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NBA Draft Rights Held: Northwest Division

By | at August 31, 2017 2:01 pm

When top college prospects like Markelle Fultz or Lonzo Ball are drafted, there’s virtually no doubt that their next step will involve signing an NBA contract. However, that’s not the case for every player who is selected in the NBA draft, particularly for international prospects and second-round picks.

When an NBA team uses a draft pick on a player, it gains his NBA rights, but that doesn’t mean the player will sign an NBA contract right away. International prospects will often remain with their professional team overseas for at least one more year to develop their game further, becoming “draft-and-stash” prospects. Nikola Mirotic, Dario Saric, and Bogdan Bogdanovic are among the more notable players to fit this bill in recent years.

However, draft-and-stash players can be former NCAA standouts too. Sometimes a college prospect selected with a late second round pick will end up playing overseas or in the G League for a year or two if there’s no space available on his NBA team’s 15-man roster.

While these players sometimes make their way to their NBA teams, others never do. Many clubs around the NBA currently hold the rights to international players who have remained overseas for their entire professional careers and are no longer viewed as top prospects. Those players may never come stateside, but there’s often no reason for NBA teams to renounce their rights — those rights can sometimes be used as placeholders in trades.

For instance, earlier this summer, the Pacers and Raptors agreed to a trade that sent Cory Joseph to Indiana. Toronto was happy to move Joseph’s salary and didn’t necessarily need anything in return, but the Pacers had to send something in the deal. Rather than including an NBA player or a draft pick, Indiana sent Toronto the draft rights to Emir Preldzic, the 57th overall pick in the 2009 draft.

Preldzic is currently playing for Galatasaray in Turkey, and at this point appears unlikely to ever come to the NBA, but his draft rights have been a useful trade chip over the years — the Pacers/Raptors swap represented the fourth time since 2010 that Preldzic’s NBA rights have been included in a trade.

This week, we’re taking a closer look at the players whose draft rights NBA teams currently hold, sorting them by division. These players may eventually arrive in America and join their respective NBA teams, but many will end up like Preldzic, plying their trade overseas and having their draft rights used as pawns in NBA trades.

Here’s a breakdown of the draft rights held by Northwest teams:

Denver Nuggets

Minnesota Timberwolves

Oklahoma City Thunder

Portland Trail Blazers

  • Marcelo Nicola, F (1993; No. 50): Retired.
  • Doron Sheffer, G (1996; No. 36): Retired.
  • Federico Kammerichs, F/C (2002; No. 51): Retired.
  • Nedzad Sinanovic, C (2003; No. 54): Retired.
  • Daniel Diez, F (2015; No. 54): Playing in Spain.

Utah Jazz

Previously:

Information from Mark Porcaro and Basketball Insiders was used in the creation of this post.

0 comments Denver Nuggets Hoops Rumors Originals Minnesota Timberwolves Oklahoma City Thunder Portland Trail Blazers Utah Jazz

Hoops Rumors Features

By | at August 30, 2017 4:40 pm

In addition to passing along news, rumors, and analysis on a daily basis, Hoops Rumors provides a number of additional features and resources that can be found anytime on our right-hand sidebar under “Hoops Rumors Features.” However, that sidebar is only visible on our desktop site.

For the benefit of our mobile and app users, we’ve compiled many of our current features and resources in a list below. These pages and trackers will continuously be updated. We’re always introducing new resources, so keep an eye out for new additions to this list in the coming weeks and months.

Here are several of our current features and resources:

Free Agents:

Draft:

Trades:

Salary Cap:

Contracts:

Other Trackers:

References:

Archives:

Social Media:

3 comments Hoops Rumors Originals

Deadline Looms For Teams To Stretch 2017/18 Salary

By | at August 30, 2017 1:15 pm

Thursday, August 31 represents the deadline for teams to exercise the stretch provision on 2017/18 salary, meaning clubs have just over 24 more hours to waive players whose ’17/18 salaries they’re hoping to stretch.

The stretch provision is a CBA rule that allows teams to stretch a waived player’s remaining guaranteed salary across multiple seasons. From July 1 to August 31, the rule dictates that a team can pay out the player’s salary over twice the number of years remaining on his contract, plus one. For instance, a contract with three years left on it could be stretched out over seven years. After August 31, only future years on the contract can be stretched in that manner — so for that three-year contract, the current-season salary would stay as is, while the remaining two seasons could be stretched across five years.

As a point of reference, here’s what Andrew Nicholson‘s contract with the Trail Blazers looks like in its current form, along with the new salary figures based on that deal being stretched before or after August 31:

Year Current contract Stretched by August 31 Stretched after August 31
2017/18 $6,362,998 $2,844,429 $6,362,998
2018/19 $6,637,002 $2,844,429 $2,709,601
2019/20 $6,911,007 $2,844,429 $2,709,602
2020/21 – $2,844,430 $2,709,602
2021/22 – $2,844,430  $2,709,602
2022/23 – $2,844,430  $2,709,602
2023/24 – $2,844,430

As our chart shows, if the Blazers wait until September to waive and stretch Nicholson, they would take on a lower annual cap hit after 2017/18 and those cap charges would end a year earlier. However, Portland is widely expected to stretch Nicholson by August 31 in order to reduce his current-year cap hit. The Blazers are currently several million dollars into tax territory, and reducing Nicholson’s 2017/18 cap charge by $3.5MM+ would significantly reduce the club’s projected tax bill, even if it hurts Portland a little more in future seasons.

While Nicholson is a good bet to be waived this week (update: he has been waived), we shouldn’t necessarily expect a flurry of action by Thursday, since most teams aren’t in a situation like the Blazers. Still, we could see a move from clubs that have an expendable player and want to either reduce their tax bill or create more breathing room below the cap or tax line.

The Bucks look like another prime candidate to make a move by Thursday. It doesn’t appear that Spencer Hawes will be a major part of the club’s plans for 2017/18, and Milwaukee is currently slightly over the tax line. Waiving Hawes and stretching the final year of his contract (worth $6,021,175) across the next three years would get the Bucks out of tax territory and would create a little more flexibility to add a player or two, if needed.

Nicholson and Hawes were two of the five players who I identified earlier this month as candidates to be waived and stretched by August 31, and I think they’re easily the strongest candidates on that list. Stay tuned through Thursday to see if they’re cut, and to find out if other players hit the waiver wire before the August 31 deadline.

2 comments Hoops Rumors Originals Milwaukee Bucks Newsstand Portland Trail Blazers

NBA Draft Rights Held: Southeast Division

By | at August 30, 2017 11:41 am

When top college prospects like Markelle Fultz or Lonzo Ball are drafted, there’s virtually no doubt that their next step will involve signing an NBA contract. However, that’s not the case for every player who is selected in the NBA draft, particularly for international prospects and second-round picks.

When an NBA team uses a draft pick on a player, it gains his NBA rights, but that doesn’t mean the player will sign an NBA contract right away. International prospects will often remain with their professional team overseas for at least one more year to develop their game further, becoming “draft-and-stash” prospects. Nikola Mirotic, Dario Saric, and Bogdan Bogdanovic are among the more notable players to fit this bill in recent years.

However, draft-and-stash players can be former NCAA standouts too. Sometimes a college prospect selected with a late second round pick will end up playing overseas or in the G League for a year or two if there’s no space available on his NBA team’s 15-man roster.

While these players sometimes make their way to their NBA teams, others never do. Many clubs around the NBA currently hold the rights to international players who have remained overseas for their entire professional careers and are no longer viewed as top prospects. Those players may never come stateside, but there’s often no reason for NBA teams to renounce their rights — those rights can sometimes be used as placeholders in trades.

For instance, earlier this summer, the Pacers and Raptors agreed to a trade that sent Cory Joseph to Indiana. Toronto was happy to move Joseph’s salary and didn’t necessarily need anything in return, but the Pacers had to send something in the deal. Rather than including an NBA player or a draft pick, Indiana sent Toronto the draft rights to Emir Preldzic, the 57th overall pick in the 2009 draft.

Preldzic is currently playing for Galatasaray in Turkey, and at this point appears unlikely to ever come to the NBA, but his draft rights have been a useful trade chip over the years — the Pacers/Raptors swap represented the fourth time since 2010 that Preldzic’s NBA rights have been included in a trade.

This week, we’re taking a closer look at the players whose draft rights NBA teams currently hold, sorting them by division. These players may eventually arrive in America and join their respective NBA teams, but many will end up like Preldzic, plying their trade overseas and having their draft rights used as pawns in NBA trades.

Here’s a breakdown of the draft rights held by Southeast teams:

Atlanta Hawks

  • Augusto Binelli, C (1986; No. 40): Retired.
  • Alain Digbeu, F (1997; No. 49): Retired.
  • Marcus Eriksson, G/F (2015; No. 50): Playing in Spain.
  • Isaia Cordinier, G (2016; No. 44): Playing in France.
  • Alpha Kaba, C (2017; No. 60): Playing in France.

Charlotte Hornets

  • None

Miami Heat

  • George Banks, F (1995; No. 46): Retired.
  • Robert Duenas, C (1997; No. 57): Retired.

Orlando Magic

  • Rashard Griffith, C (1995; No. 38): Retired.
  • Remon van de Hare, C (2003; No. 52): Retired.
  • Fran Vazquez, C (2005; No. 11): Playing in Spain.
  • Janis Timma, F (2013; No. 60): Playing in Spain.
  • Tyler Harvey, G (2015; No. 51): Playing in France.

Washington Wizards

  • Aaron White, F (2015; No. 49): Playing in Lithuania.

Previously:

Information from Mark Porcaro and Basketball Insiders was used in the creation of this post.

2 comments Atlanta Hawks Charlotte Hornets Hoops Rumors Originals Miami Heat Orlando Magic Washington Wizards

NBA Draft Rights Held: Central Division

By | at August 29, 2017 1:07 pm

When top college prospects like Markelle Fultz or Lonzo Ball are drafted, there’s virtually no doubt that their next step will involve signing an NBA contract. However, that’s not the case for every player who is selected in the NBA draft, particularly for international prospects and second-round picks.

When an NBA team uses a draft pick on a player, it gains his NBA rights, but that doesn’t mean the player will sign an NBA contract right away. International prospects will often remain with their professional team overseas for at least one more year to develop their game further, becoming “draft-and-stash” prospects. Nikola Mirotic, Dario Saric, and Bogdan Bogdanovic are among the more notable players to fit this bill in recent years.

However, draft-and-stash players can be former NCAA standouts too. Sometimes a college prospect selected with a late second round pick will end up playing overseas or in the G League for a year or two if there’s no space available on his NBA team’s 15-man roster.

While these players sometimes make their way to their NBA teams, others never do. Many clubs around the NBA currently hold the rights to international players who have remained overseas for their entire professional careers and are no longer viewed as top prospects. Those players may never come stateside, but there’s often no reason for NBA teams to renounce their rights — those rights can sometimes be used as placeholders in trades.

For instance, earlier this summer, the Pacers and Raptors agreed to a trade that sent Cory Joseph to Indiana. Toronto was happy to move Joseph’s salary and didn’t necessarily need anything in return, but the Pacers had to send something in the deal. Rather than including an NBA player or a draft pick, Indiana sent Toronto the draft rights to Emir Preldzic, the 57th overall pick in the 2009 draft.

Preldzic is currently playing for Galatasaray in Turkey, and at this point appears unlikely to ever come to the NBA, but his draft rights have been a useful trade chip over the years — the Pacers/Raptors swap represented the fourth time since 2010 that Preldzic’s NBA rights have been included in a trade.

Over the next several days, we’re taking a closer look at the players whose draft rights NBA teams currently hold, sorting them by division. These players may eventually arrive in America and join their respective NBA teams, but many will end up like Preldzic, plying their trade overseas and having their draft rights used as pawns in NBA trades.

Here’s a breakdown of the draft rights held by Central teams:

Chicago Bulls

Cleveland Cavaliers

Detroit Pistons

  • None

Indiana Pacers

  • Andrew Betts, C (1998; No. 50): Retired.

Milwaukee Bucks

  • Andrei Fetisov, F (1994; No. 36): Retired.
  • Eurelijus Zukauskas, C (1995; No. 54): Retired.

Previously:

Information from Mark Porcaro and Basketball Insiders was used in the creation of this post.

1 comment Chicago Bulls Cleveland Cavaliers Detroit Pistons Hoops Rumors Originals Indiana Pacers Milwaukee Bucks

NBA Draft Rights Held: Atlantic Division

By | at August 28, 2017 10:01 pm

When top college prospects like Markelle Fultz or Lonzo Ball are drafted, there’s virtually no doubt that their next step will involve signing an NBA contract. However, that’s not the case for every player who is selected in the NBA draft, particularly for international prospects and second-round picks.

When an NBA team uses a draft pick on a player, it gains his NBA rights, but that doesn’t mean the player will sign an NBA contract right away. International prospects will often remain with their professional team overseas for at least one more year to develop their game further, becoming “draft-and-stash” prospects. Nikola Mirotic, Dario Saric, and Bogdan Bogdanovic are among the more notable players to fit this bill in recent years.

However, draft-and-stash players can be former NCAA standouts too. Sometimes a college prospect selected with a late second round pick will end up playing overseas or in the G League for a year or two if there’s no space available on his NBA team’s 15-man roster.

While these players sometimes make their way to their NBA teams, others never do. Many clubs around the NBA currently hold the rights to international players who have remained overseas for their entire professional careers and are no longer considered prospects. Those players may never come stateside, but there’s often no reason for NBA teams to renounce their rights — those rights can sometimes be used as placeholders in trades.

For instance, earlier this summer, the Pacers and Raptors agreed to a trade that sent Cory Joseph to Indiana. Toronto was happy to move Joseph’s salary and didn’t necessarily need anything in return, but the Pacers had to send something in the deal. Rather than including an NBA player or a draft pick, Indiana sent Toronto the draft rights to Emir Preldzic, the 57th overall pick in the 2009 draft.

Preldzic is currently playing for Galatasaray in Turkey, and at this point appears unlikely to ever come to the NBA, but his draft rights have been a useful trade chip over the years — the Pacers/Raptors swap represented the fourth time since 2010 that Preldzic’s NBA rights have been included in a trade.

Over the next several days, we’ll take a closer look at the players whose draft rights NBA teams currently hold, sorting them by division. These players may eventually arrive in America and join their respective NBA teams, but many will end up like Preldzic, plying their trade overseas and having their draft rights used as pawns in NBA trades.

Here’s a breakdown of the draft rights held by Atlantic teams:

Boston Celtics

  • None

Brooklyn Nets

  • Christian Drejer, F (2004; No. 51): Retired.
  • Juan Vaulet, F (2015; No. 39): Playing in Argentina.
  • Aleksandar Vezenkov, F (2017; No. 57): Playing in Spain.

New York Knicks

Philadelphia 76ers

Toronto Raptors

  • DeeAndre Hulett, F (2000; No. 46): Retired.
  • Emir Preldzic, F (2009; No. 57): Playing in Turkey.

Information from Mark Porcaro and Basketball Insiders was used in the creation of this post.

4 comments Boston Celtics Brooklyn Nets Hoops Rumors Originals New York Knicks Philadelphia 76ers Toronto Raptors

Revisiting Nerlens Noel’s Free Agency

By | at August 28, 2017 11:08 am

Mavericks big man Nerlens Noel headed into restricted free agency with expectations of walking away with an long-term max deal, or something close to it. Instead, it turned into a contentious and drawn-out odyssey, with Noel eventually signing his one-year qualifying offer. He’ll head back into the free agent market next summer as an unrestricted free agent, hoping to the secure the contract he was hoping for this summer.

Noel was offered a four-year, $70MM contract by Dallas when he entered free agency at the beginning of July, Chris Haynes of ESPN confirmed to Hoops Rumors on Sunday, but the Mavericks soon pulled if off the table after Noel – represented at the time by agent Happy Walters – rejected it. That offer was not on the table for Noel later in free agency.

Let’s look at the timeline of events during Noel’s foray into restricted free agency:

JUNE 27: The Mavs tender the qualifying offer of $4,187,598 to Noel, making him a restricted free agent.

JULY 1: Mavs owner Mark Cuban has a “great call” with Noel and puts the $70MM on the table. Noel expresses a desire to re-sign but decides to wait and see what the market will bear. The offer is soon pulled.

JULY 5: The Hawks reportedly show interest in Noel after trading Dwight Howard and allowing free agency Paul Millsap to walk. They ultimately decide not to extend an offer sheet.

JULY 18: Noel and the Mavs remain far apart in negotiations. Walters tells the Dallas Morning News that his client is “very disappointed where things stand” and hasn’t received a “serious offer.”

AUGUST 21: Agitated how the process played out, Noel fires Walters and hires Rich Paul of Klutch Sports. Paul is the agent for LeBron James and John Wall, among many other NBA players.

AUGUST 26: Noel signs the qualifying offer, gambling that he’ll find more success in the open market next summer. The Mavs now need Noel’s approval to deal him before he becomes a free agent and he’ll have to surrender his Bird rights if he agrees to a trade. Meanwhile, Walters confirms that his former client turned down a four-year, $70MM offer from Dallas earlier in free agency, adding, “You can only advise. You cannot force people to do things they feel strongly about.” (Twitter links).

Noel’s situation is a prime example of how restricted free agency doesn’t work out for every player. While some – like Otto Porter and Tim Hardaway Jr. – benefit from a system that forces rival teams to overpay for an RFA to increase their chances of landing him, others can be left out in the cold once cap room dries up around the NBA.

Nikola Mirotic (Bulls), Alex Len (Suns), Mason Plumlee (Nuggets), and JaMychal Green (Grizzlies) are still restricted free agents, and it will be interesting to see whether any of them sign lucrative, long-term contracts this summer, or whether their free agency sagas ultimately end up looking more like Noel’s.

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Community Shootaround: Buyout Rules

By | at August 27, 2017 12:56 pm

Under the NBA’s current rules, players who reach buyout agreements become unrestricted free agents and are able to sign with anybody. Of course, they almost always choose championship contenders, giving a handful of teams a huge advantage in the buyout market.

Ira Winderman of The Sun-Sentinel is the latest writer to support changes to the system, using Dwyane Wade as an example. Wade seems likely to negotiate a buyout with the Bulls at some point this season, then is expected to join former Heat teammate LeBron James in Cleveland.

Winderman endorses a suggestion made last season by ESPN’s Zach Lowe to establish a secondary waiver process that would allow teams to bid on players who agree to buyouts, using any remaining cap space or exceptions they might have. The Pacers, for instance, with $7MM in cap space could submit a claim for Wade, as could the Heat with their $4.3MM mid-level exception.
The Cavaliers and Warriors, who have been to three straight NBA Finals, benefited greatly from the buyout process late last season. Cleveland added Deron Williams and Andrew Bogut, although he suffered a fractured left tibia in his first game and was eventually waived. Golden State reached an agreement with Jose Calderon, then changed direction after an injury to Kevin Durant and gave that roster spot to Matt Barnes.
Do you believe the current system is unfair, or have players who take buyouts earned the right to join teams that can win a title? Please share your thoughts in the space below. We look forward to what you have to say.
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Community Shootaround: Sweetening The Deal

By | at August 26, 2017 8:43 pm

Though the Cavaliers haven’t confirmed it, a report tonight says they won’t approve the trade of Kyrie Irving to the Celtics unless Boston throws in at least one more asset.

The sticking point is the condition of Isaiah Thomas‘ hip, which Cleveland officials contend is worse than they expected after seeing the results of Friday’s physical. The Cavs are believed to want another player or an extra draft pick included to compensate them for the time Thomas might miss, while sources say the Celtics insist they were honest about Thomas in trade talks and will resist any effort to sweeten the deal.

At this stage, both teams have incentives to get the trade done. Cleveland has been getting positive reviews for the package it was able to get for Irving, who put the franchise in a difficult position by demanding a trade. The Cavs picked up Thomas, who has been an All-Star the past two seasons, along with Jae Crowder, Ante Zizic and the Nets’ unprotected first-rounder for next year. If the deal is called off, Cleveland would have to resume efforts to trade Irving less than a month from camp and would be hard pressed to obtain four similar assets.

The Celtics may have burned their bridges with Thomas (as did some of their fans who set his jersey on fire on social media), who has been greatly underpaid for his production during his two and a half seasons in Boston. There’s no way to know how long Thomas might be sidelined, potentially leaving the Celtics shorthanded in the backcourt for an extended stretch. Plus, Thomas will be a free agent next summer and may see the collapsed deal as a sign that he’s not appreciated in Boston. Crowder would also be returning to an uncomfortable situation, although he’s under contract through 2019/20.

Considering both teams’ situations and their desire to be the top seed in the East, should the Celtics sweeten the trade if the Cavaliers demand it, and how much should they agree to? Please leave your responses in the space below. We look forward to what you have to say.

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Hoops Rumors Originals: 8/19/17 – 8/26/17

By | at August 26, 2017 4:00 pm

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

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