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Traded Second-Round Picks For 2021 NBA Draft

January 21st, 2021 at 9:30am CST by Luke Adams

We’re using the space below to keep tabs on each NBA team’s second-round pick for 2021, continually updating it as necessary throughout the year. Our list of traded first-round picks for 2021 can be found right here.

We’ve listed all 30 teams here, so even if a team hasn’t traded its second-round pick, that will be noted. We’ll also provide details on protections for each traded pick, including what happens to the pick in 2022 if it doesn’t change hands in 2021.

Here’s the full breakdown on the status of each 2021 second-round pick:

Atlantic

  • Boston Celtics: Own pick
  • Brooklyn Nets: Traded to Hornets (unprotected).
  • New York Knicks: Traded to Sixers (unprotected).
  • Philadelphia 76ers: Traded to Knicks (unprotected).
  • Toronto Raptors: Traded to Pistons (unprotected).

Central

  • Chicago Bulls: Own pick (or Pelicans’ pick).
    • The Bulls have the right to swap second-round picks with the Pelicans.
  • Cleveland Cavaliers: Traded to Pelicans (unprotected).
  • Detroit Pistons: Traded to Knicks (unprotected).
  • Indiana Pacers: Traded to Nets (45-60 protected).
    • If this pick lands in its protected range, the Pacers would keep it and would instead owe the Nets their 2022 second-round pick (45-60 protected).
  • Milwaukee Bucks: Traded to Pacers (unprotected).

Southeast

  • Atlanta Hawks: Traded to Nets (unprotected).
  • Charlotte Hornets: Traded to Pistons (unprotected).
  • Miami Heat: Traded to Hawks (unprotected).
  • Orlando Magic: Own pick.
  • Washington Wizards: Traded to Pelicans (unprotected).

Northwest

  • Denver Nuggets: Traded to Thunder (unprotected).
  • Minnesota Timberwolves: Traded to Warriors or Thunder.
    • If the top-20 protected first-round pick the Warriors owe the Thunder lands in its protected range, the Warriors would instead send the Timberwolves’ second-round pick (unprotected) to the Thunder.
  • Oklahoma City Thunder: Traded to Celtics (top-55 protected).
    • If this pick lands in its protected range, the Thunder would keep it and their obligation to the Celtics would be extinguished.
  • Portland Trail Blazers: Traded to Grizzlies (unprotected).
  • Utah Jazz: Traded to Pacers (unprotected).

Pacific

  • Golden State Warriors: Traded to Raptors (unprotected).
  • Los Angeles Clippers: Traded to Hornets (unprotected).
  • Los Angeles Lakers: Traded to Pistons (unprotected).
  • Phoenix Suns: Traded to Grizzlies or Nets.
    • The Suns will send their second-round pick to the Grizzlies if it lands in the 31-35 range or to the Nets if it lands in the 36-60 range.
  • Sacramento Kings: Own pick.

Southwest

  • Dallas Mavericks: Traded to Pelicans (unprotected).
  • Houston Rockets: Traded to Bucks.
    • The Rockets have the right to swap their 2021 second-round pick with the Bucks’ 2021 first-round pick.
  • Memphis Grizzlies: Traded to Raptors (unprotected).
  • New Orleans Pelicans: Own pick (or Bulls’ pick).
    • The Bulls have the right to swap second-round picks with the Pelicans.
  • San Antonio Spurs: Own pick.

Information from RealGM was used in the creation of this post.

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Nearly Half Of NBA’s Teams Have Open Roster Spots

January 20th, 2021 at 12:16pm CST by Luke Adams

After the NBA’s transactions wire remained relatively quiet for the first few weeks of the 2020/21 season, teams have begun making moves with a little more frequency as of late.

While one recent transaction – the four-team trade that sent James Harden to Brooklyn – was clearly a higher-impact move than the rest, a number of clubs have made smaller changes to their rosters by waiving players this week. The Raptors and Wizards cut big men Alex Len and Anzejs Pasecniks from their 15-man rosters, while the Sixers opened up a two-way slot by releasing Dakota Mathias.

As a result, there are now 12 teams across the NBA that have at least one open 15-man roster spot. One of those teams – the Trail Blazers – also has an open two-way contract slot, as do two others, leaving just 16 clubs who are carrying the maximum of 17 players.

With so many clubs facing roster shortages recently and the NBA and NBPA discussing the possibility of adding a third two-way slot to rosters for the rest of the season, it’s a little surprising that more teams aren’t making use of all 17 available spots, but it will likely just be a matter of time before those many of those openings get filled.

Here’s the current breakdown of teams with open roster spots:

Teams with an open 15-man roster spot:

  • Brooklyn Nets
    • Note: The Nets have three open roster spots and will need to fill at least two of them within two weeks of completing the Harden trade.
  • Charlotte Hornets
  • Los Angeles Clippers *
  • Los Angeles Lakers *
  • Milwaukee Bucks *
  • Minnesota Timberwolves
  • New Orleans Pelicans
  • Portland Trail Blazers
  • San Antonio Spurs
  • Toronto Raptors
  • Utah Jazz
  • Washington Wizards

Note: An asterisk (*) denotes that the team can’t currently sign a 15th man due to the hard cap.

Teams with an open two-way slot:

  • Philadelphia 76ers
  • Phoenix Suns
  • Portland Trail Blazers
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Traded First-Round Picks For 2021 NBA Draft

January 20th, 2021 at 10:48am CST by Luke Adams

The 2021 NBA draft is still about six months away, but a number of teams have already traded their first-round picks for that night, and more clubs may do so before this season’s trade deadline.

We’ll use the space below to keep tabs on each team’s first round pick for 2021, continually updating it as necessary throughout the year.

We’ve listed all 30 teams here, so even if a team hasn’t traded its first-round pick, that will be noted. We’ll also provide details on the protections for each traded pick, including what happens to the pick in 2022 if it doesn’t change hands in 2021.

Here’s the full breakdown on the status of each 2021 first round pick:

Atlantic

  • Boston Celtics: Traded to Thunder.
  • Brooklyn Nets: Own pick (or another team’s pick).
    • Details at bottom of story.
  • New York Knicks: Own pick (or Clippers’ pick).
    • The Knicks have the right to swap first-round picks with the Clippers if the Clippers’ pick falls outside of the top four.
  • Philadelphia 76ers: Own pick.
  • Toronto Raptors: Own pick.

Central

  • Chicago Bulls: Traded to Magic (top-four protected).
  • Cleveland Cavaliers: Own pick.
  • Detroit Pistons: Traded to Rockets or Nets (top-16 protected).
    • If this pick lands in its protected range, the Pistons would owe the Rockets their 2022 first-rounder (top-16 protected). More details at bottom of story.
  • Indiana Pacers: Own pick.
  • Milwaukee Bucks: Traded to Rockets (top-nine protected).
    • The Rockets will have the right to swap their own 2021 second-round pick for the Bucks’ first-round pick.

Southeast

  • Atlanta Hawks: Own pick.
  • Charlotte Hornets: Own pick.
  • Miami Heat: Traded to Rockets or Thunder or Nets (unprotected).
    • Details at bottom of story.
  • Orlando Magic: Own pick.
  • Washington Wizards: Own pick.

Northwest

  • Denver Nuggets: Own pick.
  • Minnesota Timberwolves: Traded to Warriors (top-three protected).
    • If this pick lands in its protected range, the Timberwolves would owe the Warriors their 2022 first-rounder (unprotected).
  • Oklahoma City Thunder: Own pick (or Rockets’ pick).
    • Details at bottom of story.
  • Portland Trail Blazers: Traded to Rockets or Nets (top-14 protected).
    • If this pick lands in its protected range, the Trail Blazers would owe the Rockets their 2022 first-rounder (top-14 protected). More details at bottom of story.
  • Utah Jazz: Traded to Grizzlies (top-seven and 15-30 protected).
    • If this pick lands in its protected range, the Jazz would owe the Grizzlies their 2022 first-rounder (top-six protected).

Pacific

  • Golden State Warriors: Traded to Thunder (top-20 protected).
    • If this pick lands in its protected range, the Warriors would send the Thunder a 2021 second-rounder (Minnesota’s pick; unprotected).
  • Los Angeles Clippers: Own pick (or Knicks’ pick).
    • The Knicks have the right to swap first-round picks with the Clippers if the Clippers’ pick falls outside of the top four.
  • Los Angeles Lakers: Traded to Pelicans (8-30 protected).
    • If this pick lands in its protected range, the Lakers would owe the Pelicans their 2022 first-rounder (unprotected).
  • Phoenix Suns: Own pick.
  • Sacramento Kings: Own pick.

Southwest

  • Dallas Mavericks: Traded to Knicks (unprotected).
  • Houston Rockets: Own pick (or Thunder’s or Nets’ pick).
    • Details at bottom of story.
  • Memphis Grizzlies: Own pick.
  • New Orleans Pelicans: Own pick.
  • San Antonio Spurs: Own pick.

The complicated series of agreements involving the Rockets, Thunder, Heat, and Nets – which also involve the Pistons’ and Trail Blazers’ first-round picks – requires its own section for a more in-depth explanation. Essentially, the process consists of two key points:

  1. The Thunder will have the right to swap either their first-round pick or the Heat’s first-round pick for the Rockets‘ first-round pick, but only if Houston’s pick doesn’t fall in the top four. In other words, if Houston gets a top-four pick, the Rockets will keep their own first-rounder; if not, the Thunder will get the two most favorable picks of their own, the Heat’s, and the Rockets’, and Houston will get the least favorable.
  2. After the first step is complete, the Rockets will be left with at least one first-round pick, and possibly as many as three, since they’re also owed the Trail Blazers‘ first-rounder (top-14 protected) and the Pistons‘ first-rounder (top-16 protected). They would then have the right to swap any of those picks with the Nets‘ first-rounder (unprotected).

Here’s how this complex arrangement would work in practical terms: Based on the standings as of today (January 20), the Pistons are projected to have the No. 1 overall pick, followed by the Rockets at No. 4, the Heat at No. 8, the Thunder at No. 12 or 13, the Trail Blazers at No. 20 or 21, and the Nets at No. 23.

The Thunder wouldn’t be able to swap picks with Houston in this scenario, since the Rockets’ pick is protected at No. 4, so Houston would retain that pick and Oklahoma City would keep its own first-rounder, along with the Heat’s.

The Pistons would keep their protected pick, since it’s comfortably in the top 16, but the Rockets would get Portland’s pick, which is outside of the top 14. Because Houston’s picks would then be at No. 4 and No. 20/21, there would be no need to swap with the Nets, who are at No. 23.

Information from RealGM was used in the creation of this post.

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Community Shootaround: Nets’ Title Chances

January 19th, 2021 at 9:11pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The oddsmakers and NBA bettors have spoken and they’re sold on the James Harden trade.

With the addition of Harden, the Nets are now a 3-1 proposition to win the NBA title, according to VegasInsider.com. Only the defending champion Lakers have lower odds at 5-2. In terms of the Eastern Conference, the Nets are a clear favorite over the other main contenders, the Bucks (7-1 to win it all), Sixers (14-1) and Celtics (18-1).

The trio of Harden, Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving makes the Nets nearly impossible to guard, as long as they’re willing to make some sacrifices. The early returns on the Harden-Durant combo were promising, as they led the team to a two-point win over Milwaukee on Monday. They combined for 64 points, 18 assists and 15 rebounds.

Irving is expected to return to action on Wednesday after missing several games for personal reasons. No one quite knows what to expect from Irving at this point or his level of commitment. Just a few days ago, there was speculation he might even retire.

If Irving is focused on pursuing a championship, the Nets can overcome a number of other issues. They have no depth in the middle at the moment, with DeAndre Jordan being the only experienced hand on deck. Their defense could be suspect – Jordan is the only veteran who has been named to the league’s All-Defensive First or Second Team and his most recent appearance was five years ago.

Brooklyn’s bench looks a lot less imposing than it did at the start of the season. They gave up Jarrett Allen and Taurean Prince in the trade and lost Spencer Dinwiddie to a season-ending injury.

There’s also the volatility factor – will three headstrong stars like Durant, Harden and Irving be able to mesh their skills and leave their egos at the door during crunch time in the playoffs? And what happens when they face some adversity – will there be finger pointing or cohesiveness?

If the Nets win at least one championship with this group, the Harden trade will be considered the final piece to the puzzle and worth all the assets Brooklyn surrendered in the deal. If they come up short, they’ll be paying the price for the next decade with all the draft picks and players they sacrificed to bring in the former Most Valuable Player.

That leads us to our topic of the day: Will the addition of James Harden result in a Nets championship? Or will the combination of Harden, Durant and Irving turn out to be a toxic mix?

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

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2020/21 In-Season NBA Trades

January 19th, 2021 at 9:37am CST by Luke Adams

As we did with 2020’s offseason trades and the in-season swaps from 2019/20, we’ll be keeping track of all the NBA trades completed this season as they become official, updating this post with each transaction. This post can be found anytime throughout the season on our desktop sidebar under “Hoops Rumors Features,” or in our mobile menu under “Features.”

Trades are listed here in reverse chronological order, with the latest on top. So, if a player has been dealt multiple times, the first team listed as having acquired him is the one that ended up with him. Trades listed in italics have been agreed upon but are not yet official. For more details on each trade, click the date above it.

For more information on the specific conditions dictating if and when draft picks involved in these deals will actually change hands, be sure to check out RealGM.com’s breakdown of the details on traded picks.

Here’s the full list of the trades completed during the 2020/21 NBA season:

March 25

  • Jazz acquire Matt Thomas.
  • Raptors acquire the Warriors’ 2021 second-round pick.

March 25

  • Nuggets acquire JaVale McGee.
  • Cavaliers acquire Isaiah Hartenstein, the Nuggets’ 2023 second-round pick (top-46 protected), and the Nuggets’ 2027 second-round pick.

March 25

March 25

  • Celtics acquire Evan Fournier.
  • Magic acquire Jeff Teague, either the Celtics’ or the Grizzlies’ 2025 second-round pick (whichever is less favorable), and the Celtics’ 2027 second-round pick.

March 25

  • Kings acquire Delon Wright.
  • Pistons acquire Cory Joseph, the Lakers’ 2021 second-round pick, and the Kings’ 2024 second-round pick.

March 25

March 25

March 25

  • Hornets acquire Brad Wanamaker, the Raptors’ 2022 second-round pick (top-54 protected), and cash ($2MM).
  • Warriors acquire the Hornets’ 2025 second-round pick (top-55 protected).

March 25

  • Heat acquire Victor Oladipo.
  • Rockets acquire Kelly Olynyk, Avery Bradley, and the right to swap the Rockets’ or Nets’ 2022 first-round pick with the Heat’s 2022 first-round pick (top-14 protected).
    • Note: If the Heat’s pick falls within its protected range, the Rockets would instead receive either the Nuggets’ or Sixers’ 2022 second-round pick (whichever is less favorable).

March 25

  • Kings acquire Terence Davis.
  • Raptors acquire Grizzlies’ 2021 second-round pick.

March 25

  • Clippers acquire Rajon Rondo.
  • Hawks acquire Lou Williams, the Trail Blazers’ 2023 second-round pick, the Clippers’ 2027 second-round pick, and cash ($1.25MM).

March 25

March 25

March 25

March 25

March 25

March 22

  • Kings acquire Mfiondu Kabengele, the Hawks’ 2022 second-round pick (top-55 protected), and cash ($2.75MM).
  • Clippers acquire the Kings’ 2022 second-round pick (top-54 protected).

March 19

  • Bucks acquire P.J. Tucker, Rodions Kurucs, and their own 2022 first-round pick (traded away in a previous deal).
  • Rockets acquire D.J. Augustin, D.J. Wilson, the Bucks’ 2023 first-round pick (unprotected), and the right to swap their own 2021 second-round pick with the Bucks’ 2021 first-round pick (top-nine protected).

March 18

March 17

March 13

February 8

January 22

  • Rockets acquire Kevin Porter Jr.
  • Cavaliers acquire the Warriors’ 2024 second-round pick (top-55 protected).

January 17

  • Nets acquire James Harden.
  • Rockets acquire Victor Oladipo, Dante Exum, Rodions Kurucs, the Nets’ 2022 first-round pick (unprotected), the Bucks’ 2022 first-round pick (unprotected; from Cavaliers), the Nets’ 2024 first-round pick (unprotected), the Nets’ 2026 first-round pick (unprotected), and the right to swap first-round picks with the Nets in 2021, 2023, 2025, and 2027 (all unprotected).
    • Note: Oklahoma City has the ability to swap first-round picks with the Rockets in 2021 (top-four protected) and 2025 (top-10 protected). Check RealGM for more details on how this affects the Rockets’ ability to swap with the Nets in those years.
  • Pacers acquire Caris LeVert, a 2023 second-round pick (least favorable of the Rockets’, Mavericks, and Heat’s picks; from Rockets), a 2024 second-round pick (least favorable of the Cavaliers’ and Jazz’s picks; from Cavaliers), and cash ($2.6MM; from Nets).
    • Note: If the Rockets’ 2023 second-round pick is No. 31 or No. 32, the Pacers will instead receive that pick.
  • Cavaliers acquire Jarrett Allen, Taurean Prince, and the draft rights to Aleksandar Vezenkov (from Nets).
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2022 NBA Free Agents

January 19th, 2021 at 8:15am CST by Luke Adams

Hoops Rumors’ up-to-date list of 2022 free agents is below. The player’s 2022 age is in parentheses.

These are players who are currently free agents. They finished the 2021/22 season on an NBA roster, appeared in at least 10 games in ’21/22, or appeared in at least one game in ’22/23. A small handful of other notable free agents are also listed.

You’ll be able to access this list anytime under the “Hoops Rumors Features” menu on the right sidebar on our desktop site, or in the “Free Agent Lists” section of our mobile menu. If you have any corrections or omissions, please contact us.

Updated 6-25-23 (6:23am CT)

Unrestricted Free Agents

Point Guards

Shooting Guards

Small Forwards

Power Forwards

Centers

Restricted Free Agents

Point Guards

  • None

Shooting Guards

  • None

Small Forwards

  • None

Power Forwards

Centers

  • None

Two-Way Restricted Free Agents

Note: All of this year’s two-way restricted free agents have been signed. The details can be found here.

Player Options

Note: All of this year’s player option decisions have been made. They can be found here.

Team Options

Note: All of this year’s team option decisions have been made. They can be found here.

Contract information from Basketball Insiders was used in the creation of this post.

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2021 NBA Free Agents By Team

January 18th, 2021 at 8:10am CST by Luke Adams

Hoops Rumors’ up-to-date list of 2021 free agents by team is below. These are players who were eligible for restricted or unrestricted free agency after the 2020/21 season. Restricted free agents are marked with (RFA).

This list will continue to be updated throughout the 2021 offseason, so be sure to use it and our list of 2021 free agents by position/type as points of reference.

Both lists can be found anytime under “Hoops Rumors Features” on the right-hand sidebar of our desktop site, or in the “Free Agent Lists” section of our mobile menu. If you have any corrections or omissions, please contact us.

Updated 10-16-21 (6:42am CT)

Atlanta Hawks

  1. Brandon Goodwin

Boston Celtics

  • None

Brooklyn Nets

  1. Tyler Johnson

Charlotte Hornets

  1. Bismack Biyombo
  2. Nate Darling (two-way UFA)

Read more

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2020/21 NBA Game Postponement Tracker

January 15th, 2021 at 12:22pm CST by Luke Adams

As a result of the coronavirus pandemic and the protocols the NBA and the NBPA have designed to address it, the league entered the 2020/21 season expecting to have to postpone or cancel a number of games over the course of the year.

The schedule was designed with this complication in mind. The NBA only released the first half of its schedule last fall, announcing at the time that the second half would be released at some point this winter. The goal was to make it simpler to incorporate makeup games for those first-half postponements into the late-season slate.

With the number of postponements beginning to add up, we’re creating a space to track them all. The full list of postponed 2020/21 games is below. Once the NBA announces plans to reschedule these contests, we’ll add those details to our breakdown.

This tracker will continue to be updated throughout the ’20/21 league year, and can be found anytime in the “Hoops Rumors Features” menu on the right-hand sidebar of our desktop site, or in the “Features” menu on our mobile site.

Oklahoma City Thunder at Houston Rockets

  • Original date: December 23, 2020
  • Reason for postponement: The Rockets didn’t have the required minimum of eight players available.
  • New date: March 21, 2021

Miami Heat at Boston Celtics

  • Original date: January 10, 2021
  • Reason for postponement: The Heat didn’t have the required minimum of eight players available.
  • New date: May 11, 2021

New Orleans Pelicans at Dallas Mavericks

  • Original date: January 11, 2021
  • Reason for postponement: The Mavericks didn’t have the required minimum of eight players available.
  • New date: May 12, 2021

Boston Celtics at Chicago Bulls

  • Original date: January 12, 2021
  • Reason for postponement: The Celtics didn’t have the required minimum of eight players available.
  • New date: May 7, 2021

Orlando Magic at Boston Celtics

  • Original date: January 13, 2021
  • Reason for postponement: The Celtics didn’t have the required minimum of eight players available.
  • New date: March 21, 2021

Utah Jazz at Washington Wizards

  • Original date: January 13, 2021
  • Reason for postponement: The Wizards didn’t have the required minimum of eight players available.
  • New date: March 18, 2021

Atlanta Hawks at Phoenix Suns

  • Original date: January 13, 2021
  • Reason for postponement: The Suns didn’t have the required minimum of eight players available.
  • New date: March 30, 2021

Washington Wizards at Detroit Pistons

  • Original date: January 15, 2021
  • Reason for postponement: The Wizards didn’t have the required minimum of eight players available.
  • New date: April 1, 2021

Golden State Warriors at Phoenix Suns

  • Original date: January 15, 2021
  • Reason for postponement: The Suns didn’t have the required minimum of eight players available.
  • New date: March 4, 2021

Memphis Grizzlies at Minnesota Timberwolves

  • Original date: January 15, 2021
  • Reason for postponement: The Timberwolves didn’t have the required minimum of eight players available.
  • New date: May 5, 2021

Indiana Pacers at Phoenix Suns

  • Original date: January 16, 2021
  • Reason for postponement: The Suns didn’t have the required minimum of eight players available.
  • New date: March 13, 2021

Cleveland Cavaliers at Washington Wizards

  • Original date: January 17, 2021
  • Reason for postponement: The Wizards didn’t have the required minimum of eight players available.
  • New date: April 25, 2021

Philadelphia 76ers at Oklahoma City Thunder

  • Original date: January 17, 2021
  • Reason for postponement: The Sixers didn’t have the required minimum of eight players available.
  • New date: April 10, 2021

Cleveland Cavaliers at Washington Wizards

  • Original date: January 18, 2021
  • Reason for postponement: The Wizards didn’t have the required minimum of eight players available.
  • New date: May 14, 2021

Washington Wizards at Charlotte Hornets

  • Original date: January 20, 2021
  • Reason for postponement: The Wizards didn’t have the required minimum of eight players available.
  • New date: February 7, 2021

Memphis Grizzlies at Portland Trail Blazers

  • Original date: January 20, 2021
  • Reason for postponement: The Grizzlies didn’t have the required minimum of eight players available.
  • New date: April 23, 2021

Washington Wizards at Milwaukee Bucks

  • Original date: January 22, 2021
  • Reason for postponement: The Wizards were short on players and hadn’t been able to practice for a week.
  • New date: May 5, 2021

Memphis Grizzlies at Portland Trail Blazers

  • Original date: January 22, 2021
  • Reason for postponement: The Grizzlies were affected by contact tracing and had many unavailable players.
  • New date: April 25, 2021

Sacramento Kings at Memphis Grizzlies

  • Original date: January 24, 2021
  • Reason for postponement: The Grizzlies were affected by contact tracing and had many unavailable players.
  • New date: May 13, 2021

Sacramento Kings at Memphis Grizzlies

  • Original date: January 25, 2021
  • Reason for postponement: The Grizzlies were affected by contact tracing and had many unavailable players.
  • New date: May 14, 2021

San Antonio Spurs at New Orleans Pelicans

  • Original date: January 25, 2021
  • Reason for postponement: Neither the Spurs nor the Pelicans had the required minimum of eight players available.
  • New date: April 24, 2021

Chicago Bulls at Memphis Grizzlies

  • Original date: January 27, 2021
  • Reason for postponement: The Grizzlies were affected by contact tracing and had many unavailable players.
  • New date: April 12, 2021

Detroit Pistons at Denver Nuggets

  • Original date: February 1, 2021
  • Reason for postponement: The Pistons didn’t have the required minimum of eight players available.
  • New date: April 6, 2021

San Antonio Spurs at Detroit Pistons

  • Original date: February 16, 2021
  • Reason for postponement: The Spurs didn’t have the required minimum of eight players available.
  • New date: March 15, 2021

San Antonio Spurs at Cleveland Cavaliers

  • Original date: February 17, 2021
  • Reason for postponement: The Spurs didn’t have the required minimum of eight players available.
  • New date: March 19, 2021

Chicago Bulls at Charlotte Hornets

  • Original date: February 17, 2021
  • Reason for postponement: The Hornets were affected by contact tracing and had many unavailable players.
  • New date: May 6, 2021

Detroit Pistons at Dallas Mavericks

  • Original date: February 17, 2021
  • Reason for postponement: A weather-related state of emergency affected the Dallas area.
  • New date: April 21, 2021

Denver Nuggets at Charlotte Hornets

  • Original date: February 19, 2021
  • Reason for postponement: The Hornets were affected by contact tracing and had many unavailable players.
  • New date: May 11, 2021

Dallas Mavericks at Houston Rockets

  • Original date: February 19, 2021
  • Reason for postponement: A weather-related state of emergency resulted in a government shutdown of Houston’s Toyota Center.
  • New date: April 7, 2021

San Antonio Spurs at New York Knicks

  • Original date: February 20, 2021
  • Reason for postponement: The Spurs didn’t have the required minimum of eight players available.
  • New date: May 13, 2021

Indiana Pacers at Houston Rockets

  • Original date: February 20, 2021
  • Reason for postponement: A weather-related state of emergency resulted in a government shutdown of Houston’s Toyota Center.
  • New date: April 14, 2021

San Antonio Spurs at Indiana Pacers

  • Original date: February 22, 2021
  • Reason for postponement: The Spurs didn’t have the required minimum of eight players available.
  • New date: April 19, 2021

Chicago Bulls at Toronto Raptors

  • Original date: February 28, 2021
  • Reason for postponement: The Raptors didn’t have the required minimum of eight players available.
  • New date: April 8, 2021

Detroit Pistons at Toronto Raptors

  • Original date: March 2, 2021
  • Reason for postponement: The Raptors didn’t have the required minimum of eight players available.
  • New date: March 3, 2021

Brooklyn Nets at Minnesota Timberwolves

  • Original date: April 12, 2021
  • Reason for postponement: Unrest in Minneapolis in the wake of a police shooting.
  • New date: April 13, 2021

Note: This list doesn’t include games that were intentionally postponed well in advance for scheduling purposes, such as the Trail Blazers/Hornets game that was originally set to be played on February 7.

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NBA Players With Trade Kickers In 2020/21

January 12th, 2021 at 8:25am CST by Luke Adams

A trade kicker is a contractual clause that pays an NBA player a bonus when he’s traded. They’re one of the tools teams have at their disposal to differentiate their free agent offers from the ones put on the table by competing clubs.

Sometimes the kicker is worth a fixed amount, but usually it’s based on a percentage of the remaining value of the contract. So, a player who has a 10% trade kicker is eligible for a bonus worth 10% of the amount of money he has yet to collect on his deal.

Regardless of whether a trade kicker is set at a fixed amount or a percentage, the bonus can’t exceed 15% of the remaining value of the contract. Most trade kickers are worth 15%, the highest percentage allowed.

A trade bonus must be paid by the team that trades the player, rather than the team acquiring him. The current Collective Bargaining Agreement also allows a player to waive his trade kicker as part of a deal, if he so chooses.

If you want a more detailed explanation of how trade kickers work, check out the Hoops Rumors Glossary entry on the subject.

With the help of contract information from Basketball Insiders, here’s a list of the NBA players who have active trade kickers for 2020/21, listed alphabetically, along with the details of those trade bonuses:

The following players have trade bonuses on their contracts, but those bonuses would be voided if they were to be traded during the 2020/21 league year, since they’re already earning this season’s maximum salary:

The following players have signed contract extensions that will include trade kickers, but those extensions won’t go into effect until the 2021/22 season:

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

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Community Shootaround: Should The NBA Go Back To A “Bubble”?

January 9th, 2021 at 9:16pm CST by Arthur Hill

The NBA’s closed-campus experiment at Disney World was hailed as a huge success that enabled to league to complete its 2019/20 season and crown a champion without any interruptions from COVID-19. However, there was no desire to repeat the experience for an entire season as teams preferred to play in their home arenas, even if no fans were allowed.

But that decision carried risks, which are already beginning to overwhelm the new season. Only one game has been canceled so far — a season-opener between the Rockets and Thunder because Houston didn’t have enough eligible players — but several teams are operating with depleted rosters due to positive coronavirus tests and contact tracing mandated by the league’s health and safety protocols.

The Sixers had just eight eligible players this afternoon as they lost at home to Denver. Danny Green was the only Philadelphia starter to suit up for the game, while Dwight Howard and Tyrese Maxey were the only other members of the rotation who played.

The team’s predicament began Thursday when Seth Curry learned that he had tested positive for the virus. Tobias Harris, Shake Milton, Matisse Thybulle and Vincent Poirier shared a table with Curry at a team meeting that day, according to Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer, so they are required to quarantine for contact tracing. They will likely be unavailable for an entire week, which means three more missed games.

“We don’t know,” said coach Doc Rivers, whose season may be derailed after a 7-2 start. “We don’t know anything. We have to make that assumption, I guess. I mean, they were at a table. So it wasn’t like close contact. So maybe that will shorten their days. I don’t know that. But I guess even that’s too close. I mean, I don’t know. I don’t get that whole (thing).”

The 7-3 Celtics may be headed for the same situation. Star forward Jayson Tatum has reportedly tested positive for COVID-19, joining Robert Williams, Grant Williams and Tristan Thompson in quarantine. Boston’s injury report for tomorrow’s game mentions all but eight players, which is the minimum needed for the game to be played.

Tatum’s test has also affected the Wizards because he talked after the game to Bradley Beal, who is now subject to health and safety protocols for contact tracing. The Nets, Nuggets, Spurs, Grizzlies and Mavericks are also short on players because of quarantine issues.

Kendra Andrews of The Athletic believes the NBA is making a mistake by forcing games like the one today in Philadelphia to be played. She notes that virus rates are higher now in many places than they were when the league suspended play in March, and basketball is an easy way for germs to spread because of close contact and shared equipment.

The league isn’t at a crisis situation yet, but it’s headed in that direction. Without the controlled environment that was in place at Disney World, the athletes face a lot more potential exposure to COVID-19, and just one case can change the course of a season.

We want to get your opinion. Do you believe the NBA can play an entire season under the current conditions or will it need to revert to a “bubble” alternative at some point? Please leave your responses in the comments section.

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