Through two days of the insane free-agent bonanza of The New Cap Era in the NBA, the Toronto Raptors have mostly been quiet. They re-signed DeMar DeRozan and watched Bismack Biyombo leave, entirely expected moves. And, entirely as expected, they’ve been quiet otherwise. With limited cap resources and the need to potentially leverage the trade market to clear space or land an asset – a trade market that doesn’t open up until July 7 – the Raptors were always likely to be quiet this weekend.
Still, the stagnancy is wearing on some. I understand the impatience, but this is how things were always likely to play out. And it’s July 3.
Some notes, and the MLE market
*The Raptors will receive an estimated $2.5M in luxury tax pay-outs from the 2015-16 season.
*The NBA confirmed its salary cap is set at $94.143M for next season, with a $113.287M luxury tax, $117.287M apron level, and $84.729M floor. These are all almost identical to the estimates we’ve been using in our analysis here, and it means DeMar DeRozan’s first-year salary could come in as high as $26.54M (I have it estimated at $24M below, as that’s the amount at which he’d hit $138M total with the maximum allowable annual raise).
*Teams have spent an estimated $2.45B over 43 contracts.
*Shockingly, by my estimates, teams as a whole are still about $245M below cap floors, with 86 roster spots still open. There’s also about $552M in cap space, ignoring cap holds and exceptions teams can use to exceed the cap.
*What all of this adds up to is that the market is insane. We knew that already, though. What hasn’t become clear yet is the type of player who may be available in Toronto’s salary range. The Raptors can have $5.76M in cap space or the $5.63M mid-level exception if they choose to stay over it (there’s a reasonable argument to be made for doing so), and barring a trade to unload salary, that’s the most they’ll be able to offer a free agent in Year One of a deal.
Here are the players who have signed roughly in that range: Ish Smith ($6M), Wesley Johnson ($6M), Justin Hamilton ($3M), James Ennis ($3M). That’s it. Of 43 deals given out, the Raptors could afford four (plus DeRozan). The market the Raptors are playing in hasn’t been established, really, while names like Darrell Arthur, Jared Dudley, Mirza Teletovic, E’Twaun Moore, Trevor Booker, Jon Leuer, and Anthony Tolliver have been priced outside of Toronto’s range.
The Raptors are faced with doing some bargain-hunting. Masai Ujiri has done well in that regard before, but finding a rotation-caliber forward in the $5-6M range is going to prove a challenge.
Resources
Here’s a quick run-down of some things that may be helpful:
*The full salary cap primer, which explains a lot of why the Raptors have been quiet.
*As a quick refresher, this is what the Raptors’ cap sheet looks at right this second:
(Note that Eric Pincus and Albert Random have both amended DeRozan’s cap hold from $15.525M to $15.225M, and I trust their crack at it more than mine, so I’ve followed suit.)
*The follow-up to that, a mailbag that hopefully answers a lot of your questions about the primer.
*A look at how the contracts given out on Day One compare to the Raptors’ deals.
*To help calibrate with the new cap money, here’s a chart comparing what different salaries will take up in the cap this year compared to last year. Basically, you need to change your benchmark for what $10 million means, or how valuable an asset on a cheap (looking at you, Patrick Patterson) or rookie deal is.
Raptors Rumors
*DeMar DeRozan is back on a five-year deal estimated to be between $137.5M and $145M.
*Bismack Biyombo is gone to Orlando on a four-year deal estimated to be worth $72M.
*The Raptors met with Ryan Anderson, who has since been paid $80M over four years by Houston. They also may or may not have met with Meyers Leonard.
*The Raptors are interested in Pau Gasol, but that could be a complicated chase.
Can confirm the Raptors' interest in Pau Gasol, as reported by @ESPNSteinLine. They'd almost certainly have to dump salary to make it happen
— Josh Lewenberg (@JLew1050) July 3, 2016
UPDATE: Gasol might command $18-22M, which complicates things further.
*Any lingering Nerlens Noel interest has dissipated.
Not sure how real Raps interest in Nerlens Noel ever was but Raps have moved on.
— Michael Grange (@michaelgrange) July 3, 2016
Reported agreements/close – Friday and Saturday
(Note: I was keeping track source by source originally but lost the handle, so I’ll refer you to the fine work of CBS Sports or USA TODAY Sports for more.)
Re-sign
Mike Conley – Memphis – 5 years, $153M (full max)
DeMar DeRozan – Toronto – 5 years, $137.5-139M (90.9% of max)
Andre Drummond – Detroit – 5 years, $128-130M (full max, with player option on year five)
Bradley Beal – Washington – 5 years, $128M (full max)
Nicolas Batum – Charlotte – 5 years, $120M (78.5% of max)
Hassan Whiteside – Miami – 4 years, $98.6M (full max)
Evan Fournier – Orlando – 5 years, $85M
Kent Bazemore – Atlanta – 4 years, $70M (with player option on year four)
Marvin Williams – Charlotte – 4 years, $54.5M
Jordan Clarkson – L.A. Lakers – 4 years, $50M
Austin Rivers – L.A. Clippers – 3 years, $35M (with player option on year three)
Darrell Arthur – Denver – 3 years, $23M
Wesley Johnson – L.A. Clippers – 3 years, $18Mn
New homes
Al Horford – Boston – 4 years, $113M
Chandler Parsons – Memphis – 4 years, $94M (full max)
Ryan Anderson – Houston – 4 years, $80M
Luol Deng – L.A. Lakers – 4 years, $72M
Joakim Noah – New York – 4 years, $72M
Bismack Biyombo – Orlando a- 4 years, $72M
Dwight Howard – Atlanta – 3 years, $70.5M
Evan Turner – Portland – 4 years, $70M
Ian Mahinmi – Washington – 4 years, $64M
Timofey Mozgov – L.A. Lakers – 4 years, $64M
Eric Gordon – Houston – 4 years, $53M
Solomon Hill – New Orleans – 4 years, $52M
Courtney Lee – New York – 4 years, $48M
Jon Leuer – Detroit – 4 years, $42M
Matthew Dellavedova – Milwaukee – 4 years, $38.4M (offer sheet)
Jeremy Lin – Brooklyn – 3 years, $36M
E’Twaun Moore – New Orleans – 4 years, $34M
Jared Dudley – Phoenix – 3 years, $30M
Al Jefferson – Indiana – 3 years, $30M
Mirza Teletovic – Milwaukee – 3 years, $30M
D.J. Augustin – Orlando – 4 years, $29M
Jerryd Bayless – Philadelphia – 3 years, $27M
Arron Afflalo – Sacramento – 2 years, $25M
Joe Johnson – Utah – 2 years, $22M
Trevor Booker – Brooklyn – 2 years, $18M
Ish Smith – Detroit – 3 years, $18M
Anthony Tolliver – Sacramento – 2 years, $16M
Jeff Green – Orlando – 1 year, $15M
James Ennis – Memphis – 2 years, $6M
Justin Hamilton – Brooklyn – 2 years, $6M
Remaining free agents
Here’s an updated table of remaining free agents and their most common positions in 2015-16, as explained in more detail here.
| Team | Player | Age | Status | 2015-16 Salary | Estimated Position | Most Common | % of Playing Time | Secondary | % of Playing Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CLE | LeBron James | 31.5 | UFA | $22,971,000 | 3.24 | SF | 76.6% | PF | 23.2% |
| OKC | Kevin Durant | 27.8 | UFA | $20,158,622 | 3.26 | SF | 74.1% | PF | 25.8% |
| MIA | Dwyane Wade | 34.5 | UFA | $20,000,000 | 1.88 | SG | 81.1% | PG | 15.6% |
| LAL | Roy Hibbert | 29.6 | UFA | $15,500,000 | 5.00 | C | 100.0% | NA | NA |
| DAL | David Lee | 33.2 | UFA | $15,493,680 | 4.29 | PF | 70.8% | C | 29.1% |
| WAS | Nene | 33.8 | UFA | $13,000,000 | 4.90 | C | 89.6% | PF | 10.4% |
| IND | Ty Lawson | 28.7 | UFA | $12,404,495 | 1.00 | PG | 100.0% | NA | NA |
| GSW | Anderson Varejao | 33.8 | UFA | $9,638,554 | 4.98 | C | 97.8% | PF | 2.2% |
| ORL | Brandon Jennings | 26.8 | UFA | $8,344,497 | 1.01 | PG | 99.4% | SG | 0.6% |
| DAL | Dirk Nowitzki | 38.1 | UFA | $8,333,334 | 4.42 | PF | 58.5% | C | 41.5% |
| CHI | Pau Gasol | 36 | UFA | $7,448,760 | 5.00 | C | 100.0% | NA | NA |
| SAS | Kevin Martin | 33.4 | UFA | $7,085,000 | 2.10 | SG | 90.2% | SF | 9.7% |
| MIL | Greivis Vasquez | 29.5 | UFA | $6,600,000 | 1.09 | PG | 90.7% | SG | 9.3% |
| TOR | Jason Thompson | 30 | UFA | $6,431,250 | 4.50 | C | 50.2% | PF | 49.8% |
| POR | Gerald Henderson | 28.6 | UFA | $6,000,000 | 3.21 | SF | 68.9% | PF | 26.2% |
| WAS | JJ Hickson | 27.8 | UFA | $5,613,500 | 4.96 | C | 95.6% | PF | 4.4% |
| HOU | Josh Smith | 30.6 | UFA | $5,400,000 | 4.41 | PF | 59.4% | C | 40.6% |
| DAL | Zaza Pachulia | 32.4 | UFA | $5,200,000 | 5.00 | C | 100.0% | NA | NA |
| OKC | Dion Waiters | 24.6 | RFA | $5,138,430 | 2.11 | SG | 87.6% | SF | 11.7% |
| CLE | J.R. Smith | 30.8 | UFA | $5,000,000 | 2.22 | SG | 77.3% | SF | 21.8% |
| PHX | Chase Budinger | 28.1 | UFA | $5,000,000 | 3.07 | SF | 64.6% | PF | 21.0% |
| POR | Chris Kaman | 34.2 | UFA | $5,000,000 | 4.62 | C | 62.2% | PF | 37.8% |
| MEM | Chris Andersen | 38 | UFA | $5,000,000 | 5.00 | C | 99.5% | PF | 0.5% |
| NYK | Derrick Williams | 25.1 | UFA | $4,900,000 | 3.54 | PF | 53.5% | SF | 46.1% |
| ATL | Kris Humphries | 31.4 | UFA | $4,600,000 | 4.49 | PF | 50.6% | C | 49.4% |
| ORL | Jason Smith | 30.4 | UFA | $4,300,000 | 4.88 | C | 88.1% | PF | 11.9% |
| WAS | Alan Anderson | 33.7 | UFA | $4,000,000 | 2.91 | SF | 91.1% | SG | 8.9% |
| IND | Jordan Hill | 29 | UFA | $4,000,000 | 4.73 | C | 73.2% | PF | 26.8% |
| DAL | Raymond Felton | 32 | UFA | $3,950,313 | 1.00 | PG | 99.7% | SG | 0.3% |
| GSW | Marreese Speights | 28.9 | UFA | $3,815,000 | 4.74 | C | 76.6% | PF | 20.9% |
| MIL | Steve Novak | 33.1 | UFA | $3,750,000 | NA | NA | NA | NA | NA |
| OKC | Randy Foye | 32.8 | UFA | $3,270,000 | 1.65 | SG | 61.6% | PG | 36.6% |
| POR | Meyers Leonard | 24.4 | RFA | $3,075,880 | 4.15 | PF | 85.4% | C | 14.6% |
| NOP | Norris Cole | 27.7 | UFA | $3,036,927 | 1.06 | PG | 94.3% | SG | 5.7% |
| TOR | Luis Scola | 36.2 | UFA | $3,000,000 | 4.13 | PF | 86.7% | C | 13.3% |
| LAL | Brandon Bass | 31.2 | UFA | $3,000,000 | 4.53 | C | 53.4% | PF | 46.6% |
| POR | Maurice Harkless | 23.2 | RFA | $2,894,059 | 2.91 | SF | 82.2% | SG | 13.2% |
| ATL | Kirk Hinrich | 35.5 | UFA | $2,870,000 | 1.53 | PG | 49.6% | SG | 47.9% |
| POR | Brian Roberts | 30.6 | UFA | $2,854,940 | 1.21 | PG | 78.9% | SG | 21.1% |
| DEN | Mike Miller | 36.4 | UFA | $2,854,940 | 3.50 | SF | 50.9% | PF | 48.5% |
| MIA | Udonis Haslem | 36.1 | UFA | $2,854,940 | 4.51 | C | 50.6% | PF | 49.4% |
| SAS | Manu Ginobili | 39 | UFA | $2,814,000 | 2.01 | SG | 96.5% | SF | 2.0% |
| NYK | Kevin Seraphin | 26.6 | UFA | $2,800,000 | 4.97 | C | 96.7% | PF | 3.3% |
| BOS | Tyler Zeller | 26.5 | RFA | $2,616,975 | 5.00 | C | 100.0% | NA | NA |
| GSW | Leandro Barbosa | 33.6 | UFA | $2,500,000 | 2.13 | SG | 85.3% | SF | 13.8% |
| TOR | James Johnson | 29.4 | UFA | $2,500,000 | 3.13 | SF | 87.4% | PF | 12.6% |
| HOU | Terrence Jones | 24.5 | RFA | $2,489,530 | 4.23 | PF | 76.6% | C | 23.4% |
| HOU | Donatas Motiejunas | 25.8 | RFA | $2,288,205 | 4.14 | PF | 85.9% | C | 14.1% |
| BOS | Jared Sullinger | 24.3 | RFA | $2,269,260 | 4.37 | PF | 62.7% | C | 37.3% |
| NYK | Tony Wroten | 23.2 | UFA | $2,179,354 | 1.04 | PG | 96.1% | SG | 3.9% |
| DET | Steve Blake | 36.4 | UFA | $2,170,465 | 1.00 | PG | 100.0% | NA | NA |
| WAS | Ramon Sessions | 30.2 | UFA | $2,170,465 | 1.36 | PG | 64.5% | SG | 35.5% |
| MIL | Miles Plumlee | 27.8 | RFA | $2,109,294 | 5.00 | C | 100.0% | NA | NA |
| GSW | Festus Ezeli | 26.7 | RFA | $2,008,748 | 5.00 | C | 100.0% | NA | NA |
| CHI | Aaron Brooks | 31.5 | UFA | $2,000,000 | 1.10 | PG | 89.6% | SG | 10.4% |
| LAL | Ryan Kelly | 25.2 | RFA | $1,724,250 | 3.65 | PF | 64.5% | SF | 35.5% |
| NYK | Lance Thomas | 28.2 | UFA | $1,650,000 | 3.87 | PF | 86.6% | SF | 13.1% |
| NYK | Lou Amundson | 33.6 | UFA | $1,650,000 | 4.35 | PF | 65.0% | C | 35.0% |
| BKN | Sergey Karasev | 22.7 | UFA | $1,599,840 | 2.24 | SG | 72.2% | SF | 24.3% |
| BKN | Shane Larkin | 23.8 | UFA | $1,500,000 | 1.00 | PG | 100.0% | NA | NA |
| NOP | Kendrick Perkins | 31.7 | UFA | $1,499,200 | 5.00 | C | 99.9% | PF | 0.1% |
| SAS | Andre Miller | 40.3 | UFA | $1,499,187 | 1.00 | PG | 100.0% | NA | NA |
| PHX | Ronnie Price | 33.1 | UFA | $1,499,187 | 1.01 | PG | 98.5% | SG | 1.5% |
| HOU | Jason Terry | 38.8 | UFA | $1,499,187 | 1.40 | PG | 60.8% | SG | 38.6% |
| LAL | Metta World Peace | 36.7 | UFA | $1,499,187 | 3.07 | SF | 92.1% | PF | 7.6% |
| MIN | Tayshaun Prince | 36.4 | UFA | $1,499,187 | 3.20 | SF | 80.5% | PF | 19.5% |
| DAL | Charlie Villanueva | 31.9 | UFA | $1,499,187 | 3.88 | PF | 81.7% | SF | 14.5% |
| SAS | Matt Bonner | 36.3 | UFA | $1,499,187 | 4.18 | PF | 72.2% | C | 22.9% |
| MIA | Amar’e Stoudemire | 33.6 | UFA | $1,499,187 | 5.00 | C | 100.0% | NA | NA |
| CLE | Richard Jefferson | 36.1 | UFA | $1,499,000 | 2.89 | SF | 64.1% | SG | 22.3% |
| CLE | James Jones | 35.8 | UFA | $1,499,000 | 3.49 | PF | 52.0% | SF | 45.3% |
| SAS | David West | 35.9 | UFA | $1,499,000 | 4.52 | C | 52.3% | PF | 47.7% |
| NYK | Sasha Vujacic | 32.3 | UFA | $1,356,146 | 2.07 | SG | 89.5% | SF | 8.8% |
| MIA | Gerald Green | 30.4 | UFA | $1,356,000 | 2.57 | SF | 57.4% | SG | 42.1% |
| GSW | Brandon Rush | 31 | UFA | $1,270,964 | 2.97 | SF | 84.9% | SG | 9.0% |
| LAC | Luc Mbah a Moute | 29.8 | UFA | $1,270,964 | 3.43 | SF | 56.7% | PF | 42.8% |
| MEM | PJ Hairston | 23.5 | UFA | $1,201,440 | 2.30 | SG | 71.1% | SF | 26.5% |
| SAS | Boban Marjanovic | 27.9 | RFA | $1,200,000 | 5.00 | C | 100.0% | NA | NA |
| WAS | Marcus Thornton | 29.1 | UFA | $1,186,000 | 2.52 | SF | 51.7% | SG | 44.8% |
| CHA | Tyler Hansbrough | 30.7 | UFA | $1,185,784 | 4.90 | C | 89.7% | PF | 10.3% |
| BKN | Donald Sloan | 28.5 | UFA | $1,015,421 | 1.06 | PG | 93.9% | SG | 6.1% |
| SAC | James Anderson | 27.3 | UFA | $1,015,421 | 2.71 | SF | 64.7% | SG | 31.9% |
| LAC | Pablo Prigioni | 39.2 | UFA | $981,348 | 1.02 | PG | 97.8% | SG | 2.2% |
| SAC | Quincy Acy | 25.8 | UFA | $981,348 | 4.10 | PF | 89.8% | C | 10.1% |
| LAL | Robert Sacre | 27.1 | UFA | $981,348 | 5.00 | C | 100.0% | NA | NA |
| BKN | Thomas Robinson | 25.3 | UFA | $981,300 | 4.45 | PF | 54.7% | C | 45.3% |
| ORL | Dewayne Dedmon | 26.9 | RFA | $947,278 | 4.98 | C | 98.2% | PF | 1.8% |
| GSW | Ian Clark | 25.3 | RFA | $947,276 | 1.53 | SG | 51.6% | PG | 47.8% |
| SAC | Seth Curry | 25.9 | UFA | $947,276 | 1.72 | SG | 66.6% | PG | 30.9% |
| PHI | Isaiah Canaan | 25.1 | RFA | $947,276 | 1.88 | SG | 81.0% | PG | 15.7% |
| POR | Allen Crabbe | 24.2 | RFA | $947,276 | 2.18 | SG | 81.9% | SF | 17.9% |
| CHA | Troy Daniels | 25 | RFA | $947,276 | 2.33 | SG | 66.8% | SF | 33.2% |
| BKN | Willie Reed | 26.1 | RFA | $947,276 | 4.71 | C | 71.3% | PF | 28.7% |
| PHI | Elton Brand | 37.3 | UFA | $890,693 | 5.00 | C | 100.0% | NA | NA |
| NOP | Tim Frazier | 25.7 | RFA | $845,059 | 1.04 | PG | 96.3% | SG | 3.7% |
| NYK | Langston Galloway | 24.6 | RFA | $845,059 | 1.64 | SG | 63.2% | PG | 36.3% |
| BKN | Markel Brown | 24.4 | RFA | $845,059 | 2.82 | SF | 59.1% | SG | 29.8% |
| NYK | Cleanthony Early | 25.2 | RFA | $845,059 | 3.28 | SF | 72.3% | PF | 27.7% |
| GSW | James Michael McAdoo | 23.5 | RFA | $845,059 | 4.68 | C | 68.2% | PF | 31.8% |
| LAL | Tarik Black | 24.6 | RFA | $845,059 | 4.98 | C | 97.6% | PF | 2.4% |
| SAC | Eric Moreland | 24.5 | RFA | $845,059 | NA | NA | NA | NA | NA |
| LAL | Marcelo Huertas | 33.1 | RFA | $525,093 | 1.00 | PG | 100.0% | NA | NA |
| OKC | Nazr Mohammed | 38.8 | UFA | $352,750 | NA | NA | NA | NA | NA |
| MEM | Bryce Cotton | 23.9 | UFA | $228,663 | NA | NA | NA | NA | NA |
| CHA | Jorge Gutierrez | 27.5 | RFA | $190,000 | NA | NA | NA | NA | NA |
| LAC | Jeff Ayres | 29.2 | UFA | $187,750 | 4.80 | C | 79.6% | PF | 20.4% |
| MEM | Jordan Farmar | 29.6 | UFA | $111,683 | 1.02 | PG | 97.8% | SG | 2.2% |
| BKN | Henry Sims | 26.3 | UFA | $111,452 | 5.00 | C | 100.0% | NA | NA |
| MIA | Dorell Wright | 30.6 | UFA | $17,637 | NA | NA | NA | NA | NA |
Reported agreements/close – Sunday
Re-sign
Jamal Crawford – L.A. Clippers – 3 years, $42M
Dwight Powell – Dallas – 4 years, $37M
Deron Williams – Dallas – 1 year, $10M
Tomas Satorasnky – Washington – 3 years, $9M (was their 2012 2nd-round pick)
New homes
Harrison Barnes – Dallas – 4 years, $95M (agreement to sign offer sheet)
Tyler Johnson – Brooklyn – 4 years, $50M (offer sheet)
Rajon Rondo – Chicago – 2 years, $28M
Andrew Nicholson – Washington – 4 years, $26M
Garrett Temple – Sacramento – 3 years, $24M (player option on year three)
Cold Aldrich – Minnesota – 3 years, $22M
Matt Barnes – Sacramento – 2 years, $12M
Malcolm Delaney – Atlanta – 2 years, $1.5M
Trades
Utah sending Trey Burke to Washington for a 2021 2nd-round pick
