Wizards GM: John Wall Not Expected Back This Season
Although John Wall has left the door open for the possibility of a return to the court before the 2019/20 season ends, Wizards general manager Tommy Sheppard essentially closed that door this week, as Chase Hughes of NBC Sports Washington relays. Having mentioned that Bradley Beal‘s life will be easier when Wall returns “next year,” Sheppard was asked for a follow-up and explained that the team doesn’t expect its starting point guard back until next season.
“I think we have maintained that all along. We didn’t plan on seeing him this year,” Sheppard said. “I think that’s fair to John, to manage the expectations for him. He’s on his way, but he’s not there and he’s not close yet. He’s a lot closer than he was a year ago when the injury happened.”
Given the Wizards’ 17-32 record, it makes sense that the team will be cautious with their star point guard and give him a few extra months to get to 100%. When he spoke to Chris Miller of NBC Sports Washington about visualizing his first game back, Wall talked as if he’s targeting opening night in 2020/21.
“I’ve gotta be honest with you, if our first game isn’t in D.C. then I probably won’t play,” Wall joked. “Just to be realistic. I’m going to try to force the NBA for my first game to be at home next season.”
Let’s round up a few more Wizards notes…
- Sheppard said on Thursday that almost every playoff team in both conferences inquired on Davis Bertans, Hughes writes for NBC Sports Washington. The Wizards hung onto Bertans and will aim to re-sign him this summer. “There was never a doubt in my mind that we wanted to keep him,” Sheppard said. “But I promise you that the more you say you want to keep somebody, the more teams don’t want to believe you and they keep calling.”
- Jerome Robinson hasn’t made major strides during his first two NBA seasons, but the Wizards liked him in the 2018 draft and are confident in a player development program that has had success with other young players like Moritz Wagner, says Fred Katz of The Athletic. Washington acquired Robinson from the Clippers in one of the team’s two deadline-day deals.
- Within that same story, Katz passes along word that the Wizards haven’t discussed a possible buyout with center Ian Mahinmi, who is on an expiring contract. “We’re obviously always open to anything that makes us better. But I wouldn’t even go down that road right now,” Sheppard said of the possibility. “Ian has done a great job for us this year, and he’s been a great leader, great professional for us.”
- Katz confirms (via Twitter) that the Wizards acquired Shabazz Napier‘s contract in their trade with Denver using their disabled player exception. Washington was the only team to use a DPE at the deadline.
2020 NBA Trade Deadline Recap
The 2020 trade deadline wasn’t quite as eventful as 2019’s record-setting deadline, but we still got a flurry of activity before the clock struck 2:00pm central time on Thursday afternoon.
Although it was a quiet week for several potential contenders, including the Lakers, Bucks, Raptors, and Celtics, big-name trade candidates like D’Angelo Russell and Andre Drummond were on the move and a total of 11 deals were officially completed on deadline day.
We’ll use the space below to recap all of 2020’s deadline deals, starting with the moves that were finalized on Thursday.
Trades completed on deadline day:
Timberwolves finally land D’Angelo Russell (story)
- Timberwolves acquire D’Angelo Russell, Omari Spellman, and Jacob Evans.
- Warriors acquire Andrew Wiggins, the Timberwolves’ 2021 first-round pick (top-three protected), and the Timberwolves’ 2021 second-round pick.
- Note: The Timberwolves’ 2021 first-round pick will become unprotected in 2022 if it’s not conveyed in ’21.
Cavaliers emerge as surprise landing spot for Andre Drummond (story)
- Cavaliers acquire Andre Drummond.
- Pistons acquire Brandon Knight, John Henson, and either the Cavaliers’ or Warriors’ 2023 second-round pick (whichever is less favorable).
Clippers beat out Lakers for Marcus Morris in three-team trade (story)
- Clippers acquire Marcus Morris and Isaiah Thomas.
- Knicks acquire Maurice Harkless, the Clippers’ 2020 first-round pick, the Pistons 2021 second-round pick, the right to swap their own 2021 first-round pick with the Clippers’ 2021 first-round pick (top-four protected), and the draft rights to Issuf Sanon.
- Wizards acquire Jerome Robinson.
Heat acquire Andre Iguodala, Jae Crowder in three-team deal (full stories)
- Heat acquire Andre Iguodala, Jae Crowder, and Solomon Hill.
- Grizzlies acquire Justise Winslow, Dion Waiters, and Gorgui Dieng.
- Timberwolves acquire James Johnson.
Hawks re-acquire Dewayne Dedmon (story)
- Hawks acquire Dewayne Dedmon, the Rockets’ 2020 second-round pick, and the Heat’s 2021 second-round pick.
- Kings acquire Jabari Parker and Alex Len.
Sixers fortify their bench (story)
- Sixers acquire Alec Burks and Glenn Robinson III.
- Warriors acquire the Mavericks’ 2020 second-round pick, the Nuggets’ 2021 second-round pick, and the Raptors’ 2022 second-round pick.
Rockets flip Jordan Bell to Memphis (story)
- Rockets acquire Bruno Caboclo.
- Grizzlies acquire Jordan Bell and the right to swap the Mavericks’ or Heat’s 2023 second-round pick (whichever is less favorable) with the Rockets’ 2023 second-round pick (top-32 protected).
Magic acquire James Ennis (story)
- Magic acquire James Ennis.
- Sixers acquire the Lakers’ 2020 second-round pick.
Nuggets, Wizards swap backup guards (story)
- Nuggets acquire Jordan McRae.
- Wizards acquire Shabazz Napier
Trail Blazers trade Skal Labissiere to reduce their tax bill (story)
- Hawks acquire Skal Labissiere and cash ($1,759,795).
- Trail Blazers acquire the Hawks’ 2024 second-round pick (top-55 protected).
Clippers move Derrick Walton Jr. to open roster spot (story)
- Hawks acquire Derrick Walton Jr. and cash ($1,313,576).
- Clippers acquire the Hawks’ 2022 second-round pick (top-55 protected).
Players waived on deadline day:
- Trey Burke (Sixers) (story)
- Tim Frazier (Pistons) (story)
- Amile Jefferson (Magic) (story)
- Nene (Rockets) (story)
- Derrick Walton Jr. (Hawks) (story)
Note: Isaiah Thomas (Clippers) and Gerald Green (Nuggets) are expected to be waived and Dion Waiters (Grizzlies) will likely be released or bought out, but those moves have not yet been made official.
Trades completed in the month leading up to the deadline:
Rockets, Hawks, Timberwolves, Nuggets complete massive 12-player trade (story)
- Rockets acquire Robert Covington, Jordan Bell, and the Warriors’ 2024 second-round pick.
- Hawks acquire Clint Capela and Nene.
- Timberwolves acquire Malik Beasley, Juan Hernangomez, Evan Turner, Jarred Vanderbilt, and the Nets’ 2020 first-round pick (top-14 protected).
- Note: The Nets’ 2020 first-round pick will again be top-14 protected in 2021 if it’s not conveyed in ’20.
- Nuggets acquire Gerald Green, Keita Bates-Diop, Shabazz Napier, Noah Vonleh, and the Rockets’ 2020 first-round pick.
Mavericks acquire injury replacement for Dwight Powell (story)
- Mavericks acquire Willie Cauley-Stein.
- Warriors acquire the Jazz’s 2020 second-round pick.
Thunder reduce tax bill, acquire a rookie forward (story)
- Mavericks acquire Justin Patton and cash ($800K).
- Thunder acquire Isaiah Roby.
Trail Blazers acquire Trevor Ariza, shed salary (story)
- Kings acquire Kent Bazemore, Anthony Tolliver, the Trail Blazers’ 2024 second-round pick, and the Trail Blazers’ 2025 second-round pick.
- Trail Blazers acquire Trevor Ariza, Caleb Swanigan, and Wenyen Gabriel.
Hawks re-acquire Jeff Teague (story)
- Hawks acquire Jeff Teague and Treveon Graham.
- Timberwolves acquire Allen Crabbe.
Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Pistons Trade Andre Drummond To Cavaliers
9:21pm: It’s a done deal, with the Cavaliers and Pistons both issuing press releases to confirm the trade. Detroit announced in a separate release that, as expected, Frazier has been waived to make room on the roster for the incoming players.
1:19pm: The Cavaliers are finalizing a trade with the Pistons that will see them acquire center Andre Drummond, a league source tells ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link).
According to Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer (via Twitter), Detroit will receive Brandon Knight and John Henson, both of whom are on expiring contracts. Cleveland will also send the Pistons a second-round pick, per O’Connor.
The pick will be the lesser of Cleveland’s 2023 own pick or the 2023 second-rounder Golden State owes the Cavaliers, Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com tweets.
Drummond, the league’s premier rebounder, holds a $28.75MM option on his contract for next season and he’s expected to opt out and test a weak free agent market. The Pistons reportedly were prepared to retain Drummond after talks with the Hawks and Knicks fell through but ultimately decided to move on and go into rebuild mode. Detroit was looking for a first-round pick for Drummond but settled on the second-rounder, along with those expiring contracts.
The modest haul for Drummond was surprising but Detroit’s front office wanted to avoid the possibility of Drummond opting in, O’Connor adds in another tweet. It also gives Cleveland the opportunity to see how Drummond meshes with the young backcourt of Collin Sexton and Darius Garland.
The Pistons will now have approximately $35MM in cap space this summer, Bobby Marks of ESPN tweets. Cleveland will be close to the cap if Drummond opts in or re-signs with the starting salary in the $29-$30MM range, Marks adds.
Knight is making approximately $15.64MM and Henson has a $9.73MM contract, so the Pistons will shave some money off this year’s cap. They were perilously close to the luxury tax line prior to the proposed deal. Detroit was less than $4,000 under the tax line but moves to $1.7MM under the threshold via this trade, according to Marks (Twitter link).
Drummond has a $857K trade bonus that will be applied to his $27.1MM cap hit for this season, Marks relays in another tweet. Drummond, who has spent his whole career with Pistons since being chosen in the 2012 lottery, is averaging 17.8 PPG and an NBA-best 15.8 RPG this season.
The Pistons will have to open up a roster spot before making the trade official since it is at the 15-man limit. It’s likely that Tim Frazier, who has served as the No. 3 point guard behind Derrick Rose and Reggie Jackson, will be waived unless Detroit makes another trade, Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press tweets.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Kings Trade Dewayne Dedmon To Hawks
FEBRUARY 6: Nearly 24 hours after it was agreed upon, the Kings and Hawks have officially announced their trade sending Dedmon and a pair of second-round picks to Atlanta in exchange for Parker and Len. Sacramento also confirmed that the team has released Eric Mika, as we relayed in a separate story.
FEBRUARY 5: Dewayne Dedmon will return to Atlanta, as the Kings have reached a deal to send their unhappy center to the Hawks, tweets ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. Sacramento will receive Jabari Parker and Alex Len in return, while Atlanta will get a pair of second-round picks.
The two second-round selections aren’t Sacramento’s own picks, according to Sam Amick of The Athletic (Twitter link), who reports that the Hawks will receive Houston’s 2020 second-rounder and Miami’s 2021 second-rounder. The Kings had been owed seven extra second-round selections through the 2025 draft, so they’ll still have a surplus of picks going forward.
Because the Kings have a full roster, they’ll have to open a spot before the deal can be completed. One possibility is an early release for Eric Mika, who signed a 10-day contract on February 1.
Dedmon was the Hawks’ starting center for the past two seasons before joining the Kings in free agency last summer on a three-year, $41MM contract. Things quickly went south in Sacramento as he lost his starting job to Richaun Holmes. He became outspoken about his lack of playing time and was fined $50K in early January for making a public trade request. Dedmon averaged 5.1 points and 4.9 rebounds in 34 games with the Kings.
Sacramento adds Parker, who holds a $6.5MM player option for next season, along with Len, who has a $4.16MM expiring contract. Both are former top-five draft picks who are trying to revive their careers after disappointing starts.
Parker averaged 15.0 points and 6.0 rebounds in 32 games after signing with the Hawks as a free agent last summer. He was also traded at last year’s deadline, making the Kings his fourth team in the past two seasons. Len was averaging 8.7 PPG and 5.8 RPG through 40 games in his second season with Atlanta.
The deal didn’t catch Len by surprise, according to Chris Kirschner of The Athletic. (Twitter link). When asked before tonight’s game about the trade that will bring Clint Capela to Atlanta, Len responded, “We have what like 24 hours left (until the trade deadline)? It’s going to be really interesting because we have four bigs. Something is probably going to happen now.”
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Clippers Acquire Marcus Morris In Three-Team Trade
7:37pm: The Clippers, Wizards, Knicks have issued press releases officially announcing this three-team trade sending Morris to the Clips.
Meanwhile, Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic clarifies (via Twitter) that the Knicks only have the rights to swap their own 2021 first-round pick with the Clippers’ 2021 first-rounder — New York can’t swap Dallas’ 2021 first-rounder selection for L.A.’s.
1:45pm: The Clippers and Knicks have reached an agreement on a trade that will send Marcus Morris to Los Angeles, sources tell Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link). According to Marc Berman of the New York Post, the return for Morris will feature Maurice Harkless and multiple draft picks, including the Clippers’ 2020 first-rounder.
The deal will also include a third team, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link), who reports that the Wizards will acquire Jerome Robinson from the Clippers, sending Isaiah Thomas to L.A.
The Knicks will get Detroit’s 2021 second-round pick from the Clippers, as well as the right to swap first-round picks with the Clippers in ’21, reports Ian Begley of SNY.tv (via Twitter). That pick swap will have top-four protection, adds Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN (via Twitter). Draft-and-stash prospect Issuf Sanon will also go to New York (from Washington), tweets David Aldridge of The Athletic.
When Charania previously reported that the Knicks and Clippers were in serious discussions about Morris, Jovan Buha of The Athletic suggested that Los Angeles was offering Harkless, Mfiondu Kabengele, Terance Mann and its 2020 first-round pick. The final package for the Knicks is heavier on draft assets than NBA players, with Kabengele and Mann remaining in L.A.
Morris, 30, is having a career year in New York, with averages of 19.6 PPG and 5.4 RPG to go along with a .442/.439/.823 shooting line in 43 games (32.3 MPG). The Knicks were initially believed to be leaning toward keeping him and trying to re-sign him in free agency this summer, but changed course following Steve Mills‘ removal from the president of basketball operations role earlier this week.
Morris will join a talented Clippers frontcourt that features star forwards Kawhi Leonard and Paul George. According to Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports (via Twitter), the team plans to start all three players when everyone’s healthy, alongside Patrick Beverley and Ivica Zubac.
The Lakers were among the other teams with interest in Morris, but were reportedly unwilling to include both Kyle Kuzma and Danny Green in a potential deal.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Heat Acquire Iguodala, Crowder In Three-Team Trade
7:10pm: The trade is now official, according to press releases from the Timberwolves, Heat, and Grizzlies. Minnesota became part of the deal by agreeing to acquire Johnson for Gorgui Dieng, as we outlined in a separate story, making it a three-team trade.
11:16am: The Grizzlies and Heat have agreed to a trade that will send Andre Iguodala, Jae Crowder, and Solomon Hill to Miami in exchange for Justise Winslow, Dion Waiters, and James Johnson, reports ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (via Twitter). No draft picks will be included in the deal.
Shams Charania of The Athletic (all Twitter links) first reported that Crowder, Hill, and Waiters would be involved in the trade, which broke last night.
There’s still time for the agreement to be expanded to include the Thunder and Danilo Gallinari, but those talks between Oklahoma City and Miami have “fully stalled,” according to Woj (Twitter link).
The Heat were hoping to fold an acquisition of the veteran forward into the trade, perhaps extending his contract in the process. However, Wojnarowski tweets that the Grizzlies and Heat are focusing on officially finalizing a two-team deal for now, with Miami still unable to reach an agreement for Gallinari.
Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald has heard similar rumblings, tweeting that Crowder and Hill could be re-routed to Oklahoma City if the deal is expanded to include Gallinari, but for now Hill is under the impression he’ll end up in Miami, along with Crowder.
Even if the Heat can’t land Gallinari, they’ll add three veterans capable of playing rotation roles in Iguodala, Crowder, and Hill. Although Iguodala hasn’t appeared in a game at all since being traded from Golden State to Memphis in July, he played key minutes on the Warriors’ championship teams in recent years and will be well-rested for the stretch run.
As we detailed in a previous story, Iguodala and the Heat have reached an agreement on a two-year, $30MM contract extension as part of the trade. The second season of Iguodala’s extension will reportedly be a team option, allowing Miami to retain its financial flexibility to participate in a loaded free agent class in 2021. The Heat are expected to guarantee the second season of Iguodala’s deal for if they miss out on their top free agent targets in ’21, per Wojnarowski (Twitter link).
Crowder and Hill, meanwhile, have helped the Grizzlies exceed expectations and compete for a playoff spot this season. Crowder has started 45 games, averaging 9.9 PPG and 6.2 RPG and playing strong perimeter defense, while Hill has averaged 5.7 PPG with a .381 3PT% in 48 games (18.8 MPG).
The trade will also help the Heat out financially, since they’re sending out more money than they’re taking back. ESPN’s Bobby Marks tweets that Miami is now $3.4MM below its hard cap and reduced its projected tax bill by nearly $3.7MM. That could allow the Heat to be a player in the buyout market, though the team still has a full 15-man roster.
The franchise also cleared a significant amount of salary for 2020/21 in the deal, though Iguodala’s extension cuts into that newfound flexibility a little.
As for the Grizzlies, they’ll take on three pricey multiyear contracts in exchange for their three expiring deals. Having also extended Dillon Brooks on Wednesday, Memphis has gone from having $50MM in projected cap room to likely being over the cap this summer, tweets Jeff Siegel of Early Bird Rights.
Winslow is the prize of the deal for Memphis. The former lottery pick is under contract for $13MM annually through 2021/22, with a team option on the final year. Winslow has flashed tantalizing upside as a ball-handler and defender, but injuries have limited him to just 11 games this season. He’s currently sidelined with a lower back bone bruise.
Johnson and Waiters are on oversized contracts — Johnson is earning $15.35MM this season with a $16.05MM player option for 2020/21, while Waiters is owed $12.1MM this season and $12.65MM next year. Memphis’ willingness to take on those deals signals that the team is willing to roll over its cap room to 2021.
Both Johnson and Waiters have spent much of the season in the doghouse in Miami, but Johnson has at least appeared in 18 games, averaging 5.7 PPG and 2.9 RPG on .448/.356/.571 shooting in 15.6 minutes per contest.
Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Warriors Trade Alec Burks, Glenn Robinson III To Sixers
FEBRUARY 6: The trade is now official, according to press releases from the Warriors and Sixers. Philadelphia waived Trey Burke in a corresponding move, as we noted earlier. The team created the other roster opening by sending James Ennis to Orlando.
FEBRUARY 5: The Warriors and Sixers have agreed to a trade that will send Alec Burks and Glenn Robinson III to Philadelphia, reports Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).
According to Charania (Twitter link), the 76ers will send Golden State a trio of second-round picks in the deal. Those three picks are Dallas’ 2020 second-rounder, Denver’s 2021 second-rounder, and Toronto’s 2022 second-rounder, per ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link).
The 76ers have a full 15-man roster, so they’ll have to move a pair of players to accommodate the new additions. They’re working on possible trades to clear those roster spots, but will waive two players at the deadline if necessary, tweets Wojnarowski.
No salary-matching is required in the deal, since both Burks and Robinson are on one-year, minimum-salary contracts and can be taken on using the minimum salary exception.
Sixers general manager Elton Brand had been on the lookout for players who could provide the team with reliable depth and outside shooting, and Burks and Robinson should fit nicely. Both wings have played increased roles for the injury-plagued Warriors this season, with Burks averaging a career-best 16.1 PPG with 3.1 APG and a .375 3PT% in 48 games (29.0 MPG), while Robinson has put up a career-high 12.9 PPG and 4.7 RPG on .481/.400/.851 shooting in 48 games (31.6 MPG).
Philadelphia didn’t have expendable players on mid-level-type salaries to make a run at higher-priced trade candidates, so the team made use of its cache of second-round selections to acquire a pair of low-cost veterans. Even after surrendering three future picks in this deal, the Sixers still control a handful of valuable second-round selections, including the Hawks’ and Knicks’ 2020 second-rounders.
As for the Warriors, they’ve rebuilt their own collection of future draft picks in recent weeks, having now acquired a total of four second-rounders for role players Burks, Robinson, and Willie Cauley-Stein. The moves have also helped Golden State inch closer to the tax line for the 2019/20 season.
As Jeff Siegel of Early Bird Rights details (Twitter link), the Dubs are still slightly over the luxury tax threshold, and will move further into tax territory once they sign replacement players. But they’re at the point where they’ve greatly reduced their projected end-of-season bill and could even sneak out of the tax if they move another player or two on Thursday.
The Warriors will have just 11 players under contract once this trade goes through. The team will have to sign at least one player by Saturday, according to Anthony Slater of The Athletic (Twitter link), who suggests Marquese Chriss is a strong candidate to be promoted to the 15-man roster. Golden State will subsequently have to add two more players to get to the NBA-mandated minimum of 14 later this month.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Grizzlies Don’t Intend To Retain Dion Waiters
The Grizzlies will receive Dion Waiters in the three-way trade with the Heat, though they do not plan on keeping the guard. According to Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link), a buyout agreement or outright release is “on the horizon” for Waiters.
The former No. 4 overall pick had issues with the Heat prior to the trade. He’s been suspended three times this season, including one for conduct detrimental to the team and one for rules violations. Even when he was available, he wasn’t part of the team’s rotation, appearing in just 42 total minutes over three games.
Waiters is on a fully guaranteed contract worth $12.1MM this season and $12.65MM in 2020/21, so the Grizzlies will have to take on a sizable chunk of dead money to move on from him. His ’20/21 cap hit could be stretched across three seasons, but Memphis probably prefers to keep it limited to one year.
Justise Winslow is the lone Heat player in the trade who will actually play for Memphis. The franchise re-directed James Johnson to Minnesota, picking up Gorgui Dieng before the deadine.
Warriors Trade D’Angelo Russell To Timberwolves
The Warriors have officially traded star guard D’Angelo Russell to the Timberwolves, the teams announced in a pair of press releases. Minnesota has also acquired big man Omari Spellman and guard Jacob Evans along with Russell.
In exchange, Golden State receives swingman Andrew Wiggins, a protected 2021 first-round pick, and a 2021 second-round pick. The 2021 first-rounder headed to Golden State will be Minnesota’s own top-three protected pick. It would become unprotected in 2022 if it doesn’t convey next year.
The Wolves’ acquisition of Russell represents the culmination of a pursuit that dates back at least to the 2019 free agent period, when the team made D-Lo its top target and offered him a lucrative four-year contract. Minnesota had hoped to pair the All-Star guard with his good friend Karl-Anthony Towns, but were passed over when the Warriors swooped in with a four-year, max-salary offer. Seven months later, Timberwolves president of basketball operations Gersson Rosas got his man.
The blockbuster deal comes at a good time for the Wolves, who have struggled mightily since their 10-8 start, and for Towns, who – after Wednesday’s game – publicly expressed his frustration with all that losing. Towns was also believed to be disappointed by the departure of Robert Covington, who was one of his best friends on the team, so Minnesota will hope that the arrival of Russell can help rejuvenate the big man’s enthusiasm — and get the Wolves a few more wins down the stretch.
The Timberwolves will now enter the summer with a pair of 24-year-old cornerstones on long-term contracts, as Russell is locked up through 2023 and Towns through 2024. They also still have their own 2020 first-round pick, as well as Brooklyn’s lottery-protected first-rounder. So they’ll have the opportunity to bring in a pair of promising prospects or use those picks in trades to further upgrade the roster.
The deal does put the Wolves slightly into tax territory, ESPN’s Bobby Marks reports (via Twitter), so another move could be forthcoming.
Meanwhile, it’s a fascinating pivot for the Warriors, who were said to be seeking a first-round selection in 2021 rather than 2020, since next year’s draft class is expected to be stronger than this year’s. The Wolves reportedly put their own 2020 protected pick and Brooklyn’s lottery-protected pick on the table in a previous offer, but it appears Golden State was willing to accept just a single first-rounder now that it’s a lightly-protected 2021 pick.
Besides the first-round pick and accompanying second-rounder, the Warriors get two things out of the deal: The first is Wiggins, whose max-salary contract had been widely considered a negative. According to Anthony Slater of The Athletic (Twitter link), however, there’s a contingent within the Warriors who believe that Wiggins is a “salvageable project.” Slater believes the deal will ultimately be judged on whether Golden State can turn Wiggins into the team’s long-term starting small forward or eventually flip him for positive value.
The second perk for the Warriors is that the deal should allow them to sneak out of the tax for this season, which will help them avoid current and future repeater penalties. Marks tweets that the team will be $3.1MM below the tax threshold and should be able to stay below that line even after filling out its roster. Golden State will have six open roster spots, necessitating at least five eventual additions, but the club will be able to stagger those signings to some extent.
ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski first broke the news and reported the terms of the trade (all Twitter links).
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
James Dolan: I’m Not Selling Knicks
In the wake of Thursday morning reports indicating Leon Rose is expected to become the Knicks‘ next president of basketball operations, team owner James Dolan issued a statement this afternoon addressing the club’s front office search.
“We are actively looking for a new President of the New York Knicks and hope to conclude the search as quickly as possible,” Dolan said. “I am not selling, but I am determined to find the right leader for the Knicks who will ensure the long-term success of the team, just as we did with the hiring of Rangers President John Davidson.”
Dolan’s statement doesn’t mean the Knicks aren’t locked in on Rose. As Marc Berman of The New York Post tweets, it will take some time for Rose to get decertified as an agent and complete all the steps necessary for the Knicks to officially bring him aboard. He’s still on track to the run the front office — it’s just not official yet.
The more interesting part of Dolan’s statement may be the brief mention of how he’s “not selling” the team. There have been no reports circulating lately suggesting he was considering such a move, so it seems to be a response to the recent chants at Madison Square Garden. Knicks fans chanted, “Sell the team!” at Dolan near the end of a blowout loss to the Grizzlies last week.
When the Knicks removed Steve Mills from the president of basketball operations role earlier in the week, there was speculation that the serenade from fans may have played a part in Dolan’s decision to move forward with front office changes. Today’s statement doesn’t necessarily confirm that, but it seems to suggest Dolan hasn’t just brushed off those chants.