2018 July | Hoops Rumors

Community Shootaround: Leonard And The Raptors

July 30th, 2018 at 5:59pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The early returns on the Raptors’ gamble by trading for Kawhi Leonard have been promising.

No one was quite sure how Leonard would react to playing in Toronto next season after his acrimonious feelings toward the Spurs convinced San Antonio to trade him. Leonard met recently with new Raptors head coach Nick Nurse and seemed to be genuinely excited about Nurse’s plans for him.

“It was fun to listen to his take,” Nurse told the Toronto Star about his 45-minute meeting with Leonard. “He asked me, ‘How are you going to use me? Where are you going to get me the ball? What do you see?’ And I told him, ‘Listen. To me, you can do pretty much everything. You can post. You can drive. You can handle it up the floor. You can play screen and roll. You can come off pindowns.’ I said, ‘Did I miss anything?’ He’s like, ‘No, that’s about it.’ I said, ‘You’ll probably be doing all that stuff.’”

The ultimate goal for the Raptors is to convince Leonard to stay long-term. Leonard can opt out of his contract next summer and become an unrestricted free agent. It’s well-known that he longs to play in Los Angeles and could join forces with LeBron James on the Lakers.

However, the Raptors have nearly a year to change his mind, just like the Thunder did after trading for Paul George. OKC’s roll of the dice paid off, as the Thunder organization made such a positive impression on George that he opted to stay put.

The Raptors are more dangerous team with a healthy Leonard but that, too, is a big unknown. Leonard played just nine games last season due to a nagging quad injury and he could easily miss a large chunk of the season if he re-injures it. The path to the Finals should be easier for Leonard in the Eastern Conference, especially with James out of the picture.

That leads us to our topic of the day: How do you think Toronto will fare next season with Kawhi Leonard? Do you think he’ll stick around or leave for Los Angeles or another destination next summer?

Please take to the comments section to voice your opinion. We look forward to what you have to say.

Celtics Waive Guard Rodney Purvis

July 30th, 2018 at 4:17pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Celtics have waived guard Rodney Purvis, Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports tweets.

The move was expected, as Boston didn’t have any plans for Purvis after acquiring him from the Thunder in a trade last week.

Boston’s motivation for acquiring Purvis was to save some cash. By trading Abdel Nader to the Thunder instead of waiving him, the Celtics avoided approximately $675K in tax penalties and another $450K in salary. Purvis had a non-guaranteed $1,378,242 salary.

Purvis, who played college ball at the University of Connecticut, was acquired by OKC from the Magic just a few days earlier in exchange for forward Dakari Johnson.

Purvis, 24, joined the Magic down the stretch last season, parlaying a pair of 10-day contracts into a rest-of-season deal. The 6’4″ shooting guard posted 6.0 PPG, 1.7 RPG, and 1.1 APG in 16 games (18.1 MPG).

The Celtics opened up a spot on their 20-man offseason roster by waiving Purvis. The team is currently carrying 15 players on guaranteed contracts.

Dwyane Wade Remains Noncommittal On Future

July 30th, 2018 at 4:00pm CST by Luke Adams

Asked on Monday about his plans for the upcoming NBA season, Dwyane Wade remained noncommittal, according to Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press. Wade’s options include a return to the Heat, a deal overseas, or possible retirement, but he’s not ready to announce any decision quite yet.

“In due time,” Wade said. “Time will tell.”

Wade is considered extremely unlikely to play for any NBA team besides the Heat at this point in his career, but there’s no guarantee he’ll continue his playing career at all — and no guarantee he’ll do so in the NBA. A team in China reportedly made Wade a three-year offer worth $25MM, though it’s not clear whether that proposal is still on the table.

According to Reynolds (via Twitter), Wade said today that “every decision” he makes going forward will hinge in large part on what’s best for his family. Reading between the lines, Wade may not view a move to China for the next three years as being in his family’s best interests, though it’d represent a larger payday than he could receive in the NBA.

The Heat have been waiting to hear from both Wade and Udonis Haslem about whether or not they want to continue playing in Miami, and have kept roster spots open for both players. If Haslem returns, he’d get a minimum-salary contract, but a new deal with Wade may require some negotiations.

Reports have indicated that Wade may be seeking the Heat’s $5.34MM taxpayer mid-level exception, and Pat Riley said last week that owner Micky Arison would have a major say in that decision, since Miami’s team salary is already into luxury-tax territory.

Raptors Working Out Free Agent Big Men

July 30th, 2018 at 2:48pm CST by Luke Adams

The Raptors are conducting workouts for free agent big men, reports Alex Kennedy of HoopsHype (Twitter link). According to Kennedy, Thomas Robinson and Christian Wood are among the players earning a look from Toronto.

Having traded Jakob Poeltl to the Spurs in their blockbuster trade for Kawhi Leonard, the Raptors could use a little more depth in their frontcourt. While players like Leonard and OG Anunoby may see time at the four in smaller lineups, the only genuine bigs on the roster are Jonas Valanciunas, Serge Ibaka, and Pascal Siakam.

The Raptors have also signed second-year power forward Chris Boucher, but he’s a prospect on an Exhibit 10 contract, and likely won’t be counted on to play a real role during the season, assuming he even makes the 15-man roster.

A weekend report indicated that the Raptors have expressed some interest in free agent center Greg Monroe. Besides having a more extensive NBA track record than players like Robinson and Wood, Monroe also has a different skill set, so it will be interesting to see exactly what kind of player Toronto is looking for and how much the club is willing to spend.

The Raptors still have their $5.34MM taxpayer mid-level exception available, but their team salary is far beyond the luxury-tax line, so every dollar spent to fill out the roster will cost exponentially more in potential tax penalties. As such, Toronto may end up focusing on minimum-salary targets.

Treveon Graham Signs Two-Year Deal With Nets

July 30th, 2018 at 2:05pm CST by Dana Gauruder

JULY 30: The Nets have officially signed Graham, the team announced today in a press release.

JULY 17: The Nets have reached a two-year agreement with swingman Treveon Graham, Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports tweets. The first year of the contract will be fully guaranteed, Charania adds. The deal is expected to be worth the minimum.

The 6’5” Graham had drawn interest from the Cavaliers and Timberwolves, among other teams, during free agency. Graham, 24, appeared in 90 games with the Hornets over the past two seasons.

He was a rotation player last season, seeing action in 63 games, while averaging 4.3 PPG and 1.9 RPG in 16.7 MPG. Graham hasn’t shot many 3-pointers during his short career but he’s made 43.8% from long range.

Graham will try to break into a wing rotation that includes Joe Harris, Caris LeVert, DeMarre Carroll and Allen Crabbe.

Contract Talks Between Cavs, Hood Have Stalled

July 30th, 2018 at 1:43pm CST by Luke Adams

Contract talks between the Cavaliers and restricted free agent Rodney Hood have stalled for the time being, a source familiar with the negotiations tells Jordan Schultz of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link). According to Schultz, Hood seems to be seeking a short-term deal that he feels is “fair,” but the Cavs have yet to put an offer on the table that he deems acceptable.

The Cavaliers appear to have earmarked a roster spot and a portion of team salary below the luxury-tax threshold for Hood, but have been unable to find common ground with one of the last two restricted free agents on the market. A recent report indicated that Cleveland is interested in re-signing Hood to a three-year deal — it’s not clear if that would work for the 25-year-old or if he’s seeking an even shorter term in order to return to free agency sooner.

Hood’s leverage is limited due to the lack of viable suitors left for him around the NBA. The Kings are the only team with significant cap room still available, but Sacramento has 15 players on guaranteed contracts and seems unlikely to make a play for the Cavs swingman at this point.

Hood can’t even realistically seek an offer sheet worth the full mid-level exception, since only two teams still hold that $8.641MM exception — one is the Cavs and one is the Jazz, who reportedly don’t have interest in a reunion with their former first-round pick.

The threat of signing his one-year, $3.47MM qualifying offer may help improve Hood’s position in negotiations, since he’ll be in line for a larger role in Cleveland in 2018/19 and could increase his stock in time for unrestricted free agency next summer. Still, taking that path would be a risk for Hood, since there’s no guarantee he’ll get better multiyear offers in 2019 than what the Cavs are offering now.

Rules Related To NBA Offseason Roster Limits

July 30th, 2018 at 1:01pm CST by Luke Adams

While NBA teams are limited to 15 players (plus a pair of two-way players) during the regular season, each club can carry up to 20 players during the offseason. Teams don’t have to cut down their rosters from 20 until the day before the regular season.

Players on two-way contracts count toward the 20-man offseason limit, so a club can’t sign 20 players to standard NBA contracts, then add another two more on two-way deals. If a team has filled both of its two-way contract slots, it’s limited to 18 players on standard contracts.

The most common approach for a team building its offseason roster is to carry about 14 players on guaranteed contracts with one or two more on two-way deals and then four or five on training camp contracts.

This is the route the Hornets are currently taking, for instance. Charlotte has 14 players on guaranteed deals, Mangok Mathiang and J.P. Macura on two-way contracts, and four more players – Joe Chealey, Jaylen Barford, Isaiah Wilkins, and Zach Smith – on training camp deals. The Lakers have taken a similar approach, with 15 players on guaranteed salaries, both their two-way slots filled, and three players on camp deals. Charlotte and L.A. were the first two teams to reach the 20-man offseason roster limit.

Still, a team can carry more than 15 guaranteed salaries at this point if it wants to. The Clippers, for example, currently have 16 players on guaranteed contracts, plus Patrick Beverley‘s non-guaranteed deal. Before the regular season begins, the Clips will have to either trade or waive at least two players on guaranteed deals if they intend to keep Beverley. But there’s no rush to do so right away.

Teams with G League affiliates are more likely to use up all 20 of their offseason roster slots than teams without them. The Hornets may end up designating players like Chealey, Barford, Wilkins, and Smith as affiliate players, sending them to the Greensboro Swarm and awarding them an Exhibit 10 bonus if they stick with Charlotte’s G League club. A team like the Nuggets, without an NBAGL affiliate, can’t offer that same bonus.

Once a few more deals around the NBA are officially completed, we’ll be posting our list of roster counts for all 30 teams, which we’ll keep up to date throughout the offseason and the 2018/19 season. Until then, you can read more about NBA roster limits in our glossary entry on the subject.

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Hoops Rumors Originals

Jerry Colangelo’s Time With Sixers Coming To End

July 30th, 2018 at 12:16pm CST by Luke Adams

Sixers president of basketball operations Bryan Colangelo resigned from his post last month after burner Twitter accounts that revealed private information about the team were uncovered and linked to Colangelo and his wife. Now, Bryan’s father Jerry Colangelo, a special advisor for the 76ers, is poised to leave the organization as well.

As Tim Bontemps of The Washington Post details, Colangelo refers to his tenure in Philadelphia as being over, later clarifying that it will technically conclude “at the end of the year.” A league source confirmed to Bontemps that Colangelo remains under contract through the end of the calendar year, and while the Sixers will be honoring that contract, it won’t be renewed.

Given the events that transpired in Philadelphia leading up to his son’s departure from the Sixers, the elder Colangelo was put in an uncomfortable position. As he tells Bontemps, Colangelo prefers not to publicly address Bryan’s situation.

“I haven’t made any public comments about what transpired,” Colangelo said. “I don’t think it would be appropriate. It’s a very difficult summer for him, and his family.”

While his time with the Sixers is set to come to an end, Colangelo remains involved with USA Basketball, and he and head coach Gregg Popovich will be responsible for picking which players represent Team USA at the next major international tournaments. Colangelo, who will turn 79 this fall, intends to continue his work with Team USA through 2020, but isn’t sure what his future holds beyond the next Olympics, he tells Bontemps.

11 Free Agents Signed Four- Or Five-Year Contracts

July 30th, 2018 at 11:01am CST by Luke Adams

Not every free agent enters the NBA offseason looking to sign a long-term contract. Just ask Kevin Durant, who – for the third year in a row – has the ability to opt out of his new contract with the Warriors after just one season. Still, nearly all of the most lucrative free agent deals signed this offseason span four or five years, with only a handful of top players having received contracts of that length.

It’s possible that another free agent – perhaps Rodney Hood – could join this group of long-term signees, but for now, just 11 players have signed four- or five-year contracts with NBA teams this offseason.

Those 11 deals all rank in the top 13 contracts of the 2018 offseason in terms of overall value, and each of the other two contracts in that group – Durant’s two-year, $61.5MM pact and Jabari Parker‘s two-year, $40MM contract – may see its value chopped in half if the second-year option is voided.

All 11 players who signed four- or five-year deals were among the best free agents in this year’s class. Six ranked in the top 10 of our top-50 list, and 10 were in the top 20. Only Kyle Anderson (No. 27) was the exception, and his deal was a little longer and more lucrative than anticipated because it was an offer sheet designed not to be matched by the Spurs.

Speaking of restricted free agents, much has been made of the challenges some RFAs face as they try to find fair deals on the open market. However, of the 11 players who signed the longest contracts this offseason, seven were restricted free agents. Nikola Jokic led the way with his five-year contract worth $142MM+, but Clint Capela, Zach LaVine, Aaron Gordon, and several other RFAs did pretty well for themselves too.

In total, the 11 players who signed four- or five-year deals this offseason will receive a combined $1.024 billion if they play out their entire contracts.

Here’s the full list of 2018 free agents who signed four- or five-year contracts, sorted by overall value:

Chris Paul (Rockets): Four years, $159.73MM.
LeBron James (Lakers): Four years, $153.31MM. Fourth-year player option.
Nikola Jokic (Nuggets): Five years, $142.71MM. $1MM annually in unlikely incentives.
Paul George (Thunder): Four years, $136.91MM. Fourth-year player option.
Clint Capela (Rockets): Five years, $87.5MM. $500K annually in unlikely incentives.
Zach LaVine (Bulls): Four years, $78MM.
Aaron Gordon (Magic): Four years, $76MM. $1MM annually in unlikely incentives
Will Barton (Nuggets): Four years, $53MM. Fourth-year player option.
Marcus Smart (Celtics): Four years, $52MM.
Jusuf Nurkic (Trail Blazers): Four years, $48MM. $1.5MM annually in unlikely incentives. Fourth year only partially guaranteed for $4MM.
Kyle Anderson (Grizzlies): Four years, $37.16MM.

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

Categories:
Hoops Rumors Originals

Mavericks Sign Daryl Macon To Two-Way Contract

July 30th, 2018 at 10:29am CST by Luke Adams

JULY 30: The Mavericks have officially signed Macon to a two-way contract, the team announced today in a press release.

JULY 26: Agent Reggie Brown tells Jackson that Macon is signing a two-year, two-way contract with the Mavericks. Dallas currently has an open two-way slot, with Kostas Antetokounmpo filling the other one.

JULY 25: Rookie free agent guard Daryl Macon appears to have lined up his first NBA contract. According to Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald (Twitter link), Macon passed on an offer from the Heat and has decided to sign with the Mavericks.

Macon went undrafted last month after averaging 16.8 PPG and 3.9 APG on .447/.421/.875 shooting in his final college season at Arkansas. However, the 22-year-old caught on with the Heat’s Summer League team, appearing in seven total games this month in the Sacramento and Las Vegas leagues.

Macon averaged 7.9 PPG and 4.7 APG in those seven Summer League contests with Miami, making a strong enough impression to earn an Exhibit 10 contract offer from the team. Macon’s agent indicated that his client had received Exhibit 10 offers from at least four NBA clubs and had drawn interest from international teams as well. It seems he has opted for the Mavs’ offer, though the exact terms aren’t yet known.

Assuming Macon finalizes a training camp deal with Dallas, he may get a chance to compete for the team’s 15th roster spot. If he’s waived before the regular season begins, a stint with the Mavs’ G League affiliate, the Texas Legends, could be in his future.

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