NBA Announces 2019/20 All-Defensive Teams
The NBA has officially announced its All-Defensive teams for the 2019/20 season. Unsurprisingly, Defensive Player of the Year (and possible repeat MVP) Giannis Antetokounmpo was the leading vote-getter with 195 total points. Players receive two points per First Team vote and one point per Second Team vote.
This is the Bucks forward’s second consecutive appearance on the All-NBA First Team. Antetokounmpo was listed on 98 of 100 ballots from the 100 broadcasters and writers who comprised this year’s voting panel. 97 of those voters awarded him a First Team vote.
Lakers forward Anthony Davis was featured on every ballot and received a total tally of 187 points (including 87 First Team votes). Sixers guard Ben Simmons tallied 185 points with the third-most votes this year. Jazz center Rudy Gobert, the 2018 and 2019 Defensive Player of the Year, was fourth with 95 total votes (85 First Team), for 180 total points. Celtics guard Marcus Smart rounded out the All-Defensive First Team with 152 points, including 57 First Team votes.
Gobert’s inclusion on the All-Defensive First Team has earned him a $500K bonus, Bobby Marks of ESPN tweets. Antetokounmpo’s Bucks teammates Brook Lopez (67 points) and Eric Bledsoe (59 points) each made the All-Defensive Second Team.
[RELATED: Giannis Antetokounmpo Named Defensive Player Of The Year]
Here are the full voting results for the All-Defensive First and Second Teams, with each player’s point total noted in parentheses:
First Team:
- Giannis Antetokounmpo, F, Bucks (195)
- Anthony Davis, F, Lakers (187)
- Ben Simmons, G, Sixers (185)
- Rudy Gobert, C, Jazz (180)
- Marcus Smart, G, Celtics (152)
Second Team:
- Kawhi Leonard, F, Clippers (128)
- Brook Lopez, C, Bucks (67)
- Bam Adebayo, F/C, Heat (61)
- Patrick Beverley, G, Clippers (60)
- Eric Bledsoe, G, Bucks (59)
You can find the full voting results right here.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
NBA Draft, Free Agency, 2020/21 Season Moved Back
After extended discussions between the NBA and the National Basketball Players’ Association, both sides have mutually decided to postpone several important offseason events, according to Shams Charania of Stadium (Twitter link).
The 2020 NBA draft (currently scheduled for October 16), the start of free agency (scheduled for early October 18), and the 2020/21 season (scheduled for December 1) have all been moved back to later dates, to be determined later.
Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer tweets that several team executives anticipate the rescheduled draft could occur in mid-November, allowing more time after the NBA Finals conclude for a potential pre-draft combine for prospects.
It has long been speculated that the December 1 date for a 2020/21 season start would be moved back. NBA commissioner Adam Silver suggesting in an interview last month that he hoped to wait until fans could attend games in person. The league is hopeful that fast-response COVID-19 tests may enable this to happen sooner rather than later.
Giannis Antetokounmpo Out For Game 5
Star forward Giannis Antetokounmpo will miss Game 5 of the Bucks‘ second-round series vs. the Heat on Tuesday night due to his sprained right ankle, sources tell Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).
Antetokounmpo, who suffered his ankle sprain during Game 3 and re-aggravated the injury in Game 4, had been listed as questionable and was doing everything he could to return to the court, with head coach Mike Budenholzer telling reporters this afternoon that Giannis’ status would be a game-time decision. However, the quick turnaround from Sunday’s game apparently didn’t give the ankle enough time to heal.
Milwaukee managed to pull out a victory in Game 4 despite not having Antetokounmpo available for the second half, but extending the series again without the reigning MVP will be a tall task. Facing a 3-1 deficit, the Bucks will be eliminated with a loss. A win would force a Game 6 on Thursday and would give Giannis another opportunity to return.
While the Bucks will be without their leading scorer and rebounder, the Heat got some better injury news today. Jae Crowder (ankle), Tyler Herro (hip), and Kelly Olynyk (knee), who had all been listed as questionable on the injury report, are all expected to play tonight, per head coach Erik Spoelstra (Twitter link via Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel).
Wilson Chandler To Play In China In 2020/21?
A reunion with China’s Zhejiang Lions for the 2020/21 season may be in the cards for Nets forward Wilson Chandler.
After Chinese journalist Zhang Duo was among those to report (via Twitter) that Chandler had signed with Zhejiang, Alex Schiffer of The Athletic (Twitter link) cited a source close to the forward who indicated that those reports were inaccurate. However, Emiliano Carchia of Sportando says (via Twitter) that while Chandler’s deal with Zhejiang isn’t done yet, it’s expected to be finalized eventually.
One of several players who opted out of the NBA’s restart this summer, Chandler technically remains under contract with the Nets until the 2019/20 league year ends. The 33-year-old was a part-time contributor in Brooklyn this year, averaging 5.9 PPG and 4.1 RPG in 35 contests (21.0 MPG).
Although he was a regular rotation player in ’19/20, Chandler missed the first 25 games of the season due to a PED suspension, and wasn’t as effective or efficient as usual after making his Nets debut — his .404 FG% and .306 3PT% were among the lowest marks of his NBA career.
While Chandler apparently hasn’t finalized any agreement with Zhejiang so far, a move to the Chinese Basketball Association wouldn’t be shocking, since his NBA production has slipped and he has some previous CBA experience. The former DePaul standout signed with the Lions in 2011 during the NBA lockout and averaged 26.6 PPG and 11.6 RPG in 32 games in the Chinese league.
We’ll have to wait for further confirmation on Chandler’s next move, but it sounds as if he’s at least discussing a return to Zhejiang, even if it’s not a done deal yet.
Kings Set To Begin Interviews In GM Search
Having parted ways with longtime general manager Vlade Divac last month, the Kings have now formally launched their search for a new head of basketball operations, according to Shams Charania and Sam Amick of The Athletic. Sources tell The Athletic duo that Sacramento is expected to begin interviews as soon as this week.
The Kings have requested permission to speak to Nuggets general manager Calvin Booth, Pelicans GM Trajan Langdon, Timberwolves executive VP Sachin Gupta, Heat assistant GM Adam Simon, and Rockets assistant GM Monte McNair, according to Charania and Amick, who report that the club will also talk to former Hawks GM Wes Wilcox.
It’s not clear if all those teams have granted Sacramento permission to talk to their executives, but none of the candidates identified by The Athletic are heads of basketball operations for their current clubs. If the Kings truly offering decision-making power in their front office, that would represent a promotion for everyone on their list, so I wouldn’t expect any teams to stand in the way.
As we noted on Monday when we previewed the Kings’ offseason, the organization’s plan for its front office has been a little hard to follow. Multiple reports suggested that Divac’s ouster occurred as a result of team owner Vivek Ranadive asking him to surrender control of basketball decisions to Dumars, and Dumars has since been named Sacramento’s interim executive VP of basketball operations.
However, a subsequent report suggested that Dumars won’t be a candidate for the Kings’ permanent general manager job. That report indicated that Dumars would be involved in the hiring process and would interview candidates along with Ranadive. However, it sounds like the plan is for the newly-hired GM to gain full control of roster moves and report directly to Ranadive.
At the time of Divac’s dismissal, there were reports that the Kings’ search for a new GM could take a while, perhaps extending beyond the draft and free agency and into next season. With interviews set to begin soon, perhaps the franchise has decided to accelerate the process.
The Kings have some major roster decisions to make this offseason, including potentially re-signing Bogdan Bogdanovic, extending De’Aaron Fox, making a lottery pick, and considering the possibility of trading Buddy Hield. Any GM candidate seriously considering taking the reins in Sacramento’s front office would likely want to have a voice in those decisions and may also seek clarity on Dumars’ role going forward.
Warriors, Thunder, Heat Hold Largest TPEs
A number of traded player exceptions that were scheduled to expire in July had their deadlines pushed back to coincide with the NBA’s revamped offseason schedule. In order to give teams the opportunity to maximize their resources, the expiration dates for those trade exceptions have been postponed to ensure they fall after the start of 2020 free agency.
For instance, the Warriors‘ $17.2MM traded player exception, generated in last July’s Andre Iguodala deal, had initially been set to expire on July 7, one year after the team traded Iguodala and one day after the NBA’s July moratorium ended. Now, with the free agency moratorium scheduled to end on October 23, Golden State’s TPE will expire on October 24, giving the team a small window to use it.
Presumably, if free agency gets delayed again, as has been rumored, the deadlines for that Warriors TPE and others would be pushed back again too.
As we explain in greater depth in our glossary entry, traded player exceptions allow over-the-cap teams to acquire players without needing to match salaries. The Warriors’ Iguodala trade exception is the one that’s most frequently discussed and speculated about, but Golden State isn’t the only team with a TPE that could come in handy this offseason.
Listed below are the 10 most valuable trade exceptions still available, along with their current expiration dates. Teams that go below the cap to use their cap room this offseason will have to forfeit these TPEs to do so.
- Golden State Warriors: $17,185,185 (10/24/20)
- Oklahoma City Thunder: $10,389,997 (10/27/20)
- Oklahoma City Thunder: $9,346,153 (10/25/20)
- Miami Heat: $7,533,867 (2/8/21)
- Portland Trail Blazers: $7,069,662 (1/21/21)
- Memphis Grizzlies: $4,736,842 (10/25/20)
- Memphis Grizzlies: $4,185,185 (2/8/21)
- New York Knicks: $3,988,766 (2/8/21)
- Cleveland Cavaliers: $3,837,500 (12/24/20)
- Houston Rockets: $3,595,333 (2/5/21)
Check out our tracker for the full list of available traded player exceptions.
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NBA Team Option Decisions For 2020/21
Having already created a space to track this offseason’s player option decisions, we’re turning our attention today to team options. Over the next couple months, we’ll use the space below to keep tabs on all the team options for 2020/21, making note of whether they’re picked up or declined.
True team options are somewhat rare in the NBA, since clubs have typically preferred to include a non-guaranteed year or two in player contracts. Non-guaranteed salaries are less restrictive and provide a little more flexibility than team options, which clubs must act upon by a specific date each year. Typically, that date falls in late June, but this year it will be October 17 if free agency isn’t further delayed.
Still, team options can be useful at the end of a contract, since turning down that option allows the team to retain some form of Bird rights on the player — waiving a player with a non-guaranteed salary doesn’t present that same opportunity. Additionally, a handful of contracts still don’t become fully guaranteed once an option is picked up, giving teams an extra level of flexibility.
The list below doesn’t include rookie scale team options for 2020/21, since those third- and fourth-year options function differently than team options on standard veteran contracts. Those ’20/21 rookie scale team option decisions were made during the 2019 offseason, and can be found here.
The standard team options for 2020/21 are listed below. This list – which can be found anytime under the “Hoops Rumors Features” menu on the right sidebar on our desktop site or on the “Features” page in our mobile menu – will be updated throughout the fall to note the latest decisions.
Point Guards
- Cameron Payne, Suns ($1,977,011): Exercised *
Shooting Guards
- Deonte Burton, Thunder ($1,663,861): Declined *
- Hamidou Diallo, Thunder ($1,663,861): Exercised
- Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk, Pistons ($1,663,861): Exercised *
- David Nwaba, Rockets ($1,824,003): Exercised
- Theo Pinson, Knicks ($1,701,593): Declined
- Garrett Temple, Nets ($5,005,350): Declined
Small Forwards
- Melvin Frazier, Magic ($1,663,861): Declined
- Abdel Nader, Suns ($1,752,950): Exercised *
Power Forwards
- Cheick Diallo, Suns ($1,824,003): Declined
- Semi Ojeleye, Celtics ($1,752,950): Exercised *
- Bobby Portis, Knicks ($15,750,000): Declined
Centers
- Frank Kaminsky, Suns ($5,005,350): Declined
- Jontay Porter, Grizzlies ($1,517,981): Declined
Note: Options marked with an asterisk (*) won’t become fully guaranteed once they’re exercised, per Basketball Insiders and/or ESPN. If they’re exercised, they’ll become partially guaranteed or remain non-guaranteed until a later deadline.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Atlantic Notes: Ibaka, Hayward, Ainge, Sixers
Raptors center Serge Ibaka twisted his left ankle during the second half of the team’s Game 5 loss on Monday, potentially jeopardizing his status for Game 6 on Wednesday. As Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca tweets, Ibaka was in a walking boot today and said that he “will see” about his availability for Wednesday’s game.
Toronto’s initial injury report for Game 6 lists Ibaka as questionable. With the Raptors’ season on the line, down 3-2 to Boston, the big man will presumably do all he can to suit up.
Here’s more from around the Atlantic:
- Celtics forward Gordon Hayward is back on campus, but the team isn’t sure when he’ll clear quarantine and when he’ll be able to play, writes Tom Westerholm of MassLive.com. Meanwhile, Chris Forsberg of NBC Sports Boston wonders if the C’s will extend their season long enough for Hayward to contribute — Monday’s win certainly increased those odds.
- Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge, who has suffered multiple mild heart attacks in the past, was advised by doctors that he’d be “at risk” if he contracts COVID-19, he tells Jackie MacMullan of ESPN. As a result, Ainge didn’t accompany the C’s to the Orlando campus and has been watching the team’s playoff run from afar. “My doctors said it would be best if I did not go,” Ainge said. “But, as we’ve gone along — and I’ve thought about it since — I say to myself, ‘Man, it feels to me like the bubble is the healthiest place to be.'”
- While Brett Brown, Elton Brand, and the Sixers‘ supporting cast have taken much of the blame for the team’s lack of playoff success in recent years, Sopan Deb of The New York Times notes that Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid haven’t necessarily shown the growth expected of “prospective superstars” and questions whether either player is still capable of taking his play to another level.
Nuggets’ Will Barton Hasn’t Ruled Out Return
Nuggets wing Will Barton has been sidelined for the entire summer restart so far due to a right knee injury, but he hasn’t ruled out the possibility of returning before the end of Denver’s season, Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports reported on TNT on Monday night (video link).
After initially accompanying his teammates on the Walt Disney World campus, Barton left Orlando in mid-August to rehab his nagging knee injury in Miami. At that point, it seemed as if his season might be over, but Haynes says the 29-year-old has been getting tested daily for COVID-19 so that he’ll have a brief quarantine period if and when he’s able to return.
With the Nuggets now trailing the Clippers 2-1 in their second-round series, the door may be closing on a potential Barton return. Despite receiving daily coronavirus testing while he’s away, Barton would still have to quarantine for four days once he’s back at Disney World, so Denver will likely need to extend the series to six or seven games to give him a realistic chance of suiting up. Even then, there are no guarantees, but he’s doing “everything in his power” to make it back, according to Haynes.
While the Nuggets have gotten by without Barton so far this summer, he was a valuable part of the team’s rotation during the regular season, averaging 15.1 PPG, 6.3 RPG, and 3.7 APG on .450/.375/.767 shooting in 58 starts (33.0 MPG). Jerami Grant is currently occupying Barton’s spot in the starting lineup.