2017 August | Hoops Rumors

Central Notes: Pistons, Tolliver, Bucks, Parker

August 31st, 2017 at 10:30am CST by Luke Adams

Executive/coach Stan Van Gundy and GM Jeff Bowers made it a priority this offseason to add depth and now the Pistons have a bevy of options at the forward positions, Keith Langlois of NBA.com writes. Van Gundy sees advantages in the diverse range of skills that players at those positions possess.

“It’s just a very, very hard position to guard,” said Van Gundy, the Pistons’ president of basketball operations. “They’ve got to guard so many different kinds of people. There’s not as many of the big, strong, post-up fours – there are some – but then you’re going to have to guard more three-men type guys who are fours who can stretch it out to the 3-point line and put the ball on the floor and all of that.”

The Pistons struggled with spacing the floor and shooting from behind the arc last season, which is something that newly-added forward Anthony Tolliver should help with, Langlois adds in the same piece. Tolliver, who played for Detroit under Van Gundy back in the 2015/16 season, shot 39% from 3-point range last season in Sacramento.

Here’s more from around the Central division:

Having examined the Pistons‘ forwards, Langlois also took a closer look at the club’s wings, where Van Gundy has great expectations for the defensive potential of Avery Bradley and Stanley Johnson.
Six months into the recovery process following his latest ACL injury, Jabari Parker still can’t do much more than dribble or shoot, but people in the Bucks organization have been impressed with his “approach, progress, and positivity,” writes Matt Velazquez of The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Parker is eligible for a rookie scale extension this offseason, though it would be somewhat surprising if he and the Bucks strike a deal while he’s still on the shelf.
The Kyrie Irving trade between the Cavaliers and Celtics is now complete, but even if it had been voided, it’s not clear if the Bucks would have been a major player for Irving. A source who spoke to Velazquez downplayed Milwaukee’s involvement in those talks.
Earlier today, we rounded up a few Cavaliers notes in the wake of the Irving deal, and passed along the latest on Cameron Payne‘s foot injury.

Chris Crouse contributed to this post.

Cavs Notes: Irving Trade, LeBron, Crowder, IT

August 31st, 2017 at 8:58am CST by Luke Adams

The Cavaliers and Celtics were able to complete the Kyrie Irving trade before Thursday morning’s deadline after Boston agreed to send an additional pick to Cleveland. While Boston did well to draw the line at a future second-round pick, it’s not a great look for the Cavs, who let the saga play out very publicly for more than a week before settling for a 2020 selection that may not even fall in the top 45.

Although the move represents the first major trade completed by new Cavs GM Koby Altman, it was team owner Dan Gilbert who was calling the shots on the deal, multiple sources tell Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer, who says that Gilbert’s “fingerprints were all over” this week’s drama. The Cavs owner, who publicly questioned the Pacers for their return in the Paul George deal, was very aware of the public perception of the Cavs’ return for Irving, O’Connor adds.

According to O’Connor, the Nets‘ first-round pick and Jae Crowder were the assets the Cavs management valued most in the swap, but LeBron James and head coach Tyronn Lue cooled somewhat on the trade when they learned that Isaiah Thomas could miss part of the 2017/18 season. The front office had sold James and Lue on the deal by making the case that Thomas and Crowder could help the club contend immediately, so Thomas’ health was a major concern, even if he wasn’t necessarily the centerpiece of the deal.

Here’s more out of Cleveland:

While O’Connor suggests in his piece that the Cavs are preparing for the possibility of LeBron signing elsewhere in 2018, we can count Kevin Durant among those who don’t believe the King will leave Cleveland again. As Joe Vardon of Cleveland.com details, Durant told Bill Simmons on his podcast this week that he can see James remaining with the Cavs for the rest of his career.
With the Irving deal done, former Cavs GM David Griffin, who was replaced this offseason by Altman, can envision the Cavs making another move before the trade deadline, as he said on NBA TV (h/t Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com). “One of the real blessings of this is Koby and his team don’t need to be done (trading) at this point,” Griffin said. “They can continue to try to build the team. The value-to-production of Jae Crowder and his contract are incredible. As you move closer to the trade deadline, the assets they’ve acquired may be able to be put to work again in continuing to improve the team. I think they clearly wanted to get some sustainability so that lottery pick was really important because in the absence of LeBron that’s the piece that helps them rebuild rather quickly.”
Dave McMenamin of ESPN.com takes a closer look at where the Cavs stand now that the Irving era is officially over in Cleveland, and wonders whether the deal will end up helping or hurting the club’s quest for a second title in the last three years.

Chris Crouse contributed to this post.

Celtics, Cavs Complete Kyrie Irving Trade

August 30th, 2017 at 9:35pm CST by ChrisCrouse

The Celtics and Cavaliers have reached an agreement that will end the week-long hold-up of the Kyrie Irving deal, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.com reports (Twitter link). In addition to the previously agreed upon bounty—Isaiah Thomas, Jae Crowder, Ante Zizic, and Brooklyn’s 2018 first-round pick—Boston will also send a 2020 second-round pick to Cleveland.

The additional pick on the move is Miami’s 2020 selection. Boston received the pick back in 2015 when the Heat attached it to Zoran Dragic in order to move his salary.

The two sides had an agreement in place eight days ago, but Cleveland had concerns over Isaiah Thomas‘ hip after examining the point guard during the routine post-trade physical. After the discovery, the Cavs re-engaged with Boston in the hopes of receiving either a young prospect or a future first-rounder on top of the players in the original offer, suggesting that the Celtics understated the scope of Thomas’ injury. However, Boston was firm on not giving up anything more than the second-rounder in the deal.

It was reported earlier today that there’s at least a slight chance that Thomas misses the entire 2017/18 season if his recovery doesn’t progress as smoothly as hoped. How IT heals and returns from his hip injury will be a major developing story as the season progresses for a bevy of reasons. The point guard can become a free agent at the end of the campaign. So can LeBron James. Both the team and James would certainly like to evaluate how Thomas fits alongside the four-time MVP before any future decisions are made.

For the Celtics, another excellent offseason seemingly concludes. A year after signing Al Horford to a four-year deal, the team made several additions that should help in both the short- and long-term. Boston landed the No. 1 pick in the lottery and dealt it to the Sixers for the pick that became Jayson Tatum – one of the most pro-ready prospects from the 2017 draft – and an additional future first-rounder. The franchise also agreed to terms with Gordon Hayward before trading for Marcus Morris.

Adding Irving to the mix only solidifies the Celtics as a true contender in the Eastern Conference. The C’s bested Cleveland and the rest of their conference rivals with 53 wins last season, though they were dispatched handily by the Cavs in the Eastern Finals as they watched an LBJ-led team dance into the NBA Finals for a seventh straight season.

The last team to win the East without LeBron? The 2009/10 Celtics. That squad, which was led by Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce, beat James’ Cavaliers in the King’s last game before moving to Miami before reaching the NBA Finals. Boston will again look to get by James in 2017/18 in the hopes of landing the Eastern Conference crown and this time, the Larry O’Brien Trophy as well.

The Cavs and Celtics play each other in the league’s first game of the 2017/18 season. There’s plenty of time to get your popcorn ready for the October 17 showdown and the upcoming season.

Photo Courtesy of USA Today Images

David Griffin Believes Cavs, Celtics Will Complete Kyrie Irving Deal

August 30th, 2017 at 9:05pm CST by ChrisCrouse

Former Cavaliers GM David Griffin believes the Kyrie Irving trade will take place as originally constructed, as Sam Amico of Amico Hoops relays.

“There’s not a lot of upside to this deal coming undone, for either side,” Griffin said on NBA TV. “Because of that, I think it will end up going through as is. Hopefully, they’ll be able to get Isaiah to a point where he’s ready sooner than people think.”

Boston originally agreed to send Isaiah Thomas, Jae Crowder, Ante Zizic and Brooklyn’s 2018 pick to Cleveland for Kyrie Irving. Griffin said that if he were still the team’s GM, he would have made that trade.

“I think I would have,” he told NBA TV. “I really think Koby Altman made a tremendous trade here, given the circumstances. When you’re trying to win a championship, there is no in between. You’re all the way with me, or you’re all the way against me. And I think this is a situation where Kyrie made it clear he had a goal that might not have jived with Cleveland’s.

“They made a deal that, even in the absence of Isaiah Thomas, is a tremendous collection of assets. At the same time, Boston made a trade to get a piece that really could be a key for them — a 25-year old player in his prime, an NBA champion, an Olympic champion. He is really just starting to scratch the surface of who he can be.”

That was Boston’s offer for Irving before all the players involved took their physicals with their new teams and Cleveland expressed concern over Isaiah Thomas’ hip. Griffin added that he suspects Thomas’ injury wasn’t a surprise to the Cavs.

“When you go through these deals, you share all the information you have, you share all the images you have. If the most recent images of Isaiah were as far back as the playoffs, a new set of images now will create the ability to compare and contrast, and see how things have improved.

“So I don’t think it’s a situation where anybody was caught off guard. It was just a case of getting perhaps more information. Obviously, Isaiah is in this league because he has heart and soul that is almost unparalleled, and I believe him when he says he’s gonna be back to 100 percent.”

The two teams have until Thursday morning to finalize an agreement. However, if both sides decided to, they could extend the deadline.

Elton Brand Talks New Role, Embiid, Sixers

August 30th, 2017 at 6:43pm CST by ChrisCrouse

Elton Brand, who recently accepted the position of GM of the Delaware 87ers, spent most of last season as a player development consultant for the Sixers. He was able to work closely with upper management during the pre-draft combine process and through that experience, he realized where he wanted to be during his post-playing career.

“Being in those high-level meetings with Josh Harris, David Blitzer and Bryan Colangelo really piqued my interest,” Brand said (via Jessica Camerato of Comcast Sportsnet). “I like this, I could really work basketball instead of playing it.”

Brand sought out the advice of Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski and Sixers special advisor Jerry Colangelo among others to prepare for the role. He knows it will be a different kind of challenge than the ones he faced during his playing career.

“It’s a totally different mindset and a totally different type of energy,” he said. “I’m discussing players and trades and the business side of it. I was exhausted yesterday. Basketball is one thing, but it was a different kind of tired. I’m looking forward to growing in that aspect.”

Brand started the 2016/17 campaign as a player in Philadelphia before easing into his former front office role. He’s familiar with the organization and he plans on implementing the same offense and defensive schemes as coach Brett Brown. Such familiarity will be even more crucial as players on the newly designed two-way deals shuffle between the NBA and the G-League.

The Duke product added that he will miss being around his former Sixers teammates. Brand spent time with Joel Embiid, who is a candidate for an extension, this summer and he told reporters at his press conference that the Cameroon native has been “working his butt off.”

The Sixers are expected by many to take a leap forward and some optimistic fans believe the team could make the postseason for the first time since the 2011/12 campaign. Brand cautions that the team is still young and inexperienced, but believes the hype surrounding the team is warranted.

“It’s going to be a process that we will trust.” Brand said. “But it’s going to get there. We’re going to get there for sure.”

Hoops Rumors Features

August 30th, 2017 at 4:40pm CST by Luke Adams

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Trail Blazers Waive Andrew Nicholson

August 30th, 2017 at 3:05pm CST by Luke Adams

As expected, the Trail Blazers have waived Andrew Nicholson from their roster, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reports. According to Wojnarowski, Portland will use the stretch provision on Nicholson, spreading out his remaining salary across the next seven years. The Blazers confirmed this afternoon that Nicholson has been waived (Twitter link).

Nicholson, 27, was a beneficiary of the 2016 salary cap spike, having inked a four-year, $26MM contract with the Wizards during free agency last summer. After signing that deal, Nicholson endured his worst season as a pro, appearing in just 28 games for Washington and averaging 2.5 PPG and 1.2 RPG in 8.3 minutes per contest.

Nicholson was included as a salary dump in a deadline deal with the Nets in February, and ultimately finished the 2016/17 season with averages of 2.6 PPG and 1.6 RPG to go along with a .387 FG% in 38 games. Those numbers were all career worsts.

Earlier this offseason, Nicholson was once again included in a trade as a salary dump, making his way from the Nets to the Trail Blazers in the swap that sent Allen Crabbe to Brooklyn. Reports at the time indicated that Portland would waive and stretch Nicholson, but the team didn’t make it official for more than a month.

As we detailed earlier today, waiving Nicholson before the end of August allows the Blazers to reduce his 2017/18 cap hit by more than $3.5MM, which also slashes the club’s projected year-end luxury tax bill by more than $5MM. Nicholson will now count against Portland’s cap for about $2.844MM for the next seven seasons.

Once he clears waivers, Nicholson will be free to sign with any NBA team except for the Blazers or Nets.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Poll: Over/Under On Warriors’ 2017/18 Win Total

August 30th, 2017 at 2:37pm CST by Luke Adams

Heading into the 2016/17 season, Las Vegas sportsbooks set the over/under for the Warriors’ win total at 66.5. Even for a team coming off a record-breaking 73-9 campaign, that looked like an incredibly high bar to clear. But the Warriors did clear it, posting a 67-15 regular season record before going 16-1 in the postseason.

A year later, expectations in Vegas are even higher for the Warriors. As Ben Fawkes of ESPN.com details, the Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook unveiled its over/under figures for all 30 NBA teams, and Golden State leads the way at an incredible 67.5 wins.

It’s a staggering number, and one that would become nearly impossible to achieve if one or two of the Warriors’ key players goes down with an injury. Still, given what we’ve seen from the team over the last two years, it makes sense — particularly since the general consensus is that Golden State had one of the most successful summers of any NBA team.

The Warriors didn’t lose any core players from last year’s championship roster, with Ian Clark, Matt Barnes, and James Michael McAdoo the only notable departures. To fill the openings on the roster, the Dubs went out and landed Nick Young and Omri Casspi, who may end up being upgrades.

What do you think? Can this year’s version of the Warriors beat their over-under odds again and win 68 or more games? Or would you bet the under on 67.5? Vote below in our poll and jump into the comment section to share your two cents.

Trade Rumors app users, click here to vote.

Deadline Looms For Teams To Stretch 2017/18 Salary

August 30th, 2017 at 1:15pm CST by Luke Adams

Thursday, August 31 represents the deadline for teams to exercise the stretch provision on 2017/18 salary, meaning clubs have just over 24 more hours to waive players whose ’17/18 salaries they’re hoping to stretch.

The stretch provision is a CBA rule that allows teams to stretch a waived player’s remaining guaranteed salary across multiple seasons. From July 1 to August 31, the rule dictates that a team can pay out the player’s salary over twice the number of years remaining on his contract, plus one. For instance, a contract with three years left on it could be stretched out over seven years. After August 31, only future years on the contract can be stretched in that manner — so for that three-year contract, the current-season salary would stay as is, while the remaining two seasons could be stretched across five years.

As a point of reference, here’s what Andrew Nicholson‘s contract with the Trail Blazers looks like in its current form, along with the new salary figures based on that deal being stretched before or after August 31:

Year	Current contract	Stretched by August 31	Stretched after August 31
2017/18	$6,362,998	$2,844,429	$6,362,998
2018/19	$6,637,002	$2,844,429	$2,709,601
2019/20	$6,911,007	$2,844,429	$2,709,602
2020/21	–	$2,844,430	$2,709,602
2021/22	–	$2,844,430	$2,709,602
2022/23	–	$2,844,430	$2,709,602
2023/24	–	$2,844,430

As our chart shows, if the Blazers wait until September to waive and stretch Nicholson, they would take on a lower annual cap hit after 2017/18 and those cap charges would end a year earlier. However, Portland is widely expected to stretch Nicholson by August 31 in order to reduce his current-year cap hit. The Blazers are currently several million dollars into tax territory, and reducing Nicholson’s 2017/18 cap charge by $3.5MM+ would significantly reduce the club’s projected tax bill, even if it hurts Portland a little more in future seasons.

While Nicholson is a good bet to be waived this week (update: he has been waived), we shouldn’t necessarily expect a flurry of action by Thursday, since most teams aren’t in a situation like the Blazers. Still, we could see a move from clubs that have an expendable player and want to either reduce their tax bill or create more breathing room below the cap or tax line.

The Bucks look like another prime candidate to make a move by Thursday. It doesn’t appear that Spencer Hawes will be a major part of the club’s plans for 2017/18, and Milwaukee is currently slightly over the tax line. Waiving Hawes and stretching the final year of his contract (worth $6,021,175) across the next three years would get the Bucks out of tax territory and would create a little more flexibility to add a player or two, if needed.

Nicholson and Hawes were two of the five players who I identified earlier this month as candidates to be waived and stretched by August 31, and I think they’re easily the strongest candidates on that list. Stay tuned through Thursday to see if they’re cut, and to find out if other players hit the waiver wire before the August 31 deadline.

Lowe’s Latest: Celtics, Irving, Hayward, Butler

August 30th, 2017 at 12:11pm CST by Luke Adams

In our recap earlier today of where things stand on the Kyrie Irving front, we passed along several items of interest from ESPN’s Zach Lowe, who identified a number of potential trade partners for the Cavaliers if their deal with the Celtics falls through. Lowe also cited sources who said that there’s at least a slight chance Isaiah Thomas could miss the entire 2017/18 season if his recovery doesn’t progress as smoothly as hoped.

Lowe’s in-depth piece on the Irving situation included a few more noteworthy details, which we’ll pass along here:

Timing played a major part in the Celtics‘ decision to go hard after Irving, rather than Paul George or Jimmy Butler. As Lowe notes, the team wanted to add two star players this summer, but wanted to make sure it could land Gordon Hayward in free agency before giving up key assets for that second star. Because the Bulls and Pacers agreed in June to trade their stars, they were no longer options for Boston, post-Hayward.
Irving’s age was also a key consideration for the Celtics, says Lowe. With Boston poised to build around young pieces like Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, the fact that Irving is two years younger than either George or Butler was important, and allows the C’s to extend their window of contention.
The Celtics also had some concerns about how Butler and Hayward might mesh – on and off the court – if they were to acquire both players, sources tell Lowe.
Even if the Celtics have to include a little more in the Irving deal to get it done, they still may be the most well-stocked team in the league in terms of trade assets, according to Lowe, who notes that could become important if the Pelicans eventually make Anthony Davis available. There’s no indication at this point that New Orleans will do so, but the Celtics’ eyes “are very much trained on” Davis, says Lowe.
According to Lowe, if Irving officially becomes a Celtic, he could play a part in helping to recruit an additional superstar, since the league’s stars respect Irving’s “ballsy showman’s game.” Celtics president Danny Ainge likes Irving more than many of his peers around the NBA for some of the same reasons, Lowe adds.

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