- As he continues to build on a much-improved sophomore campaign in the league, Kris Dunn has impressed the Bulls (and specifically coach Fred Hoiberg) with his leadership. As Joe Cowley writes for the Chicago Sun-Times, Dunn’s solid play on the floor and control of the offense in preseason has been a bright spot for a Bulls team that is dealing with injuries and inconsistent defensive play.
NBA.com has completed its annual survey of NBA general managers, with John Schuhmann of NBA.com asking each of the league’s 30 GMs to answer an array of questions about the league’s top teams, players, and coaches. Unsurprisingly, the Warriors are once again viewed by the NBA’s general managers as the overwhelming favorites to be the last team standing, with 26 of 30 GMs (87%) picking Golden State to win the NBA championship for the fourth time in five years.
While there are many responses in the GM survey worth checking out, we’ll focus on rounding up some of the more noteworthy ones related to rosters and player movement. Let’s dive in…
- LeBron James (30%) and Kevin Durant (27%) are viewed as the frontrunners for the 2018/19 MVP award, but two younger players led the voting for the player GMs would most want to build a franchise around starting today. Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo (30%) and Pelicans big man Anthony Davis (23%) led the way in that category. Interestingly, Timberwolves center Karl-Anthony Towns didn’t receive a single vote this year after leading the way with 29% of the vote in 2017.
- The Lakers‘ signing of James helped them earn 70% of the vote for the team that made the best overall moves this offseason. The Raptors, buoyed by their acquisition of Kawhi Leonard, finished second at 20%.
- A ton of different signings and trade acquisitions received votes for the most underrated addition of the summer, with the Pacers‘ signing of Tyreke Evans barely leading the way with four votes. The Spurs‘ trade for DeMar DeRozan, the Bulls‘ signing of Jabari Parker, the Pelicans‘ addition of Julius Randle, and the Thunder‘s acquisition of Dennis Schroder received three votes apiece.
- DeMarcus Cousins‘ decision to join the Warriors (35%) was considered the most surprising move of the offseason, followed by the Spurs/Raptors blockbuster trade (29%) and Paul George remaining with the Thunder (19%).
- While Mavericks guard Luka Doncic is the strong frontrunner for Rookie of the Year, GMs expect Suns center Deandre Ayton and Grizzlies big man Jaren Jackson Jr. to be the best players five years from now. Meanwhile, the Clippers‘ selection of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander at No. 11 was viewed by the most GMs as the steal of the draft.
- The Sixers (47%) and Celtics (33%) dominated voting for the teams with the most promising young cores.
Jabari Parker was never given a clear explanation from the Bucks on why they were willing to rescind their qualifying offer and let him sign elsewhere, Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times writes. The former No. 2 overall pick signed with the Bulls during the offseason and isn’t looking for answers from his former squad.
“I don’t think it’s my responsibility to create all type of different scenarios in my head,’’ Parker said. “I just take it for what it is, eliminates my confusion, and I just move on, just because it’s not as important right now.’’
Parker added that he enjoyed his time in Milwaukee but is “bitter” about how it ended.
“I wasn’t planning on leaving so soon, especially like being there four years,’’ Parker said. “I love that group and all the training staff, medical staff. It just made it home. Every moment that I had, really involved in the community, was always out. But they went in a different direction, which I understand. … things happen. It’s the business.’’
Parker’s new deal is worth $40MM over two years, though the Bulls hold an option on year two. The Chicago native has impressed his new club so far this preseason, starting in place of Lauri Markkanen, who will be sidelined for up to two months with an elbow injury.
“He’s picking things up and he’s learning two positions, which isn’t easy to do when you’re in a new system.,” Hoiberg said. “He’s got a lot left in the tank, absolutely.’’
Pistons point guard Reggie Jackson is still scraping off the rust after spending the summer rehabbing a high ankle sprain, Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press reports. Jackson, who originally suffered the injury in late December, returned to basketball activities on Thursday and participated in a public scrimmage on Saturday. He showed some quickness during the scrimmage but took a passive approach offensively, Ellis notes. “He’s looked really good,” coach Dwane Casey said. “He’s still rusty in certain areas, reading situations defensively, but I’m very pleased at where he is.”
We have more from around the Central Division:
- Pairing Justin Holiday and Jabari Parker at the forward spots could prove to be a successful stopgap measure for the Bulls, according to the analysis of NBC Sports Chicago’s Michael Walton. The Bulls are searching for ways to make up for the absence of Lauri Markkanen, who is out 6-8 weeks with an elbow injury. Holiday is a quality defender and 3-point shooter who doesn’t make a lot of mistakes. He should mesh well with a high usage player like Parker, who excels offensively. Parker’s ability to score on the break will allow Holiday to be more aggressive defensively and look for steals, Walton adds.
- Bulls shooting guard Zach LaVine feels a greater responsibility after signing a multi-year contract, as Mark Strotman of NBC Sports Chicago reports. The front office matched his Kings’ four-year, $78MM offer sheet in July and LaVine wants to be looked upon as a leader. “We have so many scorers, though, so if any of us have an off day I think we’ll be able to pick up the slack really easily,” he said. “I know I’m here to be a leader and put the ball in the hoop and become a complete player.”
- The Pacers’ second-round picks from the past two drafts have impressed in camp, Mark Monteith of the team’s website writes. Center Ike Anigbogu, guard Edmond Sumner and forward Alize Johnson will likely spend most of the season in the G League but coach Nate McMillan likes their progress. “They’ve had really good training camps,” McMillan told Monteith. “I really like what I see from those guys.”
So far this offseason, two players have signed rookie scale extensions: Devin Booker got a new deal from the Suns, and the Timberwolves locked up Karl-Anthony Towns to a new long-term pact.
In each of those instances, the player received a maximum salary extension. Max deals, which require little negotiation, typically get done well before the mid-October deadline for rookie scale extensions. But with that deadline now just two weeks away, we may start seeing progress on a few other deals around the NBA.
Besides Booker and Towns, 21 players are eligible for rookie scale extensions this offseason, though some of the players on that list assuredly won’t get new deals. The Cavaliers aren’t about to give Sam Dekker a long-term contract, for example. And it’s safe to assume that the Bulls aren’t looking to lock up Cameron Payne early.
Still, there are several names on that list who are intriguing candidates for new deals. Here are 12 of them:
- Rondae Hollis-Jefferson (Nets)
- Stanley Johnson (Pistons)
- Frank Kaminsky (Hornets)
- Trey Lyles (Nuggets)
- Larry Nance Jr. (Cavaliers)
- Kelly Oubre (Wizards)
- Bobby Portis (Bulls)
- Kristaps Porzingis (Knicks)
- Terry Rozier (Celtics)
- Myles Turner (Pacers)
- Justise Winslow (Heat)
- Delon Wright (Raptors)
Not all the players on this list will sign rookie scale extensions within the next two weeks. In fact, most of them probably won’t. There are plenty of reasons for teams to wait — maybe the asking prices are too high, maybe their financial situations aren’t conducive to more long-term investments at this point, or maybe they simply want another season to take a closer look at their extension candidates.
[RELATED: Recent NBA Rookie Scale Extension History]
Still, it’s safe to assume that at least a couple players on this list will receive new deals. Typically, at least four players per year sign rookie scale extensions, and the numbers in previous seasons have often been much higher than that — in 2014, 2015, and 2016, a combined 24 players signed rookie scale extensions, for an average of eight per year.
With that October 15 deadline fast approaching, we want to know what you think. Which of this year’s extension candidates will receive new deals? Which deserve them, and at what price point? Which should be put off until they reach restricted free agency next summer?
Head to the comment section below to share your two cents on this year’s rookie scale extension candidates!
The Bulls‘ already slim playoff hopes took a nosedive on Friday night as Finnish big man Lauri Markkanen suffered a high-grade lateral elbow sprain. The injury will sideline Markkanen for six-to-eight weeks, which will sideline him for the entire preseason the several weeks to begin the regular season.
Entering his sophomore season, Markkanen is looking to build off a solid rookie campaign in which he averaged 15.2 PPG and 7.5 RPG in 29.7 MPG while appearing in 68 games. The 7-footer was the seventh overall pick in the 2017 draft.
“Obviously it’s disappointed to be out. It’s been such a long offseason and I’ve worked hard and just ready to play basketball again,” Markkanen told reporters, including K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune. “It’d disappointing; I don’t know how long it’s going to take but I’m going to be right back.”
Markkanen, 21, said the injury occurred in practice on a “normal basketball play” as several players went for a rebound. He added that his elbow felt worse the next day, which prompted the MRI and the diagnosis. It’s a major blow to a young Chicago team going through a rebuilding stage, but Markkanen maintained a positive outlook during his media session.
“It’s a minor setback,” he said. “I’m just ready to get back to work. Hopefully, I can be even a little better than I am right now. You can always improve other things.
“I know my shot is going to be there. I’m not worried about that. Now I can work on my lefty a little bit.”
Below are more notes on Markkanen’s injury:
- New Bulls swingman Jabari Parker, no stranger to season-shortening injuries himself, weighed in on what the loss of Markkanen means for the Bulls. “It’s deflating because that’s one of our key pieces,” Parker said. “And I think that’s just going to put us behind, especially me trying to figure out chemistry. But as long as he is around then we’re going to try to do it another way instead of being on the court.”
- Executive vice president John Paxson weighed in on the injury, noting that getting Markkanen healed will take precedence over him returning to the court. “We’re being careful with the timeframe,” Paxson said. “He’s so important to us that we want to make sure he’s healthy. Like we’ve tried to do with all our guys, we won’t rush him back.”
- As we noted previously, in Markkanen’s extended absence, Chicago could use Bobby Portis in a starting capacity or shift Parker from small forward to power forward.
- Bulls swingman Denzel Valentine suffered a moderate ankle sprain during the first week of training camp, according to the team’s website. Valentine will be re-evaluated in 1-2 weeks, the release adds. The injury could put Valentine’s rotation spot in jeopardy. He’s fighting for playing time on the wing with Justin Holiday, Chandler Hutchison and JaKarr Sampson, among others, behind starters Zach LaVine and Jabari Parker.
- Shooting guard David Nwaba had a two-year offer from the Pacers but he opted for a one-year deal with the Cavaliers, he revealed to Chris Fedor of the Cleveland Plain Dealer. Nwaba became an unrestricted free agent after the Bulls rescinded his qualifying offer. “Indiana wanted me for two years, but Cleveland seemed like a better fit,” Nwaba told Fedor. “Young guys as well as veterans on this team, so I thought it was a perfect fit and knew I was going to get my opportunity here.”
Bulls power forward Lauri Markkanen will be out an estimated 6-to-8 weeks after suffering a high grade lateral elbow sprain, the team tweets.
Markkanen was injured during practice on Thursday and underwent an MRI on his right elbow on Friday.
The first major injury of the preseason could derail any hopes Chicago had of making the playoffs. Without their top player, the Bulls are dangerously thin at the forward spots.
Barring a trade, Chicago could thrust Bobby Portis into a starting role or move Jabari Parker from small forward to the four spot. Rookie training camp invitee Kaiser Gates is the team’s only other power forward, though it could try rookie Wendell Carter Jr. or Cristiano Felicio as a stopgap.
Markkanen had an outstanding rookie campaign, averaging 15.2 PPG and 7.5 RPG in 29.7 MPG while appearing in 68 contests. The 7-footer was the seventh overall pick in the 2017 draft.
- Speaking of rookie scale extension candidates, Bobby Portis is also eligible for a new contract up until October 15. The Bulls big man appears set to enter the 2018/19 season as the club’s sixth man, a role he’s comfortable with, as Vincent Goodwill of NBC Sports Chicago details.
- With the Bulls‘ still in the midst of their rebuilding process, top executive John Paxson declined to name a win total when asked about the team’s expectations earlier this week. However, head coach Fred Hoiberg knows he’ll be expected to show positive steps forward during the fourth season of his five-year contract with the franchise, writes Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times.
Some may look at the signing of Jabari Parker as a bit of a double-edged sword, writes K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune, but Parker sees his addition to the Bulls as another weapon for head coach Fred Hoiberg to utilize as opposed to another body who may take shots away from the threesome of Kris Dunn, Zach LaVine, and Lauri Markkanen.
“Those days we had in the gym two weeks ago were very central for us and especially for me,” Parker said. “I got a chance to see those guys up front. It’s different playing with them than against them. I finally got a chance to know here I need to be on the floor and my strengths and things I need to work on.”
“It’s going to take time, like anything else. I can’t put a date on it. But once we figure out each other and start to jell, we’ll see results. Chemistry is key with those guys. The ball is going to be in their hands a lot. Hopefully I can feed off them.”
Luckily for the Bulls, Parker, Markkanen, and LaVine all shoot at roughly the same frequency. For his career, Parker has taken 12.6 shot attempts per game, while Markkanen attempted 12.7 shots per game as a rookie and LaVine has averaged 11.7 attempts in the NBA since being drafted in 2014. Meanwhile, Dunn will be tasked with making sure the ball gets distributed as needed.
“Over the last couple of weeks I’ve been playing with these guys, getting a feel of each player,” Dunn said. “I have great chemistry with Lauri. Zach, he’s easy to play with because he’s a knockdown shooter. Jabari, he’s an unselfish player, a slasher. And Wendell (Carter Jr.) is another unselfish player who doesn’t need the ball.”
Dunn, LaVine, Parker, and Markkanen will likely all start next to veteran Robin Lopez, but Carter’s minutes should increase as the season goes on, with sixth man Bobby Portis rounding out the team’s young core. Parker will also be able to slide to power forward and play alongside Portis or Carter when Markkanen is on the bench.