Hoops Rumors Originals

2019 Offseason In Review: Portland Trail Blazers

October 31st, 2019 at 3:48pm CST by Luke Adams

Hoops Rumors is breaking down the 2019 offseason for all 30 NBA teams, revisiting the summer’s free agent signings, trades, draft picks, departures, and more. We’ll evaluate each team’s moves from the last several months and look ahead to what the 2019/20 season holds for all 30 franchises. Today, we’re focusing on the Portland Trail Blazers.

Signings:

Standard contracts:
- Rodney Hood: Two years, $11.72MM. Second-year player option. Re-signed using taxpayer mid-level exception.
- Mario Hezonja: Two years, $3.71MM. Second-year player option. Signed using minimum salary exception.
- Pau Gasol: One year, minimum salary. Signed using minimum salary exception.
- Anthony Tolliver: One year, minimum salary. Signed using minimum salary exception.
Two-way contracts:
- Jaylen Hoard
Non-guaranteed camp contracts:
- Moses Brown: One year, minimum salary (Converted to two-way contract).
- Keljin Blevins: One year, minimum salary (Waived).
- Troy Caupain: One year, minimum salary (Waived).
- London Perrantes: One year, minimum salary (Waived).

Trades:

Acquired Kent Bazemore from the Hawks in exchange for Evan Turner.
Acquired Hassan Whiteside in a three-team trade with the Heat, Sixers, and Clippers in exchange for Meyers Leonard (to Heat) and Maurice Harkless (to Clippers).
Acquired the draft rights to Bojan Dubljevic from the Timberwolves in exchange for Jake Layman (sign-and-trade).

Draft picks:

1-25: Nassir Little — Signed to rookie contract.

Contract extensions:

Damian Lillard: Four years, 35% maximum salary (super-max). Projected value of $196MM. Designated veteran extension. Starts in 2021/22; runs through 2024/25.
CJ McCollum: Three years, $100MM. Starts in 2021/22; runs through 2023/24.

Departing players:

Al-Farouq Aminu
Seth Curry
Maurice Harkless
Enes Kanter
Jake Layman
Meyers Leonard
Evan Turner

Other offseason news:

Signed head coach Terry Stotts to a contract extension through 2021/22.
Signed president of basketball operations Neil Olshey to a contract extension through 2024.
Lost associate head coach David Vanterpool to Timberwolves; promoted Nate Tibbetts to associate head coach.
Exercised 2020/21 rookie scale options on Zach Collins, Anfernee Simons.

Salary cap situation:

Remained over the cap.
Over the tax line by approximately $12.38MM; projected tax bill of about $22.2MM.
Carrying approximately $145.01MM in salary.
Two traded player exceptions available; largest TPE ($1.79MM) expires 7/8/20.

Story of the summer:

The Trail Blazers exceeded expectations in a big way in 2018/19, winning 53 games and making the Western Conference Finals after oddsmakers gave them a preseason over/under forecast of 42.5 wins.

Still, while Portland’s two playoff series victories produced some memorable moments, including a Damian Lillard dagger that will show up in highlight packages for years, the team’s season eventually ended the same way it did in 2018, on the wrong end of a frustrating four-game sweep by a conference rival.

That run to the Western Conference Finals at least quieted chatter about whether Lillard and CJ McCollum have to be split up. The Blazers further quieted that speculation by signing both star guards to massive new contract extensions during the offseason, locking up McCollum through 2024 and Lillard through 2025.

Even though the Blazers were willing to double down on their backcourt duo, it still seemed as if this roster was missing the piece that would help get it over the top and get it into the NBA Finals. Unfortunately, the Portland entered the offseason projected to be a taxpaying team and lacking the resources necessary to bring back all the team’s key free agents, forcing president of basketball operations Neil Olshey to get creative.

Olshey and the front office managed to bring back Rodney Hood, but lost several other notable free agents, including Al-Farouq Aminu, Seth Curry, Jake Layman, and Enes Kanter. Needing a big man to replace Kanter and injured center Jusuf Nurkic in the middle, Olshey surrendered two more players from last year’s roster – Maurice Harkless and Meyers Leonard – in a trade for Hassan Whiteside.

After a few more low-cost free agent signings and trades, the Blazers had set their roster, but questions remain. Besides Lillard and McCollum, six of Portland’s next eight most-used players from last year’s team are gone, and one of the two that’s still around – Nurkic – probably won’t play until sometime in 2020. In addition to to all that roster turnover, the Blazers sacrificed much of their depth on their wing when they lost Aminu, Curry, Harkless, Layman, and Evan Turner.

The Blazers have a strong culture and may be evolving into one of those teams like San Antonio that becomes perennially underrated. But at this point, this year’s squad doesn’t look like an upgrade over last year’s.

Key offseason losses:

Aminu and Harkless rarely filled up the box score, and Harkless in particular was inconsistent in 2018/19, making just 27.5% of his three-point attempts. But both veteran forwards were strong defenders who fit pretty well alongside Lillard and McCollum because they didn’t need the ball to be effective. The Blazers won’t have as many players who fit that bill in 2019/20.

While Curry and Layman weren’t as versatile defensively as Aminu and Harkless, Curry was among the NBA’s most accurate three-point shooters last season, knocking down 45.0% of his tries from beyond the arc, a mark that wasn’t far off from his career rate of 43.8%. Portland will miss his shooting.

Layman’s 32.6% three-point rate wasn’t in the same ballpark as Curry’s, but he was improving from outside and emerging as a potential stretch four. Despite his restricted free agent status, the Blazers ended up letting him go for essentially nothing, since re-signing him would have cost the organization exponentially more in tax penalties.

The Blazers opted to move on from Turner, who served as the backup point guard last season, because they felt that Anfernee Simons was ready to take on a larger role. Assuming they’re right about Simons, acquiring a wing (Kent Bazemore) in exchange for Turner was a savvy move.

Finally, the frontcourt duo of Kanter and Leonard performed pretty well after Nurkic broke his leg last season, but relying on them for a full season might have been unsustainable. The Blazers reportedly tried to bring Kanter back with their taxpayer mid-level exception but ultimately used that MLE on Hood when they didn’t get an answer from Kanter right away.

Key offseason additions:

Whiteside was an interesting addition for the Blazers, who view the big man as the sort of rebounder and rim protector who will help stabilize the frontcourt until Nurkic returns.

Whiteside expressed displeasure with his dwindling role in Miami more than once and has faced some questions about his effort level over the years, but the Blazers showed by trading for him that they were willing to bet on their culture – and perhaps on a contract-year bump for Whiteside – by acquiring his pricey expiring contract.

The Blazers took another another distressed asset on an expiring contract when they landed Bazemore in a deal with the Hawks. Once considered a strong three-and-D contributor, Bazemore had a down year in Atlanta and admitted to being frustrated by being caught in the midst of a rebuild there. If he’s rejuvenated in Portland, he could become a crucial piece for the Blazers, who badly need forwards who can space the floor and guard opposing scorers.

Mario Hezonja, Anthony Tolliver, and Pau Gasol all signed minimum-salary contracts, which the Blazers will hope they can outperform. Hezonja and Tolliver, in particular, look like candidates for regular minutes off the bench — anything Portland gets out of the injury-plagued Gasol might be a bonus.

A former No. 5 overall pick, Hezonja is still just 24 years old, so maybe Portland believes he still has untapped potential, but he didn’t show a lot in Orlando and New York during his first four NBA seasons. Tolliver, a stretch four who can hold his own on defense, should be a more consistent contributor, though he’s in his age-34 season and will lose a step soon, if he hasn’t already.

Finally, the Blazers believe they got a steal when they draft Nassir Little 25th overall in June. A former five-star recruit, Little was up and down during his freshman year at UNC, but could develop into a versatile multi-positional defender at the NBA level. His 77.0% free-throw rate also suggests that there’s room for improvement on his three-point shot.

Outlook for 2019/20:

I’m not a big believer in Whiteside, and I think the Blazers will miss role players like Aminu, Harkless, and Curry. Having said that, I have enough faith in Lillard, McCollum, and head coach Terry Stotts that I have a pretty hard time imagining Portland falling out of the playoff picture, even in a competitive Western Conference.

Still, the roster as currently constructed has limited upside unless young players like Collins and/or Simons take massive steps forward. With big expiring contracts on hand, along with a few intriguing prospects and all their future first-round picks, the Blazers have the ammo to make a major in-season addition.

If Olshey and the front office stand pat, I’d be surprised to see the club make another deep playoff run next spring, but at least in that scenario, those big expiring contracts would allow the team to revamp its supporting cast next summer.

Salary information from Basketball Insiders was used in the creation of this post. Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

2019 Offseason In Review: Philadelphia 76ers

October 30th, 2019 at 5:01pm CST by Luke Adams

Signings:

Standard contracts:
- Tobias Harris: Five years, $180MM. Includes trade kicker of 5% or $5MM (whichever is lesser). Re-signed using Bird rights.
- Al Horford: Four years, $109MM. Fourth year partially guaranteed ($14.5MM). Signed using cap room.
  - Note: Horford’s fourth-year partial guarantee can increase to $19.5MM (if Sixers make Finals in 2020, 2021, or 2022) or can fully guarantee to $26.5MM (if Sixers win Finals in 2020, 2021, or 2022).
- Mike Scott: Two years, $9.77MM. Signed using room exception.
- Shake Milton: Four years, minimum salary. Fourth-year team option. Converted from two-way contract to standard contract using cap room.
- James Ennis: Two years, minimum salary. Second-year player option. Re-signed using minimum salary exception.
- Furkan Korkmaz: Two years, minimum salary. Second year non-guaranteed. Re-signed using minimum salary exception.
- Raul Neto: One year, minimum salary. Signed using minimum salary exception.
- Kyle O’Quinn: One year, minimum salary. Signed using minimum salary exception.
- Trey Burke: One year, minimum salary. Partially guaranteed ($405K). Signed using minimum salary exception.
  - Note: Guarantee increased to $810K at start of regular season.
Two-way contracts:
- Norvel Pelle
- Marial Shayok
Non-guaranteed camp contracts:
- Shizz Alston Jr.: One year, minimum salary (Waived).
- Jared Brownridge: One year, minimum salary (Waived).
- Terry Harris: One year, minimum salary (Waived).
- Haywood Highsmith: One year, minimum salary (Waived).
- Christ Koumadje: One year, minimum salary (Waived).
- Isaiah Miles: One year, minimum salary (Waived).
- Xavier Munford: One year, minimum salary (Waived).
- Julian Washburn: One year, minimum salary (Waived).

Trades:

Acquired the draft rights to Matisse Thybulle (No. 20 pick) from the Celtics in exchange for the draft rights to Ty Jerome (No. 24 pick) and Carsen Edwards (No. 33 pick).
Acquired cash ($2MM) from the Wizards in exchange for Jonathon Simmons and the draft rights to Admiral Schofield (No. 42 pick).
Acquired Josh Richardson in a four-team trade with the Heat, Clippers, and Trail Blazers in exchange for Jimmy Butler (sign-and-trade; to Heat) and the draft rights to Mathias Lessort (to Clippers).
Acquired the draft rights to Jordan Bone (No. 57 pick), the Hawks’ 2020 second-round pick (56-60 protected), and either the Hawks’, Hornets’, or Nets’ 2023 second-round pick (whichever is most favorable) from the Hawks in exchange for the draft rights to Bruno Fernando (No. 34 pick).
Acquired the Heat’s 2024 second-round pick (top-55 protected) and cash ($2MM) from the Pistons in exchange for the draft rights to Jordan Bone (No. 57 pick).

Draft picks:

1-20: Matisse Thybulle — Signed to rookie contract.
2-54: Marial Shayok — Signed to two-way contract.

Contract extensions:

Ben Simmons: Five years, 25% maximum salary. Projected value of $168,200,000. Starting salary can be worth up to 30% of the cap if Simmons earns All-NBA honors in 2020 (full details). Includes 15% trade kicker. Starts in 2020/21; runs through 2024/25.

Departing players:

Jimmy Butler
Haywood Highsmith (two-way; waived)
Amir Johnson
Boban Marjanovic
T.J. McConnell
Greg Monroe
J.J. Redick
Jonathon Simmons

Other offseason news:

Lost lead assistant coach Monty Williams to Suns; hired Ime Udoka as lead assistant coach.
Hired Roy Hibbert as player development coach.
Renounced 2017 first-round pick Anzejs Pasecniks.
Minority stakeholder David Heller no longer part of ownership group.
Exercised 2020/21 rookie scale option on Zhaire Smith.

Salary cap situation:

Used cap space; now over the cap.
Carrying approximately $128.39MM in salary.
No cap exceptions available.

Story of the summer:

No team had a more crushing end to its 2018/19 campaign than the Sixers, who would have forced overtime and been in position to eke out a second-round series win over the Raptors if Kawhi Leonard‘s miracle Game 7 buzzer-beater hadn’t dropped in after bouncing four times on the rim.

As heartbreaking as that finish was for Philadelphia, the team had to be encouraged by the Raptors’ subsequent wins over the Bucks in the Eastern Finals and the Warriors in the NBA Finals. Neither of those teams forced Toronto to a seventh game, meaning it was Philadelphia that actually gave the eventual champs their biggest scare.

The Sixers appeared to take that silver lining to heart. Rather than buying into theories that the Ben Simmons/Joel Embiid pairing might not work in the long run, the team doubled down on that duo, signing Simmons to a five-year, maximum-salary contract extension. And despite some disappointing postseason showings from Tobias Harris, the 76ers heavily invested in the veteran forward, re-signing him to a five-year, $180MM deal.

Philadelphia likely would’ve been willing to run it back to an even greater degree by retaining Jimmy Butler, but he decided he wanted to head to South Beach, choosing the Heat in free agency. Fortunately for the Sixers, Miami didn’t have the cap room necessary to sign Butler outright and had to cooperate on a sign-and-trade, giving the 76ers the leverage to acquire Josh Richardson in the process.

Then, rather than bringing back sharpshooter and floor-spacer J.J. Redick, the Sixers opted to use their newly-opened cap room to bring aboard Al Horford, a veteran capable of either playing alongside Embiid or stabilizing the team’s defense when the All-NBA center is off the floor.

With Richardson and Horford replacing Butler and Redick in the starting lineup, the 76ers lost a little outside shooting and play-making, but potentially made a strong defense even stronger.

Philadelphia’s size flummoxed just about every Raptors player not named Kawhi Leonard during the Eastern Conference Semifinals, and this year’s starting five – Simmons, Richardson, Harris, Horford, and Embiid – is even bigger. After just missing out on a deep postseason run in 2018/19, the Sixers have gone all-in on their biggest strength for 2019/20.

Key offseason losses:

Butler’s 18.2 PPG during his 55 regular season games in Philadelphia would have been his lowest mark since the 2013/14 season. However, that was more a result of sharing the floor with so many other talented scorers than a sign of declining effectiveness. When both teams’ offenses bogged down in that playoff series against Toronto, Butler was one of the few players on the court capable of creating shots and making plays, a skill set the Sixers will miss.

Redick’s reliable outside shooting will also be missed. A 41.2% career shooter from beyond the arc, Redick made a career-best 3.2 threes per game in 2018/19, forcing opposing defenders to chase him all over the floor to avoid letting him get free for even a second.

Still, while the 76ers may struggle to replace his three-point shooting, Redick was perhaps the only member of the starting group who didn’t have the size and length necessary to create nightmares for opposing scorers. Although his departure removes an offensive threat, it could give the club some extra switching options on defense.

The other departing Sixers were bench players, though McConnell deserves to be singled out for his four seasons with the franchise. He endured a couple ugly years during the rebuild before evolving into a reliable backup point guard for a contender.

Big men Boban Marjanovic, Amir Johnson, and Greg Monroe thrived in certain matchups, but the Sixers had to pick their spots in order to avoid asking them to do too much. Jonathon Simmons, part of the return in the Markelle Fultz trade, was decent down the stretch but fell out of the rotation in the postseason.

Key offseason additions:

The Sixers’ signing of Horford made sense for both the team and the player. For Horford, joining the 76ers represented a chance to contend for a title, maximize his earnings, and see more time at power forward, his preferred position. For Philadelphia, it meant securing an insurance policy for Embiid.

Even if Embiid manages to stay healthy all season – which certainly isn’t a sure thing – the Sixers struggled when he went to the bench, posting a -3.5 net rating during the regular season. Those numbers got even worse during the playoffs — and became downright comical vs. the Raptors in round two. Philadelphia had a +18.6 net rating in the 237 minutes Embiid played against Toronto and a -52.5 net rating in the 99 minutes he sat. That was the season right there.

In Horford, the Sixers get a two-way difference-maker who will make the right play on offense and won’t let the defense fall apart when Embiid isn’t out there.

Richardson is the other new starter and was a nice get for the Sixers, as he’ll be under contract for at least two more seasons at a reasonable price. It was just a year ago that the Heat balked at including him in a deal for Butler. They changed their stance this summer after Richardson’s shooting efficiency slipped in 2018/19, but as a secondary play-maker and scorer in Philadelphia, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Richardson get those numbers back closer to where they were in 2017/18 (.451/.378/.845). And while he might not be the defender Butler is, the drop-off isn’t substantial.

The Sixers’ offseason focus on defense was also reflected in their first-round draft pick, Matisse Thybulle. The two-time Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year posted eye-popping numbers during his final year at Washington, averaging 3.5 steals per game to go along with 2.3 blocks. Although he probably won’t match those numbers at the NBA level, the viral clips of Thybulle’s defensive highlights early in his rookie season suggest he’s going to be just fine going up against the best scorers in the world.

The Sixers also added Trey Burke, Raul Neto, and Kyle O’Quinn on minimum-salary deals for depth purposes. They likely won’t see major minutes if the team’s primary rotation players stay healthy.

Outlook for 2019/20:

Depending on how you feel about Giannis Antetokounmpo‘s supporting cast in Milwaukee, you could make a strong case that the Sixers have the best starting lineup and rotation in the East.

While it might take a couple in-season tweaks – including adding a shooter – for Philadelphia to maximize its ceiling, it’s hard to imagine this team not finishing at or near the top of the conference and winning a couple playoff series in the East. If it all comes together and the 76ers have some good health luck, an appearance in the NBA Finals may even be in the cards.

Salary information from Basketball Insiders was used in the creation of this post. Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Rookie Scale Option Decisions Still To Come

October 30th, 2019 at 1:05pm CST by Luke Adams

Thursday, October 31 is the deadline for teams to exercise rookie scale options for the 2020/21 season. These options apply to either the third or fourth year of a rookie scale contract for players who were drafted in the first round. If they’re not exercised, the player becomes an unrestricted free agent the following summer.

These decisions must be made a year in advance, so even though Lonzo Ball has just started his third season, the Pelicans are already required to exercise his fourth-year option for $11MM+.

Most clubs facing these options decisions have already made them. As our tracker shows, of the 58 rookie scale options for 2020/21, 48 have been exercised so far. That leaves just 10 outstanding rookie scale options to be picked up or turned down by the end of the day on Thursday.

Here are the 2020/21 rookie scale options that have yet to be exercised:

Marvin Bagley III, Kings (third year, $8,963,640)
Josh Jackson, Grizzlies (fourth year, $8,930,242)
- Note: Memphis won’t exercise Jackson’s option.
De’Aaron Fox, Kings (fourth year, $8,099,627)
Harry Giles, Kings (fourth year, $3,976,510)
Ante Zizic, Cavaliers (fourth year, $3,872,215)
Caleb Swanigan, Kings (fourth year, $3,665,787)
Josh Okogie, Timberwolves (third year, $2,651,040)
Robert Williams, Celtics (third year, $2,029,920)
Jacob Evans, Warriors (third year, $2,017,320)
Omari Spellman, Warriors (third year, $1,988,280)

Teams only have to take action if they intend to pick up these options. Otherwise, they can simply let the deadline pass without exercising them. That’s reportedly what the Grizzlies intend to do with Jackson; we’ll see if any other teams follow suit.

Players like Bagley, Fox, and Okogie are locks to have their options picked up, but that’s not necessarily the case for everyone on this list. Zizic and Swanigan are among the candidates to potentially join Jackson as unrestricted free agents in 2020.

Poll: Which Team Will Stay Winless Longest?

October 30th, 2019 at 11:04am CST by Luke Adams

On Tuesday, we published a poll asking which of the NBA’s four remaining undefeated teams would be the last to lose. The Nuggets received nearly 40% of the vote, making them the top choice, then promptly lost their first game about 12 hours later.

Today, we’ll shift our focus to the NBA’s three winless teams and see if we have more success forecasting their short-term futures. After eight days, there are three teams around the league that have yet to win a game. The Pelicans and Kings each have 0-4 records while the Pacers are 0-3.

The Pelicans were a popular dark horse playoff pick during the preseason, but they’ve been hit with injuries early on this year — they’re playing without star rookie Zion Williamson, and key veterans Jrue Holiday and Derrick Favors have missed time as well. Still, it’s not as if they’ve been blown off the floor in the first week. Despite a pretty tough schedule, New Orleans hasn’t lost by more than 11 points.

The same can’t be said of the Kings, who have been disastrous on the road so far, losing by 29 points in Phoenix and 32 in Utah. They’ve also dropped home games to the Blazers and Nuggets, digging an early hole for themselves as they look to improve upon last year’s 39-43 record and compete for a postseason spot.

De’Aaron Fox (.392 FG%), Buddy Hield (.351), and Bogdan Bogdanovic (.275) haven’t been making shots so far, and the team has missed Marvin Bagley III, who suffered a thumb fracture on opening night. The Kings have too much talent to be this bad, but so far they have the NBA’s worst net rating by a substantial margin, ranking in the bottom five on both offense and defense.

The Pacers, meanwhile, are trying to adjust to having four new players in their starting lineup and are without star guard Victor Oladipo. They can’t blame their schedule for their slow start, as they’ve dropped two games to a Pistons squad without Blake Griffin and one to the Cavaliers. Indiana also hasn’t shown yet that it has the firepower necessary to fight back from a defect, ranking 29th in the NBA in pace and dead last in made three-pointers per game.

These three teams have the following games on tap as they look to get in the win column:

Pelicans: vs. Den (10/31), @ OKC (11/2), @ Bkn (11/4), vs. Tor (11/8), @ Cha (11/9)
Kings: vs. Cha (10/30), vs. Utah (11/1), @ NYK (11/3), @ Tor (11/6), @ Atl (11/8)
Pacers: @ Bkn (10/30), vs. Cle (11/1), vs. Chi (11/3), @ Cha (11/5), vs. Wsh (11/6)

New Orleans probably has the most challenging short-term schedule, and would become this season’s last winless team by default if Sacramento and Indiana both win tonight. But the Pels have arguably looked the best of the three teams so far, and Holiday and Favors appear close to returning.

What do you think? Which of the NBA’s three winless teams will be the last to earn a victory?

Vote in our poll, then head to comment section below to weigh in!

Trade Rumors app users, click here to vote.

2019 Offseason In Review: Los Angeles Clippers

October 29th, 2019 at 4:00pm CST by Luke Adams

Signings:

Standard contracts:
- Kawhi Leonard: Three years, maximum salary ($103.14MM). Third-year player option. Signed using cap room.
- Patrick Beverley: Three years, $40MM. Re-signed using Bird rights.
- Ivica Zubac: Four years, $28.52MM. Fourth-year team option. Re-signed using Bird rights.
- Rodney McGruder: Three years, $15MM. Third year non-guaranteed. Re-signed using Bird rights.
- JaMychal Green: Two years, $9.77MM. Re-signed using room exception.
- Patrick Patterson: One year, minimum salary. Signed using minimum salary exception.
Two-way contracts:
- Amir Coffey
- Johnathan Motley
Non-guaranteed camp contracts:
- Derrick Walton: One year, minimum salary.
- Donte Grantham: One year, minimum salary (Waived).
- Terry Larrier: One year, minimum salary (Waived).
- James Palmer: One year, minimum salary (Waived).
- B.J. Taylor: One year, minimum salary (Waived).

Trades:

Acquired the draft rights to Mfiondu Kabengele (No. 27 pick) from the Nets in exchange for the Sixers’ 2020 first-round pick (top-14 protected) and the draft rights to Jaylen Hands (No. 56 pick).
Acquired Maurice Harkless, the Heat’s 2023 first-round pick (top-14 protected), and the draft rights to Mathias Lessort in a four-team trade with the Heat, Trail Blazers, and Sixers in exchange for cash ($110K; to Heat).
Acquired Paul George from the Thunder in exchange for Danilo Gallinari, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the Heat’s 2021 first-round pick (unprotected), the Clippers’ 2022 first-round pick (unprotected), the Heat’s 2023 first round pick (top-14 protected), the Clippers’ 2024 first-round pick (unprotected), the Clippers’ 2026 first-round pick (unprotected), and the right to swap first-round picks with the Clippers in both 2023 and 2025.

Draft picks:

1-27: Mfiondu Kabengele — Signed to rookie contract.
2-48: Terance Mann — Signed to four-year, $6.2MM contract. Third year non-guaranteed. Fourth-year team option. Signed using cap room.

Departing players:

Wilson Chandler
Angel Delgado (two-way)
Danilo Gallinari
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
Garrett Temple
Sindarius Thornwell (waived)
Tyrone Wallace (waived)

Other offseason news:

Signed head coach Doc Rivers to contract extension.
Hired Tyronn Lue as lead assistant coach.
Retained consultant Jerry West.
Added Ryan West in scouting role.
Lost director of pro player personnel Johnny Rogers to Wizards.
Guaranteed Lou Williams‘ 2020/21 salary.
Paul George underwent surgery on both shoulders.
Fined $50K for tampering on Kawhi Leonard.
Unveiled tentative plans for Inglewood arena.

Salary cap situation:

Used cap space; now over the cap.
Carrying approximately $129.32MM in salary.
No cap exceptions available.

Story of the summer:

It’s easy to forget now, but during the week leading up to Kawhi Leonard‘s free agency decision, the Clippers were increasingly viewed as the most unlikely landing spot among the star forward’s top three options.

Leonard had just won a championship in Toronto and no reigning Finals MVP had ever chosen to change teams, so the Raptors were considered a strong option. And there was plenty of speculation that the opportunity to join forces with LeBron James and Anthony Davis while returning home to Los Angeles might ultimately be too appealing to pass up.

On the morning of July 5, we published a poll asking which team Kawhi would choose. Approximately 54% of respondents chose the Raptors. Nearly 37% chose the Lakers. Just over 9% picked the Clippers.

About 15 hours later, in the early-morning hours of July 6, Leonard turned the basketball world upside down when word leaked that he had chosen the Clippers — and that he was bringing Paul George with him.

The Clippers’ inability to lure a second star free agent to L.A. early in the free agent process was believed to have negatively impacted their chances of landing Leonard, since it was unclear whether he’d be willing to sign with the team on his own. As it turns out, the notion that Kawhi likely wouldn’t come by himself was accurate — we just didn’t know what he had up his sleeve.

As it turns out, while he was weighing his own decision, Leonard had sold George on the idea of an L.A. homecoming, convincing him to ask the Thunder to trade him to the Clippers. Although the cost to acquire George was exorbitant, the Clippers eventually relented, recognizing that completing that deal would be the difference between landing two stars or potentially ending up with none.

When the dust settled, Leonard’s decision had directly – and drastically – altered the direction of at least four franchises — the Raptors’ title defense would be defanged, the Thunder were suddenly a rebuilding franchise, the Lakers wouldn’t enter the season as the overwhelming title favorites, and the Clippers had put together perhaps the most talented roster in team history.

Indirectly, the rest of the NBA was impacted too. If Leonard had signed with the Lakers, it would’ve represented an extension of the league’s era of “Big Three” superstar team-ups. And we would’ve entered yet another season with a pretty good idea of which team would win the championship in the spring.

Leonard’s decision left several teams unhappy, but it might have been the best move for the NBA in general, since it created a landscape featuring six or eight legit title contenders. Atop that list? The Clippers, who were given the best title odds for professional bookmakers during the preseason.

Key offseason losses:

In addition to surrendering a pile of first-round picks to get George, the Clippers also had to part with two key pieces of last season’s 48-win team: Danilo Gallinari and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

Gallinari was on a $22MM expiring contract and wasn’t likely to become a part of the Clippers’ long-term future, so the organization likely wasn’t devastated to part with him, but you could make a case that he was the team’s best player in 2018/19. He averaged a career-high 19.8 PPG and 6.1 RPG with a .433 3PT% and, most importantly, appeared in 68 games, his highest total since 2012/13.

Gilgeous-Alexander’s numbers weren’t as gaudy, but his trade value was higher, since he still has three years left on his inexpensive rookie scale contract. The former Kentucky standout started 73 games for a Western Conference playoff team, scoring efficiently and playing strong perimeter defense. And he did it all as a 20-year-old rookie.

As I noted when I reviewed the Thunder’s offseason, it’s very possible – even likely – that Gilgeous-Alexander will enjoy a more successful career than any of the players drafted with the first-rounders sent to OKC in the George blockbuster. The Clippers really nailed that SGA pick last spring and will miss him in their backcourt, but that’s the cost of acquiring an All-NBA player.

The Clippers’ other offseason losses shouldn’t have as significant impact. Garrett Temple and Wilson Chandler were solid veteran glue guys who could fill out a rotation, but they were replaceable. Both signed with the Nets.

In theory, the Clips had the means to bring back either player – or both – since Temple signed for the Brooklyn’s room exception while Chandler got a minimum-salary deal. However, L.A. used its room exception to bring back JaMychal Green, and prioritized re-signing other free agents such as Patrick Beverley, Rodney McGruder, and Ivica Zubac.

Key offseason additions:

George had been a five-time All-Star prior to 2018/19, but his sixth All-Star season was probably his best yet. He finished third in MVP voting after averaging a career-high 28.0 PPG to go along with 8.2 RPG, 4.1 APG, and a league-leading 2.2 SPG. As Russell Westbrook struggled with his shot-making over the course of the season, George was the one making the biggest buckets on offense for the Thunder while handling the toughest assignments on defense.

George will miss the start of the 2019/20 season after undergoing surgery on both shoulders in the spring, which is somewhat worrisome for the Clippers. But the expectation is that he’ll make a full recovery, and the team will give him all the time he needs to do so.

Of course, if Leonard had played in back-to-backs last season, it likely would have been him – not George – who joined Giannis Antetokounmpo and James Harden as MVP finalists. Because he had his load managed and appeared in just 60 games for the Raptors, Kawhi didn’t receive serious MVP consideration, but his per-game numbers for a 58-win team certainly warranted it — he put up 26.6 PPG on .496/.371/.854 shooting and – like his new teammate – was one of the NBA’s best wing defenders.

There are at least a couple other NBA teams with superstar duos who could give Leonard and George a run for their money, but the Clippers have a strong case for the league’s top twosome. Kawhi proved in last year’s postseason that he’s in the conversation for best player in the world, and there may not be an NBA player more valuable than a big combo forward who can lock down opposing scorers and score in a variety of ways himself. Leonard and George both fit that bill.

Among the Clippers’ other additions, Patrick Patterson is a stretch four who figures to see his playing time dialed back when George is ready to go. Draftees Mfiondu Kabengele and Terance Mann probably won’t play a whole lot, though Doc Rivers showed last season with SGA and Landry Shamet that he’s willing to play rookies if they show they’re deserving of minutes.

Finally, it’s worth mentioning Maurice Harkless, whom the Clippers stole in one of the best trades of the summer. With the Heat and Sixers looking for a way to make their Jimmy Butler/Josh Richardson trade work, and the Trail Blazers joining the fray to nab Hassan Whiteside, the Clips stepped in to acquire Harkless, a future lottery-protected first-round pick, and a draft-and-stash player (Mathias Lessort) in exchange for $110K in cash in the four-team trade.

While it’s not uncommon for teams taking on salary to receive a first-round pick for their troubles, it’s not as if Harkless was a distressed asset. He had a down year in 2018/19, but he has historically been a decent three-and-D player off the bench, and he had just one year and $11MM left on his contract.

Taking him on and getting a first-round pick would have been an ideal move for a rebuilding team like the Knicks. The fact that a contender like the Clippers pulled it off was masterful. That first-round pick acquired in the Harkless deal was one of the picks the team later included to secure George.

Outlook for 2019/20:

The biggest question mark for the 2019/20 Clippers is health. Leonard has only played 69 regular season games in the last two seasons, and George dealt with injuries in both shoulders last year. If one or both of those stars misses significant time or isn’t healthy for the postseason, that could be big trouble for L.A.

Still, this is a deep, talented team that’s capable of earning a playoff spot even if both of its stars have to miss time due to injuries or load management. As long as Leonard and George are good to go once the postseason begins, the Clippers have championship upside.

Salary information from Basketball Insiders was used in the creation of this post. Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

2019/20 NBA Disabled Player Exceptions

October 29th, 2019 at 12:11pm CST by Luke Adams

A disabled player exception can be granted when an NBA team has a player go down with an injury deemed to be season-ending. The exception gives the club some additional spending flexibility, functioning almost as a cross between a traded player exception and a mid-level exception.

We go into more detail on who qualifies for disabled player exceptions and how exactly they work in our glossary entry on the subject. But essentially, a DPE gives a team the opportunity to add an injury replacement by either signing a player to a one-year contract, trading for a player in the final year of his contract, or placing a waiver claim on a player in the final year of his contract.

Because the rules related to disable player exceptions are somewhat restrictive and the exceptions themselves often aren’t worth a lot, they often simply expire without being used. Still, it’s worth keeping an eye on which disabled player exceptions have been granted, just in case.

We’ll use this space to break down the teams with DPEs available for the 2019/20 league year, updating it as the season progresses. Teams have until January 15 to apply for a disabled player exception and until March 10 to actually use them.

Teams that have been granted disabled player exceptions:

Detroit Pistons: $9,258,000 (Blake Griffin) (story)
Orlando Magic: $4,629,000 (Al-Farouq Aminu) (story)
Washington Wizards: $4,365,079 (C.J. Miles) (story)
- Used to acquire Shabazz Napier.
New Orleans Pelicans: $3,625,000 (Darius Miller) (story)
Portland Trail Blazers: $2,859,000 (Rodney Hood) (story)
Los Angeles Lakers: $1,750,000 (DeMarcus Cousins) (story)
- Used to sign Markieff Morris.
Cleveland Cavaliers: $1,017,900 (Dylan Windler) (story)
Brooklyn Nets: $839,427 (David Nwaba) (story)

Many of the teams that have been granted disabled player exceptions have full 15-man rosters, so they would have to open up a roster spot in order to use their DPEs.

So far, only the Lakers and Wizards have used their disabled player exceptions. Now that the trade deadline has passed, the remaining exceptions are less likely to be used, since teams like the Pistons, Magic, Pelicans, Trail Blazers, Cavaliers, and Nets are unlikely to be in the market for free agents who require more than minimum-salary investments.

Teams/players ineligible for disabled player exceptions:

Orlando Magic (Jonathan Isaac) (story)
Washington Wizards (John Wall) (story)

The Wizards applied for a disabled player exception for Wall during the first week of the 2019/20 league year. Word that the NBA had denied that request didn’t surface until October, but the league’s decision makes sense. After all, Wall underwent Achilles surgery all the way back in February.

In order for a DPE to be approved, the injured player must be considered substantially more likely than not to be sidelined through June 15 of that league year. Recovery from Achilles surgery is generally viewed as an 11-15 month process, whereas June 15 would’ve been more than 16 months since Wall underwent that procedure.

The Magic are in the same boat with Isaac. His knee injury apparently isn’t serious enough that the NBA is willing to count on him being sidelined through June 15, so Orlando’s DPE request was denied.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Poll: Which Team Will Stay Undefeated Longest?

October 29th, 2019 at 10:01am CST by Luke Adams

No NBA team has played more than four games in the first seven days of the 2019/20 regular season, but only four clubs didn’t lose during that stretch. The Sixers, Nuggets, Spurs, and Timberwolves are all 3-0.

It’s no surprise that Philadelphia and Denver are off to strong starts. Both teams are expected to finish near the top of their respective conferences this season — I had them as the No. 1 seeds in my preseason predictions.

However, the early three-game winning streaks from San Antonio and Minnesota are a little more unexpected. Neither team has had a brutal schedule to start the season, with the Spurs picking up home wins vs. the Knicks, Wizards, and Trail Blazers, while the Wolves won in Brooklyn, in Charlotte, and at home against the Heat.

Still, their hot starts have been promising. Karl-Anthony Towns is putting up MVP-caliber numbers in the early going for the Wolves (32.0 PPG, 13.3 RPG). The Spurs have had a more balanced attack, led by DeMar DeRozan (22.0 PPG) and LaMarcus Aldridge (21.3 PPG, 8.0 RPG) and complemented by players like now-healthy guard Dejounte Murray (14.7 PPG, 8.3 RPG, 6.0 APG).

The four undefeated teams have the following games on tap as they look to extend their winning streaks to start the season:

Sixers: vs. Min (10/30), @ Por (11/2), @ Phx (11/4), @ Utah (11/6), @ Den (11/8)
Nuggets: vs. Dal (10/29), @ NO (10/31), @ Orl (11/2), vs. Mia (11/5), vs. Phi (11/8)
Spurs: @ LAC (10/31), @ GSW (11/1), vs. LAL (11/3), @ Atl (11/5), vs. OKC (11/7)
Timberwolves: @ Phi (10/30), @ Wash (11/2), vs. Mil (11/4), @ Mem (11/6), vs. GSW (11/8)

The Spurs have a brutal three-game stretch on tap beginning on Thursday, though at least one of the Sixers or Wolves will have lost a game by that point, as those two teams are set to face one another on Wednesday. Even if the 76ers beat Minnesota, they have a tough Western road trip up next, with games in Portland, Phoenix, and Utah before they’d get a chance to face Denver. Of course, the Nuggets’ schedule isn’t exactly a cakewalk up until that point either, starting tonight vs. Luka Doncic and the Mavs.

What do you think? Which of this season’s undefeated teams will keep its streak going the longest and be the last to lose in 2019/20?

Vote in our poll, then head to the comment section below to share your two cents!

Trade Rumors app users, click here to vote.

2019 Offseason In Review: Boston Celtics

October 28th, 2019 at 4:01pm CST by Luke Adams

Signings:

Standard contracts:
- Kemba Walker: Four years, maximum salary ($140.79MM). Fourth-year player option. Signed using cap room.
- Daniel Theis: Two years, $10MM. Second year non-guaranteed. Re-signed using Early Bird rights.
- Enes Kanter: Two years, $9.77MM. Second-year player option. Signed using room exception.
- Vincent Poirier: Two years, $5.13MM. Signed using cap room.
- Javonte Green: Two years, minimum salary. First year partially guaranteed ($100K). Signed using minimum salary exception.
- Brad Wanamaker: One year, minimum salary. Re-signed using minimum salary exception.
Two-way contracts:
- Tremont Waters
- Max Strus (Converted to standard contract; waived)
Non-guaranteed camp contracts:
- Tacko Fall: One year, minimum salary (Converted to two-way contract).
- Justin Bibbs: One year, minimum salary (Waived).
- John Bohannon: One year, minimum salary (Waived).
- Bryce Brown: One year, minimum salary (Waived).
- Kaiser Gates: One year, minimum salary (Waived).
- Yante Maten: One year, minimum salary (Waived).
- Dorian Pickens: One year, minimum salary (Waived).

Trades:

Acquired the draft rights to Ty Jerome (No. 24 pick) and Carsen Edwards (No. 33 pick) from the Sixers in exchange for the draft rights to Matisse Thybulle (No. 20 pick).
Acquired the Bucks’ 2020 first-round pick (top-7 protected) from the Suns in exchange for Aron Baynes and the draft rights to Ty Jerome (No. 24 pick).
Acquired Kemba Walker (sign-and-trade) and either the Nets’ or Knicks’ 2020 second-round pick (whichever is less favorable) from the Hornets in exchange for Terry Rozier (sign-and-trade) and the Celtics’ 2020 second-round pick (top-53 protected).

Draft picks:

1-14: Romeo Langford — Signed to rookie contract.
1-22: Grant Williams — Signed to rookie contract.
2-33: Carsen Edwards — Signed to four-year, $6.46MM contract. Fourth-year team option. Signed using cap room.
2-51: Tremont Waters — Signed to two-way contract.

Contract extensions:

Jaylen Brown: Four years, $103MM. Includes $12MM in incentives. Starts in 2020/21; runs through 2023/24.

Departing players:

Aron Baynes
P.J. Dozier (two-way)
Jonathan Gibson
Al Horford
R.J. Hunter (two-way)
Kyrie Irving
Marcus Morris
Terry Rozier
Guerschon Yabusele (waived)

Other offseason news:

Purchased their G League affiliate (Maine Red Claws).
President of basketball operations Danny Ainge suffered mild heart attack.
Hired Kara Lawson as assistant coach.
Exercised 2020/21 rookie scale options on Jayson Tatum, Robert Williams.

Salary cap situation:

Used cap space; now over the cap.
Hard-capped.
Carrying approximately $119.15MM in salary.
No cap exceptions available.

Story of the summer:

When the offseason began, there was no doubt that changes were coming in Boston. A 49-win season and an appearance in the Eastern Conference Semifinals might have been considered a success for some franchises, but the Celtics were widely viewed as the favorites to win the East entering the 2018/19 campaign. Chemistry issues plagued the team all season, ultimately resulting in a disappointing second-round exit.

Fairly or not, Kyrie Irving bore the brunt of the criticism for the Celtics’ struggles. While he enjoyed one of the best seasons of his career on the stat sheet, his leadership was questioned and he didn’t look good in the team’s second-round series against Milwaukee. Throughout the spring, Danny Ainge and the Celtics’ front office were still paying lip service to the idea of retaining Irving in free agency, but there was little doubt the star point guard would end up elsewhere.

The more surprising development? Irving wasn’t the only All-Star to leave the Celtics this summer. Al Horford, who was considered likely to either pick up his player option or to opt out to negotiate a new deal with Boston, declined that option, then headed to the rival Sixers. Suddenly, the Celtics found themselves not just tweaking their roster but overhauling it.

Re-signing Irving and Horford and bringing back other key role players like Marcus Morris, Aron Baynes, and Terry Rozier would’ve pushed the Celtics well into luxury-tax territory. Instead, the team was able to open up enough room below the cap to add a new maximum-salary player, which created some intriguing opportunities. Ainge and company took full advantage of their changing circumstances by pursuing and landing another All-NBA guard: Kemba Walker.

Even with Walker on board, this Celtics roster isn’t as talented as last season’s. But after what happened last year, the club seemed to prioritize chemistry over talent to some extent this summer. Boston filled out its roster with high-character rookies in the draft, and then saw four of the club’s most important players – Walker, Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum, and Marcus Smart – get the opportunity to do some preseason bonding in China as part of Team USA in the 2019 World Cup.

Heading into the fall, this was certainly a much happier team than last year’s, even if its ceiling is lower.

Key offseason losses:

In Irving, Horford, Baynes, Rozier, and Morris, the Celtics lost a group of five players that could probably start for an Eastern Conference playoff team.

While Irving, who averaged a career-high 6.9 APG last season to go along with 23.8 PPG on strong shooting numbers, is the most talented player who departed Boston this offseason, the team at least managed to add another star player to replace him at the point. That wasn’t the case up front, where the Celtics will badly miss the stalwart defense provided by Horford and Baynes.

Though he wasn’t at his best in 2018/19, Horford is someone whose value has always exceeded his per-game averages. He’s one of the only NBA players who can hold his own against big men in the post while also matching up with a star like Giannis Antetokounmpo. And he knows exactly where to be on offense, with his ability to set screens and make shots opening up opportunities for teammates.

Baynes isn’t nearly the player that Horford is, but his size and toughness gave the Celtics options in the frontcourt against bigger lineups.

Rozier’s breakout performance in the 2018 postseason was a promising sign, but he struggled when he returned to the bench last season, making just 38.7% of his field goal attempts in the regular season and 32.2% in the playoffs. He wanted to be a starter, but based on last year’s showing, it would have been a major risk for Boston to pay him like one. The Hornets were willing to take that risk, which helped grease the wheels for a Walker sign-and-trade.

As for Morris, it was a tale of two seasons for him in 2018/19. In his first 38 games, he was one of the Celtics’ best players, averaging 15.6 PPG on .501/.452/.866 shooting. In the next 37, he recorded 12.3 PPG on a far less efficient .393/.297/.816 shooting line. Overall, he had a solid season, but the Celtics may not mind seeing Brown, Tatum, and Gordon Hayward getting many of the shot attempts that might have gone to Morris.

Guerschon Yabusele was the other notable loss for Boston this summer. The 16th overall pick in the 2016 draft, the French big man didn’t develop like the Celtics had hoped.

Key offseason additions:

In terms of pure talent, Walker is probably a downgrade from Irving, but there are reasons to believe he could be a better fit for this Celtics squad. With multiple talented play-makers in Boston’s lineup, the team doesn’t necessarily need its point guard to dominate the ball.

Walker was forced to do that in Charlotte because the Hornets didn’t have many other options, but he seems eager to share the burden on his new team. Last season, Walker finished the season with a usage rate of 31.5 compared to Irving’s 29.6. It seems like a safe bet that Kyrie is in line for a bump while Kemba’s number will fall — in the very early going this season, Walker’s usage rate is down to 26.6 while Irving’s is up to 37.9.

After using up their cap space, the Celtics used the room exception to sign Enes Kanter. Ideally, the C’s probably would’ve liked to acquire a player who could come close to matching Horford’s or Baynes’ defensive prowess. While Kanter won’t do that, he gives the team a non-perimeter scoring threat, which will be important. The move made sense, given Boston’s hole in the frontcourt and the team’s lack of spending power.

The other five new additions to the Celtics’ standard roster are rookies, and not all of them will be ready to contribute much right away. I don’t expect we’ll see Javonte Green or French import Vincent Poirier play major minutes, and Romeo Langford is still recovering from a knee injury.

That leaves Carsen Edwards and Grant Williams as the rookies most likely to have an impact. Edwards will be out there for his shooting, as his outburst of eight three-pointers in a single quarter during the preseason showed.

Williams, meanwhile, might not have played much for last year’s Boston squad, but there are minutes available in this frontcourt, and he has shown a maturity beyond his age (20) in the early going. He’s a high-IQ player who’s capable of keeping the rookie mistakes to a minimum.

Of course, we can’t move on from this section without mentioning Tacko Fall, who immediately became a fan favorite upon appearing in his first Summer League game in July. The 7’6″ center is on a two-way contract and is extremely raw, so we won’t see much of him as a rookie. Still, you can bet that Celtics fans will be rooting for blowouts when he’s on the active roster, so that he can earn some garbage-time minutes.

Outlook for 2019/20:

The Celtics probably don’t have the championship upside this season that we thought they did a year ago, but in many ways this roster looks more like the ones that Brad Stevens thrived with in his earlier years in Boston. Stevens has seemed more adept at getting the most out of limited rosters rather than managing a loaded one, so it will be interesting to see what he can do with this collection of talent.

Walker showed last season that he’s nearly capable of single-handedly carrying a team to the playoffs in the East, and he has a stronger supporting cast this time around. That makes Boston a safe bet for the postseason. If everything clicks, it won’t be at all surprising to see the team once again secure a top-four seed in the East.

Salary information from Basketball Insiders was used in the creation of this post. Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

NBA G League Affiliate Players For 2019/20

October 28th, 2019 at 2:44pm CST by Luke Adams

Throughout the offseason and preseason, NBA teams are permitted to carry 20 players, but that total must be cut down to 15 (plus a pair of two-way players) in advance of opening night. However, up to four players waived by teams prior to the season can be designated as “affiliate players” and assigned to their G League squads.

As we explain in our glossary entry on the subject, if a player’s NBA team has designated him as an affiliate player and he signs a G League contract, he is automatically assigned to that team’s NBAGL roster.

Here are the 100 NBA G League affiliate players for the 28 NBAGL squads to start the 2019/20 season, per the league’s official site:

Atlanta Hawks (College Park Skyhawks):

Boston Celtics (Maine Red Claws):

Brooklyn Nets (Long Island Nets):

Charlotte Hornets (Greensboro Swarm):

Chicago Bulls (Windy City Bulls):

Cleveland Cavaliers (Canton Charge):

Dallas Mavericks (Texas Legends):

Detroit Pistons (Grand Rapids Drive):

Golden State Warriors (Santa Cruz Warriors):

Houston Rockets (Rio Grande Valley Vipers):

Indiana Pacers (Fort Wayne Mad Ants):

Jakeenan Gant
C.J. Wilcox

Los Angeles Clippers (Agua Caliente Clippers of Ontario):

Los Angeles Lakers (South Bay Lakers):

Memphis Grizzlies (Memphis Hustle):

Miami Heat (Sioux Falls Skyforce):

Milwaukee Bucks (Wisconsin Herd):

Minnesota Timberwolves (Iowa Wolves):

New Orleans Pelicans (Erie BayHawks):

New York Knicks (Westchester Knicks):

Oklahoma City Thunder (Oklahoma City Blue):

Orlando Magic (Lakeland Magic):

Philadelphia 76ers (Delaware Blue Coats):

Phoenix Suns (Northern Arizona Suns):

Sacramento Kings (Stockton Kings):

San Antonio Spurs (Austin Spurs):

Daulton Hommes
Dedric Lawson
Kavion Pippen
- Note: The Spurs are permitted to carry five affiliate players because Pippen – a Warriors affiliate player – was acquired in a trade over the weekend.
Galen Robinson Jr.
Kenny Williams

Toronto Raptors (Raptors 905):

Utah Jazz (Salt Lake City Stars):

Washington Wizards (Capital City Go-Go):

Special Trade Eligibility Dates For 2019/20

October 28th, 2019 at 12:06pm CST by Luke Adams

In a pair of previous articles, we took a closer look at the trade restrictions placed on two groups of players who signed free agent contracts this summer. The smaller of the two groups featured players who can’t be traded by their current teams until January 15, having re-signed with their clubs this summer on contracts that met a set of specific criteria. The other offseason signees we examined aren’t eligible to be traded until December 15.

However, there is a third group of players who signed new contracts in recent months and don’t fall into either of those categories. These players also can’t be traded yet, but they won’t necessarily become trade-eligible on December 15 or January 15 either — their trade restrictions lift on different dates.

Trade rules for recently-signed players dictate that a player becomes trade-eligible three months after he signs or on December 15, whichever comes later. So players who signed after September 15 aren’t eligible to be traded starting on December 15. For instance, someone who signed his contract on October 2 won’t have his trade restrictions lift until January 2.

Similarly, players who have two-way pacts converted to standard contracts can’t be dealt for three months after that happens. On top of that, players who sign veteran contract extensions with their current clubs can’t be dealt for six months if those new deals are for more than three years or have a salary increase higher than 5% (exceeding extend-and-trade limits).

Listed below are the recently-signed players who weren’t on our previous two lists, but still have restrictions limiting their ability to be traded. This list, which will continue to be updated as teams sign new players, is sorted by the dates that players will become trade-eligible. Players who have the ability to veto trades are marked with an asterisk (*).

December 20:

Vince Carter (Hawks) *

December 23:

Thabo Sefolosha (Rockets)

January 6:

Dwight Powell (Mavericks)

January 19:

Caleb Martin (Hornets)

January 20:

Jalen McDaniels (Hornets)

January 21:

Wenyen Gabriel (Kings)

January 30:

CJ McCollum (Trail Blazers)

February 1:

Amile Jefferson (Magic)

February 3:

Draymond Green (Warriors)

Players signed as free agents after November 6 this season won’t become trade-eligible before the 2019 trade deadline, since the deadline falls on February 6.

Additionally, players who signed veteran extensions exceeding the extend-and-trade limits any later than August 6 won’t become trade-eligible before the February 6 deadline.

Finally, any player who signs a designated veteran extension isn’t trade-eligible for a full year.

The following players fit that bill and can’t be traded during the 2019/20 season:

Eric Gordon (Rockets)
Bradley Beal (Wizards)
Joe Ingles (Jazz)
Cedi Osman (Cavaliers)
Damian Lillard (Trail Blazers)
Carmelo Anthony (Trail Blazers)
Juwan Morgan (Jazz)
Gary Payton II (Wizards)
Rayjon Tucker (Jazz)
Chris Clemons (Rockets)
Anzejs Pasecniks (Wizards)
Chris Silva (Heat)
Damion Lee (Warriors)

Gordon, Beal, and this season’s late FA signees will be trade-eligible as soon as the season ends, while Ingles (April 21) and Osman (April 25) will become trade-eligible shortly after that. Lillard isn’t eligible to be dealt until July 6.

Note: Only players on standard contracts are listed on this page. Players who sign two-way deals can’t be traded for 30 days after signing. Players who sign 10-day contracts can’t be traded.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

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