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Community Shootaround: Joel Embiid

October 26th, 2016 at 7:02pm CST by Arthur Hill

More than two years after being drafted out of Kansas, Sixers center Joel Embiid is about to make his NBA debut. The promising big man lost two seasons of his career to a balky right foot, which caused him to undergo two major surgical procedures while Philadelphia fans wondered if he was a wasted pick.

The Sixers knew Embiid had physical problems when they drafted him third overall in 2014. He sat out the final month of his lone season with the Jayhawks because of a stress fracture in his back. In a workout about a week before the draft, the Cavaliers medical staff discovered a broken navicular bone in his foot. Cleveland passed on him, taking Andrew Wiggins instead. When Milwaukee followed with Jabari Parker, former Sixers GM Sam Hinkie saw a worthwhile gamble.

“I sniffed opportunity the moment it happened,” he said at the time. “The moment it happened. The moment he got hurt, we thought we might get him and we might be just the organization with just the set of owners and we might the one to do it.”

Unfortunately for the Sixers, that broken bone never healed enough for Embiid to play. He broke it again and required a second surgery in 2015. Meanwhile, the grumbling in Philadelphia grew louder about Embiid’s commitment to the rehab process.

But the news on Embiid turned around early this year. Visits to the Aspetar medical facility in Qatar provided encouraging results in the areas of body weight, sleep, body mass assessment and healing. For the first time since he joined the Sixers, there was actual hope that he could take the court.

Fast forward to this preseason and Embiid has shown flashes of being the player that scouts saw at Kansas. He averaged just 14.7 minutes in seven preseason games, but put up 11.4 points, 6.0 rebounds and nearly a block per game. He also gained confidence while playing on his formerly injured foot. “I just got better every game [in the preseason], defensively, offensively,” he said.

That brings us to tonight’s question: What do you expect out of Embiid during his first season? The Sixers plan to be careful with him, starting him on a minutes restriction of 20 per night. Do you think he can be Rookie of the Year? Will he need time to adapt to the game after being sidelined for two seasons? Or will the worst-case scenario happen and will his right foot give out again?

Take to the comments section below to share your thoughts and opinions on Embiid. We look forward to what you have to say.

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Five Rookie-Scale Extension Candidates To Watch

October 26th, 2016 at 9:54am CST by Luke Adams

After having set their 15-man rosters for the start of the regular season on Monday, many NBA teams will have more decisions to make by next Monday. October 31 is the deadline for clubs to exercise 2017/18 options on rookie contracts and to sign players entering the final year of their rookie deals to extensions.

While most of those team option decisions are fairly straightforward, those extension negotiations will be trickier. Teams and players must not only decide how many years and dollars they would be willing to accept — they also must determine if it even makes sense to complete an extension now, before a deal on a new Collective Bargaining Agreement is reached.

A new CBA isn’t expected to change rookie-scale extensions significantly, but that’s not set in stone yet, and as Zach Lowe of ESPN.com reports, there may be slight changes to restricted free agency. Currently, the cap holds for restricted free agents are either 200% or 250% of their previous salaries. Those figures may increase to 250% and 300% in the new CBA, according to Lowe, who points out that the tweak could affect teams who hold off on rookie extensions in the hopes of maximizing their cap space the following summer.

For instance, last fall, the Wizards and Pistons held off on extending Bradley Beal and Andre Drummond, respectively, since agreeing to new deals at that point would have meant both players counted against their respective teams’ caps for $22MM+ as soon as this year’s July moratorium ended. Instead, since they were unsigned at the end of the moratorium, their teams were able to work around their modest cap holds to sign other free agents, then go over the cap to lock up their RFA stars to max deals. Increased cap holds for RFAs may serve as a minor deterrent for that practice.

Despite the uncertainty involved in working out an extension now, several teams and players will still engage in talks and see if they can come to an agreement. With next Monday’s deadline fast approaching, here are five extension-eligible players we’ll be keeping an eye on:

1. Dennis Schroder (Hawks)

Within his previously-linked piece, Lowe reports that Schroder and the Hawks are talking about a potential extension. However, it may be tricky to pin down the point guard’s value at this point. If Atlanta is especially optimistic about Schroder’s chances of taking Jeff Teague‘s old starting job and running with it, it could make sense to try to lock him up now, before his value skyrockets. But Schroder knows he’s in line for a major opportunity this season, and won’t want to accept a deal that pays him for his past production.

If the Hawks are willing to do a Reggie Jackson-like deal for Schroder, perhaps the two sides could work something out. But both the team and the player have reason to proceed with caution and wait to see how Schroder handles the full-time starting job, so they may wait until next summer.

2. Rudy Gobert (Jazz)

The Jazz will almost certainly have to offer Gobert a maximum-salary deal to retain him, so it may just a matter of whether they do it now or later. If they can get the big center to accept anything lower than the max this week, it probably makes sense to lock him up. If not, there’s no real rush. Still, Utah currently has the opportunity to extend both Gobert and Derrick Favors, and signing both players long-term would be a strong move for the franchise with Gordon Hayward facing potential unrestricted free agency in 2017.

3. Steven Adams (Thunder)

The Thunder have three extension candidates, in Adams, Victor Oladipo, and Andre Roberson. Roberson isn’t as crucial a piece as the other two players, and Oladipo is reportedly seeking a max deal, making Adams a logical target this week. Like the Jazz with Gobert, the Thunder are probably better off locking up Adams sooner rather than later if he’s willing to take something below the max, as Giannis Antetokounmpo did with the Bucks. With Kevin Durant and Serge Ibaka no longer in the mix in Oklahoma City, Adams is poised to take another huge step forward this year, and would have plenty of suitors willing to give him huge offer sheets next July.

4. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (Pistons)

Stan Van Gundy has said the Pistons would like to extend Caldwell-Pope before Monday’s deadline, and the team has reportedly engaged in negotiations with both KCP and teammate Reggie Bullock. Caldwell-Pope won’t come cheap though. A recent report from Vince Ellis of The Detroit Free Press suggested that the shooting guard’s camp may have be seeking an annual salary in excess of $20MM. And given the contracts signed this summer by two-guards and wings like Nicolas Batum, C.J. McCollum, and Evan Turner, that asking price doesn’t seem particularly unreasonable. If it comes down, the two sides could reach a compromise, but I’d expect KCP to play out the season without a new deal lined up.

5. Gorgui Dieng (Timberwolves)

Dieng and teammate Shabazz Muhammad are both eligible for extensions, but the big man appears to be the more likely candidate for a new deal this week. New head coach Tom Thibodeau is reportedly fond on Dieng, and Minnesota has plenty of long-term cap flexibility to lock up core pieces. Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities reported last month that no meaningful talks had occurred for either Dieng or Muhammad, and suggested he expects both players to reach restricted free agency. But those extension talks could get more meaningful in the next few days, with a deadline looming, so it’s worth keeping an eye on the Wolves.

Other notable extension candidates to watch:

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Offseason In Review: Orlando Magic

October 25th, 2016 at 10:27pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Over the next several weeks, Hoops Rumors is breaking down the 2016 offseason for all 30 NBA teams, revisiting the summer’s free agent signings, trades, draft picks, departures, and more. We’ll evaluate each team’s moves from the last several months and look ahead to what the 2016/17 season holds for all 30 franchises. Today, we’re focusing on the Orlando Magic.

Free agent signings:

Camp invitees:

Trades:

Draft picks:

  • 2-41: Stephen Zimmerman: Signed for three years, $2.993MM. Second and third years non-guaranteed.

Departing players:

Other offseason news:

Check out our salary cap snapshot for the Orlando Magic right here.

NBA: Preseason-Atlanta Hawks at Orlando MagicThe Magic’s 2015/16 season was a disappointing one, with the team finishing with a record of 35-47 and missing the playoffs for the fourth straight year. Their head coach, Scott Skiles, resigned over differences in philosophy with the front office and the team entered the summer still searching for an identity and lacking a star player to build around. What followed was an active and somewhat puzzling offseason, with the franchise making a number of changes that arguably made the team better, but raised quite a few questions about how the pieces will fit together cohesively this year.

Orlando’s first move of the offseason was to replace Skiles, who never seemed like the right fit with the franchise anyway. Skiles has always been a taskmaster who has quickly worn out his welcome at past coaching stops, and whose old-school style wasn’t the right blend with the plethora of young players on the team’s roster. GM Rob Hennigan made a solid move in hiring Frank Vogel, who was let go by the Pacers despite his years of solid work with the franchise. Vogel is a much better fit for this group of players and he should quickly be able to turn around the culture of the team.

With a new head coach in place, Hennigan then turned toward reworking the team’s roster. The GM’s biggest and riskiest move of the summer was the draft night trade with the Thunder that shipped out Victor Oladipo, Ersan Ilyasova and the rights to Domantas Sabonis, the 11th overall pick, in exchange for versatile and athletic forward, Serge Ibaka.

This is a swap that I have extremely conflicted feelings about. Ibaka has the potential to emerge as a star in Orlando now that he is out of the shadows of Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant in Oklahoma City. The 27-year-old is a solid all-around defender whose outside shooting and athleticism will give Vogel some interesting and exciting possibilities on offense. However…there are a number of negatives to his acquisition that I find difficult to overlook.

First off, the team gave up quite a bit to acquire him. Oladipo has been somewhat of a disappointment since being selected in the draft lottery, with his offensive game not quite evolving the way the franchise had hoped. But he is a solid three-and-D player who still has a lot of upside. Skiles was definitely the wrong coach to bring out Oladipo’s best, and I would have loved to have seen what Vogel could have gotten out of the player. While Ilyasova is nowhere near the defender and rebounder that Ibaka is, when all things are said and done, his scoring output won’t be that far removed from what Ibaka’s numbers have been throughout his career. Plus, Sabonis is one of the more polished players in this year’s draft class, and he could end up being a solid rotation player for years to come.

There is also a question of fit for Ibaka, especially when coupled with a number of the team’s other moves this offseason. The addition of Ibaka will either force former lottery pick Aaron Gordon to shift to small forward, a position his shaky outside shooting may not be best suited for, or to the bench, will will stunt his growth as a player. Then there’s Jeff Green, who was signed to a one-year, $15MM deal by Orlando. This is an addition that I fail to see the logic in for the Magic. Green is a versatile player who can man either forward spot, but he’s not a great defender and his offensive game has been steadily on the decline. The money that went to Green could have been better spent to plug other holes on the roster, and the minutes he’ll soak up would be better allocated to developing the younger players on the team who’ll now be forced to sit as Green plays out his one-year deal. Plus, if you were going to pay a forward that much, it would have made far more sense to simply hold onto Tobias Harris, whose skillset would have been tailor-made for Vogel’s system.

Another signing that was somewhat odd for the Magic, given their roster makeup, was the addition of rebounding monster, Bismack Biyombo. I have no issues with Biyombo as a player. He’s a hard-worker who will fight for every rebound like it was his last and play solid defense every second he’s on the court. But with Nikola Vucevic already on the roster, unless the Magic intend to find a taker for the 25-year-old in the trade market, it creates another playing time logjam for the team. Either Vucivic, who is earning $11,750,000 this year and under contract for two more season beyond this one, or Biyombo, who is set to earn $17MM each of the next four seasons, will be coming off the bench. That’s an expensive luxury for a non-contender to have.

There were two other questionable acquisitions made by Orlando this offseason. First up, the trade with Detroit to acquire Jodie Meeks and his expiring contract. In 63 total games over the last two years, including just three in 2015/16 due to injury, Meeks averaged 10.9 points and 0.9 steals per game while shooting 35.3% from three-point range. If healthy, which he currently is not, Meeks can provide a spark off the bench. But…why did the Magic feel the need to add him to the mix when it potentially takes away playing time from 2015 lottery pick Mario Hezonja? The second-year player has a wealth of potential, despite what he showed during his rough rookie campaign. Meeks doesn’t move the dial enough in my book for him to be worth acquiring, and this is an area where the money spent on Green could have been better allocated and used to sign a higher impact player on the wing.

The other addition I alluded to in the previous paragraph was the signing of point guard D.J. Augustin to a four-year, $29MM deal. I understand the team’s concerns regarding Elfrid Payton, whose outside shooting doesn’t strike fear into the hearts of defenders. But I question the move to give Augustin, who has dealt with nagging injuries the past few seasons, a four-year commitment. While he has a clear fit in the team’s rotation, unlike a number of the team’s other offseason additions, his $7,250,000 salary, coupled with Biyombo’s and Green’s makes for a rather expensive bench. It feels to me like Hennigan overreacted this offseason to the Magic’s deficiencies and threw too much money at the problem, rather than waiting to see what Vogel would be able to correct through coaching and rapport.

One move made by Hennigan that I can find no fault in, is re-signing restricted free agent Evan Fournier to a five-year, $85MM pact. The 23-year-old enjoyed a breakout season for Orlando in 2015/16, starting a career-high 71 of 79 games for the team and notching career-best marks in several other categories, including PPG (15.4), APG (2.7), RPG (2.8), and 3PT shots made per contest (2.0). He also had a very respectable shooting line of .462/.400/.836. Given the current economics of the game thanks to the new TV contract and salary cap bump that comes along with it, keeping the talented young wing in the fold for approximately $10MM below the max should be considered a win. With Oladipo now gone, this clears the way for Fournier to continue to evolve as a player, and hopefully, become a star in the East. Granted, that size contract always carries with it some risk, but this is one that should pay off for the team over the life of the deal.

I’d wager that if the Magic can remain healthy as a team in 2016/17, finishing with 40-45 wins is within the realm of possibility. The presence of Vogel alone should be good for a five win improvement over last season. However, there are far too many rotation questions thanks to the seemingly ill-fitting parts the team added over the summer. Orlando needs to be active prior to the trade deadline and attempt to make a big trade to land another star to place alongside Ibaka, consolidating its roster depth in the process. Hopefully the team will do well enough to convince Ibaka that Orlando is his best option for a long-term home when he hits free agency this coming offseason. If the forward were to depart next July, it would be disastrous for the franchise and set it back years as a result.

Salary information from Basketball Insiders used in the creation of this post. Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

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Eastern Conference Salary Rankings: Power Forwards

October 25th, 2016 at 5:31pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Hoops Rumors is in the process of ranking the salaries, separated by conference, for each NBA player by position. We’ve already looked at the point guards, shooting guards, small forwards, power forwards and centers of the Western Conference and we’ve now turned our attention toward the East, by running down the conference’s point guards, shooting guards and small forwards. Next up — the power forwards.

All told, the teams in the east have committed a total of $320,799,791 in cap hits this season to the men who man the four spot. The average conference salary for power forwards this season is currently $5,832,723, with Chris Bosh topping the list with $23,741,060 to account for on his year-end W-2 form.

It should be noted that teams won’t necessarily pay out every dollar listed here. There are quite a few players who have non-guaranteed or partially guaranteed contracts. Some of those players won’t make it out of the preseason, while others will be sweating it out until January 10th. That’s when teams must waive players with no specific guarantee date written into their contracts to avoid having to guarantee their salaries for the rest of the season. In addition, incentive clauses that a player either triggers or fails to meet can leave a player with more or less money than his cap hit reflects. Still, the purpose of this list is to show the relative pay scale by position, which is why all contracts are included in this post.

I should also add that not every player listed below will play at power forward this season, as some will likely see some time at center. To maintain uniformity, I used their positions listed on the teams’ official rosters to determine which list to include them on. So if you see a player who isn’t expected to play the four for his team this season listed below, that’s why.

The Eastern Conference’s power forwards are listed below, in descending order of salary:

  1. Chris Bosh [Heat] —$23,741,060
  2. Kevin Love [Cavs] —$21,165,675
  3. Paul Millsap [Hawks] — $20,072,033
  4. Thaddeus Young [Pacers] — $14,153,652
  5. John Henson [Bucks] —$12,267,606
  6. Serge Ibaka [Magic] —$12,250,000
  7. Marvin Williams [Hornets] — $12,250,000
  8. Amir Johnson [Celtics] — $12,000,000
  9. Jon Leuer [Pistons] — $10,991,957
  10. Mirza Teletovic [Bucks] —$10,500,000
  11. Trevor Booker [Nets] — $9,250,000
  12. Taj Gibson [Bulls] — $8,950,000
  13. Channing Frye [Cavs] —$7,806,971
  14. Markieff Morris [Wizards] —$7,400,000
  15. Aron Baynes [Pistons] — $6,500,000
  16. Spencer Hawes [Hornets] — $6,348,759
  17. Andrew Nicholson [Wizards] —$6,088,993
  18. Patrick Patterson [Raptors] —$6,050,000
  19. Josh McRoberts [Heat] —$5,782,450
  20. Nikola Mirotic [Bulls] — $5,782,450
  21. Jared Sullinger [Raptors] —$5,628,000
  22. Luis Scola [Nets] — $5,500,000
  23. Jabari Parker [Bucks] —$5,374,320
  24. Cody Zeller [Hornets] — $5,318,313
  25. Jonas Jerebko [Celtics] — $5,000,000
  26. Jason Smith [Wizards] —$5,000,000
  27. Marcus Morris [Pistons] — $4,625,000
  28. Derrick Williams [Heat] —$4,598,000
  29. Nerlens Noel [Sixers] —$4,384,490
  30. Aaron Gordon [Magic] —$4,351,320
  31. Kristaps Porzingis [Knicks] —$4,317,720
  32. Lavoy Allen [Pacers] — $4,000,000
  33. Udonis Haslem [Heat] —$4,000,000
  34. Kris Humphries [Hawks] — $4,000,000
  35. James Johnson [Heat] —$4,000,000
  36. Kyle O’Quinn [Knicks] —$3,918,750
  37. Mike Scott [Hawks] — $3,333,334
  38. Justin Hamilton [Nets] — $3,000,000
  39. Thon Maker [Bucks] —$2,568,600
  40. Myles Turner [Pacers] — $2,463,840
  41. Henry Ellenson [Pistons] — $1,704,120
  42. Chris Andersen [Cavs] —$1,551,659
  43. Bobby Portis [Bulls] — $1,453,680
  44. Jordan Mickey [Celtics] —$1,223,653
  45. Chris McCullough [Nets] — $1,191,480
  46. Rakeem Christmas [Pacers]— $1,052,342
  47. Richaun Holmes [Sixers] —$1,025,831
  48. Anthony Bennett [Nets] — $1,015,696
  49. Mike Muscala [Hawks] — $1,015,696
  50. Willie Reed [Heat] —$1,015,696
  51. Arinze Onuaku [Magic] — $980,431
  52. Cristiano Felicio [Bulls] — $874,636
  53. Christian Wood [Hornets] — $874,636
  54. Danuel House [Wizards] —$543,471
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2016/17 NBA Over/Unders: Recap

October 25th, 2016 at 4:00pm CST by Luke Adams

Over the last week and a half, we’ve been taking a look at the predicted 2016/17 win totals, with the help of the lines from offshore betting site Bovada.lv. Division by division, we’ve run through every team from the Warriors (66.5) to the Nets (20.5), allowing you to weigh in and vote on whether you think each club’s win total will ultimately end up above or below its preseason projection.

All 30 polls are now closed, and with the regular season set to get underway tonight, it’s time to see where we landed. Here are the results of your voting:

Atlantic:

  • Boston Celtics (52.5 wins): Under (54.59%)
  • Toronto Raptors (50.5 wins): Over (54.63%)
  • New York Knicks (38.5 wins): Over (71.41%)
  • Philadelphia 76ers (23.5 wins): Under (54.62%)
  • Brooklyn Nets (20.5 wins): Under (60.74%)

Northwest:

  • Utah Jazz (49 wins): Under (68.72%)
  • Portland Trail Blazers (45.5 wins): Over (69.92%)
  • Oklahoma City Thunder (43.5 wins): Over (65.71%)
  • Minnesota Timberwolves (40.5 wins): Over (50.11%)
  • Denver Nuggets (37 wins): Under (68.81%)

Central:

  • Cleveland Cavaliers (56.5 wins): Over (66.5%)
  • Detroit Pistons (44.5 wins): Over (55.03%)
  • Indiana Pacers (44.5 wins): Over (73.06%)
  • Chicago Bulls (38.5 wins): Over (61.9%)
  • Milwaukee Bucks (34.5 wins): Over (67.48%)

Southwest:

  • San Antonio Spurs (58.5 wins): Under (57.4%)
  • Houston Rockets (44 wins): Over (52.76%)
  • Memphis Grizzlies (42.5 wins): Over (59.69%)
  • Dallas Mavericks (38.5 wins): Over (69.71%)
  • New Orleans Pelicans (37 wins): Under (70.9%)

Southeast:

  • Atlanta Hawks (43.5 wins): Over (59.84%)
  • Charlotte Hornets (42.5 wins): Under (62.22%)
  • Washington Wizards (42.5 wins): Over (51.6%)
  • Orlando Magic (37.5 wins): Over (54.42%)
  • Miami Heat (34.5 wins): Under (61.45%)

Pacific:

  • Golden State Warriors (66.5 wins): Over (67.32%)
  • Los Angeles Clippers (53.5 wins): Over (61.96%)
  • Sacramento Kings (34 wins): Under (58.1%)
  • Phoenix Suns (30 wins): Over (52.6%)
  • Los Angeles Lakers (24.5 wins): Over (65.92%)

Based on voting percentages, our readers are most bullish on the Pacers, Knicks, Trail Blazers, Mavericks, and Bucks to outperform expectations, and are bearish on the Pelicans, Nuggets, Jazz, Hornets, and Heat. Meanwhile, there was virtually no consensus on the Timberwolves — the “over” won by just a single vote.

Disagree strongly with the majority for any team in particular? Let us know in the comments section. We’ll revisit this discussion at the end of the 2016/17 season to see how we did.

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Teams With Flexibility For Waiver Claims

October 25th, 2016 at 12:13pm CST by Luke Adams

Waiver claims aren’t particularly common in the NBA. During the 2015/16 league year, for instance, only seven players were claimed off waivers. However, October is one time when things are a little more active on waivers, as teams cut camp invitees from their rosters and other clubs have a chance to snatch up a potentially appealing contract without having to negotiate with the player. Three of 2015/16’s seven waiver claims occurred in October, and this year we’ve already seen one played claimed, as the Pistons nabbed Beno Udrih after he was cut by the Heat.

Not every team can claim any waived player. In fact, there are only a few instances when teams can claim a player who is earning more than the minimum salary. A club must either have enough cap room to accommodate the player’s salary, or a trade exception (or disabled player exception) large enough to fit the player’s salary.

For a team like the Pistons then, the only reason they were able to claim Udrih was because he was on a minimum salary contract. Teams can use the minimum salary exception to claim a player who is on a one- or two-year minimum salary contract. But if Udrih had been making $2MM, Detroit wouldn’t have been able to submit a claim.

With that in mind, here’s the list of teams able to afford to claim a player making more than the minimum:

Teams with cap room:

  • Philadelphia 76ers
  • Denver Nuggets
  • Brooklyn Nets
  • Utah Jazz
  • Phoenix Suns
  • Minnesota Timberwolves
  • Indiana Pacers
  • Notes: The Lakers are also under the cap, but only by about $530K, which is less than the minimum salary. The Celtics, meanwhile, will have about $1.1MM in cap room as of the start of the regular season, since the cap holds for their unsigned first-round picks come off the books.

Teams with traded player exceptions:

  • Cleveland Cavaliers ($9,638,554 and three other TPEs)
  • Milwaukee Bucks ($1,733,880 and one other TPE)
  • Charlotte Hornets ($1,666,470)
  • Los Angeles Clippers: ($1,209,600)

For a player like R.J. Hunter, who is currently on waivers with a salary worth about $1.2MM, the 11 teams listed above are the only ones that can currently place a claim. The rest of the NBA’s teams could submit a claim for a minimum-salary player, but don’t have the cap room or cap exception necessary to accommodate, for instance, Archie Goodwin‘s $2MM+ salary. Neither do the Bucks, Hornets, and Clippers, whose trade exceptions are too small.

[RELATED: Players with fully guaranteed salaries who were cut]

When taking into account which teams might place a claim on a waiver player, it’s also worth noting that waiver priority is determined by record — the worst teams get first dibs on each waived player. Since the 2016/17 regular season hasn’t started yet, waiver order is currently determined by last year’s record. That will change on December 1, at which point this year’s standings will determine the order.

For now, that means the waiver priority order for the 11 teams listed above looks like this:

  1. Philadelphia 76ers (10-72)
  2. Brooklyn Nets (21-61)
  3. Phoenix Suns (23-59)
  4. Minnesota Timberwolves (29-53)
  5. Milwaukee Bucks / Denver Nuggets (33-49)
    • (Coin flip determines priority)
  6. Utah Jazz (40-42)
  7. Indiana Pacers (45-37)
  8. Charlotte Hornets (48-34)
  9. Los Angeles Clippers (53-29)
  10. Cleveland Cavaliers (57-25)

So if the Sixers and Nets both had interest in Goodwin and submitted claims, Brooklyn would be out of luck, since Philadelphia is the only team with a higher waiver priority. For minimum salary claims, the rest of the league’s 30 teams would slot into that waiver order based on last year’s record. In the full waiver order, the Pistons would have the 19th priority, meaning the 18 teams ahead of them didn’t make a claim for Udrih.

As noted above, waiver claims aren’t particularly common, but it’s possible we’ll see a couple more waiver moves this week, so the rules above are worth keeping in mind.

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Players With Fully Guaranteed Salaries Who Were Cut

October 25th, 2016 at 11:12am CST by Luke Adams

Most of the players who received their walking papers from NBA teams over the last couple weeks were on non-guaranteed summer contracts, or deals that featured modest partial guarantees. Even a team like the Sixers, having waived four players on partially guaranteed contracts, will only carry $330K worth of salary on the 2016/17 cap for those players.

Several teams, however, parted ways with players on fully guaranteed contracts. In some cases, this was a result of a team carrying more than 15 players on guaranteed deals, and having to bite the bullet on one of them. In other instances, a team simply wanted to keep a player without a fully guaranteed contract, and needed to create roster space by cutting someone else and eating some salary.

Listed below are the players with fully guaranteed contracts who were waived during the preseason roster cutdown, along with the teams that dropped them and the total salary they had remaining on their deals. All salary figures are for the 2016/17 season only, unless otherwise noted. Players with guaranteed salary for 2017/18 will likely have that amount stretched across multiple seasons.

* Note: Amundson, Jack, and Udrih are earning salaries worth more than $980,431, but their respective teams are only on the hook for $980,431 due to the minimum salary benefit rule. The NBA pays the remainder.

While most of the players listed above are free agents now or will be soon, it’s worth keeping an eye out for waiver claims. Udrih was claimed by the Pistons, and several of Monday’s cuts have yet to clear waivers and should draw some interest, including Goodwin and Hunter.

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Offseason In Review: Miami Heat

October 24th, 2016 at 8:00pm CST by Arthur Hill

Over the next several weeks, Hoops Rumors is breaking down the 2016 offseason for all 30 NBA teams, revisiting the summer’s free agent signings, trades, draft picks, departures, and more. We’ll evaluate each team’s moves from the last several months and look ahead to what the 2016/17 season holds for all 30 franchises. Today, we’re focusing on the Miami Heat.

Free agent signings:

Camp invitees:

Trades:

  • Acquired Luke Babbitt from the Pelicans in exchange for the Pelicans’ own 2018 second-round pick (previously traded to Miami) and cash.

Draft picks:

  • None

Departing players:

Other offseason news:

Check out our salary cap snapshot for the Miami Heat right here.

Jan 25, 2016; Chicago, IL, USA; Miami Heat guard Tyler Johnson (8) passes around Chicago Bulls guard Aaron Brooks (0) during the second quarter at the United Center. Mandatory Credit: Dennis Wierzbicki-USA TODAY SportsWhen LeBron James returned home to Cleveland two summers ago, the Heat moved on to Plan B, which was to rebuild a title contender around Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh.

Now it’s time for Plan C.

Wade, the cornerstone of the franchise for the past 13 years, signed with the Bulls in July after a contract dispute. Bosh faces an uncertain future after failing his training camp physical because of a lingering problem with blood clots. The Heat underwent a massive roster overhaul during the summer and now seem like fringe playoff contenders in the Eastern Conference.

Free agency got off to a great start for Miami, as center Hassan Whiteside opted in the early-morning hours of July 1st to remain with the Heat. Miami didn’t have Bird rights on Whiteside, who met with Dallas and had a session scheduled with Portland before making his decision. After being out of the NBA for two seasons, Whiteside signed with Miami in November of 2014 and quickly developed into a defensive force. He led the league in blocked shots by a wide margin last season with 3.68 per game, along with 14.2 points and 11.8 rebounds.

Whiteside’s new maximum-salary deal paved the way for Wade’s decision to leave Miami. Wade was angry that the Heat weren’t willing to give him a max offer as well, considering that he accepted less than his market value for years to give the franchise enough cap room to bring in James and Bosh. As negotiations with Miami deteriorated in early July, Wade accepted a two-year, $47MM offer from Chicago. His departure not only created a hole in the lineup at shooting guard, it left the psychological scar of losing the most accomplished player in franchise history.

That feeling was compounded last month when Bosh, the only remaining member of the Big Three, was unable to pass a physical administered before the start of training camp. Bosh, who has seen his past two seasons cut short by blood clots, had worked throughout the offseason to prepare for camp and had proposed taking a new medication that would be out of his system by game time. However, the Heat’s reluctance to accept that plan combined with his lack of medical clearance probably means that Bosh has played his last game for the franchise.

The other defining event of Miami’s offseason was a four-year, $50MM offer sheet the Nets extended to backup guard Tyler Johnson. The contract was backloaded to make it difficult for the Heat to match, with annual salaries of $5.628MM, $5,881,260, $18,858,765 and $19,631,975. Miami decided to match anyway and made a slew of moves beforehand. In one day, the Heat added free agents Wayne Ellington, James Johnson and Willie Reed, swung a trade with the Pelicans for Luke Babbitt, re-signed veteran big man Udonis Haslem and then matched Johnson. It’s up to the third-year guard to prove he can earn that big-money deal after playing just 36 games at the NBA level last season and averaging 8.7 points and 2.2 assists per night.

But the Heat weren’t done adding free agents. They also signed Knicks forward Derrick Williams for one season at $4.598MM and Thunder shooting guard Dion Waiters for two years at $5.926MM with a player option on the second season. In addition, Miami re-signed veteran point guard Beno Udrih, who accepted a controversial buyout last season that helped the Heat escape luxury tax penalties. Udrih was waived Saturday, but still received a guaranteed veteran’s minimum deal of $1.5MM, which was a nice reward for giving up $90K in the buyout. He has since been claimed off waivers by Detroit, which absolves the team of any cap hit.

After a summer of turnover, the Heat may not be done with roster moves. They were rumored to be discussing a deal with the Kings that would send Goran Dragic to Sacramento in exchange for Rudy Gay and Darren Collison. Gay has made it known that he plans to opt out of his contract next summer and end his relationship with the Kings, but he might be interested in a long-term future in South Florida.

Draft night was quiet in Miami as the Heat didn’t have a pick in either round. Their first-rounder was shipped to Philadelphia, which used it to take Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot at No. 24, and their second-rounder went to Boston, which selected Ben Bentil at No. 51.

After a seven-game loss to Toronto in the conference semifinals, the Heat entered the offseason hoping they could re-sign Whiteside to combine with Wade, Bosh and Dragic as the core of one of the East’s best teams. But keeping their star center was about the only predictable thing that happened since last season ended. The roster overhaul saw veteran free agents Luol Deng, Joe Johnson, Amar’e Stoudemire and Gerald Green all leave town, forcing the Heat to start rebuilding around their young talent.

Now that the Big Three era is over in Miami, fans can expect change to continue. None of the five outside free agents the Heat brought in has a commitment beyond this season. That gives the team lots of flexibility for deals during the year and a chance to chase elite free agents next summer if Bosh’s salary is cleared off the books. Regardless of this year’s win-loss record, fans shouldn’t get too comfortable with the current Heat roster. Chances are strong that it will look much different by next October.

Salary information from Basketball Insiders used in the creation of this post. Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

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Offseason In Review: Washington Wizards

October 23rd, 2016 at 10:01pm CST by ChrisCrouse

Over the next several weeks, Hoops Rumors will be breaking down the 2016 offseason for all 30 NBA teams, revisiting the summer’s free agent signings, trades, draft picks, departures, and more. We’ll evaluate each team’s moves from the last several months and look ahead to what the 2016/17 season holds for all 30 franchises. Today, we’re focusing on the Washington Wizards.

Free agent signings:

Draft-and-stash signings:

Camp invitees:

Trades:

  • Acquired Trey Burke from the Jazz in exchange for the Wizards’ own 2021 second-round pick.

Draft picks:

  • None

Departing players:

Other offseason news:

Check out our salary cap snapshot for the Washington Wizards right here.

The Wizards spent the last few years preparing for the summer of 2016. Every transaction was scrupulously completed with future flexibility in mind, as the team had an eye toward offering Maryland native Kevin Durant a maximum salary deal. Durant didn’t even take a meeting with Washington, opting to join forces with the Warriors instead. In addition to striking out on Durant, Washington also missed out on other major targets, such as Al Horford and Ryan Anderson. The franchise quickly pivoted to other options and ultimately ended up exhausting its cap space on ancillary parts.NBA: Washington Wizards-Media Day

Ian Mahinmi, who signed a four year, $64MM deal with the team, was brought in to be a force in the paint. Mahinmi has always been known for his defense — he was the third-best center on that end of the floor, according to ESPN’s Real Plus/Minus — but he’s been quietly improving his offensive game as well. He allowed Indiana to play a pace-and-space type offense because of his understanding of the game and his ability to quickly make the right reads and deliver crisp, clean passes. New coach Scott Brooks, who signed a five year, $35MM contract with the team this offseason, should be able to employ a similar game plan with pick-and-rolls mixed in.

Mahinmi’s arrival brought speculation that Marcin Gortat could be on his way out, though a torn meniscus suffered by Mahinmi has temporarily quieted that talk. The two centers shouldn’t see too much court time together because of their overlapping skill-set, including a relative lack of shooting range. Playing the duo together would severely clog the lane, and with only 48 minutes available for the five spot, it’s logical to conclude that a trade may be forthcoming. Gortat has proven to be the better player thus far, but he’s on a team-friendly contract that will pay him $36MM over the next three years. He would fetch more for Washington in a trade should the team decide to make a move.

The Wizards’ other offseason moves also suggest they may be gearing up for a Gortat trade. In addition to Mahinmi, the team signed Jason Smith and Andrew Nicholson. In today’s NBA, Smith and Nicholson are best suited to play the five as well, though both players can handle minutes at the power forward position.

Nicholson is an especially intriguing addition — he’s a bruiser down in the paint with an arsenal of post moves, whose game fits nicely with both Mahinmi and Gortat. I envision him getting some playing time alongside Markieff Morris as well. Washington’s frontcourt is crowded, especially with Otto Porter splitting time at the four with Morris. The Wizards’ depth affords them the ability to deal Gortat for a guard or wing, but the league is jam-packed with non-shooting big men, so finding a suitor will be tricky.

Depth in the backcourt is another story. The team signed Tomas Satoransky  and traded for Trey Burke, yet neither option is proven. Burke didn’t live up to expectations in Utah, so the Wizards will be banking on an improvement from the 23-year-old. His development, along with Satoransky’s transition to the league, could be key to the team’s success this season.

Washington also brought in Marcus Thornton to round out the guard rotation and he should see significant minutes off the bench. The lack of quality perimeter options on the second unit is alarming for a team that has injury concerns with both of its starting guards.

Bradley Beal is fresh off landing a five-year, maximum salary contract, and the Wizards will need him to stay on the court if they’re going to climb the standings in the Eastern Conference. Beal has missed 81 regular season games over the first four years of his career and prior to him signing his lucrative new deal, there was talk that he could be under minute restrictions for the rest of his career due to health concerns. Meanwhile, John Wall underwent multiple knee surgeries over the summer, though he looked sharp in limited minutes during the preseason. If either player misses significant time this season, Washington will struggle to stay in the playoff race.

The Wizards underperformed last season, failing to make the playoffs and notching only 41 wins. This year, they’ll have an opportunity to steal the division crown, since every team in the Southeast is undergoing some degree of transformation: Miami will begin the season without any member of The Heatles for the first time since the 2002/03 campaign; the Hawks will attempt to shoehorn Dwight Howard into their pace-and-space system; the Magic bolstered their frontcourt, but it remains to be seen how the new arrivals will mesh; and the Hornets enjoyed career years from several key players last season, which resulted in them losing a few of their valuable reserves in free agency.

The Southeast division will be up for grabs and while the Wizards didn’t land a top free agent during the offseason, a top seed in the Eastern Conference standings is within their reach.

Salary information from Basketball Insiders used in the creation of this post. Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

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2016/17 NBA Over/Unders: Pacific Division

October 23rd, 2016 at 11:00am CST by Luke Adams

The 2016/17 NBA regular season gets underway just a couple days from now, which means it’s time to start getting serious about predictions for the upcoming campaign. With the help of the lines from offshore betting site Bovada.lv, we’re running through the predicted win totals for each of the NBA’s 30 teams, by division, and having you weigh in on whether you think those forecasts are too optimistic or too pessimistic. Having looked at the Atlantic, Northwest, Central, Southwest, and Southeast divisions so far, we’re moving on to the Pacific today…

Golden State Warriors

(App users, click here for Warriors poll)

Los Angeles Clippers

(App users, click here for Clippers poll)

Sacramento Kings

(App users, click here for Kings poll)

Phoenix Suns

(App users, click here for Suns poll)

Los Angeles Lakers

(App users, click here for Lakers poll)

Previous voting results:

Atlantic:

  • Boston Celtics (52.5 wins): Under (54.59%)
  • Toronto Raptors (50.5 wins): Over (54.63%)
  • New York Knicks (38.5 wins): Over (71.41%)
  • Philadelphia 76ers (23.5 wins): Under (54.62%)
  • Brooklyn Nets (20.5 wins): Under (60.74%)

Northwest:

  • Utah Jazz (49 wins): Under (68.72%)
  • Portland Trail Blazers (45.5 wins): Over (69.92%)
  • Oklahoma City Thunder (43.5 wins): Over (65.71%)
  • Minnesota Timberwolves (40.5 wins): Over (50.11%)
  • Denver Nuggets (37 wins): Under (68.81%)

Central:

  • Cleveland Cavaliers (56.5 wins): Over (66.5%)
  • Detroit Pistons (44.5 wins): Over (55.03%)
  • Indiana Pacers (44.5 wins): Over (73.06%)
  • Chicago Bulls (38.5 wins): Over (61.9%)
  • Milwaukee Bucks (34.5 wins): Over (67.48%)

Southwest:

  • San Antonio Spurs (58.5 wins): Under (57.4%)
  • Houston Rockets (44 wins): Over (52.76%)
  • Memphis Grizzlies (42.5 wins): Over (59.69%)
  • Dallas Mavericks (38.5 wins): Over (69.71%)
  • New Orleans Pelicans (37 wins): Under (70.9%)

Southeast:

  • Atlanta Hawks (43.5 wins): Over (59.84%)
  • Charlotte Hornets (42.5 wins): Under (62.22%)
  • Washington Wizards (42.5 wins): Over (51.6%)
  • Orlando Magic (37.5 wins): Over (54.42%)
  • Miami Heat (34.5 wins): Under (61.45%)
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