Mobile Menu
HEADLINES

Hoops Rumors Originals

2019 Offseason In Review: Atlanta Hawks

October 2nd, 2019 at 4:05pm 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 Atlanta Hawks.

Signings:

Trades:

  • Acquired the Heat’s 2024 second-round pick (protected 31-50 and 56-60) and cash ($1.88MM) from the Heat in exchange for the No. 44 pick in 2019 draft (used to select Bol Bol).
  • Acquired the Warriors’ 2024 second-round pick and cash ($1.3MM) from the Warriors in exchange for the No. 41 pick in 2019 draft (used to select Eric Paschall).
  • Acquired Evan Turner from the Trail Blazers in exchange for Kent Bazemore.
  • Acquired Allen Crabbe, the draft rights to Nickeil Alexander-Walker (No. 17 pick), and the Nets’ 2020 first-round pick (top-14 protected) from the Nets in exchange for Taurean Prince and the Hawks’ 2021 second-round pick.
  • Acquired Solomon Hill, the draft rights to De’Andre Hunter (No. 4 pick), the draft rights to Jordan Bone (No. 57 pick), and the Pelicans’ 2023 second-round pick (31-45 protected) from the Pelicans in exchange for the draft rights to Jaxson Hayes (No. 8 pick), the draft rights to Nickeil Alexander-Walker (No. 17 pick), the draft rights to Marcos Louzada Silva (No. 35 pick), and the Cavaliers’ 2020 first-round pick (top-10 protected).
    • Note: The Cavaliers’ protected 2020 first-rounder will become two second-round picks (2021 and 2022) if it’s not conveyed in 2020.
  • Acquired the draft rights to Bruno Fernando (No. 34 pick) from the Sixers in exchange for 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).
  • Acquired Chandler Parsons from the Grizzlies in exchange for Miles Plumlee and Solomon Hill.
  • Acquired Damian Jones and the Warriors’ 2026 second-round pick from the Warriors in exchange for Omari Spellman.

Draft picks:

  • 1-4: De’Andre Hunter — Signed to rookie contract.
  • 1-10: Cam Reddish — Signed to rookie contract.
  • 2-34: Bruno Fernando — Signed to three-year, $4.7MM contract. Fully guaranteed. Signed using cap room.

Departing players:

Other offseason news:

Salary cap situation:

  • Used cap space; still under the cap (approximately $5.3MM in room).
  • Carrying approximately $103.8MM in guaranteed salary.
  • Full room exception ($4.77MM) still available.

Story of the summer:

Since Travis Schlenk arrived in Atlanta as the Hawks’ new head of basketball operations in 2017, the franchise has been in asset accumulation mode. That approach has meant adding young talent in the draft while primarily using the club’s available cap room to take on unwanted contracts and acquire even more draft picks.

Schlenk and the Hawks’ front office essentially continued down that path this summer. The team’s acquisition of Allen Crabbe was a classic salary-dump deal that netted extra first-round picks in both 2019 and 2020 — all Atlanta had to give up was a 2021 second-round pick, a player who apparently wasn’t in the team’s long-term plans (Taurean Prince), and 2019 cap room.

The Hawks were also quiet in free agency once again, waiting out the first wave of blockbuster deals and making only modest investments once the dust settled. It all points to a team that knows its rebuild is an ongoing process.

On the other hand, we saw this offseason that the Hawks are willing to start consolidating their assets for the right deal. The blockbuster trade they made with the Pelicans on draft night saw them absorb an unwanted contract (Solomon Hill‘s) and surrender the Nos. 8, 17, and 35 picks from this year’s draft. The target? De’Andre Hunter, whom Atlanta traded up to No. 4 to snag.

Hunter is just 21 years old and has yet to make his NBA debut, so he isn’t the sort of player who will turn Atlanta into a contender right away. But the deal foreshadowed the pivot that should be around the corner for the Hawks, who may not be in rebuilding mode for much longer. The next time Schlenk decides to consolidate his assets in a major trade, he may be targeting a veteran star who can help make the team a legit contender.

Read more

Retweet 1 Share 0 Send via email0

Trade Rumors App For iOS/Android

October 2nd, 2019 at 3:32pm 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!
Retweet 1 Share 0 Send via email0

Oldest, Youngest Players On NBA Rosters For 2019/20

October 2nd, 2019 at 10:59am CST by Luke Adams

Of the five oldest players on NBA rosters during the 2018/19 season, only one announced his retirement this year, as Mavericks legend Dirk Nowitzki decided to call it a career. Nowitzki was the second-oldest player in the NBA last season, but the rest of the league’s elder statesmen – including 42-year-old Vince Carter – have opted to keep playing in 2019/20.

As a result, many of the names on our list of the league’s oldest players for the 2019/20 season are the same as the ones that made our list a year ago.

Here’s the full list of the 10 oldest players currently on NBA rosters, led by Carter:

  1. Vince Carter, Hawks (born 1/26/1977)
  2. Udonis Haslem, Heat (born 6/9/1980)
  3. Pau Gasol, Trail Blazers (born 7/6/1980)
  4. Kyle Korver, Bucks (born 3/17/1981)
  5. Joe Johnson, Pistons (born 6/29/1981)
  6. Nene, Rockets (born 9/13/1982)
  7. Tyson Chandler, Rockets (born 10/2/1982)
  8. Andre Iguodala, Grizzlies (born 1/28/1984)
  9. Thabo Sefolosha, Rockets (born 5/2/1984)
  10. J.J. Redick, Pelicans (born 6/24/1984)

As expected, there’s much more turnover on the other end of the spectrum, as all 10 of the youngest players on NBA rosters just entered the league this year. In fact, all but one of those 10 players were selected in the 2019 draft, which doesn’t come as a real surprise.

A number of young undrafted free agents have gone right from college to an NBA roster within the last few months, but the youngest of this year’s rookies are the ones who left school after their freshman years — and many of those freshman early entrants were strong enough prospects to be drafted.

A year ago, the NBA’s youngest player was Isaac Bonga, who was born on November 8, 1999. This year, for the first time, the league’s youngest players are all born in the year 2000.

Here are the 10 youngest players currently on NBA rosters:

  1. Sekou Doumbouya, Pistons (born 12/23/2000)
  2. Talen Horton-Tucker, Lakers (born 11/25/2000)
  3. Alen Smailagic, Warriors (born 8/18/2000)
  4. Zion Williamson, Pelicans (born 7/5/2000)
  5. RJ Barrett, Knicks (born 6/14/2000)
  6. Jalen Lecque, Suns (born 6/13/2000)
  7. Darius Bazley, Thunder (born 6/12/2000)
  8. Jaxson Hayes, Pelicans (born 5/23/2000)
  9. Kevin Porter, Cavaliers (born 5/4/2000)
  10. Coby White, Bulls (born 2/16/2000)

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Retweet 1 Share 0 Send via email0

Five Notable NBA Veterans Not On Camp Rosters

October 1st, 2019 at 2:04pm CST by Luke Adams

Training camps have begun for teams around the NBA, and while there will still be some roster shakeups to come, particularly if injuries start to pile up, most clubs have a pretty good sense of what their 14- or 15-man rosters will look like for the start of the regular season.

For veteran free agents, that means there are far fewer viable landing spots than there were earlier in the offseason. Still, whether it happens before or after opening night, there are a number of unsigned players who seem like realistic candidates to eventually sign with an NBA team.

Here are five of the most notable veterans who are without an NBA home for training camps this week:

  1. Carmelo Anthony, F: It has now been nearly a year since Anthony played in an NBA game — his last appearance with the Rockets took place on November 8, 2018. The 10-time All-Star has said he wants another shot and has insisted he’s comfortable playing a reduced role, but it’s not clear which team will be willing to take a chance on him. As of two weeks ago, several Nets players remained strongly in favor of adding Carmelo, but so far it doesn’t appear the front office is on board.
  2. Iman Shumpert, G/F: Shumpert is still just 29 years old and played postseason minutes for Houston in the spring, so it’s somewhat surprising that he hasn’t been scooped up by a contender. He and the Rockets reportedly engaged in contract discussions for much of the offseason before Shumpert decided to pass on the team’s offer — at the time, I speculated it might have been an incentive-heavy deal similar to the one Nene signed.
  3. Joakim Noah, C: After a disastrous stint in New York, Noah’s NBA career appeared to be on life support. However, a productive run as the Grizzlies‘ backup center last season (7.1 PPG, 5.7 RPG, and 2.1 APG in 16.5 MPG) showed that the big man still has something left in the tank. He has reportedly generated some level of interest from both the Lakers and Clippers, though nothing has materialized yet.
  4. Kenneth Faried, F/C: Like Noah, Faried was gradually seeing his minutes reduced further and further before he got his release and bounced back with a new team. In Faried’s case, he joined the Rockets after being cut by Brooklyn, averaging 12.9 PPG and 8.2 RPG in 25 games (24.4 MPG) down the stretch. He didn’t play much in the postseason and his three-point shot is still a work in progress, but it’s a little surprising that the 29-year-old remains on the market.
  5. J.R. Smith, SG: Just three days after he was released by Cleveland and one day after he cleared waivers, Smith reportedly lined up a workout with the Bucks. That quick turnaround suggested it might not be long before the veteran sharpshooter found a new team. But Milwaukee opted to sign Kyle Korver instead, and there has been little chatter on Smith since then. He apparently turned down an offer from a Chinese team in August, signaling that he still wants to play in the NBA.

Here are a dozen more noteworthy veterans who remain unsigned:

  1. Michael Beasley, F
  2. Corey Brewer, G/F
  3. Jose Calderon, PG
  4. Jamal Crawford, G
  5. Dante Cunningham, F
  6. Luol Deng, F
  7. Devin Harris, G
  8. Amir Johnson, F/C
  9. Luc Mbah a Moute, F
  10. Jodie Meeks, SG
  11. Salah Mejri, C
  12. Jonathon Simmons, G/F

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Retweet 2 Share 0 Send via email0

2019 Offseason In Review: New Orleans Pelicans

September 28th, 2019 at 9:40pm 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 New Orleans Pelicans.

Signings:

Trades:

  • Acquired the Warriors’ 2021 second-round pick, the Warriors’ 2023 second-round pick, and cash ($1MM) from the Warriors in exchange for the draft rights to Alen Smailagic (No. 39 pick).
  • Acquired Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram, Josh Hart, the draft rights to De’Andre Hunter (No. 4 pick), the Lakers’ 2021 first-round pick (9-30 protected; unprotected in 2022), the Lakers’ 2024 first-round pick (unprotected), the right to swap 2023 first-round picks with the Lakers, and cash ($1.1MM from Wizards; $1MM from Lakers) in a three-team trade with the Lakers and Wizards in exchange for Anthony Davis (to Lakers).
    • Note: The Pelicans will have the option to defer the 2024 first-round pick to 2025.
  • Acquired the draft rights to Jaxson Hayes (No. 8 pick), the draft rights to Nickeil Alexander-Walker (No. 17 pick), the draft rights to Marcos Louzada Silva (No. 35 pick), and the Cavaliers’ 2020 first-round pick (top-10 protected) from the Hawks in exchange for Solomon Hill, the draft rights to De’Andre Hunter (No. 4 pick), the draft rights to Jordan Bone (No. 57 pick), and the Pelicans’ 2023 second-round pick (31-45 protected).
    • Note: The Cavaliers’ protected 2020 first-rounder will become two second-round picks (2021 and 2022) if it’s not conveyed in 2020.
  • Acquired Derrick Favors from the Jazz in exchange for the Warriors’ 2021 second-round pick and the Warriors’ 2023 second-round pick.

Draft picks:

  • 1-1: Zion Williamson — Signed to rookie contract.
  • 1-8: Jaxson Hayes — Signed to rookie contract.
  • 1-17: Nickeil Alexander-Walker — Signed to rookie contract.
  • 2-35: Marcos Louzada Silva — Will play overseas (Australia).

Departing players:

Other offseason news:

  • Hired David Griffin as executive VP of basketball operations.
  • Hired Trajan Langdon as general manager.
  • Hired Swin Cash as VP of basketball operations and team development.
  • Exercised 2020/21 option on head coach Alvin Gentry.
  • Hired Jeff Bzdelik as lead defensive assistant coach to replace Darren Erman.
  • Darius Miller suffered ruptured Achilles; team awarded disabled player exception.
  • Nicolo Melli underwent knee surgery.
  • Established new G League team (Erie BayHawks).
  • Hired Greivis Vasquez as associated head coach of Erie BayHawks.

Salary cap situation:

  • Used cap space; now over the cap.
  • Carrying approximately $114.76MM in guaranteed salary.
  • $664K of room exception still available ($4.1MM used on Nicolo Melli).
  • $3.625MM disabled player exception available (expires on 3/10/2020).

Story of the summer:

It’s rare that an NBA team is able to transition from one franchise player to a new one as cleanly as the Pelicans did this offseason.

Okay, maybe “clean” isn’t the right adjective to describe a saga that began with Anthony Davis publicly issuing a midseason trade request that torpedoed New Orleans’ 2018/19 season and mired the club in second-half turmoil. That was actually kind of a mess.

But things looked significantly less messy after the Pelicans landed the No. 1 overall pick at the draft lottery in May, putting them in position to select Zion Williamson, the most hyped prospect to enter the NBA since… well, maybe Davis himself.

The Pelicans later turned the page on the Davis era by trading the big man to the Lakers, and despite the fact that they had little leverage to send him anywhere except his preferred destination, the Pels made out pretty well in the deal, acquiring multiple young players and future first-round picks.

As AD exited the frame and Zion entered, the Pelicans also underwent an important transition in the front office, where David Griffin was hired as the team’s new head of basketball operations. For years, the Pels had essentially been overseen by the New Orleans Saints’ management team, giving them the feel of a junior varsity squad. But Griffin’s arrival signaled an important changing of the guard.

Besides bringing a championship pedigree to the Pelicans, Griffin brought something more important: a focus on building an infrastructure and a culture. Whether that means overhauling the medical staff, building up the team’s analytics department, or addressing any other holes that had been left unfilled in the past, Griffin prioritized building that sustainable infrastructure from day one.

Williamson will be the face of the franchise for years to come, but if Griffin’s work is successful, this could also be remembered as the summer that the Pelicans moved out from the Saints’ shadow and began building a winning culture of their own.

Read more

Retweet 5 Share 0 Send via email0

Hoops Rumors Originals: 9/21/19 – 9/28/19

September 28th, 2019 at 1:00pm CST by Arthur Hill

Every week, the Hoops Rumors writing team creates original content to complement our news feed. Here are our original segments and features from the past seven days:

Retweet 1 Share 0 Send via email0

Community Shootaround: West Also-Rans

September 28th, 2019 at 10:59am CST by Dana Gauruder

With training camps opening up, we will soon find out if the offseason moves have turned last season’s also-rans into playoff contenders.

In the Western Conference, it’s safe to assume the Lakers are firmly in the postseason picture — and a serious championship contender — with Anthony Davis joining forces with LeBron James. It’s also easy to deduce that the subtractions of Russell Westbrook and Paul George will drop Oklahoma City out of the playoff chase.

Are there any Western Conference teams that missed last season’s playoffs who have improved enough to reach the postseason?

The Kings, who finished with the ninth-best record in the West, are intriguing. They have a good young core led by De’Aaron Fox, Buddy Hield and Marvin Bagley III. They re-signed Harrison Barnes and added another solid veteran forward in Trevor Ariza.

The Timberwolves have one of the league’s best big men in Karl-Anthony Towns and the Jimmy Butler drama from early last season is a fading memory. If coach Ryan Saunders can get more out of Andrew Wiggins, and if lottery pick Jarrett Culver can make an immediate impact, they could improve.

The Grizzlies probably need a couple more years but have two building blocks in high lottery picks Ja Morant and Jaren Jackson Jr.

The Pelicans are a lot closer than the Grizzlies after winning the lottery and drafting the most highly-touted prospect in years, Zion Williamson. They no longer have AD but they acquired three rotation pieces in Brandon Ingram, Lonzo Ball and Josh Hart. They also added proven veterans in Derrick Favors and J.J. Redick and still have Jrue Holiday.

The Mavericks had to wait half a season to see what Kristaps Porzingis and Luka Doncic could do together. After sitting out last season, Porzingis is ready for a fresh start in Dallas.

The Suns won only 19 games but now they’ve got a respected floor leader in Ricky Rubio to elevate the play of their stars, Devin Booker and Deandre Ayton.

That brings us to our question of the day: Other than the Lakers, which Western Conference team that missed the playoffs last season has the best chance to reach the postseason?

Please take to the comments section to voice your opinion. We look forward to what you have to say.

Retweet 2 Share 0 Send via email0

2019 Offseason In Review: Chicago Bulls

September 26th, 2019 at 4:32pm 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 Chicago Bulls.

Signings:

  • Standard contracts:
    • Thaddeus Young: Three years, $40.64MM. Third year non-guaranteed. Signed using cap room.
    • Tomas Satoransky: Three years, $30MM. Third year partially guaranteed ($5MM). Acquired via sign-and-trade using cap room.
    • Ryan Arcidiacono: Three years, $9MM. Third-year team option. Re-signed using Early Bird rights.
    • Luke Kornet: Two years, $4.5MM. Signed using room exception.
    • Shaquille Harrison: One year, minimum salary. Partially guaranteed ($175K). Re-signed using minimum salary exception.
  • Two-way contracts:
  • Non-guaranteed camp contracts:

Trades:

  • Acquired Tomas Satoransky in a sign-and-trade from the Wizards in exchange for either the Bulls’ or Grizzlies’ 2020 second-round pick (whichever is more favorable), the right to swap the Lakers’ 2022 second-round pick for either the Bulls’ or Pistons’ 2022 second-round pick (whichever is more favorable), and the Bulls’ 2023 second-round pick with protections removed.
    • Note: The Wizards had acquired the Bulls’ 2023 second-round pick with 31-36 protection in a previous trade.

Draft picks:

  • 1-7: Coby White — Signed to rookie contract.
  • 2-38: Daniel Gafford — Signed to four-year, minimum-salary contract. Third year non-guaranteed. Fourth-year team option. Signed using cap room.

Departing players:

Other offseason news:

Salary cap situation:

  • Used cap space; now over the cap.
  • Carrying approximately $112.31MM in guaranteed salary.
  • Hard-capped.
  • $2.52MM of room exception still available ($2.25MM used on Luke Kornet).

Story of the summer:

The Bulls have been in rebuilding mode since trading Jimmy Butler to Minnesota during the 2017 offseason. Chicago won 27 games in 2017/18 and just 22 games last season, reflecting both the team’s ongoing youth movement and a struggle to keep its roster healthy.

While the Bulls aren’t yet ready to go head-to-head with the Eastern Conference’s heavyweights, they entered the 2019 offseason looking to take real steps toward contention. After all, Otto Porter is entering his seventh NBA season, Zach LaVine is entering his sixth season, and Lauri Markkanen will be in his third year. With several of their cornerstone pieces in or nearing their respective primes, the Bulls believe it’s time to win a few more games.

That goal was evident based on Chicago’s approach to free agency. After using the No. 7 overall pick to select point guard Coby White, the team wasn’t content to hand him the keys to the offense, going out and acquiring veteran point guard Tomas Satoransky in a sign-and-trade with the Wizards to add some stability to the backcourt.

The Bulls took a similar approach up front. With veteran center Robin Lopez departing in free agency, the franchise could’ve leaned on its frontcourt duo of Markkanen and Wendell Carter. While those two big men should see plenty of important minutes in 2019/20, Chicago also brought in free agent power forward Thaddeus Young, a reliable veteran who has appeared in 51 playoff contests over the course of his 12-year career.

Outside of Young, Porter (31 playoff games) and Satoransky (16), no other Bull has played in more than one postseason series, so adding vets with that sort of experience was crucial for a club with playoff aspirations.

Read more

Retweet 1 Share 0 Send via email0

Community Shootaround: Potential Hot-Seat Coaches

September 24th, 2019 at 11:16am CST by Luke Adams

With the exception of the 2016/17 season, which took place during a period of unprecedented stability for head coaches, at least three NBA teams have made in-season coaching changes in each of the last five years. In 2018/19, Tyronn Lue got the axe after just six games, with Fred Hoiberg and Tom Thibodeau later joining him in the unemployment ranks.

While it’s possible that 2019/20 will be a repeat of ’16/17, recent history tells us that the safer bet is to expect multiple teams to make coaching changes before the season ends.

With that in mind, Ben Golliver of The Washington Post singled out five head coaches around the NBA who might end up on the hot seat in the coming months. Golliver’s picks are Frank Vogel (Lakers), Mike D’Antoni (Rockets), Brett Brown (Sixers), Billy Donovan (Thunder), and Scott Brooks (Wizards).

The Lakers, Rockets, and Sixers will enter the 2019/20 season with championship aspirations, so if they get off to slow starts, it’s not hard to imagine their respective head coaches feeling some pressure.

Vogel was just hired this spring, but he didn’t appear to be L.A.’s first choice and received a shorter-term contract than most other recent hires. D’Antoni is entering a contract year, which is rare for a head coach, and anything short of an NBA Finals appearance will be a letdown for Houston. Brown, meanwhile, appeared to be on the hot seat after losing in the second round of last year’s postseason before Toronto’s championship run made the Sixers’ series against the Raptors look more impressive in retrospect.

As for Donovan and Brooks, they’re suddenly at the helm of rebuilding clubs rather than the contenders they originally signed on to join. The Wizards also have a new head of basketball operations in place, so it’s possible that Tommy Sheppard will want to bring in his own head coach at some point.

What do you think? Will any of those five head coaches be dismissed during the 2019/20 season? Do you expect other coaches to find themselves on the hot seat in the near future?

Head to the comment section below to weigh in with your two cents!

Retweet 1 Share 0 Send via email0

Poll: 2019/20 NBA Rookie Of The Year

September 22nd, 2019 at 3:59pm CST by Luke Adams

Promising young rookies enter the NBA every season, but few come with the sort of fanfare that Zion Williamson has. The Duke forward is the kind of prospect who comes along once every few years, following in the footsteps of former No. 1 overall picks like LeBron James and Anthony Davis.

Given the hype surrounding him – and the expectations facing him – it’s no surprise that Williamson will enter the 2019/20 season as the overwhelming favorite to win this year’s Rookie of the Year award. The 19-year-old is in position to put up numbers immediately on a Pelicans team that has playoff aspirations, with no veterans ahead of him on the depth chart at the power forward spot.

Williamson’s Rookie of the Year chances are buoyed by the fact that 2019’s draft class wasn’t considered particularly strong. While plenty of this year’s draftees should turn into successful pros, the ’19 class lacks the star power that other recent rookie classes have had. It would be a surprise if three NBA newcomers have the type of seasons that last year’s Rookie of the Year finalists – Luka Doncic, Trae Young, and Deandre Ayton – did.

Still, there are players who will push Williamson for Rookie of the Year honors. Sports betting site Bovada.lv lists the Pelicans’ forward as a -130 favorite (you’d have to risk $130 to win $100), with fellow top-three picks Ja Morant (+350; risk $100 to win $350) and RJ Barrett (+550) viewed as the primary challengers. Darius Garland (+1800) and Coby White (+1800) are among the players in the next tier of Rookie of the Year contenders, along with 2018 draftee Michael Porter Jr. (+1600).

With Mike Conley no longer a member of the Grizzlies, Morant should get a chance to take the reins and assume control of the rebuilding franchise right away, and while he may experience some growing pains, he’ll have the opportunity to have some big games. Developing Barrett will be a priority for the rebuilding Knicks too, despite the fact that the team invested heavily in veteran forwards in free agency.

Porter is an intriguing dark horse candidate — like past ROY winners Ben Simmons and Blake Griffin, he’ll have the advantage of having spent a year with an NBA team already, perhaps giving him a leg up on a competition. But it will be difficult for him to carve out a significant role on a deep, talented Nuggets roster. That shouldn’t be a problem for Garland, as the Cavaliers seem likely to jettison some of their veteran talent during the season to clear even more minutes for their youngsters.

Williamson may be the frontrunner, but he’ll have to produce and – perhaps more importantly – stay healthy in order to take home the hardware next spring. Davis, arguably the last No. 1 pick to enter the NBA with this sort of hype, took a year to develop into the impact player many were expecting out of Kentucky. Though he has a streak of six consecutive 20/10 seasons now, AD averaged a modest 13.5 PPG and 8.2 RPG in his rookie year in 2012/13, losing out to Damian Lillard in the Rookie of the Year vote.

What do you think? If you were placing a bet on the 2019/20 Rookie of the Year winner, would you pick Williamson or the field? Which player do you think will be the biggest threat to Zion in this year’s ROY race?

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

Trade Rumors app users, click here to vote.

Retweet 1 Share 0 Send via email0
Load More Posts