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Hoops Rumors Originals 12/27/15-1/2/16

By | at January 2, 2016 11:31 am

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

  • Zach Links highlighted some of the better basketball blogs around in his weekly installment of Hoops Links.
  • Will Joseph answered reader questions in our Weekly Mailbag.
  • Chuck Myron put together a list of some of the top free agents for next season and categorized them by the maximum salary bands in which they’ll fall.
  • We ran down the 2015/16 season salary rankings for the league’s centers and power forwards.
  • If you missed any of our daily reader-driven discussions, be sure to check out the Community Shootaround archives.
  • Here’s how you can follow Hoops Rumors on social media and RSS feeds.
  • I looked at the 2016/17 projected salary cap numbers for the Wizards. You can view the entire series of cap projections here.
  • You can keep track of where your favorite team currently stands in relation to the 2016 NBA Draft lottery with our reverse standings tracker.
  • We reviewed our commenting policy. Play nice everyone.
  • Here’s how you can follow specific players on Hoops Rumors.
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Submit Your Questions For Hoops Rumors Mailbag

By | at January 1, 2016 2:20 pm

In addition to our regular weekly chat, which Chuck Myron facilitates every Wednesday, we have a second opportunity for you to hit us up with your questions in our weekly mailbag feature, which is posted every Saturday.

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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Poll: Biggest NBA Transaction of 2015?

By | at January 1, 2016 12:50 pm

While 2015 saw no truly earth-shattering trades or signings take place that altered the landscape of the NBA forever, quite a few notable players changed uniforms and locales. With it being the first day of the new year, and allow me to pause a moment to wish all of of you a Happy New Year, we decided to ask our readers what the biggest transaction of the past calendar year was.

We pared down the list to what we felt were the 12 most important transactions of the past year, one for each month on the calendar. There were certainly quite a few more deals, signings and draft picks than could realistically be included in a poll, so apologies to anyone who feels slighted by a particular omission. Listed below, in no particular order of significance, are the 2015 NBA trades, signings and draft picks that we are submitting for your consideration. Review the list and cast your vote for which you believe to have been the most important to the league, player or team. Or you can simply go with which was your favorite move, the ball is in your court.

What Was the Biggest NBA Transaction of 2015?

  • Spurs signing LaMarcus Aldridge 37% (209)
  • Knicks selecting Kristaps Porzingis in 2015 NBA Draft 18% (100)
  • Pistons acquiring Reggie Jackson/Thunder landing Enes Kanter 9% (53)
  • Anthony Davis signing extension with Pelicans 8% (45)
  • Spurs re-signing Kawhi Leonard 8% (44)
  • Clippers re-signing DeAndre Jordan 7% (38)
  • Bucks signing Greg Monroe 3% (18)
  • Jimmy Butler re-signing with Bulls 3% (17)
  • Cavs acquiring Timofey Mozgov 3% (17)
  • Suns Acquiring Brandon Knight/Bucks landing Michael Carter-Williams 3% (15)
  • Heat acquiring Goran Dragic 1% (8)
  • Mavs signing Wesley Matthews 1% (7)

Total votes: 571

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2015/16 Salary Rankings: Power Forwards

By | at January 1, 2016 8:50 am

Hoops Rumors is in the process of ranking the cap hit for each NBA player by position. We already ran down how the league’s centers stacked up financially, and next we’ll check out the power forward position. All told, NBA teams have committed a total of $479,043,452 in cap hits this season to the men who man the four spot around the league. The average salary for a power forward this season is a solid $4,477,042, with Chris Bosh topping the list with a whopping $22,192,730 coming his way for his work in 2015/16.

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 will be sweating it out until January 7th. 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. The league’s power forwards are listed below, in descending order of salary. Please note that the official roster for each team was used for determining what position we listed each player under, and some of the players below may spend time at other spots on the hardwood:

  1. Chris Bosh (Heat) — $22,192,730
  2. LaMarcus Aldridge (Spurs) — $19,689,000
  3. Kevin Love (Cavaliers) — $19,689,000
  4. Blake Griffin (Clippers) — $18,907,725
  5. Paul Millsap (Hawks) — $18,671,659
  6. David Lee (Celtics) — $15,493,680
  7. Draymond Green (Warriors) — $14,260,870
  8. Serge Ibaka (Thunder) — $12,250,000
  9. Derrick Favors (Jazz) — $12,000,000
  10. Amir Johnson (Celtics) — $12,000,000
  11. Kenneth Faried (Nuggets) — $11,235,955
  12. Thaddeus Young (Nets) — $11,235,955
  13. Zach Randolph (Grizzlies) — $9,638,555
  14. Ryan Anderson (Pelicans) — $8,500,000
  15. Kevin Garnett (Timberwolves) — $8,500,000
  16. Taj Gibson (Bulls) — $8,500,000
  17. Dirk Nowitzki (Mavericks) — $8,333,334
  18. Channing Frye (Magic) — $8,193,029
  19. Markieff Morris (Suns) — $8,000,000
  20. Ersan Ilyasova (Pistons) — $7,900,000
  21. Anthony Davis (Pelicans) — $7,070,730
  22. Marvin Williams (Hornets) — $7,000,000
  23. Jason Thompson (Warriors) — $6,908,685
  24. Josh Smith (Clippers)— $6,899,187 (Includes the $5,400,000 he is being paid by the Pistons, who waived him via stretch provision)
  25. Carl Landry (Sixers) — $6,500,000
  26. Patrick Patterson (Raptors) — $6,268,675
  27. Josh McRoberts (Heat) — $5,543,725
  28. Nikola Mirotic (Bulls) — $5,543,725
  29. Mirza Teletovic (Suns) — $5,500,000
  30. Jabari Parker (Bucks) — $5,152,440
  31. Jonas Jerebko (Celtics) — $5,000,000
  32. Marcus Morris (Pistons) — $5,000,000
  33. Trevor Booker (Jazz) — $4,775,000
  34. Anthony Bennett (Raptors) — $4,597,276 (Includes the $3,650,000 he is owed by Timberwolves, who waived him)
  35. Kris Humphries (Wizards) — $4,400,000
  36. Derrick Williams (Knicks) — $4,400,000
  37. Jason Smith (Magic) — $4,300,000
  38. Aaron Gordon (Magic) — $4,171,680
  39. Kristaps Porzingis (Knicks) — $4,131,720
  40. Lavoy Allen (Pacers) — $4,050,000
  41. Jordan Hill (Pacers) — $4,000,000
  42. Nemanja Bjelica (Timberwolves) — $3,950,001
  43. Marreese Speights (Warriors) — $3,815,000
  44. Nick Collison (Thunder) — $3,750,000
  45. Kyle O’Quinn (Knicks) — $3,750,000
  46. Nerlens Noel (Sixers) — $3,457,800
  47. Mike Scott (Hawks) — $3,333,333
  48. Drew Gooden (Wizards) — $3,300,000
  49. Julius Randle (Lakers) — $3,132,240
  50. Meyers Leonard (Trail Blazers) — $3,075,880
  51. Brandon Bass (Lakers) — $3,000,000
  52. Anthony Tolliver (Pistons) — $3,000,000
  53. Luis Scola (Raptors) — $2,900,000
  54. Udonis Haslem (Heat) — $2,854,940
  55. Dante Cunningham (Pelicans) —$2,850,000
  56. Furkan Aldemir (Waived by Sixers) — $2,836,768
  57. Darrell Arthur (Nuggets) — $2,814,000
  58. Noah Vonleh (Trail Blazers) — $2,637,720
  59. Frank Kaminsky (Hornets) — $2,612,520
  60. Terrence Jones (Rockets) — $2,489,530
  61. Andrew Nicholson (Magic) — $2,380,593
  62. Myles Turner (Pacers) — $2,357,760
  63. Donatas Motiejunas (Rockets) — $2,288,205
  64. Jared Sullinger (Celtics) — $2,269,260
  65. Trey Lyles (Jazz) — $2,239,800
  66. DeJuan Blair (Wizards) — $2,000,000
  67. Adreian Payne (Timberwolves) — $1,938,840
  68. Ryan Kelly (Lakers) — $1,724,250
  69. Lou Amundson (Knicks) — $1,635,476
  70. Matt Bonner (Spurs) — $1,499,187
  71. Amar’e Stoudemire (Heat) — $1,499,187
  72. Charlie Villanueva (Mavericks) — $1,499,187
  73. David West (Spurs) — $1,499,187
  74. Mitch McGary (Thunder) — $1,463,040
  75. Bobby Portis (Bulls) — $1,391,160
  76. Andrea Bargnani (Nets) — $1,362,897
  77. Cartier Martin (Waived by Pistons) — $1,270,965
  78. Clint Capela (Rockets) — $1,242,720
  79. Jarell Martin (Grizzlies) — $1,230,840
  80. Tyler Hansbrough (Hornets) — $1,185,784
  81. Jordan Mickey (Celtics) — $1,170,960
  82. Larry Nance Jr. (Lakers) — $1,155,600
  83. Chris McCullough (Nets) — $1,140,240
  84. Richaun Holmes (Sixers) — $1,074,169
  85. Jon Leuer (Suns) — $1,035,000
  86. Rakeem Christmas (Pacers) — $1,007,026
  87. Montrezl Harrell (Rockets) — $1,000,000
  88. Thomas Robinson (Nets) — $981,348
  89. Willie Reed (Nets) — $947,276
  90. Cameron Bairstow (Bulls) — $845,059
  91. JaMychal Green (Grizzlies) — $845,059
  92. Cory Jefferson (Suns) — $845,059
  93. Eric Moreland (Kings) — $845,059
  94. Johnny O’Bryant (Bucks) — $845,059
  95. Dwight Powell (Mavericks) — $845,059
  96. Jarnell Stokes (Heat) — $845,059
  97. Joey Dorsey (Waived by Nuggets) — $815,421
  98. Cliff Alexander (Trail Blazers) — $525,093
  99. Duje Dukan (Kings) — $525,093
  100. Cristiano Felicio (Bulls) — $525,093
  101. Jonathan Holmes (Waived by Lakers) — $525,093
  102. Christian Wood (Sixers) — $525,093
  103. Chuck Hayes (Waived by Rockets) — $88,187
  104. Ronald Roberts (Waived by Raptors) — $75,000
  105. Brandon Ashley (Waived by Mavericks) — $50,000
  106. Jarrid Famous (Waived by Mavericks) — $10,000
  107. Justin Harper (Waived by Nets) — $9,942
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Team Facebook/Twitter/RSS

By | at December 31, 2015 4:45 pm

If you want to keep tabs on all the stories and updates at Hoops Rumors, you can download our free app for iOS or Android, follow us on Twitter, like us on Facebook, or subscribe to our feed through your RSS reader of choice. If you prefer to receive only news about your favorite NBA team, we still have you covered. You can easily filter by team name in the app, and you can even get updates only when teams make a move with our Transactions-only Twitter, RSS feed, and app filter. Below are links to our Facebook, Twitter, and RSS pages and feeds for all 30 teams.

Atlantic

Central

Southeast

Southwest

Northwest

Pacific

Transactions only: Twitter / RSS

To download our app, click here for iOS and here for Android.

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2015/16 Salary Rankings: Centers

By | at December 31, 2015 10:16 am

Hoops Rumors is in the process of ranking the cap hit for each NBA player by position. The first spot on the hardwood that we’ll be looking at is the center position, a spot on the floor that has lessened in importance over the years, but one that still remains integral to a team’s success. All told, NBA teams have committed a total of $494,425,900 in cap hits this season to the men who patrol the paint around the league. The average salary for the five spot this season is a respectable $5,886,023, with Dwight Howard topping the list with a whopping $22,359,364 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 will be sweating it out until January 7th. 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.

The league’s centers are listed below, in descending order of salary:

  1. Dwight Howard (Rockets) — $22,359,364
  2. Marc Gasol (Grizzlies) — $19,689,000
  3. DeAndre Jordan (Clippers) — $19,689,000
  4. Brook Lopez (Nets) — $19,689,000
  5. Enes Kanter (Thunder) — $16,407,500
  6. Greg Monroe (Bucks) — $16,407,500
  7. DeMarcus Cousins (Kings) — $15,851,950
  8. Roy Hibbert (Lakers) — $15,592,216
  9. Tristan Thompson (Cavaliers) — $14,260,870
  10. Andrew Bogut (Warriors) — $13,800,000
  11. Al Jefferson (Hornets) — $13,500,000
  12. Joakim Noah (Bulls) — $13,400,000
  13. JaVale McGee (Mavericks) — $13,270,964 (Includes the $12MM owed from the Sixers, who waived him)
  14. Tyson Chandler (Suns) — $13,000,000
  15. Nene (Wizards) — $13,000,000
  16. Robin Lopez (Knicks) — $12,650,000
  17. Nikola Pekovic (Timberwolves) — $12,100,000
  18. Al Horford (Hawks) — $12,000,000
  19. Nikola Vucevic (Magic) — $11,250,000
  20. Marcin Gortat (Wizards) — $11,217,391
  21. Anderson Varejao (Cavaliers) — $9,638,554
  22. Omer Asik (Pelicans) — $9,213,483
  23. Tiago Splitter (Hawks) — $8,800,000
  24. Kosta Koufos (Kings) — $7,700,000
  25. Boris Diaw (Spurs) — $7,500,000
  26. Ed Davis (Trail Blazers) — $6,980,802
  27. Aron Baynes (Pistons) — $6,500,000
  28. Spencer Hawes (Hornets) — $6,110,034
  29. Karl-Anthony Towns (Timberwolves) — $5,703,600
  30. J.J. Hickson (Nuggets) — $5,613,500
  31. Brandan Wright (Grizzlies) — $5,464,000
  32. Tim Duncan (Spurs) — $5,250,000
  33. Zaza Pachulia (Mavericks) — $5,200,000
  34. Chris Kaman (Trail Blazers) — $5,016,000
  35. Chris Andersen (Heat) — $5,000,000
  36. Timofey Mozgov (Cavaliers) — $4,950,000
  37. Jonas Valanciunas (Raptors) — $4,660,482
  38. Joel Embiid (Sixers) — $4,626,960
  39. Jahlil Okafor (Sixers) — $4,582,680
  40. Alexis Ajinca (Pelicans) — $4,389,607
  41. Cody Zeller (Hornets) — $4,204,200
  42. Ian Mahinmi (Pacers) — $4,000,000
  43. Alex Len (Suns) — $3,807,120
  44. Willie Cauley-Stein (Kings) — $3,398,280
  45. Drew Gooden (Wizards) — $3,300,000
  46. Andre Drummond (Pistons) — $3,272,091
  47. John Henson (Bucks) — $2,943,221
  48. Tibor Pleiss (Jazz) — $2,900,000
  49. Bismack Biyombo (Raptors) — $2,814,000
  50. Kevin Seraphin (Knicks) — $2,814,000
  51. Tyler Zeller (Celtics) — $2,616,975
  52. Joel Anthony (Pistons) — $2,500,000
  53. Steven Adams (Thunder) — $2,279,040
  54. Kelly Olynyk (Celtics) — $2,165,160
  55. Miles Plumlee (Bucks) — $2,109,294
  56. Festus Ezeli (Warriors) — $2,008,748
  57. Larry Sanders (Waived by Bucks via stretch provision) — $1,865,547
  58. Lucas Nogueira (Raptors) — $1,842,000
  59. Jusuf Nurkic (Nuggets) — $1,842,000
  60. Joffrey Lauvergne (Nuggets) — $1,709,719
  61. Kendrick Perkins (Pelicans) — $1,499,187
  62. Gorgui Dieng (Timberwolves) — $1,474,440
  63. Mason Plumlee (Trail Blazers) — $1,415,520
  64. Nikola Jokic (Nuggets) — $1,300,000
  65. Sasha Kaun (Cavaliers) — $1,276,000
  66. Boban Marjanovic (Spurs) — $1,200,000
  67. Rudy Gobert (Jazz) — $1,175,880
  68. Cole Aldrich (Clippers) — $1,100,602
  69. Edy Tavares (Hawks) — $1,000,000
  70. Robert Sacre (Lakers) — $981,348
  71. Hassan Whiteside (Heat) — $981,348
  72. Samuel Dalembert (Waived by Mavericks) — $947,276
  73. Dewayne Dedmon (Magic) — $947,276
  74. Mike Muscala (Hawks) — $947,276
  75. Jeff Withey (Jazz) — $947,276
  76. Tarik Black (Lakers) — $845,059
  77. Shayne Whittington (Pacers) — $845,059
  78. Salah Mejri (Mavericks) — $525,093
  79. Aaron Gray (Waived by Pistons via stretch provision) — $452,049
  80. Fab Melo (Waived by Grizzlies via stretch provision) — $437,080
  81. Miroslav Raduljica (Waived by the Clippers via stretch provision) — $252,042
  82. Robert Upshaw (Waived by Lakers) — $35,000
  83. Ryan Hollins (Waived by Grizzlies) — $16,034
  84. Jaleel Roberts (Waived by Wizards) — $10,000
  85. Jordan Railey (Waived by Sixers) — $6,178

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

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Trade Rumors App For iOS/Android

By | at December 30, 2015 12:40 pm

You can follow all the latest news and rumors as the NBA’s trade deadline approaches with the Trade Rumors app for iOS and Android devices! Here are some of the features of the app:

  • Customize your home screen. The app has feeds for Hoops Rumors, MLB Trade Rumors and Pro Football Rumors by default, but if you’re more of a one- or two-sport person, you can easily remove and reorder feeds. You can also add a feed for any of the 92 MLB, NFL, or NBA teams, as well as the thousands of players in the archives of our three sites. Please note that the default ordering puts MLB Trade Rumors on your home screen, but you can easily go into Settings to rearrange and add or remove feeds.
  • In addition to customizing your feeds, you can also set up notifications at the sport, team, or even player level, and receive a notification as soon as we post a new article on that topic.
  • You can also set a filter that narrows down what you see on the home screen to just the top stories. You can do this with notifications as well. This way you only get the most important news.
  • Article sharing options are plentiful: choose Facebook, Twitter, email and text message.
  • Once you’ve clicked an article in a feed, you can swipe to read the next article in that feed.

Best of all? The Trade Rumors app is free! Download it today for iOS or Android.

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2016/17 Salary Cap Projections By Team

By | at December 30, 2015 10:05 am

The NBA’s salary cap for 2015/16 has been set at $70MM, which is an 11% increase from last season, and the luxury tax line is fixed at $84.74MM. The last cap projection from the league prior to the official numbers being announced had been $67.1MM, and the projection for the tax line had been $81.6MM. Many league executives and agents believe that the salary cap will escalate to a whopping $95MM for 2016/17, a higher figure than the league’s last projection of $89MM. This significant bump is a result of the league’s new $24 billion TV deal that kicks in just in time for next season.

The increase in the salary cap will almost assuredly set off a flurry of activity in the free agent market next summer, and it will also make it easier than ever for teams to deal away their higher-priced stars. Prudent executives are acutely aware of exactly how much cap room they have to play with, not just for the current campaign, but for next season and beyond as well. While the exact amount of 2016/17’s salary cap won’t be announced until next summer, it always pays to know just how much salary is on the books for each franchise. With this in mind, we at Hoops Rumors broke down the projected 2016/17 financial commitments for each franchise. Listed below and separated by conference and division are the links to the projection for each team:

EASTERN CONFERENCE

Atlantic Division

Central Division

Southeast Division

WESTERN CONFERENCE

Northwest Division

Pacific Division

Southwest Division

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Hoops Rumors Community Shootaround: 12/29/15

By | at December 29, 2015 11:00 pm

The Eastern Conference standings more closely resemble a wild card race than the typical separation seen in most seasons. All but five of the 15 conference teams have records at or above .500 entering play Tuesday, a stunning development given the Western Conference’s dominance in the past 15 years.

As expected, the Cavaliers are at the top, though they lead the pack by just two games while dealing with inconsistency and point guard Kyrie Irving‘s absence. Irving returned to action last week and it’s generally assumed that Cleveland will pull away from the cluster of winning teams and grab the top seed in the playoffs.

Beyond the defending conference champions, it’s a game of musical chairs where a team could be in a comfortable spot one week and drop to the bottom half of the standings the next. The teams from No. 2 through No. 10 have at least 12 losses but no more than 14.

Even the team currently in the No. 12 spot, the Knicks, have realistic ambitions of getting into the playoffs this season. The Hawks, who led the conference during the regular season last year, got off to a mediocre start but have won six of their last seven games. The Raptors once again top the Atlantic Division but have the Celtics nipping at their heels.

Veteran, playoff-tested teams like the Bulls and Heat are still in the mix but look more vulnerable than they have in recent seasons.
This leads us to our question of the day: Assuming the Cavaliers will take the top spot in the East, which conference team will emerge as the No. 2 seed in the playoffs?

Please take to the comments section below to share your thoughts and opinions on the subject. We look forward to what you have to say.

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Hoops Rumors Community Shootaround 12/28/15

By | at December 28, 2015 8:00 pm

Many expected the Pelicans to challenge for a spot in the top echelon of the Western Conference. Instead, through two months of the season, New Orleans is idling in the cellar and the team’s defense is a major reason why. The Pelicans are hemorrhaging points, allowing 107.1 per game, with the Lakers the only team to allow more.

Despite the defensive letdowns and the 10-20 start, the team sits only three games back of the Jazz for the eighth seed in the conference entering Monday’s contests. There’s still time to turn the season around and tonight’s shootaround is about the moves that New Orleans should make. If I were in GM Dell Demps‘ seat, I would give a call to the Magic and try to work a trade for Channing Frye.

The Arizona product was reportedly available for very little return prior to the start of the season, according to Zach Lowe of ESPN.com, although the big man’s play, along with Orlando’s win total this season, probably raises the asking price. The Magic found success inserting Frye into the starting lineup last month, going 11-5 since the move, and they sit in the thick of the playoff hunt with a record of 17-13 on the year. Still, I speculate that an offer of Omer Asik and a protected first-round pick would get the attention of GM Rob Hennigan since the 32-year-old Frye doesn’t fit into the Magic’s long-term plans.

Frye has been a stalwart on the defensive end this season. He ranks fourth among power forwards in ESPN’s Defensive Real Plus/Minus and he ranks 14th among all players in Possession Adjusted Points Saved per 36 minutes, an advanced stat developed by Seth Partnow of Nylon Calculus to measure rim protection. His offense has been excellent, especially from downtown, where he is making 46.9% of his attempts, which is good for third in the league this season.

Frye has played less than 20% of his minutes this season at the center position, but he has proven over his career he is comfortable playing the five. New Orleans could form a lethal unit that could spread the floor with Anthony Davis, Ryan Anderson and Frye sharing the frontcourt. With the addition of Frye, the Pelicans could also shop Anderson in hopes of adding an upgrade on the wing.

Tell us what you think of this hypothetical trade and let us know what you would do if you were running the show in New Orleans. Take to the comments section below to share your thoughts and opinions on the matter. We look forward to what you have to say.

Chris Crouse contributed to this post.

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