Atlantic Notes: Fultz, Hayward, Miles, Raptors
Markelle Fultz‘s status remains something of a mystery, with the Sixers only revealing vague details about how close 2017’s first overall pick is to returning to the court. With Philadelphia in the midst of a playoff push, the team may simply wait until next season to try to reintegrate Fultz.
Still, as Jessica Camerato of CSNPhilly.com writes, head coach Brett Brown said this week that the Sixers haven’t set a cutoff date for the point guard to either return or sit out the remainder of the season.
“It’s all internal discussions we’re going through right now and just trying to accurately assess his situation,” Brown said before the Sixers took the court on Tuesday. “And we’re discussing that as we speak.”
At this point, Fultz seems more likely than not to be shut down for the season. That would give the Sixers a full offseason – including Summer League and training camp – to prepare the youngster for a regular role.
Here’s more from around the Atlantic:
- Brad Stevens definitively stated recently that Gordon Hayward won’t be back on the court this year for the Celtics, despite a series of recovery videos that has fueled speculation about his return. Now, president of basketball operations Danny Ainge has weighed in with a similar sentiment. “I don’t believe that Gordon thinks he’s going to play. I don’t think so, no,” Ainge said during an appearance on Toucher & Rich in Boston. “I think that Gordon just wants to show everyone when he comes back next year … all the work that he put in to get back to who he was when he got here. [And attempt to become an] even better player than he was when he got hurt.”
- Speaking of Hayward’s ankle, Kyrie Irving spoke about how that season-ending injury has impacted his first year with the Celtics. A. Sherrod Blakely of NBC Sports Boston has the details and the quotes from Irving.
- In an excellent piece for The Toronto Sun, Ryan Wolstat takes an in-depth look at C.J. Miles, who says he joined the Raptors last July because he viewed the club as a perfect fit for his priorities. “My first takes on any situation are: Will I be able to play well, will I fit there, what are they trying to do, are they trying to win? How is the organization? Other guys that played there, did they like it?” Miles said. “That’s what I’m looking at. And it checked off every box.”
- Raptors president Masai Ujiri said last spring that the club required a “culture reset.” The team’s success this season can be attributed in strong part to that reset, writes Curtis Withers of The Canadian Press.
- Earlier today, we rounded up a few Knicks and Nets notes.
Anthony Davis Hurts Ankle; MRI Reveals Sprain
4:33pm: Davis has been diagnosed with a left ankle sprain, today’s MRI revealed, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN. He is being listed as day-to-day and his doubtful for tomorrow’s game against the Wizards.
8:32am: Pelicans star Anthony Davis will undergo an MRI today to determine the extent of the damage to his left ankle, according to an ESPN report.
An injury forced Davis out of a game for the second straight night, this time when he rolled the ankle after grabbing a rebound in the third quarter. X-rays taken Wednesday night were negative, and the MRI will be conducted once the team returns to New Orleans from its West Coast swing.
“Won’t know anything until tomorrow,” coach Alvin Gentry told reporters after the game. “They took X-rays but couldn’t really tell a lot from the X-rays, so we’ll go back home, and I’m sure he’ll have an MRI at some stage tomorrow, and we’ll have more information.”
The Pelicans topped the Kings for their 10th straight win, and Davis has been putting up MVP numbers throughout the streak. He had 17 points, five rebounds and five blocks in 23 minutes before leaving the game. He also suffered bruised ribs Tuesday against the Clippers, but was able to return to the floor.
Davis, who was apparently being fitted for a walking boot after last night’s game, didn’t sound concerned that the injury will be a long-term problem.
“I feel fine, but they’ll have the team doctor look at it tomorrow and go from there,” he said. “Any time you twist an ankle it hurts, especially coming off somebody’s foot, because you really don’t have any protection. It was sore. I just wanted to make sure everything was fine.”
New York Notes: Hornacek, Jack, Tsai, Lin
Knicks coach Jeff Hornacek may not have a long-term future in New York, but at least two of his players are coming to his defense, relays Marc Berman of The New York Post. Tim Hardaway Jr. and Enes Kanter both offered support for Hornacek after the team’s latest loss, which is part of a 1-13 string.
“He’s doing a great job in a tough situation,” Hardaway said of his coach. “Coaches are in a tough situation too. It’s easy for him to fold as well. He’s continuing to develop us as ballplayers, continuing to encourage us on both ends of the floor, especially in practice, continuing to have that killer instinct and mentality to instill in the ball club. We appreciate that and we’ll keep on fighting for him.”
Hornacek’s job was considered to be in jeopardy even before the latest slide. He has one year left on his contract and is a holdover from the Phil Jackson regime. Team president Steve Mills and GM Scott Perry are believed to want to put their own candidate on the bench.
Here’s more from around the Atlantic division:
- With the Emmanuel Mudiay/Frank Ntilikina backcourt duo struggling recently for the Knicks, Hornacek admitted this week that he’s “talked about” going back to Jarrett Jack at point guard to restore order, Berman writes for The New York Post. Jack, who was the Knicks’ starter up until the All-Star break, was considered a buyout candidate, but stayed in New York through March 1 to help mentor the club’s young point guards.
- The NBA has yet to officially confirm Joe Tsai‘s purchase of a 49% stake in the Nets, but Tsai is already making his presence felt, writes Brian Lewis of The New York Post. Tsai, who sat courtside during the Nets’ game this week in Golden State, will have the option to take over the franchise as the majority owner within three years, once the paperwork is finalized.
- Jeremy Lin, Tsai’s favorite player, continues to rehab his season-ending knee injury as he aims to be ready for the start of the 2018/19 season. Lin, who has already exercised his player option to return to the Nets next year, spoke to Alex Labidou of BrooklynNets.com about his recovery process and how he’s tried to stay involved with the team since suffering his injury.
Arthur Hill contributed to this post.
2018 NBA Free Agent Power Rankings 3.0
It has been four months since we published the second installment of our 2018 free agent power rankings. Since then, we’ve seen certain players emerge and others fall off. Injuries have also had an impact on the outlook for certain free agents this offseason.
As such, it’s time for our 2018 free agent power rankings to get an update. This time around, I’ve enlisted a little help for determining our rankings. Hoops Rumors writers Arthur Hill, Dana Gauruder, Austin Kent, and Clark Crum have added their top-20 lists to my own, so our new rankings reflect a combination of all five lists.
Players who are headed for unrestricted or restricted free agency are eligible for our list, as are veterans holding player options for the 2018/19 season. For the most part, players with team options – or on non-guaranteed salaries – aren’t included here, since their teams will simply pick up those options if they want to keep those players. However, there’s one exception in our top five, which we’ll note below.
As usual, our list reflects each player’s current expected value on the 2018 free agent market, rather than how we think they’ll perform on the court for the 2018/19 season. For instance, an older player like J.J. Redick has excellent short-term value, but didn’t make our top 20 because he’s unlikely to sign a huge multiyear deal this summer. In other words, age and long-term value are crucial.
Our full list of 2018 free agents can be found right here.
Here’s the third edition of our 2018 free agent power rankings:
- LeBron James, F, Cavaliers (player option)
- Kevin Durant, F, Warriors (player option)
There’s no question that James and Durant, the MVPs of the last two NBA Finals, are the top two free agents in the 2018 class. The only question is which player comes in at No. 1 — three of us listed James in that top spot, while two of us had Durant there.
Of course, there may not be much point in debating Durant’s place in the list, since he has confirmed he intends to re-sign with Golden State and won’t explore the open market. That leaves LeBron as this summer’s most tantalizing target.
- Paul George, F, Thunder (player option)
- Nikola Jokic, C, Nuggets (team option; RFA)
- Chris Paul, G, Rockets
- DeMarcus Cousins, C, Pelicans
After a consensus top two, we have what essentially amounts to a consensus next four. Cousins’ Achilles injury makes him something of a question mark, and likely cost him a higher spot on this list — a healthy Cousins may have ranked as high as No. 3. Still, his top-six ranking reflects our confidence that he’ll be able to return from that injury and make a long-term impact for the Pelicans or a new team.
Jokic is the only player with a team option included in our list. While it may seem like a no-brainer for the Nuggets to exercise his incredibly team-friendly $1,600,520 option, doing so would put the big man on track to reach unrestricted free agency in 2019. Turning down the option would give Denver the chance to lock him up as a restricted free agent this summer. No matter which route the Nuggets choose, Jokic is extremely unlikely to change teams this offseason.
- Clint Capela, C, Rockets (RFA)
- DeAndre Jordan, C, Clippers (player option)
It’s hard to know exactly how much of Capela’s value stems directly from playing with James Harden and Chris Paul in a Mike D’Antoni system. It’s entirely possible that his impressive numbers (14.3 PPG, 11.0 RPG, 1.8 BPG, .654 FG%) would take a hit in another situation. But we found it hard to overlook Capela’s age (23) and the strides he has made in each of his four NBA seasons. He should be one of the most sought-after restricted free agents of 2018.
Jordan’s skill-set is fairly similar to Capela’s, but he’ll turn 30 in July and there’s some uncertainty about whether he’s still a perennial Defensive Player of the Year candidate — his 1.2 blocks per 36 minutes this season are easily a career-worst. He’d do very well on the open market, but a long-term max deal is doesn’t seem realistic.
- Aaron Gordon, F, Magic (RFA)
- Julius Randle, F, Lakers (RFA)
- Zach LaVine, G, Bulls (RFA)
- Jabari Parker, F, Bucks (RFA)
Only four players signed rookie scale extensions during the 2017 offseason, which means there are plenty of 2014 first-rounders on track to reach restricted free agency this summer. Gordon, Randle, LaVine, and Parker are four of the best ones.
Gordon and Randle have enjoyed breakout seasons in 2017/18, with Gordon adding a fairly reliable three-point shot to his game en route to posting career highs in PPG (18.3), RPG (8.4), and several other categories. As for Randle, he has been particularly effective since entering the Lakers’ starting lineup for good on December 29 — since then, he has recorded 17.9 PPG, 9.0 RPG, 3.2 APG, and a .566 FG% in 31 contests.
LaVine and Parker have major upside and could still turn into two of the league’s best scorers, but ACL injuries have limited their development this season. The Bulls look like a virtual lock to re-sign LaVine, but Parker’s future in Milwaukee is a little more uncertain. It will be interesting to see how heavily the Bucks are willing to invest in the former No. 2 pick this summer.
- Tyreke Evans, G, Grizzlies
- Enes Kanter, C, Knicks (player option)
A pair of players who didn’t crack the top 20 in the first two versions of our 2018 free agent power rankings have earned spots on this list with strong 2017/18 performances.
Evans has once again battled some injuries, but when he’s been on the court, he’s been terrific for the Grizzlies, averaging 19.4 PPG, 5.1 APG, and 5.1 RPG with a shooting line of .453/.396/.797. Memphis is hoping to re-sign him this offseason, but it remains to be seen whether the mid-level exception will be enough to do it.
As for Kanter, some of his numbers don’t look dissimilar to the ones he posted last season in Oklahoma City, but he has been doing it against starting units this season in New York, rather than simply as a scorer off the bench. Kanter’s 10.8 RPG (in just 25.9 MPG) represent a career best, and he has received rave reviews as a teammate and locker-room presence with the Knicks. It’s still possible he’ll exercise his $18,622,514 player option for next season and put off free agency for one more year, but that’s certainly not the lock it once was.
- Jusuf Nurkic, C, Trail Blazers (RFA)
- Isaiah Thomas, G, Lakers
- Elfrid Payton, G, Suns (RFA)
- Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, G, Lakers
- Derrick Favors, F/C, Jazz
- Avery Bradley, G, Clippers
Our list is rounded out by several players whose stocks aren’t at their peak. Nurkic and Thomas had a chance to be top-10 free agents for 2018 with big seasons, but Nurkic has just been solid in Portland, while Thomas’ hip issue has affected his playmaking ability.
Payton and Favors, former top-10 picks, have been somewhat inconsistent, but have looked good lately as they near free agency. Payton, in particular, has been a nightly triple-double threat since arriving in Phoenix (15.7 PPG, 7.7 RPG, 7.6 APG), though he has yet to show that he can do more than post big numbers on losing teams — Favors, at least, has displayed the ability to have a regular role on a playoff team.
Caldwell-Pope and Bradley, meanwhile, were once viewed as potential $20MM-per-year players, but I’m not sure that sort of offer will be out there for them this summer. Caldwell-Pope has the age and size advantage over Bradley, and has a career-high 3PT% (.386) this season, so he may have a better shot at a big payday.
Other players receiving votes:
- Carmelo Anthony, F, Thunder (player option)
- Rodney Hood, G, Cavaliers (RFA)
- Marcus Smart, G, Celtics (RFA)
- Kyle Anderson, F, Spurs (RFA)
- Will Barton, G, Nuggets
- Brook Lopez, C, Lakers
- Danny Green, G/F, Spurs (player option)
- J.J. Redick, G, Sixers
Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Magic Waive Rashad Vaughn, Sign Rodney Purvis
MARCH 8: The Magic have officially signed Purvis to a 10-day contract, the team announced today in a press release. The deal will run through next Saturday night.
MARCH 7: Rashad Vaughn‘s 10-day contract with the Magic wasn’t set to expire until Sunday night, but the team has waived the third-year guard, according to Josh Robbins of The Orlando Sentinel (Twitter link). As Robbins notes, Vaughn is dealing with right knee soreness, which wasn’t likely to heal before the end of his 10-day pact. The Magic have officially confirmed the move (via Twitter).
Vaughn, 21, was traded from the Bucks to the Nets to the Pelicans earlier this season and was subsequently waived by New Orleans. By signing a pair of 10-day contracts with Orlando, the former 17th overall pick reunited with Magic GM John Hammond, the executive who drafted him three years ago in Milwaukee.
Vaughn’s brief stint in Orlando wasn’t exactly a resounding success, however. In five games, he played 35 total minutes, posting just five points and four rebounds. Although his second 10-day contract with the team was cut short on the sixth day, Vaughn will receive his full 10-day salary.
According to Robbins, the Magic will likely fill the roster spot vacated by Vaughn by signing guard Rodney Purvis to a 10-day contract. Purvis – who is currently playing for Orlando’s G League affiliate, the Lakeland Magic – is scheduled to head to Orlando shortly to complete a deal with the NBA club, ESPN’s Ian Begley confirms (via Twitter).
In 37 G League games this season, Purvis has averaged 20.5 PPG, 4.0 RPG, and 3.5 APG with a .422/.389/.782 shooting line.
LeBron James’ Free Agency List Down To Four Teams?
LeBron James‘ list of potential free agent destinations for this summer is believed to only include four teams for now, according to Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer. In addition to the Cavaliers, sources tell O’Connor that James is expected to listen to pitches from the Lakers, Sixers and Rockets.
O’Connor’s tidbit comes in a larger story about the Spurs and whether James might consider San Antonio because the mutual admiration between him and coach Gregg Popovich.
James is considered certain to opt out of a $35.6MM salary for next season and enter free agency for the third time since returning to Cleveland. He said earlier this season that he will be seeking a full max contract, which will start at $35MM+ per season, wherever he decides to go.
The Lakers have been trying to clear cap room in anticipation of chasing James and another maximum-salary free agent. Their efforts included last month’s trade of Jordan Clarkson and Larry Nance Jr. to Cleveland, taking more than $12.7MM off next year’s books.
The Sixers would have approximately $31MM available if they decline their options on Richaun Holmes and T.J. McConnell and renounce free agents J.J. Redick, Amir Johnson, Marco Belinelli, and Ersan Ilyasova.
The Rockets would require more maneuvering, with nearly $24MM available, but with Chris Paul and Trevor Ariza both heading toward unrestricted free agency and Clint Capela being restricted. A trade like last year’s Paul deal may be Houston’s best chance at landing LeBron.
The cap isn’t a concern in Cleveland with the Cavs’ owning Bird rights on James, but the luxury tax might be. However, owner Dan Gilbert has expressed a willingness to keep making hefty tax payments as long as James remains in town.
Cleveland will have the advantage of being able to offer James a longer contract (by one year), plus 8% annual raises while other teams are limited to 5%. However, money may not be the deciding factor in where he plays next season.
Trail Blazers Sign Georgios Papagiannis To 10-Day Deal
MARCH 8, 12:16pm: The signing is official, the Blazers announced on their website.
MARCH 6, 7:15pm: The Trail Blazers are signing center Georgios Papagiannis to a 10-day contract, tweets ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. The Kings waived Papagiannis on February 8 after completing a three-team trade with the Cavaliers and Jazz.
Papagiannis, 20, was one of the Kings’ first-round picks (13th overall) in the 2016 draft after the team traded down from the eighth overall pick. He struggled in 38 career games with Sacramento, averaging 4.2 PPG and 3.2 RPG; his field-goal percentage also took a hit this season, going from .549 to .415.
The 7’1″ center’s agent, Marios Olympios, criticized the Kings’ treatment of Papagiannis after he was waived. Olympios cited Papagiannis’ performance with the G League’s Reno Bighorns, where he averaged 13.5 PPG and 9.7 RPG in 10 contests, as a sign that can perform at a high level.
“He (Papagiannis) never got a chance by the Kings,” Olympios said on the Greek radio station Sport FM, Aris Barkas of Euro Hoops writes “He had a double-double every time he played in the G-League. He had to travel for two and a half hours everytime he was assigned to Reno and still he performed. There are many details that prove that he never got a real chance”.
Papagiannis figures to battle for playing time with the likes of Jusuf Nurkic, Ed Davis and Zach Collins present on the depth chart.
Northwest Notes: Rose, Roberson, Brewer, Olshey
Derrick Rose, who signed with the Timberwolves earlier today, will make $460,468 for the rest of the season, tweets Bobby Marks of ESPN. The move will carry a $290,951 cap hit for Minnesota, which still has one open roster space. The team will save about $100K between the signing of Rose and the buyout of Shabazz Muhammad, Marks adds (Twitter link). Rose still has about $460K remaining on the minimum-salary deal he signed with the Cavaliers last summer.
Rose participated in today’s shootaround with the Wolves, tweets Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic, and may play tonight against the Celtics, according to A. Sherrod Blakely of NBC Sports Boston (Twitter link).
“I think I can play with anybody, to tell you the truth,” Rose said. “I know the game. I’m not a selfish player. I’m not here for stats or anything like that. I just want to win.” (Twitter link).
“I know who Derrick is,” added Minnesota coach/executive Tom Thibodeau, who coached Rose in Chicago. “I know who he is. I spent a lot of time with him.” (Twitter link)
There’s more from the Midwest Division:
- Thunder guard Andre Roberson is facing “the slow grind” of rehabbing from a torn patellar tendon, writes Brett Dawson of The Oklahoman. Although he has gotten past “the pain stages” of the injury, Roberson’s left knee is still mostly immobile and he can barely bend it. “It’s definitely the mental part,” Roberson said when asked about the toughest part of the injury. “Staying positive. Just tell yourself, ‘Day by day, get through it.’ And just grind it out.” Without Roberson, the Thunder have fallen from sixth to 21st in defensive rating.
- Rockets coach Mike D’Antoni is happy to see Thunder swingman Corey Brewer get another shot with a contender, relays Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle. Brewer, who played in Houston before being traded last season, signed with Oklahoma City over the weekend after agreeing to a buyout with the Lakers. “You can’t go wrong signing a guy like that,” D’Antoni said. “Guys wanted to re-sign him just for being on the airplane laughing with him. He’s terrific.”
- Trail Blazers president of basketball operations Neil Olshey discussed the Western Conference playoff race, the challenges of operating without a direct G League affiliate and the plan to add more talent around Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum in a podcast with Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.
L.A. Notes: LeBron, Billboards, Ballmer, Clippers
Former Laker Jordan Clarkson admits the possibility of LeBron James joining the team this summer was a frequent topic of locker room conversation, relays Joe Vardon of Cleveland.com. Los Angeles has been a rumored spot for the Cavaliers’ star in free agency. James has never said he’s considering the Lakers, but his business interests in the city and his home in the Brentwood neighborhood have sparked speculation.
“I wouldn’t say like management and the coaches or nobody, but in the locker room people talk when they see what’s going on,” Clarkson said. “That’s probably the only thing people talk in the locker room.”
James can expect plenty of questions on the topic this weekend as the Cavaliers travel to L.A. to face the Clippers and Lakers.
There’s more NBA news out of L.A.:
- Los Angeles is the latest city to use billboards in an attempt to attract James, notes Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN. After a Philadelphia-based company put up billboards near Quicken Loans Arena last week urging James to join the Sixers, an L.A. attorney has responded with four billboards in the Los Angeles area making an appeal for the Lakers. They include messages such as “Cleveland & Philly, you can’t compete with L.A.” and “#NextRetiredJersey.” The Lakers, who have received two heavy fines for tampering in the past year, are making it clear that they have nothing to do with the billboards.
- Clippers owner Steve Ballmer talks about the major changes the franchise has gone through over the past nine months in an interview with Bill Plaschke of The Los Angeles Times. The upheaval began with the Chris Paul trade last June, followed by the decision to take front office duties away from coach Doc Rivers, the hiring of Jerry West as a consultant and the decision to deal Blake Griffin to the Pistons. “I said, ‘Look, things aren’t going to progress this way … we need to make other changes if we really are going to put ourselves in a position to win a championship,” Ballmer said of the Griffin trade. “It was not an easy decision, but we’re in it to win championships, and it turns out, you have to take more risks.”
- More changes could be coming if the Clippers miss they playoffs, and they have an extremely challenging road ahead, notes Broderick Turner of The Los Angeles Times. Ten of their 13 games this month are against playoff contenders, and seven of those are on the road. “March is a monster for us,” Rivers said.
Wolves Sign Derrick Rose
10:57am: The signing is official, the team announced via Twitter.
9:41am: Derrick Rose will sign with the Timberwolves for the rest of the season, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.
The move will reunite Rose with coach/executive Tom Thibodeau, who coached the point guard in Chicago during his MVP season of 2010/11. It also brings another former Bull to Minnesota, which has added Jimmy Butler, Taj Gibson, Jamal Crawford and Aaron Brooks since last summer.
Butler and Rose had a strained relationship in the past, but they worked out their differences two years ago, tweets K.C. Johnson of The Chicago Tribune. Rose delayed his signing because he was waiting for his wife to give birth, adds Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic (Twitter link). The baby arrived earlier this week.
Rose had hoped to revive his career in Cleveland when he agreed to a one-year, minimum-salary deal in July. However, he hurt his ankle in the second game of the season and took a leave of absence in November.
He played just 16 games for the Cavaliers, averaging 9.8 points and 1.6 assists, before being traded to Utah four weeks ago. He agreed to a buyout with the Jazz and has been out of the NBA since February 12.
The Wolves have two open roster spots, so no move will be necessary before adding Rose. Because he was waived before March 1, he will be eligible for the playoffs if Minnesota qualifies.