Lakers To Add Antawn Jamison For Scouting Role
The Lakers will hire Antawn Jamison in a scouting role, Shams Charania of The Vertical reports. Charania adds that he will work under president of basketball operations Magic Johnson, GM Rob Pelinka, and assistant GM Jesse Buss.
Jamison played for the Lakers back in the 2012/13 season and he has worked for the organization as a TV analyst since retiring from the league in 2014.
The former no. 4 overall pick spent 16 seasons as a pro where he averaged 18.5 points and 7.5 rebounds per contest. In addition to playing for the Lakers, he also spent time with the Warriors, Mavericks, Wizards, Cavs, and Clippers.
Community Shootaround: Top League Pass Teams
In a pair of pieces this week for ESPN.com, Zach Lowe continued his annual tradition of ranking all 30 NBA teams in terms of how much entertainment they’ll provide on League Pass during the 2017/18 season. Lowe’s highest-ranked teams score well in a number of categories, including zeitgeist appeal, style of play, highlight potential, and even uniform and court aesthetics.
Lowe’s rankings aren’t particularly shocking. Teams expected to land near the top of next year’s draft lottery – such as the Hawks, Suns, Bulls, Magic, and Pacers – round out the bottom of his list, while the Warriors, Thunder, Celtics, and Rockets are at the top.
Still, there are a handful of interesting results in Lowe’s list. The Sixers and Pelicans rank ahead of the Cavaliers in the top 10. The Trail Blazers, Timberwolves, and Nuggets also place highly for three teams either barely made the playoffs or missed out entirely last season. And despite the preseason buzz they’ve been generating, the Lakers don’t show up in the top half of Lowe’s list, coming in at No. 16.
While Lowe makes a strong case for his selections, we want to hear from you. Outside of the team you root for, which clubs do you expect to make an effort to watch this season?
Will you be keeping a close eye on perennial title contenders like the Warriors, Cavaliers, and Spurs, or are you more fascinated by up-and-coming teams like the Bucks, Timberwolves, and Nuggets? Maybe there are rebuilding lottery teams – perhaps the Kings, Lakers, Knicks, or Mavericks – that you’ll be excited to see in action?
Head to the comment section below to share your thoughts on your top League Pass picks for 2017/18.
NBA Makes Changes To All-Star Game Format
The format of the All-Star Game will undergo some changes beginning this season, the NBA and the National Basketball Players’ Association announced today in a press release. Instead of the Eastern Conference All-Stars facing the Western Conference All-Stars, two captains will choose their respective squads from a pool of All-Star players.
Although the Eastern All-Stars will no longer face the Western All-Stars, the process for choosing All-Stars will remain the same, with 12 players from each conference earning that honor. Fans, players, and media will vote for 10 starters, with coaches choosing the 14 reserves.
Once the 24 All-Stars are chosen, the starter from each conference who received the most fan votes will be named the captain of his team. Last season, for instance, LeBron James and Stephen Curry would have been the captains, since they were the top vote-getters in their respective conferences. The rest of the All-Stars will enter a draft pool, with the two captains conducting a draft of sorts to pick their squads.
According to Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today (Twitter link), NBPA president Chris Paul called commissioner Adam Silver the day after the 2017 All-Star Game to suggest that changes were needed for the event. In addition to scrapping the conference-vs.-conference format, the league will also have each team pick a Los Angeles-based or national charity to play for.
“I’m thrilled with what the players and the league have done to improve the All-Star Game, which has been a priority for all of us,” Paul said in a statement. “We’re looking forward to putting on an entertaining show in L.A.”
The changes to the NBA’s midseason event should create some entertaining drama when it comes to picking the teams, and it will be fun to see All-Star teammates face one another. Given the talent disparity between the two conferences right now, the format should also allow for a more competitive game. Still, it’s somewhat disappointing that the NBA is sticking to 12 All-Stars per conference rather than going one step further and allowing the game to feature the top 24 players, regardless of conference.
This season’s All-Star Game is scheduled to take place on Sunday, February 18 at the Staples Center.
Poll: Orlando Magic’s 2017/18 Win Total
After making a flurry of major moves during the 2016 offseason, including trading for Serge Ibaka and signing Evan Fournier and Bismack Biyombo to lucrative long-term deals, the Magic were one of the NBA’s most disappointing teams. Orlando flipped Ibaka before the deadline for a lesser return, and ultimately finished with a 29-53 record, leading to GM Rob Hennigan‘s ouster.
A new management group, led by former Raptors executive Jeff Weltman, is in place, and Weltman and company took a more patient, cautious approach to the 2017 offseason. Orlando was active on the offseason market, but the team’s investments were modest — Jonathon Simmons and Shelvin Mack got $6MM per year, while Arron Afflalo and Marreese Speights signed for the minimum.
The Magic didn’t lose many major pieces, with Jeff Green, C.J. Watson, and Jodie Meeks moving on over the summer, but none of their upgrades are expect to have a major impact on the 2017/18 standings. Simmons, Mack, and rookie Jonathan Isaac are nice pieces, but they likely won’t make the Magic a playoff team this season.
As such, it’s no surprise that oddsmakers are lukewarm on the Magic’s outlook for 2017/18. Offshore betting site Bovada projects Orlando to improve, but only by a few games — the over/under for the Magic is set at 33.5 wins.
What do you think? Will the Magic, without the pressure of making the postseason, bounce back from a disastrous 2016/17 campaign and surprise some people this season? Or is the team poised to win 33 games or less, heading for another top-10 pick in the 2018 draft? Vote below in our poll and jump into the comment section to share your thoughts!
How many games will the Magic win in 2017/18?
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Under 33.5 75% (310)
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Over 33.5 25% (102)
Total votes: 412
Trade Rumors app users, click here to vote.
Previous over/under voting results:
Western Conference:
- Golden State Warriors: Over 67.5 (53.57%)
- Houston Rockets: Over 55.5 (65.57%)
- San Antonio Spurs: Over 54.5 (67.74%)
- Oklahoma City Thunder: Over 50.5 (71.77%)
- Minnesota Timberwolves: Over 48.5 (55.69%)
- Denver Nuggets: Under 45.5 (50.44%)
- Los Angeles Clippers: Over 43.5 (60.7%)
- Portland Trail Blazers: Over 42.5 (56.3%)
- Utah Jazz: Over 41.5 (55.94%)
- New Orleans Pelicans: Over 39.5 (65.26%)
- Memphis Grizzlies: Over 37.5 (53.43%)
- Dallas Mavericks: Under 35.5 (54.95%)
- Los Angeles Lakers: Over 33.5 (50.4%)
Eastern Conference:
- Boston Celtics: Over 55.5 (63.5%)
- Cleveland Cavaliers: Over 53.5 (68.82%)
- Toronto Raptors: Over 48.5 (64.21%)
- Washington Wizards: Over 47.5 (71.29%)
- Milwaukee Bucks: Over 47.5 (63.88%)
- Miami Heat: Over 43.5 (55.39%)
- Charlotte Hornets: Over 42.5 (51.07%)
- Philadelphia 76ers: Under 41.5 (53.37%)
- Detroit Pistons: Over 38.5 (51.95%)
Laurene Powell Jobs Buying Stake In Wizards
Billionaire executive Laurene Powell Jobs is set to purchase a substantial stake in Monumental Sports & Entertainment, the holding company that controls the Washington Wizards, Capital One Arena, and the NHL’s Washington Capitals. According to Thomas Heath of The Washington Post, Powell Jobs’ investment is expected to give her approximately a 20% stake in the company.
Powell Jobs, the widow of Apple co-founder Steve Jobs, is one of the wealthiest women in the world, with an estimated net worth of approximately $20 billion, per Heath. In addition to her shares in Apple, Powell Jobs also owns 4% of the Walt Disney Company, according to the Post’s report.
Powell Jobs’ investment in Monumental Sports & Entertainment will give her one of the biggest shares of the 19-member company, but Wizards owner Ted Leonsis will retain the largest share. Leonsis controls about 40% of the company, according to Heath. However, Powell Jobs’ investment should add some stability to the operation, as she has the resources to eventually purchase a controlling interest in the Wizards – and Capitals – if Leonsis wants to sell or retire.
“Leonsis retains the largest share, is majority owner, and remains chief executive,” a person close to the deal tells Heath. “Laurene was brought in for the growth and the future of the clubs. Ted will take Laurene’s counsel, and he will work to use the teams to benefit the city and the causes we all hold dear.”
The amount of money required for Powell Jobs to purchase a 20% stake in Monumental isn’t known, but it figures to be significant. Forbes’ most recent NBA valuations estimated the Wizards are worth $1 billion, but those numbers are often low — Forbes valued the Rockets at $1.65 billion and the team recently sold for $2.2 billion. Additionally, Powell Jobs isn’t purchasing just a 20% stake in the Wizards, but in Capital One Arena and the Capitals as well, so that would have to be taken into account for the sale price.
29 Of 30 NBA Teams Made Trades In 2017 Offseason
The 2017 NBA offseason didn’t feature any stars like LeBron James or Kevin Durant signing with new teams in free agency, but it was still one of the most eventful summers in recent memory. Trades played a big part in the offseason excitement, with NBA teams completing a total of 39 swaps since the 2016/17 season ended.
Not all of those deals were blockbusters. The Rockets, for instance, made several moves that saw them pay cash to acquire players on non-guaranteed salaries in the hopes of flipping them in later trades — most of those players were ultimately waived.
Still, there was no shortage of big-name players on the move. Five Eastern Conference All-Stars changed teams in trades, with Kyrie Irving and Isaiah Thomas involved in the same deal, and Paul George, Jimmy Butler, and Carmelo Anthony all being sent to new homes in the West.
With opening night just two weeks away, 29 of 30 NBA teams have completed at least one trade this offseason, leaving the Spurs as the only club not to make a deal. Of those 29 teams that made a trade, most completed more than one — the Cavaliers, Heat, Suns, Warriors, and Wizards each finalized just one deal apiece, while the league’s 24 other teams made multiple trades.
Here’s the breakdown of the teams that made the most trades this offseason:
- Houston Rockets (8): Houston’s total was artificially inflated by those aforementioned deals involving non-guaranteed contracts. Six of their eight trades saw the Rockets trade cash or a draft pick for a player with a non-guaranteed salary. The team did complete one massive deal though, acquiring Chris Paul from the Clippers.
- Los Angeles Clippers (5): The CP3 swap was the Clippers’ biggest move, but it was hardly their only trade. The team also acquired Danilo Gallinari in a sign-and-trade and acquire multiple second-round picks on draft night.
- Philadelphia 76ers (5): Most of the Sixers’ trades were draft-night deals, though the biggest one happened a few days earlier, when Philadelphia acquired the first overall pick from Boston in order to snag Markelle Fultz.
- Atlanta Hawks (4): The rebuilding Hawks made a handful of trades with an eye toward the future, including taking on Jamal Crawford‘s contract to land a first-round pick, and getting rid of Dwight Howard and his $23MM+ annual salary.
- New Orleans Pelicans (4): The Pelicans essentially completed a pair of salary dumps when they traded Tim Frazier to Washington and Quincy Pondexter to Chicago, since the pick acquired for Frazier was later sold. The team’s most notable deal came on draft night, when New Orleans traded up to No. 31 to select Frank Jackson.
The other NBA teams that made the most trades this offseason are as follows
- Boston Celtics (3)
- Brooklyn Nets (3)
- Chicago Bulls (3)
- Dallas Mavericks (3)
- Indiana Pacers (3)
- Memphis Grizzlies (3)
- Orlando Magic (3)
- Portland Trail Blazers (3)
- Toronto Raptors (3)
- Utah Jazz (3)
- Charlotte Hornets (2)
- Denver Nuggets (2)
- Detroit Pistons (2)
- Los Angeles Lakers (2)
- Milwaukee Bucks (2)
- Minnesota Timberwolves (2)
- New York Knicks (2)
- Oklahoma City Thunder (2)
- Sacramento Kings (2)
Note: The Magic sending the Raptors a draft pick for the right to hire Jeff Weltman and the Knicks sending a pick to the Kings for the right to hire Scott Perry are both considered trades for our purposes.
2017 Offseason In Review: Detroit Pistons
Hoops Rumors is breaking down the 2017 offseason for all 30 NBA teams, revisiting the summer’s free agent signings, trades, draft picks, departures, and more. We’ll evaluate each team’s moves from the last several months and look ahead to what the 2017/18 season holds for all 30 franchises. Today, we’re focusing on the Detroit Pistons.
Signings:
- Langston Galloway: Three years, $21MM.
- Eric Moreland: Three years, $5.479MM. First year partially guaranteed ($750K). Second and third years non-guaranteed.
- Reggie Bullock: Two years, $5MM. Second year non-guaranteed.
- Anthony Tolliver: One year, $3.29MM.
- Luis Montero: Two-way contract. Two years.
- Dwight Buycks: Two-way contract. One year, $50K guaranteed.
Camp invitees:
- Beno Udrih: One year, minimum salary. Exact details not yet known.
- Landry Nnoko: One year, minimum salary. Exhibits nine and 10.
- Derek Willis: One year, minimum salary. Exhibits nine and 10.
Trades:
- Acquired cash ($1MM) from the Rockets in exchange for Darrun Hilliard.
- Acquired Avery Bradley and a 2019 second-round pick from the Celtics in exchange for Marcus Morris.
Draft picks:
- 1-12: Luke Kennard — Signed to rookie contract.
Departing players:
- Aron Baynes
- Kentavious Caldwell-Pope
- Michael Gbinije (waived)
- Darrun Hilliard
- Marcus Morris
Other offseason news:
- Moved to downtown Detroit, from Palace of Auburn Hills to Little Caesars Arena.
- Jason Maxiell retired as a Piston.
Salary cap situation:
- Operating over the cap and under the tax. Carrying approximately $115MM in guaranteed salaries. Hard-capped. Only minimum salary exception available.
Check out the Detroit Pistons’ full roster and depth chart at RosterResource.com.
Story of the summer:
Head coach and president of basketball operations Stan Van Gundy, along with GM Jeff Bower, had a tough dilemma following a very disappointing 2016/17 campaign: Should they give shooting guard and restricted free agent Kentavious Caldwell-Pope a long-term contract?
Entering the offseason, the general consensus was that the Pistons would either lock up Caldwell-Pope or they would match an offer sheet, as long as the monetary burden wasn’t overwhelming. Caldwell-Pope was the team’s best perimeter defender, matching up with the opponent’s top offensive guard, regardless of whether that player was a point guard or shooting guard. He could also shadow some threes in smaller lineups.
A few factors swayed Van Gundy and Bower in another direction. First, Caldwell-Pope’s spotty offensive production was an issue. In 31 of the 76 games he played last season, Caldwell-Pope scored 10 or fewer points.
Second, the Pistons were already saddled with burdensome contracts for starters Reggie Jackson, Andre Drummond, Tobias Harris and backup Jon Leuer. Giving Caldwell-Pope $20MM or more annually would push a team that didn’t even make the playoffs last season into luxury tax territory. Third, they found a better solution, at least in the short term.
The Celtics needed to unload some salary in order to sign Gordon Hayward and the Pistons swooped in and traded for versatile Avery Bradley to replace Caldwell-Pope. Bradley becomes a free agent after this season, though Detroit’s brass has already indicated its desire to re-sign Bradley.
The Pistons renounced their rights to Caldwell-Pope once they agreed to the deal. As it turned out, Caldwell-Pope had a harder time finding long-term security than expected. He signed a one-year, $18MM contract with the Lakers and will return to the free agent market next summer.
Cavaliers Mull Looming Roster Decision
Richard Jefferson‘s hold on a roster spot in Cleveland appears somewhat tenuous, according to reports from Jason Lloyd of The Athletic and Sam Amico of AmicoHoops.net.
After signing Dwyane Wade last week, the Cavaliers are now carrying 16 players on fully guaranteed contracts, plus 2016/17 holdovers Kay Felder and Edy Tavares. Even if Cleveland cuts Felder and Tavares, the club will need to trade or waive one more player from a group of candidates that likely includes Iman Shumpert, Channing Frye, Jose Calderon, and Jefferson.
Calderon has been solid for the Cavs so far, according to Lloyd, who suggests that the veteran point guard should be safe, given the uncertainty on the depth chart ahead of him. Shumpert and Frye are considered trade candidates, but their salaries ($10.34MM and $7.42MM respectively) will make them difficult to move.
That leaves Jefferson as the potential odd man out. Unlike Calderon, Jefferson is trade-eligible now, and unlike Shumpert and Frye, his salary is modest, at just $2.5MM. The Cavaliers are exploring smaller-scale trades involving Jefferson, according to Amico, and finding a taker for the veteran forward would be preferable to cutting him, since it would reduce the Cavs’ projected tax bill substantially.
However, Cleveland has gotten no traction on a deal so far, and may end up having to outright release Jefferson or another player, since rivals won’t be eager to help out the defending Eastern Conference champs. If the Cavs do find a team willing to take on Jefferson or someone else, the salary dump would likely cost Cleveland at least one draft pick and/or cash.
Tristan Thompson Aims For Sixth Man Award
Tristan Thompson is embracing his bench role and will aim for the league’s Sixth Man of the Year award, as he told ESPN’s Dave McMenamin and other media members. Cavaliers coach Tyronn Lue has opted to move Thompson to the bench and insert Kevin Love at center with LeBron James and Jae Crowder at the forward spots. Thompson started all 78 regular-season games he played in last season.
“I’m going to go for Sixth Man of the Year, put myself in position to do that,” Thompson said. “I’m not going to look too much into it, but if you’re going to come off the bench, might as well have a little goal — and I feel like with the second unit we have and the energy that I bring off the bench, I’ll put myself in pretty good position. Especially when you win.”
Lue already sees the benefits of having the offensively-gifted Love in the post, as he expressed to McMenamin and the assembled media.
“Just gives us spacing on the floor,” Lue said. “[Love] is a great passer; 5s have to get out and try to guard him on the pick-and-roll with LeBron and D-Rose (Derrick Rose) and those guys making plays, so it’s going to be tough for those guys.”
The Athletic’s Jason Lloyd also notes that Love’s ability to stretch the floor will pose matchup problems for many centers. Crowder will improve the Cavs’ defense, according to Lloyd, not only with his man-to-man prowess but also by allowing them to switch on most pick-and-rolls.
Eastern Rumors: Jefferson, Dedmon, Pacers, MCW
The roster spot of Cavs veteran forward Richard Jefferson is in jeopardy, according to The Athletic’s Jason Lloyd. The signing of Dwyane Wade gives the Cavs 16 fully guaranteed contracts, along with Kay Felder’s partial guarantee. Even if Felder is traded or released, the Cavs will have to rid themselves of a guarantee contract and Jefferson is a likely candidate, Lloyd continues. Jefferson, 37, has a $2.5MM contract but if he’s released it will cost the club approximately $10.5MM in luxury taxes since it is a repeat offender, Lloyd points out. A second-round pick may have to be packaged to move Jefferson, Lloyd adds.
In other news around the Eastern Conference:
- Center Dewayne Dedmon probably won’t be with the Hawks beyond this season but he can help them in the short term, as Michael Cunningham of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution explains. Dedmon, who played with the Spurs last season, will make $6MM this season with the Hawks and holds a $6.3MM player option for next season. But Dedmon would probably benefit from testing the market again if he has a solid season, Cunningham continues. He’s adept at rolling to the basket in the pick-and-roll and he’s efficient in transition but needs to cut down on his fouls, Cunningham adds.
- The Pacers will start Darren Collison and Victor Oladipo at guard, Thaddeus Young and Bojan Bogdanovic at forward, and Myles Turner at center in their preseason opener on Wednesday, coach Nate McMillan told Clifton Brown of the Indianapolis Star. The surprise on the second unit, as Brown notes, is forward Damien Wilkins. The 37-year-old hasn’t played in the league since the 2012/13 season. He’s signed to a one-year, veteran’s minimum deal.
- Hornets backup guard Michael Carter-Williams expects to be cleared for contact early next week, he told the Charlotte Observer’s Rick Bonnell. Carter-Williams received platelet-rich plasma injections in both knees to promote healing of patella tears, Bonnell continues. He’s been restricted to noncontact drills during the first week of training camp.