Five Key Stories: 5/20/17 – 5/27/17
Here are some of the biggest stories from the last week at Hoops Rumors:
Paul Millsap opted out of his contract with the Hawks and will become a free agent. The decision to opt out was expected and Millsap reportedly plans to remain in Atlanta. In opting out, the star power forward turned down a salary of slightly more than $21.4MM for next year.
Isaiah Thomas missed the remainder of the postseason after re-aggravating a hip injury in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals. The news came as a crushing blow to a top-seeded Celtics team that lost the first two games of the series at home to the defending champions Cavaliers. The injury first occurred in March, forcing the star point guard to miss two starts. IT aggravated the injury in Game 6 against the Wizards before re-aggravating it again against the Cavs in Game 2.
Former Bucks GM John Hammond was hired by the Magic to be their new GM. In addition to hiring Hammond, Orlando also brought in Jeff Weltman to be the team’s President of Basketball Operations. The Raptors will receive a 2018 second-round pick from Orlando as compensation for Orlando’s decision to hire Weltman.
Travis Schlenk was named the general manager of the Hawks. The team has a GM again after being without one since Wes Wilcox was reassigned to a different front office role earlier this month. Schlenk will begin his duties on June 1st.
Chris Bosh and the Heat have reached a tentative agreement to part ways and the players’ association has granted its approval. The agreement would permanently remove Bosh’s cap figure, which was set to be an approximate $52.1MM over the next two years, from Miami’s books. Bosh would still get paid, of course, and would now stand a much better chance of playing again in the NBA for a different team. The pact has not yet been finalized.
Ten More Stories
- Isaiah Thomas wants the Celtics to upgrade before he discusses an extension.
- An extension for John Wall will be the top priority for the Wizards this offseason
- Is there mutual interest between Chris Paul and the Spurs?
- The Nets plan to pursue restricted free agents Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Otto Porter this offseason.
- Caleb Swanigan of Purdue will remain in the draft, while Hamidou Diallo will withdraw and return to Kentucky next season.
- The Knicks have parted ways with Kristaps Porzingis favorite, assistant coach Josh Longstaff.
- Lonzo Ball will not work out for the Celtics, the team that possesses the first overall pick in next month’s draft.
- The Timberwolves plan to target unrestricted free agent Derrick Rose this offseason.
- Before the Hawks and Magic hired their new GMs, neither team was granted the permission it sought to interview Cavaliers GM David Griffin.
- The country of Turkey has issued an arrest warrant for Enes Kanter.
Poll: Best Unrestricted Free Agent Point Guard
Among unrestricted free agents this offseason, point guard is easily the deepest position. Stephen Curry, Kyle Lowry, George Hill, Jeff Teague, Jrue Holiday, and Derrick Rose headline this group. Deron Williams, Darren Collison, and Patty Mills are also unrestricted free agents. In all, there are 28 unrestricted free agent point guards this offseason.
Two-time MVP Curry has scarcely been mentioned as an unrestricted free agent because most take for granted that he will return to the Warriors to dominate the NBA with the likes of Kevin Durant, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green for years to come.
Probably the second best player in this group, Lowry, will be coming off a breakout season, but he is 31 years old, has a long history of playoff struggles, and the Raptors would need to offer him a 5-year max contract. Still, Lowry and DeMar DeRozan combine for one of the most lethal backcourts in the league, and it is difficult to imagine Toronto not laying out the red carpet for its star point guard’s return.
After seven seasons with the Hawks, Teague played in all 82 games for the Pacers, averaging 15.3 PPG, 7.8 APG, and 1.2 SPG.
Although limited to 49 games due to injury in his first campaign with the Jazz, Hill averaged a career-high 16.9 PPG to go with an impressive slash line of .477/.403/.801.
Holiday shot a career-high 45.4% from the floor for the Pelicans, posting 15.4 PPG, 7.3 APG, and 1.5 SPG.
Rose, a former MVP, averaged 18.0 PPG and 4.4 APG, while shooting a stellar 47.1% in 64 games in his first season with the Knicks.
Without further ado, here’s today’s poll question: Beyond Curry and Lowry, who among this group would be most helpful for a team to sign and suit up as their starting point guard next season? Don’t limit yourself to a click of a button. Do you believe someone in the group is better than each of the available options? Are we underrating someone’s potential? Let us know in the comment section below. We look forward to your insight!
Hoops Rumors Originals: 5/20/17 – 5/27/17
Every week, the Hoops Rumors writing team compiles original content to complement our news feed. Here are some of our favorite segments and features from the past seven days:
- Arthur Hill explains in an original piece how playoff mismatches may lower the NBA’s projected salary cap for 2017/18.
- Luke Adams helps you comprehend team’s specific salary cap landscapes with five more analyses in his Salary Cap Digest series: the Nets, Timberwolves, Magic, Kings, and Knicks.
- We offer two more installments in our Five Offseason Questions series with the Timberwolves and Raptors.
- Arthur Hill talks Wizards free agent targets, whether the Cavaliers have the “perfect roster” to complement LeBron James, and which Spurs veterans will return next season in his weekly Sunday mailbag. Submit your questions via Twitter (@HoopsRumors) or by sending us an email (hoopsrumorsmailbag@gmail.com).
- In our weekly Hoops Links roundup of interesting articles from around the blogosphere, Austin Kent shares pieces on Gordon Hayward‘s most likely destinations, Chris Bosh‘s fit with the Clippers, and Isaiah Thomas‘ expendability if the right deal comes along for the Celtics.
- Here are the questions we asked you in our Community Shootaround discussions and polls this week:
- Who is the best unrestricted free agent point guard not named Stephen Curry or Kyle Lowry?
- Who will make more career All-Star appearances from the 2013 draft: Giannis Antetokounmpo or the rest of the class?
- How has the Knicks’ recent coaching decision affected their relationship with the team’s cornerstone, Kristaps Porzingis?
- What team would provide the best fit for Paul Millsap?
- What offseason approach should the Celtics take?
Five Key Stories: 5/13/17 – 5/20/17
Here are some of the biggest stories from the last week at Hoops Rumors:
The Celtics won Tuesday’s NBA draft lottery. One day after winning the Eastern Conference Semifinals, Boston took home the top pick in next month’s draft. The Lakers moved up to No. 2, which ensures that they’ll keep this year’s pick, as well as their 2019 first-round selection. The Sixers grabbed the third overall pick, exercising their right to swap with the Kings. The Suns fell to No. 4.
The NBA announced the All-NBA teams for 2017. Notably, Paul George and Gordon Hayward were not among the 15 players named to this year’s All-NBA squads. This means that neither George nor Hayward will be eligible to receive the Designated Veteran Extension from their teams this offseason, thus drastically lowering the price the Pacers or Jazz could offer their respective stars. Russell Westbrook, James Harden, LeBron James, Kawhi Leonard, and Anthony Davis were named to the All-NBA First Team.
The Pelicans will retain head coach Alvin Gentry and GM Dell Demps. Team owner Tom Benson announced this week that Gentry and Demps will keep their jobs entering the 2017/18 season. Gentry has coached the team for the past two seasons, compiling a 64-100 record. Beginning next season with a frontcourt of Anthony Davis and DeMarcus Cousins, the expectations will be high, likely meaning that neither Gentry nor Demps would be able to survive another sub-.500 season.
Mavericks owner Mark Cuban admitted the team tanked down the stretch. Appearing on The Dan Patrick Show, Cuban said the Mavs “did everything possible to lose games” and improve their draft position after being mathematically eliminated from the playoffs. These comments came just a few months after Cuban stated that his team had no interest in tanking.
Marcin Gortat may seek a trade from the Wizards this offseason. The big man claims that he has been underappreciated and sacrificed more than any of his teammates. Gortat still has two seasons and more than $26MM left on his current deal with the Wizards.
10 More Stories
- Kawhi Leonard re-injures ankle: missed Game 2 and will miss Game 3
- Celtics to prioritize Gordon Hayward in free agency
- Mavericks interested in Jrue Holiday
- Latest on Hawks‘ front office search
- NBA reveals award finalists
- Cavaliers attempt to retain GM David Griffin; Magic in hot pursuit
- Lonzo Ball may only work out for Lakers
- Hawks offered four first-round picks for Paul George
- Lakers confident they can sign Paul George?
- Several teams evaluating potential trades for D’Angelo Russell
Hoops Rumors Originals: 5/13/17 – 5/20/17
Every week, the Hoops Rumors writing team compiles original content to complement our news feed. Here are some of our favorite segments and features from the past seven days:
- Stay current with Hoops Rumors’ team option decision tracker.
- Luke Adams prepares you for the draft with his complete 2017 NBA Draft Order and Draft Picks By Team.
- Luke Adams helps you comprehend team’s specific salary cap landscapes with four more analyses in his Salary Cap Digest series: the Sixers, Lakers, Wizards, and Suns.
- We also offer four more installments to our Five Offseason Questions series: the Clippers and Thunder from Chris Crouse, the Jazz from Dana Gauruder, and the Bulls from Arthur Hill.
- Luke Adams has the NBA Jersey Sponsors for 2017/18.
- Arthur Hill talks Kristaps Porzingis, potential surprise selections for the Hall of Fame, and the transparency of the NBA draft lottery in his weekly Sunday mailbag. Submit your questions via Twitter (@HoopsRumors) or by sending us an email (hoopsrumorsmailbag@gmail.com).
- In our weekly Hoops Links roundup of interesting articles from around the blogosphere, Austin Kent shares pieces on the decreasing likelihood of Jimmy Butler being traded to the Celtics, Joel Embiid‘s contrived quirkiness, and how the Hawks could have done more to integrate Dwight Howard.
- Here are the questions we asked you in our Community Shootaround discussions and polls this week:
- How would you assess the All-NBA teams announced this week by the league?
- What kind of contract should Patty Mills expect receiving this offseason?
- Should Zaza Pachulia be suspended for his questionable defensive play that injured Kawhi Leonard?
- Finally, should the Celtics keep or trade the No. 1 pick?
Andre Iguodala Sidelined For Game 2
Warriors small forward Andre Iguodala has been ruled out for Game 2 against the Spurs Tuesday night due to left knee soreness, reports Marc J. Spears of ESPN.com. An MRI performed Monday revealed no structural damage, but the Warriors continue to be cautious with the veteran as they have done all season.
Iguodala will not be the only former NBA Finals MVP to be sidelined for the game. Spurs leading scorer Kawhi Leonard will also miss the contest. The Warriors lead the series 1-0.
Southeast Notes: Wall, Porter, Gortat, Waiters, Ball
During the Wizards‘ Game 7 loss to the Celtics, Washington’s bench was outscored 48 to 5. That glaring disparity was certainly not lost on John Wall, writes Jeff Goodman of ESPN.com. In fact, Wall’s last words before leaving the court Monday night were, “Forty-eight to five,” which he then repeated before departing with, “Our bench had five points.”
Here’s more out of the Southeast:
- Despite the immense disappointment Wizards players are feeling after their Game 7 defeat, players expressed confidence that the team can continue to compete at a high level if it can keep its best players together. Otto Porter, a restricted free agent this offseason, is considered by teammates Wall, Bradley Beal, and Markieff Morris to be a vital part of the team’s core, reports Candace Buckner of The Washington Post. Morris tells Buckner that Porter is worth a max contract and he hopes that he gets it.
- As reported earlier today, Marcin Gortat feels underappreciated by the Wizards and may request a trade. More details and quotes on Gortat’s feelings can be found via Candace Buckner of The Washington Post.
- Impeding Heat free agent Dion Waiters said that the Heat do not need Lonzo Ball because they are covered at the point guard position with Goran Dragic, Tyler Johnson, and “other [players],” reports Ira Winderman of The Sun-Sentinel. Waiters also offered advice for Ball: “He’s got to go somewhere where he’s able to play his game. He’s got to go somewhere where he’s able to make mistakes. Because I think in this game today, he’s got to be able to make mistakes and have a coach who allows you to make mistakes, and you can learn from it.”
- Luke Babbitt‘s future with the Heat is written about by Ira Winderman of The Sun-Sentinel. Winderman concludes that, while Babbitt likely will not be an offseason priority for the Heat, the team will consider him because of his Bird Rights and skill set.
Northwest Notes: Hayward, Jazz, OKC, Gibson
Jazz small forward Gordon Hayward has earned a max contract, according to Randy Hollis of The Deseret News. Hollis admits that he had been wrong about Hayward and hopes that Hayward elects to return to the Jazz in free agency in a fascinating piece that touts the budding star’s basketball brilliance.
Let’s round up a few more notes from around the Northwest…
- Alec Burks has had a difficult past few years as a result of injury, but he’s poised for a comeback, reports Mike Sorensen of The Deseret News. “It’s frustrating,” Burke said to Sorensen. “My (latest) injury was way more serious than I thought. But I’m a soldier and I learned a lot about my body and the game of basketball during the time out.”
- While Trey Lyles suffered through a disappointing sophomore campaign, Jazz coach Quin Snyder is certainly not giving up on his forward, per Randy Hollis of The Deseret News. “I think, for Trey, like a lot of young players, it’s more about him taking stock and looking at the year, figuring out he can use it to improve,” Snyder said. “Sometimes you have to go through some things like that in order to get a good gauge on where you are. I expect Trey to have a terrific summer and look forward to him leveraging some of that adversity to make himself a better player.”
- Taj Gibson would love to return to the Thunder, but he will have many suitors, writes Erik Horne of NewsOK.com. Horne’s piece discusses Gibson’s success in Oklahoma City after being traded from Chicago and names the power forward as likely the team’s best option in free agency.
- Although the Thunder are locked into the 21st overall pick in the draft, Tuesday night’s lottery may very well have implications for the team, as the draft ordering could affect which players are available on the trade market, writes Brett Dawson of NewsOK.com.
- Marcus Smart, who played his college ball at Oklahoma State, would fit in very well with the Thunder, writes Berry Tramel of NewsOK.com. Smart remains under contract with Boston for one more year.
Knicks Notes: Draft, Lottery, Jackson, Oakley
With the NBA draft lottery a mere hours away, the Knicks organization will soon learn where it will draft next month. The Knicks stands a 5.3% chance of grabbing the first overall selection and, at worst, will pick 10th overall. The team has trained its focus on wings and guards, according to Adam Zagoria of ZagsBlog.com.
The Knicks delegation made up of Phil Jackson, GM Steve Mills, assistant GM Allan Houston, and head coach Jeff Hornacek interviewed Markelle Fultz, De’Aaron Fox, Justin Jackson, and Frank Jackson, at the combine, per Zagoria. Fox beamed about his desire to play for the Knicks in another piece Zagoria wrote for FanRagSports.com.
“I don’t know too much about the triangle,” Fox said. “Everyone says it’s hard to learn but if I go in there I’ll have to learn quickly. And Porzingis, he’s amazing, watching the NBA this year. I really paid attention to the NBA this year knowing I’m about to go into this business; I had to stop watching it as a casual fan and start thinking of it as a business aspect. He’s great and if I get to play with him, I feel like we can do something special.”
Here’s more on the Knicks:
- Phil Jackson is furious about the coverage he and the team are getting by the New York media, but it is Jackson who must take accountability for his failures for the Knicks culture to improve, writes Frank Isola of the New York Daily News. In particular, Jackson should question the effect of his treatment of star players on the team, argues Isola. Jackson claims that NBA commissioner Adam Silver agreed that media coverage has become problematic when the pair recently met, but Isola is skeptical.
- Jackson has tempered his expectations for the lottery and the draft, according to Marc Berman of the New York Post. Jackson knows that there are no guarantees and is approaching the draft in a holistic manner: “We don’t expect a whole lot. Even our franchise, the New York Knicks, deigned to draft guys back in the ’90s, went with all veterans, gave up a lot of their picks. There’s that feeling too. As this talent pool is narrowed, it really is important to have both draftable players, tradeable players and free agents. We want to look at all these options before we get into it.”
- Lonzo Ball and Fultz top the list of Knicks possible targets, according to Marc Berman of the New York Post. That’s no surprise, as those are considered the top two prospects in the draft by nearly every expert.
- Charles Oakley is still facing charges stemming from his infamous February expulsion from Madison Square Garden and says that James Dolan should have been fined or suspended, writes Ted Berg of USA Today Sports. Oakley made his comments on the For the Win podcast.
Draft Combine Notes: Durant, Calipari, Hart, And More
To Combine or not to Combine? That is the question to which Kevin Durant and John Calipari are now adding their two cents. The Warriors star encourages expected lottery picks to skip the event altogether, writes Chris Haynes of ESPN. Durant expressed his strong feeling that while the Draft Combine can certainly aid lesser-known and lesser-valued players looking to raise their draft stock, those projected to be taken in the lottery should stay home and work on improving their game. Durant remarked how the vast majority of skills for which the Combine tests, including bench press at which he struggled mightily at his event, have little to no impact on how a player will perform on a basketball court.
Kentucky’s head coach said that players should attend the Combine, but that each should skip individual events if he believes it will not boost his draft value, according to Michael Singer of USA Today.
- Josh Hart of Villanova has already met with eight teams, Jessica Camerato reports. These teams are the Heat, Lakers, Mavericks, Pelicans, Pistons, Timberwolves, Trail Blazers, and Suns.
- Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk will miss the rest of the NBA Combine due to a sprained ankle, reports Jonathan Givony of Draft Express.
- Despite rumors of back spasms to Monte Morris of Iowa State, Morris himself took to twitter to reject the talk.
- Sindarius Thornwell and P.J. Dozier of South Carolina discuss their experiences at the Combine thus far, per Dwayne Mclemore of TheState.com.