Reaction Roundup: Jahlil Okafor Trade Rumors
Tonight’s flurry of Jahlil Okafor trade rumors appears to have reached a (temporary) conclusion; according to a report from Keith Smith of RealGM, the Pelicans and Sixers missed a 5 PM EST cutoff to complete a trade. Nevertheless, Okafor’s trade availability is no longer in doubt- Sixers GM Bryan Colangelo has reportedly approached eight teams with trade proposals involving Okafor. While details are still emerging, we gathered some takes from around the league on a potential Pelicans/Sixers swap.
- Okafor would be a good fit on the Pelicans, Jessica Camerato writes for CSN Philly. Okafor has exhibited flaws on defense, Camerato notes, but the former #3 overall pick would not be tasked with those responsibilities in New Orleans, as Anthony Davis remains the team’s premier rebounder. “Okafor would start at the five, his true position. When he’s paired with Joel Embiid, he’s forced to play the four. A pairing of Davis and Okafor would help spread the floor for Davis and relieve pressure from defenders, who would have to focus on Okafor on the block,” Camerato argues.
- Adding Okafor may not prevent the Pelicans from declining, Dan Feldman of NBC Sports warns. “Trading a 2018 first-rounder becomes even more logical for New Orleans when you consider general manager Dell Demps’ seemingly shaky job security. Okafor could help the Pelicans become more respectable in the short term — and if the center doesn’t, Demps might be gone for the 2018 draft,” Feldman writes.
- John Reid of NOLA.com implored the Pelicans to “pull the trigger” is they can acquire Okafor for Alexis Ajinca and a 2018 first round pick. The Pelicans sit at 19-32 and have no reinforcements coming back from injury, Reid added.
- Pels coach Alvin Gentry had little to say of the trade rumors prior to Monday’s match-up against the Suns. ”Obviously I think at this time of the year all the GM’s are talking back and forth,” Gentry told reporters, including Justin Verrier of ESPN. ”I think with that situation right there, it’s best that you ask Dell. You ask Dell, I don’t want to be misquoted or anything. Probably take it up with him.”
- Ajinca found out he was mentioned in trade rumors from Twitter. Ajinca told Justin Verrier of ESPN “I need to play…if my time is up here then we’ll see.”
Kenny Anderson, Jamario Moon Among Additions To BIG3
Five players have been announced as additions to the BIG3 league, President & Commissioner Roger Mason Jr. announced in a press release. Former Slam Dunk Contest participant Jamario Moon will join the league, as will Kenny Anderson, Etan Thomas, Ruben Patterson, and Smush Parker.
“There has been an outpouring of interest from our professional basketball community. We are so excited to bring quality players to the draft. We are building something special with this league. A league for the players, by the players,” Mason Jr. said.
BIG3’s talent pool has come together nicely since its January 11 inception, as NBA legends Allen Iverson, Jermaine O’Neal, Jason Williams, and more are set to resume their careers in a 3-on-3 format. While the league has scooped up players with recent NBA experience, Hall-of-Famers George Gervin and Clyde Drexler will serve crucial roles as coaches and ambassadors of the league.
Hornacek: Knicks Balancing Short-Term, Long-Term Priorities
Knicks coach Jeff Hornacek spoke to reporters, including Marc Berman of the New York Post, about the importance of balancing short-term and long-term priorities. While the Knicks remain in the playoff picture, Hornacek would be hesitant to mortgage the team’s future in favor of pursuing a postseason run this season.
“If we’re looking at just trying to make the playoffs, I would say we have a team if we all stay healthy we have a shot at it,’’ Hornacek said. “As far as a rebuild, I haven’t talked about that. We’re trying to get that system in and working, gotten better the last couple of weeks, we’re trying to build on that. If it ends up being a rebuild, we’ll work on that. If it’s the same team we’ll work on that.”
Aside from trading Carmelo Anthony, the Knicks have options to improve the team around the February 23rd deadline. Berman suggests Brandon Jennings or Derrick Rose could be in play, provided the Knicks receive draft picks in return. Hornacek is in the first year of a three-year pact with the Knicks, and wants his team to be well-positioned for a bounce-back 2017/18 campaign.
“We have to understand we have to try to develop something for the long term. If we’re just skipping steps just to get in the playoffs, that would be great for this year, then what do you do next year? We want to try to combine those two,” Hornacek said. “We still feel we can get into the playoffs, which it was in the beginning of the year. We had to see if they were going to mesh as a group. At times it looks pretty good. There’s other times it hasn’t. We’re struggling with that consistency.”
Rockets GM Unsure Of Trade Deadline Activity
Rockets GM Daryl Morey is non-committal toward his team’s activity in this year’s trade deadline, according to a report from Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle. Morey was unable to give a concrete answer regarding his outlook as February 23rd approaches, claiming to be comfortable with the team’s current structure.
“In some ways being good as we think we are makes it harder to do trades,” Morey said. “We have a rotation that has played very well. It’s hard to add anything that would into create a weakness somewhere else. If you feel the defense needs to improve, you can try to add a defensive player, but that potentially would hurt the offense unless it’s a top, top-level player. Those usually aren’t available.”
The Rockets currently occupy the third seed in the Western Conference, four games behind the Spurs. As Feigen noted, Houston possesses commodities if they choose to pursue a “top-level” player; namely, a first round pick and a pair of second round picks. Aside from an injury to Nene, the Rockets core has remained healthy in 2016/17. Should an injury arise, however, Morey claimed a willingness to stock up on depth.
“It’s hard to judge because it takes two. It’s hard to know. I don’t know if it makes it more or less likely, but the kinds of things you do are different. We are more likely to shore up a spot in case we take an injury. Anything we would do is more likely for depth.”
Community Shootaround: Denver’s Trade Chips
Despite a 22-28 record, the Nuggets find themselves within striking distance of a playoff spot in the Western Conference. Staked to a half-game lead in the eighth seed, Denver has outperformed expectations behind a breakout season from Nikola Jokic.
As Mark Kiszla pointed out in a Denver Post column, the Nuggets have a decision to make: pursue a No. 7 or 8 seed, or sell off their assets by the trade deadline? Wilson Chandler has been critical of his role (or occasional lack thereof) under coach Michael Malone, making him a logical trade candidate.
Malone firmly denied Emmanuel Mudiay‘s availability via trade, but several Nuggets remain viable trade chips; particularly Danilo Gallinari and Jusuf Nurkic. As of late January, Nurkic was rumored to be available in a package deal with veteran forward Kenneth Faried.
We know Nuggets GM Tim Connelly has a history of trade deadline activity; here’s what we want to know as February 23rd approaches…
Who would you like to see the Nuggets shop at the deadline? Would it be worthwhile for Connelly to keep his team intact while pursuing a playoff spot? Which team would be the most logical destination for Chandler?
Let us know in the comments section!
Heat Facing Roster Crunch
Now finishing up his second 10-day contract, 24-year-old Okaro White has impressed in his time with Miami. The former Seminole has played in nine games this season, including a stellar performance (10 points, seven rebounds, four blocks) against the Nets.
White’s contract expires today, and according to a report from Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel, the team is undecided about his future on the roster. The Heat are facing a roster crunch, as Josh Richardson is set to return from injury after missing 13 games with a foot injury. NBA teams are permitted to sign players to a maximum of two 10-day contracts before signing them for the rest of the season, or releasing them. The Heat can offer White a two-year contract at most, due to their salary cap position.
Veteran forward Derrick Williams appears to be a candidate to be cut to clear room for White. Williams, who was inked to a one-year, $4,598,000 contract over the offseason, has played sparingly under head coach Erik Spoelstra– accumulating eight DNPs over Miami’s last 10 games. Amid roster speculation, Williams traveled with the team for their upcoming road trip.
If Spoelstra’s quote is any indication, White appears to have made a lasting impression on Miami’s front office.
“You can see why we like him,” Spoelstra said of White. “He’s a Miami Heat guy, a lot of intangibles, those winning plays that we keep on talking about.”
NBA D-League Assignments/Recalls: 2/5/17
Here are the D-League assignments and recalls on Super Bowl Sunday:
- The Celtics have recalled Jordan Mickey and Demetrius Jackson from their D-League affiliate, the Maine Red Claws, the team announced via Twitter. Jackson has played sparingly with Boston, last appearing in a game on December 7 against the Magic. He’s shown promise with Maine, however, averaging 16.4 points on 45% shooting through 20 games. Mickey receives the promotion on the heels of a 27-point night for the Red Claws; he’s appeared in 14 games with the Celtics this season.
- The Thunder recalled Josh Huestis from the Oklahoma City Blue, the team announced in a press release. Huestis, who will be active for this afternoon’s match-up against Portland, has made his just one NBA appearance in 2016/17, scoring seven points with four rebounds against the Bulls on February 1.
Latest On Chris Bosh
Having carried him on their 15-man roster all season long, the Heat have had a clear financial incentive to wait on waiving Chris Bosh. By postponing their decision until February 9, the team will be able to remove his current and future cap hits from their books (despite still being on the hook for his full salary).
While Miami is eligible to remove Bosh from their payroll as of next Thursday, the organization is believed to be leaning toward further delaying the process, according to a report from Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald.
Per Jackson’s report, the team doesn’t want to risk Bosh signing elsewhere and appearing in 25 games, at which point his salary would go back on Miami’s cap. By waiting until March 1 to waive Bosh, the team would eliminate the possibility of him making 25 appearances in 2016/17, since players signed after March 1 aren’t eligible to participate in playoff games.
Of course, there appears to be little risk of Bosh attempting a comeback this season. Back in the fall, the 11-time All-Star vowed to continue his efforts to return to the court, but he currently has no plans to play this season, and isn’t sure if he wants to attempt a comeback down the road, a Bosh associate tells Jackson. It’s also not certain whether he’ll ever be medically cleared to play, due to his blood-clot issues.
Bosh currently isn’t in basketball shape, and suggested in a January interview with The Associated Press that he’s “getting the taste of retirement.” The veteran big man did hire a new agent – Rob Pelinka – in 2016. However, Jackson notes that Bosh chose Pelinka because he’s also capable of finding the 32-year-old opportunities outside of basketball, in the event that he doesn’t play again.
Now in the third year of a five-year, $118.7MM contract, Bosh has played in a combined 97 games over the past two seasons.
NBA Lowers Cap Projections For Next Two Years
The NBA has lowered its salary cap projections for the next two seasons, according to a report from Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders. The projected 2017/18 cap is now $102MM with a tax threshold of $122MM, while the 2018/19 projection calls for a cap of $103MM and a tax line of $125MM. Both figures would represent an increase from this year’s $94MM cap (and $113MM tax line), but those increases would be more modest than initially predicted.
Pincus relayed the 2017/18 cap projection earlier this week, but the forecast for the 2018/19 cap is new information. According to Pincus’ report, the reduction in the forecast for the next two years comes as a result of the new Collective Bargaining Agreement. As of July 2016, the league projected a $108MM salary cap for 2018/19, a far cry from Basketball Insiders’ latest report.
[RELATED: NBA’s July 2016 salary cap forecast]
With a projected $102MM cap in 2017/18, the starting figures for maximum salary contracts would be as follows:
- Players with 0-6 years of experience: $25.5MM
- Players with 7-9 years of experience: $30.6MM
- Players with 10 or more years of experience: $35.7MM
In 2018/19, those numbers would increase to:
- Players with 0-6 years of experience: $25.8MM
- Players with 7-9 years of experience: $30.9MM
- Players with 10 or more years of experience: $36.1MM
Cavs Interested In Jose Calderon, Andrew Bogut
The Cavaliers may look to play the free agent market after the trade deadline, Marc Stein of ESPN reports. Lakers guard Jose Calderon and Mavs big man Andrew Bogut are two players who “greatly interest” the Cavs in their search for bench help.
Due to salary cap limitations, it appears unlikely that GM David Griffin will pursue Calderon, Bogut, or Deron Williams via trade. What the team hopes, according to Stein, is that one or more of the group is bought out after the February 23 trade deadline.
With neither Bogut nor Williams seemingly interested in a buyout, Calderon has emerged as Cleveland’s most likely target for backcourt depth. The 35-year-old Calderon has averaged 3.5 points with 2.1 assists over 23 games in 2016/17, accumulating three DNPs in the Lakers’ last three games.
Bogut, 32, has posted a career-low 3.0 points per game over 25 appearances with the Mavericks this season. The former No. 1 overall draft pick is in the final year of a three-year, $36MM pact.