2021 | Hoops Rumors

Northwest Notes: Favors, Morris, Billups, Snell

October 21st, 2021 at 8:24pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Derrick Favors didn’t expect to be traded to the rebuilding Thunder, but he’s trying to make the most of the situation, as he told Tony Jones of The Athletic.

“At first, I was kind of confused,” Favors said. “I was caught off guard. But, I knew it was nothing personal. When I reflected on it from a business standpoint, I knew that something had to happen. I accepted it, and I’m in a great place.”

Favors, who scored just four points while grabbing nine rebounds against his former team on Wednesday, was a member of the Jazz for over eight years from 2011-19 before being traded to New Orleans. He re-signed with Utah in 2020 and then was traded again this offseason. The Thunder were motivated to make the deal with the Jazz by adding another future first-rounder to their stockpile of picks.

Since he hadn’t played a road game in Utah since first leaving the team in 2019, the Jazz put together a tribute video for Favors that was displayed during the first half, Sarah Todd of The Deseret News writes.

We have more from the Northwest Division:

As Jamal Murray works his way back from a devastating knee injury, Monte Morris is embracing his current role as the lead point guard, Kyle Fredrickson of the Denver Post writes. “I’m not trying to be Jamal Murray. I’m just trying to be the best fashion of myself that I can be and help the team in any way,” Morris said. “That’s why there’s not a lot of pressure.” He had nine points and three assists in the Nuggets’ opening-night victory over Phoenix.
First-year coach Chauncey Billups says he’s not worried about the possibility of the Trail Blazers getting off to a slow start, Casey Holdahl of the team’s website writes. Billups is more concerned about the team’s growth under a new system. “This team has gotten to the playoffs forever and then those habits end up coming into play and it derails you from trying to extend your season,” he said. “So I’m more concerned with how we can change a lot of things that are really important for us on both ends of the ball. And when we actually do that, I just know how good of a team we can be.”
Trail Blazers wing Tony Snell suffered a minor setback as he recovers from a right foot sprain that sidelined during the preseason, according to Aaron Fentress of The Oregonian. “I think he’ll be on the court hopefully before two weeks but you can’t throw a guy back out there in a game,” Billups said. Snell joined the team in free agency on a one-year contract.

Atlantic Notes: Fournier, Randle, Kanter, Simmons

October 21st, 2021 at 6:46pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Knicks guard Evan Fournier made an impressive debut against his former team, posting 32 points, six rebounds, four steals and three assists in a double OT victory over the Celtics on Wednesday. Fournier struggled with his shooting in preseason games, but coach Tom Thibodeau wasn’t fazed, according to Zach Brazilier of the New York Post. “I was never worried about him making shots,” he said. “To me, he has proven throughout his career that that is who he is.” Fournier was acquired in a sign-and-trade with his four-year contract worth up to 78MM.

We have more from the Atlantic Division:

Julius Randle‘s first game after signing a four-year, $117MM extension showed that he’s not resting on his laurels, Ian O’Connor of the New York Post writes. The Knicks forward racked up 35 points, nine assists, and eight rebounds. “Julius had that monster year, got a new contract and all that and he’s hungrier now than last year, which I thought was impossible,” Thibodeau said. “He comes in every night like clockwork. You know he’s going to be in there.” Randle was fined $15K by the league for throwing the ball in the stands at the end of the team’s opening-night win, Brian Mahoney of the Associated Press tweets.
Chinese video-streaming giant Tencent won’t show Celtics games in the foreseeable future after comments made by center Enes Kanter, according to Eva Dou and Lyric Li of the Washington Post. Kanter posted a video voicing his support for Tibetan independence. In response, Tencent cut the live broadcast of Wednesday’s game between the Celtics and the Knicks. Sixers president and former Houston GM Daryl Morey created a firestorm between the Chinese government and the NBA with his public support in 2019 of Hong Kong pro-democracy protestors.
The Ben Simmons saga with the Sixers even has NFL players in Philadelphia voicing their opinions. Eagles center Jason Kelce said Simmons needs to own up to his shortcomings, ESPN’s Tim McManus writes. “I don’t want to crush any other players, but what’s going on with the 76ers, Ben Simmons, stuff like that, all of that is because of a lack of accountability, a lack of owning up to mistakes and a lack of correcting things,” Kelce said. “If all that got corrected, if you’re fixing free throws, if you’re getting better as a player, none of this is happening. So everybody can b—h and complain about how tough this city is to play in. Just play better, man. This city will love you.”

Kendrick Nunn To Miss Multiple Weeks With Bone Bruise

October 21st, 2021 at 5:05pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Lakers guard Kendrick Nunn has been diagnosed with a bone bruise in his right knee and he’ll be out multiple weeks, coach Frank Vogel told ESPN’s Dave McMenamin and other members after Thursday’s practice (Twitter link).

Nunn dealt with an ankle sprain in the same leg during training camp, though the club was hopeful he’d be back by opening night. He had an MRI on the knee after experiencing some soreness and it revealed the bruise. He’ll be re-evaluated in about two or three weeks, according to Vogel.

Nunn signed a two-year contract with Los Angeles after Miami pulled its qualifying offer to him, making him an unrestricted free agent in August. Nunn reportedly turned down more money from the Knicks and other suitors in order to join the Lakers. Nunn was projected to be Russell Westbrook‘s primary backup at the point, along with seeing some minutes at the shooting guard spot.

His absence will thrust veteran Rajon Rondo into the backup point guard role and newly-acquired Avery Bradley could also see action there. Wayne Ellington has been ruled out of Friday’s game against Phoenix with a hamstring injury, McMenamin adds.

Sixers’ Morey: Simmons Trade Could Take A While

October 21st, 2021 at 4:13pm CST by Luke Adams

Appearing today on 97.5 The Fanatic in Philadelphia, president of basketball operations Daryl Morey made it clear he’s in no rush to trade Ben Simmons for less than what the Sixers believe he’s worth.

“People should buckle in, this is going to go a long time,” Morey said, according to Kyle Neubeck of PhillyVoice.com (Twitter link).

Morey added that if the Sixers can trade Simmons for a “difference-maker,” they’ll do it, but confirmed the club has no interest in moving the three-time All-Star for role players. In Morey’s view, Philadelphia’s best chance to win a championship would be by either getting Simmons back on the court or waiting until an impact player hits the trade block.

“I would ask the question to Sixers fans: would you rather eliminate a distraction or have lower playoff odds?” Morey said, per Neubeck and Rich Hofmann of The Athletic (Twitter links). “I’m willing to go through mud, muck, barbed wire…we’ll go through whatever it takes…what we’re doing right now gives us the best chance to win the title.”

The standoff between Simmons and the Sixers has seemingly grown more uncomfortable this week. The 25-year-old reported to the team, but has resisted engaging physically or mentally in practices and was suspended for the season opener for conduct detrimental to the team. Reports today indicated that he will meet with team leadership on Friday to discuss his playing status after skipping a scheduled individual workout on Thursday.

While Simmons seems to have little interest in suiting up again for the 76ers after demanding a trade in the offseason, Morey’s comments on 97.5 The Fanatic today suggest the club won’t be pressured into making a deal sooner rather than later.

“You’re going to think I’m kidding, I’m not. This could take four years,” Morey said (Twitter link via Neubeck). “… We’re in the prime of Joel (Embiid)’s career…this is not a day-to-day (issue). Every day, we are going to expect Ben Simmons to be back here, or we trade him for a difference-maker.”

Multiple reports today indicated that Simmons complained of back stiffness and received minor treatment before being cleared by the team’s medical staff. That back tightness hadn’t been treated or mentioned as an issue before today, a source tells Neubeck.

If he has a legitimate injury, that would be a reason for Simmons to miss practices and games while still being paid. However, it sounds like the team doesn’t view Simmons’ back tightness as a serious issue. Multiple sources who spoke to PhillyVoice about Simmons’ suspension earlier this week were prepared for him to use a health-related explanation to avoid playing in Friday’s game, Neubeck says.

Ben Simmons Skips Individual Workout, Won’t Play Friday

October 21st, 2021 at 3:25pm CST by Luke Adams

3:25pm: Simmons is expected to come early to the 76ers’ shootaround on Friday to meet with team leadership to discuss his playing status, reports Wojnarowski (Twitter link).

2:08pm: Simmons told Sixers staff members he was experiencing back tightness on Thursday and briefly received treatment for it, according to Wojnarowski (Twitter link).

Being diagnosed with a legitimate injury would be one way for Simmons to avoid participating in practices and games while still being paid. However, the team’s medical staff cleared Simmons to participate in his scheduled workout today after he received treatment on his back, sources tell Wojnarowski (Twitter link).

According to Charania (Twitter link), Simmons won’t be available for Friday’s game and isn’t expected to play for an “undetermined amount of time.”

1:39pm: After being suspended for the Sixers‘ regular season opener on Wednesday, Ben Simmons showed up at the team’s practice facility on Thursday, but left without taking part in his scheduled individual workout, sources tell ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter links).

Simmons’ status for Friday’s game in Philadelphia vs. the Nets remains up in the air, but it seems unlikely that he’ll play in the 76ers’ home opener since he has yet to fully engage in a team practice, says Wojnarowski.

Simmons, who has pushed for a trade for months, ended his holdout and reported to the Sixers 10 days ago, then resumed practicing with the team over the weekend. However, he has reportedly not been physically or mentally engaged in those practices. On Tuesday, head coach Doc Rivers threw Simmons out of practice when the 25-year-old refused to sub in during a defensive drill. His one-game suspension was announced shortly thereafter.

Subsequent reporting from Shams Charania of The Athletic indicated that the Sixers don’t expect to find a trade they like for Simmons in the coming days, and want him to show up for – and engage in – practices and games. Sources tell Charania that the three-time All-Star isn’t against the idea of playing again for Philadelphia as he awaits a trade, but isn’t mentally prepared to do so yet.

The Sixers didn’t hold a practice today, but Simmons is scheduled to return to team activities on Friday, writes ESPN’s Brian Windhorst. It’s unclear if the team would continue to suspend him if he remains disengaged.

As Windhorst details, the rest of the Sixers were able to escape the Simmons drama for a few hours on Tuesday night when they gathered for a team dinner in New Orleans in an effort to clear the air.

“It’s good to just go out and kinda not talk about basketball and talk about life,” Joel Embiid said. “That’s also an evolution for me, because I usually, when I used to go on the road, I’d just like to stay in my room and be on the phone and play video games.”

The 76ers followed up that dinner with an impressive road victory on Wednesday over the Pelicans. They’ll face a stiffer challenge on Friday against Brooklyn.

Details On Starter Criteria For 2022 RFAs

October 21st, 2021 at 3:01pm CST by Luke Adams

The NBA’s rookie scale, which determines the salaries first-round picks earn during their first four seasons, also dictates how much the qualifying offers will be worth for those players when they reach restricted free agency after year four. However, the value of those qualifying offers can fluctuate depending on whether or not a player has met the “starter criteria.”

Here’s how the starter criteria works in a typical year:

A player who is eligible for restricted free agency is considered to have met the starter criteria if he plays at least 2,000 minutes or starts 41 games in the season before he reaches free agency.
A player can also meet the criteria if he averages either of those marks in the two seasons prior to his restricted free agency. For instance, if a player started 50 games one year and 32 the next, he’d meet the starter criteria, since his average number of starts over the last two seasons is 41.

The first method of meeting the starter criteria will remain unchanged this season, but that second method will look a little different due to the truncated nature of the 2020/21 season.

For starter criteria purposes, the number of starts and minutes a player logged last season will be prorated upward by 82/72 to account for the 72-game schedule, Hoops Rumors has learned.

For example, Suns center Deandre Ayton started 69 games last season. Typically, Ayton would require 13 more starts this season to meet the starter criteria, since 82 total starts would get him to the required average of 41 over the last two seasons.

However, Ayton’s 69 starts last season came in just 72 regular season games. Prorated across a typical 82-game schedule, he would’ve made 78 starts. That means he’ll only need four starts this season to meet the starter criteria. In other words, he should get there next Wednesday, barring an injury.

Hornets forward Miles Bridges, meanwhile, only started 19 games last season, but he played 1,932 total minutes in Charlotte’s 72 games. That works out to 2,200 minutes when prorated across an 82-game schedule, meaning he’d require just 1,800 more this season in order to meet the starter criteria. Since he’s part of the Hornets’ starting five now, Bridges could also meet the criteria by simply getting to 41 starts in 2021/22.

A player’s ability or inability to meet the starter criteria can affect the value of the qualifying offer he receives as a restricted free agent, as follows:

A top-14 pick who does not meet the starter criteria will receive a qualifying offer equal to the amount the 15th overall pick would receive if he signed for 120% of the rookie scale.
A player picked between 10th and 30th who meets the criteria will receive a qualifying offer equal to the amount the ninth overall pick would receive if he signed for 120% of the rookie scale.
A second-round pick or undrafted player who meets the criteria will receive a qualifying offer equal to the amount the 21st overall pick would receive if he signed for 100% of the rookie scale.
For all other RFAs, the standard criteria determine the amounts of their qualifying offers.

In most cases, a qualifying offer is a mere placeholder that allows a team to retain its right of first refusal on a restricted free agent — very few players actually accept the one-year offer. Still, a player who fails to meet the starter criteria could have his free agency reshaped by an adjusted qualifying offer.

For instance, Kings big man Marvin Bagley III would be in line for a qualifying offer worth $14,762,309 if he meets the starter criteria or just $7,228,448 if he doesn’t.

Bagley would need to start 35 games this season in order to meet the starter criteria, which might be a long shot, given that he’s out of the rotation for now. Still, a $7.2MM qualifying offer could be more palatable to the Kings – or whichever team has him on its roster by the end of the 2021/22 season – than a $14.8MM one would be. Somewhat paradoxically, Bagley may have a better chance of actually receiving his QO if he starts fewer games this season.

Collin Sexton (Cavaliers), Lonnie Walker (Spurs), Donte DiVincenzo (Bucks), and Josh Okogie (Timberwolves) are some of the other top candidates to meet the starter criteria this season. We’ll be keeping an eye on them and the rest of 2022’s RFAs-to-be over the next several months.

Pacific Notes: Bagley, Ayton, G. Payton, Wiseman

October 21st, 2021 at 12:14pm CST by Luke Adams

When the Kings decided to remove Marvin Bagley III from their rotation to open the season, agent Jeff Schwartz took the unusual step of issuing a statement to call out the team for its handling of his client. However, head coach Luke Walton doesn’t expect the public nature of the dispute between the team and agent to be a distraction for his players.

“Nope, not with our group,” Walton said, according to Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee. “We’ve got a tight group. We’ve talked about it, whether it’s trades from last year or anything else, we don’t concern ourselves with outside issues. We’re a tight group. You can ask any of the players. They believe in what we’re doing and they’re working hard and we’re in a good place.”

The Kings used just nine players in their opening-night win over Portland on Wednesday, with Richaun Holmes and Tristan Thompson sharing the minutes at center, while Harrison Barnes and Maurice Harkless handled power forward duties.

Here’s more from around the Pacific:

Fourth-year center Deandre Ayton admitted he was “obviously” disappointed not to reach a rookie scale extension agreement with the Suns by Monday’s deadline, but said on Wednesday that playing on an expiring contract won’t bother him, as Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic relays. “I’m still trying to get us back to the Finals. I’ve still got to represent the team and myself as well. I’m just a competitor, man,” Ayton said. “Just like to compete to the best and every time I’m in between those lines, that’s what you’re going to see out of me. Nothing else.”
Sam Vecenie of The Athletic loved the Suns‘ four-year, $90MM deal with Mikal Bridges, but was baffled by the decision not to extend Ayton. While general manager James Jones said Phoenix would have done a three- or four-year max, three high-ranking executives in other organizations told Vecenie they would’ve been willing to offer the big man a fifth year.
Gary Payton II‘s new minimum-salary contract with the Warriors includes a $350K partial guarantee, according to Keith Smith of Spotrac (Twitter link). Payton, who was waived and re-signed within the last week, would have received a $659K partial guarantee if he had made the opening-night roster on his previous deal. By cutting him and then bringing him back, Golden State saved some money while still rewarding Payton for making the team.
Connor Letourneau of The San Francisco Chronicle explores how the Warriors are adjusting their approach to James Wiseman‘s development in the center’s second NBA season.

Southwest Notes: Morant, Zion, Valanciunas, Rockets

October 21st, 2021 at 11:13am CST by Luke Adams

Don’t count on Grizzlies guard Ja Morant joining the list of NBA stars who have become disgruntled with their circumstances and sought a way out, writes Joe Vardon of The Athletic. As Vardon details, Morant is thrilled with his situation in Memphis, and all signs point to him signing a long-term maximum-salary extension once he becomes eligible in the summer of 2022.

“I love everything about it,” Morant said of playing for the Grizzlies and living in Memphis. “I feel like this is my home, from the front office down, the fans, the community. Everybody brought me in and made me feel like family, and me and my family couldn’t ask for anything better.”

Morant – who advocated for the Grizzlies to extend Jaren Jackson Jr. this offseason, per Vardon – believes the Grizzlies already have enough talent to become a viable championship contender. And the young point guard is looking forward to competing for a title in Memphis rather than jumping ship to do so elsewhere.

“Me, I’m not a big fan on the leaving,” Morant said.

Here’s more from around the Southwest:

Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report takes a deep dive into the Zion Williamson situation in New Orleans, noting that teams around the NBA will be keeping a close eye on the Pelicans‘ relationship with their star forward. Williamson’s weight and his reaction to potentially playing on a minutes limit when he returns from his foot injury will be worth monitoring, according to Fischer, who notes that the star forward “reached north of 300 pounds” during the offseason and bristled in his rookie year at playing in limited bursts following his return from a knee injury.
After signing a two-year contract extension with the Pelicans on Wednesday, center Jonas Valanciunas explained why he was willing to commit to the team before playing in a regular season game, writes Christian Clark of NOLA.com. “From a coaching standpoint, they understand me and what I do,” Valanciunas said. “My teammates, good teammates. They welcomed me. The organization was great talking to me and helping me out. They made it seem like I’ve been here a long time. I wanted to come back.”
Ahead of their regular season opener, the youthful Rockets were enthusiastic about embracing the challenge ahead, per Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle. Following a blowout loss in Minnesota on Wednesday, they have a better sense of what that challenge entails, Feigen writes. “It’s the NBA. It’s grown men,” rookie Jalen Green said of the physicality he experienced in his regular season debut. “I’m 19 years old. It’s not high school any more. It’s the real league, a man’s league.”

NBA Teams With Open Roster Spots

October 21st, 2021 at 9:40am CST by Luke Adams

With the NBA regular season underway, most teams are taking full advantage of their ability to carry up to 17 players, including 15 on standard contracts and a pair on two-way deals. As our roster counts page shows, 23 of the league’s 30 teams have full 17-man squads.

Most of the teams not carrying a 15th player on a standard contract are either over the luxury tax line or are bumping up against it, and have opted for financial savings for now. Those clubs are all decent bets to add a 15th man by season’s end, but likely won’t be in any rush to do so unless they face depth issues.

Here are the teams that are currently carrying just 14 players on their standard rosters:

Miami Heat
Milwaukee Bucks
Minnesota Timberwolves
Phoenix Suns
Portland Trail Blazers
Utah Jazz

Of these six teams, three – the Bucks, Blazers, and Jazz – project to be taxpayers, while the Heat and Wolves would go over the tax line if they were to add a 15th man. The Suns are the only team in this group with no pressing tax concerns.

Meanwhile, there are two teams with an open two-way contract slot:

Orlando Magic
Phoenix Suns

The Magic’s inclusion here is a little surprising. They’re a rebuilding team with their own G League affiliate — it seems as if they’d benefit from taking a shot on a young prospect with that spot, and perhaps they will soon.

It’s less surprising that Phoenix is on this list. The Suns sold their G League affiliate last year, so they don’t have their own NBAGL team where they could send two-way players. Phoenix’s lone two-way player, Chandler Hutchison, will essentially serve as the team’s de facto 15th man for the time being.

Former Mavs Exec Voulgaris Discusses Tension With Nelson, Exit From Team

October 21st, 2021 at 8:21am CST by Luke Adams

Appearing on the ESPN Daily podcast with Pablo Torre, former Mavericks executive Haralabos Voulgaris publicly addressed for the first time his exit from the franchise and reports of discord between him and longtime head of basketball operations Donnie Nelson, who also left the team this offseason.

A report from The Athletic in June stated that Voulgaris had either initiated or approved nearly all of the Mavs’ roster moves for the last two seasons and suggested his influence was virtually on par with Nelson’s. Mavericks owner Mark Cuban, who worked with Voulgaris in the past and brought him aboard in 2018 as the team’s director of quantitative research and development, disputed The Athletic’s portrayal of how much power the executive had. However, Voulgaris’ abrasive personality was reportedly a source of some tension in the front office and he was said to have a “strained” relationship with star guard Luka Doncic.

As Tim MacMahon of ESPN details, Voulgaris told Torre the Mavericks’ basketball operations department was a “very gossipy workplace” and likened the team’s dysfunction to “high school drama.” Although he denied some details from The Athletic’s report – including that he dictated lineups and rotations to then-coach Rick Carlisle – he didn’t challenge others.

Voulgaris told Torre that he came to believe Nelson “didn’t want me around,” adding that other people in the front office may have felt threatened by his close relationship with Cuban.

“I didn’t have a working relationship with other people in the front office at all, to the point where it was awkward,” Voulgaris said. “But that’s kind of the M.O. of the way that front office was run — like, surround yourself with people who are not threats. You don’t become an NBA general manager and hold on to your job for that long unless you are very, very good at keeping your job.

“… I think Mark had this idea that maybe we (Voulgaris and Nelson) could work together, the stuff that he’s good at I might be deficient at and vice versa,” Voulgaris continued. “(Nelson is) more of a, kind of like a wheeler-dealer, like when you shake his hands, you want to make sure your rings are still there. Not in a bad way, but he’s that guy. He’s a deal-maker. He’s a broker. My working relationship with Donnie Nelson was seeing him every once in a while and getting a fist bump. That was it. Whether it was a fist-bump text message or a fist bump in person, that was his thing. He was very nice and cordial to my face, (but) I think threatened by me.”

Voulgaris also confirmed The Athletic’s claim that his relationship with Doncic worsened after he left his courtside seat with the Mavericks down 10 points and under a minute left in a game in April. Doncic viewed it as a sign of Voulgaris quitting on the team, while the executive considered it a non-issue and was upset that others in the organization didn’t back him up at all.

“You have a great relationship with this player. Why are you not telling him that I didn’t quit on the team?” Voulgaris said, referring to one of the Mavs’ assistant coaches, possibly Jamahl Mosley. “I just went to my desk to look at something on my computer or got up because I normally get up. There are plenty of other instances of me getting up in the middle of the game. … It was such a non-event that I didn’t think it was a big deal, and the fact that it became a big deal led me to believe that this is just not worth it to me.”

Voulgaris wasn’t fired by the Mavs, and didn’t step down from his role either — his contract simply expired and the two sides didn’t work out a new deal. While the franchise may have been seeking a fresh start following the hiring of Nico Harrison to replace Nelson, Voulgaris made it clear that he also felt his time in Dallas had run its course.

“If I’m distracting that f—ing guy (Doncic), I don’t need to be around,” Voulgaris said. “Whatever the case may be, no matter how I see it, it doesn’t matter at the end of the day. He is the fulcrum of the team. So I was like, ‘Cool.’ Plus, I was trying to find a way out of this job to begin with.”

Year: 2024