Pacers’ Goga Bitadze Out Indefinitely With Ankle Sprain
Pacers big man Goga Bitadze has been diagnosed with a Grade 2 right ankle sprain, the team announced today in a press release.
There’s no set timetable for how much time Bitadze will miss, according to the Pacers, who said in today’s announcement that he’ll be out indefinitely. The plan is to reevaluate him in two weeks to assess his progress.
As Scott Agness of Fieldhouse Files notes (via Twitter), Bitadze’s ankle sprain is the latest example of the bad luck he has endured since being selected 18th overall in the 2019 draft. Visa issues delayed his initial arrival stateside, forcing him to miss Summer League as a rookie, and he has also dealt with knee issues since beginning his NBA career.
Bitadze, 21, appeared in 54 games as a rookie for the Pacers, averaging 3.2 PPG and 2.0 RPG in 8.7 minutes per contest. When healthy, he’ll provide depth at the five behind Domantas Sabonis and Myles Turner.
Nets Exercise 2021/22 Option On Landry Shamet
The Nets have exercise the fourth-year option on Landry Shamet‘s rookie contract, the club announced today (via Twitter). The move locks in Shamet’s $3.77MM salary for the 2021/22 season.
Shamet, 23, has averaged 9.2 PPG on .420/.402/.828 shooting in his first two NBA seasons with the Sixers and Clippers. He was dealt from Los Angeles to Brooklyn in a three-team trade last month — the Nets also acquired Bruce Brown in that deal, sending Dzanan Musa and the No. 19 pick to Detroit.
Shamet will now become eligible for a rookie scale extension during the 2021 offseason. If he doesn’t sign a new deal at that point, he’d be on track to reach restricted free agency in the summer of 2022.
We’re keeping tabs on all the 2021/22 rookie scale team option decisions right here.
Heat No Longer Engaging In Harden Talks With Rockets
The Heat are no longer engaging in discussions with the Rockets about a possible James Harden trade, according to Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel (Twitter link).
Miami was said to be among Harden’s preferred landing spot, and a report earlier this month indicated the Heat would be open to exploring the possibility of a deal. However, Winderman hears that the discussions were “never more than cursory.”
The Heat had some interest, but not at the Rockets’ asking price, tweets Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald. Jackson adds (via Twitter) that one high-ranking Heat official had “strong interest” in a deal and that the team might re-engage if Houston lowers its asking price. For now, Miami is standing firm.
As Winderman points out (via Twitter), the Heat have taken this approach before, shutting down trade discussions on a potential target once the regular season begins — they did so with Jimmy Butler right before the start of the 2018/19 campaign, preferring to push that speculation aside once the season tipped off. Butler eventually made his way to Miami in the 2019 offseason after being traded from Minnesota to Philadelphia during the season.
In order to realistically have a shot to acquire Harden without giving up Butler or Bam Adebayo, the Heat would have to gut their supporting cast, likely including veterans like Andre Iguodala and Kelly Olynyk for salary purposes and then sweetening their offer by including young players like Tyler Herro, Duncan Robinson, and/or Kendrick Nunn, along with future draft picks.
The inclusion of Robinson in a potential deal was said to be a sticking point, though it sounds like the Heat and Rockets may not have gotten far enough in their talks to seriously haggle over specific aspects of an offer.
The Rockets have also had Harden discussions with the Nets, Sixers, and Nuggets, among other teams, says ESPN’s Brian Windhorst. Denver isn’t believed to be among Harden’s preferred destinations, but could put together an interesting trade package for a star player.
Kawhi Leonard Addresses Potential 2021 Free Agency
Star players like LeBron James, Paul George, and Rudy Gobert have signed contract extensions that will take them off the free agent market for 2021, but at least one superstar remains a good bet to become a free agent next summer. Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard can opt out of his deal at that point and is ineligible to sign an extension before then.
Asked today about his contract situation, Leonard, unsurprisingly, wasn’t too talkative. The two-time Finals MVP told reporters, including Andrew Greif of The Los Angeles Times, that he’s “just focused on this season.” However, he did offer a hint about his plans.
“Obviously, if I’m healthy, the best decision is to decline the (2021/22) player option,” Leonard said, “but that doesn’t mean I’m leaving or staying. I’m focused on the season, like I said. We’ll talk about that when the time is right.”
While it’s somewhat surprising that Leonard offered up even that small morsel of info to reporters, it’s not exactly a groundbreaking admission. The 29-year-old’s option for the ’21/22 season is worth about $36MM. If he opts out, he’ll be eligible for a starting salary worth up to a projected $39.34MM, whether he re-signs with the Clippers or joins a new team.
Players with 10 or more years of NBA experience are eligible for a maximum salary worth 35% of the cap, as opposed to 30% for players with 7-9 years of service. This is Leonard’s 10th season, so he’ll be eligible for that higher max for the first time in 2021, which is presumably the main reason why he only opted for two guaranteed years when he initially signed with the Clippers in 2019.
Despite the club’s playoff flame-out this summer, there’s no indication that Leonard has any regrets about his decision to return home to Los Angeles and join the Clippers last summer. While it’s possible that could change with another disappointing early playoff exit in 2021, the most likely outcome for now is probably Kawhi opting out next year in order to sign a new deal with the Clips.
Meanwhile, even as we look ahead to Leonard’s next deal, the circumstances of his initial contract agreement remain under NBA investigation, as we detailed last week. Leonard has brushed off the recruitment allegations made against Jerry West and the Clippers, which commissioner Adam Silver addressed today during an appearance on ESPN’s First Take.
“All I can say there is everyone is entitled to the presumption of innocence,” Silver said, per Tim Bontemps of ESPN. “We’ll look into it. It’s our obligation … that if something comes to our attention, we look into it and see if anything is there. I have no reason to believe, based on what’s been alleged so far, that anything inappropriate took place, but that’s why we follow up on whatever leads come to the league office.”
Rui Hachimura Out For Three Weeks Due To Eye Issue
Wizards forward Rui Hachimura will be sidelined for approximately three weeks due to bi-lateral epidemic keratoconjunctivitis (EKC), the club announced today in a press release.
Hachimura is essentially dealing with a severe case of pink eye, according to Wizards head coach Scott Brooks, who said the second-year forward has blurred vision and is sensitive to light (Twitter link via Chase Hughes of NBC Sports Washington).
Hachimura, who missed Washington’s last two preseason games, is “getting better,” Brooks said. However, it sounds like he won’t be able to make his regular season debut until sometime in the new year. The Wizards will play their 11th game of the season three weeks from today, so Hachimura will likely be sidelined for at least 10 contests.
The ninth overall pick in the 2019 draft, Hachimura averaged 13.5 PPG and 6.1 RPG in 48 games (30.1 MPG) last season, earning a spot on the All-Rookie Second Team.
While Davis Bertans would be the most obvious candidate to take Hachimura’s spot in the starting lineup, Brooks has typically liked to bring Bertans off the bench, notes Fred Katz of The Athletic (Twitter link). If Bertans doesn’t get bumped into the starting five, the club could turn to Anthony Gill or shift Deni Avdija to the four and start another wing, says Katz.
And-Ones: Coronavirus, Waiver Order, Lottery, Achilles Injuries
In a column for USA Today, NBA commissioner Adam Silver explained that while another bubble wasn’t a practical solution for the 2020/21 season, the league believes it can take the lessons learned during the Orlando summer restart and conduct its new season “safely and responsibly.” As it did prior to the summer restart, the NBA has designed thorough health and safety protocols in consultation with public health and medical experts, according to Silver.
“We recognize there are some people who believe we should wait to return until the pandemic is crushed, but we believe that on balance, the right approach is to start our season now,” Silver said.
While Silver claims in his column that “the health and safety of everyone remains our top priority,” it’s safe to say that financial considerations played a large part in the NBA’s decision to begin its new season now. Previous reports have indicated that starting the ’20/21 campaign before Christmas is expected to salvage between $500MM and $1 billion in projected revenue for the league.
As for the NBA’s COVID-19 vaccination plan, Silver said on Monday during an appearance on ESPN’s First Take that the league won’t “jump the line in any form whatsoever,” as Tim Bontemps of ESPN relays.
“For the most part, because our players are so young and healthy without some sort of comorbidity, they will not be a high priority for vaccinations,” Silver said. “There are some other members of the NBA community working on court who are older and will have a higher priority to get the vaccine.”
Here are more odds and ends from around the basketball world:
- From now until January 24, the NBA’s waiver order will be based on winning percentage as of March 11, tweets ESPN’s Bobby Marks. The teams with the worst records at that time will have the highest waiver priority. Typically, the waiver order is based on the current season’s records starting on December 1, but that won’t happen until January 25 this season due to the revamped calendar.
- Jonathan Tjarks of The Ringer makes the case that the NBA’s new lottery format – which went into effect in 2019 – has made it more difficult for teams to “tank their way to the top.”
- Taking into account how many Rockets players have suffered torn Achilles tendons, Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle takes a deep dive into the injury and the recovery process, explaining why it’s no longer considered the same sort of career-killer it once was for NBA players. DeMarcus Cousins, John Wall, and David Nwaba suffered Achilles tears in the past, while Chris Clemons tore his Achilles during a preseason game this month.
Bucks Lose 2022 Second-Round Pick For Early Pursuit Of Bogdanovic
The NBA has determined that the Bucks violated league rules in their offseason pursuit of Bogdan Bogdanovic, and will rescind Milwaukee’s 2022 second-round pick as a result, the league announced today.
According to the press release, the NBA investigated whether the Bucks had discussions with Bogdanovic and/or his agent prior to the start of the free agency period in November, and concluded that early discussions did, in fact, take place.
The league said that the decision to strip the Bucks of their 2022 second-round pick took into account the club’s cooperation with the investigation, the absence of any evidence of an early contract agreement between Bogdanovic and the Bucks, and the fact that he didn’t ultimately sign with the team. In other words, the franchise could have faced an even more severe penalty if the NBA had found proof of an early agreement or if Bogdanovic had ended up joining the Bucks.
A few days before the free agent period officially began last month, word broke that the Kings and Bucks had reached an agreement that would send Bogdanovic – a restricted free agent – and Justin James to Milwaukee for Donte DiVincenzo, D.J. Wilson, and Ersan Ilyasova. Such a deal would have required a new contract for Bogdanovic with the Bucks.
Two days after it was first reported, that deal fell apart amid rumors that Bogdanovic himself hadn’t agreed to sign with Milwaukee, and the league opened its investigation into the matter. Bogdanovic eventually signed an offer sheet with Atlanta and is now a member of the Hawks after the Kings opted not to match that offer.
The Bucks’ second-round pick in 2022 had been the next second-rounder the team had available. Milwaukee previously traded away its 2021 second-rounder in a 2018 deal for George Hill.
Pistons Exercise Sekou Doumbouya’s 2021/22 Option
The Pistons have exercised their 2021/22 team option on Sekou Doumbouya‘s rookie contract, league sources tell Omari Sankofa II of The Detroit Free Press (Twitter link). The move guarantees the forward’s $3.6MM salary for the ’21/22 season.
Doumbouya, who will turn 20 on Wednesday, was the youngest player in the NBA last season after being selected 15th overall in the 2019 draft. He averaged 6.4 PPG and 3.1 RPG on .390/.286/.674 shooting in 38 games (19.8 MPG) as a rookie.
While Doumbouya’s contributions in 2019/20 were modest, he has flashed some promise during the preseason this month. Most notably, he racked up 23 points, five rebounds, and a pair of blocked shots in just 17 minutes of action against New York last Sunday.
As our tracker shows, Doumbouya’s rookie scale option was the only one left for the Pistons to pick up after they waived Zhaire Smith and Dzanan Musa. The deadline for teams to exercise those options is December 29.
Detroit’s next decision on Doumbouya will come a year from now, when the club will have to either exercise or decline his team option for 2022/23. Assuming that option is picked up, the Pistons forward will become eligible for a rookie scale extension during the 2022 offseason.
2020/21 NBA Over/Unders: Southwest Division
The 2020/21 NBA regular season will get underway on Tuesday, so it’s time to get serious about predictions for the upcoming campaign.
With the help of the lines from a handful of sports betting sites, including Bovada and BetOnline, we’re running through the predicted win totals for each of the NBA’s 30 teams, by division. In a series of team-by-team polls, you’ll get the chance to weigh in on whether you think those forecasts are too optimistic or too pessimistic.
Of course, there are plenty of wild cards to take into account this season. For one, teams are scheduled to play 72 games instead of 82, so if you’re picking a team to win 41 games, you’re not just expecting them to be a .500 club — you’re projecting them to finish 10 games above .500. For each team’s over/under below, we’ve noted the record they’d have to achieve to finish “over” their projection, as a reminder.
It’s also worth noting that the coronavirus pandemic could cause some games to be canceled in 2020/21. We don’t want you to have to take possible cancellations into account when making your picks though, so don’t let that stop you from taking the “over.” If a team has a couple games canceled, we’ll adjust their over/under figure downward, so you’re essentially just projecting that team’s winning percentage.
We’ll wrap things up by heading to the Southwest…
Dallas Mavericks
- 2019/20 record: 43-32
- Over/under for 2020/21: 43.5 wins (44-28)
- Major offseason moves:
Trade Rumors app users, click here for Mavericks poll.
New Orleans Pelicans
- 2019/20 record: 30-42
- Over/under for 2020/21: 36.5 wins (37-35)
- Major offseason moves:
Trade Rumors app users, click here for Pelicans poll.
Houston Rockets
- 2019/20 record: 44-28
- Over/under for 2020/21: 35.5 wins (36-36)
- Major offseason moves:
Trade Rumors app users, click here for Rockets poll.
Memphis Grizzlies
- 2019/20 record: 34-39
- Over/under for 2020/21: 32.5 wins (33-39)
- Major offseason moves:
- Added: Desmond Bane, Xavier Tillman
- Lost: Josh Jackson, Anthony Tolliver, Marko Guduric
Trade Rumors app users, click here for Grizzlies poll.
San Antonio Spurs
- 2019/20 record: 32-39
- Over/under for 2020/21: 30.5 wins (31-41)
- Major offseason moves:
- Added: Devin Vassell, Tre Jones
- Lost: Bryn Forbes, Marco Belinelli, Tyler Zeller, Chimezie Metu
Trade Rumors app users, click here for Spurs poll.
Previous voting results:
- Boston Celtics (45.5 wins): Over (66.3%)
- Brooklyn Nets (45.5 wins): Over (58.6%)
- Philadelphia 76ers (44.5 wins): Over (57.4%)
- Toronto Raptors (42.5 wins): Over (54.7%)
- New York Knicks (22.5 wins): Under (59.5%)
- Denver Nuggets (44.5 wins): Over (69.7%)
- Utah Jazz (42.5 wins): Over (59.9%)
- Portland Trail Blazers (41.5 wins): Over (70.1%)
- Minnesota Timberwolves (29.5 wins): Under (50.3%)
- Oklahoma City Thunder (22.5 wins): Under (64.4%)
- Milwaukee Bucks (51.5 wins): Over (73.7%)
- Indiana Pacers (39.5 wins): Over (57.9%)
- Chicago Bulls (29.5 wins): Under (61.6%)
- Cleveland Cavaliers (23.5 wins): Under (68.5%)
- Detroit Pistons (22.5 wins): Over (53.9%)
- Los Angeles Lakers (48.5 wins): Over (79.1%)
- Los Angeles Clippers (47.5 wins): Under (50.4%)
- Phoenix Suns (40.5 wins): Over (51.0%)
- Golden State Warriors (38.5 wins): Over (60.3%)
- Sacramento Kings (29.5 wins): Under (60.7%)
- Miami Heat (44.5 wins): Over (67.6%)
- Atlanta Hawks (36.5 wins): Over (58.0%)
- Washington Wizards (34.5 wins): Under (50.7%)
- Orlando Magic (31.5 wins): Under (73.5%)
- Charlotte Hornets (26.5 wins): Over (56.3%)
Contract, Roster Deadlines Loom For NBA Teams
We’re one day away from the start of the NBA’s 2020/21 regular season, making Monday the last day of the 2020 offseason. Today serves as the deadline for a number of contract- and roster-related decisions around the league. Here are the most important ones:
Rookie Scale Extensions
A total of 24 players entered the offseason eligible for rookie scale extensions. Five of those players – Jayson Tatum, Donovan Mitchell, Bam Adebayo, De’Aaron Fox, and Kyle Kuzma – have already signed new deals. That leaves the following 19 players eligible to sign rookie scale extensions on Monday:
- Jarrett Allen (Nets)
- OG Anunoby (Raptors)
- Lonzo Ball (Pelicans)
- Tony Bradley (Sixers)
- John Collins (Hawks)
- Zach Collins (Trail Blazers)
- Terrance Ferguson (Sixers)
- Markelle Fultz (Magic)
- Josh Hart (Pelicans)
- Jonathan Isaac (Magic)
- Justin Jackson (Thunder)
- Luke Kennard (Clippers)
- T.J. Leaf (Thunder)
- Lauri Markkanen (Bulls)
- Malik Monk (Hornets)
- Frank Ntilikina (Knicks)
- Dennis Smith Jr. (Knicks)
- Derrick White (Spurs)
- D.J. Wilson (Bucks)
Most of these players won’t sign new deals until the 2021 offseason, when they’re eligible for restricted free agency. But it would be a surprise if at least one or two more players from this list don’t finalize rookie scale extensions today, With Allen, Anunoby, Ball, John Collins, Fultz, and White among the most viable candidates.
The deadline for rookie scale extensions is at 5:00pm central time, ESPN’s Bobby Marks confirms (via Twitter).
Certain Veteran Contract Extensions
A veteran player who signed his current contract at least two years ago (or three years ago if it was a five-year deal) is eligible to sign an extension. That means that many veterans around the NBA are eligible to sign contract extensions today, but that number will significantly drop as of tomorrow.
Once the regular season begins, only veterans in the final year of their contracts can sign extensions — a player that has multiple years remaining is no longer extension-eligible until the following offseason.
[RELATED: Hoops Rumors Glossary: Veteran Contract Extension]
In other words, players like Stephen Curry or T.J. Warren, who are under contract through 2021/22, could sign an extension today that covers up to three additional seasons. However, starting on Tuesday, they’ll be ineligible to sign an extension until the 2021 offseason.
An extension candidate like Jrue Holiday, who has a player option for 2021/22, could still sign a new deal during the season, but he’d have to eliminate that option to do so. Picking it up would make him ineligible to complete an extension until the 2021 offseason after today.
The deadline for veteran extensions for players on non-expiring contracts is at 10:59pm CT tonight.
Regular Season Rosters
Most teams around the NBA finalized their roster cuts on Saturday for financial reasons, as we explained over the weekend. However, the deadline to reduce offseason rosters to the regular season limit of 15 players on standard contracts (plus two on two-way contracts) arrives tonight.
Typically, the regular season roster deadline would fall at 4:00pm CT. This year, as Marks tweets, it’s at 10:00pm CT. The NBA adjusted the waiver deadline for Saturday, Sunday, and Monday in order to accommodate the preseason games that took place on Saturday night — teams that participated in those games were still able to cut players afterward and have those players clear waivers tonight.
While it’s certainly possible that there will be some additional roster shuffling today as teams tweak their back-end roster spots or fill two-way openings, only two teams – the Thunder and Kings – absolutely have to make cuts, as we detailed on Sunday.
The final day of the offseason is also the last day for teams to convert Exhibit 10 contracts into two-way deals. However, after Yuta Watanabe, Brodric Thomas, Reggie Perry, Marques Bolden, and Max Strus had their Exhibit 10 deals converted into two-ways over the weekend, I don’t think there are any candidates left for this maneuver.
Finally, Monday is the last day for a free agent to be signed-and-traded. There has been no indication that any potential sign-and-trades are in the works though.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.