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2025 Free Agents - Taj Gibson

It looked like Gibson's time in the NBA might be over after he was waived by the Knicks in 2020 and was unsigned going into the '20'-21 season. However, the Knicks re-signed him mid-way through the '20-'21 season, and over the course of the past few seasons he looked like he still belonged, moving pretty well and finishing decently inside on offense. He has nice touch on short hooks and floaters, and has some post moves to create space in the paint. He also still rebounds well on the offensive end. On defense, Gibson at least knows where he needs to be, even if he's limited athletically nearing age 39. He regressed in '22-'23, looking less mobile and posting a below-average block rate, and that mostly continued in '23-'24. You wouldn't want to have to rely on Gibson for heavy minutes, but he may still be able to contribute as a last resort big that can adequately fill in when there are injuries. However, there's also the possibility that Gibson's career is hanging by a thread and could be over soon, considering he didn't get many the past two seasons. I have been surprised multiple times over the past few years when he has extended his career, but I wouldn't be surprised if he retired after the '24-'25 season.

Summary

Gibson will be an unrestricted free agent with a $2.3 million cap hold and Non-Bird Rights. This means that the highest starting salary the Hornets could offer him using the Non-Bird Exception is $4.4 million. This should be enough to retain Gibson, as he has only received minimum contracts in recent years. Other teams will have multiple ways to sign Gibson as even teams without cap space could possibly use the Non-Taxpayer MLE, Room MLE, or possibly even the Taxpayer MLE or Bi-Annual Exception to sign him. It's also likely that Gibson only gets minimum offers, and he may not get fully-guaranteed offers.

Cap Considerations

DeAndre Jordan (1 year minimum, 2024) Anthony Gill (2-1 year minimum, 2024) Bruno Fernando (1 year minimum, non-guaranteed, 2024)

Player/Contract Comparison

Potential Teams: Hornets, Trailblazers, Knicks, Nets, Wizards

Predicted Contract: 1-year, $3.6 million (non-guaranteed) with the Hornets

Last updated: 10/13/2024

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