Community Shootaround: Earlier Trade Deadline
The NBA’s Board of Governors made a significant decision this week regarding in-season roster moves, as they voted to move the trade deadline 10 days before the All-Star Game. For the 2017/18 season, the deadline will be Feb. 8.
Traditionally, the deadline was set in late February and trade chatter was prevalent during All-Star weekend. Now, teams’ rosters will be virtually set by the break, save for the occasional buyout and 10-day deals with lower-level free agents. The statement issued by the league read in part that the new deadline will allow teams to “avoid the disruptions that result from players joining new teams just as practices and games are beginning to resume following the All-Star break.”
This means that front offices will have to decide earlier rather than later whether to be buyers or sellers on the market. Teams that are struggling will be essentially waving the white flag for over two months if they decide to deal veteran players for salary relief, draft picks and/or unproven players.
There will also be more pressure on teams in mid-season to decide whether to retain impending free agents and players with opt-outs or trade them for assets, rather than lose them during the offseason without compensation.
This leads us to our question of the day: Do you like the NBA’s decision to move the trade deadline to early February or would you rather have it after the All-Star break?
Please take to the comments section and share your opinion on this topic. We look forward to what you have to say.
Sergio Rodriguez Heading Back Overseas
Unrestricted free agent point guard Sergio Rodriguez has agreed to a three-year contract with CSKA Moscow, international journalist David Pick tweets.
Rodriguez, who played for the Sixers last season, reportedly preferred to stay in the NBA but CSKA Moscow made a strong push for him after losing its starting point guard, Milos Teodosic, to the Clippers this summer.
The former Euroleague MVP had not played in the NBA since the 2009/10 season before he signed with the Sixers. He appeared in 68 games last season, including 30 starts, and averaged 7.8 PPG and 5.1 APG in 22.3 MPG. Philadelphia filled its point guard spot by moving up to draft Markelle Fultz No. 1 overall.
There didn’t appear to be a whole lot of interest in Rodriguez, 31, in the free agent market as it was flooded with point guards. He played for Real Madrid from 2010-16.
Five Key Stories: 7/8/17 – 7/15/17
Here are some of the most noteworthy stories from the last week at Hoops Rumors:
The Lakers signed Kentavious Caldwell-Pope. KCP, at 24 years old, had widely been considered the top unrestricted free agent still available. The former Piston signed a one-year, $18MM deal, which is now official. The Lakers still have their $4.3MM room exception available for free agents.
The Rockets have signed James Harden to a massive contract extension. The Designated Veteran Extension will keep the superstar guard with the Rockets through the 2022/23 season. The contract begins in 2019/20, replaces Harden’s player option, and will add four years to the guaranteed two years on his current deal. Harden is now on track to earn approximately $228MM over the next six seasons.
The Wizards have matched Otto Porter Jr.‘s offer sheet from the Nets. Brooklyn had offered Porter a four-year, $106.5MM deal, but the small forward is to remain a Wizard. Porter will be coming off a career season, which witnessed him averaging 13.4 points per game, while shooting 43.4% from three-point territory and 51.6% from the field.
Jamal Crawford has agreed to sign with the Timberwolves. Although the move cannot be official until the waiver process is complete, Crawford will be offered a two-year contract worth $8.9MM with a player option on the second season. After the Hawks placed Crawford on waivers, the Cavaliers had been the favorites to land him.
Scott Perry has agreed to become the Knicks’ new general manager. The Kings will receive a 2019 second-round pick and cash as compensation for Perry’s departure. With the shakeup, Steve Mills, who had been acting general manager, will become the Knicks‘ team president.
Ten More Stories
- Here is the latest on Carmelo Anthony trade talks and the forward’s reported frustration.
- The Hawks did not match Tim Hardaway Jr.‘s offer sheet, making him a member of the Knicks.
- In a trade, C.J. Miles was sent to the Raptors, while Cory Joseph landed with the Pacers.
- The Raptors traded DeMarre Carroll to the Nets.
- The Magic have agreed to sign Jonathon Simmons to a three-year contract.
- The Pelicans will sign Rajon Rondo to a one-year deal.
- The Cavaliers have agreed to sign draft-and-stash prospect Cedi Osman for three years.
- The Jazz agreed to sign three free agents this week: Thabo Sefolosha (link), Jonas Jerebko (link), and Ekpe Udoh (link).
- The Hawks will sign Dewayne Dedmon and re-sign Ersan Ilyasova.
- Paul George characterized his interest in joining the Lakers next offseason as “overstated.”
Magic, Jonathon Simmons Agree To Three-Year Deal
JULY 15, 12:34pm: The breakdown for Simmons’ deal is $6.3MM the first year, declining to $6MM and $5.7MM in the last two years of the contract, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. The final year is partially guaranteed at $1MM, Wojnarowski adds (Twitter link).
JULY 14th, 3:25pm: Simmons’ three-year deal is worth $20MM, according to Jabari Young of The San Antonio Express-News (Twitter link). That should leave a little cap room for the Magic after they complete the signing.
2:42pm: The Magic have reached an agreement with Jonathon Simmons and will sign the free agent swingman to a three-year contract, reports Shams Charania of The Vertical. The deal will be fully guaranteed, tweets TNT’s David Aldridge. Because the Spurs withdrew their qualifying offer for Simmons on Thursday, Orlando can sign him outright as an unrestricted free agent.
A former undrafted free agent out of Houston, Simmons played a career-high 78 games for the Spurs last season, averaging 6.2 PPG, 2.1 RPG, and 1.6 APG in part-time minutes for the club. Simmons also took on a larger role in the postseason, averaging 15.3 PPG and 3.3 APG in the Warriors’ four-game sweep of the Spurs and entering the starting lineup after Kawhi Leonard went down.
Simmons began the month as a restricted free agent, having received a modest qualifying offer from the Spurs. San Antonio was said to be preparing an offer in the range of $9MM annually for Simmons, but it’s not clear if that offer ever materialized. The Kings, Clippers, Knicks, and Timberwolves were among the teams that expressed interest in Simmons during his restricted free agency, but by the time the Spurs renounced his rights on Thursday, most of those clubs had used up all their cap room.
San Antonio’s decision to pull its qualifying offer before Thursday’s deadline was a bit of a surprise, but it reportedly came after a request from Simmons’ camp. Prior to renouncing Simmons, the Spurs were said to have explored a sign-and-trade scenario that would have sent him to Phoenix for Tyson Chandler, but San Antonio balked at taking on Chandler’s contract.
As for the Magic, they have been fairly quiet so far in free agency — outside of Shelvin Mack, no veteran free agents have signed with the team. Orlando’s new top decision-makers, Jeff Weltman and John Hammond, are known for their willingness to roll the dice on upside, however, and even though Simmons will turn 28 in September, he’s considered a player who has the potential to improve and play a larger role for a team. The Magic have about $8MM in cap room and could open up a little more by waiving non-guaranteed contracts, so it appears they’ll use most or all of that space to lock up Simmons.
Simmons’ path to the NBA was an unusual one. As detailed by Michael C. Wright in an excellent ESPN feature, the 6’6″ guard paid $150 back in 2013 to participate in an open D-League tryout. Less than four years later, he’s on the verge of finalizing his first huge NBA payday.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Central Notes: Monroe, Terry, LaVine, Bradley, Mirotic
Greg Monroe‘s name has been prevalent in trade rumors the last 12 months and not much has changed. The former seventh overall pick from the 2010 NBA Draft is still a productive asset but his lack of rim protection partnered with his sizeable salary ($17.8MM next season) make him an expendable player for the Bucks.
Before the Bucks faced the Jazz for Summer League action in Las Vegas Friday, Monroe told reporters, including Gery Woelfel of Woelfel’s Press Box, that he’s thrilled to be in Milwaukee and doesn’t want to go elsewhere.
“I’m happy,” Monroe, 27, said.“I had no reason to leave. I want to build on what we started last year. I’d like to stay but that’s up to them.”
Coming off the bench last season, Monroe averaged 11.7 PPG, 6.6 RPG, and shot 53% from the floor in 22.5 minutes per game. However, Giannis Antetokounmpo‘s new extension kicks in and Tony Snell (four years, $46MM) will take up a big chunk of the Bucks’ payroll so shedding Monroe’s salary remains an enticing proposition.
Here are additional notes around the Central Division:
- Free agent Jason Terry is drawing interest around the league, Woelfel notes in the same article. The 39-year-old was a solid veteran presence for the Bucks last season but his return to Milwaukee is not certain. Woelfel adds that a Western Conference squad is weighing an offer to the former NBA champion.
- After trading Marcus Morris to acquire Avery Bradley from the Celtics, the Pistons have high expectations from their new acquisition, Rod Beard of The Detroit News writes. Coach Stan Van Gundy expressed his excitement with Bradley joining the team while the Celtics’ second leading scorer last season is ready to maximize his skills under Van Gundy’s tutelage and alongside players like Reggie Jackson and Andre Drummond.
- Nikola Mirotic wants to remain with the Bulls and the feeling is mutual, Joe Cowley of he Chicago Sun-Times writes. While Chicago has undergone several changes — most notably trading away Jimmy Butler — the restricted free agent and the team are just waiting it out before likely agreeing to a deal. Mirotic also discusses Butler’s exit and his plans for the future.
- One of the Bulls’ newest acquisitions, Zach LaVine, is expected to be ready for training camp as he rehabs from knee surgery, ESPN’s Marc J. Spears tweets.
Bulls Sign Antonio Blakeney To Two-Way Deal
JULY 15: Blakeney’s contract is a two-year pact, per Sean Highkin of The Athletic (via Twitter). Two-way contracts can be for either one or two years.
JULY 14: The Bulls have finalized their first two-way contract, announcing today in a press release that they’ve signed Antonio Blakeney to one of their two-way spots. Chicago has one more opening to add another two-way player.
Two-way contracts, which were introduced Collective Bargaining Agreement, allow NBA teams to keep two extra players under club control without counting them as part of the typical 15-man roster. Those players will essentially be on G League contracts, but they’ll be paid more than the average G League player, and rival NBA teams won’t be able to sign them away from their current team. We go into more details on two-way contracts in our glossary entry on the subject.
Blakeney, who declared for the draft after his sophomore season at LSU, was considered a top-100 prospect by DraftExpress, but went undrafted last month. The 6’4″ guard caught on with the Bulls for Summer League and has made a strong impression in Las Vegas, averaging 16.8 PPG and 5.0 RPG in four Summer League games.
In his final year at LSU, Blakeney averaged 17.2 PPG and 4.8 RPG with a .511/.358/.724 shooting line for the season.
Kings Sign Second-Rounder Frank Mason
JULY 15: Mason signed a three-year deal with the Kings, according to Keith Smith of RealGM (via Twitter). Mason’s deal is believed to be fully guaranteed for 2017/18 and he will likely hit restricted free agency in 2020.
JULY 13: The Kings have signed Frank Mason, according to the team’s website. Sacramento has remaining cap room, so Mason may receive more than just a two-year deal, and it’s possible that it will be worth more than the minimum salary.
Mason spent four seasons at Kansas where he played in 145 games and averaged 13.0 points per contest. He was named the AP National Player of the Year during his senior season after leading his team to a 31-5 record while averaging 20.9 points and 5.2 assists per contest.
Sacramento selected the point guard with the No. 34 overall pick in the 2017 draft. He is one of four prospects drafted by the team.
Timberwolves Pursuing Backcourt Depth
The Timberwolves have arguably been the most active and become the most improved team this offseason. And the team appears far from done as Minnesota is pursuing depth at both the point and shooting guard positions, according to Michael Scotto of Basketball Insiders (via Twitter).
Scotto mentions Aaron Brooks, Anthony Morrow, and Alan Anderson as players currently on the Timberwolves’ radar. None of those veterans played a huge role for their respective teams during the 2016/17 season, but all bring a track record of prior success.
To this point, the Timberwolves have added Jimmy Butler, Jamal Crawford, Taj Gibson, and Jeff Teague to a core that already featured Andrew Wiggins and Karl-Anthony Towns. At this juncture, the team’s focus will be to add depth and veteran leadership. Tyus Jones is the only other perimeter player on the Timberwolves’ roster, so the team figures to be active in this market.
With no real cap space left and the room exception ticketed for Crawford, Minnesota’s aforementioned targets can only sign for the veteran’s minimum.
Atlantic Notes: Anthony, Nets, Raptors
The Knicks have, at least for now, pulled Carmelo Anthony from the trading block and are not actively shopping their All-Star scorer. If the Knicks really wanted to trade Anthony, the team could have sent him to the Rockets if taking Ryan Anderson‘s contract in return was not a hurdle. As Frank Isola of the New York Daily News writes, dealing Anthony for a player who does less on the court and guaranteed more money the next three years is not a wise move.
Anthony, 33, has two years, $54MM left on his deal whereas Anderson, 29, has three years, $61MM left. Reports have suggested the Knicks are seeking a third, possibly fourth, team to complete a deal. After naming Steve Mills president and acquiring Scott Perry from the Kings to be the team’s new general manager, it’s clear that New York is going in a new direction. Owner James Dolan said as much in a statement regarding the team’s new hire.
“Today marks a culture change for our organization where we reestablish the pride, work ethic and responsibility that comes with playing for the Knicks and representing New York,” Dolan said (via ESPN). “I’m confident that Steve is the right person to take on this role, and ensure that we return to one of the elite teams of the NBA. He’s got an ambitious plan that centers on building a young team focused on player development, communication and teamwork.”
The Knicks still have an abundance of options with Anthony: They can hold onto Anthony and hope he plays well and trade him midseason if the team is out of contention; keep pursuing trades until the team finds a good fit; and, less ideally, buyout Anthony for cap relief. It’s a complicated situation for all and Anthony, with his no-trade clause and trade kicker, has all the power.
Here are additional notes around the Atlantic Division:
- The Nets have 10 guards in their organization and acquiring additional size this offseason remains a priority, per Fred Kerber of the New York Post. Kerber mentions Shabazz Muhammad and JaMychal Green as possible targets for Brooklyn as the team continues its search for upgrades in the frontcourt.
- One of the newest Nets, DeMarre Carroll, tells Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun that he expected a trade this offseason. In the candid interview, Caroll discussed why he did not fit into the Raptors’ offense the way he imagined and why it became frustrating playing for the team.
Clippers Remain Engaged On Several Free Agents
The Clippers have had a busy offseason thus far and the team remains active with at least two players from last season’s roster. Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (via Twitter) first noted that Los Angeles has been engaged with Luc Mbah a Moute and Los Angeles Times scribe Brad Turner (via Twitter) added that in addition to Mbah a Moute, the Clippers are interested in retaining Marreese Speights.
While there is interest, Wojnarowski noted that the Clippers’ financial constraints would make a deal difficult and Turner added that no deal is close.
Mbah a Moute, 30, played in 80 games (76 starts) last season while averaging 6.1 PPG and 2.1 RPG. As for Speights, the 29-year-old appeared in all 82 games for Los Angeles and the NBA champion provided his usual solid production with 8.7 PPG and 4.5 RPG.
After losing Chris Paul to the Rockets, the Clippers spent significant money on sharpshooter Danilo Gallinari (three years, $63MM), international superstar Milos Teodosic (two years, $12.3MM), and re-signing Blake Griffin (five years, $173MM). While the team restocked its roster in the sign-and-trade sending Paul to Houston, Speights and Mbah a Moute were two key pieces of last year’s team on both sides of the floor.
Los Angeles has no cap space left as the team used its bi-annual exception last year and used up most of their mid-level exception on Teodosic and Jawun Evans. With approximately $1.5MM left on their MLE, the Clippers’ best chance of retaining Mbah a Moute/Speights would be on deals worth the veteran’s minimum.