The amount of cap room teams have remaining

The bulk of free agency is behind us, maybe, but we’re far from done. There follows a look at how much cap space NBA teams still have outstanding, which, with the exception of the occasions I blatantly do the opposite, will be presented without analysis as to how the situation came about.

All the teams that have cap space, or have had cap space this offseason, are included in the list. That is a total of fifteen teams and half the league. The other fifteen – Boston, Brooklyn, Denver, Golden State, Indiana, L.A. Clippers, Memphis, Minnesota, New York, Oklahoma City, Portland, Sacramento, San Antonio, Toronto and Washington – are not mentioned at all.

All salary information is taken from this website’s own salary pages. All figures taken from the day of publication – if subsequent trades/signings are made, then adjust accordingly.

It is vital – VITAL – that you understand what a “cap hold” is before you read this. An explanation can be found here.

Players with asterisks by their names are not under contract with the team, and cap holds are separated from active contracts by the use of a simple link break.

Atlanta Hawks

Committed salary for 2014/15: $48,416,058 (view full forecast)

Remaining cap space: $10,839,436

Atlanta has made only one signing in free agency, facilitated by one trade, and the money jointly spent on Thabo Sefolosha and John Salmons is actually less than the money they were due to spend on Louis Williams. They started with cap space, added more possibly unnecessarily, and still haven’t used up the extra bit, let alone dip into the reserves. I say “possibly unnecessarily” because it does not appear as though they have looked to do much with it, got shot down when they did, and the list of candidates is really running out. Here is their current position:

Al Horford – $12,000,000

Paul Millsap – $9,500,000

Jeff Teague – $8,000,000

Kyle Korver – $6,253,521

Thabo Sefolosha – $4,150,000

DeMarre Carroll – $2,442,455

Dennis Schroder – $1,690,680

John Jenkins – $1,312,920

Pero Antic – $1,250,000

John Salmons* – $1,000,000

Mike Muscala – $816,482

Elton Brand* – $4,800,000

Gustavo Ayon* – $2,850,000

Adreian Payne* – $1,546,100

Shelvin Mack* – $1,148,163

Mike Scott* – $1,115,243

Cartier Martin* – $915,243

Renouce Ayon, Brand and Martin, and that’s $10,839,436 to spend in cap space. But what on?

They need an extra big and an extra scoring guard. Which they could have had in Lou Williams and Lucas Nogueira. Which they traded for a chance at star power. Which they got absolutely no bites on. The decent but low ceilinged Hawks need a great infusion of talent, something they don’t have and stand no obvious chance of getting, despite the spending power. They could at least give it a go with Eric Bledsoe, however inevitable a matched offer sheet is. As it is, the Hawks gave up two of their very few assets for what has amounted to no returning assets. Kent Bazemore and Thabo Sefolosha don’t count. Could a deal to create space not have been worked out after they had found someone to use it on? It’s what Cleveland did.

Charlotte Hornets

Committed salary for 2014/15: $39,858,252 (view full forecast)

Remaining cap space: None, or maybe only a bit

As can be seen, the Hornets at the moment have plenty of cap space remaining:

Al Jefferson – $13,500,000

Gerald Henderson – $6,000,000

Michael Kidd-Gilchrist – $5,016,960

Cody Zeller – $4,030,560

Bismack Biyombo – $3,873,398

Kemba Walker – $3,272,091

Gary Neal – $3,250,000

Jeffrey Taylor – $915,243

Noah Vonleh* – $2,103,500

P.J. Hairston* – $958,100

Roster charge – $507,336

Roster charge – $507,336

Total – $43,934,524 = $19,130,476 in cap space.

It won’t last, though. Agreements with Lance Stephenson (three years and $27.5 million), Marvin Williams (two years and $14 million) and Brian Roberts (two years and $5.5 million) will gobble up the remainder. This might be revisited once figures for Williams and Stephenson are in – if Roberts subsequently takes the room exception, Charlotte might have room for one more.

Chicago Bulls

Committed salary for 2014/15: $46,703,593 (view full forecast)

Remaining cap space: $11,358,463

The Bulls have amnestied Carlos Boozer, traded Greg Smith and Anthony Randolph, and waived the trio of Mike James, Ronnie Brewer and Lou Amundson. That has cleared up the cap a ton:

Derrick Rose – $18,862,876

Joakim Noah – $12,700,000

Taj Gibson – $8,000,000

Mike Dunleavy – $3,326,235

Jimmy Butler – $2,008,748

Tony Snell – $1,472,400

Richard Hamilton* – $333,334

Kirk Hinrich* – $5,276,700

Doug McDermott* – $1,898,300

Nikola Mirotic* – $1,075,300

Daequan Cook* – $915,243

Jimmer Fredette* – $915,243

Nazr Mohammmed* – $915,243

Vladimir Radmanovic* – $915,243

Brian Scalabrine* – $915,243

There are still many free agent cap holds there, but they can all be renounced quite readily. (Hinrich, the only one who might command more than the minimum, is said to have already agreed to take the room exception.) Renounce them all, tack on four roster charges, and the Bulls have $11,358,463 in cap space. And in some form, it’s going to Mirotic and Pau Gasol.

Cleveland Cavaliers

Committed salary for 2014/15: $56,030,677 (view full forecast)

Remaining cap space: Dregs

LeBron James – $20,644,400

Anderson Varejao – $9,704,545

Kyrie Irving – $7,070,730

Anthony Bennett – $5,563,920

Tristan Thompson – $5,138,430

Dion Waiters – $4,062,000

Brendan Haywood – $2,213,688

Carrick Felix – $816,482

Matthew Dellavedova – $816,482

Andrew Wiggins* – $4,592,200

Roster charge – $507,336

Roster charge – $507,336

Adding up all of that totals $61,637,549, offering up $1,427,451 in cap space. That number can be increased by waiving the unguaranteed contract of Dellavedova, although he has done nothing to deserve it. Mike Miller has agreed to sign, albeit for more than that amount, and thus likely for the room exception. Ray Allen is the other target, but that amount is less than his minimum. It seems more likely that this amount is used on second round picks Joe Harris and Dwight Powell, getting them three year contracts.

Dallas Mavericks

Committed salary for 2014/15: $58,171,433 (view full forecast)

Remaining cap space: Effectively none

Tyson Chandler – $14,846,888

Chandler Parsons – $14,700,000

Monta Ellis – $8,360,000

Dirk Nowitzki – $7,974,482

Brandan Wright – $5,000,000

Raymond Felton – $3,793,693

Greg Smith – $948,163

Jae Crowder – $915,243

Ricky Ledo – $816,482

Gal Mekel – $816,482

DeJuan Blair* – $915,243

Devin Harris* – $915,243

Bernard James* – $915,243

Petteri Koponen* – $911,400

Total – $61,828,562 – $1,236,438 in cap space

Koponen and James mean nothing, but Blair is to be signed and traded to the Wizards (presumably for Melvin Ely and some obligatory other minor consideration), a transaction which requires a small amount of cap space to complete. And even though a decent amount of space will be opened up after than and the renouncements/expunging of the other two, it’s all going to Harris.

Detroit Pistons

Committed salary for 2014/15: $51,413,230 (view full forecast)

Remaining cap space: $1,935,635

The Pistons have signed three players – Jodie Meeks, D.J. Augustin and Caron Butler – which has been pretty much the end of their cap space. They still have agreements to fulfil with Aaron Gray and Cartier Martin, but the minimum salary and room exception ought cover it. Greg Monroe’s cap hold is the culprit here, and that’s not going to change.

At least, not for now. Someone on this list may come in for Monroe – Atlanta seems like they ought – which could offer a testing contract for a player whom they ideally need value from but who just isn’t fitting. And various connotations of the Josh Smith to Sacramento trade, should it go down, might open up some space. As of right now, the cap space has pretty much been used up, with the dregs potentially earmarked for Gray (either that or the room exception). But never say never.

Josh Smith – $13,500,000

Brandon Jennings – $8,000,000

Jodie Meeks – $6,000,000

Caron Butler – $4,500,000

Jonas Jerebko – $4,500,000

D.J. Augustin – $3,000,000

Will Bynum – $2,915,908

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope – $2,772,480

Andre Drummond – $2,568,360

Luigi Datome – $1,750,000

Kyle Singler – $1,090,000

Tony Mitchell – $816,482

Greg Monroe* – $10,216,135

Houston Rockets

Committed salary for 2014/15: $56,156,175 (view full forecast)

Remaining cap space: $11,147,981

After whatever, this is the current situation:

Dwight Howard – $21,436,271

James Harden – $14,728,844

Trevor Ariza – $8,579,089

Alonzo Gee – $3,000,000

Terrence Jones – $1,618,680

Donatas Motiejunas – $1,483,920

Scotty Hopson – $1,450,878

Josh Powell – $1,310,286

Patrick Beverley – $915,243

Isaiah Canaan – $816,482

Robert Covington – $816,482

Troy Daniels – $816,482

Jordan Hamilton* – $2,109,294

Clint Capela* – $991,000

Francisco Garcia* – $915,243

The figure above assumes the waivings of Gee, Hopson and Powell, all unguaranteed and used only as contractual pieces. Covington is only $150,000 and could be waived, although this would mean only a $150,000 saving once a roster charge is accounted for and thus likely not worth it, and while Beverley’s deal is fully unguaranteed, he is not being waived. The above figure also assumes the renouncements of Hamilton and Garcia (who can always get minimum contracts post-cap space if needs be), and the removal of Capela’s cap hold. Houston have supposedly agreed to sign Kostas Papanikolaou, Joey Dorsey and Nick Johnson, which will cut into that figure. But if they and Ariza are the haul….

L.A. Lakers

Committed salary for 2014/15: $46,403,492 (view full forecast)

Remaining cap space: A dollop, maybe (see below)

After striking out on the big names, the Lakers acquired Jeremy Lin and signed their draft pick, Julius Randle. That will frankly be the bulk of their business. The situation they have is thus:

Kobe Bryant – $23,500,000

Steve Nash – $9,701,000

Jeremy Lin – $8,374,646

Julius Randle – $2.997,360

Kendall Marshall – $915,243

Robert Sacre – $915,243

Jordan Hill* – $6,770,840

MarShon Brooks* – $2,179,354

Ryan Kelly* – $1,016,482

Kent Bazemore* – $915,243

Andrew Goudelock* – $915,243

Xavier Henry* – $915,243

Wesley Johnson* – $915,243

Nick Young* – $915,243

Those contracts and cap holds total $60,946,383. Hill and Young are going to re-sign with the team, but the Lakers have only non-Bird rights on Young, which would limit them to a contract starting at only 120% of the minimum were they to use them, which is not nearly enough for this purpose. So they will have to re-sign Young using the cap space they have remaining, and any more they open up.

They will open up a shred more through renouncements alone, albeit not huge amounts, since only Hill has a big hold. They can re-sign Hill with Bird rights, but only if they don’t renounce him, thus his cap hold must sustain. In practice, Bazemore’s cap hold will be removed when he joins Atlanta, Brooks and Goudelock will be renounced, and then Young will be re-signed. That leaves this:

Kobe Bryant – $23,500,000

Steve Nash – $9,701,000

Jeremy Lin – $8,374,646

Julius Randle – $2,997,360

Kendall Marshall – $915,243

Robert Sacre – $915,243

Jordan Hill* – $6,770,840

Ryan Kelly* – $1,016,482

Xavier Henry* – $915,243

Wesley Johnson* – $915,243

Roster charge – $507,336

Roster charge – $507,336

Total = $57,035,972 = $6,029,028

Let’s say Young’s four year $21 million reported agreed contract starts at $4.9 million with maximum 4.5% raises totalling $20,923,000. Take the $4.9 million out of that $6,029,028, then add back the amount of one less roster charge. That leaves $1,636,364 in cap room. You could add $200,000 to that amount by rescinding Kelly’s QO, $509,146 by rescinding Kelly’s QO and also renouncing him, and $407,907 for renouncements of each of Henry and Johnson. If all free agents other than Hill are renounced, then, the Lakers could re-sign Young for $4.9 million, have $2,961,324 more in cap space for someone else, and then still have the cap room mid-level exception to offer someone else. And they could do all this before re-signing Hill and adding Ed Davis at the minimum salary.

At least one more small move left in the gun, then. Potentially one big move in the gun if the stretch provision is used on Nash, but that’s not conducive to a 2015 plan and ought not be expected.

Miami Heat

Committed salary for 2014/15: $39,458,485 (view full forecast)

Remaining cap space: None

The Heat have not signed all their agreed-upon deals, but they’ve done six of them, and it’s left them here:

Dwyane Wade – $15,000,000

Luol Deng – $9,714,461

Josh McRoberts – $5,305,000

Mario Chalmers – $4,000,000

Danny Granger – $2,077,000

Norris Cole – $2,038,206

Justin Hamilton $816,482

James Ennis – $507,336

Chris Bosh* – $20,644,400

Shabazz Napier* – $1,032,200

Chris Andersen* – $915,243

Roster charge – $507,336

All that totals an amount that is not coincidentally exactly $507,336 below the salary cap, so now we know why Deng signed for that bizarrely specific amount. Bosh, Napier and Andersen will sign soon in moves that will put the Heat over the cap, and thereafter they are limited to the room exception and the minimum salary. Waiving the unguaranteed Hamilton would add very little, given that he would have to be replaced with a roster charge.

Milwaukee Bucks

Committed salary for 2014/15: $51,841,965 (view full forecast)

Remaining cap space: $11,223,035

The only roster move Milwaukee have made so far was signing Jabari Parker. That has left them this:

Larry Sanders – $11,000,000

O.J. Mayo – $8,000,000

Ersan Ilyasova – $7,900,000

Zaza Pachulia – $5,200,000

Jabari Parker – $4,930,560

Brandon Knight – $3,553,917

Carlos Delfino – $3,250,000

John Henson – $1,987,320

Giannis Antetokounmpo – $1,873,200

Miroslav Raduljica – $1,500,000

Khris Middleton – $915,243

Chris Wright – $915,243

Nate Wolters – $816,482

Ekpe Udoh* – $11,173,870

Ramon Sessions* – $6,500,000

Jeff Adrien* – $915,243

Marquis Daniels* – $915,243

Middleton and Wright are both fully unguaranteed, but Middleton definitely won’t be waived. The figure above was determined by assuming that neither will, while all four free agents (who are actually keeping them over the cap at the moment) are renounced. Udoh is a mere minimum salary player, albeit a potentially useful one, and the Bucks have made no noise about re-signing Sessions. Indeed, they are said to be signing Jerryd Bayless to a two year, $6 million contract, which would both replace Sessions and push Wolters down the depth chart. You weren’t expecting an offer sheet for Eric Bledsoe, surely.

New Orleans Pelicans

Committed salary for 2014/15: $65,831,445 (view full forecast)

Remaining cap space: None

The Pelicans had cap space, but it’s gone now. They used their last vestiges of it on Russ Smith, thereby creating this situation:

Eric Gordon – $14,898,938

Tyreke Evans – $11,265,416

Jrue Holiday – $10,404,495

Ryan Anderson – $8,491,500

Omer Asik – $8,374,646

Anthony Davis – $5,607,240

Austin Rivers – $2,439,840

Omri Casspi – $1,063,384

Alexis Ajinca – $981,084

Luke Babbitt – $981,084

Jeff Withey – $816,482

Russ Smith – $507,336

Darius Miller* – $915,243

Some bonus minutiae coming up.

Unable to clear the cap space for Asik – it seems they were unable to meet whatever demands other cap space teams had for taking on Rivers’s contract – the Pelicans had to trade for him without using cap space. And as explained here, that means matching salaries, which wasn’t easy without using Rivers, in whom fellow cap space pursuers Houston had no interest. But they managed it. They used their own unguaranteed contract of Melvin Ely ($1,316,809), then acquired the ones of Alonzo Gee ($3,000,000) and Scotty Hopson ($1,450,878) in two separate trades with Cleveland, the first costing only a top 55 protected second rounder, the latter only cash. They were then able to aggregate those three salaries to send to Houston, their $5,767,687 aggregated salary is within the 150% + $100,000 range of Asik’s, and thus were able to send them, albeit in different directions, to accommodate him. It mattered not how recently Hopson and Gee had been received in trades, because the two months prohibition on a player’s retradeability after being acquired by trade applies only if the retrading team had been over the cap when they first acquired them, which the Pelicans were not. Smith was signed before the Asik trade – he, Gee and Hopson just about fit within the Pelicans’s cap space pre-Asik trade, even with Miller’s cap hold, thus they were able to give Smith the third year on his minimum salary contract that they could not have done had they been armed with only the cap room mid-level exception and the minimum salary exceptions, both of which have a maximum of two seasons on them. (Additionally, Casspi, who was also received in the Asik trade, was on the second year of a two year minimum salary contract and thus absorbable via the MSE, and needed not be included in the trade aggregation.)

It cost them much less than clearing out Rivers would have done, so, well done there. They also got the decent enough Casspi for their troubles. Here’s hoping they don’t waive him, even though they will.

Orlando Magic

Committed salary for 2014/15: $50,081,737 (view full forecast)

Remaining cap space: $11,157,904

As was said in the opening, we’ll bear no judgement on the messed up methods by which Orlando got to this point. Instead, we will look only at what “this point” consists of. The results:

Channing Frye – $8,579,088

Glen Davis* – $6,600,000

Victor Oladipo – $4,978,200

Ben Gordon – $4,500,000

Aaron Gordon – $3,992,040

Al Harrington* – $3,804,900

Nikola Vucevic – $2,751,260

Elfrid Payton – $2,397,840

Tobias Harris – $2,380,594

Jameer Nelson* – $2,000,000

Maurice Harkless – $1,887,840

Anthony Randolph* – $1,825,359

Andrew Nicholson – $1,545,840

Evan Fournier – $1,483,920

Willie Green – $1,448,490

Kyle O’Quinn – $915,243

Dewayne Dedmon – $816,482

Fran Vazquez* – $1,898,300

E’Twaun Moore* – $915,243

Jeremy Richardson* – $915,243

(NB – Davis’s amount is not certain but is certainly no higher than this.)

Orlando could renounce the long redundant cap hold on Richardson quite easily, and would do if they had any incentive, and the once promising E’Twaun Moore has no place on the roster any more in light of the rest of the guard reshuffle. Vasquez’s cap hold is easily gotten rid of if needs be, be it by agreeing to expunge it for a year or just getting rid of it for good. Dedmon is unguaranteed, although there seems no reason to waive him. And Al Harrington’s contract has the right of set-off outstanding, which will further reduce it should he sign somewhere else soon. The above figure was arrived at assuming the removal of the three cap holds only, but it’s enough for a decent chunk of change.

As for what they could do with this extra space? Well, there’s surely some mediocre veteran out there who needs overpaying. Seems to have been the MO so far. Luke Ridnour is about to join, getting two years and $5.5 million to be only slightly better than Ronnie Price, so presumably there is one more deal of such type left in the gun. Probably for a centre.

Actually, Vasquez is a centre, and is long since passed being required to sign for the rookie scale. He’s a veteran now, and plays a position with a hole on the depth chart. Give it all to him. For a laugh.

Philadelphia 76ers

Committed salary for 2014/15: $31,341,130 (view full forecast)

Remaining cap space: $28,034,170

Philly’s entire offseason thus far has been the draft, where they acquired five new players, none of whom they have yet signed, and none of whom might contribute to the team next year. This of course was the plan, but signing absolutely no one at all thus far, not even a draftee, has given them a ton of space that’s pretty much going to waste. The current situation reads thusly:

Thaddeus Young – $9,410,869

Jason Richardson – $6,601,125

Nerlens Noel – $3,315,120

Michael Carter-Williams – $2,300,040

Eric Maynor* – $2,106,720

Tony Wroten – $1,210,080

Arnett Moultrie – $1,136,160

Elliot Williams – $981,084

Henry Sims – $915,243

Jarvis Varnado – $915,243

Brandon Davies – $816,482

Hollis Thompson – $816,482

Casper Ware – $816,482

Joel Embiid* – $3,689,700

Dario Saric* – $1,803,400

Charles Jenkins* – $915,243 $947,276 Two year veteran’s minimum

Byron Mullens* – $915,243 $947,276 Two year veteran’s minimum

Adonis Thomas* – $816,482

The Sixers could make even more room for themselves than this. The renouncements of Jenkins, Mullens and Thomas are meaninglessly routine, and Saric could sign the paperwork agreeing not to join the NBA next season (since he won’t), thereby expunging his cap hold. All of Ware, Thompson, Davies, Varnardo, Sims and Williams are on unguaranteed contracts and could be waived to open up more space (albeit remembering to add a roster charge of $507,633 for each empty roster spot up to and including 12 places), and you could even take it even further and utilise the stretch provision on Jason Richardson, thereby thirding his cap number. The figure arrived at above assumes no such stretching and no waivings, but does include the renouncements of the three FAs and the expunging of Saric’s cap hold, and yet they could go so much bigger.

However, much of that is not likely to happen. The Sixers it seems have no desire to use this cap space. This accords with their MO of last year, when they sat on an oodle of it for many months and eventually used it all to acquire six second round picks on one day. The strategy, it seems, is to do much the same again. But it is a strategy with a problem – there are a lot more teams who can take on salary other teams want to shed than there is salary needing to be shed. The Sixers couldn’t turn their tons of cap space into a single first round pick last deadline, when there were fewer competitors on the market, so their chances of doing it again are automatically limited. And when there was one available just now with Jeremy Lin, they seemingly didn’t want it.

There must be a plan somewhere, but none of it has come to fruition yet, and it is starting to get bizarre. It is not due to an obligation to meet the salary floor that I say this – there is no obligation – but because the cap space is not yielding anything of value at all right now, at a time when others (Lin trade to Lakers, Anthony Randolph to Orlando) are managing to make theirs work for them. Hinkie it seems is all in on something, but God knows what it is this time. I hereby predict a trade of for Gerald Wallace at the deadline, and submit as my corroborating evidence absolutely nothing whatsoever.

Phoenix Suns

Committed salary for 2014/15: $34,878,911 (view full forecast)

Remaining cap space: $18,647,161

Even after acquiring Isaiah, the Suns still have plenty to spend. Eric Bledsoe will get a big contract, but his cap hold is sufficiently small that the Suns can boast big time free agency space before signing him to it. The same is true on a smaller scale of P.J. Tucker, whose meeting of the starter criteria boosted the value of his qualifying offer higher but still not to the same level as the contract he is going to re-sign for. That leaves the pleasingly cheap Suns as follows:

Goran Dragic – $7,500,000

Isaiah Thomas – $7,238,606

Alex Len – $3,649,920

Gerald Green – $3,500,000

Markieff Morris – $2,989,239

Marcus Morris – $2,943,221

T.J. Warren – $1,953,520

Shavlik Randolph – $1,227,985

Miles Plumlee – $1,169,880

Archie Goodwin – $1,112,280

Dionte Christmas – $816,482

Michael Beasley* – $777,778

Eric Bledsoe* – $6,566,183

P.J. Tucker* – $2,875,130

Tyler Ennis* – $1,325,600

Leandro Barbosa* – $915,243

The remaining space figure listed above is arrived at by assuming the waiving of Randolph, the renouncement of Barbosa, and the continued wait on signing all three of Ennis, Bledsoe and Tucker. There may not be that many candidates worthy of this much money any more, but by virtue of their tons of space and their young, exciting and quality team, Phoenix may have the pick of the litter. (Well, until they run out of roster spots.) Anthony Tolliver will soon be signing, it is said, for a total of two years and $6 million, which means you can knock about $3 million off of that figure. But that’s still basically maximum contract space. Any takers?

Utah Jazz

Committed salary for 2014/15: $54,428,296 (view full forecast)

Remaining cap space: $8,636,704

After matching Hayward’s offer sheet, the Jazz are actually technically over the cap at the moment, having been beneath it earlier in order to complete the Steve Novak trade. However, when Marvin Williams (see above) signs with Charlotte, his $11,250,000 cap hold will disappear, creating the following situation:

Gordon Hayward – $14,746,000

Derrick Favors – $12,950,000

Enes Kanter – $5,694,674

Dante Exum – $3,615,000

Steve Novak – $3,445,947

Alec Burks – $3,034,356

Trey Burke – $2,548,560

Jeremy Evans – $1,794,872

John Lucas III – $1,600,000

Rodney Hood – $1,290,360

Rudy Gobert – $1,127,400

Malcolm Thomas – $948,163

Ian Clark – $816,482

Erik Murphy – $816,482

Lucas, Murphy, Thomas and Clark are all fully unguaranteed and could be waived to open up further cap space. However, in light of having already signed Exum and Hood to their rookie deals, and having made no attempt at big time free agents since about 2003, there is no strong likelihood of big cap space usage any time soon. Much of what is left will be used on Trevor Booker, who has agreed to but not yet signed a two year, $10 million deal. Thereafter, unless there is another Novak-like trade to come, they are probably just turning over the non-rotation players.