Hoops Rumors Originals

Sixteen 2016 First-Rounders Have Had D-League Assignments

March 8th, 2017 at 2:43pm CST by Luke Adams

Twenty-two of the NBA’s 30 teams have D-League affiliates this season, and that number appears set to increase to 25 for the 2017/18 season. As a result, NBA clubs are assigning players to D-League affiliates and recalling them from those assignments at a greater rate than ever.

Since most NBA teams own and operate their own D-League affiliate, those NBADL clubs are being used more and more for developmental purposes. So perhaps it should come as no surprise that so many of 2016’s draft picks have been sent on D-League assignments this season. Still, the number of first-rounders who have seen D-League action is a little higher than anticipated.

Three of 2016’s first-round picks remained overseas, and one – Ben Simmons – has been injured all season. Of the other 26 first-rounders, 16 have been assigned to the D-League at least once, and many of those players have spent extended time with NBADL squads.

Here’s the full list of 2016 first-rounders who have been on D-League assignments this season:

Toronto Raptors: Jakob Poeltl
Atlanta Hawks: Taurean Prince
Sacramento Kings: Georgios Papagiannis
Chicago Bulls: Denzel Valentine
Denver Nuggets: Juan Hernangomez
Memphis Grizzlies: Wade Baldwin
Detroit Pistons: Henry Ellenson
Denver Nuggets: Malik Beasley
Atlanta Hawks: DeAndre’ Bembry
Sacramento Kings: Malachi Richardson
Philadelphia 76ers: Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot
Los Angeles Clippers: Brice Johnson
Toronto Raptors: Pascal Siakam
Sacramento Kings: Skal Labissiere
San Antonio Spurs: Dejounte Murray
Golden State Warriors: Damian Jones

Some of these players have held rotation roles for a good chunk of the season with their respective NBA clubs, and have only appeared sparingly in the D-League. Poeltl, Hernangomez, and Siakam are among the players whose NBADL stints have been extremely brief.

However, many 2016 first-rounders have spent much of the season improving aspects of their game in the D-League. Papagiannis, Baldwin, Ellenson, Labissiere, Murray, and Jones have all appeared in at least 15 NBADL games, and some of those players have made a real impact for affiliates.

Murray, for instance, has filled up the score sheet for the Austin Spurs, averaging 17.2 PPG, 7.9 RPG, 6.2 APG, and 2.0 SPG in 15 games for San Antonio’s D-League affiliate. Ellenson has recorded 17.3 PPG and 9.1 RPG for the Grand Rapids Drive, and they’ve played better when he’s in the lineup — the Drive are below .500 for the season, but 11-5 with Ellenson active.

It’s also worth noting that those teams playing their first-rounders most often in the D-League are all clubs with their own affiliates. The Kings, Pistons, Spurs, and Warriors are geographically adjacent to their NBADL teams, while the Grizzlies have a relationship with the Iowa Energy.

The NBA will never be a league like Major League Baseball, where even the highest draft picks generally spend a few years in the minor leagues before making any impact at the highest level of the sport. But NBA teams are increasingly using their D-League affiliates like minor league squads, sending their top picks to the NBADL to learn their systems and to play major minutes before throwing them into the fire in the NBA. It will be interesting to see how D-League expansion and the league’s new two-way contracts continue to shape that trend going forward.

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Hoops Rumors Originals

Fantasy Hoops: Holmes, Ulis, Cauley-Stein

March 7th, 2017 at 10:54pm CST by ChrisCrouse

Hoops Rumors is examining the fantasy basketball landscape in order to help you dominate the competition. Check back weekly for more analysis.

Players To Target

Injuries and trade deadline deals have impacted the fantasy world. Finding undervalued players is key in daily fantasy and in season-long leagues, it could help you find a contributor on the waiver wire before your league-mates do. Here are some players to keep an eye on:

Richaun Holmes has a dozen blocks since the All-Star break, which is behind only Rudy Gobert and Giannis Antetokounmpo for most in the league. Holmes has seen an uptick in minutes since the Sixers traded away Nerlens Noel. He makes a nice daily fantasy play when Jahlil Okafor sits and with Philadelphia’s propensity to be “cautious” with injuries, Holmes could become valuable down the stretch in season-long leagues.
Jordan Clarkson is averaging nearly three more shot attempts per game since the Lakers traded away Lou Williams. Before the trade, Clarkson played approximately 75% of his minutes next to Williams, as I mentioned in a recent edition of Fantasy Hoops. In addition getting up more shots, Clarkson is averaging more points, steals, assists and minutes per contest than he was prior to the deal.
Tyler Ulis is making a case for March’s Western Conference Rookie of the Month award, but I’m not adding him yet in season-long leagues. There are likely stronger options available on your league’s waiver wire with Cory Joseph being a player to target. Toronto’s point guard is averaging 11.8 points and 4.7 assists per game since Lowry hit the sideline and he’s available in nearly 80% of ESPN leagues.
Willie Cauley-Stein is still available in 70% of ESPN leagues, though that figure should be much lower. The big man has taken on a significant role in Sacramento since DeMarcus Cousins‘ departure. He has 13.2 points and 6.2 rebounds while adding at least a steal and block per game over his last six contests.
Tyreke Evans is scoring 13.2 points per game in Sacramento after only scoring 9.5 per game in New Orleans. He’s not playing back-to-back, so his value is limited in season-long leagues, but he could be a nice option in daily formats on nights where he hits the floor.

Fantasy questions? Take to the comment section below or tweet me at @CW_Crouse.

Statistics are current through Tuesday afternoon.

How The Mavericks Build Around Dirk Nowitzki

March 7th, 2017 at 9:28pm CST by ChrisCrouse

Mark Cuban and the Mavericks have always been different. When everyone zigs, Cuban wants to zag—a practice that has contributed to his success in the business would. Dallas has employed that strategy with mixed results since he’s taken team control. However, the Shark Tank star is quick to tell people that the Mavs had a streak of 11 straight campaigns with at least 50 wins during his tenure as the owner of the franchise.

Simply winning often is not the goal; Cuban wants championships. During this year’s MIT Sloan Conference, which Hoops Rumors attended, Cuban was asked whether he would take a dominant three-year window where his team wins championships or a stretch of 10-15 years where his team has a slight chance of winning the championship every year. He quickly took the championships option with one caveat.

“If I knew I was going to get three rings and just be horrible the rest of the way, I’d probably take the three rings and then try to change the agreement,” Cuban said. “Rings are the thing. I want a really big ring.”

Dallas is extremely unlikely to win a championship this season and without a true Superstar in his prime, the Mavs have to be even more meticulous with their roster moves. They have to find contributors like Yogi Ferrell and Dorian Finney-Smith from the free agent scraps. This year, that task was slightly easier for those teams that are better at evaluating talent

The Celtics entered the 2016 draft with eight selections. The Suns had five, while the Nuggets had four. Those three teams plus Philadelphia (three selections) held one-third of the draft picks. The Mavs went into the draft knowing that those team couldn’t possibly roster that many rookies, so it would lead to teams reaching on international and draft-and-stash prospects or trading away picks. Some of those teams would end up taking the best available player willing to be a draft-and-stash prospect rather than selecting the the top remaining talent.

“To us, it was more of a 70-player draft than a 60-player draft,” Cuban said. “What happened after 60 was just as valuable as having [an early second-round draft pick]”

If the league redistributed the picks to mirror what teams would have in an average year, players like Ferrell and Finney-Smith are likely drafted. Ben Bentil is likely still on the team that drafted him. Yet, because of the unique distribution of picks, those players are available on the market.

Quinn Cook is another player who would merit consideration if the teams were drafting players for 60 immediate NBA roster spots. Cook’s 10-day deal with Dallas expires tonight, though Cuban recently told Hoops Rumors that the organization likes the guard’s game and he could have a future with the team beyond the current deal.

Earlier this season, it appeared that the Mavericks would be better served to scrap the winning objectives this season, tank, and try their luck next year with a top draft pick aboard. Such life is not an option when you have future Hall of Famer Dirk Nowitzki on the team. The organization wants to build the team of the future around its aging superstar. The signing of Harrison Barnes along with the team’s influx of youth should allow Nowitzki to take on a lighter load as he creeps toward 40 years old. Cuban insinuated that the German big man will continue playing past that point.

“Dirk will be the Satchel Paige of the NBA,” Cuban told Nate Silver during the conference’s Shark Vs. Fox panel.

Paige famously played more seasons than any baseball player in history. He retired at the age of 47, though he made a special, three inning appearance at the age of 59 in which he only gave up one hit.

Could Nowitzki play more seasons than any player in NBA history? Kevin Willis currently owns that accomplishment with 21 seasons in the league, which means Nowitzki would need to play for three seasons beyond the 2016/17 campaign to have sole possession of the record. The man who became just the sixth player ever to score 30,000 points is going to end his career with multiple records and since he plays for such an innovative organization, it wouldn’t be surprising to see him add the longevity feat to his impressive resume.

Poll: 2017 NBA MVP Race

March 7th, 2017 at 2:48pm CST by Luke Adams

In addition to being one of 2017’s most entertaining games – and a potential playoff preview – the matchup between the Rockets and Spurs on Monday night may have represented a turning point in the 2017 NBA MVP race.

For most of the season, James Harden and Russell Westbrook have been viewed as the frontrunners for the award, for good reason. Harden ranks third in the league in scoring and first in assists, while Westbrook is vying to becoming the first player since Oscar Robertson to average a triple-double over the course of a full season.

On Monday night though, Harden squared off with Kawhi Leonard, who has flown under the radar for much of the 2016/17 campaign. Leonard proved in the Spurs’ dramatic win over Houston that he deserves to be in the discussion with Harden, Westbrook, and the rest of this year’s contenders for MVP. Leonard’s incredible 39-point night – his fourth straight game of 30+ points – was capped by a last-minute sequence that saw him hit a go-ahead three at one end of the court, then block Harden’s layup attempt at the other end.

While the MVP buzz for Leonard is growing, and Harden and Westbrook remain excellent candidates, it’s not just a three-man race. Over in the Eastern Conference, LeBron James is having one of his best seasons for the Cavaliers (No. 1 seed), Isaiah Thomas is averaging nearly 30 points per game for the Celtics (No. 2), and John Wall has established new career highs in PPG (22.6) and APG (10.8) for the Wizards (No. 3).

Even Kevin Durant, who is currently out with a knee injury, deserves a look — he has been more efficient than ever in Golden State, making 53.7% of his shots this season for the Warriors, though his injury will likely take him out of the running.

What do you think? We’ve still got more than a month left in the 2016/17 season, so things could certainly change in the coming weeks. But if the season ended today, who would be your choice for 2017’s NBA MVP? Vote in our poll, and weigh in below in the comments section with your thoughts.

Trade Rumors app users, click here to vote.

Five Key 2017 Free Agents Impacted By Trades

March 7th, 2017 at 1:13pm CST by Luke Adams

Expiring contracts are a popular form of currency at the NBA trade deadline when teams are looking to get deals done and create future cap flexibility. In some cases, that means including a player like Andrew Bogut, who has an $11MM expiring contract, can be advantageous for both teams involved in a trade — by moving Bogut, the Mavericks avoided pushing up against the luxury tax, while the Sixers reached the salary floor.

Bogut was waived shortly after being traded to Philadelphia though, so his 2017 free agency wasn’t impacted in a real way by the deadline deal. However, there were several players moved in the hours, days, and weeks leading up to last month’s trade deadline who will be free agents in 2017 and whose change of scenery will significantly impact their situation this summer.

Here’s a closer look at five players eligible for free agency in 2017 who were affected by being traded in February, including one player who was involved in that Sixers/Mavs swap along with Bogut…

Nerlens Noel, Mavericks (RFA)

For much of the 2016/17 season, Noel’s long-term outlook was cloudy. The Sixers certainly had no shortage of future cap room, which would have made it easy for them to match any offers Noel received in restricted free agency and retain him for several more years. It’s possible that – if they hadn’t found an acceptable trade offer at the deadline for Noel – they would have done just that this summer, rather than losing him for nothing.

But the Sixers never seemed like a logical long-term fit for Noel, with Joel Embiid in place as the team’s franchise center and Jahlil Okafor and Richaun Holmes also in the mix. While the club may have found a way to make an Embiid/Noel pairing work if the former sixth overall pick had remained on the roster, Noel reportedly preferred to be dealt to a team where he’d have the starting center job to himself.

In Dallas, he’ll have exactly that, and the Mavericks like Noel enough that they’re expected to match any offer sheet he signs this summer. Pursuing Noel in restricted free agency might have saved Dallas a couple second-round picks and the rights to Justin Anderson, but there was no guarantee the club could have pried him away from the Sixers or another team. Now, the Mavs will be the overwhelming favorites to retain Noel for the next few seasons.

Serge Ibaka, Raptors (UFA)

Ibaka is an unrestricted free agent this offseason, so where he finishes the season isn’t as significant as it would be for a restricted free agent like Noel. Still, for rival suitors hoping to land Ibaka, his move from Orlando to Toronto is a big deal.

When reports first began swirling about the Magic’s efforts to move Ibaka, several sources suggested that the odds of the big man re-signing in Orlando were slim. The Magic held Ibaka’s Bird rights at the time, giving them the opportunity to offer five years instead of four, with slightly larger raises, but with Orlando headed for the lottery, Ibaka seemed likely to seek out a team closer to contention.

Having been sent to the Raptors, Ibaka has found a team that fits that bill. GM Masai Ujiri has long coveted the former Thunder power forward, and all signs point to Toronto making a strong effort this summer to lock up Ibaka. Before (and after) the trade, the Raptors were in no position to open up a real chunk of cap room this summer, barring a major roster overhaul. So the fact that they now hold Ibaka’s Bird rights, giving them the ability to go over the cap to re-sign him, means they’ve gone from being a non-contender for his services to the new frontrunner.

Taj Gibson, Thunder (UFA)

Like Ibaka, Gibson is an unrestricted free agent this summer. He’s also not a candidate for a maximum salary offer or a five-year contract, so the fact that the Thunder hold his Bird rights isn’t as important as it would be for some other free agents.

Still, when an NBA veteran has spent the better part of eight seasons with a single franchise and that team trades him a few months before he hits free agency, the odds of him returning to that team probably aren’t great. During the last couple weeks, we’ve seen Gibson wear a different NBA uniform for the first time in his NBA career, and it’s possible that he’ll put on a third uniform later this year.

That’s not to say the Thunder should be ruled out as a candidate to sign Gibson though. Oklahoma City projects to remain over the cap this summer, so holding Gibson’s Bird rights could be important — if he proves to be a solid fit in OKC, the team would be able to go over the cap to re-sign him.

Bojan Bogdanovic, Wizards (RFA)

Despite playing in New York City, Bogdanovic was toiling in relative obscurity on the NBA-worst Nets this season. Now he’s a key contributor on the No. 3 seed in the East, and he has gotten off to a scorching start in Washington, making 3.3 three-pointers per game at a rate of 58.8% so far. He won’t stay that hot all season, but if he continues to make big shots and remains productive in the playoffs, he’ll improve his free agent stock much more than he could have in Brooklyn.

Bogdanovic’s move from Brooklyn to Washington also could create some interesting new scenarios when it comes to offer sheets. The Nets have plenty of long-term cap flexibility and could have matched any offer for Bogdanovic if they’d wanted to. The Wizards, on the other hand, have already committed major money to John Wall, Bradley Beal, and Ian Mahinmi, among others, and they’ll likely have to go up to the max – or close to it – to re-sign Otto Porter this summer. Will the team be willing to spend on Bogdanovic as well? That remains to be seen.

Mason Plumlee, Nuggets (RFA)

After re-signing three restricted free agents last offseason, the Trail Blazers apparently had no interest in going through the process again this year, and sent Plumlee to a team that has more flexibility to retain him this summer — Denver only has about $55MM in guaranteed salary on its 2017/18 books, as opposed to an incredible $132MM+ for Portland.

After starting every game he played in for the Blazers this season, Plumlee is coming off the bench in Denver, but that shouldn’t be interpreted as a sign that the Nuggets don’t like him. Having sent a first-round pick to Portland in the deal, the Nuggets presumably intend to match any offer sheet Plumlee gets as a restricted free agent, even though he’ll be a second-stringer behind Nikola Jokic. That’s discouraging news for any rival teams that had been hoping to swoop in and steal Plumlee away from the cap-strapped Blazers later this year.

Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Community Shootaround: In-Game Music

March 5th, 2017 at 10:55pm CST by Austin Kent

The Knicks made headlines with their decision to forgo in-game music during the first half of Sunday’s games against the Warriors. As Andrew Joseph of USA Today wrote, the result was a genuinely interesting example of what professional basketball games could be.

We know now, per Chris Haynes of ESPN, that Draymond Green was not a fan of the experiment saying that it interrupted game flow but Joseph and Kenny Ducey (whose videos were embedded in the USA Today piece) aren’t the only ones who appreciated the gesture. Mike Vaccaro of the New York Post thought it was a good idea, too.

Not only did the stadium avoid the in-game music that typically plays sporadically while the clock is ticking and during timeouts, it served the national anthem and starting lineups acapella as well.

What do you suppose you would prefer at the next professional game you attend? And would this differ if you were a player who had grown accustomed to playing under certain conditions?

Finally, should it be up to the discretion of each venue to determine whether music gets played during games or should there be some element of uniformity throughout the league?

Weigh in below!

Community Shootaround: Buyouts

March 4th, 2017 at 9:48pm CST by Arthur Hill

Why make a trade when you can get the players you want for free?

Neither Cleveland or Golden State was active around last week’s trade deadline, but the Cavaliers wound up with Deron Williams and Andrew Bogut, while the Warriors first landed Jose Calderon, then replaced him with Matt Barnes.

The NBA buyout process has always benefited the most successful teams, but the outcry seems louder than ever this year as the rich get richer and their competitors are shut out of the process. Williams knew where he wanted to go as soon as his buyout was complete. Bogut took a few days to consider his options before coming to the same conclusion. For veteran players who want to chase a championship ring, there are two options that stand far above the others.

But is this system good for the league, or does it further damage an already shaky competitive balance? With the Big Three in Cleveland and four All-Stars in Golden State, should these teams be allowed to add even more depth through buyouts?

A lot of their rivals don’t think so, and they’re airing their complaints to the league. Zach Lowe of ESPN.com reported on Friday that several alternatives have been offered, including a “buyout wire.” Under that system, players who agree to buyouts would go up for bid among all the teams with available cap space. The team that submits the highest bid would get the player, who would have no say in where he winds up. If no bids are submitted, then teams over the cap would be able to make offers, possibly in reverse order of records like the waiver wire.

We want to hear your opinion on this topic. Would this be a good solution to the buyout market? Do you have a better idea, or does it need to be fixed at all?

Please share your thoughts in the comments section below. We look forward to what you have to say.

Hoops Rumors Originals: 2/25/17 – 3/4/17

March 4th, 2017 at 12:07pm CST by Austin Kent

Luke Adams weighed in on the two teams due to cross the luxury tax threshold; the Cavaliers and Clippers.
We’ve seen plenty of notable players waived since the All-Star break, here’s a summary of where they’ve ended up so far.
Here’s a quick look at the 10-day contracts that have been signed this season, including the half dozen players who’ve turned opportunities into season-long deals.
Luke Adams broke down the financial situations of all the teams currently under the salary cap, including those that are also beneath the salary floor.
Chris Crouse continued to examine the impact that trade deadline deals will have on the fantasy basketball landscape, including Nerlens Noel move to the Mavs.
Luke Adams wrote about the deadlines that NBA fans had to keep tabs on this week, including the one that players needed to be waived by in order to retain postseason eligibility.
Arthur Hill answered reader’s questions in the latest edition of our Weekly Mailbag, including one about what the Pistons might expect to get in an Andre Drummond trade. Don’t forget to hit us up with your questions for next week.
Every day we get a better idea of the playoff picture but what about the other end of the spectrum? Don’t forget to check out our Reverse Standings as lottery teams start looking forward to the draft.
We like to hand the mic over to readers and hear what they say about popular headlines, here are this week’s Community Shootarounds.
- When Brandon Jennings was cut by the Knicks, we asked where the guard might end up. [Spoiler].
- Was Joel Embiid‘s injury-shortened rookie campaign so impressive that the Sixers star should be in contention for the Rookie of the Year award regardless?
- An injury to Kevin Durant calls to question the Warriors‘ claim to the Western Conference. Can they win without him?
Here are last week’s Hoops Rumors Originals in case you didn’t catch them the first time around.

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Hoops Rumors Originals

Send Us Your Mailbag Questions, Hoops Links Submissions

March 3rd, 2017 at 10:45pm CST by Luke Adams

Every Sunday 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 e-mail them here for consideration for our Weekly Mailbag: hoopsrumorsmailbag@gmail.com.

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 hoopslinks@gmail.com for consideration.

Be sure to send us your new mailbag questions and NBA blog posts each week, and check back every Sunday to see if you’ve been featured in that week’s installment!

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Hoops Rumors Originals

NBA’s Projected Taxpaying Teams For 2016/17

March 3rd, 2017 at 3:31pm CST by Luke Adams

Now that the 2017 trade deadline is behind us, team salaries around the NBA shouldn’t fluctuate too drastically between now and the end of the season. Teams will continue to make minor roster changes, but as of today, a rest-of-season contract worth the minimum salary would count for no more than $237K on a club’s books. That’s a drop in the bucket when the salary cap is over $94MM.

The relative stability of team payrolls ensures that we can start looking ahead to assess which teams around the NBA will end up in luxury tax territory at season’s end. As it did in free agency last summer, the huge spike in the league’s salary cap continues to have an impact when it comes to taxpayers. Typically, at least a handful of teams pays the tax every year — last season, seven teams did. This season, however, since going into tax territory requires spending more than $113MM on team salary, only two clubs have crossed that threshold.

It’s possible that could change by the end of the 2016/17 season. The Trail Blazers, for instance, are only about $434K below the tax line, so if they need to make some roster changes in the coming weeks, they could get dangerously close to going over the threshold. But at this point, I don’t think Portland will be eager to sign anyone new to replace an injured player or two, since it’s simply not worth it for a club with a 25-35 record to risk becoming a taxpayer this late in the season.

No team besides Portland is all that close to going into the tax. The Mavericks had been about $1MM away prior to the trade deadline, but dumping Andrew Bogut‘s salary in the Nerlens Noel swap with Philadelphia didn’t just help the Sixers reach the salary floor — it also helped Dallas move comfortably away from tax territory.

So which two teams are likely to be the NBA’s only taxpayers this season? Well, the first one comes as no surprise…

Cleveland Cavaliers

Team salary for tax purposes: $127,262,331
Amount above the luxury tax line: $13,975,331
Projected tax bill: $26,188,328

The Cavaliers actually project to go even further into the tax this weekend, once Derrick Williams‘ second 10-day contract expires and the team locks him up to a rest-of-season deal. However, it could be worse. Cleveland’s January trade that sent Mo Williams and Mike Dunleavy to Atlanta in exchange for Kyle Korver actually reduced the team’s salary and tax bill noticeably.

Prior to that move, the Cavs had been more than $15MM above the tax line, meaning they were a tier-four taxpayer, accruing $3.25 in taxes for every dollar spent. Now that they’re back in the third tier, their tax bill is slightly more manageable.

Los Angeles Clippers

Team salary for tax purposes: $114,740,032
Amount above the luxury tax line: $1,453,032
Projected tax bill: $3,632,580

The Clippers were always close enough to the luxury tax line that it seemed plausible they could duck below it at some point this season by dumping a little salary in a trade. However, doing so almost certainly would have meant parting with a rotation player, and Doc Rivers has seemed perfectly content to stand pat — the Clippers haven’t made a single signing or cut all season.

While the Clippers won’t be on the hook for nearly as big a tax bill as Cleveland, the fact that the team remains in the tax isn’t great news. It’ll be the fourth consecutive year that Steve Ballmer‘s club has been a taxpayer, and with lucrative new contracts for Chris Paul, Blake Griffin, and J.J. Redick potentially on tap this summer, the Clippers likely won’t be cutting costs in 2017/18. If they’re in the tax again next season, the Clips will continue to fact the more punitive penalties for repeat taxpayers.

Salary data in this post is based on our own math, plus contract figures from The Vertical and Basketball Insiders.

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