Community Shootaround

All of the major offseason moves have been made. Training camp is just around the corner.

We will soon find out whether those changes improved some of the also-rans last season. In terms of the Eastern Conference, the seven teams that failed to reach the playoffs approached the summer in many different ways.

The Heat made the boldest move. They got a commitment from one of the top free agents, Jimmy Butler, and turned it into a sign-and-trade. Josh Richardson and Hassan Whiteside were sent packing in that four-team swap and Miami also acquired reserve big man Meyers Leonard.

The Hornets lost their All-Star point guard Kemba Walker and worked out a sign-and-trade with the Celtics to acquire Terry Rozier. The Wizards resisted trade overtures for Bradley Beal and replaced injured John Wall with stopgap veterans Ish Smith and Isaiah Thomas. They also declined their option on Jabari Parker.

The Hawks continue to embrace improvement via lottery picks, adding De’Andre Hunter and Cam Reddish to a young core that includes Trae Young, Kevin Huerter and John Collins.

The Bulls added point guard Coby White in the draft but also acquired another guard, Tomas Satoransky, via sign-and-trade and inked veteran forward Thaddeus Young to a three-year deal.

Kevin Love remains on the Cavaliers’ roster for the time being but they’ve decided to build around young players. They surprised many people around the league by hiring Michigan coach John Beilein to spearhead that process.

The Knicks struck out on the major free agents, so they signed a bunch of second-tier free agents — Bobby Portis, Julius Randle, Marcus Morris, Taj Gibson and Elfrid Payton — on short-term contracts after drafting point guard RJ Barrett.

That brings us to our question of the day: Which non-playoff team from the Eastern Conference last season is most likely to make the postseason and why?

Please take to the comments section to voice your opinion. We look forward to what you have to say.

After Giannis Antetokounmpo beat out James Harden in a competitive two-man race for the 2018/19 NBA Most Valuable Player award, oddsmakers have made Antetokounmpo the favorite to earn MVP honors again in 2019/20.

BetOnline gives Antetokounmpo +350 odds to win the MVP award next season, meaning you’d have to risk $100 to win $350. Over at Bovada, Giannis is considered an even stronger frontrunner, with +300 odds.

Still, there are plenty of contenders who could spoil an Antetokounmpo repeat. Both Bovada and BetOnline give Stephen Curry the second-best MVP odds, with LeBron James, Anthony Davis, James Harden, and Kawhi Leonard, and Joel Embiid rounding out the top seven candidates.

An MVP case often relies heavily on both team success and narrative, which helped Giannis win the award this past spring — the Bucks won a season-high 60 games thanks in large part to his excellence on both ends of the court. It’s easy to imagine making a similar case for the Greek Freak next year if Milwaukee once again finishes first in the East. On the other hand, if the Sixers grab the No. 1 seed, Embiid might have a stronger case.

In the West, Curry is a popular pick now that Kevin Durant is no longer in the picture, since the league’s premier sharpshooter will be back to carrying the Warriors‘ offensive load like he did during his previous two MVP seasons — his scoring responsibilities will be even greater with Klay Thompson on the shelf for much of the season. Harden, meanwhile, is a perennial contender for the award, and LeBron, AD, and Kawhi could be in the mix if one of the L.A. teams finishes atop the West.

Among the dark horse candidates for the award, my two favorite picks are Nikola Jokic and Damian Lillard.

Jokic (+1500 on Bovada, +1600 on BetOnline) is the lone superstar on the Nuggets‘ roster, and after finishing second in the West last season, it wouldn’t be a total shock if Denver takes another step forward and finishes with atop the conference. Jokic, who averaged 20.1 PPG, 10.8 RPG, and 7.3 APG in 2018/19, could theoretically approach a triple-double average and would have a strong case as the clear-cut best player on the West’s best team in that scenario.

Lillard (+2800 on Bovada, +2500 on BetOnline) would probably have to increase his numbers beyond his current career highs of 27.0 PPG and 6.9 APG and count on the Trail Blazers making a similar run to the top of the West in order to be considered a true MVP contender. But that’s not entirely out of the question. At age 29, he’s very much in his prime and may have one more leap left in him.

Finally, while I’m skeptical about his chances to legitimately compete for an MVP award this early in his career, it’s worth noting that Luka Doncic‘s MVP odds on BetOnline are +1600, compared to +5000 on Bovada — the latter is obviously a significant better value if you’re bullish on Doncic’s outlook and want to wager on his MVP chances.

What do you think? Who is your way-too-early pick for the 2020 NBA MVP award? Are there are any dark horses that you like as under-the-radar candidates?

Head to the comment section below to share your two cents!

Few NBA players make the sort of leap that Pascal Siakam did from his second season to his third. The former No. 27 overall pick appeared to be developing into a solid role player during his first two years in the league, but his modest numbers in 2017/18 didn’t portend the breakout that was around the corner.

Still, there were some hints leading up to the 2018/19 season that Siakam was capable of taking a big step forward. Stories surfaced in the offseason about his eye-opening summer workouts and scrimmages at UCLA, where he worked with player development coach Rico Hines and impressed stars like James Harden and Paul George.

Although a one-year ascension like Siakam’s – from solid rotation piece to borderline All-NBA candidate – may be rare, it’s worth scouring the league to see if there are candidates to make that same kind of jump in the 2019/20 season.

D.J. Foster of The Ringer explored this topic earlier in the offseason, identifying another Raptors forward, OG Anunoby, as one candidate to have a Siakam-esque breakthrough year. Foster also singled out Trail Blazers center Zach Collins, Grizzlies guard De’Anthony Melton, Knicks center Mitchell Robinson, and Kings big man Harry Giles as contenders to be “the next Siakam.”

While I like Foster’s list, I’ll add a couple more names for consideration. Spurs guard Dejounte Murray was generating the same kind of hype as Siakam leading up to the 2018/19 season, but Murray’s ascent was derailed by an ACL tear that sidelined him for the year. If he’s 100% healthy, the former 29th overall pick is still capable of making the star turn that San Antonio envisioned a year ago.

Meanwhile, in Portland, second-year guard Anfernee Simons has been the subject of buzz around the NBA in recent months. The Trail Blazers showed confidence in his ability to contribute right away when they traded away backup point guard Evan Turner this summer. Given Simons’ age (20) and the fact that Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum will handle most of the play-making responsibilities in Portland, it’s not clear if he’s ready for stardom quite yet, but the franchise clearly has high hopes for him.

What do you think? Are there any young players around the NBA who are poised for breakout seasons after flying mostly under the radar so far? Who do you think has the best chance to be 2019/20’s version of Siakam?

Head to our comment section below to share your two cents!

Anyone who wants to catch the next chapter of “Linsanity” will need a plane ticket to China. Along with Jeremy Lin, they can also watch Lance Stephenson play the air guitar and get a look at Jerian Grant, Chasson Randle and more as a dozen former NBA players are heading to the Far East.

Luke Adams recently chronicled the number of players who were in the NBA last season and have signed overseas contracts this summer. While China leads the way, a significant amount of talent is also headed to Israel, Russia, Spain, Turkey and other locations.

The significant thing about these overseas migrations is that all the seasons are done before the NBA’s. So every March, a new crop of players becomes available, and many of them find roles with contenders who are eager to add depth before the start of the playoffs.

Here are a few players who should attract attention in roughly six months:

• Lin didn’t see much playoff action with the Raptors, but his regular season numbers were pretty good. He averaged 10.7 points and 3.5 assists in 51 games with the Hawks, followed by 7.0 PPG and 2.2 APG in 23 games with Toronto. Even though he didn’t receive a training camp invitation, Lin showed he still has plenty to contribute after two seasons lost to injury in Brooklyn.
• With the Lakers in turmoil seemingly all season, L.A. may not have been the best place for the already-volatile Stephenson. Still, he was part of the rotation for 68 games and posted a 7.2/3.2/2.1 line. He’s only 28 years old and should have a few productive years left.
• Greg Monroe, who’s headed to Germany, didn’t provide the spark that either the Celtics or Sixers were hoping for when they each signed him late in the season. However, he’s only 29 and was a valuable bench presence for Boston in 2018/19.
• Isaiah Canaan, who will play in China, was the Suns‘ starting point guard at the beginning of last season before being waived in late November. Even though he has bounced around the league and has dealt with injuries, the 28-year-old remains an explosive scorer who can provide instant offense.
• Ian Clark, who also signed in China, played in two NBA Finals with the Warriors and has spent the past two seasons as a valuable reserve for the Pelicans.
• Omri Casspi, who will play in Israel, spent almost the entire 2017/18 season with the champion Warriors before being waived just before the playoffs. At 31, he’s a little older than the other candidates on this list, but he’s a stretch four with a nice touch from 3-point range.

We want to get your input. Which overseas players do you think might make a difference in the NBA come springtime? Please leave your answers in the space below.

Caris LeVert‘s contract agreement with the Nets on Sunday marked the third time this offseason that a player eligible for a rookie scale extension has reached a deal with his team.

Heading into July, 20 players were eligible for rookie scale extensions. So far, Ben Simmons, Jamal Murray, and LeVert have received them, leaving 17 players still up in the air. Not all of those players are legitimate candidates for new deals, but many of them figure to enter negotiations with their respective clubs, and they still have plenty of time to work something out before the October 21 deadline.

Rookie scale extensions haven’t been completed quite as frequently within the last couple years as they were in the past, but five deals were reached last year and four occurred in 2017. In other words, we can probably count on at least one or two more happening before the 2019/20 season begins.

Pascal Siakam (Raptors), Domantas Sabonis (Pacers), Buddy Hield (Kings), and Jaylen Brown (Celtics) are among the most productive players who remain eligible for rookie scale extensions. Their teams would certainly like to lock them up long-term, but it might be in the players’ best interests to wait.

After all, if any of their teams were willing to put a max contract on the table right now though, a deal would likely already be done — that’s why Simmons and Murray didn’t waste much time in agreeing to their new pacts. And while a max contract may not be waiting in free agency for the likes of Sabonis, Hield, and Brown, the 2020 unrestricted free agent class projects to be weak. There could very well be teams willing to overpay on huge offer sheets for the top restricted free agents.

The Pelicans seem unlikely to invest heavily in Brandon Ingram before he suits up in a single game for the franchise, but a bridge deal like the one LeVert is signing with Brooklyn could make sense for another player who has dealt with health issues: Dejounte Murray. This offseason might be the Spurs‘ best chance to lock up Murray at a team-friendly rate, since he appeared poised for a breakout before tearing his ACL last fall.

Dario Saric (Suns), Taurean Prince (Nets), and Damian Jones (Hawks) are the other extension-eligible players who changed teams this offseason — new deals seem like long shots unless their clubs really like what they see in the preseason.

Role players who could sign modest rookie scale extensions if the price is right include Malik Beasley (Nuggets), Juan Hernangomez (Nuggets), Thon Maker (Pistons), DeAndre’ Bembry (Hawks), and Jakob Poeltl (Spurs).

Bulls guards Kris Dunn and Denzel Valentine and Trail Blazers big man Skal Labissiere are the remaining players eligible for rookie scale extensions. Valentine is the best extension candidate of the three, but I’d be surprised if any one of them signs a new deal.

What do you think? Are more rookie scale extensions are on the way before the season begins? Which of the eligible players do you think are most likely to sign new deals, and what would a fair price be in those cases?

Head to the comment section below to join the discussion!