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Author: Chuck Myron

Draft Rumors: Parker, Wiggins, Randle, Smart

By | at November 27, 2013 7:23 pm

The draft is seven months away, but it’s clearly on the minds of Bucks fans who are raising money for a billboard that would encourage their team to tank, as we noted earlier today. Milwaukee is 2-11, already 10-and-a-half games behind the Pacers in the Central Division, and at least a segment of the team’s faithful is already prepared to chalk it up as a lost season and focus on whom the Bucks might take in June. Here’s the latest on a few top prospects:

  • Jabari Parker probably won’t stick around an extra year at Duke to play with top recruit and former AAU teammate Jahlil Okafor, according to Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv, but Parker is at least giving thought to the idea, Zagoria notes. “Oh, it would be great,” Parker said. “I would just work off him. A lot of attention would come up towards him and a lot of attention will come towards me, so we can work hand-in-hand with each other depending on where we are on different spots on the floor.”
  • Chad Ford of ESPN.com chatted with readers today, writing that he’s not sure there’ll be a consensus No. 1 pick. It may come down to need for whichever team scores the top draft choice, Ford opines, pointing to Parker, Andrew Wiggins, Julius Randle and Marcus Smart as possibilities.
  • The top eight players in Ford’s rankings are unchanged, with Wiggins still at No. 1. Indiana power forward Noah Vonleh and Michigan State shooting guard Gary Harris are newcomers to the top 10.
0 comments 2014 NBA Draft

Should The Cavs Trade Dion Waiters?

By | at November 27, 2013 6:17 pm

Dion Waiters never started a game in two years at Syracuse, but that didn’t stop the Cavs from drafting him fourth overall in 2011. He was generally regarded as a top-10 pick prior to the draft despite his status as a reserve for the Orange, so while Cleveland’s decision to draft him at No. 4 was surprising, it wasn’t a shock. The 6’4″ guard started 48 of the 61 games he played for the Cavs last season and quickly established himself as a scoring force, going for 28 points in an upset of the Clippers just a week into his NBA career.

Waiters wound up averaging 14.7 points per game last season, and in spite of his shaky outside shot and defensive shortcomings, it seemed like he and Kyrie Irving would form the backcourt of the future for the Cavs. Now, a month into his second season, he might be on the move. It appears there’s a degree of motivation from both sides for a trade. Waiters reportedly engaged in a heated argument recently with Tristan Thompson and isn’t tight with Irving, while the Cavs have removed him from their starting lineup and appear to be at the very least entertaining offers for their prize from last year’s draft.

Waiters might not be a fit in Cleveland, where his need to play with the ball in his hands conflicts with Irving and fellow guard Jarrett Jack, who’s signed to a long-term deal. Still, he’s just 21 years old, and it’s doubtful that the Cavs could make him the centerpiece of a trade for anyone with quite as much upside.

The Cavs could always find a sweetheart deal from a desperate team, but barring an unexpected offer, perhaps Cleveland is giving up on the recent No. 4 overall pick much too soon. He’s shown improvement this season, raising his three-point accuracy from 31.0% to 38.9%. Of course, if Waiters is a poor fit with his teammates on and off the court, his value might never be higher. So, let us know whether you think the Cavs should take the best offer they can find for Waiters in the near future, or hang on to a player they thought worthy of the fourth overall pick just 17 months ago. Cast your vote, and share more of your thoughts on the issue in the comments.

Should The Cavs Trade Dion Waiters?
Yes 66.49% (373 votes)
No 33.51% (188 votes)
Total Votes: 561
3 comments Cleveland Cavaliers Hoops Rumors Polls

Odds & Ends: Kobe, Bulls, Heat, Wizards

By | at November 26, 2013 11:14 pm

Kobe Bryant says he gave no thought to leaving the Lakers in free agency, and defended himself against criticism that his extension will hurt the team, as USA Today’s Jeff Zillgitt observes. Most Hoops Rumors readers agree, believing the Lakers will sign another max free agent in either 2014 or 2015. Here’s more from the Association:

Luke Adams contributed to this post.

1 comment 2014 NBA Draft 2019 World Cup Chicago Bulls Los Angeles Lakers Memphis Grizzlies Miami Heat New York Knicks Washington Wizards

Offseason In Review: Memphis Grizzlies

By | at November 26, 2013 9:58 pm

Hoops Rumors is in the process of looking back at each team’s offseason, from the end of the playoffs in June right up until opening night. Trades, free agent signings, draft picks, contract extensions, option decisions, camp invitees, and more will be covered, as we examine the moves each franchise made over the last several months.

Signings

Extensions

Trades

  • Acquired Kosta Koufos from the Nuggets in exchange for Darrell Arthur and the No. 55 pick in 2013.
  • Acquired the rights to Nick Calathes from the Mavericks in exchange for a fully unprotected 2016 second-round pick. The Mavs had already acquired that 2016 second-rounder, but it had previously been top-55 protected. Calathes was subsequently signed for two years, $1.31MM via the minimum salary exception (second year is non-guaranteed).
  • Acquired Fab Melo and $1.66MM in cash from the Celtics in exchange for Donte Greene. Melo was subsequently waived.
  • Acquired a 2014 second-round pick (31-50 and 56-60 protected) from the Sixers in exchange for Tony Wroten.

Waiver Claims

Draft Picks

Camp Invitees

Departing Players

Rookie Contract Option Decisions

  • None

Rarely is there so much turmoil for a team that just had its best regular season and playoffs in franchise history. For the first time, the Grizzlies won 56 games and made the Western Conference Finals, but the front office chain of command isn’t clear. Chris Wallace has the title of GM, but his powers appear greatly reduced from what they had been under former owner Michael Heisley. CEO Jason Levien, vice president of basketball ops John Hollinger and even new owner Robert Pera all appear to have some say-so in the day-to-day decisions that shape the roster, along with Wallace. Whoever’s in charge clearly wasn’t a fan of Lionel Hollins, whom the team decided not to re-sign in spite of his success. Hollins clashed with the team’s new analytics-heavy approach, and the Grizzlies found one of his assistants, Dave Joerger, more willing to apply advanced statistics on the floor. Joerger’s installation as head coach is probably the most significant change to a veteran roster that has a shot at the championship, but still must exceed expectations to make it happen.

The key task the Grizzlies had to complete this summer to remain in the championship race was bringing back free agent Tony Allen, an All-NBA defender each of the past three seasons. At least a half-dozen other teams were after the 31-year-old, but it seemed his heart was in Memphis all along. The Grizzlies nonetheless wound up paying market price, if not a little more, for a swingman who excels on defense while creating spacing problems on offense with his lack of long-range shooting. He’ll be 35 by the time the fully guaranteed four-year deal is up, so it’s worth wondering if age will cause him to lose his ability to keep up with opponents by the back end of the contract. The move also used up most of the flexibility the team had beneath the luxury tax line, the space the team tried so hard to create with the Rudy Gay trade and other moves in 2012/13. Allen is nonetheless an elite defender, the likes of whom the team would struggle to replace, and a contract with an average annual salary of $5MM — slightly less than the full value of the non-taxpayer’s mid-level exception — isn’t too much to pay.

Memphis snagged another sought-after free agent when it picked up Mike Miller after he cleared amnesty waivers from the Heat. As with Allen, half-dozen other teams were also linked to Miller, but all it took was a guaranteed one-year deal for the minimum salary to bring the 33-year-old aboard. Concerns about his health likely prevented any team from making an offer for more than one guaranteed season, since his long list of ailments nearly provoked him to retire in 2012. A report suggested he was considering fusion surgery on his back this summer, though that might have been a ruse to dissuade the Cavaliers from claiming him off waivers and keeping him from free agency, as our Luke Adams suggested. Injuries nonetheless kept Miller off the court for most of his tenure with the Heat, though he surfaced at the most opportune moments. The Grizzlies have been giving him heavy minutes so far, hoping his three-point stroke will offset the spacing issues the Allen signing perpetuated. It’s unclear how long he’ll hold up, but if he can sustain his contribution, he’ll be a serious bargain.

Conversely, an injury to Marc Gasol has magnified the benefit of another of the Grizzlies’ offseason moves. While Gasol recovers, Memphis has Kosta Koufos to insert as the starting center, reprising the role he played for the Nuggets last year before Denver traded him for Darrell Arthur and a late second-round pick. The trade made financial sense for the Grizzlies as well, since Koufos is slightly cheaper than Arthur, and only $500K of his $3MM salary for 2014/15 is guaranteed. Arthur has a player option on his deal for next season. The trade seemed driven by Denver’s front office, which sought to clear the way for JaVale McGee to see starter’s minutes. Memphis has been the beneficiary, acquiring a 24-year-old seven-footer who’s averaged double-digit rebounds per 36 minutes in each of the past three seasons.

Memphis invested in another young player with its extension for Quincy Pondexter. The 25-year-old showed enough improvement last season to apparently convince the Grizzlies that he may be an eventual replacement for Tayshaun Prince at small forward, or at least a capable rotation-level player. His 39.5% three-point accuracy in 2012/13, a rate that jumped to 45.3% in the playoffs, might be the key metric. He’s off to a slow start from behind the arc this season, but if he can regain his form from last spring, he’ll be well-worth the sub-$4MM salaries he’ll see over the course of his new deal. Teams and former first-round picks don’t often agree to extensions for such small amounts, but Koufos is another example of a player who did, and his deal has proven team-friendly. Locking up promising non-stars for the long-term could emerge as a cost-effective strategy for the small-market Grizzlies.

The team made another move for its future with its acquisition of Nick Calathes, a 2009 second-round pick and former University of Florida standout who had been playing overseas. The cost was another late second-round pick, so the Grizzlies clearly believe Calathes will outperform most players taken long after many draft-watchers have lost interest. He’ll slot in as a third-string point guard behind Mike Conley and Jerryd Bayless, and his development will likely determine whether the team re-signs Bayless, its putative sixth man, next summer.

The Grizzlies poked around at the fringes of the market this summer, claiming Josh Akognon off waivers from the Mavs and waiving him before opening night. They also traded Donte Greene for Fab Melo in what amounted to a money-grab, waiving the former Syracuse center just two weeks after acquiring him. Memphis took on Melo’s slightly larger cap hit, which is guaranteed money that remains on the team’s books, but acquired enough cash to cover his salary and then some. The result was slightly less room underneath the tax line this season, but a little extra money for a skinflint franchise bent on making the most of its limited resources.

The team’s creativity surfaced again in its use of the mid-level exception, usually a tool for signing veterans. The Grizzlies instead committed a part of it to second-round pick Jamaal Franklin, allowing themselves to lock him up for three years and have full Bird rights when he’s eligible for restricted free agency. Most over-the-cap teams are limited to the minimum-salary exception for their second-rounders, leading to the sort of inflated offer sheet that former Bull Omer Asik signed with the Rockets via the Gilbert Arenas provision.

The new Grizzlies regime is carefully studying every move it makes, a hands-on approach that cost it a proven coach. The team’s strategy is not for everyone, but traditional methods can only take a small-market team so far. What’s happening in Memphis will probably have ripple effects across the league. If Joerger loses the locker room and the team’s careful penny-pinching doesn’t move it any closer to a title, the analytics movement will take a hit. If Memphis can take the next step despite not having a superstar, the NBA will be full of number-crunching copycats.

Luke Adams contributed to this post.

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Central Links: LeBron, Deng, Bulls, Scola

By | at November 26, 2013 8:43 pm

It’s not easy to build a six-and-a-half game lead in less than a month, but that’s what the Pacers have done in the Central Division, where they’re the only team above .500. The Bulls are in second place, and the hole they’re in would have been somewhat of a challenge to overcome even if Derrick Rose were coming back this season. It’s probably impossible now that he’s done for the year, though Chicago at least has a strong chance of making the playoffs in the watered-down Eastern Conference. Here’s more on Indiana and the Central Division also-rans:

  • Anderson Varejao would welcome former Cavaliers teammate LeBron James if the four-time MVP decides to re-sign with Cleveland this summer, a prospect Varejao believes could become reality, as Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio observes. The Brazilian big man thinks James will likely return to the Cavs at some point, even if it’s not for next season.
  • Other reports suggest Luol Deng isn’t going anywhere soon, but executives from around the league who spoke to K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune expect trade talks involving the Bulls small forward to pick up.
  • Johnson also notes in his piece that the Bulls chose to sign Mike Dunleavy over Marco Belinelli because they believed Dunleavy was a better fit with Rose. That points to the challenge the team faces opposed to last year, when they went into the season knowing Rose would be out. Despite his latest injury, Bulls GM Gar Forman says he’d be OK with Rose playing in the basketball World Cup this coming summer, according to Johnson.
  • Pacers coach Frank Vogel is impressed with offseason acquisition Luis Scola, and didn’t expect the 33-year-old would defend as well as he has so far, writes Michael Pointer of the Indianapolis Star.
  • The Bucks had the most turnover of any NBA team this summer, but they didn’t expect to have the worst record in the Eastern Conference a month into the season, as Charles F. Gardner of the Journal Sentinel examines.
1 comment 2014 World Cup Chicago Bulls Cleveland Cavaliers Indiana Pacers Miami Heat Milwaukee Bucks San Antonio Spurs

Several Have Endured Multiple Trades This Year

By | at November 26, 2013 7:12 pm

Trades are a part of NBA reality for players, who sign their contracts knowing that their teams can send them elsewhere just about any time, usually without their consent. Kobe Bryant, Dirk Nowitzki, Tim Duncan and Kevin Garnett are the only four players with no-trade clauses written into their contracts, though the Celtics received Garnett’s OK to send him to the Nets this summer. Players who re-sign with a team on a one-year contract also have veto power over trades, through a quirk in the collective bargaining agreement, though sometimes those guys consent to trades, too, as Marreese Speights did last season.

Still, few if any players would be on board with getting traded for a second time in a year, as Luc Mbah a Moute was today. He’s the ninth player to endure more than one trade since the start of the 2012/13 season. Malcolm Lee has gone through three trades, though he wasn’t with the Warriors long, since Golden State acquired him and shipped him out on the same night. Those trades happened at the draft, and unless a veteran like Lee was involved, draft-night trades aren’t accounted for on this list, since they happen before any of the incoming rookies have signed their contracts. I also didn’t count J.J. Redick, because the second swap he was involved in was a sign-and-trade transaction that facilitated his new deal with the Clippers, and the trade wouldn’t have happened without his approval.

Here are the well-traveled nine:

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California Rumors: Kobe, Odom, Kings

By | at November 26, 2013 5:59 pm

The Kings are the only California-based team beneath .500, and after completing their trade with the Timberwolves today, they’re still trying to make moves and improve. Here’s more on them and a couple of their in-state rivals:

  • Kobe Bryant says his two-year extension will “probably” be his final contract, as Bill Oram of the Orange County Register notes via Twitter. Bryant had been leaning toward retirement after the 2013/14 season before tearing his Achilles last spring, but admits that the injury pushed him to extend his career, Oram writes in a subscription-only piece.
  • Clippers coach Doc Rivers says he’ll stay in touch with Lamar Odom, and the two could sit down for a meeting later this week, tweets Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times. A source tells HoopsWorld’s Alex Kennedy that Odom has been “extremely positive” about his recent workouts and expects to sign soon.
  • Kings GM Pete D’Alessandro tells Kennedy, for the same piece, that he sees newly acquired forward Derrick Williams as a “matchup problem” for other teams and is confident a fresh start can help the former No. 2 overall pick reach his potential.
2 comments Los Angeles Clippers Los Angeles Lakers Sacramento Kings

Projected 2013/14 Taxpaying Teams

By | at November 24, 2013 12:58 pm

The number of teams paying the luxury tax has been six the past two seasons, and again half a dozen teams are lined up for the penalty this year. The bill only comes due for clubs that cross the $71.748MM team salary threshold at the end of the season, so that means trades and other roster moves could either spare a front office from the tax or force another into shelling out extra cash.

Three of the franchises with team salaries that currently exceed the tax line wouldn’t make the playoffs if they started today, including the Nets and Knicks, who have the two highest payrolls in the league. The Bulls are in fifth place in the Eastern Conference, but their record is just 6-5 and they just lost Derrick Rose to another injury. The New York teams would have to pull off drastic salary dumps to avoid the tax, but I wouldn’t be surprised if the Bulls try to shed some salary via trade if Rose is to miss the season. The same goes for the Lakers if Kobe Bryant can’t return to right the ship. Both Chicago and the Lakers are about $7.5MM above tax line.

There are several teams below the tax line but close enough to it that it’s likely to come into play as they plan their in-season moves. The Celtics and Raptors are within a million dollars of tax territory, which might make it hard for them to add any intriguing free agents who come available or take on even the slightest salary bump in a trade.

Team salary figures may also change if players achieve unlikely bonuses, which would be added to the books, or fall short of likely bonuses, which would be subtracted. Some of the totals listed below for the projected tax teams include non-guaranteed contracts, though in each case, the team wouldn’t escape the tax merely by waiving those players.

Here are all six teams in line for the tax, with their team salaries in parentheses.

  • Nets ($102,211,009)
  • Knicks ($88,249,065)
  • Heat ($83,528,143)
  • Bulls ($79,288,428)
  • Lakers ($79,186,502)
  • Clippers ($73,325,353)

HoopsWorld was used in the creation of this post.

3 comments Uncategorized

Atlantic Notes: Knicks, Stoudemire, Nets

By | at November 24, 2013 12:03 pm

Knicks owner James Dolan reportedly told the team’s coaches before the season that he expects them to win the championship this year, but Marc Berman of the New York Post hears that the owner never said he “expects” a title, and didn’t issue any edict. Dolan nonetheless said recently in a rare public statement that he thinks the team is one of many that could win it all this year. For now, that seems like a pipe dream for the 3-9 Knicks and everyone else in the Atlantic Division, where all five teams are below .500. Here’s more from the division that’s been the NBA’s worst so far:

  • Amar’e Stoudemire wants to retire as a member of the Knicks and tells reporters, including Berman, that he has a genuine affection for Dolan.
  • Garnett told reporters on Friday that, “You’re going to have the business of basketball come into play, I’m sure, and management is probably going to do what they’ve got to do,” and Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News sees it as a hint at roster changes for the Nets.
  • Celtics forward Gerald Wallace isn’t as surprised as most that the Nets are struggling, having figured the team would sputter at first without having had much experience playing together, observes Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald.
  • It’s an awkward fit for Wallace and three other veterans Boston acquired in its blockbuster offseason trade with Brooklyn, but Celtics GM Danny Ainge isn’t concerned they’ll become disruptive malconents, as fellow Herald scribe Mark Murphy notes.
  • Doug Smith of the Toronto Star answers reader mail and shares his thoughts on the Raptors, believing GM Masai Ujiri will be hesitant to take on much long-term salary in a trade this year.
0 comments Boston Celtics Brooklyn Nets New York Knicks Toronto Raptors

Offseason In Review: Houston Rockets

By | at November 24, 2013 10:32 am

Hoops Rumors is in the process of looking back at each team’s offseason, from the end of the playoffs in June right up until opening night. Trades, free agent signings, draft picks, contract extensions, option decisions, camp invitees, and more will be covered, as we examine the moves each franchise made over the last several months.

Signings

Trades

  • Acquired the rights to Kostas Papanikolaou, the rights to Marko Todorovic, the Timberwolves’ 2015 second-round pick, and the Trail Blazers’ own 2017 second-round pick from the Blazers in exchange for Thomas Robinson.
  • Acquired a 2014 second-round pick (31-55 protected) from the Sixers in exchange for Royce White, Furkan Aldemir and cash.

Draft Picks

  • Isaiah Canaan (Round 2, 34th overall). Signed via cap space for three years, $2.33MM. Third year is 80% guaranteed.

Camp Invitees

Departing Players

Rookie Contract Option Decisions

In the summer of 2012, the Rockets appeared adrift, ready to hit bottom after three straight ninth-place finishes in the Western Conference. GM Daryl Morey had to prove he was worthy of keeping his job, and he did so with a bang in October 2012, trading for James Harden, who blossomed into an All-NBA player. Snagging one superstar made Houston a more attractive destination for others, and the team aimed for the greatest prizes in this year’s free agent class, pursuing Dwight Howard and Chris Paul, and making a push to team Howard with former AAU teammate Josh Smith.

Luring Paul away from the Clippers was a long shot at best, and the task of either clearing enough cap space for both Howard and Smith or working a sign-and-trade with the Hawks proved too difficult. It was much easier to simply pry Howard from the Lakers, and the Rockets emerged as front runners for the center long before free agency began. Howard’s decision-making is notoriously difficult to predict, and in early July he met with the Hawks, Mavericks, Warriors and Lakers in addition to the Rockets. His choice to ultimately sign with the Rockets lifted Houston into title contention less than 12 months after the team possessed a roster that might have finished with the league’s worst record in 2012/13.

The signing prompted Morey to ask Mavs owner Mark Cuban if he’d be interested in trading Dirk Nowitzki, and while Cuban thinks Morey’s inquiry might have been more of a taunt than a serious request, it demonstrates a brazen attitude that helped the GM outfox his rivals. That daring approach extends throughout Morey’s roster-building techniques, as demonstrated by his decision to waive Aaron Brooks and decline the team option on Francisco Garcia as part of the effort to cap clear space for Howard. Brooks and Garcia were clearly players Morey still wanted, and he managed to re-sign them to minimum-salary deals, even after taking the additional step of renouncing Garcia’s Bird rights. It was a risk that paid dividends, as so many have for Morey over the past year.

Morey pulled off another escape when he appeared to have backed himself into a corner at the end of preseason. The Rockets had four rotation-caliber players without fully guaranteed deals, and just two roster spots to accommodate them. Marcus Camby‘s injury allowed the team to cut his fully guaranteed deal instead, and while it’s never ideal to pay someone a full season’s salary when he’s not on the roster, the move let the team keep three of those four capable players without full guarantees. Reggie Williams, a three-point shooter whose numbers were in decline, was the only casualty, while Patrick Beverley, Greg Smith and offseason signee Ronnie Brewer remained. Camby is hanging around the Rockets while he recovers, and the possibility remains for the veteran center to rejoin the team if a roster spot opens.

Perhaps the most dangerous move Morey made as he opened cap room for Howard was trading Thomas Robinson, the fifth overall pick from the 2012 draft. The Rockets snagged him at the trade deadline this past February, and though he didn’t make an outsized impact, Robinson was nonetheless impressive on the boards in limited minutes. He averaged 11.2 rebounds per 36 minutes during his half season with the Rockets, a tempting number for the Trail Blazers, who poached him from the Rockets for the pittance of two second-round picks and a pair of draft-and-stash players. Robinson could develop into a force at power forward, the very position where Houston looks weakest.

Morey also cut ties with another 2012 first-rounder, sending troubled Royce White to the Sixers for a late second-round pick. Morey thought of White as a top-five talent when he drafted him, gambling that his psychological challenges wouldn’t manifest as a roadblock. The Rockets had no such luck, as White failed to appear in any regular season games for Houston while he held out for special mental health stipulations in his standard rookie contract. Morey had to attach European prospect Furkan Aldemir and cash to entice former Rockets executive and new Sixers GM Sam Hinkie into taking his own chance on White. Hinkie’s presence in Philadelphia allowed Morey the opportunity to unload one of his mistakes, but Morey’s former assistant also drove a hard bargain, demonstrating how one cog in Houston’s operation is now working against the team.

Howard is the only one of Houston’s free agent signees from this past summer whom the team will pay more than the $1.266MM minimum salary it’s dishing out to Garcia this season. There are bargains, like a rejuvenated Omri Casspi, within that group, but it’s the low-cost, high-reward signings that Morey made in previous years that allow the team to be more than just the Harden-and-Howard show. Beverley and Chandler Parsons make up two-fifths of the starting lineup, and they’ll earn just slightly more than $1.7MM combined this season. Morey helped himself in signing unheralded players to three-year, mostly non-guaranteed deals that allow the team to cut ties with those who don’t pan out and gain full Bird rights for those who do. Still, it will be a challenge to keep the team’s supporting cast together once Parsons, Beverley and others hit finally free agency with Howard and Harden clogging the team’s books on their max contracts.

That conundrum awaits on the horizon, but a more pressing concern is what the Howard signing has done to the psyche of Omer Asik, who’s reportedly been making weekly trade requests since Howard arrived. Notwithstanding an ill-fated attempt to pair Howard and Asik in the starting lineup, the arrival of Howard displaced Asik and turned last year’s starting center into an overpaid backup with a sullen attitude. Morey is at work trying to trade Asik, but the Turkish center’s demands and nearly $15MM balloon payment next season will make it more difficult than it might otherwise be to find a home for the 7’0″ top-flight defensive stopper. The challenge is just one of many ripple effects of the Howard acquisition that make it as much of a risk as any transaction Morey has made. The contract itself prompts questions, too, since there’s no guarantee Howard will be worth the $87.6MM he’ll make over four seasons. Morey might not fit the stereotype of the classic Texas gambler from the Old West, but his moves suggest he plays the part well. The Rockets can only hope he doesn’t go bust.

Luke Adams contributed to this post. 

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