10 Teams Ineligible To Trade 2017/18 First-Round Picks
Before the Cavaliers traded for Kyle Korver last weekend, the team needed to make a smaller deal first that flew a little under the radar. Cleveland had previously traded its 2018 first-round pick to Portland, meaning that the team couldn’t move its 2017 or 2019 first-round picks to another team. The Ted Stepien rule, which we’ve previously explained, prohibits clubs from trading future first-rounders in consecutive years, so the next first-rounder the Cavs could trade was in 2020.
Presumably, the Hawks were more interested in Cleveland’s 2019 pick, so before trading for Korver, the Cavs sent their 2017 first-round pick to the Trail Blazers in order to get their 2018 selection back. With that ’18 pick in hand, the Cavs were now eligible to move their ’19 first-rounder without violating the Stepien rule.
For many NBA teams, shuffling around future first-rounders like the Cavs did won’t be quite so easy, and the trades they’ve made in the past could limit their ability to make deals involving draft picks going forward. That information is worth taking into account as this year’s trade deadline nears.
Using our own data, along with RealGM’s breakdown of traded draft picks, we’ve put together a list of teams that aren’t able to freely move all of their future first-round draft picks at this point, along with a list of the teams that have the freedom to move future first-rounders in any year.
The following 10 teams are ineligible to trade their 2017 or 2018 first-round picks (unless they get one back to avoid violating the Stepien rule). The year noted in parentheses represents the earliest first-round pick that these teams are eligible to trade:
- Brooklyn Nets (2020)
- Cleveland Cavaliers (2021)
- Golden State Warriors (2019)
- Los Angeles Clippers (2021)
- Los Angeles Lakers (2021)
- Memphis Grizzlies (2021)
- Miami Heat (2023)
- Minnesota Timberwolves (2020)
- Oklahoma City Thunder (2022)
- Sacramento Kings (2021)
Some of the criteria for the future first-round picks these teams have traded away are more clear-cut than others. In Brooklyn’s case, for instance, things are fairly simple — the 2018 first-rounder they’ve committed to send to the Celtics is unprotected, so it will absolutely change hands in 2018.
On the other hand, the outlook is a little cloudier for a team like the Timberwolves. The 2018 pick they’ve committed to send to the Hawks is lottery protected. While there’s certainly optimism that Minnesota will be a playoff team by 2018, the pick wouldn’t change hands for another year or two if the Wolves remain in the lottery. So if Minnesota wants to include its 2020 first-rounder in a trade, the team would have to include a condition: that second traded pick will only change hands in 2020 if the first traded pick gets sent to Atlanta in 2018.
Meanwhile, the following teams can trade any of their future first-round picks (but can’t leave themselves without a first-rounder in consecutive future years):
- Atlanta Hawks
- Boston Celtics
- Charlotte Hornets
- Chicago Bulls
- Dallas Mavericks
- Denver Nuggets
- Detroit Pistons
- Houston Rockets
- Indiana Pacers
- Milwaukee Bucks
- New Orleans Pelicans
- New York Knicks
- Orlando Magic
- Philadelphia 76ers
- Phoenix Suns
- Portland Trail Blazers
- San Antonio Spurs
- Toronto Raptors
- Utah Jazz
- Washington Wizards
The outlook is pretty clear for these teams, and some of them actually do have the flexibility to include consecutive future first-round picks in a trade. Utah, for instance, has the rights to Golden State’s 2017 first-round pick. So, if the Jazz wanted to include its own first-rounders for both 2017 and 2018 in a deal, they could do so, since they’d still have at least one first-round pick in 2017 and 2019.
Information from RealGM.com was used in the creation of this post.
Poll: How Long Will Derrick Rose Remain A Knick?
Although Derrick Rose spoke optimistically earlier in the season about a possible contract extension with the Knicks, and the team was said to be open to the idea, there were already questions about the long-term outlook of the relationship even before Rose went AWOL on Monday, missing the team’s game against New Orleans.
The Knicks and Rose patched things up following his unexpected absence, with the team accepting the point guard’s explanation and choosing to fine him rather than suspend him. Rose was back in the starting lineup on Wednesday night, and had a solid game, though the Knicks blew a big fourth-quarter lead to the Sixers.
Still, there were reports this week suggesting that the relationship between Rose and head coach Jeff Hornacek is frayed, along with reports that indicated the former MVP’s future in New York looks increasingly uncertain.
Rose is a free agent at season’s end, and while there are rumblings that he could seek a maximum-salary contract, he’s unlikely to land a deal in that neighborhood. His ability to slash and create on offense provides the Knicks with a skill set that their other guards don’t possess, but based on the way the first half has played out, there’s a good chance the team looks elsewhere to fill that point guard position.
If things continue to go south in New York, it’s possible Rose won’t even finish the season with the club — if the Knicks fall out of the playoff race and know they won’t re-sign Rose, there would be little reason to keep him, so a trade or buyout could be in play.
What do you think? Will Rose finish the season in New York? Will he leave in the offseason? Or are the two sides capable of turning things around and making their marriage a long-term one? Vote in our poll below, and jump into the comments section to weigh in with your thoughts!
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Southwest Notes: Conley, Rockets, Pelicans, Gasol
When Mike Conley signed a five-year mega-deal with the Grizzlies last summer, making him the NBA’s highest-paid player, the deal was met with some backlash. However, as Conley tells ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne, it wasn’t the first time that NBA fans and observers had questioned whether he was worth the investment — his initial four-year extension with Memphis received the same kind of scrutiny.
“The first go-round prepared me for the same type of situation, where I knew that it would take a lot of backlash and there would be a lot of people who don’t know who I am,” said the Grizzlies point guard. “Never heard of me or whatever. Now all of a sudden this guy is paid more than everybody else. So I just prepared myself and took it as a challenge, just took it as an opportunity, to use it and be the best player I can be. … It does take a special mentality to be able to understand and handle the moment, handle the situation. It could eat a lot of people up. I try to stay in the positive. In the now. I think of all the work that all the sacrifice that took me to the position to [have] this opportunity. That validates my contract for me.”
Here’s more from around the Southwest:
- The Rockets aren’t active in trade talks, and even though GM Daryl Morey never sits still, the team is more likely to do something minor than major, if it makes a move at all, tweets Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders. Kyler also weighed in on the Pelicans, tweeting that Jrue Holiday and Tyreke Evans, who are eligible for free agency this summer, are worth keeping an eye on as the trade deadline nears.
- Pau Gasol has made six All-Star teams in his career, and has played in the NBA’s last two midseason exhibitions, but he knew when he signed with the Spurs that he’d likely be forgoing individual accolades in favor of team success, writes Jeff McDonald of The San Antonio Express-News. “I didn’t come here with that type of mindset,” Gasol said of his All-Star streak.
- Rockets big man Clint Capela, sidelined with a fractured left fibula, has made significant progress and remains on track to return within a four-to-six week window, writes Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle. Capela is scheduled to be examined again next week.
- There are a couple of health-related notes out of Memphis as well, as Ronald Tillery of The Memphis Commercial Appeal reports (via Twitter) that there’s still no timetable for Brandan Wright‘s return. Rookie big man Deyonta Davis, on the other hand, has made an early recovery from a foot injury that sidelined him in December — he was active on Wednesday night and available to play for the Grizzlies, though he didn’t see any action.
Motiejunas Discusses Free Agency, Rockets, Pelicans
Few NBA players experienced the sort of roller coaster ride that Donatas Motiejunas did in 2016. Coming off a promising 2014/15 season, the big man battled injuries in 2015/16, and was included in a deadline deal that would have sent him from the Rockets to the Pistons in February. However, that trade was vetoed due to health concerns about Motiejunas’ back.
Still a Rocket, Motiejunas finished out the season in Houston and became a restricted free agent in the summer. D-Mo subsequently spent more than five months on the free agent market, ultimately landing a four-year offer sheet with the Nets that was matched by the Rockets.
However, a dispute over the incentives included in the offer sheet prompted Motiejunas not to report to Houston, which resulted in the two sides redoing his deal, then scrapping it entirely. The 26-year-old became an unrestricted free agent, signing a one-year, minimum salary contract with the Pelicans, a far cry from the $37MM offer sheet he had received from Brooklyn.
In the wake of a tumultuous 2016, Motiejunas is ready to turn the page. Speaking to Michael Scotto of Basketball Insiders, the new Pelicans big man admitted that his NBA career has been a “big mess” so far, Still, Motiejunas remains confident in his ability to contribute on the court, and is optimistic about doing better on the free agent market next summer. Here are some more of the highlights of D-Mo’s conversation with Scotto:
On his restricted free agency with the Rockets:
“Honestly, you can say it was business stuff, but, from my side, I’m a basketball player, I just want to play. Being involved in that business situation, it was one of the worst experiences of my life that I’ve had. I would say, from any basketball player, we work every day, we put our sweat, we put our tears, we put our blood on the floor, try to help and make teams better, so when someone acts with you like this, it’s just wrong.”
On the resolution of his RFA saga:
“The team lost an asset. I lost $37-38MM, so both sides lost in this situation. No one won in this situation actually. … It was just a ridiculous situation, the resolution was taking too long, and it was affecting me as a player, and it was affecting me personally. Instead of being a business decision it was like more of a personal decision.
On how frustrating it was to be in free agent limbo:
“The hardest part, probably, was that unknown. Where am I going to go? Where am I going to be? What’s going to happen? I keep on talking with people. I was talking with the people in the [players’ union]. I was talking with people from the NBA. I was talking with people from the teams and they keep on telling me, ‘Tomorrow, tomorrow, tomorrow.’ At one point I was like, ‘Tomorrow has already been two weeks. I want to play. I’m hungry.’ I’m sitting, watching these games, and I’m like, ‘I can help each of these teams to be better.’ It was a really tough moment for me, probably all of 2016.”
On his fit with the Pelicans:
“My goal is to help Anthony Davis to be better, my goal is to help the other players play the right way, help them to find a role. I’m the player who’s going to, if you’re wide open on the floor, I’m going to pass you the ball. That’s who I am. I’m unselfish. … We have a lot of great shooters here who can take open shots. I think they were missing the person who could deliver the ball to them and who can space when Anthony Davis is playing in the post or on the elbow. That’s who I am. That’s who I’m going to try to be.”
Northwest Notes: Hayward, Bolomboy, Crabbe
The Jazz are thriving this season, which is something that could bode well for their chances of re-signing Gordon Hayward this offseason, Brad Rock of the Deseret News writes. Utah owns a record of 24-16 and is within striking range of a top-4 seed. “I think we expected it,” Hayward said of the team’s success. “I think going into [the season] we had high expectations for ourselves. There’s a long way to go … so it’s important not to get too high on the highs, but not too low on the lows.”
Here’s more from the Northwest Division:
- The Wolves have hired Dwight Lutz and Nick Restifo as Basketball Operation Analysts, Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune passes along via Twitter. Lutz previously worked for the NBA as a Senior Manager of Game Analytics and Strategy. Restifo, who was a contributor to Nylon Calculus, previously worked as an Associate Data Scientist at Darden Restaurants.
- Joel Bolomboy made it through Monday without the Jazz waiving him, which means his salary for next season has become guaranteed, as Bobby Marks of The Vertical notes on Twitter. The rookie will make $600K this season and slightly over $905K next year.
- Allen Crabbe, who re-signed with the Blazers on a four-year, $75MM deal over the summer, struggled to begin the season, but now he’s starting to find his groove, as Jason Quick of Comcast Sportsnet details. Crabbe’s player efficiency rating sits at 10.8, a figure which is well-below the league average of 15.0.
NBA D-League Assignments/Recalls: 1/11/17
Here are Wednesday’s D-League assignments and recalls from across the NBA:
10:20pm:
- The Jazz have assigned Alec Burks and Raul Neto to their D-League affiliate, the Salt Lake City Stars, according to the team’s website. Both players were in action for tonight’s contest against the Grand Rapids Drive.
- The Blazers have assigned Tim Quarterman to the D-League, Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical tweets. Portland does not have its own affiliate, so Quarterman will play for the Windy City Bulls on this assignment.
1:41 pm
- The Raptors recalled rookie guard Fred VanVleet from their D-League affiliate following the team’s Tuesday night victory (Twitter link). VanVleet posted a double-double for the Raptors 905 on Tuesday, with 12 points, 11 assists, and four steals.
- The Nets have re-assigned Chris McCullough to the D-League, the club announced today in a press release. The second-year power forward has played sparingly this season for Brooklyn, but has appeared in 21 games for the Long Island Nets, averaging 18.8 PPG and 8.4 RPG.
Pierre Jackson To Rejoin D-League
Pierre Jackson will head back to the D-League to play for the Texas Legends, the D-League affiliate of the Mavericks, Chris Reichert of The Step Back reports (Twitter link). Dallas waived the point guard last week, though it was reported that the team was considering him for a 10-day contract.
Jackson played just four games for the Mavs, scoring 12 points in 28 minutes of action. He played with the Legends this season prior to being called up to the NBA.
The Sixers drafted the point guard out of Baylor with the No. 42 overall pick in the 2013 draft, but immediately dealt his rights to the Pelicans in the Nerlens Noel deal. New Orleans owned his draft rights, but never signed him to a contract and having been placed in NBA-limbo, Jackson ended up playing in the D-League. Playing for Idaho Stampede, he showed promise as a scorer, averaging 29.1 points per game. The Pelicans never opened up a roster spot for him, so he remained in the D-League throughout that season.
Philadelphia reacquired the point guard in a 2014 draft night trade and he played for Philly’s summer league team that year without having signed an NBA contract. In his first game, he ruptured his Achilles, but the team still signed him to a contract with $400K in guarantees before waiving him prior to the 2014/15 season. He remained out of basketball until returning to the D-League midway through the 2015/16 season.
Heat Notes: Whiteside, Durant, Spoelstra
Hassan Whiteside said he doesn’t pay attention to the rumors and trade speculation surrounding his name, as Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel relays. “If I pay attention to it, I wouldn’t be back in the league. There’s all kind of rumors. A lot of people said a lot of things to keep me from being back in the league,” Whiteside said.
It was previously reported that no member of the Heat was off-limits in trade talks, but on Tuesday, a team spokesman shot down that report.
Here’s more from Miami:
- Dealing Whiteside just six months after signing him to a four-year, $98MM contract would be troublesome for the franchise, Winderman argues in his weekly mailbag. Part of the value in retaining Whiteside was not letting an asset leave without getting anything back in return, Winderman adds before stressing that the team should be patient when evaluating possible trades.
- If Whiteside is going to be the team’s franchise player, he needs to be more consistent, Winderman writes in the same piece. The scribe calls for more performances like the one against the Warriors on Tuesday, where the center pulled down 20 rebounds and scored 28 points.
- The Heat always thought they had a chance to sign Kevin Durant in free agency up until the 2013/14 MVP signed with the Warriors, Winderman writes in a separate piece. “We’re all wired to think that we always have a chance,” coach Erik Spoelstra said of the Heat. Spoelstra added that he was impressed with how Durant handled himself when the small-forward met with the team over the summer. “Big fan before I met him. That was the only time I had ever met him. Bigger fan after that, even after he chose Golden State,” he said of Durant.
International Notes: Bennett, Greene, Kelly
Anthony Bennett, who was recently waived by the Nets, may head overseas to pursue his next basketball opportunity, sources tell Sam Amico of Pro Basketball Digest. Amico adds that the former No.1 overall pick is also considering the D-League as an option with an eye on signing a few 10-day contracts with NBA clubs.
Bennett flashed promise at UNLV but struggled mightily during his three stops in the NBA. Amico notes that Bennett’s poor performance during his rookie season played a role in Cleveland’s decision to fire then-GM Chris Grant during the middle of the 2013/14 campaign.
Here are a few more international updates on players with NBA ties:
- Former Kings big man Donte Greene, a 2008 first-rounder who last played in 2012, has joined Puerto Rican team Capitanes de Arecibo, according to an announcement from the club (hat tip to Sportando). Greene, who turns 29 next month, said back in August that he continues to hope for one more shot from an NBA team.
- Maccabi Kiryat Gat of Israel has released former Nets guard Tyshawn Taylor, according to international journalist David Pick (Twitter links). The team will use the roster spot to bring Josh Selby aboard. Selby, who was the No. 49 pick in the 2011 draft, previously played in Israel for Bnei Herzliya.
- Sasha Djordjevic, the coach of Bayern Munich, is recruiting Nicolas Laprovittola to play for his team, Pick reports (Twitter link). Laprovittola was waived by the Spurs last month.
- Ryan Kelly has garnered interest from Reggio Emilia, a team in Italy, but it’s unlikely he joins the club as he prefers to pursue NBA opportunities, according to Emilio Carchia of Sportando. The Hawks waived Kelly last week.
Luke Adams contributed to this post
Atlantic Notes: Raptors, Noel, Simmons
The Raptors have the assets to pull off a substantial trade, but Nick Faris of the National Post wonders if GM Masai Ujiri is willing to sacrifice the long-term view in order to go all-in this season. The team has two first-round picks in the upcoming draft and it has tremendous depth, which could allow it to give up multiple pieces in exchange for a high-quality player. Faris believes Paul Millsap, who was told by the Hawks that he wasn’t going to be traded, would be an excellent addition should Atlanta change its stance.
Here’s more from the Atlantic Division:
- During free agency. the Raptors promised Jared Sullinger their starting power forward spot and once the big man is healthy enough to play, he’ll take that role, Josh Lewenberg of TSN writes. Sullinger had more lucrative offers on the table but decided to join Toronto because of that promise, Lewenberg notes. There is still no timetable for his return to the court.
- Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders (Twitter link) hears that Nerlens Noel would still like to change teams in the offseason, barring a maximum salary offer from the Sixers. Noel will be a restricted free agent at the end of the season.
- There remains no official timeline for Ben Simmons to return to the Sixers‘ lineup, but he continues to make progress, as Dane Carbaugh of NBC Sports relays. Simmons played point guard during practice in five-one-zero drills and coach Brett Brown has previously said that he intends to play the rookie at that position.