2018 Offseason In Review: Golden State Warriors
Hoops Rumors is breaking down the 2018 offseason for all 30 NBA teams, revisiting the summer’s free agent signings, trades, draft picks, departures, and more. We’ll evaluate each team’s moves from the last several months and look ahead to what the 2018/19 season holds for all 30 franchises. Today, we’re focusing on the Golden State Warriors.
Signings:
Standard contracts:
- Kevin Durant: Two years, $61.5MM. Second-year player option. Re-signed using Non-Bird rights.
- DeMarcus Cousins: One year, $5.34MM. Signed using taxpayer mid-level exception.
- Jonas Jerebko: One year, minimum salary. Signed using minimum salary exception.
- Kevon Looney: One year, minimum salary. Re-signed using minimum salary exception.
- Two-way contracts:
- Marcus Derrickson (converted from Exhibit 10 contract)
- Damion Lee
- Marcus Derrickson (converted from Exhibit 10 contract)
- Non-guaranteed camp contracts:
- Alfonzo McKinnie: Two years, minimum salary. Initially signed a one-year contract, which was converted into a two-way contract before he negotiated a new deal.
- Will Cherry: One year, minimum salary (waived).
- Deyonta Davis: One year, minimum salary (waived).
- Danuel House: One year, minimum salary (waived).
- Kendrick Nunn: One year, minimum salary (waived).
- Tyler Ulis: One year, minimum salary (waived).
Trades:
- None
Draft picks:
- 1-28: Jacob Evans — Signed to rookie contract.
Departing players:
- Chris Boucher (two-way; waived)
- Patrick McCaw
- Note: McCaw remains a restricted free agent and could still be re-signed.
- JaVale McGee
- Zaza Pachulia
- David West (retired)
- Nick Young
Other offseason news:
Salary cap situation:
- Remained over the cap.
- Carrying approximately $145MM in salary.
- Projected tax bill of $50.33MM.
- No cap exceptions left besides minimum salary exception.
Check out the Golden State Warriors’ full roster and depth chart at RosterResource.com.
Story of the summer:
For the defending champions, the summer was quite eventful, as several key role players were replaced and one big name was added. Of course, that big name is DeMarcus Cousins, the six-time All-Star. Cousins joins the Warriors as he continues to rehab from the torn Achilles that he suffered in January, which will likely keep him out of action for at least the first couple of months of the season.
When he returns, Cousins adds an interesting dynamic to a team that has cruised to back-to-back championships. Throughout this current run, the Warriors have never had a dominant forecourt presence like Cousins can be when healthy. Unlike more traditional back-to-the-basket bigs, Cousins fits with the Warriors’ style of play as someone who can handle the ball and hit 3-pointers. Before going down with the injury last season, Cousins was averaging 5.4 assists and was knocking down 2.2 threes per game.
While Cousins’ skill set fits with how the Warriors are looking to play, there are underlying concerns regarding his ability to accept a small role on a team that knows it can be successful without him. How will Cousins deal with not closing games if the Warriors go small? How does he manage a smaller workload when on the floor with Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, and the team’s other All-Stars? The questions surrounding Cousins’ fit with the Warriors add another storyline to the season for the champions.
Underneath the flashy addition of Cousins, the Warriors replaced several role players from last season’s squad, with Jonas Jerebko absorbing frontcourt minutes and Jacob Evans potentially carving out a role in the backcourt. Gone are veterans such as David West, Nick Young and Zaza Pachulia as the Warriors re-tooled around their core.
However, there are still concerns regarding the team’s depth. Behind Curry and Klay Thompson are relatively unproven Quinn Cook, aging Shaun Livingston and the aforementioned Evans. On the wing there really is no depth behind Durant and Andre Iguodala, who will turn 35 years old in January. Up front there are several options to fill the gap until Cousins is ready, but inconsistency has continued to plague the young bigs on the roster.
Regardless, all eyes will be on Golden State when Cousins returns to action. By then, the Warriors may be on cruise control and have a firm grasp on the Western Conference. On the other hand, perhaps the lack of depth and motivation will have them closer to the pack as they approach the best ways to work Cousins into the mix. Regardless, it will surely make the regular season more interesting than it has been in previous years for the Warriors.
Community Shootaround: Hornets And Kemba Walker
Heading into the 2018/19 season, there were several questions surrounding the Hornets and Kemba Walker. Would they make the playoffs this season? Would Walker re-sign with the team after the season? How would new head coach James Borrego impact the team’s style of play? With these questions surrounding the franchise, it is imperative that they have a strong season and return to the playoffs for the first time in three seasons.
As the Hornets were fighting through another disappointing season last year, many called for the team to trade Walker in hopes of acquiring a package of young players and draft picks that could be the start of a rebuild. The Hornets balked at the idea, insistent on competing for the playoffs as long as they can given their current roster and lack of salary cap flexibility.
Instead, the Hornets re-tooled their coaching staff and front office, added another lottery pick in Miles Bridges and signed Tony Parker to lead second units when Walker is off the floor. The Hornets return most of the roster from last season with a few exceptions, as they hope that a fresh perspective from Borrego and continued development from Bridges and Monk can play key roles in getting the team back to the playoffs.
However, it really rests on Walker’s shoulders. As the team’s leader and unquestioned star, Walker must be at his best for this Hornets team to truly have a chance on a game-to-game basis. So far this season, Walker has been just that, averaging 35.3 points and 5.3 assists per game while hitting 50% of his 3-pointers.
Walker looks determined to lead the Hornets back to the playoffs and play on the national stage as he approaches free agency this summer. Walker has said all of the right things regarding his desire to finish his career in Charlotte, but should the Hornets re-sign him to a (likely) max contract? There are questions surrounding the extent to which he will be worth such a contract given that he will turn 29 years old at the end of the 2018/19 season.
Should the Hornets re-sign Walker next summer, they will be locking their team up for the foreseeable future given the length remaining on other contracts for Nicolas Batum and Cody Zeller. As currently constructed, the Hornets are too good to get a top talent in the draft, but not good enough to win a playoff series, presenting the front office with an interesting dilemma.
If this season goes south for the Hornets, should they look to trade Walker at the deadline for 40 cents on the dollar? Given the team’s market and Michael Jordan’s desire to compete, it’s unlikely that will be the case.
What would you do if you were the Hornets? Would you look to trade Walker this season or re-sign him in free agency? Comment below with your ideas!
Suspensions Handed Out To Ingram, Rondo, Paul
As expected, the three players at the forefront of the scuffle that broke out in last night’s game between the Rockets and Lakers have received suspensions. Adrian Wojnarowski has reported (via Twitter) that Brandon Ingram will be suspended for four games, Rajon Rondo three games and that Chris Paul will sit for two games.
As a result of these suspensions, Ingram and Rondo will miss the Lakers’ upcoming games against the Spurs, Suns and Nuggets (with Ingram missing another contest against the Spurs later in the week). Meanwhile, Paul will sit out games against the Clippers and Jazz before returning to action.
Financially speaking, Bobby Marks of ESPN has reported (Twitter link) that Ingram will lose $158,816 for his four game suspension, Rondo will lose $186,207 for his three missed games and Paul will miss out on $491,782 for the two games he will be suspended for. The financial penalties are based on total salary divided by 145 for each game of the suspension.
Marks also notes that the Rockets will receive a $245,891 credit (half of Paul’s lost salary) that will be applied to their luxury tax at the end of the season.
These suspensions were inevitable, as all three players played key roles in the back-and-forth late in the fourth quarter of last night’s game.
Southeast Notes: Porter, Walker, Heat
After another quiet performance from Otto Porter in the Wizards‘ loss to the Raptors on Saturday night, head coach Scott Brooks had some telling quotes regarding Porter’s performance, as Chase Hughes recounts for NBC Sports Washington.
In the loss to the Raptors, Porter played just 25 minutes and attempted nine shots, with seven of them coming in the first half. Porter was even less active in the opening night loss to the Heat, attempting just seven shots. As Hughes expresses, Brooks believes that Porter should be more active in setting himself up for opportunities.
Brooks stressed the fact that Porter has to get himself open and went on to highlight the need for the team’s wings to run in transition alongside John Wall.
Porter was the team’s most efficient player last season, but only attempted 11.5 shots per game. The storyline throughout training camp and the preseason was for the Wizards to work to get Porter more involved, but so far the results haven’t supported their intentions.
With the Wizards beginning a five-game road trip tomorrow, Porter figures to play a key role in helping the team turnaround after their slow start.
There’s more from the Southeast division:
- James Borrego is liking what he is seeing from Kemba Walker so far. As Matt Rochinski points out for the Hornets‘ website, Borrego calls Walker “a special competitor,” one that the team believes in to lead them to success on a nightly basis. So far, Walker has done just that, averaging 35.3 points and 5.3 assists per game this season.
- With the Heat playing in some high-scoring, fast-paced games so far this season, Ira Winderman wonders if such a strategy fits the team’s current roster. In his mailbag for The Sun Sentinel, Winderman questions if a roster that boasts Hassan Whiteside, Dwyane Wade and Kelly Olynyk (among others) can outscore teams and play at such a pace.
- Winderman also analyzes how Erik Spoelstra has divided playing time up among his bigs, as Whiteside, Olynyk and Bam Adebayo bring different skill sets to the table. With the league continuing to trend small, it will be interesting to monitor how Spoelstra deploys his centers this season and how the Heat can keep up.
Bulls Claim Tyler Ulis, Give Him Two-Way Deal
OCTOBER 15: The Bulls have officially confirmed that they’ve converted Ulis’ contract into a two-way deal, announcing the move in a press release.
OCTOBER 14: The Bulls have claimed point guard Tyler Ulis off of waivers, according to Jeremy Woo of Sports Illustrated (via Twitter). Ulis was previously with the Warriors throughout training camp but was released this past week.
After getting a larger role than expected during his rookie season with the Suns, Ulis struggled throughout the 2017/18 season, leading to his release from the team. In his first two seasons in the league, Ulis averaged 7.6 points and 4.1 assists per game, but only shot 40.3% from the field and 28% on 3-pointers.
The Bulls already have 15 players on standard NBA contracts, but are only carrying one player (Rawle Alkins) on a two-way deal. Because Ulis was on an Exhibit 10 contract with Golden State, his deal can be converted into a two-way pact, allowing Chicago to avoid making any cuts to accommodate the newly-added point guard. The Bulls will do just that, per Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).
Ulis will add some depth to a point guard depth chart that features Kris Dunn, Cameron Payne, and Ryan Arcidiacono as the Bulls look to add more young talent throughout their rebuild.
Wizards Sign, Waive Oleksandr Kobets
OCTOBER 15: Shortly after signing Kobets on Saturday, the Wizards waived him, per the NBA’s official transactions log. According to JD Shaw of Hoops Rumors (via Twitter), Kobets will play for Washington’s G League team.
Because the Wizards cut Kobets on Saturday, he won’t count against their cap for the 2018/19 season.
OCTOBER 14: After the Wizards cut down their roster over the weekend, the club has signed Oleksandr Kobets, a guard from Ukraine, according to a tweet from agent Michael Lelchitski (hat tip to Sportando). Kobets is expected to play with the Wizards’ G League affiliate, the Capital City Go-Go, per Oleksandr Proshuta (Twitter link).
Kobets played for the Cherkasy Monkeys last season as they became the Ukranian League champions. The 22-year-old guard averaged 14.3 points, 3.1 rebounds and 1.8 assists.
The Wizards are taking a look at a young guard with potential after releasing several veterans over the weekend, including Lavoy Allen. Chasson Randle, Chris Chiozza and Tiwian Kendley were the other players waived. Kobets figures to be cut by Monday as well, if he hasn’t been already.
Central Notes: Griffin, Jackson, Leaf, Parker
After dealing with various injuries in recent seasons, Blake Griffin is healthy and looking to regain respect by leading the Pistons back to the playoffs this season. Vince Ellis of The Detroit Free Press writes about how Griffin’s game has evolved and adapted in recent seasons to account for his decline in athleticism. Gone are the nightly posterizing dunks, with a reliable 3-point shot and improved playmaking abilities in their place.
Ellis also details the injuries Griffin has suffered in recent seasons, as well as the work he put in over the offseason to improve his game and his durability. In 25 games with the Pistons last season, Griffin averaged 19.8 points, 6.6 rebounds and 6.2 assists per game while knocking down 34.8% of his 3-pointers.
With Griffin, Andre Drummond and Reggie Jackson all healthy, the Pistons are hopeful that the trio can lead them back to the playoffs in the weakened Eastern Conference. While the Pistons struggled after trading for Griffin, they didn’t get a true look at how good they can be with a healthy team. With new head coach Dwane Casey leading the way, there is optimism throughout the organization.
There’s more from the Central division:
- Speaking of Griffin and Jackson, Casey revealed that there is no minutes restriction for either player, according to Keith Langlois, the editor of the Pistons‘ website (via Twitter). This is a good indication that both players are fully healthy and in game shape to begin the season.
- Following a “no comment” response from Jabari Parker when asked if he would accept any role given to him, Will Perdue of NBC Sports Chicago writes that Parker can only be a positive addition to the Bulls if he puts the team ahead of his individual goals and desires. Parker struggled throughout the preseason, but has an opportunity to rebound his value in Chicago this season.
- Mark Montieth answered several Pacers-related questions in a mailbag for the team’s website. In it he addresses T.J. Leaf‘s potential role this season, with it likely being a 10th or 11th man due to the team’s depth and Leaf’s youth as the Pacers look to build on last season’s surprising success.
2018 Offseason In Review: Milwaukee Bucks
Hoops Rumors is breaking down the 2018 offseason for all 30 NBA teams, revisiting the summer’s free agent signings, trades, draft picks, departures, and more. We’ll evaluate each team’s moves from the last several months and look ahead to what the 2018/19 season holds for all 30 franchises. Today, we’re focusing on the Milwaukee Bucks.
Signings:
Standard contracts:
- Ersan Ilyasova: Three years, $21MM. Third year non-guaranteed. Signed using mid-level exception.
- Brook Lopez: One year, $3.38MM. Signed using bi-annual exception.
- Pat Connaughton: Two years, $3.36MM. Second year non-guaranteed. Signed using mid-level exception.
- Two-way contracts:
- Non-guaranteed camp contracts:
- Christian Wood: Two years, minimum salary. $100K partial guarantee.
- Tim Frazier: One year, minimum salary.
- Jordan Barnett: One year, minimum salary (waived).
- Robert Johnson: One year, minimum salary (waived).
- Brandon McCoy: One year, minimum salary (waived).
- Shabazz Muhammad: One year, minimum salary (waived).
- Ike Nwamu: One year, minimum salary (waived).
- Travis Trice: One year, minimum salary (waived).
- James Young: One year, minimum salary (waived).
Trades:
- None
Draft picks:
- 1-17: Donte DiVincenzo — Signed to rookie contract.
Departing players:
- Brandon Jennings (waived)
- Shabazz Muhammad (re-signed, then waived)
- Xavier Munford (two-way)
- Jabari Parker
- Marshall Plumlee (two-way)
- Jason Terry
- Tyler Zeller (waived)
Other offseason news:
- Hired Mike Budenholzer as head coach to replace interim coach Joe Prunty; finalized new coaching staff.
- Mirza Teletovic announced his retirement.
Salary cap situation:
- Remained over the cap.
- Carrying approximately $113.9MM in guaranteed salaries.
- Hard-capped at $129.82MM.
- No cap exceptions left besides minimum salary exception.
Check out the Milwaukee Bucks’ full roster and depth chart at RosterResource.com.
Story of the summer:
When analyzing the most important offseason additions, one can’t overlook the change at head coach for the Bucks, who brought in Mike Budenholzer to replace Joe Prunty following Jason Kidd‘s in-season dismissal. Budenholzer established himself as one of the elite coaches in the league during his tenure with the Hawks, using a combination of ball movement, modern floor-spacing, and tough defense to win games.
Beyond the move to bring in Budenholzer as head coach, the Bucks went out and added two veterans who can space the floor and soak up frontcourt minutes around Giannis Antetokounmpo in Ersan Ilyasova and Brook Lopez. Ilyasova is coming off a season in which he averaged 10.9 points and 5.9 rebounds per game while knocking down 36% of his 3-pointers. Meanwhile Lopez is coming off a down year with the Lakers, but he still averaged 13 points and 4 rebounds per game while hitting 34.5% of his shots from beyond the arc.
Both players are tested veterans that can hit 3-pointers at a league average rate. Now Budenholzer has several options as he looks to space the floor for Antetokounmpo to attack the basket and find open teammates.
Lopez projects to round out the starting lineup alongside Eric Bledsoe, Tony Snell, Khris Middleton and Antetokounmpo. Such a lineup boasts several solid defenders, ball-handlers and shooters. While the Bucks have struggled defensively in recent seasons, they should be able to improve now that Budenholzer is running more traditional defensive schemes.
As the Bucks look to take a jump on that end of the floor, it will be their refined and improved offense that captivates on a nightly basis. After Milwaukee finished 25th in the league in 3-pointers attempted per game last season (24.7), that number jumped up to 40.3 attempts per game throughout the preseason, highlighting the club’s new emphasis on shooting and floor-spacing.
While other teams made big splashes in free agency, don’t let the Bucks fool you with their modest additions of Lopez and Ilyasova. Coupling those signings with the addition of Budenholzer as coach creates a recipe for a much-improved team on both ends of the floor.
Raptors Waive Malcolm Miller
The Raptors have completed their series of transactions involving Malcolm Miller, as the team waived him on Saturday, per Blake Murphy of The Athletic (via Twitter). This move was expected, as it was the final step in the team’s plan to allow Miller to recover from a torn labrum that he suffered in Summer League play.
Murphy previously explained that the Raptors’ plan was to sign Miller to an Exhibit 10 contract, waive him, and then allow him to rehab the injury with the Raptors 905. As a result of this series of transactions, the young forward will receive an Exhibit 10 bonus and stick with the organization while he recovers.
Miller is on track to potentially get back on the court in January, Murphy adds.
As a result of the team waiving him on Saturday, Miller will clear waivers before opening day and won’t count on Toronto’s cap sheet at all.
Mavericks Waive Ding Yanyuhang
The Mavericks have announced that they have waived forward Ding Yanyuhang, according to a press release from the team. It’s the second time Ding has been cut by Dallas in the last four days, as he received a new contract on Friday for G League purposes. He figures to end up on the Texas Legends, the Mavs’ G League affiliate.
Ding was originally signed on July 23, but only appeared in one preseason game for the Mavericks. The 25-year-old has been a standout for China’s Shandong Golden Stars, as he won his second consecutive Chinese Basketball Association Domestic MVP award in the 2017-18 season. He had previously played for the Mavericks’ Orlando and Las Vegas Summer League teams in 2017.
The Mavericks are now carrying 17 players, including 15 on standard contracts, so their roster is down to the regular season limit.