2015/16 Roster Counts: Atlanta Hawks
During the offseason it’s OK for teams to carry as many as 20 players, but clubs must trim their rosters down to a maximum of 15 by opening night. In the meantime, some teams will hang around that 15-man line, while others will max out their roster counts. Some clubs may actually have more than 15 contracts that are at least partially guaranteed on the books. That means they’ll end up paying players who won’t be on the regular season roster, unless they can find trade partners.
With plenty more movement still to come, here’s the latest look at the Hawks’ roster size, the contract guarantee status of each player, and how each player came to be on Atlanta’s roster.
(Last Updated 2-29-16, 5:00pm)
Fully Guaranteed (15)
- Kent Bazemore (G) — 6’5″/25 years old. Free agent signing.
- Tim Hardaway Jr.(G/F) — 6’6″/23 years old. Acquired via trade from Knicks.
- Kirk Hinrich (G) — 6’4″/34 years old. Acquired via trade from Bulls.
- Al Horford (C) — 6’10″/28 years old. Drafted with No. 3 overall pick in 2007.
- Kris Humphries (F) — 6’9″/30 years old. Free agent signing.
- Kyle Korver (G/F) — 6’7″/34 years old. Acquired via trade from Hawks.
- Paul Millsap (F) — 6’8″/30 years old. Free agent signing.
- Mike Muscala (F/C) — 6’11″/23 years old. Draft rights acquired from Mavericks.
- Lamar Patterson (G) — 6’5″/23 years old. Draft rights acquired via Bucks.
- Dennis Schröder (G) — 6’1″/21 years old. Drafted with No. 17 overall pick in 2013.
- Mike Scott (F) — 6’8″/26 years old. Drafted with No. 43 overall pick in 2012.
- Thabo Sefolosha (G/F) — 6’7″/31 years old. Acquired from Thunder via sign-and-trade.
- Tiago Splitter (C) — 6’11″/30 years old. Acquired via trade from Spurs.
- Edy Tavares (C) — 7’3″/23 years old. Drafted with No. 43 overall pick in 2014.
- Jeff Teague (G) — 6’2″/26 years old. Drafted with No. 19 overall pick in 2009.
10-Day Contracts (0)
- None
TOTAL ROSTER COUNT (15)
Northwest Notes: Borrego, Tomic, Williams
The Thunder and James Borrego are in talks for the former Magic interim coach to join Billy Donovan‘s coaching staff in Oklahoma City, Marc Stein of ESPN.com reports. The 37-year-old coach was recently replaced in Orlando by Scott Skiles, who has offered Borrego the opportunity to remain with the Magic as an assistant, Stein adds. But the Thunder and the Magic may have competition for his services, with the Pelicans also expressing interest in adding Borrego to the team’s coaching staff, the ESPN scribe notes.
Here’s more from the Northwest Division:
- Jazz draft-and-stash prospect Ante Tomic is still waffling on whether or not to leave FC Barcelona for the NBA, Aaron Falk of The Salt Lake Tribune writes. “It’s neither yes nor no,” Tomic told Gigantes.com when asked about his NBA plans. “It’s difficult to summarize. Sometimes I see myself there and others no. I still have time to think it over.” Tomic, who had previously suggested that this offseason was likely going to be his last opportunity to enter the NBA, was reported to be considering signing a three year extension with Barcelona back in April.
- The extra benefit that the Thunder will receive from adding former Pelicans coach Monty Williams to Donovan’s staff is his strong relationship with forward Kevin Durant, Anthony Slater of The Oklahoman writes. The two men bonded during their time spent last summer with Team USA, Slater notes. “We’d always been around each other, but we’ve never talked,” Williams said. “When we talked this summer, we realized how much we had in common. His mom I think went to my high school. I think Kevin is a wonderful person and is always doing the right thing. We just had some really good conversations about life and basketball.” Durant is eligible to become an unrestricted free agent next summer, so any advantage that OKC can garner in regards to retaining its star is certainly a boon to the franchise.
Western Notes: Hornacek, Blazers, Draft
Now that Fred Hoiberg has been officially named as the Bulls’ new coach, there has been speculation linking Suns coach Jeff Hornacek to Hoiberg’s vacated post at Iowa State, Andrew Joseph of The Arizona Republic writes. But Hornacek, who played his collegiate ball for the Cyclones, declined an opportunity to interview for the position, Joseph notes. “[GM] Ryan [McDonough] and I came here for a purpose. We think we’ve got a good young crew that we can build with. We’ll work on getting some more veteran guys to help them but we’ve got a job to do here and that’s our plan,” Hornacek said when asked about the possibility of him departing Phoenix.
Here’s more from the Western Conference:
- The Trail Blazers held workouts today for Montrezl Harrell (Louisville), Corey Hawkins (UC Davis), Stefan Nastic (Stanford), Christian Wood (UNLV), Kenneth Smith (Louisiana Tech), and Luis Montero (Westchester Community College), Casey Holdahl of Blazers.com reports (Twitter link).
- St. John’s University swingman SirDominic Pointer worked out for the Thunder today, Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv tweets.
- UC Santa Barbara forward Alan Williams displayed his wares for the Mavericks today, Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders notes (on Twitter).
- Wisconsin forward Sam Dekker worked out for the Suns today, Michael Scotto of SheridanHoops tweets. Phoenix is considering taking Dekker with the No. 13 overall pick this June, Scotto adds. You can check out our prospect profile for Dekker here.
Atlantic Notes: Raptors, Smith, Draft
The Raptors have a busy summer ahead of them with six players set to hit free agency, and with the team also badly needing to upgrade its defense and rebounding, Holly MacKenzie of NBA.com writes in her offseason preview of the franchise. Toronto could also stand to add a veteran two-way forward like Paul Pierce, whose impact on the Wizards’ locker room didn’t go unnoticed by Raptors GM Masai Ujiri, MacKenzie adds. You can view Hoops Rumors’ offseason outlook for the Raptors here.
Here’s more from the NBA’s Atlantic Division:
- Celtics coach Brad Stevens wants to see the team add versatility and shooting this offseason, in addition to rim protection, as he told reporters, including Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald.
- J.R. Smith believes that the Knicks gave up on him this season, and said that he felt like a “throw in” who was included in the deal that brought him to the Cavs only for salary matching purposes, Rod Boone of Newsday relays (via Twitter). Smith certainly appeared revitalized as a player after the trade, playing in 46 games and averaging 12.7 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 2.5 assists in 31.8 minutes per contest for Cleveland.
- The Raptors have workouts scheduled with Jerian Grant (Notre Dame), Chavaughn Lewis (Marist), Rondae Hollis-Jefferson (Arizona), and Justin Anderson (Virginia), the team announced. Also displaying their wares in a workout for the Raptors today were Maurice Walker (Minnesota) and Dallin Bachynski (Utah), the team relayed (on Twitter).
Draft History: Ryan McDonough
The 2015 NBA draft is less than a month away, and for teams that aren’t still participating in the NBA playoffs, the focus is on using that event to build toward a better future. Now that the NBA Draft lottery is complete, the speculation can truly begin as to which player each franchise will pin its hopes on for the future. Of course, having one of the top selections in any draft doesn’t guarantee that a team will snag a future All-Star. Team executives and scouts still have the difficult task of making the correct call with their picks.
With this in mind we at Hoops Rumors will be taking a look back at the draft history of the primary basketball executive for each NBA team. Their names, reputations, and possibly employment will be on the line as a result of the decisions to come on June 25th, and we’ll be examining what they’ve done in previous years in charge of a club’s front office. Note that many of them have played other sorts of roles within a team’s executive structure, but this won’t take that into account. We’ll continue onward with a look back at the calls made by Suns GM Ryan McDonough.
Suns (May 2013-Present)
2013 Draft
- No. 5 Overall — Alex Len: 111 games, 4.7 PPG, 5.0 RPG, and 1.1 BPG. .492/.333/.689.
- No. 29 Overall — Archie Goodwin*: 93 games, 4.6 PPG, 1.7 RPG, 0.7 APG. .421/.221/.710.
- No. 57 Overall — Alex Oriakhi: No regular season NBA appearances.
*Acquired from the Warriors along with Malcolm Lee in exchange for the No. 30 overall pick (Nemanja Nedovic).
Players passed over or available at draft slot: Nerlens Noel (No. 6), Michael Carter-Williams (No. 11), Steven Adams (No. 12), Giannis Antetokounmpo (No. 15), Mason Plumlee (No. 22), and Rudy Gobert (No. 27).
2014 Draft
- No. 14 Overall — T.J. Warren: 40 games, 6.1 PPG, 2.1 RPG, and 0.6 APG. .528/.238/.737.
- No. 18 Overall — Tyler Ennis: 33 games, 3.7 PPG, 1.1 RPG, 2.2 APG. .361/.279/.714.
- No. 27 Overall — Bogdan Bogdanovic: No regular season NBA appearances.
- No. 50 Overall — Alec Brown: No regular season NBA appearances.
Players passed over or available at draft slot: Mitch McGary (No. 21), Rodney Hood (No. 23), K.J. McDaniels (No. 32), and Jordan Clarkson (No. 46).
Northwest Notes: Singler, Jazz, Portis
Kyle Singler became a fan of new Thunder coach Billy Donovan after the two met face-to-face shortly after the team announced the coach’s hiring, Michael Rothstein of ESPN.com writes. “It was quick. It was engaging,” Singler said. “I didn’t really know too much about him so I was walking into it not really expecting much. I didn’t know what was going to be talked about. Really liked the things he had to say, liked his demeanor. He didn’t really get into much talking about [my role]. He just wanted to know what my opinions were with the team last year, what I thought would help the team out next season, stuff like that, style-wise.” The 27-year-old is set to become a restricted free agent this summer, provided OKC tenders him a qualifying offer worth $2,725,003.
Here’s the latest from the Northwest Division:
- The Jazz have workouts scheduled Thursday for Pat Connaughton (Notre Dame), Malcolm Miller (Holy Cross), Bobby Portis (Arkansas), Kevon Looney (UCLA), and Deonta Stocks (West Georgia), the team announced (on Twitter).
- Minnesota senior guard Andre Hollins will also work out for the Jazz on Thursday, Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN tweets.
- The Trail Blazers have expressed interest in Portis, though the forward is expected to be off the board prior to the team selecting at pick No. 23, Jabari Young of CSNNW.com tweets.
- Working out for the Timberwolves on Thursday will be J.P. Tokoto (North Carolina), Terry Rozier (Louisville), Norman Powell (UCLA), Olivier Hanlan (Boston College), Jabril Trawick (Georgetown), and Michael Frazier (Florida), Wolfson relays (Twitter link).
Nuggets Interview Mike D’Antoni, Eye Malone
Mike D’Antoni met with the Nuggets on Tuesday regarding their head coaching position, Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports reports. Denver’s post is the lone remaining coaching vacancy in the NBA now that Fred Hoiberg is in place in Chicago, Scott Skiles is on the job in Orlando, and Alvin Gentry has been hired to lead the Pelicans. Marc Stein of ESPN.com first reported that D’Antoni would be a potential target of Denver’s.
While D’Antoni’s fast-paced offensive style fits perfectly into what Denver wishes to transition to, interim coach Melvin Hunt, who was reported to have emerged as the front-runner to land the post on a more permanent basis, still remains a strong contender for the position, Wojnarowski adds. Also reported to be in the mix for Denver’s coaching billet is former Hawks and Knicks coach Mike Woodson, who could land an interview in the near future, and former Kings coach Michael Malone, who has had conversations with GM Tim Connelly, and Malone could warrant an interview as well, Wojnarowski notes.
D’Antoni, 64, spent less than a season as the interim head coach with the Nuggets during the 1998/99 campaign, and he has also been a head coach for the Suns, Knicks , and the Lakers. Through 881 career regular season contests his record is 455-426, with a postseason mark of 26-33.
Nets Notes: Williams, Marks, D-League
The Nets have no intention of reaching a buyout arrangement with Deron Williams, nor does the team plan on waiving him via the stretch provision, even if it means that the franchise will be over the luxury tax line next season, Tim Bontemps of The New York Post writes. “The goal is to try to be under the tax,” GM Billy King said. “That’s just the goal. How realistic is it? It may not be. But that’s the goal. We’re not going to jeopardize our roster, jeopardize our team, to be under the tax,” King continued. “If the decision is made to make a move or whatever, we’ll do that if we think it helps us win.”
Here’s more out of Brooklyn:
- The team’s decision to part ways with assistant GM Bobby Marks was made in order to “streamline things” within the Nets’ front office, Bontemps adds. “You had two assistant GMs, and when we looked at it overall, could some of the responsibilities be shared throughout the department … that’s why the decision was made,” King said.
- King also relayed that the team’s plan this summer is to re-sign both Brook Lopez and Thaddeus Young, and if it means being over the luxury tax so be it, Al Iannazzone of Newsday tweets.
- Brooklyn’s roster will remain largely intact heading into next season, and the team’s plan is to add pieces who will complement the players it already has, Mike Mazzeo of ESPN.com relays (Twitter link).
- King reiterated the Nets’ intent to establish a one-to-one affiliation with a D-League team in Brooklyn, though the location of the franchise could change after a few seasons, Mitchell Abramson of The New York Daily News relays (via Twitter).
Rockets To Pursue Sergio Llull
Kevin McHale made it clear this week that the Rockets want to sign draft-and-stash point guard Sergio Llull this summer, as the coach expressed to host Charlie Pallilo in an appearance on SportsTalk 790 in Houston (audio link), and as Max Croes of SB Nation’s The Dream Shake blog transcribes. McHale said that the Rockets “would love to bring over” the point guard who plays for Real Madrid of Spain, adding that “signing a Sergio Llull would be huge.”
Rockets GM Daryl Morey denied a report that the team was willing to give Llull a deal worth at least $17MM over three years, terms similar to what fellow draft-and-stash prospect Nikola Mirotic received from the Bulls last summer. Such a deal would be difficult for the Rockets to pull off if they elect to remain over the cap and retain Patrick Beverley and Josh Smith. Houston would like to keep both, but while the Rockets have full Bird Rights with Beverley, they only have Non-Bird rights with Smith, so it’s quite possible they’ll have to use the mid-level exception to keep him. That would remove any opportunity for the Rockets to sign Llull for more than the minimum if Houston indeed elects to operate above the cap,
Of course, it’s not a given that the Rockets won’t clear cap room, with about $55MM in guaranteed salary against a projected $67.1MM cap and Morey’s history of salary-clearing deals, as I wrote in my look at the offseason ahead for Houston. Croes suggests that Houston’s apparent desire for Llull is an ominous sign for Kostas Papanikolaou, on whom the Rockets have a team option worth nearly $4.8MM for next season. Still, even if Houston picks up that option, his salary wouldn’t be guaranteed until October 4th.
It’s unclear exactly what it would take for Houston to convince Llull to come stateside, though Llull didn’t seem too excited about the NBA when he said recently that the best place for him to win titles was with Real Madrid. David Pick of Eurobasket.com cast doubt a month ago on the idea of Llull leaving Europe, believing that the 27-year-old, who’ll turn 28 in November, wouldn’t be enthusiastic about coming over in a backup role. Llull is averaging 10.7 points, 4.3 assists and 0.9 turnovers in 25.8 minutes per game this season.
2015 Free Agent Power Rankings
The Finals start Thursday, and free agency begins in less than a month, so the time is right for another check on how the NBA’s top 2015 free agents stack up. There’s a strong chance that everyone in the top 10 will sign maximum salary deals this summer, the last before projected leaps in the salary cap will make max contracts even more lucrative. Regardless, one Cavalier has widened his lead for the No. 1 spot, while another is on a slide:
- LeBron James (player option) — Absent Kevin Love and a hobbled Kyrie Irving, the Cavs stormed through the Eastern Conference on their way to the finals thanks in large measure to LeBron’s tour de force. If there was any doubt that he’s still the best player in the game, and this year’s best potential free agent, there is none now, just as there’s no doubt that he’ll re-sign with Cleveland. Last ranking: No. 1
- Kawhi Leonard (restricted) — A year ago, the performance that Leonard put on in the Finals, when he scored at least 20 points in consecutive games for just the second time in his career, seemed like an outlier. Now, having averaged 20.3 points per contest over San Antonio’s seven-game series loss to the Clippers, the Defensive Player of the Year has evolved into a two-way beast for opponents. None of them will be getting their hands on him this summer, as the Spurs seem poised to re-sign him for the max once they’re done pursuing the next two guys on this list. Last ranking: No. 3
- LaMarcus Aldridge — The power forward will likely have the capacity to dictate the offseason for several teams, as he seems a safer bet to change locations this summer than anyone in the top six of this ranking. It doesn’t appear as though he wants to hold up the affairs of half the league with a lingering decision-making process, having said that he’ll probably make a fairly swift choice. The Spurs, Mavs, Knicks, Lakers, Celtics and, of course, the Blazers are among those apparently hoping he chooses them. Last ranking: No. 4
- Marc Gasol — Gasol’s most recent public comments included lines that seem like optimistic signs for both the Grizzlies and the Spurs, whom the Grizzlies reportedly fear most as a suitor for the 30-year-old. Still, San Antonio will first go after Aldridge, as Portland’s big man is viewed as more obtainable than Gasol, according to Marc Stein of ESPN.com. The Mavs, Knicks and Lakers are apparently ready to test the notion that Gasol’s ties to Memphis are just too strong for him to leave. Last ranking: No. 5
- Kevin Love (player option) — Love again said this past weekend that he plans to be back in Cleveland, just as he told Chris Haynes of the Northeast Ohio Media Group in January that he planned to opt in. Rumors persisted, as Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports said a month ago that the Cavs had legitimate fear that he’ll leave. Still, that was before Cleveland marched to the Finals without him, opening questions about his value to the Cavs and others. Last ranking: No. 2
- Jimmy Butler (restricted) — Derrick Rose took more shots than he did, but Butler averaged more points than his teammate did in the playoffs, further indication of the transformation of the former No. 30 overall pick into the focal point for the Bulls. He was also an All-Defensive Second Team selection, so it seems the Bulls won’t change course from their plan to give the max to their restricted free agent. Last ranking: No. 6
- Greg Monroe — Monroe doesn’t rebound like DeAndre Jordan, the next man on this list, and he doesn’t have Jordan’s playoff experience. Monroe does have a polished offensive game and shoots 75% from the line, and that, along with improved defense, gives him the nod. Last ranking: No. 7
- DeAndre Jordan — The Clippers center might not be as valuable as Monroe, but it’s clear that even a player with his sharply limited offensive range will be sought after. Doc Rivers indicated that he’ll offer Jordan the max to stay with the Clippers, though the Mavs appear to be a serious threat. Regardless, it appears that once Aldridge decides what he’s going to do, Monroe and Jordan will have a ton of sway over the market. Last ranking: No. 8
- Draymond Green (restricted) — Nearly unlimited defensive versatility plus averages of 14.0 points and 10.8 rebounds per game in the playoffs leave little doubt why Green’s retention will be a priority for the Warriors. Golden State’s brass has given every indication that they intend to match all offers for him, according to Tim Kawakami of the Bay Area News Group. Last ranking: No. 10
- Goran Dragic (player option) — The point guard would reportedly be less likely to re-sign with Miami if the Heat don’t retain Dwyane Wade, but it’s otherwise seemed as though the Heat are well out in front to keep the player for whom they relinquished two first-round picks at the deadline. The Lakers, Knicks, Pelicans, Kings and Bucks are other teams expected to make a go at Dragic to see if he’ll change his mind, as Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald wrote recently. Last ranking: No. 9
As we’ve done a couple times when we’ve delivered previous versions of these rankings, we’ll show the next 10 most powerful free agents:
- 11. Paul Millsap
- 12. Brook Lopez (player option)
- 13. Tristan Thompson (restricted)
- 14. Al Jefferson (player option)
- 15. Enes Kanter (restricted)
- 16. Reggie Jackson (restricted)
- 17. Dwyane Wade (player option)
- 18. Rajon Rondo
- 19. Khris Middleton (restricted)
- 20. DeMarre Carroll
Check this list for a full register of 2015 NBA free agents.