NBA Contemplates Draft Lottery Reform
3:43pm: An update to Wojnarowski’s original article details the currently proposed legislation and we have the highlights here:
- Teams would be able to drop four spots in the lottery. Currently teams can drop no more than three spots.
- The three worst teams would have equal probabilities of landing the first pick.
- The odds for those three worst teams would be flattened, closing the gap between their odds of landing the top pick and the subsequent teams’ odds of landing the top pick.
Another idea that the Competition Committee came up with is to prohibit teams from picking in the top three in consecutive years.
2:37pm: The NBA’s Competition Committee could potentially vote on draft lottery reform prior to the 2017/18 season, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN writes.
Commissioner Adam Silver is a strong advocate of discouraging tanking and could do so by lowering the odds that basement-dwelling teams have of snagging the top picks.
While legislation for reform could be voted on and put in place prior to the season, that doesn’t mean that any changes would necessarily affect next year’s draft. More realistically, Wojnarowski writes, modifications to the lottery process would be phased in over time.
The NBA’s Competition Committee is expected to vote on the idea of sending a formal recommendation to the league’s Board of Governors next week. If the vote goes through, the committee will be able to decide whether to pass the league office’s recommendations on to the next stage of the process or modify them and send them along.
Ultimately it will be team owners with the final say when they, if necessary, hold their own vote on whether or not to implement the recommendations at the Board of Governors meeting in September.
Currently the draft process gives the team with the fewest wins a 25% chance of landing the first pick and a 64.3% chance of staying in the top three.
The team with the second fewest wins has a 55.8% chance of staying in the top three while the third-worst team in the league has a 46.9% chance of staying there.
At the opposite end of the spectrum, the five best lottery teams have only a 1.8% to 4% chance of landing in the top three.
Modifications to the weighting system could tip the scales in favor of teams who finished with better records, lessening the temptations of blatant futility.
Magic Re-Sign Damjan Rudez
The Magic have re-signed 31-year-old forward Damjan Rudez, the team announced in a press release. His deal, per Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel, is non-guaranteed.
In 45 games with Orlando last season, Rudez played just 7.0 minutes per game but his largest contributions to the young roster will presumably come in other areas. The forward is regarded as a positive influence in the locker room and his skillset as an adept three-point shooting big man is in vogue.
The addition of Rudez brings Orlando’s roster to 19 players but his stiffest competition for the 15th spot will likely be summer signing Khem Birch, Robbins writes.
Pistons Sign Dwight Buycks To Two-Way Deal
SEPTEMBER 7: Buycks’ deal with the Pistons is now official, according to agent Chris Patrick (Twitter link).
AUGUST 29: The Pistons have agreed to sign free agent point Dwight Buycks, Michael Scotto of Basketball Insiders writes. Chris Reichert of 2Ways10Days adds that Buycks’ deal is a two-way pact (Twitter link). The journeyman guard last played in China following stints with the Raptors and Lakers.
In six games with Los Angeles three years ago, Buycks averaged 8.7 points and 2.3 assists per game in just over 20 minutes of action. Now the 28-year-old will look to break camp as the third point guard behind Reggie Jackson and Ish Smith, a role that Beno Udrih held in 2016/17.
Buycks went undrafted out of Marquette in the 2011 NBA Draft but has thrived on and off in the G League and internationally over the course of the past half decade.
Earlier this summer, Buycks suited up for the Mavs’ team in the Orlando Summer League.
Hawks Sign Josh Magette To Two-Way Contract
SEPTEMBER 6, 2:34pm: More than two months after it was first reported, the Hawks have issued a press release formally announcing their two-way deal with Magette.
JUNE 29, 6:51pm: Magette’s deal with the Hawks will be a two-way contract, Chris Reichert of Two Ways, 10 Days clarifies. Read more about two-way contracts in our glossary.
JUNE 29, 4:58pm: The Hawks have come to terms on a contract with undrafted free agent Josh Magette, Alex Kennedy of Hoops Hype tweets, the deal is for the 2017/18 campaign although further details are currently unclear.
The 27-year-old point guard has been a Summer League mainstay over the course of the past five years but hasn’t seen any action with a big league club during the regular season.
Magette was an All-Star in the NBA D-League in 2016/17 and was named to the All-NBA D-League Second Team for his efforts with the Los Angeles D-Fenders.
Hoops Rumors Retro: Antonio McDyess To The Nuggets
Before the chair, before Grandpa Pierce, before DeAndre Jordan‘s infamous change of heart and the Emoji War that inspired it, there was Antonio McDyess. McDyess, obviously, but then of course French-Canadian ice hockey legend Patrick Roy, an impromptu charter flight across the southwest, dozens of unanswered pager calls and a good old-fashioned Rocky Mountain blizzard.
In January 1999, a 24-year-old with jetpacks for calves and long sinewy arms found himself at an emotional fork in the road. Fresh off of his third season in the NBA and his first in the desert, Suns power forward Antonio McDyess had the choice between re-signing with the team he just won 56 games with or returning to the basement-dwelling franchise that shipped him out of town less than 18 months prior.
After playing his first two seasons with the Nuggets and establishing himself as one of the most satisfyingly athletic big men in the game, McDyess enjoyed his first taste of team success following his arrival in Phoenix. The trade that sent him from Denver to the Suns prior to that 1997/98 season was precipitated by the fact that McDyess and his representative, Arn Tellem, were seeking a six-year, $100MM contract extension back when the club’s front office refused to go any higher than $70MM.
“I guess they had no choice but to trade me,” he said at the time, adding shortly thereafter that he didn’t think there was any possible way he would return to the Nuggets when he hit free agency seven months later.
Of course it was seven months later when things got unprecedentedly interesting.
Heat Notes: Richardson, Olynyk, Ellington
A pair of Heat forwards who spent much of the 2016/17 campaign on the sidelines will be competing hard for a starting role, Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald writes. Expect Josh Richardson to put up a fight for a shot at the three, while Dion Waiters fills in at shooting guard.
Of course Richardson’s path on the depth chart is blocked by Justise Winslow, another individual expected to compete like crazy for the role, and to an extent, Rodney McGruder.
Last season Richardson averaged 10.2 points per game while Winslow added 10.9 of his own. In addition to modest offense both players provide length and versatility.
“Wherever [Erik Spoelstra] wants to take this positionless game, it can be real small, with him playing five on down to three point guards with Justise at four [or three bigs],” team president Pat Riley said.
There’s more out of Miami this evening:
- A Boston beat writer isn’t all that impressed with some of the contracts on Miami’s payroll but A. Sherrod Blakely of CSN New England does add that the addition of sharpshooting Kelly Olynyk could bode well for the Heat considering Hassan Whiteside‘s lack of an outside game.
- The Heat have gotten flak from fans for taking Justise Winslow ahead of Devin Booker in the 2015 NBA Draft but Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel reminds readers that there isn’t much point to looking back on such situations in hindsight, especially considering the club had Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh on board at the time as well.
- The Heat were fortunate to have Wayne Ellington step up and play a significant part in their turnaround last season but the forward could see his role decrease slightly considering that Josh Richardson and Justise Winslow are expected to be back at full health, Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel writes.
Updates On Players Who Received 2017 Qualifying Offers
At the start of the 2017 NBA offseason, 20 players eligible for restricted free agency received qualifying offers from their respective teams. Two months after the free agent period officially got underway, a handful of those players remain unsigned, while the rest have had their contract situations resolved for the coming season.
Here’s a breakdown of what has happened this summer with those 20 players:
Ron Baker (Knicks)
Baker’s new pact was among the first batch of deals revealed following the start of the free agency period. It wasn’t until August, however, that the contract was made official.
Re-signed: 2 years, 9MM
Bojan Bogdanovic (Wizards)
With bigger fish to fry this offseason, the Wizards withdrew their qualifying offer for the 28-year-old Bogdanovic. Almost immediately after, the Pacers emerged as contenders for the free agent sharpshooter.
QO Rescinded, Signed with Pacers: 2 years, $21MM
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (Pistons)
When the Avery Bradley trade fell in their lap, the Pistons rescinded their qualifying offer to the man that Bradley would be replacing. Within a week, Caldwell-Pope signed with the Lakers on a one-year deal, which will give him another crack at free agency next summer.
QO Rescinded, Signed with Lakers: 1 year, $18MM
Nando De Colo (Raptors)
The Raptors extended a qualifying offer to De Colo in order to maintain his rights should be ever return to the NBA. The 30-year-old has played overseas since 2014/15, and will remain with CSKA Moscow for the coming season.
Unsigned: $1.8MM QO Extended
Cristiano Felicio (Bulls)
The Bulls wasted no time coming to terms with Felicio. Almost immediately after the free agent period opened, it was reported that the 25-year-old would be returning to Chicago.
Re-signed: 4 years, $32MM
JaMychal Green (Grizzlies)
Green remains unsigned through early September as the Grizzlies have been reluctant to meet the forward’s contract demands. Last week we wrote that Memphis is apparently willing to offer more than the qualifying offer.
Unsigned: $2.8MM QO Extended
Tim Hardaway Jr. (Hawks)
A few days into free agency, the Knicks dropped a bombshell on Hawks fans, extending an exorbitant offer sheet to the 25-year-old shooting guard. Within two days, Atlanta elected not to match.
Unmatched Offer Sheet (Knicks): 4 years, $71MM
Joe Ingles (Jazz)
The Jazz extended the versatile Ingles a respectable offer almost immediately after free agency began. Three weeks later, when dust from Gordon Hayward‘s exit began to settle, the parties made it official.
Re-signed: 4 years, $52MM
Joffrey Lauvergne (Bulls)
It’s not clearly exactly why but the Bulls withdrew their qualifying offer for Lauvergne, but the fact that they were able to secure Cristiano Felicio to a four-year deal may have contributed to the decision. Lauvergne signed on with the Spurs in the middle of July.
QO Rescinded, Signed with Spurs: 2 Years, $3MM
Alex Len (Suns)
The Suns have a solid young core that they’re focused on developing and it’s unclear whether Len fits into that or not. The Suns have plenty of cap flexibility to bring him back, but nothing has been reported about those negotiations as of late.
Unsigned: $4.2MM QO Extended
Nikola Mirotic (Bulls)
The Bulls are apparently interested in bringing Mirotic back, but clearly didn’t race out to throw big money in his direction. While the 26-year-old big man could slot into Chicago’s rebuild, the organization has little incentive to overpay for him, considering the club’s current state of affairs.
Unsigned: $7.2MM QO Extended
Shabazz Muhammad (Timberwolves)
The Timberwolves initially extended a qualifying offer to Muhammad but withdrew it in order to free up the cap space to sign Taj Gibson. A possibility of him returning to Minnesota has been floated and he’s also been linked to the Lakers.
QO Rescinded: Available
Nerlens Noel (Mavericks)
Noel’s camp came out seeking big money for the 23-year-old, but the parties never came to terms. Fast forward two months and one change in representation later and the big man had little choice but to bet on himself and accept the qualifying offer.
QO Signed: 1 year, $4.2MM
Kelly Olynyk (Celtics)
The Celtics needed to rescind their qualifying offer to Olynyk in order to sign Gordon Hayward. Having missed out on Hayward themselves, the Heat moved quickly on Olynyk when he became unrestricted and officially signed him a few days later.
QO Rescinded, Signed with Heat: 4 years, $46MM
Mason Plumlee (Nuggets)
The Nuggets paid a substantial price for Plumlee in a midseason trade but haven’t rushed to lock him in for next season. Denver supposedly views the big man as a part of their core, but there has been little reported progress toward an agreement, and Paul Millsap‘s arrival makes Plumlee’s role in Denver murkier.
Unsigned: $4.6MM QO Offered
Otto Porter (Wizards)
The Wizards were willing to let the market dictate Porter’s price tag and didn’t hesitate to match when the forward earned max money through an aggressive offer sheet from the Nets.
Matched Offer Sheet: 4 years, $107MM
Andre Roberson (Thunder)
It only took a few days for the Thunder to come to terms with Roberson on a long-term deal and a week later the two parties finalized it.
Re-signed: 3 years, $30MM
Jonathon Simmons (Spurs)
The Spurs surprised many when they withdrew Simmons’ qualifying offer but it was quickly revealed that the request came from the free agent’s own camp. Within days, the shooting guard signed on with the Magic.
QO Rescinded, Signed with Magic: 3 years, $18MM
Tony Snell (Bucks)
The Bucks came to terms with restricted free agent almost immediately after July 1. The revelation of the signing was Adrian Wojnarowski’s first Woj Bomb of his ESPN tenure.
Re-signed: 4 years, $44MM
Alan Williams (Suns)
About a month into free agency, the Suns came to terms with Williams and the second-year forward jumped at a three-year offer. Only the first year of the undrafted big man’s contract is guaranteed.
Re-signed: 3 years, $17MM
Central Notes: Bradley, Cousins, Cavaliers
There haven’t been many people outside of Detroit praising the Pistons for how they handled their offseason, a Detroit News report claims, but one move that’s gotten recognition is the addition of Avery Bradley.
Bradley joins a Pistons team that got off to a slow start in 2016/17 and never fully recovered. When the club breaks camp this October, they’ll look to Bradley as a featured contributor both on and off the floor. The vaunted perimeter defender will step into what could be the largest offensive role of his career and could even, according to at least one reporter, make a case for an All-Star berth.
The report draws attention to a recent feature from CBS’ Brad Botkin. In the piece, Botkin compiled a list of five under-the-radar NBA moves from the summer and thinks that the 26-year-old entering into a contract year could be a major upgrade for the Pistons over the outgoing Kentavious Caldwell-Pope.
There’s more from the Central Division:
- In his list of five under-the-radar offseason moves, CBS’ Brad Botkin writes that the Cavaliers will get a perimeter defender, the likes of which they lacked last season, in recently acquired forward Jae Crowder.
- The Cavaliers will remain contenders following the Kyrie Irving trade but uncertainty abounds for the franchise. Scott Howard-Cooper of NBA.com dredges up some of the instabilities that the organization will have to address in the coming months.
- We’ve written about how the Pelicans have at least a passing interest in Iman Shumpert. Bryan Kalbrosky of Hoops Hype has taken things one step further, amalgamating various hypothetical deals that could unfold between the Pels and Cavaliers. It’s unlikely that a Shumpert trade would escalate to the point of DeMarcus Cousins and the Brooklyn first-rounder changing hands but there’s at least some merit to the speculation.
Tony Parker Could Be Back ‘A Lot Sooner’ Than Expected
Injured point guard Tony Parker, currently forecast to return from a quadriceps injury in January, could be returning to action sooner than previously anticipated, Jeff Garcia of News 4 San Antonio writes.
Citing Spurs teammate Danny Green, who gave an interview with French publication LCI at an NBA 2K promotional event, Garcia relays that the guard could be back in the lineup earlier than anticipated.
In the one-on-one interview (conducted in English and subtitled for the French audience), Green speaks candidly about the 35-year-old’s recovery process thus far, not only suggesting that Parker’s rehab is on pace but that the guard could even be well ahead of schedule.
“He’s a couple months ahead of schedule, I don’t want to leak anything, but he might be playing a lot sooner than people think he might be playing. […] You’ll probably be seeing him playing a lot sooner than what most people are expecting him to be back by,” Green said.
As has been discussed since he went down in the second round of the playoffs last spring, any extended absence leaves the Spurs short at point guard. When the regular season tips off in October, it’s likely that a combination of Patty Mills and sophomore Dejounte Murray holds down the fort at the position until Parker can reclaim the reins.
If that comes “months sooner” than January, all the better for a Spurs team chasing the Warriors for Western Conference supremacy. Worth noting, however, is that despite Green’s optimistic outlook, Parker himself claimed to be four to five months away from returning to action as recently as last month.
Atlantic Notes: Knicks, Embiid, Celtics
A pair of Knicks bigs have turned heads at EuroBasket 2017 and that bodes well for the future of the franchise. Between Kristaps Porzingis‘ offensive showcase with Latvia and Willy Hernangomez‘s dominance in the post with Spain, New York fans ought to be drooling with anticipation, Marc Berman of the New York Post writes.
Squashing any concerns about a knee bruise that kept Porzingis out of some exhibition games with his national team, the 7’3″ Knicks forward has flaunted his length, range and just about everything else that’s made him such a tantalizing, unique NBA package. Through two games so far, Porzingis has averaged 22.5 points per game.
Hernangomez may not have pumped out any similarly viral highlight reel plays through his first two games in the tournament but the 23-year-old has stepped up as a foundational component of his Spanish team. The 18 points and nine boards he dropped in 20 minutes during the club’s opener is reminiscent of his impressive string of performances for the Knicks in the second half of 2016/17.
Even Knicks forward Mindaugas Kuzminskas, Berman writes, has looked impressive through three EuroBasket games averaging 16.0 points per match.
There’s more from the Atlantic Division:
- The Sixers need to figure out the best way to handle Joel Embiid‘s contract extension – our very own Dana Garauder wrote about it here – but one thing that can’t be overlooked when weighing injury risks and production is the impact that Embiid has on the Sixers brand. “He’s got the public on his side,” a league source told Tom Moore of the Bucks County Courier Times. “[The idea of alienating or losing Embiid altogether] is a public relations nightmare.“
- Between Gordon Hayward leaving money on the table in Utah and Kyrie Irving leaving a team that made three straight Finals appearances, the newest Celtics made big sacrifices to be where they are now. “They were doing what I thought was fair game and very grateful that both of them chose to come here and make those sacrifices,” Danny Ainge told A. Sherrod Blakely of CSN New England.