Pacific Notes: Warriors, Paul, Draft, Oubre, Kaminsky
The Warriors‘ dynasty almost didn’t happen. Golden State was looking for an All-Star back in 2011 and the franchise offered Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson to New Orleans in exchange for Chris Paul, Ethan Strauss writes in The Victory Machine (h/t Dan Feldman of NBC Sports).
Paul, whose contract expired at the end of that season, reportedly told the Warriors that he would not re-sign with them, which nixed the negotiations. Paul was later dealt to the Lakers in a trade that was vetoed. He ultimately ended up on the Clippers via another trade.
Here’s more from the Western Conference:
- If the NBA doesn’t resume, the Warriors are guaranteed a top-five pick and Anthony Slater of The Athletic examines the team’s options with that selection. As Slater details, trading it away for a proven vet is worth exploring, especially if there are no surefire prospects in the draft, as some believe.
- Trading down is an option for the Warriors in the draft and Slater (in the same piece) proposes a fun hypothetical deal that sends Kelly Oubre and the Suns‘ pick (projected to be No. 10) to the Warriors for their top-five pick. Oubre would fit in nicely with the team’s core and his salary would fit into the team’s $17.2MM trade exception.
- Suns GM James Jones said that Oubre, who underwent meniscus surgery back in February, and Frank Kaminsky, who was dealing with a patella stress fracture, have both medically healed, Gina Mizell of The Athletic tweets. Both have “kind of pressed the pause button” though, as they can’t participate in traditional sports rehab.
Heat Notes: Iguodala, Winslow, Robinson
Andre Iguodala hasn’t been with the Heat too long. He was traded to Miami back in February, but during his short time with the team, he has already figured out why the organization has such a good reputation.
“It’s the Heat culture, which is a different type of culture in terms of the connection you have, with not just your teammates but the coaching staff,” Iguodala said (via Ira Winderman of the Sun-Sentinel). “I see why they’ve been so consistent.”
Here’s more from Miami:
- In the same piece, Iguodala said the team was still figuring out how to play alongside each other when the NBA suspended the season. The former Finals MVP suited up in 14 games for Miami.
- Grading the Justise Winslow-Iguodala trade will come down to how Winslow performs in Memphis, Winderman opines in his latest mailbag. Winslow has yet to suit up for the Grizzlies.
- Duncan Robinson was in the midst of a career year before the NBA’s hiatus, as Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald writes. Robinson’s 243 made threes rank third in the league behind James Harden and Buddy Hield.
- In case you missed it, on Wednesday we passed along word that the Bulls haven’t sought permission to interview Heat executive Shane Battier.
Rui Hachimura Talks Beal’s Mentorship, Carmelo’s Influence On His Game
The atmosphere in Washington this past season fostered growth. Veterans assisted young players on and off the court and rookie Rui Hachimura was recently asked which player on the Wizards was the best mentor for him. The rookie singled out Bradley Beal, as I relayed on Heavy.com.
“There’s a lot, but obviously Brad is a guy I’m always looking at,” Hachimura said. “I talk to him about basketball and off the court, everything. He’s a great leader of the team. I think it’s good to see, even at practice, I can watch him and how hard he works…He’s not much of a talking guy. He shows. Whatever he’s doing, I can see…He’s the guy I always look at.”
Hachimura was also asked about which player inspired his game when he first got into basketball.
“I watched a lot of Carmelo Anthony,” Hachimura said. “He was my guy when I started playing basketball. I watched his footsteps and his pull-up shot. That why I think I have a pull-up now, because I watched him a lot. He’s obviously a big guy, 6’8” and a power forward or small forward. I watched him a lot when I was a kid…He was one of the (hardest players to guard all season).”
Hachimura added that he isn’t letting this time off go to waste, just as he didn’t when he missed 23 games with a groin injury early in the season. As he did then, the first-year forward is using his time off the court to watch film in order to grow as a player.
2020/21 Salary Cap Preview: Dallas Mavericks
Hoops Rumors is looking ahead at the 2020/21 salary cap situations for all 30 NBA teams. Due to the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on the NBA, it’s impossible to know yet where the cap for 2020/21 will land. Given the league’s lost revenue, we’re assuming for now that it will stay the same as the ’19/20 cap, but it’s entirely possible it will end up higher or lower than that.
While the Mavericks were expected to take a step forward in 2019/20, few expected the team to come out of the gates by winning 16 of its first 22 games, with Luka Doncic playing like a legit MVP candidate. Dallas slowed down from there, but still entered the NBA’s hiatus comfortably holding a playoff spot in the West, at 40-27.
Having installed Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis as the two cornerstones of the franchise, the Mavs will be looking for ways to continue finding help for those young stars, whether that means adding more complementary role players or trying to find a way to land a third impact player.
Here’s where things stand for the Mavericks financially in 2020/21, as we continue our Salary Cap Preview series:
Guaranteed Salary
- Kristaps Porzingis ($29,467,800)
- Dwight Powell ($11,080,125)
- Delon Wright ($9,000,000)
- Maxi Kleber ($8,250,000)
- Luka Doncic ($8,049,360)
- Seth Curry ($7,834,449)
- Justin Jackson ($5,029,650)
- Dorian Finney-Smith ($4,000,000)
- Boban Marjanovic ($3,500,000)
- Jalen Brunson ($1,663,861)
- Total: $87,875,245
Player Options
- Tim Hardaway ($18,975,000)
- Willie Cauley-Stein ($2,286,357)
- Total: $21,261,357
Team Options
- None
Non-Guaranteed Salary
- None
Restricted Free Agents
- Antonius Cleveland (two-way qualifying offer / $1,445,697 cap hold): Non-Bird rights
- Josh Reaves (two-way qualifying offer / $1,445,697 cap hold): Non-Bird rights
- Total (cap holds): $2,891,394
Unrestricted Free Agents / Other Cap Holds
- Courtney Lee ($19,139,505): Bird rights
- Dirk Nowitzki ($9,500,000): Bird rights 1
- No. 18 overall pick ($2,816,760)
- J.J. Barea ($1,620,564): Bird rights
- Michael Kidd-Gilchrist ($1,620,564): Non-Bird rights
- Devin Harris ($1,620,564): Non-Bird rights 1
- Salah Mejri ($1,620,564): Bird rights 1
- Total: $37,938,521
Offseason Cap Outlook
Hardaway had a strong season in 2019/20, but is unlikely to be offered a starting salary of $19MM if he opts out, so he’s a good bet to pick up his player option. Assuming he does, the Mavericks will enter the offseason without any cap room available.
Still, regardless of where the cap ultimately ends up, Dallas should have its full mid-level exception available to use in free agency. The club won’t have its bi-annual exception this time around, since it was used during the summer of 2019.
Cap Exceptions Available
- Mid-level exception: $9,258,000 2
Footnotes
- The cap holds for Nowitzki, Harris, and Mejri remain on the Mavericks’ books because they haven’t been renounced after going unsigned in 2019/20. They can’t be used in a sign-and-trade deal.
- This is a projected value.
Note: Minimum-salary and rookie-scale cap holds are based on the salary cap and could increase or decrease depending on where the cap lands.
Salary information from Basketball Insiders and Early Bird Rights was used in the creation of this post. Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Cavaliers Notes: Drummond, Thompson, Shumpert
Andre Drummond‘s option decision will be the move that ultimately controls the Cavaliers‘ offseason, according to Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com, who hears from multiple sources that Drummond exercising that option remains the most probable outcome. With that $28.7MM option on their books, the Cavs almost certainly wouldn’t open up any cap room, limiting their potential offseason moves.
The Cavaliers are “fully prepared” for Drummond to opt in and felt when they acquired the veteran center that there was no better player – among those would be available and realistically attainable – to spend that money on, according to Fedor. As Fedor explains, Cleveland considers Drummond’s skill-set, including his ability to protect the rim on defense and roll to the rim on offense, a good match for the young guards the team is developing.
Here’s more out of Cleveland:
- In a mailbag for Cleveland.com, Fedor addressed a handful of topics, including Tristan Thompson‘s possible future with the Cavaliers. Fedor says he was convinced following the acquisition of Drummond that Thompson wouldn’t be retained, but now feels that there could still be a place for the big man in Cleveland if the price is right.
- Speaking to Shams Charania of The Athletic (video link), Iman Shumpert discussed the gradual dismantling of the Cavaliers team that won the NBA Finals in 2016, noting that he has talked to Kyrie Irving about the subject since they left Cleveland. Shumpert expressed some regret that the roster didn’t remain fully intact for another year or two, given the success the club had.
- In case you missed it, the most recent installment in our Salary Cap Preview series focused on the Cavaliers’ 2020/21 cap outlook.
G League Notes: Green, Todd, Los Angeles, Mobley
It has been an eventful day for the NBA G League, which revealed that it has significantly revamped its program for top high school prospects who want to take a professional path before entering the draft rather than spending a single season in college.
Jalen Green, arguably the top recruit in the 2020 class, became the first big-name prospect to commit to the new NBAGL program, and will reportedly be joined by Isaiah Todd, who decommitted from Michigan earlier this week.
Here are a few more notes and updates on the new G League program and the prospects who are taking that route:
- According to Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link), the compensation packages for high school prospects who sign to play in the G League will vary on a case-by-case basis. However, Green’s total earnings – which will include salary, endorsements, and appearances – are expected to eclipse $1MM.
- Green and Todd will join a new G League franchise based in Southern California, Charania reports (Twitter links). That will serve two purposes — it will prevent any NBA team from gaining an upper hand by developing a top prospect at its own G League affiliate and it will allow the new Los Angeles-based team to play a unique schedule of exhibition games that don’t count toward the NBAGL standings, as detailed in an earlier ESPN report.
- Evan Mobley, who was ranked second behind Green on ESPN’s list of top 2020 recruits, was approached by the G League as well, a source tells Evan Daniels of 247Sports (Twitter link). While the source described the NBAGL’s offer as “an awesome package,” Mobley preferred to take the college route and will play for USC.
Draft Decisions: Dosunmu, C. Brown, Mahoney, More
Illinois sophomore guard Ayo Dosunmu is entering the 2020 NBA draft, as he tells Jon Rothstein of Yahoo Sports (video link). While Dosunmu didn’t explicitly say he’ll maintain his college eligibility throughout the process, he noted that he isn’t hiring an agent yet due to the uncertainty of this year’s pre-draft schedule.
Dosunmu, the 88th-ranked prospect on ESPN’s big board for 2020, recorded 16.6 PPG, 4.3 RPG, and 3.3 APG on 48.4% shooting in 30 games (33.5 MPG) for Illinois in 2019/20. He becomes the second Illinois underclassman to declare for the ’20 draft, joining freshman big man Kofi Cockburn. The two teammates were the leading scorers for the Fighting Illini this past season.
Here are a few more updates on some of the latest draft decisions:
- Wake Forest junior guard Chaundee Brown won’t be returning to the Demon Deacons for his senior season, reports Conor O’Neill of The Winston-Salem Journal. According to O’Neill, Brown is testing the draft waters — if he decides not to go pro, he’ll enter the transfer portal and play for another program.
- Creighton junior guard Denzel Mahoney has declared for the 2020 draft while maintaining his eligibility, he announced on Twitter. Mahoney averaged 12.0 PPG on .421/.358/.838 shooting in 21 games (22.5 MPG) in 2019/20.
- Matt Lewis, a junior guard at James Madison, tells Jeff Goodman of Stadium (Twitter link) that he’s entering the draft. Lewis scored a team-high 19.0 PPG to go along with 5.5 RPG, 3.4 APG, and a .373 3PT% in 2019/20.
- Polish center Adrian Bogucki is entering the 2020 draft pool, as Emiliano Carchia of Sportando writes. The 20-year-old, who also tested the draft waters a year ago, averaged 10.9 PPG and 7.2 RPG for Rosa Radom in 22 Polish League games this past season.
G League Development Program Revamped, Includes $500K Salaries
The NBA and G League development program for top high school prospects has been restructured, including salaries and incentives of $500K or more, as well as playing exhibitions rather than regular G League contests, ESPN’s Jonathan Givony and Adrian Wojnarowski report. Previously, the program offered prospects a $125K salary.
The revamped program helped entice ESPN’s No. 1 high school prospect, Jalen Green, to commit to the G League rather than sign with a college team.
The updated one-year development program will be conducted outside of the G League’s traditional team structure, according to the ESPN duo. Rather than playing regular-season games for a G League affiliate, these top prospects would join some veteran players for exhibition games against G League teams, foreign national teams and NBA academies throughout the world. The exhibitions against G League teams, approximately 10-12 games, wouldn’t count in the standings.
Additionally, the salary bonus structure in a player’s contract will likely include incentives for completing community events and attending life skills program coordinated by the G League, sources tell ESPN.
Previously, top prospects and their advisers had concerns about losing their draft value by being overmatched on G League rosters against more experienced and physically mature players.
The veteran pro players on the team could mentor Green and other prospects while potentially benefiting their own careers. Former NBA coach Sam Mitchell is expected to be a candidate to coach the team, according to the ESPN story.
G League president Shareef Abdur-Rahim believes the updated program will be much more appealing to prospects than going overseas for a year. LaMelo Ball and RJ Hampton, two of the top prep players last year, chose to play in the Australian league.
“We have kids leaving the United States — Texas and California and Georgia — to go around the world to play, and our NBA community has to travel there to scout them. That’s counter-intuitive,” Abdur-Rahim said. “The NBA is the best development system in the world, and those players shouldn’t have to go somewhere else to develop for a year. They should be in our development system.”
The NBA’s negotiations with the NBPA about eliminating the one-and-done rule for the draft remain stalled, per Woj and Givony, so the G League’s program provides a new bridge to the league for players who aren’t interested in going the college route. For now, those players – such as Green – will still become draft-eligible once they’re a year removed from high school.
Top Prep Prospect Jalen Green Headed To G League
12:58pm: Green has officially committed to participating in the G League program, according to an NBAGL press release relayed by Liz Mullen (Twitter link). Todd has also committed to the G League program, Shams Charania of The Athletic tweets.
10:38am: Jalen Green, the top-rated prospect in this year’s high school class, intends to play in the G League next season, Jonathan Givony of ESPN tweets.
Green will make a formal announcement on Thursday regarding his plans but he’s already informing his college suitors that he’ll enter the G League’s professional pathway program, Givony adds.
[RELATED: New details on G League’s revamped development program]
Green is the first prominent high school player to select the G League, rather than being a one-and-done college player or playing overseas until he’s eligible for the draft. As G League expert Adam Johnson notes, the decision represents a huge coup for the league after all of last year’s high school prospects passed up on the chance to play in the NBA’s developmental program (Twitter link).
Green is a 6’5” shooting guard from Fresno, CA who had a laundry list of suitors. He took official visits to Oregon, Kentucky, Auburn and Memphis.
According to ESPN’s prospect evaluation, Green “is a scoring and play-making guard who is only just beginning to scratch the surface of his potential.” Green played for USA Basketball in the FIBA U17 and U19 World Championships in 2018 and 2019 and won gold medals.
With all the uncertainty created by the coronavirus pandemic, the option of playing in the G League is becoming increasingly attractive to high school prospects, according to Evan Daniels of 247 Sports. Going overseas is much less attractive due to the pandemic and there’s no way of knowing if and when the college season will be played.
When the G League professional pathway program was announced in the fall of 2018, prospects were to be paid up to $125K. The league is now willing to go higher than that, Daniels adds.
Another major prospect, power forward Isaiah Todd, is also seriously considering the G League, Daniels adds. Todd is ranked No. 13 by ESPN.
Optimism Growing About Finishing 2019/20 Season
There’s a growing sense around the NBA that the season can be salvaged, Sam Amick of The Athletic reports.
Resuming play in one neutral site, likely Las Vegas, remains the most feasible scenario, Amick continues. However, other scenarios in which teams could play in various locations are also being discussed. In any case, the games would have to be conducted without fans.
Commissioner Adam Silver said on April 6 that no decision regarding the resumption of play this season would be made until at least May 1. There had been growing pessimism prior to Silver’s announcement.
The biggest obstacle would be to procure enough quick-turnaround tests for the coronavirus to ensure the safety of players, coaches, staff members and everyone else necessary to play those games and broadcast them to the general public. Routine testing would have to be conducted throughout the restart process, which would include an approximate month to get players ready for game action.
If the league is willing to push the season back until the late summer, it’s more reasonable to believe it can resume, Amick adds. In a scenario put forth by one team owner, players could start training in early June with the regular season restarting in July and the Finals conducted in late October. An abridged regular season or shortened playoff format could help speed up the process as well.