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Where Things Stand For D-Mo, Unsigned Draftees

October 3rd, 2016 at 1:26pm CST by Luke Adams

With the NBA’s preseason schedule underway and the regular season set to begin just over three weeks from now, it’s worth checking in on where things stand for a few players who remain unsigned but who aren’t unrestricted free agents. These three players are under team control, but their situations for the 2016/17 remain uncertain.Donatas Motiejunas vertical

The first of the trio is power forward Donatas Motiejunas, 2016’s last restricted free agent. Although Motiejunas was tendered a qualifying offer by the Rockets back in June, he saw that offer expire when he declined to sign it by midnight on October 1. As Calvin Watkins of ESPN.com writes. Motiejunas and the Rockets discussed a contract on Saturday prior to that deadline, but the two sides couldn’t work something out.

“We understand where they are at and what they’d like to do,” agent B.J. Armstrong said of the Rockets, per Mark Berman of FOX 26 Houston. “I think they understand what we would like to do. At this time neither side is willing to accept what each is discussing. We will continue to negotiate with the Rockets and other teams. We’re going to continue to work this out and move forward.”

Although the Rockets could extend Motiejunas’ qualifying offer beyond October 1, they’re under no pressure to do so, since the forward continues to be a restricted free agent — Houston still has the right of first refusal, but now Motiejunas no longer has the safety net of signing that one-year QO, which would have let him become an unrestricted free agent in 2017.

It’s a tricky spot for Motiejunas, whose health history has likely scared away rival teams from making an aggressive long-term offer. Armstrong and his client would presumably love to sign a multiyear offer sheet to put pressure on the Rockets, but other teams probably don’t want to spend time putting together a proposal, only to have Houston match it. For now, the Rockets remain in the driver’s seat in contract negotiations, particularly now that they have the option of lowering their one-year offer from the initial $4.4MM QO price.

Meanwhile, the fates of two players selected in the second round of June’s draft remain unclear. Daniel Hamilton, picked 56th overall by the Thunder, and Tyrone Wallace, the 60th overall pick by the Jazz, haven’t yet signed with their respective teams and also haven’t committed to playing overseas.

[RELATED: 2016 Draft Pick Signings]

While we don’t know exactly what’s going on behind the scenes for Hamilton and Wallace, the most likely scenario for each player at this point is following in the footsteps of 58th overall pick Abdel Nader. A Celtics draftee, Nader agreed to play for Boston’s D-League affiliate this season. That allows the Celtics to retain Nader’s NBA rights and to keep an eye on him in Maine, while ensuring that he’ll have a job for the coming season, albeit one that pays very modestly.

Nader and his agent had considered pushing for an NBA deal, but if the Celtics had signed Nader, they likely would have subsequently waived him at the end of the preseason, assigning him to the Maine Red Claws while losing his NBA rights. In that scenario, Nader would have ended up in the same place, but the Celtics wouldn’t have had a vested interest in his development, since they would no longer have held his NBA rights.

We don’t know yet whether Hamilton and Wallace have reached any sort of agreements with the Thunder and Jazz, respectively, but both teams have D-League affiliates, and both organizations are solid and respected. It would make sense for Hamilton and Wallace to accept D-League assignments without NBA contracts, in the hopes that they can develop and impress their teams’ coaches, eventually earning a call-up.

In all likelihood, the Motiejunas, Hamilton, and Wallace situations will each be resolved within the next few weeks, so we’ll keep a close eye on them until then.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

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Weekly Mailbag: 9/26/16-10/2/16

October 2nd, 2016 at 9:46pm CST by Arthur Hill

We have an opportunity for you to hit us up with your questions in this, our weekly mailbag feature. Have a question regarding player movement, the salary cap or the NBA draft? Drop us a line at HoopsRumorsMailbag@Gmail.com. Here are this week’s inquiries:

Tim Duncan and Kevin Garnett have both said they do not want to coach, yet Tim shows up at the Spurs’ practice and Garnett at the Clippers’, showing there is hope for them to coach. Do you think one of them will coach in the future? — Michael Thompson

Despite being retired, it’s clear that neither Duncan nor Garnett is ready to walk away from the game. It’s hard to imagine that they want to take on the schedule and duties of a full-time coach, such as watching film, diagramming plays and organizing drills, but they will probably both continue in the league in some capacity. Duncan has a standing offer to be “coach of whatever he feels like” in San Antonio, and Garnett will probably find a similar arrangement where he serves as an adviser but not a full-fledged member of the coaching staff. With more than 2,850 combined NBA games, they have a lot they can teach younger players.

Ben Simmons is down for at least a couple of months, so how will this change the logjam of centers in Philadelphia? Will they look to hold on to all of them, ramp up trade offers? What do you see them doing after this injury? — Ryan Northey

The biggest factor is the always unpredictable health of Joel Embiid. Reports out of Sixers camp have been encouraging, but no one should get excited about Embiid until he at least plays a few preseason games. If he has no more problems with the right foot that forced him to miss his first two NBA seasons, then Philadelphia will have a lot more freedom to trade Nerlens Noel or Jahlil Okafor. Our best guess is they keep everyone together until Simmons returns from the injury, probably sometime in January, to see how all the young talent meshes. That still leaves about a month to make a final decision before the trade deadline arrives.

ESPN released its Real Plus-Minus predicting every NBA team’s record next season. Was there a team who was extremely overrated? How about underrated? — Matt Trapp

We’ll start with underrated. The Clippers are projected for just 46.3 victories despite having all the key pieces back from last year’s 53-win team. That’s way too low. L.A. should be a top three team in the West. Others with curiously small win totals are the Timberwolves at 37.1, the Mavericks at 34.3, the Hornets at 41.0, the Pacers at 38.9, the Hawks at 38.6, the Bulls at 37.8 and the Knicks at 34.7. As for overrated teams, the Jazz will be much improved, but their projection of 47.6 wins seem too generous. Also, the formulas were done before the news broke about Chris Bosh, but even with him the Heat might not have reached 38 wins.

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Offseason In Review: Brooklyn Nets

October 2nd, 2016 at 11:34am CST by Eddie Scarito

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 Brooklyn Nets.

Free agent signings:

Camp invitees:

Trades:

Draft picks:

  • 1-20: Caris LeVert. Signed to rookie contract.
  • 2-42: Isaiah Whitehead. Signed for four years, $4.586MM. Third year non-guaranteed, fourth year team option.

Departing players:

Other offseason news:

Check out our salary cap snapshot for the Brooklyn Nets right here.

NBA: Brooklyn Nets-Media DayThe Nets have a truly daunting task ahead of them as the franchise tries to dig itself out of the tremendous hole it’s currently in. Brooklyn is, and will be, paying for past mistakes over the next few campaigns. Thanks to ill-advised trades that sacrificed the future for a shot at immediate glory and New York relevancy, the Nets will have to rely on development from within if the team hopes to improve on its dreadful 21 wins of a season ago.

Under normal circumstances, fans of the team could at least spend the 2016/17 season dreaming about a shot at landing the No. 1 overall pick in the 2017 draft as the team bottoms out. Instead, it’s Celtics fans who will be watching the standings and praying Brooklyn ends up with the worst overall record in the league, since Boston holds the right to swap first-rounders with the Nets thanks to the 2013 trade that brought Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce into the fold.

Still, there is a sliver of hope in Brooklyn in the form of GM Sean Marks – who took over last season – and new head coach Kenny Atkinson, who brings with him enthusiasm, offensive acumen and his experience from working under Gregg Popovich disciple Mike Budenholzer in Atlanta. Say what you will about the Nets’ talent level, but if any coach can get the team to play hard and perform above expectations, Atkinson looks like that guy. It also appears that team owner Mikhail Prokhorov has learned his lesson and will afford the new regime the patience to rebuild the team the right way. That’s a luxury that former GM Billy King was never quite afforded by the Russian billionaire.

The team’s top player remains center Brook Lopez, a player who spent a good portion of last season as the subject of trade rumors. The situation with Lopez remains a tricky one for the franchise. Trading him away and plummeting further in the standings would bear no fruit on draft night since Boston is projected to be a playoff team this year. But hanging onto the big man, who is an injury risk, as well as only under contract through the 2017/18 season, isn’t necessarily the wise move either. If the Nets were able to land a solid package of draft picks and/or younger players who could contribute in exchange for the big man, it may be prudent to jump at the chance since the team isn’t likely to return to contention during his tenure.

Given that the Nets are not currently viewed as a desirable destination for upper-tier unrestricted free agents, Brooklyn tried to strike gold in the restricted free agent market this summer. Brooklyn tried to build itself a new backcourt by signing Tyler Johnson to a four-year, $50MM offer sheet and Allen Crabbe to one worth nearly $75MM over four years. Adding one or both players could have been a game-changer for the Nets’ future, but alas, both players’ respective teams matched the offers and Brooklyn was back to square one. While I’m not certain Johnson is worthy of that investment given his small sample size, Crabbe could have become a legitimate two-way star for the Nets. Despite not landing either player, Marks deserves some credit for working the market and making two bold offers in an effort to improve his club.

Having struck out in restricted free agency, Brooklyn went to plan B, signing Jeremy Lin to a three-year, $36MM pact. While Lin has never been able to live up to the hype that “Linsanity” generated during his brief stay with the Knicks, he is a solid player and citizen who will provide a stabilizing influence at a critical position on the floor. Given what the team’s backcourt depth chart looks like, Lin will see plenty of minutes and should put up solid numbers in Atkinson’s system. With the dramatic increase in the salary cap and his solid play for the Hornets last season (11.7 PPG, 3.2 RPG and 3.0 APG), nabbing Lin for approximately $12MM per year is an excellent value. He’s not the long-term answer at the one spot for the franchise, but Lin will give the team its money’s worth over the life of the pact.

One of the more puzzling moves the team made this summer, considering the Nets are not technically in rebuilding mode given the relative age of the team’s roster, was trading away Thaddeus Young on draft night to the Pacers for the No. 20 overall pick, which was used to select Michigan’s Caris LeVert. Young put up solid numbers during his time in Brooklyn, averaging 15.1 points and 9.9 rebounds while shooting 51.4% from the field in 2015/16. Those numbers will be difficult to replace and Young’s game seems like a solid fit in Atkinson’s system.

As for the player Brooklyn received in return, LeVert has suffered three foot fractures already during his young career, the latest of which will likely keep him out of action until close to mid-season. The Nets are extremely high on LeVert’s potential, but given the state of the franchise and its lack of draft picks the next two years, he represents a very risky acquisition. If LeVert can recover from his latest surgery and remain healthy, then nabbing the shooting guard will be considered a coup for the franchise. I’m just not sold on that coming to pass.

To fill out its roster, the team added a number of veteran players that it hopes can pay dividends this season. The most interesting of which is Trevor Booker, whose toughness and rebounding ability should play well with the fans in Brooklyn. Also joining the team is former No. 1 overall pick Anthony Bennett, who has reportedly looked good during training camp. If Atkinson can salvage Bennett’s career, the team will be all the better for it.

It will likely be a long season for the Nets and their fans, and it’s unreasonable to expect much improvement over last year’s win total. With a number of Eastern Conference squads fortifying their rosters over the offseason, there’s a very real chance that the Nets will end up with the worst record in the league. However, for the first time in what seems to be an eternity, Brooklyn appears to be moving in the right direction as a franchise. If Atkinson can work his magic and get this collection of players to perform above expectations, perceptions about the team may change and next summer’s free agents may indeed give serious consideration to coming to Brooklyn.

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

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Community Shootaround: Philadelphia 76ers

October 1st, 2016 at 7:13pm CST by Arthur Hill

After a long summer of trade rumors involving Nerlens Noel and Jahlil Okafor, the Sixers are about to begin the preseason with both players still on the roster. And so is Joel Embiid, who finally looks ready for his NBA debut after being sidelined for two years with complications stemming from a broken bone in his right foot.

The abundance of talent in the frontcourt has been the target of many critics, including Noel himself, who recently called the situation “silly” and said the team doesn’t need three starting centers. The Sixers tried to use Noel and Okafor together last season with limited success, and Embiid’s arrival only complicates that situation.

The knocks against all three have been repeated often. Noel has no shooting range and limited offensive skills in general. Okafor doesn’t play defense and had too many troubling off-court incidents as a rookie. Embiid isn’t dependable and didn’t work hard enough to rehab his injuries.

Regardless of those criticisms, all three are exceptional talents. In fact, the Sixers have done very well in each of the past four drafts. Noel probably would have been the first player taken in 2013 if not for a severe ACL tear. Embiid drew comparisons to Akeem Olajuwon in college and was picked third in 2014 behind Andrew Wiggins and Jabari Parker. Okafor was projected to go second in 2015, but slipped to third when the Lakers opted for D’Angelo Russell.

Then there’s the Sixer who was a No. 1 choice, Ben Simmons, who is also the latest to join the disabled list. Simmons will need surgery after breaking a bone in his right foot at Friday’s practice and could be out of action three months or more.

That brings us to tonight’s question: Will Embiid, Noel, Okafor and Simmons ever play a game together as Sixers teammates? Simmons’ injury should keep him sidelined until at least early January, and the late-February trade deadline will be approaching by then. If Embiid looks healthy early in the season, Philadelphia may pull the trigger on a deal involving Noel or Okafor, especially considering the October 31st deadline for Noel to receive a rookie contract extension. If no deal is reached, he will be a restricted free agent next summer and the Sixers may have to decide whether to match a hefty offer sheet.

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

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Submit Your Questions For Hoops Rumors Mailbag

October 1st, 2016 at 3:58pm CST by Eddie Scarito

We at Hoops Rumors love interacting with our readers. This is why we provide an opportunity for you to hit us up with your questions in our weekly mailbag feature, which is posted each Sunday.

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: hoopsrumorsmailbag@gmail.com. Feel free to send emails throughout the week, but please be mindful that we may receive a sizable number of questions and might not get to all of them.

If you missed out on any past mailbags and would like to catch up, you can view the full archives here.

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Western Conference Salary Rankings: Power Forwards

October 1st, 2016 at 2:59pm 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 and centers of the Western Conference and will now turn our attention toward the conference’s power forwards.

All told, the teams out west have committed a total of $264,583,807 in cap hits this season to the men who man the four spot. The average conference salary for power forward this season is currently $5,512,163, with Dirk Nowitzki topping the list with a more than respectable $25,000,000 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 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 power forward for his team this season listed below, that’s why.

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

  1. Dirk Nowitzki [Mavs] — $25,000,000
  2. Anthony Davis [Pelicans] —$22,116,750
  3. LaMarcus Aldridge [Spurs] —$20,575,005
  4. Blake Griffin [Clippers] —$20,140,839
  5. Ryan Anderson [Rockets] —$18,735,364
  6. Draymond Green [Warriors] — $15,330,435
  7. Kenneth Faried [Nuggets] — $12,078,652
  8. Derrick Favors [Jazz] —$11,050,000
  9. Zach Randolph [Grizzlies] — $10,361,445
  10. Meyers Leonard [Blazers] —$9,213,484
  11. Ersan Ilyasova [Thunder] —$8,400,000
  12. Dwight Powell [Mavs] — $8,375,000
  13. Darrell Arthur [Nuggets] — $8,070,175
  14. Anthony Tolliver [Kings] —$8,000,000
  15. Ed Davis [Blazers] —$6,666,667
  16. Brandan Wright [Grizzlies] — $5,709,880
  17. Dragan Bender [Suns] —$4,276,320
  18. Nemanja Bjelica [Wolves] —$3,800,000
  19. Nick Collison [Thunder] —$3,750,000
  20. Julius Randle [Lakers] —$3,267,120
  21. Dante Cunningham [Pelicans] —$2,978,250
  22. Noah Vonleh [Blazers] —$2,751,360
  23. Domantas Sabonis [Thunder] —$2,440,200
  24. Trey Lyles [Jazz] —$2,340,600
  25. Luc Mbah a Moute [Clippers] —$2,203,000
  26. Adreian Payne [Wolves] —$2,022,240
  27. Juan Hernangomez [Nuggets] — $1,987,440
  28. Skal Labissiere [Kings] —$1,888,840
  29. Brandon Bass [Clippers] —$1,551,659
  30. David Lee [Spurs] —$1,551,659
  31. David West — [Warriors] $1,551,659
  32. Mitch McGary [Thunder] —$1,526,040
  33. Deyonta Davis [Grizzlies] — $1,369,229
  34. Jarell Martin [Grizzlies] — $1,286,160
  35. Brice Johnson [Clippers] —$1,273,920
  36. Larry Nance Jr. [Lakers] —$1,207,680
  37. Terrence Jones [Pelicans] —$1,050,961
  38. Thomas Robinson [Lakers] — $1,050,961
  39. Montrezl Harrell [Rockets] —$1,045,000
  40. JaMychal Green [Grizzlies] — $980,431
  41. Grant Jerrett [Blazers] —$980,431
  42. Jarnell Stokes [Nuggets] — $980,431
  43. Alan Williams [Suns] —$874,636
  44. Joel Bolomboy [Jazz] —$600,000
  45. Zach Auguste [Lakers] — $543,471
  46. Cheick Diallo [Pelicans]—$543,471
  47. Chinanu Onuaku [Rockets] —$543,471
  48. Kyle Wiltjer [Rockets] —$543,471
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Offseason In Review: Toronto Raptors

October 1st, 2016 at 1:48pm CST by Luke Adams

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 Toronto Raptors.

Free agent signings:

Camp invitees:

Trades:

  • None

Draft picks:

Departing players:

Other offseason news:

  • Named Jerry Stackhouse the head coach of Raptors 905, their D-League affiliate.
  • Signed president Masai Ujiri to a contract extension and promoted Jeff Weltman to general manager.
  • Extended qualifying offer to Nando De Colo to retain his NBA rights.

Check out our salary cap snapshot for the Toronto Raptors right here.

Toronto has not typically been a popular free agent destination since the Raptors entered the NBA in 1995, with top players often balking at the idea of moving to another country – a colder one, at that – to join a franchise that had won just a single playoff series over the course of two decades.DeMar DeRozan / Jonas Valanciunas / Kyle Lowry vertical

When the Raptors have splashed around in free agency, the moves have often been ill-advised — the team’s list of big-money signees over the years includes Hedo Turkoglu, Jason Kapono, Linas Kleiza, Rafer Alston, and Landry Fields. When HoopsHype named the top 10 free agent signings in franchise history earlier this year, a pair of solid but unspectacular role players, Jose Calderon and Anthony Parker, topped the list.

Taking that history into account, 2016 has been a massive year for the franchise, which won a seven-game postseason series for the first time in Raptors history, then won another one in the second round. After their most successful season ever, the Raptors also enjoyed one of their most successful offseasons, locking up free agent guard DeMar DeRozan to a five-year, $137.5MM deal, easily the largest contract in franchise history — not to mention one of the largest in NBA history.

DeRozan’s free agency came at a time in his career when previous Raptors stars have typically decided they no longer want to be in Toronto, and have taken their talents elsewhere in free agency (Chris Bosh) or pushed for a trade (Vince Carter). Lakers-related rumors swirled around DeRozan for months leading up to his free agency, but the Compton native never seriously considered signing with any team besides the Raptors, reaching an agreement with Toronto during the early-morning hours on July 1, shortly after negotiations began.

DeRozan’s decision to stick with the Raptors is a strong signal that the franchise has turned a corner under the leadership of team president Masai Ujiri, who received a new contract extension this summer. Even before DeRozan re-signed, Ujiri had shown signs of turning around the Raptors’ free agent fortunes, inking Cory Joseph and DeMarre Carroll to multiyear deals in 2015. While Carroll’s first year with the club was marred by health issues, both players looked like good fits when they were on the court.

Still, Joseph and Carroll have skill-sets that line up well with how modern NBA games are played, but it’s not clear if the same can be said of DeRozan. The 27-year-old is a career 28.3% shooter from long range, preferring to take the majority of his jump shots from just inside the arc. And while he increased his overall field goal percentage to 44.6% in 2015/16, his best mark in five years, the Raptors had nearly as high an offensive rating when he was off the court (106.7) as when he was on it (107.1) — and the club’s defensive rating was noticeably better when DeRozan was on the bench (99.4, compared to 104.1).

That’s not to say that the Raptors should have let DeRozan leave. He’s an extremely talented scorer who shoots a ton of free throws and who has been working to improve his three-point shot. Toronto’s cap situation also likely would have prevented the team from landing another star if they’d passed on DeRozan, and the optics of an All-Star player choosing to sign long-term with the Raptors are great for the franchise. Nonetheless, for a player who will make $27.5MM annually over the life of his contract though, DeRozan will have to keep tweaking and improving his game to make the deal a strong investment for the club.

If the Raptors hadn’t re-signed DeRozan, the team likely would have made a stronger effort to bring back Bismack Biyombo, who had a breakout postseason performance, particularly after Jonas Valanciunas went down with an ankle injury. Biyombo was a fan favorite in Toronto, but Ujiri was probably wise not to pay a premium for a couple impressive months. While Biyombo is still young and could continue to show improvement, he wasn’t going to be the starter in Toronto anytime soon, with Valanciunas under contract through at least 2019. The four-year, $68MM contract Biyombo received from Orlando would have been unpalatable for the Raptors.

In addition to Biyombo, the Raptors also lost veteran rotation players Luis Scola and James Johnson. Unlike Biyombo, both Scola and Johnson saw their roles significantly reduced in the playoffs, but the duo helped provide depth throughout the season, so the Raptors needed to identify replacements this summer.

The primary beneficiary of those departures will be new power forward Jared Sullinger, who figures to be Toronto’s starter at the four, with Patrick Patterson coming off the bench. The team signed Sullinger to a one-year contract using its mid-level exception after missing out on veteran free agent Pau Gasol, who signed with the Spurs.

Having averaged a career-high 8.3 rebounds per game in 2015/16, Sullinger will help out on the boards, but the Raptors also want him to be willing to take plenty of three-point attempts. Scola had made just 10 of his 60 career three-point shots prior to last season, but made over 40% of 161 tries in his lone season in Toronto. The Raps will hope to repeat that success with Sullinger, a career 27.6% shooter from long distance, encouraging him to attempt corner threes whenever he has the opportunity. If he can improve his marksmanship from outside, he’ll have plenty of opportunities to contribute on both ends of the court, helping to make up for the departures of both Biyombo and Scola.

The Raptors’ other two key additions are first-round rookies, as center Jakob Poeltl and power forward Pascal Siakam enter the mix. With a consensus top eight prospects in this year’s draft, the No. 9 spot, where the Raptors snagged Poeltl, was the first selection that was really up in the air. Toronto could’ve selected another big man like Domantas Sabonis at that spot, so it’ll be interesting to monitor Poeltl’s development to determine whether the team made the right call. The young center made nearly 66% of his shot attempts during his two years at Utah, showing the ability to score around the basket — while he may not begin the year as Valanciunas’ top backup at center, he could earn that role over the course of the season.

As for Siakam, he was viewed as a slight reach at No. 27, but the Raptors didn’t have a second-round selection, and they seem high on the young forward. Siakam is a high-motor, max-effort player, having averaged an eye-popping 11.6 RPG last season at New Mexico State. If he impresses during the preseason, I expect he’ll have some opportunities to earn regular season minutes, providing energy off the bench.

The Raptors already have a few young players, including former first-rounders Lucas Nogueira, Bruno Caboclo, and Delon Wright, who didn’t see the floor a whole lot last season, so it’s worth keeping an eye on how head coach Dwane Casey disperses playing time among the under-25 set. If newcomers like Poeltl and Siakam quickly usurp Nogueira and Caboclo in the pecking order, it may not be a great sign for the incumbents’ potential to become rotation players.

As they prepare to enter the 2016/17 season, these Raptors look awfully similar to last year’s version, with a few tweaks around the edges. While some observers expect the club to take a step back after winning a franchise-record 56 games a year ago, Toronto will have continuity on its side, and with young players like Valanciunas, Joseph, Terrence Ross, and Norman Powell still on the rise, there’s potential for some improvement from within.

Surpassing last year’s 56-win total might not be a realistic expectation, but the Raptors should remain a strong contender in the East, relying on veteran stars like DeRozan and Kyle Lowry to carry the load. More importantly for the franchise, the last several months have proven that Toronto can be a place where standout players want to play, and a place where they believe they can win. That shift in perception could be crucial for Ujiri and the Raptors going forward as they attempt to add a few more pieces to make the team a title contender.

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

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Hoops Rumors Originals: 9/25/16-10/1/16

October 1st, 2016 at 11:11am CST by Eddie Scarito

Here’s a look back at the original content and analysis generated by the Hoops Rumors staff this past week.

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2016/17 Non-Guaranteed Salaries By Team

September 30th, 2016 at 3:11pm CST by Luke Adams

We’ve already rounded up all of the players whose 2016/17 salaries aren’t fully guaranteed, sorting them by position. To get a better sense of which players might avoid being waived before the regular season though, it’s helpful to take a look at the non-guaranteed contracts by team.

Below, you’ll find a team-by-team breakdown of the players whose salaries for ’16/17 aren’t yet guaranteed. Unless otherwise noted, these players are on minimum-salary contracts. Players with partial guarantees have their guarantees noted in parentheses. For details on which players will have their salaries guaranteed prior to the league-wide salary guarantee deadline of January 10, be sure to check out our schedule of salary guarantee dates.

Atlanta Hawks

Boston Celtics

  • None

Brooklyn Nets

Charlotte Hornets

Chicago Bulls

Cleveland Cavaliers

Dallas Mavericks

Denver Nuggets

  • None

Detroit Pistons

  • None

Golden State Warriors

Houston Rockets

Indiana Pacers

  • None

Los Angeles Clippers

  • None

Los Angeles Lakers

Memphis Grizzlies

Miami Heat

Milwaukee Bucks

  • None

Minnesota Timberwolves

  • None

New Orleans Pelicans

  • None

New York Knicks

Oklahoma City Thunder

Orlando Magic

Philadelphia 76ers

Phoenix Suns

Portland Trail Blazers

Sacramento Kings

San Antonio Spurs

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Salary information from Basketball Insiders was used in the creation of this post.

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Offseason In Review: New York Knicks

September 30th, 2016 at 2:02pm CST by Eddie Scarito

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 New York Knicks.

Free agent signings:

Draft-and-stash signings:

Camp invitees:

  • Ron Baker: One year, minimum salary ($75K guaranteed)
  • Chasson Randle: One year, minimum salary ($100K guaranteed)
  • J.P. Tokoto: One year, minimum salary ($100K guaranteed)

Trades:

Draft picks:

  • None

Departing players:

Other offseason news:

Check out our salary cap snapshot for the New York Knicks right here.

The Knicks entered the offseason as a franchise at a crossroads, needing to choose between hitting the reset button and building around Kristaps Porzingis, or attempting to maximize Carmelo Anthony‘s few remaining productive seasons by adding veterans who could step in and contribute immediately.Derrick Rose vertical

Team president Phil Jackson chose the latter, adding a number of talented players who have the potential to help New York return to the postseason, but carry with them significant injury concerns. Are the Knicks a better team on paper than a season ago? Absolutely. But just how many games the team can expect to get out of the trio of Derrick Rose, Brandon Jennings and Joakim Noah remains to be seen.

New York made its biggest strides as a team this summer by improving on its woeful backcourt of a season ago. The addition of Rose is a gamble that could pay off significantly for the team if the 27-year-old can remain healthy. This is obviously not a given, considering he has averaged just 33 games per season over the last five campaigns. Given his track record, not to mention the grind of back-to-back games that take a terrible toll on players, it isn’t realistic by any means to expect Rose to play in 82 contests. But if he can be a semblance of his former self for 60 to 65 games, which I believe is a realistic target, then Jackson’s gambit of acquiring him in a contract year may end up working in the short term.

With Rose as the starter, the Knicks will need depth at the point — not just in the event that disaster strikes, but to allow him to sit out the occasional game to rest. This is where things get a bit frightening for fans of the team. While I love the addition of Jennings, especially at the bargain price of $5MM for one year, he’s coming off of a ruptured Achilles tendon and is no sure bet to avoid sitting behind the bench in street clothes for stretches of the campaign. The only other point guard currently on the roster is undrafted rookie Chasson Randle, who is probably better suited to log minutes in Westchester for the team’s D-League affiliate this season than in Madison Square Garden. If the franchise is serious about making a playoff push this season, it should seriously consider signing Mario Chalmers or Norris Cole, the two top remaining free agents at the position. If Sasha Vujacic ends up becoming the fallback option as playmaker, ‘Melo may end up regretting not pushing for a trade this summer.

For the second summer in a row, Jackson added a shooting guard via free agency. Last year’s signing of Arron Afflalo failed miserably, with the team essentially pushing him out of MSG, shutting the doors, changing the locks and turning off lights once he opted out of his deal. Courtney Lee should be a much better fit for New York than Afflalo was, especially if new coach Jeff Hornacek is given free reign with the offense and not forced to stick with the triangle as his predecessors, Derek Fisher and Kurt Rambis, were. Lee’s solid defense and three-point shooting will be a boon to the team, though inking the 30-year-old to a four-year, $48MM+ deal is a bit of a gamble given his career scoring average of 9.6 PPG.

Speaking of risks, the signing of Noah to a four-year, $72MM+ pact is perhaps the biggest roll of the dice this offseason for Jackson. There’s no denying that Noah, when healthy, can impact the game on both ends of the court. The 31-year-old is almost assuredly going to become a fan favorite in New York, but he has only averaged 63.5 games per season during his nine-year NBA career, and big men don’t generally grow more durable once they reach their 30s. This contract not only has the potential to become an albatross around the Knicks’ necks; it could negatively impact the development of Porzingis, whose best position may ultimately be at center. Anything that could have an adverse effect on the second-year player and potential superstar is a bad thing for the franchise.

It’s in no way a given, but if the majority of their players can remain healthy this season, the Knicks should improve upon the 32 wins they notched in 2015/16. Still, I’d be wary of expecting too drastic an improvement, as the eight seed and 40-42 wins seems like a favorable scenario for New York this year.

With Rose and Jennings each only signed for one year, it’s possible the franchise will find itself rebuilding and/or retooling in 2017. If that’s the case, Jackson needs to look in the mirror and ask himself if making the Knicks a borderline playoff contender this season was worth not tearing down the team and starting anew.

Of course, the Zen Master could be gone next summer, since he has the ability to opt out, leaving the cleanup to someone else. By that time, Anthony will be a another year past his prime and will hold less trade value than he did the past two seasons. It’s been 43 years since the Knicks won an NBA title, and it may be a few more years before fans have another legitimate shot at cheering for a champion.

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

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