Atlantic Notes: Anthony, McRae, Larkin
Despite some speculation that the Knicks would be willing to entertain the idea of trading away Carmelo Anthony to the Suns in exchange for disgruntled forward Markieff Morris, it’s not a deal that is likely to ever come to fruition, Ken Berger of CBSSports.com writes. New York hasn’t had internal discussions about trying to get Anthony to waive his no trade clause and hitting the reset button on the franchise, Berger notes. Team president Phil Jackson is also likely aware of the value of a superstar like ‘Melo in the league, and how it would be virtually impossible to recoup an acceptable return for the star, the CBS scribe adds.
Here’s more out of the Atlantic Division:
- The Sixers have made their required tender of a one-year, non-guaranteed, minimum salary offer to Jordan McRae, which will allow the franchise to retain his draft rights, Derek Bodner of DraftExpress relays (Twitter links). McRae, who was selected with the 58th overall pick in 2014 by the Spurs and was dealt to the Sixers on draft night, has not signed the tender yet, though he is expected to attend training camp with Philly, Bodner adds.
- The appeal of playing in New York and the team’s system are two reasons why Shane Larkin felt comfortable signing with the Nets this offseason, Brett Pollakoff of The Sporting News writes. “At the end of the day, the Nets situation was the most appealing for me, just because of the way they play. Their style of play really fits my game well, and I like the New York area,” Larkin told Pollakoff. “I like being in the city. So staying up here was definitely a plus, and just the opportunity that the Nets presented me with — what [GM] Billy King was telling me, what coach [Lionel] Hollins was telling me, how they want me to play, what they want me to do for the team — it just put everything over the top. That’s pretty much why I decided to stay in New York and play for the Nets.“
Deal Off Between Heat, Briante Weber
1:30pm: The deal is indeed off, since Weber was unable to pass a physical, Winderman writes in a full story.
SEPTEMBER 11TH, 12:33pm: Weber is “still not ready to be signed” as he continues to recover from the knee injury that he suffered on January 31st, his agent told Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel (Twitter links), so presumably the deal is off. His goal is to join the Heat organization eventually, perhaps via the D-League, the agent also said to Winderman. Weber tore his ACL, MCL and meniscus in his right knee while playing for VCU. Weber is a client of Bill Neff of the Saga Sports agency. The Pacers reportedly had interest in him before he struck a deal with the Heat.
SEPTEMBER 3RD, 7:44pm: The Heat have agreed to sign undrafted free agent combo guard Briante Weber, Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports reports (Twitter link). Charania refers to the pact as a training camp deal, which means that it is likely a minimum salary arrangement that includes little or no guaranteed salary, though that is merely my speculation.
The addition of Weber will give the Heat a roster count of 19 players, which is one below the preseason maximum. Weber is unlikely to make the final cut and remain on the regular season roster, though the team could have an eye on the 22-year-old playing for its D-League affiliate in Sioux Falls.
Weber, a defensive specialist, played his collegiate ball for VCU, and averaged 8.1 points, 3.7 rebounds, 4.3 assists, and 3.9 steals in 26.5 minutes per contest as a Senior. His career collegiate numbers are 6.8 PPG, 3.3 RPG, 3.0 APG, and 2.9 SPG to go along with a slash line of .426/.274/.769.
Hoops Rumors Community Shootaround 9/10/15
Back in April, teams were advised by the NBA’s Board of Governors that the league’s salary cap could rise past the $100MM mark as soon as the 2017/18 season. The league has been careful to stress to its teams that any projections are contingent on the NBA and its players avoiding a work stoppage after the 2016/17 season when the league and the NBPA can opt out of the current CBA. A higher salary cap will certainly increase the amount of teams that will have available cap space to compete for free agents, not to mention the average annual salaries that will be agreed upon as a result.
One other effect that may also result from a significant salary cap increase is in how expiring contracts are valued as potential trade chips. We may have already witnessed the beginning of a change in how these deals are regarded, given the difficulty that Cleveland had in dealing Brendan Haywood and his sizable non-guaranteed contract this offseason. In the past, non-guaranteed or expiring contracts like Haywood’s were highly sought after commodities that would allow teams to shed salary without having to take back undesirable deals or unwanted personnel.
This brings me to today’s topic: What effect do you see a rise in the salary cap having on how non-guaranteed/expiring deals are valued?
Will the increase in the salary cap make it nearly impossible to recoup anything of value in exchange for these types of contracts? If so, just how dramatic will the change be? Or are you on the other side of the fence, and believe that teams will fall over themselves to use every bit of available cap space, and thus, will still need trade partners to help them recover from contractual missteps? Take to the comments section below to share your thoughts and opinions on the matter. We look forward to what you have to say.
Pacific Notes: Gallinari, Majok, Moreland
The Lakers, who have deals with 17 players, plan at least one more signing before the start of camp, reports Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times (Twitter link). It remains unclear whether undrafted center Robert Upshaw will join the team. Upshaw was reportedly close to signing with the team back in July, but some personal issues have delayed the two sides coming to terms on a deal.
Here’s more from the Pacific Division:
- There are no trigger dates attached to Eric Moreland‘s $200K partial guarantee that is included in his deal with the Kings, according to former Nets executive Bobby Marks (Twitter link). The partial guarantee is in effect from day one, and will not be dependent on Moreland remaining on Sacramento’s roster through a specific date.
- The Lakers have made their required tender of a one-year, non-guaranteed, minimum salary offer to Ater Majok, which will allow the franchise to retain his draft rights, Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders relays (via Twitter). Majok was the No. 58 overall pick out of UConn in the 2011 NBA Draft. The center currently plays for Trefl Sopot of the Polish Basketball League.
- If Danilo Gallinari‘s stellar play during the final two months of the 2014/15 season and this Summer’s Eurobasket tournament are any indication of what is to come from the small forward, the Nuggets got themselves a steal in their renegotiation-and-extension of his contract, Kevin Pelton of ESPN.com opines (Twitter link).
Chuck Myron contributed to this post.
Poll: 2003 NBA Draft Take Two (Pick No. 16)
Drafting players is far from an exact science, and many a GM has been second-guessed for his draft night decisions. I’m willing to bet that every team executive has at least one pick that he would like a mulligan for. While life, and the NBA, doesn’t allow for such opportunities, we at Hoops Rumors decided it would be fun to give our readers a second take at picking players, complete with the benefit of hindsight.
We are in the process of taking you on a journey back to June of 2003, and revisiting a draft that saw the likes of LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh available to potentially change the fortunes of a few struggling franchises. Wade was the first of that group to win an NBA championship, though James and Bosh would later join him in Miami and go on to win multiple titles together years later, while Melo is still seeking his first trip to the NBA Finals. Detroit, which owned the No. 2 overall pick that season, chose to go with Darko Milicic, who didn’t work out so well for the Pistons. Not all picks pan out, but that one is especially painful given the talent that the Pistons passed over to select the big man, who owns career averages of 6.0 points and 4.2 rebounds, and has been out of the NBA since making a single appearance for the Celtics back in 2012/13.
We continue our revisionist history with the Grizzlies, who had acquired the pick from Boston in a draft day swap. Readers, you are now on the clock! Cast your vote for Memphis’ pick and check back Friday night for the results, as well as to cast your vote for who the Suns will select with the No. 17 overall pick. But don’t limit yourself to a simple button click. Take to the comments section below and share your thoughts on the No. 16 overall pick and why you voted the way that you did.
Previous Picks
- Cavaliers: LeBron James
- Pistons: Dwyane Wade
- Nuggets: Carmelo Anthony
- Raptors: Chris Bosh
- Heat: David West
- Clippers: Kyle Korver
- Bulls: Mo Williams
- Bucks: Chris Kaman
- Knicks: Boris Diaw
- Wizards: Kirk Hinrich
- Warriors: Jose Calderon
- Thunder: Josh Howard
- Celtics: Leandro Barbosa
- Thunder: Kendrick Perkins
- Magic: Nick Collison
If you’re a Trade Rumors app user, click here.
Knicks Ink Wesley Saunders
SEPTEMBER 10TH, 4:10pm: The Knicks have announced that the signing is official.
JULY 29TH, 8:06am: The partial guarantee will be worth no more than $75K, reports Marc Berman of the New York Post.
JULY 24TH, 8:16pm: The Knicks continue to fill out their roster, and are closing in on an agreement with undrafted free agent Wesley Saunders, league sources tell Shams Charania of RealGM.com (Twitter link). The full contract details are unknown at this juncture, but Charania notes the pact will include a partial guarantee.
New York could be hoping to catch lightning in a bottle for a second time by adding another former Harvard guard to its roster. Jeremy Lin had previously parlayed a successful 35 game run with the Knicks during the 2011/12 campaign into a multiyear deal from the Rockets. The addition of Saunders provides some much needed depth to the Knicks’ backcourt, though he’ll still likely be a longshot to make the regular season roster.
In 30 appearances last season for the Crimson, the 22-year-old averaged 16.6 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 4.3 assists in 34.4 minutes per contest. Saunders’ career numbers at Harvard were 12.6 PPG, 4.1 RPG, and 3.2 APG to go along with a slash line of .481/.402/.755.
The Knicks were one of the teams on the predraft workout docket for Saunders, as he told Zach Links of Hoops Rumors. The Ivy League prospect spoke to Zach about several topics, including what it was like to balance Harvard academics with basketball.
Knicks Sign Darion Atkins
SEPTEMBER 10TH, 4:08pm: The signing is official, the Knicks have announced.
AUGUST 7TH, 2:40pm: Atkins has signed the deal, according to Marc Berman of the New York Post, though the team has yet to make an official announcement (Twitter link). That’s expected to happen next week, tweets Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com.
JULY 24TH, 5:57pm: The Knicks intend to sign undrafted forward Darion Atkins, Shlomo Sprung of SheridanHoops reports (via Twitter). The length and terms of the agreement are not yet known, but Sprung indicates the contract will include a partial guarantee.
The former Virginia Cavalier made 33 appearances during the 2014/15 campaign, averaging 7.6 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 1.1 blocks. His slash line was .511/.000/.520. Atkins’ career numbers in four NCAA seasons were 4.4 PPG, 3.4 RPG, and 0.8 BPG.
It is certainly a bit surprising to see team president Phil Jackson adding more depth at forward when the roster currently has only four backcourt players signed to deals. Atkins will join a crowded frontcourt in New York, and he’s likely a longshot to stick with the team when the regular season commences. The Knicks already have Kyle O’Quinn, Derrick Williams, Kristaps Porzingis, Louis Amundson, Cleanthony Early, and Lance Thomas available to play power forward, and Carmelo Anthony will likely see some minutes at the four as well.
Pelicans Sign Sean Kilpatrick
THURSDAY, 10:08am: The deal is official, the Pelicans announced.
WEDNESDAY, 5:40pm: The Pelicans have signed unrestricted free agent shooting guard Sean Kilpatrick, Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders reports (Twitter link). The arrangement is a two-year, minimum salary deal that includes a partial guarantee of $50K for the 2015/16 season, Pincus adds. The 25-year-old was also a participant in recent workouts with the Hawks, Spurs and Lakers.
The former Cincinnati Bearcat averaged a strong 18.2 points in 28.7 minutes per game in summer league play for the Bucks this year, but Milwaukee already has 15 players on its roster possessing full guarantees. The path to a regular season roster spot for Kilpatrick would appear to be a bit less muddled with the Pelicans, with the team having 13 players with fully guaranteed pacts on its roster currently.
Kilpatrick appeared in four contests for the Timberwolves while on a 10-day contract during the 2014/15 campaign, averaging 5.5 points in 18.0 minutes per appearance. He spent the bulk of last season in the NBA D-League, playing for the affiliates of the Sixers and Warriors.
Hoops Rumors Community Shootaround 9/9/15
On Tuesday, the NBA’s Board of Governors unanimously approved changes to how teams qualify for the playoffs and how they will be seeded. Teams will now be seeded based on the order of their regular-season records. Previously, every division winner was guaranteed a top four seed in its conference regardless of record but did not receive home-court advantage if its playoff opponent had a better regular season mark.
The Board also approved changes to tiebreaker criteria for playoff seeding and determining home-court advantage. Head-to-head results have become the first criteria to break ties for playoff seeding and home-court advantage between two teams with identical regular season records, with the second criteria being if a team won its division. Under the old system, a division winner was awarded the higher seed and received home-court advantage in series between two teams with identical records.
This brings me to today’s topic: What are your thoughts on the new playoff seeding structure?
Will this new seeding structure make for improved playoff matchups, as well as increase the overall importance of regular season contests? Do these new rules penalize teams in weaker divisions since a top four seed would have been guaranteed to divisional champs under the old system? Take to the comments section below to share your thoughts, opinions, and concerns regarding these dramatic changes to the current playoff structure. We look forward to what you have to say on the matter.
Wizards Sign Toure’ Murry
SEPTEMBER 9TH, 10:57pm: Murry has signed with the Wizards, Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders reports (on Twitter).
AUGUST 28TH, 4:18pm: The Wizards have agreed to a deal with unrestricted free agent Toure’ Murry, J. Michael of CSNMid-Atlantic reports. The pact is a non-guaranteed training camp arrangement, Michael notes. The addition of the guard will give the Wizards a roster count of 17 players, 15 of whom possess fully guaranteed contracts, making it a longshot for Murry to make the opening night roster.
Murry had inked a one-year, $1MM contract with Utah last offseason, but it was only partially guaranteed, and he saw just one minute of action with the Jazz prior to his January release, much to the dismay of his agent, Bernie Lee. Murry later resurfaced on a pair of 10-day contracts with the Wizards, for whom he totaled six points in 17 minutes.
The Lakers had reportedly brought in Murry as part of a group workout held in Los Angeles earlier this month, though no contract offer came out of that showcase for the 25-year-old.