Community Shootaround: Early Western Conference Predictions
NBA teams aren’t necessarily done reshaping their rosters for 2018/19 quite yet, but nearly all of this summer’s impact free agents are off the board. And unlike last year, when Kyrie Irving was traded in late August and Carmelo Anthony was moved in September, the majority of this year’s biggest-name trade candidates have already been dealt or seem unlikely to go anywhere at this point.
With the major offseason roster moves out of the way, we can start evaluating what the NBA playoff picture might look like next season. We’ll kick off that discussion today by examining the Western Conference, where it took 47 wins to claim a postseason berth this past spring.
The competition in the West figures to be no less fierce in 2018/19. With the possible exception of the Rockets, who lost Trevor Ariza and Luc Mbah a Moute, and the Pelicans, who lost DeMarcus Cousins and Rajon Rondo, none of the eight Western Conference teams from last year look any worse.
The Warriors are bringing back all their key pieces and added Cousins; the Trail Blazers, Timberwolves, and Jazz look almost the same as they did last year, with all their top players still under contract; the Thunder brought back all their most important free agents while adding a couple complementary pieces in Dennis Schroder and Nerlens Noel; and the Spurs replaced a star who appeared in just nine games last season with another All-Star in DeMar DeRozan.
There aren’t many clear candidates to fall out of the top eight in the West, and there are plenty of teams in the bottom seven who improved their rosters and have postseason aspirations. The Lakers‘ addition of LeBron James was the most obvious and noteworthy free agent move made by a Western lottery team, but it was hardly the only one.
The Nuggets re-signed Nikola Jokic and Will Barton while adding Isaiah Thomas, and will have a healthy Paul Millsap this year as they look to improve upon a 46-win season. The Clippers, who finished above .500, are deeper and arguably more talented than they were last season. The Mavericks made a pair of very intriguing additions in DeAndre Jordan and Luka Doncic. The Grizzlies should have Mike Conley at full health to go along with Marc Gasol and newcomers like Kyle Anderson, Jaren Jackson, and Garrett Temple.
We’ve mentioned 13 of the 15 Western Conference teams, with only the Suns and Kings perhaps not viewed as viable playoff threats. Even those clubs have plenty of promising young talent and could theoretically improve upon last season’s results — particularly the Suns, who added Deandre Ayton, Mikal Bridges, and Trevor Ariza.
What do you think? Are there any playoff locks in the West besides the Warriors and Rockets? Which of last year’s teams will fall out of the top eight? Which Western lottery teams are on track to reach the postseason next spring?
Jump into the comment section below to share your two cents and your Western Conference top eight.
Hornets Sign Three Players To Camp Deals
The Hornets have signed undrafted rookies Jaylen Barford and Zach Smith to their training camp roster, the team announced today in a press release. The club also confirmed the previously-reported signing of another undrafted free agent, Isaiah Wilkins.
Barford, a 6’3″ guard out of Arkansas, was the No. 95 prospect on Jonathan Givony’s 2018 big board at ESPN.com. In his final college season, Barford averaged 17.9 PPG, 3.9 RPG, and 2.5 APG with a .470/.431/.721 shooting line for the Razorbacks, earning First Team All-SEC honors.
A 6’8″ forward, Smith played his college ball at Texas Tech, averaging 12.1 PPG and 7.2 RPG in his junior year before being slowed by injuries in his senior season. He played in the Las Vegas Summer League for the Hawks, averaging 5.5 PPG and 4.3 RPG in four games.
Wilkins, meanwhile, had modest averages of 6.0 PPG, 6.2 RPG, and 1.6 APG during his senior year at Virginia. However, the 6’8″ forward filled up the stat sheet with 1.4 BPG and 1.2 SPG, and was named the ACC Defensive Player of the Year. Wilkins is the stepson of NBA legend Dominique Wilkins.
While terms of the three deals aren’t known, I’d anticipate minimum salary contracts with little to no guaranteed money. It’s possible that the contracts include an Exhibit 10 clause, in which case Barford, Smith, and Wilkins would be candidates to eventually end up with the Greensboro Swarm, the Hornets’ G League affiliate.
Shane Larkin To Play In Turkey
Free agent point guard Shane Larkin has elected to return overseas to continue his career, according to international basketball reporter David Pick, who tweets that Larkin has signed a one-year, $1.8MM offer from Anadolu Efes. The Turkish club has since confirmed the addition of Larkin (via Twitter).
Larkin, 25, spent last season with the Celtics, averaging 4.3 PPG and 1.8 APG in 54 games (14.4 MPG). While the former first-round pick didn’t have a major role in Boston, he did see regular minutes during the team’s first-round playoff series against the Bucks when both Kyrie Irving and Marcus Smart were sidelined with injuries.
This won’t be the first stint in Europe for Larkin, who has also spent time with the Mavericks, Knicks, and Nets in four NBA seasons. The former Miami Hurricane played in Spain with Baskonia during the 2016/17 season, earning a spot on the All-Spanish League Second Team that year.
With Irving, Smart, and Terry Rozier all set to return in Boston and Brad Wanamaker also joining the mix, the Celtics’ point guard depth chart was probably too crowded to justify a reunion with Larkin. Now that Larkin is headed overseas, the most notable point guards still on the free agent market include Mario Chalmers, Ty Lawson, Jameer Nelson, and Tyrone Wallace.
Southeast Notes: Howard, Wade, Hawks, Graham
Expectations are rising for the Wizards after the addition of Dwight Howard, and team officials are happy to join in, writes Tyler Byrum of NBC Sports Washington. The Wizards were able to add Howard at a bargain price following his buyout with the Nets, giving him about $11MM over two years with a player option on the second season.
Howard joins a team that already has two All-Stars in John Wall and Bradley Beal, along with young talent in Otto Porter and Kelly Oubre. Washington fortified its bench, a weak spot in recent years, with offseason moves to pick up Austin Rivers, Jeff Green and Troy Brown.
“This is probably the deepest team that we’ve had and maybe the most talented,” said GM Ernie Grunfeld. “I think it is a very deep team with a lot of versatile players that could play multiple positions. We can put a lot of different lineups out there; we can go really big and we can go really small.”
There’s more from the Southeast Division:
- Dwyane Wade has a two- to three-day window to accept a three-year, $25MM offer in China, tweets Ira Winderman of The Sun-Sentinel. The Zhejiang Golden Bulls will start looking at other foreign players if Wade doesn’t respond in that time frame. Wade, meanwhile is considered a strong bet to return to the Heat if he continues his NBA career.
- Tonight’s agreements with Vince Carter and Daniel Hamilton will bring the Hawks to 15 guaranteed contracts once their signings become official, posts Bobby Marks on ESPN Now. Carter will receive a $2.4MM veteran’s minimum deal that will count $1.5MM toward the salary cap. Hamilton will receive a minimum contract worth $1.35MM. The Hawks used most of their $4.4MM room exception to sign Alex Len and have both two-way slots filled with Jaylen Adams and Alex Poythress.
- Hornets rookie Devonte’ Graham apparently won’t need surgery on his injured right knee, according to Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer. A cartilage issue was discovered in the knee earlier this month, but specialists believe it will heal on its own. A team spokesman said Graham will resume basketball activity on a “conservative schedule.” He is expected to be ready for the start of training camp in September.
Atlantic Notes: Davis, Dudley, Green, Celtics
After playing for four teams in eight seasons, newly signed Nets forward Ed Davis feels like he has found a place where he’s wanted, relays Brian Lewis of The New York Post. Brooklyn was quick to pounce on Davis, offering a one-year, $4.4MM deal minutes after free agency opened.
“The main thing is they definitely came out aggressive when July 1 hit. I definitely wanted to go to where I was wanted, so that had a lot to do with it,” Davis said. “Then, I talked to Allen [Crabbe] and Jeremy [Lin] about the coaching staff and how the organization was run, and it was nothing but great things. Then, this team has potential, definitely. We can try to make this push into the playoffs this year. It’s going to be a challenge, but that’s one of the reasons why I’m here.”
Davis topped all NBA reserves in rebounding last season with 575, but the Trail Blazers decided he was expendable. Portland executive Neil Olshey told reporters he was on the phone when Davis when he received the Nets’ offer and advised him to accept it.
There’s more tonight from the Atlantic Division:
- Veteran shooter Jared Dudley, who met the media today following a trade that sent him from the Suns to the Nets, almost came to Brooklyn two years ago, writes Tom Dowd of NBA.com. Dudley said he considered the franchise because of the style of offense that coach Kenny Atkinson runs. “That’s one of my strong suits here in the NBA with reading defenses, moving side-to-side, going to pick-and-rolls,” Dudley explained. “I just think it’s kind of a perfect match.”
- He may be considered a throw-in from the Kawhi Leonard trade, but Danny Green is exactly the type of player the Raptors need, according to Steven Loung of SportsNet. Green will solve some of the team’s spacing issues with his 3-point accuracy, and he’s an excellent defender to match up against opposing wing players.
- The Celtics were able to save some money by trading Abdel Nader to the Thunder instead of waiving him, Bobby Marks notes on ESPN Now. The move saves Boston about $675K in tax penalties and another $450K in salary. Getting rid of Nader leaves the Celtics with 14 guaranteed contracts and a tax bill of $3.8MM if they waive Rodney Purvis, whose $1,378,242 salary doesn’t become guaranteed until January 10.
Mavericks Close To Deal With Devin Harris
Devin Harris is close to a one-year deal to return to the Mavericks, tweets Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports, who adds that Harris and the team are hoping to have a contract finalized by tomorrow.
If Harris returns to Dallas, it will mark his third stint with the franchise. The Mavericks acquired him in a draft night trade with the Wizards in 2004 and kept him until 2008, when they traded him to the Nets. Harris returned to Dallas as a free agent in 2013 and spent five more years with the Mavs before being shipped to Denver in February.
The 35-year-old combo guard appeared in 71 games last season, averaging 8.4 PPG. His addition will give the Mavericks 16 players under contract.
Brad Townsend of The Dallas Morning News first reported that a reunion between Harris and the Mavs was possible after Yogi Ferrell backed out of a deal with the team.
Celtics Sign Walt Lemon Jr. To Two-Way Deal
JULY 25, 7:08pm: The signing is official, according to a tweet from ESPN’s Chris Forsberg.
JULY 16, 10:47am: The Celtics have agreed to sign free agent guard Walter Lemon Jr. to a two-way contract, reports Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link). Lemon will take over the two-way slot recently vacated by Kadeem Allen, who was waived by Boston over the weekend.
[RELATED: 2018/19 NBA Two-Way Contract Tracker]
Lemon, who will turn 26 later this month, made his NBA debut earlier this year after he signed a 10-day contract with the Pelicans. The former Bradley standout later inked a second 10-day pact with New Orleans and ultimately appeared in five games for the club, but wasn’t retained for the rest of the season.
For the majority of the 2017/18 season, Lemon was a member of the Fort Wayne Mad Ants in the G League, averaging 22.4 PPG, 6.1 APG, 4.7 RPG, and 2.0 SPG in 40 contests. In five Summer League games this month for the Pelicans, he recorded 13.6 PPG, 6.4 APG, and 3.6 RPG.
Boston will still have an open two-way contract slot after officially signing Lemon. The team has a qualifying offer out to Jabari Bird, but he may end up receiving a promotion to the 15-man roster, which would leave the other two-way slot open for someone else.
Rockets Sign Isaiah Hartenstein
5:56pm: The signing is official, the Rockets announced on their website.
3:32pm: Hartenstein will receive a three-year contract, signaling that the Rockets will use a small portion of their mid-level exception to complete the signing, tweets Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle (Twitter link).
3:17pm: The Rockets will finalize a deal with draft-and-stash prospect Isaiah Hartenstein today, according to Mark Berman of Fox 26 Houston (Twitter link). We heard last week that Houston was looking to reach an agreement with its 2017 second-round pick.
Hartenstein, 20, had a strong showing for the Rockets during this year’s NBA Summer League after playing for the Rio Grande Valley Vipers – Houston’s G League affiliate – last season. Having averaged 9.5 PPG, 6.6 RPG, and 1.1 BPG in 38 games for the Vipers in 2017/18, the seven-footer posted 10.3 PPG, 8.0 RPG, and 2.3 BPG in four Summer League games earlier this month.
Before being selected 43rd overall in the 2017 draft and heading to the G League, Hartenstein played with Lithuanian club Zalgiris Kaunas, where he helped lead the team to a seventh straight Lithuanian Basketball Club title.
Terms of Hartenstein’s deal aren’t yet known. A minimum-salary agreement seems likely, but the Rockets could go up to three years if they decide to dip into their mid-level exception rather than using the minimum salary exception.
Hartenstein will be the second draft-and-stash prospect to sign an NBA contract this month. Jonah Bolden of the Sixers was the first.
Spurs Rumors: DeRozan, USA Basketball, Green, Ginobili
Spurs guard DeMar DeRozan has decided not to participate in Basketball Without Borders or the NBA Africa game, reports Chris Haynes of ESPN. DeRozan’s former boss, Raptors president Masai Ujiri, is a prominent ambassador for Basketball Without Borders, which will conduct camps leading up to the August 4 game in Pretoria, South Africa.
DeRozan has made critical comments about Ujiri and the Raptors organization in the wake of a trade last week that sent him to San Antonio after nine years in Toronto. DeRozan claims Uriri promised he wouldn’t be traded just days before the deal was completed.
There’s more Spurs new to pass along:
- DeRozan plans to attend the USA Basketball mini-camp this week in Las Vegas, according to Tom Orsborn of The San Antonio Express-News. DeRozan sees it as an opportunity to get better acquainted with Spurs coach Gregg Popovich, who has taken over as head coach of USA Basketball.
- Danny Green, who was sent to Toronto in the DeRozan deal, played much of last season with a groin tear that wasn’t diagnosed by the Spurs’ medical staff, relays Kyle Newport of Bleacher Report. In his “Inside the Green Room” podcast, Green says he suffered what he thought was a strained groin in December and he didn’t learn about the tear until his exit interview, Although Green’s agent suggested a second opinion when the injury occurred, Green said he trusted team doctors and still claims they did “everything they could.” In light of his experience, Green adds that nobody should criticize Kawhi Leonard for obtaining a second opinion on his injured quad.
- In the same podcast, Green speculates that Manu Ginobili will return to the Spurs for a 17th season, Orsborn writes a separate story. “With the way he’s been working out, with the way he’s been talking, it seems like we will probably be playing against him this year,” Green said. “I don’t know for sure, (but) he’s under contract and it doesn’t seem like he’s ready to give it up yet.” Ginobli, who will turn 41 on Saturday, has one year left on his current deal at $2.5MM if he decides against retirement. He appeared in 65 games last season and averaged 8.9 PPG.
Knicks Sign Kadeem Allen
The Knicks have signed free agent guard Kadeem Allen to a contract, the club announced today (via Twitter). Michael Scotto of The Athletic first reported the agreement (via Twitter).
Allen, who was selected 53rd overall in the 2017 draft by the Celtics, spent his rookie season on a two-way contract with Boston, but was waived by the club earlier this month.
While he only played sparingly in 18 games for the C’s in 2017/18, Allen had a strong showing for the Maine Red Claws in the G League, averaging 17.7 PPG, 5.5 RPG, 4.9 APG, and 2.2 SPG in 34 contests. The 25-year-old was also named to the NBAGL All-Defensive team.
Terms of Allen’s new deal aren’t yet known, but a training camp contract with little to no guaranteed money seems likely. Having signed Noah Vonleh already this week, the Knicks now have 19 players under contract — 17 on NBA deals and two more on two-way pacts. Teams can carry up to 20 players on their rosters during the offseason.