Rockets Sign Bruno Caboclo
AUGUST 20: The Rockets have officially signed Caboclo, the team announced today in a press release.
AUGUST 17: The Rockets have reached an agreement with free agent forward Bruno Caboclo, Chris Haynes of ESPN tweets.
Caboclo became an unrestricted free agent when the Kings declined to extend a qualifying offer in late June. The 6’9” Caboclo was acquired by Sacramento in February in a trade with the Raptors.
Caboclo received an Exhibit 10 contract, RealGM tweets, giving him a chance to make the roster in training camp. He could eventually fill a two-way contract slot, since the Rockets waived guard R.J. Hunter on Friday.
Caboclo, still just 22, never developed as Toronto hoped when it made him the 20th overall pick in the 2014 draft. He’s appeared in just 35 games in his four NBA seasons, averaging 1.5 PPG in 6.1 MPG. He saw action in 10 games with Sacramento, averaging 2.2 PPG in 10 MPG.
Community Shootaround: Portland’s Backcourt
The Trail Blazers were one of the league’s biggest surprises last season. No one thought they’d finish with the third-best record in the loaded Western Conference but there they were, piling up 49 victories and trailing only the Rockets and Warriors.
They also had a surprising postseason for a much different reason. They were swept by Anthony Davis and the Pelicans, creating some soul-searching for the front office.
GM Neil Olshey ultimately decided to keep his core group together, rather than break up his undersized backcourt duo of Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum. Offensively, they can match up with any pair of guards in the league. They combined to average 48.3 PPG and 10.0 APG last season. Defensively, it’s an entirely different story. Basketball Reference’s Defensive Box Plus/Minus ranks both as below-average defenders.
Both players are signed through the next three seasons at substantial figures. Lillard is due nearly $100MM for the remainder of his deal; McCollum has approximately $82.5MM coming to him.
Even so, Lillard is an All-Star talent and McCollum is a prolific scorer. Both would have value on the open market.
Olshey made a long-term commitment to center Jusuf Nurkic in restricted free agency, giving the big man three guaranteed years. The Blazers’ forward group doesn’t quicken the pulse. They’re looking at a rotation of Evan Turner, Maurice Harkless, Al-Farouq Aminu and Caleb Swanigan.
Dealing one of their guards for a top-flight forward would theoretically make the team more balanced. Certainly, in the star-laden West, it would seem that Portland would be hard-pressed to finish third again with the same group and could even struggle to make the postseason.
That leads us to our question of the day: Should the Blazers hold onto their prolific backcourt duo of Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum or deal one of them for frontcourt help?
Please take to the comments section to weigh in on this topic. We look forward to what you have to say.
Hoops Rumors Originals: 8/12/18 – 8/18/18
Every week, the writing team here at Hoops Rumors creates original content to complement our news feed. Here are our segments and features from the past seven days:
- In two Community Shootaround posts this week, we asked:
- In four Polls this week, we asked for your opinion on these topics:
- Which team will win the Central Division?
- Which team will win the Northwest Division?
- How will the Atlantic Division standings shake out?
- Which prediction by an ESPN panel of landing spots for next summer’s top free agents will most likely come true?
- We examined the remaining offseason questions for each team in the Southeast, Central and Atlantic divisions.
- We listed the longest-tenured player on each team.
- We took a closer look at which teams will likely exceed the luxury tax threshold.
- Luke Adams broke down the status of each 2019 first-round pick.
- Luke Adams listed the players who can’t be traded until December 15 and the ones who are ineligible to be traded until January 15.
- We provided a list of links displaying how teams acquired players this offseason.
- We noted all the waiver claims made this summer.
- Luke Adams listed the draft-and-stash signings this offseason.
- In his latest Weekly Mailbag, Arthur Hill offered his insights on how the Pistons will fare during the first season under new coach Dwane Casey.
Five Key Stories: 8/12/18 – 8/18/18
If you missed any of this week’s biggest stories, don’t worry because we’ve got it covered with our Week in Review. Listed below are some the more noteworthy news items from the last seven days.
The Rockets officially signed Carmelo Anthony to a one-year contract. Anthony had already verbally agreed to chase a ring with Houston once he cleared waivers. He will now team up with the All-Star backcourt of James Harden and Chris Paul, giving the Rockets more star power as they try once again to knock the Warriors from their perch.
Stephen Curry declared he wants to be a Warrior for life. Golden State didn’t have any concerns about losing its two-time MVP in the near future. Curry has four years remaining on the five-year, $201MM contract that he signed last summer. But if all goes well, Curry will join the likes of Dirk Nowitzki and Tim Duncan, stars who played for only one franchise.
The Nets guaranteed Spencer Dinwiddie‘s contract for next season. Brooklyn didn’t have to give Dinwiddie a guarantee until January 10. With Dinwiddie making just $1.656MM, it was a no-brainer for the Nets to guarantee that money to a player who averaged 12.6 PPG and 6.6 APG in 28.8 MPG last season.
Shabazz Muhammad agreed to re-sign with the Bucks. Muhammad, who joined Milwaukee last season after getting bought out by the Timberwolves, will have to fight for a roster spot after only being offered a training-camp deal.
Dwyane Wade revealed he would either re-sign with the Heat or retire. Wade reportedly had a lucrative offer to play in China but he’s not interested in continuing his career overseas. He’ll either rejoin Miami’s crowded backcourt or hang up his shoes and await his Hall of Fame induction.
Here are 10 more notable NBA headlines from the last week:
- The Rockets waived two-way player R.J. Hunter.
- The Rockets reached an agreement with forward Bruno Caboclo.
- The Heat signed undrafted forward Marcus Lee.
- Summer-league standout Christian Wood agreed to a training-camp contract with the Bucks.
- The Jazz waived guard David Stockton, who’s headed to Germany.
- Guard Briante Weber agreed to a partially-guaranteed contract with the Heat.
- The Thunder signed former Texas A&M big man Tyler Davis to a two-way contract.
- Former Spurs guard Darrun Hilliard signed a contract to play in Spain.
- Nuggets lottery pick Michael Porter Jr. said he’s pain-free after his latest back surgery.
- Nuggets guard Isaiah Thomas apologized after making a disparaging remark about Cleveland in an Instagram post.
Rockets Waive Guard R.J. Hunter
AUG. 18: The Rockets officially announced that Hunter has been waived.
AUG. 17: The Rockets have waived guard R.J. Hunter, Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports tweets.
That opens up a two-way contract slot for Houston, since Hunter was signed in January under one of those agreements. The 6’5” Hunter appeared in five games with the Rockets, including a start, averaging 3.8 PPG in 9.0 MPG.
Hunter played for Houston’s summer league team in July, the fourth consecutive offseason that he appeared in summer league games. He averaged 11.2 PPG in five Las Vegas appearances.
Hunter was chosen 28th overall by the Celtics in the 2015 draft. He played 36 games during his rookie season for Boston, then was waived during training camp the following season. He was claimed by the Bulls and saw action in three games before they waived him in December 2016.
Southeast Notes: Anderson, Young, Go-Go, Magic Big Men
The Heat aren’t particularly interested in acquiring Rockets forward Ryan Anderson, Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald reports. A rumored trade that would involve the Houston power forward and a draft pick in exchange for either Tyler Johnson or James Johnson doesn’t appeal to Miami’s front office, Jackson continues. Anderson has a higher salary than both of those players, so bringing him in would worsen the team’s luxury-tax issues. Additionally, even though James Johnson has three years left on his deal compared to Anderson’s two remaining seasons, Miami values his versatility, Jackson adds.
We have more from around the Southeast Division:
- Rookie Trae Young realizes the commitment the Hawks made to him by trading starting point guard Dennis Schroder to the Thunder, Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports. While Young was non-committal about whether he or Jeremy Lin should start, Young knows he’ll get ample playing time. “Obviously when they move the point guard they’ve had for a while, their starting point guard, it definitely opened my eyes,” Young told Vivlamore. “It shows how much they are committed to me. Bringing Jeremy in as well is a good fit for us. I know there is a lot on my plate.”
- The Wizards’ new G League team, the Capital City Go-Go, will share the same practice facility as the NBA team. The G League team’s GM, Pops Mensah-Bonsu, sees that as an incentive for his players, as he explained to Chase Hughes of NBC Sports Washington. “I think it’s going to help motivate these guys. We’re going to be practicing in the same place that the Wizards do and the Mystics do,” Mensah-Bonsu said. “I think if these guys can see Dwight Howard and John Wall and Bradley Beal walking around every day, it will help motivate them to get to that next level.”
- The Magic are bucking the league trend by building around big men, as Nick Zappulla of RealGM details. The trio of rookie Mo Bamba, Jonathan Isaac and Aaron Gordon provide versatility and game-changing ability on both ends of the floor, Zappulla adds.
Central Rumors: Leuer, Wood, Love, Bullock
Pistons big man Jon Leuer is expected to be ready by the season opener and perhaps by the start of training camp, Vince Ellis of Detroit Free Press tweets. Leuer underwent surgery to repair a meniscus issue that arose during a workout earlier this month. Leuer appeared in just eight games last season due to a left ankle injury that required season-ending surgery in January. The team is hopeful Leuer, who is entering the third year of a four-year, $42MM contract, can return his role as a rotation player at center and power forward.
We have more from the Central Division:
- Christian Wood is confident he can earn a spot on the Bucks’ opening day roster, as he expressed to HoopsHype’s Bryan Kalbrosky. The 6’11’ Wood reached an agreement with Milwaukee on a training camp deal after posting big numbers on their summer league squad. “Once I get the time and people see me, I know that I can be an X-factor in the NBA. I can run the floor and beat other bigs and I’m faster than most people my size,” he told Kalbrosky.
- Kevin Love had a pretty good idea that LeBron James would either pick the Lakers or stay with the Cavs, he revealed in an ESPN interview that was relayed by Alysha Tsuji of USA Today. “I knew it was probably between Cleveland and Los Angeles. I think he’s always looking for a different challenge. He’s always wondering what’s next, and it feels like sometimes he’s playing chess and everybody else is playing checkers,” Love said.
- The Pistons have depth at the wing spots but Reggie Bullock will retain his starting spot under new coach Dwane Casey, MLive’s Ansar Khan writes. Bullock emerged as one of the league’s top 3-point shooters last season after being inserted into the lineup. He’s one of the league’s biggest bargains at $2.5MM, as Khan notes, and should get a much bigger contract as a free agent next summer if he has a similar season.
Heat, Haslem Making Progress In Contract Talks
It appears that Udonis Haslem will return for at least one more season with the Heat. The 38-year-old power forward is close to an agreement with the team he’s played for the past 15 seasons, Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel reports.
Haslem indicated in June he’d pursue overseas opportunities in order to get more playing time. However, Haslem has remained on the free agent market and was spotted working out with several Miami players this week, Winderman continues.
It’s likely that Haslem will have to settle for a contract at or close to the $2.4MM veteran’s minimum, Winderman adds, though Miami holds his Bird Rights and can offer him significantly more.
Haslem has seen his playing time steadily decline over the last four seasons, making him a de facto unofficial assistant coach. He appeared in 62 games, including 25 starts, during the 2014/15 season. Since then, he’s seen action in 37 games the following season, 16 in 2016/17 and 14 games last season.
If he signs, he’ll join a crowd at the power forward and center positions. Miami already has Justise Winslow, James Johnson, Hassan Whiteside, Bam Adebayo and Kelly Olynyk at those spots along with two-way players Duncan Robinson and Yante Maten.
Eastern Rumors: Embiid, Wade, Kander, Magic
Joel Embiid‘s ability to work out this summer without restrictions may turn out to be the Sixers’ biggest offseason improvement, as Derek Bodner of The Athletic details. Embiid has always been in rehab mode from foot or knee injuries during his previous offseasons, Bodner notes. This summer, Embiid has been working with renown skills coach Drew Hanlen to refine his offensive game, which could vault Embiid into a greater level of dominance and consistency, Bodner continues. Hanlen has put a great emphasis on making Embiid virtually unstoppable in the low post while also creating more open looks for his teammates and committing fewer turnovers, Bodner adds.
We have more from around the Eastern Conference:
- If Dwyane Wade returns to the Heat, he’ll be part of the rotation, according to Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel. Adding Wade to the backcourt would create a logjam that would likely cut dramatically into Tyler Johnson‘s minutes, Winderman adds. Wade has indicated if he plays next season, it will be with the Heat.
- Former Pistons strength and conditioning coach Arnie Kander has turned down a position with the franchise but will remain in a consultant’s role, Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press tweets. Kander, who worked with the team for 23 seasons, has given the front office input on its search for a new medical director and has also been involved in Reggie Jackson‘s offseason training, Ellis continues. Last season’s director of sports medicine and head trainer, Jon Ishop, is no longer with the organization, Ellis adds.
- The Magic will not host the All-Star Game until at least 2024, Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel reports. The franchise put in a bid to host the 2023 All-Star Weekend and were informed by league officials that another location will be selected, Robbins continues. The sites for the next three All-Star Games have already been set, starting with Charlotte next season, and Orlando can’t host in 2022 because of a major convention in the city, Robbins adds.
Heat Sign Forward Marcus Lee
The Heat have signed undrafted forward Marcus Lee, according to a team press release.
The terms of the contract were not released but it’s likely to be an Exhibit 10 deal, which would allow Miami to designate Lee as an affiliate player in order to retain his G League rights if he’s waived during training camp.
The 6’9′ Lee played one season at Cal, averaging 11.4 PPG, 7.2 RPG, 1.6 BPG and 1.3 APG in 27.8 MPG while shooting 56.3% from the field as a senior. He began his college career at Kentucky.
Lee was a member of the Cavaliers’ summer league squad, averaging 6.1 PPG, 4.7 RPG and 1.6 blocks in 15.9 MPG while appearing in seven games.