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Month: June 2016

Southeast Notes: Batum, Forcier, Hornets

By | at June 18, 2016 1:11 pm

Hornets GM Rich Cho, speaking at a pre-draft press conference on Friday, told reporters that the team is likely to draft the best available player and would not target a specific need given the large amount of the roster set to hit free agency, Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer writes. “With eight free agents, I don’t know what’s going to happen, so we’re just trying to get more depth,” Cho said. “[Need] is a hard question to answer because we have so many free agents and don’t know how it’s going to play out.” The executive also reiterated that the team’s top offseason priority is re-signing unrestricted free agent swingman Nicolas Batum, Bonnell adds. “We hope to meet with him as soon as free agency starts,” Cho said of Batum. “Our goal is to get something done with him.”

Here’s more from the Southeast Division:

  • The Hornets held a workout earlier this week that included Marshall Plumlee (Duke), Matt Costello (Michigan State), Frank Eaves (Appalachian State), Angel Rodriguez (Miami) and Wayne Selden (Kansas), Bonnell relays in a separate piece.
  • New Magic head coach Frank Vogel is pursuing Spurs assistant Chad Forcier to be his top assistant in Orlando, Marc Stein of ESPN.com relays (via Twitter).
  • The uncertainty surrounding the health status of power forward Chris Bosh will hamper the Heat‘s offseason plans and could result in a number of the team’s free agents departing this summer, Keith P. Smith of RealGM writes. The scribe also notes that the potential for unpleasantness exists if Bosh is medically cleared to play and Miami is still unwilling to allow him to risk a return to the court.
0 comments 2016 NBA Draft Charlotte Hornets Miami Heat Orlando Magic

Poll: 2016 Community Mock Draft (Pick No. 25)

By | at June 18, 2016 11:50 am

The results of the 2016 NBA Draft lottery are in and the Sixers finally landed the elusive No. 1 overall pick after missing out the past two seasons. Now that the exact draft order is locked in, teams can begin targeting specific players who are likely to still be on the board when it is their time to choose. Drafting players is far from an exact science, and many a GM has been second-guessed for his draft night decisions. I’m willing to bet that every team executive has at least one pick that he would like a mulligan for. We at Hoops Rumors thought it would be fun to give our readers the chance to predict the results of this June’s draft, which is what we are doing with a series of polls.

We are now well on our way to completing the first round and have come to the Clippers. Readers, you are now on the clock! Cast your vote for Los Angeles’ selection and check back Sunday for the results, as well as to cast your vote for who the Sixers will select with the No. 26 overall pick. But don’t limit yourself to a simple button click. Take to the comments section below and share your thoughts on the No. 25 overall pick and why you voted the way that you did.

  1. Sixers — Ben Simmons (LSU)
  2. Lakers — Brandon Ingram (Duke)
  3. Celtics — Dragan Bender (Maccabi Tel Aviv)
  4. Suns — Jaylen Brown (California)
  5. Timberwolves — Buddy Hield (Oklahoma)
  6. Pelicans — Kris Dunn (Providence)
  7. Nuggets — Jamal Murray (Kentucky)
  8. Kings — Henry Ellenson (Marquette)
  9. Raptors — Marquese Chriss (Washington)
  10. Bucks — Jakob Poeltl (Utah)
  11. Magic — Skal Labissiere (Kentucky)
  12. Jazz — Denzel Valentine (Michigan State)
  13. Suns — Domantas Sabonis (Gonzaga)
  14. Bulls — Deyonta Davis (Michigan State)
  15. Nuggets — Timothe Luwawu (Mega Leks)
  16. Celtics — Thon Maker (Australia)
  17. Grizzlies — Wade Baldwin (Vanderbilt)
  18. Pistons — Tyler Ulis (Kentucky)
  19. Nuggets — Furkan Korkmaz (Anadolu Efes)
  20. Pacers — Demetrius Jackson (Notre Dame)
  21. Hawks — Taurean Prince (Baylor)
  22. Hornets — Brice Johnson (North Carolina)
  23. Celtics — Malachi Richardson (Syracuse)
  24. Sixers — Malik Beasley (Florida State)

With the No. 25 Overall Pick, the Clippers Select...

  • DeAndre Bembry (St. Joe's) 23% (219)
  • Dejounte Murray (Washington) 16% (156)
  • Cheick Diallo (Kansas) 11% (109)
  • Diamond Stone (Maryland) 6% (57)
  • Zhou Qi (China) 5% (51)
  • Wayne Selden (Kansas) 5% (51)
  • Caris LeVert (Michigan) 5% (49)
  • Malcolm Brogdon (Virginia) 5% (47)
  • Juan Hernangomez (Spain) 5% (46)
  • Stephen Zimmerman (UNLV) 4% (41)
  • Ante Zizic (Croatia) 3% (30)
  • Damian Jones (Vanderbilt) 2% (23)
  • Patrick McCaw (UNLV) 2% (22)
  • Chinanu Onuaku (Louisville) 2% (15)
  • A.J. Hammons (Purdue) 1% (13)
  • Guerschon Yabusele (Rouen) 1% (10)
  • Robert Carter (Maryland) 1% (6)
  • Isaia Cordinier (France) 1% (5)
  • Petr Cornelie (Le Mans) 0% (1)

Total votes: 951

For Trade Rumors app users: [Direct Link]

9 comments Hoops Rumors Originals Hoops Rumors Polls Los Angeles Clippers

Hoops Rumors Originals 6/12/16-6/18/16

By | at June 18, 2016 10:26 am

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

0 comments Hoops Rumors Originals

Week In Review 6/12/16-6/18/16

By | at June 18, 2016 9:00 am

Here’s all the notable news and events from around the NBA this past week…

Trades

Miscellaneous News

  • The Clippers plan to shift assistant coach Lawrence Frank from the bench to a high-ranking post in the front office.
  • Quincy Miller, who played with three teams during his three-year NBA career, signed with Maccabi Tel Aviv.
  • The Bucks signed Ronald Roberts to a summer contract.
  • The Pistons signed GM Jeff Bower to a one-year extension.
  • David West intends to turn down his player option with the Spurs for the 2016/17 season and become an unrestricted free agent.
  • Raptors shooting guard DeMar DeRozan officially opted out of his contract and will become an unrestricted free agent.
  • The Bucks and head coach Jason Kidd agreed to a three-year contract extension.
  • Veteran Cavaliers point guard Mo Williams will pick up his player option for 2016/17.
  • Former NBA second-rounder Nando De Colo signed a three-year extension with CSKA Moscow.
  • Brandon Bass will turn down his $3.135MM player option for next season with the Lakers and become an unrestricted free agent.

NBA Draft News

Workouts

0 comments Week in Review

Knicks Internally Discuss Derrick Rose Trade

By | at June 17, 2016 11:00 pm

With the Knicks eyeing backcourt upgrades this offseason, one potential trade target the team has talked about is Derrick Rose, league sources tell Ian Begley of ESPN.com. According to Begley, it’s not clear how serious New York’s interest in Rose is, but the team has internally discussed the possibility of a trade.

Point guard is an area of need for the Knicks, whose incumbent starter at the position is 34-year-old Jose Calderon. The team figures to be involved in the free agent market as it attempts to address the position, but Rose could be a solid fallback option if New York’s top free agent targets sign elsewhere.

There’s no guarantee that the Bulls will trade Rose this summer, but at least one recent report suggested that people around the league think it’s a real possibility. That same report indicated that Chicago will be much more inclined to move Rose rather than Jimmy Butler this offseason. Rose is entering the final year of his contract and is set to earn a $21.323MM salary in 2016/17.

Of course, if Chicago does decide to move Rose, the team won’t give him up for nothing, and the Knicks aren’t exactly loaded with potential trade chips. With the salary cap expected to spike to $92MM+ this offseason, simply clearly Rose’s salary won’t be as advantageous for the Bulls as it might have been in the past, particularly since he only has one year left on his deal.

While Rose has been plagued by injuries since his MVP campaign in 2010/11, he managed to stay on the court for 66 games this past season, his highest mark in five years. In those games, he recorded averages of 16.4 points and 4.7 assists, shooting .427 from the floor.

49 comments Chicago Bulls New York Knicks Newsstand

Salaries For 2016 First-Round Picks

By | at June 17, 2016 10:11 pm

The 2016 NBA draft is less than a week away, and once teams make those picks, they’ll have to account for how to fit their newly-drafted rookies into their salary cap for next season. Cap holds for draft picks are almost always lower than those players’ eventual salaries, so many teams will take care of their other offseason business before officially locking up their first-round rookies and increasing their cap hits.

While the cap hold for a first-round pick is equivalent to the rookie scale amount for that draft slot, teams nearly always pay their first-round picks 120% of the scale amount, the maximum they’re allowed to give. So the Sixers’ first overall pick will count for $4,919,300 against the cap initially, but Philadelphia will likely pay that player a $5,903,160 first-year salary, 120% of the scale amount.

Taking into account slotted annual raises, Philadelphia’s No. 1 overall pick will likely sign a four-year rookie contract worth $26,620,450, but most first-rounders will make significantly less than that. By the time the Warriors’ 30th overall selection rolls around, Golden State’s first-round rookie will be on track to earn a little under $6MM on his four-year deal, or less than a quarter of what the No. 1 pick will make.

Here, using the scale amounts from Larry Coon’s Salary Cap FAQ, are the expected salaries for each pick of this year’s first round at the standard 120% of scale, from No. 1 to No. 30. The salary for each season in the four-year rookie contract is listed below, along with the total value of the projected contract:

Salaries for 2016 First-Round Picks

0 comments 2016 NBA Draft Hoops Rumors Originals

Draft Updates: Lakers, Ingram, Grizzlies, Richardson

By | at June 17, 2016 8:32 pm

Earlier today, Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress.com published his latest mock draft at The Vertical, and included a handful of interesting tidbits within his player blurbs. According to Givony, the Lakers would have targeted Brandon Ingram at No. 1 if they had won the draft lottery, so Los Angeles is perfectly happy to take him if the Sixers take Ben Simmons, as expected. Givony also suggests that the Grizzlies are “enamored with” Syracuse wing Malachi Richardson, urging him to stop working out for teams and promising to select him at No. 17.

As we wait to see if Richardson does indeed end up in Memphis next week, let’s round up a few Friday draft-related items from across the NBA…

  • Spanish forward Juan Hernangomez spoke to Jorge Sierra of HoopsHype about his draft outlook, and suggested that he’d be thrilled if a team picked him with the intention of bringing him stateside immediately. “Of course I would like to go to the NBA next year,” Hernangomez said. “If I have the slightest chance of making it happen, I’m going to take that opportunity. Teams know I want to go. Some teams want me for right away, others would rather have me stay in Europe for a year. I’m not sure yet what’s going to happen.”
  • The Celtics have scheduled a Saturday pre-draft workout for Yogi Ferrell (Indiana), Cat Barber (N.C. State), and Gary Payton II (Oregon State), according to Michael Scott of Sheridan Hoops (via Twitter).
  • Former Kentucky guard Tyler Ulis, who worked out for Detroit today, said he has one last workout lined up with the 76ers, per Vincent Ellis of The Detroit Free Press (Twitter link).
  • ESPN’s Chad Ford spent more than an hour fielding and answering draft questions from the media on a conference call, and ESPN has provided the full transcript. If you can’t get enough draft discussion, be sure to check out the 14,000-word breakdown of that call.
1 comment 2016 NBA Draft Boston Celtics Los Angeles Lakers Memphis Grizzlies Philadelphia 76ers

Northwest Notes: Wolves, Poeltl, Thunder, Jazz

By | at June 17, 2016 7:03 pm

Former Utah big man Jakob Poeltl worked out for the Timberwolves earlier this week, according to Darren Wolfson of 5 Eyewitness News (Twitter link), who notes that the club has done its homework on every possible top-five prospect. Poeltl currently ranks eighth on DraftExpress.com’s big board and 12th on Chad Ford’s at ESPN.com.

Here’s more from around the NBA’s Northwest division:

  • With the NBA increasing its salary cap projection for 2016/17 to $94MM, Erik Horne of The Oklahoman explores what that would mean for the Thunder and Kevin Durant.
  • The Nuggets and Jazz are both holding pre-draft workouts on Saturday, according to announcements issued by the teams. Denver will be hosting Furkan Korkmaz (Turkey) and Tanner Samson (Elon Phoenix), while the Jazz (Twitter link) are taking a look at Ante Zizic (Croatia), Jordan Tolbert (SMU), and Gracin Bakumanya (Democratic Republic of Congo).
  • Tony Jones of The Salt Lake Tribune examines why it has been a challenge for the Jazz to attract top-level prospects for pre-draft workouts over the last couple years.
  • Timberwolves CEO Rob Moor has stepped down from his position, the team announced today. Kent Youngblood of The Star Tribune discusses the move, which shouldn’t have a real impact on Minnesota’s basketball operations.
2 comments 2016 NBA Draft Denver Nuggets Minnesota Timberwolves Oklahoma City Thunder Utah Jazz

Darren Collison Faces Domestic Violence Charges

By | at June 17, 2016 5:37 pm

JUNE 17: The Placer County District Attorney’s office has formally filed domestic violence charges against Collison related to the May incident, detailed below. Collison is being charged with two misdemeanors – domestic violence and domestic battery – according to James Ham of CSNBayArea.com (Twitter link). CSNBayArea.com has also passed along the statement released today by the D.A.’s office.

“After review of the all the above evidence we have concluded there is sufficient evidence that will allow our office to file and prove this criminal case against Mr. Collison beyond a reasonable doubt,” the statement reads, in part.

MAY 31: Kings point guard Darren Collison was arrested on a domestic violence charge on Monday, according to a report from CBS13 in Sacramento. The incident that led to Collison’s arrest took place early on Monday morning after local deputies responded to a report from a woman who said she was being assaulted inside a Northern California home.

Collison was booked into Placer County Jail on one count of inflicting corporal injury to a spouse or cohabitant, and two misdemeanor bench warrants of driving on a suspended license. The 28-year-old was released on bail (worth $55K) and is scheduled to return to court on July 11th.

The Kings are aware of Collison’s situation, issuing a statement condemning “violence of any kind” and confirming that the team is still in the information-gathering stage. Sacramento will “take appropriate steps” once all the facts are known, according to the club’s statement.

We’ll have to wait to see how the case plays out before knowing how it might ultimately affect Collison and the Kings on the court for the 2016/17 season. When Jeff Taylor pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor domestic assault charge in 2014, he received a 24-game suspension from the NBA.

If Sacramento believes Collison could face a lengthy suspension for his off-field conduct, it would likely have an impact on the team’s plans this offseason — Collison averaged 30 minutes per game last season and is currently atop the point guard depth chart for the Kings, with Rajon Rondo eligible for free agency.

1 comment Newsstand Sacramento Kings

Central Notes: Pistons, Butler, Bucks, Pacers

By | at June 17, 2016 5:27 pm

The Pistons and Bulls pulled off the first trade of the 2016 NBA offseason today, with Detroit sending 2014 second-rounder Spencer Dinwiddie to Chicago for Bulls big man Cameron Bairstow. According to Pistons GM Jeff Bower, the team wanted to give Dinwiddie a change of scenery, allowing him to get into a situation “that could benefit him long-term,” as Vince Ellis of The Detroit Free Press writes.

The trade came on the heels of the Pistons’ announcement earlier this week about the team’s new-look front office. As David Mayo of MLive.com outlines, Detroit’s front office restructure involved a promotion for Pat Garrity, who earned an assistant general manager title and will manage the club’s salary cap. Mayo has the details and quotes from Garrity on the 39-year-old’s new role.

Here’s more from around the Central division, including one more Pistons note:

  • According to Keith Langlois of Pistons.com (Twitter link), the Pistons hosted six more prospects for pre-draft workouts today, with Kentucky guard Tyler Ulis among the participants. The other five prospects in attendance were Sheldon McClellan (Miami), Tim Quarterman (LSU), Bryn Forbes (Michigan State), Max Hooper (Oakland), and Josh Adams (Wyoming).
  • Joel Brigham of Basketball Insiders attempts to put together five plausible trade proposals involving Bulls forward Jimmy Butler, with a focus on the Timberwolves and Celtics as Chicago’s potential trade partners.
  • Whether or not the Bucks seriously consider Malachi Richardson as early as No. 10 in next week’s draft remains to be seen, but Milwaukee is fond of the former Syracuse wing, and director of scouting Billy McKinney has had his eye on Richardson for a while, writes Rick Braun of The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
  • Nate Taylor of The Indianapolis Star and Wheat Hotchkiss of Pacers.com explore whether the Pacers should opt for upside or select a safer, more proven commodity with their first-round pick in this year’s draft.
1 comment 2016 NBA Draft Chicago Bulls Detroit Pistons Indiana Pacers Milwaukee Bucks
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