Poll: Will Suns Trade Goran Dragic?
The Suns have made a number of major trades since the end of the 2012/13 season, but arguably none were bigger than the three-way deal that sent Eric Bledsoe to Phoenix. In Bledsoe, the Suns acquired a player capable of being a starting NBA point guard, and one with star upside.
While the trade itself was a coup for the Suns, skeptics immediately questioned how Bledsoe would fit with incumbent point guard Goran Dragic, the club’s most productive player last season. Team executives insisted the two players could coexist in Phoenix’s backcourt, but there were rumblings that Dragic, an acquisition of the old regime, could be shipped out by new GM Ryan McDonough.
McDonough denied that he was interested in moving Dragic, and things got a little more interesting when the Suns failed to work out an extension with Bledsoe last week. That means the former Clipper will be a restricted free agent next summer, and will likely be in line for a much larger salary than the $7.5MM being earned annually by Dragic. I wouldn’t expect Phoenix to let Bledsoe walk, but it sounds like a sign-and-trade isn’t out of the question, if the price tag gets too high.
Keeping both Bledsoe and Dragic long-term doesn’t make much sense for the Suns, since each player represents a valuable asset that could be turned into a productive piece at another position. Still, that doesn’t mean that the club won’t ride out the 2013/14 season with both players still in tow.
What do you think? Will Dragic be the next veteran player moved by the Suns, or will he stay put through this season’s trade deadline?
Will the Suns trade Goran Dragic by the deadline?
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Yes 64% (422)
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No 36% (238)
Total votes: 660
Poll: Will Raptors Trade Rudy Gay?
When I wrote about Rudy Gay‘s contract situation two months ago, I described the Raptors forward as both an extension candidate and a trade candidate, depending on how the team thought he fit into its long-term plans. According to ESPN.com’s Marc Stein, that’s also how GM Masai Ujiri viewed Gay heading into training camp. Stein wrote on Friday that Toronto would have been willing to consider an extension for Gay if the club liked what it saw in camp.
Now, however, Stein suggests that there’s a “strong sense” the Raptors are open to trading anyone on their roster not named Jonas Valanciunas. While there are other potential trade candidates in Toronto, including DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry, Gay looks like the most obvious chip. He’s still an 18 or 19 PPG player, and may be on an expiring contract, since he has a player option for 2014/15 that he could turn down in favor of a longer deal.
Gay’s $17.89MM salary will be a deterrent when it comes to finding a trade partner, but if the Raptors were willing to take a big salary back, along with an asset or two, it’s not hard to imagine them finding a taker. Non-tanking teams hoping to earn a playoff spot this season and needing one more piece to get there could show interest in Gay. The Bucks, Wizards, Bobcats, and Cavaliers are among the candidates that come to mind, and that’s just in the East.
So what do you think? Will Ujiri do what he did in Denver with Carmelo Anthony and Nene, striking a deal that ships his highest-paid player out of town? Or will the Raptors play out the season with Gay in the hopes of landing a playoff spot themselves?
Will the Raptors trade Rudy Gay by the deadline?
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Yes 77% (694)
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No 23% (211)
Total votes: 905
Poll: Who Will Finish With The Fewest Wins?
The Philadelphia 76ers surprised NBA fans when they started out 3-0 after many analysts suggested they had the potential to be the worst team in the league. Marc Stein of ESPN ranked the Sixers dead last in his preseason power rankings, but that didn’t stop Michael Carter-Williams and company from taking down the Heat and the Bulls.
Each one of the preseason predictions crafted by the Hoops Rumors writing team featured the Bulls and/or Heat playing in the Eastern Conference Finals, so Philly’s hot start has a lot of analysts reevaluating their outlooks. ESPN’s Eric Goldwein admits that although the Sixers are a long way from contending for a playoff spot, they don’t appear to be the league’s worst team.
The question that arises then: If Philadelphia isn’t the worst team in the NBA, who is? The Phoenix Suns were projected by Stein to finish at the bottom of the West, but they’ve quietly started out undefeated at 2-0. The Utah Jazz sit winless in the cellar of the Northwest Division, but their losses came from allowing a buzzer beater versus the Suns, playing a 3-0 Rockets team, and facing a Thunder squad that figures to fight for a Western Conference title. With Rajon Rondo missing extended time, many fans expect Boston to tank this season, but strong early season play by Jeff Green and Brandon Bass suggest there’s still a glimmer of hope in Beantown.
Which team do you see losing the most games in the NBA this season?
Who Will Finish With The Fewest Wins?
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Celtics 25% (182)
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Bobcats 15% (110)
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Suns 14% (104)
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76ers 11% (79)
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Jazz 9% (68)
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Bucks 8% (57)
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Magic 7% (48)
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Another team 5% (37)
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Kings 5% (35)
Total votes: 720
Poll: Which Restricted FA Gets A Max Deal?
October 31st was the deadline for NBA teams to sign fourth-year players currently on a rookie scale contract to a contract extension and forgo the chance of that player hitting restricted free agency next summer. Paul George, John Wall, and DeMarcus Cousins were the most richly rewarded among those who locked up extensions in advance of the deadline, as all three reached deals for the max. Notable players who did not sign an extension with their team were Eric Bledsoe, Avery Bradley, Gordon Hayward, Greg Monroe, Evan Turner, and Greivis Vasquez. Assuming their teams tender qualifying offers, these players will become restricted free agents next year.
The teams these likely restricted free agents are on will have the right of first refusal for anyone bidding on them next summer. For a few of these players, the bidding seems to be plentiful. Ric Bucher of Bleacher Report quoted an opposing GM saying the “Jazz had better lock up Hayward”. (Twitter link) Jason Jones of the Sacrament Bee tweets the Kings “love” Vasquez. Lon Babby, president of the Phoenix Suns basketball operations, told Matt Petersen of Suns.com the Suns would “do everything we can to make sure [Bledsoe] is happy.”
Which of these players do you think will benefit most from becoming a restricted free agent next summer? Who do you think stands the best chance of getting a max deal?
Which Restricted FA Gets A Max Deal?
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Greg Monroe 37% (421)
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None of the Above 31% (349)
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Eric Bledsoe 21% (238)
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Gordon Hayward 9% (99)
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Greivis Vasquez 2% (22)
Total votes: 1,129
Poll: Who Will Win The 2013/14 NBA MVP?
Several NBA stars have won back-to-back Most Valuable Player awards over the last three decades, but no player has won the award three times in a row since Larry Bird completed the feat in 1985/86. That’s not to say there weren’t times when a player could, or perhaps should, have won three consecutive MVPs — Michael Jordan immediately comes to mind. However, “voter fatigue” often works against repeat winners, as voters look for a fresh new face rather than choosing the same player year after year.
If voter fatigue is working against LeBron James, we haven’t seen it yet. Over the last five years, LeBron has won four MVP awards, with only Derrick Rose‘s excellent 2010/11 season preventing a clean sweep. Coming off back-to-back MVP and championship seasons, James still clearly looks like the NBA’s best player, and that’s why he was the ’13/14 MVP choice for four Hoops Rumors writers, myself included.
That still leaves four of us that didn’t choose LeBron though. Kevin Durant, whose Thunder will start the season without Russell Westbrook, was a popular MVP pick, and Chris Paul received a vote as well. It’s not hard to envision a scenario in which Durant leads the league in scoring and excels without Westbrook, building a strong case for himself. Similarly, if Paul leads the Clippers to more regular-season wins than Durant’s Thunder or LeBron’s Heat, his MVP narrative could gain momentum.
Of course, it’s possible that a dark horse candidate emerges as well. A healthy Rose should re-enter the picture, and I could imagine making a case for Carmelo Anthony if he repeats as the league’s scoring champ and helps the Knicks land home court for the first round of the playoffs. The same could be said of Stephen Curry and James Harden, if they were to challenge for the scoring title and lead their respective teams to a top-four seed in the West.
What do you think? Will LeBron become the first player since Bird to three-peat as NBA MVP, or will the award go to someone else this season?
Who will win the 2013/14 NBA MVP award?
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LeBron James (Heat) 30% (195)
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Kevin Durant (Thunder) 26% (169)
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Someone else 17% (112)
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Derrick Rose (Bulls) 9% (62)
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Steph Curry (Warriors) 5% (35)
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Carmelo Anthony (Knicks) 4% (28)
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James Harden (Rockets) 4% (28)
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Chris Paul (Clippers) 4% (25)
Total votes: 654
Poll: Which Team Wins The 2013/14 NBA Title?
We had our say on the 2013/14 NBA season this morning, unveiling our predictions for the coming year. If our opinions are any indication, it’ll be a wide open race for the title this season. Only two of our eight writers are picking a Heat three-peat, with just as many envisioning Derrick Rose capping his comeback with a championship for the Bulls. The Spurs, Thunder, Nets, and — thanks to me — the Pacers received one vote apiece. I hesitated a little after yesterday’s news that Danny Granger will miss the first three weeks, but I’m confident he’ll return to health and that the team’s new-look bench, led by Luis Scola, will be enough to lift the Pacers over the top.
We collectively picked six different contenders, but that might not cover the entire list of teams with legitimate hopes. Among us we’ve named what appear to be the four strongest Eastern Conference teams, but the Rockets, Clippers, Grizzlies and Warriors all seem primed to make runs out of the West. So, I’ve added those clubs as options, too, along with an “other” choice if you think a dark horse will emerge from the pack. Let us know who you think will win, and follow my lead by explaining your choice in the comments.
Which Team Wins The 2013/14 NBA Title?
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Heat 28% (211)
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Other 13% (101)
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Bulls 13% (96)
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Pacers 10% (73)
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Nets 8% (59)
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Warriors 7% (54)
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Thunder 6% (46)
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Spurs 5% (38)
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Rockets 5% (37)
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Clippers 4% (28)
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Grizzlies 2% (15)
Total votes: 758
Poll: Will Royce White Return To The NBA?
Perhaps the most high-profile roster cut this week was the Sixers’ decision to let go of Royce White, the 16th pick from the 2012 draft. White’s psychological disorders have been well-documented since his time playing college ball at Iowa State, where he excelled as a versatile 6’8″ force. There were doubts about his mental health leading up to the draft, but his abilities on the basketball court made him a top-five talent, as far as Rockets GM Daryl Morey was concerned. Morey, who had three first-round picks last year, figured he would use one on the high-risk, high-reward White.
Alas, Morey’s gamble went bust. White and the Rockets engaged in a back-and-forth all season long about language that White wanted to have inserted into his contract to provide for his mental health. The Rockets countered that the league’s collective bargaining agreement wouldn’t allow them to put special provisions in his standard rookie-scale deal, and White went the entire regular season without appearing in an NBA game, only hitting the court during preseason and for 16 games with the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, Houston’s D-League affiliate.
Morey decided to write off his loss halfway through the two-year guaranteed portion of White’s contract, trading him to the Sixers for Philadelphia’s 2014 second-round pick. Morey sweetened the deal for his former assistant, newly minted Sixers GM Sam Hinkie, adding the rights to Turkish prospect Furkan Aldemir and, as we learned yesterday, enough cash to cover White’s 2013/14 salary.
White’s brief tenure in Philadelphia was a quiet one. He made few headlines, and the story that he didn’t accompany the team for its exhibition games in Europe was somewhat overblown, since the Sixers left other players on their roster home, too. White appeared in five preseason games this month and even started one, averaging 5.0 points and 4.4 rebounds in 18.1 minutes per contest. He seemed mentally and physically prepared to play.
Still, Hinkie and the Sixers decided that it wasn’t worth keeping White around, even though they have a roster that’s roundly expected to finish with the league’s worst record this season. That leaves more questions than answers surrounding the future of a player whom Morey, and likely other league executives, considered better than most lottery picks based on talent alone less than a year and a half ago.
White’s future might not include the NBA. He’s never played in a regular season game, so, officially, he has yet to make his debut. Let us know whether you think he ever will, and leave a comment to explain your thinking.
Will Royce White Return To The NBA?
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No 72% (473)
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Yes 28% (180)
Total votes: 653
Poll: Should Jazz Pay Hayward More Than Favors?
More than 45% of Hoops Rumors readers who voted this weekend believe the Jazz agreed to give Derrick Favors too much in his new four-year extension, while fewer than 6% think Favors should have gotten more, suggesting the deal is player-friendly. I posed the question before today’s revelation that the deal, worth $48MM in base salary, is slightly less lucrative than the $49MM+ figure that was originally reported, though I imagine the difference wouldn’t skew the results too far.
Perhaps the most striking news to come out of Jazz camp since the news of Favors’ deal is that the team is working on an extension for Gordon Hayward that would be worth more than the one Favors just got. The Jazz should have a better idea of what they have in Hayward than they do with Favors, since Hayward has seen about 30% more minutes the past two seasons than his counterpart has. Hayward has shown continual improvement, but he still drifted in and out of the starting lineup last season on a team that featured uninspiring wing talent, like Randy Foye, Marvin Williams, Alec Burks and DeMarre Carroll. Those names don’t inspire the same confidence as Al Jefferson and Paul Millsap, who blocked Favors’ path to the opening tip.
I predicted a four-year, $40MM deal for Hayward in August, when I broke down his extension candidacy, but it sounds like the Jazz are prepared to exceed that amount by more than $8MM. Do you agree that Hayward deserves more than Favors? Let us know, and elaborate in the comments.
Should The Jazz Pay Hayward More Than Favors?
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No, Derrick Favors should get the larger extension. 42% (203)
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They're equally valuable. 32% (154)
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Yes, Gordon Hayward deserves more. 25% (122)
Total votes: 479
Poll: Did The Jazz Overpay For Derrick Favors?
The Jazz locked up one of their promising young players this weekend, signing Derrick Favors to a four-year extension for more than $49MM. The total could exceed $50MM if Favors cashes in on incentive clauses. GM Dennis Lindsey pointed to the 22-year-old’s defense, rebounding and youth as reasons why the team felt comfortable enough to commit more than $12.25MM a year to a player who’s never averaged as many as 24 minutes or 10 points a game.
Favors’ range doesn’t extend any farther than three feet away from the basket. He shot just 29% last year from outside that limited territory, as I pointed out when I looked at his extension candidacy in August. His offensive shortcomings were why I figured that Favors would see a deal similar to the four years and $44MM that the Bucks gave fellow defensive stalwart Larry Sanders in his extension.
Still, executives from around the league told Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports, who broke the news of Favors’ extension, that Favors would have received multiple offers of contracts worth $13MM a year if the Jazz had let him hit restricted free agency next summer. Favors’ ability to finish 13th in the league in blocks per game last season despite playing just 23.2 minutes per contest no doubt intrigues many NBA decision-makers.
Lindsey said yesterday that he’s primarily focused on Favors’ defense, and that the Jazz are willing to wait for his offense to develop, as Aaron Falk of The Salt Lake Tribune notes on Twitter. Favors is set to become a regular starter for the first time in his career this season, so we’ll soon see how the Jazz mitigate Favors’ limited range when he’s on the floor for most of the game. Regardless of how it goes, the Jazz have already committed major money to a big man whose shooting percentage has declined each year since his rookie season. They gave up the chance to see how he performs this season and use it to gauge whether to re-sign him in free agency next summer.
Let us know what you think about the Favors extension with a vote, and explain your position in the comments.
Did The Jazz Overpay For Derrick Favors?
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No, it's a fair deal for both sides. 49% (230)
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Yes, Utah will wind up regretting the extension. 46% (215)
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No, and Favors should have gotten more. 6% (27)
Total votes: 472
Poll: Will The Hawks Make The Playoffs?
Within the last week, Hoops Rumors readers have weighed in on the odds of the Cavaliers and the Wizards making the playoffs in the Eastern Conference. About 72% of poll respondents predicted Cleveland would earn a postseason berth, while more than 54% were optimistic about the Wizards’ chances.
Both Cleveland and Washington were lottery teams last year, so if they’re going to participate in the 2014 postseason, a couple teams will need to drop out. The No. 8 Bucks are one candidate, though many of you still expect them to return to the playoffs. The Celtics, having finally started their rebuilding process, are a good bet to relinquish their spot as well.
One Eastern playoff team that has flown under the radar for much of the offseason is the Atlanta Hawks. Atlanta lost a marquee free agent in Josh Smith, but the team was able to add Paul Millsap to join Al Horford in the frontcourt. Millsap arguably isn’t quite the all-around player that Smith is, but he came at a much more affordable price, and could be a bargain for the Hawks.
In addition to the Horford/Millsap pairing, Atlanta will enter the season having brought back point guard Jeff Teague and sharpshooter Kyle Korver. Elton Brand was signed to provide additional frontcourt depth, Louis Williams is expected to return from the ACL injury that sidelined him for most of last season, and youngsters like Dennis Schröder and John Jenkins should provide some upside. On the bench, highly regarded ex-Spurs assistant Mike Budenholzer will take over as head coach, replacing Larry Drew.
So what do you think? Do the Hawks have enough talent to earn a top eight seed in the East, or will the absence of Smith and the improvement of conference rivals mean that Atlanta falls into lottery territory for the first time since 2006/07?
Will the 2013/14 Hawks make the playoffs?
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No 52% (197)
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Yes 48% (185)
Total votes: 382