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Checking In On Unsigned 2017 Draft Picks

July 31st, 2017 at 2:00pm CST by Luke Adams

One month into the 2017/18 NBA league year, most of this year’s draftees know where they’ll be playing for the upcoming season. As our tracker for draft pick signings shows, we’re only waiting for resolution on a small group of players.

Twenty-nine of 30 first-round picks have signed their first NBA contracts, and the 30th – Sixers big man Anzejs Pasecniks – will remain overseas for at least one more year. Meanwhile, in the second round, about half of this year’s picks have signed NBA contracts, a handful of others have agreed to two-way deals, and some will continue to play international ball.

There’s no rush at this point for teams to finalize plans for the last few unsigned draft picks from this year’s class, but it’s still worth checking in to see where things stand for those players. Here are the 2017 draftees whose statuses for ’17/18 appear to be up in the air:

  • Ivan Rabb (Memphis Grizzlies, No. 35): The Grizzlies signed 45th overall pick Dillon Brooks, but have yet to lock up Rabb, who now finds himself in an interesting spot. Memphis already has 15 players on guaranteed contracts for 2017/18, and that total doesn’t even include RFA JaMychal Green, who seems likely to return. Even though there’s no current opening for Rabb, he was probably too high a draft pick to accept a two-way contract, so perhaps the Grizzlies ultimately intend to trade or waive a player (or two) to make room. Otherwise, it’s not clear what the plan is for Rabb.
  • Isaiah Hartenstein (Houston Rockets, No. 43): International basketball reporter David Pick provided an update on Hartenstein today, tweeting that Houston will likely have him start with the Rio Grande Valley Vipers in the G League. So far, no player drafted earlier than No. 51 has signed a two-way contract, and typically only players selected at the very end of the draft accept straight G League contracts. If Hartenstein is willing to go to the G League, it would be a great value move for the Rockets.
  • Nigel Williams-Goss (Utah Jazz, No. 55): Two weeks ago, we heard that Williams-Goss was a candidate for Utah’s second two-way contract opening. The Jazz haven’t made a move to fill that slot since then, so I’d expect Williams-Goss remains the leading candidate.
  • Jabari Bird (Boston Celtics, No. 56): Like Williams-Goss in Utah, Bird appears to be the top candidate for the final two-way contract opening in Boston. Such a move would make a lot of sense. There isn’t enough room on the Celtics’ regular-season roster for Bird, and the four players selected with the picks from 51 through 54 in this year’s draft all got two-way deals — it’s logical that the 55th and 56th picks would too.
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Five Notable Wings Still Available In Free Agency

July 30th, 2017 at 5:13pm CST by ChrisCrouse

While the Grit and Grind Era will always represent a special time in Memphis, the Grizzlies have moved on and Tony Allen appears to be a casualty of the transition. Fellow grinder Zach Randolph was able to secure a two-year, $24MM with the Kings, but Allen hasn’t been able to land a lucrative deal of his own.

Early in free agency, the Clippers were reportedly interested in working out a sign-and-trade deal for Allen, but after making several additions, Los Angeles isn’t in a position to offer much more than a minimum salary arrangement. The Wolves also had interested in the swingman, as Tim MacMahon of ESPN.com reported several weeks ago, though we haven’t heard much on Allen joining either of those clubs since.

Allen previously indicated that he wasn’t looking to break the bank in free agency. He also said he’ll be a Memphian for life. It’s possible he returns to the Grizzlies on a minimum salary deal, something they may have planned for him. However, it remains to be seen whether taking a hometown discount and taking the minimum are the same in Allen’s eyes.

At age 35, Allen isn’t going to learn how to shoot at a league-average level, something that becomes more of an issue during the NBA’s second season. He remains one of the better perimeter defenders in the league and he was a useful rotation player last season.

The Grizzlies could use a swingman to help solidify their rotation; so could the Wolves, Clippers, Mavericks, and Pacers. Allen should be able to help out a team in need of wing depth, though he’s not the only option on the market. Here are some other notable options available:

  • Anthony Morrow— Shooting is as important as its ever been in the NBA, which bodes well for Morrow should he find his three-point shot again. He’s a career 41.7% shooter from behind the arc, but he shot under 31% last season. Morrow, who turns 32 in September, will likely see another opportunity in the league. However, his flaws on the defensive end may force him to wait until closer to training camp to find a home.
  • Gerald Green — Green saw some minutes for the Celtics on the backend of their rotation last season before seeing a slightly larger role in the postseason. It’s plausible to think that his work in the NBA’s second season would boost his stock, but we haven’t heard much about him garnering much interest on the market. The 31-year-old has enough left in the tank to help a team in need of wing depth, though he’s another athlete who will likely have to play the waiting game.
  • Brandon Rush — Several teams have reportedly checked in with Rush, including the Mavericks, Heat, and Pacers. Dallas makes the most sense for the 32-year-old, as I recently detailed.
  • Shabazz Muhammad — Muhammad may be the most talented wing left on the free agent market. The Wolves pulled his qualifying offer earlier in the month, which rendered him to unrestricted free agency and the Hawks, Nets, Bucks, Knicks, Bulls, and Magic all were reportedly interested in the swingman. Yet, the UCLA product remains unsigned. It’ll be interesting to see what kind of deal and what kind of role Muhammad lands. It’ll also be interesting to see if the 24-year-old can expand his game beyond scoring, as he took 598 shots last season but dished out just 35 assists.
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Weekly Mailbag: 7/24/17 – 7/30/17

July 30th, 2017 at 12:55pm 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.

Welcome to an all-Kyrie Irving edition of the Mailbag:

How long do you predict until a Kyrie trade will happen? Who made the best offer that the Cavs should take? — Nick Klipstein

Here’s the dilemma the Cavaliers face: The best offers may not come until mid-December, when most free agents who signed this summer are eligible to be traded. However, waiting would mean playing out the feud between Irving and LeBron James through training camp and the first two months of the regular season. Minnesota, for example, is on Irving’s reported list of the four places he would like to go. The Wolves are said to be interested, but no deal makes sense without including Jeff Teague, who just signed a three-year, $57MM deal with Minnesota. We’ll see how long new Cavs GM Koby Altman can wait to pull the trigger on a trade if James and Irving keep taking swipes at each other on social media. As far as the best offer, nobody knows for sure what the Cavs are hearing, but they reportedly want a veteran, a young player and draft picks. To predict Kyrie’s destination, focus on the teams who can offer that.

Any chance New York, Cleveland and Houston just get together and send Kyrie to the Knicks, Carmelo Anthony to Rockets and Cleveland gets stuff from both? — Vijay Cruz, via Twitter

The problem with that scenario is Ryan Anderson‘s contract, which has been holding up all trade proposals between the Knicks and Rockets. Carmelo will make more than $26.2MM next season. The Rockets are well over the cap and can’t absorb that figure unless they get rid of Anderson, who is owed more than $61MM over the next three years. The Knicks don’t want to take on that salary, and the Cavaliers wouldn’t trade Irving for Anderson, who is a scaled-down version of Kevin Love. A fourth team — and maybe more — would be needed to make the deal work, and the Knicks and Rockets haven’t been able to find any takers.

I feel like no one is talking about the Jazz’ chances to land Kyrie. They have the perfect mix of young assets [Rodney Hood, Dante Exum], vets [Joe Johnson, Derrick Favors] and a solid point guard in Ricky Rubio that could be mixed and matched into a variety of trade packages that the Cavs should find very tempting. The Jazz are also an incredible defensive team that could hide Kyrie’s lack of defense and give him full rein of an offense that without him is fixed to struggle to average over 100 points a game this year. Am I overstating this, or are the Jazz really the best option for the Cavs and the best system for Kyrie? — Matt Mervis

We know that 20 teams have contacted Cleveland about Irving and at least six — the Spurs, Clippers, Heat, Knicks, Suns and Timberwolves — have made offers. We don’t know Utah’s level of interest, but you’re right in saying they have the type of assets that Cleveland wants. The Jazz also have full possession of their future draft picks, so that’s another way they could sweeten an offer. Irving would fit well with the personnel in Utah and it would certainly give him the spotlight he wants. The only concern is whether Salt Lake City is a big enough market to make him want to stay when his option year arrives in 2019. The Jazz could become a surprise candidate in the bidding for Kyrie. Stay tuned.

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Five Notable Big Men Still Available In Free Agency

July 30th, 2017 at 10:39am CST by Arthur Hill

Andrew Bogut is a former No. 1 pick with NBA Finals experience, and he probably would have had more if not for a fractured tibia he suffered in his first game with the Cavaliers. He’s among several free agent big men remaining on the market who could become bargains as teams fill out their rosters.

Bogut was able to recover without surgery and has been cleared for full basketball workouts. The 12-year veteran is only 32 and believes he has a lot of productive basketball left.

“Rehab’s been good,” he told Steve Aschburner of NBA.com late last month. “I feel strong, everything feels good. But the full explosive stuff will be about another three weeks.”

Bogut was a fixture in Golden State until the Warriors got the opportunity to sign Kevin Durant. They needed to shed salary, so Bogut and his $11MM deal were sent to Dallas. He was traded to the Sixers at the February deadline, then agreed to a buyout before his ill-fated stint in Cleveland.

Bogut doesn’t fear any long-term effects from the injury, saying the bone will “heal stronger than it was before.” He and his agent have sent copies of the medical report to several teams that expressed interest in signing him.

Bogut isn’t the only notable unsigned veteran big man on the market. Here are four others:

  • David Lee — The 34-year-old declined his player option after one year in San Antonio. He was a productive part of the Spurs’ rotation, averaging 7.3 points and 5.6 rebounds in 79 games, and thought he could do better than the $2.33MM he was due to make next season. He could still return to San Antonio, although the signing of Joffrey Lauvergne may make him expendable.
  • Kris Humphries — The 32-year-old saw his role decline last season with the Hawks, as his minutes dropped to 12.3 per night. Still, he was productive when he played, averaging 4.6 points and 3.7 rebounds in 56 games. The Hawks have launched a youth movement and renounced their rights to Humphries three weeks ago, so the veteran forward is searching for a new team.
  • Lavoy Allen — The Pacers declined their $4.3MM team option on the 28-year-old last month, leaving him on the open market. The power forward/center has been part of the rotation in Indiana since arriving in a 2014 trade, but saw his playing time decline late in the season. He averaged 2.9 points and 3.6 rebounds in 61 games last year.
  • Roy Hibbert — An All-Star as recently as 2014, Hibbert has been with four teams over the past two seasons and is looking for someone to give him another shot. Hibbert signed with the Hornets last summer and was traded in February to the Bucks, who later sent him to the Nuggets. He played just six games in Denver, wrapping up an overall forgettable year. However, Hibbert is only 30 and will probably get an opportunity from a team in need of veteran help.

Note: Restricted free agents aren’t noted here, since they’re not free to sign with any team, but Nerlens Noel, Alex Len, and Mason Plumlee are among the noteworthy RFA bigs still on the market.

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Community Shootaround: Pelicans’ Playoff Chances

July 29th, 2017 at 8:22pm CST by ChrisCrouse

Making the playoffs in the Western Conference was a challenging task last season and it should be an even harder feat after several teams improved this offseason.

The Warriors brought back their core in addition to bringing in Nick Young and they are likely to take home the conference’s top seed. The Spurs, Rockets, and Thunder should find themselves jocking for position behind them. The Clippers and Jazz each lost their best player in free agency, but both seem poised to reach the playoffs, albeit with a lower seed than they had last season. The Nuggets (adding Paul Millsap) and Wolves (trading for Jimmy Butler) made upgrades with the hopes of pushing the Grizzlies or Blazers for a playoff spot.

The Pelicans hope to surpass at least three of the aforementioned teams and sneak into the playoffs, but they might not have enough shooting or defense to reach that goal, as Thomas Rende of NBAMath explains. Rende notes that only 11 teams since the 2012/13 campaign have won more than 45 games (a number that should put a team in contention for a playoff birth) while ranking in the bottom third of the league in three-point percentage. Out of those teams, only two (the 2012/13 Nuggets and the 2014/15 Thunder) didn’t rank in the top 10 in points allowed per 100 possessions.

In his piece, which is a must read, Rende explains how New Orleans is ill-equipped to drastically improve its outside shooting, meaning a playoff birth appears unlikely.

What do you think? Can the Pelicans muster enough offense to make the playoffs in the ultra-competitive Western Conference or will their lack of shooting plague the team and relegate them to the lottery once again? 

Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below. We look forward to what you have to say!

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Five Notable Guards Still Available In Free Agency

July 29th, 2017 at 3:59pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Most of the unrestricted free agents on the market this month have found a new home or remained with their previous team. There are still some big names and players with extensive resumes seeking employment in the league. Over the next couple of weeks, we’ll take a look at some of the notable UFAs who still haven’t signed contracts.

Some of the teams that might be seeking guard help include the Warriors, Heat, Hornets, Hawks, Trail Blazers and Timberwolves, all of whom could be in the market for a bargain-basement veteran to fill their third point guard spot.

The Knicks could use some veteran help at that spot, though they could acquire a starter as part of any deal involving Carmelo Anthony. The Bucks met with Derrick Rose before he opted to join the Cavaliers, so it’s possible they’ll sign another proven floor leader.

Let’s take a look at a handful of well-known guards that have yet to get a satisfactory offer:

  • Deron Williams – Once considered one of the top point men in the league, Williams is in the twilight of his career. Williams,  33, was still good enough to start 40 games with the Mavericks last season before reaching a buyout agreement and joining the Cavaliers. He averaged 13.1 PPG and 6.9 APG with Dallas, with those figures dropping to 7.5 PPG and 3.6 APG in a more limited role with Cleveland. He didn’t have the desired impact off the bench in postseason play, averaging just 4.3 PPG and 2.1 APG in 14.6 MPG over 18 appearances. He hasn’t generated much buzz on the market.
  • Ty Lawson – Lawson saw action in 69 games with the Kings last season, including 25 starts, and averaged 9.9 PPG and 4.8 APG in 25.1 MPG. His PER was an above-average 15.42. In fact, the 29-year-old Lawson has posted an above-average PER in all but one of his seasons. Lawson was reportedly close to signing with China’s Shanxi Brave Dragons but is still mulling all of his options.
  • Ian Clark – Rotation players on a championship team normally get snapped up pretty quickly on the free agent market. Clark has drawn interest but he’s been disappointed by the money offered. Clark appeared in 77 games for the Warriors and averaged 6.8 PPG while shooting 37% from long range. He’s received minimum-salary offers from multiple teams, including the Timberwolves, but is hoping to get a better deal.
  • Monta Ellis – The former Pacers combo guard entered the market when the club waived him earlier this month, even though he had a guaranteed salary of $11.227MM. Indiana will use the stretch provision to absorb the cap hit over five years. Ellis will have to sit out the first five games wherever he goes, as he received a five-game  suspension for violating the NBA’s anti-drug policy.  Previously one of the league’s most prolific scorers, Ellis saw his playing time drop last season to 27.0 MPG. He averaged 8.5 PPG and 3.2 APG, the lowest totals since his rookie season of 2005/06 with the Warriors.
  • Jason Terry – The ‘Jet’ turns 40 in September but he wants to play two more seasons. He was a rotation player for the Bucks last season, averaging 4.1 PPG and 1.3 APG in 18.4 MPG. The career 38.0% 3-point shooter is a valued veteran presence in any locker room. A return to Milwaukee is possible now that Rose is out of the picture.
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Hoops Rumors Originals: 7/22/17 – 7/29/17

July 29th, 2017 at 12:30pm CST by Joshua Fischman

Every week, the Hoops Rumors writing team compiles original content to complement our news feed. Here are some of our favorite segments and features from the past seven days:

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Community Shootaround: Kyrie’s Future In Cleveland

July 26th, 2017 at 8:31pm CST by Arthur Hill

After five days of non-stop Kyrie Irving trade rumors, Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert tried to slam on the brakes at a press conference this afternoon.

The purpose of the event was to introduce newly appointed GM Koby Altman, but the subject inevitably turned to Irving and the trade demand he reportedly made during a private meeting with Gilbert earlier this month.

Gilbert refused to acknowledge that Irving wants to be traded and wouldn’t say if he and Altman plan to grant the request if it is true. He then threw the media a curveball, saying he expects to have Irving on the floor when training camp opens in September.

“Right now, Kyrie Irving is under contract with the Cleveland Cavaliers for two or three years, depending on the last year,” Gilbert said, as Irving holds a player option for 2019/20. “As of now, he’s one of our best players, and sure, we expect him to be in camp.”

Prepare for an overflow media turnout for the first day of camp if that happens. Irving’s desires to get out of Cleveland and his simmering social media feud with LeBron James have been on public display since the subject of that meeting with Gilbert was made public last Friday.

According to reports, Irving has named the Spurs, Heat, Timberwolves and Knicks as the places he would like to go. The Cavaliers have been inundated with calls inquiring about an Irving deal, and ESPN’s Zach Lowe wrote on Monday that the team is “acting as if a trade is almost inevitable.”

However, Gilbert and the Cavs have no obligation to honor Irving’s request. If they can’t find an acceptable deal, they could hand onto to Irving through the summer and bring him into camp just as Gilbert suggested.

Our question for today is: How do you think that would turn out? Could Kyrie and LeBron bury the hatchet and combine their talents for another trip to the NBA Finals? Or would the inner strife tear the team apart?

Please take to the comments section and share your thoughts on this topic. We look forward to what you have to say.

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Bulls, Blazers, Raptors Hold Largest Trade Exceptions

July 26th, 2017 at 11:38am CST by Luke Adams

When an over-the-cap NBA team sends out more salary than it receives in a given trade, that team can generally create a traded player exception. As we explain in our glossary entry, a traded player exception serves as a way for a team to acquire talent without using cap room to do so.

Traded player exceptions last for one year from the time they’re created, and can be used to absorb a player’s contract in a trade without sending out any salary in return. Trade exceptions can’t be combined with another exception or another contract, but they have $100K worth of wiggle room. So, a team with a $9.9MM TPE could trade for a player earning $10MM without any outgoing salary involved in the deal.

In recent weeks, a handful of teams – including the Hornets, Clippers, and Cavaliers – have seen trade exceptions created last July expire without being used. However, none of those TPEs was substantial. All of this year’s biggest TPEs are still available, though some are more likely to be used than others.

Here’s the current list of the top 10 traded player exceptions available around the NBA, along with each TPE’s expiration date:

  1. Chicago Bulls: $15,311,329 (6/22/18)
  2. Portland Trail Blazers: $12,969,502 (7/25/18)
  3. Toronto Raptors: $11,800,000 (7/13/18)
  4. Toronto Raptors: $7,630,000 (7/14/18)
  5. Los Angeles Clippers: $7,273,631 (6/28/18)
  6. Milwaukee Bucks: $5,000,000 (2/23/18)
  7. Oklahoma City Thunder: $4,936,529 (11/1/17)
  8. Cleveland Cavaliers: $4,837,500 (1/7/18)
  9. New Orleans Pelicans: $3,517,200 (2/20/18)
  10. Oklahoma City Thunder: $2,550,000 (7/6/18)

While some of these TPEs are quite sizable, there’s a good chance that most of them will go unused. Many of the clubs on this list are near or above the luxury tax threshold, and will be reluctant to acquire an expensive player without dumping any salary as part of the deal.

The Blazers, Raptors, Clippers, Bucks, Thunder, and Cavaliers all fit that bill, though some of those clubs may be willing to bite the tax-penalty bullet, while others could wait until next July when some contracts expire to use their respective TPEs.

As for the Bulls, no team has a more significant TPE than the one Chicago created as part of June’s Jimmy Butler trade. But that exception is somewhat hollow at the moment — the Bulls only have $73.25MM in guaranteed salaries on their 2017/18 cap, so the club could actually create an even greater chunk of cap room by renouncing its trade exception, along with its other cap holds and exceptions. Still, there’s no reason to do that now. That TPE could come in handy later if the Bulls re-sign Nikola Mirotic and much of that potential cap space disappears.

The full list of current NBA trade exceptions can be found right here.

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Checking In On The Designated Veteran Extension

July 24th, 2017 at 11:00pm CST by Luke Adams

Although the NBA and NBPA didn’t agree to make many significant changes to the league’s rules and regulations when they negotiated their most recent Collective Bargaining Agreement, the new CBA did introduce a new wrinkle that allows star players to receive higher salaries.

The new Designated Veteran Extension allows players who meet a certain set of criteria to sign contracts with a starting salary of up to 35% of the cap instead of just 30%. These players generally have to make at least one All-NBA team, can’t change teams after signing their rookie extensions, and have between seven and nine years of NBA experience.

Designated Veteran Extensions couldn’t be signed until July 2017, so now that the new league year is underway and the new CBA has taken effect, we’re starting to get a sense of how these extensions will work. The sample size is still very small, but here’s what we know so far:

Three of four players eligible for Designated Veteran Extensions have signed them.

Having met the required criteria, Stephen Curry, James Harden, John Wall, and Russell Westbrook were the four players eligible this offseason for the new kind of contract. Curry inked his quickly, becoming the first player to do so as a free agent. He’ll receive a five-year contract starting in 2017/18 that will be worth more than $200MM.

Harden and Wall followed suit in recent weeks. Both players have two years remaining on their respective contracts, but were permitted to sign Designated Veteran Extensions that added four new years to their existing deals. We won’t know the precise value of those extensions until the salary cap is set for the 2019/20 league year, but they currently project to be worth upwards of $170MM over four years.

Westbrook is the lone holdout so far, but there has been no indication yet that he’s unwilling to sign an extension. Last summer, the MVP-to-be didn’t sign his new deal with the team until August. Westbrook has until opening night this year to re-up with the Thunder, and the club sounds confident that he’ll do so. If he does, that would mean all four DVE-eligible players would sign new extensions.

Multiple DVE candidates have been traded.

The Designated Veteran Extension has had an interesting side effect so far. Three players who were candidates to become eligible for a new super-max extension have been traded before getting a chance to gain that eligibility.

DeMarcus Cousins was the first to be dealt — he would have become eligible for a Designated Veteran Extension with the Kings if he’d earned an All-NBA nod this season, but was dealt to the Pelicans in February, eliminating the possibility for such a deal.

Meanwhile, last month, Jimmy Butler and Paul George were both traded despite the fact that they’d have become DVE-eligible in the summer of 2018 if they’d earned spots on one of next year’s All-NBA teams.

Not all of those players and teams were in exactly the same boat. George, for instance, seemed to want out of Indiana whether or not a Designated Veteran Extension would be on the table a year from now. However, Cousins and Butler seemed more invested in remaining with their current teams to see whether or not that opportunity at a super-max deal panned out.

In those instances, it’s possible that the Kings and Bulls were simply ready to rebuild, and decided the time was right to cash in on their stars. However, it’s worth considering whether the looming possibility of a Designated Veteran Extension played a part in those teams’ decisions. Unlike Curry, Westbrook, and Harden, players like Cousins and Butler aren’t perennial MVP candidates, so their teams may have been less eager to commit to a contract that paid $40MM+ annually.

For instance, had Cousins remained on the Kings and become eligible for a DVE this offseason, the franchise would have been in a tough spot — if the team was uncertain about committing that sort of money to Cousins and made a lesser offer, he may have viewed it as a sign of disrespect and demanded a trade, knowing that he wouldn’t be giving up a chance to max out his earnings since his current team was unwilling to give him that DVE. At that point, Sacramento’s trade leverage would have been reduced significantly.

It’s still too early to know exactly how the Designated Veteran Extension will affect player movement long-term, but based on the early returns, it appears it will work as intended for the very best players in the NBA, while perhaps further complicating the contract situations for the second- or third-tier stars.

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