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Month: July 2015

Hoops Rumors Weekly Mailbag 6/28/15-7/4/15

By | at July 4, 2015 1:00 pm

In addition to our weekly chat, which Chuck Myron facilitates every Wednesday, we have a second opportunity for you to hit us up with your questions in this, our weekly mailbag feature. Have a question regarding player movement, the salary cap, or the NBA draft? Drop me a line at HoopsRumorsMailbag@Gmail.com or @EddieScarito on Twitter. Now for this week’s inquiries:

I received quite a few questions regarding the NBA Draft, so I’ll answer the two most asked regarding the big event below:

“Which 2015 draft picks gave the team the best value where they were selected?” — Multiple readers

Every year there are a few picks where I just shake my head and wonder how certain players were able to stay on the board as long as they did. This year was no different. My best value picks for the 2015 NBA Draft are…

  • Justise Winslow to the Heat at No. 10 overall — It’s hard to believe that Winslow almost fell out of the top 10. He has the potential to be a two-way star, and make nine other franchises look back with regret at bypassing him. The Knicks better hope Kristaps Porzingis turns out to be a star. Likewise the Pistons with Stanley Johnson.
  • Rondae Hollis-Jefferson to the Blazers at No. 23 overall — Portland nabbed themselves the best perimeter defender in the entire draft, and a freakishly fast wing, then shipped him to the Nets in the Mason Plumlee trade. Of course, Hollis-Jefferson lacks an outside game. But that can be fixed with hard work and dedication to improve. What can’t be taught is explosiveness, tenacity, and pure defensive grit. Three qualities that the former Wildcat certainly possesses.
  • R.J. Hunter to the Celtics at No. 28 overall — Boston nabbed a player who has the potential to be a top flight sixth man and scoring threat from anywhere in the arena. Hunter was projected as a potential late lottery pick by a number of mock drafts, and the Celtics landing him at the bottom of the first round certainly amounts to a great pickup in my book.
  • Montrezl Harrell to the Rockets at No. 32 overall — Harrell is a bit of a tweener, which hurt his draft stock. But for Houston to land a player of Harrell’s talent, and one who was projected to be a first-rounder, in the second round is nothing short of a steal.
  • Joseph Young to the Pacers at No. 43 overall — Young is a blazing fast scoring machine who can play either guard position offensively. He has injury concerns, but to pick up such an explosive player that late in the draft cannot be considered anything but a coup on Indiana’s part.
  • Dakari Johnson to the Thunder at No. 48 overall — Johnson was overshadowed by the other frontcourt players at Kentucky. While I don’t think he’ll become a star in the NBA, he’s certainly capable of being a solid rotation player for years to come. What else can you ask for from a late second-rounder? Really solid pickup for OKC.

“Which 2015 draft picks were the biggest reaches?” — Multiple readers

This category is the flip side of the one above. These are the picks that made me shake my head and wonder what the teams were thinking. My biggest head-scratchers of the 2015 draft are…

  • Stanley Johnson to the Pistons at No. 8 overall — If Winslow is off the board when Detroit was set to pick, then Johnson doesn’t make this list. But Winslow was available, and I can’t believe the Pistons bypassed a potential superstar for Johnson, who projects as a solid player, but in no way does he possess the upside of Winslow. Stan Van Gundy better be right on this one, or else it will set the franchise back in its development.
  • Terry Rozier to the Celtics at No. 16 overall — There were quite a few point guards on the board that were ranked higher than Rozier when the Celtics made their pick. I don’t dislike Rozier as a player, but I have to believe that Boston could have traded down and still landed its man. I project him as a career backup, and if that is indeed the case, then the Celtics made a bad decision here.
  • Larry Nance Jr. to the Lakers at No. 27 overall — Setting aside the potential awkwardness of Nance having to explain to Kobe Bryant about his negative tweets regarding the Mamba, I’m still shocked by this pick. Especially considering the available players at this draft spot. Selecting Nance in the first round and having to fork over the guaranteed contract that goes along with that doesn’t make sense to me for a player who many projected to be a mid second-rounder. There were a number of other players on the board who would have been much better values with this pick.

“Now that the Knicks have seemingly missed out on all the big names, what do you think of the team’s offseason?” — Kyle

It’s not going great, which is unfortunate for the team and its fans. While I’m not surprised that the biggest names are avoiding New York this offseason, it’s still a bit disheartening. I’d have to think that landing Arron Afflalo, Derrick Williams, and Robin Lopez, as well as drafting a long-term project in Porzingis, was not Phil Jackson‘s plan when the season ended. While both Afflalo and Lopez are solid additions, neither of them will ensure that the Knicks make the playoffs next season. I do love Afflalo’s deal though, and believe that it’s a short-term investment that carries little risk for New York. Williams’ addition I’m not too keen on. He’s not a good defender or rebounder, nor a lights-out shooter, which makes him a sketchy fit for the triangle offense at best.

While it’s still early in the offseason, things are not looking good for a Knicks resurgence in 2015/16. As a Knicks fan, I’d be content knowing that the team would likely have a lottery pick next summer to help build for the future…but that pick goes to Toronto in exchange for the privilege of having had Andrea Bargnani sit on the bench in street clothes for 93 of the 164 contests the Knicks played during his tenure. I’m still having a difficult time processing my anger over that trade…

That’s all the space I have for this week. Thanks again for filling up my inbox, and please keep them rolling in. I’ll be back next week with more responses.

0 comments Hoops Rumors Originals Weekly Mailbag

Pacers, Mavs, Clippers Discuss Trade For Hibbert

By | at July 4, 2015 12:36 pm

The Pacers have contacted the Mavericks about a possible sign-and-trade deal involving center Roy Hibbert, Brad Turner of The Los Angeles Times reports (Twitter link). The proposed deal would also include the Clippers, Turner notes. In the proposed deal, Indiana would send Hibbert to Dallas in exchange for Monta Ellis, who would then ship Hibbert to the Clippers in exchange for DeAndre Jordan, Turner relays (on Twitter). A source within the Mavericks’ organization doubts that the team would agree to such a transaction, since Dallas has no desire to help the Clippers improve their roster, as Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com relays (via Twitter). Indiana is also exploring other trade options involving the center, MacMahon adds.

Hibbert, who is scheduled to earn $15.514MM next season after exercising his player option, is no longer in the Pacers’ long-term plans, as the team is looking to implement a faster style of play. Indiana had reportedly been aggressive in their attempts to trade Hibbert prior to the 2015 NBA draft. Pacers president of basketball operations Larry Bird and coach Frank Vogel signaled this spring that they wanted to move on from the 28-year-old.

The big man’s contract has a 15% trade kicker included, and even though the starting salary in his deal was for the max, the kicker still has value, as he’s since accrued seven years of service and is eligible for a max worth roughly 30% of the salary cap instead of just 25%, noted Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders. The kicker would add more than $2.327MM to his base salary, which the Pacers would be required to pay, though it would count toward his cap hit for whichever team were to take him on.

This potential three-way deal would benefit the Pacers the most financially, as the Mavs have already agreed to a deal with Jordan, and don’t need to free up cap space to accommodate his addition. The Pacers can likewise fit in Ellis’ new deal under their cap figure, but would certainly love to have Hibbert’s player-friendly deal off of its books for next season. As for the Clippers, in the wake of losing Jordan and the team not having sufficient cap space to sign an impact player, agreeing to the trade would allow the franchise to add a starting-caliber big man without requiring additional cap clearing moves. That last point is why the Mavs would be hesitant to agree to such a trade, and Indiana or Los Angeles would likely need to add further compensation for Dallas to consider such a trade, though that is merely my speculation.

Hibbert made 76 appearances for Indiana last season, all as a starter, and averaged 10.6 points, 7.1 rebounds, and 1.6 blocks in 25.3 minutes per game. His shooting numbers were .446/.000/.824.

4 comments Dallas Mavericks Indiana Pacers Los Angeles Clippers

Hoops Rumors Originals 6/28/15-7/4/15

By | at July 4, 2015 12:00 pm

Here’s a look back at the original analysis generated by the Hoops Rumors staff this past week…

  • Chris Crouse examined the free agent stock of Monta Ellis. Ellis reached an agreement on a four-year, $44MM deal with the Pacers this week.
  • You can track all of the 2015 free agent signings here.
  • I ran down the 2015/16 roster counts for the Heat, Knicks, Pelicans, and Timberwolves.
  • Zach Links highlighted some of the better basketball blogs around in his weekly installment of Hoops Links.
  • Here’s how you can follow Hoops Rumors on social media and RSS feeds.
  • If you missed any of our daily reader-driven discussions, be sure to check out the Community Shootaround archives.
  • We reviewed out commenting policy. Play nice everyone.
0 comments Hoops Rumors Originals

Western Notes: West, Matthews, Stoudemire

By | at July 4, 2015 10:12 am

Serbian big man Miroslav Raduljica is garnering interest from NBA teams, with the Kings being one potential suitor, Emiliano Carchia of Sportando notes (via Twitter). The 27-year-old made a cameo appearance for the Wolves last season on a 10-day deal, averaging 1.6 points and 1.0 rebound in 4.6 minutes per contest over five games. Raduljica is also mulling overseas offers as well, Carchia notes.

Here’s more from the Western Conference:

  • The Trail Blazers never made a contract offer to free agent Wesley Matthews, who agreed to a four-year pact with the Mavericks on Thursday, Jason Quick of The Oregonian tweets.
  • The Clippers attempted to sign center Kendrick Perkins after he was waived by the Jazz last season, but the big man joined the Cavaliers instead, Arash Markazi of ESPN.com relays (on Twitter). Los Angeles still has interest in the big man, which has likely increased in the wake of losing DeAndre Jordan to Dallas, Markazi adds.
  • There is mutual interest between unrestricted free agent Amar’e Stoudemire and the Clippers, Lakers, Mavericks, Spurs and Suns, Jared Zwerling of Bleacher Report tweets.
  • With a void in their frontcourt with the loss of Jordan, the Clippers are showing interest in unrestricted free agent David West, Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com relays (Twitter link).
3 comments Dallas Mavericks Los Angeles Clippers Los Angeles Lakers Phoenix Suns Portland Trail Blazers Sacramento Kings San Antonio Spurs

Week In Review 6/28/15-7/4/15

By | at July 4, 2015 8:53 am

The NBA’s free agent signing period is underway and there have already been a flurry of deals agreed upon, though, these pacts cannot become official until after the moratorium is lifted on July 9th. You can stay up to date on all of the signings with our 2015 Free Agent Tracker. Before the next wave of wheeling and dealing begins, here’s a look back at the week that was…

Pending Trades

  • The Sixers and Kings agreed to a deal that sends Jason Thompson, Carl Landry, and Nik Stauskas to Philadelphia, along with Sacramento’s 2018 first-round pick and the right to swap first-rounders with the Kings in 2016 and 2017. In return the Kings receive the rights to Arturas Gudaitis and Luka Mitrovic, the 47th and 60th picks, respectively, in last week’s draft.
  • The Raptors acquired Luke Ridnour and cash from the Thunder in exchange for the rights to draft-and-stash prospect Tomislav Zubcic.
  • The Hawks reached an agreement to acquire Tiago Splitter from the Spurs.
  • The Suns and Pistons agreed to a trade that sends Marcus Morris, Reggie Bullock and Danny Granger to Detroit in exchange for a 2020 second-round pick.

Pending Signings

Eastern Conference

Western Conference

2015 NBA Draft Pick Signings

  • The Hornets signed Frank Kaminsky to a rookie scale contract.
  • The Heat inked Justise Winslow to a rookie scale contract.
  • The Nets signed first round draft pick Chris McCullough to a rookie scale contract.
  • The Raptors signed Delon Wright to a rookie deal.

Waivers

Option Decisions

Players Receiving Qualifying Offers

Players Not Extended Qualifying Offers

News/Rumors

  • Tim Duncan won’t be retiring this offseason, and intends to play in 2015/16.
  • Veteran forward Kenyon Martin announced his retirement.
  • The Greivis Vasquez trade allowed the Raptors to generate a $6.4MM trade exception, since they gave him up without taking back any salary in return.
  • Suns coach Jeff Hornacek added Jason Fraser to his staff as a player development coach focusing on the team’s big men.
  • The NBA ordered the Sixers to pay $3MM to the Pelicans last season for not fully disclosing the extent of Jrue Holiday‘s injury before his 2013 trade.
  • Luka Mitrovic, a forward from Serbia who the Sixers took with the final pick of the draft, will stay overseas next season.
  • Hawks free agent shooting guard John Jenkins parted ways with BDA Sports Management to sign with Relativity Sports.
  • Point guard Sergio Llull decided against joining the Rockets and will stay with Real Madrid.
  • Hawks big man Pero Antic signed with Fenerbahce of Turkey.
1 comment Week in Review

And-Ones: Seraphin, Stuckey, Antic

By | at July 3, 2015 11:28 pm

The Wizards expect Kevin Seraphin will test the free agent market, and they’ll attempt to find a sign-and-trade partner for the big man, reports J. Michael of CSNWashington.com (Twitter link). Such a sign-and-trade would be structured so that Washington could gain a trade exception, Michael adds (on Twitter).

Here’s more from around the league:

  • The Hawks have rescinded their qualifying offer to Pero Antic, making him an unrestricted free agent, Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders tweets. The move was made to maximize the team’s available cap space, Pincus adds. Antic has already signed a two-year deal with Fenerbahce, a Turkish club.
  • Free agent point guard Rodney Stuckey is receiving interest from the Cavaliers, and while talks thus far have been exploratory, the interest is mutual, Chris Haynes of The Northeast Ohio Media Group tweets.
  • The Hornets have expressed a willingness to work out a sign-and-trade involving Mo Williams, Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports relays (on Twitter).
  • The Lakers have expressed interest in Jason Smith, league sources tell Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News.
  • The Grizzlies would be amenable to working out a sign-and-trade deal for center Kosta Koufos, Wojnarowski tweets. The Yahoo! scribe mentions the Clippers as a team who should consider trying to work out a deal with Memphis.
  • With the Magic missing out on free agent target Paul Millsap, who re-signed with the Hawks, the team may pass on adding another power forward this summer, Josh Robbins of The Orlando Sentinel writes. “We’ll continue to look at the free agents that are available,” Orlando GM Rob Hennigan said. “We’ll continue to look at trade opportunities. We still have quite a bit of cap space. Our tune has not changed. We’ll continue to look for opportunities. And if we feel like the opportunities make really good sense, then we’ll be as aggressive as anyone to try to complete a deal.”
  • When asked specifically about adding a power forward, Hennigan said, “I’m not sure. I think we have enough on the roster as is. It just goes back to those opportunities again. Like I said a few weeks ago, we have to be careful of spending just to spend,” Robbins relays.

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.

1 comment Atlanta Hawks Charlotte Hornets Cleveland Cavaliers Los Angeles Clippers Los Angeles Lakers Memphis Grizzlies Orlando Magic Washington Wizards

2015/16 Roster Counts: New Orleans Pelicans

By | at July 3, 2015 9:20 pm

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 Pelicans’ roster size, the contract guarantee status of each player, and how each player came to be on New Orleans’ roster.

(Last Updated 4-4-16, 12:00pm)

Fully Guaranteed (18)

  • Alexis Ajinca (C) — 7’2″/27 years old. Free agent signing.
  • Ryan Anderson (F) —  6’10″/27 years old. Acquired via sign-and-trade from Magic.
  • Omer Asik (C) — 7’0″/29 years old. Acquired via trade from Rockets.
  • Luke Babbitt (F) — 6’9″/26 years old. Free agent signing.
  • Norris Cole (G) — 6’2″/26 years old. Acquired via trade from Heat.
  • Dante Cunningham (F) — 6’8″/28 years old. Free agent signing.
  • Anthony Davis (F) — 6’10″/22 years old. Drafted with No. 1 overall pick in 2012.
  • Bryce Dejean-Jones (G) — 6’6″/23 Years old. Free agent signing.
  • Toney Douglas (G) — 6’2″/29 years old. Free agent signing.
  • James Ennis (F) — 6’7″/25 years old. Free agent signing.
  • Tyreke Evans (G) — 6’6″/25 years old. Acquired via sign-and-trade from Kings.
  • Tim Frazier (G) — 6’1″/25 years old. Free agent signing.
  • Alonzo Gee (F) — 6’6″/28 years old. Free agent signing.
  • Eric Gordon (G) — 6’4″/26 years old. Acquired via trade from Clippers.
  • Jordan Hamilton (G) — 6’7″/25 years old. Free agent signing.
  • Jrue Holiday (G) — 6’4″/25 years old. Acquired via trade from Sixers.
  • Kendrick Perkins (C) — 6’10″/30 years old. Free agent signing.
  • Quincy Pondexter (F) — 6’7″/27 years old. Acquired via trade from Grizzlies.

10-Day Contracts (0)

  • None

TOTAL ROSTER COUNT (18)

0 comments Hoops Rumors Originals New Orleans Pelicans

Hoops Rumors Community Shootaround 7/3/15

By | at July 3, 2015 8:36 pm

The free agent signing period is underway, and a number of big names have already come off the board by agreeing to new deals. If history is any guideline, some of these deals will be considered bargains, while others will weigh down teams’ salary cap figures like an albatross for years to come. Yesterday we discussed which recently agreed upon deal was the most team friendly. Or to put it another way, which team got the best value on the free agent market thus far. Today we focus on the opposite end of the spectrum. I’m talking about the signings that are true head-scratchers as to the length and amount agreed upon to be forked over to the player.

It’s with that sentiment that I present to you the question of the day: What free agent agreement made thus far is the worst value?

Take to the comments section below to share your thoughts and opinions on which recent deal offends your sense of propriety (and economics) the most, and more importantly, why? We look forward to what you have to say.

Of course, there will always be differing opinions. While we absolutely encourage lively discussion and debate, we do expect everyone to treat each other with respect. So, please refrain from inappropriate language, personal insults or attacks, as well as the other taboo types of discourse laid out in our site’s commenting policy.  Speaking of commenting: we’ve made it much easier to leave a comment here at Hoops Rumors.  Just put in your name, email address, and comment and submit it; there is no need to become a registered user.

16 comments Community Shootaround Hoops Rumors Originals

Atlantic Notes: Carroll, Crowder, Stauskas

By | at July 3, 2015 8:00 pm

DeMarre Carroll said the Raptors “blew me away” when the team came to meet him to make the pitch that ultimately yielded their four-year, $60MM deal, and he canceled meetings with the Pistons, Suns and Knicks, tweets Josh Lewenberg of TSN.ca. The Pistons were willing to give the forward $14MM a year, but Toronto countered with its offer to outbid them, a source said to Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter link).

Here’s the latest out of the Atlantic Division:

  • The Knicks were one of the teams in pursuit of Jae Crowder before he re-signed with the Celtics, league sources told Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald.
  • The Sixers planned to select Nik Stauskas with the No. 10 overall pick in the 2014 NBA Draft, but were beaten to the punch by the Kings, Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer writes. Philly ended up selecting Elfrid Payton before dealing him to the Magic for the draft rights to Dario Saric, Pompey adds. The Sixers are poised to acquire the shooting guard from Sacramento.
  • Philly GM Sam Hinkie‘s waiting game may end up working to the Sixers‘ advantage, Mike Sielski of The Philadelphia Inquirer writes. With the NBA salary cap set to increase over the coming seasons, there will be far more teams with cap space than without, and Philadelphia’s stockpiling of draft picks and young assets could give the franchise an advantage, Sielski notes.

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.

2 comments Boston Celtics Detroit Pistons Philadelphia 76ers Phoenix Suns Toronto Raptors

LaMarcus Aldridge Rumors: Friday

By | at July 3, 2015 6:45 pm

LaMarcus Aldridge checked in third when we did our last Free Agent Power Rankings in June, but he seems to have the league on a string now with LeBron James almost assuredly going back to Cleveland and Kawhi Leonard already reportedly committed to the Spurs. Aldridge reportedly met with the Lakers for a second time and the Heat for the first time Thursday, when he apparently canceled a meeting with the Knicks. We’ll use this post to track the client of Arn Tellem and Thaddeus Foucher today, with any new information added to the top:

  • The Spurs and the Suns have solidified themselves as the favorites to land Aldridge, Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports tweets.

11:45am update:

  • Spurs president/coach Gregg Popovich would like to have another meeting with Aldridge, and the team is confident that the power forward will choose San Antonio, as John Canzano of The Oregonian hears (Twitter links).

11:00am update:

  • Rival executives believe that Riley told Aldridge that he should sign a short-term deal if he goes elsewhere with the idea that the Heat would come calling again next summer, tweets Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com.

9:51am update:

  • The Spurs are in the lead for Aldridge, with the Suns second and the Mavs a “darkhorse of sorts” in third, according to Sam Amick of USA Today. The Lakers, Rockets and Raptors don’t seem to have moved any closer, Amick adds, having heard that the Heat‘s meeting with Aldridge was “much ado about nothing” other than a nice dinner.

8:45am update:

  • Aldridge is genuinely torn and will need some more time to decide, as Ramona Shelburne of ESPN.com hears (Twitter link). The Spurs and Suns are the front-runners, the Blazers are trying for a Hail Mary, the Mavericks are still in pursuit, the Lakers are flailing and the Knicks are in the green room, as Shelburne succinctly puts it (on Twitter).
  • The meeting between Aldridge and Heat president Pat Riley went longer than expected Thursday, but the Texas teams (presumably meaning the Spurs and Mavs, though he’s met with the Rockets) remain out front for him, reports Joseph Goodman of the Miami Herald (Twitter link).
  • The Lakers apologized to Aldridge for not giving him more of a basketball focus in their initial meeting, which was more than an hour old before GM Mitch Kupchak and coach Byron Scott spoke, according to Shelburne (Twitter link).
  • The presentation the Lakers made was a good one, but the team doesn’t believe Aldridge was wooed by it, sources tell Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times (Twitter link).
6 comments Dallas Mavericks Houston Rockets Los Angeles Lakers Miami Heat New York Knicks Newsstand Phoenix Suns Portland Trail Blazers San Antonio Spurs Toronto Raptors
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