2018 May | Hoops Rumors

2018 NBA Offseason Salary Cap Digest: Cleveland Cavaliers

May 31st, 2018 at 12:55pm CST by Luke Adams

With LeBron James‘ potential 2018 free agency looming, the Cavaliers once again committed to carrying a league-high payroll in 2017/18. The club also acquired well-compensated veterans on multiyear deals – including George Hill and Jordan Clarkson – at the trade deadline, ensuring that even if this is James’ final year in Cleveland, team salary should remain well over the cap for at least one more season.

Here’s where things currently stand for the Cavaliers financially, as we continue our Offseason Salary Cap Digest series for 2018:

Guaranteed Salary

Kevin Love ($24,119,025)
George Hill ($19,000,000)
Tristan Thompson ($17,469,565)
J.R. Smith ($14,720,000)
Jordan Clarkson ($12,500,000)
Kyle Korver ($7,560,000)
Cedi Osman ($2,775,000)
Larry Nance Jr. ($2,272,391)
Ante Zizic ($1,952,760)
Total: $102,368,741

Player Options

LeBron James ($35,607,968)
Total: $35,607,968

Team Options

Kendrick Perkins ($2,445,085)
Total: $2,445,085

Non-Guaranteed Salary

Okaro White ($1,544,951)¹
Total: $1,544,951

Restricted Free Agents

Rodney Hood ($3,472,887 qualifying offer / $7,160,592 cap hold): Bird rights
Total: $7,160,592

Unrestricted Free Agents / Other Cap Holds

No. 8 overall pick ($4,033,884)
Jose Calderon ($1,499,698): Non-Bird rights
Dahntay Jones ($1,499,698): Early Bird rights
James Jones ($1,499,698): Bird rights
Jeff Green ($1,499,698): Non-Bird rights
Shawn Marion ($1,499,698): Non-Bird rights
Deron Williams ($1,499,698): Non-Bird rights
Total: $13,032,072

Projected Salary Cap: $101,000,000

Projected Cap Room: None

Even without taking James into consideration, the Cavaliers have $102MM+ in guaranteed salaries, nudging them over the projected $101MM cap. As such, there’s virtually no chance Cleveland will have cap room this summer. If James returns, the team figures to be way over the tax line once again.

Footnotes:

White’s salary becomes fully guaranteed after August 5.

Note: Rookie scale cap holds are estimates based on salary cap projections and could increase or decrease depending on where the cap lands.

Salary information from Basketball Insiders was used in the creation of this post. Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Magic Notes: Clifford, Stackhouse, Sampson

May 31st, 2018 at 12:01pm CST by Luke Adams

The Magic officially decided on their new head coach this week, announcing the hiring of former Hornets coach Steve Clifford on Wednesday. Clifford reportedly agreed to a four-year contract to become Frank Vogel‘s replacement in Orlando.

As Josh Robbins of The Orlando Sentinel details, president of basketball operations Jeff Weltman and general manager John Hammond – who interviewed Clifford for the Bucks’ job in Milwaukee back in 2013 – met with him twice this time around. The first of those meetings happened on May 16, with the second taking place on May 24. Weltman and Hammond liked what they heard in those sessions, and their deal with Clifford reflects that — the final year isn’t a team option, sources tell Robbins.

“I’m not betting on something that I don’t know,” Weltman said on Wednesday. “Steve Clifford has proven himself to be an elite-level NBA coach in addition to having great personal skills, player-development abilities [and] all the organizational bullet points that we had hoped to address.”

Here’s more on the Magic’s new coach and the search that led the team to him:

Despite being rumored to have significant interest in Raptors 905 head coach Jerry Stackhouse, the Magic never interviewed Stackhouse, sources tell Robbins.
University of Houston coach Kelvin Sampson, cited as a Magic candidate, confirmed that he met with the club “multiple times,” as Mark Berman of FOX 26 Houston relays. However, Sampson said that he’ll remain at his current job with the University of Houston.
Before hiring Clifford, the Magic made plays for “some big fish in the collegiate ranks,” according to Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders (Twitter link). One of those targets was presumably Tom Izzo, as the Michigan State head coach was linked to Orlando last week.
One possible factor in the Magic’s decision to hire Clifford? His impressive work in games against Orlando. As Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer notes, Clifford’s Hornets had defeated the Magic 11 times in a row prior to his ouster in Charlotte.

Poll: 2018 NBA Finals Predictions

May 31st, 2018 at 11:09am CST by Luke Adams

Although both teams had to recover from 3-2 deficits in the Conference Finals, the Warriors and Cavaliers are once again meeting in the NBA Finals, vying for the Larry O’Brien trophy for the fourth consecutive year.

Before the Warriors acquired Kevin Durant in the summer of 2016, the first two series between the two teams were competitive, with Golden State winning the first meeting and the Cavs roaring back from a 3-1 hole in the second meeting to even the score. However, Durant and the Dubs dominated Cleveland in last year’s Finals, and oddsmakers expect a similar outcome this time around.

One sports betting site, Bovada.lv, has installed the Warriors as -800 favorites for the 2018 NBA Finals. For those unfamiliar with betting formatting, that means you’d need to risk $800 on a Warriors win in order to make a $100 profit. Conversely, Cleveland is a +500 underdog, meaning a $100 bet on the Cavs would result in a $500 profit if they pull off an upset.

The ongoing absence of Andre Iguodala for the Warriors makes this year’s matchup a little more intriguing, since Iguodala has typically been tasked with being the primary defender on LeBron James during the Finals matchups between the two teams. His left knee bone bruise will make that a difficult task, even if and when he’s able to get back on the court.

On the other hand, the Cavaliers may be missing a key contributor of their own, with Kevin Love‘s status for Game 1 still up in the air. As long as Love remains in the NBA’s concussion protocol, James won’t have a ton of help as he and the Cavs go up against a star-studded Warriors squad led by Durant, Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green.

LeBron’s presence “represents the small possibility of a miracle,” according to ESPN’s Zach Lowe, who writes today about what lineups the Cavs might lean on in order to give themselves a fighting chance against Golden State. No matter what Cleveland throws at the Warriors though, it probably won’t be enough, Lowe concedes.

So, rather than simply asking you in today’s poll which team will win this year’s Cavaliers/Warriors showdown, we want you to make your prediction a little more specific. Will the Warriors sweep? Will this be a longer series? Do the Cavs have a chance? Vote below, then head to the comment section to share your thoughts on the 2018 NBA Finals.

Trade Rumors app users, click here to vote.

Ron Baker Exercises 2018/19 Player Option

May 31st, 2018 at 10:14am CST by Luke Adams

Knicks guard Ron Baker has exercised his player option for the 2018/19 season and will remain under contract with the team for one more season, reports Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link). The option will pay Baker a salary of $4,544,400.

Baker, 25, joined the Knicks as an undrafted free agent out of Wichita State at the start of the 2016/17 season. After impressing the team in his rookie season, the 6’4″ guard inked a two-year deal last summer, with New York utilizing its full room exception to lock him up.

In the first year of his new contract, Baker was limited to 29 games, due in part to a season-ending shoulder injury. He averaged 2.4 PPG and 1.6 APG with a .339/.333/.769 shooting line in 13.3 minutes per contest. Those modest numbers made Baker’s 2018/19 option a lock to be exercised.

Baker’s decision continues a trend of an increasing number of NBA veterans picking up player options rather than turning them down. During the 2016 and 2017 offseasons, only eight of 53 player options were exercised. However, Baker is already the seventh player to opt into a contract this spring, joining Jeremy Lin (Nets), Cory Joseph (Pacers), Wesley Johnson (Clippers), Wesley Matthews (Mavericks), Kosta Koufos (Kings), and Jason Smith (Wizards).

Latest On Pistons’ Front Office Search

May 31st, 2018 at 9:41am CST by Luke Adams

The Pistons’ head coaching search appears to be in full swing, with reports on Wednesday indicating that the team intends to interview TNT analyst Kenny Smith, Heat assistant Juwan Howard, Spurs assistant Ime Udoka, and former Raptors head coach Dwane Casey. In addition to deciding on a new head coach though, the club will need to make at least one hire in its front office to replace former president of basketball operations Stan Van Gundy.

Although Heat executive Shane Battier withdrew from consideration for a top front office job in Detroit earlier this week, the Pistons are eyeing several other candidates. Battier’s decision may clear a path for Nets assistant Trajan Langdon to land in Detroit, according to Brian Lewis of The New York Post, who notes that Langdon has already interviewed with the Pistons.

According to Vince Ellis of The Detroit Free Press (Twitter link), it sounds as if Langdon and TNT analyst Brent Barry will meet with the Pistons this week to discuss potential front office roles. Both candidates have already spoken to the team, with Ellis noting that Barry impressed the Pistons in previous discussions.

Ellis also reports (via Twitter) that Hawks executive Malik Rose is another name to add to the Pistons’ list of candidates. Rose, who currently holds the title of manager of basketball operations in Atlanta, serves as the GM of the Erie BayHawks, the Hawks’ G League affiliate. In his first season in that role, Rose was named the NBAGL Executive of the Year.

Langdon, Barry, and Rose don’t have any experience running an NBA team, but the Pistons are said to be seeking a young, rising executive who would be capable of shaping the team for years to come. Those three candidates, who are all in their 40s, could fit that bill. Tayshaun Prince and Chauncey Billups are among the other front office options reportedly being considered by the Pistons.

Checking In On NCAA Early Entrants For Draft

May 31st, 2018 at 8:46am CST by Luke Adams

As we detailed about 24 hours ago, Wednesday represented a key deadline for NCAA underclassmen who had declared for the 2018 NBA draft. Early entrants who haven’t yet hired an agent technically have until June 11 to pull their names out of the draft, based on NBA rules. But the NCAA has its own set of deadlines, and May 30 was the last day for early entrants to withdraw from the draft and retain their college eligibility.

As such, we saw a flurry of announcements on Wednesday, with players like Kevin Huerter (Maryland), Omari Spellman (Villanova), Jarred Vanderbilt (Kentucky) deciding to remain in the draft, while other notable prospects like Tyus Battle (Syracuse), Jontay Porter (Missouri), and PJ Washington (Kentucky) elected to return to school.

Our full early entrant list has been updated with the latest news, but there are still a small handful of gaps in that list. The NBA won’t release an official list of early entrants for 2018 until after the league’s own June 11 deadline, so we’ll have to wait nearly two weeks for confirmation on this year’s draft class. However, here’s a breakdown of our numbers for now:

NCAA early entrants who are believed to be staying in the draft: 79
NCAA early entrants who reportedly withdrew from the draft: 96
NCAA early entrants who showed up on the NBA’s initial list in April whose decisions haven’t been announced or reported, as far as we can tell: 7

The seven players whose statuses we’re unsure about are Tashawn Berry (Dakota College), Dextor Foster (ASA College), Tremaine Fraiser (Westchester CC), Victor Lewis II (West Texas A&M), Jordan Murdock (Friends University), Keanu Peters (Salt Lake CC), and Micah Seaborn (Monmouth). If we missed any updates on any of those players, please let us know in the comment section.

Meanwhile, even though that June 11 NBA withdrawal deadline isn’t overly important for college prospects, it’s a key date for international early entrants. Over the next week and a half, we’ll likely hear plenty of updates on that group of 55 players, many of whom will remove their names from the 2018 draft pool.

Draft Decisions: McDaniels, Cody & Caleb Martin

May 30th, 2018 at 11:06pm CST by Arthur Hill

Forward Jalen McDaniels will return to San Diego State for his sophomore season, tweets Jeff Goodman of ESPN. McDaniels is part of a crop of late decision makers who waited until shortly before tonight’s deadline of 11:59pm Eastern to announce whether they are staying in the draft.

“After thoughtful consideration with my family and coaching staff, I have decided to return to San Diego State for my sophomore year.” McDaniels posted on Twitter. “I’m looking forward to furthering my education and returning to the NCAA Tournament. Go Aztecs!”

McDaniels averaged 10.5 points and 7.5 rebounds in his first year at San Diego State. He held workouts with Cavaliers, Clippers, Timberwolves, Jazz, Warriors, Celtics, Nets, Hawks, Bucks, Spurs and Bulls, according to Mark Zeigler of The San Diego Union-Tribune.

In another significant last-minute decision, Nevada stars Cody Martin and Caleb Martin will both return to school, tweets Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports. Cody is ranked 90th and Caleb is 91st in the list of top 100 prospects compiled by ESPN’s Jonathan Givony, but Jeff Goodman of ESPN suggests the Wolf Pack could be a top 10 team next season with both staying (Twitter link).

There’s also news to pass along on pre-draft workouts:

The Lakers have a session set for Thursday with Kansas’ Devonte’ Graham and Billy Preston, Wichita State’s Landry Shamet, Penn State’s Tony Carr, Georgia Tech’s Josh Okogie and Gonzaga’s Johnathan Williams, tweets Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN.
The Kings will hold a workout Thursday for SMU’s Shake Milton, Arizona’s Allonzo Trier, Vanderbilt’s Jeff Roberson, Rhode Island’s E.C. Matthews, Cincinnati’s Gary Clark and Missouri’s Jordan Barnett.
On Tuesday, the Suns brought in Temple’s Obi Enechionyia, Cincinnati’s Jacob Evans, Arizona State’s Shannon Evans and Kodi Justice, Wyoming’s Alan Herndon and Australia player William McDowell-White.
Donte Ingram of Loyola Chicago had “solid” workouts with the Bulls and Bucks last week, according to Gery Woelfel of WoelfelsPressBox (Twitter link). The Bucks also brought in UCLA’s Thomas Welsh.
Texas center Mo Bamba will work out Friday for the Bulls, tweets Vincent Goodwill of NBC Sports Chicago.

Latest On Bryan Colangelo

May 30th, 2018 at 10:26pm CST by Arthur Hill

Regardless of the findings of an independent investigation the Sixers have launched into president of basketball operations Bryan Colangelo, the story may have already caused significant damage, writes Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer.

A report last night from Ben Detrick of The Ringer presents evidence that Colangelo was operating several anonymous Twitter accounts on which he was criticizing players, coaches and opponents and sharing inside information. Colangelo admitted owning @phila1234567, but said he uses it to monitor social media and has never posted anything. He denied any connection to four others: “Eric jr,” “HonestAbe,” “Enoughunkownsources” and “Still Balling,” all of which issued controversial tweets.

“I think the damage is done,” an unidentified NBA executive told Pompey. “I don’t know if the players can trust him. I think he lost the trust of the players unless it’s proven definitively that it wasn’t him.”

Colangelo, who is attending pre-draft workouts in Los Angeles, was “visibly shaken” Tuesday when he heard about the report, according to Pompey. He has been part of Philadelphia’s front office since April of 2016.

The controversy comes at a crucial time for the Sixers, who hope to make a splash in the free agent market this summer. The team reportedly has interest in both LeBron James and Paul George, but they may look elsewhere if Colangelo remains in charge.

“That’s why they are going to have to definitively prove that it wasn’t him,” the executive added. “You are getting into free agency, and these players aren’t going to take a chance coming to the Sixers.”

There’s more tonight on the story:

Colangelo could be fired “for cause” if the Sixers determine he used company property, such as computers or phones, in a way that harmed the franchise, according to Michael McCann of Sports Illustrated. McCann advises the Sixers to hire outside attorneys to conduct the investigation, similar to what the Mavericks did when their front office scandal became public. He notes that the NBA constitution allows commissioner Adam Silver to punish a franchise or team employee who damages the interests of the league. If the NBA decides that Colangelo’s actions hurt its relationship with the players’ union, the issue may be covered by labor law.
Another concern is the effect that revealing inside information could have on gambling, McCann adds in the same piece. NBA analyst Larry Coon points out that the league’s operations manual has a “no tipping” policy that forbids the release of such information to bettors. Coon suggests it’s possible that “gamblers knew Colangelo himself was posting through sock puppet account(s), and therefore his posting of confidential information through those accounts potentially constituted tipping.”
Colangelo continues to issue strong denials, texting “Someone’s out to get me” and “This is clearly not me,” relays Ryan Young of Yahoo Sports. Colangelo has reached out to some of the people mentioned in the tweets to assure them he wasn’t responsible, adds ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link).
Timestamps on some of the Eric jr posts show they were made while Colangelo was addressing the media, notes Rich Hoffman of The Athletic (Twitter links). The Sixers’ investigation may focus on Colangelo’s friends and family, tweets Chris Mannix of Yahoo Sports.
No matter what the investigation finds, Colangelo will have a difficult time keeping his job, contends Bob Ford of The Philadelphia Inquirer.

Successful Surgery For Gordon Hayward, Aron Baynes

May 30th, 2018 at 9:31pm CST by Arthur Hill

Gordon Hayward and and Aron Baynes both underwent successful operations today, the Celtics announced on their website.

Hayward, who wasn’t able to return after fracturing his fibula on opening night, had a plate and screws removed that were inserted after the injury. Plans call for him to resume basketball activities in six to eight weeks, and he is expected to be at full strength when training camp opens in September.

The team describes Hayward’s ankle and fibula as “structurally sound,” adding that the plate and screws needed to be taken out because they were irritating his peroneal tendons.

Baynes needed nasal septoplasty surgery after suffering a fracture during Game 6 of the Eastern Conference finals. He is expected to resume basketball activities in two to four weeks.

Jarred Vanderbilt To Remain In Draft

May 30th, 2018 at 8:38pm CST by Arthur Hill

Kentucky forward Jarred Vanderbilt plans to sign with an agent and stay in the draft, tweets Jeff Goodman of ESPN.

Vanderbilt’s freshman season was derailed by injuries, as a foot problem kept him out for the first 19 games of the year and a bad ankle sidelined him for the final six.

“This season wasn’t easy for me,” he told Jon Hale of The Louisville Courier Journal. “God works in mysterious ways and presented me with a number of challenges to overcome. I believe I became a better man and player because of them, but it’s also made me think about my future and what’s best for me.”

Vanderbilt didn’t attend the combine but had meetings with “a team or two,” according to Kentucky coach John Calipari. Vanderbilt appeared in 14 games for the Wildcats, averaging 5.9 points and 7.9 rebounds in 17 minutes per night.

He comes in 59th on the list of top 100 prospects compiled by ESPN’s Jonathan Givony and doesn’t appear in his latest mock draft.

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