Month: April 2024

Wizards Notes: Hachimura, Beal, Westbrook

December 30th, 2020 at 4:00pm CST by Luke Adams

The Wizards announced on December 21 that forward Rui Hachimura would be sidelined for approximately three weeks due to an eye issue (bi-lateral epidemic keratoconjunctivitis). However, he’s set to easily beat that recovery timeline.

Head coach Scott Brooks told reporters today that Hachimura will play on Thursday night vs. Chicago, as Ava Wallace of The Washington Post tweets. The second-year forward is expected to see about 20 minutes of action, Brooks added (Twitter link via Fred Katz of The Athletic).

While Hachimura isn’t exactly a star-caliber difference-maker, the Wizards will welcome any reinforcements they can get, given their slow start. Washington is tied for the NBA’s worst record at 0-4 so far.

Here’s more out of D.C.:

Bradley Beal‘s frustration was evident after Tuesday’s loss to Chicago, as he left without speaking to the media, a rarity for the Wizards star, tweets Chase Hughes of NBC Sports Washington. Beal explained to reporters today that he was watching film and said he doesn’t intend to let his frustrations carry over (link via Fred Katz). Still, it’s worth keeping a close eye on Beal this season, especially if the Wizards keep losing — if his commitment to the team wavers, there will be plenty of rival clubs ready to inquire on his availability.
Here’s more from Beal on the energy in the Wizards’ locker room following the 0-4 start: “Nobody’s mad at their teammate or hates the next man. It’s not that type of emotion or feeling. I feel like everybody’s pissed off, I feel like that’s a good thing“ (Twitter link via Ava Wallace).
The Wizards should make a stronger effort to surround Russell Westbrook with more three-point shooters during his minutes, according to Fred Katz of The Athletic, who notes that Westbrook has played some of his minutes alongside three non-shooters.
In case you missed it, the Wizards picked up their 2021/22 options on Hachimura and Troy Brown, but opted to pass on their options for Jerome Robinson and Moritz Wagner.

No New Positive COVID-19 Tests Among Players Since Dec. 24

December 30th, 2020 at 2:20pm CST by Luke Adams

The NBA and National Basketball Players Association shared some encouraging news today, announcing in a press release that there have been no new positive COVID-19 tests among the league’s 495 players during the most recent testing period.

Before today, the most recent update from the league and the players union was provided on December 24. At that time, there had been two new positive tests in the last eight days.

Today’s update is the latest sign that the health and safety protocols put into place by the league have been relatively effective. When the NBA and NBPA announced the results of its first (pre-camp) round of coronavirus testing on December 2, there were 48 positives.

So far, just one game – the December 23 contest between the Rockets and Thunder – has had to be postponed due to the coronavirus. And even in that case, only two Houston players had actually tested positive — most of the Rockets who were unavailable for that contest were tied up in the league’s contact-tracing protocols.

Categories:
COVID-19
Newsstand

Zach Collins Out Indefinitely Following Second Ankle Surgery

December 30th, 2020 at 1:32pm CST by Luke Adams

Trail Blazers big man Zach Collins underwent revision surgery today to repair a left medial malleolus stress fracture, the team announced today in a press release. A specific timeline for his return hasn’t been set, with the team indicating he’ll be out indefinitely.

It’s the second procedure Collins has undergone on his left ankle, which he injured during the NBA’s summer restart. He first had surgery on that ankle on September 1.

It’s a tough setback for Collins, who had hoped to return to action at some point in January. Since entering Portland’s starting lineup on a full-time basis at the start of the ’19/20 season, the 23-year-old has only been able to play in 11 games, having missed most of last year due to shoulder surgery.

In 154 career regular season games (17.5 MPG), Collins has averaged 5.7 PPG and 4.0 RPG on .444/.324/.722 shooting.

Collins was eligible for a rookie scale extension prior to the start of this season, but he and the Trail Blazers opted to table contract negotiations until the summer of 2021. The thinking was that Collins would get a chance to prove his value after a lost 2019/20 campaign. Now it’s no longer clear exactly if or when he’ll get that opportunity.

How Teams Are Using 2020/21 Mid-Level Exceptions

December 30th, 2020 at 12:53pm CST by Luke Adams

In addition to receiving approximately $109MM in cap room and being allowed to surpass that threshold in order to sign players using Bird Rights or the minimum salary exception, each NBA team also receives a mid-level exception. The value of this exception varies depending on a club’s total team salary.

A team that goes under the cap to use its available cap room, for instance, receives only a modest form of the MLE known as the room exception. An over-the-cap team receives the full mid-level exception, unless that team is also over the tax apron, in which case it gets a taxpayer version of the MLE that falls in between the full MLE and the room exception. We detailed the exact values of each form of mid-level exception earlier this offseason, but here’s a quick breakdown:

Room exception: Can be used for contracts up to two years, with a starting salary worth up to $4,767,000.
Taxpayer mid-level exception: Can be used for contracts up to three years, with a starting salary worth up to $5,718,000.
Full/non-taxpayer mid-level exception: Can be used for contracts up to four years, with a starting salary worth up to $9,258,000.
- Note: Though its name suggests otherwise, using the non-taxpayer mid-level exception doesn’t mean a team can’t or won’t be above the tax line ($132.63MM) at season’s end; it simply means the team’s total salary can’t surpass the tax “apron” ($138.93MM).

Now that nearly all of the NBA’s teams have used up their cap space, it’s worth keeping an eye on which teams still have part or all of their mid-level exceptions available, which we’ll do in the space below. This list will be kept up to date throughout the 2020/21 league year.

Note: As of February 27, the value of the exceptions below began to prorate downward by 1/146th per day.

Here’s where things currently stand:

Mid-Level Exception:

Non-taxpayer: $9,258,000
Taxpayer: $5,718,000

Boston Celtics

Used: $9,258,000 (Tristan Thompson)

Brooklyn Nets

Used: $399,591 (Alize Johnson)
Note: Limited to taxpayer mid-level exception.

Chicago Bulls

Used: $4,767,000 (Garrett Temple)

Cleveland Cavaliers

Used: $2,000,000 (Damyean Dotson); $652,366 (Lamar Stevens); $158,433 (Mfiondu Kabengele)

Dallas Mavericks

Used: $4,100,000 (Willie Cauley-Stein); $3,000,000 (Trey Burke); $1,289,846 (Tyrell Terry)

Denver Nuggets

Used: $7,199,760 (JaMychal Green); $2,058,240 (Bol Bol)

Golden State Warriors

Used: $2,250,000 (Brad Wanamaker)
Note: Limited to taxpayer mid-level exception.

Houston Rockets

Used: $1,445,697 (Jae’Sean Tate); $898,310 (KJ Martin); $250,000 (Khyri Thomas)

Indiana Pacers

Used: $757,453 (Oshae Brissett)

Los Angeles Clippers

Used: $9,258,000 (Serge Ibaka)

Los Angeles Lakers

Used: $9,258,000 (Montrezl Harrell)

Memphis Grizzlies

Used: $2,100,000 (John Konchar); $1,900,000 (Jontay Porter); $1,300,000 (Xavier Tillman)

Miami Heat

Used: $5,635,000 (Avery Bradley); $3,623,000 (Maurice Harkless)

Milwaukee Bucks

Used: $6,666,667 (D.J. Augustin); $2,337,145 (Bryn Forbes); $160,173 (Mamadi Diakite)

Minnesota Timberwolves

Used: $0

New Orleans Pelicans

Used: $120,000 (Naji Marshall)

Oklahoma City Thunder

Used: $2,000,000 (Theo Maledon); $1,250,000 (Moses Brown); $3,870,370 (Gabriel Deck)

Orlando Magic

Used: $3,300,000 (James Ennis); $2,000,000 (Gary Clark)

Philadelphia 76ers

Used: $898,310 (Isaiah Joe), $609,128 (Paul Reed)
Note: Limited to taxpayer mid-level exception.

Phoenix Suns

Used: $9,258,000 (Jae Crowder)

Portland Trail Blazers

Used: $9,258,000 (Derrick Jones)

Sacramento Kings

Used: $1,620,564 (Chimezie Metu); $1,500,000 (Robert Woodard); $1,000,000 (Jahmi’us Ramsey); $700,000 (Chimezie Metu)

San Antonio Spurs

Used: $898,310 (Tre Jones)

Toronto Raptors

Used: $7,000,000 (Aron Baynes); $2,258,000 (Alex Len)

Utah Jazz

Used: $9,258,000 (Derrick Favors)

Washington Wizards

Used: $7,300,000 (Robin Lopez); $20,000 (Caleb Homesley)

Room Exception:

Available: $4,767,000

Atlanta Hawks

Used: $4,767,000 (Kris Dunn)

Charlotte Hornets

Used: $0

Detroit Pistons

Used: $4,767,000 (Josh Jackson)

New York Knicks

Used: $0

Salary information from Basketball Insiders was used in the creation of this post. Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Categories:
Hoops Rumors Originals

Pacers’ Donnie Walsh Stepping Down From Consultant Role

December 30th, 2020 at 11:57am CST by Luke Adams

Veteran NBA executive Donnie Walsh is stepping down from his position as a Pacers consultant, league sources tell Scott Agness of Fieldhouse Files. Walsh confirmed the news to Matthew VanTryon of The Indianapolis Star.

“I’m getting older and don’t have the energy,” said Walsh, who is 79. “It’s a young man’s sport. This job has always occupied a great deal of my time. The Pacers were always in my head. This gives me an opportunity to pay attention to my children, my grandchildren and my wife (Judy) of 58 years.”

According to Agness, team employees were informed of the news on Wednesday during a company conference call.

Walsh, who first joined the Pacers in 1984, has been a crucial part of the franchise over the last few decades. He became the club’s general manager in 1986 before being promoted to president of basketball operations in 1988.

Walsh held that role for 20 years, overseeing a period in which Indiana made the playoffs in 16 of 17 seasons. Although the Pacers never won a championship during that time, they appeared in the Eastern Conference Finals six times and represented the East in the NBA Finals once.

Following a four-year stint with the Knicks from 2008-12, Walsh returned to the Pacers as the team’s interim president of basketball operations when Larry Bird took a one-year sabbatical. Since 2013, Walsh has been a consultant, working with current president of basketball operations Kevin Pritchard, GM Chad Buchanan, and the rest of the Indiana front office.

“The best period of my life was running the franchise,” Walsh told The Indianapolis Star today. “I accomplished every dream I had. We established a winning tradition and I got the opportunity to work with really good people. The Simon family has been great ownership. I liked everybody that we had in the franchise. We worked well together and strove to make it one of the better franchises in the league.

“As I’ve come back as a consultant, I believe we’ve gotten better. I’m happy with my part in it, but I’m also happy that the franchise has continued to improve.”

Trade Rumors App For iOS/Android

December 30th, 2020 at 10:58am CST by Luke Adams

If you enjoy Hoops Rumors on your smartphone or tablet, be sure to check out our free Trade Rumors app!

Trade Rumors, available for iOS and Android, is the best way to consume our content on a mobile device. Here’s what it delivers, all for free:

All the articles from Hoops Rumors, MLB Trade Rumors, Pro Football Rumors, and Pro Hockey Rumors in an easy-to-navigate, eye-catching format. Swipe through stories to quickly consume all the news and rumors from our four sites. Not into all four sports? No problem – any sport can be easily removed.
Customize what you see. You can create feeds for any team or player across any of our sites.
Notifications. For any team or player, you can set up push notifications to ensure you always get breaking news instantly. Notifications can also be set up at the sport level.
Commenting. You can read and contribute comments on the app seamlessly.
Customer service. If you find a bug, we’ll fix it. If you have a feature request, we’ll consider it. The app is continually evolving and improving.
Did we mention Trade Rumors is a free app? What do you have to lose? Download it now!

Categories:
Hoops Rumors Originals

Central Notes: Cavs, Pistons, Hayes, Griffin, Hutchison

December 30th, 2020 at 9:27am CST by Luke Adams

The Cavaliers received approval from the Ohio Department of Health to increase their crowd capacity for home games at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, writes Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com. As Fedor details, the franchise will now be able to host 1,944 fans per game, which is the equivalent of 10% of the arena’s capacity.

Ohio regulations currently limit attendance at indoor sports arena or entertainment venues to 300 people or 15% of the seating capacity, whichever is less. So an exception is being made for the Cavaliers, who will be able to host nearly 2,000 fans.

However, that amount still falls well short of the team’s initial request. According to Fedor, the plan the Cavs originally submitted to government officials asked for an allowance of 4,596 fans, 23.65% of their arena’s capacity.

Here’s more from around the Central:

The Pistons, who are off to an 0-4 start this season, are prepared to go through some growing pains as Isaiah Stewart, Saddiq Bey, Killian Hayes, and their other youngsters get acclimated to the NBA. “This year is about getting those guys ready, developing, teaching – and it’s painful,” head coach Dwane Casey said, per Keith Langlois of Pistons.com. “We’re going through it right now and we’ve just got to learn from those situations and we’ve just got to be ready when they throw it up again.”
As Rod Beard of The Detroit News details, both Hayes and Blake Griffin left the Pistons‘ loss on Tuesday due to injuries — Hayes suffered a right ankle sprain, while Griffin entered the concussion protocol after taking an elbow to the jaw. It’s unclear so far whether Hayes and Griffin are being considered day-to-day or whether they may be ruled out for multiple games.
Despite being limited to 72 games and making just 29.5% of his three-point attempts in his first two NBA seasons, Chandler Hutchison had his $4MM fourth-year option for 2021/22 picked up by the Bulls. Now healthy, Hutchison is looking to prove he can make an impact off the bench, writes Sam Smith of Bulls.com.

Recap Of 2021/22 Rookie Scale Option Decisions

December 30th, 2020 at 8:19am CST by Luke Adams

Decisions on rookie scale options for the 2021/22 season were due on Tuesday — any team that wanted to exercise a third- or fourth-year option on a player for next season was required to do so by last night.

As is typically the case, a huge majority of those options were picked up. Even for top picks, who are paid higher salaries due to the NBA’s rookie scale, those third- and fourth-year options are relatively team-friendly. So unless a player has fallen well short of his team’s expectations, it generally makes sense to lock in his salary for the following season at this point.

However, not every player with a 2021/22 team option had it exercised by Tuesday’s deadline. The players who had those options declined will now be on track to reach unrestricted free agency during the summer of 2021, assuming they’re not waived before then. At the end of the season, their teams won’t be able to offer them starting salaries that exceed the value of their declined options.

Listed below are the players who had their options turned down, followed by the players whose options were exercised. If a player had his option picked up, his ’21/22 salary is now guaranteed and he won’t be eligible for free agency until at least 2022.

Declined options:

Note: These players will become unrestricted free agents in 2021.

Jerome Robinson, Wizards (fourth year, $5,340,916)
Moritz Wagner, Wizards (fourth year, $3,893,618)
Omari Spellman, Knicks (fourth year, $3,588,845)
Mfiondu Kabengele, Clippers (third year, $2,174,880)

In addition to these four players who remain under contract for the 2020/21 season, three players who had rookie scale team options on their contracts for ’21/22 were waived during the offseason. Those players were Zhaire Smith (cut by Pistons), Dzanan Musa (Pistons), and Jacob Evans (Knicks). Their options were automatically voided once they cleared waivers.

Exercised options:

Fourth year:

Note: These players will become eligible for rookie scale extensions on August 2, 2021. If they’re not extended, they’ll be on track for restricted free agency in 2022.

Deandre Ayton, Suns ($12,632,950)
Marvin Bagley III, Kings ($11,312,114)
Luka Doncic, Mavericks ($10,174,391)
Jaren Jackson Jr., Grizzlies ($9,180,560)
Trae Young, Hawks ($8,326,471)
Mohamed Bamba, Magic ($7,568,743)
Wendell Carter Jr., Bulls ($6,920,027)
Collin Sexton, Cavaliers ($6,349,671)
Kevin Knox, Knicks ($5,845,978)
Mikal Bridges, Suns ($5,557,725)
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Thunder ($5,495,532)
Miles Bridges, Hornets ($5,421,493)
Michael Porter Jr., Nuggets ($5,258,735)
Troy Brown, Wizards ($5,170,564)
Donte DiVincenzo, Bucks ($4,675,830)
Lonnie Walker, Spurs ($4,447,896)
Kevin Huerter, Hawks ($4,253,357)
Josh Okogie, Timberwolves ($4,087,904)
Grayson Allen, Grizzlies ($4,054,695)
Chandler Hutchison, Bulls ($4,019,459)
Aaron Holiday, Pacers ($3,980,551)
Anfernee Simons, Trail Blazers ($3,938,818)
Landry Shamet, Nets ($3,768,342)
Robert Williams, Celtics ($3,661,976)

Third year:

Note: Teams will have to make fourth-year option decisions for 2022/23 on these players next year (exact deadline TBD).

Zion Williamson, Pelicans ($10,733,400)
Ja Morant, Grizzlies ($9,603,360)
RJ Barrett, Knicks ($8,623,920)
De’Andre Hunter, Hawks ($7,775,400)
Darius Garland, Cavaliers ($7,040,880)
Jarrett Culver, Timberwolves ($6,395,160)
Coby White, Bulls ($5,837,760)
Jaxson Hayes, Pelicans ($5,348,280)
Rui Hachimura, Wizards ($4,916,160)
Cam Reddish, Hawks ($4,670,160)
Cameron Johnson, Suns ($4,437,000)
P.J. Washington, Hornets ($4,215,120)
Tyler Herro, Heat ($4,004,280)
Romeo Langford, Celtics ($3,804,360)
Sekou Doumbouya, Pistons ($3,613,680)
Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Pelicans ($3,261,480)
Goga Bitadze, Pacers ($3,098,400)
Luka Samanic, Spurs ($2,959,080)
Matisse Thybulle, Sixers ($2,840,160)
Brandon Clarke, Grizzlies ($2,726,880)
Grant Williams, Celtics ($2,617,800)
Darius Bazley, Thunder ($2,513,040)
Ty Jerome, Thunder ($2,412,840)
Nassir Little, Trail Blazers ($2,316,240)
Dylan Windler, Cavaliers ($2,239,200)
Jordan Poole, Warriors ($2,161,440)
Keldon Johnson, Spurs ($2,145,720)
Kevin Porter Jr., Cavaliers ($1,782,621)

For a team-by-team breakdown of this year’s rookie scale option decisions for the 2021/22 season, along with full stories on each decision, you can check out our tracker.

Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images. Salary information from Basketball Insiders was used in the creation of this post.

Categories:
Hoops Rumors Originals

Pacific Notes: Wiseman, Kaminsky, Lakers, Green

December 29th, 2020 at 10:00pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Rookie Warriors center James Wiseman has quickly emerged as a big contributor for Golden State and an early top Rookie of the Year contender, as Tim Kawakami of The Athletic details.

Though Golden State has had an up-and-down 2-2 start, Kawakami argues that the 19-year-old No. 2 draft pick out of Memphis clearly has established himself as the most intriguing prospect among the Warriors’ young guys. “I told y’all after Day 1 that I think he’s going to be really special,” power forward Draymond Green said of Wiseman. “I had never seen James play much and so to see his skill set is, ‘Wow, it’s nice.’”

There’s more out of the Pacific Division:

New Suns center Frank Kaminsky was excited to play well against the Kings, the team that had just cut him, Suns writer Gina Mizell tweets. “I gotta be honest, that felt good,” Kaminsky said. He scored 11 points in 19 minutes off the bench for Phoenix on Sunday.
After the Lakers had their first All-Star player absence, their deep roster showed its mettle in a 127-91 Anthony Davis-free route of the Timberwolves Sunday, according to Bill Oram of The Athletic. “The expectation and the norm for us, for most of the league, is that there will be guys out,” head coach Frank Vogel noted. “We just have to make sure we understand that’s the norm and don’t let it slow us down at all.” Kyle Kuzma, Marc Gasol, Montrezl Harrell, Dennis Schroder and Talen Horton-Tucker all scored in double digits, along with Los Angeles’s remaining healthy All-Star, LeBron James.
Warriors head coach Steve Kerr has said that he is optimistic that power forward Draymond Green will appear in his first 2020/21 season game in the club’s first home game on Friday, according to Anthony Slater of The Athletic (Twitter link).

Warriors Exercise Third-Year Option On Jordan Poole

December 29th, 2020 at 9:41pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

The Warriors have exercised their $2,161,440 third-year team option on Jordan Poole, according to Monte Poole of NBC Sports Bay Area (via Twitter). Poole’s rookie scale contract is now guaranteed through at least the 2021/22 season.

Golden State drafted the 6’4″ shooting guard out of Michigan with the No. 28 pick in 2019. In his rookie season, Poole averaged 8.8 PPG, 2.4 APG, 2.1 RPG and 0.6 SPG across 57 games (including 14 starts). He posted a shooting line of .333/.279/.798.

This year, with more wing rotation depth thanks to the addition of Kelly Oubre, Poole’s minutes have taken an early hit. He is currently averaging 15.0 MPG across his first four contests for the 2-2 Warriors.

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