Weekly Mailbag: 3/20/17 – 3/26/17

We have an 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 us a line at HoopsRumorsMailbag@Gmail.com. Here are this week’s inquiries:

The upcoming offseason will be a summer of rumors and speculation in Boston. What do you guys feel they may do within the current confines of the rumor mill? Do they wait for Gordon Hayward to become a free agent and attempt a trade for Jimmy Butler (after the draft) or see how the offseason plays out and see how the land lies in Indiana and trade for Paul George? — Christopher Hawkins

The Celtics will be in a uniquely favorable position once the offseason arrives. They have a top draft pick, assets to trade for a star and about $30MM in cap room. They pursued Butler and George before the trade deadline and still have interest in both. Boston may try to play the Pacers and Bulls against each other to see who will make the best offer, and those offers could be significant if the Celtics wind up with the first or second pick in the May 16th lottery. If neither deal works out, they will draft Markelle Fultz or Lonzo Ball and make a serious run at Hayward. No matter what happens, Boston, which may be the East’s number one seed this year, should be much improved next season.

What free agents do you foresee actually being interested and fitting in the triangle offense Phil Jackson is shoving down the NYK roster? It seems like every player that has played for NYK since PJax had no affinity for the system. With no track record of it working in modern-day NBA, does this mean NYK will be terrible until we have a new president? — Anthony Williams

It’s hard to picture the triangle being a selling point for any current free agent. Jackson hasn’t coached in the NBA since 2010/11, and nearly everyone from that team is out of the league. If anything, the triangle and its negative reputation among today’s players will make free agents look elsewhere. If the Knicks hope to lure a quality free agent, they will have to use other bargaining chips, like the chance to play in New York, to be part of a young team with Kristaps Porzingis and this year’s pick or to play with Carmelo Anthony, if he’s still around.

With Becky Hammon getting an offer from University of Florida to coach their women, do you think that is the best offer she’ll ever get, or do you think someone will take a chance with her and give her a head coaching position in the NBA down the road, especially since she’s on the staff that half of the coaches originally were on? — Michael Thompson

The best way for an assistant to get an NBA coaching job is to remain in the NBA. The question for Hammon is whether she wants to stay with the pros and try to make history or jump at the chance to run her own team in college. With her background, she could be an excellent women’s coach at Florida, but that probably won’t get her any closer to being an NBA head coach. If Hammon stays put, she’s first in line to become the NBA’s first female head coach, but there’s no guarantee that will ever happen.

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