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Checking In On Traded 2024 First-Round Picks

March 8th, 2024 at 2:56pm CST by Luke Adams

A year ago, entering the 2023 NBA draft, just one of the 14 picks in the lottery had changed hands — the Magic owned Chicago’s first-rounder.

In 2024, there’s a viable scenario in which half of of the 14 picks in the lottery will be controlled by new teams.

With just over a month left to go in the 2023/24 season, let’s check in to see where things stand with the traded picks for the 2024 draft and the protections that apply to them…

Picks that won’t change hands (or swaps that won’t be exercised):

  • Wizards‘ pick (top-12 protected) to Knicks
  • Pistons‘ pick (top-18 protected) to Knicks
  • Hornets‘ pick (top-14 protected) to Spurs
  • Trail Blazers‘ pick (top-14 protected) to Bulls
  • Wizards‘ right to swap picks with Suns
  • Grizzlies right to swap picks with Suns or Wizards (least favorable)

The Wizards, Pistons, Hornets, and Trail Blazers are currently four of the five worst teams in the NBA (the fifth, San Antonio, unconditionally controls its own first-rounder). While it’s not ideal that they’ve each traded away a first-round pick, the good news is that all four clubs are locks to hang onto those first-rounders in 2024. Even with extremely bad lottery luck, none of them are falling out of the top 10.

Unfortunately, all four of those teams’ draft obligations will simply be pushed back a year, so they’ll be in danger of losing their 2025 first-round picks if they don’t once again fall in their respective protected ranges.

The Wizards obviously won’t be using their ability to swap first-round picks with the Suns, who are currently 27.5 games ahead of them in the standings. That leaves Memphis the option to swap first-rounders with Phoenix, but the Grizzlies have the league’s sixth-worst record, so they won’t be taking advantage of that ability either.

Picks that might change hands (or swaps that might be used):

  • Raptors‘ pick (top-six protected) to Spurs
  • Rockets‘ pick (top-four protected) to Thunder
  • Jazz‘s pick (top-10 protected) to Thunder
  • Kings‘ pick (top-14 protected) to Hawks
  • Lakers‘ pick (unprotected) to Pelicans
  • Pelicans‘ right to swap picks with Bucks

The Spurs could add a second top-10 pick if the Raptors‘ first-rounder lands outside the top six. Toronto currently has the NBA’s seventh-worst record and even “passing” Memphis in the reverse standings for the sixth-worst record wouldn’t offer the Raptors any assurances. In that scenario, they’d still be more likely to fall out of the top six and lose their pick (54.2%) than to remain in the top six and keep it (45.8%).

The Thunder, meanwhile, won’t be in the lottery themselves for the first time in several years, but they’re still well positioned to control a top-10 selection. If the season ended today, the Rockets would be No. 9 in the lottery standings, giving them just a 20.2% chance of moving into the top four and hanging onto their first-rounder.

Getting lucky in the lottery wouldn’t just allow Houston to keep its own pick — it would allow the team to extinguish that obligation to Oklahoma City by sending its 2025 second-rounder instead. However, the Rockets do still owe the Thunder a separate 2026 first-rounder.

The Jazz‘s 2024 first-round pick could go either way. They currently have the 10th-worst record in the NBA at 28-35, but they’re neck-and-neck with Houston (27-35) and Atlanta (28-34), so it’s not out of the question that the Thunder end up getting Utah’s pick too. For what it’s worth, finishing with the league’s 10th-worst record would put the Jazz in a strong position to keep their first-rounder, but wouldn’t guarantee it, since a team 11th or lower in the lottery standings could push them out of the top 10 by winning a top-four pick on lottery night.

If the season ended today and the Kings won one of two play-in games, their pick would likely be either 19th or 20th overall and would be sent to the Hawks. But finishing in play-in territory doesn’t lock in a playoff spot, especially given the potential play-in opponents currently bunched up with Sacramento in the standings. Even if they finish with the Western Conference’s seventh-best record, the Kings would move into the lottery if they’re eliminated in the play-in tournament, which would allow them to hang onto their selection.

As for the Pelicans, they may face a difficult decision on the Lakers‘ first-rounder, which they have the option to defer to 2025. Los Angeles is currently at No. 9 in the West, so that pick could land in the lottery. And even in a best-case scenario for the Lakers, it’s likely to be no lower than the mid-to-late teens. That might be hard to pass up, but this year’s draft class is viewed as weak and there are no assurances the Lakers will be any better in 2024/25, so New Orleans will be tempted to defer.

Finally, the Pelicans also have the ability to swap their own first-round pick for the Bucks‘ selection. New Orleans trails Milwaukee by 3.5 games in the standings, so if the season ended today, the Pels would stay at No. 23 and pass on the Bucks’ No. 25 pick. But if they can make up ground on Milwaukee in the standings, that swap option remains a possibility.

That picks that will (or are at least highly likely to) change hands:

  • Nets‘ pick (unprotected) to Rockets
  • Warriors‘ pick (top-4 protected) to Trail Blazers
  • Pacers‘ pick (top-3 protected) to Raptors
  • Mavericks‘ pick (top-10 protected) to Knicks
  • Clippers‘ pick (unprotected/conditional) to Wizards or Jazz
  • Thunder‘s pick (unprotected/conditional) to Wizards or Jazz

The Rockets may not end up with their own first-round pick, but they should still have a top-10 selection. The Nets‘ first-rounder projects to be No. 8 overall, and it’s going to Houston unconditionally.

The Warriors‘ and Pacers‘ picks currently project to be No. 14 and 15 overall, but if those teams miss the playoffs, there’s a long-shot scenario in which they get lucky on lottery night and move into the top four (or top three, in Indiana’s case). It’s extremely unlikely though, so the Trail Blazers and Raptors can probably plan on controlling those picks.

The Mavericks are eighth in the West and are in some danger of missing the playoffs for a second straight year, but even in that scenario, they would almost certainly place no higher than 11th or 12th in the lottery standings, creating extremely long odds for a move into the top four. It’s very likely the Knicks will get Dallas’ pick this year.

The Wizards will get whichever of the Clippers‘ or Thunder‘s first-round picks is more favorable, while the Jazz will get the least favorable of the two. Right now, that means L.A.’s pick (No. 26) would go to Washington and Oklahoma City’s (No. 28) would go to Utah, but the two teams are separated by just 2.5 games in the standings, so nothing’s locked in yet.

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NBA Teams That Still Have Open Roster Spots

March 6th, 2024 at 12:55pm CST by Luke Adams

As we detailed on Tuesday, 17 players that had been on two-way contracts received promotions to standard deals between last month’s trade deadline and Monday’s two-way signing deadline.

However, even though those 17 players filled standard roster spots around the NBA and no team currently has an open two-way slot, there are still several openings on 15-man rosters across the league.

[RELATED: 2023/24 NBA Roster Counts]

Here’s a rundown of the teams that still have at least one standard roster spot available, along with some brief observations on how they might fill those openings:

Teams with two open roster spots

  • Minnesota Timberwolves
  • New York Knicks
  • Philadelphia 76ers

Teams are permitted to dip below 14 players on standard contracts for up to 14 days at a time. Currently, there are three teams taking advantage of that rule: the Timberwolves, Knicks, and Sixers.

There’s no real urgency for any of these clubs to sign a player in the short term — Philadelphia doesn’t have to re-add a 14th man until March 15, while New York’s and Minnesota’s deadlines are March 16 and 17, respectively.

Still, I’m not sure any of the three will wait that long to make a move. The Sixers and Knicks have a crowded injury list and could use some additional depth, while the Timberwolves have already reportedly reached an agreement on a 10-day deal with T.J. Warren — it just hasn’t been officially finalized yet.

[Note: Warren officially signed with the Wolves shortly after the publication of this story.]

Philadelphia could still use another frontcourt body with Joel Embiid on the shelf. It wouldn’t be a surprise if Taj Gibson eventually makes his way back to the Knicks, though he’s under contract with Detroit for the next 10 days. Marcus Morris was linked to Minnesota last month, though it remains unclear whether a union for the two sides remains in play.

Teams with one open roster spot

  • Boston Celtics
  • Detroit Pistons
    • Note: The Pistons’ 14th man (Gibson) is on a 10-day contract.
  • Golden State Warriors
  • Phoenix Suns
  • Utah Jazz

There’s no timeline for any of these teams to fill their 15th open roster spot. I’d expect the Pistons and Jazz to be a little more proactive about making a move though, since they’re both well below the luxury tax line and could potentially benefit from taking a look at some young players on 10-day deals for developmental purposes down the stretch.

The Celtics, Warriors, and Suns are all well above the tax threshold and aren’t in desperate need for depth pieces at the moment, so they’ll probably be patient when it comes to adding a 15th man.

Neemias Queta (Celtics) and Saben Lee (Suns) are candidates to be promoted from two-way contracts near the end of the season. The Warriors already elevated their most obvious candidate for a promotion (Lester Quinones), so it’s unclear what they may have in mind for their final roster move. Given how deep they are, it’s unlikely anyone the Dubs add would play at all in the postseason.

Teams whose 15th man is on a 10-day contract

  • Cleveland Cavaliers
  • New Orleans Pelicans
  • Toronto Raptors
  • Washington Wizards

The Cavaliers will open up a roster spot on Thursday when Sharife Cooper‘s 10-day contract expires. The Wizards (R.J. Hampton) and Pelicans (Izaiah Brockington) will follow suit next Wednesday, with the Raptors (Jahmi’us Ramsey) opening up their 15th roster spot next Thursday.

Each of those four players would be eligible for a second 10-day deal with his respective team. However, all four clubs seem to be rotating players in and out of that slot, so it’s possible that the Cavs, Pelicans, Raptors, and Wizards all finish the season with a different 15th man.

Toronto and Washington won’t make the playoffs and will likely eventually settle on a prospect who can be signed to a team-friendly multiyear contract. The Cavs and Pelicans could ultimately go the same route, though they’ll want to fully scour the buyout market in case there’s a veteran who could help in the postseason.

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NBA’s Two-Way Signing Deadline Has Now Passed

March 5th, 2024 at 7:12am CST by Luke Adams

The deadline for NBA teams to sign players to two-way contracts was Monday, March 4. Since that deadline has now passed, no two-way deals can be signed between now and the end of the 2023/24 league year. Clubs will be permitted to begin signing two-way contracts for the ’24/25 season on July 1.

Under the NBA’s previous Collective Bargaining Agreement, two-way signings weren’t permitted after January 15. Teams took advantage of the extended window to complete two-way deals this season, completing 29 of them between the February 8 trade deadline and Monday’s deadline. During that same period, teams promoted 17 players from two-way contracts to standard deals.

There were only seven teams – the Celtics, Nuggets, Rockets, Clippers, Timberwolves, Magic, and Jazz – that didn’t make any moves involving their two-way players between last month’s trade deadline and the two-way signing deadline. An eighth team – the Knicks – made a pair of two-way transactions but ended up with the same three two-way players under contract.

As our tracker shows, all 90 two-way slots around the NBA are now filled.

Still, that doesn’t mean the 90 players that are currently on two-way contracts will all finish the season on those deals. There are still a handful of two-way players who could receive standard deals before the regular season ends. The Celtics and Suns, for instance, are two teams who have open spots on their 15-man rosters and legitimate candidates for promotions (Neemias Queta and Saben Lee, respectively).

A team can promote one of its two-way players to its standard roster at any time between now and the end of the season — that team simply wouldn’t be permitted to sign a new player to fill the empty two-way slot.

Here are all the transactions related to two-way players that have been finalized since the trade deadline, sorted by team and listed in the order they were completed:

Atlanta Hawks

Brooklyn Nets

Charlotte Hornets

Chicago Bulls

Cleveland Cavaliers

Dallas Mavericks

Detroit Pistons

Golden State Warriors

Indiana Pacers

Los Angeles Lakers

Memphis Grizzlies

Miami Heat

Milwaukee Bucks

New Orleans Pelicans

New York Knicks

Oklahoma City Thunder

Philadelphia 76ers

Phoenix Suns

Portland Trail Blazers

Sacramento Kings

San Antonio Spurs

Toronto Raptors

Washington Wizards

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Community Shootaround: Rookie Of The Year Race

March 1st, 2024 at 12:29pm CST by Luke Adams

The NBA’s 2023/24 Rookie of the Year race has arguably been the best in recent memory, with Spurs big man Victor Wembanyama and Thunder center Chet Holmgren both enjoying incredible debut seasons.

It was Wembanyama who got the upper hand in the latest chapter of the budding rivalry between the two young bigs on Thursday night. The No. 1 overall pick, who led the Spurs to an upset win over the Thunder, became the first player in NBA history to record at least 25 points, 10 rebounds, five assists, five blocks, and five 3-pointers in a game, according to Andrew Lopez of ESPN.

Wembanyama helped seal San Antonio’s victory by making a highlight block on a Holmgren shot attempt in a late-game possession (Twitter video link).

Asked after Thursday’s game whether the performance locked up the Rookie of the Year race for his star teammate, Spurs wing Devin Vassell said he believed Wembanyama had already earned that award.

“I feel like it’s been over, but I mean, night in, night out, the stuff that he does, the impact that he has on both ends of the floor, big shot after big block, after whatever the case may be, I mean he doesn’t even look like a rookie,” Vassell said, per Lopez. “The shots that he shoots, the confidence that he has in his game is second to none, truthfully.”

In their recaps of Thursday’s game, Mike Monroe of The Athletic and Jeff McDonald of The San Antonio Express-News each also declared the Rookie of the Year race all but over, contending that Wembanyama has it in hand. The 20-year-old has increased his season-long averages to 20.7 points, 10.2 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 3.3 blocks, and 1.3 steals in just 28.7 minutes per game across 54 appearances, with a shooting line of .467/.327/.814.

Still, Wembanyama, who has stated that winning Rookie of the Year is important to him, wasn’t as eager as Vassell or those local reporters to declare the race over, according to Lopez.

“No, because there’s still 22 games left,” Wembanyama said. “So no, it’s not over.”

While the Spurs’ young star has repeatedly showed signs this season that he’s on his way to becoming a generational talent, Holmgren has made a compelling case of his own for Rookie of the Year honors by anchoring the defense of one of the NBA’s best teams while scoring effectively and efficiently on the other end of the floor. In 59 games (30.2 MPG) for the Thunder, he has put up 17.2 PPG, 7.7 RPG, 2.7 APG, and 2.6 BPG on .544/.398/.784 shooting.

Even after Thursday’s loss to San Antonio, the Thunder are 29.5 games ahead of the Spurs in the standings, which may be a factor voters weigh when they make their Rookie of the Year choice. Holmgren’s .617 effective field goal percentage is also substantially stronger than Wembanyama’s .518 mark.

In the latest episode of The Hoop Collective podcast (YouTube link), ESPN’s Tim MacMahon suggested that Holmgren might be having the best rookie season of any non-Wembanyama player of the past decade besides Luka Doncic in 2018/19. Tim Bontemps argued that Holmgren has been even better this season than Doncic was as a rookie.

However, both ESPN reporters, along with colleague Brian Windhorst, agreed that Wembanyama is the obvious frontrunner for this season’s award.

For what it’s worth, while an injury to either player would obviously impact the race, the NBA’s new 65-game minimum for end-of-season awards doesn’t apply to Rookie of the Year, so there’s no risk of either Wembanyama or Holmgren becoming ineligible.

We want to know what you think. Is Wembanyama your Rookie of the Year pick? If so, what would it take for Holmgren to overtake him in the season’s final six weeks? If not, why do you feel as if Holmgren’s case is stronger?

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

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Players Waived After Friday Won’t Be Playoff-Eligible

March 1st, 2024 at 7:16am CST by Luke Adams

In order to retain his postseason eligibility for a new NBA team, a player must be waived on or before March 1. That means that any player who remains on an NBA roster after Friday won’t be eligible to suit up in the playoffs for a new team, though there’s at least one key exception to that general rule.

A player who is currently on a 10-day contract – or who signs one after March 1 – will retain his playoff eligibility going forward. For instance, once Justin Jackson‘s 10-day deal with the Timberwolves expires on Saturday night, he’d still be able to re-sign with Minnesota or join a new team and be eligible to play in the postseason, since he’s not being placed on waivers after March 1.

Here’s the list of players currently on 10-day contracts who will retain their playoff eligibility when their current deals expire:

It’s also worth clarifying that a player doesn’t have to sign with a new team by March 1 to be playoff-eligible — he simply has to be placed on waivers by 11:59 pm Eastern time on Friday. As long as a player who fits that bill signs with a new team by the final day of the regular season (April 14), he can play in the postseason (including the play-in games).

The buyout market in 2024 has been somewhat active, with veterans like Spencer Dinwiddie, Kyle Lowry, Danilo Gallinari, Delon Wright, and Thaddeus Young among those who have been waived since the trade deadline and found new teams.

All of those players – and those who have been waived but haven’t yet signed with new teams, such as Mike Muscala, Marcus Morris, and Patty Mills – will be playoff-eligible for their new clubs, but anyone on a standard contract who is waived after Friday won’t be. We’ll be keeping a close eye on the NBA’s transaction wire today to see if anyone else is placed on waivers before that deadline passes.

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Community Shootaround: Eastern Conference Playoff Race

February 27th, 2024 at 1:19pm CST by Luke Adams

When we checked in on the Western Conference playoff race on Sunday, the main takeaway was how wide open the conference looks, with several teams bunched together at the top of the West and a handful of playoff-tested clubs (and stars) lurking further down the standings.

Over in the East, the picture looks a little different. Whereas several teams have a legitimate case to be considered best in the West, it’s hard to argue that any team besides Boston deserves that honor in the East.

Entering play on Tuesday, the Celtics‘ 45-12 record gives them a 7.5-game cushion on their next-closest competitor in the Eastern standings. Their home record of 26-3 record is the best in the NBA, as is their 19-9 mark on the road. The Celtics haven’t lost in nearly four weeks and will put an eight-game winning streak on the line on Tuesday vs. Philadelphia.

Boston has been led by a dominant top six of Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Kristaps Porzingis, Jrue Holiday, Derrick White, and Al Horford. The team’s top eight most-used lineups feature some combinations of those players and/or Sam Hauser, and seven of those eight lineups have net ratings of +11.7 or higher. The Celtics’ overall net rating of +10.5 is more than five points per 100 possessions better than any other team in the East.

The question in the East then isn’t “Which team will emerge in a wide-open field?” but rather “Which team has the best chance to take down the Celtics?” Currently, betting site BetOnline.ag has Boston as the +100 favorite to come out of the East, essentially giving the C’s even odds against the field.

For now, the “field” is led by the Cavaliers (37-19), who have come on strong after a sluggish start and have won 19 of their past 23 games (despite losing two of their past five). Cleveland was eliminated in the first round of the playoffs last season, but has loftier aspirations this spring in Donovan Mitchell‘s second year as a Cav. They have the East’s second-best net rating at +5.4.

It has been a shaky season in Milwaukee, where the Bucks replaced their head coach midway through his first season with the team, but any club with Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard on its roster – along with several more players who were part of a championship team in 2021 – has to be taken seriously. Despite their ups and downs, the Bucks hold the No. 3 seed with a strong 37-21 record and are considered by BetOnline.ag to be the second-best bet to come out of the East (+300).

The Knicks (35-23) have been hit hard lately by injuries, but they looked like one of the best teams in the conference when they were (nearly) fully healthy in January. If Julius Randle and OG Anunoby are back on the court to team up with Jalen Brunson and a solid cast of supporting players, New York has a chance to make some real noise in the postseason.

At Nos. 5 and 6 in the East, the Sixers (33-24) and Heat (32-25) are intriguing dark horses. Philadelphia needs Joel Embiid to get healthy before the playoffs begin, while Miami will need to recapture the magic that saw the team make an NBA Finals run last spring after initially needing a play-in win to claim the No. 8 seed.

It’s hard to imagine any team further down in the Eastern standings – including the Pacers (33-26), Magic (32-26), Bulls (27-30), and Hawks (25-32) – making a Heat-esque run in this year’s postseason due to their relative lack of talent and/or postseason experience compared to the top teams in the conference. But at least a couple of those teams could cause problems for first-round opponents.

We want to know what you think. Are the Celtics coming out of the East this season or is there a team you feel confident can take them down? If not Boston, which club is representing the conference in the NBA Finals in June?

Head to the comment section to weigh in with your thoughts and predictions on the Eastern Conference playoff race!

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Community Shootaround: Buyout Market

February 26th, 2024 at 9:14pm CST by Dana Gauruder

We are fast approaching a significant deadline for some veteran players.

A player on an NBA contract must be waived by the end of the day on Friday in order to retain his playoff eligibility.

As our 2024 Buyout Market Watch shows, there have been seven players bought out or simply waived since the trade deadline expired who have hooked on with other teams – Daniel Theis, Bismack Biyombo, Spencer Dinwiddie, Kyle Lowry, Danilo Gallinari, Delon Wright and Thaddeus Young.

Our Buyout Market Watch also lists numerous players who were recently waived that are still looking for another opportunity. That free agent group includes Ryan Arcidiacono, Danny Green, Joe Harris, Danuel House, Cory Joseph, Kevin Knox, Furkan Korkmaz, Robin Lopez, Chimezie Metu, Frank Ntilikina, Ish Smith, Aleksej Pokusevski and Juan Toscano-Anderson. They could be joined by a few more veterans in the coming days.

While none of the names on the list are likely to make a huge splash on a playoff team, some could provide a boost to a second unit.

House, for example, appeared in 34 games for the Sixers this season and Korkmaz saw action in 35 games for Philadelphia. Either one could fortify a contender’s wing depth. Ditto for Knox, who started 11 games for the Pistons this season.

Smith, Joseph and Ntilikina are all quite capable of stepping in and playing solid minutes at the point.

If a contender needs another power forward, Metu could fill that role. He played 37 games, including five starts, for the Suns this season. Toscano-Anderson was a rotation player two seasons ago on the championship Warriors team. Pokusevski is a young big who has made 65 starts in his career.

That brings us to our topic of the day: How many of the above-mentioned free agents are likely to be signed by a contending team? Which one do you think would make the biggest impact?

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

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Community Shootaround: Western Conference Playoff Race

February 25th, 2024 at 4:00pm CST by Luke Adams

While the Celtics have built an eight-game lead over the No. 2 seed in the East, no such separation exists over in the Western Conference, where the top four seeds are all within four games.

Entering play on Sunday, the Timberwolves (40-17) narrowly hold the conference’s top spot over the Thunder (39-17), with the Clippers (37-18) and Nuggets (38-19) in tight pursuit.

It’s an unlikely top two. Minnesota has made the playoffs in each of the past two seasons, but needed a play-in victory both times and didn’t make it out of the first round in either 2022 or 2023. After finishing with a 42-40 record last season, the Wolves are poised to blow by that win total with several weeks to go in 2023/24. Oklahoma City, meanwhile, hasn’t finished above .500 or made the playoffs since 2020, but the addition of Chet Holmgren to a rapidly improving core has helped accelerate the team’s rise up the standings.

Both the Wolves and Thunder lack postseason experience compared to the Clippers, whose three stars – James Harden, Paul George, and Kawhi Leonard – have appeared in a combined 405 playoff games, and the Nuggets, who are coming off a championship run a year ago. While neither of those clubs holds a top-two seed for the time being, both Los Angeles and Denver look like legitimate contenders to come out of the West.

A few games back of the top four seeds, another quartet of Western teams is separated by a single game from Nos. 5-8. The Pelicans (34-23) currently top that group, followed by the Mavericks (33-23), Kings (32-23), and Suns (33-24).

New Orleans has no shortage of depth or star power – led by forwards Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram – but is another young team that lacks postseason experience, having made the playoffs just once in the past five seasons. Sacramento is in a similar boat — Domantas Sabonis, De’Aaron Fox, and the Kings snapped a lengthy postseason drought last season, but didn’t make it out of the first round.

The stars in Dallas and Phoenix are a little more playoff-tested. While he hasn’t won a title like teammate Kyrie Irving, Luka Doncic has already appeared in 28 total postseason games and won a pair of playoff series in 2022. For the Suns, Kevin Durant is at two-time NBA Finals MVP, while Devin Booker came within two victories of a title in 2021. Even Bradley Beal compiled 45 playoff appearances during his time in D.C.

Of course, there’s no guarantee that those eight teams will be the ones that ultimately make the playoffs out West. A pair of title hopefuls are lurking further down in play-in territory, with the Lakers (31-27) and Warriors (29-26) filling out the top 10 in the West.

While both clubs won playoff series last spring – with the Lakers advancing to the Western Finals – neither has looked as dangerous so far this season. But Golden State is certainly heading in the right direction as of late, having won eight of nine games over the past three weeks as head coach Steve Kerr finally found a series of lineup combinations he liked. And Los Angeles can’t be entirely ruled out as a contender as long as LeBron James and Anthony Davis are healthy and available.

BetOnline.ag views the Western race as relatively wide open. The Nuggets and Clippers (+240 each) are considered the favorites, but the Thunder (+650), Suns (+750), and Timberwolves (+800) aren’t far back in the betting odds, with the Mavs (+1200) and Warriors (+1400) lurking as well.

We want to know what you think. Which eight teams will ultimately make the playoffs in the West? Which club will claim the top seed? How many teams have a legitimate chance to come out of the conference, and which one would you pick if you had to choose a Western winner today?

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

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Trade Rumors App For iOS/Android

February 25th, 2024 at 3:07pm CST by Luke Adams

If you enjoy Hoops Rumors on your smartphone or tablet, be sure to check out our free Trade Rumors app!

Trade Rumors, available for iOS and Android, is the best way to consume our content on a mobile device. Here’s what it delivers, all for free:

  • All the articles from Hoops Rumors, MLB Trade Rumors, Pro Football Rumors, and Pro Hockey Rumors in an easy-to-navigate, eye-catching format. Swipe through stories to quickly consume all the news and rumors from our four sites. Not into all four sports? No problem – any sport can be easily removed.
  • Customize what you see. You can create feeds for any team or player across any of our sites.
  • Notifications. For any team or player, you can set up push notifications to ensure you always get breaking news instantly. Notifications can also be set up at the sport level.
  • Commenting. You can read and contribute comments on the app seamlessly.
  • Customer service. If you find a bug, we’ll fix it. If you have a feature request, we’ll consider it. The app is continually evolving and improving.
  • Did we mention Trade Rumors is a free app? What do you have to lose? Download it now!
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Rest-Of-Season NBA Dates, Deadlines To Watch

February 23rd, 2024 at 2:12pm CST by Luke Adams

With the All-Star Game behind us, we’re preparing for the home stretch of the 2023/24 NBA season. Here are a few noteworthy dates and deadlines to keep an eye on before the playoffs begin in April.

February 29

A team with cap room can renegotiate a player’s current-year salary to give him a raise as part of a contract extension. There are no legitimate candidates for a renegotiation at this point in the season though, since there are only one or two teams that could realistically open up cap room, and they likely aren’t looking to extend anyone.

March 1

  • Last day a player can be waived by one team and remain eligible to appear in the postseason for another team.

As we outline in our glossary entry on buyouts, a player doesn’t need to be signed by March 1 in order to retain his playoff-eligible — he simply can’t be waived after that date. A player who is waived on March 1 and signs with another team on April 8 would be playoff-eligible for his new team, but a player who is waived on March 2 and signs on March 5 wouldn’t be.

March 4

Under the previous Collective Bargaining Agreement, the deadline to sign a player to a two-way contract was January 15, but it has been pushed back in the current CBA and teams are taking full advantage.

In the 15 days since the trade deadline, 11 players have signed new two-way contracts. That number figures to grow ahead of March 4. While there are only two open two-way slots around the NBA right now – with a third about to open up in Chicago – it seems as if at least one or two new openings are being created every day lately as two-way players receive promotions to teams’ standard rosters.

March 11

The Bulls ($10.2MM) and Trail Blazers ($5.8MM) are among the teams that still have available disabled player exceptions, which could be used to sign a player to a rest-of-season contract or to claim a player with an expiring contract off waivers.

However, disabled player exceptions are used more frequently at the trade deadline than after it, and neither Chicago nor Portland has much breathing room below the luxury tax line. The likeliest scenario is that these DPEs will expire without being used.

April 14

  • Last day of the NBA regular season.
  • Last day players can sign contracts for 2023/24.
  • Last day two-way contracts can be converted to standard NBA contracts.
  • Luxury tax penalties calculated based on payroll as of this day.

Several teams around the NBA have at least one open spot on their 15-man rosters. We can probably assume that most – if not all – of those clubs will fill their openings by April 14.

Playoff teams will want to make sure they have as much veteran depth as possible, just to be safe, while lottery teams will look at signing younger players to multiyear deals that include little to no guaranteed money beyond this season in order to get a longer look at them in the summer.

April 15

  • Playoff rosters set (2:00pm CT).

April 16-19

  • NBA play-in tournament.

April 20

  • NBA playoffs begin.

While they wait for the play-in tournament to conclude, the top six teams in each conference will get a few days off between the regular season and the postseason, giving them some time to recharge before the playoffs begin.

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