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Free Agent Stock Watch 2019: Central Division

December 21st, 2018 at 9:55pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Every week, Hoops Rumors takes a closer look at players who will be free agents or could become free agents next offseason. We examine if their stock is rising or falling due to performance and other factors. This week, we turn our attention to the Central Division:

Jabari Parker, Bulls, 24, SF (Down) – Signed to a two-year, $40MM deal in 2018
Parker is out of the Chicago’s rotation and on the trading block, a massive and swift fall from grace after signing a big contract to play for his hometown team. If the Bulls can find a trading partner, Parker could be considered damaged goods and not just because of the knee injuries that set back his career. He has gained a reputation of being disinterested on defense and a ball-hog on offense. Wherever he is at season’s end, it’s hard to imagine that team exercising its $20MM option. Parker will be back on the market and the offers will be significantly less.

Alec Burks, Cavaliers, 27, SF (Down) – Signed to a four-year, $42MM deal in 2015
Burks is getting steady minutes under coach Larry Drew since his inclusion in the Kyle Korver deal with Utah but he isn’t doing anything noteworthy with them. He’s averaging 28.0 MPG and while his rebounding and assist numbers have climbed, he’s shot just 33.3% from the field. Burks has not averaged better than 33% from long range over the last three seasons. He needs to pick up his production from the perimeter to draw interest in the summer. He’s averaged $10.5MM in salary over the last four years — that will drop dramatically with his next contract.

Reggie Bullock, Pistons, 27, SG (Up) – Signed to a two-year, $5MM deal in 2017
Bullock was one of the NBA’s best 3-point shooters — and bargains — last season when he made 44.5% of his attempts. He’s proving that was no fluke. His long-range average is up to 39.8% after his career-high 33-point performance at Minnesota on Wednesday when he drained seven 3-pointers. Bullock fills an essential role for a team that needs long-range compliments to the power duo of Blake Griffin and Andre Drummond. Detroit would like to keep him but it will have competition and Bullock will receive a major pay raise wherever he winds up.

Bojan Bogdanovic, Pacers, 29, SF (Up) — Signed to a two-year, $21MM deal in 2017
Bogdanovic is a consistent offensive force on one of the league’s most underappreciated teams. He’s scored in double figures 23 straight games and he’s averaging career highs in points (16.4), field-goal percentage (51.4) and 3-point percentage (47.5). Indiana had to decide before free agency in July whether to guarantee his $10.5MM salary and it wisely chose to keep him. Bogdanovic will surely get multi-year offers next summer, though it would be no surprise if he re-signs with the Pacers, where he’s a comfy fit.

Eric Bledsoe, Bucks, 29, PG (Up) – Signed to a five-year, $70MM deal in 2014
Bledsoe has matured since being dealt from Phoenix last season and adjusted his game around a superstar talent. He’s shooting a career-high 50% from the field, an excellent number for a guard, and his turnover rate is the lowest of his career. Bledsoe is the third-best player on a team that owns the Eastern Conference’s second-best record. With several teams around the league looking for a point guard upgrade, the Bucks will have to shell out some major bucks to retain their floor leader.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

NBA Teams With Open Roster Spots

December 21st, 2018 at 11:46am CST by Luke Adams

NBA teams are allowed to carry up to 15 players on their regular season rosters, plus two more on two-way contracts, for a total of 17 players. However, approximately half of the league’s clubs aren’t currently taking advantage of all their roster spots and have at least one open 15-man or two-way contract slot.

[RELATED: 2018/19 NBA Roster Counts]

There will likely be more roster movement starting next month, since January features plenty of important roster dates and deadlines. Teams can begin signing players to 10-day contracts on January 5. Every player on a non-guaranteed contract will have his salary guaranteed if he’s not waived by January 7. And two-way contracts can’t be signed after January 15.

For now though, there are 11 NBA teams with openings on their 15-man rosters and three more with at least one open two-way contract slot.

Here’s a breakdown of those teams with open roster spots:

Teams with an opening on their 15-man roster:

Charlotte Hornets
Cleveland Cavaliers
Golden State Warriors
Houston Rockets
Indiana Pacers
Miami Heat
Oklahoma City Thunder
Philadelphia 76ers
Phoenix Suns
Toronto Raptors
Washington Wizards

Of the 11 teams with an open roster spot, six are projected taxpayers — the Warriors, Rockets, Heat, Thunder, Raptors, and Wizards are all over the luxury tax threshold and will be in no rush to fill the 15th spot on their respective rosters, since doing so would increase that year-end tax bill.

The other clubs are more likely to add a 15th man sooner or later, though the Hornets also aren’t far off from the tax threshold and may exercise some caution with that final roster spot. Teams like the Cavaliers and Suns figure to prioritize developmental players when they eventually fill their rosters, while potential contenders the Sixers and Pacers may focus on finding a immediate contributor.

Teams with an open two-way contract slot:

Boston Celtics
New York Knicks
Portland Trail Blazers (2)

The Trail Blazers have yet to add a two-way player to their roster this season, which is somewhat unusual, even given the club’s uncertain ownership situation. It’s not as if a two-way player requires a significant investment, so that seems like a signing Jody Allen would sign off on if the front office asked.

Portland doesn’t have its own G League affiliate, so maybe the club believes its ability to develop a young player on a two-way deal would be limited. Still, the other two teams without G League affiliates of their own – the Nuggets and Pelicans – have filled both of their two-way contract slots. Perhaps if the Blazers are plagued with injuries at some point this season, they’ll use those two-way openings to add a player or two who can help out immediately at the NBA level.

Meanwhile, the Knicks recently promoted Allonzo Trier to their 15-man roster and haven’t yet filled his old two-way spot. The Celtics are in the same boat, having waived two-way player Walt Lemon Jr. at the end of November. Both teams will likely fill those openings before the January 15 deadline.

NBA To Play First Ever Preseason Games In India

December 20th, 2018 at 8:48am CST by Luke Adams

The NBA will play games in India for the first time ever during the 2019 preseason, the league announced today in a press release.

The Kings and Pacers will participate in the two contests, which are scheduled for October 4 and 5 in Mumbai. The games will also be the first ones staged in the country by any North American sports league.

Kings owner Vivek Ranadive is the NBA’s first Indian-born majority owner and has been pushing for the league to play games in his home country. As such, it comes as no surprise that his club will be involved.

“The Sacramento Kings are proud to be playing in the first NBA games ever held in India. As an Indian-American, it is an honor to help bring this historic moment to the country where I was raised,” Ranadive said in a statement. “The sport is experiencing tremendous growth in India and we are excited about continuing to expand the NBA’s reach to fans across the globe. The world wants to watch basketball and India is a fast-growing new frontier.”

As Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today notes, the NBA opened an office in Mumbai in 2011 and launched the NBA Academy India – for elite youth prospects – in 2017, so growing the game in the country has long been a priority for the league.

The games in Mumbai will be the latest part of the NBA’s ever-growing Global Games initiative. The league has played multiple regular season contests in Mexico City and London in recent seasons, and has staged several preseason contests in China over the last few years.

Pacers Reach Jersey Sponsorship Deal With Motorola

December 18th, 2018 at 3:57pm CST by Luke Adams

The Pacers will be the latest NBA franchise to reach an agreement with a corporate sponsor to add an advertisement patch to their jerseys. Indiana issued a press release today announcing its deal with Motorola, a mobile communications company which is based in the Midwest. The Pacers will debut their new jerseys with the Motorola patch in Tuesday night’s game against Cleveland.

As a result of the Pacers’ new deal, the Thunder are now the only NBA team without a sponsored patch on their uniforms, as our tracker shows. The NBA just introduced its jersey sponsorship initiative in 2017, so it hasn’t taken long for nearly all the league’s franchises to get on board.

NBA G League Assignments/Recalls: 12/17/18

December 17th, 2018 at 9:53pm CST by marksuleymanov

Here are Monday’s G League assignments and recalls from around the NBA:

As we relayed earlier, the Lakers assigned Rajon Rondo to their G league affiliate, the South Bay Lakers. This is the latest step in Rondo’s rehab from a broken right hand. In 11 games this season prior to the injury, Rondo averaged 8.5 PPG, 6.5 APG, 4.5 RPG and 1.2 SPG in 25.2 minutes per contest.
The Pacers assigned Alize Johnson to the Fort Wayne Mad Ants, the team announced. Johnson has appeared in four games with Indiana this season and has spent most the year in the G League, where he has averaged 19.0 PPG and 13.8 RPG in nine contests.

Pacers Hire Kelly Krauskopf As Assistant GM

December 17th, 2018 at 8:52am CST by Luke Adams

8:52am: The Pacers have made it official, formally announcing the hiring of Krauskopf in a press release.

“As the architect of one of the WNBA’s most successful franchises, Kelly is a true pioneer in our sport,” Pacers owner Herb Simon said in a statement. “I’ve worked with Kelly over the past two decades, so I know her tremendous basketball mind, strong work ethic and proven leadership skills will continue to be of great benefit to our organization.”

8:23am: The Pacers are hiring veteran WNBA executive Kelly Krauskopf to their front office, making her the first female assistant general manager in NBA history, league sources tell Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.com.

According to Wojnarowski, Krauskopf will work in Indiana with a basketball operations staff that includes president of basketball operations Kevin Pritchard, GM Chad Buchanan, and assistant GM Peter Dinwiddie.

Krauskopf has strong local ties, having served as the president and general manager of the WNBA’s Indiana Fever for 17 years, up until 2017. Last year, she moved into a role overseeing the Pacers’ entry in the NBA2K eSports league. In joining the Pacers’ basketball operations department, she’ll relinquish her WNBA and eSports duties, sources tell Wojnarowski.

While Krauskopf will become the first woman to secure an assistant GM title for an NBA franchise, a growing number of teams are employing female executives, Wojnarowski notes. Longtime WNBA star Sue Bird joined the Nuggets in a front office role last month, while the Magic, Thunder, Raptors, Hawks, Rockets, and Nets also have female execs.

Myles Turner Fined $15K By NBA

December 16th, 2018 at 3:17pm CST by JD Shaw

Hill made several deep postseason runs with the Pacers before joining the Jazz in 2016. He’s also made stops with the Kings and Cavaliers, and started his NBA career under Hall of Fame coach Gregg Popovich with the Spurs. This month’s deal marked the fourth time Hill was traded in his professional career.

Pacers center Myles Turner was fined $15,000 by the NBA on Saturday for directing an inappropriate gesture toward the spectator stands. The incident occurred in the second quarter of the team’s win over the Sixers on Friday night.

NBA Trade Candidate Watch: Central Division

December 14th, 2018 at 8:47pm CST by Luke Adams

Over the course of the 2018/19 NBA season, up until February’s trade deadline, we’re keeping an eye on potential trade candidates from around the NBA, monitoring their value and exploring the likelihood that they’ll be moved. Each of these looks at possible trade candidates focuses on a specific division, as we zero in on three players from that division.

The Central has been the most active division in terms of in-season trades so far in 2018/19, with the Cavaliers participating in two trades so far and the Bucks making one. There’s no indication those will be the last deals made by Central clubs this season, as there are still a number of players who could be on the move by February 7.

Here’s our latest look at a few possible trade candidates from the Central…

Jabari Parker, F
Chicago Bulls
$20MM cap hit; $20MM team option for 2019/20

It has been an eventful couple days for Parker, who was pulled from the rotation by the Bulls on Thursday and then became the subject of trade rumors on Friday.

A pair of reports on the Parker trade talks today both suggested that there’s considerable interest around the NBA in the former No. 2 overall pick, which is somewhat hard for me to believe. While there’s sure to be some interest in Parker, who remains a dynamic scorer, the Bulls and agent Mark Bartelstein may be motivated to exaggerate that interest a little. It’s just hard to imagine a bunch of teams driving up the bidding for a player who is on a $20MM contract, will likely be a free agent in a few months, and has admitted to not having much interest in playing defense.

A trade would be particularly challenging if the Bulls are unwilling to take on multiyear money that would cut into their projected 2019 cap room. For instance, if a team like the Trail Blazers pursued Parker, there would be virtually no way to make a deal work without including a player like Meyers Leonard or Maurice Harkless – who are earning more than $11MM apiece in 2019/20 – or someone with an even more expensive ’19/20 salary.

The Kings are one potentially intriguing fit, given their expiring contracts and their cap room — Zach Randolph‘s $11MM expiring deal would be enough to send out for Parker, who could subsequently fit into Sacramento’s cap space. However, the Kings, who have long been seeking their small forward of the future, would have to be confident Parker could play at the three instead of the four, since they already have a number of options up front.

Darren Collison, G
Indiana Pacers
$10MM cap hit; unrestricted free agent in 2019

A report this week suggested that league executives believe the Pacers may consider trading one of their veteran point guards – Collison or Cory Joseph – in advance of the trade deadline. A move would make some sense, with Victor Oladipo and Tyreke Evans also sharing ball-handling duties for the Pacers, who in turn want to carve out regular minutes for rookie guard Aaron Holiday.

While Collison is Indiana’s starting point guard, Joseph is probably having the stronger season. Joseph’s shooting numbers are better, he’s a stronger defender, and the Pacers have been noticeably better when he’s on the court (+7.4 net rating) than when he’s not (+2.0 net rating). That could make Collison the more expendable of the two guards.

Of course, the Pacers project to be a top-five seed in the East, so they won’t trade a starter in a deal that doesn’t provide an immediate upgrade at another position. They may also want to do right by the veteran Collison by not sending him to an unfavorable situation like, say, Phoenix.

There are some trade scenarios that could be viable though, even if the Pacers limit their scope. The Sixers, Pelicans, Nuggets, Spurs, and Magic are among the many playoff contenders who could benefit from the presence of a veteran guard like Collison.

Rodney Hood, G
Cleveland Cavaliers
$3.47MM cap hit; UFA in 2019

The Cavaliers have already moved Kyle Korver and George Hill, and we profiled J.R. Smith in our last check-in on the Central’s trade candidates. There are still plenty of players who could be on the block in Cleveland, however, with a report this week indicating that Alec Burks and Hood are among them.

Although Hood has seen his stock dip a little over the last year and hasn’t developed into the kind of impact player that many observers expected him to, his .438 FG% is a career-best and he’s knocking down 37.5% of his three-point attempts. At just $3.47MM, he’d be an inexpensive target for a playoff team looking for a second-unit scorer, and he could likely be had for a reasonable return, given his looming unrestricted free agency.

There are just two potential roadblocks in the way of a Hood deal: He’s not trade-eligible until January 15 and he has the power to block a trade, since he’d lose his Bird rights if he’s moved. Still, if the Cavs signal that they don’t plan to re-sign him, losing those Bird rights wouldn’t hurt much, and he may welcome a change of scenery, given Cleveland’s place in the standings.

Previously:

NBA Trade Candidate Watch: Central (11/20)
NBA Trade Candidate Watch: Central (10/25)
The rest of our NBA Trade Candidate series

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Pacers To Consider Trading Veteran Point Guard?

December 12th, 2018 at 9:43am CST by Luke Adams

Executives around the NBA believe that the Pacers may explore trading one of their veteran point guards before this season’s deadline, writes ESPN’s Brian Windhorst.

As Windhorst outlines, while Darren Collison has been Indiana’s starting point guard over the last two seasons, he has roughly split the position with Cory Joseph — Collison has averaged 29.0 minutes per game since joining the Pacers, while Joseph has played 26.7 MPG.

Both Collison and Joseph are in contract years, creating some uncertainty about whether they’ll remain in Indiana beyond this season. Meanwhile, rookie guard Aaron Holiday, who entered the team’s regular rotation when Victor Oladipo went down last month, has impressed the Pacers, and Indiana won’t necessarily want to relegate him back to the bench with Oladipo on the verge of returning. Trading either Collison or Joseph would open up minutes for the rookie.

The Pacers, who currently rank fourth in the Eastern Conference with a 17-10 record, will be looking to make a playoff run this spring and won’t want to harm their short-term outlook with a trade. While Collison and Joseph may not be long-term building blocks in Indiana, they’ve been key contributors, with Collison averaging 11.6 PPG, 5.4 APG and a .479/.442/.851 shooting line over the last two seasons, while Joseph has chipped in 7.8 PPG and 3.3 APG on .433/.365/.713 shooting. Any deal would probably have to return immediate help at another position.

There’s no shortage of teams in need of point guard help around the league, though it’s not clear if a trade with a rebuilding club would make the most sense. Collison or Joseph probably wouldn’t welcome a move from a top-four seed to the league-worst Suns, for instance, and even though they’ve sought a reliable point guard, the Suns likely wouldn’t give up much of value for a veteran on an expiring contract. A deal involving a playoff contender like the Sixers, Spurs, or even the Magic might be a better fit, though that’s just my speculation.

Rotation Tweaks Required With Oladipo Nearing Return

December 11th, 2018 at 5:06pm CST by Luke Adams

Indiana has turned Victor Oladipo‘s absence into a positive, with several Pacers playing their best ball of the season while Oladipo has been sidelined, writes Gregg Doyel of The Indianapolis Star. With Oladipo on the verge of returning, the Pacers will certainly be happy to welcome him back, but they’ll need to make some tweaks to their rotation to accommodate him, says Mark Montieth of Pacers.com.