Community Shootaround Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Community Shootaround: Biggest Winner In Free Agency So Far

July 2nd, 2019 at 11:10pm CST by ChrisCrouse

It feels like half of the league’s players are in different spots than they were just a week ago and some teams have benefited more than others from the player movement. You can check out all the movement in our Free Agent Tracker.

The Nets are arguably the biggest winner. They land Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving. The franchise also added DeAndre Jordan and netted a first-rounder from the D’Angelo Russell sign-and-trade.

Russell went to the Warriors on a max deal and Golden State had an impressive few days outside of losing Durant. The Magic were able to re-sign their main guys and will bring back the core of a team that made the playoffs in the Eastern Conference last season.

Jimmy Butler will go to the Heat via sign-and-trade, giving the Heat a star they’ve long been in the market for. Kemba Walker heads to Boston and Terry Rozier to Charlotte in a double sign-and-trade that arguably puts a ceiling on what each team can accomplish.

The Sixers landed Al Horford and Josh Richardson (via the Butler deal) and brought back Tobias Harris. Philadelphia was one of the more active teams over the past few days, while the two Los Angeles teams remained in sort of a holding pattern as they wait for Kawhi Leonard to make a decision.

The Jazz added Mike Conley prior to free agency and made moves to complement their new core. The team added Bojan Bogdanovic on a four-year deal and brought in Ed Davis, Emmanuel Mudiay and Jeff Green to round out a strong first few days of free agency.

Our community shootaround tonight is simple: Which team has made the best signings thus far? Do you believe any team had a better few days than the Nets? Is there an under-the-radar team that isn’t being talked about enough?

Let us know your opinion in the comment section below. We look forward to what you have to say!

Community Shootaround: 2020 All-Rookie Team

June 22nd, 2019 at 10:00pm CST by Arthur Hill

NBA general managers nailed the top of the draft last year, taking the entire All-Rookie first team off the board in five picks. Deandre Ayton, Marvin Bagley, Luka Doncic, Jaren Jackson Jr. and Trae Young were all highly regarded, but it’s rare that the first five selections are instantly the best five players.

This year’s draft is considered weaker, which makes it harder to predict. That only adds to the fun of speculating about who will wind up on the 2020 All-Rookie team.

There’s a lot left to happen this offseason, but there are a few things we know about this year’s draft class that we didn’t know a few days ago.

For example, we know the Anthony Davis era is over in New Orleans and the Zion Williamson era is about to begin. Unlike many top picks, Williamson will be surrounded by a strong supporting cast thanks to the generous return the Pelicans extracted from the Lakers. He won’t have to be dominant right away, but the spotlight will be on him and his natural talent should shine through. He’s the early favorite for Rookie of the Year.

Ja Morant should get the keys to the Memphis offense right from the start now that Mike Conley is on his way to Utah. It will take a while to reach Conley’s level, but Morant’s athleticism and highlight-reel dunks should make the Grizzlies a must-see team on League Pass.

R.J. Barrett may be considered a consolation prize in New York after the No. 1 pick slipped away, but his love for the city and his sweet shooting touch should win over Knicks fans. It’s easy to envision him topping all first-year players in scoring.

De’Andre Hunter is joining a Hawks organization that is amassing the brightest collection of young talent in the league. He and Cam Reddish could help Atlanta become the team of the future.

Darius Garland seems to duplicate a lot of the talents of Collin Sexton, the Cavaliers’ top pick last year, but the team is excited about the shooting threat he brings. Cleveland may not be ready to win, but Garland and Sexton will be a treat to watch in the open court.

Those are the top five picks, but are they all destined for the All-Rookie team? Are there better players taken later in the lottery or even later in the draft? We want to get your input on next season’s top rookies. Please leave your responses in the space below.

Community Shootaround: NBA Draft Winners, Losers

June 21st, 2019 at 8:26am CST by Luke Adams

The concept of “winners” and “losers” in an NBA draft isn’t necessarily a flawed one, but naming those winners and losers within 24 hours of the draft’s completion is probably misguided. Three years ago, for example, how many fans or even draft experts would have called the Raptors a winner of the 2016 NBA draft for nabbing little-known forward Pascal Siakam with the 27th overall pick?

Still, the “winner” and “loser” tags are simple short-hand for assessing which teams’ drafts we like, at first glance, and which ones we don’t. With that in mind, we want to hear your thoughts on which teams you believe have a good night on Thursday and which ones you believe could have done better.

The Cavaliers are among the teams that received plenty of praise for their work on Thursday — they came out of the first round with three promising young rookies, having selected Darius Garland at No. 5, Dylan Windler at No. 26, and Kevin Porter Jr. at No. 30. Garland was long viewed as the probable fourth overall pick, and Porter was considered a candidate for the end of the lottery, so Cleveland got seemingly great value in the first round.

[RELATED: 2019 NBA Draft Results]

The Pelicans are among the other teams whose work was lauded, though it’s hard not to get high marks when you come away with Zion Williamson. Besides the No. 1 overall pick, New Orleans also came away with Jaxson Hayes at No. 8, Nickeil Alexander-Walker at No. 17, and Marcos Louzada Silva at No. 35. They also managed to shed Solomon Hill‘s contract in their trade with the Hawks.

On the other end of the spectrum, the Suns‘ moves generated some confusion. They had to give up the No. 32 pick to move T.J. Warren, whose three-year, $35MM contract didn’t look like an albatross. Then they traded down from No. 6 to acquire Dario Saric and used their newly-acquired No. 11 pick to select Cameron Johnson, a player most experts didn’t expect to go in the top 20.

What do you think? Which teams’ drafts did you like most, and which ones were you a little less bullish on? Head to the comment section below to weigh in!

Community Shootaround: Could Durant Save The Warriors?

June 8th, 2019 at 9:59pm CST by Arthur Hill

With the Warriors facing a 3-1 deficit as the NBA Finals shift back to Toronto, many media members are theorizing that Golden State’s only hope is a return by Kevin Durant. Although Durant joined his team for the trip to Canada, his status remains uncertain. The MVP of the last two Finals hasn’t played or participated in a full practice since suffering a calf strain a month ago in the Western Conference semifinals.

There’s no question that a healthy Durant would make a difference. He was magnificent as usual before the injury, posting a 26.0/6.4/5.9 line in 78 regular season games and leading all playoff scorers at 34.2 points per game. Golden State hasn’t lost a postseason series since he joined the team three years ago.

Still, it may be an overstatement to say the Warriors would be in control of the series if he were available. The Raptors might be the best team they have faced over the past three seasons and have already dispatched a talented Sixers team and this year’s probable MVP in Giannis Antetokounmpo. Kawhi Leonard has reminded everyone that he’s one of the league’s best players, and he’s surrounded by a talented supporting cast that is proficient on both ends of the floor.

Even if Durant returns for Game 5, there are questions about how effective he can be. The Warriors haven’t issued any progress reports on his condition, other than vague statements expressing hope that he’ll be back before the playoffs end. Timing would be a concern for someone who hasn’t been on the court for a month and is trying to return to the game at its highest level.

We want to get your opinion on whether Durant’s return can save the series for the Warriors. Would his natural talent be enough or would he just provide a distraction and an easy target for the Raptors to exploit on defense? Please leave your answers in the space below.

Community Shootaround: Draft, Free Agency Dates

June 7th, 2019 at 8:32pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The draft is coming up in less than two weeks but there are factions within the league that would like to see the June date changed in the future.

Last year, the Rockets made a proposal to move free agency ahead of the draft and some teams, including the Celtics, endorsed it.

Whether the proposal will ever gather enough steam to be enacted is uncertain. But Celtics director of player personnel Austin Ainge recently spelled out the benefits of making the switch.

“I think that most teams build from veteran players first,” Ainge said. “If you have a Top 5 pick, you’re most likely a rebuilding team, so free agency isn’t affecting that. … And then, all of the other teams, you more likely are fitting in draft picks in and around a veteran core group. So I think the calendar should follow our decision-making tree. So I think it should be switched.”

Draft-day decisions would become clearer if most of the free agents had already signed. It would certainly help teams this summer like the Raptors (Kawhi Leonard, Danny Green), Celtics (Kyrie Irving) and Bucks (Khris Middleton, Brook Lopez) if they already knew which key free in-house agents they re-signed or lost. It would also help a rebuilding team with cap space like the Knicks, who could base their draft-day options on how successful they were in free agency.

Salary-cap situations would also be clearer if it were already known whether players with contract options decided to stay or chose free agency.

It could also facilitate trades before and during the draft.

However, there are drawbacks. If the draft were pushed back for a month or so, it would greatly affect the summer leagues and force the acclimation process for rookies to be accelerated.

Would underclassmen get a few extra weeks to decide whether to stay in the draft? If so, it would create even more headaches for college coaches, who are already struggling with the uncertainty regarding the status of key players.

That leads us to our question of the day: Should the NBA swap the dates for free agency and the draft?

Please take to the comments section to weigh in on this topic. We look forward to your input.

Community Shootaround: Lakers Offseason

May 31st, 2019 at 7:00pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Lakers’ franchise has been in a downward spiral since Christmas Day, when LeBron James suffered a groin injury during an upset victory at Golden State that sidelined him for more than a month.

From that point, the most notable developments the remainder of the season were their failed attempt to acquire Anthony Davis, their inability to make the playoffs, and the abrupt resignation of team president Magic Johnson.

It’s only gotten worse in the offseason. The Lakers fired head coach Luke Walton and their search for a replacement gave the franchise another black eye. Then got spurned by Monty Williams and saw negotiations with Tyronn Lue fall apart before settling on Frank Vogel. They also hired Jason Kidd as Vogel’s top assistant, putting Vogel in the awkward spot of having his potential replacement in the next chair.

Then came Johnson’s bridge-burning interview on ESPN in which he labelled GM Rob Pelinka a backstabber and detailed the dysfunction and indecision within the organization. This week, a detailed ESPN story spoke of the fear and confusion among staffers that developed when Johnson and Pelinka took charge and the heavy turnover in personnel.

It also detailed owner Jeanie Buss’ odd and ineffective management structure and the undue influence of James’ agent Rich Paul and others in James’ camp.

The only good thing that’s happened for the Lakers is that they moved up in the draft lottery.

Meanwhile, the franchise heads into a pivotal summer. It’s positioned financially to chase high-profile free agents and/or make a blockbuster trade.

Unquestionably, the Lakers need to acquire at least one superstar talent to pair up with James or else this offseason will be viewed as a complete disaster.

That leads us to our question of the day: Can the Lakers overcome the dysfunction and disarray within the organization and sign or trade for at least one superstar this offseason? Or are they doomed for a disastrous summer?

Please take to the comments section to weigh in on this topic. We look forward to your input.

Community Shootaround: Khris Middleton

May 27th, 2019 at 7:50pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Bucks intend to re-sign all of their top free agents after reaching the Eastern Conference finals. But is that the best course of action?

The biggest question mark surrounds Khris Middleton, generally considered the second-best player on the team behind MVP candidate Giannis Antetokounmpo. Middleton will opt out of the last year of his contract, which would pay him $13MM, and head to unrestricted free agency.

Once marquee agents such as Kevin Durant, Kawhi Leonard and Jimmy Butler come off the board, Middleton would be viewed as a nice consolation prize for teams with salary-cap space that don’t land one of the big stars. Middleton averaged 18.3 PPG and career highs of 6.0 RPG and 4.3 APG this season after posting an average of 20.1 PPG last season. Middleton is a career 38.8% 3-point shooter and, at 27, in his prime years.

The nagging question is can Middleton be the second-best player on a championship team? Middleton had a 30-point outburst in Game 4 against the Raptors but averaged 10.2 PPG in the five other games of the conference finals.

A max offer for Middleton would be an approximate $189.6MM commitment over five years; he could receive a max of $140.6MM over four years from another team. Whether he gets the max or something close to it, it’s going to be awfully expensive to retain him.

An alternative for the Bucks would be to shoot higher themselves and try to convince a big-name free agent to come their way. The other approach would be to absorb the salary of an All-Star caliber player in a trade with the savings they’ll get by allowing Middleton to sign elsewhere. That doesn’t seem to be the way the Bucks are leaning but it would be a bolder approach.

That leads us to our question of the day: Should the Bucks go all out to re-sign Khris Middleton or should they seek another star to pair up with Giannis Antetokounmpo?

Please take to the comments section to weigh in on this topic. We look forward to your input.

Community Shootaround: Kawhi Leonard

May 25th, 2019 at 10:18pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Raptors took a franchise-altering risk last summer when they opted to trade for Kawhi Leonard. They’ll find out soon how much that gamble will pay off.

A year away from free agency, Leonard became available after he made it clear that he wouldn’t re-sign in San Antonio following a bitter dispute with Spurs management over the treatment of his quad injury. Leonard played just nine games last season and was meeting with his personal doctors in New York after the Spurs’ medical staff cleared him for action.

Toronto wasn’t on Leonard’s list of preferred locations, but the Raptors were ready to swing for the fences after years of disappointing playoff exits. They risked team chemistry by trading away DeMar DeRozan, a franchise cornerstone and Kyle Lowry‘s best friend, to obtain a player whose health and desire to stay with the organization beyond this season were both in question.

It didn’t take long for Leonard to resolve the first issue. He appeared in 60 games this season, and many of the ones he missed were for “load management” rather than injury. He performed at an All-Star level, averaging 26.6 points per game and reminding everyone why he was considered one of the best two-way players in the league.

Once the playoffs started, he raised his game even further. Coming into tonight, Leonard was averaging 31.4/8.4/3.6 in 17 games. Not only has he brought Toronto to its first-ever NBA Finals, he has become the team’s on-court leader and arguably the MVP of the postseason.

Much like the Thunder did last year with Paul George, the Raptors gambled that they could win over a star player by bringing him into their system and letting him experience success. While the partnership has worked wonderfully and Leonard is a beloved figure in Toronto, there’s still no guarantee it will be more than a one-year arrangement. Leonard has said little to nothing about his future plans, but there have been rumors for a long time that he wants to return home and play on the West Coast.

We want to get your opinion. Do you believe the Raptors have accomplished enough to make Leonard want to stay, or will he move on from Toronto when the offers start coming in this summer? Please leave your answers in the space below.

Community Shootaround: Warriors’ Finals Match-Up

May 23rd, 2019 at 10:29pm CST by clarkcrum

After a hard-fought series win over the Rockets in the Western Conference Semifinals, the Warriors made quick work of the Trail Blazers without superstar Kevin Durant en route to a fifth straight NBA Finals appearance behind outstanding play from the trio of Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green.

This group seems destined to win another championship, regardless of whether Durant (or DeMarcus Cousins for that matter) returns, and it remains to be seen whether the Bucks or Raptors will be able to give Golden State a challenge in the finals.

So we’re asking you tonight whether you think Toronto or Milwaukee stands a realistic chance against the Warriors.

Which team matches up better with Golden State? Will the Warriors get another sweep regardless of who they face? Do they need Durant back in order to win it all?

Let us know your thoughts in the comments section!

Community Shootaround: Warriors Without Durant

May 18th, 2019 at 10:39pm CST by Arthur Hill

When Kevin Durant limped off the court on May 8, there were concerns that his strained calf could end the Warriors’ quest for a third straight NBA title and maybe even knock them out in the second round.

Golden State pulled out Game 5 against the Rockets that night and hasn’t lost since, building a 3-0 lead in the Western Conference Finals. The Warriors have reverted back to a brand of basketball that was successful before Durant arrived, with Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green all taking expanded roles on offense.

That’s important not only for the rest of the playoffs, but maybe for next season as rumors continue that Durant will leave for the Knicks or possibly somewhere else this summer. Although the Warriors finally have full Bird rights on Durant and can offer him more than anyone else, the challenge of succeeding in a new situation might be more important to him than money.

Although it won’t be easy to replace 26.0 points, 6.4 rebounds and 5.9 assists per game, Golden State would essentially go back to the same team that won a title and then 73 games in the two seasons before Durant arrived. Curry has reverted to his MVP form since Durant’s injury, and Thompson and Green have been better as well with more shots available.

There has been talk that the Warriors are better without Durant, but Sam Amick of The Athletic dismisses that as a ridiculous notion. He points out that Durant has been the MVP of the last two NBA Finals and that the team didn’t reach a dynasty level until Durant arrived.

Durant’s teammates don’t believe it either.

“I think everybody in this organization knows that we’re a better team with Kevin,” Quinn Cook told Amick after Thursday’s game. “… He’s been a superstar since he’s been in the league, so there’s a different narrative every day. I think he’s used to that. (But) he has a relationship with everybody on the team, so I think he knows how we all feel about him. … Everybody has to step up in his absence. That’s really the biggest thing. Everybody has been stepping up because we know we don’t have the best player on our team.”

We want to get your opinion on how the Warriors will survive without Durant — during the rest of the playoffs if he can’t return and next season if he signs somewhere else. Please leave your answers in the space below.