'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
The 2018 midseason trade deadline is just a couple of days away and just on the basis of all the reports coming out, there seem to be more sellers than buyers. That shouldn't be surprising though.
After a huge spike in the team's salary caps in the summer of 2016, courtesy of the NBA's new TV deal, multiple players (some not deserving and worthy of that price) signed deals with a huge sum of money guaranteed. A couple of seasons back, that might have been the market price but now teams are really facing a dilemma, especially the ones that will have to pay the tax and aren't competitive either (eg:- Charlotte Hornets).
It's going to be scramble mode for a lot of such teams, given that the salary cap this year, isn't experiencing as big as a hike as the past two years. ESPN's Brian Windhorst has detailed more on this upcoming money problem for teams.
Given the climate of record-shattering deals in the league, let's take a look at the opposite side and list the top 5 most economical players in the league.
Here they are:
#5 Kemba Walker - Charlotte Hornets
Contract: 4 years and $48 million ($12 million each) signed in 2014
Season averages (51 games): 22.6 points, 5.8 assists, 1.1 steals
Kemba Walker is the team's sixth highest paid player behind the likes of Dwight Howard, Nicolas Batum, Marvin Williams, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist and Tyler Zeller. You would think that this is pathetic on the part of the franchise, to have their best player that low on their books. It isn't completely their fault though, with respect to handing him the contract.
When Walker signed his current deal (4-years and $48 million), that was the market price for the tier of point guards that he was in. The issue lies in what the team did in the next two summers, offering Williams (4 years, $54.5 million), Batum (5 years, $120 million) in 2016, then Zeller (4 years, $56 million) to huge deals, and lastly trading for Howard (2 years, $47.3million) in 2017 summer. The team is so desperate to drop some money off their books that they have made it clear that they are ready to include Walker in beneficial trade deals.
Walker leads the team in points, assists, and steals but what matters is that he leads them in Win Shares as well. He also ranks 20th in the league in Box Plus/Minus - 3.6. He has been a huge part of the team's mini-resurgence, where they've won 10 of their last 17 games. That's good given that the team is still recovering from their skid to end last year when they lost 14 of their last 19 games of 2017.
#4 Clint Capela - Houston Rockets
Contract: 4 years and $6 million (signed in 2014)
Season averages (47 games): 14.3 points, 10.8 rebounds, 1.8 blocks and 65.7 FG%
Clint Capela isn't one of the two best players on the Houston Rockets, so he wasn't in contention for a possible All-Star spot. His image and play aren't big enough for the team to market him alongside James Harden and Chris Paul as a Big 3. In addition, a lot of his value and impact is based off and dependent on the team's ball-handler.
Having said that, his value is undeniable. He ranks 17th in the league in Win Shares (6.4) and 5th in Win Shares Per 48 Minutes (.243). He is the third Rockets' member of the Top 5 in the second of the above-mentioned lists. If that isn't enough, how about this stat - Houston is 23-1 when the trio of Harden, Paul, and Capela play together.
He might not be the ideal big man in the current NBA but he is the ideal center for the Rockets' system - an agile seven-footer who can roll hard to the basket, battle hard on the glass on both ends of the floor and alter shots defensively. An underrated stat - he leads the league in field goal percentage (.657).
To get all of these benefits at just $2.3 million for this season is arguably the best bargain in the league for the Rockets, especially in the current salary cap.
#3 Karl-Anthony Towns - Minnesota Timberwolves
Contract: 4 years and $25.7 million (signed in 2015)
Season averages (56 games): 19.9 points, 12.2 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 1.4 blocks
Karl-Anthony Towns is one of only five players to be named Rookie of the Year unanimously. Right from his first days, the Minnesota Timberwolves' forward has been among the best players in the league and it might have taken someone of the caliber of Jimmy Butler for him to shine but his talent was always undeniable.
Towns ranks third in total minutes played (1970) but even with all that time on the court, he still ranks third in the league in Win Shares (9.0). That rank slips to 8th under the Win Share Per 48 Minutes category but he is still in Top 10 of the league, despite being just 22 years of age and in the third year of his playing career.
All these scintillating numbers have earned him his first All-Star selection for the 2018 event in Los Angeles. Like his senior Andrew Wiggins, Towns can expect a huge payday from the team when his contract is up but for now, the Timberwolves would be rejoicing that they are only paying him $6.2 million this season with restricted free agency only looming next summer.
#2 Joel Embiid - Philadelphia 76ers
Contract: 4 years and $19.9 million (signed in 2014)
Season averages (41 games): 23.7 points, 11.0 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 1.9 blocks
To be clear, only the current season of his 4-year deal looks economical. Unlike last season, when he only played 31 games overall, he's already played 41 out of a possible 51. His next deal, an extension he and the team have already agreed to might not be economical at all but this year, he's on this list.
Unlike Capela or Towns, Embiid isn't on the Top 20 of the league when it comes Win Shares or Win Shares Per 48 Minutes but his impact on the team and value to the team is quite clear with the team's On/Off Court stat. While on the court, the Philadelphia 76ers have a net rating of 9.1 but when Embiid is resting on the bench, they have a net rating of -5.7.
In the 41 games played, the team has gone 24-17 - a winning percentage of 58.5% - but in the 10 games he hasn't played, the team has gone 2-8 - a winning percentage of just 20%. An impact of this volume at just $6.1 million is something the Sixers wouldn't mind, however, his next contract might be something they regret later.
#1 Nikola Jokic - Philadelphia 76ers
Contract: 3 years and $4 million (signed in 2015)
Season averages (47 games): 16.5 points, 10.6 rebounds, 5.5 assists, 1.2 steals
Yes, the 22-year old from Serbia is the player with the most economical contract in the NBA for the 2017-18 season. For the impact he has on the game for the Denver Nuggets, his entire contract is a STEAL for the franchise. He only gets $1.47 million dollars this season, that for leading the team in rebounds, assists and almost in points (Gary Harris leads with 17.5) as well.
Just like Embiid, he doesn't rank among the elite with respect to the Win Share stats but his contribution is seen in other numbers. When on the floor, the Nuggets have a net rating of 3.8 whereas when he's off, that number plunges to -4.2.
Denver was looking to cement their position as a Playoff team this year as they signed Paul Millsap in the offseason but he's been out with a wrist injury since late November. In his absence, Jokic has done more than just pick up the slack. He's led the team to a solid sixth spot in the Conference with a 29-25 record. They hold a slim one-game lead over the ninth-seeded LA Clippers but the Jokic-led Nuggets making the Playoffs is a safe bet.
