2018 October | Hoops Rumors

Nuggets Exercise Options On Murray, Hernangomez, Beasley

October 30th, 2018 at 12:50pm CST by Luke Adams

The Nuggets have officially exercised their 2019/20 team options on Jamal Murray, Juan Hernangomez, and Malik Beasley, the team confirmed today (via Twitter). Michael Scotto of The Athletic had reported on Monday that Beasley’s option would be picked up, and the other two were viewed as locks.

The trio of fourth-year options will add about $10.5MM in guaranteed money to the Nuggets’ cap for next season — $4,444,746 for Murray, $3,321,030 for Hernangomez, and $2,731,714 for Beasley. All three players will now be extension-eligible as of July 1, 2019, and would reach restricted free agency in the summer of 2020 if they don’t sign new deals with Denver before then.

Murray, the seventh overall pick in the 2016 draft, is one of the Nuggets’ core pieces. So far this season, he’s averaging 16.7 PPG, 4.3 RPG, and 2.8 APG in six games (31.2 MPG). Hernangomez and Beasley have more modest roles in Denver’s rotation, but have been seeing fairly regular playing time in 2018/19. They’re each averaging just over 15 minutes per contest.

The Nuggets’ announcement doesn’t mention Tyler Lydon, whose third-year option for 2019/20 must also be picked up by tomorrow to avoid making him an unrestricted free agency next July. Lydon has been unable to carve out a role in Denver’s crowded power forward picture, appearing in just three games since being selected 24th overall in the 2017 draft, so the club seems likely to pass on his option.

We’re tracking all of this year’s rookie scale option decisions right here.

Pistons To Decline Henry Ellenson’s 2019/20 Option

October 30th, 2018 at 12:25pm CST by Luke Adams

The Pistons will not exercise Henry Ellenson‘s rookie scale option for the 2019/20 season in advance of Wednesday’s deadline, reports Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link). By turning down that option, Detroit will put Ellenson on a path to unrestricted free agency in the summer of 2019.

Ellenson, 21, has appeared in just 58 games during his two-plus seasons in Detroit since being selected 18th overall in the 2016 draft. He has averaged 3.8 PPG and 2.2 RPG in those 58 games, with an underwhelming .363 FG% in 8.3 minutes per contest.

With Anthony Tolliver no longer a Piston, Ellenson was considered a candidate to earn some playing time in the frontcourt behind Blake Griffin and Andre Drummond this season, but that hasn’t happened so far. Zaza Pachulia has handled most of the backup minutes at center, while smaller forwards like Stanley Johnson and Glenn Robinson III have seen some time at the four. Ellenson has appeared in just one game.

Ellenson’s option for 2019/20 would have been worth $2,856,804. Now, the Pistons will be prohibited from offering a starting salary worth more than that amount if they change course and want to bring him back next season.

The Pistons will also have a decision to make on Luke Kennard before Wednesday — his third-year option for 2019/20 looks like a safe bet to be exercised.

Bulls Exercise Options On Markkanen, Dunn, Valentine

October 30th, 2018 at 11:57am CST by Luke Adams

The Bulls have exercised their 2019/20 team options on three players, announcing today in a press release that Lauri Markkanen, Kris Dunn, and Denzel Valentine have all had their salaries guaranteed for next season.

Dunn and Valentine were 2016 draft picks, so their options for 2019/20 are for the fourth and final year of their respective rookie scale contracts. Dunn’s will have a cap charge of $5,348,007, while Valentine’s is worth $3,377,569. Both players will be eligible for rookie scale extensions during the 2019 offseason before entering the last year of their rookie deals. If they don’t sign extensions, they’ll remain on track for restricted free agency in 2020.

Markkanen’s $5,300,400 option is for his third year, meaning the Bulls will have one more option decision to make on his rookie contract next October. He won’t be extension-eligible until 2020.

Unfortunately for the Bulls, all three of these young players are currently injured, with Markkanen sidelined by an elbow injury, Dunn recovering from an MCL sprain, and Valentine battling an ankle issue. Barring setbacks, all three players could get back on the court for Chicago within the next four or five weeks.

International Notes: J. Anthony, B. Paul, Gentile

October 30th, 2018 at 11:05am CST by Luke Adams

Former NBA center Joel Anthony has decided to return to Argentina to continue his playing career, as Emiliano Carchia of Sportando relays. After helping to lead San Lorenzo de Almagro to a domestic title and an Americas League championship last season, Anthony has rejoined the club, replacing another former NBA big man, Eric Dawson.

Anthony, who was waived by the Bucks last October, appeared in 490 regular season games over the course of his 10-year NBA career for the Heat, Celtics, Pistons, and Spurs. The 36-year-old also played in another 66 postseason games, primarily for the Heat — he won a pair of titles with Miami.

Here are a few more international notes and updates on players with a connection to the NBA:

Brandon Paul, who was waived by the Spurs earlier this year after appearing in 64 games for the club last season, is said to be considering EuroLeague club KK Buducnost, according to Emiliano Carchia of Sportando, who adds that a move to China is another option for the ex-Spurs shooting guard.
After being signed and cut by the Rockets this fall, Italian swingman Alessandro Gentile has signed with Estudiantes in Spain, per Carchia. The 53rd overall pick in the 2014 NBA draft, Gentile was a Rockets draft-and-stash for several years, but his rights are no longer held by any NBA team.
Manny Harris, who has seen NBA action for the Cavaliers, Lakers, and Mavericks, had a short-lived stint in Lithuania this season. As Carchia passes along, Harris and his club in Lithuania, Rytas Vilnius, have agreed to part ways after just 18 days.

Wizards Likely To Promote From Within To Fill Roster Opening

October 30th, 2018 at 8:41am CST by Luke Adams

After carrying just 13 players on standard NBA contracts for two weeks to open the 2018/19 season, the Wizards now face a deadline to add a 14th player to their roster. The team is considered “highly likely” to fill that opening by promoting a player from within the organization, according to Chase Hughes of NBC Sports Washington.

As Hughes details, two-way players Jordan McRae and Devin Robinson are candidates to receive an NBA roster spot, but they’re not the only options for Washington. The Wizards may also consider calling up a player from their new G League affiliate, the Capital City Go-Go.

Lavoy Allen, Chasson Randle, Chris Chiozza, and Tiwian Kendley all spent time with the Wizards during the preseason before being waived and heading to the G League, so they’d be the top candidates for a promotion. Both Allen and Randle have previous NBA experience.

NBA teams are generally required to carry at least 14 players on their 15-man regular season rosters, but league rules allow clubs to carry less than that amount for up to two weeks at a time. Because the Wizards have only had 13 players under contract since setting their opening-night roster, those two weeks are just about up.

Whichever player fills that 14th slot on the roster seems unlikely to get a guaranteed contract. The Wizards, who are off to a 1-5 start and have had the league’s worst defense so far, will probably want to maintain flexibility to add roster reinforcements via free agency or a trade down the road.

Pacific Notes: Warriors, Okobo, Cousins, Lakers

October 29th, 2018 at 11:01pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Warriors have been ordered to pay approximately $40MM for prior renovations at Oracle Arena, according to an Associated Press report. The dispute stemmed from renovations to the arena back in 1996. The government agency that manages the arena took out a $150MM bond for basketball renovations and the team agreed to help finance with annual payments. The Warriors argued their debt obligation should end when they terminate their lease and leave Oakland for San Francisco at the end of the season. An arbiter disagreed and ruled that the team must continue making payments through 2027.

We have more news from the Pacific Division:

Rookie Elie Okobo may have emerged as the Suns’ answer at point guard in a loss to the Thunder over the weekend, Duane Rankin of the Arizona Republic writes. Okobo posted a team-high 18 points and eight assists after he replaced Isaiah Canaan, who suffered a left ankle injury early in the contest. “He played with confidence, he played with a presence. He played like, ‘I belong here,’” Suns coach Igor Kokoskov said.
Warriors center DeMarcus Cousins apologized to coach Steve Kerr for getting ejected from the bench during the team’s game against the Knicks on Friday, Nick Friedell of ESPN relays. Cousins, who is still rehabbing from his Achilles injury he suffered last season, got tossed for trash talking to Knicks center Enes Kanter. “That kind of stuff is not going to help us win a championship, it’s not going to help his reputation, and I think he understands that,” Kerr said. “And I think he immediately regretted what happened, so I really appreciated him coming to me and making that pretty clear, and I don’t expect it to happen again.”
The Lakers need to ride their young players — Lonzo Ball, Kyle Kuzma, Brandon Ingram and Josh Hart — to complement LeBron James and build a brighter future, Martin Rogers of USA Today argues. It’s important for that quartet to grow and develop chemistry with James, rather than playing veterans like Rajon Rondo and Michael Beasley, Rogers adds.

NBA G League Assignments/Recalls: 10/29/18

October 29th, 2018 at 10:00pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Here are Monday’s G League assignments and recalls from around the NBA:

The Clippers assigned guard Sindarius Thornwell to the Agua Caliente Clippers, the Clippers’ PR department tweets. Thornwell was a regular member of the team’s rotation as a rookie last season, appearing in 73 games, including 16 starts. He hasn’t seen the court this season.
The Mavericks have assigned rookie big man Ray Spalding to the Texas Legends, Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News tweets. Spalding was languishing behind DeAndre Jordan, Maxi Kleber and Dwight Powell in the rotation and with Harrison Barnes returning from an injury, there was no playing time for him. The 6’10” Spalding was the 56th overall pick in June by the Sixers, who then shipped him to the Mavs. He has made one cameo appearance with Dallas.

Community Shootaround: Wizards’ Issues

October 29th, 2018 at 9:00pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Wizards came into the season with the expectation of being a serious contender with LeBron James out of the Eastern Conference picture.

Following a 1-5 start, the Wizards might have to start thinking soon about breaking up their nucleus. They’re not only losing, they’re bickering once agin.

John Wall and Bradley Beal have criticized teammates for having their own agendas. Austin Rivers says the rest of the league is laughing at them.

Certainly, Washington’s defense has been a joke. They’ve given up the most points per game in the NBA. During their current three-game losing streak, they’ve allowed 144 to Golden State, 116 to Sacramento and 136 to the Los Angeles Clippers.

Their rebounding has also been atrocious, though in fairness Dwight Howard hasn’t played a game due to injury.

The overriding concern is whether the Wizards can be taken seriously with the pieces they have. They’re currently over the cap and the luxury-tax line. Their top three players — Wall, Beal and Otto Porter Jr. — will eat up over $92MM in cap space next season and more than $98MM the following season if Porter exercises his player option.

Wall and Beal have always had an uneasy partnership and it doesn’t appear to be getting any better. The supporting cast has been underwhelming, with Porter in particular not producing at the level expected of a team’s No. 3 option. Perhaps the return of Howard will help settle things down in the interior, though Howard has a way of quickly wearing out his welcome.

This brings us to our question of the day: Should the Wizards stay the course and keep the John Wall-Bradley Beal backcourt intact or should they try to shake things up with a major trade?

Please take to the comments section to weigh in on this topic. We look forward to what you have to say.

Wizards Notes: Slow Start, Trades, Rivers, Porter

October 29th, 2018 at 7:57pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Austin Rivers, one of the newest Wizards, had some pointed words for his teammates after the team dropped to 1-5 this season, E. Jay Zarett of the Sporting News relays. Washington is giving up a league-worst 125 PPG. “Nobody’s going to feel bad for us,” the combo guard said. “People are laughing at us. … I don’t know how we expect to get wins when they are just walking into the paint, (we are) giving up threes. It comes from effort and talking. You have got to have personal pride. You’ve got to get mad when someone scores on you. We are not the Warriors.”

We’ve got more on the Wizards:

Breaking up the backcourt of John Wall and Bradley Beal and finding a taker for Otto Porter Jr.’s big contract is the only way for Washington to begin a meaningful rebuild, Frank Urbina of HoopsHype opines. Wall and Beal remain the team’s best assets despite Wall’s extension kicking in next season and Beal having two more years left on his contract, Urbina continues. If the front office doesn’t do something bold, it seems destined to deal with constant dysfunctional mediocrity, Urbina adds.
Rivers told father Doc Rivers that he was unsure whether he’d re-sign with the Clippers as a free agent in 2019 before he was dealt to Washington, Andrew Greif of the Los Angeles Times reports. Austin Rivers wanted to establish that he could be an effective NBA player without playing for his father. Rivers, who is making $12.65MM this season, was swapped for center Marcin Gortat. “I felt like my head was hitting a ceiling because I was ultimately playing for my dad and no matter what I did it always came back to that. … I could score 60, 50, 40, whatever and people would be like, ‘Oh, his dad’s the coach,’” Rivers said.
Porter has not been carrying his share of the load offensively, Chase Hughes of NBC Sports Washington notes. Porter is averaging just 9.8 PPG while shooting 41.1% from the field and 21.7% from 3-point range.
Coach Scott Brooks continues to have the full support of the organization despite the club’s poor start. Get all the details here.

Schedule Pushed Back A Week Next Season

October 29th, 2018 at 6:38pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The 2019/20 NBA regular season will begin nearly a week later than this season, Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer tweets.

Opening night will be October 22, compared to this season’s October 16 start. This also means the playoffs will begin a week later, O’Connor continues.

The league wanted to make the change to prevent opening night from occurring too early in the calendar year moving forward. The FIBA World Cup also factored into the decision, O’Connor adds.

The NBA has stretched out the regular season in order to accommodate concerns about excessive back-to-backs. This year’s schedule features the fewest back-to-backs in league history and that shouldn’t change next season despite the later starting date. On average, teams will play on consecutive nights 13.3 times this season, with no club playing more than 15 back-to-backs. The league, in cooperation with the Players’ Association, has eliminated instances of teams playing four games in five nights or eight games in 12 nights.

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