I, among others, have given Michael Heisley and the Memphis Grizzlies some gruff over the franchise's thrift this summer. While the team did take on Zach Randolph's hefty contract and eventually signed Allen Iverson, the perception remains that the Grizz exist only to suck the lives out of anxious prospects and to serve as financial lubricant for the rest of the NBA.Part of that is, unfortunately, still valid. But with the acquisition of A.I., the Grizzlies find themselves at the threshold of the salary cap. Memphis will no longer be able to help the teams in contention execute swaps as a third party.
Luckily, three teams remain under the cap -- yes, three teams actually look to be cheaper than the Grizzlies this season. Check them out, after the jump.
Oklahoma City Thunder. Barring a major trade or an offer sheet to someone like David Lee, OKC will enter the season with the cheapest payroll in the land. (That's probably good, considering the financial trouble lead owner Clay Bennett has had over the past year.) According to ShamSports (the most trustworthy contract repository on the web), the Thunder have $50.7 million in payroll locked up this season. No Thunder player will be paid more than Etan Thomas's $7.9 million. The projected starting five -- Russell Westbrook, James Harden, Kevin Durant, Jeff Green and Nenad Krstic -- will earn a combined $21 million. (By comparison, Boston's starting five will make $61.7 million next season.)
The Thunder are still two seasons away from writing a massive check to Durant. He is eligible to negotiate a contract extension next July, but such an extension would not take effect until the 2011-12 season. OKC is being tagged as a playoff contender in the West this season.
Sacramento Kings. The Kings, however, are not being tagged as a playoff contender in the West this season. Sacramento expects to have the second lowest payroll in the NBA this season, currently tabbed at $52.3 million with second-round pick Jon Brockman still officially unsigned. (When -- not if, when -- he does sign, he'll only add roughly $500,000-$800,000 to the ledger.) Sacramento also expects to have something like 25 wins, an improvement over the 17 wins of 2008-09, but still way far off the rat race.
It remains to be seen what will make the Kings spend, and when. There's the idea the team is seeing what happens with the Tyreke Evans/Kevin Martin pairing, and is waiting to find out if Spencer Hawes and/or Jason Thompson will provide what the team needs long-term, and that the franchise will adjust (with its checkbook) from there. That could take longer than one season to sort out, so here's an opinion that the Kings may not actually be ready to spend in the summer of 2010, and that this team could be back on this list this time next year.
Portland Trail Blazers. It amazes me that Portland, which spent its entire free agency period trying to give away money, ends up with what will be the third lowest payroll this season. What's better is that this team is a legit NBA title contender. Darius Miles will take up the biggest chunk of salary this season -- yes, if not for the Miles stint in Memphis, the Blazers would have had an additional $9 million to fritter under the cap this July -- with Brandon Roy's payday waiting until 2009-10.
All told, the Blazers are in incredibly reasonable position in 2009-10 in terms of salary, too. The team won't likely be under the cap next July, as the extensions for Roy and (perhaps) LaMarcus Aldridge kick in. But the team won't be anywhere near the tax line either. Only Travis Outlaw and Steve Blake will be free agents come next summer, and the team should be able to deal with him (extensions or replacements) without breaking the bank.
This is all to say that the Blazers may be the most brilliantly run franchise in the NBA right now. A team that costs less than the Memphis Grizzlies and might win 60 games? Unbelievable.
Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Gah, you are the only decent writer left on here. These new guys suck.
Tom, let's not forget that Paul Allen was able to buy his way out of the horrible Zach Randolph contract (via the Stevie Franchise deal) and also spent cash which is not on the books to get a couple of extra draft picks from...Phx.
Their books looks good now but it didn't come without a price.
Someone tell me a single NBA owner that hasn't taken a hit financially in the past year? I'm guessing Paul Allen, Jerry Buss and Dan Gilbert don't keep their money stuffed in mattresses. Nobody seems to consider that the Thunder made money, and the owners made substantially more from basketball revenues than they did in the two seasons prior to coming to Oklahoma City.
The Thunder's offseason moves - or lack of, depending on your perspective - had nothing to do with the owners' personal finances. The plain and simple truth is that there weren't many players available who fit the Thunder's needs. They've (hopefully) addressed the need for a perimeter shooter, and they've improved their bench substantially. To knock an organization for doing those things in a fiscally responsible way is ludicrous.