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Month: November 2024

2018 NBA Draft Picks By Team

May 17th, 2018 at 10:49am CST by Luke Adams

While the Sixers were knocked out of the 2018 playoffs in the Eastern Conference Semifinals by the underdog Celtics, few teams are better positioned in this year’s draft than Philadelphia. The 76ers own six of the 60 picks in the 2018 NBA draft, including a pair of first-rounders.

As our full 2018 draft order shows, the Sixers are one of seven NBA teams that holds more than two selections in this year’s draft. On the other end of the spectrum, eight teams have just one pick in 2018, while two teams – the Heat and Raptors – don’t have any selections.

To present a clearer picture of which teams are most – and least – stocked with picks for the 2018 NBA draft, we’ve rounded up all 60 picks by team in the space below. Let’s dive in…

Teams with more than two picks:

  • Philadelphia 76ers (5): 10, 26, 38, 56, 60
  • Phoenix Suns (4): 1, 16, 31, 59
  • Atlanta Hawks (4): 3, 19, 30, 34
  • Dallas Mavericks (3): 5, 33, 54
  • Orlando Magic (3): 6, 35, 41
  • Charlotte Hornets (3): 11, 45, 55
  • Denver Nuggets (3): 14, 43, 58
  • Los Angeles Lakers (3): 25, 39, 47

Teams with two picks:

  • Sacramento Kings: 2, 37
  • Memphis Grizzlies: 4, 32
  • Chicago Bulls: 7, 22
  • New York Knicks: 9, 36
  • Los Angeles Clippers: 12, 13
  • Washington Wizards: 15, 44
  • San Antonio Spurs: 18, 49
  • Minnesota Timberwolves: 20, 48
  • Utah Jazz: 21, 52
  • Indiana Pacers: 23, 50
  • Brooklyn Nets : 29, 40
  • Oklahoma City Thunder: 53, 57

Teams with fewer than two picks:

  • Cleveland Cavaliers (1): 8
  • Milwaukee Bucks (1): 17
  • Portland Trail Blazers (1): 24
  • Boston Celtics (1): 27
  • Golden State Warriors (1): 28
  • Detroit Pistons (1): 42
  • Houston Rockets (1): 46
  • New Orleans Pelicans (1): 51
  • Miami Heat (0)
  • Toronto Raptors (0)
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Southwest Notes: Rockets, Kawhi, Grizzlies, Pelicans

May 17th, 2018 at 10:01am CST by Luke Adams

While Rockets general manager Daryl Morey has deservedly received much of the praise for shaping Houston’s roster into a title contender, Morey credit his star guard James Harden for his ability as a recruiter and a pitchman, writes Tim MacMahon of ESPN.com.

“James was everything,” Morey said in discussing the Rockets’ roster building and the addition of Chris Paul. “Not only is he a great player on the floor, but he’s someone who’s just focused on winning and is willing to do anything to make it happen, whether it be meet with people, call them, text them, whatever is required. He makes my job easy.”

As MacMahon details, Harden and Paul were both instrumental in convincing P.J. Tucker to sign with the Rockets last summer. The veteran forward turned down a larger offer from the Raptors in order to join Harden and Paul in Houston, and he showed on Wednesday night how valuable he can be for the Rockets. Tucker, who scored 20 points in his first game with the team last October, hadn’t reached that mark again until he poured in 22 against Golden State in Game 2.

Here’s more from around the Southwest:

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2018 NBA Offseason Salary Cap Digest: New Orleans Pelicans

May 17th, 2018 at 8:57am CST by Luke Adams

Re-signing Jrue Holiday to a massive five-year contract during the 2017 offseason ensured that the Pelicans didn’t have any cap room available last year, and that figures to be the case again this summer. Now, the big question will be whether the team can bring back its two key free agents – DeMarcus Cousins and Rajon Rondo – without going deep into luxury-tax territory.

Here’s where things currently stand for the Pelicans financially, as we continue our Offseason Salary Cap Digest series for 2018:

Guaranteed Salary

Player Options

  • None

Team Options

  • None

Non-Guaranteed Salary

Restricted Free Agents

  • None

Unrestricted Free Agents / Other Cap Holds

Projected Salary Cap: $101,000,000

Projected Cap Room: None

  • Even if the Pelicans were to renounce all their free agents and waive all their non-guaranteed salaries, their total team salary would still reach a minimum of $96,447,177, creating less than $5MM in cap room. The mid-level exception projects to be worth about $8.57MM, so New Orleans is better off remaining an over-the-cap team. Plus, cap holds for Cousins and Rondo would put the club way over the cap anyway.
  • For what it’s worth, Cousins’ max salary projects to be $30.3MM. Adding that figure to the Pelicans’ current guaranteed salaries increases team salary to $122,590,622 for just eight players, meaning New Orleans would have to go well past the tax line to fill out its roster. As such, if the club plans to bring back Cousins on a max deal, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see one or two of those other guaranteed contracts traded or waived.

Footnotes:

  1. Diallo’s salary becomes fully guaranteed after July 7.
  2. Okafor’s salary becomes guaranteed for $100K after July 12.
  3. Miller’s salary becomes guaranteed for $300K after June 28, then fully guaranteed after July 24.
  4. Liggins’ salary becomes guaranteed for $50K after July 15, then guaranteed for $75K after July 30.

Note: Rookie scale cap holds are estimates based on salary cap projections and could increase or decrease depending on where the cap lands.

Salary information from Basketball Insiders was used in the creation of this post. Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

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Mavericks Notes: Lottery, Cuban, Free Agency, Porter

May 16th, 2018 at 10:56pm CST by Arthur Hill

Michael Finley joked that he was tempted to demand a recount when the Mavericks landed the fifth pick at Tuesday’s lottery, relays Dwain Price of Mavs.com. Dallas’ VP of basketball operations decided to remain professional at the event and is optimistic the team can land an impact player. The Mavs came into the lottery with the third best chance to win the top choice and a guarantee to fall no lower than sixth.

“It’s a deep draft with some great young talent, so at the fifth pick I think we’ll still be able to get a player that can come in and help us immediately,” Finley said. “It’s a wide variety of sizes and talent in the draft when you look at some of the point guards, some of the wing guys and the big guys.

“Like I said, it’ll give us a great opportunity to get one of those players, and hopefully that player can help us so we won’t be at this lottery next year.”

There’s more tonight from Dallas:

  • The ping pong balls didn’t bounce the Mavericks’ way, but there’s no guarantee the team will hold onto the No. 5 pick, owner Mark Cuban tells Dalton Trigg of 247Sports.com. “We are never content,” Cuban said. “We will be open to any and all options.”
  • The Mavericks should be careful not to try to make up for the lottery disappointment by becoming overly aggressive in free agency, writes Eddie Sefko of The Dallas Morning News. He advises the team to build slowly and not do something risky like offering a max deal to DeMarcus Cousins, who continues to recover from a ruptured Achilles tendon.
  • Dallas will take a long look at Missouri’s Michael Porter Jr. with the fifth pick, Sefko states in a separate piece. Porter missed almost the entire college season with back problems, but his physical gifts still make him a promising NBA prospect. Magic executive Pat Williams, whose team owns the sixth pick, said DeAndre Ayton, Luka Doncic, Marvin Bagley III and Jaren Jackson Jr. are expected to be the first four taken, with Porter, Mo Bamba, Wendell Carter and maybe Trae Young going right afterward.
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Cavaliers Notes: Smith, D. Jordan, James, Draft Pick

May 16th, 2018 at 9:57pm CST by Arthur Hill

J.R. Smith won’t face any repercussions from the league for a hard foul on Al Horford in Tuesday’s Game 2, according to an ESPN report. Horford was in the air late in the fourth quarter when Smith shoved him from behind, causing him to crash to the court. The officials called a flagrant 1 on Smith after a video review.

Smith agreed with the call when interviewed after the game, admitting he “blatantly” shoved Horford.

“It wasn’t like I was trying to low-bridge him or something to make sure he didn’t get it. It was a good, hard foul,” Smith said. “I can understand why they gave me a flagrant.”

There’s more today from Cleveland:

  • Smith has been through a lot of scrapes in his 14-year career and doesn’t mind playing the role of villain in playoff road games, relays A. Sherrod Blakely of NBC Sports Boston. “I don’t want the opposing fans to like me,” he said. “That’s not why I’m here. They can chant and scream all they want.”
  • LeBron James  and coach Tyronn Lue both wanted to trade for Clippers center DeAndre Jordan at the deadline, according to Jason Lloyd of The Athletic. Lue felt the team needed a rim protector to anchor the defense.
  • The trades the Cavaliers made instead in February are letting them down in the conference finals, notes Terry Pluto of Cleveland.com. George Hill managed just three points in 33 minutes of Game 2 and couldn’t contain Celtics guard Terry Rozier. Rodney Hood didn’t take a shot from the field in 11 minutes, while Larry Nance Jr. was scoreless and Jordan Clarkson didn’t play.
  • The Nets’ first-rounder the Cavaliers acquired in the Kyrie Irving trade will strengthen their position whether LeBron James stays or not, contends Joe Vardon of Cleveland.com. The Cavs will have 14 of their 17 players under contract for next season if James returns, but they have minimal guarantees beyond that, which will make rebuilding easier if it becomes necessary. Vardon suggests the team might try to trade Kevin Love again this summer and speculates that the Hornets could be interested in the No. 8 pick as a way to part with Kemba Walker‘s contract.
  • A podcast on Cleveland.com examines whether James’ future with the organization is tied to how the team performs in the conference finals.
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Budenholzer Was First Choice In Toronto?

May 16th, 2018 at 8:42pm CST by Arthur Hill

Mike Budenholzer, who agreed tonight to be the Bucks’ next head coach, was also the Raptors’ top choice, tweets Michael Grange of Rogers Sportsnet. Budenholzer met with Toronto’s front office on Monday, but no job offer was extended, relays ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link).

Assistant coach Nick Nurse appears to be the current front-runner for the Raptors’ job, according to Josh Lewenberg of TSN Sports (Twitter link). Nurse has spent the past five seasons as part of former coach Dwane Casey’s staff.

Lewenberg describes him as a “forward, innovative thinker,” which is an important quality to the Toronto front office (Twitter link). He adds that there’s a good chance someone else will hire Nurse if the Raptors don’t make him their head coach.

Toronto seems very focused on internal candidates, Lewenberg notes, as fellow assistant Rex Kalamian is being considered for the opening, along with Jerry Stackhouse, head coach of Raptors 905 in the G League (Twitter link). Other than Budenholzer, no one from outside the organization has interviewed for the position.

Stay current with all the latest coaching news with our 2018 NBA Head Coaching Search Tracker.

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Finalists For NBA Awards Announced

May 16th, 2018 at 7:31pm CST by Arthur Hill

The top three finalists for each of this year’s NBA awards are being released on tonight’s TNT pre-game show. The trophies will be presented June 25 at the league’s official awards show.

Here’s an ongoing list that we will update as the candidates are announced, along with links to our staff’s picks for each honor:

Rookie of the Year

Hoops Rumors Analysis: ROY

Most Improved Player

Hoops Rumors Analysis: MIP

Sixth Man of the Year

Hoops Rumors Analysis: Sixth Man

Coach of the Year

  • Dwane Casey (Raptors)
  • Quin Snyder (Jazz)
  • Brad Stevens (Celtics)

Hoops Rumors Analysis: COY

Defensive Player of the Year

Hoops Rumors Analysis: DPOY

Most Valuable Player

Hoops Rumors Analysis: MVP

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Shane Battier Gets Permission To Interview With Pistons

May 16th, 2018 at 7:15pm CST by Arthur Hill

Shane Battier has received permission from the Heat to discuss a possible front office job with the Pistons, tweets Ira Winderman of The Sun-Sentinel.

Battier was among several candidates revealed earlier today to be under consideration for positions in Detroit. He currently serves as director of basketball development and analytics in Miami.

Battier is being groomed for a high-level position with the Heat and may even run the organization someday if he stays there, according to the Five Reasons Sports Network (Twitter link). However, team president Pat Riley is expected to remain in place for several more years, and Battier’s connections to Michigan may be enough to lure him to the Pistons.

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Bucks To Hire Mike Budenholzer

May 16th, 2018 at 7:08pm CST by Arthur Hill

7:08pm: Darvin Ham, Budenholzer’s top assistant in Atlanta, will accompany him to Milwaukee and may be joined by the rest of the staff, according to David Aldridge of TNT (Twitter link).

6:47pm: Budenholzer will sign a four-year contract, Wojnarowski tweets.

6:17pm: Mike Budenholzer has agreed to become the Bucks’ next coach, writes Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.

Clues began to emerge over the past two days that Budenholzer was the top choice for the job. He met with team management and ownership yesterday, then had breakfast this morning with Giannis Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton.

Budenholzer spent the past five seasons as the head coach of the Hawks before parting ways with the franchise last month. Atlanta launched a rebuilding project this year after four straight playoff appearances and Budenholzer reportedly didn’t want to go through that process. He was 213-197 with the Hawks, including a 24-58 record this season.

He succeeds interim coach Joe Prunty, who took over the team when Jason Kidd was fired in January. Prunty, who compiled a 21-16 mark, was among the coaches who interviewed for the opening, along with Ettore Messina, Steve Clifford, Monty Williams, David Blatt, Becky Hammon and Jay Larranaga. Messina was also considered a finalist and met with Bucks ownership on Tuesday as well.

Budenholzer was among the most popular candidates on the market, getting permission from the Hawks to interview with the Suns and Knicks while he was still their coach. He also had an interview Monday with the Raptors, according to Wojnarowski, but Toronto didn’t make an offer.

The Bucks are the sixth team to fill a vacancy in what has been an active offseason for coaching changes. The Pistons, Raptors, and Magic are still in the market for head coaches. Keep up to date with all the developments with our 2018 NBA Head Coaching Search Tracker.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

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Suns Notes: Draft, Doncic, Ayton, Jackson

May 16th, 2018 at 5:23pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Suns will conduct plenty of research on Deandre Ayton, Luka Doncic and several other prospects before deciding what to do with their No. 1 pick, writes Scott Bordow of The Arizona Republic. When the Phoenix logo was revealed in the final envelope at Tuesday’s lottery, it marked the first time the franchise had ever landed the top selection, and GM Ryan McDonough said the team is committed to getting it right.

“I’ll let you know June 21,” he responded when asked whom the Suns plan to draft. “I know people jump to conclusions about who it’s going to be, but we don’t know yet.” 

The Suns will be among the most active teams on draft night, also holding the No. 16 pick, acquired from Miami in the Goran Dragic deal in 2015, along with the 31st and 59th selections in the second round.

There’s more today out of Phoenix:

  • A new mock draft released by Michael Scotto of The Athletic has Phoenix taking Doncic first overall. He explains that not only would Doncic provide an ideal complement to Devin Booker in the backcourt, the move will give the Suns the freedom to target a center in free agency. The Rockets’ Clint Capela has been rumored as a possibility, and DeAndre Jordan could also be in play if he opts out of a $24.1MM salary with the Clippers. If neither works out, Phoenix could turn toward DeMarcus Cousins, Brook Lopez or Greg Monroe, who will all be unrestricted.
  • Ayton is the more likely choice, according to John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7, who tweets that the probability of taking the Arizona center is “100%.” Ayton averaged 20.1 points and 11.6 rebounds as a freshman with the Wildcats.
  • New coach Igor Kokoskov, who started work Monday, should have five immediate priorities, Bordow writes a separate story. He identifies them as developing a working relationship with Booker, turning T.J. Warren into a sixth man, getting improvement from young forwards Marquese Chriss and Dragan Bender if they both remain on the roster, creating a defensive mindset and convincing Josh Jackson to become the team’s defensive stopper. The Suns ranked last in team defense this season, Bordow notes, and drafted Jackson last year because of his potential on that end of the floor.
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