Agent to Heat: LeBron James opting out

ForTheWinYes · Jun 28, 2014

Carl Herrera said: ↑

There is a difference between starting salary vs. average salary.

Wade and Bosh (like every other free agent signed with Bird Rights) is eligible for 7.5% annual raises. For a 5 year, $75M contract-- i.e., average salary of $15M-- a contract can start at roughly $13M per year.

So, lets say Lebron makes $20M for year 1, Wade and Bosh each takes $13M. Haslem, Cole and Napier together will make roughly $5M. 5 empty roster charges is roughly $2.5M. This is a total of $53.5M. About $9-10M below the projected salary cap number.
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Can they be offered five year contracts? The Heat will have to renounce their bird rights to open up cap room, no?

J.R. · Jun 28, 2014

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>Might be kind of a technicality, but Heat don't actually have any cap space until they renounce Bird Rights on all free agents.</p>— Zach Lowe (@ZachLowe_NBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/ZachLowe_NBA/statuses/482981189498986497">June 28, 2014</a></blockquote>
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>They can do that and re-sign them all to new contracts right away, but they don't have cap space until then. Timing is important.</p>— Zach Lowe (@ZachLowe_NBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/ZachLowe_NBA/statuses/482981293303799808">June 28, 2014</a></blockquote>
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>Lots of folks misunderstand cap holds. Hold is temporary. When player re-signs, new salary replaces the hold for cap purposes.</p>— Howard Beck (@HowardBeck) <a href="https://twitter.com/HowardBeck/statuses/482982092658069504">June 28, 2014</a></blockquote>
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>Cap holds also disappear if team renounces his rights, or if player signs with a different team.</p>— Howard Beck (@HowardBeck) <a href="https://twitter.com/HowardBeck/statuses/482982228507381760">June 28, 2014</a></blockquote>
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>So, Heat players opting out doesn't mean cap room on Day 1. But if/when they re-sign for less, Heat will gain room for free agents.</p>— Howard Beck (@HowardBeck) <a href="https://twitter.com/HowardBeck/statuses/482982444644069376">June 28, 2014</a></blockquote>
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>Heat could also not renounce Bird Rights on Big 3 at all, re-sign them at 12:01 Tues to deals that leave cap space, and operate from there.</p>— Zach Lowe (@ZachLowe_NBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/ZachLowe_NBA/statuses/482982649414553600">June 28, 2014</a></blockquote>
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ForTheWinYes · Jun 28, 2014

ForTheWinYes said: ↑

Can they be offered five year contracts? The Heat will have to renounce their bird rights to open up cap room, no?
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I guess the Heat will try to get a commitment from their desired free agent then sign the big 3, then sign said free agent.

Commodore · Jun 28, 2014

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p>James Harden spoke briefly at a public appearance in The Woodlands. Said won't recruit LeBron or Carmelo but thought Morey could land one.</p>— Jonathan Feigen (@Jonathan_Feigen) <a href="https://twitter.com/Jonathan_Feigen/status/482989262866890752" data-datetime="2014-06-28T20:49:48+00:00">June 28, 2014</a></blockquote>
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J.R. · Jun 28, 2014

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>James Harden spoke briefly at a public appearance in The Woodlands. Said won't recruit LeBron or Carmelo but thought Morey could land one.</p>— Jonathan Feigen (@Jonathan_Feigen) <a href="https://twitter.com/Jonathan_Feigen/statuses/482989262866890752">June 28, 2014</a></blockquote>
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>Harden: "Daryl's very aggressive. That's the reason I'm here, ... Dwight's here. He's focused on what he wants and he's going to go get it."</p>— Jonathan Feigen (@Jonathan_Feigen) <a href="https://twitter.com/Jonathan_Feigen/statuses/482989812345892864">June 28, 2014</a></blockquote>
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>Teams hoping to schedule free agent meetings with LeBron James next week have not been able to as yet, sources told ESPN</p>— Brian Windhorst (@WindhorstESPN) <a href="https://twitter.com/WindhorstESPN/statuses/482988642672324608">June 28, 2014</a></blockquote>
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BMoney · Jun 28, 2014

Play07 said: ↑

Wade was killing it before the finals, people forget fast, he was playing way above HARDEN'S level... It was a big topic in the dish that people wouldn't even argue because of how nice wade was playing.
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For a three game stretch in the Indiana series. If Harden gets to sit out 28 games and he's playing next to the greatest player on earth, imagine what his numbers would be.

J.R. · Jun 28, 2014

 

If not the Heat, where should Bosh sign?

Elhassan: Chicago. It's not going to happen, but if we want to go pie-in-the-sky, signing there as a free agent would allow the Bulls to package a Taj Gibson-and-Nikola Mirotic centered deal in a sign-and-trade for Carmelo.

Haberstroh: Houston. He wouldn't have to carry the load defensively, and there's a need for a stretch four. The Rockets put on the full-court press in 2010 and they'd be smart to do it again. He's that good.

Harper: The Houston Rockets could be a perfect match for Bosh but I don't think he'd go there. If the Bulls want to make a run at him and amnesty Carlos Boozer while moving Taj Gibson, it'd be a great addition. I don't think he should do this for basketball reasons but Bosh could do a lot of extra activities in Los Angeles if he went to the Lakers.

Pelton: Houston. The Rockets' search for a stretch four to play next to Dwight Howard won't turn up a better candidate than Bosh, whose addition would make Houston a serious championship threat.

Strauss: Houston. He gets help protecting the rim from Dwight Howard, while stretching the floor in the style the Rockets play. I'm not certain he wants to be a third option on offense, but this would really ease his burden defensively.
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crash5179 · Jun 28, 2014

J.R. said: ↑

 
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I would agree, that while Bosh might not be Houston's best option, Houston is Bosh's best option simply because he would get to play his more natural position of PF. Bosh is just too damn skinny to be playing center. Let him play the Forward spot with a real center so he can go back to being one of the best Power Forwards in the game.

J.R. · Jun 28, 2014

http://hangtime.blogs.nba.com/2014/06/28/what-can-the-heat-offer-free-agents/

LeBron James and Dwyane Wade have informed the Miami Heat that they will exercise the early termination options on their contracts, ending what were six-years deals after four seasons.

Chris Bosh has yet to inform the Heat about his decision, but it is expected that he will exercise his early termination option as well. Udonis Haslem, meanwhile, has declined his $4.3 million player option.

Nine days ago, Pat Riley made it clear that he’d like his three All-Stars to take less money to help him retool the roster. On Tuesday, James put added pressure on Bosh and Wade by opting out of his deal. Now, it looks like things are falling into place and Riley will have the opportunity to upgrade the other two positions in his starting lineup.

Rumored targets for the Heat include point guard Kyle Lowry, forward Trevor Ariza and center Marcin Gortat. All have tools (ball-handling, defense, size) that would certainly help Miami. The idea of adding Carmelo Anthony seems far-fetched, but it all depends on how much money he’s willing to sacrifice, as well as how much Miami’s Big Three are willing to sacrifice.

Yahoo’s Adrian Wojnarowski reports that James is seeking a max contract, which would be a five-year deal worth about $120 million. So it would apparently be Bosh and Wade who would have to take pay cuts.

ESPN’s Chris Broussard tweeted that Bosh is seeking a new five-year deal worth $15-16 million per year. Those two reports (as well as the assumption that Wade isn’t going to take less than Bosh) gives us the framework of the Heat’s salary math, with an expected salary cap of $63.2 million …

Heat salary math
Player 2014-15 Notes
1 James, LeBron $20,020,875 Cap hold
2 Bosh, Chris $13,043,478 Reduced salary (5 yrs/$75M)
3 Wade, Dwyane $13,043,478 Reduced salary (5 yrs/$75M)
4 Cole, Norris $2,038,206 Under contract
5 Andersen, Chris $915,243 Cap hold
6 Napier, Shabazz $1,032,200 Cap hold
7-11 Cap hold x 5 $2,536,680 Cap hold
TOTAL $52,630,161
Salary cap $63,200,000
Left for free agent $10,569,839 4-year deal for $45.1 million

1. James’ max contract would start at about $20.8 million. Since his cap hold (1.05 x last year’s salary) is a little less than that, the Heat would use that number until the other pieces are signed. Then they can go over the salary cap to re-sign James.

2 and 3. If Bosh and Wade both accept five-year deals worth $75 million ($15 million per year), those contracts would have starting salaries of just over $13 million.

4. ESPN’s Brian Windhorst reports that the Heat are looking to unload Norris Cole. If they do that (and don’t get another player in return), his $2.0 million would be replaced by another rookie minimum cap hold (see 7-11) and they’d have an additional $1.5 million of cap space.

5. The Heat could renounce the rights to Chris Andersen, but he has just a vet’s minimum cap hold. Keeping that would allow them to sign him for much more after they’re back over the salary cap.

6. The Heat can pay Shabazz Napier 120 percent of the rookie scale for the No. 24 pick. As with James, better to keep the cap hold number until the other pieces are signed.

7-11. If you don’t have 12 guys on your roster, there is a rookie minimum cap hold ($507,336) for every slot that takes you up to 12. So, if we’re talking about James, Bosh, Wade, Cole, Andersen, Napier and one free agent, we need five minimum cap holds.

Additional note: In this scenario, the Heat have renounced their rights to Haslem, Ray Allen, Michael Beasley, Mario Chalmers, Toney Douglas, James Jones, Rashard Lewis, and Greg Oden, and have also waived Justin Hamilton (who has a non-guaranteed deal). It’s assumed that Haslem will get rewarded for opting out (with a long-term deal that pays him more than the $4.3 million he could have earned next season), and Allen is a critical piece in the rotation, but their cap holds ($8.2 million and $4.2 million) are too big to keep on the books.

After the Heat have gone over the cap, they can use the room exception (starting at $2.7 million) to bring one or more of those guys back (or add other free agents). It can be split among multiple players. After that, they’d have only minimum deals to offer players.

If all the above holds, the Heat could offer one free agent $45.1 million over four years ($11.3 million per year). If they are able to trade Cole, that would turn into $51.7 million over four years ($12.9 million per year).

That’s still about half of what Anthony could earn elsewhere. If he were to re-sign with the Knicks for the max, he’d get $129.1 million over five years ($25.8 per year). If he were to sign with a new team for the max, he’d get $95.9 million over four years ($24.0 million per year).

So Lowry, Ariza and Gortat are obviously more realistic options. If the Heat were to split their cap space among two free agents (assuming they traded Cole), they could offer them a total of about $13.5 million per year. Ariza and Gortat each made $7.7 million for the Wizards this past season, while Lowry made $6.2 million for the Raptors.

Both Gortat and Lowry will likely be offered raises from their current teams, who are both looking to keep the momentum going after returning to the postseason after long layoffs. With Martell Webster and Otto Porter on the roster, the Wizards might not fight hard for Ariza, but he could still get more than mid-level money elsewhere, as one of the better three-and-D guys in the league and still just 29 years old.

So there’s no clear starting-lineup upgrade for the Heat. But if James accepts less than the max or if Bosh and/or Wade accept less than $15 million per year, there’s more money to spend. And since they’re also offering a chance to play with the best player in the world for a championship on Biscayne Bay, they may not have to spend as much as other teams.
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meh · Jun 28, 2014

J.R. said: ↑

http://hangtime.blogs.nba.com/2014/06/28/what-can-the-heat-offer-free-agents/
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Hangtimes NBA apparently didn't run their scenario through an actual cap person. The over-36 rule prevents Wade from getting that contract. Well, technically he can get that contract, but from a cap standpoint it would look like 4/75 instead of 5/75. Wade can get an offer of 4/~58 though for that cap math to work.

meh · Jun 28, 2014

Not sure if J.R. has posted it...

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/dwyane...-keeping-lebron-james-in-miami-173919540.html

James, the NBA's four-time MVP, is seeking a full maximum contract extension – or something close to it – to stay with Miami, sources told Yahoo Sports.
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This is very good news for the rest of the NBA. LeBron getting max severely hampers all other FA acquisitions for the Heat.

FabsRubio · Jun 28, 2014

J.R. said: ↑

http://hangtime.blogs.nba.com/2014/06/28/what-can-the-heat-offer-free-agents/
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Wade cannot be offered a deal longer than four years.

basketballholic · Jun 28, 2014

J.R. said: ↑

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>James Harden spoke briefly at a public appearance in The Woodlands. Said won't recruit LeBron or Carmelo but thought Morey could land one.</p>— Jonathan Feigen (@Jonathan_Feigen) <a href="https://twitter.com/Jonathan_Feigen/statuses/482989262866890752">June 28, 2014</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>Harden: "Daryl's very aggressive. That's the reason I'm here, ... Dwight's here. He's focused on what he wants and he's going to go get it."</p>— Jonathan Feigen (@Jonathan_Feigen) <a href="https://twitter.com/Jonathan_Feigen/statuses/482989812345892864">June 28, 2014</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>Teams hoping to schedule free agent meetings with LeBron James next week have not been able to as yet, sources told ESPN</p>— Brian Windhorst (@WindhorstESPN) <a href="https://twitter.com/WindhorstESPN/statuses/482988642672324608">June 28, 2014</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
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No recruiting by anybody. Dwight not recruiting. James not recruiting. Chandler not recruiting. After Chandler and James going after Dwight last year??????

Just more indicators to me that Morey is going after Love. (Does he already have him?)

B-Bob · Jun 28, 2014

meh said: ↑

This is very good news for the rest of the NBA. LeBron getting max severely hampers all other FA acquisitions for the Heat.
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Clutchfans:

... technically yes, and about that likely too.

meh · Jun 28, 2014

B-Bob said: ↑

Clutchfans:

... technically yes, and about that likely too.

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What did you think the chances of these happening? Personally speaking?

Or this

Why are you even clicking on this thread if you think we have no chance? The fact that you read my post and responded to it, makes me think you be thinking like Jim Carrey.

tzou88 · Jun 28, 2014

meh said: ↑

What did you think the chances of these happening? Personally speaking?

Or this

Why are you even clicking on this thread if you think we have no chance? The fact that you read my post and responded to it, makes me think you be thinking like Jim Carrey.

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blahblehblah · Jun 28, 2014

meh said: ↑

Not sure if J.R. has posted it...

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/dwyane...-keeping-lebron-james-in-miami-173919540.html

This is very good news for the rest of the NBA. LeBron getting max severely hampers all other FA acquisitions for the Heat.
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I could be spectacularly wrong, but I never thought and still dont think that the Heat ever really had/have a chance of getting Melo or Love etc. i do think they can get Lowry or Deng or Frye or Gortat etc but those options wouldn't be hampered much with Lebron seeking the max IF Wade and Bosh take pay cuts, ie the article JR posted above.

As for Melo or Love, I agree with B-Bob, though i'd put the rockets chances at Melo at 20% or so and Love at less than 5%.

Raven · Jun 28, 2014

meh said: ↑

Not sure if J.R. has posted it...

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/dwyane...-keeping-lebron-james-in-miami-173919540.html

This is very good news for the rest of the NBA. LeBron getting max severely hampers all other FA acquisitions for the Heat.
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Agreed, and kind of surprising. I would have thought Diva would take a cut and leverage more championships into lucrative endorsements.

J.R. · Jun 28, 2014

 

Sam Amick said:

A person with knowledge of James' situation said he has yet to determine a possible schedule and location for free agent visits. Officials from several teams hoping to court James confirmed as much, indicating that no direction has been given about when and where they may get James' ear.

And with the Saturday revelation that Heat guard Dwyane Wade and forward Udonis Haslem would opt out of their contracts like James recently did (with forward Chris Bosh possibly next in line), it's unclear whether the possibility remains that James might be confident enough in Heat president Pat Riley's approach that he doesn't ultimately make any free agency rounds. The person spoke to USA TODAY Sports on the condition of anonymity because of the private nature of the situation.
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larsv8 · Jun 28, 2014

The love affair with Chicago is so stupid.

The coach and the front office hate each other.
The talent draw in Rose has Amare Stoudemire written all over it.
The owner is allergic to the tax.
It is a risky move all the way around.

Houston is pretty much the perfect situation for just about any potential free agent. The "only" downside to the Rockets is how brutal the western conference is.

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