Hoops Rumors Resources
Hoops Rumors has a wealth of available resources readily at your disposal. From the most casual basketball fan to the hard-core salary cap aficionado, we have something for everyone to enjoy and delve into. We have you covered if you want to track the latest trades, browse all 30 team rosters, and find easy-to-read articles that explain the nuances of the collective bargaining agreement.
Here are some of the resources available at a glance:
- Check out our expanded Roster Counts for each team’s current roster, as well as the contract status for each player.
- Our Agency Database tells you the representation for all of your favorite players, and you can sort by team and agency.
- If you want to know more about the nuances of the salary cap or some of the more complicated NBA roster rules, check out the Hoops Rumors Glossary.
- You can stay on top of which draft-and-stash players have signed with NBA teams this offseason by checking here. We also have a full rundown of the signing status for each of the 2015 draftees here.
- On Wednesdays at 3:00pm CT, Chuck Myron answers reader questions in a live chat. You can check out transcripts of our past discussions here.
- Each week we answer readers’ questions in Hoops Rumors’ Weekly Mailbag. You can submit your queries to HoopsRumorsMailbag@Gmail.com.
- You can see all of the traded future NBA Draft picks here.
- Every Sunday we feature some of the best content from basketball blogs in our Hoops Links series.
- Check out our Schedule of Salary Guarantee Dates to see when players’ contract guarantees kick in.
- Over the summer Zach Links interviewed a number of potential NBA draftees as a part of our Draft Prospect Q&A Series.
- You can stay up to date on all the 2015 NBA Draft signings here and the status of draft-and-stash players here.
- You can keep track of all the players inked to 10-day deals from the 2006/07 season through today by going to our 10-Day Contract Tracker.
- In our ongoing Trade Retrospective series, we look back at past trades to see how they turned out for all of the teams involved.
- If you’re looking to catch up, our Week in Review posts compile the top news and rumors from the past seven days, while our Hoops Rumors Originals posts recap the site’s original content for the week. Both roundups are published every Sunday.
- Curious as to how your team utilized the NBA D-League last season, check out our complete D-League Usage Reports for the 2014/15 campaign.
- You can view each NBA teams’ salary cap breakdown for the 2015/16 season here.
- We give you a turn in the spotlight when we showcase the best reader comments with our Hoops Rumors Featured Feedback posts.
- You can view all of the NBA D-League team affiliations here.
- Stay up to the minute on all of the breaking news and original content that we feature here at Hoops Rumors by following us on Twitter and liking us on Facebook, as well as Google+.
- You can view the complete 2015/16 schedule for each NBA team here.
- We profiled a number of players eligible for contract extensions as a part of our Extension Candidate Series.
- Stay up to date on all of the NBA wheelings and dealings with our trade tracker.
- You can view all of our 2015 NBA Draft prospect profiles here.
- Our list of outstanding traded player exceptions is updated whenever a trade exception is created, used or expires.
- We also keep track of all of the trade exceptions that are created as a result of these deals here.
- We’re tracking each team’s use of the amnesty clause. Our complete table shows which clubs have used the provision and which still have it available.
- You can keep up with the players who are eligible for restricted or unrestricted free agency after the 2015/16 season here, as well as those who are eligible after the 2016/17 season here.
- Want to know the key days on the calendar for NBA player movement between now and the end of the 2015/16 regular season? You can find them here.
- You can view all the players who are eligible for rookie scale extensions here, and veteran extensions here.
- Want to keep up to date on all the rumors, signings, trades, and roster moves for all of your favorite baseball, football, and basketball teams? Download the free Trade Rumors app for iOS and Android devices. The Trade Rumors app is highly customizable. You can add feeds for any of the 92 MLB, NBA, and NFL teams, as well as for any of the thousands of players in our archives, by using the settings icon up top for iOS and the pencil icon up top for Android. You can create a multi-sport experience tailored to your specific interests, or you can limit your app entirely to one sport by removing the others.
Central Notes: Cavs, D-League, Bullock
Pistons owner Tom Gores is excited about the culture change that executive/coach Stan Van Gundy has executed in Detroit, writes Keith Langlois of NBA.com. Gores noticed how different the mood around the team was this season during a team event prior to the regular season opening, Langlois notes. “They were interacting in a way that I haven’t seen players interact before,” Gores told Langlois. “They wanted to be here. They were enjoying each other. And if they didn’t have a game in a couple of days, they would’ve stayed late, late, late. There’s something special going on. I give so much credit to Stan Van Gundy on this. I could speak about culture, I could speak about chemistry. But that has to get done every single day and that has to get done on the floor. It’s really kind of walking the talk and I feel like, right now, my vision is able to walk the talk because of the people on the ground.”
Here’s more from the Central Division:
- The Bulls are looking to start up their own D-League affiliate that would play in the Sears Center, which is located in Hoffman Estates, Illinois, team officials have informed Mike McGraw of The Daily Herald (via Twitter). “A Bulls NBADL team will create tremendous opportunities to promote the game of basketball in our surrounding communities,” the Bulls noted in their official statement, K.C. Johnson of The Chicago Tribune relays (Twitter link). Chicago is currently one of 11 NBA teams without its own D-League affiliate.
- The Cavaliers have taken up a two-tiered approach to team-building, not only concentrating on securing an NBA title this season, but also focusing on constructing the roster to maintain success in the seasons ahead, Terry Pluto of The Plain Dealer writes. “We’re very cognizant of that fact that you don’t get these opportunities very often and you need to capitalize while you can,” said GM David Griffin. “But we also want to win in a way that is sustainable [for the next few seasons].“
- When the Pistons exercised their 2016/17 option on Reggie Bullock it created a logjam at shooting guard with four players at the position possessing fully guaranteed pacts for next season, writes David Mayo of MLive.com. “The way that he played and the fact that it’s really a value contract,” Van Gundy said about picking up the option on Bullock. “It’s low-cost and the whole thing. We really like him. It’s always hard to be making decisions for down the road based on the preseason. But we just like everything about him, what we’ve seen in practice, his whole approach, his attitude, so we’ve been really, really happy with him.“
2015/16 Salary Cap: Chicago Bulls
The NBA’s salary cap for 2015/16 has been set at $70MM, which is an 11% increase from this past season, and the luxury tax line will be $84.74MM. The last cap projection from the league had been $67.1MM, and the projection for the tax line had been $81.6MM.
With the October 26th cutoff date to set regular season rosters now past, we at Hoops Rumors are in the process of running down the current salary cap commitments for each NBA franchise for the 2015/16 campaign. Here’s the cap breakdown for the Chicago Bulls, whose regular season roster can be viewed here:
- 2015/16 Salary Cap= $70,000,000
- 2015/16 Luxury Tax Line= $84,740,000
- Fully Guaranteed Salary Commitments= $87,654,223*
- Partially Guaranteed Salary Commitments= $425,000
- Non-Guaranteed Salary Commitments= $945,152
- Total Salary Cap Commitments= $89,024,375
- Remaining Cap Room= -$19,024,375
- Amount Over Luxury Tax Line= $4,706,558
*Note: This amount includes the $333,333 owed to Richard Hamilton, who was waived via the stretch provision.
Cap Exceptions Available:
- Taxpayer’s Mid-Level Exception= $1,126,000
Cash Available to Send Out In Trades= $3,400,000
Cash Available to Receive Via Trade= $3,400,000
Last updated: 10/30/15 @ 8:30pm
The Basketball Insiders salary pages were used in the creation of this post.
2015/16 Team Power Rankings Poll Final Results
With the arrival of each new NBA season comes speculation as to which teams will rise in the standings and which will plummet into the depths of the draft lottery. We at Hoops Rumors wanted to know what you, the reader, thought about each team’s chances this season. To help facilitate that, we’ve been posting a series of polls asking you to vote on where in the standings each franchise is likely to end the season. We’ve made it all the way through the league’s 30 teams and the final results are in. Take a look below at what you, our readers, predicted will be the order of finish this season with each franchise listed from best to worst:
- Warriors
- Cavaliers
- Spurs
- Thunder
- Clippers
- Rockets
- Grizzlies
- Bulls
- Hawks
- Wizards
- Heat
- Raptors
- Pelicans
- Bucks
- Mavericks
- Pacers
- Celtics
- Suns
- Jazz
- Hornets
- Kings
- Pistons
- Magic
- Trail Blazers
- Timberwolves
- Nets
- Lakers
- Nuggets
- Knicks
- 76ers
Which result surprised you the most (positive or negative)? Take to the comments section below to share your thoughts and opinions. We look forward to what you have to say.
Atlantic Notes: Prokhorov, Sixers, Friisdahl
Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov is close to acquiring majority control of the Nassau Coliseum, sources have informed Mike Mazzeo of ESPN.com (Twitter link). The plan is for Brooklyn’s future D-League team to eventually be situated at the refurbished arena, Mazzeo notes. The Nets hope their future D-League team begins play in time for the 2016/17 campaign, but for now they are one of the 11 NBA teams without an affiliate to call their own this season.
Here’s more from the Atlantic Division:
- It’s difficult to know for sure, given GM Sam Hinkie‘s unpredictability, but the pairing of No. 3 overall pick Jahlil Okafor with Nerlens Noel appears to give the Sixers a glimpse at what their team will look like in the future, writes Sean Deveney of The Sporting News.
- Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment, the Raptors‘ parent company, went in a different direction with their hire of Michael Friisdahl as the new president and CEO, Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca writes. “Quite frankly they [MLSE] looked at it in totality and said what we need is an overall executive to lead the whole organization,” said Friisdahl. “And then we’re going to rely on the very strong leadership in each of the sports organizations and have them focus on that. You will not see me heavily involved in any kind of sports decisions, which is fairly obvious from my background.”
- Knicks coach Derek Fisher, speaking about the draft day trade of Tim Hardaway Jr. to the Hawks in return for the draft rights to Jerian Grant, said that Grant has more skills as a guard than Hardaway, which is why the deal was made, Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv tweets.
- Point guard Scottie Wilbekin, who was waived by the Sixers on Monday, has signed a two-year, $780K deal with the Turkish club Darussafaka, international journalist David Pick reports (Twitter links). The contract does include an NBA out clause, Pick adds.
Chuck Myron contributed to this post.
Bulls Exercise Options On McDermott, Snell
The Bulls have exercised their third-year team option on small forward Doug McDermott and fourth-year team option on swingman Tony Snell, the team announced. Both options are for the 2016/17 campaign, when McDermott is set to earn $2,483,040 and Snell is due $2,368,327. These moves now give Chicago approximately $64.75MM in guaranteed salary committed for next season.
McDermott, 23, appeared in 36 contests last season during a disappointing rookie campaign when he averaged 3.0 points and 1.2 rebounds on 40.2% shooting. His defensive shortcomings no doubt played a part in limiting his minutes to 8.9 per game under former coach Tom Thibodeau, though McDermott failed to impress on the offensive end of the court when he was able to crack Chicago’s rotation. The former No. 11 overall pick has certainly looked more comfortable in Fred Hoiberg‘s system, though the sample size remains small.
The 23-year-old Snell is known primarily for his defensive abilities, as well as his high-energy style of play. Snell appeared in 72 games during the 2014/15 season, including 22 starts, and he notched averages of 6.0 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 0.9 assists in 19.6 minutes per contest. His career numbers are 5.3 PPG, 2.0 RPG, and 0.9 RPG to accompany a slash line of .408/.349/.780.
Pelicans Sign Toney Douglas
FRIDAY, 11:49pm: The deal is official, the team announced via press release.
THURSDAY, 3:44pm: The Pelicans have agreed to a deal with point guard Toney Douglas, Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today reports (Twitter link). Marc Stein of ESPN.com first reported that the two sides were in discussions. New Orleans just waived Nate Robinson, which cleared a roster spot to add Douglas. The Pelicans roster count is now back at the regular season maximum of 15 players.
Douglas, 29, is no stranger to the Pelicans franchise, having signed a pair of 10-day contracts and a multiyear deal with New Orleans last season. The Pelicans waived Douglas in July rather than guarantee his salary for 2015/16, which led the former 29th overall pick to sign with Indiana. Douglas cleared waivers from the Pacers this week after being released by the team.
The point guard appeared in 12 contests for the Pelicans last season, averaging 4.3 points, 1.8 rebounds, and 2.0 assists in 14.8 minutes per night. His career numbers through 309 career regular season games are 7.6 points, 2.2 rebounds, and 2.2 assists to accompany a slash line of .405/.352/.816.
Hoops Rumors Community Shootaround 10/29/15
The chatter about a potential scenario in which Knicks team president Phil Jackson would return to work for the Lakers and fiancee Jeanie Buss has resurfaced in NBA circles over recent weeks, according to a report by Frank Isola of the New York Daily News. It should be noted that Jackson can reportedly opt out of his five-year deal with the Knicks after this season, though that doesn’t necessarily imply that the executive will depart New York at that time. Speculation emerged earlier this year that Jackson wouldn’t finish out his contract, though he did go on record back in June saying that he wanted to stay around long enough to help the Knicks turn around their fortunes.
This brings me to the topic/question for today: Will Phil Jackson depart the Knicks to return to the Lakers organization?
Is a reunion in the cards for Jackson and the Lakers, or will the Zen Master call it a career once he walks away from the Knicks? How much longer do you believe Jackson will remain with New York? Take to the comments section below to share your thoughts, predictions, and opinions on the matter. We look forward to what you have to say.
Submit Your Questions For Hoops Rumors Mailbag
In addition to our regular weekly chat, which Chuck Myron facilitates every Wednesday, we have a second opportunity for you to hit us up with your questions in our weekly mailbag feature, which is posted every Saturday.
Have a question regarding player movement, free agent rumors, the salary cap, the NBA draft, or the top storylines of the week? You can e-mail them here: hoopsrumorsmailbag@gmail.com. Feel free to send emails throughout the week, but please be mindful that we may receive a sizable number of questions and might not get to all of them.
If you missed out on any past mailbags and would like to catch up, you can view the full archives here.
Southeast Notes: Clifford, Sefolosha, Magic
The Heat‘s starting five is both a source of optimism as well as concern for the team, Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald writes. “It’s going to be a challenge,” Dwyane Wade said of this starting group, each of whom averaged double figures in scoring last season. “We don’t know how shots are going to be passed out. We don’t know how it’s going to affect someone’s confidence when they’re not getting the opportunities they’re used to. The only thing that scares me about it is that we’ve got a lot of guys who are offensively minded … in that first unit. There’s not a lot of role players in that first unit. It’s a good thing to look on paper saying we’ve got scorers, so you don’t necessarily have to rely every night on one or two guys. But that could be a bad thing, too, because maybe there’s no one willing to sacrifice. When you have a lot of [scoring] depth, sometimes guys like to individually will it.”
Here’s more from the Southeast Division:
- Thabo Sefolosha suffered ankle ligament damage in the incident in which he also suffered a broken leg at the hands of police outside a New York City nightclub in April, as the Hawks swingman writes in a first-person account for GQ.com. He lost 15 pounds in the month leading up to training camp from worry over his trial, in which a jury ultimately found him not guilty on charges that Sefolosha says could have landed him in jail for two years. The testimony that coach/executive Mike Budenholzer made in that trial sticks in Sefolosha’s mind, as the 2017 free agent makes clear. “It was emotional, hearing him say those things, me feeling that I let the team down and him having my back like this,” Sefolosha wrote about Budeholzer. “He was incredible throughout the whole ordeal.”
- Hornets coach Steve Clifford is in the final year of his contract with the team, but he indicated that he wants to remain in Charlotte long-term, Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports writes. Speaking about his coaching future, Clifford told Wojnarowski, “I hope it works out. I really like this place. [Owner] Michael [Jordan] has been great to me. I like the people here. And I love the players. I remember when I first got into the league with the Knicks, seeing the fan-base here. It’s terrific. If we become a consistent contending team, or a playoff team, we can get those fans back and have that same type of environment.”
- The Magic enter the season needing to determine if their young nucleus can be successful together, or if the team needs to head in another direction with its roster, Josh Robbins of The Orlando Sentinel writes. “Because of the lack of wins so far we have to also be in evaluation mode and see who going forward are guys who can truly be built around,” coach Scott Skiles said. “And that’s hard to know when you’re not winning enough games. It’s really hard to know. We’re high on all the guys. We like all the guys. We think we have good, young talent. All that stuff I’ve said many times before. But until you go out and perform in crunch time and win big games, go on the road and win games — that’s when guys really show themselves to you.“
Chuck Myron contributed to this post.