2014 August | Hoops Rumors

Hornets Sign P.J. Hairston

August 22nd, 2014 at 12:33pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Hornets have signed 26th overall pick P.J. Hairston, the team announced via press release. Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer reported the signing minutes before the team’s announcement (Twitter link). Hairston was one of two remaining unsigned first-round picks Thursday when I looked at the 2014 draftees who’d yet to strike a deal with their respective NBA teams. He’s likely to receive close to $1.15MM this season, as our chart of salaries for 2014 first-round picks shows.

Hairston had intially chosen an agent who wasn’t union-certified, and that appeared to be at the root of the delay as he went unsigned for almost two months following the draft. Charlotte acquired his rights on draft night in the trade with the Heat that also gave the Hornets the rights to 55th overall pick Semaj Christon, who’s yet to come to terms with the club. No. 9 pick Noah Vonleh, the other 2014 draftee whose rights belong to Charlotte, signed with the team last month. The signing gives Charlotte 14 guaranteed deals plus a pact with the undrafted Justin Cobbs that’s presumably non-guaranteed.

It’s quite possible that Hairston will go down as a steal, since he seemed destined to end up as a lottery pick had the University of North Carolina not decided to part ways with the shooting guard over NCAA-eligibility concerns. Hairston spent much of last season in the D-League with the Texas Legends, and he became the first former D-League player selected in the first round of the NBA draft.

Chad Ford of ESPN.com ranked Hairston as the 18th-best draft prospect in spite of his D-League detour, while Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress had him 20th, furthering the notion that the Hornets have a chance to make out well with the 26th pick. Our Alex Lee was also high on the 6’5″ 21-year-old, projecting him as the 16th pick in the final version of his Hoops Rumors Mock Draft.

Undrafted Players From 2014 With NBA Deals

August 22nd, 2014 at 11:40am CST by Chuck Myron

Going undrafted is far from a death knell for an NBA prospect’s hopes of joining the league. Last year, 17.4% of NBA players who appeared in a regular season game had never been drafted, as we noted earlier this week. The path of an undrafted player to an NBA roster is often easier than that of a second-round pick. Anyone passed over on draft night becomes a free agent, open to negotiate with all 30 teams, in stark contrast to a draftee, who can only sign with the team that selected his rights.

That helps explain why 14 players who were eligible for the 2014 draft but weren’t selected have agreed to terms with NBA teams this summer, while only 12 of this year’s second-round picks have done so. Of course, undrafted players rarely see any fully guaranteed seasons on their NBA deals, unlike second-rounders, who routinely command fully guaranteed salaries for at least their rookie seasons.

No team has come to terms with more players who went undrafted in spite of having been eligible for this year’s draft than the Kings, who’ve signed Sim Bhullar, Deonte Burton and Eric Moreland, perhaps compensating for their lack of a second-round pick. The Lakers have deals with a pair of undrafted players — Keith Appling and Roscoe Smith — even though they came away with the rights to No. 46 overall pick Jordan Clarkson on draft night and have yet to agree on a pact with him.

The players passed over for this year’s draft who have secured NBA deals anyway are listed below, followed by their NBA teams, and their predraft teams in parentheses.

Keith Appling, Lakers (Michigan State)
Jerrelle Benimon, Nuggets (Towson)
Sim Bhullar, Kings (New Mexico State)
Deonte Burton, Kings (Nevada)
Justin Cobbs, Hornets (California)
Bryce Cotton, Spurs (Providence)
Aaron Craft, Warriors (Ohio State)
Tim Frazier, Celtics (Penn State)
Tyler Johnson, Heat (Fresno State)
Alex Kirk, Cavaliers (New Mexico)
Eric Moreland, Kings (Oregon State)
Roscoe Smith, Lakers (UNLV)
Shayne Whittington, Pacers (Western Michigan)
Patric Young, Pelicans (Florida)

Atlantic Notes: Bennett, Leiweke, J.R. Smith

August 22nd, 2014 at 9:51am CST by Chuck Myron

The Celtics are the only Atlantic Division team to make it to the NBA Finals in the past decade, and that will probably continue to be the case for at least another year. All five of the clubs in the division are taking divergent approaches to changing that, from New York’s commitment to building around superstar Carmelo Anthony to Philadelphia’s scorched-earth rebuilding plan. Here’s more on a few of the Atlantic teams trying to climb the ladder:

The Sixers attempted to find a way to end up with Anthony Bennett, but the Wolves were set on keeping him as part of the Kevin Love deal, as Marc Stein of ESPN.com writes. There was never any agreement that would have sent Bennett to Philadelphia, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports, in spite of reports from a few weeks ago that indicated the 2013 No. 1 overall pick was on his way to the Sixers.
Raptors GM Masai Ujiri was effusive Thursday in his praise of Tim Leiweke, the departing CEO of the company that controls the team, as the GM spoke to Doug Smith of the Toronto Star. Leiweke is set to leave his post no later than June 30th, 2015, though Smith presumes the CEO’s exit will happen long before that date.
J.R. Smith‘s disappointing 2013/14 season led to trade rumors that persisted into this summer, but Smith is confident that his improved health will lead to a bounceback performance this year, as he tells Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com. Smith spoke of a desire to take on more of a leadership role and seems to fully expect that he’ll continue to be a part of the Knicks roster.

Mavericks Close To Re-Signing Bernard James

August 22nd, 2014 at 8:20am CST by Alex Lee

FRIDAY, 8:20am: The impending deal for James will be fully guaranteed, a source tells Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com. That would give the team 15 fully guaranteed pacts to go with the partially guaranteed arrangements for Eric Griffin and Ivan Johnson, as MacMahon points out.

THURSDAY, 11:20am: The Mavericks are close to re-signing center Bernard James, reports Marc Stein of ESPN.com (via Twitter). According to Stein, the team is finalizing a one-year deal for the minimum salary to bring back the 29-year-old for his third season in Dallas. Assuming the deal is finalized, James should receive the two-year veteran’s minimum worth $915,243.

While the Mavs didn’t extend him a qualifying offer by the June 30 deadline, there were multiple reports that suggested the team was interested in bringing James back. The Florida State product backed up Samuel Dalembert at center last season in Dallas, averaging 0.9 points and 0.3 blocks in 4.9 minutes per game. He is likely to fill a similar role in 2014/15.

And-Ones: Melo, Thompson, Lee, Lowry

August 21st, 2014 at 10:43pm CST by Alex Lee

Speaking at a charity event on Thursday night at the Barclays Center, Carmelo Anthony indicated he’s that he was close to leaving the Knicks this offseason, writes Ian Begley of ESPN New York. Melo did add that he’s optimistic about the new-look roster built under Phil Jackson‘s direction, though he acknowledged that the Eastern Conference improved this summer.

Here are some other notes from around the league:

Ric Bucher of Bleacher Report cites a source close to Klay Thompson that says the Warriors‘ guard is angry that he was dangled as trade bait for Kevin Love over the summer. In his piece, Bucher examines the idea that Golden State alienated Thompson and David Lee, though he was unable reach Lee or sources close to him.
Looking towards the 2014/15 version of the Raptors, Moke Hamilton of Basketball Insiders likens Kyle Lowry to Rajon Rondo, comparing the the four-year, $48MM deal that Lowry signed with Toronto this summer to the five-year, $55MM deal that Rondo inked in 2009. The common thread, Hamilton writes, is that both lucrative pacts, while based off small samples, were awarded to point guards that had the potential to justify them.

And-Ones: Raptors, Sixers, Wolves, Marion

August 21st, 2014 at 9:18pm CST by Alex Lee

Based upon the initial reaction in the Toronto media, it seems like Raptors CEO Tim Leiweke will be missed after news broke this week that he will eventually leave the organization. Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun partially credits Leiweke with landing current GM Masai Ujiri, who last season built the first Raptors team to make the playoffs in six years. Wolstat also points to the 2016 All Star Game, which Toronto will host, and the team’s new practice facility as coups that have Leiweke’s fingerprints all over them. Meanwhile, Sean Fitz-Gerald of the National Post lauds the CEO for cultivating the organization’s relationship with hip hop star Drake and also writes that Leiweke played a role in retaining star guard Kyle Lowry.

Let’s see what else is going on around the NBA on Thursday evening:

As Tom Moore of Calkins Media points out (via Twitter), Luc Mbah a Moute is slated to make about $4.4MM for the Sixers in 2014/15 while Alexey Shved will make about $3.2MM. Meanwhile, Thaddeus Young will earn around $9.2MM this season for the Timberwolves and has a $9.7MM player option for 2015/16.
Assuming the trade is finalized as reported, Moore reminds us that Jason Richardson, still recovering from a knee injury, and Arnett Moultrie are now the longest tenured Sixers, appearing in 92 games combined. Hollis Thompson, who has played 77 games in Philly, will have the most time on the court (Twitter link).
Appearing on ESPN 103.3 in Dallas on Thursday, Mavericks owner Mark Cuban discussed Shawn Marion‘s decision to sign with the Cavaliers. “He wanted to go to somebody that he thought, and this was all prior to signing Chandler Parsons and everything, that he thought was closer to a ring particularly in the Eastern Conference. He decided to go that route and we wish him nothing but the best,” Cuban said. (quote via The Dallas Morning News)

Poll: Grade Wolves’ Haul For Love

August 21st, 2014 at 8:18pm CST by Alex Lee

With the pieces of the Kevin Love trade on the verge of becoming official, we can finally begin to think about what this deal means for some of the less-publicized parties involved. We know what it signifies for the Cavaliers, who will acquire their second superstar of the offseason to go with a promising young point guard in Kyrie Irving. I think we can all agree that morphing from the team drafting first in June into the NBA favorite by August is an A-plus offseason any way you slice it.

But how did Minnesota make out in this deal? When all the dust settles on this three-way trade — assuming it’s finalized as is currently being reported — the Timberwolves will have ultimately moved Love, Luc Mbah a Moute and Alexey Shved for Andrew Wiggins, Anthony Bennett and Thaddeus Young. According to Jon Krawczynski of The Associated Press (via Twitter), it’s hard to imagine team president Flip Saunders could have acquired a better package for a star player he was probably a year away from losing for nothing. Do you agree?

History has shown us that trading superstars in their prime is risky business in the NBA. Sometimes the package is led by one prized asset and ancillary pieces with upside, as was the case in the deals for Charles Barkley (Jeff Hornacek), Ray Allen (Jeff Green), Kevin Garnett (Al Jefferson) and Chris Paul (Eric Gordon). Other times we see star-for-star swaps, like Tracy McGrady for Steve Francis or Jason Kidd for Stephon Marbury. And occasionally teams are forced to trade their studs for pennies on the dollar, as we saw with Shaquille O’Neal (traded to the Heat) and Vince Carter (traded to the Nets).

What we don’t usually see is a fair return for a superstar player — if it even exists — which leads us back to Minnesota’s haul for Love. In Wiggins, the Wolves will land the first overall pick in a loaded draft before he plays a minute in a regular season NBA game. In Bennett, they’ll land a guy who is a year removed from also being selected at the top of the draft. And finally, in Young, they’ll land a veteran who seems destined to be a tremendous role player on a contender.

With all of that in consideration, what grade would you assign Saunders and the Timberwolves for the Love deal? Feel free to justify your grade in the comments section.

Update On Unsigned 2014 Draft Picks

August 21st, 2014 at 5:49pm CST by Chuck Myron

Nearly two months have passed since this year’s draft, but it’s still unclear where 11 of the 60 draftees will play this year. Most have either signed with their NBA teams or agreed to play overseas or in the D-League, as our log of draft pick signings shows, but the fates of a significant portion of this year’s draftees are unknown. The Sixers, who’ve taken the past two summers at a glacial pace under GM Sam Hinkie, account for four of the unsigned draft picks, but they aren’t alone.

Here’s a look at where each unsigned draftee stands. The situations involving some of them have been well-documented, while others remain largely shrouded in mystery, so I’ve taken my best educated guess about the reasons behind the delays. The position in which each player was drafted is in parentheses.

Joel Embiid, Sixers (third overall) — Embiid won’t be hitting the court for a while, no matter when he signs. The latest timetable for his recovery from a broken foot would put him back in action sometime between November and February, so while it’s possible he plays a majority of the season, there’s a decent chance he won’t be back until after the All-Star break. In any case, it seems he’ll miss time, but probably not the entire season, as the highly drafted Nerlens Noel did for the Sixers last year. Still, I wouldn’t be surprised if the Sixers held off on signing Embiid until late September, the time of year when they inked Noel in 2013. Keeping Embiid unsigned maximizes Philadelphia’s flexibility, since the Sixers could exceed the salary cap to sign him if they find a way to use their ample room beneath the cap.
P.J. Hairston, Hornets (26th overall) — Hairston signed with an agent who wasn’t union-certified, and that appears to be at the root of the hold-up here. Charlotte is only carrying 14 players, so it would seem there’s a spot set aside for Hairston once his representation is in order.
K.J. McDaniels, Sixers (32nd overall) — There are no cap exceptions set aside specifically for second-round draftees as there are for first-rounders, so Philly’s plausible explanation for the lack of an Embiid signing doesn’t apply to McDaniels. Most picks at the top of the second round receive slightly more than the minimum salary, but perhaps the Sixers are holding out for the possibility that they’ll need to use the minimum salary exception should they manage to exhaust their cap room. McDaniels would probably prefer a deal with the rebuilding Sixers, for whom he could play a significant role as a rookie, rather than a trek overseas, so that could be behind his patience.
Jerami Grant, Sixers (39th overall) — What holds for McDaniels probably holds for Grant, too. Philadelphia’s apparent inclusion in the Kevin Love trade agreement also looms as a possible explanation for the hesitance the Sixers have shown to sign their draft picks.
Glenn Robinson III, Timberwolves (40th overall) — The Wolves reportedly would like to bring Robinson aboard, but they’re carrying 15 guaranteed contracts, and that number doesn’t appear set to change according to the latest reports on the structure of the Love deal.
Nikola Jokic, Nuggets (41st overall) — Chris Dempsey of the Denver Post wrote last month that Jokic wouldn’t be on the Nuggets roster for this fall, but definitive word on where he’ll end up remains elusive. The Nuggets have at least a partially guaranteed commitment to 16 players, so there’s little wiggle room for a change of plans on Denver’s end.
Dwight Powell, Cavaliers (45th overall) — The Love swap could be playing into Powell’s situation, too, and Cleveland has generally been slow to formalize deals with its free agent signings this summer. There’s been no report of an agreement between the team and Powell, but the dynamics of the Love trade agreement appear to set the Cavs up to have no more than 14 players with any guaranteed salary for this season. It’s conceivable that there will be news of a Powell signing soon after the Love trade becomes official.
Jordan Clarkson, Lakers (46th overall) — Multiple reports have indicated that the Lakers are expected to sign Clarkson before training camp begins, but there doesn’t appear to have been any agreement yet. The Lakers can offer no more than a two-year deal for the minimum salary, more or less locking in the terms for any deal, and the team is only carrying 14 players, so it’s tough to see why Clarkson remains unsigned.
Alec Brown, Suns (50th overall) — Brown originally appeared set to play overseas, but Channing Frye‘s departure apparently changed that, as Suns GM Ryan McDonough said last month. It still remains unclear whether Brown will end up with Phoenix this year, and the Suns appear to be putting much of their business on hold until Eric Bledsoe‘s restricted free agency is resolved. Phoenix is carrying 13 players, all on guaranteed deals.
Semaj Christon, Thunder (55th overall) — Oklahoma City has 14 guaranteed deals, but Hasheem Thabeet‘s non-guaranteed contract is set to become guaranteed next month, so there doesn’t appear to be room for Christon. It’s possible that the Thunder envision having Christon sign with the D-League and play with their affiliate, much like the team’s arrangement with 29th overall pick Josh Huestis. Grant Jerrett, the Thunder’s second-rounder from 2013, began last season on a D-League deal, so there’s plenty of precedent.
Jordan McRae, Sixers (58th overall) — McRae seems caught up in the same dynamics in which the other Sixers draftees find themselves, though as a player taken near the end of the second round, it’d be a long shot if he were to ink for more than the minimum salary, unlike McDaniels and Grant.

And-Ones: Bledsoe, Monroe, Raptors, Gray

August 21st, 2014 at 4:14pm CST by Chuck Myron

An NBA GM who spoke with Sean Deveney of The Sporting News said he’d be reluctant to sign-and-trade for either Eric Bledsoe or Greg Monroe in part because of the chance they’ll become available again next summer. The GM also suggested that the Suns and Pistons are overvaluing them, further diminishing the odds of a trade this offseason. While we continue to wait to see what happens to the two top restricted free agents, here’s more from around the league:

When Tim Leiweke spoke about two months ago to the board of the company that controls the Raptors, he declined to promise that he would stay on as CEO past next spring, as Elliotte Friedman writes for CBC.ca. That helped lead to today’s announcement of his planned departure, Friedman explains. The Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment board wanted to take control of the process and end speculation about Leiweke’s future, as Friedman details, adding that Leiweke’s contract carried an escape clause that gave him a way out.
Aaron Gray‘s contract with the Pistons is for two years, with a player option for the final season, as Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders reveals (Twitter link).
Joel Embiid is tight with Luc Mbah a Moute, notes Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun, and that helps explain why the Sixers appear poised to acquire Mbah a Moute as part of the Kevin Love trade (Twitter link). Mbah a Moute has served as a mentor for Embiid, a fellow native of Cameroon, as Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune points out (on Twitter).

Top Ball Distributors Still On The Market

August 21st, 2014 at 1:45pm CST by Chuck Myron

Our look at the top scorers, rebounders and three-point shooters remaining on the free agent market over the past week highlights role players who can each fill a specific niche. Still, It’s perhaps appropriate that our list of the top available ball distributors begins and ends with the two stars still left without NBA deals.

Restricted free agents Eric Bledsoe and Greg Monroe each appear on three of the four compilations we’ve put together as part of this series, a testament to their wide-ranging skills. It’s no surprise that Bledsoe is tops among unsigned assist makers, but Monroe’s presence demonstrates that slick passing isn’t the exclusive domain of point guards. There are other notable big men among the names that appear below, including Andray Blatche, who, like Monroe, is also among the top scorers and rebounders on the market.

The list below ranks the remaining free agents by assist rate, a percentage of a team’s made baskets that a player assisted, according to Basketball-Reference. The figures are from the 2013/14 season. Proficient ball distributors abound, as the four names at the head of this ranking have assist rates better than or equal to the mark that Damian Lillard put up for the Blazers.

The assist rate for each player here is in parentheses. Free agents had to appear in at least 20 games and average at least 10 minutes per contest to qualify for the list.

Eric Bledsoe (27.0%)
Ramon Sessions (25.7%)
Ronnie Price (25.6%)
Jordan Crawford (25.1%)
Eric Maynor (23.0%)
Darius Morris (21.5%)
Tyshawn Taylor (21.4%)
Leandro Barbosa (13.4%)
Andray Blatche (12.8%)
Kenyon Martin (11.9%)
Hedo Turkoglu (11.9%)
E’Twaun Moore (11.8%)*
Ray Allen (11.1%)
Roger Mason (10.5%)
Greg Monroe (10.3%)

* — Moore is reportedly expected to sign with the Bulls, but it’s not entirely clear whether the sides have an agreement.

Honorable mention:

Nando De Colo would have ranked eighth with his 19.7% assist rate, but he signed with CSKA Moscow in Russia. Toney Douglas would have been right behind De Colo on the list with a 14.6% assist rate had he not agreed to play for China’s Jiangsu Dragons.
Derek Fisher would have been on this list, just as he would have appeared among the top unsigned three-point shooters, if he hadn’t taken the Knicks head coaching job. Fisher’s assist rate from last season is 11.6%.
Chauncey Billups played in only 19 games, missing the cut by a single contest, but his 18.7% assist rate would have put him among these rankings.

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