HOOPSWORLD | Basketball News & NBA Rumors

Now that the NBA’s trade deadline has passed, it’s time to look ahead to the offseason.  Of course with the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) expiring after June, it’s very difficult to project cap space, spending power and player movement.

Terms like "hard cap", "franchise tag" and "salary rollbacks" could change the picture dramatically.  Additionally, the new deal may include an amnesty clause to help a team get out from under a single, bad contract (often referred to as the Allan Houston Rule in the current CBA).

With all that in mind, the following is a look at the 15 teams in the Eastern Conference, alphabetically by city:

The Atlanta Hawks are under the tax threshold by about $167k.  The team’s core players are under contract beyond this season except for Jamal Crawford.

Jamal remains of the league’s best bench scorers, currently averaging 15 points a game.

It will be interesting to see how the new CBA impacts the Hawks given that they’ll already be in the neighborhood of $68 million in salary if they let Crawford walk as a free agent.

Atlanta’s payroll doesn’t drop significantly until the summer of 2013.

The Boston Celtics are in the luxury tax.  They made the bold move of letting Kendrick Perkins go for forward Jeff Green.

Green will be a restricted free agent but a source tells HOOPSWORLD that he’s expecting to get a sizable contract this summer. 

Of course he’ll be at the mercy of the new CBA.  Restricted free agents tend to have less leverage when it comes to contract negotiations which may be why Boston decided this problem was better than the Perkins contract problem.

Assuming Ray Allen doesn’t opt out of the $10 million left on his contract, the Celtics will be at about $68 million next year before deciding on Green, Glen Davis and Nenad Krstic.

Where the Celtics stand to have a lot of spending power is in the summer of 2012, assuming they spend wisely (or pass) on Green and Davis.

The Charlotte Bobcats took a big step towards starting over when they dealt Gerald Wallace to the Portland Trail Blazers for expiring contracts.

The Bobcats are currently under the tax but even if Boris Diaw doesn’t opt out of his final year at $9 million, the team is looking at just under $52 million in total salary next season.

Charlotte still has to get through the contracts of DeSagana Diop and Matt Carroll but there’s not a ton on the books in 2012 and no one but Tyrus Thomas in 2013.

Look for the Chicago Bulls to add a shooting guard from the waiver wire.  The Bulls managed to get about $2.9 million under the cap but couldn’t turn that space into a deadline deal.  Perhaps they will try to use that space around the draft as a trade tool.

Chicago is invested in its core with Kurt Thomas, Keith Bogans (non-guaranteed next year) and Brian Scalabrine the only offseason question marks.

There’s a reason Kyle Korver, Ronnie Brewer and CJ Watson aren’t guaranteed in 2012. 

That’s the year Derrick Rose can become a restricted free agent and while he’s likely to get an extension before then, the Bulls may be able to wait on Rose until after they shop for a key free agent.

The Cleveland Cavaliers can be under the cap by about $4 million but to get there, they’d have to waive their LeBron James trade exception.  Cleveland is committed to about the same salary level next year, which means they don’t have enough room to add a big free agent unless they can put that exception to good use.

The numbers start to improve in the summer of 2012 and even more so in 2013 when Anderson Varejao is the only guaranteed player.

It wasn’t so long ago when the Detroit Pistons had cap room.  Instead of saving it for last summer’s bonanza, they overspent on Ben Gordon and Charlie Villanueva.

There’s no luxury tax to worry about and the Pistons’ salary should drop to about $50 million for next year before adding any significant pieces this summer. 

The numbers don’t change much the following year.  It’s not until 2013 that the Pistons gain considerable spending power.

Tayshaun Prince will be a key free agent and Rodney Stuckey will be restricted.

The mistake the Indiana Pacers made a few years ago, when the playoff stretch ran dry, was trading for the contracts of Troy Murphy and Mike Dunleavy.  Murphy is long gone and Dunleavy’s salary finally comes off this summer.

The Pacers aren’t dealing with luxury taxes but their guaranteed numbers drop from $65 million to $36 million after this season.

Depending on what they spend, it could drop even lower in the summer of 2012 with only Danny Granger completely locked in (although Dahntay Jones has a $2.9 option as well).

The Miami HEAT famously spent this past summer but still have considerable room under the tax.

Miami is committed for the foreseeable future.  They’ll be dependent on tools like the Mid-Level Exception – if there is one in the new deal – to add significant pieces to the mix.

The Milwaukee Bucks are just barely under the tax ($1.5 million) but when Michael Redd’s $18.3 million comes off the books, the Bucks will basically be the same team but at about $52 million on overall salary.

The team will have some spending power in 2012 but a lot more in 2013 when Corey Maggette’s contract expires.

The New Jersey Nets made one of the biggest splashes at the deadline when they landed Deron Williams.  The key will be building around Deron so that he doesn’t opt out and leave in 2012.

The team is just slightly over the cap but next year the Nets will be closer to $42 million.  That space can be used to either lure a free agent or in trade.

One free agent the team might want to sign long-term this summer is Kris Humphries.  They’ll also have to decide on Sasha Vujacic, who has been solid off the bench since coming over from the L.A. Lakers in December.

The New York Knicks completely revamped their roster with the key additions of Carmelo Anthony and Chauncey Billups.

Tax isn’t an issue this year and may not be the next (if there is a tax).  The interesting summer will be in 2012 when the Knicks have just Amar’e Stoudemire, Anthony and a small contract or two on the books.

Can New York lure a third star and put a viable roster around them?  Will the new rules be an impediment or a non-factor?

The Orlando Magic are spending a ton this season with Jason Richardson just third on the list at $14.4 million.  Gilbert Arenas at $17.7 million is a tough pill to swallow . . . even if that money would be going to Rashard Lewis.

The Magic look to be in the tax (if it exists) next year.  The difficult decision comes with Richardson’s free agency.{AUTHOR_BOX}

Beyond that, can the Magic do enough to keep Dwight Howard who can opt out of his $19.5 million contract in 2012?

If he stays, Orlando is looking at another season with major payroll before it finally starts to come down in 2013 and 2014.

Given how much they’re spending, the Magic need more than one NBA Finals appearance . . .

After their dismal start, it looked like the Philadelphia 76ers would look to blow things up.  Instead, Coach Doug Collins stuck with his group and now the Sixers are closing in on the Knicks for the sixth seed in the East.

Tax isn’t an issue this year and the salaries taper off a bit when Jason Kapono and Darius Songaila expiring.

Both Spencer Hawes and Thaddeus Young will be restricted free agents this summer.  The Sixers still have a lot of money on their books in 2012.

They’ll have spending power in 2013 and given that they have no one guaranteed in 2014, everything to work with the following year.

The Toronto Raptors are just starting the rebuilding in the post-Chris Bosh era.  This year is about transition as the team is still spending $70 million in salary, just a hair under the tax.

Amir Johnson has blossomed in the absence of Reggie Evans (foot).  Andrea Bargnani may or may not be a franchise player but the team still needs a lot of supporting help to find out.

Next year the team’s salary drops down to about $47 million in guaranteed contracts.  The Raptors also have about $9 million left of the Bosh trade exception.

Reggie Evans will be the team’s main free agent this summer.

 The Washington Wizards are just barely over the cap with about a third of that money going to Rashard Lewis.

That percentage jumps up to about 53% after this season when the Wizards shed a lot of salary (just $39.7 million guaranteed). 

Free agents will include Nick Young (restricted), Yi Jianlian (restricted), Josh Howard and Mo Evans.

Expect the Wizards to invest in Young but otherwise pick and choose when it comes to spending.

Lakers Rediscover Their Defensive Focus

The Los Angeles Lakers have rediscovered their defensive game since the All-Star Break.  They’re on a five-game win-streak, after losing to the last place Cleveland Cavaliers before the long weekend.

"You could say there’s a little more focus and you can tell we’re all on the same page of wanting to win every game right now," said Steve Blake.  "That’s not to say we didn’t try to win every game before, but we’re just playing up to our potential now after the All-Star break. We have to continue to do that."

The team has allowed over 100 points just once over the last five games (to the Portland Trail Blazers). 

In the first three games, the Lakers had no problem scoring but they’ve been able to win the last two (Oklahoma City Thunder and Minnesota Timberwolves) by getting stops . . . scoring just 90 in each game.

"We really believe in our defense and being able to hold teams down in the second half," said Kobe Bryant.  "We’re long, we’re active and we support each other. It’s never individually shutting down guys. Guys are helping out, rotating and understanding our opponent’s strengths."

Now the Lakers face a team they always struggle against on Friday, the Charlotte Bobcats, before heading out on a formidable four-game road trip.

"The next five games are going to be a really good test, especially that road trip. Let’s see how we do," said Pau Gasol.  "Let’s see where we are against four really, really good teams. That’ll be interesting, that’ll be challenging and we’re excited about it."

The Lakers start in San Antonio against the Spurs (who will be without Tony Parker) before heading to Atlanta, Miami and Dallas.

LA is chasing three of those four in the standings (not Atlanta) and while catching the Spurs may be unrealistic, the Mavericks and HEAT remain in striking distance.

The Lakers hopes to get Matt Barnes (knee) back for the trip.

"I really feel that as a team our focus is in the right area now and I think we need to continue to steadily improve," said Barnes.  "Our eyes are on the prize at this time, we understand what’s at stake and we know we have to continue to do our good habits heading towards the playoffs."

With Barnes returning, sources say the Lakers aren’t aggressively looking for a swing player off the waiver wire.