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Author: Luke Adams

Southwest Notes: Johnson, Winslow, Rockets, Mavs

By | at April 27, 2020 12:14 pm

A first-round pick in the 2019 draft, Spurs forward Keldon Johnson spent most of his rookie season in the G League, having appeared in just nine games at the NBA level so far. As Tom Orsborn of The San Antonio Express-News details, Johnson was likely in line for more minutes – and a more regular role – down the stretch if the season hadn’t been suspended and was disappointed not to get that opportunity. Still, he didn’t mind the team taking it slow with him over the course of the year.

“You’ve got to earn your stripes here,” Johnson said, per Orsborn. “You’ve got to put in the time, put in the work. It’s a long process, a grind. But for me, it’s always been about looking at the bigger picture. I knew as long as I stayed focused and stayed level-headed and continued to work hard, the Spurs had a plan for me.”

In addition to attempting to stay ready for a potential resumption of the season, Johnson has been staying busy by reaching out to the community during the COVID-19 pandemic, as Orsborn details. The Spurs’ rookie launched his “Keldon Kares” campaign last week to raise money for food banks in San Antonio and his hometown of South Hill, Virginia.

Here’s more from around the Southwest:

  • Justise Winslow has yet to make his debut for the Grizzlies after being acquired by Memphis at the trade deadline, but he tells Michael Wallace of Grind City Media in a Q&A that he hopes the NBA is able to finish its season so he can help his new team clinch a playoff spot and compete in the postseason.
  • Kelly Iko and Danny Leroux of The Athletic explore some free agent options for the Rockets, assessing whether there are will be any available forwards or big men capable of playing the P.J. Tucker role in Houston — making outside shots, guarding bigs, and providing switchability on defense. Unsurprisingly, there likely won’t be many – or any – of those players available at a discount in free agency.
  • Although the Mavericks reentered the playoff picture this season, they’re not yet a legit title contender. Callie Caplan of The Dallas Morning News examines how the club might try to ascend to that level during the 2020 and 2021 free agency periods.
1 comment Dallas Mavericks Houston Rockets Memphis Grizzlies San Antonio Spurs

Latest On NBA’s Plans To Reopen Teams’ Facilities

By | at April 27, 2020 11:15 am

After ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported over the weekend that the NBA will allow some teams to reopen their practice facilities beginning on May 1, clubs around the league are attempting to determine the viability of doing so.

As we detailed on Saturday, the NBA can’t unilaterally direct teams to open up their facilities, since some franchises play in states that have stricter stay-at-home orders than others due to the impact of the coronavirus pandemic. Even in cities where facilities can be reopened, group workouts and organized team activities will continue to be prohibited.

According to Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press (Twitter link), teams expect to receive further directives from the NBA at some point this week outlining what will and won’t be permitted as facilities begin to reopen.

Here’s more on the subject:

  • Toronto mayor John Tory said on Monday morning that he has preliminary discussions with Raptors management about reopening the team’s practice facility in May (Twitter link via Josh Lewenberg of TSN.ca). Tory doesn’t want the Raptors to be at a disadvantage relative to other teams, but is prioritizing safety and will allow public health officials to make the final call.
  • It was unclear as of Sunday whether the Heat will be permitted to reopen their practice facility this Friday, writes Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald. “As of right now, under current orders, the AmericanAirlines Arena is closed,” Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Gimenez’s Office of Communications told The Herald in a statement. “But, we have until Friday to gather information on what the NBA plans are and to work with the Miami Heat on what could be possible, safe and acceptable.”
  • The Warriors‘ facilities are expected to remain closed as long as the City of San Francisco keeps its current lock-down ordinances in place, league sources tell Logan Murdock of NBC Sports Bay Area. Social-distancing guidelines have been instituted in the city through May 3 and will likely be extended beyond that.
  • New York City’s lock-down regulations are expected to run through at least May 15, but the NBA figures to be proactive in helping Knicks and Nets players find somewhere to work out next month, writes Marc Berman of The New York Post. As Berman notes, Taj Gibson and Frank Ntilikina are believed to be the only Knicks players still staying in the New York area, with the rest of the club’s players spread across North America.
  • Chris Mannix of SI.com explores the competitive imbalance that may affect a resumed season if certain teams are permitted to reopen their facilities days or weeks before others.
6 comments Brooklyn Nets COVID-19 Golden State Warriors Miami Heat New York Knicks Toronto Raptors

Early Entry Deadline For 2020 NBA Draft Has Passed

By | at April 27, 2020 9:43 am

The deadline for potential early entrants to declare for the 2020 NBA draft fell on April 26 at 11:59pm ET, which means prospects who aren’t automatically draft-eligible can no longer enter this year’s pool.

Players who have entered the draft don’t necessarily have to stay in, as long as they haven’t hired an agent — or as long as they’re working with one of 23 agents certified by the NCAA. Currently, the deadline for NCAA players to withdraw from the draft and maintain their college eligibility is June 3, though it’s possible that date will be adjusted if the NBA draft is postponed.

The NBA has a separate withdrawal deadline from the NCAA’s, allowing prospects to pull out as late as 10 days before the draft. With the draft scheduled for June 25, the NBA’s withdrawal deadline is June 15 — that date is generally the one to watch for international prospects, who don’t have to worry about maintaining NCAA eligibility.

Our full list of early entrants can be found right here. While we did our best to make our list as accurate as possible, some players who declared in recent weeks may have slipped through the cracks, while others reported to have entered the draft may have had a change of heart.

The NBA should formally release its initial early entrant list for 2020 within the next two or three days, so we’ll update our list at that point to reflect the league’s official data.

Here are the latest additions we’ve made to our list:

And here are a couple players who had previously planned to enter the draft who ended up opting to return to school instead. They’ve been removed from our list:

It appears there are approximately 190-ish early entrants in this year’s draft pool, which would be a significant step down from the last couple years, when that total has been in the neighborhood of 235.

Of course, as ESPN’s Jonathan Givony notes (via Twitter), the real question will be how many of these initial early entrants end up staying in the draft. That number landed at 98 last year, and 91 in 2018. It will likely end up lower this year, not just because the early total is lower, but due to the coronavirus pandemic. As Givony observes, many prospects who entered the draft may not have much more info about where they stand by the June 3 withdrawal deadline than they have now.

1 comment 2020 NBA Draft

Bulls To Hire Sixers’ Marc Eversley As GM

By | at April 27, 2020 7:34 am

Two weeks after formally hiring Arturas Karnisovas as their new executive VP of basketball operations, the Bulls have chosen a general manager who will work with Karnisovas in their new-look front office. The club is hiring Sixers senior VP of player personnel Marc Eversley to fill that GM role, reports ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.

Eversley was one of several candidates to interview for the general manager position following Chicago’s hiring of Karnisovas and the team’s dismissal of longtime GM Gar Forman. Matt Lloyd (Magic), Mark Hughes (Clippers), and Michael Finley (Mavericks) were among the other executives known to have spoken to the Bulls about the job.

Before reaching a deal late on Sunday night to join the Bulls, Eversley worked in the 76ers’ front office since 2016, when he was hired by the club’s former head of basketball operations, Bryan Colangelo. Eversley, a Canadian, also previous worked under Colangelo in the Raptors’ front office, with a stint as a Wizards exec in between. Prior to his time in NBA team front offices, he spent a decade working at Nike, per Wojnarowski.

This was at least the second time Eversley had interviewed for a GM job, having lost out to Mitch Kupchak on the Hornets’ position in 2018. He was also believed to be a candidate to replace Colangelo as Philadelphia’s head of basketball operations that year, but Elton Brand ultimately took over GM duties.

As Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer details, Eversley was largely responsible for the Sixers zeroing in on Matisse Thybulle in last year’s draft and was also the first to recognize DeMar DeRozan‘s talent during his time in Toronto’s scouting department.

After the Bulls faced some criticism for a lack of diversity in their search for a head of basketball operations, Eversley will become the first black GM in team history, as Wojnarowski notes.

While Karnisovas and Eversley figure to run the show in Chicago’s revamped front office, the team is making additional changes. As previously reported, J.J. Polk and Pat Connelly are coming aboard in key roles — Woj suggests they’ll hold the titles of assistant GM and VP of player personnel, respectively. Meanwhile, K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago says that more hires are likely coming, singling out Nazr Mohammed as one executive who interviewed for an “unspecified role.”

11 comments Chicago Bulls Newsstand Philadelphia 76ers

Texas Tech’s Jahmi’us Ramsey Declares For Draft

By | at April 25, 2020 4:36 pm

APRIL 25: Ramsey announced on Twitter that he will enter the draft.

APRIL 24: Texas Tech freshman guard Jahmi’us Ramsey will declare for the 2020 NBA draft prior to Sunday night’s early entry deadline, according to Jeff Goodman of Stadium (Twitter link).

Following Precious Achiuwa‘s announcement this afternoon, Ramsey is the highest-rated underclassman on ESPN’s big board who has yet to officially enter the 2020 NBA draft class, ranking 23rd on that list.

As a freshman, Ramsey averaged 15.0 PPG, 4.0 RPG, 2.2 APG, and 1.3 SPG in 27 games (31.2 MPG) for the Red Raiders, making an impressive 42.6% of his attempts from outside the three-point line.

[RELATED: 2020 NBA Draft Early Entrants List]

Early entrants have until the end of the day on Sunday to submit their paperwork to the NBA for the 2020 draft. College players who are testing the waters will then have until at least June 3 to make a final decision on whether or not they’ll keep their names in this year’s draft pool.

1 comment 2020 NBA Draft

2020/21 Salary Cap Preview: Indiana Pacers

By | at April 24, 2020 7:53 pm

Hoops Rumors is looking ahead at the 2020/21 salary cap situations for all 30 NBA teams. Due to the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on the NBA, it’s impossible to know yet where the cap for 2020/21 will land. Given the league’s lost revenue, we’re assuming for now that it will stay the same as the ’19/20 cap, but it’s entirely possible it will end up higher or lower than that.

Despite some speculation that they’d struggle without Victor Oladipo for the first half of the 2019/20 season, the Pacers were just fine, thanks to a hot start by Malcolm Brogdon and a breakout season from Domantas Sabonis.

Oladipo’s rust following his 12-month absence contributed to some up-and-down play (Indiana was 9-9 after his return), but it would be interesting to see if a fully healthy version of the roster could win a playoff series in the East. With 11 players of this year’s players on guaranteed contracts for next season, the Pacers could run it back with a pretty similar squad in 2020/21.

Here’s where things stand for the Pacers financially in 2020/21, as we continue our Salary Cap Preview series:

Guaranteed Salary

Player Options

  • None

Team Options

  • None

Non-Guaranteed Salary

  • T.J. McConnell ($2,500,000) 1
  • Total: $2,500,000

Restricted Free Agents

Unrestricted Free Agents / Other Cap Holds

Offseason Cap Outlook

Last summer’s series of transactions – adding Brogdon, Warren, and Lamb, while extending Sabonis – will limit the Pacers’ flexibility going forward and eliminate any chance that they’ll have cap room during the 2020 offseason.

Still, barring a trade that adds salary, an aggressive deployment of the full mid-level exception, or an unexpected decline in the salary cap, the team should have a decent amount of breathing room below the tax line.

Cap Exceptions Available

  • Mid-level exception: $9,258,000 2
  • Bi-annual exception: $3,623,000 2

Footnotes

  1. McConnell’s salary becomes fully guaranteed after October 17.
  2. This is a projected value. If the Pacers’ team salary continues to increase, it’s possible they’d be limited to the taxpayer mid-level exception ($5,718,000).

Note: Minimum-salary and rookie-scale cap holds are based on the salary cap and could increase or decrease depending on where the cap lands.

Salary information from Basketball Insiders and Early Bird Rights was used in the creation of this post. Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

4 comments Hoops Rumors Originals Indiana Pacers Offseason Salary Cap Digest

Bulls Notes: GM Search, Finley, Boylen

By | at April 24, 2020 4:52 pm

The Bulls remain on the hunt for a new general manager, and Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times writes that the interview process may carry through next week.

A since-deleted report on Thursday suggested that CAA agent Austin Brown was in serious talks to become Chicago’s next GM, but a source tells Cowley there’s no frontrunner at this point. Brown’s name is in the mix, per Cowley. Still, there has been no confirmation that he has even interviewed for the job yet.

Although no one has emerged yet as an obvious favorite – as new executive VP of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas did during his own interview process with the Bulls – Cowley’s source says that Mavericks VP of basketball ops Michael Finley “made a great impression” on Karnisovas. Finley reportedly interviewed for the GM position last week.

Here’s more out of Chicago from Cowley:

  • Since being hired by the Bulls, Karnisovas has spent plenty of time reaching out to as many of the club’s current players as possible, as well as meeting with “what’s left” of the scouting departments, says Cowley. Karnisovas is collecting information and opinions on what he has to work with in the front office and on the roster, a source tells The Sun-Times.
  • While many Bulls fans are impatient to learn the fate of head coach Jim Boylen, a decision on Boylen’s future is further down on Karnisovas’ list of priorities, Cowley writes. As Cowley has previously reported, Boylen remains optimistic that he’ll retain the job. He has been staying in touch with his players for updates and to have them study film clips and has “regularly” met with Karnisovas this month.
  • While letting go of Boylen and letting one of his assistants finish the season – if it resumes – could be one path Karnisovas considers, Cowley suggests it’s not likely. A source tells The Sun-Times there’s no obvious candidate to replace Boylen on an interim basis, since the assistants are “all viewed to have equal footing from an experience standpoint.”
2 comments Chicago Bulls Dallas Mavericks

Poll: 2020 All-NBA Third Team

By | at April 24, 2020 3:36 pm

With the coronavirus pandemic and the resulting NBA hiatus throwing award season into disarray, we’re assuming the 2019/20 regular season is close enough to over that it’s safe to start making our unofficial picks for the league’s end-of-year honors. And we’re working on our All-NBA teams this week.

After closing the polls for the All-NBA First Team on Wednesday, we’ve brought the vote for the All-NBA Second Team to an end today. Some of the results in those Second Team polls were predictable — Nikola Jokic, for instance, was the runaway winner at center. However, there were much tighter races for the Second Team guards and forwards.

Here are the voting results so far:

2020 All-NBA First Team

2020 All-NBA Second Team

A pair of cornerstones on last year’s title-winning Raptors claimed the forward spots here, with Siakam narrowly edging out Jayson Tatum for the second spot. Meanwhile, Lillard and Beal will likely both miss the postseason this year, but had monster individual seasons for losing teams and earned your Second Team votes.

We’re moving on today to the All-NBA Third Team, so be sure to cast your votes below for the two guards, two forwards, and one center that you believe are most deserving of being named to that squad. Don’t forget that a few players qualify at two positions.

You’ll have the entire weekend to finalize your votes before we round up the results on Monday. You’ll also have the opportunity to select two players apiece in the guard and forward polls, so be sure to take advantage of that.

Guards:

(Choose two)

Who are your All-NBA Third Team guards?

  • Devin Booker (Suns) 15% (302)
  • Chris Paul (Thunder) 12% (247)
  • Trae Young (Hawks) 11% (230)
  • Russell Westbrook (Rockets) 11% (215)
  • Jimmy Butler (Heat; also at F) 9% (184)
  • Kemba Walker (Celtics) 8% (163)
  • Donovan Mitchell (Jazz) 6% (119)
  • CJ McCollum (Trail Blazers) 6% (118)
  • Kyle Lowry (Raptors) 6% (116)
  • Ben Simmons (Sixers) 4% (88)
  • Ja Morant (Grizzlies) 3% (65)
  • Jaylen Brown (Celtics; also at F) 3% (53)
  • Zach LaVine (Bulls) 2% (35)
  • D'Angelo Russell (Warriors/Timberwolves) 2% (31)
  • Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (Thunder) 1% (25)
  • Dennis Schroder (Thunder) 1% (15)
  • De'Aaron Fox (Kings) 1% (14)

Total votes: 2,020

Trade Rumors app users, click here to vote on the All-NBA Third Team guards.

Forwards:

(Choose two)

Who are your All-NBA Third Team forwards?

  • Jayson Tatum (Celtics) 29% (466)
  • Jimmy Butler (Heat; also at G) 20% (329)
  • Paul George (Clippers) 11% (182)
  • Brandon Ingram (Pelicans) 11% (179)
  • Khris Middleton (Bucks) 9% (142)
  • Bam Adebayo (Heat; also at C) 7% (111)
  • Jaylen Brown (Celtics; also at G) 3% (56)
  • Kristaps Porzingis (Mavericks; also at C) 3% (48)
  • DeMar DeRozan (Spurs) 3% (46)
  • Bojan Bogdanovic (Jazz) 2% (33)
  • Tobias Harris (Sixers) 2% (28)

Total votes: 1,620

Trade Rumors app users, click here to vote on the All-NBA Third Team forwards.

Center:

(Choose one)

Who is your All-NBA Third Team center?

  • Joel Embiid (Sixers) 34% (284)
  • Bam Adebayo (Heat; also at F) 16% (134)
  • Rudy Gobert (Jazz) 13% (108)
  • Karl-Anthony Towns (Timberwolves) 12% (100)
  • Domantas Sabonis (Pacers) 8% (70)
  • Kristaps Porzingis (Mavericks; also at F) 5% (38)
  • Andre Drummond (Pistons/Cavaliers) 3% (21)
  • Nikola Vucevic (Magic) 3% (21)
  • LaMarcus Aldridge (Spurs) 2% (18)
  • Montrezl Harrell (Clippers) 2% (18)
  • Hassan Whiteside (Trail Blazers) 2% (13)

Total votes: 825

Trade Rumors app users, click here to vote on the All-NBA Third Team center.

16 comments 2020 NBA Awards Hoops Rumors Originals Hoops Rumors Polls

Potential First-Rounder Aleksej Pokusevski Enters Draft

By | at April 24, 2020 2:35 pm

Serbian forward Aleksej Pokusevski has entered the draft, according to announcements from agent Alexander Raskovic of Wasserman and from Pokusevski himself (Twitter links).

The 27th overall prospect on ESPN’s big board for 2020, Pokusevski spent most of the season playing in the Greek 2nd Division with Olympiacos’ B team. He was called up by Olympiacos to play for the EuroLeague squad, but appeared in just a single game before the season was suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Pokusevski, who participated in the Jordan Brand Classic camp back in 2017, has also been part of Serbia’s junior national teams in recent years, playing in the 2018 FIBA U17 World Cup and in the 2019 FIBA European Championship.

Pokusevski won’t turn 19 years old until December, so NBA teams may view him as a candidate to be drafted-and-stashed, rather than as a prospect who will immediately sign a rookie contract.

2 comments 2020 NBA Draft

Precious Achiuwa Entering 2020 NBA Draft

By | at April 24, 2020 1:14 pm

One of the most notable college prospects who had yet to announce his draft intentions has now made his decision. Memphis freshman forward Precious Achiuwa tells Jonathan Givony of ESPN that he is entering the 2020 NBA draft and will go pro, hiring an agent in the process.

In his first and only college season, Achiuwa emerged as one of the nation’s most impressive freshmen, averaging 15.8 PPG, 10.8 RPG, and 1.9 BPG while shooting 49.3% from the floor in 31 games (30.4 MPG). He was named the American Athletic Conference Player of the Year and currently ranks 12th among 2020 prospects on ESPN’s big board.

In his scouting report on Achiuwa, ESPN’s Mike Schmitz says that the youngster’s feel for the game is a “major work in progress,” noting that he finished the season with 87 turnovers and just 30 assists. However, Schmitz praised Achiuwa’s physical profile, defensive versatility, and his potential to improve as a shooter. Givony suggests that the strides the 6’9″ forward has made as a shooter, passer, and ball-handler have evaluators optimistic about his potential development at the NBA level.

For his part, Achiuwa suggested his freshman year at Memphis showed NBA teams what he’s capable of doing on the court.

“I’d summarize my season as spectacular. Even though a lot of things were thrown at us early and we had a lot of ups and down, we found a way to be successful,” Achiuwa told ESPN. “I think I was able to show NBA teams my versatility on defense and that I am able to adjust to whatever role that is given to me and still find a way to be successful. We all had to adjust to different roles because of the uncertainty that was thrown at us early in the season.”

2 comments 2020 NBA Draft Newsstand
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