Eastern Notes: Pistons, Wood, Durant, Zeller
At last season’s trade deadline, after agreeing to send Clint Capela to Atlanta, the Rockets pursued a deal for Christian Wood, offering the Pistons a pair of second-round picks and Isaiah Hartenstein in exchange for the big man, according to James L. Edwards III and Kelly Iko of The Athletic. Detroit rebuffed that offer and showed interest in re-signing Wood during the 2020 offseason.
The Pistons’ interest was reciprocated by Wood, and the team made him a contract offer, per Edwards and Iko. However, Detroit was pursuing free agents like Jerami Grant and Mason Plumlee and wasn’t in position to use cap room on Wood as well.
Without dipping into their cap space, the Pistons had the ability to use Wood’s Early Bird rights to offer him a contract that started at $10.05MM, and – according to The Athletic’s duo – they didn’t go over that amount. That meant they were outbid when the Rockets presented Wood with a three-year offer that started at $13MM+.
Here’s more on Wood, along with a couple more Eastern Conference notes:
- With Wood’s Rockets set to face Detroit on Friday, Pistons head coach Dwane Casey said he’s proud to see the big man enjoying success in Houston, as Omari Sankofa II of The Detroit Free Press writes. “We tried to get him here, we just didn’t have enough in the bucket,” Casey said. “He’s a special kid and I think good things for him and wish him well, except for (Friday) night.” Wood has been ruled out for the game due to a sprained right ankle.
- Nets star Kevin Durant, who played 50 minutes in Wednesday’s double-overtime loss to Cleveland, will be held out of Friday’s rematch due to injury management, per the team (Twitter link). Friday’s game is the first half of a back-to-back set, so Durant should be available on Saturday vs. Miami.
- After having missed most of the season with a hand fracture he suffered on opening night, Hornets center Cody Zeller is listed as probable for Friday’s game vs. Chicago and is expected to be available. Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer examines what sort of impact Zeller can have on a Hornets team in need of frontcourt depth.
Special Trade Eligibility Dates For 2020/21
In a pair of previous articles, we took a closer look at the trade restrictions placed on two groups of players who signed free agent contracts this past offseason. The smaller of the two groups featured players who can’t be traded by their current teams until March 3, having re-signed on contracts that met a set of specific criteria. The other offseason signees we examined aren’t eligible to be traded until February 6.
In addition to those two groups, there are a few other subsets of players who face certain trade restrictions this season. They either can’t be traded until a certain date, can’t be traded in certain packages, or can’t be traded at all this season.
Listed below, with the help of information from ESPN’s Bobby Marks (Insider link), are the players affected by these trade restrictions. This list, which we’ll continue to update throughout the season as needed, can be found on our desktop sidebar under “Hoops Rumors Features,” or in our mobile menu under “Features.”
Players who recently signed as free agents or had their two-way contracts converted:
In a typical NBA league year, a player who signs a free agent contract becomes trade-eligible either three months after he signs or on December 15, whichever comes later. That means a player who signs on September 22 would become trade-eligible on December 22.
Similarly, players who have two-way pacts converted to standard contracts can’t be dealt for three months after that happens.
Because the NBA’s calendar this season is compressed, these trade rules have had to be adjusted. Instead of applying to players who signed after September 15, the “three-month” rule applies to those who signed after December 15, according to Marks. And instead of those players being ineligible to be dealt for three months, the exact date their restrictions lift is determined by a mapping table supplied by the league.
Here are the affected players, along with the dates their trade restrictions lift:
February 25:
- Paul Watson (Raptors)
March 23:
- Taj Gibson (Knicks)
- Note: Gibson has the ability to veto a trade.
Players who sign free agent contracts or have their two-way deals converted to standard contracts after January 9 this season won’t become trade-eligible prior to the 2020 trade deadline (March 25). That means the following players can’t be traded this season:
- Alex Len (Wizards)
- Blake Griffin (Nets)
- Ersan Ilyasova (Jazz)
Players who recently signed veteran contract extensions:
In a normal league year, a player who signs a veteran contract extension can’t be dealt for six months if his new deal increases his salary by more than 5% and/or puts him under contract for more than three total years (including his current contract). An extension that meets either of those criteria would exceed the NBA’s extend-and-trade limits.
That six-month window has been adjusted downward for this season, based on a mapping table provided by the league. However, all but one of the veteran players who signed extensions exceeding the extend-and-trade limits in 2020/21 still won’t be eligible to be moved before this year’s deadline.
It seems safe to assume these players won’t be on the move anytime soon anyway, but here’s the breakdown:
Trade-eligible as of March 18:
- LeBron James (Lakers)
Ineligible to be traded before this season’s deadline:
- Giannis Antetokounmpo (Bucks)
- Paul George (Clippers)
- Rudy Gobert (Jazz)
- Monte Morris (Nuggets)
Players who were recently traded:
Players who were recently traded can be flipped again immediately. However, unless they were acquired via cap room, they can’t be traded again immediately in a deal that aggregates their salary with another player’s for matching purposes.
For instance, having acquired Victor Oladipo from Indiana on January 17, the Rockets could turn around and trade Oladipo and his $21MM salary right away for another player earning $21MM. But if Houston wanted to package Oladipo and Dante Exum ($9.6MM) to land a player making $35MM, the team would have to wait for a little while to do so.
(Note: The Rockets could immediately package Oladipo and Exum in the same trade if the structure of the deal doesn’t require their salaries to be aggregated. For instance, Houston could trade Oladipo and Exum for a single player earning $21MM, since only Oladipo’s salary would be required for matching purposes.)
Typically, a player who has been dealt can’t have his salary aggregated in a second trade for two months, but that window has been shortened this season to account for the compressed schedule and is based on the mapping table provided by the NBA.
Here are the dates when players traded this season can once again have their salaries aggregated in a second trade:
March 7:
- James Harden (Nets)
- Victor Oladipo (Rockets)
- Dante Exum (Rockets)
- Rodions Kurucs (Rockets)
- Caris LeVert (Pacers)
- Jarrett Allen (Cavaliers)
- Taurean Prince (Cavaliers)
March 12:
- Kevin Porter Jr. (Rockets)
Any player who is traded after February 2 (without being acquired via cap room) won’t be eligible to be flipped before the trade deadline in a second deal that aggregates his salary with another player’s.
Because Derrick Rose was acquired by the Knicks using cap space, he could theoretically be packaged with another player in another trade prior to the trade deadline.
Note: Only players on standard, full-season contracts are listed on this page. Players who sign 10-day contracts can’t be traded. Players who sign two-way deals typically can’t be traded for 30 days after signing, though that window has been adjusted downward for the 2020/21 season.
Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Gordon Hayward Talks Foot Surgery, Free Agency, More
Between the end of the 2019/20 season and the start of his free agency, veteran forward Gordon Hayward underwent a minor surgical procedure on his left foot, he revealed to Sam Amick of The Athletic.
Known as “Morton’s neuroma” surgery, the procedure addressed the left foot discomfort that Hayward played through last season and required about four weeks for the incision to heal, according to Amick, who notes that the Hornets were well aware of when they made their four-year, $120MM offer to Hayward and were comfortable with his medical status.
In an extensive conversation with Amick, Hayward also spoke more about his free agency process, his time as a Celtic, and a handful of other topics. Here are a few highlights from the conversation, which is worth checking out in full if you’re an Athletic subscriber:
On the teams that were in the mix to sign him in free agency:
“Atlanta was a team that I was really interested in. … New York was in the mix — the Knicks. Indiana was another team that was really interested, and we had mutual interest for a while. Boston was — like, let’s not forget about Boston. I really wanted to go back to Boston too. There were just a lot of options, and a lot of potential teams that I could go to, but I’d say those were the main ones. Atlanta, New York, Boston, Indiana, and then Charlotte obviously.”
On why he ultimately chose the Hornets:
“I talked to a lot of people about Charlotte, and have talked to a lot of former players, teammates, about Charlotte. And nobody has ever said a bad thing about Charlotte as a city. Everyone loves it in Charlotte.
“… I think the opportunity to go somewhere, get a fresh start, be in a position to try to maximize my potential as a basketball player, I think, going somewhere where I’d have the ability to try and help a franchise get to that next level, it grew on me more and more after talking to the coaching staff, talking to the front office, obviously talking with my agent and my wife and family. That challenge kind of resonated with me. Talking with (Hornets) coach (James) Borrego, and more and more it was like, ‘Man, this is something I think I really want to do,’ so we just went with it.”
On how he’ll look back on his three years with the Celtics:
“Obviously it was disappointing with how everything played out there. A lot of it is just not under my control. I would have never imagined myself getting injured my very first year there and missing the whole year, having a serious injury. That’s obviously very disappointing. Last year, I feel like I played really well, and I feel like our team was in a really good position and I get injured again — like, a fluke injury — the first game of the playoffs. I honestly shouldn’t have come back and played, but tried to play through it and wasn’t able to be myself, so I don’t think we had our full team there at the end.
“… I have no regrets about anything that happened in Boston, and I really appreciate all the fan support — for supporting me through a wild ride of ups and downs.”
Central Notes: Porter, Sexton, Turner, Pistons
Having made up their minds last weekend to trade or release Kevin Porter Jr., the Cavaliers found a taker on Thursday night, agreeing to a deal that will send the second-year wing to Houston. Cleveland won’t get anything of value in return, but was at least able to move off Porter’s salaries for this season and next, opening up a roster spot in the process.
Given how high the Cavaliers were on Porter’s on-court potential following his promising rookie season, the move represents a major step back in the team’s rebuild, according to Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com. As Fedor writes, the 20-year-old was viewed by many within the organization as the player with the highest upside of any on the roster, and it was only a few months ago that he was considered virtually untouchable in trade talks.
Head coach J.B. Bickerstaff, general manager Koby Altman made every effort to make things work with Porter, who has made a series of poor off-court decisions, but ultimately felt like they couldn’t get through to him and decided it was time to move on.
“The organization did everything and more for him,” a league source told Fedor. “They went above and beyond. They gave him more chances than most franchises would have.”
Here’s more from around the Central:
- While Porter won’t be part of the Cavaliers‘ rebuild going forward, Collin Sexton – who poured in a career-high 42 points in an impressive win over Brooklyn on Wednesday – continues to establish himself as a cornerstone player for the franchise, Fedor writes in a separate story for Cleveland.com.
- After suffering an avulsion fracture in his right hand last Thursday, Myles Turner has missed the Pacers‘ last two games, but he could be back in the lineup as early as Friday. As J. Michael of The Indianapolis Star writes, Turner’s return will come down to how much pain and discomfort he can play through. “There’s really not much you can do for it to heal,” Turner said on Thursday. “No surgery. No time off. It’s just one of those things you’ve got to get used to.”
- In his latest mailbag, Rod Beard of The Detroit News explores whether the Pistons should be playing their rookies more, Jerami Grant‘s role in the team’s rebuild, and the possibility of trading Derrick Rose by this season’s deadline.
Southeast Notes: Fultz, Hunter, Len, Magic
The Magic‘s performance as of late without point guard Markelle Fultz has highlighted his importance to the club, writes Josh Robbins of The Athletic. The Magic are 1-6 since Fultz was lost for the season with an ACL tear. Fultz’s savvy court vision had been a key component of the Magic’s offense.
“We’ve got to figure something out to try to get us going into offense smoother and understand how we’ve got to play,” shooting guard Terrence Ross noted. “With no Markelle we’re trying to figure it out, but it’s tough. So we’ve got to keep going at it.”
There’s more out of the Southeast Division:
- Hawks wing De’Andre Hunter has grown into the club’s most reliable player, with an improved offensive attack, Chris Kirschner of The Athletic opines. Hunter’s development can be a boon to the franchise in both the short and long term. “He has a chance to be really, really special,” Hawks center Clint Capela said. “To be able to guard the star on the opposite team every night, (it) has been amazing to see that.”
- With the Wizards losing starting center Thomas Bryant for the year due to a torn left ACL, the club may need to shore up the position with some additional help. Chase Hughes of NBC Sports Washington posits that recently-waived big man Alex Len could be an intriguing defensive fit for the team.
- Given the season-long absences of recently-extended young starters Markelle Fultz and Jonathan Isaac, Josh Robbins of The Athletic explores whether or not it makes sense for the Magic to tank for a high draft pick this season.
Thunder’s Josh Hall Out Due To COVID-19 Protocols
Thunder rookie small forward Josh Hall will miss at least tomorrow’s tilt against the Clippers due to the league’s COVID-19 health and safety protocols, per Joe Mussatto of the Oklahoman (Twitter link).
Hall was inked to a two-way contract by the Thunder in December after going undrafted straight out of high school via Moravian Prep in Hickory, North Carolina. The 6’9″ wing has yet to crack the regular rotation, averaging 7.8 MPG in five games for the Thunder.
Details on the exact nature of Hall’s absence have yet to emerge. It is possible the 20-year-old is being withheld from game action and isolating as a precautionary measure after returning a positive or inconclusive test result for the novel coronavirus.
Alternately, Hall may also be absent due to the league’s contact tracing protocols. If it’s determined he was a close contact of someone who tested positive for COVID-19, he would need to continue to test negative for seven days following exposure.
Atlantic Notes: Nets Big Three, Tatum, Curry, TD Garden
Nets general manager Sean Marks is hopeful that the team will be able to extend Brooklyn’s new Big Three of forward Kevin Durant and guards James Harden and Kyrie Irving, per Brian Lewis of the New York Post. The three stars, all of whom can become free agents in 2022, will not be eligible to ink contract extensions until the new league year commences in August.
“We’re definitely committed to these guys,” Marks said in a local radio interview on WFAN. “We’ll continue to build with this group, and we’ll just see where it goes. But hopefully it’s a lot longer than a year-and-a-half.”
There’s more out of the Atlantic Division:
- Though Celtics All-Star small forward Jayson Tatum remains closer to an on-court return for Boston, he will remain unavailable for at least Friday’s tilt with the Sixers, Tim Bontemps of ESPN tweets. Tatum has not played for Boston since the team’s 116-107 win over the Wizards on January 8.
- Sixers starting shooting guard Seth Curry has seen his health status upgraded to probable ahead of Philadelphia’s Friday game against the Celtics, according to Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer. Curry has not played since injuring his right ankle in a 122-109 January 6 defeat to the Nets. Since then, he tested positive for COVID-19, but has since cleared league protocols and now is working on his conditioning ahead of a return.
- The Celtics have inked a 15-year extension on their current lease with their home arena, TD Garden, per Adam Himmelsbach of the Boston Globe. The contract will keep Boston home games located at TD Garden through the 2035/36 season.
NBA Moves Back Start Times For 20 Games
As the NBA begins implementing new same-day COVID-19 PCR testing protocols, the league will be moving back the start times for 20 upcoming games to accommodate testing, Tim Bontemps of ESPN tweets.
These games will be moved to at least 8 p.m. local time during the week and 7 p.m. or beyond on the weekends, Bontemps adds.
The first two impacted games will be the Heat/Nets and Pistons/Sixers bouts scheduled for January 23. Both will be moved to 8 p.m. EST tip-off times. The latest impacted game listed at present is the Cavaliers/Timberwolves contest on January 31, which will move to 7 p.m. CT.
The full list of affected contests is viewable right here, via JD Shaw of Hoops Rumors.
The RT-PCR molecular test can pinpoint genetic viral material in a subject using a laboratory method called polymerase chain reaction. These tests are quite accurate and lab results are generally available on the day of the test.
Pacific Notes: Clippers, Lakers, Kings, Zubac
Through lineup additions and subtractions, as well as new offensive sets implemented by their new coach, the Clippers are feeling more confident in their chemistry this season than they did during their disappointing 2019/20 run, according to Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN.
“I feel like our energy is way better this season,” forward Marcus Morris said. “It’s a new season; it’s a new team.”
The Clippers have won four straight games, even with key rotational players missing. New additions Serge Ibaka and Luke Kennard have managed to fit in nicely.
“Hopefully, you guys see it, just how well we are meshing,” star forward Paul George said. “We are going to continue to build off of that; we like where we are at and like where we are heading, and we want to see this thing play all the way through.”
There’s more out of the Pacific Division:
- Adjusting to their not-insignificant roster turnover has yet to be an issue for the Lakers, says Rob Mahoney of The Ringer. The team has added four core new rotation players: new starters Dennis Schröder and Marc Gasol, plus key new bench additions Wesley Matthews and Montrezl Harrell.
- The slumping Kings are 5-10 despite an encouraging 3-1 season start, and James Ham of NBC Sports Bay Area opines that it may be time to infuse the starting lineup with new blood. The club is on a four-game losing streak, and has lost nine of its last 11 contests. “It sucks losing. You can never accept it, well, I can never accept it,” big man Marvin Bagley III said after a lopsided 115-96 loss to the Clippers on Wednesday.
- Clippers center Ivica Zubac, who started for the club last year, has looked more comfortable in his new role off the bench this season, according to Andrew Greif of the Los Angeles Times. The newly-signed veteran Ibaka has supplanted Zubac as the starter.
Poll: Bradley Beal’s Future
In recent months, most of the star players who were expected to be traded during the NBA’s 2020/21 league year – either during the offseason or in-season – were indeed on the move. Chris Paul and Jrue Holiday were dealt early, followed a couple weeks later by Russell Westbrook and John Wall. Last week, James Harden and Victor Oladipo landed with new NBA teams.
After catching their breath following a flurry of blockbuster trades, fans and pundits figure to eventually ask the inevitable question: Who’s next?
After all, while we get the occasional lull between mega-deals, it’s always just a matter of time before another big-name player on an underachieving team hits the trade block, either because he wants to be moved or because his team recognizes it’s better off cashing in one of its top trade chips sooner rather than later.
While this year’s trade deadline is still over two months away, it’s worth considering which player might be the next one to fit that bill. There are a few contenders around the NBA, but at this point, no star player appear to be a likelier trade candidate than Bradley Beal.
The most important factor working against a Beal trade is the fact that the Wizards have repeatedly indicated – both privately and publicly – that they have no interest in moving the star guard. When they sent Wall and a first-round pick to Houston for Westbrook, the Wizards made the deal in the hopes of returning to the postseason and convincing Beal that the franchise was working its way back toward contention. Washington wants to build around Beal, not trade him.
But there are a number of factors working against the Wizards. For one, the club got off to a poor start this season, opening with a 3-8 record before having six consecutive games postponed due to the NBA’s COVID-19 protocols.
When the Wizards resume play – likely on Sunday – they’ll be looking to climb out of that early hole with a shorthanded roster, knowing they’ll have to cram a ton of makeup games into their schedule later in their season if they want to get close to playing a full 72-game slate.
A playoff spot is certainly possible, especially with the play-in format opening things up to the Nos. 9 and 10 seeds, but it will be an uphill battle. And it seems unlikely that Washington would make any real noise in the postseason against a higher-seeded opponent.
Beal’s contract situation isn’t ideal for the Wizards either. Although he did sign an extension with the team in 2019, that deal essentially only tacked on one guaranteed year to his previous contract, meaning he’ll still be able to reach the open market in 2022. That doesn’t give the Wizards a ton of time to turn things around.
It’s a safe bet that teams around the NBA will blowing up GM Tommy Sheppard‘s phone between now and the March 25 deadline to see whether Beal is available. With Harden off the market, Beal is the most appealing star who could realistically be on the block. The Heat, whose strong interest in Beal has been stated repeatedly over the last year, would be at the front of the line, but they’d have plenty of competition for a player who would be a strong fit in virtually any and every system.
Beal has spent his entire career in D.C., has talked about his loyalty to the city and to the franchise, and has backed up his words with actions, as his 2019 extension showed. But he has also made it clear that he wants to win a championship. If the Wizards, whose win total has declined each year since 2016/17, don’t start trending in the right direction, it’s hard to imagine him recommitting to the franchise when his current contract expires (right around the time he turns 29).
With all that in mind, we want to know what you think. Will the Beal trade rumors heat up in the next couple months? Will the Wizards have to start seriously considering moving him? Or do you expect the All-Star guard to remain in Washington for the foreseeable future?
Vote below in our poll, then head to the comment section to weigh in with your thoughts!
What does Bradley Beal's future hold?
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He'll be traded this season. 49% (1,035)
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He'll be traded during the offseason (or in 2021/22). 29% (619)
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He'll stay with the Wizards long-term. 12% (247)
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He'll leave the Wizards as a free agent in 2022. 11% (226)
Total votes: 2,127
Trade Rumors app users, click here to vote.