Community Shootaround: Pelicans’ Playoff Chances
Making the playoffs in the Western Conference was a challenging task last season and it should be an even harder feat after several teams improved this offseason.
The Warriors brought back their core in addition to bringing in Nick Young and they are likely to take home the conference’s top seed. The Spurs, Rockets, and Thunder should find themselves jocking for position behind them. The Clippers and Jazz each lost their best player in free agency, but both seem poised to reach the playoffs, albeit with a lower seed than they had last season. The Nuggets (adding Paul Millsap) and Wolves (trading for Jimmy Butler) made upgrades with the hopes of pushing the Grizzlies or Blazers for a playoff spot.
The Pelicans hope to surpass at least three of the aforementioned teams and sneak into the playoffs, but they might not have enough shooting or defense to reach that goal, as Thomas Rende of NBAMath explains. Rende notes that only 11 teams since the 2012/13 campaign have won more than 45 games (a number that should put a team in contention for a playoff birth) while ranking in the bottom third of the league in three-point percentage. Out of those teams, only two (the 2012/13 Nuggets and the 2014/15 Thunder) didn’t rank in the top 10 in points allowed per 100 possessions.
In his piece, which is a must read, Rende explains how New Orleans is ill-equipped to drastically improve its outside shooting, meaning a playoff birth appears unlikely.
What do you think? Can the Pelicans muster enough offense to make the playoffs in the ultra-competitive Western Conference or will their lack of shooting plague the team and relegate them to the lottery once again?
Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below. We look forward to what you have to say!
Latest On Kyrie Irving, Suns
The Cavaliers are working to honor Kyrie Irving‘s trade request and they’ve been in contact with his camp as they parse offers from interested teams, Joe Vardon of Cleveland.com reports.
The Suns are among the teams to make Cavs an offer and a source tells Vardon that if Phoenix was willing to part with Eric Bledsoe, Josh Jackson, and a future first-round pick (Miami’s partially protected 2018 selection) that a deal would be “done by now.” While the two teams could certainly agree to that trade, league rules would prevent such an arrangement from occurring since Jackson cannot be dealt until 30 days after he signed his rookie contract. The Kansas product put pen to paper on July 3.
Phoenix is reportedly unwilling to surrender Jackson in a deal for Irving and it’s unknown what the franchise is actually offering for the point guard. Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders (Twitter link) speculates Cleveland does send Irving to the Suns that a package of Bledsoe, T.J. Warren and potentially Marquese Chriss would be the likeliest haul. Kyler believes Phoenix would have to take back Iman Shumpert in that scenario.
The Cavs and Suns could certainly work out a deal involving different parameters, but it’s clear that any variation of an Irving trade will not include Devin Booker. A source tells Vardon that the shooting guard was told by the team that he won’t be dealt.
Wolves, Andrew Wiggins Discussing Five-Year, Max Extension
The Wolves are working on signing Andrew Wiggins to a five-year, maximum salary extension, Sid Hartman of the Star Tribune reports. However, Hartman cautions that those talks are in the early stages at this point.
[RELATED: Extension Candidate: Andrew Wiggins]
“First of all, I think he likes it here, we like him, he can get the very best contract from me, better than he can get from anyone else,” Owner Glen Taylor said. “I don’t think we have any trouble of offering him the max anyway.”
Taylor added that the team plans on extending Wiggins this offseason and doing the same with Karl-Anthony Towns next summer.
“We are talking to [Wiggins’] agent right now about extending him out another five years, so we can do that,” Taylor said. “Karl, we won’t do that until next year. Wiggins, we want to sign him to a long-term contract, we want to keep him here, and we’re negotiating with his agent. But we just started that negotiation, and we have quite some time to get that done.”
Taylor believes the negotiations should be harmonious since Wiggins will get the maximum amount possible under the new CBA. “We’re not really negotiating anything like that [money],” Taylor said. “There shouldn’t be any problem.”
The exact monetary amount of the extension won’t be known until next offseason when the 2018/19 salary cap details are calculated. Based on projections, a five-year, max extension for Wiggins would net him slightly under $148MM, as Luke Adams of Hoops Rumors recently shared.
Five Notable Guards Still Available In Free Agency
Most of the unrestricted free agents on the market this month have found a new home or remained with their previous team. There are still some big names and players with extensive resumes seeking employment in the league. Over the next couple of weeks, we’ll take a look at some of the notable UFAs who still haven’t signed contracts.
Some of the teams that might be seeking guard help include the Warriors, Heat, Hornets, Hawks, Trail Blazers and Timberwolves, all of whom could be in the market for a bargain-basement veteran to fill their third point guard spot.
The Knicks could use some veteran help at that spot, though they could acquire a starter as part of any deal involving Carmelo Anthony. The Bucks met with Derrick Rose before he opted to join the Cavaliers, so it’s possible they’ll sign another proven floor leader.
Let’s take a look at a handful of well-known guards that have yet to get a satisfactory offer:
- Deron Williams – Once considered one of the top point men in the league, Williams is in the twilight of his career. Williams, 33, was still good enough to start 40 games with the Mavericks last season before reaching a buyout agreement and joining the Cavaliers. He averaged 13.1 PPG and 6.9 APG with Dallas, with those figures dropping to 7.5 PPG and 3.6 APG in a more limited role with Cleveland. He didn’t have the desired impact off the bench in postseason play, averaging just 4.3 PPG and 2.1 APG in 14.6 MPG over 18 appearances. He hasn’t generated much buzz on the market.
- Ty Lawson – Lawson saw action in 69 games with the Kings last season, including 25 starts, and averaged 9.9 PPG and 4.8 APG in 25.1 MPG. His PER was an above-average 15.42. In fact, the 29-year-old Lawson has posted an above-average PER in all but one of his seasons. Lawson was reportedly close to signing with China’s Shanxi Brave Dragons but is still mulling all of his options.
- Ian Clark – Rotation players on a championship team normally get snapped up pretty quickly on the free agent market. Clark has drawn interest but he’s been disappointed by the money offered. Clark appeared in 77 games for the Warriors and averaged 6.8 PPG while shooting 37% from long range. He’s received minimum-salary offers from multiple teams, including the Timberwolves, but is hoping to get a better deal.
- Monta Ellis – The former Pacers combo guard entered the market when the club waived him earlier this month, even though he had a guaranteed salary of $11.227MM. Indiana will use the stretch provision to absorb the cap hit over five years. Ellis will have to sit out the first five games wherever he goes, as he received a five-game suspension for violating the NBA’s anti-drug policy. Previously one of the league’s most prolific scorers, Ellis saw his playing time drop last season to 27.0 MPG. He averaged 8.5 PPG and 3.2 APG, the lowest totals since his rookie season of 2005/06 with the Warriors.
- Jason Terry – The ‘Jet’ turns 40 in September but he wants to play two more seasons. He was a rotation player for the Bucks last season, averaging 4.1 PPG and 1.3 APG in 18.4 MPG. The career 38.0% 3-point shooter is a valued veteran presence in any locker room. A return to Milwaukee is possible now that Rose is out of the picture.
Jack Cooley Signs Two-Way Contract With Kings
JULY 29th, 3:01pm: The signing is official, the team announced.
JULY 22nd, 12:17pm: Free agent power forward Jack Cooley will sign a two-way contract with the Kings, reports Chris Reichert of 2Ways10Days.com (link via Twitter). It will be the first two-way contract offered in franchise history.
Cooley went undrafted in 2013 out of Notre Dame, but has had two 10-day stints with the Jazz, playing limited minutes in 16 career NBA games. The burly Fighting Irish product has also played in 26 G League games over two seasons and holds the league record with 29 rebounds in a game. In 2015, the Cavaliers signed Cooley, only to then waive him in the preseason.
In 2016/17, Cooley played professionally in Germany for MHP Riesen Ludwigsburg after playing the previous season in Spain for Unicaja. In five games for the Kings in the 2017 Las Vegas Summer League, Cooley averaged 9.2 PPG and 6.6 RPG on 64% shooting in just under 18 minutes per contest.
Here is Hoops Rumors’ updated 2017/18 NBA Two-Way Contract Tracker, so you can keep up with the two-way signings.
JaKarr Sampson Signs Two-Way Deal With Kings
Forward JaKarr Sampson has agreed to a two-way contract with the Kings, the team announced on its website.
The 6’9” Sampson, 24, has 147 NBA games on his resume but did not play in the league last season. He wore the Sixers uniform in 2014/15 and played for both the Sixers and Nuggets in 2015/16. He posted averages of 5.2 PPG and 2.4 RPG in 15.6 MPG during those two seasons.
Last season, Sampson was a G-League Western Conference All-Star for the Iowa Energy, averaging 15.1 PPG and 5.9 RPG in 47 games, including 22 starts.
Sampson made a favorable impression on the Kings’ Summer League team in Las Vegas, posting averages of 7.5 PPG, 5.3 RPG and 1.2 BPG in four appearances.
The Kings signed another forward, Jack Cooley, with their other two-way contract.
Thunder Sign First-Round Pick Terrance Ferguson
JULY 29th, 12:42 pm: Ferguson has signed the contract, Royce Young of ESPN.com tweets. FIBA clearance issues prevented him from signing earlier, Young adds.
JULY 27th, 8:55pm: The Thunder have agreed to a four-year deal with Terrance Ferguson, Shams Charania of The Vertical reports (Twitter feed). With Ferguson coming to an agreement with OKC, every first-round pick in the 2017 draft class is now under contract for the 2017/18 season.
The 19-year-old, who played for an Australian team last season, received clearance from FIBA to play in the NBA earlier today. Up until today, Ferguson was not eligible to sign an NBA deal because of the contractual conflict with his international club. He was also unable to play for the Thunder’s Summer League team because of the previously made agreement.
Ferguson, who was selected with the No. 21 overall pick in this offseason’s draft, is set to make roughly $10.33MM over the next four seasons assuming he signs for the standard 120% of the rookie scale.
Hoops Rumors Originals: 7/22/17 – 7/29/17
Every week, the Hoops Rumors writing team compiles original content to complement our news feed. Here are some of our favorite segments and features from the past seven days:
- Luke Adams checked in on the new Designated Veteran Extension.
- Adams also delved into which teams hold the largest trade exceptions.
- Arthur Hill discussed the likelihood of Kyrie Irving being traded to the Heat, Cavaliers turmoil, and the status of Nerlens Noel in his weekly Sunday mailbag. Submit your questions via Twitter (@HoopsRumors) or by sending us an email (hoopsrumorsmailbag@gmail.com).
- Check out our free Trade Rumors app available for IOS and Android.
- Here are the questions we asked you in our Community Shootaround discussions and polls this week:
- Chris Crouse asked for your thoughts on a potential Kyrie to the 76ers trade.
- Arthur Hill asked how you expect the Kyrie situation to unfold. Will the point guard remain in Cleveland or be traded?
Five Key Stories: 7/22/17 – 7/29/17
Here are some of the most noteworthy stories from the past week at Hoops Rumors:
The Cavaliers have signed free agent point guard Derrick Rose. The signing of the former MVP is now official and comes at a time when the future of the Cavaliers‘ current starting point guard Kyrie Irving remains in limbo. Rose’s contract is for one year at a minimum salary. The long-time Bull played last season with the Knicks, averaging 18.0 PPG, while shooting 47.1% from the floor and 87.4% from the charity stripe.
The Nets have acquired Allen Crabbe via trade. In the deal, the Trail Blazers will receive Andrew Nicholson, who the team will subsequently waive and stretch his contract. Just a year ago, the Nets presented Crabbe with an extremely generous offer sheet that ended up being matched by Portland.
Brandon Knight is expected to miss the entire 2017/18 season. Knight suffered a torn ACL in his left knee and will undergo surgery. The Suns guard averaged 11.0 PPG last season in 21.1 MPG. The Kentucky product is owed $13.6MM this season, $14.6MM next, and $15.6MM more the following season.
Several teams have made offers for Kyrie Irving. Adrian Wojnarowski reported that the Spurs, Clippers, Knicks, Suns, and Timberwolves have each made a trade offer for the disgruntled Cavaliers star point guard. The Heat were originally included by Woj in that group, but Miami denied putting an offer on the table for Irving.
The Knicks will hire Gerald Madkins as their assistant GM. Madkins had been an assistant GM with the Clippers for the past two seasons. Since joining the organization in 2012, he also served as director of basketball operations and director of scouting. The Kings and Bucks had also expressed interest in Madkins.
Ten More Stories
- Andrew Wiggins is seeking a maximum salary contract extension.
- NBA commissioner Adam Silver described expansion as “inevitable” and said that Seattle is on the short list.
- Mikhail Prokhorov may consider selling controlling interest in the Nets.
- The Magic signed Marreese Speights to a minimum salary deal. Arron Afflalo also signed with Orlando for a year.
- The Warriors will re-sign JaVale McGee to a one-year contract.
- The Hawks have claimed former Maverick Nicolas Brussino off waivers.
- The Knicks are signing Ramon Sessions to a one-year deal.
- The Kings are actively seeking a VP of Basketball Operations and Otis Smith has withdrawn from consideration.
- The Suns reportedly will not include Josh Jackson in any trade offer for Kyrie Irving.
- Thunder rookie Terrance Ferguson has obtained FIBA clearance that will allow him to sign his NBA contract.
Southeast Notes: Wizards, Hawks, Robbins, Bembry
While the Wizards had an expensive offseason which mostly centered around maintaining the current core intact, it was also a successful offseason, Candace Buckner of the Washington Post writes. John Wall signed a designated veteran player extension, the Wizards matched Otto Porter‘s offer sheet to retain him, and Bradley Beal is already signed to a long term contract.
Washington is coming off a season in which the team made waves in the playoffs, defeating the Hawks in the first round before falling to the Celtics in a thrilling seven game series. As team majority owner Ted Leonsis explained to Bucker last week, this is the opportune time to lock up the team’s foundational pieces.
“They’re entering their prime while some other players are getting older,” Leonsis said. “I think we feel really good about keeping this core together.”
As Bucker adds, the Wizards have committed over $404MM in salary to Wall, Porter, and Beal. However, those deals are calculated ones as ownership has made it clear it intends to compete and keeping talented fixtures who have shown improvement each season are the type of players worth the investment. After finishing as the fourth seed in the East last season, the Wizards are in a position to make more strides in a weakened conference.
Below are additional notes around the Southeast Division:
- The Orlando Magic‘s depth signings of to Jonathon Simmons, Shelvin Mack, Arron Afflalo, and Marreese Speights shows the team is committed to winning as much as possible, Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel writes.
- After a strong Summer League performance, swingman DeAndre’ Bembry has made people around the Hawks and the league wonder if he’s poised for a breakout, Alex Kennedy of Hoops Hype writes.
- Former Knicks assistant coach and Kristaps Porzingis favorite, Joshua Longstaff, has been named head coach of the G-League’s Erie Bayhawks, the team announced.