Extension Appears Unlikely For Tim Hardaway Jr.
- Tim Hardaway Jr. and the Hawks continue to discuss a possible extension, but an agreement remains unlikely, several people familiar with the situation tell Chris Vivlamore of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. According to Vivlamore, both sides have interest in working something out, but may wait until 2017 to attempt to finalize a deal.
Hawks’ Mike Scott To Miss Four Weeks
Hawks power forward Mike Scott has yet to make his regular-season debut in 2016/17 due to a knee issue, and that injury is expected to sideline him for most or all of November as well. The Hawks announced today in a press release that Scott will miss approximately four weeks as he undergoes a series of “non-surgical procedures” to address his left knee soreness.
[RELATED: Hawks sign Ryan Kelly, waive Edy Tavares]
Scott, 28, has been with the Hawks since 2012, providing the team with regular minutes off the bench as a power forward who can stretch the floor. Although he only averaged 6.2 PPG and 2.7 RPG in 2015/16, he shot a career-best 39.2% from three-point range.
Scott’s diagnosis brings the Hawks’ decision to sign Ryan Kelly into sharper focus. Kelly, who was with the team in camp, brings a somewhat similar skill set, and he’s capable of stepping in and playing off the bench in the short term. It remains to be seen what sort of guarantees are included on Kelly’s contract — if he signed a non-guaranteed deal, and Scott returns to the team in late November or December, the Hawks could part ways with Kelly again before the salary guarantee deadline of January 10.
Hawks Sign Ryan Kelly, Waive Edy Tavares
1:39pm: The Hawks have announced both Kelly’s signing and Tavares’ release in a pair of press releases, making the moves official.
12:02pm: The Hawks will become the first team to make a change to their 15-man, regular-season roster. Less than a week into the season, Atlanta is releasing center Edy Tavares and intends to sign Ryan Kelly to fill the open roster spots, reports Shams Charania of The Vertical (via Twitter).
The 43rd overall pick in the 2014 draft, Tavares joined the Hawks last season, appearing in just 11 games and averaging 6.6 minutes per contest. The 24-year-old Cape Verde native also made 29 D-League appearances, averaging 9.2 PPG, 8.4 RPG, and 3.3 BPG in 21.6 minutes per game. While Tavares is viewed as a raw prospect with potential, the Hawks have apparently decided his roster spot can be better used on a more seasoned player.
Kelly, 25, was waived by the Hawks earlier this month, having previously spent his first three seasons in the NBA as a member of the Lakers. After averaging 22.9 minutes per contest during his first two years in Los Angeles, Kelly saw his playing time reduced last season, as he played just 13.1 MPG in 36 contests. He averaged 4.2 PPG and 3.4 RPG in those games, shooting just 36.9% from the floor, 13.5% from beyond the arc, and 68.5% from the line.
Kelly signed with the Celtics after being cut by the Hawks, though he was quickly waived by Boston as well, so it looked like the C’s wanted to gain his D-League rights. Rather than heading to the D-League though, Kelly is on his way back to an NBA roster, and figures to sign a minimum-salary deal with the Hawks.
As for Tavares, his $1MM salary for 2016/17 was fully guaranteed, so the Hawks will have to pay it unless he’s claimed on waivers later this week. The club won’t be on the hook for his 2017/18 salary worth $1.015MM, since it was non-guaranteed.
The Bulls claimed R.J. Hunter off waivers last week after the regular season had gotten underway, but Chicago had an opening on its roster, so no corresponding move was necessary. As such, the Hawks will become the first team in 2016/17 to actually replace one player with another on their regular-season roster.
Offseason In Review: Atlanta Hawks
Over the next several weeks, Hoops Rumors is breaking down the 2016 offseason for all 30 NBA teams, revisiting the summer’s free agent signings, trades, draft picks, departures, and more. We’ll evaluate each team’s moves from the last several months and look ahead to what the 2016/17 season holds for all 30 franchises. Today, we’re focusing on the Atlanta Hawks.
Free agent signings:
- Dwight Howard: Three years, $70.5MM.
- Kent Bazemore: Four years, $70MM. Fourth year player option.
- Malcolm Delaney: Two years, $5MM.
- Kris Humphries: One year, $4MM.
- Jarrett Jack: One year, minimum salary. Waived.
Camp invitees:
- Will Bynum: One year, minimum salary (summer contract). Waived.
- Matt Costello: Two years, minimum salary ($50K guaranteed). Waived.
- Ryan Kelly: One year, minimum salary (summer contract). Waived.
- Josh Magette: One year, minimum salary (summer contract). Waived.
- Richard Solomon: One year, minimum salary (summer contract). Waived.
Contract extensions:
- Dennis Schroder: Four years, $62MM. Rookie scale extension. Goes into effect in 2017/18. Includes $2MM annually in unlikely incentives for a max value of $70MM.
Trades:
- Acquired cash ($2.47MM) from the Cavaliers in exchange for the draft rights to Kay Felder (No. 54 pick).
- Acquired the draft rights to Taurean Prince (No. 12 pick) from the Jazz in a three-way trade in exchange for Jeff Teague (to Pacers).
Draft picks:
- 1-12: Taurean Prince. Signed to rookie contract.
- 1-21: DeAndre’ Bembry. Signed to rookie contract.
- 2-44: Isaia Cordinier. Will play overseas.
Departing players:
Other offseason news:
- Attempted to re-sign Al Horford in free agency. Tried to get in on Kevin Durant sweepstakes.
- Kyle Korver and Tiago Splitter eligible for veteran contract extensions. Tim Hardaway Jr. eligible for rookie scale extension until October 31.
- Promoted Darvin Ham to replace Kenny Atkinson as lead assistant coach.
Check out our salary cap snapshot for the Atlanta Hawks right here.
It was a mere two seasons ago that the Hawks won a franchise-best 60 games and advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals. Atlanta regressed to 48 wins in 2015/16 and a second-round playoff ouster at the hands of the eventual NBA Champs, the Cavaliers. While there’s certainly no shame in losing to Cleveland, it marked the last ride of Atlanta’s core players of recent years.
The Hawks enter 2016/17 a markedly different team, and while they should remain competitive in the East, it would be extremely difficult to argue that they are a better club than has taken the court the past few campaigns. The outcome of the 2016/17 season will rest on how coach/executive Mike Budenholzer will adjust to the departures of two key players.
The most significant change in Atlanta was the departure of Al Horford, who had manned the paint for the team the past nine years. The 30-year-old signed a maximum salary deal with the Celtics after the Hawks had reportedly balked at offering up that amount to retain him. While it would have maintained continuity and better PR if the team had re-signed Horford, I can understand the Hawks being hesitant to offer a long-term max deal to a big man on the wrong side of 30. Teams often end up paying big money for past performance rather than current output, which likely would have been the case if Atlanta re-signed Horford.
The franchise had a solid backup plan to mitigate the loss of Horford, signing unrestricted free agent and Atlanta native, Dwight Howard, to a three-year, $70.5MM pact. The addition of Howard doesn’t come without risk given his injury issues the past few seasons, at times questionable locker room presence and will to win. But landing Howard on just a three-year deal for less than the max should be considered a win for the Hawks. Howard should be motivated to prove he wasn’t the problem in Houston, where the pairing of he and James Harden failed to work on any level. His offense output won’t measure up to Horford’s, but he is an upgrade defensively and on the boards. If Howard can remain healthy, and that’s in no way a given, this is a move that could pay off handsomely for Budenholzer and company.
The other significant player change, and one that I think will have a more adverse effect on the Hawks than the loss of Horford, was the trade of Jeff Teague to the Pacers for the rights to Taurean Prince, who was selected No. 12 overall in this year’s NBA Draft. Jettisoning Teague signaled a changing of the guard, with the team turning over the reigns to Dennis Schroder, who had openly expressed his desire to become an NBA starter. I would be more comfortable with the switch if the Hawks had more depth at the one, but as it currently stands, 27-year-old rookie Malcolm Delaney is the only other point guard on the roster. If Schroder is injured or falters, things could get ugly in Atlanta pretty quickly. It still remains to be seen if Schroder can be effective as a starter in leading the offense as well as make up for the loss of Teague’s scoring. I like Schroder’s potential, but he’ll need to become a far more consistent outside shooter if Atlanta is to be successful as a team. The Hawks are banking their future on the German after signing him to a four-year, $62MM rookie-scale extension.
While a lottery pick was a fair return for Teague, who can hit unrestricted free agency at season’s end, I’m not sure it was worth the risk for the Hawks. This is a team built to win now, so parting with a proven commodity such as Teague for Prince doesn’t make as much sense to me as retaining the veteran point guard — even if he could have departed next summer with the team not receiving anything in return. Prince has the potential to become a solid two-way player, but he’s not someone who will improve the Hawks in 2016/17. This trade could come back to haunt Budenholzer if Schroder under-performs or misses any significant stretch of time.
The third major decision the Hawks made this offseason was to re-sign Kent Bazemore to a four-year, $70MM pact. The 27-year-old enjoyed a breakout season in 2015/16 for Atlanta, averaging 11.6 points, 5.1 rebounds and 2.3 assists, with a slash line of .441/.357/.815 over 75 appearances. While it’s difficult not to root for a player like Bazemore, whose energy and enthusiasm is infectious, signing him to a deal with an average annual salary of $17.5MM is a major risk. If he doesn’t live up to the contract, it will severely hamper Atlanta’s ability to add to its roster the next few seasons.
One other offseason development that could have an impact on the team’s future was the Hawks’ reported attempts to trade Paul Millsap. The team feeling out the market for Millsap was more about trying to carve out cap space when there still was a chance to re-sign Horford, than any dissatisfaction with the player, but it could still affect his willingness to re-sign with Atlanta should he opt out of his deal next summer. The 31-year-old has a player option worth $21,472,407 for 2017/18, and opting out may be his best shot at securing one last big money long-term pact in his career. Millsap has gone on record saying he hasn’t made a decision yet regarding the option, telling Chris Vivlamore of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, “I think the plan is to see how this season goes and go from there. I can’t predict what is going to happen. For me, it’s focus on basketball. Get through this year, try to get a championship for this team first of all. We’ll deal with all that during the summer time when we have all our options on the table.”
The Hawks will likely take a small step back this campaign after losing two key starters from a season ago. With a number of teams in the East improving themselves, it’s difficult to make the case that Atlanta will be able to contend for an NBA title, much less win the Conference this season. The franchise still has more than enough talent to make the playoffs, as long as Schroder can remain healthy and continue to improve his game. If he or Howard sustain a significant injury, things could become dicey rather quickly. Thankfully, the franchise has one of the better coaches in the league in Budenholzer, who should be able to squeeze enough out of this roster to make the team competitive on a nightly basis.
Salary information from Basketball Insiders used in the creation of this post. Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Scott Remains Out With Knee Issue
- Hawks forward Mike Scott will be unavailable for Saturday’s contest against the Sixers due to a sore right knee, Chris Vivlamore of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports. Scott has been limited in training camp due to the knee issue and also missed Thursday’s season opener against the Wizards, the scribe notes. It’s unclear when the veteran will be able to return to the court for Atlanta.
Late Cut Magette Signs With D League
- Point guard Josh Magette has signed an NBADL contract, the D-League Digest tweets. Magette was a late training-camp cut by the Hawks. The Lakers’ D-League affiliate, the D-Fenders, owns his rights. Magette, 26, made three preseason appearances for Atlanta, spanning 17 minutes. He averaged 11.5 points and 9.1 assists in 45 games last season for the D-Fenders, with whom he has played the past two seasons.
- Shooting guard Lamar Patterson has signed a D-League contract and will be an affiliate player for the Kings’ Reno Bighorns, according to another tweet from the D-League Digest. Patterson appeared in four preseason games for the Kings, averaging 5.8 points, 1.8 rebounds and 1.0 steals per game, before he was waived. He spent much of the 2015/16 season playing in the D-League and the Hawks waived him in July.
Contract Details For Dennis Schroder
- Bobby Marks of The Vertical has the details on Dennis Schroder‘s new deal with the Hawks, who will carry a $15.5MM annual cap hit for the point guard for four years, from 2017/18 through 2020/21. According to Marks (via Twitter), the extension features $2MM per year in unlikely incentives, so the total value could max out at $70MM.
Hawks Sign Dennis Schroder To Extension
4:58pm: The Hawks have issued a press release officially confirming Schroder’s extension.
“I am excited to sign this long-term deal with the Hawks. Since coming from Germany as a rookie, this organization and the entire city of Atlanta has embraced me and watched me grow,” Schroder said in a statement. “I would like to thank my teammates, the coaching staff and the front office for having faith in me. I’m determined to keep improving as a player and I believe that our team has a chance to accomplish some special things together.”
4:16pm: Schroder’s new deal will include $62MM in guaranteed money over the next four years, according to ESPN’s Marc Stein (via Twitter). Based on the original report of $70MM, it appears that a portion of the total salary will either be non-guaranteed or available via incentives.
3:09pm: Dennis Schroder will be taking over as the Hawks’ full-time starting point guard this season, and the team has now ensured he’ll remain in Atlanta for several more years beyond that. According to Marc Stein and Zach Lowe of ESPN.com, Schroder and the Hawks have reached an agreement on a four-year, $70MM contract extension. Schroder confirmed the deal, tweeting out a photo that shows him signing his new pact.
Schroder has gradually taking on a larger role over the course of his three seasons with the Hawks, having seen his minutes per game increase from 13.1 in his rookie season to 20.3 in 2015/16. Last season, he established new career highs in PPG (11.0), APG (4.4), RPG (2.6), SPG (0.9), and several other categories.
During the summer, the Hawks agreed to a three-way trade that sent starting point guard Jeff Teague to the Pacers, opening the door for Schroder to take on a larger role in Atlanta. Both players had been set to enter contract years, but Schroder is younger and is still on his rookie contract, making him the more appealing option for the long term.
Schroder will earn a modest $2,708,582 salary in 2016/17, but rather than being eligible for restricted free agency next summer, he’ll now move on to his second contract, with his extension going into effect in July 2017. Assuming there are no options on the deal, it will keep the 23-year-old under team control through the 2020/21 season.
We’ll have to wait for the exact terms and details on Schroder’s new deal to properly evaluate it, but it looks awfully similar to the ones signed by a pair of free agent wings this summer — Evan Turner inked a four-year, $70MM contract with the Trail Blazers, while Schroder’s teammate Kent Bazemore got a four-year, $70MM deal from the Hawks, as our free agent tracker shows.
Although there’s some uncertainty about how the NBA’s Collective Bargaining Agreement will look next summer if and when the league and the NBPA reach a new agreement, that hasn’t stopped extension-eligible players from signing new deals early — Schroder becomes the third player eligible for a rookie-scale extension to agree to terms with his team so far this offseason, just five days before the October 31 deadline. Previously, C.J. McCollum signed a four-year, $106MM+ extension with the Blazers, and Giannis Antetokounmpo agreed to a four-year, $100MM deal with the Bucks.
Earlier today, Schroder headlined our list of five rookie-scale extension candidates to watch before Monday’s deadline, so we’ll see if others on that list – such as Rudy Gobert, Steven Adams, and Gorgui Dieng – can reach agreements with their respective clubs as well.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Kent Bazemore Wants To Make All-Defensive Team
As an unrestricted free agent this summer, Kent Bazemore drew serious interest from the Rockets and other teams, but ultimately re-signed with the Hawks on a four-year, $70MM contract. While Bazemore recognizes that there’s added pressure now that he’s on a lucrative new deal, he intends to get even better, telling Chris Vivlamore of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution that he’s aiming to make the NBA’s All-Defensive team.
“I think, for me, if I do that then the [Hawks] will be in a great spot,” Bazemore said. “There are some very special teams this year with some very special players. If I can do well against them, we’ll have a great chance to win. … I’ve got to add to my Lefty Driesell Award from college. I’ve got a big gap in my defensive awards. I’ve got to put something else on the shelf.”
Five Rookie-Scale Extension Candidates To Watch
After having set their 15-man rosters for the start of the regular season on Monday, many NBA teams will have more decisions to make by next Monday. October 31 is the deadline for clubs to exercise 2017/18 options on rookie contracts and to sign players entering the final year of their rookie deals to extensions.
While most of those team option decisions are fairly straightforward, those extension negotiations will be trickier. Teams and players must not only decide how many years and dollars they would be willing to accept — they also must determine if it even makes sense to complete an extension now, before a deal on a new Collective Bargaining Agreement is reached.
A new CBA isn’t expected to change rookie-scale extensions significantly, but that’s not set in stone yet, and as Zach Lowe of ESPN.com reports, there may be slight changes to restricted free agency. Currently, the cap holds for restricted free agents are either 200% or 250% of their previous salaries. Those figures may increase to 250% and 300% in the new CBA, according to Lowe, who points out that the tweak could affect teams who hold off on rookie extensions in the hopes of maximizing their cap space the following summer.
For instance, last fall, the Wizards and Pistons held off on extending Bradley Beal and Andre Drummond, respectively, since agreeing to new deals at that point would have meant both players counted against their respective teams’ caps for $22MM+ as soon as this year’s July moratorium ended. Instead, since they were unsigned at the end of the moratorium, their teams were able to work around their modest cap holds to sign other free agents, then go over the cap to lock up their RFA stars to max deals. Increased cap holds for RFAs may serve as a minor deterrent for that practice.
Despite the uncertainty involved in working out an extension now, several teams and players will still engage in talks and see if they can come to an agreement. With next Monday’s deadline fast approaching, here are five extension-eligible players we’ll be keeping an eye on:
1. Dennis Schroder (Hawks)
Within his previously-linked piece, Lowe reports that Schroder and the Hawks are talking about a potential extension. However, it may be tricky to pin down the point guard’s value at this point. If Atlanta is especially optimistic about Schroder’s chances of taking Jeff Teague‘s old starting job and running with it, it could make sense to try to lock him up now, before his value skyrockets. But Schroder knows he’s in line for a major opportunity this season, and won’t want to accept a deal that pays him for his past production.
If the Hawks are willing to do a Reggie Jackson-like deal for Schroder, perhaps the two sides could work something out. But both the team and the player have reason to proceed with caution and wait to see how Schroder handles the full-time starting job, so they may wait until next summer.
2. Rudy Gobert (Jazz)
The Jazz will almost certainly have to offer Gobert a maximum-salary deal to retain him, so it may just a matter of whether they do it now or later. If they can get the big center to accept anything lower than the max this week, it probably makes sense to lock him up. If not, there’s no real rush. Still, Utah currently has the opportunity to extend both Gobert and Derrick Favors, and signing both players long-term would be a strong move for the franchise with Gordon Hayward facing potential unrestricted free agency in 2017.
3. Steven Adams (Thunder)
The Thunder have three extension candidates, in Adams, Victor Oladipo, and Andre Roberson. Roberson isn’t as crucial a piece as the other two players, and Oladipo is reportedly seeking a max deal, making Adams a logical target this week. Like the Jazz with Gobert, the Thunder are probably better off locking up Adams sooner rather than later if he’s willing to take something below the max, as Giannis Antetokounmpo did with the Bucks. With Kevin Durant and Serge Ibaka no longer in the mix in Oklahoma City, Adams is poised to take another huge step forward this year, and would have plenty of suitors willing to give him huge offer sheets next July.
4. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (Pistons)
Stan Van Gundy has said the Pistons would like to extend Caldwell-Pope before Monday’s deadline, and the team has reportedly engaged in negotiations with both KCP and teammate Reggie Bullock. Caldwell-Pope won’t come cheap though. A recent report from Vince Ellis of The Detroit Free Press suggested that the shooting guard’s camp may have be seeking an annual salary in excess of $20MM. And given the contracts signed this summer by two-guards and wings like Nicolas Batum, C.J. McCollum, and Evan Turner, that asking price doesn’t seem particularly unreasonable. If it comes down, the two sides could reach a compromise, but I’d expect KCP to play out the season without a new deal lined up.
5. Gorgui Dieng (Timberwolves)
Dieng and teammate Shabazz Muhammad are both eligible for extensions, but the big man appears to be the more likely candidate for a new deal this week. New head coach Tom Thibodeau is reportedly fond on Dieng, and Minnesota has plenty of long-term cap flexibility to lock up core pieces. Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities reported last month that no meaningful talks had occurred for either Dieng or Muhammad, and suggested he expects both players to reach restricted free agency. But those extension talks could get more meaningful in the next few days, with a deadline looming, so it’s worth keeping an eye on the Wolves.
Other notable extension candidates to watch:
- Alex Len (Suns)
- Ben McLemore (Kings)
- Nerlens Noel (Sixers)
- Kelly Olynyk (Celtics)
- Mason Plumlee (Trail Blazers)
- Otto Porter (Wizards)
- Cody Zeller (Hornets)