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2015/16 Roster Counts: Detroit Pistons

June 11th, 2015 at 8:30pm CST by Eddie Scarito

During the offseason it’s OK for teams to carry as many as 20 players, but clubs must trim their rosters down to a maximum of 15 by opening night. In the meantime, some teams will hang around that 15-man line, while others will max out their roster counts. Some clubs may actually have more than 15 contracts that are at least partially guaranteed on the books. That means they’ll end up paying players who won’t be on the regular season roster, unless they can find trade partners.

With plenty more movement still to come, here’s the latest look at the Pistons’ roster size, the contract guarantee status of each player, and how each player came to be on Detroit’s roster.

(Last Updated 3-15-16, 2:35pm)

Fully Guaranteed (14)

  • Joel Anthony (C) — 6’9″/32 years old.
  • Aron Baynes (F/C) — 6’10″/28 years old. Free agent signing.
  • Steve Blake (G) — 6’3″/35 years old. Acquired via trade from Nets.
  • Reggie Bullock (G) — 6’7″/24 years old. Acquired via trade from Suns.
  • Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (G) — 6’5″/22 years old. Drafted with No. 8 overall pick in 2013.
  • Spencer Dinwiddie (G) — 6’6″/22 years old. Drafted with No. 38 overall pick in 2014.
  • Andre Drummond (C) — 6’11″/21 years old. Drafted with No. 9 overall pick in 2012.
  • Tobias Harris (F) — 6’9″/22 years old. Acquired via trade from Magic.
  • Darrun Hilliard (F) — 6’6″/22 years old. Drafted with No. 38 overall pick in 2015.
  • Reggie Jackson (G) — 6’3″/25 years old. Acquired via trade from Thunder.
  • Stanley Johnson (F) — 6’7″/19 years old. Drafted with No. 8 overall pick in 2015.
  • Jodie Meeks (G) — 6’4″/27 years old. Free agent signing.
  • Marcus Morris (F) — 6’9″/25 years old. Acquired via trade from Suns.
  • Anthony Tolliver (F) — 6’8″/30 years old. Acquired via trade with Suns.

10-Day Contracts (0)

  • None

TOTAL ROSTER COUNT (14)

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Following Specific Players On Hoops Rumors

June 11th, 2015 at 10:00am CST by Chuck Myron

The Finals are about halfway through, so the draft and free agency will soon become the focus for the entire league. Hoops Rumors lets you keep up with your favorite teams as they plot for the future, and we also provide ways to easily follow the latest on all of your favorite players and soon-to-be free agents. If you want to stay up to date on LaMarcus Aldridge rumors, you can find Aldridge’s page right here. For intel on where DeAndre Jordan might end up, go here. Updates on top draft prospect Karl-Anthony Towns are found on this page.

You can get news about players wherever you go with our Trade Rumors app, available for iOS and Android devices. The app is free and allows you to add a feed for any player and set up notifications that will alert you whenever we write about him.

Every player we’ve written about has his own rumors page. You can find any player by using our search box (located in the right sidebar); by clicking his tag at the bottom of a post in which he’s discussed; or, by simply typing his name in your address bar after hoopsrumors.com, substituting dashes for spaces. For example, Kevin Love’s page is hoopsrumors.com/kevin-love.

You can also set up an RSS feed for any of our player pages by adding /feed to the end of the page URL, like this: hoopsrumors.com/greg-monroe/feed. Entering that URL into the reader of your choice should enable you to get updates whenever we write about Greg Monroe. It works for teams, too. If you’re a Cavs fan, you can enter hoopsrumors.com/cleveland-cavaliers/feed into your reader and stay on top of all the latest from Cleveland.

In addition to players and teams, there are a number of other subjects you can track by clicking on the tags that we use at the bottom of posts. You can keep tabs on news related to the draft right here. Items about the salary cap can be found on this page. You can simply scan our top stories here. Again, you can set up a feed with any of these pages by adding /feed to the end of the URL.

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2015/16 Roster Counts: Denver Nuggets

June 10th, 2015 at 6:50pm CST by Eddie Scarito

During the offseason it’s OK for teams to carry as many as 20 players, but clubs must trim their rosters down to a maximum of 15 by opening night. In the meantime, some teams will hang around that 15-man line, while others will max out their roster counts. Some clubs may actually have more than 15 contracts that are at least partially guaranteed on the books. That means they’ll end up paying players who won’t be on the regular season roster, unless they can find trade partners.

With plenty more movement still to come, here’s the latest look at the Nuggets’ roster size, the contract guarantee status of each player, and how each player came to be on Denver’s roster.

(Last Updated 3-25-16, 2:45pm)

Fully Guaranteed (15)

  • Darrell Arthur (F) — 6’9″/27 years old. Free agent signing.
  • D.J. Augustin (G) — 6’0″/27 years old. Acquired via trade from Thunder.
  • Will Barton (G) — 6’6″/24 years old. Acquired via trade from Blazers.
  • Wilson Chandler (G/F) — 6’8″/28 years old. Acquired via trade with Knicks.
  • Kenneth Faried (F) — 6’8″/25 years old. Drafted with No. 22 overall pick in 2011.
  • Danilo Gallinari (F) — 6’10″/26 years old. Acquired via trade with Knicks.
  • Gary Harris (G) — 6’4″/20 years old. Draft rights acquired via Bulls.
  • Nikola Jokic (F/C) — 6’10″/20 years old. Drafted with No. 41 overall pick in 2014.
  • Joffrey Lauvergne (F) — 6’11/23 years old. Draft rights acquired via Grizzlies.
  • Mike Miller (G/F) — 6’8″/35 years old. Free agent signing.
  • Emmanuel Mudiay (G) —  6’5″/19 years old. Drafted with No. 7 overall pick in 2015.
  • Jameer Nelson (G) — 6’0″/33 years old. Acquired via trade from Celtics.
  • Jusuf Nurkic (C) — 6’11″/20 years old. Draft rights acquired via Bulls.
  • JaKarr Sampson (F) — 6’9″/22 years old. Free agent signing.
  • Axel Toupane (G) — 6’6″/23 years old. Free agent signing.

10-Day Contracts (0)

  • None

TOTAL ROSTER COUNT (15)

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Poll: Who Will Land Nuggets Coaching Job?

June 10th, 2015 at 10:16am CST by Chuck Myron

Denver’s coaching vacancy has lingered for months, but it looks like the Nuggets have livened the pace of their search over the past couple of weeks. They reportedly interviewed Michael Malone last week and have been planning to bring him back for a second, if they haven’t already. Mike D’Antoni, Wizards assistant Don Newman and Trail Blazers assistant David Vanterpool have also reportedly interviewed, and it appears as though Mike Woodson might be in line for an interview, too. It’s unclear whether Nuggets interim coach Melvin Hunt has interviewed, but the Denver organization obviously knows him well. An increasing number of other coaches around the league feel as though Hunt will end up with the job, as Marc Stein of ESPN.com recently reported.

All the interviews with others nonetheless cloud the picture. Hunt, Malone and D’Antoni are strong candidates, as Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports heard, and it would appear as though Denver is at least exploring its options. Hunt is the player favorite, and while he has experience as an NBA assistant coach that dates back more than a decade, his six-week stint in charge of the Nuggets was his first experience as an NBA head coach. D’Antoni a much longer track record as a head coach, having guided the Lakers, Knicks, Suns and, for a brief time in 1999, the Nuggets, and he’s also a maestro of the fast-paced offense that Denver has long preferred. Woodson, a former head coach for the Knicks and Hawks, slowed New York’s tempo considerably when he took over that job from D’Antoni and guided the team to 54 wins in his first full season there. Malone is defense-first coach with a shorter head-coaching resume, but he looked like a coach on the rise, connecting with DeMarcus Cousins and leading the Kings to a strong start this season, before Cousins came down with viral meningitis and the Kings fired Malone in December. Newman and Vanterpool are relative unknowns who have impressed as NBA assistants.

Vote below to let us know which way you think the Nuggets will go. If you’re a mobile user, or you simply have more to say about your choice, let us know in the comments.

Who Will Be The Next Coach Of The Nuggets?
Michael Malone 29.56% (133 votes)
Mike D'Antoni 27.56% (124 votes)
Melvin Hunt 27.33% (123 votes)
A dark horse candidate (Don Newman, David Vanterpool or someone else) 9.56% (43 votes)
Mike Woodson 6.00% (27 votes)
Total Votes: 450
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2015/16 Roster Counts: Dallas Mavericks

June 9th, 2015 at 10:00pm CST by Eddie Scarito

During the offseason it’s OK for teams to carry as many as 20 players, but clubs must trim their rosters down to a maximum of 15 by opening night. In the meantime, some teams will hang around that 15-man line, while others will max out their roster counts. Some clubs may actually have more than 15 contracts that are at least partially guaranteed on the books. That means they’ll end up paying players who won’t be on the regular season roster, unless they can find trade partners.

With plenty more movement still to come, here’s the latest look at the Mavericks’ roster size, the contract guarantee status of each player, and how each player came to be on Dallas’ roster.

(Last Updated 2-22-16, 12:15pm)

Fully Guaranteed (15)

  • Justin Anderson (G/F) — 6’6″/21 years old. Drafted with the No. 21 overall pick in 2015.
  • J.J. Barea (G) — 6’0″/31 years old. Free agent signing.
  • Jeremy Evans (F) — 6’9″/27 years old. Free agent signing.
  • Raymond Felton (G) — 6’1″/31 years old. Acquired via trade from Knicks.
  • Devin Harris (G) — 6’3″/32 years old. Free agent signing.
  • David Lee (F) — 6’9″/32 years old. Free agent signing.
  • Wesley Matthews (G/F) — 6’5″/28 years old. Free agent signing.
  • JaVale McGee (C) — 7’0″/27 years old. Free agent signing.
  • Salah Mejri (C) — 7’1″/29 years old. Free agent signing.
  • Dirk Nowitzki (F) — 7’0″/36 years old. Draft rights acquired via Bucks.
  • Zaza Pachulia (C) — 6’11″/31 years old. Acquired via trade from Bucks.
  • Chandler Parsons (F) — 6’9″/26 years old. Free agent signing.
  • Dwight Powell (F) — 6’11″/23 Years old. Acquired via trade with Celtics.
  • Charlie Villanueva (F) — 6’11″/30 years old. Free agent signing.
  • Deron Williams (G) — 6’3″/30 years old. Free agent signing.

10-Day Contracts (0)

  • N/A

TOTAL ROSTER COUNT (15)

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2015/16 Roster Counts: Cleveland Cavaliers

June 9th, 2015 at 6:30pm CST by Eddie Scarito

During the offseason it’s OK for teams to carry as many as 20 players, but clubs must trim their rosters down to a maximum of 15 by opening night. In the meantime, some teams will hang around that 15-man line, while others will max out their roster counts. Some clubs may actually have more than 15 contracts that are at least partially guaranteed on the books. That means they’ll end up paying players who won’t be on the regular season roster, unless they can find trade partners.

With plenty more movement still to come, here’s the latest look at the Cavaliers’ roster size, the contract guarantee status of each player, and how each player came to be on Cleveland’s roster.

(Last Updated 3-9-16, 3:00pm)

Fully Guaranteed (14)

  • Matthew Dellavedova (G) — 6’4″/24 years old. Free agent signing.
  • Channing Frye (F) — 6’11″/32 years old. Acquired via trade from Magic..
  • Kyrie Irving (G) — 6’3″/23 years old. Drafted with No. 1 overall pick in 2011.
  • LeBron James (F) — 6’8″/30 years old. Free agent signing.
  • Richard Jefferson (F) — 6’7″/35 years old. Free agent signing.
  • James Jones (F) — 6’8″/34 years old. Free agent signing.
  • Sasha Kaun (C) — 7’0″/30 years old. Draft rights acquired from Thunder.
  • Kevin Love (F) — 6’10″/26 years old. Acquired via trade from Timberwolves.
  • Jordan McRae (G) — 6’5″/24 years old. Free agent signing.
  • Timofey Mozgov, (C) — 7’1″/28 years old. Acquired via a trade with Nuggets.
  • Iman Shumpert (G) — 6’5″/25 years old. Acquired via trade from Knicks.
  • J.R. Smith (G) — 6’6″/29 years old. Acquired via trade from Knicks.
  • Tristan Thompson (F) — 6’9″/24 years old. Drafted with No. 4 overall pick in 2011.
  • Mo Williams (G) — 6’1″/32 years old. Free agent signing.

10-Day Contracts (0)

  • None

TOTAL ROSTER COUNT (14)

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Offseason Outlook: Miami Heat

June 9th, 2015 at 1:12pm CST by Chuck Myron

Guaranteed Contracts

Non-Guaranteed Contracts

Options

Restricted Free Agents/Cap Holds

  • None

Unrestricted Free Agents/Cap Holds

  • No. 10 pick ($2,068,100)

Draft Picks

  • 1st Round (10th overall)
  • 2nd Round (40th overall)

Cap Outlook

  • Guaranteed Salary: $42,892,085
  • Non-Guaranteed Salary: $3,772,068
  • Options: $35,047,576
  • Cap Holds: $2,068,100
  • Total: $83,779,829

The suddenly uncertain future of Dwyane Wade has rocked what appeared to be a relatively simple offseason ahead for the Heat. The primary mission had been to re-sign Goran Dragic, a prospect that seemed like a strong bet even as Dragic confirmed that he was turning down his bargain $7.5MM player option. Yet the notion of the Heat as solid front-runners to retain the point guard was shaken when Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald reported last month that Wade was open to opting out and that if Wade were to leave the Heat, the chances that Dragic would do the same would increase.

Jan 21, 2015; Charlotte, NC, USA; Miami Heat guard Dwyane Wade (3) during the first half of the game against the Charlotte Hornets at Time Warner Cable Arena. Mandatory Credit: Sam Sharpe-USA TODAY Sports

Courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Wade reportedly wants a three-year deal, perhaps for as much as $20MM a year, with the Heat preferring that he opt in for his $16.125MM next season and negotiate again next summer, when his existing contract expires. Wade can still score with the best of them in the NBA, finishing 11th in the league with 21.5 points per game. As usual, he dished out more assists than many point guards, racking up 4.8 per game. Still, this past season was the first in which Wade recorded a negative Defensive Box Plus/Minus, a Basketball-Reference metric, and he was a discouraging 77th among shooting guards in ESPN‘s Defensive Real Plus/Minus. The 33-year-old missed 20 games, and it’s become increasingly clear that his body isn’t what it used to be.

The question for the Heat and the rest of the league is just how valuable Wade still is. The Heat have the capacity to pay up to the maximum to retain him, but it would seem unlikely that many teams would be willing to approach that sort of level for a declining star. A one-year offer for the maximum from the Heat might be a logical compromise, but the Heat must be wary of the projected $81.6MM luxury tax line, since they were also taxpayers in three of the last four seasons. Simply bringing back Wade and Luol Deng at the values of their respective player options would mean that the max offer the Heat are expected to make to retain Dragic would give the team approximately $88MM in guaranteed salary for next season, a figure already above the tax line. Another $6MM or so for Wade would cost roughly $18MM in additional taxes. Wade is eminently valuable to the Heat, but perhaps not quite to that extent.

The Heat likely wouldn’t have the capacity to replace Wade with anyone who can score like he can if he were to depart, unless they let go of Dragic and Deng, which presents a catch-22. But in the absence of another team willing to pay dearly for Wade, the Heat may be best advised to let the market dictate Wade’s value. The Heat, should they prove unsuccessful in convincing him to opt in, need not bid against themselves and agree to any sort of deal for Wade without first allowing him to gauge his alternatives.

An opt-in from Deng would help lend some simplicity back to the Heat’s summer, and team president Pat Riley indicated that the Heat would indeed like to keep him. The now 30-year-old didn’t play like the All-Star he once was this past season in Miami, but he nonetheless still looms as a strong complementary piece on the contending team that the Heat want to be. Deng last summer reportedly sought a more lucrative contract than the two-year, nearly $20MM deal he ultimately received, but an underwhelming year in Miami may well have him convinced that he wouldn’t end up with a better deal if he hit the market again this summer. That would suggest that he’d opt in, and while Deng hasn’t indicated that he’s leaning one way or another, he has expressed contentment about playing in Miami.

The uncertainty surrounding Wade, Deng, and perhaps Dragic muddies the draft picture for Miami, which will likely go with the best available talent with the No. 10 pick. The Heat haven’t had the chance to pick in the top 10 since they largely missed with their selection of Michael Beasley in 2008. That suggests that prospects who carry risk, like center Myles Turner of Texas and Latvian power forward Kristaps Porzingis, might not be as attractive to the Heat as known quantities like Kentucky center Willie Cauley-Stein and Wisconsin power forward Frank Kaminsky. Still, none of them are perimeter players of the sort who might be able to replace Wade, Deng or Dragic should one of them leave. Arizona small forward Stanley Johnson, Kentucky shooting guard Devin Booker and Murray State point guard Cameron Payne are prospects in Miami’s range who’d fit that bill. Our Eddie Scarito has the Heat selecting Wisconsin small forward Sam Dekker in the latest Hoops Rumors Mock Draft.

The Heat have another option to contend with around draft time, and it would seem as though Miami is poised to make Beasley a free agent rather than pick up his team option for next season. That wouldn’t necessarily mean the end of the third tenure that the former No. 2 overall pick has had with Miami, as doing so would at least allow the Heat to keep his Non-Bird rights, but the increased flexibility is probably the Heat’s priority with so much else uncertain. The Heat have a series of partial guarantee dates throughout the summer and early season with their four non-guaranteed contracts, giving the Heat the chance to aggregate them via trade to a team looking to clear salary before those guarantee dates kick in. Hassan Whiteside has one of those four non-guaranteed contracts, but he’s not going anywhere, at least until his contract expires in 2016, when the Heat’s bargain find is poised to command a much more player-friendly deal.

The cataclysmic departure of LeBron James last year left the Heat dented, if not devastated, but they’re still in position to quickly bounce back into Eastern Conference contention if Chris Bosh comes back 100% healthy and the core remains intact. The Heat’s ability to keep that nucleus together isn’t as certain as it seemed when the season ended, but Riley is still as canny and creative as ever. Should trouble present itself, the Heat at least have their executive and the allure of South Beach on their side. Miami would certainly prefer not to have to rebuild, but the franchise would probably be able to do so rather quickly.

Cap Footnotes

1 — Walker’s salary would become partially guaranteed for $100K if he remains under contract through August 1st, for $300K if he remains under contract through November 3rd, and for $500K if he remains under contract through December 1st.
2 — The salary for Ennis would become partially guaranteed for $422,530 if he remains under contract through August 1st and fully guaranteed if he remains under contract through December 1st.
3 — Johnson’s salary would become partially guaranteed for $422,530 if he remains under contract through August 1st.
4 — If he opts out, the cap hold for Wade would be the lesser of $22,500,000 and the league’s maximum salary for a veteran of at least 10 seasons, which is likely to end up around that $22.5MM figure.
5 — The cap hold for Deng would be $11,657,353 if he opts out.
6 — The cap hold for Dragic would be $11,250,000 if he opts out, as he plans to do.
7 — The cap hold for Beasley would be $947,276 if the Heat decline their option on him.

The Basketball Insiders Salary Pages were used in the creation of this post.

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Offseason Outlook: Orlando Magic

June 8th, 2015 at 7:46pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Guaranteed Contracts

Non-Guaranteed Contracts

Options

  • None

Restricted Free Agents/Cap Holds

Unrestricted Free Agents/Cap Holds

Draft Picks

  • 1st Round (5th overall)
  • 2nd Round (51st overall)

Cap Outlook

  • Guaranteed Salary: $38,875,806
  • Non-Guaranteed Salary: $9,042,335
  • Options: $0
  • Cap Holds: $14,110,085
  • Total: $62,028,226

The biggest addition for the Orlando Magic this offseason was made before the summer. They hired a demanding, defensive-minded head coach in Scott Skiles, who has reputation for improving teams and eventually wearing out his welcome. Skiles, who has also coached Phoenix, Chicago and Milwaukee, seems like a good fit at least in the short term to guide the Magic’s core group of young players.

Dec 30, 2012; Auburn Hills, MI, USA; Milwaukee Bucks head coach Scott Skiles during the third quarter against the Detroit Pistons at The Palace. Pistons won 96-94. Mandatory Credit: Tim Fuller-USA TODAY Sports

Courtesy USA TODAY Sports Images

Lottery picks Victor Oladipo, Elfrid Payton and Aaron Gordon should all benefit from Skiles’ tutelage, particularly the 21-year-old Payton, who averaged 8.4 assists over the last two months of the season and reached double figures in points in 16 of the last 21 games. The former Magic point guard should be an ideal mentor for the current point guard to help Payton reach his potential. What promises to be an interesting dynamic is how much freedom Skiles will give Payton to run the offense. If Skiles tries to micromanage too much, it could curtail the skills of a roster that’s built to run all day and make athletic plays.

Skiles’ biggest overall challenge is to get the team to buy into his defensive philosophy. It’s no secret the Magic had one of the softest defenses in the league under former coach Jacque Vaughn and interim coach James Borrego. Orlando ranked 28th in defensive field-goal percentage at 46.3, above only the rebuilding Lakers and Timberwolves.

Skiles said when he was hired in late May that his goal was to turn the Magic into a top five defensive team, which will require a large measure of toughness that has yet to be exhibited by a majority of team’s current players. What the Magic do have is enough length and quickness at several positions to eventually become a solid defensive unit. With a top five lottery pick at its disposal, Orlando can add another versatile piece.

From a personnel standpoint, the team’s offseason will be shaped by which player it chooses with the No. 5 overall pick and the restricted free agency of starting small forward Tobias Harris. Those two factors will be intertwined. If the Magic decide to select a small forward, it would give them a ready-made replacement for Harris along with additional leverage in negotiations with him. The top half of the draft has plenty of small forward prospects, including Justise Winslow, Mario Hezonja and Stanley Johnson, if the Magic opt to go in that direction.

It’s more likely that the Magic will take another route. ESPN Insider Chad Ford’s latest mock draft has Orlando selecting power forward Kristaps Porzingis to pair up with center Nikola Vucevic. The Magic are enamored with the star potential of Porzingis, according to Ford, even though they selected a power forward at No. 4 (Gordon) a year ago.

DraftExpress’ Jonathan Givony also projects Orlando to pick a big man — power forward/center Willie Cauley-Stein. That would certainly play into the renewed commitment to defense, since Cauley-Stein is widely considered the top defensive player in the draft with the ability to guard all five positions. It would also give the Magic a desperately-needed shotblocker — they finished 29th in total blocks last season.

The Magic are projected to have anywhere from $8.9MM-$23.5MM in salary cap space, according to Basketball Insiders, depending on how they handle Harris’ situation and the non-guaranteed contracts of two veteran guards. It seems a foregone conclusion Orlando will protect itself by extending the qualifying offer of approximately $4.4MM to Harris, who averaged a career-high 17.1 points and 6.3 rebounds last season. GM Rob Hennigan has said the team intends to keep Harris, who is certain to get a large jump in pay. But if Harris receives a healthy offer sheet it might not be an easy decision to retain him, given that he’s considered a defensive liability at his position. Harris has a negative career Defensive Box Plus Minus rating, according to Basketball-Reference, and was rated No. 76 among small forwards last season in ESPN’s Defensive Real Plus Minus rankings.

The Magic can free up over $7MM by trimming Ben Gordon and Luke Ridnour from the roster. Gordon has a good history with Skiles from his days with the Bulls but his career has been in steady decline since he signed with the Pistons in 2009. With a younger option to back up Oladipo in Evan Fournier already in place, it’s unlikely the team will want to pay Gordon $4.5MM to ride the end of the bench. Ridnour has a non-guaranteed $2.75MM salary but appears to have a better chance of sticking, considering there is no other obvious backup to Payton.

Orlando has two huge salary commitments to frontcourt players. Vucevic’s big extension kicks in this coming season, with a starting salary of $11.25MM and $500,000 increases over the next three seasons. At least he’s a starter. The contract they gave last summer to power forward Channing Frye could an albatross for another three seasons. Frye is slated to make nearly $8.2MM in 2015/16, a hefty price for a stretch four who averaged just 7.3 points last season and may not even be in the rotation, especially if the Magic select another power forward in the draft.

A decent portion of the cap room will be eaten up if Harris signs a new contract or the Magic match an offer sheet. They should still have the flexibility to pursue a quality free agent and/or absorb salary in a trade. Once again, the positions they will seek to upgrade will be predicated on who Orlando selects in the draft and its success in retaining Harris. A vocal veteran leader that Skills trusts could be brought in to help spread the new coach’s message in the locker room. The Magic are on the rise and with Skiles running the show, much more will be expected of this young, talented roster next season.

Cap Footnotes

1 — Gordon’s salary becomes fully guaranteed if he remains under contract through July 1st.
2 — Ridnour’s salary becomes fully guaranteed if he remains under contract through July 10th.
3 — Dedmon’s salary becomes fully guaranteed if he remains under contract through August 1st.
4 — Marble’s salary becomes fully guaranteed if he remains under contract through his team’s opening day.
5 — The cap hold for O’Quinn would be $947,276 if the Magic elect not to tender a qualifying offer.
6 — The Magic drafted Vazquez 11th overall in 2005 but have yet to sign him. Orlando can keep his draft rights but remove his cap hold from its books if he and the team produce a written agreement that he won’t sign during the 2015/16 season.
7 — See our glossary entry on cap holds for an explanation of why Richardson, who last played in the NBA in 2008/09, technically remains on the books.

The Basketball Insiders Salary Pages were used in the creation of this post.

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Q&A With First-Round Prospect Kevon Looney

June 8th, 2015 at 1:30pm CST by Zachary Links

Leading up to the draft, Hoops Rumors will be talking with some of the most intriguing prospects in this year’s class. Today, the Hoops Rumors Draft Prospect Q&A series continues with UCLA forward Kevon Looney, who is ranked No. 19 in this year’s class by Chad Ford of ESPN.com and No. 20 by Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress.

Coming out of high school, scouting services collectively had Kevon Looney as the No. 11 player in the nation and he had offers from just about every elite program under the sun.   Now, after one year at UCLA, Looney is making the jump to the pros and is widely projected to be a first-round selection.

Looney is blessed with great size for the power forward position at the next level.  Standing at a shade over 6’9″ in shoes, Looney boasts an almost freakish wingspan of 7’3.5″.  With that length, Looney can grab loose rebounds with the best of ’em and has the potential to grow by leaps and bounds on the defensive end.  On offense, Looney showed last season that he’s getting more and more comfortable with his jump shot, a skill that helped to spread out the floor for the Bruins.

On Saturday, Hoops Rumors caught up with the very busy 19-year-old between flights to talk about his stock heading into June 25th, and his NBA future.

Zach Links: What was it like coming to UCLA as a freshman and immediately jumping into a starring role?

Kevon Looney: It was a great experience for me and a great learning experience for me. I think I got better as both a player and as a person. I made a lot of strides and I made a lot of friends while I was there.

ZL: What were some of the strides you made on the court?

KL: I would say my biggest improvement was probably my shooting. As the year went on, I shot better and it continued to get better. I don’t know if I got better at rebounding, but I showed that I could do it for sure. I proved that I could do it in high school but to show that to the world in college was important to me. That was probably my greatest strength this year.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

ZL: Did you consider staying for another year?

KL: Yes, a little bit. I figured I could stay at UCLA for another year and get better. I mean, everyone wants to win a college National Championship and I felt like if I came back, we could have won even more as a team. But, at the end of the day, I wanted to pursue my dream and become a first-round draft pick.

ZL: You’ve shown that you can rebound over bigger and stronger opponents. What’s your secret?

KL: It’s just something I always had a knack for. I’m really long and I have good timing for it. I’ve always been good at it and I’ve always wanted to be the best at it.

ZL: Are you looking to add muscle to your frame? How much weight are you looking to put on?

KL: I’m not sure what my goal weight is. Right now I’m playing so much that it’s hard to get in the weight room. But, as soon as I’m done with the draft, I’ll talk to whatever team drafts me and get a plan for my body. I’ve never had a problem putting on weight before, so I think I’ll be able to put on weight pretty fast.

ZL: What workouts have you had so far and what workouts are coming up?

KL: So far, I’ve worked out for the Thunder, Suns, Jazz, and Pistons. Coming up, I’ve got the Hawks, Heat, Bucks, Raptors, Hornets, Celtics, and Knicks.

ZL: Do you have an idea of where you might get drafted?

KL: My agent tells me anywhere from No. 7 to No. 20. That’s my range right now.

ZL: What NBA player would you compare yourself to?

KL: I don’t know if I’m all that similar to anyone but I can tell you that I try to play like Anthony Davis and LaMarcus Aldridge. I don’t know if I’m exactly like them but I’m trying to be [laughs].

ZL: You shot the ball well from three-point range (41.5%) last season, but you only attempted 53 three pointers in total. Could you see yourself shooting from outside more at the next level?

KL: Yeah, I think I’m comfortable shooting from NBA range and I think I’ll be called upon to spread the floor out. That’s one of my strong suits, and I really zoned in on that this offseason.

ZL: It seems like there’s a perception that you have a good amount of upside but that you’re still a little green and won’t make a big impact right away.  Do you disagree with that assessment?

KL: I think so. I don’t think I’m that far away from making an impact at all.  I know I have a lot of work to do, but once I get stronger, I’ll be much better.  I know I can gain weight fast and once I get stronger, I know that I can make an instant impact.

ZL: What kind of things are you doing day to day to get ready for what’s ahead?

KL: Before I got busy with all these team workouts, I was doing yoga in the morning and then going to the track to do sprints. Then I would run a couple miles and come back and play some basketball.

ZL: How long have you been doing yoga?

KL: I did yoga in high school, I did some at UCLA, and I’ve been doing it every day ever since the season ended.  It helps me a lot.  I do hot yoga all the time and that helps me to keep my core strong and helps my breathing for some reason.  I learned how to breathe and get rid of tension pent up my lungs.

ZL: What led you to choose Aaron Goodwin and Todd Ramasar to represent you?

KL: I let my parents pick out a few people that would be the best for me and I met with the people that they picked.  Those two guys were the best fit for me. … When you look at someone like Aaron, he has some big-name people there but he also has time for me.  He’s a great guy with vision and I really feel like I’m going to benefit from his experience.

ZL: What are your plans for draft night?

KL: Hopefully I’ll get an invite to the green room! Even if I don’t, I’ll probably end up going to New York to get the full experience.

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Update On Player Option Decisions

June 8th, 2015 at 10:29am CST by Chuck Myron

The NBA Finals are going strong, but offseason business looms. The deadline for most option decisions is June 29th, but some players have earlier deadlines, and a few of those come up in a couple of weeks. Most of the players who have player options haven’t decided what to do yet, so we’ll look at where everyone with a player option stands as the end of the 2014/15 season closes in, with the most lucrative options first and the values of the options rounded to the nearest $1K:

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

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