Year: 2024

Northwest Notes: Porter Jr., Mitchell, Lillard, Wolves Offense

October 28th, 2021 at 8:34pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Nikola Jokic has a sore knee, but Nuggets coach Michael Malone is equally concerned about Michael Porter Jr.‘s slow start, according to Mike Singer of The Denver Post. Signed to a five-year max extension in late September, Porter is averaging just 11.5 PPG while shooting 34.6% from the field.

“We’ve got to get Michael Porter going,” Malone said. “He’s four games in, and I know that he’s capable of playing at a much higher level — from a shooting standpoint, his efficiency, his rebounding, his defense — so we’ve got to get more from Michael Porter.”

Jokic is questionable to play on Friday.

We have more from the Northwest Division:

The Jazz, particularly new owner Ryan Smith, are going out of their way to keep Donovan Mitchell happy, Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report writes. Mitchell has voiced to Jazz officials his desire to see more Black men in the organization and it has added a number of them in recent hires. Mitchell is in the first year of a five-year, $163MM contract.
There was a lot of speculation regarding Damian Lillard‘s future with the Trail Blazers during the offseason but he appears content now, Mark Medina of NBA.com writes. Lillard has become a strong believer in first-year coach Chauncey Billups, who led the Pistons to the 2004 championship. “I think it’ll just continue to get better,” Lillard said. “I think it’s a great opportunity for me to see something different and to learn. (Billups) knows the way to help myself and him, as a coach, to become a champion.”
The Timberwolves are off to a 3-1 start despite shooting 42.6% from the field and averaging 16.3 turnovers per game. They’re still trying to strike the perfect balance, led by their Big Three of Karl-Anthony Towns, D’Angelo Russell and Anthony Edwards, according to Chris Hine of The Star Tribune. “That is the balance when you give everybody as much freedom as we do,” coach Chris Finch said. “Kat, Ant, D-Lo, they have the license to break the offense, if you will, or be aggressive within it is probably a better way to put it. They can’t just always live off doing it with the first pass or first action and I think that’s where we’re living right now.”

Southwest Notes: Morant, Burke, Wieskamp, Temple

October 28th, 2021 at 6:59pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Grizzlies guard Ja Morant says he’s motivated by his desire to be recognized as an All-Star player, Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports writes. Morant, who has been on a scoring tear this season, averaging 30.5 PPG and 8.5 APG, says he has a chip on his shoulder after being passed over for the All-Star Game in his first two NBA seasons.

“I feel like it took me averaging 35 points a game to finally get some All-Star recognition,” Morant said. “But, I really can’t speak too much on that. I feel like my chip will never leave.”

We have more on the Southwest Division:

Mavericks guard Trey Burke will not play against San Antonio on Thursday due to COVID-19 protocols, Tim MacMahon of ESPN tweets. Burke is not sick, but he missed part of his protocol sequence, Brad Townsend of the Dallas Morning News tweets. Unvaccinated players are required to go through more COVID protocols between games than those who are vaccinated. Burke, who is signed through 2022/23, has only made two brief appearances this season.
Rookie Joe Wieskamp is taking a positive approach to being assigned to the G League by the Spurs, Tom Orsborn of the San Antonio Express News tweets. “It was really fun to be around the (NBA) team and go to the games, but obviously we weren’t getting too many minutes, if at all,” he said. “This gives us an opportunity to go out there and play and develop.” The former Iowa wing is playing on a two-way contract.
Pelicans guard Garrett Temple is doubtful to play on Friday after injuring his ankle on Wednesday, according to a post on the team’s website. “It’s still pretty sore with his left ankle,” coach Willie Green said. “We’re not sure about (Temple’s availability for) tomorrow, but we’ll know more as we get closer to the game.”

Eastern Notes: Rose, Magic Injuries, Jackson, Markkanen

October 28th, 2021 at 5:35pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Derrick Rose considered retirement a few years ago due to persistent knee injuries, but he doesn’t plan on retiring anytime soon, Marc Berman of the New York Post writes. “Hopefully, I’m going to try to Tom Brady this thing, play as long as possible, make sure I really take care of my body,” he said. “And if I’m playing play with joy. I don’t have to score 30 points a night anymore to affect the game.” Rose re-signed with the Knicks on a three-year deal this summer.

We have more from the Eastern Conference:

Magic fans are irritated by the team’s lack of transparency regarding injury updates on Markelle Fultz, Jonathan Isaac and Chuma Okeke, Josh Robbins of The Athletic writes. Fultz and Isaac are still rehabbing from knee injuries, while Okeke has been out since training camp with a bone bruise in his hip. No timetable has been announced for any of those players.
Rookie forward Isaiah Jackson will be “out for a while,” according to Pacers coach Rick Carlisle, due to a hamstring injury, David Woods of The Indianapolis Star reports. The 22nd pick of the draft was injured during the Pacers’ game on Wednesday. “He’s walking in a brace, so that’s good good news, compared to the severity that there could have been,” Carlisle said.
Cavaliers coach J.B. Bickerstaff credits Lauri Markkanen with making the team’s jumbo lineup effective, Kelsey Russo of The Athletic writes. Markkanen has played small forward in lineups with Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen on the floor. “The biggest shoutout has to go to Lauri Markkanen,” Bickerstaff said of the former Bulls forward. “To me, he’s the reason why it works. His willingness to do that, and again, sacrifice some comfort. He’s the reason why we’ve been able to get away with it so far and why it’s been able to work.”

Heat Notes: Morris, Garrett, Martin, Haslem

October 28th, 2021 at 4:00pm CST by Luke Adams

After being used mostly as a floor-spacing big man with the Lakers over the last couple seasons, Markieff Morris is happy he’s getting more opportunities to operate inside the three-point arc with the Heat this season, says Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald.

“I’m finally back to basically where I had success at in the league early in my career,” Morris said this week. “For me personally, the game has changed a lot from when I first came in to now. Over here, these guys are doing a great job of letting me just play my game, and they’re playing to my strengths.”

Morris, who said he played a bit of a “one-dimensional” role in Los Angeles, averaged 3.4 three-point attempts and 2.8 two-pointers per game last season. So far this season, he’s attempting 2.3 threes and 5.3 two-pointers per contest.

Here’s more on the Heat:

With G League training camps underway, Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra said the plan is for Marcus Garrett to spend plenty of time with the Sioux Falls Skyforce, Miami’s NBAGL affiliate, this season, according to Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel. However, the team’s other two-way player, Caleb Martin, is less likely to be sent on assignments to Sioux Falls, since Spoelstra views him as a “plug-and-play guy” for the Heat.
Asked why he decided to re-sign with the Heat again this summer, Udonis Haslem told Tyler R. Tynes of GQ that he believes he can inspire young players fighting to earn their place in the NBA. “I coulda quit a long time ago. But there’s (always) been another guy that comes in that reminds me of me: that wants an opportunity, that needs an opportunity, that deserves an opportunity,” Haslem said. “Every year I can find another Udonis Haslem that walks in that locker room. And I’m re-inspired and re-energized. I still have game to give. I still have my passion. I see those guys walk in the locker room and I’m just reborn again. It goes to the Bam Adebayos and Tyler Johnsons and the habits we create in this organization.”
Within an extensive conversation with Tynes, Haslem discussed “Heat Culture,” the team’s Big Three era, and the evolution of his role in the locker room over the years. The veteran big man, who is in his 19th season, also suggested that he’d like to play one more season beyond 2021/22: “If I can get 20 years, it’ll be an amazing career for a kid that no one thought would play in the league. All my sacrifices, everything I’ve given, the only thing I’ve asked for is to try to get to 20. I wanna give that to myself, and I wanted to give it to my father (who recently passed away).”

2021 NBA Offseason In Review: Orlando Magic

October 28th, 2021 at 2:47pm CST by Luke Adams

Hoops Rumors is breaking down the 2021 offseason for all 30 NBA teams, revisiting the summer’s free agent signings, trades, draft picks, departures, and more. We’ll evaluate each team’s offseason moves and look ahead to what the 2021/22 season holds for all 30 franchises. Today, we’re focusing on the Orlando Magic.

Free agent signings:

Note: Exhibit 9 and 10 deals aren’t included here.

Robin Lopez: One year, $5MM. Signed using non-taxpayer mid-level exception.
Moritz Wagner: Two years, minimum salary. Second year non-guaranteed. Signed using minimum salary exception.
E’Twaun Moore: One year, minimum salary. Signed using minimum salary exception.
Ignas Brazdeikis: Two-way contract.

Trades:

Acquired the Pistons’ 2026 second-round pick and cash from the Clippers in exchange for the draft rights to Jason Preston (No. 33 pick).

Draft picks:

1-5: Jalen Suggs
- Signed to rookie scale contract (four years, $29,955,705).
1-8: Franz Wagner
- Signed to rookie scale contract (four years, $22,781,932).

Contract extensions:

Wendell Carter Jr.: Four years, $50,000,000. Starts in 2022/23.

Departing players:

Other offseason news:

Hired Jamahl Mosley as head coach to replace Steve Clifford.
Hired Nate Tibbetts, Jesse Mermuys, Dale Osbourne, Bret Brielmaier, and Lionel Chalmers as assistant coaches; lost assistants Tyrone Corbin, Pat Delany, Steve Hetzel, and Michael Batiste.
Jonathan Isaac and Markelle Fultz continue to recover from ACL tears and are sidelined to start the season.
Michael Carter-Williams is recovering from ankle surgery and is sidelined to start the season.
Chuma Okeke is dealing with a bone bruise in his hip and is sidelined to start the season.

Salary cap situation:

Remained over the cap and below the tax line.
Carrying approximately $113.7MM in salary.
$4,536,000 of non-taxpayer mid-level exception still available ($5MM used on Robin Lopez).
Full bi-annual exception ($3,732,000) still available.
Three traded player exception available, including one worth $17.2MM.

The Magic’s offseason:

A whirlwind 2021 trade deadline paved the way for the Magic to have a relatively quiet offseason. Back in March, Orlando decided to launch a full-scale rebuild and finalized three separate trades that sent Nikola Vucevic to Chicago, Aaron Gordon to Denver, and Evan Fournier to Boston.

That type of roster overhaul is more common during the summer than midway through the season, but the Magic had been hit hard by injuries and had lost 27 of 35 games leading up to the deadline after winning six of eight to open the year. They weren’t going to make the playoffs and they were in a position to be one of the league’s few major in-season sellers, so they struck early.

That decisiveness allowed the Magic to perhaps extract more for Vucevic than they would’ve if they’d taken a more patient approach. When the Bulls sent their top-four protected 2021 first-rounder to Orlando in the package for the standout center, they were presumably counting on grabbing one of the last couple playoff spots in the East and sacrificing a pick in the 15-16 range. Instead, Chicago struggled down the stretch and had to convey the No. 8 overall pick to the Magic.

The Magic’s draft luck continued when, despite having their own pick land at No. 5 in the lottery, they were able to land one of the consensus top-four prospects in the 2021 class. Toronto surprised observers by snagging Scottie Barnes at No. 4, allowing Jalen Suggs to slip to Orlando.

Whether Suggs will turn out to be a better pro than Barnes remains to be seen, but the former Gonzaga guard was the higher-ranked player on most experts’ – and, by all accounts, most teams’ – draft boards. The Magic likely could’ve extracted a significant price from a club interested in trading up for Suggs, so staying put and selecting him – even with point guards Markelle Fultz and Cole Anthony already locked up for the next three years – is a good indication they’re high on his potential.

Orlando used its second lottery pick (courtesy of the Bulls) to select Michigan’s Franz Wagner, a talented young forward who looks capable of becoming an impact player on both sides of the ball. The idea of pairing Wagner with Jonathan Isaac – once Isaac gets healthy – and letting the two young forwards loose on the defensive end is a tantalizing one.

While adding Suggs and Wagner were the Magic’s major moves of the summer, the team also decided to invest long-term in Wendell Carter after acquiring the former Bulls big man in the Vucevic trade. The price Orlando paid – $50MM over four years – suggests the team is confident the former Duke standout can continue to improve after putting up pretty similar numbers in each of his first three seasons.

Even if Carter plateaus, the contract will never be an albatross. Its descending structure means it will be worth just $10.85MM by its final year in 2025/26, making it a good trade chip if WCJ is no longer in Orlando’s plans by then.

The Magic were relatively quiet on the trade market and made just a couple free agent additions, bringing in steady veterans Robin Lopez and E’Twaun Moore on inexpensive one-year contracts. Lopez, in particular, is a heady player who will be able to impart plenty of knowledge on young big men Carter and Mohamed Bamba over the course of the season.

Orlando’s offseason was ultimately defined by the rookies it added, both on and off the court — besides drafting Suggs and Wagner, the team hired first-time head coach Jamahl Mosley to replace Steve Clifford. Mosley gained a strong reputation for player development during his time in Dallas under Rick Carlisle and will be tasked with guiding a young Magic team through the toughest stage of its rebuild. The losses will come early and often for Mosley, but if guys like Suggs, Wagner, Fultz, and Isaac are improving under his tutelage, he’ll be doing his job.

The Magic’s season:

The Eastern Conference will be competitive this season, with 12 or 13 teams eyeing a playoff berth or at least a play-in spot. The odds of the Magic joining that group are slim — they and the Pistons are good bets to occupy the 14th and 15th spots in the conference, in some order.

Still, there are some intriguing building blocks here, especially once the team gets healthier. Suggs, Wagner, Carter, Fultz, Isaac, Bamba, Anthony, Chuma Okeke, and R.J. Hampton aren’t all future stars, but there’s plenty of untapped upside in that group, and the Magic have the ability to add a few more assets to their collection by trading Terrence Ross at some point in the coming months.

There’s a long way to go before the Magic will be talking about contending again, but the rebuild has taken a good first step or two this year.

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

Bulls Name Joakim Noah Team Ambassador

October 28th, 2021 at 1:35pm CST by Luke Adams

Joakim Noah, who will be honored by the Bulls during Thursday night’s game vs. the Knicks, has been named a “Bulls Ambassador,” the team announced in a press release. According to the club, Noah will work with the organization to “build relationships with people throughout Chicago and across Bulls Nation.”

“I’m truly humbled to be honored by both the team and city that I have always loved and respected,” Noah said in a statement. “Even more so to be able to celebrate tonight with family, friends, former players and coaches, and most of all – the Bulls fans who helped drive my energy throughout my years in a Bulls uniform at the United Center. It means so much to me that I’m now a Bull for life. I love you all and am thrilled tonight to solidify my continued connection with the Bulls and the city of Chicago, in this new chapter of my life.”

The ninth overall pick in the 2007 draft, Noah spent the first nine seasons of his 13-year NBA career in Chicago. Although he never averaged more than 12.6 PPG in a season, he was a difference-maker for the Bulls, earning three All-Defensive nods and two All-Star appearances.

Noah’s best year came in 2013/14, when he was named the NBA’s Defensive Player of the Year and was voted to the All-NBA First Team. The Bulls made the playoffs in seven consecutive years during his time with the team, appearing in the Eastern Finals once. Noah announced his retirement earlier this year.

Noah’s ambassador role sounds like a fairly casual one, focused primarily on fan outreach. However, if he has interest in transitioning into coaching or a front office position in the future, I imagine the Bulls would be open to accommodating him.

Community Shootaround: Slow Starters

October 28th, 2021 at 12:35pm CST by Luke Adams

Entering the 2021/22 season, the Lakers and Nets were widely viewed as the frontrunners to reach the NBA Finals. When ESPN polled 16 of its NBA experts on predictions for the coming season, 10 picked the Lakers to win the West and 10 chose the Nets to win the East.

So far though, Los Angeles and Brooklyn have been inconsistent and underwhelming, posting matching 2-3 records. The Lakers lost two home games to open the season, then blew a 26-point lead in Oklahoma City on Wednesday against the winless Thunder. The Nets, meanwhile, have lost three games by double-digits — one in Milwaukee and two at home, vs. the Hornets and Heat.

It’s far, far too early for either team to panic. LeBron James has missed two games for the Lakers and James Harden is still working his way back from a hamstring injury for the Nets. And with the exception of the Lakers’ disaster in OKC, both teams’ losses so far have come against pretty tough opponents.

Still, the early-season results can’t be written off entirely. James has been increasingly affected by injuries in recent years — if that trend continues this season, it’ll have a significant impact on a top-heavy Lakers team. The club acquired Russell Westbrook over the summer in part to have another star available when James or Anthony Davis miss time, but Westbrook has gotten off to a shaky start in L.A., averaging just 17.8 PPG (his lowest mark since 2009/10) and turning the ball over six times per game. His fit on this Lakers roster was an open question entering the season, and it doesn’t seem as if the team has fully figured it out.

As for the Nets, the impact of Kyrie Irving‘s absence shouldn’t be understated. Brooklyn is supposed to have one of the best offenses in league history, but through five games, the club’s offensive rating is an ugly 100.6 — only Detroit and New Orleans have been worse. Harden expects to be back to his old self soon, but he’s certainly not benefiting from the NBA’s reduction on foul calls when offensive players go out of their way to initiate contact.

Again, it’s too early for a sub-.500 record to be a major concern for either of these teams, whose rosters are heavy on star power and veteran experience. But the expectations in Los Angeles and Brooklyn are high. Anything less than an NBA Finals appearance will be a letdown, so there’s not much room for error.

Many of the NBA’s other sub-.500 teams aren’t surprising, but the Celtics (2-3), Pacers (1-4), Suns (1-3), and Clippers (1-3) certainly would’ve hoped for better starts.

We want to know what you think. Is it still too early to draw any conclusions about any of this season’s slow starters? Or has some of what you’ve seen from the Lakers, the Nets, or other sub-.500 clubs made you skeptical of their ability to meet preseason expectations?

And-Ones: M. Gasol, Leunen, B. Ferry, Overtime Elite

October 28th, 2021 at 11:03am CST by Luke Adams

After big man Ekpe Udoh suffered a serious knee injury last month, Virtus Bologna head coach Sergio Scariolo reached out to Marc Gasol to gauge his interest in joining the Italian club, Scariolo confirmed this week on Italian Twitch channel Area 52 (video link). As Marc Stein of Substack relays (via Twitter), Scariolo said Gasol turned him down in an “elegant way.”

Scariolo coached Gasol on the Spanish national team and as an assistant in Toronto, so he has an existing relationship with the veteran center. However, Gasol – who was traded to Memphis and then waived in September – appears content to spend time with his family in Spain rather than joining another NBA or EuroLeague team anytime soon. There were rumors last month that Gasol would be playing for Girona, the Spanish club he owns, but that hasn’t come to fruition yet.

Here are more odds and ends from around the basketball world:

Former Oregon forward Maarty Leunen, who spent the last 13 seasons playing overseas in various European leagues, has announced his retirement, as Emiliano Carchia of Sportando relays. Leunen was the 54th overall pick in the 2008 NBA draft and has had his rights traded four times since then – most recently to the Pacers in 2019 – but never signed an NBA contract.
Former Washington Bullets general manager Bob Ferry, who ran the front office from 1973 to 1990, died at age 84 on Wednesday, per ESPN’s Brian Windhorst. The father of Danny Ferry, Bob Ferry won two Executive of the Year awards and helped Washington win the only title in franchise history in 1978.
Jeremy Woo of SI.com shares his impressions of the Overtime Elite’s Pro Day, including his thoughts on the program’s three most notable 2022 draft-eligible players: guard Jean Montero, wing Kok Yat, and forward Dominick Barlow.

NBA’s Top 50 Highest-Paid Players For 2021/22

October 28th, 2021 at 9:34am CST by Luke Adams

Many of the NBA’s highest-paid players are on contracts considered maximum-salary deals, but the 2021/22 salaries for those players vary significantly depending on when the player signed his contract and how much NBA experience he has. That’s why a player like Stephen Curry will earn about $17.7MM more than Jayson Tatum in ’21/22 despite both stars technically being on max deals.

When a player signs a maximum-salary contract, he doesn’t necessarily earn the NBA max for each season of that contract — he earns the max in year one, then gets a series of identical annual raises. In Curry’s case, his 2021/22 salary actually exceeds this year’s maximum, since his deal started in the summer of 2017 and includes 8% annual raises. The annual cap increases haven’t kept up with those 8% raises.

Listed below, with the help of salary data from Basketball Insiders and Spotrac, are the top 50 highest-paid NBA players for the 2021/22 season. The players on this list don’t necessarily have the contracts with the largest overall value. The list below only considers salaries for ’21/22.

Additionally, we’ve noted players who could potentially increase their earnings via incentives or trade bonuses. We didn’t add those notes for players like Curry who have trade bonuses but are already earning the maximum — their salaries for this season can’t increase beyond their max.

The cutoff for a spot on this year’s top-50 list is north of $20MM, so Danilo Gallinari, Harrison Barnes, Jerami Grant, and Jarrett Allen didn’t make the cut despite the fact that all four players have cap hits of at least $20MM.

Here are the NBA’s 50 highest-paid players for the 2021/22 season:

Stephen Curry, Warriors: $45,780,966
James Harden, Nets: $44,310,840
John Wall, Rockets: $44,310,840
Russell Westbrook, Lakers: $44,211,146
Kevin Durant, Nets: $42,018,900
- Note: Durant’s cap hit includes a $40,918,900 base salary and $1,100,000 in likely incentives.
LeBron James, Lakers: $41,180,544
Giannis Antetokounmpo, Bucks: $39,344,900
Paul George, Clippers: $39,344,900
Kawhi Leonard, Clippers: $39,344,900
Damian Lillard, Trail Blazers: $39,344,900
Klay Thompson, Warriors: $37,980,720 (15% trade kicker)
Jimmy Butler, Heat: $36,016,200 (15% trade kicker)
Tobias Harris, Sixers: $35,995,950 (trade kicker of $5MM or 5%, whichever is lesser)
Khris Middleton, Bucks: $35,500,000
Anthony Davis, Lakers: $35,361,360
Rudy Gobert, Jazz: $35,344,828
Bradley Beal, Wizards: $33,724,200
Pascal Siakam, Raptors: $33,003,936
Ben Simmons, Sixers: $33,003,936
- Note: Simmons may lose upwards of $2MM due to fines accumulated during his holdout.
Jrue Holiday, Bucks: $32,431,333
- Note: Holiday’s cap hit includes a $30,133,333 base salary and $2,298,000 in likely incentives. Holiday also has another $3MM+ in unlikely incentives.
Devin Booker, Suns: $31,650,600
Kristaps Porzingis, Mavericks: $31,650,600
Karl-Anthony Towns, Timberwolves: $31,650,600
Joel Embiid, Sixers: $31,579,390
Andrew Wiggins, Warriors: $31,579,390
Nikola Jokic, Nuggets: $31,579,390
- Note: Jokic’s cap hit includes a $30,510,423 base salary and $1,068,967 in likely incentives.
Kevin Love, Cavaliers: $31,258,256
CJ McCollum, Trail Blazers: $30,864,198
Chris Paul, Suns: $30,800,000
D’Angelo Russell, Timberwolves: $30,013,500
Gordon Hayward, Hornets: $29,925,000 (15% trade kicker)
Brandon Ingram, Pelicans: $29,467,800
Jamal Murray, Nuggets: $29,467,800
Bam Adebayo, Heat: $28,103,500
De’Aaron Fox, Kings: $28,103,500
Donovan Mitchell, Jazz: $28,103,500
Jayson Tatum, Celtics: $28,103,500
Al Horford, Celtics: $27,000,000
Kyle Lowry, Heat: $26,984,128
Jaylen Brown, Celtics: $26,758,928
- Note: Brown’s cap hit includes a $24,830,357 base salary and $1,928,571 in likely incentives. Brown also has another $964,286 in unlikely incentives.
DeMar DeRozan, Bulls: $26,000,000
Draymond Green, Warriors: $24,026,712 (15% trade kicker)
Nikola Vucevic, Bulls: $24,000,000
Buddy Hield, Kings: $23,073,234
- Note: Hield’s cap hit includes a $22,477,272 base salary and $595,962 in likely incentives. Hield also has another $4,487,371 in unlikely incentives.
John Collins, Hawks: $23,000,000
Julius Randle, Knicks: $21,780,000
- Note: Randle’s cap hit includes a $19,800,000 base salary and $1,980,000 in likely incentives. Randle also has another $990,000 in unlikely incentives.
Malcolm Brogdon, Pacers: $21,700,000
Tim Hardaway Jr., Mavericks: $21,306,816
Mike Conley, Jazz: $21,000,000
- Note: Conley has another $1,500,000 in unlikely incentives.
Gary Harris, Magic: $20,482,143
- Note: Harris has another $2,600,000 in unlikely incentives.

One name not included in this list is Nets star Kyrie Irving. Irving has a base salary of $34,916,200 and could theoretically earn another $1,100,000 in likely and unlikely incentives. However, as long as he continues to be fined for missing home games due to his vaccination status, he’ll lose such a significant portion of his salary that he’ll end up outside of the NBA’s top 50 highest-paid players this season.

If Irving gets vaccinated or New York City adjusts its vaccine mandate to allow him to suit up, he’ll likely end up back on this list.

Also not included among the 50 names above are players like Kemba Walker and Blake Griffin, who were bought out of lucrative contracts earlier in 2021. The cap hits the Thunder and Pistons are carrying this season for Walker and Griffin, respectively, are bigger than some salaries on our top-50 list. However, Walker and Griffin aren’t actually earning all that money this season — even if teams don’t apply the stretch provision to a player’s cap hit when he’s waived, the player’s payments still get “stretched” across multiple seasons.

For instance, the Thunder are carrying about $53.7MM in dead-money cap hits for Walker this season and next. But Kemba will be paid that $53.7MM across five seasons. As such, combining his earnings from his old contract with the Thunder and his new one with the Knicks wouldn’t make him one of the NBA’s top 50 highest-paid players for 2021/22.

Categories:
Hoops Rumors Originals

Atlantic Notes: Walker, Rose, Mills, VanVleet

October 28th, 2021 at 8:17am CST by Arthur Hill

Kemba Walker and Derrick Rose seem to have solved the Knicks‘ long-standing problem at point guard, writes Zach Braziller of The New York Post. Walker and Rose are both over 30 and have troublesome injury histories, but they’re off to a strong start, averaging a combined 26.8 points, seven assists, almost six rebounds and more than two steals through the first four games.

When New York signed Walker after his buyout with the Thunder, Rose staved off any controversy by saying Walker should be the starter. The question of who will close out games appears to depend on who’s having the better night.

“There’s gonna be games where I do score like that, maybe even more. There’s gonna be games where I don’t,” Walker said following Tuesday’s win over the Sixers. “There’s gonna be games where Derrick is playing super well, and he’s gonna stay in the game. It just is what it is. … There’s gonna be games where I’m not gonna get back on the court just because guys are playing super well. And I have no problem with that, especially D-Rose, the youngest MVP ever.”

There’s more from the Atlantic Division:

After a strong rookie season, Immanuel Quickley is fighting for playing time again in a crowded Knicks backcourt, notes Mirin Fader of The Ringer. Quickley says proving himself has been a recurring theme ever since he arrived at Kentucky.
The Nets didn’t know they wouldn’t have Kyrie Irving available when they added Patty Mills in free agency, but he has turned out to be exactly what they need, writes Brian Lewis of The New York Post. Mills, who signed for the mid-level exception, was considered one of the top bargains of the summer. “He’s a winner,” coach Steve Nash said. “He plays the right way, he’s experienced. Obviously he’s skilled, but he just brings a great feel to the game, with (or) without the ball. And defensively, he makes our team communicate better. He organizes us (on) both sides of the ball. So, he just brings a lot to the table, and he’s a great addition to our team.”
Raptors point guard Fred VanVleet was second in the league in minutes played last year and his workload has increased in the early part of this season, according to Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca. VanVleet doesn’t mind the extra playing time, saying he spent the summer preparing for it. “I feel good, that’s why you put so much work in during the offseason,” he said. “I spend every hour that I’m not on the court trying to figure out how I can get my body ready for tomorrow. So just being dedicated to the craft and trying to figure out how I can be the best pro I can be.”

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