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Community Shootaround: Western All-Star Starters

January 29th, 2021 at 10:00am CST by Luke Adams

Whether or not an All-Star Game can be played in 2021, two All-Star teams will be selected, and voting is now underway. Fans will have a say in picking the 10 starters, with their vote counting for 50% of the total tally, while media members (25%) and players (25%) will also be involved.

On Thursday, we asked you which five Eastern Conference players deserve the strongest consideration for spots as All-Star starters. Today, we’re shifting to the Western Conference and asking you the same question. Let’s dive in and examine some of the candidates…

Guards (2)

The three leading scorers in the Western Conference are also three of the top candidates to be backcourt All-Star starters. Those players are Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard (28.8 PPG), Warriors guard Stephen Curry (27.7 PPG), and Mavericks guard Luka Doncic (27.4 PPG).

Doncic’s 9.7 assists and 9.4 rebounds per game improve his candidacy, though his three-point shot has been a problem (28.5% on 7.2 attempts per game) — especially when compared to Curry (39.5% on 11.1 attempts) and Lillard (37.9% on 10.2 attempts). All three teams rank between eighth and 12th in the conference, so team performance won’t give any of them a leg up, at least so far.

If you’re unconvinced by any of those three résumés, there are a handful of other intriguing candidates to consider, including Donovan Mitchell, who is the leading scorer (23.4 PPG) for the top-seeded Jazz.

Ja Morant has averaged 22.6 PPG on 53.2% shooting for the overachieving Grizzlies, while DeMar DeRozan has been the top scorer (20.1 PPG) and play-maker (6.8 APG) for the Spurs, who currently hold a top-five seed in the West.

Lillard’s teammate CJ McCollum was off to a scorching start to the season, with 26.7 PPG and a .441 3PT% through 13 games, but he’s out for at least a month with a foot injury, essentially taking him off the board.

Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Suns guards Devin Booker and Chris Paul, and Mitchell’s teammate Mike Conley are among the other candidates on the periphery. However, the choice in this group probably comes down to two of Lillard, Curry, or Doncic, with Mitchell looming as a wild card.

Frontcourt (3)

Neither Los Angeles team has a particularly strong candidate for a spot in the All-Star backcourt, but there are plenty of options up front.

Lakers star LeBron James has been his usual incredible self, averaging 25.5 PPG, 7.8 RPG, and 7.5 APG through 20 games, with a career-best .417 3PT%. He’s a better candidate at this point to start than his teammate Davis, whose scoring average has dipped to 21.9 PPG in the early going.

For the Clippers, you could make a convincing argument in favor of either Kawhi Leonard (25.9 PPG, 5.7 APG, 5.4 RPG, .505/.419/.900 shooting) or Paul George (23.9 PPG, 6.2 RPG, 5.4 APG, .504/.484/.907 shooting), who have been paragons of scoring efficiency while playing solid defense on the other end of the court.

There are a number of candidates capable of crashing an all-L.A. frontcourt though, led by Nuggets center Nikola Jokic, who has been better than ever in 2019/20, with 25.2 PPG on 56.7% shooting to go along with 11.8 RPG, 8.9 APG, and 1.8 SPG.

Rudy Gobert‘s scoring numbers are modest (13.4 PPG), but his 14.2 rebounds per game lead the Western Conference, and he has anchored the Jazz‘s defense, one of the best in the NBA.

Christian Wood is making a bid for All-Star consideration in his first year with the Rockets, averaging a double-double so far (23.4 PPG, 10.8 RPG). Meanwhile, Pelicans forwards Brandon Ingram and Zion Williamson each rank among the West’s top 10 scorers with 23.9 PPG apiece, though their team’s performance (6-10, 14th in the conference) hurts their cases.

At this point, I think the most logical Western lineup would include two of Lillard, Curry, and Doncic, along with LeBron, Jokic, and whichever Clippers forward you favor (I’d lean toward Kawhi). But I’m curious to know what you think.

Which five players would you vote into the Western Conference’s starting All-Star lineup? Do you think there are any spots that are too close to call for the time being, or are you ready to pencil in a starting five?

Share your thoughts and your picks in the comment section below!

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Community Shootaround: Eastern All-Star Starters

January 28th, 2021 at 12:22pm CST by Luke Adams

We don’t know yet whether the NBA will play an All-Star Game this season, but voting for the starters is now underway. Whether or not a game is played, two All-Star teams will be selected, and fans will play a part in choosing the 10 starters — fan voting will make up 50% of the total tally, while media members (25%) and players (25%) will also have a say.

With that in mind, we want to take a closer look at which players are deserving of the five All-Star starting spots in each conference, starting today with the East.

No team has played more than 20 games so far this season, and some have played as few as 13 or 14 due to coronavirus-related postponements. In other words, it’s awfully early to decide which players have emerged as the top five in each conference. But we can at least evaluate which players are making the strongest cases to be considered for a spot in that group.

Guards (2)

The NBA’s leading scorer, by a wide margin, is Wizards star Bradley Beal, who is averaging a whopping 35.4 PPG so far. But he has only played 13 games and his team has the NBA’s worst record at 3-11. Beal missed out on an All-Star spot last season due in large part to his team’s spot in the standings, and said on Wednesday that he’s not getting his hopes up about an All-Star nod this time around.

Zach LaVine (27.0 PPG for the 7-10 Bulls), Trae Young (26.2 PPG for the 9-9 Hawks), and Collin Sexton (25.2 PPG for the 9-9 Cavaliers) are in a similar boat, putting up big offensive numbers for middle-of-the-pack teams. Young’s 8.8 assists per contest and Atlanta’s .500 record amidst injury woes should strength his case.

Nets stars James Harden and Kyrie Irving have each put up huge numbers and would typically be leading contenders for these backcourt spots, but Harden’s behavior on his way out of Houston and Irving’s personal leave may damper enthusiasm for their cases. Additionally, Irving has only played 12 games, while Harden only has seven appearances with Brooklyn so far.

Raptors guard Kyle Lowry has been an All-Star for six straight seasons and is having another strong season in 2020/21, but it probably hasn’t been quite All-Star-starter worthy, especially given his team’s 7-11 record.

Pacers guard Malcolm Brogdon (22.8 PPG, 7.1 APG) and Celtics guard Jaylen Brown (27.1 PPG, 5.6 RPG) are having career years so far for top-five seeds in the conference. Both players are solid on defense too, with Brown’s two-way play on the wing making him an especially strong candidate.

Sixers guard Ben Simmons has posted very modest scoring numbers (13.0 PPG), but he continues to fill up the stat sheet with 8.6 RPG, 8.0 APG, and 1.6 SPG, and his team currently sits atop the Eastern Conference.

Frontcourt (3)

Unlike his two star teammates, who have been at the center of some off-court drama and have been fined for COVID-19 protocol violations, Nets forward Kevin Durant has made headlines for all the right reasons this season, looking better than ever coming off his Achilles tear (30.5 PPG on .517/.444/.860 shooting).

Reigning MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo (26.8 PPG, 11.0 RPG, 5.6 APG for the 11-6 Bucks) and Sixers center Joel Embiid (27.7 PPG, 11.1 RPG) have been two-way forces for the top seeds in the conference and look like All-Star locks.

Those three players are probably the frontcourt favorites, but there’s no shortage of good candidates across the East. Myles Turner and Domantas Sabonis have helped lead the Pacers to a No. 3 seed so far. Celtics forward Jayson Tatum has missed some time due to COVID-19, but when he’s healthy, has looked even better than he did in his first All-NBA season last year.

Bucks forward Khris Middleton, meanwhile, has mostly flown under the radar again, but he has been one of the NBA’s most efficient scorers, with a .519/.441/.925 shooting line. He’s averaging 21.9 PPG, 6.5 RPG, and 5.8 APG, all of which would be career highs, and his 2.6 win shares place him second in the conference.

Magic center Nikola Vucevic, Knicks big man Julius Randle, Pistons forward Jerami Grant, Heat big man Bam Adebayo, and Hornets forward Gordon Hayward have been standouts for sub-.500 teams.

While I like Durant, Giannis, and Embiid in the frontcourt, I’m having a much harder time deciding on two Eastern guards, as many of the most compelling contenders also have compelling factors working against them. With voting remaining open until February 16, I may take another week or two to finalize my choices there.

What do you think? Are you ready to pencil in your five choices for the Eastern All-Star starting lineup or is it too early to make a call? If you’re ready to vote, which five are you taking? If you’re on the fence, which players do you view as the top candidates?

Head to the comment section below to weigh in with your thoughts!

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Players Eligible For In-Season Veteran Extensions In 2020/21

January 27th, 2021 at 10:03am CST by Luke Adams

As we explain in our glossary entry on veteran contract extensions, rookie scale extensions have historically been the most common form of contract extension in the NBA. However, the league’s latest Collective Bargaining Agreement loosened the rules on eligibility for veteran extensions and made them a little more financially advantageous for players who don’t expect mega-deals.

As a result, we’ve seen a bump in veteran contract extensions in recent seasons. So far in the 2020/21 league year, six players have signed them.

[RELATED: 2020/21 NBA Contract Extension Tracker]

For certain extension-eligible players, such as Victor Oladipo, it may still make sense to wait until free agency to sign a new contract — the biggest raise he can receive on an extension would still be less than the maximum contract he’d be eligible to earn on the open market. The maximum starting salary a player like Oladipo can receive in a veteran extension is up to 120% of his current salary.

A player on a more modest contract can receive a maximum starting salary worth up to 120% of the NBA’s estimated average salary on an extension, assuming that amount is greater than 120% of his current salary.

For this season, 120% of the estimated average salary would work out to a $12MM salary in the first year of a contract extension. A player who signs an extension that fits that bill could get up to four years and $53.76MM. Gary Trent Jr. and Devonte’ Graham are among the players who are eligible for that sort of deal.

Now that the regular season is in full swing, the number of veterans eligible for contract extensions has declined, since players with more than one year left on their contracts aren’t permitted to ink an in-season extension. But there are still a number of veterans in the final year of their respective contracts who remain eligible for extensions right up until the last day of the current league year.

Listed below are the players who meet the criteria for a veteran extension. Players who were recently traded can be extended, but they have to wait for a certain amount of time after the trade to sign a contract longer than three total years (including the current season) with a first-year raise exceeding 5%. If a player below is noted as having “limited” eligibility until a certain date, that’s why.

Typically, that “limited” extension eligibility lifts after six months, but this year those dates are based on a mapping table provided by the NBA, so they differ a little from case to case. Once a player regains his full extension eligibility, he once again becomes eligible to sign an extension of up to five total years (including the current season) with a 20% first-year raise.

Additionally, extension-eligible players with a player or team option for 2021/22 would have to eliminate that option year as part of an extension agreement in order to meet the necessary criteria.

Here’s the full list of veterans currently eligible for contract extensions:

Atlanta Hawks

Boston Celtics

Brooklyn Nets

Charlotte Hornets

Chicago Bulls

Cleveland Cavaliers

  • None

Dallas Mavericks

Denver Nuggets

Detroit Pistons

Golden State Warriors

  • None

Houston Rockets

  • Dante Exum
    • Limited eligibility through June 22.
  • Rodions Kurucs
    • 2021/22 team option must be declined.
    • Limited eligibility through June 22.
  • Kelly Olynyk
    • Limited eligibility for rest of season.

Indiana Pacers

Los Angeles Clippers

  • None

Los Angeles Lakers

Memphis Grizzlies

Miami Heat

Milwaukee Bucks

Minnesota Timberwolves

New Orleans Pelicans

New York Knicks

Oklahoma City Thunder

Orlando Magic

Philadelphia 76ers

  • None

Phoenix Suns

Portland Trail Blazers

  • Norman Powell
    • 2021/22 player option must be declined.
    • Limited eligibility for rest of season.

Sacramento Kings

  • None

San Antonio Spurs

Toronto Raptors

Utah Jazz

Washington Wizards

Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

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Hoops Rumors Glossary: Gilbert Arenas Provision

January 26th, 2021 at 11:11am CST by Luke Adams

Gilbert Arenas hasn’t played in the NBA since 2012, but his legacy lives on in the NBA’s Collective Bargaining Agreement. The NBA introduced the Gilbert Arenas provision in the 2005 CBA as a way to help teams retain their restricted free agents who aren’t coming off standard rookie scale contracts.

While Arenas isn’t specifically named in the CBA, the rule colloquially known as the Arenas provision stems from his own restricted free agency in 2003. At the time, the Warriors only had Early Bird rights on Arenas, who signed an offer sheet with the Wizards starting at about $8.5MM. Because Golden State didn’t have $8.5MM in cap room and could only offer Arenas a first-year salary of about $4.9MM using the Early Bird exception, the Warriors were unable to match the offer sheet and lost Arenas to Washington.

The Arenas provision limits the first-year salary that rival suitors can offer restricted free agents who have only been in the league for one or two years. The starting salary for an offer sheet can’t exceed the amount of the non-taxpayer mid-level exception, which allows the player’s original team to use either the mid-level exception or the Early Bird exception to match it. Otherwise, a team without the necessary cap space would be powerless to keep its player, like the Warriors were with Arenas.

An offer sheet from another team can still have an average annual salary that exceeds the non-taxpayer’s mid-level, however. The annual raises are limited to 5% between years one and two, and 4.5% between years three and four, but a team can include a significant raise between the second and third years of the offer.

As long as the first two years of a team’s offer sheet are for the highest salary possible, the offer is fully guaranteed, and there are no incentives included, the third-year salary of the offer sheet can be worth up to what the player’s third-year maximum salary would have been if not for the Arenas restrictions.

Based on a projected three percent salary cap increase for 2021/22, here’s the maximum offer sheet a first- or second-year RFA could receive this coming summer:

Year Salary Comment
2021/22 $9,536,000 Value of non-taxpayer’s mid-level exception.
2022/23 $10,012,800 5% raise on first-year salary.
2023/24 $30,913,906 Maximum third-year salary for a player with 1-2 years in NBA.
2024/25 $32,305,032 4.5% raise on third-year salary.
Total $82,767,738 Average annual salary of $20,691,935.

In order to make the sort of offer outlined above, a team must have enough cap room to accommodate the average annual value of the contract. So a team with $21MM in cap space could extend this offer sheet to a first- or second-year RFA. But a team with only $17MM in cap space would have to reduce the third- and fourth-year salaries in its offer sheet to get the overall average salary of the offer down to $17MM per year, despite being able to comfortably accommodate the first-year salary.

The application of the Arenas provision is infrequent, since first- and second-year players who reach free agency rarely warrant such lucrative contract offers. First-round picks sign four-year rookie deals when they enter the NBA, so the Arenas provision generally applies to second-round picks or undrafted free agents whose first NBA contracts were only for one or two years.

The Arenas provision hasn’t been used for the last several offseasons. Based on our data, it was last relevant during the 2016 offseason, when multiple teams made use of the Arenas provision as they attempted to pry restricted free agents from rival teams.

One relevant example from that summer was Tyler Johnson‘s restricted free agency with Miami. The Heat had Early Bird rights on Johnson, who had only been in the NBA for two seasons. The Nets attempted to pry him away with an aggressive offer sheet that featured salaries of $5,628,000, $5,881,260, $19,245,370, and $19,245,370. It wasn’t the maximum that Brooklyn could have offered Johnson, but the massive third-year raise was a tough pill for Miami to swallow.

Overall, the deal was worth $50MM for four years. If the Heat had declined to match it, the Nets would have flattened out those annual cap hits to $12.5MM per year, the average annual value of the deal. However, due to the Arenas provision, Miami was able to match Brooklyn’s offer sheet with the Early Bird exception, even though the Heat wouldn’t have been able to directly offer Johnson a four-year, $50MM contract using the Early Bird exception.

When a team matches an Arenas-provision offer sheet, it also has the option of flattening those cap charges. However, that option is only available if the team has the cap room necessary to accommodate the average annual value of the deal. Otherwise, the club has to keep the unbalanced cap charges on its books. When Johnson’s cap hit for the Heat jumped from $5,881,260 to an eye-popping $19,245,370 in 2018/19, it became an albatross — the team eventually sent him to Phoenix in a salary-dump deal at the 2019 deadline.

This coming offseason, there aren’t many restricted free agents who will be candidates for an Arenas-provision offer sheet. A handful of intriguing RFAs-to-be, including Duncan Robinson, Devonte’ Graham, and Gary Trent Jr., were former second-round picks or undrafted free agents, but they’ll all have three years of NBA experience when they hit the open market, so the Arenas rule won’t apply to them.

The best candidate for an Arenas-provision offer sheet may be Lakers wing Talen Horton-Tucker, who turned heads during a strong preseason in December. However, Horton-Tucker’s regular season playing time has been limited and his production has been modest. Teams may be tempted to put pressure on the Lakers by presenting THT with an aggressive offer sheet, but unless he takes another major step forward, it’d be surprising to see him get a three- or four-year free agent offer worth more than the standard non-taxpayer’s MLE.

Finally, just because a club is given the opportunity to use the Arenas provision to keep its restricted free agent doesn’t mean it will necessarily have the means. Here are a few situations in which the Arenas provision wouldn’t help a team keep its restricted free agent:

  • If a team only has the taxpayer mid-level exception or room exception available, it would be unable to match an offer sheet for a Non-Bird free agent if the starting salary exceeds the taxpayer mid-level or room exception amount.
  • A team would be unable to match an offer sheet for a Non-Bird free agent if it uses its mid-level exception on another player, including another one of its own Non-Bird free agents. A team could use Early Bird rights to match if those rights are available, however.
  • If the player is a Non-Bird or Early Bird free agent with three years of NBA experience, the Arenas provision would not apply — only players with one or two years in the league are eligible.

Note: This is a Hoops Rumors Glossary entry. Our glossary posts will explain specific rules relating to trades, free agency, or other aspects of the NBA’s Collective Bargaining Agreement. Larry Coon’s Salary Cap FAQ was used in the creation of this post.

Earlier versions of this post were published in 2012, 2015, and 2018 by Luke Adams and Chuck Myron. Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

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Hoops Rumors’ 2020/21 NBA Reverse Standings

January 26th, 2021 at 8:44am CST by Luke Adams

Throughout the 2020/21 NBA season, Hoops Rumors will be maintaining a feature that allows you to keep an eye on the tentative 2021 draft order. Our 2020/21 Reverse Standings tool, which lists the NBA’s 30 teams from worst to first, will be updated daily to reflect the outcomes of the previous night’s games.

Our Reverse Standings are essentially a reflection of what 2021’s draft order would look like with no changes to lottery position. We’ve noted each club’s odds of landing the No. 1 overall pick, based on the league’s current lottery format.

[RELATED: Hoops Rumors Glossary: Draft Lottery]

In instances where two non-playoff teams or two playoff teams have identical records, the order in our standings isn’t necessarily definitive — for draft purposes, the NBA breaks ties via random drawings, so those drawings would happen at the end of the year.

Of course, the 14 non-playoff teams all draft before the 16 playoff teams, even if some non-playoff teams have better records than those that made the postseason. Our reverse standings account for playoff seeding, though for now they assume that the Nos. 7 and 8 teams in each conference will earn those final two postseason spots. Since the NBA’s new play-in format opens the door for the Nos. 9 and 10 seeds to sneak into the postseason, we may have to account for a little movement in the draft order at season’s end.

Traded first-round picks are included via footnotes. For example, the note next to Golden State’s pick says the Warriors will send their pick to the Thunder if it’s not in the top 20. As of today, the Warriors’ pick projects to be 18th, meaning that pick wouldn’t change hands.

Some conditions on traded picks are quite complex, leaving little room to fully explain them in our footnotes. We broke down all the details on those traded first-rounders right here.

Our Reverse Standings tracker can be found at anytime on the right sidebar under “Hoops Rumors Features” on our desktop site, or on the “Features” page in our mobile menu. It’s a great resource not just for monitoring a team’s draft position, but also for keeping an eye on whether or not traded picks with protection will be changing hands in 2021. So be sure to check back often as the season progresses!

Note: Mobile users are advised to turn their phones sideways when viewing the Reverse Standings in order to see team records and lottery odds.

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Following Specific Players On Hoops Rumors

January 25th, 2021 at 3:37pm CST by Luke Adams

Hoops Rumors makes it easy to keep up with your favorite NBA teams as they plot their next moves, and we also provide multiple ways to follow the latest updates on all of your favorite players, including the top free agents and trade candidates from around the league.

You can get news about players wherever you go with our Trade Rumors app, available for iOS and Android devices. The app, which is free, allows you to add a feed for any player and set up notifications that will alert you whenever we write about him. It’s the easiest way to keep tabs on specific players.

If you’re using the desktop or mobile version of our site, there are other ways to follow your favorite player(s). Every player we’ve written about has his own rumors page. You can find any player by using our search box, by clicking his tag at the bottom of a post in which he’s discussed, or by simply typing his name in your address bar after hoopsrumors.com, substituting dashes for spaces.

For example, LeBron James‘ page is hoopsrumors.com/lebron-james. Those player pages can be added to RSS readers too.

In addition to players, there are a number of other subjects you can track by clicking on the tags that we use at the bottom of posts or searching for them in the app.

For instance, you can keep tabs on our 2021 NBA draft stories right here. Items about the NBA G League can be found on this page. Expansion-related stories about the city of Seattle are all here. And you can simply scan our top stories here.

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NBA Waiver Order Now Based On 2020/21 Records

January 25th, 2021 at 9:40am CST by Luke Adams

As of January 25, the NBA’s waiver priority order is determined by teams’ current-year records, rather than the previous season’s results, as Bobby Marks of ESPN notes (via Twitter).

That means the waiver order for this season is now based on teams’ 2020/21 records, with the worst teams getting the highest priority. In other words, if two teams place a claim on the same player, the team lower in this season’s NBA standings will be awarded that player.

Up until today, the waiver claim order was based on which teams had the worst records in 2019/20 prior to the March 11 stoppage. In a normal league year, the changeover to current-year records occurs on December 1, but that date was pushed back this season to account for the late start.

Waiver claims are somewhat rare in the NBA, but it’s still worth noting which teams will have the first crack at intriguing players who may be cut over the next few weeks or months.

[RELATED: 2020/21 NBA Waiver Claims]

Here’s what the teams currently at the top of the NBA’s waiver order look like, as of today:

  1. Detroit Pistons (3-13)
  2. Minnesota Timberwolves (4-11)
  3. Washington Wizards (3-9)
  4. New Orleans Pelicans (5-10)
  5. Sacramento Kings (6-10)

In instances where multiple teams have identical records, head-to-head record for the current season is used to break ties, if possible. Otherwise, a coin flip determines priority for those tied teams.

If a waived player can’t be claimed using the minimum salary exception, a team must use a trade exception, a disabled player exception, or cap room to absorb his salary. So a club with a top priority won’t be in position to nab just anyone who reaches waivers.

The Pistons, for example, have no cap space or exceptions available to place a waiver claim on any player earning more than the minimum, so despite their spot at the top of the waiver order, their ability to claim players is fairly limited.

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Community Shootaround: Early Check-In On MVP Race

January 24th, 2021 at 2:16pm CST by Luke Adams

It’ a little too early in the 2020/21 NBA season to pencil in a frontrunner for this year’s Most Valuable Player award. However, we’re over a month removed from opening night, and this condensed season will be about a month shorter than a typical NBA campaign, so it’s not too early to check in on which players are establishing themselves as 2021 MVP candidates.

Michael Scotto of HoopsHype did just that this week, polling 15 media members who voted on last season’s NBA awards about their first-month MVP picks. The top choice was Nets star Kevin Durant, who missed all of last season with an Achilles tear but has been extremely impressive in his comeback so far, averaging 31.2 PPG, 7.2 RPG, and 5.8 APG with a scorching .538/.475/.865 shooting line in 13 games (36.2 MPG) for Brooklyn.

Durant will certainly be in the conversation if he maintains those numbers, though there are a couple red flags on his candidacy worth watching. One is KD’s health — he has been limited to 13 of Brooklyn’s 18 games so far as the team exercises caution with him, particularly in back-to-back sets.

Durant also shares the court with two other superstars, so if the Nets finish with a similar record to other contenders, voters will have to decide whether to vote for him over other stars who probably didn’t spend the season playing alongside a former MVP like James Harden and a six-time All-Star like Kyrie Irving.

Lakers star LeBron James, last year’s runner-up, received the second-highest vote share in Scotto’s poll, coming off an impressive Thursday win over the Bucks and last season’s MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo. As Bill Oram of The Athletic wrote this week, James downplayed the idea that 2020’s voting results played any part in his impressive 34-point showing against Giannis, but the performance nonetheless served as a reminder that – even at age 36 – LeBron is a legitimate MVP candidate each and every year.

Third place on Scotto’s list belongs to Nuggets center Nikola Jokic, a two-time All-NBA selection who is off to his best start ever in 2020/21. His 25.8 PPG, 12.0 RPG, and 9.6 APG would all be career highs by a comfortable margin. Nick Kosmider of The Athletic contends that Jokic also has the power of narrative on his side, since he’s redefining what a player of his size and body type can do on the court.

Still, Jokic’s Nuggets will likely need to move up a few spots in the standings for him to receive serious consideration — even after a three-game winning streak, they still have a modest 9-7 record.

Sixers center Joel Embiid, Clippers forward Paul George, Warriors guard Stephen Curry, Mavericks guard Luka Doncic, Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard, Antetokounmpo, and George’s teammate Kawhi Leonard fill out Scotto’s top 10.

We want to get your thoughts. If the season ended today, who would be your MVP pick? Which player do you think is best positioned to win the award this season? Are there any dark-horse candidates further down on Scotto’s list (or missing altogether) that you think will make a push for consideration in the coming months?

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Free Agent Stock Watch: Atlantic Division

January 22nd, 2021 at 9:17pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Throughout the season, Hoops Rumors takes a closer look at players who will be free agents or could become free agents this off-season. We examine if their stock is rising or falling due to performance and other factors. This week, we take a look at players from the Atlantic Division:

Chris Boucher, Raptors, 28, PF/C (Up) – Signed to a two-year, $13.5MM deal in 2020

Boucher has a non-guaranteed $7MM salary for next season. The Raptors will have to decide in August whether to retain him. Right now, that decision is a no-brainer. Boucher has been one of the league’s top reserves, averaging 15.6 PPG and 6.6 RPG in 23.8 MPG through 14 games. He ranks third in the league in blocks (2.4) despite his second-unit status. He’s even developed a 3-point shot (48.1%). It will difficult for Boucher to sustain this pace but he’s doing more than enough to convince the front office to prevent him from entering free agency.

Dennis Smith Jr., Knicks, 23, PG (Down) – Signed to a four-year, $17.2MM deal in 2017

New coach Tom Thibodeau talked up Smith during training camp, saying “he’s gotten better and better.” That talk quickly died down. Smith has been a non-factor this season, in part because of a quad injury. There’s doesn’t seem to be any path to playing time with Immanuel Quickley establishing himself as one of the league’s top rookies. It’s been a steady decline for Smith, who started 69 games in his rookie year with Dallas and averaged 15.2 PPG. New York would have to extend a qualifying offer of $7MM+ to retain him. That’s not happening.

Furkan Korkmaz, Sixers, 23, SF/SG (Down) – Signed to a two-year, $3.4MM deal in 2019

An unrestricted free agent after the season, Korkmaz was sidelined by an adductor strain late last month. He just returned to action on Wednesday, scoring seven points in 20 minutes against the Celtics. He made just two of nine field-goal attempts on Friday. As a second-unit player, Korkmaz must reestablish himself as a steady 3-point threat to hold onto his rotation spot under new coach Doc Rivers. He made 40.2% of his shots beyond the arc last season when his role expanded. He needs to get back into a 3-point rhythm quickly or risk becoming a spectator the second half of the season.

Daniel Theis, Celtics, 28, PF/C (Up) – Signed to a two-year, $10MM deal in 2019

Theis became increasingly important to the club last season, when he started 64 regular-season games and all 17 of its postseason contests in Orlando. His ability to guard pick-and-rolls and switch make him a key component in the Celtics’ defense. He’ll likely come off the bench with Kemba Walker back in action and Brad Stevens going with a smaller lineup. That didn’t faze Theis on Wednesday, as he racked up 23 points and 10 rebounds in 27 minutes against Philadelphia. He shouldn’t have any trouble getting a healthy raise in free agency this summer.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

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Community Shootaround: Nets’ Conference Rivals

January 22nd, 2021 at 7:35pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Earlier this week, we noted that the Nets are now a strong favorite to represent the Eastern Conference in the Finals.

The addition of James Harden gives Brooklyn an imposing superstar trio. But there are still a number of teams in the East who are built for a deep playoff run.

The Celtics, led by the trio of Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown and Kemba Walker, certainly have high expectations. They were one step away from the Finals last season with Walker playing on a bad knee.

The Sixers still boast the combination of Joel Embiid – arguably the most dominant big man in the game when he’s focused and healthy – and Ben Simmons. With Doc Rivers as coach and Daryl Morey heading the front office, there’s a Finals or bust mentality in Philadelphia. Morey made a hard push to acquire Harden and he’ll certainly be looking to do something splashy before the trade deadline.

Milwaukee is eager to make up for its early postseason exit and has the best player in the conference, if not the league, in Giannis Antetokounmpo. The two-time reigning MVP still has to improve his perimeter and 3-point shooting but the addition of Jrue Holiday, albeit at a heavy price, has upgraded the Bucks’ backcourt.

Don’t count out the reigning conference champ. While the Heat have gotten off to a slow start, it can easily be attributed to injuries and COVID-19 issues. They have pretty much the same cast of characters that out-toughed and grinded their way to postseason success in Orlando.

It’s not out of the question that teams like the Pacers, Raptors or even the young Hawks could catch fire and do some postseason damage.

That leads us to our topic of the day: Which Eastern Conference team poses the biggest threat to the Nets?

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

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