Tag: 2020 NBA Free Agency

Rockets agree to three-year, $41M deal with big man Christian Wood

Wood averaged 13.1 points (38.6% on 3-pointers) and 6.3 rebounds in 21.4 minutes per game with the Pistons last season.

The Houston Rockets agreed to a three-year, $41-million contract on Friday with big man Christian Wood, formerly of the Detroit Pistons.

The development was first reported by ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, who says the deal will be completed via a sign-and-trade with Detroit. The Rockets will have a trade exception of approximately that size from Wednesday’s trade with the Pistons involving Trevor Ariza. Another conceivable option could be folding Wood’s signing into that deal. Free agency acquisitions can’t be made official until Sunday.

For the 2020-21 season, Wood will slot into Houston’s frontcourt rotation in a spot formerly occupied by Robert Covington (prior to his trade on Monday). In effect, the Rockets appear to have swapped Covington for Wood and two future first-round picks from Detroit and Portland.

An athletic 6-foot-10 big man, Wood averaged 13.1 points (56.7% shooting, 38.6% on 3-pointers) and 6.3 rebounds in 21.4 minutes per game with the Pistons last season. He is only 25 years old, which potentially gives Houston a key building block in the years ahead.

After Detroit traded starting center Andre Drummond in early February, Wood filled many of those minutes and averaged 22.3 points (56.2% FG, 41.0% on 3-pointers) and 9.5 rebounds in 34.1 minutes per game over the remaining 15 games of Detroit’s 2019-20 season.

Here’s how James Edwards of The Athletic, who covered Wood last season with the Pistons, summed up Wood’s game:

Offensively, Wood is everything you want in a modern big. He can shoot, create off the dribble, and runs the floor well. His biggest growth needs to come on defense.

Wood went undrafted in 2015 after playing in college at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV). He played for the Rockets in the NBA’s 2015 Summer League before starting his career in Philadelphia.

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Warriors could face up to $77.5 million luxury tax with new salary cap projections

With new NBA salary cap projections released, the Golden State Warriors could face a heightened luxury tax.

The NBA salary cap projections could have stifling consequences on the Golden State Warriors.

The league released projections for salary cap and luxury tax for the 2020-21 season to teams Thursday, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski and Bobby Marks.

With a lower salary cap and luxury tax than expected, the Warriors could be on the hook for a tax payment as high as $77.5 million, about $12 million more than what was expected.

The salary cap is expected to be $115 million, according to Wojnarowski. That would be an increase from the 2019-20 season, but not as much as the previously-predicted $116 million.

The luxury tax is projected to be $139 million, Wojnarowski reported.

As the roster currently stands, the Warriors’ 2020-21 payroll will be $147.87 million, according to Basketball Reference.

Four players on the Warriors roster are set to receive more than $20 million: Draymond Green’s extension will start at $22 million, D’Angelo Russell will be paid more than $28 million, Klay Thompson $35 million and Stephen Curry $40 million.

The Warriors will also likely add a high first-round draft pick to the sheet. A top-five pick would result in a cap hit ranging from $6.8 million to $10.73 million.

Golden State has a $5.9 million exception to use on a free agent, according to Wojnarowski and Marks.

If the Warriors use the entire taxpayer mid-level exception, their luxury tax bill could range from $77.5M if they get the No. 1 pick to as low as $61M if they get the No. 5 pick.

The easiest way to get under the luxury tax would be to trade Russell. A highly-coveted free agent this past offseason, he will have three years left for about $30 million per year after this season.

Moving his contract would put Golden State right near the luxury line, depending on other roster changes, and allow them to move manageable contracts to clear the rest of the way if needed.

But the Warriors have not been shy about exceeding the luxury tax in recent years. If the front office feels the team can still compete for a title when Curry and Thompson return from injury, it may pay the price again.

USA TODAY Sports Media Group salary cap expert Yossi Gozlan contributed research to this report.