Nuggets Notes: Craig, Morris, Porter Jr., Booth
Torrey Craig has established himself as a menace defensively but the Nuggets still have a tough decision regarding the swingman, as Mike Singer of The Denver Post explains. Craig is headed to restricted free agency and his playing time this season fluctuated due to his offensive limitations. However, Craig had some big moments as the season wore on and he’s a valuable reserve due to his pesky style, Singer adds. The team can make him a restricted FA by extending a $2.5MM qualifying offer.
We have more on the Nuggets:
- Backup point guard Monte Morris has emerged as a key locker room voice, according to Singer. Morris is candid with the media and refuses to accept excuses such as injuries or absences during losses. Morris, who has a non-guaranteed $1.7MM contract next season, contributed on the court with his solid assist-to-turnover ratio and savvy decision making, Singer adds.
- Michael Porter Jr. saw wild fluctuations in his playing time but the Nuggets haven’t lost any confidence in the rookie forward, who sat out the 2018/19 season due to back surgery, Kyle Fredrickson of the Denver Post writes. Coach Michael Malone said Porter got frustrated at times and was bothered by an ankle injury prior to the hiatus but can still become a “great” player. “He’s shown all of us what he can do,” Malone said. “Now, the challenge is to help him do that on a more consistent basis.”
- The team has reportedly chosen Calvin Booth as its GM and Malone wholeheartedly endorses the promotion, Fredrickson reports in the same story. “He works his butt off, is very detailed and organized. … I have complete confidence in Calvin Booth if he’s selected,” Malone said. “I would be shocked if he wasn’t.”
2020/21 Salary Cap Preview: Indiana Pacers
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.
Despite some speculation that they’d struggle without Victor Oladipo for the first half of the 2019/20 season, the Pacers were just fine, thanks to a hot start by Malcolm Brogdon and a breakout season from Domantas Sabonis.
Oladipo’s rust following his 12-month absence contributed to some up-and-down play (Indiana was 9-9 after his return), but it would be interesting to see if a fully healthy version of the roster could win a playoff series in the East. With 11 players of this year’s players on guaranteed contracts for next season, the Pacers could run it back with a pretty similar squad in 2020/21.
Here’s where things stand for the Pacers financially in 2020/21, as we continue our Salary Cap Preview series:
Guaranteed Salary
- Victor Oladipo ($21,000,000)
- Malcolm Brogdon ($20,700,000)
- Domantas Sabonis ($18,500,000)
- Myles Turner ($18,000,000)
- T.J. Warren ($11,750,000)
- Jeremy Lamb ($10,500,000)
- Doug McDermott ($7,333,333)
- T.J. Leaf ($4,326,825)
- Goga Bitadze ($2,957,520)
- Aaron Holiday ($2,345,640)
- Monta Ellis ($2,245,400) — Waived via stretch provision.
- Edmond Sumner ($2,160,000)
- T.J. McConnell ($1,000,000) — Partial guarantee. Non-guaranteed portion noted below. 1
- Total: $122,818,718
Player Options
- None
Team Options
- None
Non-Guaranteed Salary
- T.J. McConnell ($2,500,000) 1
- Total: $2,500,000
Restricted Free Agents
- Alize Johnson ($1,820,564 qualifying offer / $1,820,564 cap hold): Early Bird rights
- Brian Bowen (two-way qualifying offer / $1,445,697 cap hold): Non-Bird rights
- Naz Mitrou-Long (two-way qualifying offer / $1,445,697 cap hold): Non-Bird rights
- Total (cap holds): $4,711,958
Unrestricted Free Agents / Other Cap Holds
- Justin Holiday ($5,720,400): Non-Bird rights
- JaKarr Sampson ($1,620,564): Non-Bird rights
- Total: $7,340,964
Offseason Cap Outlook
Last summer’s series of transactions – adding Brogdon, Warren, and Lamb, while extending Sabonis – will limit the Pacers’ flexibility going forward and eliminate any chance that they’ll have cap room during the 2020 offseason.
Still, barring a trade that adds salary, an aggressive deployment of the full mid-level exception, or an unexpected decline in the salary cap, the team should have a decent amount of breathing room below the tax line.
Cap Exceptions Available
- Mid-level exception: $9,258,000 2
- Bi-annual exception: $3,623,000 2
Footnotes
- McConnell’s salary becomes fully guaranteed after October 17.
- This is a projected value. If the Pacers’ team salary continues to increase, it’s possible they’d be limited to the taxpayer mid-level exception ($5,718,000).
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.
And-Ones: G League Union, Brown, Lin, Terry
G League players will begin deciding on Saturday whether to form a union, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reports. The National Basketball Players Association is assisting in the formation of a G League-governed union, Wojnarowski continues.
By creating a union, the players could bargain with the NBA and G League on issues such as housing, salary and travel, Wojnarowski writes. A majority of G League players must sign an electronic authorization card for passage.
We have more from around the basketball world:
- Five-star recruit Greg Brown turned down a $400K offer to join the G League’s professional pathway program and opted to sign with Texas, Jeff Goodman of GoodmanHoops tweets. Brown, a 6’9” power forward, could have joined fellow top recruits Jalen Green and Isaiah Todd in the program but decided to spend next season with the Longhorns. “Just not rushing the process … the NBA is always going to be there,” Brown told Goodman.
- Some foreign players are essentially stuck in China until the Chinese Basketball Association decides whether to resume its season, former NBA guard Jeremy Lin told USA Today’s Mark Medina. Lin has been practicing regularly with the Beijing Ducks. The CBA was expected to restart in April but those plans were shelved due to continuing concerns about players contracting the novel coronavirus. “We’re basically just waiting until June to decide whether we play in July or not,” Lin said. “That’s the current situation. We’re kind of in limbo right now.”
- Longtime NBA player Jason Terry has accepted an assistant coaching position with the University of Arizona, Jason Scheer of 247Sports reports. The news regarding Terry, who played for the Wildcats from 1995-99, won’t be official for several weeks since the school currently has a hiring freeze.
Bulls Notes: GM Search, Finley, Boylen
The Bulls remain on the hunt for a new general manager, and Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times writes that the interview process may carry through next week.
A since-deleted report on Thursday suggested that CAA agent Austin Brown was in serious talks to become Chicago’s next GM, but a source tells Cowley there’s no frontrunner at this point. Brown’s name is in the mix, per Cowley. Still, there has been no confirmation that he has even interviewed for the job yet.
Although no one has emerged yet as an obvious favorite – as new executive VP of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas did during his own interview process with the Bulls – Cowley’s source says that Mavericks VP of basketball ops Michael Finley “made a great impression” on Karnisovas. Finley reportedly interviewed for the GM position last week.
Here’s more out of Chicago from Cowley:
- Since being hired by the Bulls, Karnisovas has spent plenty of time reaching out to as many of the club’s current players as possible, as well as meeting with “what’s left” of the scouting departments, says Cowley. Karnisovas is collecting information and opinions on what he has to work with in the front office and on the roster, a source tells The Sun-Times.
- While many Bulls fans are impatient to learn the fate of head coach Jim Boylen, a decision on Boylen’s future is further down on Karnisovas’ list of priorities, Cowley writes. As Cowley has previously reported, Boylen remains optimistic that he’ll retain the job. He has been staying in touch with his players for updates and to have them study film clips and has “regularly” met with Karnisovas this month.
- While letting go of Boylen and letting one of his assistants finish the season – if it resumes – could be one path Karnisovas considers, Cowley suggests it’s not likely. A source tells The Sun-Times there’s no obvious candidate to replace Boylen on an interim basis, since the assistants are “all viewed to have equal footing from an experience standpoint.”
Poll: 2020 All-NBA Third Team
With the coronavirus pandemic and the resulting NBA hiatus throwing award season into disarray, we’re assuming the 2019/20 regular season is close enough to over that it’s safe to start making our unofficial picks for the league’s end-of-year honors. And we’re working on our All-NBA teams this week.
After closing the polls for the All-NBA First Team on Wednesday, we’ve brought the vote for the All-NBA Second Team to an end today. Some of the results in those Second Team polls were predictable — Nikola Jokic, for instance, was the runaway winner at center. However, there were much tighter races for the Second Team guards and forwards.
Here are the voting results so far:
- Guard: Luka Doncic (Mavericks)
- Guard: James Harden (Rockets)
- Forward: Giannis Antetokounmpo (Bucks)
- Forward: LeBron James (Lakers)
- Center: Anthony Davis (Lakers)
- Guard: Damian Lillard (Trail Blazers)
- Guard: Bradley Beal (Wizards)
- Forward: Kawhi Leonard (Clippers)
- Forward: Pascal Siakam (Raptors)
- Center: Nikola Jokic (Nuggets)
A pair of cornerstones on last year’s title-winning Raptors claimed the forward spots here, with Siakam narrowly edging out Jayson Tatum for the second spot. Meanwhile, Lillard and Beal will likely both miss the postseason this year, but had monster individual seasons for losing teams and earned your Second Team votes.
We’re moving on today to the All-NBA Third Team, so be sure to cast your votes below for the two guards, two forwards, and one center that you believe are most deserving of being named to that squad. Don’t forget that a few players qualify at two positions.
You’ll have the entire weekend to finalize your votes before we round up the results on Monday. You’ll also have the opportunity to select two players apiece in the guard and forward polls, so be sure to take advantage of that.
Guards:
(Choose two)
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Forwards:
(Choose two)
Trade Rumors app users, click here to vote on the All-NBA Third Team forwards.
Center:
(Choose one)
Trade Rumors app users, click here to vote on the All-NBA Third Team center.
Potential First-Rounder Aleksej Pokusevski Enters Draft
Serbian forward Aleksej Pokusevski has entered the draft, according to announcements from agent Alexander Raskovic of Wasserman and from Pokusevski himself (Twitter links).
The 27th overall prospect on ESPN’s big board for 2020, Pokusevski spent most of the season playing in the Greek 2nd Division with Olympiacos’ B team. He was called up by Olympiacos to play for the EuroLeague squad, but appeared in just a single game before the season was suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Pokusevski, who participated in the Jordan Brand Classic camp back in 2017, has also been part of Serbia’s junior national teams in recent years, playing in the 2018 FIBA U17 World Cup and in the 2019 FIBA European Championship.
Pokusevski won’t turn 19 years old until December, so NBA teams may view him as a candidate to be drafted-and-stashed, rather than as a prospect who will immediately sign a rookie contract.
Precious Achiuwa Entering 2020 NBA Draft
One of the most notable college prospects who had yet to announce his draft intentions has now made his decision. Memphis freshman forward Precious Achiuwa tells Jonathan Givony of ESPN that he is entering the 2020 NBA draft and will go pro, hiring an agent in the process.
In his first and only college season, Achiuwa emerged as one of the nation’s most impressive freshmen, averaging 15.8 PPG, 10.8 RPG, and 1.9 BPG while shooting 49.3% from the floor in 31 games (30.4 MPG). He was named the American Athletic Conference Player of the Year and currently ranks 12th among 2020 prospects on ESPN’s big board.
In his scouting report on Achiuwa, ESPN’s Mike Schmitz says that the youngster’s feel for the game is a “major work in progress,” noting that he finished the season with 87 turnovers and just 30 assists. However, Schmitz praised Achiuwa’s physical profile, defensive versatility, and his potential to improve as a shooter. Givony suggests that the strides the 6’9″ forward has made as a shooter, passer, and ball-handler have evaluators optimistic about his potential development at the NBA level.
For his part, Achiuwa suggested his freshman year at Memphis showed NBA teams what he’s capable of doing on the court.
“I’d summarize my season as spectacular. Even though a lot of things were thrown at us early and we had a lot of ups and down, we found a way to be successful,” Achiuwa told ESPN. “I think I was able to show NBA teams my versatility on defense and that I am able to adjust to whatever role that is given to me and still find a way to be successful. We all had to adjust to different roles because of the uncertainty that was thrown at us early in the season.”
Warriors Notes: Green, Durant, Future, Lottery Pick
After weighing in earlier in the week on how Kevin Durant‘s contract situation affected the 2018/19 Warriors, Draymond Green got even more candid about the end of the Durant era in Golden State during an appearance on Showtime’s “All the Smoke” with Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson. As Drew Shiller of NBC Sports Bay Area relays, Green went into detail on his infamous confrontation with Durant during a November 2018 loss to the Clippers.
“He comes to the bench and he slaps the bench like, ‘Yo! Pass me the f–king ball,'” Green said of Durant’s actions at the end of that game. “I’m like, ‘Get the f–k outta here. F–king run then.’ And he’s like, ‘You heard what the f–k I said’ and slaps the chair: ‘Pass me the f–king ball.’ I’m like, ‘Yo, you better calm the f–k down. I don’t know who the f–k you think you’re talking to.’
“Remember, I got the pulse of this team. I got the pulse of the organization. I already know you one foot in and one foot out. … I’ve been an All-Star before you got here. I’ve been doing this. Don’t talk to me like I’m one of these little dudes that don’t know how to hoop. I’m a grown a– man.'”
Green went on to describe the aftermath of that incident, which saw head coach Steve Kerr and GM Bob Myers ask him to apologize for his blow-up and then suspend him for a game when he wasn’t initially willing to do so. While Durant has suggested that the confrontation played a part in his departure from the Warriors, Green rejected the idea that he pushed KD out the door.
“This is f–king Kevin Durant we’re talking about,” Green said, per Shiller. “Yeah, I’ve done great things here. But let me tell you this — if Kevin really wanted to be here, all he would have done is went to Bob and said, ‘Yeah, I’ll stay. But Draymond gotta go.’ And guess what — Bob Myers would have called me and said, ‘Draymond, I love you — and I won’t trade you to a bad team — but where do you want to go?’ … You’re f–king Kevin Durant. If you wanted to be here, I would have been out. I would have been long gone.”
Here’s more on the Warriors:
- Dan Feldman of NBC Sports passed along some additional choice quotes from Green’s appearance on “All The Smoke,” including the former Defensive Player of the Year’s suggestion that Durant was upset by the perception that LeBron James was still the NBA’s best player following the 2017 Finals. “You turn on the TV the next day, and the f–king headline is ‘LeBron James still the best player in the world, question mark,'” Green said. “You’ve got Stephen A. (Smith), you’ve got all these people debating it. And everybody still said LeBron James is the best player in the world. That’s when I kind of felt like it took a turn. And then we came back (for the) 2017/2018 season, and Kevin just wasn’t as happy.”
- Anthony Slater and John Hollinger of The Athletic explored the Warriors’ future outlook, with Hollinger noting it would be surprising if Golden State isn’t willing to spend whatever it takes to add talent to the roster going forward, since the team essentially made that decision when it acquired D’Angelo Russell in last summer’s Durant sign-and-trade. Hollinger also suggests that using the “Russell strategy” – acquiring a player and being willing to trade him later – might make sense for the Warriors’ 2020 lottery pick if no appealing deals are available in the offseason, since more trade options could surface at the 2021 deadline.
- In a separate piece for The Athletic, Slater explores the similarities between Stephen Curry‘s below-market value with the Warriors from 2013-17 and Scottie Pippen‘s bargain deal with the Bulls during their 1990s dynasty.
Knicks’ Rose Considering Keeping GM Perry Beyond Draft
Even as new Knicks president of basketball operations Leon Rose begins to reshape the front office by bringing aboard Brock Aller as a VP of strategy, incumbent general manager Scott Perry is still expected to move forward with running the team’s draft, writes Marc Berman of The New York Post.
[RELATED: Knicks to hire Brock Aller to front office role]
Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the NBA’s calendar isn’t set in stone. Perry’s contract is set to expire on June 30, five days after the June 25 draft. And while the draft may end up being held as scheduled if the NBA is forced to cancel the remainder of its 2019/20 season, resuming the season would almost certainly mean postponing the draft — and pushing back the expiration date on Perry’s deal.
Whenever the draft ends up being held, there’s no guarantee that Perry – who was the team’s general manager in the former regime under former president of basketball operations Steve Mills – will be let go afterward. According to Berman, Rose is considering retaining Perry beyond the expiration of his current contract.
“The impression is Leon will do his due diligence,” a source told Berman.
As for Aller’s role, sources tell Berman he’ll likely look to rework and perhaps streamline the Knicks’ “massive” scouting/basketball operations department. The club has already parted ways with consultant David Blatt and figures to make more changes in the coming weeks or months.
Draft Notes: Ado, Hart, Velicka, Mouaha
Following the first round of the NFL’s first ever virtual draft on Thursday, we have a better idea of what that “virtual draft” actually looks like. Which means, as Zach Harper of The Athletic writes, the NBA can evaluate what works and what doesn’t as the league prepares for the possibility that it will have to conduct its 2020 draft in a similar manner.
Harper pointed to Dr. Anthony Fauci’s appearance on the telecast and the presence of prospects’ family members and pets as things that worked, but wasn’t a fan of the national anthem to start the night, commissioner Roger Goodell’s wooden delivery, and the looping videos of fans on a screen behind Goodell.
As we wait to see what exactly the 2020 NBA draft will look like, here are a few updates on players entering the draft pool:
- Mississippi State center Abdul Ado has entered the 2020 draft, as Joel Coleman of The Starkville Daily News writes. Ado, who averaged 5.7 PPG, 6.7 RPG, and 1.9 BPG as a junior this past season, will be maintaining his college eligibility during the process and will likely end up returning for his senior year in 2020/21 after getting feedback from NBA evaluators, a source tells Coleman.
- Fresno State freshman guard Niven Hart has announced (via Twitter) that he’ll be testing the draft waters following a 2019/20 season in which he averaged 8.7 PPG with a .398 3PT% in 26 games off the bench for the Bulldogs.
- Lithuanian point guard Arnas Velicka, who tested the draft waters a year ago, has entered the 2020 draft, as reported by David Hein and confirmed by ESPN’s Jonathan Givony (Twitter links). Velicka, who spent the 2019/20 season on loan to CBet Prienai from Zalgiris Kaunas, has been a standout for Lithuania’s junior national teams in FIBA competitions, Givony notes.
- Cameroonian guard Aristide Mouaha has declared for the draft, agent Mario Scotti announced on Twitter (hat tip to Sportando). The 19-year-old played this past season for the Roseto Sharks in Italy’s Serie A2 league.