New NBA Schedule Features Fewest Ever Back-To-Backs
The schedule for the 2018/19 NBA regular season, officially unveiled by the league on Friday, will feature the fewest back-to-backs in league history. On average, teams will play on consecutive nights 13.3 times in ’18/19, with no club playing more than 15 back-to-backs.
Under the newest Collective Bargaining Agreement between the NBA and players’ union, the league has been scheduling an earlier opening night, extending the regular season in order to allow players more rest in between games. This season’s schedule, which begins on October 16, will feature no instances of a team playing four games in five nights or eight games in 12 nights.
Some of the notable games include LeBron James‘ return to Cleveland on November 21, Kawhi Leonard‘s first game in San Antonio with the Raptors on January 3 and Gordon Hayward‘s first game in Utah as a member of the Celtics on November 9,
Listed below are links to the full 2018/19 season schedules for each NBA team, organized by conference and division:
EASTERN CONFERENCE
Atlantic Division
Central Division
Southeast Division
WESTERN CONFERENCE
Northwest Division
Pacific Division
Southwest Division
Mavericks Sign Devin Harris
AUGUST 8: The Mavericks have made their deal with Harris official, announcing today in a press release that they’ve signed the veteran guard. Dallas now has a full 20-man roster, so a move will be required at some point to accommodate Donte Ingram‘s reported agreement with the club.
JULY 26: The Mavericks and veteran guard Devin Harris have reached an agreement on a one-year, veteran’s minimum contract, Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports tweets. Jordan Schultz of Yahoo Sports was the first to report the news.
Harris, who will receive $2.4MM, was the beneficiary of Yogi Ferrell‘s change of heart. Ferrell backed out of an agreement with Dallas to sign with the Kings. That opened up a backcourt spot for the 35-year-old combo guard.
This will mark his third stint with the franchise. The Mavericks acquired him in a draft-night trade with the Wizards in 2004 and kept him until 2008, when they traded him to the Nets. Harris returned to Dallas as a free agent in 2013 and spent five more years with the Mavs before they traded him to the Nuggets in February.
The 35-year-old combo guard appeared in 44 games with Dallas and 27 with Denver last season, averaging 8.4 PPG and 2.1 APG. His addition will give the Mavericks 16 players under contract.
Magic Sign Amile Jefferson To Two-Way Contract
AUGUST 7: The deal between the Magic and Jefferson is now official, per a team release.
JULY 27: The Magic have reached a two-way contract agreement with forward Amile Jefferson, Michael Scotto of The Athletic tweets.
The former Duke power forward was on the Timberwolves’ roster last season. He signed a two-way contract in January, then received a standard contract late in the regular season. However, Jefferson never appeared in any games.
Jefferson, 25, went undrafted last June and joined the Timberwolves for training camp. After being waived by the team prior to the start of the regular season, Jefferson joined the G League’s Iowa Wolves.
In 47 games, Jefferson averaged 17.8 PPG and 12.8 RPG for Iowa, making shots at a 62.4% rate. He set a new NBAGL record by racking up 36 double-doubles.
Orlando now has both of its two-way slots filled. The other one is occupied by point guard Troy Caupain.
Nuggets Sign DeVaughn Akoon-Purcell To Two-Way Deal
AUGUST 7: The Nuggets have officially signed Akoon-Purcell to a two-way contract, the team announced today in a press release.
AUGUST 6: The Nuggets are expected to sign shooting guard DeVaughn Akoon-Purcell to a two-way contract, Chris Dempsey of Nuggets.com tweets.
Akoon-Purcell averaged 12.0 PPG, 2.0 RPG, 1.5 APG and 2.0 SPG in 19.3 MPG over four Las Vegas summer league contests with Denver. He played the last two years with the Bakken Bears in the Danish league, averaging 17.3 PPG, 4.9 RPG and 3.8 APG last season.
The 6’5” Akoon-Purcell went undrafted in 2016 after playing at Illinois State. As a senior, he averaged 14.9 PPG, 4.9 RPG and 1.9 APG.
Denver’s two-way slots will now be filled if the team completes the transaction. The Nuggets signed second-round pick Thomas Welsh, the former UCLA center, to a two-way deal last month.
Community Shootaround: Lowest Offseason Ranking
The offseason business for NBA teams is winding down with most of them simply filling their training camp rosters and handing out two-way contracts at this point of the summer.
With that in mind, NBA.com’s David Aldridge revealed his annual offseason rankings on Monday. The rankings solely reflect how successful teams were in improving their rosters and/or cap situation this summer. Aldridge’s top three included the Thunder, Lakers and Nuggets, who all achieved their major goals via free agency and trades.
On the opposite spectrum, Aldridge viewed the Hornets, Cavaliers and Heat as having the worst offseasons, with Miami holding the ignominious bottom spot. The Hornets got a low rating despite moving Dwight Howard‘s contract as they eventually wound up with Bismack Biyombo and his bloated contract on the roster. Kemba Walker‘s future beyond next season also remains unresolved.
Cleveland’s low ranking is for the most obvious reason, losing LeBron James, though extending Kevin Love‘s contract to coincide with rookie point guard Collin Sexton‘s rookie deal was viewed by Aldridge as a positive.
The Heat received the bottom ranking mainly due to being hamstrung. They’re capped out and couldn’t improve through the draft. They haven’t been able to move a bad contract and have precious few players with upside, which means the team certainly hasn’t improved its stock since the end of the season.
It could be argued that losing a major player, such as Cleveland or the Clippers (DeAndre Jordan), or trading away your best player under pressure (Spurs), should put those teams below the Heat in the offseason rankings. It could also be argued that paying a heavy price to retain players, like the Bulls (Zach LaVine) and Magic (Aaron Gordon) did, is more detrimental than standing pat by necessity.
That leads us to our question of the day: Did the Heat have the worst offseason this summer, as Aldridge ranked them? If not, which team do you feel had the worst summer?
Please weigh in on this topic in our comments section. We look forward to your input.
Emanuel Terry Signs With Nuggets
The Nuggets have signed forward Emanuel Terry, according to the NBA.com transactions log. The contract is believed to be a training camp deal.
Terry made a good impression during summer league action with Denver, posting averages of 7.4 PPG and 5.0 RPG while shooting 61% from the field in 17.6 MPG over five games. He caught the attention of the coaching staff even more with his high energy level and ability to guard multiple positions.
The 6’9” Terry, 22, defied the odds by landing an NBA contract after going undrafted out of a Division II program. He played four seasons at Lincoln Memorial, averaging 16.9 PPG, 10.3 RPG and 2.2 BPG in his senior year.
Malik Newman Signs Contract With Heat
AUGUST 6: The signing is official, the team tweets.
AUGUST 3: Guard Malik Newman has agreed to a contact with the Heat, Michael Scotto of The Athletic tweets.
Newman, 21, signed a two-way contract with the Lakers at the beginning of last month but was waived on July 19th. He played in five summer league games for Los Angeles and averaged 3.2 PPG in 9.8 MPG. The contract is believed to be a training-camp deal, though the Heat have openings on their roster.
The 6’3” guard spent one season at the University of Kansas, posting averages of 14.2 PPG, 5.0 RPG and 2.1 APG while shooting 41.5% from long range. He went undrafted in June.
And-Ones: ROY Predictions, Offseason Rankings, NBAGL
Mavericks guard Luka Doncic has the best chance to win the Rookie of the Year award, according to an ESPN panel. Doncic will fill up the stat sheet and might wind up with the ball more often than second-year guard Dennis Smith Jr., according to Mike Schmitz. Top overall pick Deandre Ayton ranks second on the poll, with Schmitz noting that the Suns big man likely to get more playing time than any other rookie. Grizzlies forward Jaren Jackson Jr., Cavaliers point guard Collin Sexton and Bulls center Wendell Carter Jr. round out the top five.
We have more from around the league:
- Retaining Paul George in free agency and dumping Carmelo Anthony‘s contract while receiving projected sixth man Dennis Schroder in return earned the Thunder the top spot on NBA.com’s David Aldridge’s offseason rankings. The rankings are based upon what teams have done during the offseason. The Lakers ranked No. 2 by virtue of signing LeBron James and handing out one-year contracts to other players, thus allowing them to be a force again in next year’s free agent market. The Nuggets gained the No. 3 spot by locking up Nikola Jokic and making trades that cleared roster spots and eased their luxury-tax situation.
- Forwards DJ Hogg (Texas A&M) and Malik Pope (San Diego State) and swingman BJ Johnson (LaSalle) are among the top 10 prospects at the G League Invitational, according to Bryan Kalbrosky of HoopsHype. The invitational takes place Sunday in Chicago and over a dozen of last year’s prospects received training camp invites afterward.
- The Warriors’ over-under odds for wins next season is 62.5, according to Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook. The Celtics ranked second overall with a 57.5 over-under win total with the Rockets third at 54.5. The Hawks have the lowest projected win total at 23.5. The odds for each NBA team were passed along by ESPN’s Ben Fawkes.
International Moves: Bass, Webb III, Clavell
Veteran NBA power forward Brandon Bass has re-signed with Liaoning in the Chinese Basketball Association, according to a Sportando report. Bass averaged 21 PPG and 9.5 RPG last season after going overseas. Bass, 33, played 12 seasons in the NBA with stops in New Orleans, Dallas, Orlando, Boston and both Los Angeles teams. In his most recent NBA season, Bass appeared in 52 games with the Clippers in 2016/17, averaging 5.6 PPG and 2.5 RPG in 11.1 MPG. In 758 career games, Bass averaged 8.7 PPG and 4.5 RPG.
We have more news from overseas:
- Forward James Webb III is expected to sign with Italy’s Pallacanestro Cantù, according to another Sportando post. Webb played 10 games with the Nets last season after signing a two-way contract in January. The 6’9” Webb, 24, averaged 1.6 PPG and 2.4 RPG in 12.0 MPG with the Nets.
- Former Mavericks shooting guard Gian Clavell has joined Argentina’s Estudiantes de La Plata, according to an ACB.com post. Clavell, 24, appeared in seven games with Dallas on a two-way contract last season, averaging 2.9 PPG in 9.1 MPG. Clavell played in Turkey after the Mavericks released him in mid-November.
- Former Nets guard Isaiah Whitehead will play in Russia next season. Get the details here.
Eastern Notes: Marks, Thomas, Graham, Portis
Nets GM Sean Marks promised to season-ticket holders that the team is no longer interested in tanking, according to a Net Income story. “This is not a year we’re just going to sit there because we control our own pick and say let’s just hope that pick is as good as it possibly can be,” he said during the conference call. “It’s important for the fans to see the trajectory we’re on.” Brooklyn’s goal for the upcoming season is the postseason and Marks believes there are enough pieces to make it happen. “I don’t see any reason why we can’t make a push for the playoffs,” he said. “Isn’t that the objective here? We’re not sitting here trying to win 20 games, so let’s put our best foot forward and push each other and see where it goes.”
We have more from the Eastern Conference:
- Knicks forward Lance Thomas is very impressed with draft picks Kevin Knox and Mitchell Robinson, Jordan Pandy of Newsday relays. Thomas expects both of them to make an impact in their rookie years. “You can just tell from the Summer League they were really going after it,” Thomas said. “Those guys were playing like they were playing for contracts even though they already have guarantees. I like to see that. I love the toughness, I love the grit, and that’s what it takes to survive in New York.”
- The Nets’ signing of forward Treveon Graham could prove to be a huge bargain, according to Brian Lewis of the New York Post. The undrafted Graham was a rotation player for the Hornets last season and is as a career 43.8% 3-point shooter, Lewis notes. If he develops into a 3-and-D wing and can also contribute as a stretch four, he will be a steal, Lewis adds. Graham signed a two-year, $3.15MM contract.
- Bulls forward Bobby Portis said contract extension talks with the front office are ongoing, K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune reports. Portis can sign a rookie scale extension before the start of the season, otherwise he’ll be restricted free agent next summer if he receives a qualifying offer. “We’ve been talking about it,” he told Johnson. “We’re going to talk more in the next week or so. Hopefully, we get things done. I’m not stressing about it.”