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Offseason Outlook: Oklahoma City Thunder

June 18th, 2016 at 10:18pm CST by Luke Adams

Hoops Rumors is looking ahead to offseason moves for all 30 teams. We’ll examine free agency, the draft, trades and other key storylines for each franchise as the summer approaches.

State Of The Franchise

The Thunder’s season ended in disappointment, as a 3-1 series lead in the Western Conference Finals gave way to three straight Golden State wins and a barrage of Klay Thompson three-pointers. Still, it’s unfair to consider Oklahoma City’s season a disappointment on the whole."<strong

Before being bounced from the playoffs by the Warriors, the Thunder earned the No. 3 seed behind two historically great teams that averaged 70 regular-season wins apiece. Oklahoma City ultimately dispatched one of those two teams – the Spurs – from the postseason before very nearly eliminating the other. If a couple more breaks had gone the Thunder’s way, we could very well be discussing their postseason run as one of the greatest of all time, rather than looking back and wondering how they failed to finish off Golden State.

It’s possible that the Thunder’s 2016 playoff run represented the last time we’ll see this group together, but it would be a bit of a shock if that were the case, as we’ll outline below.

Priority No. 1 (and No. 2 and No. 3): Re-Sign KD

With apologies to LeBron James, whose potential free agency hasn’t generated the same sort of discussion that it has in years past, no free-agent-to-be has been the subject of more speculation and rumors than Kevin Durant. It’s the first time Durant will be eligible for free agency, and there’s an expectation that he’ll be open to hearing pitches from potential suitors.

It remains to be seen exactly how open Durant will be — will only one or two teams besides the Thunder get an audience with the former MVP, or will he be willing to give every interested club a shot? The latter approach could certainly prolong his decision, since it’s possible that 15 or 20 teams will have interest in making a play for Durant, and most clubs will have the cap space necessary to land him.

Ultimately though, there are two key factors that should push Durant back to Oklahoma City after he tests the open market. For one, there simply aren’t many teams around the NBA that are as championship-ready as the Thunder. Only the Spurs and Warriors, both of whom are believed to be eyeing Durant, could make a convincing case that adding KD would make them the prohibitive favorite for the 2017 title, and Durant may not want to simply jump ship to one of the Thunder’s biggest rivals.

Secondly, and perhaps more importantly, no team can offer the kind of money to Durant that Oklahoma City can. Whether the 27-year-old wants to sign a long-term contract right away or a year from now – when that max contract will likely be worth significantly more, as we’ve previously outlined – it makes the most sense for him to re-up with Thunder, who can offer more years and higher raises than any rival suitor.

Those factors don’t make OKC a lock to re-sign Durant — anything can happen in free agency. But barring a drastic turn of events, the Thunder will head into July as the frontrunners in the KD sweepstakes.

The Other Free Agents

Durant isn’t the Thunder’s only free agent, but he’s clearly the most important one, and his decision will have a trickle-down effect on all the other moves the team makes this offseason. If Durant elects to sign elsewhere, Oklahoma City will have a major hole to fill in its frontcourt, and would have the cap room necessary to add an impact player. But if we’re assuming Durant returns, the Thunder will likely turn their attention to filling out their roster with complementary pieces, and that could mean re-signing Dion Waiters, who is eligible for restricted free agency.

Waiters, acquired in a trade a year and a half ago, isn’t an ideal bench piece for the Thunder. His shooting percentage has been below 40% since he arrived in Oklahoma City, and his PER slipped to single digits in 2015/16. With Durant and Russell Westbrook rarely both on the bench at the same time, Waiters’ ability to create his own shot and score points for the second unit isn’t as valuable as it otherwise might have been, and OKC might be better off with a pure shooter in that spot instead.

However, if Durant re-signs, the Thunder will be right up against the salary cap threshold. Even parting ways with Anthony Morrow – who has a non-guaranteed salary – wouldn’t create much more room under the cap than an over-the-cap OKC squad would have with the mid-level exception at its disposal. So even though allowing Waiters to depart in free agency would free up a roster spot, it wouldn’t necessarily free up any more spending flexibility for the Thunder. That may be why GM Sam Presti has indicated he’s optimistic about bringing back both Waiters and Morrow.

Randy Foye and Nazr Mohammed are unrestricted free agents for the Thunder, but I don’t expect either player to re-sign, unless it’s for the minimum. Mohammed may be headed for retirement, while Foye set new career-lows in FG% and 3PT% in 2015/16.

Looking To The Future

One important consideration for Durant as he decides on his next contract will be the Thunder’s plan for the future. Two years after the former second overall pick agreed to his first contract extension with Oklahoma City, the team sent James Harden to Houston, so Durant will want to know if any such moves are on the horizon this time around.

Durant surely recognizes that the current roster is getting expensive, with several of his teammates eligible for free agency a year from now, so he’ll want to know how the Thunder intend to address the cap crunch. Even with the cap on the rise, retaining Durant, Westbrook, Serge Ibaka, Enes Kanter, Steven Adams, and Andre Roberson for the long-term probably isn’t tenable.

The Thunder are unlikely to make any moves related to Westbrook or Ibaka this offseason, but Adams and Roberson will both be extension-eligible for the first time, so the club will have to determine whether it makes sense to lock up either player before they hit restricted free agency. Both Adams and Roberson have emerged as crucial cogs in the Thunder’s rotation, with Adams providing rebounding, rim protection, and toughness, while Roberson is an excellent defender whose three-point shooting has improved.

Of the two players, Adams is expected to be the Thunder’s top priority, but that doesn’t necessarily mean he’ll be extended this year. The team will be able to match any rival offer for the big man next summer, so it could be prudent to wait to see what happens at that point with Westbrook and Ibaka, rather than prematurely locking in a big new deal for Adams.

Filling Out The Roster

The Thunder haven’t been very active in free agency in recent years, preferring to build their roster by drafting and making trades, then re-signing their own players. The team usually only has the mid-level exception at its disposal, so that inactivity isn’t surprising. Still, if there was ever a year to use that full MLE to add one more player to the roster, this might be the year.

In the Western Conference Finals, the Thunder made just 55 three-pointers to Golden State’s 90, and shot only 32.2% on their three-point attempts, compared to 39.6% for the Warriors. It’s probably unfair to expect OKC to match up with the greatest three-point shooting team of all time in that department, but players like Morrow and Foye, brought in to fill that role, were mostly non-existent in the Conference Finals. Using the mid-level exception to pursue a free agent like Jared Dudley or Courtney Lee, who could more reliably make those open shots created by Durant and Westbrook, seems logical.

If the MLE isn’t enough to attract a free agent of that caliber, given the rising salary cap, the Thunder could also explore the trade route. Former first-round picks like Mitch McGary and Josh Huestis aren’t part of OKC’s rotation, having spent a good chunk of last season in the D-League, and could be packaged with Kyle Singler and/or draft picks in a trade. Of course, it wasn’t long ago that Singler looked like a possible solution to the Thunder’s three-point woes, so perhaps the team prefers to hang onto him in hopes of a bounce-back season. The club may also still envision McGary and Huestis as inexpensive rotation players for the future.

Final Take

Durant’s decision will dictate what sort of summer it is in Oklahoma City. If he returns, this team remains a championship contender, even without any other real changes. If he bolts, Presti will have some challenging decisions to make, particularly with Westbrook set to enter the last year of his contract.

Guaranteed Salary

Player Options

  • None

Team Options

  • None

Non-Guaranteed Salary

Restricted Free Agents (Qualifying Offers/Cap Holds)

Unrestricted Free Agents (Cap Holds)

Other Cap Holds

Projected Salary Cap: $92,000,000

Footnotes:

  1. The cap hold for Durant will be the maximum salary for a veteran of 7-9 seasons. The number shown here is an estimate based on the projected cap figure.

The Basketball Insiders salary pages were used in the creation of this post. Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

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Community Shootaround: Derrick Rose On The Knicks?

June 18th, 2016 at 6:48pm CST by ChrisCrouse

The Knicks are reportedly having internal discussions about adding Derrick Rose to the team. Point guard is clearly a need for New York, as trotting Jose Calderon out on the floor as the starting point guard when he’ll be 35-years-old next season clearly isn’t a favorable option. If the franchise wants to add a talented point guard this offseason, it could do worse than Rose.

The 2010/11 MVP has one year and $21.3MM left on his deal and although that’s a bit of an overpay based on Rose’s health and level of play these past few seasons, the contract isn’t a hindrance to acquire him. If Rose can stay healthy, New York is easily challenging for a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. If it doesn’t work out, New York still hasn’t clogged up its cap sheet long-term and can enter the 2017 offseason searching for another option with money to spend.

So here’s tonight’s topic: If the Knicks are going to make an attempt to trade for Rose, what kind of package should they offer the Bulls?

Jerian Grant would probably need to head to Chicago and New York would likely want to offload some salary in the deal. Robin Lopez is a nice player, but Kristaps Porzingis‘ future should be at the five spot, so the Knicks may be open to trading its starting center. The Bulls presumable would want a future first, but if I was New York, I’d only offer a heavily protected pick, possibly one that’s top-20 protected.

Those are my parameters for a Rose-to-New York deal, tell us yours as well as your thoughts and opinions on Rose’s fit in the Big Apple in the comment section below. We look forward to what you have to say!

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Download The Trade Rumors App Today

June 18th, 2016 at 5:16pm CST by Eddie Scarito

If you enjoy this website on your smartphone or tablet, you’ve got to download our free Trade Rumors app!

Trade Rumors, available for iOS and Android, is the best way to consume our content on a mobile device.  Here’s what it delivers, all for free:

  • All the articles from Hoops Rumors, MLB Trade Rumors, and Pro Football Rumors, in an easy-to-navigate, eye-catching format.  Swipe through stories to quickly consume all the news and rumors from our three sites.  Not into all three sports?  No problem – any sport can be easily removed.
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Unsigned Draft Picks: Southeast Division

June 18th, 2016 at 3:52pm CST by Eddie Scarito

As the 2016 NBA draft rapidly approaches the term draft-and-stash will be mentioned quite often in regard to international players and late second-rounders. While some of these athletes will eventually sign with an NBA team,  it seems like the majority of them stay overseas and never make it to the league. Those players in the latter category aren’t without value as they become trade assets for the teams holding their rights.

While many players fail to work out the way teams expect them to, they can at least become tradeable assets for teams that don’t want to part with a future second-round pick in a deal.  Each team must give up something in a trade, which is why many swaps include top-55 protected second-round picks.  Older draft rights held players who clearly will never come over to the NBA are essentially the same as flipping those heavily protected second-rounders, for all intents and purposes.

Listed below are the current unsigned draftees for the teams of the Southeast Division:

Atlanta Hawks

  • Dimitrios Agravanis — Selected No. 59 overall in 2015.
  • Augusto Binelli — Selected No. 40 overall in 1986.
  • Alain Digbeu — Selected No. 49 overall in 1997.
  • Marcus Eriksson — Selected No. 50 overall in 2015.
  • Sergey Gladyr — Selected No. 49 overall in 2009.

Charlotte Hornets

  • None

Miami Heat

  • Roberto Duenas — Selected No. 58 overall in 1997.
  • George Banks — Selected No. 46 overall in 1995.

Orlando Magic

  • Fran Vazquez — Selected No. 11 overall in 2005.
  • Tyler Harvey — Selected No. 51 overall in 2015.
  • Janis Timma — Selected No. 60 overall in 2013.
  • Ramon Van De Hare — Selected No. 52 overall in 2003.
  • Rashard Griffith — Selected No. 38 overall in 1995.

Washington Wizards

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Offseason Outlook: Denver Nuggets

June 18th, 2016 at 2:24pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Hoops Rumors is looking ahead to offseason moves for all 30 teams. We’ll examine free agency, the draft, trades and other key storylines for each franchise as the summer approaches.

State Of the Franchise

Isaiah J. Downing/USA TODAY Sports Images

Isaiah J. Downing/USA TODAY Sports Images

For the third straight year the Nuggets ended the season with a sub-.500 record and a trip to the NBA draft lottery. But despite the lack of success in the standings, Denver is a team on the rise, stocked with a deep roster, ample cap room, three first round picks in this year’s draft and a solid head coach in Michael Malone.

It’s difficult to gauge just how talented Denver can be as a team, given the myriad injuries suffered by the team’s top players the past few years. The Nuggets’ three highest-paid players, Danilo Gallinari, Kenneth Faried and Wilson Chandler, each missed some – or all – of the 2015/16 campaign due to injuries. While Faried has been a relatively healthy player during his career, it has gotten to the point where it would be foolish to bank on either Gallinari or Chandler playing a full season’s worth of games given their respective track records. While there’s no denying that the pair are talented players who can light up the scoreboard when they are on the court, it may time for the franchise to consider moving on from one or both players in order to foster greater roster/rotation stability and continuity.

The Nuggets are also still seeking a star player to build around, not having had a true alpha since dealing away a disgruntled Carmelo Anthony to the Knicks during the 2010/11 campaign. While the team weathered his departure reasonably well the two seasons following the trade, the NBA has always been a star-driven league and despite their solid depth, the Nuggets were never true threats to bring home an NBA title during those years. If the team is to truly move forward as an organization, Denver will need to add a star-caliber player this offseason via free agency, the trade market or the draft.

What To Do With the Manimal?

Faried is a high-energy player whose style of play endeared him to fans and led team management to ink him to a four-year, $50MM extension in 2014. While that pact is likely to look like a bargain after this summer’s free agent deals are handed out, there is a question of fit for Faried. With the NBA moving further away from traditional big men who patrol the paint, Faried’s skill set doesn’t quite fit with the times. He is still a solid rebounder and hustle player in the paint, but his offensive game has not evolved since he arrived in the league back in 2011/12. This past season, Faried played his fewest minutes since his rookie campaign while seeing his scoring, rebounding and defense decline slightly from his previous seasons.

The 26-year-old’s lack of a perimeter game wouldn’t be as big an issue if his teammates were better at connecting on their outside shots, which would then allow Faried to do what he does best — create havoc in the paint area with his energy and rebounding. Full seasons from Gallinari and Chandler would certainly go a long way toward this end, but as I previously mentioned, counting on that duo to remain on the court isn’t a realistic approach.

It may be in the team’s best interests to explore the trade market for the Manimal. Faried can be a valuable contributor on the right team, but the Nuggets may not be the best spot for him any longer. Denver has other frontcourt combinations it can try, including playing Chandler (if healthy) at the four spot, which would give the squad an interesting stretch-four option. I cannot envision Faried being content with a sixth man role in Denver, but he may be amenable to doing so for a contending team. Trading away Faried may be the best option for both the Nuggets and the player in the long run.

Free Agent Targets

Even if Darrell Arthur opts out of his contract, the Nuggets will have just three unrestricted free agents from this year’s roster – Arthur, D.J. Augustin, and Mike Miller – and none of them are crucial, long-term pieces. That leaves Denver with 12 contracts (nine guaranteed) on its books for 2016/17 and no glaring holes to fill, but there’s still plenty of room for the club to get involved in free agency if opportunities arise.

The Nuggets will have enough cap flexibility this offseason to add a max salary player, but with the team not being seen as contenders and Denver not a destination city for free agents, doing so will be a tall order. One realistic target for the team is Ryan Anderson, who is perhaps the best stretch-four on the open market this summer. Anderson is almost assuredly going to be overpaid on his next deal and it may make sense for Denver to be the ones to do so. If the bidding on Anderson becomes too intense, or the player decides he doesn’t want to come to Denver, Hornets unrestricted free agent Marvin Williams would be a good (and cheaper) fallback option.

Denver also needs to add wing players who can stretch the floor with their outside shooting, especially if Emmanuel Mudiay is unable to improve his perimeter game. The team could try to navigate the waters of restricted free agency and make a run at signing Bradley Beal or Evan Fournier, though the likelihood of landing either is remote. Also, Beal has his own set of injury concerns and the Nuggets may not want to risk adding another player likely to spend significant time in street clothes during games. The draft is a more likely avenue for the team to address this need.

Draft Targets

There isn’t likely going to be a star-caliber player available at pick No. 7, so Denver should seriously consider trying to move up in the draft. Both Boston (No. 3) and Phoenix (No. 4) are reportedly considering trading down, though it is unclear just how much the Nuggets would need to give up to make the jump into the top five. If Denver stands pat, I believe it will target backcourt help, unless Dragan Bender or Jaylen Brown are still on the board at No. 7 overall, then all bets are off. But that’s a development not likely to come to pass given the pre-draft buzz surrounding both of those players.

If the Nuggets stay where they are at in the first round, their two top targets will almost certainly be Buddy Hield and Jamal Murray. Hield should be ready to contribute from day one and would fit alongside Mudiay rather nicely. He would certainly provide the outside shooting the team desperately needs, though I don’t see him developing into a star player during the course of his career. Murray has a higher upside and can play both backcourt spots, but he will take longer to develop and contribute than Hield will. Denver could also look to add a stretch four if the top guards are off the board and Marquese Chris, Henry Ellenson and Skal Labissere are all viable candidates for that role.

In Conclusion

There’s plenty of reasons to be optimistic if you are a Nuggets fan. While the team, barring an unexpected free agent windfall, isn’t expected to make the playoffs in 2016/17, better things are ahead in the Mile High City. Mudiay, Jusuf Nurkic and Gary Harris are a solid young core to build around, Malone appears to be the right man for the job and the franchise has some enticing pieces to use as trade bait. Injuries will always be a concern and the team may be better served to part ways with one or more of the injury prone players on its roster. But this a club that has plenty of viable and realistic options to explore in order to improve itself, which should make for an exciting summer in Denver.

Guaranteed Salary

Player Options

Team Options

  • None

Non-Guaranteed Salary

Restricted Free Agents (Qualifying Offers/Cap Holds)

  • None

Unrestricted Free Agents (Cap Holds)

Other Cap Holds

  • No. 7 pick ($2,675,700)
  • No. 15 pick ($1,656,200)
  • No. 19 pick ($1,356,100)
  • Total: $5,688,000

Projected Salary Cap: $94,000,000

The Basketball Insiders salary pages were used in the creation of this post.

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Poll: 2016 Community Mock Draft (Pick No. 25)

June 18th, 2016 at 11:50am CST by Eddie Scarito

The results of the 2016 NBA Draft lottery are in and the Sixers finally landed the elusive No. 1 overall pick after missing out the past two seasons. Now that the exact draft order is locked in, teams can begin targeting specific players who are likely to still be on the board when it is their time to choose. Drafting players is far from an exact science, and many a GM has been second-guessed for his draft night decisions. I’m willing to bet that every team executive has at least one pick that he would like a mulligan for. We at Hoops Rumors thought it would be fun to give our readers the chance to predict the results of this June’s draft, which is what we are doing with a series of polls.

We are now well on our way to completing the first round and have come to the Clippers. Readers, you are now on the clock! Cast your vote for Los Angeles’ selection and check back Sunday for the results, as well as to cast your vote for who the Sixers will select with the No. 26 overall pick. But don’t limit yourself to a simple button click. Take to the comments section below and share your thoughts on the No. 25 overall pick and why you voted the way that you did.

  1. Sixers — Ben Simmons (LSU)
  2. Lakers — Brandon Ingram (Duke)
  3. Celtics — Dragan Bender (Maccabi Tel Aviv)
  4. Suns — Jaylen Brown (California)
  5. Timberwolves — Buddy Hield (Oklahoma)
  6. Pelicans — Kris Dunn (Providence)
  7. Nuggets — Jamal Murray (Kentucky)
  8. Kings — Henry Ellenson (Marquette)
  9. Raptors — Marquese Chriss (Washington)
  10. Bucks — Jakob Poeltl (Utah)
  11. Magic — Skal Labissiere (Kentucky)
  12. Jazz — Denzel Valentine (Michigan State)
  13. Suns — Domantas Sabonis (Gonzaga)
  14. Bulls — Deyonta Davis (Michigan State)
  15. Nuggets — Timothe Luwawu (Mega Leks)
  16. Celtics — Thon Maker (Australia)
  17. Grizzlies — Wade Baldwin (Vanderbilt)
  18. Pistons — Tyler Ulis (Kentucky)
  19. Nuggets — Furkan Korkmaz (Anadolu Efes)
  20. Pacers — Demetrius Jackson (Notre Dame)
  21. Hawks — Taurean Prince (Baylor)
  22. Hornets — Brice Johnson (North Carolina)
  23. Celtics — Malachi Richardson (Syracuse)
  24. Sixers — Malik Beasley (Florida State)
With the No. 25 Overall Pick, the Clippers Select...
DeAndre Bembry (St. Joe's) 23.03% (219 votes)
Dejounte Murray (Washington) 16.40% (156 votes)
Cheick Diallo (Kansas) 11.46% (109 votes)
Diamond Stone (Maryland) 5.99% (57 votes)
Zhou Qi (China) 5.36% (51 votes)
Wayne Selden (Kansas) 5.36% (51 votes)
Caris LeVert (Michigan) 5.15% (49 votes)
Malcolm Brogdon (Virginia) 4.94% (47 votes)
Juan Hernangomez (Spain) 4.84% (46 votes)
Stephen Zimmerman (UNLV) 4.31% (41 votes)
Ante Zizic (Croatia) 3.15% (30 votes)
Damian Jones (Vanderbilt) 2.42% (23 votes)
Patrick McCaw (UNLV) 2.31% (22 votes)
Chinanu Onuaku (Louisville) 1.58% (15 votes)
A.J. Hammons (Purdue) 1.37% (13 votes)
Guerschon Yabusele (Rouen) 1.05% (10 votes)
Robert Carter (Maryland) 0.63% (6 votes)
Isaia Cordinier (France) 0.53% (5 votes)
Petr Cornelie (Le Mans) 0.11% (1 votes)
Total Votes: 951

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Hoops Rumors Originals 6/12/16-6/18/16

June 18th, 2016 at 10:26am CST by Eddie Scarito

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

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Salaries For 2016 First-Round Picks

June 17th, 2016 at 10:11pm CST by Luke Adams

The 2016 NBA draft is less than a week away, and once teams make those picks, they’ll have to account for how to fit their newly-drafted rookies into their salary cap for next season. Cap holds for draft picks are almost always lower than those players’ eventual salaries, so many teams will take care of their other offseason business before officially locking up their first-round rookies and increasing their cap hits.

While the cap hold for a first-round pick is equivalent to the rookie scale amount for that draft slot, teams nearly always pay their first-round picks 120% of the scale amount, the maximum they’re allowed to give. So the Sixers’ first overall pick will count for $4,919,300 against the cap initially, but Philadelphia will likely pay that player a $5,903,160 first-year salary, 120% of the scale amount.

Taking into account slotted annual raises, Philadelphia’s No. 1 overall pick will likely sign a four-year rookie contract worth $26,620,450, but most first-rounders will make significantly less than that. By the time the Warriors’ 30th overall selection rolls around, Golden State’s first-round rookie will be on track to earn a little under $6MM on his four-year deal, or less than a quarter of what the No. 1 pick will make.

Here, using the scale amounts from Larry Coon’s Salary Cap FAQ, are the expected salaries for each pick of this year’s first round at the standard 120% of scale, from No. 1 to No. 30. The salary for each season in the four-year rookie contract is listed below, along with the total value of the projected contract:

Salaries for 2016 First-Round Picks

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Offseason Outlook: Orlando Magic

June 17th, 2016 at 1:35pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Hoops Rumors is looking ahead to offseason moves for all 30 teams. We’ll examine free agency, the draft, trades and other key storylines for each franchise heading into the summer.

State Of The Franchise

Logan Bowles / USA Today Sports Images

Logan Bowles / USA Today Sports Images

The Magic find themselves in a familiar spot this summer. They’re stuck in the lottery after coming off another last-place finish, searching to find ways to turn things around and hoping a new coach will make a difference.

Orlando did win 10 more games this past season than in 2014/15 but that still left it 12 games under .500. The frequent trips to the lottery haven’t produced an All-Star talent, a clearcut No. 1 scoring option or an unquestioned leader.

The front office thought it could accelerate the rebuilding process by hiring a no-nonsense, defensive-minded coach last summer in Scott Skiles. But the Magic’s defense improved only marginally, finishing 20th in defensive field-goal percentage and 18th in points allowed. Skiles didn’t connect with his young players, clashed with GM Rob Hennigan and ultimately resigned after the season.

By hiring ex-Pacers coach Frank Vogel as his replacement, Orlando’s front office mitigated the damage caused by Skiles’ sudden departure. The task at hand now is to acquire some impact players to get the Magic back into the postseason after a four-year drought.

Money Is No Object

The Magic have made their objective clear — they want to land top-flight free agents. They have enough salary-cap space to make that happen.

Orlando has the ability to free up as much as $46MM to spend on free agents and make trades, thanks to a couple of deadline deals that more than doubled its potential salary-cap space.

It quickly soured on forward Tobias Harris, who re-signed with the club as a restricted free agent last summer, and acquired two veterans from the Pistons (Brandon Jennings and Ersan Ilyasova) that it can clear off its books prior to free agency. Sending reserve forward Channing Frye to the Cavaliers for a future draft choice freed up more money.

“We’ve been very open about what we’ve been going through and the fact that we’ve been building through the draft,” CEO Alex Martins told the Orlando Sentinel. “I think we’re being very open about the fact that in order to take that next step we have to inject veteran leadership.”

The tricky part is to sell free agents on a franchise that has been spinning its wheels since the end of the Dwight Howard–Stan Van Gundy era.

Free Agent Targets

Orlando’s biggest need is to fill the vacancy created by the Harris trade, preferably with a top-notch veteran. That could be either a power or small forward, since Aaron Gordon can play either spot. Gordon showed he could do more than just dunk after the All-Star break, averaging 12.0 points and 7.3 rebounds.

Forget about Kevin Durant, who’s not going to consider a rebuilding team. The Magic might have a shot at another All-Star level forward, or at least a proven veteran.

They made a strong push to sign Paul Millsap last summer and came up empty. They will undoubtedly make a big run this summer at Millsap’s frontcourt partner in Atlanta, Al Horford. He would instantly turn them into a playoff contender with his all-around skills and leadership.

If that fails, they could chase prolific outside shooter such as Ryan Anderson, Chandler Parsons or Marvin Williams, though it’s highly questionable whether Anderson would consider a second stint with Orlando after the team dealt him to New Orleans four years ago in a sign-and-trade.

Another intriguing possibility is Horford’s ex-University of Florida teammate, Bulls power forward/center Joakim Noah. He’d provide the defensive presence the team has sorely lacked in recent years.

Even if the team plans on a Victor Oladipo–Elfrid Payton pairing for the long-term, they need to fortify their backcourt with a veteran shooter and/or ballhandler. The pool of backcourt free agents isn’t as deep as the frontcourt options and they may have to fill those needs via the trade route.

Free Agent Decisions

The team will likely decline its option on Ilyasova’s $8.4MM contract for next season. Jennings and reserve forward Jason Smith will become unrestricted free agents and they’re nothing more than fallback options.

Orlando has to decide whether to extend qualifying offers to three players. They plan to make those offers to swingman Evan Fournier and center Dewayne Dedmon, which would make them restricted free agents. It’s unclear whether they have a similar interest in retaining Andrew Nicholson. Hennigan has stated that re-signing Fournier is a top priority. The caveat is they may have to pay a hefty price, since it’s quite conceivable he could receive a eye-popping offer sheet designed to pry him away.

Potential Trades

The Magic’s desire to make trades will depend upon how successful they are in the free agent market. They’d probably have to trade away a starter or last year’s lottery pick, Mario Hezonja, to make something big happen.

Draft Outlook

  • First-round pick: No. 11
  • Second-round pick: No. 41
  • Second-round pick: No. 47

The Magic will lean toward adding a frontcourt piece if they don’t deal away their lottery pick. Current mock drafts by ESPN.com’s Chad Ford and Draft Express’ Jonathan Givony have the Magic selecting Kentucky freshman power forward Skal Labissiere, who would at least provide some much-needed shot blocking.

Coaching Outlook

Vogel received a four-year, $22MM contract and seems like a better fit to nurture the team’s young talent than the abrasive Skiles. Vogel wants to make better use of the team’s versatility and athleticism by employing more small-ball lineups.

Final Take

The Magic have failed repeatedly in the lottery to find a superstar but they have accumulated enough talent to get back in the playoff hunt. It’s all predicated on convincing at least one high-level free agent to sign on the dotted line. If they strike out and have to fill out the roster with veteran role players, there’s a good chance they’ll be right back in the lottery next summer.

Guaranteed Salary

Player Options

  • None

Team Options

  • None

Non-Guaranteed Salary

  • Ersan Ilyasova ($8,000,000) — Partial guarantee; guaranteed portion listed above1
  • Devyn Marble ($980,431)
  • Total: $8,980,431

Restricted Free Agents (Qualifying Offers/Cap Holds)

Unrestricted Free Agents (Cap Holds)

Other Cap Holds

  • No. 11 pick ($2,033,500)
  • Fran Vazquez ($2,033,500)
  • Total: $4,067,000

Projected Salary Cap: $92,000,000

Footnotes:

  1. Ilyasova’s full $8,400,000 salary will become guaranteed if he’s still on the roster on July 1st.

The Basketball Insiders salary pages were used in the creation of this post.

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Poll: 2016 Community Mock Draft (Pick No. 24)

June 17th, 2016 at 11:30am CST by Eddie Scarito

The results of the 2016 NBA Draft lottery are in and the Sixers finally landed the elusive No. 1 overall pick after missing out the past two seasons. Now that the exact draft order is locked in, teams can begin targeting specific players who are likely to still be on the board when it is their time to choose. Drafting players is far from an exact science, and many a GM has been second-guessed for his draft night decisions. I’m willing to bet that every team executive has at least one pick that he would like a mulligan for. We at Hoops Rumors thought it would be fun to give our readers the chance to predict the results of this June’s draft, which is what we are doing with a series of polls.

We are now well on our way to completing the first round and have once again come to the Sixers. Readers, you are now on the clock! Working under the assumption that the team will keep the pick, cast your vote for Philadelphia’s selection and check back Saturday for the results, as well as to cast your vote for who the Clippers will select with the No. 25 overall pick. But don’t limit yourself to a simple button click. Take to the comments section below and share your thoughts on the No. 24 overall pick and why you voted the way that you did.

Previous Selections

  1. Sixers — Ben Simmons (LSU)
  2. Lakers — Brandon Ingram (Duke)
  3. Celtics — Dragan Bender (Maccabi Tel Aviv)
  4. Suns — Jaylen Brown (California)
  5. Timberwolves — Buddy Hield (Oklahoma)
  6. Pelicans — Kris Dunn (Providence)
  7. Nuggets — Jamal Murray (Kentucky)
  8. Kings — Henry Ellenson (Marquette)
  9. Raptors — Marquese Chriss (Washington)
  10. Bucks — Jakob Poeltl (Utah)
  11. Magic — Skal Labissiere (Kentucky)
  12. Jazz — Denzel Valentine (Michigan State)
  13. Suns — Domantas Sabonis (Gonzaga)
  14. Bulls — Deyonta Davis (Michigan State)
  15. Nuggets — Timothe Luwawu (Mega Leks)
  16. Celtics — Thon Maker (Australia)
  17. Grizzlies — Wade Baldwin (Vanderbilt)
  18. Pistons — Tyler Ulis (Kentucky)
  19. Nuggets — Furkan Korkmaz (Anadolu Efes)
  20. Pacers — Demetrius Jackson (Notre Dame)
  21. Hawks — Taurean Prince (Baylor)
  22. Hornets — Brice Johnson (North Carolina)
  23. Celtics — Malachi Richardson (Syracuse)
With the No. 24 Overall Pick, the Sixers Select...
Malik Beasley (Florida State) 24.04% (231 votes)
Dejounte Murray (Washington) 22.68% (218 votes)
DeAndre Bembry (St. Joe's) 12.90% (124 votes)
Cheick Diallo (Kansas) 6.87% (66 votes)
Malcolm Brogdon (Virginia) 4.16% (40 votes)
Zhou Qi (China) 4.06% (39 votes)
Caris LeVert (Michigan) 3.85% (37 votes)
Wayne Selden (Kansas) 3.12% (30 votes)
Ante Zizic (Croatia) 3.02% (29 votes)
Diamond Stone (Maryland) 2.81% (27 votes)
Patrick McCaw (UNLV) 2.50% (24 votes)
Damian Jones (Vanderbilt) 1.98% (19 votes)
Juan Hernangomez (Spain) 1.87% (18 votes)
Stephen Zimmerman (UNLV) 1.35% (13 votes)
Isaia Cordinier (France) 1.35% (13 votes)
Chinanu Onuaku (Louisville) 0.94% (9 votes)
Robert Carter (Maryland) 0.83% (8 votes)
A.J. Hammons (Purdue) 0.73% (7 votes)
Guerschon Yabusele (Rouen) 0.62% (6 votes)
Petr Cornelie (Le Mans) 0.31% (3 votes)
Total Votes: 961

For Trade Rumors app users: [Direct Link]

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