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2018 Free Agent Stock Watch: New York Knicks

January 14th, 2018 at 10:45pm CST by Austin Kent

The Knicks may not end up in the Eastern Conference playoff picture, but there’s no denying that the franchise is headed in a better direction than it was this time last year. Addition by subtraction in the organization has given the rest of the franchise room to grow.

Although the Knicks have shown that they’re capable of winning ball games this year, it would be foolish for the team to abandon what has morphed into an organic rebuild to chase short-term gains.

This summer, the Knicks would be wise to stick to their plan and manage their growth responsibly. While they’ll have their hands tied financially where it matters most, how they handle their few free agents could shed light on their mentality heading forward.

Ron Baker, PG, 25 (Down) – Signed to a two-year, $8.9MM deal in 2017
Baker endeared himself to head coach Jeff Hornacek last season and immediately became the wealthiest third-or-fourth-string point guard in the NBA. The Knicks may envision Baker as Frank Ntilikina‘s eventual primary backup, hence their paying more than they needed to re-sign him, but that doesn’t even matter. As much as we all love Ron Burgundy, he won’t find more than the $4.5MM 2018/19 player option he has with the Knicks anywhere else in the NBA.

Michael Beasley, PF, 29 (Up) – Signed to a one-year, $2.1MM deal in 2017
There’s simply no denying that Beasley is capable of filling the stat sheet when given an opportunity. He’s done it sporadically throughout his career but most recently last month while Tim Hardaway Jr. nursed a leg injury. Beasley signed a one-year, “prove it” deal with the Knicks last summer, but the only thing up for debate is whether or not he can dutifully transition back out of the Madison Square Garden limelight and become a consistent producer off the bench for a team trending in the right direction. Beasley’s likely too old to attract attention from a team amid a traditional rebuild, so he’ll have to establish himself as an emotionally mature, volume scorer off the bench if he wants to get paid. If he does, I’d buy in.

Jarrett Jack, PG, 34 (Up) – Signed to a one-year, $2.4MM deal in 2017
The Knicks brought a face familiar to New Yorkers in to keep the starting point guard position warm until Ntilikina is ready to take over. By all accounts, the former Nets guard has done everything one could expect from a 34-year-old journeyman who had played just 34 games across the previous two seasons. The Knicks will presumably have the option to bring him back on the cheap next season if they’d like to extend their current backcourt arrangement, but he’ll have more interest from contenders now that he’s shown he can stay on the court.

Enes Kanter, C, 26 (Up) – Signed to a four-year, $70MM deal in 2015Enes Kanter vertical
A move to the spotlight in New York City has brought Kanter’s value close to where it was in 2016 when he signed a substantial contract extension in the wake of an excellent half-season stint with the Thunder. Kanter has deficiencies, no doubt, but the basketball collective seemed to overreact slightly when he didn’t immediately live up to his lofty contract in the first few years of the NBA’s Small Ball Era. I expect Kanter back in New York with his 2018/19 player option because the city seems to suit him and I can’t envision a situation in which he’d be more immediately valuable than the one he lucked into thanks to the Carmelo Anthony deal.

Doug McDermott, SF, 26 (Down) – Signed to a four-year, $10.4MM deal in 2014
While McDermott has done a fine job providing solid minutes off the bench in his first Knicks season, the biggest takeaway from his 2017/18 campaign so far is that his ceiling is right about where people thought it was after a ho-hum career start in Chicago. McDermott could be a low-key valuable add for a team seeking a minor piece, though the Knicks may be better off letting him walk and freeing up the space for a more ambitious signing.

Kyle O’Quinn, C, 28 (Up) – Signed to a four-year, $16MM deal in 2015
O’Quinn is a consistently efficient big man who has bulldozed his way into New York’s frontcourt logjam because he’s simply too effective to keep on the sidelines. Despite his production, however, the Knicks would benefit from flipping him for something, because it would clear more minutes for players like Kanter and Willy Hernangomez. Wherever O’Quinn ends up, he would hit free agency this summer as a lumbering big man in a bear market. For that reason, expect him back on his $4.3MM player option with an eye on 2019.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

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Weekly Mailbag: 1/8/18 – 1/14/18

January 14th, 2018 at 3:30pm CST by Arthur Hill

We have an opportunity for you to hit us up with your questions in this, our weekly mailbag feature. Have a question regarding player movement, the salary cap or the NBA draft? Drop us a line at HoopsRumorsMailbag@Gmail.com.

Do you think LeBron James has a good chance of playing for the Lakers next season as he just bought a new house in Los Angeles? — Greg Dizon

The LeBron-to-L.A. rumors started shortly after last year’s NBA Finals and will keep going until he announces a decision this summer. The Lakers seem committed to clearing enough cap space to offer two maximum contracts, and LeBron surely recognizes the historical significance of lifting L.A. back to championship status. Nobody knows for sure what he is thinking or if he plans to give much though to free agency until this season is done. If he has taken a good look at the Lakers, he has surely noticed the chaos of the past week related to LaVar Ball’s comments about coach Luke Walton and the delayed response from the team’s front office. He would also see a team with a 15-27 record and a recent nine-game losing streak. The best-case scenario for the Lakers would be to sign James and Paul George, but that means getting rid of Julius Randle and Jordan Clarkson first. Would that roster be enough be enough to get through the West with the Warriors, Rockets and Spurs standing in the way? That thought will influence LeBron’s decision much more than a new home.

What kind of package would Andre Drummond bring in a trade? — Mark Holmes

Drummond’s improvement this season makes him much less likely to be traded than he was a year ago. Coach/executive Stan Van Gundy’s concerns about his intensity level seem to be a thing of the past, and Drummond has added a playmaking element to his game, averaging a career-best 3.8 assists per night to go with a league-leading 15.0 rebounds. Drummond is only 24 and is signed through 2019/20 with a player option for the following season. He has become the cornerstone of the franchise and won’t be dealt unless the Pistons decide to rebuild. It’s hard to picture an offer the Pistons might consider right now, but if they want to get out of the most expensive years of Drummond’s contract and replace Reggie Jackson at point guard, they could match salary by sending them to Miami for Goran Dragic and Hassan Whiteside.

What are the latest Bucks trade rumors besides DeAndre Jordan, Zaza Pachulia, JaVale McGee and Tyson Chandler? — ROBZ, via Twitter

Milwaukee is obviously after centers, and we noted in a recent Mailbag that Knicks backup Kyle O’Quinn is a possibility. They will continue to make a push for Jordan until the February 8 trade deadline and will probably opt for one of the lower-cost options if they can’t work out a deal with the Clippers. If you want a complete wild card to consider, how about Dwight Howard? His salary is similar to Jordan’s ($23MM vs. $22,642,350), with the main difference being that Howard is under contract for another year at more than $23.8MM, while Jordan has a player option. The Hornets are sliding out of the East race at 16-25 and probably wouldn’t mind unloading Howard’s contract. His reputation has suffered in recent years, but Howard’s numbers have been fairly steady since he left Orlando. He is averaging 15.3 points, 12.3 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per night and could give the Bucks everything that Jordan would.

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Community Shootaround: Cleveland Cavaliers

January 13th, 2018 at 9:07pm CST by Arthur Hill

A total collapse in Cleveland is almost unthinkable, especially with LeBron James putting up MVP numbers, but the three-time defending Eastern Conference champions are coming off a nightmarish week.

It began with a 28-point loss in Minnesota, followed by a 34-point loss in Toronto. Last night, an early 26-6 lead turned into a 97-95 loss at Indiana. Those games wrapped up a 1-4 road trip for a Cavs team that is now a distant third to the Celtics and Raptors in the race for the best record in the East.

The problems in Cleveland start with defense. The Cavaliers are the second-worst team in the league in points allowed per 100 possessions (109.5), and the roster doesn’t contain many outstanding individual defenders. There’s no rim protection with Kevin Love starting at center,  and opponents are taking advantage.

With less than four weeks to go before the trade deadline, Cleveland has to be considering deals to bolster its defense. Rumors have linked the Cavs to Clippers center DeAndre Jordan, but he may not be available now that L.A. is back in the playoff race. The Clippers reportedly want the Nets’ unprotected first-rounder in return, and the Cavaliers are reluctant to part with it.

The core of this Cleveland team has been through mid-season swoons before and has always rebounded in time for the postseason. It’s possible that things will get better on their own, but the Cavs have another tough stretch ahead with the Warriors, Thunder and Spurs coming up in the next 10 days. Cleveland’s lead over the ninth-place Sixers has shrunk to four games in the loss column, and a sense of urgency seems to be developing in the organization.

“We all got to be accountable for our actions, accountable for how well we play, how we play, how hard we play, and what we do for one another,” James said after the blowout in Toronto. “And there were just some plays that you should come up with, that you should make, and when you’re losing, you tend to not wanna make those plays, or tend to let some plays get away from you. And we can’t afford that right now the way we’re playing ball. So just trying to hold everybody accountable and move on, which we did.”

We want to get your input. What moves do the Cavaliers need to make before the deadline to keep their spot as the East’s best team? Jump into the comments section below and give us your feedback.

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Hoops Rumors Originals: 1/6/18 – 1/13/18

January 13th, 2018 at 3:11pm CST by clarkcrum

Every week, we at Hoops Rumors strive to create interesting original content to complement our news feed. Below are our original segments and features from the last 7 days:

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Fantasy Hoops: Heat, Parker, Fultz, Rockets

January 12th, 2018 at 2:15pm CST by ChrisCrouse

We’re at the halfway mark in the 2017/18 regular season and Hoops Rumors wants to help you dominate in both season-long and daily fantasy leagues. Here are some notes and analysis from around the NBA:

  • Tyler Johnson verticalCheck your waiver wire for Tyler Johnson (available in over 80% of ESPN leagues). The Heat combo guard is dealing with a pinched nerve, but with Dion Waiters expected to miss the remainder of the season, Johnson becomes a must add. Over his last 11 games played, the 25-year-old is averaging 15.6 points, 4.5 rebounds and 1.3 steals per contest.
  • Heat swingman Josh Richardson becomes even more valuable if Waiters does, in fact, miss the rest of the season. Over his last six games, Richardson is averaging 14.2 points, 4.5 assists, 1.5 steals and 1.3 blocks per game while knocking down 1.7 shots per night from behind the arc.
  • Bucks forward Jabari Parker is making progress and is expected to return before the All-Star break. Although he’s owned in over 30% of ESPN leagues, his talent warrants a higher ownership percentage.
  • Is it time to pick Markelle Fultz back up? I’m bearish on his game, but the No. 1 overall pick apparently looked good in five-on-five drills earlier in the week. For those who don’t need immediate production and have a roster spot to spare, the Sixers guard worth an add.
  • Eric Gordon has benefited since James Harden exited the Rockets‘ lineup with a hamstring injury. The shooting guard is averaging 23.2 points per game (16th in the NBA over that stretch) on nearly 19 shot attempts per contest (13th in the league) since the game in which Harden suffered his injury. Gordon isn’t the only player to benefit from The Beard’s absence. Both Gerald Green and Clint Capela are seeing their fantasy stock rise, as we noted in last week’s edition of Fantasy Hoops. However, now might be the time to trade any of the three, as these next couple weeks will likely be the high point for each of their season-long values.
  • Gordon is a good daily play tonight against the Suns. Phoenix has allowed the second-most points and sixth-highest field goal percentage to opposing shooting guards this season.
  • Devin Booker is also a good play tonight, as no team has allowed the opposing shooting guards to make a higher percentage of their shots than the Rockets have this season.
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2018 Free Agent Stock Watch: Sacramento Kings

January 11th, 2018 at 10:08pm CST by Austin Kent

The Kings have known they’ll be mired in a years-long rebuild for a while now — and it’s not the fun kind of rebuild in which they can flaunt the potential of their youngsters while showing glimpses of hypothetical future greatness.

Unfortunately, the team sits tied for last in the Western Conference despite some forgettable campaigns from their rookies and sophomores, three of their regular starters coming in north of 30 years old and their most productive of the bunch being a 17-year veteran.

Don’t expect a major depth chart overhaul next summer when the team hits free agency. The club’s hands are somewhat tied in terms of roster flexibility, leaving the Kings little choice but to wait on the development of their in-house assets.

Vince Carter, SF, 41 (Down) – Signed to a one-year, $8MM deal in 2017Vince Carter of the Sacramento Kings vertical
The Kings threw a pile of money at Carter last summer to clog their depth chart and offer the occasional nugget of sage advice to the youth around him. By all accounts, they’ve gotten just what anyone might have expected. While it’s admirable that the former All-Star is still capable of dropping 20-plus points and dragging his team to random unexpected victories, such performances are of little consequence to a franchise that should be focusing on getting more out of its prospects. Carter supposedly remains intent on playing in 2018/19, but it’s rather anticlimactic to picture his 21st season coming in Sacramento.

Kosta Koufos, C, 29 (Down) – Signed to a four-year, $33MM deal in 2015
Koufos, a moderately efficient career backup, finessed a substantial long-term contract out of the Kings back in 2015, but few players have seen the value of their skillsets deflate more than Koufos. Suddenly a nine-year veteran, Koufos would be wise to accept his player option for $8.4MM.

Garrett Temple, SG, 32 (Up) – Signed to a three-year, $24MM deal in 2016
Temple has carved out a role for himself as a versatile veteran swingman. This is the type of vet that the Kings should be committing to rather than paying top dollar for novelty greybeards. The market will be squeezed next summer, so expect Temple back on board for his $8MM player option. Still, if next offseason’s economy looks similar to last year’s, he could benefit from testing the waters.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

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Community Shootaround: LaVar Ball

January 10th, 2018 at 9:08pm CST by Arthur Hill

Adjusting to the NBA is a challenging process for any rookie. It has to be a lot more difficult when your father is in the habit of creating outrageous headlines.

That’s the experience for Lakers point guard Lonzo Ball, whose dad LaVar is a master at getting the family noticed in the media. The latest example was a tirade against L.A. coach Luke Walton, who has lost control of the team and no longer has the support of his players, at least according to LaVar Ball.

“You can see they’re not playing for Luke no more,” Ball said from Lithuania, where his other two sons are playing in a professional league. “Luke doesn’t have control of the team no more. They don’t want to play for him. … Nobody wants to play for him. I can see it. No high-fives when they come out of the game. People don’t know why they’re in the game. He’s too young. He’s too young. … He ain’t connecting with them anymore. You can look at every player, he’s not connecting with not one player.”

It was a distraction the Lakers didn’t need with the team mired in a long losing streak. It became the dominant topic of conversation in Los Angeles this weekend, with Walton, some of his players and opposing coaches all commenting on the situation. The Lakers’ lack of an immediate response also became a story when nobody in the front office came forward to defend Walton.

This isn’t the first time Ball has gone after Walton, and the Lakers thought it was enough of an issue that team president Magic Johnson and GM Rob Pelinka met with Ball in late November to tell him to ease up on the public comments. If that meeting had any effects on Ball, they clearly have worn off.

Our question for tonight is what should the Lakers do next? Is there a way they can keep LaVar Ball from attacking their coach or is this a risk they knew they were taking when they drafted Lonzo? Jump into our comments section and give us your response.

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Hoops Rumors’ 2018 10-Day Contract Tracker

January 10th, 2018 at 12:47pm CST by Luke Adams

For the first two and a half months of the NBA season, the majority of the league’s teams maintained full 15-man rosters, with many of those clubs keeping at least one or two players on non-guaranteed deals. As of today, however, all of those non-guaranteed contracts became fully guaranteed. Many clubs cut ties with players before that happened, and there are now several teams with open roster spots.

On January 5, teams became eligible to fill those open roster spots by signing players to 10-day contracts, and the bulk of the signings that take place between now and April will be of the 10-day variety. Hoops Rumors has created a database that allows you to keep on top of those deals, tracking every 10-day signing all season long.

The 10-Day Contract Tracker includes information on all 10-day contracts signed from the 2006/07 season on, giving you a chance to identify trends regarding your favorite teams and players. The search filters in the database make it easy to sort by team, player and year. Just be sure to write a player’s last name first if searching in that field. You can even see whether a player and team signed a second 10-day contract, and if the short-term deals led to an agreement that covered the rest of the season.

For instance, if you want to see how many 10-day deals current Pelicans guard DeAndre Liggins has signed over the course of his career, you can find that information here. Similarly, if you want to see all the 10-day contracts that the Bucks – who opened a roster spot when they waived Liggins – have signed in recent years, you can do so here. You can also identify which 10-day deals are currently active, since those contracts are marked with an asterisk.

A link to our 10-Day Contract Tracker can be found at any time in the Tools menu at the top of the page, or in the right sidebar under “Hoops Rumors Features” on our desktop site. On our mobile site, you can find it on our “Features” page. We’ll be keeping it up to date for the rest of the season, so be sure to check back to keep tabs on the latest signings as they become official.

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Recap Of Non-Guaranteed Contract Decisions

January 8th, 2018 at 8:58am CST by Luke Adams

January 7 represented a key date for the NBA players who were still on non-guaranteed contracts for the 2017/18 season. While their salaries won’t technically become guaranteed until January 10, the players who stuck with their teams through Sunday are now assured of those guaranteed salaries. If released today, they wouldn’t clear waivers by the start of January 10, so they’ve survived the cut.

Tracking those salary guarantee decisions can be a little tricky, since teams intending to guarantee their non-guaranteed players’ salaries don’t actually need to take any action — it’s simply a matter of letting the deadline pass without waiving those players.

Based on reports from over the weekend and the latest updates from a pair of NBA transaction logs, it seems safe to assume that if we haven’t heard by now that a player was waived, he’s on track to earn a guaranteed salary. So we’ll use the space below to break down those decisions from around the league.

The following players will have their non-guaranteed 2017/18 salaries become fully guaranteed on Wednesday:

The following players were waived within the last few days before their salaries could become fully guaranteed:

Bogut, Liggins, and Wilkins remain on waivers, so their salaries could still become guaranteed if they’re claimed by a new team. That’s unlikely, however.

Salary information from Basketball Insiders was used in the creation of this post.

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Weekly Mailbag: 1/1/18 – 1/7/18

January 7th, 2018 at 9:46pm CST by Arthur Hill

We have an opportunity for you to hit us up with your questions in this, our weekly mailbag feature. Have a question regarding player movement, the salary cap or the NBA draft? Drop us a line at HoopsRumorsMailbag@Gmail.com.

Do you think the Wizards will go after Tyreke Evans before the trade deadline or will it be Jordan Clarkson and Julius Randle in a trade? — Gregory Younger

Bench strength is an annual issue in Washington, and obviously Randle and Clarkson would be two nice additions with bright futures. The problem is the Lakers only want expiring contracts in return to maximize their cap room for free agency. Clarkson is making more than $11.5MM this year and Randle is close to $4.15MM, leaving the Wizards unable to match salaries without sending back long-term contracts. Their most expensive expiring deals belong to Tim Frazier at $2MM and Mike Scott and Chris McCullough, each at $1,471,382. Evans is a much more realistic target at age 28 and with a $3.29MM contract. Memphis is going to want draft picks in return, so the Wizards will have to decide if Evans is worth parting with a future first-rounder.

What players could Detroit trade for that would best fit their needs, and what would they have to give up to get them? — Mark Holmes

The Pistons are in the market for help at forward, and the Bulls’ Nikola Mirotic could be an intriguing name to watch. Mirotic reportedly hasn’t changed his mind about wanting out of Chicago after being hospitalized in a pre-season skirmish with teammate Bobby Portis, and he has expressed a willingness to waive his no-trade clause if it would get him to a contender. Detroit could use another outside shooter, and Mirotic continues to sizzle from 3-point range, connecting at 47% through 17 games. Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press suggested last month that Brooklyn’s DeMarre Carroll could be a trade option, but a knee injury he suffered last night may affect his availability between now and the February 8 deadline.

Does Portland need to make a trade deadline move to create a stronger playoff team? — Baylor The Great, via Twitter

The Trail Blazers are among several Western Conference teams that could use another piece or two, and at 20-18 they’re far from a lock to make the postseason. Salary cap concerns will affect any moves as Portland still has one of the league’s top payrolls at more than $122MM. The only way for the Blazers to make a significant deal is to break up their backcourt of Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum, who are both signed to hefty deals through 2020/21 or to give up center Jusuf Nurkic, who will be negotiating an extension this summer. The Blazers could also decide to become sellers to get their cap situation under control.

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