Send Us Your Mailbag Questions, Hoops Links Submissions
Every week at Hoops Rumors, we publish a pair of features that rely on input and submissions from our readers. One is our Weekly Mailbag, in which Arthur Hill answers a few questions related to the latest news and rumors from around the NBA. The second is our Hoops Links feature, which showcases a selection of notable NBA blog entries from all over the internet. In each instance, the content for those features comes from you.
Have a question regarding player movement, free agent rumors, the salary cap, the NBA draft, or the top storylines of the week? You can email them here for consideration for our Weekly Mailbag on Sundays: hoopsrumorsmailbag@gmail.com. If your question doesn’t get selected for our mailbag, be sure to join us on Monday afternoons for our weekly live chats.
Got a new NBA blog post that you’d like to see featured on Hoops Rumors? You can send the URL and a brief description of the piece to HoopsRumorsTips@sports.ws for consideration.
Be sure to send us your new mailbag questions and NBA blog posts each week, and check back to see if you’ve been featured in that week’s installment!
Hoops Rumors Originals: 4/30/17 – 5/6/17
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 dove headfirst into the salary cap situations for a quartet of eliminated playoff teams — the Grizzlies, Bulls, Hawks, and Clippers.
- With the Pacers now eliminated from the postseason and Paul George‘s future with the team very much in doubt, Luke Adams looks at five key offseason questions facing the team.
- Arthur Hill discussed the likelihood of Blake Griffin leaving the Clippers, Alvin Gentry‘s job security with the Pelicans, and whether Greg Monroe should opt out of his contract with the Bucks in his weekly Sunday mailbag. Submit your questions via Twitter (@HoopsRumors) or by sending us an email (hoopsrumorsmailbag@gmail.com).
- In our weekly Hoops Links roundup of interesting articles from around the blogosphere, Austin Kent shares pieces on LeBron James, James Harden, Jrue Holiday, and more. For details on how to submit a blog entry for consideration in our next installment of Hoops Links, click here.
- Here are the questions we asked you in our Community Shootaround discussions and polls this week:
- What is your favorite Paul Pierce moment?
- Should the Knicks trade Carmelo Anthony?
- What are your thoughts on whether the Hawks should trade Dwight Howard and what could they command in return?
- Do you agree with Doc Rivers that the coach/executive model can work?
- Who should be drafted first overall: Markelle Fultz, Lonzo Ball, or someone else?
2017 Offseason Salary Cap Digest: Los Angeles Clippers
The Clippers have three players who are perennial All-NBA candidates, and have racked up at least 51 victories in each of the last five seasons. However, they’ve also only won two playoff series during that stretch — that’s why, with Chris Paul and Blake Griffin headed toward potential free agency, there are so many calls for Los Angeles to blow things up this offseason. A full-scale rebuild seems unlikely, since the Clippers won’t want to lose their top free agents for nothing, and sign-and-trades are difficult to pull off under the current CBA. Still, changes of some sort are looming in the wake of another postseason disappointment.
Here’s where things currently stand for the Clippers financially, as we continue our Offseason Salary Cap Digest series for 2017:
Guaranteed Salary
- DeAndre Jordan ($22,642,350)
- Jamal Crawford ($14,246,988)
- Austin Rivers ($11,825,000)
- Wesley Johnson ($5,881,260)
- Brice Johnson ($1,331,160)
- Diamond Stone ($1,312,611)
- Paul Pierce ($1,096,080) — Partial guarantee. Non-guaranteed portion noted below.1
- Carlos Delfino ($650,000) — Waived via stretch provision
- Jordan Farmar ($510,921) — Waived via stretch provision
- Miroslav Raduljica ($252,043) — Waived via stretch provision
- Total: $59,748,413
Player Options / Early Termination Options
- Chris Paul ($24,268,959) (ETO)
- Blake Griffin ($21,373,952) (ETO)
- Luc Mbah a Moute ($2,302,135) (PO)
- Marreese Speights ($2,116,955) (PO)
- Total: $50,062,001
Team Options
- None
Non-Guaranteed Salary
- Paul Pierce ($2,583,760) — Partial guarantee. Guaranteed portion noted above.1
- Total: $2,583,760
Restricted Free Agents
- None
Cap Holds
- Chris Paul ($34,303,241) — If early termination option is exercised
- Blake Griffin ($30,211,259) — If early termination option is exercised2
- J.J. Redick ($14,017,250)
- Luc Mbah a Moute ($2,863,900) — If player option is declined
- Alan Anderson ($1,471,382)
- Brandon Bass ($1,471,382)
- Raymond Felton ($1,471,382)
- Marreese Speights ($1,471,382) — If player option is declined
- Total: $87,281,178
Trade Exceptions
- C.J. Wilcox TPE ($1,209,600) — Expires 7/15/17
Projected Salary Cap: $101,000,000
Maximum Cap Room: $36,357,897
- Determining the Clippers’ maximum cap space is a less interesting exercise than it is for most other teams, since there’s very little chance the Clips will part ways with all their free-agents-to-be in an effort to create cap room. Still, it’s worth noting that if the club renounces those free agents and exceptions, keeps its six guaranteed salaries, and accounts for six empty roster spots, that would result in a $64,642,103 team salary. A new deal for Paul would eat up most of that room, and if the Clippers are able to retain Griffin as well, that would send team salary way over the cap.
Footnotes:
- Pierce’s salary becomes fully guaranteed after June 30.
- Griffin’s cap hold can’t exceed his maximum salary, which is currently projected to be $30,300,000.
Salary information from Basketball Insiders and The Vertical was used in the creation of this post.
2017 Offseason Salary Cap Digest: Atlanta Hawks
A year after losing Al Horford in free agency, the Hawks risk Paul Millsap declining his player option and following the same path. When Horford left last summer, Atlanta went on a bit of a spending spree, signing Dwight Howard, Kent Bazemore, and Dennis Schroder to lucrative long-term deals. Those three veterans are now the highest-paid players on the Hawks’ books, and it will be interesting to see if the club adds another player or two to that group if Millsap departs.
Here’s where things currently stand for the Hawks financially, as we continue our Offseason Salary Cap Digest series for 2017:
Guaranteed Salary
- Dwight Howard ($23,500,000)
- Kent Bazemore ($16,910,113)
- Dennis Schroder ($15,500,000)
- Malcolm Delaney ($2,500,000)
- Taurean Prince ($2,422,560)
- Mike Dunleavy Jr. ($1,662,500) — Partial guarantee. Non-guaranteed portion noted below.1
- DeAndre’ Bembry ($1,567,200)
- Total: $64,062,373
Player Options
- Paul Millsap ($21,472,407)
- Total: $21,472,407
Team Options
- None
Non-Guaranteed Salary
- Mike Dunleavy Jr. ($3,512,500) — Partial guarantee. Guaranteed portion noted above.1
- Ryan Kelly ($1,577,230)2
- Total: $5,089,730
Restricted Free Agents
- Tim Hardaway Jr. ($4,588,840 qualifying offer / $5,704,013 cap hold)
- Total: $5,704,013
Cap Holds
- Paul Millsap ($30,108,050) — If player option is declined
- Ersan Ilyasova ($12,600,000)
- Thabo Sefolosha ($7,315,000)
- Kris Humphries ($5,200,000)
- No. 19 overall pick ($1,936,920)
- Jose Calderon ($1,471,382)
- Mike Muscala ($1,471,382)
- Total: $60,102,734
Trade Exceptions
- Mike Scott TPE ($3,333,334) — Expires 2/23/18
- Mo Williams TPE ($2,194,500) — Expires 1/18/18
Projected Salary Cap: $101,000,000
Maximum Cap Room: $30,922,632
- By waiving their players without fully guaranteed contracts and renouncing all their exceptions and free agents (including Millsap), the Hawks would be left with six players on guaranteed deals, a cap hold for their first-round pick, and cap charges for empty roster spots totaling $70,077,368. That would give the club nearly $31MM in cap room, but if Atlanta wants to make an effort to re-sign Millsap, that space would go away — Millsap’s cap hold exceeds $30MM on its own.
Footnotes:
- Dunleavy’s salary becomes fully guaranteed after July 1.
- Kelly’s salary becomes fully guaranteed after July 7.
Salary information from Basketball Insiders and The Vertical was used in the creation of this post.
Hoops Links Vol. 3: Traditional Big Men, Puppies, More
Welcome to Hoops Links, your one-stop shop collection of the best original content from around the NBA blogosphere. Consider it a mid-week safari of sports news, just with more journalism and fewer hyenas savaging the carcasses of fallen jackals.
As I do every week, this is my plea for all readers to hit me up with future articles so that each edition of Hoops Links can shine a light on areas of the online hoops community that deserve it. You can email them to me at HoopsRumorsTips@Sports.ws or send them to me on Twitter (@AustinKent). Heck, flag down any of the Hoops Rumors staff the next time you see us walking down the street and that’ll work just as well.
Lost in the excitement of the thrilling Game 2 finish between the Wizards and Celtics is that Washington could realistically have pulled out the victory in regulation. Jake Whitacre of Bullets Forever relives the last 14 seconds of the fourth quarter and breaks down what went wrong.
Rating: 8 out of 10 Missed Opportunities
Author: Jake Whitacre – @JakeWhitacre
Link: Wizards-Celtics, Game 2
A thorough look at advanced metrics reveals that Jrue Holiday is a valuable second-tier guard. Oleh Kosel of The Bird Writes recently walked through the NOLA playmaker’s portfolio and revealed that, while his numbers may lack in comparison to some of his elite counterparts, the fact that the pending free agent is willing to defer to players like Anthony Davis and DeMarcus Cousins is a good thing, not a bad thing.
Rating: 9 out of 10 It’s Not A Bug, It’s A Features
Author: Oleh Kosel – @RedHopeful
Link: Jrue Holiday offensive metrics
Through seven seasons in the NBA, and especially this most recent one, James Harden has established himself as a scoring savant capable of stuffing the stat sheet with gaudy point and assists totals. That much we know. This second-round series between the Rockets and Spurs, however, will serve as an indication as to whether or not the box-score stuffer is ready to formally join the league’s contending elite. Kwame Fisher-Jones of The 76er Files has the details.
Rating: 7 out of 10 Most Valuable MVP Runners-Up
Author: Kwame Fisher-Jones – @MrJonesNBA
Link: James Harden Rockets-Spurs series
When the Cavaliers were limping through the second half of the regular season, criticism of head coach Tyronn Lue was commonplace. Quenton Albertie at King James Gospel, for one, admits to not-so-subtly calling for the man’s firing. Fast forward one month later and the Cavs are back running like a well-oiled machine, a testament to the adjustments Lue has made from the sidelines, and writers like Albertie have changed their tune.
Rating: 8 out of 10 Richard Jefferson Snapchats
Author: Quenton Albertie – @QuentonAlbertie
Link: Cavs coach Tyronn Lue
The Magic will be well represented in the new BIG3 league set to debut this summer. A total of 10 former Orlando players were drafted to three-on-three rosters last Sunday. While Rashard Lewis and Jason Williams team up to captain the 3-Headed Monsters, the list of former Magic players who will participate is significant (we see you Larry Hughes! BONUS LINK). Philip Rossman-Reich of Orlando Magic Daily has the complete list.
Rating: 6 out of 10 Flat-Footed Old Guy Jumpers
Author: Philip Rossman-Reich – @OMagicDaily
Link: Orlando Magic BIG3 players
The same Ohio beer company that infamously launched a special ale called Quitness when LeBron James left for the Heat in 2010 have now taken to using the King’s own image in a more recent promotion. As Henry Bushnell lays out at Ball Don’t Lie, James’ legal team will handle the beer company looking to cash in on James pretending to take a sip out of a beer bottle on the tray of a courtside server last Monday.
Rating: 7 out of 10 Marketing Fails
Author: Henry Bushnell – @HenryBushnell
Link: Beer company’s LeBron James promotion
A Michigan-wide dog adoption event ended about as well as any of us could have hoped, with Stan Van Gundy taking home the last of the available canines at a Harbor Springs Humane Society. For Detroit Bad Boys, Sean Corp breaks down the Van Gundy family’s decision to take home the lab with complicated medical needs. “And with this,” one DBB commenter says, “SVG concludes the Pistons’ offseason roster movement.” He’s kidding. We hope.
Rating: 8 out of 10 Good Boys
Author: Sean Corp – @Sean_Corp
Link: Stan Van Gundy adopts dog
The Celtics and Wizards had beef even before their second-round series, Jeff Clark writes for Celtics Blog, but that doesn’t mean can’t get progressively worse. Clark talks about the “boop” game and the “funeral” game and the fact that Markieff Morris has a reputation for finding himself involved in “extracurricular activities.”
Rating: 7 out of 10 Reminders Not To Leave The Bench In The Event Of An Altercation
Author: Jeff Clark – @CelticsBlog
Link: Celtics-Wizards Feud
It’s getting harder and harder for the Raptors to get by with Jonas Valanciunas on the court and the club’s latest matchup is yet one more compelling case for the club to fully embrace small ball. For The Step Back, Andrew Bernucca writes that Toronto deserves credit for having the foresight to acquire Serge Ibaka at the deadline, but that it’s no longer justifiable to have the back-to-the-basket Valanciunas out there with him.
Rating: 9 out of 10 Signs Of The Time
Author: Andrew Bernucca – @Krosoveri
Link: Jonas Valanciunas small ball
Plodding big man Al Jefferson came under fire from his own general manager for not being in great shape this postseason. C. Cooper of Indy Cornrows, however, calls to question the Pacers in general, arguing that they ought to get the rest of the bench working effectively around him, too.
Rating: 6 out of 10 Floor Spacing Issues
Author: C. Cooper – @C2_Cooper
Link: Al Jefferson out of shape
Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Community Shootaround: Coach/Executives
Part of today’s rumored shakeup in Atlanta includes the possibility that coach/executive Mike Budenholzer could give up his title as president of basketball operations.
Budenholzer has spent four seasons in Atlanta, improving dramatically from 38-44 in his first year to 60-22 in his second. The Hawks regressed to 48 wins last season and 43 this year, leading many to speculate that the organization might be better off with Budenholzer as a full-time coach.
It reopens the debate of whether it’s a good idea to give a head coach a role in the front office. In addition to Budenholzer, there are only four others right now who hold both titles: Doc Rivers with the Clippers, Stan Van Gundy with the Pistons, Tom Thibodeau with the Timberwolves and Gregg Popovich with the Spurs.
Obviously, Popovich has been very successful with his dual responsibilities, and Rivers has helped make the Clippers a perennial playoff team. Thibodeau’s first season in Minnesota was disappointing, while Van Gundy is 113-133 with just one playoff appearance in his three years in Detroit.
During a season-ending press conference today in Los Angeles, Rivers defended the idea of having one person handle both roles. There has been talk that he may be relieved of his front office duties this summer.
“It is hard, that’s why I hired [VP of basketball operations] Lawrence [Frank]“ Rivers said. “People don’t realize [Popovich] has been the president a long time. Clearly, it can be done but you’ve got to have great help. [General manager] R.C. Buford and that entire staff does. Pop really coaches the team. He’s involved. That’s the same system we’re at. I hear that it’s hard to do both. I’m doing the same thing. We’ve hired a million people. Half of them, I’m still learning their names. Lawrence is running the team in that way, but I’m still the president. I really believe more now that it’s a good way of doing it.”
Do you agree with Rivers that the coach/executive concept can work, or is it a better strategy to separate the responsibilities? Please share your thoughts in the comments section below. We look forward to what you have to say.
Five Key Offseason Questions: Indiana Pacers
Coming off a 45-win season a year ago, the Pacers replaced head coach Frank Vogel with Nate McMillan and overhauled their roster, adding Jeff Teague, Al Jefferson, and Thaddeus Young last summer. The moves made Indiana a popular sleeper pick in the Eastern Conference at the start of the season, but the club struggled to perform consistently and finished with a 42-40 record. That mark landed the Pacers seventh in the East, which resulted in a first-round sweep at the hands of the defending champions from Cleveland.
Suddenly, the future in Indiana doesn’t look so bright, and the Pacers’ offseason kicked off with news that Larry Bird has decided to step down as the team’s president. The Pacers now find themselves at a crossroads. Here are five questions facing the club as it embarks on a crucial offseason…
1. What does the post-Bird era in Indiana look like?
With the exception of the 2012/13 season, which he took off for health reasons, Bird has been the Pacers’ president of basketball operations since 2003. The team still has plenty of highly qualified executives in its front office, led by new top decision-maker Kevin Pritchard, but with Bird no longer making the basketball decisions in Indiana, the team’s roster moves may look a little different going forward.
For instance, reports around the trade deadline – and before that – suggested that Bird was strongly in favor of retaining Paul George and would do everything he could to lock up the star forward to a long-term deal with the Pacers. That report at the trade deadline indicated it was Pacers ownership that encouraged the front office to explore all its options with George.
With Bird no longer in the mix, will the team’s stance on George change?
2017 Offseason Salary Cap Digest: Chicago Bulls
The Bulls’ approach to the 2016 offseason was a vexing one, as they stocked up on veteran perimeter players with poor outside shots. Chicago’s questionable roster moves continued into the regular season, when the team sent a pair of rotation players to Oklahoma City in exchange for a point guard (Cameron Payne) who barely got off the bench in the playoffs. With the futures of Dwyane Wade, Rajon Rondo, and even trade candidate Jimmy Butler up in the air heading into the summer, it will be interesting to see whether the Bulls double down on their current core or head in a new direction.
Here’s where things currently stand for the Bulls financially, as we continue our Offseason Salary Cap Digest series for 2017:
Guaranteed Salary
- Jimmy Butler ($18,696,918)
- Robin Lopez ($13,788,500)
- Rajon Rondo ($3,000,000) — Partial guarantee. Non-guaranteed portion noted below.1
- Cameron Payne ($2,203,440)
- Denzel Valentine ($2,186,400)
- Jerian Grant ($1,713,840)
- Bobby Portis ($1,516,320)
- Paul Zipser ($1,312,611)
- Isaiah Canaan ($200,000) — Partial guarantee. Non-guaranteed portion noted below.2
- Total: $44,618,029
Player Options
- Dwyane Wade ($23,800,000)
- Total: $23,800,000
Team Options
- None
Non-Guaranteed Salary
- Rajon Rondo ($10,397,000) — Partial guarantee. Guaranteed portion noted above.1
- Isaiah Canaan ($1,377,230) — Partial guarantee. Guaranteed portion noted above.2
- Total: $11,774,230
Restricted Free Agents
- Nikola Mirotic ($7,228,063 qualifying offer / $10,986,655 cap hold)
- Michael Carter-Williams ($4,187,598 qualifying offer / $7,958,815 cap hold)
- Joffrey Lauvergne ($2,137,149 qualifying offer / $3,248,466 cap hold)
- Cristiano Felicio ($1,671,382 qualifying offer / $1,671,382 cap hold)
- Total: $23,865,318
Cap Holds
- Dwyane Wade ($27,840,000) — If player option is declined
- Anthony Morrow ($6,627,200)
- No. 16 overall pick ($2,247,480)
- Total: $36,714,680
Trade Exceptions
- Taj Gibson TPE ($5,462,000) — Expires 2/23/18
Projected Salary Cap: $101,000,000
Maximum Cap Room: $50,872,031
- With only two sizable guaranteed contracts on their books for next season, the Bulls could clear a significant chunk of cap room. However, it would require waiving Rondo and Canaan, not to mention renouncing all their exceptions and free agents, including Wade (assuming he turns down his player option). In that scenario, the Bulls’ remaining guaranteed salary, the cap hold for their first-round pick, and a few cap charges for empty roster spots would total $50,127,969. However, I’d expect the Bulls to hang onto Rondo and attempt to re-sign at least a couple of their restricted free agents, which will limit their cap flexibility. Wade opting in would also reduce their cap room significantly.
Footnotes:
- Rondo’s salary becomes fully guaranteed after June 30.
- Canaan’s salary becomes fully guaranteed after June 30.
Salary information from Basketball Insiders and The Vertical was used in the creation of this post.
2017 Offseason Salary Cap Digest: Memphis Grizzlies
With cornerstone pieces like Mike Conley and Marc Gasol locked up for the long term, the Grizzlies looked to add another player to their core last summer, and landed on Chandler Parsons, who signed a maximum salary contract with the team. Parsons’ first year in Memphis was derailed by injuries, which prevented the club from taking a step toward title contention. With Parsons’ pricey deal on the books for three more years, the Grizzlies will have to hope he’s able to contribute something going forward, since his contract – combined with Conley’s and Gasol’s – will make it very difficult for the team to add any other marquee players.
Here’s where things currently stand for the Grizzlies financially, as we continue our Offseason Salary Cap Digest series for 2017:
Guaranteed Salary
- Mike Conley ($28,530,608)
- Chandler Parsons ($23,112,004)
- Marc Gasol ($22,642,350)
- Brandan Wright ($5,955,760)
- Troy Daniels ($3,408,520)
- James Ennis ($3,028,410)
- Wade Baldwin ($1,874,400)
- Jarell Martin ($1,471,382)
- Deyonta Davis ($1,312,611)
- Andrew Harrison ($1,312,611)
- Jamaal Franklin ($163,296) — Waived via stretch provision
- Total: $92,811,952
Player Options
- None
Team Options
- Wayne Selden ($1,312,611)
- Total: $1,312,611
Non-Guaranteed Salary
- None
Restricted Free Agents
- JaMychal Green ($2,820,497 qualifying offer / $2,820,497 cap hold)
- Total: $2,820,497
Cap Holds
- Zach Randolph ($15,542,168)
- Tony Allen ($10,460,674)
- Vince Carter ($8,101,708)
- Wayne Selden ($1,312,611) — If team option is declined
- Total: $35,417,161
Projected Salary Cap: $101,000,000
Maximum Cap Room: $6,556,818
- With no cap hold for a first-round draft pick to worry about, the Grizzlies would have $94,443,182 on their books if they only kept their players on guaranteed salaries, plus a pair of empty roster cap charges. In that scenario though, their projected cap room would be less than the mid-level exception, and it would mean renouncing free agents like Green, Randolph, Allen, and Carter. As such, Memphis is far more likely to stay over the cap and make an effort to re-sign at least a couple of those players.
Salary information from Basketball Insiders and The Vertical was used in the creation of this post.
Should The Knicks Trade Carmelo Anthony?
The Knicks are expected to re-open trade talks with the Clippers, though with different terms than the last time the two sides discussed a Carmelo Anthony deal. Instead of an Austin Rivers-centered proposal, which was reportedly on the table during the middle of the season, the Knicks would receive J.J. Redick via sign-and-trade.
While Redick is a great starter, that kind of package doesn’t seem to provide New York with the kind of return teams normally receive when trading away a star. Yet, it may be the franchise’s best option on the trade market. The Knicks will be hard-pressed to find a typical star trade offer —one laced with young prospects and favorable draft picks—because Anthony isn’t your typical star on the market. The small forward’s no-trade clause, contract, and age (he’ll turn 33 later this month) suppress his value in trade negotiations, as I discussed in his Trade Candidate piece. On top of all those factors, Phil Jackson further decreased Anthony’s trade value by declaring that star would be better off in a different uniform.
Rival teams will low-ball the Knicks this summer and if a deal materializes, the return will likely be underwhelming. However, New York should remember that it has the option of keeping Melo on the team, as Dan Favale of NBA Math writes. Favale notes that the 10-time All-Star has the support of Kristaps Porzingis and the duo plays well together on the court. Porzingis made 44.1% of his shots from behind the arc and 50.5% of them overall off of Anthony’s passes this season.
Favale also points out that Anthony plays well off the ball. Melo hit 41.8% of his catch-and-shoot opportunities behind the arc, a figure that ranks eighth in the league among players with at least 175 such attempts.
As Anthony glides further away from his prime, he’s going to have to play off the ball more for whichever team he’s on. If the Knicks keep him this summer and put him in that kind of role to begin the 2017/18 campaign, perhaps they can moderately rehabilitate his trade value (or even less likely: create a peace treaty between Anthony and Jackson that would allow Melo to stick around through the end of his deal).
The team will need to eventually rebuild around Porzingis and the haul it receives for Anthony will likely dictate the timeline on becoming a playoff contender again. Simply cutting bait with the soon to be 33-year-old by taking the best trade offer this offseason is the likeliest option for the Knicks. Is it the best option? Perhaps, but it’s not the only one and the Knicks are in no position to be closed-minded.
What should New York do with Anthony this summer? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below. We look forward to what you have to say!