620,825) |
|
Washington |
$(46,905,814) |
$(14,885,577) |
$(35,612,408) |
Sorted by Starting Cap Space
|
Team |
Starting |
|
Sacramento |
$(356,624) |
|
Phoenix |
$(1,001,460) |
|
Chicago |
$(2,434,244) |
|
Atlanta |
$(2,769,282) |
|
Indiana |
$(7,087,903) |
|
Brooklyn |
$(8,056,642) |
|
Denver |
$(12,797,776) |
|
Philadelphia |
$(14,891,561) |
|
Dallas |
$(23,223,672) |
|
Miami |
$(24,026,026) |
|
Minnesota |
$(24,419,820) |
|
Orlando |
$(25,607,325) |
|
Detroit |
$(27,683,356) |
|
Charlotte |
$(28,748,823) |
|
New York |
$(28,890,347) |
|
Memphis |
$(30,176,696) |
|
Boston |
$(30,520,894) |
|
New Orleans |
$(34,145,989) |
|
Utah |
$(37,206,213) |
|
LA Lakers |
$(41,515,972) |
|
Milwaukee |
$(43,491,955) |
|
Toronto |
$(44,331,083) |
|
Houston |
$(46,068,886) |
|
Washington |
$(46,905,814) |
|
Portland |
$(47,810,695) |
|
LA Clippers |
$(52,805,592) |
|
San Antonio |
$(53,703,846) |
|
Golden State |
$(60,278,505) |
|
OKC |
$(63,519,582) |
|
Cleveland |
$(68,196,323) |
Sorted by Maximum Cap Space
|
Team |
Maximum |
|
Philadelphia |
$75,788,326 |
|
Chicago |
$60,232,538 |
|
Indiana |
$57,190,878 |
|
Dallas |
$52,175,118 |
|
LA Lakers |
$49,948,102 |
|
Denver |
$49,074,668 |
|
OKC |
$44,245,068 |
|
Atlanta |
$44,051,771 |
|
Sacramento |
$43,595,139 |
|
San Antonio |
$41,604,178 |
|
LA Clippers |
$38,163,626 |
|
Brooklyn |
$37,874,757 |
|
Phoenix |
$36,646,315 |
|
New York |
$30,637,435 |
|
Cleveland |
$21,900,115 |
|
Orlando |
$21,461,177 |
|
Minnesota |
$21,422,715 |
|
Houston |
$18,839,300 |
|
Utah |
$18,293,131 |
|
Milwaukee |
$12,407,293 |
|
New Orleans |
$6,225,151 |
|
Memphis |
$5,938,688 |
|
Detroit |
$2,754,401 |
|
Boston |
$1,371,874 |
|
Golden State |
$(3,583,756) |
|
Miami |
$(5,986,994) |
|
Portland |
$(11,814,194) |
|
Charlotte |
$(13,268,035) |
|
Toronto |
$(13,494,109) |
|
Washington |
$(14,885,577) |
Sorted by Projected Cap Space
|
Team |
Projected |
|
Indiana |
$47,264,315 |
|
Chicago |
$37,631,336 |
|
LA Lakers |
$36,152,225 |
|
Dallas |
$18,705,345 |
|
Atlanta |
$14,510,343 |
|
Brooklyn |
$(4,384,518) |
|
Denver |
$(6,004,201) |
|
Phoenix |
$(8,979,900) |
|
Sacramento |
$(11,947,037) |
|
Philadelphia |
$(18,562,457) |
|
Detroit |
$(18,594,048) |
|
Memphis |
$(19,803,669) |
|
New York |
$(20,480,571) |
|
Miami |
$(22,503,353) |
|
Minnesota |
$(24,547,498) |
|
Orlando |
$(24,779,630) |
|
Boston |
$(26,005,427) |
|
Charlotte |
$(29,444,411) |
|
New Orleans |
$(29,870,527) |
|
Washington |
$(35,612,408) |
|
Toronto |
$(35,964,192) |
|
Utah |
$(37,620,825) |
|
Milwaukee |
$(40,469,068) |
|
LA Clippers |
$(40,843,767) |
|
Houston |
$(41,034,033) |
|
San Antonio |
$(44,482,010) |
|
Portland |
$(48,016,425) |
|
OKC |
$(52,256,334) |
|
Golden State |
$(57,122,140) |
|
Cleveland |
$(63,630,868) |
