NBA Execs Talk Carmelo Anthony Situation
It was an eventful long weekend in New York, as Phil Jackson used his Good Friday press conference to espouse the belief that Carmelo Anthony would probably “be better off somewhere else” where he can contend for a title. The players’ union objected to Jackson’s blunt – and public – assessment of the situation, while the Knicks president’s comments may inspire Anthony to dig his heels in this summer.
One frequent criticism of Jackson’s handling of the Anthony situation has been that publicly expressing a desire to move on from the star forward won’t exactly increase his trade value around the league. Sean Deveney of The Sporting News investigated that topic, speaking to a handful of NBA executives about Carmelo’s current stock, and found that the Knicks may have trouble finding a taker for Anthony, even if he’s willing to waive his no-trade clause.
“If he were willing to keep altering his style of play, you might say yes,” one GM said of trading for Anthony. “At his best, when he was four or five years younger, you could win if you built the team to fit what he does. [The Knicks] had some good teams, people forget. But at this point, at his age, it is not possible unless he becomes more of a role player — a stretch four; a second or third option. But then you’re paying $25MM per year for a role player, and how does that help you?”
While other executives are more sympathetic toward Anthony’s situation and still like him as a player, his exorbitant salary for the next two seasons – which would include a 15% trade kicker if he were dealt – is a sticking point for many execs.
“I like Carmelo, I think he takes a bad rap,” an Eastern Conference exec tells Deveney. “He doesn’t get in trouble, he has put up with a lot from that organization and I think a lot of guys would have lashed out by now. Give him credit for that. But anyone who brings him in has to ask, does he make your team better, looking at everything including his (cap) number? In most cases, that’s going to be no.”
As for which teams might be matches for the Knicks in a Carmelo trade, most executives who spoke to Deveney proposed the same few clubs we’ve heard in previous Anthony rumors. The Cavaliers are viewed as more of a long shot, with most execs suggesting that the Clippers remain the best bet — particularly if L.A. has another early playoff exit and wants to shake things up. One Western Conference executive also pointed out that Anthony’s no-trade clause will likely help keep his trade cost down for any team acquiring him.
“If he waives the no-trade, you know he is going to be OK with coming (to his new team),” the exec said. “He is not going against his will. And look at it, everyone has the Knicks over a barrel. They’re just desperate to move the guy. You are not going to have to give up much of anything to get him, just make the salaries match.”
For all the latest updates related to Anthony, be sure to keep an eye on our rumors page for him.
Rudy Gobert To Miss Game 2 With Knee Injury
APRIL 17, 1:14pm: Gobert will be ruled out for Game 2 against the Clippers, and his status going forward will be determined on a game-by-game basis, reports Tony Jones of The Salt Lake Tribune.
APRIL 16, 8:42am: Jazz center Rudy Gobert could miss the rest of the series after hurting his knee on the first play of Saturday’s game with the Clippers. A statement issued by the team calls the injury “a left knee hyperextension and bone contusion.”
Gobert was removed from the game with 11:43 left in the first quarter after banging knees with L.A.’s Luc Mbah a Moute. He underwent X-rays, which were negative, and an MRI that revealed no ligament damage.
Utah’s medical staff said Gobert will continue to be re-evaluated to determine when he might be able to play again. He has not yet been officially ruled out for Game 2, though it would be surprising to see him get back on the court so quickly.
Although the Jazz pulled out Saturday’s game on a last-second shot by Joe Johnson, they figure to have an uphill battle without Gobert. A candidate for Defensive Player of the Year, he averaged 14 points, 12.8 rebounds and a league-leading 2.6 blocks in 81 games.
Josh Jackson Signs With Agent, Enters 2017 Draft
Kansas small forward Josh Jackson has entered the 2017 NBA draft and will keep his name in the draft pool, he announced today, per an Associated Press report (link via Kansas City Star). Jackson, who signed with B.J. Armstrong of the Wasserman Media Group, will forgo his remaining NCAA eligibility by going pro.
“[After] consulting with my family, I have decided to enter the 2017 NBA Draft and pursue my dream of playing professional basketball,” Jackson said in a statement.
A probable top-five pick, Jackson is currently ranked third overall on the big boards at DraftExpress and ESPN.com. In his first and only season with the Jayhawks, the freshman forward averaged 16.3 PPG, 7.4 RPG, 3.0 APG, 1.7 SPG, and 1.1 BPG, with a shooting line of .513/.378/.566.
According to ESPN’s Chad Ford, NBA scouts view Jackson as the best two-way player in the draft — he’s probably the only player who could challenge Markelle Fultz and Lonzo Ball for the No. 1 spot on big boards. However, there are questions about whether or not he can keep knocking down jump shots at the same rate he did in 2016/17. His poor free throw shooting and his tendency to turn the ball over are also red flags, but the positives certainly outweigh the negatives.
Nets GM Talks International Scouting, Draft, RFAs
The Nets finished with the NBA’s worst record, but the team was competitive down the stretch, and given how low expectations were for the Nets entering the regular season, 2016/17 wasn’t a total disaster for the team. Still, general manager Sean Marks acknowledged today that there’s still “a long ways to go” as the club continues to rebuild its roster, which remains a “work in progress” (link via Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN.com).
Here are a few of the other comments Marks made today during his end-of-season press conference:
- Marks repeatedly referred to the international market – including Europe, Australia, and China -as a means of landing talent for the NBA roster (Twitter link via NetsDaily). Marks and head coach Kenny Atkinson are heading to Europe soon to meet with owner Mikhail Prokhorov and to do some scouting (Twitter link via Youngmisuk). And while the Nets have been keeping a close eye on CSKA Moscow guard Milos Teodosic, Marks stressed that the club is looking at “a bunch” of different international players (Twitter link via Bryan Fonseca of NetsDaily).
- The Nets will have two first-round picks this year after acquiring one from Washington in February’s Bojan Bogdanovic trade. Marks suggested today that he’d be open to snagging a draft-and-stash prospect with one of those two picks (Twitter link via Fonseca).
- Even if the Nets don’t necessarily expect to make a playoff run next season, Marks wants his roster to be balanced in terms of age and experience, since he believes a mix of veterans and young players is important (Twitter link via Fonseca).
- Although the Nets swung and missed multiple times in restricted free agency last summer, Marks said that “doesn’t mean we are not going that route” this summer (link via Youngmisuk). We’ve heard in recent weeks and months that RFAs like Otto Porter and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope could be among Brooklyn’s targets.
Cavs, Clippers Finished 2016/17 In Tax Territory
Although last summer’s free agent period saw teams across the NBA engage in an unprecedented spending spree, four teams finished the 2016/17 season below the salary floor, and only two teams surpassed the luxury tax line and finished in tax territory.
With the salary cap having increased to a record-high level, most of the NBA’s teams were able to comfortably avoid spending $113.287MM and going into the tax. The two exceptions were in Cleveland and Los Angeles, where the Cavaliers zoomed past the tax threshold and the Clippers went a little beyond it as well.
The NBA will likely release official figures regarding this season’s taxpaying teams in July, but here’s our unofficial data on the Cavs and Clippers:
- Total team salary for tax purposes: $126,696,581
- Amount above tax line: $13,409,581
- Projected tax bill: $24,773,953
- The Cavaliers don’t qualify as repeat taxpayers, since they didn’t pay the tax in at least three of the previous four seasons, so their tax rate is as follows:
- $1.50 per dollar for the first $5MM over tax
- $1.75 per dollar for the next $5MM over tax ($5-10MM range)
- $2.50 per dollar for the next $5MM over tax ($10-15MM range)
- Total team salary for tax purposes: $114,740,032
- Amount above tax line: $1,453,032
- Projected tax bill: $3,632,580
- Unlike the Cavs, the Clippers do qualify as repeat taxpayers, since they were in the tax for each of the three previous seasons. As such, their tax rate starts at $2.50 per dollar.
The Portland Trail Blazers were the only other team in danger of crossing into tax territory, and after Maurice Harkless earned a $500K bonus at the end of the season, the Blazers came perilously close to that threshold. According to Bobby Marks’ data at The Vertical, Portland finished $4,462 shy of the tax line.
The Blazers didn’t sign a single free agent to a full-season or 10-day contract in 2016/17 after the season began, and it’s a good thing they didn’t. The one-day salary for a player with at least two years of NBA experience this season was $5,767, so even adding a veteran for a single day would have put Portland into the tax.
Once again, our data – and Marks’ – isn’t necessarily official, so we’ll wait for formal confirmation from the NBA this summer. But it looks like the Blazers just narrowly avoided becoming the league’s third taxpayer this year. Instead of paying the tax, Portland figures to be one of the 28 teams receiving a portion of the tax charges paid by the Clippers and Cavs.
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Four Teams Finished Below 2016/17 Salary Floor
Four NBA teams finished the 2016/17 season below the league’s salary floor and will have to make up the difference by paying a little extra money to the players who finished the season on their respective rosters. The Nets, Nuggets, Timberwolves, and Jazz each fell short of the $84.729MM floor this season.
While the 2016/17 league year isn’t over yet, the end of the regular season last week signaled the “snapshot” day for luxury tax and salary floor purposes. Teams are required to spend at least 90% of the salary cap in each NBA season, though the penalties for failing to do so aren’t exactly punitive. If a club falls $2MM short of the salary floor, for instance, it must pay that $2MM to players on its roster to reach the floor.
Our numbers aren’t official, but they should very closely resemble the NBA’s final figures. Bobby Marks of The Vertical confirmed last week that Brooklyn, Denver, Minnesota, and Utah finished below the salary floor. Here’s what those team’s end-of-season cap figures look like, per our Salary Cap Snapshots:
- Brooklyn Nets: $1,336,916 below floor (team salary: $83,392,084)
- Denver Nuggets: $2,147,064 below floor (team salary: $82,581,936)
- Minnesota Timberwolves: $3,023,043 below floor (team salary: $81,705,957)
- Utah Jazz: $4,230,808 below floor (team salary: $80,498,192)
While the current CBA doesn’t include a set formula that teams must adhere to when distributing the salary floor shortfall to their players, it’s believed that players generally receive proportional amounts based on their salaries, rather than even splits. So for the Jazz, a player like Gordon Hayward would receive a larger share than Joel Bolomboy.
With the NBA’s salary cap expected to increase to at least $101MM in 2017/18, the league’s salary floor appears likely to exceed $90MM next season.
New York Notes: Knicks, Holiday, Nets
Justin Holiday said last month that he’d love to find a way to play on the same team as his brother Jrue Holiday next season, and both players are eligible for free agency this summer, so it’s not out of the realm of possibility. According to Marc Berman of The New York Post, the Knicks may be an ideal landing spot for the duo, since Justin is the sort of effective two-way player the club wants to retain, and New York will also be in the market for a point guard like Jrue if Derrick Rose doesn’t return.
With the Holiday brothers not competing in the playoffs, Justin Holiday tells The Post that they plan to “take some time off” and eventually will talk about their plans for the future. Given how dysfunctional the Knicks have been this season, it remains to be seen whether the elder Holiday will make an enthusiastic pitch to younger brother Jrue on behalf of the franchise.
Here’s more from out of New York on the Knicks and Nets:
- Phil Jackson the coach is undermining Phil Jackson the team president, in the view of George Willis of The New York Post. As Willis details, Jackson’s comments on Friday made it sounds as if he intends to micromanage the club more in 2017/18, which probably doesn’t thrill Jeff Hornacek and likely won’t address the problems that ail the Knicks.
- While 2016/17 was a disaster, there are ways for Jackson to fix the Knicks‘ roster, or at least take steps toward patching the holes, Berman writes in a piece for The New York Post. Berman examines potential defensive-minded free agent targets for the Knicks, as well as draft options for the club.
- The Nets will use the draft, the trade market, and free agency to attempt to upgrade their roster this season, but head coach Kenny Atkinson and the team will also do all they can to find ways to improve the players already on the roster, per Brian Lewis of The New York Post. “We’re obsessed with that as a staff, one through 15: How can we get those guys better?” Atkinson said. “I’m sure I have a wish list that’s Utopian, but where we are we have to keep taking a lot of pride in developing the players we have. … To me, that’s your wish list: Get these guys better that are on your roster.”
Southeast Notes: Heat, Howard, Fournier
James Johnson and Dion Waiters were among the players that helped kick-start – and sustain – the Heat‘s 30-11 second half run, but both players are eligible for unrestricted free agency this offseason. Johnson and Waiters combined to earn less than $7MM in 2016/17, and with both players in line for sizable raises, Heat owner Micky Arison seems ready to pay up to retain them. As Manny Navarro of The Miami Herald details, Arison published an Instagram photo this weekend that shows him posing with Johnson and Waiters. The caption? “The @miamiheat future looks very bright.”
Of course, an Instagram photo in April doesn’t mean that Johnson and Waiters are guaranteed to re-sign with the Heat in July. Team president Pat Riley will have a major role in that decision, and many teams with cap room could make things difficult for Miami.
Here are a few more notes from around the Southeast:
- Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel takes a look at the Heat‘s roster from players one through 15, attempting to determine which guys the team will prioritize this summer. In Winderman’s view, Miami should try to re-sign Waiters, but Johnson should be the priority if the team has to decide between the two.
- Hawks center Dwight Howard, who was previously represented by Perry Rogers, has signed with ASM Sports and will be repped by agent Andy Miller going forward, tweets Michael Scotto of Basketball Insiders. Howard remains under contract with Atlanta for two more years after this season, so he won’t be signing a new deal anytime soon.
- Hornets forward Nicolas Batum has already said he won’t play for France in this year’s Eurobasket tournament, but Magic guard Evan Fournier hasn’t ruled out the possibility. As Emiliano Carchia of Sportando notes, Fournier told L’Equipe this week that, while he’s not retiring internationally, he’ll visit a wrist specialist soon and will make a decision on his summer after that.
Draft Updates: D. Robinson, McDuffie, Rowan
Florida junior Devin Robinson, who was previously reported to be testing the draft waters, will hire an agent, forgoing his remaining NCAA eligibility, a source tells Jon Rothstein of FanRag Sports. Robinson’s 2016/17 averages were somewhat modest (11.1 PPG, 6.1 RPG), and he ranks just 63rd on Chad Ford’s ESPN big board, but the 6’8″ forward exhibited an improved outside shot in his junior year, shooting 39.1% on threes, and comes in at No. 37 on the DraftExpress board. He’ll have a chance to be drafted in the second round this June.
Here are a few more draft-related updates:
- A pair of Arkansas guards have decided to test the 2017 NBA draft waters, the school announced on Friday in a press release. Juniors Daryl Macon and Jaylen Barford won’t sign with agents, meaning they could opt out of the draft by May 24 and retain their NCAA eligibility. Neither player is considered likely to be drafted, so there’s a good chance they’ll both be back with the Razorbacks.
- Wichita State forward Markis McDuffie will put his name into the draft pool, but won’t hire an agent, reports Adam Zagoria of ZagsBlog (Twitter link). McDuffie ranks 49th on DraftExpress’ list of sophomore prospects.
- North Carolina State sophomore shooting guard Maverick Rowan will also enter the draft without hiring an agent, giving him the opportunity to withdraw his name, as he tells Jon Rothstein (Twitter link). Rowan comes in a little behind McDuffie on DX’s sophomore rankings, at No. 55.