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NBA Trade Candidate Watch: Central Division

January 28th, 2020 at 1:37pm CST by Luke Adams

Over the course of the 2019/20 NBA season, up until February’s trade deadline, we’re keeping an eye on potential trade candidates from around the NBA, monitoring their value and exploring the likelihood that they’ll be moved. Each of these looks at possible trade candidates focuses on a specific division, as we zero in on three players from that division.

With just nine days left until the 2020 trade deadline, we’ve surveyed each of the NBA’s divisions three times this season, identifying three potential trade candidates during each go-round. So far, every one of the five in-season trades completed in 2019/20 has included at least one player we’ve previously discussed as a trade candidate. Here’s the full list.

Although we may not have time to circle back through all six divisions a fourth time, we’re revisiting the Central today, taking a look at three more possible trade candidates. Let’s dive in…

Denzel Valentine, SG
Chicago Bulls
$3.4MM cap hit; RFA in 2020

While Valentine has been in and out of the Bulls’ rotation this season, any teams keeping an eye on him Monday night were rewarded with perhaps his best game of 2019/20. He racked up 16 points and made 4-of-6 three-point attempts with a +19 rating in 19 minutes.

The performance provided a glimpse of what kind of value Valentine can bring as a rotation player when things are going well. However, he seems increasingly unlikely to reach his potential in Chicago. Since a solid 2017/18 season, the 26-year-old has appeared in just 27 games due to ankle issues and Jim Boylen‘s rotation decisions. Restricted free agency is on tap for the fourth-year wing this summer, and I’d be surprised if he’s in the Bulls’ plans moving forward.

Given his modest cap hit, controllable rights and .377 career 3PT%, Valentine may appeal to teams looking for a low-cost shooter. The Bulls shouldn’t expect a substantial return, but if they can get a second-round pick out of a deal, it might be an offer worth taking.

Derrick Rose, PG
Detroit Pistons
$7.3MM cap hit; guaranteed $7.68MM salary in 2020/21; UFA in 2021

Like Dwight Howard in Los Angeles, Rose has experienced an impressive resurgence this season. The former MVP isn’t the superstar he once was, but he has been the Pistons’ most reliable scorer, with 18.8 PPG in just 26.6 MPG through 41 contests. He’s a walking bucket and could be a formidable play-making threat for a contender if Detroit decides to move him.

It certainly seems that there has been interest. The Lakers and Sixers were recently cited as potential suitors, with the Clippers also reportedly inquiring. The Pistons may actually have a better chance of acquiring a first-round pick for Rose than they would for Andre Drummond, given the two players’ respective contract situations and cap hits.

Still, with Rose currently battling a sore right knee, potential suitors will proceed with caution. Health has always been the concern for the former Bull, and a contending team willing to surrender a first-rounder for a roster upgrade may prefer to pursue a player with a less worrisome injury history.

John Henson, F/C
Cleveland Cavaliers
$9.7MM cap hit; UFA in 2020

Besides Tristan Thompson, whom we covered in an earlier look at the Central, the Cavaliers have three other veterans on pricey expiring contracts who could be on the move at this year’s deadline. However, none of those players have positive trade value.

Brandon Knight ($15.6MM), Matthew Dellavedova ($9.6MM), and Henson are borderline rotation players, and the Cavs will be hard-pressed to acquire a real asset for any of them unless they’re willing to take on some unwanted multiyear money.

Of the three, Henson looks like the most realistic trade candidate. Knight has barely played this season and is dealing with a knee injury, while Dellavedova’s numbers have been dreadful. Henson, in a part-time role, has at least showed he’s still capable of cleaning the glass and protecting the rim, with 10.0 rebounds and 3.0 blocks per 36 minutes. The Cavs also have a -1.4 net rating when he plays, compared to -9.8 when he sits.

Cleveland will still be hard-pressed to get much of value for Henson, but I’d expect the team to get more traction on him than some of its other expendable vets.

Revisit the rest of our 2019/20 Trade Candidate series right here.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

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NBA Players Who Can’t Be Aggregated In Trades

January 28th, 2020 at 11:05am CST by Luke Adams

The NBA’s Collective Bargaining Agreement includes a rule that states players who are acquired using an exception (ie. not using cap space) can’t be aggregated in a second trade for two months after the original deal.

Aggregating a player in a trade refers to the act of combining his contract with another player’s contract for salary-matching purposes. For instance, an over-the-cap team can’t trade a player with a $5MM salary straight up for a player with a $13MM salary. But if the team aggregates that player with a second player who also earns $5MM, the deal would work.

[RELATED: Hoops Rumors Glossary: Traded Player Exception]

The rule against including a player in an aggregated trade for two months after he’s acquired doesn’t preclude the player’s team from adding him to a multi-player deal. His salary simply can’t be combined upon with another player’s for matching purposes in such a trade.

For instance, even if a player earning a minimum salary can’t be aggregated in a trade, his team could still include him in a swap involving a pair of $10MM players, since his minimum-salary cap hit wouldn’t be needed for salary matching.

With those rules in mind, here’s the list of players who have been acquired using a cap exception within the last two months and can’t be aggregated in a deadline trade this season:

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Checking In On 10-Day Contracts

January 27th, 2020 at 4:02pm CST by Luke Adams

With the NBA’s 2020 trade deadline just 10 days away, most teams around the league are looking to preserve roster flexibility, which means that several teams with open roster spots are currently opting not to bring in a 15th man on a 10-day contract.

While that’s understandable for teams with potential tax concerns, like the Rockets and Thunder, a number of teams that aren’t up against the tax – including the Kings, Timberwolves, and Magic – are currently carrying just 14 players, leaving an open roster spot rather than bringing in a player on a 10-day audition.

We’ll see if that changes in the coming days, but for now it looks like those clubs may wait to add a 15th man until after they see what happens at the deadline. That would be a little surprising, since 10-day contracts can be terminated before they expire if necessary at a low cost, and a team like Orlando could use the depth.

Currently, there are just three players league-wide who are on active 10-day contracts, and two of them are on the same team. Here’s the list:

  • Tyler Cook, F (Cavaliers)
    • Second 10-day contract with Cavs; runs through January 29.
  • Alfonzo McKinnie, F (Cavaliers)
    • Second 10-day contract with Cavs; runs through February 1.
  • Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot, G/F (Nets)
    • Second 10-day contract with Nets; runs through February 3.

Those three players are the only ones who have signed multiple 10-day contracts so far this season, as our tracker shows. The other four – Justin Anderson, Paul Watson, Josh Magette, and Gary Clark – signed just one 10-day deal apiece with their respective teams, though Watson did get a two-way contract with Toronto after spending 10 days with Atlanta.

Currently, seven teams have at least one open spot on their 15-man roster (the Warriors have two). The Cavaliers and Nets would join that list if they don’t re-sign their 10-day players to rest-of-season deals when those contracts expire.

We still have a few more days left in January, but barring a surge in 10-day deals this week, 2020 will become just the second year since the strike season in 2011/12 not to feature 15 or more 10-day signings in January. The only other recent year to start with so few 10-day deals was 2018, when just eight were signed during the entire month of January.

As always, you can keep tabs on all of this season’s 10-day contracts – and all the 10-day deals dating back to 2007 – using our tracker.

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Cavs Players Disappointed By Lack Of Positive Progress

January 27th, 2020 at 12:34pm CST by Luke Adams

Following last Thursday’s loss to the Wizards, Cavaliers players expressed disappointment that the team doesn’t seem to be making any positive progress, as Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com details. Tristan Thompson suggested the club seems to be “at a standstill,” while Kevin Love said he feels as if the Cavs should be better than they are.

While the Cavaliers may shake up their roster a little prior to the trade deadline, there are no guarantees that veterans like Thompson and Love will be moved, so it’s no surprise they’d like to see the team become more competitive if they’re going to remain in Cleveland for the rest of the season. Things didn’t get any better on Saturday, when the Cavs lost at home to the Bulls to extend their losing streak to seven games.

Following last Thursday’s loss to the Wizards, Cavaliers players expressed disappointment that the team doesn’t seem to be making any positive progress, as Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com details. Tristan Thompson suggested the club seems to be “at a standstill,” while Kevin Love said he feels as if the Cavs should be better than they are.

“We have to start trending in the right direction again because we felt like we were playing good basketball, even in a couple of the losses we had, and these are uncharacteristic — losing by double-digits to these two teams,” Love said following a series of Cavaliers losses to Chicago, New York, and Washington. “Nothing against them, we just feel like similar records and these are teams we can compete with, especially on our home floor. We should have a chance to really win.”

While the Cavaliers may shake up their roster a little prior to the trade deadline, there are no guarantees that veterans like Thompson and Love will be moved, so it’s no surprise they’d like to see the team become more competitive if they’re going to remain in Cleveland for the rest of the season. Things didn’t get any better on Saturday, when the Cavs lost at home to the Bulls to extend their losing streak to seven games.

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Love: I’d Be Happy To Stay With Cavs Through Deadline

January 24th, 2020 at 8:54am CST by Luke Adams

Reports this winter have repeatedly suggested that Kevin Love would like to be traded to a contender, and it’s still possible the Cavaliers will find a deal in the next couple weeks. However, sources tell Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com that Love’s value may be higher during the offseason when it won’t be quite so tricky to move a player with his cap hit.

If that’s the case, Love may end up remaining in Cleveland for at least the rest of the 2019/20 season. And he insisted on Thursday that he wouldn’t have a problem with that.

“I will be happy if I’m still here,” Love said, per Fedor. “I fully plan on continuing to help these guys, continuing to help — Tristan (Thompson), myself, Larry (Nance Jr.), these guys, being a leader with all the veterans. And this place, Cleveland, the fans, they’ve been really, really good to me. So, yes.”

Love had a series of outbursts – including an in-game show of frustration – earlier this season, and a source tells Fedor that many aspects of the Cavs’ season have “driven him crazy.” Fedor adds that the club’s “selfish” playing style has been a source of irritation for Love, though the veteran power forward vowed a few weeks ago to “be better” when it came to expressing that frustration and being an example for Cleveland’s young players. He has been more patient since then, Fedor notes.

As has been the case all season, there’s still skepticism that the Cavs and a trade partner will see eye-to-eye on Love’s value. The big man’s expensive, long-term contract, which will have three years and $91MM left on it after this season, is a deterrent for potential suitors. But the Cavs will continue to seek at least one valuable asset – such as a promising young player or first-round pick – in any deal for their most productive player. Love is averaging a double-double (17.4 PPG, 10.0 RPG) with a .450/.366/.841 shooting line this season.

Love is one of several veteran Cavaliers who are candidates to be moved at the deadline. The club also figures to discuss players like Tristan Thompson, Brandon Knight, John Henson, and Matthew Dellavedova, all of whom are on expiring contracts. However, things have been quiet as of late for the Cavs, and there’s some growing doubt internally that a massive shakeup is around the corner, according to Fedor.

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McKinnie Had Other Offers, Chose To Return To Cavs

January 23rd, 2020 at 3:58pm CST by Luke Adams
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Cavs Sign Alfonzo McKinnie To Second 10-Day Deal

January 23rd, 2020 at 9:58am CST by Luke Adams

JANUARY 23: The Cavaliers have officially re-signed McKinnie to another 10-day contract, the team confirmed today in a press release.

JANUARY 22: The Cavaliers are bringing back Alfonzo McKinnie on a second 10-day contract, according to Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com, who reports that the swingman will sign his new deal on Thursday.

McKinnie has appeared in 29 games for the Cavaliers this season, averaging 3.7 PPG and 2.7 RPG in 13.1 minutes per contest.

Having been claimed off waivers by the Cavs at the start of the regular season, McKinnie spent the first two-and-a-half months of the season on a non-guaranteed contract before being released earlier this month. Cleveland quickly brought him back on a 10-day deal and now will sign him to a second one. Once this contract expires, the team will have to either let McKinnie go or sign him to a standard deal.

By starting his 10-day clock tomorrow, Cleveland will maximize McKinnie’s new contract, since the club plays six games during that stretch. As Fedor notes, the ex-Warrior will also get a chance to face Golden State on the final day of the deal next Saturday.

The Cavs will have a full 15-man roster once McKinnie officially signs, though two of those 15 players – McKinnie and Tyler Cook – are on 10-day contracts which will expire before the trade deadline, giving the franchise some added flexibility.

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Injury Updates: R. Jackson, Hachimura, Wagner, R. Williams

January 22nd, 2020 at 12:59pm CST by Arthur Hill

Pistons guard Reggie Jackson hopes to play tonight after being sidelined since the second game of the season with a back injury, tweets Rod Beard of The Detroit News. Jackson is officially listed as questionable for the game against the Kings. He’ll be on a minutes restriction and isn’t sure if he’ll be used as a starter or a reserve (Twitter link).

“I don’t know how well I’m going to feel. Adrenaline is a different thing so I imagine I’ll probably be winded a little early,” Jackson said (Twitter link).

There’s more injury news to pass along:

  • Wizards rookie Rui Hachimura has been cleared for all basketball activities, head coach Scott Brooks told reporters, including Candace Buckner of The Washington Post (Twitter link). Hachimura hasn’t played since suffering a groin injury December 16. “It’ll be great to have him back before the All-Star break, but you never know,” Brooks said (Twitter link).
  • The Wizards also got good news on Moritz Wagner, who has been cleared for non-contact activities after a check-up in New York City, Buckner tweets. Wagner has missed the past month with a sprained left ankle.
  • Injured Celtics center Robert Williams was able to do some running Tuesday and is set for another scan and evaluation February 4, the team tweeted. Team doctors expect to have a more concrete idea of when he can start playing again after that session. Williams has a bone edema in his left hip and won’t return until after the All-Star break.
  • Cavaliers center Ante Zizic is out indefinitely, tweets Kelsey Russo of The Athletic. He has been diagnosed with a vestibular condition that has forced him to miss the past five games.
  • Nuggets coach Michael Malone told reporters that among his injured rotation players, Gary Harris is the closest to returning, relays Mike Singer of The Denver Post (Twitter link). “When I say closest, I don’t know how close that is,” Malone explained. “Paul (Millsap) and Jamal (Murray) are still a ways off.”
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Cavs Sign Tyler Cook To Second 10-Day Deal

January 20th, 2020 at 2:18pm CST by Luke Adams

2:18pm: The Cavaliers have officially signed Cook to a second 10-day contract, the team announced today in a press release. It’ll run through January 29.

11:07am: It looks like rookie power forward Tyler Cook will be the first NBA player this season to receive a second 10-day contract. A source tells Michael Scotto of Bleacher Report (Twitter link) that the Cavaliers are re-signing Cook, while Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com reports (via Twitter) that the new 10-day deal will be completed before Monday night’s game.

Cook, 22, has spent the season with the Cavaliers, first on a two-way contract, then briefly on a standard deal, then on a 10-day pact which expired on Saturday night. He has appeared in eight total NBA games, including two during his last 10-day deal, logging just 28 total minutes.

Most of Cook’s rookie season has been spent with the Canton Charge in the G League, where he has averaged 13.1 PPG and 6.2 RPG in 16 contests (21.4 MPG).

Cleveland is carrying 13 players on fully guaranteed standard contracts and had signed Cook and Alfonzo McKinnie to 10-day pacts on January 9. It’s unclear if McKinnie will also be brought back or if the Cavs will find another use for that 15th roster spot, perhaps leaving it open for the time being.

Teams can’t sign a player to three 10-day contracts in the same season, so once Cook’s second 10-day deal expires, the Cavs will either have to sign him for the rest of the season or let him return to the free agent market.

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23 Trade Exceptions To Expire Within Next Month

January 20th, 2020 at 8:53am CST by Luke Adams

As NBA teams consider their trade options before the February 6 deadline, it’s worth keeping in mind that a number of clubs hold traded player exceptions. These traded player exceptions allow over-the-cap clubs to acquire a player – or multiple players – whose salary fits within the TPE without having to send out any salary in return.

[RELATED: Hoops Rumors Glossary: Traded Player Exception]

Traded player exceptions can’t be combined with another salary or exception and often aren’t worth much, so most of them ultimately go unused. Still, they can come in handy every now and then, particularly for under-the-tax clubs that don’t mind adding a little more money to their books.

Last season, a total of 23 trades were completed between January 22 and February 7, resulting in 23 trade exceptions that haven’t yet been used or renounced and will expire if they’re not used by this year’s trade deadline.

Here are those traded player exceptions, listed in order of value, with the expiration date noted in parentheses for each TPE:

  • Dallas Mavericks: $11,825,694 (2/7)
  • Miami Heat: $6,270,000 (2/7)
  • Houston Rockets: $3,620,016 (2/7)
  • Houston Rockets: $3,206,160 (2/7)
  • Toronto Raptors: $2,536,898 (2/7)
  • Detroit Pistons: $2,500,000 (2/6)
  • Portland Trail Blazers: $1,740,000 (2/7)
  • Houston Rockets: $1,621,415 (2/7)
  • Toronto Raptors: $1,569,360 (2/6)
  • Cleveland Cavaliers: $1,544,951 (2/7)
  • Houston Rockets: $1,544,951 (2/7)
  • Oklahoma City Thunder: $1,544,951 (2/3)
  • Cleveland Cavaliers: $1,512,601 (2/7)
  • Houston Rockets: $1,512,601 (1/22)
  • Houston Rockets: $1,512,601 (2/7)
  • Memphis Grizzlies: $1,512,601 (2/7)
  • Toronto Raptors: $1,512,601 (2/7)
  • Dallas Mavericks: $1,233,152 (1/31)
  • Detroit Pistons: $1,140,682 (2/7)
  • Washington Wizards: $311,913 (2/6)
  • Cleveland Cavaliers: $266,728 (2/4)
  • Memphis Grizzlies: $184,467 (2/7)
  • Washington Wizards: $183,148 (2/7)

For the full list of traded player exceptions currently available, including a Warriors TPE worth $17MM that probably can’t be used until July, click here.

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