Community Shootaround Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Community Shootaround: Kevin Love’s Future

October 22nd, 2018 at 7:36pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Well, that didn’t take long.

Kevin Love signed a four-year, $120MM extension this summer, as the Cavaliers made a commitment to winning even with the loss of LeBron James. Love was happy to get long-term security and an expanded role as the team’s primary scorer.

Cleveland’s 0-3 start already has some people thinking that Love may be wearing a different uniform before the end of the season. Tim Bontemps of The Washington Post wrote a column this weekend about this subject, speculating that the franchise may have to finally embrace a rebuilding plan that would include cashing in Love for assets.

Love has held up his end of the bargain, averaging 20.7 PPG and 14.3 RPG, but Cleveland could find itself with some buyer’s remorse. Love will make $28.9MM next season, $31.3MM the following two seasons and $28.9MM in 2022/23 season. With the salary cap projected to rise, a contender may be able to swallow that type of contract if it feels Love could put its franchise over the top.

Love can’t be traded until late January but something could go down by the February 7th trade deadline. Remember, the Clippers dealt Blake Griffin in late January last season to the Pistons after he re-signed with Los Angeles for five years and $171MM in free agency.

That leads us to our question of the day: Do you think the Cavaliers will deal Kevin Love before the trade deadline? If so, which team do you think would be the best fit for him?

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

Community Shootaround: Hornets And Kemba Walker

October 21st, 2018 at 6:51pm CST by Eric Spyropoulos

Heading into the 2018/19 season, there were several questions surrounding the Hornets and Kemba Walker. Would they make the playoffs this season? Would Walker re-sign with the team after the season? How would new head coach James Borrego impact the team’s style of play? With these questions surrounding the franchise, it is imperative that they have a strong season and return to the playoffs for the first time in three seasons.

As the Hornets were fighting through another disappointing season last year, many called for the team to trade Walker in hopes of acquiring a package of young players and draft picks that could be the start of a rebuild. The Hornets balked at the idea, insistent on competing for the playoffs as long as they can given their current roster and lack of salary cap flexibility.

Instead, the Hornets re-tooled their coaching staff and front office, added another lottery pick in Miles Bridges and signed Tony Parker to lead second units when Walker is off the floor. The Hornets return most of the roster from last season with a few exceptions, as they hope that a fresh perspective from Borrego and continued development from Bridges and Monk can play key roles in getting the team back to the playoffs.

However, it really rests on Walker’s shoulders. As the team’s leader and unquestioned star, Walker must be at his best for this Hornets team to truly have a chance on a game-to-game basis. So far this season, Walker has been just that, averaging 35.3 points and 5.3 assists per game while hitting 50% of his 3-pointers.

Walker looks determined to lead the Hornets back to the playoffs and play on the national stage as he approaches free agency this summer. Walker has said all of the right things regarding his desire to finish his career in Charlotte, but should the Hornets re-sign him to a (likely) max contract? There are questions surrounding the extent to which he will be worth such a contract given that he will turn 29 years old at the end of the 2018/19 season.

Should the Hornets re-sign Walker next summer, they will be locking their team up for the foreseeable future given the length remaining on other contracts for Nicolas Batum and Cody Zeller. As currently constructed, the Hornets are too good to get a top talent in the draft, but not good enough to win a playoff series, presenting the front office with an interesting dilemma.

If this season goes south for the Hornets, should they look to trade Walker at the deadline for 40 cents on the dollar? Given the team’s market and Michael Jordan’s desire to compete, it’s unlikely that will be the case.

What would you do if you were the Hornets? Would you look to trade Walker this season or re-sign him in free agency? Comment below with your ideas!

Community Shootaround: Paul George And The Lakers

October 20th, 2018 at 9:51pm CST by Arthur Hill

Paul George confirmed what most NBA fans had suspected for a long time when he said this week that was planning to sign with the Lakers before a trade to Oklahoma City changed his mind. George was expected to be among two max-level free agents headed to L.A. over the summer, but he liked the Thunder and his new city so much he elected to re-sign there.

“It was 50-50 on deciding whether I wanted to come back home or if it was smarter to be in the situation I am in now,” George said in an interview with Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated. “But it wasn’t overstated. I wanted to play in L.A. That is where I wanted to go. Had that trade never went down, had I played one more year in Indy, I would have been in a Lakers uniform.”

We know now that if George had chosen the Lakers, he would have joined LeBron James to form a one-two punch that’s as good as any in the league. It also would have cost the team about $130MM over four years and would have eliminated the chance to lure another free agent from an extremely talented class next summer.

As it stands, L.A. has roughly $65.8MM committed for 2019/20, a number that moves closer to $69MM if the team opts to make a qualifying offer to Ivica Zubac and keep Svi Mykhailiuk on what is now a non-guaranteed deal. That leaves more than enough to make a max offer to Kevin Durant, Kawhi Leonard, Klay Thompson, Jimmy Butler or any other upcoming free agent.

Durant and James would be a historically great combo if they decide to join forces, but it would be a difficult decision for him or Thompson leave the perennial champion Warriors. Leonard and James would also be formidable, but he reportedly doesn’t want to be a second banana and is leaning toward the Clippers if he comes to L.A. Butler might be a good running mate for James, but given his injury history and overall abrasiveness, he seems like the riskiest proposition. It’s laughable to think of Kyrie Irving traveling west to rejoin LeBron, but the other stars are at least plausible.

So which is better, Lakers fans? Would you rather have George in place for a run at the title this season or the financial flexibility to chase a big name next summer? Please leave your responses in the space below.

Community Shootaround: Early Lakers Impressions

October 19th, 2018 at 8:48am CST by Luke Adams

We got our first glimpse of the new-look Lakers on Thursday night, as LeBron James appeared in his first regular season game for the franchise in Portland against the Trail Blazers. While the Lakers stuck with the Blazers for three quarters, Portland ultimately pulled away in the fourth, securing a 128-119 win.

There were plenty of positive takeaways for the Lakers. Second-year guard guard Josh Hart had a great game off the bench and already looks to be pushing for Kentavious Caldwell-Pope‘s starting job; the team played at a breakneck pace that allowed for plenty of transition opportunities; and, of course, LeBron looked like LeBron.

Still, two potential flaws with the Lakers’ roster that we heard about throughout the offseason were on display in the club’s first game. L.A. struggled from beyond the arc, missing its first 15 three-pointers and making just seven of 30 attempts for the game. No one besides Hart made more than a single three, prompting veteran free agent Nick Young to seemingly tweet his case for roster consideration after the game, as Alex Kennedy of HoopsHype relays (via Twitter).

In the view of Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report (via Twitter), the Lakers will be fine without elite three-point shooting, but could badly use a “serviceable” big man for 10-12 minutes per game. JaVale McGee played 22 minutes for the Lakers on Thursday, but the team didn’t use another traditional center, leaving forward like Kyle Kuzma or James as the de facto fives in certain lineups. Pincus suggests (via Twitter) that perhaps Moritz Wagner could help out when he gets healthy, but until then, the Lakers may have to lean too heavily on small-ball lineups that should only be used in moderation.

Of course, it was only one game, and given the time it took LeBron to adjust to new teams in Miami in 2010 and Cleveland in 2014, it only makes sense that we should give the Lakers some leeway to figure things out as well. James made that point after the game, as Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN.com relays.

“I always kind of compare it to like instant oatmeal — it is not that fast,” James said of developing chemistry. “It takes a while to get to where you can close your eyes and know exactly where your guys are.

“We’re literally less than a month in,” LeBron added, referring to the Lakers having opened training camp in late September. “So, it’s still early. You still got to go through some things. You’re going to go through some adversity. See how guys react to it. See what guys get going.”

What do you think? Will this Lakers team be fine once it gets another 15 or 20 games under its belt, or does this roster have flaws that will need to be addressed sooner or later in order to seriously compete with the best of the West? Join the discussion in the comment section below!

Community Shootaround: Kevin Durant’s Future

October 10th, 2018 at 8:35am CST by Luke Adams

Since joining the Warriors during the summer of 2016, Kevin Durant has signed short-term contracts, opting out and signing new deals twice since then. Those short-term commitments weren’t necessarily a sign of his unwillingness to commit to Golden State long-term, but rather a byproduct of the constraints of the NBA’s Collective Bargaining Agreement.

Those short-term contracts allowed Durant to maximize his year-to-year earnings if he wanted to (instead, he opted for a team-friendly discount in year two) and will put him in position to ink a five-year contract with the Warriors in 2019, when the team will finally have secured his Bird rights.

However, while Durant’s return to Golden State was a given during the last two summers, that no longer appears to be the case for 2019. Despite winning back-to-back titles with the Warriors, earning Finals MVP honors both times, Durant isn’t viewed as a lock to remain in the Bay Area for many years to come.

Those rumblings about Durant’s possible departure grew a little louder last week, when multiple national NBA writers, including Chris Haynes, Chris Mannix, and Tim Bontemps, suggested that people around the NBA viewed the Knicks as a legit suitor for nine-time All-Star. Now, a local reporter has joined the conversation and added further credence to the idea that Durant could head elsewhere.

Following up on a radio appearance on KNBR, Marcus Thompson II of The Athletic wrote last night that he’s not reporting that Durant will leave Golden State at season’s end, but if he had to guess, he’d predict the 30-year-old will head elsewhere.

As Thompson explains, Durant’s comments about keeping his options open and taking things “season by season” strike a different tone than what he’s said about his situation in past years. Additionally, Thompson says he’s spoken to several people within the Warriors’ franchise about the subject, and gets the same sentiment from most of them: they hope he stays, but wouldn’t be surprised if he leaves.

It’s hard to imagine any team besides the Warriors entering the 2019 offseason as the favorites to sign Durant, especially if they win another title. After all, they’ll be able to offer him more years and more money than any other club. Still, many teams around the NBA will have the cap space necessary to sign a maximum-salary free agent, and several of those teams will be eager to pitch Durant on becoming the new face of their franchise.

What do you think? Is it crazy to think that Durant might leave Golden State next year after his run of success with the team? Do you expect him to stick around the Bay Area beyond 2019, or will rival teams have a real chance to lure him away?

Head to the comment section below to weigh in!

Community Shootaround: Terry Rozier’s Future

October 5th, 2018 at 11:00am CST by Luke Adams

On Thursday night, Kyrie Irving announced to fans at a Celtics event that he plans to re-sign with the club next July when he can become a free agent. Irving’s verbal commitment to the Celtics doesn’t necessarily guarantee anything, since a lot can change between now and July 1. But it was a rare declaration for a star free-agent-to-be — even if a player ultimately intends to re-sign with his current team, he’ll usually hedge his bets this far out, talking about how he wants to “focus on the season” or how he knows the NBA is “a business.”

Irving stating in no uncertain terms that he intends to remain a Celtic going forward is great news for the franchise, but it also casts some uncertainty on Terry Rozier‘s future with the team. If Irving receives a maximum-salary contract from Boston next summer, the club would be committing an estimated $45MM to Irving and Marcus Smart in 2019/20, with that number projected to increase to $52MM+ by 2021/22.

That’s already a lot of money to invest in a pair of point guards, and adding a lucrative new deal for Rozier on top of that would probably be financially irresponsible. After all, based on what he showed down the stretch last season, Rozier should have a great chance to match – if not exceed – Smart’s four-year, $52MM contract as a restricted free agent in 2019. By re-signing him, Boston would be looking at using well over half of its cap room on point guards.

We don’t know for sure that Irving will get the full max from the Celtics. And it’s possible that the team could consider moving Smart to create additional cap flexibility. It’s even conceivable that the C’s could bite the bullet and re-sign Rozier without cutting costs elsewhere, since no cap rules prevent them from doing so — it would simply result in a big tax bill.

Still, it seems like something’s got to give.

Trading Rozier in advance of the 2019 deadline might allow the team to maximize his value, but that seems unlikely as long as the Celtics are vying for a title. Waiting until free agency in 2019 and hoping to negotiate a trade at that point is another option, but it’s a risky one, since there would be nothing stopping Rozier from signing an offer sheet outright with a rival suitor. Matching an offer sheet for Rozier with the intent to cut costs later would also be dangerous, since potential trade partners could drive a harder bargain knowing that the C’s are anxious to reduce their tax bill.

What do you think? What path will the Celtics take with Rozier, with Irving now on track to re-sign? What should the team do with him?

Jump into the comment section below to share your thoughts!

Community Shootaround: League Pass Rankings

October 2nd, 2018 at 11:43am CST by Luke Adams

For the seventh consecutive year, ESPN’s Zach Lowe has published his annual NBA League Pass Rankings, listing the NBA teams from No. 30 to No. 1 based on how watchable each club will be during the upcoming season. As Lowe explains in his intro, he considers several factors in his rankings, including a team’s popularity, highlight potential, playing style, and – of course – unintentional comedy.

Although the Warriors had landed atop Lowe’s rankings for four of the last five seasons, the defending champions finished a close third this year, with the Sixers and Celtics sneaking ahead of them. Lowe gave Philadelphia the slight edge for the No. 1 spot, pointing to his interest in Markelle Fultz as a deciding factor — whether Fultz starts to reach his potential or crashes and burns, it will be fascinating to watch.

Many of Lowe’s other choices in the top 10 don’t come as a real surprise — the new-look Lakers come in at No. 4, with the Nuggets and their dynamic offense rounding out the top five. Potential contenders like the Rockets (7), Bucks (8), Raptors (9), and Jazz (10) also show up near the top of the list, though the final team in the top 10 is an unexpected one. The Bulls come in at No. 6, with Lowe explaining that they earned high marks due to their “superficially fun offense, tidy [uniform and court] art, [and] players who deliver both highlights and gaffes.”

Lowe’s full top 15 can be found here, along with the bottom 15. But we want to know what your personal League Pass rankings would look like.

Outside of your favorite team(s), which clubs are you most looking forward to watching in 2018/19? Do you agree that the Sixers, Celtics, Warriors, and Lakers make up the top tier, or are there other teams that intrigue you more? Which club’s games are you most likely to seek out during the coming season?

Jump into the comment section below to share your thoughts!

Community Shootaround: Rookie Scale Extensions

October 1st, 2018 at 4:00pm CST by Luke Adams

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.

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!

Community Shootaround: Northwest Division

September 28th, 2018 at 8:30pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Every team would like to think during this time of the year it could at least compete for a division championship and automatic playoff berth. In reality, virtually every division has at least one team that has no realistic shot at doing that.

That’s confirmed by VegasInsider.com’s odds for each of the six NBA divisions. In all but one of them, there’s at least one team posted with odds of 25-1 or higher to beat out its four division foes.

The lone exception is the Northwest Division. That division appears to be wide open and even the team with the longest odds — the Trail Blazers — is given a 6-1 chance to win it. The Thunder and Jazz are co-favorites at 9-4, with the Nuggets at 9-2 and the Timberwolves (prior to a potential Jimmy Butler trade) listed at 5-1.

This should come as no surprise, since the division was hotly contested last season. Portland won it with a 49-33 record. All the other Northwest Division teams had at least 46 wins. Denver finished last with a 46-36 mark and just missed the playoffs.

Paul George‘s decision to re-sign with Oklahoma City is the primary reason why it’s a co-favorite. The Jazz have essentially the same mix that made them one of the pleasant surprises in the league last season. Star guard Donovan Mitchell should be even better is his second season.

The Nuggets are loaded with offensive talent and most of their core players are just entering their prime. Even if Butler is dealt, the Timberwolves still have one of the league’s top big men in Karl-Anthony Towns. And defending division champ Portland still has the league’s highest-scoring backcourt duo in Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum.

This leads us to our question of the day: Which team do you think will finish first in the Northwest Division this season and why?

Please take to the comments section and weigh in on this topic. We look forward to what you have to say.

Community Shootaround: Tom Thibodeau’s Future

September 22nd, 2018 at 8:59pm CST by Arthur Hill

Now that Tom Thibodeau’s most prized addition appears headed out of Minnesota, should the coach and president of basketball operations be right behind?

The Jimmy Butler saga appears headed to an inevitable conclusion after a week that began with him making a trade request and ended with the front office granting him permission to skip what would have been an awkward media day on Monday. Shams Charania of The Athletic confirmed tonight that the team is now “aligning its organizational focus” toward trading Butler (Twitter link).

Wolves owner Glen Taylor confirmed Friday that Butler is available and is advising rival owners to make trade offers directly to him if necessary. That followed news earlier in the day that the organization wasn’t listening to teams that were calling about Butler.

Those conflicting reports suggest a rift in the front office that’s just as big as the one rumored to be in the locker room. And it’s not hard to figure out who’s on which side. Thibodeau has been a long-time supporter of Butler dating back to their days in Chicago. He also understands that his chances of returning to the playoffs — and maybe keeping his job — are much better with Butler on the roster.

However, Butler’s intense attitude hasn’t been good for team chemistry. There have been reports of frequent clashes with young stars Karl-Anthony Towns and Andrew Wiggins, and Charania suggested this week that Towns wouldn’t commit to an extension until he was sure Butler wouldn’t be back. Tonight’s announcement that Towns has accepted a five-year, supermax contract could be the surest sign yet that Butler’s fate is sealed.

But if Butler is gone, is there much of an argument for keeping Thibodeau? He’s the architect of the current “Timber-Bulls” roster that brought former Chicago players Derrick Rose, Taj Gibson and Luol Deng to Minnesota along with Butler. He has a 78-86 record in two seasons with Minnesota, and the veteran-laden roster he has helped to assemble doesn’t fit the timeline of an organization that figures to be constructed around its two young stars.

We want to get your opinion. Should the Wolves get rid of Thibodeau now or should they be patient and see if he can have create a better relationship between the younger and older factions once Butler is gone? Please leave your responses in the space below.