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Draftees Who Remain On Their Original Teams

October 17th, 2014 at 8:19pm CST by Eddie Scarito

There are many different philosophies on how to build a winning franchise. The latest trend seems to be teams clearing enough salary cap space to make a run at signing multiple star players away from other franchises in free agency. This approach has proven successful for the Heat, with Miami landing LeBron James and Chris Bosh back in 2010 to play alongside Dwyane Wade. The Heat taking the free agency path led to four straight NBA Finals appearances, with two of those trips resulting in championship banners being raised.

Another school of thought says that building through the draft is the path to success. It’s a bit more difficult to be successful in the draft since player evaluation is far from an exact science. With free agents there is a proven body of work to go by, though the salaries involved are much higher. But striking gold in the draft is an excellent way to build out a roster, as well as add some relatively inexpensive talent to the mix. The Thunder and the Spurs are a great example of this approach, with the bulk of each team’s core arriving via the NBA Draft.

Which teams have drafted the best over the last few years? That can be an extremely difficult question to answer, and opinions can vary based on perspective. One yard stick of success is how many draftees actually remain on teams’ rosters during the regular season. Here’s a look at how many players each team currently has on its preseason roster that were originally drafted by that franchise.

Note: Players that were traded on draft night and not with their original teams were not included on this list. There are some players, such as LeBron, who have returned to the team that originally drafted them after playing for other franchises. I’ve included them on this list as well, even though their service time for the drafting team was interrupted.

76ers (4):

  • Michael Carter-Williams (2013/First Round)
  • Joel Embiid (2014/First Round)
  • Jerami Grant (2014/Second Round)
  • K.J. McDaniels (2014/Second Round)

Bucks (7):

Bulls (7):

Cavaliers (6):

Celtics (5):

Clippers (4):

Grizzlies (2):

  • Jordan Adams (2014/First Round)
  • Mike Conley (2007/First Round)

Hawks (6):

Heat (1):

Hornets (6):

Jazz (6):

Kings (6):

Knicks (3):

Lakers (3):

Magic (4):

Mavericks (0):

Nets (2):

Nuggets (2):

Pacers (2):

Pelicans (3):

Pistons (7):

Raptors (4):

Rockets (4):

Spurs (6):

Suns (4):

  • Tyler Ennis (2014/First Round)
  • Alex Len (2013/First Round)
  • Markieff Morris (2011/First Round)
  • T.J. Warren (2014/First Round)

Thunder (8):

Timberwolves (6):

Trail Blazers (6):

Warriors (6):

Wizards (3):

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Extension Candidate Series

October 17th, 2014 at 6:23pm CST by Chuck Myron

Time is running out for teams to sign eligible players to rookie scale extensions this year, as the October 31st deadline looms for players and front offices working to strike a deal and avoid next summer’s restricted free agency. The market for restricted free agents this past summer bore plenty of surprises, and while some players, agents and franchises are willing to gamble, others will surely opt for security. The allure of the known quantity has already led to rookie scale extensions for the Cavs and Kyrie Irving, the Nuggets and Kenneth Faried, and the Suns and twins Marcus and Markieff Morris.

We’ve been taking focused, in-depth looks at some of the most intriguing candidates for extensions over the past few months. We’ll continue to do the same if there’s a compelling case to be made for one of the players eligible for veteran extensions, as we’ve already done with Rudy Gay, though such deals are rare.

This list of our Extension Candidate posts can be found at any time under the “Hoops Rumors Features” menu on the right sidebar. Here, in alphabetical order, are the extension candidates we’ve previewed so far, including those who’ve already signed extensions:

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Longest-Tenured Players For Each NBA Team

October 17th, 2014 at 4:27pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Pistons traded their longest-tenured player today when they dealt Will Bynum to the Celtics, just months after they watched the man who held the title before him, Rodney Stuckey, sign with the Pacers. Rapid-fire player movement is a way of life in the NBA, as the shorter contracts stipulated in the latest collective bargaining agreement have led to more players hitting free agency each year, and in turn, more teams with money to spend. That’s a recipe for changing addresses. Still, the CBA made it somewhat easier for teams to retain their superstars, and the financial advantages that incumbent teams have held for many years explain why 22 of the league’s 30 teams have at least one player who’s been with his club for more than five years.

The five players who have the longest tenures for their respective teams are unchanged from a year ago, when we last compiled this list, but the Bulls traded Luol Deng in January, knocking Chicago’s entry to No. 11. The team taking most significant tumble is the Magic, last year’s No. 7. They waived Jameer Nelson, who’s now with the Mavs, and only avoided the bottom spot on this list because they drafted Andrew Nicholson shortly before the Sixers acquired the rights to Arnett Moultrie on the same night.

Like we did last year, we’re counting the beginning of a draftee’s tenure with a team as the moment the club acquired his rights, not the moment he signed a contract. However, we’re limiting this to players currently on NBA rosters, which means we’re not taking “draft-and-stash” players into account. That caveat aside, here’s a look at each team’s longest-tenured player and how they acquired them:

  1. Los Angeles Lakers: Kobe Bryant. Acquired via trade on July 11th, 1996.
  2. San Antonio Spurs: Tim Duncan. Drafted on June 25th, 1997.
  3. Dallas Mavericks: Dirk Nowitzki. Acquired via trade on June 24th, 1998.
  4. Miami Heat: Dwyane Wade. Drafted on June 26th, 2003.
  5. Oklahoma City Thunder: Nick Collison. Drafted on June 26th, 2003.
  6. Cleveland Cavaliers: Anderson Varejao. Acquired via trade on July 23rd, 2004.
  7. Portland Trail Blazers: LaMarcus Aldridge. Acquired via trade on June 28th, 2006.
  8. Boston Celtics: Rajon Rondo. Acquired via trade on June 28th, 2006.
  9. Atlanta Hawks: Al Horford. Drafted on June 28th, 2007.
  10. Memphis Grizzlies: Mike Conley. Drafted on June 28th, 2007.
  11. Chicago Bulls: Joakim Noah. Drafted on June 28th, 2007.
  12. Minnesota Timberwolves: Nikola Pekovic. Drafted on June 26th, 2008.
  13. Brooklyn Nets: Brook Lopez. Drafted on June 26th, 2008.
  14. Sacramento Kings: Jason Thompson. Drafted on June 26th, 2008.
  15. Los Angeles Clippers: DeAndre Jordan. Drafted on June 26th, 2008.
  16. Indiana Pacers: Roy Hibbert. Acquired via trade on July 9th, 2008.
  17. Golden State Warriors: Stephen Curry. Drafted on June 25th, 2009.
  18. Toronto Raptors: DeMar DeRozan. Drafted on June 25th, 2009.
  19. Charlotte Hornets: Gerald Henderson. Drafted on June 25th, 2009.
  20. Denver Nuggets: Ty Lawson. Acquired via trade on June 25th, 2009.
  21. Detroit Pistons: Jonas Jerebko. Drafted on June 25th, 2009.
  22. Milwaukee Bucks: Ersan Ilyasova. Signed on July 23rd, 2009.
  23. Washington Wizards: John Wall. Drafted on June 24th, 2010.*
  24. Utah Jazz: Gordon Hayward. Drafted on June 24th, 2010.*
  25. New York Knicks: Amar’e Stoudemire. Signed on July 8th, 2010.
  26. Phoenix Suns: Markieff Morris. Drafted on June 23rd, 2011.
  27. Houston Rockets: Donatas Motiejunas. Acquired via trade on June 24th, 2011.
  28. New Orleans Pelicans: Eric Gordon. Acquired via trade on December 14th, 2011.
  29. Orlando Magic: Andrew Nicholson. Drafted on June 28th, 2012.**
  30. Philadelphia 76ers: Arnett Moultrie. Acquired via trade on June 28th, 2012.

* — The Wizards and Jazz each landed multiple players on June 24th, 2010 that remain on their respective rosters. Kevin Seraphin (acquired via draft-night trade) joins Wall for Washington, while Utah also added Jeremy Evans after drafting Hayward. Wall and Hayward were the first picks by each club, technically making them the longest-tenured players, if only by a matter of minutes.

** — A similar scenario is at play for the Magic, who drafted Nicholson in the first round on the same night that they selected Kyle O’Quinn in Round 2.

Data from Mark Porcaro was used in the creation of this post

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NBA Players Who Changed Conferences

October 15th, 2014 at 4:20pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Western Conference has been the stronger half of the NBA for more than a decade, and the split couldn’t have been much more profound last season. The Suns finished out of the playoffs in the West with a record that would have tied for third-best in the East. Still, there’s evidence to suggest that the balance leveled to a degree this past summer.

Kevin Love was the most significant player switching conferences, as he pushed Western Conference also-ran Minnesota to trade him to Cleveland, where he joins a Cavs team with title aspirations. New teammate LeBron James was the biggest name to make a move in the offseason, but he stayed in the East. Love was the only player of his caliber to make a conference-to-conference jump, as evidenced by win shares. No other player with double-digit win shares from last season changed conferences, according to the numbers on Basketball-Reference.

There’s no single stat that provides a true measure of a player’s production, but win shares is as all-encompassing as any, and the picture that the metric paints shows that the East gained steam this summer. The players who ended the 2013/14 season on Western Conference rosters and now find themselves on Eastern teams totaled win shares of 78.2 last year. The total for East-to-West movers was only 61.2. Trevor Ariza, with 8.0 win shares, was the leader among the East-to-West group, and while he certainly helped the Wizards last season, he’s far from the sort of player whose movement indicates a seismic shift in the NBA landscape.

There are other factors at play, of course. Many Western Conference teams have built their success thanks to shrewd drafting, and the results from this past June aren’t reflected here. And not all of the win shares represented here were necessarily compiled in the players’ respective conferences last year, since some of them changed conferences midseason. Still, it’s instructive to see how they stack up. Here’s a look, with each player’s win shares in parentheses and the total win shares in parentheses atop each category:

EAST TO WEST (61.5)

WEST TO EAST (78.2)

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Hoops Rumors On Facebook/Twitter/RSS

October 15th, 2014 at 9:00am CST by Chuck Myron

About 100 players under contract with NBA teams will hit waivers in the next two weeks as teams pare their rosters down for opening night. An October 31st deadline looms for more than a dozen strong extension candidates. Teams also must make decisions by the end of the month on next year’s rookie scale team options. There are a handful of ways you can follow us to keep tabs on the latest news and rumors as these stories unfold.

You can Like us on Facebook and receive headlines and links for all our posts via your Facebook account. You can also follow us on Twitter to have all our posts and updates sent directly to your Twitter feed. Our RSS feed is located here if you’d like to follow us using your reader of choice.

If you prefer to receive updates only on roster moves such as signings, cuts, and trades, you can follow our transactions-only feeds via RSS and Twitter.

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Extension Candidate: Alec Burks

October 13th, 2014 at 2:46pm CST by Chuck Myron

Just as with teammate Enes Kanter, it was somewhat surprising to see that the Jazz are talking extension with Alec Burks. The shooting guard has made just a dozen career starts, and with this summer’s addition of No. 5 overall pick Dante Exum and retention of free agent Gordon Hayward, it doesn’t seem like there will be many starts to go around in the years to come, with Trey Burke already firmly entrenched. Still, Burks is a 23-year-old former 12th overall pick who’s coming off a season of noticeable improvement, and the Jazz have no shortage of financial flexibility for seasons to come.

The Andy Miller client was one of many young players on the Jazz who took on an expanded role last season, but his increase in production outstripped his increase in minutes. Burks set career-best per-36-minute marks of 17.9 points and 3.5 assists while recording a 15.8 PER, also a career high. He maintained strong three-point shooting, a part of his game that had been a question mark coming out of the University of Colorado, nailing 35.0% of his attempts from behind the arc, just a tick below the 35.9% he made in 2012/13. His markedly improved 45.7% field goal percentage overall was chiefly the result of better mid-range shooting, as Basketball-Reference shows he significantly increased his accuracy from 3 to 16 feet away from the basket. Burks has also defended well, as the Jazz have given up fewer points per possession when he’s been on the floor compared to when he’s sat in each of the past two seasons, according to NBA.com.

The Jazz only have about $36.5MM in commitments for 2015/16, a number that should swell to about $40MM once they pick up their team options on Burke and Rudy Gobert. That would give them max-level cap flexibility beneath the projected $66.5MM salary cap for that season. Extensions for Burks and Kanter that together add up to no more than $10MM in annual salaries would take Utah down to roughly the sort of cap room necessary to sign a restricted free agent to a max contract. The Jazz are much more likely to attract the sort of free agent who’d warrant the 25% max than a veteran who could make 30% or 35% of the salary cap, since star free agents have never clamored to go to Utah. Still, it will be quite difficult for the team to attract even a player befitting the lowest version of the NBA’s maximum salary, particularly if the Jazz end up in the lottery again this year, as expected.

The Jazz have instead used their cap space in more unconventional ways in recent years. They essentially rented it to the Warriors in 2013/14, as GM Dennis Lindsey agreed to take on the inflated contracts of Richard Jefferson, Andris Biedrins and Brandon Rush for a slew of draft picks. Lindsey and the Jazz did the same on a smaller scale this summer, garnering a pair of second-round draft picks in exchange for absorbing close to $4.3MM combined in guaranteed salary for Steve Novak and Carrick Felix. Eventually, Lindsey will have to decide whether securing the draftees the team has brought aboard over the last several years is more important than acquiring picks to bear fruit in years to come.

Utah isn’t at that point yet, and it probably won’t be until at least the summer of 2017, when the rookie deals of Burke and Gobert are set to expire and Hayward can opt out of his contract. An extension for Burks would almost certainly carry through that summer. No one knows just what the salary cap will look like at that point, but Lindsey and the Jazz have to be thinking ahead.

An extension that runs three seasons instead of the standard four would at least allow the Jazz to move on from Burks in the summer of 2018, when Derrick Favors is due to hit free agency. The same could be accomplished if the Jazz include non-guaranteed salary in the final season of a four-year extension for Burks, though all four of the seasons on the extension that Quincy Pondexter signed last year with the Grizzlies are guaranteed, a point that Miller would surely bring up. I wouldn’t be surprised if the Jazz would counter with the idea of giving Burks more than the $14MM total that Pondexter is receiving in exchange for a non-guaranteed season. Utah would also be wise to try to frontload the salaries so that the majority of the cost comes while the team still has plenty of cap flexibility.

Lindsey and the Jazz seem willing to commit to their young talent if those players are willing to bet that their market value won’t escalate significantly in the years to come, and while that sort of agreement is elusive, it’s worthwhile for the Jazz to pursue it. Last year’s extension with Favors looks reasonably team-friendly compared to the max offer sheet that Hayward scored in restricted free agency, and surely Lindsey has that dichotomy in mind as he sits at the negotiating table with the agents for Burks and Kanter. It still seems unlikely, based on the history of rookie scale extensions, that the Jazz or any team would strike a deal with a player who doesn’t seem to have superstar potential, but Burks is on an upward arc, and Utah appears eager to keep him from free agency if it’s feasible. Other teams will surely be watching how these negotiations play out to gauge whether they, too, should consider granting rookie scale extensions to a wider range of eligible players.

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Following Specific Players On Hoops Rumors

October 13th, 2014 at 8:58am CST by Chuck Myron

We’re midway through the preseason, and opening night is just two weeks and a day away. In addition to methods of keeping track of your favorite teams as they make their final offseason moves, Hoops Rumors also provides ways to easily follow the latest on all of your favorite players. If you want to stay up to date on Ray Allen‘s continued free agency, you can find Allen’s page right here. For intel on where trade candidate Rajon Rondo might end up, go here. Updates on extension talks between Klay Thompson and the Warriors are found on this page.

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, Allen’s page is hoopsrumors.com/ray-allen.

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/ray-allen/feed. Entering that URL into the reader of your choice should enable you to get updates whenever we write about Allen. It works for teams, too. If you’re a Celtics fan, you can enter hoopsrumors.com/boston-celtics/feed into your reader and stay on top of all the latest from Boston.

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 next year’s draft right here. Items related to the NBA D-League can be found on this rumors page. Any news that has to do with potential rises in the salary cap for next year and beyond can be found 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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Hoops Rumors Originals

October 12th, 2014 at 6:27pm CST by Zachary Links

Here’s our look back at the original reporting and analysis generated by the Hoops Rumors staff this week..

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Rookie Scale Team Option Tracker

October 10th, 2014 at 1:30pm CST by Chuck Myron

The October 31st deadline for rookie scale extensions generates plenty of rumors this time of year, as a glance at the news on Klay Thompson, Kenneth Faried, Ricky Rubio, Brandon Knight and Jimmy Butler in our “Top Stories” on the right side of the site indicates. Still, that’s not the only piece of business NBA teams must address by Halloween. Clubs also have to decide whether to exercise or decline 2015/16 options for rookie-scale players heading into their second or third NBA seasons.

The players listed below are already on guaranteed contracts with their respective teams for the 2014/15 season, but they only have team options for 2015/16. These players’ clubs must decide by the end of the month whether to lock them up for ’15/’16 for the contract amount indicated in parentheses, or to let them become unrestricted free agents next summer. Many of these guys are locks to have their options picked up, but that’s not the case for all of them, as I examined in August.

That October 31st deadline is still a few weeks away, and many of the moves on these players won’t become official until much closer to that date, but we’ll be tracking every decision right here for the rest of the month. You can find our rookie contract 2015/16 option tracker anytime on the right sidebar under “Hoops Rumors Features.” Here’s the list to date, with updates to come as decisions are announced:

76ers

Bucks

Bulls

Cavaliers

Celtics

Clippers

Grizzlies

  • None

Hawks

Heat

  • None

Hornets

Jazz

Kings

Knicks

Lakers

  • None

Magic

Mavericks

  • None

Nets

Nuggets

  • None

Pacers

Pelicans

Pistons

Raptors

Rockets

Spurs

  • None

Suns

Thunder

Timberwolves

 Trail Blazers

Warriors

Wizards

Basketball Insiders was used in the creation of this post.

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How Last Year’s Rookie Extension Eligibles Fared

October 10th, 2014 at 10:31am CST by Chuck Myron

Three players among those eligible for rookie scale extensions this year have already put pen to paper, but several key decisions loom in the three weeks left before the October 31st deadline. A half dozen players signed rookie scale extensions last fall, but most who could have done so instead wound up in free agency this summer.

The results were decidedly mixed, and just about every possible outcome came to pass among the 12 players who went without rookie scale extensions a year ago. Two re-signed with their teams on long-term deals, four signed with other teams, two inked qualifying offers, and one is no longer playing in the NBA. Another signed an offer sheet, only to see his former team match and yank him back, while two were traded after failing to reach extensions but re-signed with their new team this summer.

Here’s a look at what happened with each of the players who were up for rookie scale extensions in 2013, including those who signed extensions as well as those who became free agents.

  • Eric Bledsoe — Phoenix’s brass passed on an extension to see how he would perform last year as a starter for the first time, and the Suns and Bledsoe engaged in the summer’s most contentious negotiations before striking a five-year, $70MM deal.
  • Trevor Booker — The Wizards and Booker didn’t reach an extension, and after the power forward met the starter criteria to up his qualifying offer, Washington decided against extending him the QO and made him an unrestricted free agent. Booker will earn more than the qualifying offer would have given him this season in the first year of a two-year, $9.775MM deal with the Jazz.
  • Avery Bradley — The Celtics and Bradley didn’t come to terms on an extension, but they committed to each other this summer with a four-year, $32MM contract.
  • DeMarcus Cousins — The Kings went all-in with their talented but temperamental center, signing him to a four-year, maximum salary extension.
  • Jordan Crawford — Boston unsurprisingly passed on an extension, but he performed capably as a fill-in at point guard for the Celtics last season. He didn’t play nearly as well as Stephen Curry‘s backup after a trade sent him to the Warriors, and he wound up heading to China for this coming season.
  • Ed Davis — CEO Jason Levien‘s regime was high on the big man, but they didn’t come to terms on an extension. GM Chris Wallace, having been restored to power, prefers to ride with Zach Randolph instead, and Randolph’s veteran extension helped push Davis out of Memphis and to the Lakers on a two-year, minimum salary deal.
  • Derrick Favors — The former No. 3 overall pick signed a four-year, $48MM extension with the Jazz that looks like a bargain for the team next to Hayward’s deal.
  • Paul George — The Pacers made him their Designated Player, giving him a five-year, maximum-salary extension. George actually wound up with a little less than he could have made, since he triggered the Derrick Rose rule after agreeing to take less than the 30% max the rule would afford him. Still, the slight discount is of little solace to the Pacers, who’ll likely be without him for the whole season after he broke his leg this summer.
  • Gordon Hayward — He and the Jazz didn’t come to terms on an extension, unlike his teammate Favors, and he scored a four-year, maximum-salary offer sheet from the Hornets, which Utah matched.
  • Greg Monroe — Agent David Falk doesn’t generally sign extensions and didn’t come to terms with former Pistons president of basketball operations Joe Dumars. New coach/executive Stan Van Gundy was in place by the time Monroe hit restricted free agency, but Falk and his client were still reluctant to make a long-term commitment. Monroe wound up boldly signing Detroit’s $5.48MM qualfying offer to hit unrestricted free agency next year.
  • Patrick Patterson — It certainly wasn’t a shock when he and the Kings went without an extension last fall, and it wasn’t altogether surprising when trade-happy GM Pete D’Alessandro sent the power forward out in a swap. Patterson nonetheless played a key role on a suddenly insurgent Raptors team, and Toronto re-signed him to a new three-year, $18.15MM contract this summer.
  • Quincy Pondexter — He signed a four-year, $14MM extension with the Grizzlies that was probably the most unexpected extension of the bunch last year.
  • Larry Sanders — The Bucks inked him to a four-year, $44MM extension, a deal that soon looked regrettable as a season to forget unfolded for Milwaukee and its center.
  • Kevin Seraphin — Agent Rich Paul, who threatened to have Bledsoe sign his qualifying offer, also represents Seraphin, who did just that, inking his QO worth $3.899MM to return to the Wizards.
  • Evan Turner — The Sixers decided against tabbing the former No. 2 overall pick as a building block of their new core, declining to extend his contract last fall and shipping him to the Pacers at the deadline. Turner’s numbers as an Indiana reserve paled next to what he put up on a depleted Philadelphia team, and the Pacers didn’t tender a qualifying offer, making him an unrestricted free agent. He wound up with a two-year, $6.704MM deal from the Celtics.
  • Ekpe Udoh — The Bucks committed to Sanders as their big man instead, passing on an extension with Udoh and later declining to tender a qualifying offer. The former sixth overall pick spent most of the summer on the market before signing a one-year, minimum salary deal to join the Clippers.
  • Greivis Vasquez — The 28th overall pick from 2010 seemed primed for an extension after averaging 9.0 assists per game for the Pelicans in his third NBA season, but the Kings decided against it after trading for him in the summer of 2013. Sacramento flipped him to Toronto in the same trade that sent Patterson out, and like Patterson, Vasquez became a key reserve for the Raptors. He fell in love with Toronto and inked a new two-year, $13MM contract.
  • John Wall — The Wizards took a leap of faith, signing Wall to a five-year, maximum salary extension, and the team’s newly christened Designated Player paid immediate dividends, helping lead Washington to its best postseason performance in more than three decades.
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