Hornets Decline Christian Wood’s Team Option
The Hornets have declined their team option on Christian Wood‘s contract for next season, Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical reports (Twitter link). Bobby Marks of the Vertical (Twitter link) notes that Charlotte had five days after the season ended to make the call on Wood’s deal.
Wood signed a two-year deal with Charlotte last offseason and had the team picked up his option, he would have made slightly over $1.47MM next season.
The big man only played in 13 games with the Hornets, scoring just 35 points while grabbing 29 rebounds in 107 minutes of action this season. He also spent time playing for the Greensboro Swarm, Charlotte’s D-League affiliate.
Heat Notes: Spoelstra, Johnson, Winslow
Heat players recently cleaned out their lockers, having failed to make the playoffs, and many of them will have an opportunity to go elsewhere this summer. James Johnson, Udonis Haslem, and Luke Babbitt will be free agents. Willie Reed, Josh McRoberts, and Dion Waiters all hold player options and Wayne Ellington could join the free agent market if the franchise declines his $6.27MM team option.
Coach Erik Spoelstra wants his players to feel comfortable returning to Miami, as Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel writes. “This is clean-up day, not clean-out day,” the coach said.
Spoelstra added that his goal is to move forward with the team’s current group and compete for a championship. “Our organization is not going to change. We’re hard-wired to play and compete for championships,” he said. “Hopefully this is dot-dot-dot continued and we can build on this.”
Here’s more from Miami:
- The Heat are thrilled with Hassan Whiteside‘s growth this season, as Winderman relays in the same piece. “I think his growth has been staggering,” Spoelstra said of the big man. “You can define it how you want. He can become one of the greats.” Whiteside signed a four-year, $98.4MM contract with Miami last offseason.
- Johnson may consider taking a discount to stay with the Heat if it means keeping this year’s group together, Winderman passes along (Twitter links). “I’m home. That’s what it feels like. I love it here,” Johnson said of Miami.
- Justise Winslow is recovering from shoulder surgery and is “way ahead of schedule,” according to Spoelstra, as Winderman relays via Twitter.
- Prior to the injury, the Heat strongly believed Winslow would become a quality starter due to the work he put in last summer to improve his shooting, Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald writes. Winslow admits that being sidelined hindered his ability to get comfortable with his new shooting mechanics, but added that he’ll continue to work on that part of his game.
- Spoelstra feels Winslow would have helped Miami this season because of his efficient play, as Jackson passes along in the same piece. “He can generate threes for you offensively because he puts a lot of pressure in the paint, off the dribble, in transition. He’s an aggressive, bruising, physical type of player and he sees the floor. That helps create your three-point game,” the coach said.
- In his latest mailbag, Winderman explains why it’ll be hard for the Heat to add a major free agent, such as Paul Millsap, and bring back the core of this year’s squad. The team can feasibly carve out approximately $37MM in cap space this summer and that may not be enough for Miami to add a max player in addition to own free agents.
2017 NBA Award Picks: Most Improved Player
With the 2016/17 NBA regular season in the books, we’re making our picks for the year’s major awards. The Hoops Rumors writing team has weighed in with our selections below, but we also want to know which players, coaches, and executives you think are most deserving of the hardware this season, so jump into the comments section below to share your thoughts.
We’re keeping things going today with the award for Most Improved Player. Here are our picks:
Arthur Hill: Giannis Antetokounmpo (Bucks)
Antetokounmpo showed the nation on Saturday what Bucks fans have been watching all season. His 28 points and eight rebounds only told part of the story of his Game 1 dominance against Toronto. Already pegged as a future star before the season began, Antetokounmpo increased his scoring average by six points per game to 22.9 and raised his rebound (8.7) and assist (5.4) averages significantly over last year. He was also the Bucks’ leader in steals and blocks, making him the only player this season to lead his team in all five categories. Antetokounmpo may be a future MVP and is a clear choice for Most Improved.
Luke Adams: Nikola Jokic (Nuggets)
While Antetokounmpo’s leap from star to superstar was thrilling to watch and Rudy Gobert‘s improved offensive play took his game to another level, Jokic is my pick for making the jump from solid rotation player to one of the NBA’s best big men. After being inserted into the starting lineup permanently in mid-December, Jokic averaged an eye-popping 19.2 PPG, 10.9 RPG, and 5.8 APG in 51 games. And this wasn’t just a case of increased minutes resulting in increased production — his field goal percentage and his per-minute numbers across the board improved significantly this season.
Dana Gauruder: Nikola Jokic (Nuggets)
Who knew this guy would turn into a triple-double threat every night? Certainly not many NBA scouts, as he lasted until the 41st pick in 2014. He’ll provide the Nuggets with a unique weapon in the post for years to come.
Chris Crouse: Giannis Antetokounmpo (Bucks)
The Greek Freak became a star during the 2016/17 campaign, averaging career-highs in points, assists, rebounds, steals, and blocks per game. As noted above, he led the Bucks in all those categories and he helped them secure a playoff berth after missing the postseason last year. Going from good to great is the hardest step a player can make, and Antetokounmpo deserves credit for making that improvement.
Austin Kent: Isaiah Thomas (Celtics)
There are a number of players who went from good to great this year, but Thomas has been the most improved player in the traditional sense that I’m choosing to base my vote on. This season, Thomas evolved from an opportunistic volume scorer into an outright star, raising his point production (28.9 PPG) and shooting percentages (.464/.380/.909) across the board.
Despite his small stature, Thomas can be a primary offensive weapon for an elite team and not just in a quirky, forced way because he’s the only option. As Boston has grown into a contender, Thomas has developed into a reliable cornerstone and actually answered a lot of the organization’s needs from within.
Who is your pick for Most Improved Player? Share your choices and your thoughts in the comments section below!
Previously:
April 13: Executive of the Year
April 14: Coach of the Year
Still to come:
April 18: Sixth Man of the Year
April 19: Defensive Player of the Year
April 20: Rookie of the Year
April 21: Most Valuable Player
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
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.