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And-Ones: James, 2003 Draft, Wanamaker

June 8th, 2017 at 11:03pm CST by ChrisCrouse

Many have compared Kevin Durant‘s decision to join Golden State to LeBron James‘ move to Miami back in 2010, but LBJ doesn’t see it as the same situation, as Steven Ruiz of USA Today relays.

“I don’t think our careers are the same, as far as changing teams,” James said. “Their team was already kind of put together. And you just implement a guy who’s ready to sacrifice – a great talent, a guy who’s willing to do whatever it takes to help the team win. But that team, they already knew what they were all about, and he just had to come in and do what he had to do. And that’s what he’s been doing.

“For me, when I left [Cleveland] to go to Miami, we had to build something. We brought in eight or nine guys, and we had to build something. And when I came back [to Cleveland] we had to build something again.”

Ten players were already on the Warriors roster when Durant arrived in town compared to just two—Dwyane Wade and Udonis Haslem—on the Heat when James came to South Beach.

Here’s more from around the league:

  • Former Cavaliers GM Jim Paxson admits that he made moves during the 2002/03 season with the 2003 draft in mind, as he tells Sam Smith of NBA.com. “That season before [in 2002] we traded Andre Miller to the Clippers because he was up for that rookie extension for Darius Miles and some parts,” Paxson recalled. “I told ownership even though there is no guarantee [for the top pick], we need to take one more step back because this [2003] draft is going to be special [Paxson said their draft order was LeBron, Carmelo and then Bosh]. Andre was good enough to keep us in the 27 to 31-win range, which would take you out of that top three to four picks. We tied with Denver [for the most lottery balls] when we won the last game of the season. Then we got lucky to get the No. 1.”
  • Paxson added that he knew right away he had to surround James with shooting, Smith passes along in the same piece. The Cavaliers took Jason Kapono in the second-round of the 2003 draft.
  • Dan Fegan denies any ties to the new Dynasty Sports Group agency that was founded by former ISE agent Aylton Tesch, according to Liz Mullen of Sports Business Daily. Tesch left ISE shortly after the company fired Fegan.
  • CSKA Moscow plans to pursue Brad Wanamaker, who played collegiate ball at the University of Pittsburgh before flourishing in Europe, in the event that Milos Teodosic leaves for the NBA, international journalist David Pick reports (Twitter link).
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Draft Notes: Giles, Allen, Swanigan

June 8th, 2017 at 8:16pm CST by ChrisCrouse

Wondering how many picks your team has? Check out our 2017 NBA Draft Picks page. The Sixers have the most selections with five, though they are looking to deal at least one of their second-rounders. The draft is just two weeks away. As we wait for the big night, check out some notes on some of the prospects expecting to hear their name called on June 22:

  • Harry Giles has plans to work out for the Pistons, Bulls, Heat, and Pacers before the draft, Joe Freeman of The Oregonian tweets. The Duke product has already met with the Kings and Blazers.
  • Jarrett Allen will work out for the Nuggets on Friday, Nick Kosmider of The Denver Post tweets. Allen is the 17th best prospect in the upcoming draft, per Jonathan Givony of Draft Express.
  • Allen will go through drills with the Kings on Saturday, Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee passes along (Twitter link).
  • Nick Kosmider of The Denver Post chronicles the hurdles that Caleb Swanigan has had to overcome to make his dream of playing basketball professionally a reality. The Purdue big man is expected to be taken in the second round of this year’s draft.
  • Swanigan is scheduled to work out for his hometown Jazz on Saturday, sources tell Tony Jones of the Salt Lake City Tribune (Twitter link).
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Southeast Notes: Howard, McRoberts, NBA Draft Workouts

June 6th, 2017 at 8:47pm CST by marksuleymanov

Dwight Howard‘s lack of versatility on offense cost him playing time  with the Hawks last season and the eight-time All-Star wants to remedy that this offseason. Speaking on ESPN’s The Jump, Howard revealed that he is working to expand his three-point shooting in preparation for the 2017/18 season (via Andrew Joseph of USA Today’s For The Win).

“So, I have this guy in Atlanta that I’ve been working with, and I’ve been working on my threes,” Howard said. “Really trying to add some range to my game, which is gonna be weird for people to see, I guess. They’re used to seeing me in the paint, battling. But in order for me to play longer, I have to expand my game.”

Howard, 31, has never been a prolific shooter in the NBA; his main draw has been scoring in the paint and overpowering opposition in the low post. For his career, Howard has made just five of his 56 three-point attempts (8.9%). Howard’s last trey came during the 2014/15 season.

As Joseph writes, players such as Paul Millsap and Al Horford developed three-pointers in Atlanta. If Howard is looking for a blueprint, Nets center Brook Lopez is a good example; he shot 3-for-31 from long range the first eight seasons of his career before going 134-for-387 (34.6%) from deep during the 2016/17 campaign. Either way, an aging Howard — who the Hawks signed to a three-year, $70MM last season — will need to evolve to maximize his usefulness to a younger Hawks team.

Here are additional notes from the Southeast division:

  • Josh McRoberts could be a viable option as the Heat’s backup center, Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel writes in his latest Ask Ira. McRoberts exercised his option to remain with the Heat for 2017/18, but the team could use the stretch provision to utilize the roster spot on else. Since joining the Heat during the 2014 offseason, McRoberts has appeared in 81 out of a possible 246 games.
  • Keith Langlois of Pistons.com reports that Kentucky’s Bam Adebayo next scheduled visit is with the Heat (via Twitter).
  • The Hornets announced their scheduled pre-draft workout attendees for tomorrow. The list includes Arizona guard Kadeem Allen, Wake Forest forward Austin Arians, Notre Dame forward V.J. Beachem, Davidson guard Jack Gibbs and big men Przemek Karnowski (Gonzaga) and Mangok Mathiang (Louisville).
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2017 Offseason Salary Cap Digest: Miami Heat

June 5th, 2017 at 3:18pm CST by Luke Adams

The Heat started the 2016/17 season with a 7-12 record, then had a pair of wild swings, losing 18 of their next 22 games before winning 30 of their final 41. There’s reason to believe that Miami’s strong second half is a positive sign of things to come, but a few of the club’s key players from that run are now eligible for free agency. That will create some uncertainty going forward, but with Chris Bosh‘s $25MM+ salary no longer on their books, the Heat will have a little more room to maneuver this offseason.

Here’s where things currently stand for the Heat financially, as we continue our Offseason Salary Cap Digest series for 2017:

Guaranteed Salary

Player Options

  • None

Team Options

  • None

Non-Guaranteed Salary

Restricted Free Agents

  • None

Cap Holds

Projected Salary Cap: $101,000,000

Maximum Cap Room: $38,232,519

  • Taking into account their five guaranteed contracts, plus cap holds for a first-round pick and six empty roster spots, the Heat have a team salary of $62,767,481. However, that would mean waiving all their non-guaranteed players, including Richardson and McGruder, which is very unlikely — still, since those players are on veteran minimum salaries, they won’t cut into Miami’s cap room in a major way.

Footnotes:

  1. Ellington’s salary becomes fully guaranteed after July 6.
  2. Richardson’s salary becomes fully guaranteed after June 30.
  3. McGruder’s salary becomes partially guaranteed ($452,625) after August 1.
  4. White’s salary becomes partially guaranteed ($226,312) after July 1. Partial guarantee increases to $452,624 after August 1.

Salary information from Basketball Insiders and The Vertical was used in the creation of this post.

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Dion Waiters Open To Giving Heat Discount

June 5th, 2017 at 9:01am CST by Luke Adams

Since the Heat’s season ended in April, Dion Waiters has expressed multiple times that he wants to stay in Miami, despite the fact that he’s opting out of his contract. On Sunday, Waiters went a step further, indicating on WSVN’s 7 Sports Xtra that he’d be open to the idea of accepting something of a hometown discount with the Heat, as Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel details.

“It depends,” Waiters said. “Yeah, I would, though. But, like I said, it depends, just being the right thing, at the right time. It’s just got to be right. It’s got to be equal.”

Since joining the Heat last year, and especially in recent weeks, Waiters has spoken about the idea of buying into the team’s culture, suggesting last month that once you buy into what the Heat are preaching, you start to see the results.

That mindset helped buoy Waiters to an impressive comeback season in 2016/17. A year after setting a career low in PPG (9.8) with Oklahoma City, Waiters averaged 15.8 PPG with career highs in APG (4.3) and 3PT% (.395) for the Heat. After earning about $3MM this past season, Waiters should be in line for a sizable raise.

With Chris Bosh‘s salary off their books, the Heat should have a nice chunk of cap room available this summer. Miami wants to re-sign both Waiters and fellow free agent James Johnson, who has also said he’s willing to consider taking a modest discount to stay with the Heat. If the club can lock up both players to slightly below-market deals, there could still be room to make another addition.

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East Notes: Ball, Knicks, Caldwell-Pope

June 4th, 2017 at 9:28pm CST by Austin Kent

Any NBA team considering drafting Lonzo Ball later this month will do so knowing full well that the UCLA product comes part and parcel with his boisterous father. One Sixers executive, special adviser Jerry Colangelo, thinks that Lavar Ball could make things “challenging”.

Colangelo spoke with CBS Sports radio (h/t Chase Hughes of CSN Mid-Atlantic) and discussed the point guard from the Sixers’ perspective. As critical as Colangelo was, however, he was sure to acknowledge Ball as a terrific prospect and said that teams wouldn’t likely bypass the player because of it.

Though it’s merely our speculation, the comments could be little more than a Sixers smokescreen, a common tactic in the weeks leading up to the draft. Philadelphia, of course, would benefit from the Lakers having second thoughts and opting against drafting the acclaimed prospect.

Just yesterday it was reported that Los Angeles was supposedly leaning against drafting Ball, with their interest in prospects Josh Jackson and De’Aaron Fox allegedly growing.

There’s more out of the East:

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Kennedy Meeks Takes Inspiration From Whiteside

June 4th, 2017 at 2:03pm CST by Arthur Hill
  • North Carolina center Kennedy Meeks takes inspiration from Heat center Hassan Whiteside, writes Ira Winderman of The Sun-Sentinel. They both played for the same AAU organization, and like Meeks, Whiteside wasn’t a highly regarded prospect coming out of college. “He’s always been a big brother to me,” said Meeks, who held his pro day in front of several scouts this morning. “And I’ve seen him grow tremendously from not being in the NBA to making a lot of money. So I’m definitely proud of him.” Others involved in today’s session were Miami forward Kamari Murphy, former Miami center Tonye Jekiri, Florida Atlantic guard Adonis Filer and Florida guard Kasey Hill.
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Justise Winslow A Month Away From Return

June 3rd, 2017 at 2:01pm CST by Joshua Fischman

Heat small forward Justise Winslow will need another month before he can fully return from shoulder surgery, reports Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel (link via Twitter). Winslow’s second NBA season was limited to just 18 games due to the injury. The former Duke Blue Devil started 15 of those contests, posting well-rounded averages of 10.9 PPG, 5.2 RPG, 3.7 APG, and 1.4 SPG.

Winderman also tweets (link via Twitter) that Winslow is prioritizing improving his shooting mechanics.

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Dion Waiters To Decline Player Option

June 2nd, 2017 at 8:31pm CST by Austin Kent

As expected, Dion Waiters intends to opt out of his 2017/18 player option, league sources tell Chris Haynes of ESPN. That means the 25-year-old guard who saw a resurgence this season will forego the guaranteed $3.2MM he had lined up with the Heat in order to test the open market.

Considering that Waiters put forth his most complete season as a professional this year, he is expected to yield a significant pay raise. The fifth-year player posted career highs with 4.3 assists and 3.3 rebounds per game while adding 15.8 points per contest.

Given the role that Pat Riley and the Heat played in the rejuvenation of his career and the stellar run that saw Miami fly from a 11-30 start to a near-playoff berth, Waiters is said to have an interest in returning to South Beach.

Whether or not the Heat prioritize retaining his services, however, is yet to be determined with some acknowledging that the organization could instead pursue an established star with their cap space this summer.

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NBA Formally Rules Bosh’s Illness Career-Ending

June 2nd, 2017 at 5:35pm CST by Austin Kent

A medical review from the NBA and the players’ union has concluded that Chris Bosh‘s blood clotting condition is in fact career-ending, Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel reports. The decision goes along with what the Miami Heat had previously established.

Bosh hasn’t played since part-way through the 2015/16 campaign but has previously mentioned an interest in coming back to the NBA if he’s ever deemed medically eligible. By waiting to sort through the complex legalities of the unique situation as opposed to attempting to shed his salary as early possible, the Heat have now guaranteed that when they waive Bosh, they won’t run the risk of his salary ever returning to the books in the event that he’s cleared to play in the future.

Had they decided not to wait, they could have looked to exclude Bosh’s contract as early February 9, 2017.

All that’s left now, Winderman says, is for the Heat to formally waive the big man, something that they’ll do as soon as they need to clear up the cap space. If another team claims him through the traditional waivers, they will not be eligible for the same cap relief.

Although it won’t count towards Miami’s team payroll at any point, Bosh is guaranteed the remaining portion of his contract, totaling over $50MM through 2018/19, the majority of it covered by insurance.

Ultimately, now that the complications surrounding the cap impacts of Bosh’s health have come to a formal conclusion, the Heat can look forward to a summer with $37MM of cap space, Winderman writes.

If Bosh ever does decide to pursue a comeback, an unlikely outcome per TNT’s David Aldridge, he’ll need to present medical evidence that meets the league approval.

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