Month: May 2024

Hawks Waive Carmelo Anthony

July 30th, 2018 at 10:05am CST by Luke Adams

10:05am: The Hawks have officially waived Anthony, per a team press release.

9:24am: Anthony has finalized a buyout deal with the Hawks, agreeing to give back the equivalent of the veteran’s minimum salary, per ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link). The veteran forward will make that money back when he officially signs with the Rockets, while Atlanta opens up a small slice of cap room as a result of the agreement.

The Hawks should have about $2.9MM in space, per ESPN’s Bobby Marks, though it remains to be seen how the team plans to use it, with agreements for Len, Carter, and Hamilton still to be finalized.

8:05am: Now that all the physicals related to last week’s three-team trade are complete, the Hawks are expected to move forward with waiving Carmelo Anthony today, tweets Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports.

Assuming the transaction is finalized on Monday, Anthony will be on track to clear waivers on Wednesday. His $27.93MM cap charge makes a waiver claim by a surprise suitor essentially impossible, so he’ll become an unrestricted free agent. At that point, he reportedly intends to sign a one-year, minimum-salary deal with the Rockets.

Once Anthony is officially released, the Hawks will have 12 players on guaranteed contracts, but the team has lined up agreements with three players to fill its projected 15-man regular season roster. According to reports, Alex Len, Vince Carter, and Daniel Hamilton will all sign with Atlanta. The Hawks figure to finalize those moves soon now that the Anthony trade – which involved both the Thunder and Sixers – is formally complete.

There has been no indication that the Hawks will ask Anthony to give back any of his 2018/19 salary as part of a buyout. Still, the team will recover a small portion of that salary via setoff once the 10-time All-Star signs with Houston, as cap expert Albert Nahmad tweets.

Anthony’s cap hit for the Hawks will still exceed $27MM, and while the team could open up a huge chunk of cap room by stretching that figure over three seasons, that’s not expected to happen. Instead, Atlanta figures to simply keep Carmelo’s whole cap charge on its books for the 2018/19 salary, allowing the club to maximize its cap room in future seasons.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Patrick McCaw Likely To Accept Qualifying Offer?

July 30th, 2018 at 9:31am CST by Luke Adams

Patrick McCaw is one of just two restricted free agents left on the market, and his free agency is expected to end with him accepting his qualifying offer to return to the Warriors, writes Anthony Slater of The Athletic.

Because he only has two years of NBA experience, McCaw was eligible for restricted free agency this offseason and the Warriors made him an RFA by issuing a qualifying offer worth approximately $1.71MM. While that offer gives Golden State the right of first refusal in the event that McCaw agrees to an offer sheet with another team, it also serves as a one-year contract offer the shooting guard can sign outright.

Assuming McCaw signs that QO, he’d put himself on track to reach free agency again in 2019. Unlike players coming off rookie scale contracts, who become unrestricted free agents a year after accepting a qualifying offer, McCaw would be eligible for restricted free agency again next season, since he’d still have just three years of NBA experience under his belt.

Still, McCaw would receive one notable benefit from signing his qualifying offer — since he’d be re-signing on a one-year deal and would have Bird rights at the end of his contract, he’d have the ability to block any attempts to trade him during the 2018/19 league year.

McCaw, 22, had a promising rookie season in 2016/17 for the Warriors, but took a step backward last season and battled multiple injuries. In 57 games (16.9 MPG), he averaged just 4.0 PPG on .409/.238/.765 shooting. Golden State still views him as a promising – and inexpensive – young prospect with the ability to bounce back in 2018/19, however.

Besides McCaw, Cavaliers swingman Rodney Hood is the only other restricted free agent who still has a standard NBA qualifying offer on the table.

Community Shootaround: Early Eastern Conference Predictions

July 29th, 2018 at 10:00pm CST by Luke Adams

On Thursday, we opened up a discussion on the Western Conference, asking for your early predictions on the playoff race in the NBA’s more competitive conference. Today, we’re shifting our focus to the East.

Three Atlantic teams appear poised to enter the 2018/19 season as the odds-on favorites to come out of the Eastern Conference. According to the early odds at sports betting site Bovada.lv, the Celtics are the clear frontrunners, as they re-add Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward to a roster that came within one game of the NBA Finals.

Boston is followed by the Raptors and Sixers. While the Raptors have continually come up short in the postseason, they racked up 59 wins last season, and probably increased their ceiling by replacing DeMar DeRozan with Kawhi Leonard. The 76ers, meanwhile, will bring back a roster similar to last year’s, but will be banking on further improvements from young stars Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid.

No other Eastern team has better than 15-to-1 odds to represent the conference in the NBA Finals, but there are a few interesting clubs worth keeping an eye on.

The Pacers didn’t lose any major pieces, and have added Tyreke Evans and Doug McDermott to a squad that finished fourth in the East last season. The Bucks may have the best player in the conference in Giannis Antetokounmpo, and a new head coach should create more stability in Milwaukee. The Wizards underperformed last season, but have a pair of All-Star guards and a newly-added eight-time All-Star center in Dwight Howard.

The Pistons and Heat are both strong candidates to earn playoff spots as well. Detroit will have a full year of Blake Griffin, health permitting, and brought aboard Dwane Casey, the reigning Coach of the Year. Miami has one of the deepest teams and most talented coaches in the conference.

Those eight teams may enter the year as the favorites for playoff spots, but there are several other contenders. The Cavaliers don’t have LeBron James, but there are still plenty of solid players on their roster, including All-Star forward Kevin Love. The same is true of the Hornets, who have a handful of solid role players surrounding their lone All-Star, Kemba Walker.

Young teams like the Knicks and Nets could make a little noise in 2018/19, as could the Bulls, who have added Jabari Parker and Wendell Carter to a group that already featured Lauri Markkanen, Zach LaVine, and Kris Dunn.

The Hawks and Magic still appear lottery-bound, but perhaps new head coaches can spark an unexpected run in Atlanta or Orlando.

What do you think? Which eight teams do you expect to earn postseason berths in the East? Are the Celtics your early pick to come out of the conference, or can the Raptors, Sixers, or another team upend them?

Jump into the comment section below to give us your early thoughts on the new-look Eastern Conference.

Eastern Notes: Pistons, Raptors, Nets, Vazquez

July 29th, 2018 at 9:05pm CST by Luke Adams

Ed Stefanski, the new head of basketball operations in Detroit, inherited a squad with most of its veteran players under contract through the 2018 offseason, but has still managed to remake a third of the Pistons‘ roster this summer, writes Keith Langlois of Pistons.com.

While the Pistons added veterans like Glenn Robinson III, Jose Calderon, and Zaza Pachulia to the mix, Stefanski believes that the two new rookies – Bruce Brown and Khyri Thomas – are capable of making an immediate impact at the NBA level.

“I really believe that. They like to play defense,” said Stefanski, who technically holds the role of senior advisor for the Pistons. “They’re from good programs, they’re unbelievable kids and they want to play defense. Everywhere I’ve been, (rookies) never got on the floor because they didn’t play defense. These two want to. I like both of them.”

Here’s more from around the Eastern Conference:

In his latest mailbag for The Toronto Star, Doug Smith answers readers’ questions relating to the end of DeMar DeRozan‘s time in Toronto, Kawhi Leonard‘s arrival, and many more Raptors-related topics.
As NetsDaily relays, Danny Leroux of RealGM and ESPN’s Kevin Pelton suggested on a recent podcast that the Nets have had a solid “volume” offseason, adding depth to their roster with a series of moves rather than targeting one or two impact players. In the view of Leroux and Pelton, Brooklyn could be a fringe playoff contender in the East, and may make a decision by the trade deadline on whether to once again be sellers.
Longtime Magic draft-and-stash player Fran Vazquez has signed yet another contract in Spain, according to Keith Smith of RealGM.com, who tweets that the veteran center is joining Tecnyconta Zaragoza. Vazquez was the 11th overall pick in the 2005 draft, but the 35-year-old has spent his entire professional career overseas.

Upcoming NBA Salary Guarantee Dates To Watch

July 29th, 2018 at 7:57pm CST by Luke Adams

Over the last month or so, we’ve seen a number of players traded or waived before their salary guarantees for the 2018/19 season kicked in. Players who sign contracts that feature non-guaranteed salaries in future years often have June or July trigger dates, forcing teams to make decisions fairly early in the offseason — that way, if the player is waived, he’ll still have the opportunity to catch on with a new club well before the new season begins.

We’ve been tracking those decisions using our list of guarantee dates for the summer of 2018. While most of those deadlines are now in the rear-view mirror, a few teams will have decisions to make within the next week.

Here’s a quick rundown of the decision dates to watch this week:

Brandon Jennings (Bucks): $2,222,803 salary becomes guaranteed after August 1.

Jennings’ salary was initially set to become guaranteed if he remained under contract through July 1, and there were reports at the start of the month suggesting he believed that would happen. Instead, the Bucks pushed back his guarantee date until the start of August, giving the team time to assess whether it needed the veteran guard on the roster once it was done making other offseason moves.

The Bucks recently agreed to add Pat Connaughton to their backcourt and haven’t been able to trade Matthew Dellavedova this summer, which may not bode well for Jennings’ roster spot. Even if Milwaukee decides to cut him though, Jennings could return on a new minimum-salary contract at some point — his current deal calls for a $2.22MM cap hit, but the Bucks could give him the same salary on a new one-year contract with a $1.51MM cap charge.

Brandon Paul (Spurs): $1,378,242 salary becomes guaranteed after August 1.

The Spurs tend not to throw in the towel early on developmental projects, preferring to give them time to ease their way into larger roles. Paul only averaged 9.0 minutes per contest last season, but he appeared in 64 games, signaling that San Antonio had enough confidence in him to continue giving him NBA minutes rather than hiding away in the G League. That’s a positive sign for Paul as decision day approaches.

Abdel Nader (Thunder): $1,378,242 salary becomes guaranteed after August 1. Already partially guaranteed for $450,000.

The Thunder went out of their way to acquire Nader from the Celtics in a trade last week even though the young wing already has a partial guarantee of $450K. Oklahoma City’s luxury-tax issues are well documented and the club wouldn’t have traded for him if it didn’t intend to keep him, so Nader looks like a virtual lock to have his full salary guaranteed.

Okaro White (Cavaliers): $1,544,951 salary becomes partially guaranteed for $772,476 after August 5.

White, who missed a good chunk of the 2017/18 season with a broken foot, talked earlier this month about how he’s still working to mentally get over that injury. He was physically healthy enough to play for the Cavaliers‘ Summer League team, but his performance in Las Vegas was a mixed bag. He showed off his energy and rebounding ability with 7.4 RPG in 23.9 minutes per contest, but struggled to put the ball in the basket, averaging just 6.0 PPG on 33.3% shooting.

The Cavs have roster spots to spare and could stick with White, but if they’re still unsure about his place on the roster, they’ll likely waive him by next Sunday to avoid guaranteeing half his salary for 2018/19.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Poll: 2018/19 NBA Rookie Of The Year

July 29th, 2018 at 6:54pm CST by Luke Adams

All 30 of 2018’s first-round picks are now under contract with their new NBA clubs, and odds are that one of those 30 players will become the NBA’s next Rookie of the Year — in fact, it’s very likely that a player picked in the top 11 will win that award.

Before 2016 second-rounder Malcolm Brogdon took home the award in 2017, only one player drafted lower than No. 11 overall had earned Rookie of the Year honors in the last 50+ years — No. 18 overall pick Mark Jackson was named Rookie of the Year in 1988.

That bodes well for the top 11 players taken in this year’s draft. And of those players, two top picks look like the early frontrunners for next season’s award. As Kevin Pelton and Mike Schmitz detail in an Insider-only ESPN.com piece, their top two choices for 2018/19 Rookie of the Year are Suns center Deandre Ayton and Mavericks guard Luka Doncic, as each player seems poised to take on a large role and make an immediate impact for his new NBA team.

Still, those aren’t the only contenders for the award. Both Pelton and Schmitz view Kings big man Marvin Bagley III as a strong challenger, despite an underwhelming Summer League performance. Sacramento is high on Bagley and projects to be a bottom-two team in the West, so he’ll get plenty of opportunities to play. The same can be said of Trae Young, who’s in line for a larger role on the lottery-bound Hawks with Dennis Schroder no longer ahead of him on the depth chart.

Pelton and Schmitz are also high on Bulls center Wendell Carter Jr. and Knicks forward Kevin Knox, both of whom had strong Summer League showings this month. Carter and Knox seem better positioned to put up numbers than raw big men like Jaren Jackson Jr. of the Grizzlies and Mohamed Bamba of the Magic — Jackson, in particular, will have to fight for playing time, given Memphis’ playoff aspirations.

Rounding out the top 11 picks are Cavaliers point guard Collin Sexton, Suns forward Mikal Bridges, and Clippers guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, all of whom should get a chance to earn regular minutes in their rookie seasons.

It’s possible that a player outside of that group of 11 will be named the 2018/19 Rookie of the Year. One dark-horse candidate is Kings center Harry Giles, the 20th overall pick in the 2017 draft. After missing all of last season, Giles could take the Ben Simmons route and compete for Rookie of the Year honors in what is technically his second NBA season. Health remains a concern for Giles, but he played well in the Sacramento and Las Vegas Summer Leagues this month.

A healthy Michael Porter Jr. would be a candidate for this award too, but the Nuggets figure to take it slow with the rookie forward, who has dealt with back problems this year. Even if he’s effective when he plays, Porter probably won’t see enough action to make a serious case for RoY consideration.

What do you think? Who is your very-early pick for the 2018/19 Rookie of the Year award? Will a favorite like Ayton or Doncic win it, or will we see an underdog candidate emerge?

Vote below in our poll and then head to the comment section to make your case!

Trade Rumors app users, click here to vote.

Hoops Rumors’ 2018 NBA Free Agent Tracker

July 29th, 2018 at 5:46pm CST by Luke Adams

We’re nearly a month into 2018’s free agent period and with news of contract agreements and signings continuing to break, Hoops Rumors is here to help you keep track of which players are heading to which teams this offseason. To this end, we present our Free Agent Tracker, a feature we’ve had each year since our inception in 2012. Using our tracker, you can quickly look up deals, sorting by team, position, free agent type, and a handful of other variables.

A few notes on the tracker:

Some of the information you’ll find in the tracker will reflect tentative agreements, rather than finalized deals. As signings become official, we’ll continue to update and modify the data as needed.
Similarly, contract years and dollars will sometimes be based on what’s been reported to date, so those amounts could be approximations rather than official figures. Salaries aren’t necessarily fully guaranteed either.
A restricted free agent who signs an offer sheet won’t be included in the tracker right away. We’ll wait to hear whether the player’s original team will match or pass on that offer sheet before we update our tracker, in order to avoid confusion.
If you’re viewing the tracker on our mobile site, be sure to turn your phone sideways to see more details.

Our 2018 Free Agent Tracker can be found anytime on the right sidebar of our desktop site under “Hoops Rumors Features,” and it’s also under the “Tools” menu atop the site. On our mobile site, it can be found in our menu under “Free Agent Lists.”

The tracker will be updated throughout the offseason, so be sure to check back for the latest info. If you have any corrections, please let us know right here.

Our lists of free agents by position/type and by team break down the players who have yet to reach contract agreements.

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Hoops Rumors Originals

LeBron James Talks Decision To Sign With Lakers

July 29th, 2018 at 4:28pm CST by marksuleymanov

LeBron James‘ decision to sign with the Lakers ended his second tour of duty with Cavaliers and altered the basketball world. After appearing in four straight NBA Finals with Cleveland, James is heading to the Western Conference for the first time in his career.

Aside from an appearance at Summer League, donning a $495 pair of Lakers shorts, James had not addressed his four-year pact with Los Angeles. As James prepares to open a new public school called “I Promise,” in his native Akron, Ohio, James discussed his choice to join the Lakers via his Uninterrupted platform on Sunday.

“You look at the Lakers,” James said. “Being able to play for a historic franchise with so much history, and now being able to partner with Magic Johnson, someone I kinda like looked up to when I was younger and wanted to make no-look passes like Magic, wanted to get on the break and be Showtime like Magic and then for it to all come to fruition at this point.”

James, 33, joins the Lakers after a season in which he played in all 82 regular season games for the first time and averaged 27.5 PPG, 9.1 APG and 8.6 RPG. The four-time NBA Most Valuable Player cited timing as a major part of his decision and that his goal is to bring a championship to Los Angeles.

“I think timing is everything. For me to be in this position now, the excitement that I have to be a Laker, I’m happy to be a part of it because I believe the Lakers is a historical franchise, we all know that, but it’s a championship franchise and that’s what we’re trying to get back to,” he said. “I’m happy to be a part of the culture and be a part of us getting back to that point.”

Heat Sign Yante Maten To Two-Way Deal

July 29th, 2018 at 2:19pm CST by marksuleymanov

The Heat have signed forward Yante Maten to a two-way contract, the team announced in a press release on Sunday.

Maten appeared in seven games for the Heat’s Summer League teams in Sacramento and Las Vegas, averaging 10.7 PPG and 5.6 APG while shooting 44.6% from the field.

The 2018 SEC Player of the Year spent four seasons at the University of Georgia, appearing in all 128 collegiate contests. Chet Kammerer, the Heat’s vice president of player personnel was impressed with Maten’s ability.

“We saw him play in the SEC and he was player of the year [as a senior],” Kammerer said.“He’s been a solid player over his career at Georgia and had some individual highs over the course of his career. He started kind of slow but he’s really a solid basketball player. Versatile. He’s got a bright future ahead of him.”

After his strong showing in Summer League, Maten’s agent Austin Walton of NEXT Sports said his client received Exhibit 10 offers from “half the league.” Walton’s hope was to secure a two-way contract for Maten, which he did.

The Heat have 12 players on standard NBA contracts, with roster spots set aside for Dwyane Wade and Udonis Haslem if they decide to continue their careers. Duncan Robinson holds the other one of the team’s two-way deals.

Weekly Mailbag: 7/23/18 – 7/29/18

July 29th, 2018 at 12:59pm CST by Arthur Hill

We have an opportunity for you to hit us up with your questions in this, our weekly mailbag feature. Have a question regarding player movement, the salary cap or the NBA draft? Drop us a line at HoopsRumorsMailbag@Gmail.com.

Why does Vince Carter keep signing with non-playoff teams like the Kings and Hawks when he should be chasing rings at his age? — DW, via Twitter

The priority for Carter seems to be playing time, which wouldn’t be guaranteed on a contending team for someone who will turn 42 during the season. A lot of people questioned his decision to sign with Sacramento last season, but he wound up in 58 games and averaged 17.7 minutes per night. Plus he collected $8MM, which no contender would have been willing to pay. Carter will only get a veteran’s minimum deal from the Hawks, but it gives him another year in the NBA and it allows him to serve as a mentor to a young roster, which is something else he seems to enjoy.

Just wondering about Kenrich Williams, saw him perform well for the Nuggets during summer league. He should have been drafted, shocked that he wasn’t and I think that someone is going to get him for a steal. — Sergeant Preston

This email was received before Williams signed with the Pelicans this week, but he does have the look of someone who can eventually contribute at the NBA level. Williams was a versatile player at TCU, posting a 13.2/9.3/3.9 line in his senior season, and he projects as either a small forward or stretch four in the NBA. At 23, he’s a little bit old for a prospect and it doesn’t help that he landed on a team without a direct G League affiliate. However, his ability to guard several positions is highly valued in the modern NBA and he will have opportunities to find the right situation, whether that’s with the Pelicans or someone else.

How likely is it the Knicks make the playoffs? — Eli Samuels

If you mean in 2018/19, the chances are really bad. Nobody knows for sure if Kristaps Porzingis will return from his torn ACL this season, and even the most optimistic projections have him out until January. The Knicks didn’t add anything significant in free agency beyond Mario Hezonja, nor did they take on any long-term salary because they’re saving their money for next summer. Their most exciting newcomers are rookies Kevin Knox and Mitchell Robinson, who will both need time to adjust to the NBA. Beyond the upcoming season, New York’s prospects are much brighter. The franchise could be in position to offer two max deals in 2019, with Kyrie Irving, Jimmy Butler and Kevin Durant among those rumored to have interest. Also, a competent management team finally seems to be in place that won’t throw big money at average players in contracts the team comes to regret.

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