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Month: April 2024

Knicks To Retain GM Scott Perry For 2020/21

April 29th, 2020 at 9:54am CST by Luke Adams

The Knicks have opted to retain Scott Perry as their general manager for at least another year, reports Steve Popper of Newsday. The team confirmed the decision in a statement to Newsday.

“Scott is a well-respected basketball executive who I have known for more than 20 years, and I look forward to continuing to work closely with him as we look to build a winning team in New York,” president of basketball operations Leon Rose said in that statement.

Perry had been New York’s GM under former team president Steve Mills, and there was speculation that replacing Perry would be among the changes made by the newly-hired Rose as he reshapes the club’s front office. However, given the unusual circumstances created by the coronavirus pandemic, the Knicks had been expected to keep Perry on board at least to run their draft — now, they’ve decided to extend their relationship a little beyond that.

As Popper writes, the Knicks and Perry had a May 1 deadline on their mutual option for the 2020/21 season, necessitating a decision on his future this week. A source tells Popper that the two sides have agreed to a one-year contract, which will allow Rose and Perry to work together without the team having to make a long-term commitment to the GM.

The Knicks’ decision on Perry doesn’t necessarily mean the rest of the front office holdovers are safe for next season. The contracts for those executives don’t require an immediate decision like Perry’s did, according to Popper, who hears from a source that Rose will continue to do due diligence on the rest of the staff.

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205 Early Entrants Declare For 2020 NBA Draft

April 28th, 2020 at 10:20pm CST by Luke Adams

The NBA has released the official list of early entrants for the 2020 NBA draft, announcing in a press release that 205 players have filed as early entry candidates. Of those prospects, 163 are from colleges, while 42 are international early entrants.

That number falls just short of the previous record for early entrants, established in 2018. Two years ago, 236 early entrants declared for the draft, though ultimately only 91 of those prospects remained in the draft by the final deadline. A year ago, 233 early entrants declared, with 98 remaining in the draft.

This year’s total of 205 early entrants also figures to shrink significantly by June 3 and again by June 15, the two tentative deadlines for players to withdraw their names from the draft pool — assuming those dates aren’t pushed back. But it still looks like the pool will remain crowded, with the eventual number of early entrants likely to exceed 60, the number of picks in the draft.

Our list of early entrants is now up to date and can be found right here. Here are today’s updates:

College underclassmen:

The following players were listed on the NBA’s official breakdown today, but weren’t yet noted on our own list.

The following players reportedly declared for the draft or planned to, but weren’t named in the NBA’s official announcement today. As such, we’ve removed them from our list.

International players:

The following players were listed on the NBA’s official breakdown today, but weren’t yet noted on our list.

  • Philippe Bayehe, F, Italy (born 1999)
  • Vinicius Da Silva, C, Spain (born 2001)
  • Imru Duke, F, Spain (born 1999)
  • Michele Ebeling, F, Italy (born 1999)
  • Dut Mabor, C, Italy (born 2001)
  • Sergi Martinez, F, Spain (born 1999)
  • Joel Parra, F, Spain (born 2000)
  • Mouhamed Thiam, C, France (born 2001)
  • Andrii Voinalovych, F, Ukraine (born 1999)
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LaMelo Ball Declares For NBA Draft

April 28th, 2020 at 9:32pm CST by ChrisCrouse

Potential No. 1 overall pick LaMelo Ball has declared for the NBA draft, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic. The declaration is simply a formality as Ball was expected to enter the 2020 draft for quite some time.

The 6’7″ point guard opted not to go the traditional route on his journey to the league, playing in Australia rather than suiting up for a team in the NCAA. Ball only appeared in 12 games while playing for the Illawarra Hawks because of a foot injury, though he did well enough to earn the league’s Rookie of the Year award.

Ball, who averaged 17.0 PPG, 7.5 RPG, and 7.0 APG in the NBL, with multiple triple-doubles, is viewed as a near-lock to be a top-five pick in the 2020 NBA draft, as our own Luke Adams recently explained. He’s currently the No. 2 overall prospect on ESPN’s big board and has reportedly tabbed Roc Nation for his representation.

In total, 205 early entrants declared for the 2020 draft, according to the NBA, though more than half will likely withdraw before draft day. Ball and fellow NBL prospects RJ Hampton and Kouat Noi aren’t counted among those 205 early entrants, having been listed in an “also eligible” section in the memo sent to teams by the league, tweets ESPN’s Jonathan Givony.

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Community Shootaround: Best Young Building Block

April 28th, 2020 at 9:29pm CST by ChrisCrouse

Tim Bontemps of ESPN.com asked 20 people within the NBA community, including coaches, executives, and scouts about which player they’d want to build around in the future. Each was asked to rank the following players: Zion Williamson, Luka Doncic, Ja Morant, and Trae Young.

The overwhelming majority selected Doncic, as he received 17 first-place votes and tallied the three second-place votes where he wasn’t the top choice. Morant was the top choice for two people and Williamson for just one.

“I don’t know if Luka can be any better than he is,” an Eastern Conference executive said. “He’s really good. But I think this might be who he is — which is very good.

“But Ja can get better in terms of his shooting, his team will get better around him and he makes players better around him. I think he can affect the game at both ends.”

Morant, who went No. 2 overall in the 2019 draft, getting more first-place votes than Williamson is surprising.

“Health,” said a Western Conference scout when asked why he ranked Williamson third among the four young stars. “He’d be (No. 1) otherwise.

How would you rank the four players if given the chance to start a franchise with a young star? Take to the comment section below to share your thoughts and opinions. We look forward to hearing what you have to say!

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John Calipari Talks G League’s Ascension

April 28th, 2020 at 8:22pm CST by ChrisCrouse

Top prospects continue to flock to the G League as an alternative to a one-and-done season on a college team. Earlier today, it was reported that Daishen Nix will become the third prospect to join the G League’s new Select Team, which will be based in Southern California, following in the footsteps of Jalen Green and Isaiah Todd.

Kentucky head coach John Calipari isn’t happy about the movement, though his concerns go beyond the fact that it takes away talent from his program.

“My issue with the G League trying to entice players by giving them more money, is not the kids that you’re getting,” Calipari said this week, as Jon Hale of USA Today relays. “It’s the thousands of ninth and 10th graders that think that’s how they’re going to make it, when you and I know it’s going to be 2%. We’re not talking 50. It will be thousands and thousands and thousands.”

Calipari believes that if young high schoolers see this as a feasible route, they will give up on their studies years before hitting college age. If most high-school prospects continue to play in the NCAA, players will have to remain focused on getting high enough grades to attend those colleges.

The Kentucky coach, who has been an advocate for allowing high school players to enter the draft, doesn’t think that most kids realize how finite the chances are of making a living in basketball is.

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Southeast Notes: Magic, Wizards, Bertans, Hawks

April 28th, 2020 at 7:25pm CST by ChrisCrouse

Magic head coach Steve Clifford knows his team is going to need some time to get back in shape in the event that the NBA resumes the season, writes Roy Parry of the Orlando Sentinel.

“This is going to be, whatever, six, seven weeks for these guys having not touched a basketball,” Clifford said. “Look, I played Division III [basketball]. I don’t think in my life I ever went six weeks without doing that,” Clifford said. “I think that you can guess, and then when you take that [layoff] and try to envision an NBA game, or an NBA playoff game, it’s going to take some time for sure.”

Here’s more from the Southeast Division:

  • Iowa State’s Tyrese Haliburton would be a good fit with the Wizards. Chase Hughes of NBC Sports contends. The 6’5″ guard has a chance to go in the top five of the upcoming NBA Draft.
  • Hughes (in a separate piece), examines Davis Bertans‘ first season with the Wizards. Bertans, who was traded to the team last summer, told Hughes that he felt like he fit in with the team “right away,” and suggested he’d be a good fit with John Wall if he were to re-sign with the club this offseason.
  • Chris Kirschner of The Athletic takes a look at a handful of possible free agent targets for the Hawks this summer. Brandon Ingram would be a great addition for the club, though he is a restricted free agent and New Orleans is likely to match any offer.
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2020/21 Salary Cap Preview: Los Angeles Clippers

April 28th, 2020 at 5:01pm CST by Luke Adams

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.

After going all-in during the 2020 offseason, giving up a boatload of draft picks – and rising star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander – in order to land Kawhi Leonard and Paul George, the Clippers were one of the NBA’s best teams in 2019/20. Despite only firing on all cylinders a handful of times throughout the season due to some injury and chemistry issues, the club entered the league’s hiatus with a 44-20 record, good for second in the West.

The Clippers will be one of the teams hit hardest if the NBA can’t resume its 2019/20 season and play out its postseason. After all, Leonard and George will be entering contract years in ’20/21, so it’s unclear how long the team’s window will be open. As for the 2020 offseason, the Clips have some big free agent decisions to make and may have to go into tax territory if they want to retain Montrezl Harrell, Marcus Morris, and JaMychal Green.

Here’s where things stand for the Clippers financially in 2020/21, as we continue our Salary Cap Preview series:

Guaranteed Salary

Player Options

Team Options

  • None

Non-Guaranteed Salary

Restricted Free Agents

Unrestricted Free Agents / Other Cap Holds

Offseason Cap Outlook

With $109MM+ in guaranteed money committed to nine players for 2020/21, the Clippers aren’t in bad shape — even if the cap doesn’t increase, that would give them plenty of wiggle room below the tax line to fill out the final five or six spots on their roster.

However, if they intend to bring back all their key free-agents-to-be, they may need all that wiggle room and then some. Harrell is due a significant raise on his current $6MM salary; Morris will likely be in line for another eight-figure salary; and Green will add another $5MM+ to the books if he simply exercises his player option. Team salary would increase further if the club wants to make use of its mid-level exception to bring in more talent.

For now, we’re assuming the Clippers will do all they can to retain their rotation players, which will likely mean entering tax territory. But the team could gain more cap flexibility if one or two of those key free agents don’t return.

Cap Exceptions Available

  • Taxpayer mid-level exception: $5,718,000 1
  • Trade exception: $3,567,720 (expires 2/8/21)
  • Trade exception: $1,445,697 (expires 2/8/21)

Footnotes

  1. This is a projected value. If the team doesn’t approach the tax apron, it could have the full mid-level exception ($9,258,000) and bi-annual exception ($3,623,000) available.

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.

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Pacific Notes: Warriors, Avdija, Lakers, Clippers

April 28th, 2020 at 3:59pm CST by Luke Adams

Even if the NBA is able to resume its 2019/20 season and play some regular season games before the playoffs begin, a team like the Warriors may not be involved, writes Anthony Slater of The Athletic. In fact, one source who spoke to Slater this week predicted that there’s “basically zero chance” of Golden State playing another regular season game this summer, even if other teams do.

As Slater explains, it’s possible the NBA will establish a new end-of-season schedule that doesn’t include the league’s 10 worst teams or so. That would allow playoff teams to get back to game speed and could give some teams just outside the playoff picture an outside shot at a postseason berth. In that scenario, clubs like the Warriors – who have no chance to make the playoffs – wouldn’t be required to return under unique circumstances only to play a handful of meaningless games.

Slater notes that there are other paths the NBA could take that might also exclude a team like the Warriors. The league could set up a play-in tournament for the last couple postseason spots or could advance directly to the playoffs based on the current standings without rescheduling any regular season games.

As we wait to see if any of those options will be viable, let’s round up a few more notes from out of the Pacific…

  • The Warriors were among the teams that took “a long look” at Israeli prospect Deni Avdija in Europe this season, according to Monte Poole of NBC Sports Bay Area, who examines whether the young forward might be a fit in Golden State.
  • With Los Angeles’ shelter-at-home order in place through at least May 15, it’s not clear when the city’s NBA teams might be able to reopen their practice facilities. According to ESPN’s Dave McMenamin, the Lakers have been in touch with the Los Angeles mayor’s office to explore whether it might be possible to open their facility before that stay-at-home order is lifted. As McMenamin details, the Lakers have a series of precautionary measures planned to ensure player safety and would establish a set schedule for when players are permitted to visit their practice facility.
  • As Andrew Greif of The Los Angeles Times writes, the Clippers are happy to retain assistant general manager Mark Hughes, who was one of several candidates to interview for Chicago’s open GM job. Greif takes an in-depth look at the role Hughes plays in Los Angeles and how he has become one of the most well-liked members of the Clips’ front office.
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Hoops Rumors Glossary: Maximum Salary

April 28th, 2020 at 3:11pm CST by Luke Adams

There are many NBA players technically on maximum salary contracts, but most of those players aren’t earning identical salaries this season, making the league’s “maximum salary” something of a misnomer. While each NBA player has a maximum salary that he can earn in a given season, that number varies from player to player, with a handful of factors playing a part in determining the exact figure.

The primary factor in determining a player’s maximum salary is his years of service. If a player has been in the NBA for no more than six years, he can earn up to 25% of the salary cap in the first year of his deal. Players with seven to nine years of experience can earn up to 30%, while veterans with 10 or more years in the NBA are eligible for up to 35% of the cap. In 2019/20, the salary cap is $109,140,000, meaning the maximum salaries are as follows:

Years in NBA Salary
0-6 $27,285,000
7-9 $32,742,000
10+ $38,199,000

The figures above help explain why nine-year veteran Kemba Walker, who signed a maximum salary contract as part of a sign-and-trade to the Celtics last July, is earning a salary of $32,742,000 this season. But they don’t explain why Lakers star Anthony Davis, who is also in that 7-9 year window and is on a max contract of his own, is earning just $27,093,018.

The reason Davis’ maximum salary is a few million shy of Walker’s is that those league-wide maximum salary figures only apply to the first year of a multiyear contract. When a player signs a maximum contract, he can receive annual raises of up to either 8% or 5%, depending on whether he signs with his previous team or a new team. So by the third, fourth, or fifth year of his contract, he could be earning significantly more or less than the updated max for that season.

Davis signed his maximum salary contract extension in 2015 and it went into effect in 2016/17, when he had fewer than six years of NBA experience. Although he has received annual 8% raises since then, those raises haven’t been enough to keep up with the annual cap growth and with his move into the 7-9 year window. As a result, he’s earning about $5.65MM less than his actual max in 2019/20, despite being on a “max contract.”

Davis will get to start over on a new max deal in ’20/21, assuming he turns down his player option this offseason. If he wants to maximize his earnings going forward, he’ll likely opt for a shorter-term deal that gives him the opportunity to sign a new contract in 2022 when he gains 10 years of NBA experience and qualifies for a starting salary of up to 35% of the cap.

Here are a couple more ways a player’s usual maximum salary can fluctuate:

  • A free agent’s maximum salary is always at least 105% of his previous salary. For example, Warriors star Stephen Curry is earning $40,231,758 this season. He’s under contract for two more years after 2019/20, but if he were eligible for free agency this offseason, he’d be able to sign for a starting salary of up to $42,243,346 (105% of this year’s salary), even if that figure exceeds 35% of the 2020/21 cap.
  • In certain situations, players eligible for new contracts can earn the maximum salary for the level above the one they’d typically fall into. For instance, a player receiving a designated rookie extension can earn up to 30% of the cap instead of 25% if he meets certain criteria. A veteran can become eligible to earn up to 35% of the cap instead of 30% if he meets the same criteria, which are related to MVP, Defensive Player of the Year, or All-NBA honors.

A player who signs a maximum salary contract can receive a trade kicker as part of his deal, but he can’t cash in on that bonus for any amount beyond his maximum salary in a given league year. For instance, Karl-Anthony Towns‘ max salary contract with the Timberwolves features a 5% trade kicker, but if he had been traded this season, he wouldn’t have been eligible to receive that bonus, since he’s already earning his maximum salary of $27,285,000.

Similarly, a maximum salary player whose team finishes the season below the minimum salary floor isn’t eligible to receive a share when the team distributes that money to its players, since his max salary for that year can’t be exceeded.

Note: This is a Hoops Rumors Glossary entry. Our glossary posts will explain specific rules relating to trades, free agency, or other aspects of the NBA’s Collective Bargaining Agreement. Larry Coon’s Salary Cap FAQ was used in the creation of this post.

Earlier versions of this post were previously published by Luke Adams and Chuck Myron. Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

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And-Ones: Lottery, Draft, Wroten, NBA 2K League

April 28th, 2020 at 2:03pm CST by Luke Adams

The NBA draft lottery is still scheduled to take place on May 19, but Anthony Slater of The Athletic is hearing the event is unlikely to happen that night. As Slater explains, the NBA will likely end up using the month of May as an “information-gathering” period before finalizing decisions in June, so the lottery figures to be postponed, with the June 25 draft date still up in the air too.

On executive who spoke to Slater estimated that front offices would want at least a three-week period or so between the lottery and draft to give teams time to adjust to their exact placement and to do last-minute research on players presumed to be in their range.

Here are more odds and ends from around the basketball world:

  • Updates on early entrants for the 2020 NBA draft continue to trickle in even after Sunday night’s deadline passed. Valparaiso sophomore guard Javon Freeman-Liberty tells Jeff Goodman of Stadium (Twitter link) that he has decided to transfer rather than keep his name in the draft. Meanwhile, Senegalese guard Brancou Badio, who played this season for Barcelona’s second team, has entered his name in the draft pool, according to Eurohopes (Twitter link).
  • Former NBA guard Tony Wroten, who appeared in 145 games for Memphis and Philadelphia from 2012-15, continues to pursue an NBA comeback, as he tells Chema De Lucas (Spanish link). Our Chris Crouse took an in-depth look last summer at how injuries have derailed Wroten’s career and how he has continued playing professionally in international leagues.
  • The NBA 2K League, which was originally scheduled to start its season on March 24, announced in a press release that its new “opening night” will be Tuesday, May 5. The eSports contests will be played remotely for at least six weeks, according to the announcement.
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