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Eastern Conference Salary Rankings: Power Forwards

By | at October 25, 2016 5:31 pm

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

By | at October 25, 2016 4:00 pm

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

By | at October 25, 2016 12:13 pm

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

By | at October 25, 2016 11:12 am

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

By | at October 24, 2016 8:00 pm

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

By | at October 23, 2016 10:01 pm

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

By | at October 23, 2016 11:00 am

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

How many games will the Warriors win?

  • Over 66.5 67% (311)
  • Under 66.5 33% (151)

Total votes: 462

(App users, click here for Warriors poll)

Los Angeles Clippers

How many games will the Clippers win?

  • Over 53.5 62% (228)
  • Under 53.5 38% (140)

Total votes: 368

(App users, click here for Clippers poll)

Sacramento Kings

How many games will the Kings win?

  • Under 34 58% (226)
  • Over 34 42% (163)

Total votes: 389

(App users, click here for Kings poll)

Phoenix Suns

How many games will the Suns win?

  • Over 30 53% (192)
  • Under 30 47% (173)

Total votes: 365

(App users, click here for Suns poll)

Los Angeles Lakers

How many games will the Lakers win?

  • Over 24.5 66% (325)
  • Under 24.5 34% (168)

Total votes: 493

(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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Offseason In Review: San Antonio Spurs

By | at October 22, 2016 9:25 pm

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 San Antonio Spurs.

Free agent signings:

Draft-and-stash signings:

Camp invitees:

Trades:

Draft picks:

Departing players:

Other offseason news:

Check out our salary cap snapshot for the San Antonio Spurs right here.

Over the course of the last 19 NBA seasons, the Spurs won fewer than 50 games just once, and that happened during the strike-shortened 1998/99 campaign, when the team went 37-13 and won the NBA Finals. San Antonio compiled an incredible .710 regular-season winning percentage during that run of nearly two decades, as well as a staggering .617 postseason winning percentage, racking up five championships along the way."Gregg

The two constants during that 19-year run? Gregg Popovich on the bench and Tim Duncan in the middle. Popovich remains at the helm of the Spurs, but for the first time since the 1996/97 season, he’ll enter opening night without his future Hall-of-Fame power forward in the lineup, as Duncan announced his retirement in July.

For many years, the belief was that Duncan and Popovich would end their respective careers at the same time, but for the Spurs’ long-time head coach, there are plenty of reasons to stick around. Many of his other long-tenured players, like Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili, remain in San Antonio, and the team has ushered in a new era of stars, with Kawhi Leonard and LaMarcus Aldridge now front and center. Things will certainly be different with Duncan no longer on the court, but in his final season, he was simply a productive role player, rather than the dominant force he had been during the prime of his career.

The Spurs will attempt to fill the void left by Duncan by turning to veteran free agent signees like Pau Gasol and David Lee, who each inked two-year deals with player options on that second year. Neither Gasol nor Lee is the defender that Duncan is, but both players are proficient scorers. Gasol is coming off consecutive All-Star seasons in Chicago, where he averaged 17.6 PPG and 11.4 RPG during his two seasons as a Bull. Lee, meanwhile, has seen his playing time and production decline significantly since 2014, and his days as an 18+ PPG player are almost certainly over, but if there’s any team capable of coaxing a bounce-back performance out of the 33-year-old, it’s the Spurs.

Gasol will earn more than $15MM annually on his two-year deal, making him a bigger risk than Lee, who is on a minimum-salary pact. But even at age 36, Pau has shown few signs of slowing down, and playing in San Antonio should be a nice fit for him, given his strong passing ability and basketball IQ. Marc Gasol agrees, having suggested back in April that his brother should sign with the Spurs.

While Gasol and Lee should provide the Spurs with some additional scoring punch on the inside, Dewayne Dedmon was signed – using the room exception – to help improve the team’s rim protection and defense. Dedmon only averaged about 13.2 minutes per game in Orlando over the last two seasons, but the Magic’s defensive rating was better when he was on the floor, particularly in 2014/15.

The Spurs’ new big men will team up with Aldridge to present a much different look than the Spurs showed last season. Along with Duncan, Boban Marjanovic and David West are also gone, having signed free agent deals with the Pistons and Warriors, respectively. Meanwhile, Boris Diaw was traded to the Jazz in a move designed to clear the cap room necessary to add Gasol, and longtime Spurs sharpshooter Matt Bonner remains unsigned.

For a franchise that generally thrived on continuity, the frontcourt overhaul is an interesting one. Aldridge will likely be relied upon as the stabilizing presence up front, but there have been some questions about his place in San Antonio this fall. Recent reports have suggested that the Spurs may be open to the idea of trading Aldridge at some point in 2016/17, with multiple journalists indicating that the former Blazer may not be thrilled about the fact that he has become Leonard’s wingman after previously believing he’d be the Spurs’ primary option going forward.

For his part, Aldridge has insisted that he’s happy in San Antonio, and there’s no reason why that shouldn’t be true. After all, even after winning 50+ games every season for nearly two decades, the Spurs had never won as many games as they did in 2015/16 — they racked up 67 victories in Aldridge’s first season with the franchise.

By all accounts, the Spurs intend to move forward with Aldridge as a core piece, and would only even consider shaking things up if they significantly under-performed or if the relationship between the two sides takes a turn for the worse. That seems like the right call, since Aldridge’s on-court contributions would be hard to replace, even for a team as savvy at spotting value as the Spurs.

San Antonio’s knack for finding value surfaced again during this year’s draft, when the team landed Washington guard Dejounte Murray with the 29th overall pick. Viewed by some experts before the draft as a potential lottery pick, Murray was dubbed the steal of the night by ESPN’s Chad Ford, who gave the Spurs an A+ grade based on their lone 2016 selection.

The Washington product is still just 20 years old, and will probably need to improve his shooting to become a regular rotation player for the Spurs. Still, San Antonio has the luxury of bringing Murray along slowly rather than throwing him right into the fire, allowing him to develop and learn from players like Parker and Ginobili, who have eight All-Star appearances between them. The club has taken that approach with players like Jonathon Simmons and Kyle Anderson, who appear poised to take on larger roles in 2016/17.

It’s certainly possible – even likely – that the Spurs will see their win total slip a little this season, but with the exception of the Warriors, no other Western Conference contenders took a major step forward this offseason. In fact, the Thunder, who defeated the Spurs in the second round of the playoffs last spring, took a huge step backward, having lost former MVP Kevin Durant. There may be some growing pains as this summer’s new acquisitions – both young and old – adjust to their roles, and longtime Spurs like Parker and Ginobili adjust to life without Duncan. But with Leonard and Aldridge leading the way, the Spurs should be a top-four team in the West, and they appear well-positioned to remain a contender for the next several years.

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

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Submit Your Questions For Hoops Rumors Mailbag

By | at October 22, 2016 1:58 pm

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.

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Hoops Rumors Originals: 10/16/16-10/22/16

By | at October 22, 2016 12:31 pm

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

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