Weekly Mailbag: 6/5/17 – 6/11/17
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. Here are this week’s inquiries:
Would a package of the No. 3 pick, Jahlil Okafor or Richaun Holmes, one of next year’s first-rounders and a couple second-rounders get Philly Klay Thompson? — Kevin Wisla
It’s a decent offer that might tempt some other franchise, but the Warriors aren’t going to break up the core of a team that is poised to be title favorites for the next five years. Thompson is only 27 and is under contract for about $17.8MM next season and nearly $19MM in 2018/19, a very good price for a three-time All-Star. Thompson’s shooting troubles early in the NBA Finals prompted some fans and media to start trade speculation, but he’s simply not leaving Golden State. A more realistic, and cheaper, target to fill the shooting guard slot would be Jordan Clarkson, who could become expendable if the Lakers draft another guard and is rumored to be available. The Sixers also have plenty of cash to make a run at Clippers free agent J.J. Redick this summer.
Do you think the Pistons will seek trade offers for Reggie Jackson or Andre Drummond or let Kentavious Caldwell-Pope accept a deal elsewhere to save cap space, or will they keep the roster together, but over the salary cap? — Barron Hudson
Word leaked Friday that Detroit once again plans to explore the trade value for Jackson and Drummond, who were both on the block in February. Jackson is coming off a disappointing year, and the Pistons played worse once he returned from an early-season knee injury. Coach/executive Stan Van Gundy has publicly questioned Drummond’s work ethic and said he needs to improve in several areas. Those aren’t the guys you want to build your team around, especially coming off a 37-45 season. The Pistons are committed to keeping Caldwell-Pope, a restricted free agent, and don’t have any cap room to replace him if he leaves. But they had better be prepared to make or match a max offer. There are plenty of teams with cap space [Brooklyn will be throwing money around again] and KCP is one of the best guards on the market.
Any NBA draft rumors starting to surface? Which player is most likely to fall in the draft? Which player is most likely to rise? Which team is most likely to trade up? Which team is most likely to trade down? — Matt Trapp
It may be another week or so before the rumors really start to take shape, as teams are in the middle of pre-draft workouts and still haven’t seen all the players they might be interested in. Duke’s Harry Giles is a name to watch in the late lottery, as someone may take a chance on a super talent with a history of knee problems, and teammate Luke Kennard could get chosen much higher than originally projected by a team that needs shooting help. As far as trade rumors, the Sixers don’t have a clear choice at No. 3 and the Kings at No. 5 are reportedly interested in trading up to get Kentucky point guard De’Aaron Fox, so that’s a situation to watch.
Community Shootaround: New Policy On Resting Players
The NBA is ready to address the issue of healthy stars sitting out games during the regular season.
Commissioner Adam Silver held a conference call Friday with the league’s competition committee, developing guidelines to deal with the topic, relays ESPN.com. He plans to “strongly recommend” that teams rest their stars only during home games, with a limit of one per contest.
In theory, this will eliminate the problem of fans in cities where LeBron James or Stephen Curry plays once or twice a year missing out on seeing the stars in action after paying top dollar for tickets.
“Where we’re heading is the adoption of guidelines that will be in place for next season which will strongly recommend that the extent they rest, they rest at home, and teams also not rest multiple starters on the same night,” Silver said. “Let’s see how that plays out.
“I’m reluctant to get into the business of directing these great coaches on minutes. As you know, players are often injured during the season, not to the point where they otherwise can’t play but maybe shouldn’t play. Then it’s a function of league doctors versus team doctors on how healthy a player is and whether it’s appropriate a player should be on the floor that night.
“I’d like to come up with a system that relies on the good faith of our teams that to the extent rest is necessary — and it is on occasion — that it’s done in an appropriate [manner] but the league executives are not dictating to coaches and GMs precisely what games their players should or shouldn’t be playing in.”
It’s a problem unique to the NBA. The series nature of baseball means no one objects when a player gets a night off. NFL players never skip games with they’re healthy, unless it’s a meaningless one at the end of the season. NHL players have a tough-guy code and most wouldn’t think of sitting out a game just for rest.
But it’s an issue in pro basketball, as teams worry about being healthy and fresh for the playoffs.
We want to know what you think of Silver’s new guidelines. Do they go far enough? Do you believe the league will enforce them? Or is this really a problem at all?
Please share your opinion in the comments section. We look forward to what you have to say.
Hoops Rumors Originals: 6/3/17 – 6/10/17
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:
- Luke Adams provides a list of players eligible for rookie scale extensions in 2017.
- We offer two more installments in our Five Offseason Questions series with the Kings and Wizards.
- Luke Adams breaks down team’s specific salary cap landscapes with six more analyses in his Salary Cap Digest series: the Heat, Pistons, Celtics, Spurs, Cavaliers, and Warriors. Find your favorite team’s entry here.
- Arthur Hill talks Dion Waiters‘ expected contract, the Celtics‘ plans for their second round picks, and whether the Mavericks might trade for Emmanuel Mudiay in his weekly Sunday mailbag. Submit your questions via Twitter (@HoopsRumors) or by sending us an email (hoopsrumorsmailbag@gmail.com).
- In his weekly Hoops Links roundup of interesting articles from around the blogosphere, Austin Kent shares pieces on Thon Maker‘s enormous potential, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope‘s fascinating background, whether the Nuggets should ink Danilo Gallinari long-term, and more.
- Luke Adams answered your questions about the upcoming draft, free agency, the Cavs, and other NBA topics in our weekly Thursday afternoon live chat. Read the transcript here.
- Check out our free Trade Rumors app available for IOS and Android.
- Here are the questions we asked you in our Community Shootaround discussions and polls this week:
- Should strict media obligations be required of NBA players?
- What adjustments must the Cavs make ahead of Game 3?
- Will the Warriors go a perfect 16-0 in the playoffs?
- Will LeBron James be a Cavalier for the rest of his career or does his future lie elsewhere?
- Had the Warriors won the Finals last year and been two-time defending champions, how, if at all, would the team be viewed differently?
Community Shootaround: Draymond Green
The Cavaliers and Warriors are in the middle of a competitive Game 4 with the NBA title hanging in the balance (for one of them). If Cleveland can’t eke out a victory by the end of the night, they’ll be on the losing end of Golden State’s historic 16-0 playoff run and the offseason will have officially begun.
Such an impressive run, just one season removed from their historic 73-win 2015/16 campaign would put the already legendary Warriors club in even more impressive territory.
This isn’t a post about the Warriors winning the 2017 NBA title, however, as we at Hoops Rumors remain dutifully impartial and simply hopeful that the series will continue and hoops fans the world over get several more games of NBA action.
This is a post about last year.
Earlier this week, notoriously emotional Draymond Green told Zach Lowe of ESPN that he believes his suspension in Game 5 of the 2016 NBA Finals cost his team the title. Green, of course, was sidelined after an incident in which he appeared to take a swipe at LeBron James‘ groin.
Whether or not you agree that the suspension was warranted, the question we’d like to propose is whether or not you think having Green in the lineup for Game 5 last year would have changed the outcome of the best-of-seven series.
If the Dubs had pulled off the 2016 title, they’d be within a game from a threepeat here tonight, which comes with its own place among the league’s greatest dynasties.
The question is, if Golden State were reigning two-time defending champions, would they be perceived any different than they are? Would Kevin Durant still have signed? Would James’ legacy be impacted?
It’ll be a long 15 minutes as we await the third quarter of this fourth game of the 2017 NBA Finals, so join us on a hypothetical journey back to last year.
2017 Offseason Salary Cap Digest: Golden State Warriors
After blowing a 3-1 series lead in last year’s Finals, the Warriors were the punchline in a bevy of offseason jokes. They responded by adding Kevin Durant to a 73-win roster, racking up 67 more regular season wins, and opening the playoffs on a 15-0 run. Golden State’s current roster looks virtually unstoppable, and while the team may not re-sign all its complementary players this summer, it should have no problem locking up Durant and Stephen Curry to new deals.
Here’s where things currently stand for the Warriors financially, as we conclude our Offseason Salary Cap Digest series for 2017:
Guaranteed Salary
- Klay Thompson ($17,826,150)
- Draymond Green ($16,400,000)
- Kevon Looney ($1,471,382)
- Damian Jones ($1,312,611)
- Patrick McCaw ($1,312,611)
- Jason Thompson ($945,126) — Waived via stretch provision.
- Total: $39,267,880
Player Options
- Kevin Durant ($27,734,405)
- Total: $27,734,405
Team Options
- None
Non-Guaranteed Salary
- None
Restricted Free Agents
- James Michael McAdoo ($1,724,305 qualifying offer / $1,724,305 cap hold)
- Total: $1,724,305
Cap Holds
- Kevin Durant ($31,848,120) — If player option is declined.
- Stephen Curry ($18,168,539)
- Andre Iguodala ($16,697,052)
- Shaun Livingston ($10,986,655)
- Zaza Pachulia ($3,477,600)
- Matt Barnes ($1,471,382)
- Ian Clark ($1,471,382)
- JaVale McGee ($1,471,382)
- David West ($1,471,382)
- Total: $87,063,494
Projected Salary Cap: $101,000,000
Maximum Cap Room: $39,485,506
- Our max cap room scenario for the Warriors assumes that Durant turns down his player option and the Warriors renounce all their free agents except for Curry. Five guaranteed salaries, along with cap holds for Curry and six empty roster rosters, would bring team salary to $61,514,494. In that scenario, the team could afford a max contract for Durant, but wouldn’t have much cap room left to sign other players. The more likely outcome – which would give the team a better chance to re-sign Iguodala and Livingston – involves staying over the cap and Durant accepting a 20% raise rather than a true max salary.
Salary information from Basketball Insiders and The Vertical was used in the creation of this post.
Hoops Links Vol. 8: Rick Carlisle Fan Fiction, Emojis, More
We’re back with a fresh batch of the best content from around the NBA blogosphere. This is where we take a break from the typical news cycle to shine a light on original, entertaining content from bloggers just like you. Yes, you.
Be sure to nominate the best article you read this week (even if you wrote it yourself) by dropping me a line on Twitter (@AustinKent), emailing HoopsRumorsTips@Sports.ws or simply yelling into your router loud enough that it makes it all the way to Canada.
If hoops fans weren’t too busy trying to pinpoint the last remaining Thon Maker birth certificate joke that hasn’t been made yet, they’d have seen just how scary the 7’1″ Bucks rookie really was. In the playoffs in particular, Maker’s surprising fluidity and absurd length were on full display. In a full feature at Behind The Buck Pass, Paul Headley broke down just what makes the 20-year-old such a tantalizing piece of Milwaukee’s future.
Rating: 9 out 10 Stale Reddit Memes
Author: Paul Headley – @PaulHeadleyNBA
Link: Thon Maker’s future
While he may not be the biggest name, the Hawks landed a gem in new general manager Travis Schlenk. Jack O’Donnell of Soaring Down South recently rallied support for the new shot caller, citing Schlenk’s breadth of experience, including 12 years behind the scenes with the most dominant franchise in the league, most recently as the Warriors‘ assistant general manager.
Rating: 8 out of 10 More Agonizing Weeks of Paul Millsap Speculation
Author: Jack O’Donnell – @SoaringDwnSouth
Link: Hawks general manager Travis Schlenk
If what you’re looking for is an elaborate fan fiction account of Rick Carlisle‘s secret side mission as an espionage agent with a pilot’s license, you’ve come to the right place. Doyle Rader of Mavs Moneyball put together an explanation for why the Mavs head coach was really at Game 2 of the NBA Finals. (Can you tell these guys aren’t used to missing the playoffs?).
Rating: 8 out of 10 Long Offseasons
Author: Doyle Rader – @TheKobeBeef
Link: Why was Rick Carlisle at Game 2?
It would be unwise for the Nuggets to sign Danilo Gallinari to a max contract, Matthew Huff of Nugg Love says. The scoring forward doesn’t do enough on the defensive end, clogs Denver’s depth chart and would limit the team’s financial flexibility. At the right price, bringing the Rooster back could be worth exploring, but he figures to have plenty of suitors when free agency begins.
Rating: 8 out of 10 Next Chapters
Author: Matthew Huff – @Huff_Melo7
Link: Danilo Gallinari max contract
It’s no secret that Spencer Dinwiddie is a low-key guy and a natural when it comes to social media, but a recent feature published by Jorge Sierra over at HoopsHype raises the bar altogether. Read through a transcript of text messages Sierra and the Nets guard sent each other throughout Game 2 of the NBA Finals for a candid look into a conversation that ranged from GOATs to Iron Man.
Rating: 9 out of 10 Grown Adults Using Emojis
Author: Jorge Sierra – @HoopsHype
Link: Spencer Dinwiddie texting
A quick look at Jayson Tatum‘s highlight reel reveals an eerie similarity to Paul Pierce, Adam Miller says at Hardwood Houdini. Miller collect video showcasing the forward’s skill set, including a heavily used mid-range game, but stops short of saying that the Duke product will go on to piece together a career as successful as the Celtics legend.
Rating: 8 out of 10 Dopplegangers
Author: Adam Miller – @AMillerSports
Link: Jayson Tatum, Paul Pierce similarities
Basketball fans have had a tough time processing Kevin Durant‘s decision to join the Warriors, but that wasn’t the case for one 16 Wins a Ring scribe. Dylan Hughes has heard all the flak that Durant has had to endure his first year in Golden State, but still elects to openly root for him anyway. Hughes may be right when he says that we shouldn’t hate on the guy for doing something that makes him happy… but we probably will anyway.
Rating: 7 out of 10 Lifelong Grudges
Author: Dylan Hughes – @16WinsARing
Link: Don’t hate on Kevin Durant
Are we overthinking the changes that we’ve seen in the NBA over the course of the past half decade? Ben McLemore suggests as much. In an interview with Kimani Okearah of Sactown Royalty, the veteran downplays the notion that the league is heading in a new direction. Come for the chance to get in a few low-hanging-fruit Kings jokes, stay for the original photography.
Rating: 8 out of 10 Triple Threats
Author: Kimani Okearah – @TheKimansta
Link: Ben McLemore interview
It seems likely that Zhou Qi will arrive with the Rockets next season so Darren Yuvan of The Dream Shake took a look at what that might entail. While it’s hard not to be intrigued by the 7’2″ prospect, it’s not clear whether he’ll have a big enough frame to make much of a difference at the next level.
Rating: 7 out of 10 Tall Men
Author: Darren Yuvan – @DarrenYuvan
Link: Zhou Qi Rockets 2017-18
With free agency right around the corner, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope will get his fair share of attention. It’s about time, then, that we get a better understanding of the path that’s led him from Greenville, Georgia to the Pistons. David Ramil’s comprehensive long-read published at The Step Back will answer any questions you may have about the potential $20MM man.
Rating: 9 out of 10 Hometown Heroes
Author: David Ramil – @DRamil13
Link: Kentavious Caldwell-Pope biography
2017 Offseason Salary Cap Digest: Cleveland Cavaliers
After the NBA salary cap jumped to unprecedented heights in 2016, it became more challenging for teams to spend enough to surpass the tax line, but the Cavaliers did it with ease. By our count, they’ll have a tax bill of nearly $25MM for the 2016/17 season, and they’re projected to be in tax territory again in ’17/18. That will make it difficult to make major upgrades to the roster, though GM David Griffin has been creative in adding pieces in the past.
Here’s where things currently stand for the Cavaliers financially, as we continue our Offseason Salary Cap Digest series for 2017:
Guaranteed Salary
- LeBron James ($33,285,709)
- Kevin Love ($22,642,350)
- Kyrie Irving ($18,868,626)
- Tristan Thompson ($16,400,000)
- J.R. Smith ($13,760,000)
- Iman Shumpert ($10,337,079)
- Channing Frye ($7,420,912)
- Richard Jefferson ($2,500,000)
- Kay Felder ($456,529) — Partial guarantee. Non-guaranteed portion noted below.1
- Total: $125,671,205
Player Options
- None
Team Options
- None
Non-Guaranteed Salary
- Edy Tavares ($1,471,382)
- Kay Felder ($856,082) — Partial guarantee. Guaranteed portion noted above.1
- Total: $2,327,464
Restricted Free Agents
- None
Cap Holds
- Kyle Korver ($9,954,930)
- Dahntay Jones ($1,471,382)
- James Jones ($1,471,382)
- Deron Williams ($1,471,382)
- Derrick Williams ($1,471,382)
- Total: $15,840,458
Trade Exceptions
- Mike Dunleavy TPE ($4,837,500) — Expires 1/17/18
- Mo Williams TPE ($2,194,500) — Expires 1/7/18
- Sasha Kaun TPE ($1,333,420) — Expires 7/15/17
- Chris Andersen TPE ($980,431) — Expires 2/13/18
Projected Salary Cap: $101,000,000
Maximum Cap Room: –$27,933,665
- The Cavaliers’ eight guaranteed contracts, plus four cap charges for empty roster spots, bring the total team salary to $128,933,665. Considering the luxury tax line is currently projected to be around $121MM, the Cavs have virtually no way to get below the cap this summer unless they gut their roster.
Footnotes:
- Felder’s salary won’t become fully guaranteed until January 10.
Salary information from Basketball Insiders and The Vertical was used in the creation of this post.
Community Shootaround: LeBron James’ Future
The Cavaliers are one game away from being swept by the Warriors, and Chris Mannix of The Vertical makes the case that Cleveland won’t have a legit chance to knock off Golden State anytime soon. In fact, Mannix suggests that if they hadn’t won last year’s Finals, the Cavs would likely be headed for a Buffalo Bills-esque run — good enough to come out of their conference, but not to win the championship.
With that in mind, Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer explores the idea that LeBron’s second stint in Cleveland may not be permanent. James came back to the Cavs with a goal of bringing a title to Cleveland, and did so last year, meaning there likely wouldn’t be as much animosity if elected to take his talents elsewhere for a second time.
According to O’Connor, there are rumblings around the NBA about the possibility of LeBron heading out west when he becomes eligible to opt out of his contract in 2018. Multiple league sources that spoke to O’Connor suggests that Los Angeles is a potential destination for the reigning Finals MVP, with both the Lakers or Clippers as viable possibilities.
O’Connor lays out both of those hypothetical scenarios, writing that LeBron could theoretically team with Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram, and Paul George for the Lakers, or with his “Banana Boat” friends – Dwyane Wade, Chris Paul, and Carmelo Anthony – for the Clippers.
At this point, both of those outcomes seem like long shots. Either L.A. team would have to complete a series of challenging roster moves to put together the groups O’Connor mentions, and there’s certainly no guarantee that LeBron will leave Cleveland anyway when he has the opportunity to reach free agency next summer. Heading west also wouldn’t necessarily improve his chances of toppling the Warriors, since he’d be in their division rather than in another conference.
Still, with the Cavs on the verge of defeat in this year’s Finals, it’s an interesting subject of speculation. What do you think? Will LeBron finish his career with the Cavaliers, or do you expect to see him eventually change teams again? If he heads elsewhere, are the Lakers and Clippers the most likely landing spots?
Weigh in below in the comments section with your thoughts!
Five Key Offseason Questions: Washington Wizards
The Wizards’ 2016 offseason, which included a five-year max contract for Bradley Beal, pricey multiyear investments in Ian Mahinmi, Andrew Nicholson, and Jason Smith, and the hiring of Scott Brooks, was met with skepticism by many league observers. However, while most of the team’s free agent additions didn’t pay major dividends, Brooks’ arrival and Beal’s breakout season helped buoy Washington to a top-four seed in the Eastern Conference.
The Wizards were just one win away from knocking off the top-seeded Celtics and earning a spot in the Eastern Conference Finals, but this team isn’t a finished product. There are several areas the Wizards will need to address and a handful of questions the club will need to answer in order to make another deep playoff run a year from now.
Here are several key questions facing the Wizards as they enter the offseason:
1. Will Otto Porter be re-signed?
John Wall and Beal are the Wizards’ stars, but if anyone on the roster qualifies as the third piece of a Big Three, it’s Porter. He enjoyed the best season of his four-year career in 2016/17, averaging 13.4 PPG, 6.4 RPG, and 1.5 SPG, with an extremely efficient .516/.434/.832 shooting line. He’s also just 24 years old, and is eligible for restricted free agency this summer.
When Beal reached restricted free agency a year ago, there was little doubt that the Wizards would retain him, despite his injury history. Porter isn’t quite a lock to be brought back — he’ll almost certainly draw enough rival interest that Washington will be forced to go up to the max for him, and he’d be making more than both Beal and Wall in that scenario. Still, letting him go wouldn’t create a ton of cap flexibility for the Wizards, and it would leave the club with a huge hole in its lineup, so I’d expect Porter to stay in D.C.
2. Will Bojan Bogdanovic be re-signed?
Like Porter, Bogdanovic provided reliable outside shooting for the Wizards this season and is eligible for restricted free agency. Bogdanovic, who was acquired at the trade deadline, isn’t as strong an all-around player as Porter, but he’s a very solid scorer off the bench on a team that had a hard time finding production from its second unit.
Assuming they tender Bogdanovic a qualifying offer, as they should, the Wizards will have the opportunity to match any offer sheet the veteran forward signs. But if Porter is re-signed, Washington won’t have a ton of flexibility to match a lucrative offer for Bogdanovic unless the team is willing to go into the tax. Depending on how aggressively suitors pursue Bogdanovic, it might make sense for the Wizards to let him go.
2017 Offseason Salary Cap Digest: San Antonio Spurs
The Spurs won 60+ games for the third time in four years in 2016/17, but any chance they had of knocking off the Warriors in the Western Conference Finals was stymied when Kawhi Leonard re-injured his ankle in Game 1 against Golden State. Even though San Antonio was the second- or third-best team in the NBA this past season, additional roster pieces may be needed to seriously challenge the historically dominant Warriors.
Here’s where things currently stand for the Spurs financially, as we continue our Offseason Salary Cap Digest series for 2017:
Guaranteed Salary
- LaMarcus Aldridge ($21,461,010)
- Kawhi Leonard ($18,868,625)
- Tony Parker ($15,453,126)
- Danny Green ($10,000,000)
- Kyle Anderson ($2,151,704)
- Tim Duncan ($1,881,250) — Waived via stretch provision.
- Davis Bertans ($1,312,611)
- Dejounte Murray ($1,312,611)
- Livio Jean-Charles ($1,035,200) — Waived.
- Total: $73,476,137
Player Options
Team Options
- None
Non-Guaranteed Salary
- Bryn Forbes ($1,312,611)1
- Total: $1,312,611
Restricted Free Agents
- Jonathon Simmons ($1,671,382 qualifying offer / $1,671,382 cap hold)
- Total: $1,671,382
Cap Holds
- Manu Ginobili ($21,000,000)
- Patty Mills ($6,800,001)
- Dewayne Dedmon ($3,477,600) — Player option declined.
- Joel Anthony ($1,471,382)
- No. 29 overall pick ($1,404,600)
- Total: $34,153,583
Projected Salary Cap: $101,000,000
Maximum Cap Room: $22,856,803
- With seven guaranteed contracts, plus cap holds for a first-round pick and four empty roster spots, the Spurs’ team salary is $78,143,197. That figure doesn’t include Gasol or Lee, who could pick up player options, and also doesn’t include Ginobili, Mills, or Simmons, all free agents. Even if none of those players return, San Antonio would still have work to do to clear enough room for a maximum salary player like Chris Paul.
Footnotes:
- Forbes’ salary becomes partially guaranteed ($100,000) after August 1.
Salary information from Basketball Insiders and The Vertical was used in the creation of this post.