Report: NBA projects salary cap to reach $92 million next season

By Dan FeldmanApr 18, 2016, 12:12 PM EDT

The NBA will have – by far – the highest salary cap in league history next season.

The only question: How high?

New national TV contracts provide a huge influx of money, and basketball’s popularity has grown steadily. The cap is based on revenue, so the income trickles down to players.

A year ago, the NBA projected an $89 million salary cap. That number keeps rising.

Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders:

Looking ahead to the 2016-17 season, the NBA now projects the salary cap will climb to $92 million, with a luxury tax threshold of $111 million.

The league also projects a $107 million salary cap for the 2017-18 season, with a $127 million luxury tax threshold, although both the owners and players can opt out of the current CBA after this coming season.

If neither party opts out, the salary cap could dip slightly to $105 million for 2018-19.

A higher-than-expected cap would mean more more flexibility for teams, though max salaries – also tied to revenue – would rise, too.

Though the players union rejected formal cap smoothing, the salary-cap outlook for the next three years looks flatter than it did last year:

Was: $89 million, $108 million, $100 million
Is: $92 million, $107 million, $105 million

Of course, that third mark for 2017-18 could change if either side opts out of the Collective Bargaining Agreement next year. The NBA could have a whole new system for determining the cap.

But for now, we have an idea about the next couple years, and I wouldn’t be surprised if the 2016-17 cap lands even higher than $92 million. The league tends to be slightly conservative in its early estimates.

Deron Williams out for rest of playoffs, David Lee out for rest of Thunder series

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Three Things to Watch in Playoffs Monday: Can Damian Lillard, Blazers replicate Game 3 performance?

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By Kurt HelinApr 25, 2016, 1:15 PM EDT

This is not as detailed as the 6,397,326 Game of Thrones recaps on the web today, but it is a humble little look at what to expect in the NBA.

1) Can Damian Lillard, C.J. McCollum, and Mason Plumlee replicate their big nights? The Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum we knew from the regular season showed up in Game 3 — 59 points on 42 shots. Their jumpers were falling, combined they hit 10-of-17 from the midrange and 5-of-13 from three. Thing is, we knew they could do that once they got space. The big key for Portland in Game 3 was Mason Plumlee — he played the pseudo Draymond Green role as the passing big who helps the guards get free from traps, and he finished with nine assists. He also had 21 points and was a beast on the offensive glass, where Portland had 18 second chance points. It was an impressive performance all around, but the Clippers will adjust their defense and the question becomes can those three replicate their performance. Or will Al-Farouq Aminu finally start to hit some jumpers and open up the floor. Portland was more aggressive on defense in Game 3, but the Clippers will adjust to that, Portland will have to play better to even the series.

2) Can Charlotte replicate what it did to beat Miami last game? Charlotte put up it’s first win of the series in Game 3, with Frank Kaminsky (15 points) and Al Jefferson in the starting lineup and Jeremy Lin dropping 18 off the bench. But watch the game closely and it’s fair to question if this team can win the same way again. Their offense was not impressive, shooting 38.9 percent overall and hitting just five threes on their way to a 101 offensive rating (points per 100 possessions. What they did do well was get to the free throw line 22 times (hitting 21). If the Heat can limit fouls, Charlotte may well struggle to put up points. Also, after a dominant first two games from the Heat offense, it went stone cold in Game 3 — the starting backcourt of Goran Dragic and Dwyane Wade shot 11-of-33 from the floor, which was better than the bench shooting of 4-of-17. The Charlotte defense was better (they have played better at home all season), but Miami is going to hit more shots.

Bottom line is it’s going to take a much better game from the Hornets to even this series.

3) What can Dallas do to extend its season one more game (at least)? Like a cornered animal, teams facing elimination are desperate and dangerous. The problem for Dallas — who are 1-7 against OKC this season including the playoffs — is they do not have as much talent as Oklahoma City. Dallas needs to slow the game down, junk it up a little – which they did fairly well in Game 4, but turnovers and Oklahoma City trips to the free throw line won the Thunder the game. Dallas needs to play a near perfect, grinding game, and get big nights from Dirk Nowitzki and Raymond Felton to live another day. It would help if Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook could combine to go 15-of-55 again, but I wouldn’t bank on that.

Report: Stephen Curry’s MRI results not expected until late afternoon/early evening Pacific

AP Photo/David J. Phillip

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By Dan FeldmanApr 25, 2016, 12:40 PM EDT

NBA observers are on the edge of their seats awaiting Stephen Curry‘s MRI results after the Warriors guard injured his knee yesterday.

You can probably recline – for a few hours at least.

Chris Broussard of ESPN:

Warriors' spokesman tells me Steph's MRI results are not expected until late afternoon/early evening Pacific Time.

— Chris Broussard (@Chris_Broussard) April 25, 2016

I wouldn’t be surprised if the Warriors know the result sooner, and that means it could always leak before an official announcement. So, don’t sit so far back that you fall asleep and miss the news.

This is the most anticipated medical test result in recent memory. Curry is the best player on the best team, and an extended absence would GREATLY affect the playoff picture. This could open the door for the Spurs, Cavaliers, Thunder or Clippers – or preserve Golden State’s frontrunner status.