2020 October | Hoops Rumors

NBPA “Closer” To Agreement On Cap, Free Agency

October 27th, 2020 at 7:30pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Progress has been made in determining the league’s salary cap and free agency date, NBPA executive director Michele Roberts told USA Today’s Mark Medina.

Roberts indicated the she’s “closer” to reaching an agreement with the league on those pressing matters.

“We’re probably closer toward resolving that issue,” Roberts said. “Frankly, that is something we can’t hold off for deciding too much longer.”

A report earlier on Tuesday revealed that some team executives are preparing for free agency to begin 48-72 hours after the November 18 draft. Roberts admits that players headed to free agency are eager to determine their futures. However, teams won’t know how much they can spend until the salary cap is determined.

“We have free agents that are losing their minds, as are teams that want to engage and negotiate. So that’s something we don’t have the luxury of delaying a decision on,” Roberts said. “As tough as this is, it’s not life or death. We want to do it right and not do it quickly if it sacrifices doing it right.”

With the loss of revenue due to the pandemic, Roberts acknowledges the players and league have no choice but to find common ground.

“It would be silly to say we’re not possibly going to make a deal,” Roberts said. “Then we would just say hello to the end of professional basketball. I’m not anywhere near there.”

Roberts also addressed a few other topics:

She’s unsure how the latest proposal to start next season on December 22 will be received by the players, or how it could affect teams that made deep playoff runs in Orlando. She anticipates that players on teams who didn’t participate in the restart would be in favor of getting the season started sooner than later. “There are guys that haven’t played since the suspension of play in March and they may have a different attitude or not,” she said. “Frankly, I’ve spoken to players that did stop playing at or about that time, and they’re banging down the doors to get back to the practice facility.”
She’s skeptical that teams can allow fans into arenas until a vaccine is widely available. “That’s such a big difference to indoor activity,” she said. “Much of the surge we’re hearing about right now has a lot to do with people returning indoors because of the weather. That concerns me.”
Another “bubble-like” setting on a limited basis is a possibility but she hopes it isn’t necessary. “I don’t think anyone wants to do that,” she said. “And if we do it, we don’t want to do it for any length of time.”

Central Notes: Pistons Draft, Bucks Moves, Bulls Draft

October 27th, 2020 at 6:23pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Pistons can be reasonably certain about five prospects who won’t drop to them at the No. 7 overall pick, according to Keith Langlois of Pistons.com. From the way the draft is shaping up, Anthony Edwards, James Wiseman, LaMelo Ball, Obi Toppin and Deni Avdija — in no particular order — will be off the board. The player that Detroit drafts could be predicated by which player goes at the No. 6 pick, which the Hawks currently own. Although the Pistons are open to trading up or down, those deals are difficult to pull off for teams picking in the middle of the lottery, Langlois adds.

We have more from the Central Division:

While Giannis Antetokounmpo‘s decision on whether to sign an extension looms over the Bucks franchise, Milwaukee has several other issues to ponder this offseason and it seeks ways to advance deeper into the playoffs. The Athletic’s Danny Leroux takes a look at the team’s cap and roster situation and concludes that the front office will be seeking depth players and young talent in free agency and potential trades. Retaining Wesley Matthews, who is likely to decline his $2.69MM option, is another priority, Leroux adds.
Bulls executive vice president of basketball operations Artūras Karnišovas should try his best to trade down in the draft, K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago opines. With Edwards, Wiseman and Ball likely to go in the first three picks, the Bulls are in a pivotal position at No. 4. If another team covets a player at that spot, they could pick up another asset or two in a trade. With the likelihood of having 12 guaranteed contracts along with decisions to make on three restricted free agents, Chicago also has roster issues to consider, Johnson adds.
Toppin appears to be high on the Cavaliers’ draft board. Get the details here.

Poll: Rockets’ Next Head Coach

October 27th, 2020 at 5:00pm CST by Luke Adams

One of two teams that has yet to hire a new head coach, the Rockets are taking their time to finalize a decision on who will replace Mike D’Antoni. It has been over six weeks since D’Antoni and the team went their separate ways, and it has been nearly two weeks since a report suggested the Rockets had narrowed their search to three candidates.

Since Jeff Van Gundy, John Lucas, and Stephen Silas were identified as the Rockets’ presumed finalists, there have been conflicting reports on which candidate has the upper hand.

ESPN’s Brian Windhorst suggested last week during a TV appearance that Lucas had emerged as the frontrunner for the position and seemed to imply that Van Gundy was no longer a serious candidate. However, his colleague Adrian Wojnarowski said on SportsCenter later that day that Van Gundy had remained the “focus” of Houston’s search and that conversations between the two sides were continuing.

Providing an update this week on the state of the Rockets’ search, Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle (video link) said he doesn’t believe Lucas is the favorite.

“I really think at this point it’s going to be Jeff Van Gundy or Stephen Silas,” Feigen said. “John Lucas was – and is – a good candidate that they very seriously considered, and are considering, but I think it’s those two.”

Feigen explained that the Rockets’ desire to involve several different members of the organization in the decision – from the basketball operations department to team ownership to players – is one reason why the team has yet to make a hire. But with the draft just weeks away and free agency and training camps expected to follow shortly thereafter, it’s safe to assume Houston will finalize its decision pretty soon.

With that in mind, we want to know which direction you think the Rockets will go with their hire.

Will they lure Van Gundy away from the broadcast booth for another go-round in Houston? Will they stay in-house and promote Lucas, making him an NBA head coach for the first time since 2003? Will they opt for a first-time head coach with plenty of assistant experience in Silas? Or is there still time for the team to go off script and bring in someone unexpected for the job?

Vote in our poll, then head to the comment section below to share your thoughts on which candidate the Rockets will – and should – hire to replace D’Antoni.

Trade Rumors app users, click here to vote.

Steve Nash Embraces Nets’ Championship Expectations

October 27th, 2020 at 3:43pm CST by Luke Adams

With Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving due back from injuries and the Nets mulling additional roster upgrades this offseason, new head coach Steve Nash told season ticket holders during a virtual town hall on Tuesday that he’s embracing the club’s rising expectations for the 2020/21 season.

“We’re playing for a championship,” Nash said, according to Tim Bontemps of ESPN. “I don’t want to say that anything less than a championship is not a success because you never know what happens in life, you never know the way the ball bounces. Fortune is a big part of winning an NBA championship.

“But we are playing for a championship and we’re going to build accordingly. We’re going to frame everything we do in the lens of, ‘Is this a championship characteristic or is this worth championship quality?'”

Although the Nets posted a 35-37 record and were quickly swept out of the first round of the postseason in 2019/20, oddsmakers and sports bettors are bullish about the team’s outlook with Durant and Irving in the lineup. BetOnline.ag currently lists Brooklyn in a tie with Boston as the second-most likely team to come out of the East in 2021, just behind Milwaukee.

Still, it remains to be seen how Durant will look coming off his torn Achilles, and there are some questions about how the roster will mesh when everyone’s healthy, as well as Nash’s ability to steer the ship as a rookie head coach. Those questions were only exacerbated when Irving – addressing Nash’s hiring on a recent episode of Durant’s podcast – suggested that he doesn’t “really see us having a head coach.”

However, discussing his coaching plan during today’s town hall, Nash went out of his way to echo Irving’s language about collaboration, according to Bontemps.

“I definitely don’t want to come in with too many hard and fast concepts and designs,” Nash said. “I’d much rather come in with principles — with ideas that allow our players to collaborate with us and allow their personalities and the dynamic between them and the chemistry to have a role in how it evolves.

“People talk about the Phoenix teams I played on, and this sort of revolutionary tone of how it impacted the game, but the truth be told, Mike D’Antoni‘s brilliance in much of that was he allowed it to evolve instead of getting in the way.”

Atlantic Notes: Raptors, Hayward, Knicks, Vassell, Nets

October 27th, 2020 at 2:29pm CST by Luke Adams

An accelerated timeline for the start of the 2020/21 NBA season would reduce the likelihood of the Raptors being able to return to their home arena in Toronto. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, there are still significant restrictions on international travel from the U.S. to Canada and it seems unlikely that will change too drastically within the next two months.

With that in mind, Eric Koreen of The Athletic weighs the pros and cons of several possible temporary homes for the Raptors in 2020/21. While Louisville – briefly mentioned as a possibility last week – doesn’t appear to be a realistic option, Koreen believes there are several other alternatives that could work.

Buffalo, Newark, Kansas City, and Fort Myers are some of the cities that might make sense for the Raptors, according to Koreen, who adds that sharing a home arena with one of the NBA’s other Eastern Conference teams could also be a possibility — especially since those arenas likely won’t be hosting concerts or other major events anytime soon.

Here’s more from around the Atlantic:

Although it seems likely that Gordon Hayward will opt into the final year of his $34MM contract with the Celtics, agent Mark Bartelstein figures to do his homework and quietly survey the landscape to determine whether there’s a scenario in which Hayward could secure a lucrative, longer-term deal in Boston or elsewhere, writes Chris Forsberg of NBC Sports Boston. ESPN’s Bobby Marks and Zach Lowe discussed that possibility on The Lowe Post podcast on Monday, likening Hayward’s situation to that of Al Horford a year ago, as John Karalis of MassLive.com relays.
A team tracking Devin Vassell told Ian Begley of SNY.tv that the Knicks are collecting “a ton” of information on the former Florida State wing. The Knicks are one of several teams in the top 10 of the draft with Vassell on their radar, says Begley.
Brian Lewis of The New York Post identifies former Arkansas sharpshooter Isaiah Joe as a draft sleeper who may be of interest to the Nets. Joe is the No. 48 prospect on ESPN’s big board, while Brooklyn holds the Nos. 19 and 55 picks.

Teams Preparing For Possibility Free Agency Begins 48-72 Hours After Draft

October 27th, 2020 at 1:12pm CST by Luke Adams

The NBA draft is locked in for November 18. Now that the league is eyeing December 1 as the potential start date for training camps, that doesn’t leave much of a window for 2020’s free agent period.

Taking that projected time frame into account, some teams are preparing for the possibility that free agency will open on November 20 or 21, just 48 to 72 hours after the draft, says Marc Stein of The New York Times (Twitter link).

Before last Friday, when it still seemed as if the NBA would push back its regular season start date for 2020/21 well into the new year, there was a general belief that free agency would begin near the end of November — perhaps even as late as December 1. That’s no longer a realistic option if camps are to open at the start of December, so the league will presumably aim to get free agency underway before Thanksgiving.

Of course, the December 22 start date for the ’20/21 season – as well as the rumored December 1 date for training camps – has yet to be approved by the NBPA, so it remains to be seen whether such a breakneck pace will be necessary for the offseason.

However, assuming the players’ union does sign off on the NBA’s proposal, a November 20 or 21 start for free agency seems about right. That would give the league a brief window after the draft for deadlines for option decisions, qualifying offers, and certain salary guarantees before the new league year gets underway.

Further clarity on the NBA’s schedule is expected by the end of the week, according to Stein.

Categories:
Newsstand

Draft Rumors: Wiseman, Hornets, Warriors, Cavs, Pistons, OKC, More

October 27th, 2020 at 11:48am CST by Luke Adams

Kevin O’Connor’s latest update to his 2020 NBA mock draft at the Ringer includes several intriguing tidbits about which way certain teams might be leaning and which players are generating interest at certain spots.

We’ve already passed on a couple of those notes, relaying word that the Hawks have made the No. 6 pick available and that the Bulls are believed to be eyeing play-makers at No. 4. Here are a few more of the highlights from The Ringer’s mock:

Rumblings around the NBA suggest that the Warriors (No. 2) and Hornets (No. 3) both “covet” former Memphis center James Wiseman, according to O’Connor. If Wiseman is atop each team’s draft board, that means Charlotte might have to trade up to No. 1 to have a shot at him.
There’s a belief in league circles that the Cavaliers (No. 5) are high on former Dayton forward Obi Toppin, says O’Connor. That lines up with what we’ve heard in recent weeks from Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com, who reported on Monday that the Cavs will privately work out Toppin this week.
Sources tell O’Connor that the Pistons (No. 7) are interested in play-makers. Former Iowa State guard Tyrese Haliburton is one prospect who has been linked frequently to Detroit in mock drafts.
Serbian big man Aleksej Pokusevski has been linked to the Thunder (No. 25) by two separate sources whom O’Connor has spoken to in the past week. Pokusevski may not quite be NBA-ready, but his upside would make him a logical fit for an OKC team that may be entering a rebuild, O’Connor observes.
O’Connor also reiterates a point he has made in previous iterations of his mock draft, citing multiple sources who say that former Stanford guard Tyrell Terry is generating buzz as a potential mid-first-round pick.

Bulls Notes: Draft, Vassell, Young, Satoransky

October 27th, 2020 at 10:53am CST by Luke Adams

The Bulls are likely targeting a “lead play-maker” with their lottery pick in this year’s draft, league sources tell Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer.

With the No. 4 pick, Chicago probably won’t have a chance to select LaMelo Ball — O’Connor does have Ball going to the Bulls in his latest mock draft, but the younger brother of Lonzo Ball is widely expected to be a top-three selection.

If Ball is off the board, there still should be a number of intriguing alternatives in play for the Bulls. Killian Hayes, who spent last season playing for Ratiopharm Ulm in Germany, is O’Connor top-ranked prospect in this year’s class and would be a viable option at No. 4. Former Iowa State standout Tyrese Haliburton is also considered a very creative play-maker with strong vision, as O’Connor writes.

Here’s more on the Bulls:

Taking into account that Ball, Anthony Edwards, and James Wiseman are considered the most likely players to be drafted in the top three, Sam Smith of Bulls.com explores whether any of those prospects figure to be available for the Bulls at No. 4 — and whether the team should select them if they are.
Focusing on the top wing prospects in the draft rather than the backcourt play-makers, Darnell Mayberry of The Athletic considers whether trading down and selecting Florida State sharpshooter Devin Vassell might be the right play for the Bulls.
A year after signing with the Bulls as free agents, Thaddeus Young and Tomas Satoransky stand out as possible trade candidates, given the club’s roster construction, Mayberry writes in a separate story for The Athletic. While Mayberry thinks the two veterans could be good fits for the rotation under new head coach Billy Donovan, he notes that the new-look front office hasn’t been shy about transforming the coaching staff and might take a similar approach with the non-core pieces on the roster.

Hawks Shopping No. 6 Pick, Will Push For Playoffs In 2021

October 27th, 2020 at 10:23am CST by Luke Adams

The Hawks are shopping the No. 6 overall pick in the 2020 draft and intend to make a push for the postseason in 2020/21, multiple league sources tell Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer.

The report doesn’t come as a surprise. Multiple Hawks players and franchise leaders have talked in recent months about a strong desire to make the playoffs next season, while previous reports have indicated they’d be open to moving their lottery pick.

In Monday’s edition of his Lowe Post podcast, ESPN’s Zach Lowe made a similar point, telling colleague Bobby Marks that the Hawks are “yearning” to earn a postseason berth in 2021 and suggesting that – as a result – the team will be more open to win-now moves this fall.

While the Hawks are apparently open to trading down or out of the draft, they don’t necessarily have to move that No. 6 pick in order to upgrade their roster. The club projects to have between $40-45MM in cap room when free agency opens, which will likely be more than any other team has available.

General manager Travis Schlenk told reporters in the spring that the Hawks may be more “assertive” in free agency this year than they have been in recent offseasons. Since Schlenk’s arrival, Atlanta has mostly made signings in the second or third wave of free agency, looking to identify bargains once the top players are off the board. However, the Hawks are expected to be more aggressive this time around, according to O’Connor, who says the organization wants to “capitalize on Trae Young‘s emergence.”

That cap room will also give the Hawks plenty of options on the trade market, especially if the No. 6 pick is on the table. The team has frequently used its cap space in recent years to take on unwanted contracts in order to acquire extra draft assets, but figures to tweak that approach this year — Schlenk will likely be targeting productive veterans in any trade talks, rather than mere salary-dump candidates.

NBA Eyeing December 1 For Start Of Training Camps?

October 27th, 2020 at 9:18am CST by Luke Adams

The National Basketball Players Association has yet to approve the NBA’s proposed start date of December 22 for the 2020/21 regular season. However, assuming the two sides opt to move forward with that plan, December 1 appears to be the likeliest opening date for training camps, according to Marc Stein of The New York Times (Twitter link).

A three-week gap between the start of training camps and regular season games is fairly typical by NBA standards. At the start of the 2019/20 season, for instance, most teams opened training camps on October 1, while opening night fell on October 22. When the NBA restarted the season this summer following its four-month hiatus, teams began practicing around July 11 and seeding games began on July 30.

In each of those scenarios, preseason or exhibition games took place between the start of training camps and the start of the regular season schedule. Since the 2020/21 season isn’t expected to be played in a bubble environment, it’s not clear whether the NBA still intends to schedule preseason games or whether they’ll be viewed as unnecessary — that figures to be one of many matters of negotiation between the league and the NBPA.

The eight teams who weren’t invited to the Walt Disney World bubble this summer would likely welcome a December 1 start date for training camps, since they haven’t played in real games since early March. The first few teams eliminated in the summer would have also had a break of about three-and-a-half months.

The turnaround would be more challenging for teams that made deep playoff runs in Orlando. The Heat and Lakers, for instance, played their final game on October 11, so they’d only have 50 days off before reporting back to camp.

A December 1 start date for camps would also mean an extremely condensed free agency period, since the market isn’t expected to open until a few days after the November 18 draft. While most of the top players figure to sign new contracts during the first week of free agency, there would likely be a number of players still finding new NBA homes in December, after camps have already gotten underway.

Month: November 2024