Central Notes: Pacers, Bell, Bulls
The Pacers have made a concerted effort to play a faster tempo and managed to do just that thanks to their new-look backcourt spearheaded by Victor Oladipo. As Clifton Brown of the Indianapolis Star writes, Indiana managed to up their pace eventually outrunning their opening day opponent altogether.
While Oladipo led the squad in scoring with 22 points in Indiana’s first game, he wasn’t the only guard to post an impressive stat line. Veteran Darren Collison added 21 and 11 of his own while reserve guard Cory Joseph – plucked from the Raptors this offseason – put in 11 points and 4 assists of his own for the victorious Pacers.
“[Pacers coach] Nate MacMillan’s done an unbelievable job of letting us take the onus as point guards and kind of let us run the show,” Collison said. “He was a point guard himself. He knows what it’s like to let us see the game, instead of micromanaging every single play. If we can play like that, call a guard game, play with one another, we’ll be alright.”
There’s more from the Central Division:
- The Bulls have gotten flak for, among other things, selling second-round pick Jordan Bell to the Warriors. Cody Westerlund of 670 The Score tweets that VP of basketball operations John Paxson said that he was “building up equity” with ownership when he sold the No. 38 pick to Golden State for $3.5MM.
- After a down year besieged by injuries in 2016/17, Reggie Jackson has recovered and returned to the court for the Pistons. He’s “only going to get better as time goes on” head coach Stan Van Gundy told the media, Brendan Savage of MLive included.
- The Bulls are looking to regroup after a fight in practice set the team into chaos before the season even began. Sam Smith of the team’s official website offers an inside account of what happened and what comes next.
2017 Offseason In Review: Oklahoma City Thunder
Hoops Rumors is breaking down the 2017 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 2017/18 season holds for all 30 franchises. Today, we’re focusing on the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Signings:
- Andre Roberson: Three years, $30MM.
- Patrick Patterson: Three years, $16.355MM. Third-year player option.
- Nick Collison: One year, minimum salary.
- Raymond Felton: One year, minimum salary.
- Daniel Hamilton: Two-way contract. One year. $50K guaranteed.
- P.J. Dozier: Two-way contract. Details not yet known.
Camp invitees:
- Bryce Alford: One year, minimum salary. Exhibits nine and 10. (Waived)
- Markel Brown: One year, minimum salary. Exhibits nine and 10. (Waived)
- Rashawn Thomas: One year, minimum salary. Exhibits nine and 10. (Waived)
- Isaiah Canaan: One year, minimum salary. Exhibit nine. (Waived)
- Yannis Morin: One year, minimum salary. Exact details not known. (Waived)
- Chris Wright: One year, minimum salary. Exact details not known. (Waived)
Trades:
- Acquired Paul George from the Pacers in exchange for Victor Oladipo and Domantas Sabonis.
- Acquired Carmelo Anthony from the Knicks in exchange for Enes Kanter, Doug McDermott, and the Bulls’ 2018 second-round pick.
Draft picks:
- 1-21: Terrance Ferguson — Signed to rookie contract.
Draft-and-stash signings:
- Dakari Johnson (2015; No. 48) — Signed to two-year, minimum salary contract.
- Daniel Hamilton (2016; No. 56) — Signed to two-way contract.
Extensions:
- Russell Westbrook: Five years, 35% maximum salary. Designated veteran extension.
Departing players:
- Semaj Christon (waived)
- Norris Cole
- Taj Gibson
- Enes Kanter
- Doug McDermott
- Victor Oladipo
- Domantas Sabonis
Other offseason news:
- Hired Rob Hennigan as vice president of insight and foresight.
- Lost assistant general manager Michael Winger to the Clippers.
Salary cap situation:
- Operating over the cap and over the tax. Carrying approximately $131MM in guaranteed team salary. Only minimum salary exception available.
Check out the Oklahoma City Thunder’s full roster and depth chart at RosterResource.com.
Story of the summer:
The Thunder approached the 2017 offseason with one goal and one goal only: To lock Russell Westbrook into as long a contract extension as they were eligible to offer. It wasn’t a question of money – the organization was more than willing to offer top dollar – but rather a question of whether Oklahoma City would be the right place for Westbrook to play out the prime of his NBA career.
To convince the reigning MVP to stay on board, the Thunder went out and made it abundantly clear that they were willing to surround him with a formidable supporting cast. General manager Sam Presti pulled the trigger on not just one blockbuster trade this summer, but two. Shortly thereafter, Westbrook put pen to paper on the largest contract extension in NBA history.
The Thunder had no qualms brazenly committing to superstars, and managed to get a pair of them discounted heavily after months of trade rumors. Even if the organization’s ambitious reload doesn’t result in a title before Paul George and Carmelo Anthony hit the open market as free agents, it’s hard to argue that it wasn’t a successful summer in OKC.
Pacific Notes: Clippers, West, Reed
The Clippers were punished by injuries during preseason but regardless of the short-staffed lineups there were observations to be taken away, Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times writes. For one, star player Blake Griffin‘s toe appears to have held up despite his having undergone surgery for it in May.
“I haven’t had any problems,” Griffin said. “I haven’t sat out any practices. I haven’t had any restrictions. I didn’t really anticipate that. At the beginning of the season, I met with probably four of the top foot surgeons in the United States and I never anticipated sitting out [Clippers] training camp.”
Other takeaways from the exhibitions include Milos Teodosic making an immediate impact with his playmaking abilities and Lou Williams seamlessly adopting the sixth man role vacated by Jamal Crawford.
There’s more from the Pacific Division:
- The Kings‘ rebuild is progressing well for a number of different reasons but one of the most obvious is the fact that they have two first-year players in the race for the Rookie of the Year award. By Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee‘s count, both De’Aaron Fox and Bogdan Bogdanovic are legitimate contenders for the year-end hardware.
- The reason Jerry West left his executive role with the Warriors to join up with the Clippers‘ front office is because he would have had to take a pay cut in the realm of $1MM. Daniel Mano of the Mercury News cites an excerpt from Jack McCallum’s book on California basketball.
- Offseason Clippers addition Willie Reed can have his misdemeanor domestic battery charge dismissed if he agrees to a diversion program, Ira Winderman of the Sun-Sentinel writes.
And-Ones: Trade Predictions, Perkins, Extensions
In his latest predictions feature, Zach Lowe of ESPN speculates that a number of players will be put on the block this season if not officially traded. Since we already know that there’s at least some truth to the oddly specific guess that the Timberwolves would trade Cole Aldrich for Jared Dudley, perhaps we should take a closer look at some of the rest.
Among the other trade predictions that Lowe makes is one that has the Raptors seeking to shop big man Jonas Valanciunas. Considering that the traditional Lithuanian center has been the subject of speculation over the course of the past few seasons, this one seems like rather low hanging fruit.
Similarly, Lowe makes the thoroughly uncrazy prediction that Eric Bledsoe will be on the move. What bonus points Lowe doesn’t earn for predicting a Bledsoe trade, however, he does earn for earmarking the Nuggets and Clippers as possible interested suitors. Alas Denver, it’s worth noting, is already rather backloaded at the guard positions.
Other players that come up in Lowe’s column include the likes Dennis Schroder, DeAndre Jordan and Tobias Harris.
There’s more from around the league:
- The NBA will name Michelle Johnson their new Senior Vice President and Head of Referee Operations, Shams Charania of The Vertical tweets. Johnson is a retired U.S. Air Force Lieutenant General.
- The NBA coaching community could soon have another recent league veteran join its ranks. As Bryan Kalbrosky of HoopsHype writes, Kendrick Perkins – who played 11 seasons in the NBA – believes he would have plenty of options to accept a role on the sidelines.
- Only a few players from the 2014 NBA Draft class have landed sizable pay days and that’s for good reason, Mitch Lawrence of Forbes writes. Beyond players like Andrew Wiggins and Joel Embiid, few have earned substantial rookie contract extensions. Only Marcus Smart, he writes, has been a notable contributor to an elite playoff team.
Central Notes: Pistons, Maker, Munford
Only two of the Pistons‘ opening day starters are set in stone, the other three have yet to be determined, Keith Langlois of the team’s official website writes. With Avery Bradley at the two and Andre Drummond in the middle, head coach Stan Van Gundy is hard-pressed to figure out who will join them at tip-off.
“Everything’s a consideration,” Van Gundy said, before implying that Tobias Harris would probably start for the Pistons but, then, again might not. “I thought he was good off the bench last year. I’m really not locked in to anything.”
As Langlois explains, what Van Gundy decides to do with Harris will impact the other decisions he’ll have to make with the Pistons’ lineup. If the 25-year-old forward plays the three, they’ll look to somebody like Jon Leueur to fill in at the four. If they pencil Harris in at the four, they could turn to someone like Stanley Johnson to man the three.
Another decision that the Pistons will need to come to terms on ahead of opening day is who to start at the point. On one hand the idea of a healthy Reggie Jackson working in tandem with Drummond is tantalizing but there’s no guarantee it plays out that way in the first game of the season.
Langlois writes that Ish Smith could get serious consideration to start for the Pistons. “We found out last year just about anybody’s going to play pretty well with Ish,” Van Gundy said.
There’s more from the Central Division:
- The Pacers will have their work cut out for them adapting to a new life without Paul George but it will be interesting to see whether their first year starts off promising or discouraging, Clifton Brown of the Indianapolis Star writes. The scribe notes that there’s a palpable enthusiasm in the team’s locker room but their will be plenty of questions to answer when the season begins.
- With his rookie season in the books, Bucks center Thon Maker immediately set out to bulk up and add weight. The 20-year-old will use the extra muscle to stand his ground on defense and withstand contact while making moves around the basket, Lori Nickel of the Milwuakee Journal Sentinel writes.
- The G League affiliate of the Bucks acquired the returning rights to Xavier Munford, Mallory Steinberg of the Wisconsin Herd’s official site writes.
Jazz Unlikely To Sign Rodney Hood To Extension
The Jazz aren’t likely to signing guard Rodney Hood to a contract extension ahead of Monday’s deadline, Tony Jones of the Salt Lake Tribune writes. The swingman, expected to shoulder more of Utah’s scoring load, will thus hit restricted free agency next summer.
While Hood will get the 2017/18 campaign to help Jazz fans forget about Gordon Hayward, he’ll also be able to use a successful season to boost his stock on the open market next offseason. The starting guard will get plenty of touches considering that the franchise will need to replace Hayward’s 21.9 points per game.
Per Jones, the Jazz do have faith in their 24-year-old two guard, they’d just like to see him stay healthy and more consistent on offense. In two of his three seasons thus far, Hood has missed at least 23 games.
If Hood can play 70-plus games in 2017/18 and show that he’s more than just an intriguingly lengthy physical specimen, his size and ability to knock down triples (1.9 threes per game at a .371 rate last season) should earn him plenty of suitors next summer.
When that day comes, the Jazz – with only $83MM committed at a time when few teams will have abundant cap space – will be forced to dig deep into the piggy bank to retain his services lest they lose an offensive focal point for the second time in two summers.
Jazz Sign, Waive Kendall Pollard
OCTOBER 14: Less than 24 hours after signing him, the Jazz have waived Pollard, the team announced in a press release. Utah is now in position to make Pollard an affiliate player for the Salt Lake City Stars, the club’s G League squad.
OCTOBER 13: The Jazz have signed forward Kendall Pollard, Matt Sanchez of the team’s official site writes. The 22-year-old Dayton product went undrafted in the 2017 NBA Draft.
The signing brings Utah’s roster count up to 20 players, 15 of whom are already on guaranteed contracts. The franchise likely signed the free agent with the intention of waiving him to make him an affiliate player for their G League squad.
Sixers Waive Kris Humphries, Two Others
OCTOBER 14: The Sixers have officially waived Humphries, Okafor, and Blackmon, the team announced today in a press release.
OCTOBER 13: The Sixers have released a pair of veteran big men hoping to extend their NBA careers, as well as an undrafted rookie. Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer writes that the team has informed Kris Humphries, Emeka Okafor and James Blackmon that they will not remain with the club.
Humphries, a 32-year-old veteran of 11 NBA seasons, last played for the Hawks in 2016/17 and could still plausibly end up on yet another NBA roster before the season is through.
Okafor, a distant cousin of Philadelphia backup center Jahlil Okafor, was hoping to return to the court for the first time since 2012/13 at 35 years of age.
While the veterans will likely seek NBA opportunities elsewhere, Blackmon could end up with the team’s G League squad as an affiliate player. The guard strung together three impressive seasons at Indiana before declaring for the draft as an early entrant.
Cavs Trade Richard Jefferson, Kay Felder To Hawks
OCTOBER 14, 9:50am: The trade is now official, according to a press release issued by the Hawks. As detailed below, Atlanta receives Jefferson, Felder, cash ($3MM), and second-round picks in 2019 and 2020 in exchange for the rights to Agravanis and Gladyr.
Interestingly, the 2020 second-rounder is Portland’s pick. The protection on that selection is 31-55, meaning there’s a good chance it won’t actually change hands.
OCTOBER 13, 5:37pm: A Wojnarowski report at ESPN clarifies that the 2019 pick heading to Atlanta will be the lesser of the Timberwolves’ and Lakers’ picks that had been owed to Cleveland.
The Hawks will also receive $3MM in the deal, which is agreed upon in principle. That cash will cover Jefferson’s full salary and Felder’s partial guarantee.
4:57pm: The Cavaliers and Hawks are in advanced talks on a deal that would send Richard Jefferson and Kay Felder to Atlanta, Shams Charania of The Vertical reports.
Per Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, also involved in the deal will be the draft rights to a European player (Cleveland-bound), a pair of future second-round picks (Atlanta-bound) and cash (also heading to Atlanta).
Although the deal has not been finalized, Sam Amick of USA Today has tweeted that it will be Dimitrios Agravanis and Sergiy Gladyr in particular that will be heading to Ohio. Agravanis was the No. 59 pick in 2015, Gladyr the No. 49 pick in 2009.
Amick also tweets that the second-round picks going from Cleveland to Atlanta will be a 2019 pick and a 2020 pick. The Cavs have previously traded their own second-rounders in both years, but have acquired extra picks that they’ll use in this deal.
Per Wojnarowski, the Hawks plan to waive Jefferson and likely Felder too. Chris Mannix of The Vertical tweets that Jefferson has no plans to retire, but the 37-year-old will be ineligible to re-sign with Cleveland this season if he’s waived by Atlanta.
The Cavs have been hard-pressed to unload a guaranteed contract ever since they signed Dwyane Wade after his buyout from the Bulls. Shedding both Jefferson and Felder will bump the team down to 15 guaranteed deals and, according to Bobby Marks of ESPN, save the franchise as much as $12.8MM in luxury tax penalties.
Also, as Marks notes, the deal will create a pair of trade exceptions for Cleveland, one worth $2.6MM and another worth $1.4MM.
The Hawks can get to $4.9MM under the cap, enough to eat both Jefferson and Felder’s deals. While the two are signed to modest contracts, they both include guarantees — Jefferson’s is a full guarantee, while Felder’s is only partial.
In summary, Atlanta took advantage of available cap space and managed to procure a pair of second-round picks simply by eating two relatively minor contracts. Those additional draft choices will bode the franchise well as it embarks on its rebuild.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Joel Bolomboy, Royce O’Neale Compete For Last Jazz Slot
The final roster spot on the Jazz will come down to Joel Bolomboy and Royce O’Neale, Tony Jones of the Salt Lake Tribune tweets. Bolomboy was a second-round pick of the club’s in 2016 and O’Neale signed on with the franchise as a free agent in July.
Notably, both players have guaranteed deals, the latter having impressed the club enough to land a three-year deal with a guaranteed first year despite having played internationally since going undrafted in 2015.
Bolomboy was a mainstay on Utah’s G League affiliate last season and performed admirably at that level. He never did secure a sizable role on the Jazz amid their impressive 2016/17 campaign, however.
Jones specifies in his tweet that a decision between the two players has not been made. The transitioning club, fresh off of a busy offseason that saw them lose a pair of significant free agents, could use either Bolomboy or O’Neale as a depth piece this season.
At first glance, the club’s stable of solid, veteran swingmen appears more established than their frontcourt, a potential impediment to O’Neale.
Regardless, the team would likely bring either into the fold with their G League affiliate when they officially determine who to waive.