D’Lo On Wolves: “Where I’m Supposed To Be”
Timberwolves point guard D’Angelo Russell, speaking to Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic in an extensive interview, asserted that his latest landing spot, playing alongside best friend Karl-Anthony Towns in Minnesota, is “where I’m supposed to be.”
After being drafted by the Lakers with the No. 2 pick in 2015, Russell was shipped to the Nets in the summer of 2017. He evolved into an All-Star for Brooklyn in 2019, and was promptly moved in a four-year, $117MM maximum contract sign-and-trade with the Warriors that summer.
At the time of his overcrowding the Golden State backcourt, it was widely speculated that he was brought in to eventually be shipped out as a trade asset. In February 2020, that speculation bore fruit, as Russell, Jacob Evans and Omari Spellman were sent to Minnesota in exchange for Andrew Wiggins and two future draft picks.
The 6’4″ 24-year-old out of Ohio State reflected on his prolific NBA resume in an interesting piece.
“When I tell you about my career,” Russell tells Krawcyznski, “it’s like I’m in the water and I take a breath… then I see it and I go back in the water.”
Elsewhere in Russell’s interview with Krawcyznski, which is worth reading in full, Russell discusses all the stops on his five-year NBA journey to this point. Here are some highlights:
On his tumultuous tenure with the Lakers:
“I didn’t know how to be a professional and the guidance wasn’t there also… I don’t blame anybody. I blame myself. It was really a blur to me, just in the sense that the things that I’ve been through ever since then.”
On then-Brooklyn coach Kenny Atkinson’s role in Russell’s All-Star development:
“I’m not going to give (all the credit) to Kenny… I still don’t think he knew what he had, honestly. I don’t think he knew what I was capable of in the fourth quarter.”
On learning from Golden State’s championship-level All-Stars:
“My whole thing was I’m gonna just learn from these guys… Even if I don’t get to play with them (very long), I’m going to pick their brain as much as I can.”
On savoring his new leadership role in Minnesota:
“I’ve been enjoying it knowing I could be here for the rest of my career if I take advantage of it.”
Coronavirus Notes: Toronto, CBA, TV Broadcasts
Las Vegas and Orlando (Walt Disney World) have long been considered the frontrunners to host the remainder of the NBA season if the league decides to resume play in a “bubble” location, but they’re not the only cities that have been discussed.
Appearing on Tim & Sid on Sportsnet in Canada this week, Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports revealed that, during his conference call with players last Friday, commissioner Adam Silver cited Toronto as another possible “bubble” location.
“(Silver) mentioned Toronto in that conference call,” Haynes said (video link). “He said Toronto is an option. He said he would like to keep the season in the States, but he’s not ruling out Toronto.”
In order for the NBA to ensure a safe return for its teams and players, the league will have to sort through a ton of logistical issues and concerns — having that return take place in a country besides the United States would add several more layers of complications. For that reason, I’d be pretty surprised if the idea of a Toronto bubble gains any momentum. Vegas and Orlando still seem like the most obvious candidates to accommodate the league’s potential resumption.
Here’s more on the coronavirus situation and its impact on the NBA:
- In a fascinating Insider-only ESPN article, Bobby Marks identifies some of the financial challenges facing the NBA, and – based on input from team executives and agents – proposes eight CBA and salary-cap tweaks that could help the league get through the next year or two. Among those ideas: Reducing the salary floor from 90% to 80% for 2020/21, bringing back the amnesty provision for one year only, and adjusting luxury tax penalties for next season so they’re not as punitive as usual.
- Mark Medina and Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today break down some of the challenges facing the NBA as it attempts to resume its season, speaking to agents who suggest that some players are conflicted about returning to the court this summer, given both the health and financial considerations. “My vibe is the influential players want their money, and they’re going to make the call,” one agent said. “The players are trying to have it both ways. They’re criticizing ownership for putting them out there and risking their health. But they also want to play and get their money.”
- With fans unlikely to be in attendance for NBA games or other sporting events anytime soon, Andrew Marchand of The New York Post explores how ESPN, Turner Sports, and other television networks may have to adjust their broadcasts.
John Collins Talks Capela, Contract, Hawks’ Potential
A dark-horse playoff sleeper entering the 2019/20 season, the Hawks failed to take a step forward, entering the NBA’s hiatus with a 20-47 record. A 25-game drug-related suspension for big man John Collins early in the season contributed to Atlanta digging an early hole for itself, which it couldn’t climb out of after Collins’ return.
With an eye toward the 2020/21 campaign, however, Collins tells Sarah K. Spencer of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution that the Hawks aren’t “as far away as you think” from turning the corner, expressing optimism about the team’s short- and long-term potential.
“This is just to me, with the roster moves, with the experience that we have gained and are going to gain over the summer, and chemistry,” Collins said. “I keep on hearing us being talked about as a fringe playoff team (for next season), and I just want to start pushing our team and our discussion in the mental spaces of people as a playoff contender every year.”
By the time the ’20/21 season gets underway, the Hawks are hoping to have a healthy Clint Capela in their lineup. They’re also on track to add another top-eight draft pick to their roster and will have plenty of flexibility to add veteran talent this offseason — no NBA team projects to have more cap room than Atlanta. Throw in the fact that Collins, Trae Young, and the rest of the Hawks’ youngsters will be another year older, and some optimism is justified.
During his conversation with Spencer, which is worth checking out in full, Collins addressed several other topics, including his new frontcourt partner and his contract situation. Here are some highlights:
On his fit with Capela:
“I’m pretty versatile, so I feel (like) for the people who don’t watch, when they do watch, it’s like ‘OK, John can stretch the floor. Oh wow, John and Clint can play well (together).’ Clint’s still doing his thing rolling and playing above the rim, and I’m still playing above the rim, because we have elite play-makers out there on the court… Clint fits right in to what we do, so it’s not like he comes in and messes anything up on my end.”
On Collins’ next contract (he’ll be eligible for a rookie scale extension this offseason):
“When we’re talking max numbers and money, I feel like I definitely (am in) the conversation to have earned that money with the Hawks specifically, but obviously I know there’s business and we don’t always get exactly what we want. But I want to be a Hawk, I want to stay with the Hawks.”
On whether it’s important that he signs an extension this year rather than waiting until restricted free agency in 2021 to get a new deal:
“I feel like we’ve both invested ourselves in each other… I feel like we both want to see our investments in each other pay off. In that sense, I just want to know where I am. I want to know I’m locked in as soon as I can rather than having to wait, which I know happens. But when you do wait, a lot of other stuff mentally creeps in during the season while I’m tired, while I’m playing, ups and downs, injuries, but that’s also a part of just being a pro athlete.”
Draft Notes: Combine, Diane, Pierre-Louis, Eastern
Although the NBA’s 2020 draft combine won’t take place in Chicago next week as originally scheduled, the league hasn’t given up on the idea of holding it – in some form – later this year. If it can happen in person, the combine may still be held in Chicago, but a more likely outcome would see it held in Las Vegas or Orlando, assuming that’s where the NBA sets up its “bubble” to resume the season, writes Adam Zagoria of ZagsBlog.com.
As Zagoria notes, with NBA teams and personnel all gathered in one place to complete the season, it would make sense to host the combine in that location rather than asking prospects and evaluators to travel elsewhere. Of course, it remains to be seen whether the combine will be able to happen in person at all — a virtual event may end up being the most viable scenario.
Here’s more on the 2020 NBA draft
- Cal State Northridge forward Lamine Diane has signed with agent Richie Felder of CAA for representation, tweets Jeff Goodman of Stadium. As a result, Diane will go pro and remain in the draft, forgoing his final two years of college eligibility. He currently ranks 71st overall on ESPN’s big board.
- Like Diane, Temple guard Nate Pierre-Louis has decided to sign with an agent and remain in the draft, he tells Goodman (Twitter link). Pierre-Louis, who had one year of NCAA eligibility left, doesn’t show up on ESPN’s list of 2020’s top 100 prospects.
- After deciding to test the draft waters this spring, Purdue’s Nojel Eastern has also opted to transfer, announcing today (via Twitter) that he has committed to Michigan for next season. While Eastern didn’t mention the draft, it appears he’ll play one more year of college ball before going pro.
- Although these early entrants are making their draft decisions now, there’s no rush to do so. The NCAA announced on Wednesday that it has indefinitely postponed its June 3 withdrawal deadline for early entry prospects.
Central Notes: Oladipo, Respert, Cavs, Pistons
After reporting earlier this week that the Pacers aren’t considering the possibility of shopping Victor Oladipo and that the veteran guard isn’t going anywhere anytime soon, J. Michael of The Indianapolis Star digs a little further into the subject.
A source tells The Star that Oladipo “loves” Indiana, and Michael notes that the two-time All-Star has a good, “open-door” relationship with Pacers executives Kevin Pritchard and Chad Buchanan.
According to Michael, the Pacers have made it clear they’re willing to give Oladipo a maximum-salary contract once his current deal ends in 2021, assuming that’s his market value. The 28-year-old hasn’t fully regained his All-Star form since returning from a serious leg injury, but is willing to roll the dice that he can get there.
Doing so would put him in line to earn a long-term max deal in ’21 rather than settling for an early extension that wouldn’t be as lucrative or as lengthy, due to CBA restrictions — Oladipo is seeking as much security as possible on his next contract, says Michael.
Here’s more from around the Central:
- Bulls director of player development Shawn Respert, whose contract is set to expire at the end of the season, won’t be retained beyond 2019/20, according to K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago. Interestingly, Johnson says that decision was made by Jim Boylen, who remains the Bulls’ head coach for now as he continues to be evaluated by the team’s new basketball operations decision-makers.
- The Cavaliers are unlikely to have any cap room this offseason, but could still be a minor player in free agency, according to Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com, who speculates in his latest mailbag that Derrick Jones, Michael Carter-Williams, Josh Jackson, and Harry Giles could be among Cleveland’s targets.
- While February’s Andre Drummond trade will help ensure the Cavs don’t have cap room this offseason, moving Drummond’s contract should allow the Pistons to create upwards of $30-35MM in space, depending on where exactly the cap lands. James L. Edwards III of The Athletic explores which players Detroit could look at if the team decides to trade for unwanted contracts rather than using its room on free agents.
2020/21 Salary Cap Preview: Orlando Magic
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.
The Magic entered the 2019/20 season looking to build on its strong finish the previous year, but have ended up taking a slight step back instead, entering the hiatus with a 30-35 record after winning 42 games in 2018/19.
With Nikola Vucevic, Aaron Gordon, and Terrence Ross still earning eight-figure salaries for multiple years beyond this season, and Jonathan Isaac and Markelle Fultz expected to eventually be locked up too, the Magic may not be in position to make major changes to their roster within the next year or two unless they do so on the trade market.
Here’s where things stand for the Magic financially in 2020/21, as we continue our Salary Cap Preview series:
Guaranteed Salary
- Nikola Vucevic ($26,000,000)
- Aaron Gordon ($18,136,364)
- Terrence Ross ($13,500,000)
- Markelle Fultz ($12,288,697)
- Al-Farouq Aminu ($9,720,900)
- Jonathan Isaac ($7,362,566)
- Mohamed Bamba ($5,969,040)
- Khem Birch ($3,000,000)
- Total: $95,977,567
Player Options
- Evan Fournier ($17,150,000)
- James Ennis ($2,130,023)
- Total: $19,280,023
Team Options
- Melvin Frazier ($1,663,861)
- Total: $1,663,861
Non-Guaranteed Salary
- None
Restricted Free Agents
- Wesley Iwundu ($2,023,150 qualifying offer / $2,023,150 cap hold): Bird rights
- Gary Clark ($1,820,524 qualifying offer / $1,820,524 cap hold): Non-Bird rights
- B.J. Johnson (two-way qualifying offer / $1,445,697 cap hold): Non-Bird rights
- Vic Law (two-way qualifying offer / $1,445,697 cap hold): Non-Bird rights
- Total (cap holds): $6,735,068
Unrestricted Free Agents / Other Cap Holds
- D.J. Augustin ($13,775,000): Bird rights
- Jerian Grant ($5,014,697): Bird rights 1
- No. 15 overall pick ($3,285,120)
- Chuma Okeke ($3,121,080) 2
- Michael Carter-Williams ($1,620,564): Early Bird rights
- Arron Afflalo ($1,620,564): Non-Bird rights 1
- Marreese Speights ($1,620,564): Non-Bird rights 1
- Total: $30,057,589
Offseason Cap Outlook
Assuming they plan to keep their first-round pick and sign Okeke in 2020, the Magic will have more than $102MM in guaranteed money committed to 10 players. That should put the club in position to either re-sign Fournier or accommodate his $17MM player option without approaching tax territory.
Letting Fournier walk would theoretically give the Magic even more flexibility, but probably wouldn’t result in any cap room. It would make more sense for Orlando to operate as an over-the-cap team in that scenario in order to retain its full mid-level and bi-annual exceptions.
Cap Exceptions Available
- Mid-level exception: $9,258,000 3
- Bi-annual exception: $3,623,000 3
Footnotes
- The cap holds for Grant, Afflalo, and Speights remain on the Magic’s books because they haven’t been renounced after going unsigned in 2019/20. They can’t be used in a sign-and-trade deal.
- The 16th overall pick in 2019, Okeke has yet to sign his rookie scale contract. He’ll be eligible to sign in 2020/21 for the same amount as the No. 16 pick in the 2020 draft.
- These are projected values. If the Magic’s 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.
FIBA Announces New Olympic Qualifying Tournament Dates
With the Tokyo Olympics rescheduled for July 23 through August 8, 2021 as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, FIBA has also postponed its qualifying tournaments that will decide the four open men’s basketball Olympics slots. According to a press release, those tournaments will take place from June 29 to July 4, 2021.
The four qualifying tournaments will be played in Canada (Victoria), Croatia (Split), Lithuania (Kaunas), and Serbia (Belgrade), with those countries among those still vying to be part of the 12-team field for the Olympics.
Brazil, Greece, Turkey, China, Poland, Russia, and Germany are among the other teams that will compete in the four tournaments, which will be made up of six teams apiece (24 in total). The United States, Spain, France, Australia, Nigeria, Argentina, Iran, and Japan have already qualified.
While a number of the countries competing in those qualifying tournaments could theoretically have multiple NBA players on their roster, the new dates may not line up well with the NBA’s calendar. For now, it seems likely that the start of the 2020/21 season will be postponed and that the NBA will still try to play a full 82-game schedule, which means the regular season could run into June, with the playoffs extending into August.
In that scenario, stars on likely 2021 playoff teams – such as Giannis Antetokounmpo (Greece), Nikola Jokic (Serbia), and Jamal Murray (Canada), among others – could still be playing in the NBA postseason when the qualifiers take place, preventing them from participating in those tournaments.
Even if the NBA resists making major changes to its schedule and attempts to finish the 2021 Finals in June like usual, the qualifying tournaments would take place during the start of free agency, which could affect some players’ plans.
Warriors Notes: Giannis, Okongwu, Draft, Eliyahu
Every now and then, over the last year, a report has surfaced detailing the Warriors‘ interest in Giannis Antetokounmpo or suggesting that Golden State has been preparing its pursuit of the Bucks star for “years.” However, Anthony Slater of The Athletic is highly skeptical that anything will come of the Warriors’ interest in Giannis, whose current contract with Milwaukee expires in 2021.
As Slater explains, the fact that the Warriors were able to land Kevin Durant in 2016 means they’ll never be ruled out when they pursue other superstars, but in that case, everything lined up perfectly for the franchise — Durant was able to team up with the Warriors’ stars when they were all in their primes and took advantage of a huge cap spike in 2016 to join the team on a max-salary deal.
Several years later, the cap situation for the Warriors and the NBA as a whole isn’t nearly as rosy — Golden State’s cap is loaded with big-money contracts for its stars (and Andrew Wiggins), offering no realistic path to landing Antetokoumpo as a free agent or in a sign-and-trade. The league’s lost revenues also mean that a major dip in the cap is more likely than another spike.
On top of all that, Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green are in their 30s now, meaning that if he were to become a Warrior, Giannis “would be joining what’d probably become the early stages of a rebuild around him,” Slater writes.
If a star player badly wants to get to a specific team, there’s often a way to make it work, as we saw with last summer with the likes of Anthony Davis and Paul George. But there has been zero indication that Giannis is itching to leave the team with the NBA’s best record for the one in dead last. And even if that’s what he wanted, the roadblocks in the way would be substantial.
Here’s more on the Warriors:
- In a mailbag for The San Francisco Chronicle, Connor Letourneau discusses Alen Smailagic‘s development, possible options for the Warriors’ $17MM trade exception, and potential draft targets, among other topics. Interestingly, Letourneau indicates that, when it comes to draft-eligible big men, Golden State is higher on Onyeka Okongwu than James Wiseman.
- While there has been plenty of speculation about the Warriors potentially trading their 2020 lottery pick for win-now veteran help, Ethan Strauss of The Athletic contends that it might make more sense for the club to move the Timberwolves’ 2021 first-rounder if a major trade opportunity arises.
- Veteran Israeli forward Lior Eliyahu, who spent the 2019/20 season with Maccabi Ashdod, is considering retirement, per an Israel Hayom report (relayed by Sportando). How is that news relevant to the Warriors? Well, Golden State technically holds Eliyahu’s NBA rights, having acquired them in a trade with Minnesota last July. The No. 44 pick in the 2016 draft never came stateside, but has had a decorated playing career in his home country, winning six Israeli League titles and earning seven All-Star nods.
LeBron, Curry Among Players Who Will Owe Money From 2020/21 Salaries
Starting this Friday, 25% of NBA players’ pay checks will be withheld for the foreseeable future. The NBA and NBPA reached that agreement last month in order to ensure that players are bearing some of the brunt of the league’s lost revenue due to the coronavirus pandemic — and so that players won’t be required to surrender a significant lump sum in a few months if games are officially canceled and the CBA’s “force majeure” clause is triggered.
However, some players will still have to return money to the league down the road rather than seeing a portion of their pay checks withheld now. While most NBA players are paid in 24 bi-monthly installments, beginning in November, some players negotiated deals that see them receive just 12 pay checks, with the last one issued on May 1. As a result, those players have already received their full salaries for the 2019/20 season and withholding part of their checks starting on May 15 isn’t an option.
As Bobby Marks of ESPN details, LeBron James, Stephen Curry, John Wall, Blake Griffin, and Paul George – all of whom are making $33MM or more this season – are among the players who have already received their ’19/20 salaries in full.
Because those players – and several others – won’t resume receiving pay checks from their respective teams until the fall, they’ll essentially owe the NBA an IOU for each pay date this spring and summer (until the 25% agreement ends), Marks explains.
By the fall, the league should better understand to what extent players’ 2019/20 salaries have to be reduced, and players like James and Curry will have money taken out of their advances for 2020/21 (on October 1) and/or their ’20/21 pay checks (beginning on November 15).
As Marks notes, the amount of money that players ultimately have to give up for the 2019/20 season will depend on how many games can be played this summer if and when the season resumes.
Players could lose approximately 23-26% of their full-season salaries if games don’t resume, according to Marks. On the other hand, in the unlikely event that the NBA is able to play its remaining regular season games and playoff games in full, teams would be responsible for returning players’ full salaries to them.
Adjusting player salaries based on the amount of games that can eventually be played should help the league avoid a scenario in which the salary cap fluctuates significantly over the next couple years based on this year’s lost revenue, since the NBA and its players share roughly a 50-50 split of the league’s revenue.
Magic Notes: Facility, Fultz, Offseason, Okeke
After pushing back their target date a couple times, the Magic are moving forward with reopening their practice facility today, tweets Josh Robbins of The Athletic. As we detailed on Wednesday, the team had been waiting on coronavirus test results for a number of asymptomatic players and staffers.
With the Magic set to allow their players to conduct voluntary individual workouts starting Thursday, they’ll become the 11th NBA team to do so, according to Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press. Reynolds identifies Portland, Cleveland, Milwaukee, Denver, Atlanta, Indiana, Sacramento, Toronto, and Utah as the first 10 teams to reopen their facilities.
We’ve covered all those teams’ decisions in recent days except for the Bucks, who slipped through the cracks. They announced on Monday (via Twitter) that they’d be reopening their building on a limited basis.
The Magic were the first team to secure written authorization from a local health authority – along with approval from the NBA – to test asymptomatic players for COVID-19, which means they’re able to be more proactive than other teams in screening who’s entering their building. Most clubs, for now, are conducting basic health and temperature checks on those entering their facilities.
Here’s more on the Magic:
- After recently polling NBA scouts on Jonathan Isaac‘s outlook going forward, Josh Robbins of The Athletic has done the same for Markelle Fultz, one of Orlando’s other young building blocks. Unsurprisingly, Fultz’s shot-making ability is the primary concern among those evaluators. “Right now, I think he’s more of a backup, which is perfect for him,” one scout said. “The shooting, unless that gets a lot better, he’s a backup. He’s with a good coach who values what he does. He defends. He’s an athletic presence. He can get to the rim. But for him to be a starter and a guy you pay that kind of money to, you’ve got to make shots.”
- Given the Magic’s limited projected cap flexibility and the fact that they likely won’t have a lottery pick, Robbins says in a mailbag for The Athletic that he thinks the most realistic way for the team to make a splash in the 2020 offseason is to do so on the trade market.
- Within the same mailbag, Robbins also confirms that 2019 first-rounder Chuma Okeke won’t be joining the Magic if the season resumes, since he’ll have to wait until the 2020/21 league year begins to sign his rookie contract. Okeke, who was recovering from an ACL tear when he was drafted last June, essentially took a redshirt year in the G League.
- The Magic will be the next team up in our Salary Cap Preview series for ’20/21 — keep an eye out for that story to be published later today.