Northwest Notes: Blazers, Daniels, Kroenke, Jazz
G League Ignite guard Dyson Daniels was the headliner of the Trail Blazers‘ first pre-draft workout on Tuesday, writes Aaron Fentress of The Oregonian. Of the six prospects who auditioned for Portland, Daniels is the only one expected to receive consideration at No. 7, assuming the Blazers keep the pick and he’s still on the board.
Julian Champagnie (St. John’s), Darius Days (LSU), Mouhamed Gueye (Washington State), Fatts Russell (Maryland), and Dallas Walton (Colorado), all of whom are viewed as probable second-round or UDFA prospects, were the other players to work out for the Trail Blazers on Tuesday. In addition to controlling the No. 7 overall pick, Portland also holds the 36th and 57th selections in this month’s draft.
- The media availability for Nuggets governor Josh Kroenke, who is expected to address Tim Connelly‘s departure, was postponed again, according to Mike Singer of The Denver Post (Twitter link). Kroenke was originally scheduled to speak last Thursday, then had that session tentatively pushed back to Tuesday after he tested positive for COVID-19. It will likely happen later this week once he clears the health and safety protocols, says Singer.
- The Jazz held a free agent mini-camp on Tuesday, according to our JD Shaw, who notes (via Twitter) that G League standouts Justin Tillman and Craig Randall II were among the attendees.
- Loyola guard Lucas Williamson has a pre-draft workout on tap with the Jazz on Thursday, tweets Tony Jones of The Athletic. Williamson has already worked out for several teams, including the Bucks, Celtics, and Grizzlies, Jones adds.
- Eric Walden of The Salt Lake Tribune proposes 29 hypothetical offseason trades involving the Jazz — one with each of the NBA’s teams.
Dereon Seabron, Moussa Diabate Staying In Draft
North Carolina State guard Dereon Seabron, who declared for the draft this spring following his sophomore season, will forgo his remaining college eligibility and go pro, a source tells Jeff Goodman of Stadium (Twitter link).
Seaborn emerged as a full-time starter in his second year at NC State in 2021/22, averaging 17.3 PPG, 8.2 RPG, 3.2 APG, and 1.4 SPG in 32 games (35.8 MPG). Although he isn’t a lock to be drafted, he has a reasonable chance — ESPN ranks him as the No. 57 prospect in this year’s draft class.
Michigan freshman forward Moussa Diabate, the No. 75 prospect on ESPN’s big board, has also opted to remain in the 2022 NBA draft, he tells Goodman (Twitter link). Diabate started 26 of 32 games for the Wolverines in his first and only college season, registering 9.0 PPG and 6.0 RPG in 24.9 MPG.
Here are more updates on the early entrants who are up against the NCAA’s withdrawal deadline:
- Gonzaga sophomore wing Julian Strawther is headed back to the Zags for at least one more year, he announced on Twitter. Strawther was ESPN’s No. 68 prospect and had a chance to be drafted, but he’ll look to increase his odds with a strong 2022/23 college season.
- Iowa forward Kris Murray is returning to school for his junior year after testing the draft waters, he announced today (via Twitter). Murray had been the No. 93 prospect on ESPN’s board.
- Oregon guard Will Richardson will take advantage of his extra year of college eligibility and head back to school for one more year, reports Jeremy Woo of SI.com (Twitter link).
- Kent State junior guard Sincere Carry is pulling his name out of the draft and returning to school, according to an announcement from the program (via Twitter). Carry said in his announcement that he has “unfinished business” at Kent State.
Pacific Notes: Warriors, Green, Lakers, Kings
Speaking to Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today, Warriors owner Joe Lacob referenced a division rival when he discussed his long-term goals for the franchise.
“We are very goal-oriented,” Lacob said. “Our goal right now is to sustain being really good for a long time. I look at Jerry Buss and the Lakers, and how he owned the team for 33 years and made 16 Finals. That’s just an astonishing achievement, an incredible owner.
“Whether we can sustain that over such a long period of time, like Jerry Buss did – the Celtics certainly had great history but it was a little bit of a different time – I don’t know. But we’re going to try. That’s what we’re trying to do here.”
The Warriors are back in the NBA Finals this year for the sixth time in the last eight seasons, and are seeking their fourth championship during that time.
- Even though he only appeared in 46 of 82 possible regular season games this season, Warriors forward Draymond Green views it as a “slight” that he didn’t make the All-Defensive First Team, writes Nick Friedell of ESPN. “When I look at the First Team, I am not sure I can pinpoint, definitely not five guys that had a better defensive season than me,” Green said. “And there are no (games-played) requirements. There is not some amount that you have to play in. If there was an amount that you had to play, then I would be an idiot sitting here and saying that.”
- The Lakers are working out six prospects today, bringing in R.J. Cole (UConn), Jules Bernard (UCLA), Kur Kuath (Marquette), Jaden Shackelford (Alabama), Zyon Pullin (UC-Riverside), and David McCormack (Kansas) for a pre-draft audition, tweets Kyle Goon of The Southern California News Group. Pullin is reportedly expected to remove his name from the draft pool before tonight’s NCAA withdrawal deadline.
- Houston’s Fabian White Jr. was among the prospects to work out for the Kings on Tuesday, per Sean Cunningham of FOX40 News (Twitter link).
Why Non-Guaranteed Contracts Aren’t Ideal Trade Chips
Under the NBA’s previous Collective Bargaining Agreement, a player with a $10MM guaranteed salary and a player with a $10MM non-guaranteed salary were essentially treated the same way in trades for salary-matching purposes. However, that’s no longer the case under the league’s current CBA.
We’ve written about this in the past, but it’s a point worth reiterating with the 2022 offseason around the corner: A player’s outgoing salary for matching purposes is now only equivalent to his salary guarantee. So a player with a $5MM partial guarantee on a $10MM contract counts for $5MM in outgoing salary. A player with a non-guaranteed $10MM contract counts as $0 in outgoing salary.
For the team receiving the player, however, the full cap hit still applies. So even though a player on a $10MM non-guaranteed contract would count as $0 for outgoing purposes, he’d be considered $10MM in incoming salary to the team acquiring him.
Since over-the-cap teams must match salaries in trades within a certain percentage, this rule is worth keeping in mind when considering a handful of possible trade candidates this summer.
For example, the Hawks have Danilo Gallinari under contract for $21.45MM in 2022/23, but only $5MM of that amount is guaranteed. As a result, Atlanta wouldn’t be able to use Gallinari as the primary salary-matching piece in a deal for, say, Jerami Grant and his $20MM+ salary this offseason unless they significantly increased Gallinari’s partial guarantee (to $15MM+).
As it stands, Gallinari’s $5MM partial guarantee would be enough to net the Hawks a player earning up to $8.85MM. However, since Gallinari’s incoming salary to a new team would count as $21.45MM, that team wouldn’t be permitted to trade only an $8.85MM player for Gallinari unless it had the cap room necessary to accommodate the forward’s full $21.45MM cap hit.
For an over-the-cap team, acquiring Gallinari would mean sending at least $16.45MM in outgoing salary, which the Hawks wouldn’t be able to accommodate using only Gallinari’s $5MM partial guarantee.
This rule affecting non-guaranteed contracts applies even if the Hawks were to trade Gallinari before the 2022/23 league year begins on July 1. Once Atlanta’s season ended, Gallinari’s ’22/23 partial guarantee replaced his ’21/22 salary as his new outgoing salary for matching purposes. So the Hawks can’t circumvent the rule by moving Gallinari during or before the draft.
The Hawks are hardly the only team affected by the trade rules for non-guaranteed salaries. Kelly Oubre (Hornets), Mason Plumlee (Hornets), Danny Green (Sixers), Eric Bledsoe (Trail Blazers), Josh Hart (Trail Blazers), and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (Wizards) are among the players with partially guaranteed or non-guaranteed salaries who won’t be especially useful as trade chips unless their guarantees are increased or they’re sent to teams with the cap room to absorb their full salaries.
The smaller a player’s salary and the smaller the gap between his guarantee and his full cap hit, the easier these rules are to work around.
For instance, Plumlee has a $9.08MM salary for next season, with a $4.26MM partial guarantee. If he were swapped for a player earning $7MM, both teams would meet the salary-matching requirements. It wouldn’t be so easy in a trade involving a player like Bledsoe, since the gap between his partial guarantee ($3.9MM) and his full cap hit ($19.38MM) is so substantial.
Draft Decisions: J. Lewis, Wong, Flanigan, Pullin, More
Marquette forward Justin Lewis, who entered the draft this spring coming off his sophomore season, has decided to keep his name in the 2022 draft pool, forgoing his remaining NCAA eligibility, reports Jeremy Woo of SI.com (Twitter link).
Lewis enjoyed a breakout year in 2021/22, averaging 16.8 PPG and 7.9 RPG on .440/.349/.761 shooting in 32 games (32.2 MPG) for the Golden Eagles. Lewis comes in at No. 45 on ESPN’s latest big board, though Woo suggests he has a chance to be a first-round pick.
With the NCAA’s withdrawal deadline only about 12 hours away, let’s round up several more of the latest draft decisions made by early entrants…
- Miami guard Isaiah Wong is returning to school for his senior year, he announced today (via Instagram). It’s the second time Wong has tested the draft waters and eventually pulled out, so if he declares again next season, he won’t have the option of withdrawing.
- Auburn junior wing Allen Flanigan is withdrawing from the draft, while UC-Riverside junior guard Zyon Pullin is expected to do the same, reports Jeff Goodman of Stadium (Twitter links).
- The following players are withdrawing from the draft, according to Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports (all five are Twitter links): Memphis senior forward DeAndre Williams, senior guard Courtney Ramey, Samford junior guard Ques Glover, senior guard Donald Carey, and Virginia Tech senior forward Justyn Mutts. Ramey, who played for Texas last season, is currently in the transfer portal, while Carey is transferring from Georgetown to Maryland.
Heat Notes: Herro, Martin, Haslem, Offseason
After earning Sixth Man of the Year honors in 2022, Heat guard Tyler Herro isn’t interested in winning the award again in 2023. He said during his end-of-season media session on Tuesday that he’d rather have a spot in Miami’s starting five next season, as Nick Friedell of ESPN writes.
“Yeah, for sure,” Herro said. “In some way, I would like to start. I think it’s my fourth year, so I think I’ve earned it, and we’ll see what happens.”
It will be a big offseason for Herro, who will be eligible for a contract extension as he prepares to enter the final season of his four-year rookie contract. The Heat will have to take into account the 22-year-old’s impressive regular season (20.7 PPG, 4.0 APG on .447/.399/.868 shooting) and his underwhelming postseason (12.6 PPG, 2.8 APG on .409/.229/.926 shooting), as well as their cap situation going forward.
“I’m not sure yet, honestly, what’s going to happen,” Herro said, per Friedell. “We’ll see what happens this summer. My agent (Jeff Schwartz) will talk to who he needs to talk to, and we’ll see what happens.”
Here’s more on the Heat:
- Caleb Martin said on Tuesday that he’ll be “open-minded” as he enters restricted free agency this summer, but his preference would be to remain in Miami, according to Barry Jackson and Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald. “I want to be here. I got better here. I believe I’ll get better here,” Martin said.
- Udonis Haslem said he plans to “take my time” before deciding whether or not he’ll return for a 20th season in 2022/23, per Jackson and Chiang. The NBA’s oldest player, Haslem will turn 42 next Thursday, but appears to have a place on the Heat’s roster for as long as he wants to play. He remains interested in a role with the organization – preferably as part of the ownership group – once he eventually retires.
- In a separate story for The Miami Herald, Jackson takes an in-depth look at what’s on tap for the Heat this offseason, including potentially negotiating new deals with Martin and P.J. Tucker, who holds a $7.35MM player option for 2022/23. Jackson also considers whether Miami has a viable path to trading for a star this summer.
- ESPN’s Bobby Marks (Insider link) and Yossi Gozlan of HoopsHype shared their Heat offseason previews, with a focus on a possible extension for Herro.
Quin Snyder’s Future With Jazz Remains Uncertain
It has been over a month since Utah’s season came to an end as a result of a first-round loss to Dallas, but there’s still no resolution on Jazz head coach Quin Snyder, whose future remains unclear, according to Adrian Wojnarowski and Tim MacMahon of ESPN.
Sources tell ESPN’s duo that Snyder has engaged in several weeks of “good faith” conversations with Jazz ownership and management as the team attempts to secure his return for the 2022/23 season and beyond.
Snyder is under contract for next season and holds a coach’s option on the 2023/24 campaign. However, as Marc Stein first detailed in a pair of stories in March, there’s a sense that he’s unsure about committing long-term to the Jazz after spending the last eight seasons with the franchise. There have been rumors that Snyder could walk away from his position this offseason.
Stein previously reported that Snyder turned down an extension offer from Utah prior to the 2021/22 season, and Wojnarowski and MacMahon say the Jazz maintain interest in extending the coach’s contract. However, the team would also be happy if Snyder simply decides to return for next season on his current deal, sources tell ESPN.
Snyder didn’t express interest in pursuing any one of the three NBA head coaching jobs that opened up this spring, according to Wojnarowski and MacMahon, who write that discussions between him and the Jazz have centered on “philosophical issues” and how the club can take the next step toward legitimate title contention.
Neither side has set a deadline to reach a resolution, so the talks are expected to continue, per ESPN’s report.
Draft Decisions: LaRavia, McGowens, Abogidi, Bolton, More
Wake Forest junior forward Jake LaRavia will remain in the 2022 NBA draft rather than returning to school and taking advantage of his remaining NCAA eligibility, he announced on Twitter. LaRavia, who spent a single season with the Demon Deacons after transferring from Indiana State, is considered a borderline first-round pick. He currently ranks No. 32 overall on ESPN’s big board.
Meanwhile, Nebraska guard Trey McGowens is also going pro and remaining in the draft rather than using his final year of college eligibility, according to a press release from the school. Unlike his brother Bryce McGowens – who is the No. 29 player on ESPN’s board – Trey isn’t in the top 100, so he’s a long shot to be among the 58 players drafted later this month.
While LaRavia and McGowens will remain in the draft, the following early entrants are withdrawing, according to various reports and announcements:
- Efe Abogidi, C, transferring from Washington State (sophomore) (Twitter link via Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports)
- Rasir Bolton, G, Gonzaga (senior) (Twitter link)
- Joe French, G, Bethune-Cookman (sophomore) (Twitter link via Rothstein)
- Jaelen House, G, New Mexico (junior) (Twitter link via Rothstein)
- B.J. Mack, F/C, Wofford (junior) (Twitter link)
- Omari Moore, G, San Jose State (junior) (Twitter link via Rothstein)
- Nick Ongenda, C, DePaul (junior) (Twitter link via Rothstein)
- Malachi Smith, G, transferring from Chattanooga (junior) (Twitter link via Rothstein)
- Jacob Toppin, F, Kentucky (junior) (Twitter video link)
- Kerwin Walton, G, transferring from North Carolina (sophomore) (Twitter link via Rothstein)
2022 NBA Offseason Preview: Cleveland Cavaliers
When we asked Hoops Rumors readers last fall whether the Cavaliers would win over or under 26.5 games in 2021/22, responses leaned ever so slightly toward the under, and the consensus was that Cleveland was on its way to another lottery finish. So when the Cavs won their 27th game on January 17, their season already had to be considered a major success.
Unfortunately, injuries caught up to Cleveland following a 35-21 start and the team finished just 9-17, falling out of a top-six spot in the East and into play-in territory. The banged-up Cavs then lost a pair of play-in games – one in Brooklyn and one at home vs. Atlanta – and missed out on the opportunity to compete in a postseason series.
It was a disappointing finish to the year, since getting some best-of-seven playoff experience against a team like the Heat or Bucks would have been a huge step for young players like Darius Garland, Evan Mobley, and Jarrett Allen. But the organization still had to be thrilled by what it saw from its roster this past year.
After going 60-159 in the three seasons following LeBron James‘ departure, the ’21/22 Cavs finished above .500 (44-38), showing the resilience to fight through a series of injuries to key contributors, including Collin Sexton, Ricky Rubio, Mobley, and Allen. And given how young most of Cleveland’s core players still are, there’s no reason to think this group has reached its ceiling.
The Cavaliers’ Offseason Plan:
The nine players who logged the most total minutes for the Cavaliers in 2021/22 are all under contract for at least one more season, as is midseason addition Caris LeVert, so the roster shouldn’t undergo any significant changes this summer. However, there are still a handful of important decisions to make.
Determining how to handle Sexton’s restricted free agency will be one of the front office’s top priorities. The former lottery pick emerged as one of the NBA’s most dangerous backcourt scorers from 2019-21, averaging 22.5 PPG on .474/.376/.828 shooting across those two years. But he suffered a torn meniscus just 11 games into his fourth season and wasn’t a factor in the Cavs’ unexpected success.
As good a scorer as Sexton is, his contributions on the other end of the court are limited, and his lost season will likely reduce his leverage in contract negotiations. With so few teams possessing cap room this offseason, the Cavs are in position to play hardball in their discussions with Sexton, especially if none of those cap-room teams have serious interest in him. A deal worth at least $20-25MM annually seemed within reach for the 6’1″ guard a year ago, but now he’d be doing well to get $15-17MM per season.
The presence of LeVert should provide the Cavs with additional leverage in their talks with Sexton. LeVert wasn’t at his best after joining the Cavs, averaging a modest 13.6 PPG in 19 games, but he’s just one year removed from a 20+ PPG season, and his size makes him a more natural fit next to Garland in Cleveland’s backcourt.
LeVert will be extension-eligible this offseason, so the Cavs should be able to get a sense of what sort of deals both he and Sexton are seeking before investing long-term in one or the other — or both.
Like LeVert, Garland and Kevin Love will be eligible for contract extensions this summer. Talks with Garland should be reasonably straightforward, as he has earned a maximum-salary offer following an All-Star campaign. It should just be a matter of whether or not he gets the full five years.
Love is less likely to receive a new deal in the coming months, since his $28.9MM expiring contract could be useful in trade talks during the offseason or at the 2023 deadline. But if he’s willing to take a significant pay cut, Cleveland would likely entertain the idea of an extension for Love, who had a nice bounce-back year in 2021/22 and was the Sixth Man of the Year runner-up.
As a result of missing out on the playoffs, the Cavs retained their first-round pick, which would have gone to Indiana if it had landed outside of the lottery. That No. 14 overall selection probably won’t yield a star, but it’s an intriguing asset as Cleveland looks to add more shooting and defense on the wing.
Ohio State’s Malaki Branham, Kansas’ Ochai Agbaji, Baylor’s Jeremy Sochan, and LSU’s Tari Eason all make sense as potential targets if the Cavs keep the pick. It could also be dangled in trade talks if Cleveland wants to acquire a veteran who is a better bet to contribute immediately.
Salary Cap Situation
Note: Our salary cap figures are based on the league’s latest projection ($122MM) for 2022/23.
Guaranteed Salary
- Kevin Love ($28,942,830)
- Jarrett Allen ($20,000,000)
- Caris LeVert ($18,796,296)
- Lauri Markkanen ($16,475,454)
- Darius Garland ($8,920,795)
- Evan Mobley ($8,478,720)
- Cedi Osman ($7,426,088)
- Isaac Okoro ($7,040,880)
- Dylan Windler ($4,037,278)
- Total: $120,118,341
Player Options
- None
Team Options
- Dean Wade ($1,930,681): Bird rights 1
- Total: $1,930,681
Non-Guaranteed Salary
- Lamar Stevens ($1,782,621)
- Total: $1,782,621
Restricted Free Agents
Collin Sexton ($7,228,448 qualifying offer / $19,049,013 cap hold): Bird rights- Moses Brown ($2,076,674 qualifying offer / $2,076,674 cap hold): Non-Bird rights
- Total (cap holds): $21,125,687
Two-Way Free Agents
- Brandon Goodwin ($1,941,833 qualifying offer / $1,941,833 cap hold): Non-Bird rights
- RJ Nembhard ($1,616,044 cap hold): Non-Bird rights
- Total (cap holds): $3,557,877
Draft Picks
- No. 14 overall pick ($3,865,920)
- No. 39 overall pick (no cap hold)
- No. 56 overall pick (no cap hold)
- Total: $3,865,920
Extension-Eligible Players
Note: These are players who are either already eligible for an extension or will become eligible before the 2022/23 season begins.
- Darius Garland (rookie scale)
- Caris LeVert (veteran)
- Kevin Love (veteran)
- Dean Wade (veteran) 2
- Dylan Windler (rookie scale)
Unrestricted Free Agents / Other Cap Holds
- Ed Davis ($1,811,516 cap hold): Non-Bird rights
- Rajon Rondo ($1,811,516 cap hold): Non-Bird rights
- Matthew Dellavedova ($1,811,516 cap hold): Bird rights 3
- Total: $5,434,548
Offseason Cap Outlook
With $120MM+ in guaranteed money on their books, plus Wade, Stevens, and a first-round pick to account for, the Cavs will almost certainly be over the projected $122MM cap.
Whether or not they approach the tax line will hinge largely on whether Sexton is back and how big his first-year salary is. Even with a new deal for Sexton on the books, Cleveland shouldn’t be a taxpayer next season.
Cap Exceptions Available
- Mid-level exception: $10,349,000 4
- Bi-annual exception: $4,050,000 4
- Trade exception: $858,218
- Trade exception: $300,000
Footnotes
- Wade’s salary will remain non-guaranteed even if his option is exercised.
- Wade would only be eligible if his option is exercised.
- The cap hold for Dellavedova remain on the Cavaliers’ books from a prior season because he hasn’t been renounced. He can’t be used in a sign-and-trade deal.
- These are projected values. If the Cavaliers approach or cross the tax line, they may not have access to the full mid-level exception and/or bi-annual exception and would instead be limited to the taxpayer mid-level exception ($6,392,000).
Salary and cap information from Basketball Insiders and RealGM was used in the creation of this post.
NCAA’s Withdrawal Deadline Looms For Draft’s Early Entrants
College players who are “testing the draft waters” this spring, having entered the 2022 NBA draft pool while maintaining their NCAA eligibility, will have to make a final decision this week on whether or not to go pro.
The NCAA has set a withdrawal deadline of Wednesday, June 1 at 11:59 pm Eastern time (10 days after the end of the draft combine). A player who still has college eligibility left but who doesn’t pull out of the draft pool by that deadline will forgo his remaining eligibility and won’t be able to return to his school or transfer to a new one for the 2022/23 season.
A total of 247 college players – either underclassmen or seniors who still have an extra year of eligibility due to COVID-19 – initially entered the draft prior to April’s early entry deadline.
In the weeks since then, many have either opted to withdraw after getting feedback on their stock, or have made a final decision to remain in the draft. However, as our early entrant tracker shows, there are still dozens with decisions to make by Wednesday night.
A college player who doesn’t withdraw from the draft by Wednesday’s deadline still technically has another 12 days to do so, since the NBA’s own withdrawal deadline is on Monday, June 13 at 5:00 pm ET, 10 days ahead of the June 23 draft.
However, a college player who pulls out of the draft pool at that point would no longer have his NCAA eligibility, so he’d have to play in a non-NBA league for the 2022/23 season. That’s why the NBA’s withdrawal deadline is often only meaningful for international players, who don’t have to worry about the NCAA’s rules.
NC State’s Terquavion Smith, Duke’s Trevor Keels, Wake Forest’s Jake LaRavia, and Colorado State’s David Roddy are some of the top-50 prospects on ESPN’s big board who have yet to formally confirmed whether they’ll stay in the draft. We’ll be tracking their decisions – and all the rest – ahead of Wednesday’s deadline.