Roster Moves Required This Week For Celtics, Bucks
The NBA’s roster rules don’t require teams to carry a full squad of 15 players on standard contracts all season long, but they do call for a minimum of 14 players (not counting two-ways).
A club is permitted to temporarily dip below that minimum during the regular season, but can only do so for up to two weeks at a time. Once that two-week grace period is up, the team must get back to having at least 14 players.
With that rule in mind, the Celtics and Bucks will be required to make additions to their respective rosters this week.
In a series of three trades at the February 10 deadline, Boston sent out seven players and took just two back, creating five open spots on its 15-man roster. The Celtics have since signed two players – Luke Kornet and Sam Hauser – but still have three roster openings. Their two-week grace period comes to an end this Thursday, so they’ll have to add a 13th and 14th man at that point.
Milwaukee, meanwhile, entered trade deadline day on February 10 with a full 15-man roster, but made a three-for-one trade, opening up a pair of roster spots. Since then, the Bucks have signed DeAndre’ Bembry, but parted ways – at least temporarily – with Greg Monroe, who had been on a 10-day contract. Because Bembry’s signing occurred after Monroe’s deal expired, the club has had two open roster spots since the trade deadline and will have to fill one of them before the end of the week.
Neither the Celtics nor the Bucks will be forced to sign anyone to a rest-of-season contract this week if they don’t want to.
For instance, Milwaukee has reportedly been “aggressive” in its pursuit of Goran Dragic and would likely happily sign the veteran point guard for the rest of the season. But if Dragic delays his decision or joins another team, the Bucks could simply fill their 14th roster spot with a 10-day signing, temporarily meeting the minimum roster requirement while continuing to weigh their rest-of-season options.
[UPDATE: Dragic is signing with the Nets]
The Celtics, meanwhile, haven’t been linked to Dragic, and there aren’t a ton of intriguing alternatives on the buyout market, so it’s possible they’ll turn to a couple young players rather than veterans. President of basketball operations Brad Stevens has suggested the team may take the Miami Heat route of signing a prospect or two to a late-season multiyear deal for developmental purposes. But if Boston hasn’t yet zeroed in on a specific candidate for that sort of investment, 10-day signings are a viable possibility for the short term.
The Celtics aren’t far off from the luxury tax line, while the Bucks are already in the tax, so the two teams will be cost-conscious as they consider potential roster moves. I’d expect both clubs, for now at least, to simply get to the required roster minimum of 14 players while keeping their 15th slots open.
Community Shootaround: NBA’s Next Disgruntled Star
When Ben Simmons was pushing for a trade out of Philadelphia prior to the 2021 season, multiple reports indicated that Sixers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey was holding out for a deal that netted his team a star.
The thinking was that even if no team was willing to proactively shake up its roster in the fall by trading an All-Star player for Simmons, it would only be a matter of time before a player of that caliber became disgruntled with his current situation and asked for a trade. When that happened, Morey and the 76ers wanted to be ready to pounce.
While Morey faced some criticism at the time for his stance, it was a defensible one — in recent years, the NBA generally hasn’t made it more than a few months before a star player shakes loose. Sure enough, in the weeks leading up to the trade deadline, whispers of James Harden‘s discontent in Brooklyn grew louder and louder, culminating in the deadline-day blockbuster that sent Harden to the Sixers and Simmons to the Nets.
The Simmons and Harden situations are just the latest examples of the superstar wanderlust that has dominated the NBA for at least the last half-decade. Jimmy Butler, Kawhi Leonard, Anthony Davis, Kyrie Irving, Russell Westbrook (twice), Paul George (twice), and Harden (twice) are among the players who have requested – or demanded – trades to new teams within the last five years.
Taking into account the NBA’s recent history, it’s probably safe to assume that another star player will be angling for a trade before the end of 2022, whether that takes the form of a private request to the team or an ugly public standoff.
As Howard Beck of SI.com writes in his article on the subject, speculation among team executives has focused on players like Pelicans forward Zion Williamson, Jazz guard Donovan Mitchell, and Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard.
All of those players have said the right things publicly, but a June report claimed that Williamson’s family wanted him out of New Orleans, and there has been plenty of chatter about Mitchell’s relationship with teammate Rudy Gobert being a warning sign in Utah. Lillard, meanwhile, seriously considered his future last summer and remains committed to Portland for now, but with the team in retooling mode, it’s possible he’ll eventually try to win a title elsewhere.
Those aren’t the only stars worth keeping an eye on. Wizards guard Bradley Beal can be a free agent this summer, and Washington isn’t exactly close to championship contention. Irving can also reach free agency in 2022 and his union with the Nets seems less stable than it did a year ago, in part due to his inconsistent availability due to his vaccination status. Even Lakers star LeBron James has raised eyebrows lately with comments about his future and his apparent frustration with L.A.’s deadline inactivity.
It sometimes only takes one down year, one short-lived postseason run, or one bad relationship to convince a star player to ask out, so it’s certainly possible that other players we haven’t mentioned could become unhappy with their current situations in the coming months — at this time last year, we certainly didn’t expect Harden to be seeking another trade so soon.
With all that in mind, we want to know what you think. Which star(s) will be the next to push for a trade? How soon will it happen, and how many stars might we see change teams this summer?
Head to the comment section below to weigh in with your thoughts!
Draymond Green Hopes To Return Within 3-4 Weeks
Working his second job as a TNT analyst during Sunday’s All-Star Game, Warriors forward Draymond Green offered a rough timeline for his return from a back/disc injury that has sidelined him since January 9.
Asked by TNT’s Charles Barkley when he’ll be “coming out of retirement,” Green laughed, then replied, “Hopefully within three to four weeks, that’s what I’m shooting for” (video link via Rob Lopez of FanDuel).
As usual, Green’s scoring numbers have been modest this season through 34 games (29.9 MPG), but he has supplemented his 7.9 PPG with 7.6 RPG, 7.4 APG, and stellar defense.
The Warriors still have the NBA’s best defensive rating (104.6), but they haven’t been nearly as effective on that side of the ball since Green went down. That league-best defensive rating was at 101.9 after January 9 — since then, the club has recorded a 109.9 mark.
Golden State is also waiting on James Wiseman‘s return from a knee injury that has kept him on the shelf for the entire 2021/22 season so far. Wiseman, who has participated in 5-on-5 scrimmages, said last week that he’s in the final stages of his rehab process, so the expectation is that both he and Green will be back well before the playoffs get underway in mid-April.
Stephen Curry Named MVP Of All-Star Game
Warriors guard Stephen Curry was named the MVP of the 2022 NBA All-Star Game in Cleveland on Sunday night, following a record-setting performance in which he put up 50 points and made 16 three-pointers for Team LeBron.
Curry’s 16 three-pointers obliterated the previous All-Star record of nine and are more than any player has made in a regular season game in NBA history (Curry’s teammate Klay Thompson holds that record, with 14).
While Curry’s outside shooting stole the show for much of the night, it was his teammate – and fellow Akron, Ohio native – LeBron James who hit the game-winning shot to secure a 163-160 win for Team LeBron. Curry said after the game that it was an ideal way for an All-Star Game in Cleveland to play out.
“It was kind of a perfect ending,” Curry said, per ESPN’s Dave McMenamin. “Obviously, I got the MVP; I played well the whole night. (LeBron) hit the game winner. All the history of our series and the Akron ties, and all that kind of going into how the night went, so it was pretty — can’t really draw it up any other way. It’s right on the nose of how it should go.”
It’s the first All-Star MVP award for Curry and the fifth time in NBA history that a Warriors player has won it, with Curry joining Kevin Durant (2019), Rick Barry (1967), Wilt Chamberlain (1960), and Paul Arizin (1952).
James (24 points, eight assists, six rebounds) and Giannis Antetokounmpo (30 points, 12 rebounds) were among the other Team LeBron standouts, while Joel Embiid led the way for Team Durant with 36 points and 10 boards.
Nine Candidates To Be Promoted From Two-Way Contracts
Since last week’s trade deadline, four teams have promoted a player from a two-way contract to a 15-man roster spot — the Celtics (Sam Hauser), Thunder (Aaron Wiggins), Rockets (Daishen Nix), and Heat (Caleb Martin) all took advantage of roster openings to make such a move.
For a playoff-bound team like Miami, promoting a two-way player to the 15-man roster ensures he’ll be eligible to play in the postseason.
That’s not exactly a pressing concern for a team like Oklahoma City or Houston, but it still made sense for them to promote Wiggins and Nix, respectively, because they were able to lock those rookies up to four-year contracts that will be worth the minimum salary going forward. Both Wiggins and Nix have non-guaranteed third and fourth years on those deals, so the Thunder and Rockets will have the ability to bail early if their investments don’t work out.
Even after that flurry of promotions, there are still several players around the NBA on two-way contracts who are candidates to get new deals before the end of the regular season.
Here’s a closer look at which players could be next in line for a bump up to the 15-man roster:
Amir Coffey (Clippers)
Coffey has emerged as a regular rotation player for the Clippers this season, averaging 22.2 minutes per contest in 48 games (20 starts). He hasn’t missed a game or played fewer than 13 minutes since December 20 and is averaging 8.4 PPG and 3.0 RPG with a solid shooting line (.459/.380/.886).
The Clippers don’t currently have an open spot on their 15-man roster, so there’s no clear path for Coffey to sign a standard contract unless someone is waived. Newly-acquired swingman Rodney Hood or forward Semi Ojeleye are probably be the best candidates to be released — L.A.’s deadline deal to acquire that duo from the Bucks appeared to be more about tax considerations than about targeting those specific players.
Kessler Edwards (Nets)
Like Coffey, Edwards has been a regular contributor lately, starting 19 of 20 Brooklyn’s games. And like the Clippers, the Nets have a full 15-man roster, creating a temporary roadblock for an Edwards promotion.
It’s trickier finding expendable pieces on the Nets’ roster. Bruce Brown, James Johnson, and Blake Griffin are among those on expiring contracts and they haven’t exactly been setting the world on fire, but they’ve been rotation players when healthy. Jevon Carter has been in and out of the rotation, but is owed a guaranteed $3.9MM salary next season.
Edwards slumped badly entering the All-Star break, averaging 2.3 PPG on 18.9% shooting in his last eight games. If that trend continues, the Nets probably won’t need to find room for him on their 15-man squad. But if he bounces back, the team may want to ensure he’s playoff-eligible.
Jose Alvarado (Pelicans)
Alvarado appeared in just eight of New Orleans’ first 35 games, then played in the next 23 before getting a DNP-CD on Thursday. The addition of CJ McCollum may limit Alvarado’s playing time going forward, but the rookie has proven he’s capable of stepping in and providing the Pelicans with solid minutes. The team’s open roster spot could be earmarked for him or fellow two-way player Gary Clark.
Trent Forrest (Jazz)
Forrest has had a nice February for Utah, putting up 8.0 PPG, 4.1 APG, and 1.6 SPG on 52.4% shooting in seven games (22.6 MPG). The Jazz have an opening on their roster and could create a second one if they decide Juan Hernangomez isn’t in their plans. I’d expect Forrest to claim one of those spots by the end of the season, though the in-the-tax club may prefer to hold off for a few more weeks in order to keep its tax bill in check.
Justin Champagnie (Raptors)
Champagnie’s role as a rookie has been inconsistent, but the Raptors like his potential and will probably try to sign him to a multiyear deal before the end of the season if they can negotiate favorable terms. Toronto currently has an open roster spot and still has some of its mid-level exception available to offer Champagnie a contract of up to four years.
Trendon Watford (Trail Blazers)
The Trail Blazers have a full 15-man roster for now, but that group includes at least one expendable veteran in Joe Ingles, who is on an expiring contract and will miss the rest of the season with a torn ACL. It’s also unclear if recently-acquired players like Eric Bledsoe, Elijah Hughes, and Didi Louzada will finish the season in Portland.
In other words, if the Blazers want to promote Watford, who has played in every one of the team’s games in 2022, there should be a path to do so.
Davon Reed (Nuggets)
At one point, Reed looked like a prime candidate for a promotion to the Nuggets’ 15-man roster, but his playing time has decreased in the last month, and if Denver wants to keep DeMarcus Cousins for the rest of the season, the veteran center would become the club’s 15th man.
A standard contract isn’t out of the question for Reed – injured forward Vlatko Cancar could be waived if the Nuggets need to make room for both Cousins and Reed – but the Nuggets may decide to see how the next few weeks play out before deciding whether or not to make the young wing playoff-eligible.
Duane Washington / Terry Taylor (Pacers)
With Indiana shifting into rebuilding mode, Washington and Taylor should both continue to play regularly, like they have in recent weeks. Taylor, in particular, has been very productive in limited minutes, averaging 9.5 PPG and 6.8 RPG on .598/.444/.769 shooting in 13 games (19.0 MPG).
The Pacers already have one open roster spot and could create a second one by waiving injured guard Ricky Rubio, though if they value his Bird rights, they’ll want to keep Rubio on the roster. Still, I’d be surprised if at least one of Washington and Taylor doesn’t sign a standard contract in the next month-and-a-half.
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Sixers Notes: Championship Potential, Simmons, Maxey
With just 24 games between now and the playoffs, it will be a challenge for the Sixers‘ new superstar duo of James Harden and Joel Embiid to mesh quickly enough to make the team a legitimate championship threat this spring.
However, head coach Doc Rivers‘ plan isn’t to work out the kinks this year and focus on winning a title in 2023. As Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer writes, Rivers fully believes the team is capable of a championship run this spring and wants to make the most of the opportunity.
“I always think right now,” Rivers said on Thursday. “I’ve been in this league too long. And I always go back to [the Celtics’ 2007/08 NBA championship team.] Kevin [Garnett] and I talk about it all the time. I remember the first year during training camp we had a meeting and they were saying, ‘Man, we have to get it together. This might not be the year. But by next year, we might…’ I said, ‘Next year? Are you guys kidding me? Next year one of you can get hurt.’
“I know it’s short. I know it’s going to be hard to get it together. But having said that, the time is always now.”
Here’s more on the 76ers:
- Appearing on the Rights to Ricky Sanchez podcast, Sixers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey said he believes Ben Simmons was dealing with mental health struggles in Philadelphia, as Dan Feldman of NBC Sports relays. “I believe him. He was going through something,” Morey said. “And it was just whether or not we could’ve gotten to the point where we would have him play basketball for us,”
- During the same interview, Morey said he should have communicated better with Simmons when the Sixers were originally trying to acquire Harden from Houston in 2021, and that he “should have had a better relationship” with the former No. 1 overall pick. “I think knowing how sensitive he was to public comments that that behooved us to be, just organizationally, more careful on that,” Morey said, per Feldman. “I think it’s important you know your top players and their different spots where you have to pay attention.”
- Sixers guard Tyrese Maxey will replace injured Kings guard Davion Mitchell in Friday’s “Clutch Challenge,” a shooting competition that will take place prior to the Rising Stars final, the league announced in a press release. Maxey will team up with Toronto forward Scottie Barnes in the event.
- In case you missed it, we asked on Thursday whether the Sixers or Nets are better positioned for a deep playoff run.
2022 NBA Buyout Market Watch
The 2022 NBA trade deadline is behind us, but that doesn’t mean teams are finished making roster moves. With over a month-and-a-half left in the 2021/22 regular season, there are still many roster spots to be filled around the NBA, as well as veterans who might not finish the year with their current teams.
The NBA’s buyout market has been active since the trade deadline and could feature several more moves in the next week or two.
[RELATED: Hoops Rumors Glossary: Buyouts]
A veteran in an undesirable situation due to his playing time or his team’s place in the standings (or both) could ask to be released and may even be willing to give back a little money to accommodate the move. Some teams might make that decision unilaterally, opting to release a veteran to open up a roster spot for a younger player.
Over the rest of the month, we’ll use the space below to monitor the buyout market, keeping tabs on which veteran players have been bought out or released, and which have found new teams. We’ll also keep an eye on players who are potential buyout candidates. The list will be updated daily.
A player on an NBA contract must be waived by the end of the day on March 1 in order to retain his playoff eligibility, so that will be a key date to watch.
Here’s our breakdown of the 2022 NBA buyout market:
Last updated 3-3-22 (8:08pm CT)
Veterans who have been recently bought out or released and are free agents:
- Enes Freedom, C
Not every player who has been cut since the trade deadline will be mentioned here. Essentially, this list is just made up of players with at least a few years of NBA experience who could be of immediate interest to teams in the playoff mix.
To that end, we’re not listing young players such as Jahmi’us Ramsey, KZ Okpala, Armoni Brooks, or Moses Brown, since they’d be unlikely to draw interest from playoff teams who are in win-now mode and looking for veteran depth.
We’re also not listing injured veterans like PJ Dozier, Cody Zeller, Michael Carter-Williams, or E’Twaun Moore, unless it becomes clear that the player will be able to return in the coming days or weeks.
Veterans who have been bought out or released and joined new teams:
- DeAndre’ Bembry, G/F: Released by Nets; signed with Bucks.
- Tristan Thompson, C: Bought out by Pacers; signed with Bulls.
- Goran Dragic, G: Bought out by Spurs; signed with Nets.
- Kevin Pangos, G: Bought out by Cavaliers; signed with CSKA Moscow.
- Jevon Carter, G: Released by Nets; signed with Bucks.
- Tomas Satoransky, G: Bought out by Spurs; signed with Wizards.
- D.J. Augustin, G: Released by Rockets; signed with Lakers.
- DeAndre Jordan, C: Released by Lakers; signed with Sixers.
Other veterans who could be candidates to be bought out or released:
- Kent Bazemore, Lakers
- Eric Bledsoe, Trail Blazers
- Gorgui Dieng, Hawks
- Wayne Ellington, Lakers
- Gary Harris, Magic
- Juan Hernangomez, Jazz
- Rodney Hood, Clippers
- Josh Jackson, Kings
- Robin Lopez, Magic
- Semi Ojeleye, Clippers
- John Wall, Rockets
We had viewed these players as possible buyout candidates, with some more realistic than others. However, they all made it through the March 1 playoff eligibility waiver deadline without being cut, so they appear likely to finish the season with their respective clubs.
Hoops Rumors Glossary: Buyouts
Once the NBA trade deadline passes, the league’s buyout season unofficially begins. What exactly are buyouts, and how do they work? Today’s Hoops Rumors glossary entry will examine those questions. Let’s dive in…
What is a buyout?
While the term “buyout” is often applied colloquially when any veteran is released after the trade deadline, it applies specifically to a player who gives up a portion of his salary to accommodate his release. Rather than waiving a player outright, a team will negotiate the terms of the player’s release. Then, once the player clears waivers, his guaranteed salary with his previous team will be reduced or eliminated altogether.
So far this season, we’ve seen Spurs guard Goran Dragic and Pacers big man Tristan Thompson agree to buyouts. Those two veterans each surrendered in the neighborhood of $800K to their respective teams in order to reach free agency.
What’s the motivation for a buyout?
The most common form of buyout involves a veteran player on a non-contending team being granted his release during the final year of his contract to join a playoff club down the stretch.
It typically happens after the trade deadline because by that point there’s no other way for a player to change teams. It’s even more frequent if the player was traded at the deadline for salary-matching purposes to a team that doesn’t view him as part of its plans.
Dragic and Thompson each fit this bill. The Spurs and Pacers probably aren’t going to make the playoffs this season and are more focused on developing their young players. Buyouts for those two veterans will give them a chance to join teams with loftier short-term aspirations.
For the player, the motivating factor is generally the desire to play for a winning team rather than a chance to earn more money. In their buyouts, Dragic and Thompson gave up roughly the amount of money they’ll make on new prorated minimum-salary contracts, so they likely won’t come out ahead financially — they’ll just get a chance to play in the postseason before returning to free agency in the summer.
As for the team, there’s little downside to letting a veteran go, since the player is usually in the final year of his contract and the club completing the buyout is rarely in contention for a playoff spot. Buying out that veteran can save the team some money, earn some goodwill with a player and an agent, and open up minutes for a younger player to take over.
Jayson Tatum Questions Super-Max Qualification Process
When Jayson Tatum signed a maximum-salary rookie scale extension with the Celtics in 2020, the deal included a “Rose Rule” clause that allowed him to increase the potential overall value of the contract. Tatum’s starting salary on his extension in 2021/22 would be 30% of the cap if he made an All-NBA team in 2021, or 25% of the cap if he didn’t.
If Tatum had earned an All-NBA spot last season, his five-year contract would’ve been worth $195.6MM. However, he narrowly missed out, receiving the most votes of an player who didn’t make the cut (and more votes than one player who did, at another position). As a result, his five-year deal is worth $163MM.
Appearing on J.J. Redick’s The Old Man and The Three podcast (video clip), Tatum questioned the process that cost him more than $32MM, explaining that he became frustrated reading articles and listening to podcasts where media members made and explained their All-NBA selections.
“I specifically remember one (voter) saying, ‘I’m not a fan of his shot selection, so I just couldn’t put him on my All-NBA ballot,'” Tatum said. “And I was baffled. The fact that somebody could have thought and basically cost someone $30 million dollars… Forget about me, say the next rookie extension guys that come in. I think that has to change.
“Because there’s no criteria set for the voters on who should they vote for. It’s all opinion-based. There’s no, like, ‘He should have to play this many games’ or ‘They should be in the playoffs’ or ‘Average this many points.’ It’s all, ‘Well, I like this guy a little bit more’ or certain things like that, and I think there’s just a little too much on the line for that.”
The NBA’s Rose Rule allows players coming off their rookie scale contracts to qualify for a maximum salary worth 30% of the cap instead of 25%, while the Designated Veteran rule allows players with more years of NBA experience to qualify for a max worth 35% of the cap instead of 30%. These rules are what we refer to when we talk about a player qualifying for a “super-max” contract.
In each case, the player must make an All-NBA team (or win a Defensive Player of the Year award) in either the most recent season or in two of the three most recent seasons in order to be eligible for the higher maximum salary.
Tatum made the All-NBA team in his third NBA season in 2019/20, then signed his rookie scale extension prior to his fourth season. However, because his extension didn’t go into effect until his fifth year in the NBA, he needed to make an All-NBA team again in year four in order to qualify for the “super-max.” That didn’t happen.
In his conversation with Redick, Tatum acknowledged that having to “settle” for $163MM instead of $195.6MM shouldn’t earn him any sympathy and insisted he’s not upset specifically about that.
“I think the narrative was, ‘Jayson didn’t make All-NBA, he loses $30 million,'” Tatum said. “And from that headline, nobody’s going to feel bad for me. I still got $175 million, nobody’s going to feel bad, and I don’t want anybody to feel bad about the money part. My lifestyle hasn’t changed, it’s not about that.
“I think just as the results came out and I looked at how people voted, what went into the media members’ process of voting, that was the frustrating part.”