Hoops Rumors Originals

2019 Offseason In Review: Phoenix Suns

September 16th, 2019 at 3:59pm 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 Phoenix Suns.

Signings:

Standard contracts:
- Ricky Rubio: Three years, $51MM. Signed using cap room.
- Kelly Oubre: Two years, $30MM. Re-signed using Bird rights.
- Frank Kaminsky: Two years, $9.77MM. Signed using room exception.
- Jalen Lecque: Four years, minimum salary. Third year non-guaranteed. Fourth-year team option. Signed using cap room.
- Cheick Diallo: Two years, minimum salary. Second-year team option. Signed using minimum salary exception.
Two-way contracts:
- Jared Harper
Non-guaranteed camp contracts:
- Haywood Highsmith: One year, minimum salary (Exhibit 10).
  - Note: Not yet official.
- David Kramer: One year, minimum salary (Exhibit 10).
- Tariq Owens: One year, minimum salary (Exhibit 10).

Trades:

Acquired cash ($1.1MM) from the Pacers in a three-way trade in exchange for T.J. Warren (to Pacers) and the draft rights to KZ Okpala (No. 32 pick; to Heat).
Acquired Dario Saric and the draft rights to Cameron Johnson (No. 11 pick) from the Timberwolves in exchange for the draft rights to Jarrett Culver (No. 6 pick).
Acquired Aron Baynes and the draft rights to Ty Jerome (No. 24 pick) from the Celtics in exchange for the Bucks’ 2020 first-round pick (top-7 protected).
Acquired Kyle Korver and Jevon Carter from the Grizzlies in exchange for Josh Jackson, De’Anthony Melton, the Suns’ 2020 second-round pick, and the Suns’ 2021 second-round pick (protected 36-60).
- Note: Korver later waived.

Draft picks:

1-11: Cameron Johnson — Signed to rookie contract.
1-24: Ty Jerome — Signed to rookie contract.

Departing players:

Dragan Bender
Jamal Crawford
Troy Daniels
Jimmer Fredette (declined team option)
Richaun Holmes
Josh Jackson
George King (two-way)
De’Anthony Melton
Ray Spalding (declined team option)
T.J. Warren

Other offseason news:

Named James Jones permanent general manager
Hired Jeff Bower as senior VP of basketball operations.
Fired head coach Igor Kokoskov.
Hired Monty Williams as new head coach.
Hired Steve Blake, Willie Green, and several other assistant coaches.

Salary cap situation:

Used cap space; now over the cap.
Carrying approximately $120.86MM in salary.
No cap exceptions available.

Story of the summer:

After unexpectedly firing general manager Ryan McDonough just before the 2018/19 season got underway, the Suns didn’t name a permanent replacement until this past spring. James Jones, less than two years removed from appearing in the NBA Finals as a player, was placed in charge of Phoenix’s front office, with veteran executive Jeff Bower joining him in a key management role.

Although the Suns are in rebuilding mode, their offseason moves perhaps reflected the new front office’s belief that some veteran stability was necessary to complement its young prospects — and to help them develop.

It didn’t initially look like Phoenix would have any real cap room to work with in free agency, but the team managed to create a little flexibility by moving T.J. Warren and Josh Jackson – two players drafted by the previous regime – in separate trades. That newly-created room was enough to sign Ricky Rubio to a three-year, $51MM deal and to take on Aron Baynes‘ and Dario Saric‘s expiring contracts.

While Deandre Ayton and Devin Booker project to be the cornerstones of the Suns for years to come, they’ll need to some help to maximize their potential, and the front office identified those veterans as good candidates to move that process forward. Rubio will create easier shots for Phoenix’s young duo; Baynes will serve as a veteran mentor for Ayton; and Saric’s ability to stretch the floor will help open up space for both young stars to operate.

Key offseason losses:

The Suns haven’t made the postseason since 2010 and haven’t won more than 24 games in a season since the 2014/15 campaign. The miserable run has been protracted in part due to the club’s inconsistent hit rate on high draft picks, and the 2019 offseason saw Phoenix give up on two more of those recent lottery selections.

Dragan Bender – the fourth overall pick in the 2016 draft – moved on in free agency after three underwhelming seasons with the Suns, while Jackson – 2017’s No. 4 overall pick – was jettisoned in a salary-dump trade. Both players are entering their age-22 seasons, so it’s fair to question whether Phoenix gave up on them too early. But neither player really showed enough on the court to inspire much optimism, and Jackson ran into legal trouble off the court.

The decision to dump Warren’s salary was a more surprising one. He’s under contract for the next three years at less than $12MM annually and is coming off two straight seasons in which he averaged more than 20 points per 36 minutes — he even added a reliable three-point shot to his game in 2018/19. If the Suns didn’t view him as a great fit, that’s fine. But giving up the No. 32 pick along with Warren just to get rid of him seemed like poor value.

The Suns lost role players Richaun Holmes and Troy Daniels in free agency too, and it seems safe to assume Jamal Crawford won’t be back either. Additionally, De’Anthony Melton, whom the club was reportedly high on a year ago, was sent to Memphis as part of the Jackson trade.

Key offseason additions:

The Suns had been in the market for a point guard since the fall of 2017, when they traded Eric Bledsoe to Milwaukee, and finally found an answer at the position this summer when they locked up Rubio to a fully guaranteed three-year contract. The new backcourt duo will be a fascinating one to watch — Booker has often served as Phoenix’s de facto point guard over the last two years, but he should be playing off-ball more than ever in 2019/20, since Rubio is at his best with the ball in his hands.

Although it hasn’t been as high-profile as their search for a point guard, the Suns have also been seeking a reliable stretch four in recent years. Last year’s Ryan Anderson experiment was a disaster, but the team will hope for better results from Saric and Frank Kaminsky, two frontcourt players who have shot the ball well from outside (38.1% over the last two years for Saric; 37.3% for Kaminsky).

Saric and Kaminsky should help create more room for Ayton to go to work down low. Baynes, the other incoming veteran up front, appears in position to claim the backup center minutes that Holmes played last season.

The Suns also added a pair of prospects in the first round of this year’s draft, passing up a chance to select a prospect like Jarrett Culver or Coby White at No. 6 and instead trading down to No. 11, where they selected Cameron Johnson.

It was perhaps the most surprising pick of the first round — Johnson, who wasn’t one of 24 players invited to the green room, was among the oldest players in this year’s class and faced questions about the health of his hips. His shooting prowess (.457 3PT% as a senior) can’t be denied, but the pick looked like a bit of a reach at No. 11.

Ty Jerome, the 24th overall pick in the draft, will likely be brought along more slowly than Johnson and could see time with the G League’s Northern Arizona Suns in his rookie season.

Finally, one of the Suns’ most notable offseason additions was new head coach Monty Williams, who was a sought-after candidate this spring, choosing Phoenix over an opportunity with the Lakers. Williams, the team’s seventh head coach since the 2012/13 season began, will be tasked with getting the most out of up-and-coming youngsters like Booker, Ayton, and Mikal Bridges — and hopefully outlasting the many coaches that came before him this decade.

Outlook for 2019/20:

It’s probably a little too soon to expect the Suns to seriously contend for the playoffs, but it’s time for the franchise to take at least a modest step forward. Phoenix has lost between 58 and 63 games for four consecutive seasons, and Booker and Ayton are too good to remain mired at the bottom of the Western Conference standings for much longer.

The Suns’ front office and coaching staff may look at the Kings’ 2018/19 season as a model to emulate. After losing 49 or more games for 10 straight years, Sacramento posted a 39-43 record last season, with the team’s young players leading the charge. I don’t expect this year’s Suns to match that win total, but it’d be a good goal for a team that won’t realistically have championship aspirations.

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

NBA Teams With Most, Fewest Guaranteed Salaries

September 16th, 2019 at 12:56pm CST by Luke Adams

At this point in the offseason, the majority of the NBA’s teams are carrying either 13 or 14 players on guaranteed salaries. Teams will have to pare down their rosters to no more than 15 players on standard contracts once the regular season begins, so having 13 or 14 players on guaranteed deals now gives those clubs the flexibility to allow one or two non-guaranteed players to make the team — or to carry an open roster spot into opening night.

However, there are currently a dozen teams around the league carrying fewer than 13 guaranteed salaries or more than 14. With the help of our roster counts tool, here’s a look at those teams, with details on what they might be thinking as the 2019/20 season nears:

Fewer than 13 fully guaranteed salaries:

Houston Rockets (10)
Miami Heat (12)
Toronto Raptors (12)
Utah Jazz (12)

With only 10 players on fully guaranteed salaries, the Rockets may have some competition for their final few roster spots in training camp. For now Isaiah Hartenstein and Gary Clark – each of whom have partial guarantees – look like good bets to earn spots, with Ben McLemore perhaps the frontrunner for the 13th spot. Anthony Bennett, Chris Clemons, Michael Frazier, William McDowell-White, and Shamorie Ponds are candidates to fill out the roster, though I wouldn’t be surprised if Houston eventually acquires a veteran or two with its open spots.

Duncan Robinson‘s and Kendrick Nunn‘s partial guarantees put them in good position to earn the Heat‘s 13th and 14th roster spots. The hard-capped club won’t have room for a 15th player to start the season.

Royce O’Neale is a lock to make the Jazz, and Georges Niang seems like a safe bet too. William Howard and Stanton Kidd could be the prime contenders for the 15th spot if Utah wants a full roster.

For the Raptors, second-round pick Dewan Hernandez, veteran point guard Cameron Payne, and returning role players Chris Boucher and Malcolm Miller are the top candidates for the final two or three openings on the regular season roster.

More than 14 fully guaranteed salaries:

Brooklyn Nets (15)
Dallas Mavericks (15)
Indiana Pacers (15)
Memphis Grizzlies (15)
Minnesota Timberwolves (15)
New York Knicks (15)
Phoenix Suns (15)
San Antonio Spurs (15)

The Grizzlies were the only team carrying more than 15 guaranteed salaries, but a buyout agreement with Dwight Howard changed that. If they reach a similar deal – or find a trade – involving Andre Iguodala, their roster count would dip to 14 fully guaranteed contracts.

The Nets, Mavericks, Pacers, Timberwolves, Knicks, Suns, and Spurs could shake things up with roster moves before the season begins, particularly if any of those teams is impressed by a non-guaranteed camp invitee. But for now, their regular season rosters look pretty set with their 15 players on guaranteed salaries.

Several Reported Free Agent Deals Not Yet Official

September 15th, 2019 at 4:00pm CST by Luke Adams

When a free agent agrees to join an NBA team, his tentative deal with the club is generally reported before he officially signs his contract. Often, word of an agreement between a player and team breaks minutes or hours – or perhaps a day or two – before the deal is formally finalized. But there are instances when it takes longer for the two sides to complete the contract, and there are even some examples of deals falling through altogether.

The most memorable instance of a tentative free agent agreement falling apart probably came during the 2015 offseason, when DeAndre Jordan agreed to sign with the Mavericks during the July moratorium, only to change his mind several days later and re-sign with the Clippers instead. It’s not uncommon for this to happen a few times each summer on a smaller scale.

In 2019, for instance, Marcus Morris agreed to terms with the Spurs before changing course and singing with the Knicks instead. Alec Burks committed to the Thunder before the team entered rebuilding mode — after trading Paul George, Oklahoma City allowed Burks to look for a new deal and he ultimately decided to sign with the Warriors. Undrafted rookie Kris Wilkes and the Knicks were on track to complete a two-way contract before health issues derailed the deal.

The most recent example of a contract agreement falling through happened last week, when Joe Johnson agreed to sign with the Pistons. Multiple reports at the time of the signing indicated that Michael Beasley would be waived to make room on the roster for Johnson, but Beasley never actually signed a contract with Detroit after agreeing to a deal with the club in August. The Pistons will just sign Johnson in place of Beasley rather than waiving anyone.

Our roster count tool tracks the free agent agreements that have been reported but haven’t yet been made official, and there are currently several names worth keeping an eye on there. Most of those tentative deals will eventually be completed, but a couple may follow the Pistons’ example with Beasley and just never get done.

Here are a few of the reported agreements that aren’t yet finalized:

Hawks/Vince Carter: There’s a simple explanation for why Carter has yet to put pen to paper with the Hawks after committing to the team way back on August 5: Atlanta is the only team that still has any real cap room available. Signing Carter would cut into that room by about $1.62MM, so the club is presumably scouring the trade market to see if it can maximize its cap flexibility before having to give up some of that flexibility.
Pistons/Joe Johnson: After the Pistons’ deal with Beasley was scuttled, it’s extremely unlikely that the same thing will happen with Iso Joe. Still, it’s worth noting that even though the two sides reached a deal on Thursday, it’s not officially done yet.
Timberwolves/Tyus Battle: A report surfaced shortly after the draft ended in June indicating that the Wolves would sign Battle to an Exhibit 10 contract. Agreements reported in June – before the new league year begins – are the ones most frequently uncompleted. In some cases, a team or player will decide to go in a new direction; in other cases the team simply intended to bring the player to Summer League rather than to training camp and the deal was misreported. In Battle’s case, the fact that his deal was specifically reported as an Exhibit 10 pact means it should still happen in the coming weeks.
Hornets/Kobi Simmons and Celtics/Kaiser Gates: It has been 12 days since Simmons’ deal was reported and 10 days since we heard Gates would sign with Boston. Neither agreement appears to be in any jeopardy though. In fact, Charlotte’s G League affiliate recently acquired Simmons’ NBAGL rights and Boston’s affiliate did the same for Gates. That’s a signal that both players will ultimately end up in the G League — by signing Exhibit 10 contracts with those NBA teams, they’ll be eligible to receive $50K bonuses as a result of their time in the NBAGL.

Categories:
Hoops Rumors Originals

Poll: Andre Iguodala’s Future

September 15th, 2019 at 2:32pm CST by Luke Adams

The Grizzlies, Andre Iguodala, and Iguodala’s potential suitors appear to be engaged in a game of chicken as training camps approach for the 2019/20 season.

Memphis acquired Iguodala in an offseason trade with the Warriors, but the move was a straight salary dump for Golden State and the Grizzlies are in rebuilding mode, so it seemed as if the former Finals MVP would push for a trade or buyout to join a contender.

For now though, the Grizzlies appear unwilling to seriously engage in buyout talks, having indicated that they’d like to start the season with Iguodala serving as a veteran mentor to their young prospects. Meanwhile, teams that might be interested in acquiring Iguodala via trade or buyout also seem content to wait, recognizing that the veteran swingman should eventually become available either at a more reasonable trade cost or as a free agent.

Iguodala’s camp would probably like to speed up the process, but unless the former Warrior is willing to surrender a large chunk of his $17MM salary in a buyout agreement, he has little leverage to force the Grizzlies’ hand.

A trade partner could potentially land Iguodala sooner rather than later by offering Memphis a first-round pick without a cumbersome multiyear contract attached, but it doesn’t seem as if any team is desperate enough to pay that price at this point.

With Iguodala’s outlook for 2019/20 still up in the air, we want you to weigh in. Will his situation be resolved before the season begins, or will he have to wait until closer to the trade deadline? And when the Grizzlies eventually trade him or buy him out, which contender will he join?

Vote in our poll on Iguodala’s timeline, then jump into the comment section below to share your thoughts on his next destination!

Trade Rumors app users, click here to vote.

Community Shootaround: Is Team USA Still The World’s Best?

September 14th, 2019 at 8:59pm CST by Arthur Hill

At least they were better than Poland.

Team USA wrapped up a disappointing World Cup experience this morning with a 13-point win over the Polish contingent in a battle for seventh place. It’s not what the Americans expected going into the tournament or where they appeared to be headed when the invitations for training camp went out last month.

But that was before Anthony Davis passed on the chance to play in China, followed by James Harden, Eric Gordon, Bradley Beal, Damian Lillard, Tobias Harris, Kevin Love and a host of other NBA stars. The final 12-man roster didn’t have enough shooting, size or cohesiveness to compete with the world’s best teams, resulting in the worst finish for the Americans in a major tournament since NBA players started participating in 1992.

It’s easy to dismiss this year’s results and expect Team USA to be back on top at the 2020 Olympics. But Kobe Bryant, who helped re-establish American dominance after a similar performance in 2004, isn’t buying it.

“It’s not a matter of the rest of the world catching up to the U.S., it’s that the rest of the world has been caught up for quite some time,” Bryant told Brian Windhorst of ESPN. “And it’s to the point now where us in the U.S. are going to win some, we’re going lose some. And that’s just how it goes.”

Windhorst believes the Americans didn’t underachieve, but finished about where their talent level should indicate. They lost to France and Serbia in the tournament and dropped an exhibition game to Australia, leaving their overall record at 7-3. It would have been 6-4 if not for a fortunate win over a Turkish team that let a victory slip away because of missed free throws.

Whatever the roster looks like for 2020, Team USA won’t have the overwhelming talent advantage it has gotten used to in Olympic play. LeBron James will be 35. Kevin Durant may still be awaiting his return from an Achilles injury. Kawhi Leonard has never played in an Olympics or World Cup and isn’t a sure thing to participate.

As Bryant noted, the rest of the world has been catching up for a while. Many teams are filled with NBA players and work together frequently, while the Americans will be starting from scratch when Olympic training camp begins.

We want to get your opinion. Does the World Cup performance mean that Team USA’s Olympic crown is in jeopardy?

Head to our comment section below to share your feedback.

Hoops Rumors Originals: 9/7/19 – 9/14/19

September 14th, 2019 at 5:19pm 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:

Our Offseason in Review series spotlighted the Knicks.
This week’s Community Shootaround discussions focused on:
This week’s poll, published in the wake of Team USA’s elimination, asked which team would win the 2019 World Cup.

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Hoops Rumors Originals

2019 Offseason In Review: New York Knicks

September 13th, 2019 at 3:52pm CST by Luke Adams

Signings:

Standard contracts:
- Julius Randle: Three years, $56.7MM. Third year partially guaranteed ($4MM). Signed using cap room.
- Bobby Portis: Two years, $30.75MM. Second-year team option. Signed using cap room.
- Taj Gibson: Two years, $18.5MM. Second year partially guaranteed ($1MM). Signed using cap room.
- Wayne Ellington: Two years, $16MM. Second year partially guaranteed ($1MM). Signed using cap room.
- Elfrid Payton: Two years, $16MM. Second year partially guaranteed ($1MM). Signed using cap room.
- Marcus Morris: One year, $15MM. Signed using cap room.
- Reggie Bullock: Two years, $8.2MM. Second year partially guaranteed ($1MM). Signed using room exception.
Two-way contracts:
- None
Non-guaranteed camp contracts:
- Amir Hinton: One year, minimum salary (Exhibit 10).
- V.J. King: One year, minimum salary (Exhibit 10).
- Lamar Peters: One year, minimum salary (Exhibit 10).
- Kenny Wooten: One year, minimum salary (Exhibit 10).

Trades:

Acquired the draft rights to Ignas Brazdeikis (No. 47 pick) from the Kings in exchange for the draft rights to Kyle Guy (No. 55 pick) and cash ($1MM).

Draft picks:

1-3: RJ Barrett — Signed to rookie contract.
2-47: Ignas Brazdeikis — Signed to three-year, minimum salary contract. Third year team option. Signed using cap room.

Departing players:

Henry Ellenson (declined team option)
Billy Garrett (declined team option)
Mario Hezonja
Isaiah Hicks (two-way)
John Jenkins (declined team option)
DeAndre Jordan
Luke Kornet
Emmanuel Mudiay
Lance Thomas (waived)
Noah Vonleh

Other offseason news:

Reggie Bullock underwent surgery for cervical disc herniation.
Damyean Dotson underwent surgery on torn labrum.
Hired Mike Miller as assistant coach.

Salary cap situation:

Used cap space; now over the cap.
Carrying approximately $112.6MM in salary.
$767K of room exception still available ($4MM used on Reggie Bullock).

Story of the summer:

As the Knicks and their fans endured a forgettable 17-65 season in 2018/19, optimism persisted that better days were around the corner.

Rumors that free agents like Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving were strongly considering a move to New York swirled all season long, especially after the Knicks traded Kristaps Porzingis to Dallas to create a second maximum-salary slot.

While the Porzingis blockbuster was criticized by a wide swath of Knicks fans, most of those fans were at least cautiously hopeful that the deal signaled how confident the front office was in landing two stars in free agency. That belief became even more prevalent after team owner James Dolan offered the following assessment in March: “From what we’ve heard, we’re going to have a very successful offseason.”

You know by now how things actually played out. The Knicks weren’t seriously considered by any of the very best free agents on the market, and just hours into free agency – after missing out on its top targets – the organization put out a public statement to address fans’ disappointment, re-wording and re-issuing that statement moments later to insert a mention of the team’s “core of young players” in its rebuilding plans.

Rather than landing a pair of stars to jumpstart their ascent to contention, the Knicks ended up signing a series of veteran role players to short-term contracts. Those players will likely help the franchise win more games in 2019/20, but New York’s coaching staff will have to walk a fine line in balancing playing time for its incoming veterans with minutes for that “core of young players” the club is still determined to develop.

The short-term contracts those veteran free agents signed will allow New York to retain salary cap flexibility for the next two summers. But there’s no reason at this point to expect the Knicks to have any more success recruiting stars in 2020 or 2021 than they did this summer. There’s still plenty of work to be done to rehab the unflattering reputation the franchise has earned in recent years.

Key offseason losses:

After striking out on their top targets on the open market, the Knicks could have retained some of their own veteran free agents, but opted to let virtually all of them walk. Among those players, DeAndre Jordan, Emmanuel Mudiay, Noah Vonleh, and Mario Hezonja were perhaps the most notable.

Jordan was supposed to help recruit Durant and Irving to the Knicks, but joined the duo across town in Brooklyn instead. As for Mudiay, Vonleh, and Hezonja, it seems as though they and/or the Knicks had little interest in new deals — none of them signed for more than $2MM with their new teams, so it’s not as if New York couldn’t have afforded them.

Although the Knicks lost some veteran leadership in the frontcourt when they waived Lance Thomas, he was no longer an effective on-court performer by the end of last season. Luke Kornet, a seven-footer who made 36.0% of his three-point attempts in two seasons with New York, is also gone.

Key offseason additions:

With plenty of cap room available and no stars to use it on, the Knicks committed over $40MM of their 2019/20 team salary to Julius Randle, Bobby Portis, and Elfrid Payton. While New York had to spend its money somehow in order to reach the salary floor, it was a little surprising to see the club invest so heavily in this group of players rather than using its cap flexibility to accommodate salary dumps.

As we saw in trades that sent Andre Iguodala to Memphis, Maurice Harkless to the Clippers, and Allen Crabbe to Atlanta, teams around the NBA were willing to attach first-round picks to unwanted contracts this summer.

Taking on one or two of those unwanted contracts could have helped the Knicks stockpile future assets. It also could’ve helped create more opportunities to get their young prospects consistent playing time while not necessarily compromising their ability to acquire veteran talent — Iguodala, Harkless, and Crabbe all figure to play rotation minutes this year.

Instead, the Knicks will move forward with players like Randle, Portis, and Payton, who have put up big per-game numbers for lottery teams throughout their respective careers. Of the three, only Portis has ever appeared in the postseason, having played a bench role for a 2016/17 Bulls team that was eliminated in the first round.

Incoming veteran free agents Taj Gibson and Wayne Ellington have better records of success, but they’re no more than role players at this point in their respective careers (Gibson is 34 years old, while Ellington will turn 32 in November). Reggie Bullock would have been a solid addition to the rotation, but he’s not healthy, having undergone cervical disc surgery in July. It remains to be seen when he’ll make his Knicks debut.

The Knicks’ best free agent addition of the summer might have been Marcus Morris, whom the team snatched away from the Spurs after he had already reached a tentative agreement to sign with San Antonio. But that signing came after New York had already signed Randle, Portis, and Gibson, three players who essentially play the same position as Morris. Perhaps Morris can slide down to small forward, though it’s hard to imagine many effective lineups that feature more than two of those players.

While New York’s approach in free agency may have been questionable, the team’s most important acquisition happened in June. RJ Barrett, the No. 3 overall pick in the 2019 draft, figures to play a more crucial role on the Knicks’ next playoff team than any free agents signed this summer. Fans were disappointed not to land the No. 1 overall pick and Zion Williamson, but Barrett’s star potential shouldn’t be understated — he could eventually develop into one of the NBA’s best perimeter scorers.

Outlook for 2019/20:

Once it became clear that the Knicks weren’t going to sign Durant, Irving, or other star free agents, it was always going to be an uphill battle for the franchise to “win” the offseason. It’s at least a step in the right direction that the front office didn’t make any misguided long-term commitments to lesser options, a la Joakim Noah in 2016.

Still, while this stopgap Knicks team should win more than 17 games, it doesn’t look like a serious playoff threat, even in the league’s lesser conference. The club’s primary goals should be getting good value for its veteran trade chips before February’s deadline and making sure that young players like Barrett, Kevin Knox, and Dennis Smith Jr. get plenty of opportunities to play and improve over the course of the season.

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

Community Shootaround: 2019/20 MVP Contenders

September 13th, 2019 at 10:20am CST by Luke Adams

After Giannis Antetokounmpo beat out James Harden in a competitive two-man race for the 2018/19 NBA Most Valuable Player award, oddsmakers have made Antetokounmpo the favorite to earn MVP honors again in 2019/20.

BetOnline gives Antetokounmpo +350 odds to win the MVP award next season, meaning you’d have to risk $100 to win $350. Over at Bovada, Giannis is considered an even stronger frontrunner, with +300 odds.

Still, there are plenty of contenders who could spoil an Antetokounmpo repeat. Both Bovada and BetOnline give Stephen Curry the second-best MVP odds, with LeBron James, Anthony Davis, James Harden, and Kawhi Leonard, and Joel Embiid rounding out the top seven candidates.

An MVP case often relies heavily on both team success and narrative, which helped Giannis win the award this past spring — the Bucks won a season-high 60 games thanks in large part to his excellence on both ends of the court. It’s easy to imagine making a similar case for the Greek Freak next year if Milwaukee once again finishes first in the East. On the other hand, if the Sixers grab the No. 1 seed, Embiid might have a stronger case.

In the West, Curry is a popular pick now that Kevin Durant is no longer in the picture, since the league’s premier sharpshooter will be back to carrying the Warriors‘ offensive load like he did during his previous two MVP seasons — his scoring responsibilities will be even greater with Klay Thompson on the shelf for much of the season. Harden, meanwhile, is a perennial contender for the award, and LeBron, AD, and Kawhi could be in the mix if one of the L.A. teams finishes atop the West.

Among the dark horse candidates for the award, my two favorite picks are Nikola Jokic and Damian Lillard.

Jokic (+1500 on Bovada, +1600 on BetOnline) is the lone superstar on the Nuggets‘ roster, and after finishing second in the West last season, it wouldn’t be a total shock if Denver takes another step forward and finishes with atop the conference. Jokic, who averaged 20.1 PPG, 10.8 RPG, and 7.3 APG in 2018/19, could theoretically approach a triple-double average and would have a strong case as the clear-cut best player on the West’s best team in that scenario.

Lillard (+2800 on Bovada, +2500 on BetOnline) would probably have to increase his numbers beyond his current career highs of 27.0 PPG and 6.9 APG and count on the Trail Blazers making a similar run to the top of the West in order to be considered a true MVP contender. But that’s not entirely out of the question. At age 29, he’s very much in his prime and may have one more leap left in him.

Finally, while I’m skeptical about his chances to legitimately compete for an MVP award this early in his career, it’s worth noting that Luka Doncic‘s MVP odds on BetOnline are +1600, compared to +5000 on Bovada — the latter is obviously a significant better value if you’re bullish on Doncic’s outlook and want to wager on his MVP chances.

What do you think? Who is your way-too-early pick for the 2020 NBA MVP award? Are there are any dark horses that you like as under-the-radar candidates?

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

Poll: Which Team Will Win 2019 World Cup?

September 11th, 2019 at 1:00pm CST by Luke Adams

Heading into the 2019 FIBA World Cup, Team USA was the odds-on favorite to bring home the gold medal, despite a roster lacking its usual star power. Serbia, led by Nikola Jokic, was considered the challenger with the best chance to knock off the Americans.

When the single-elimination portion of the tournament got underway, the two powerhouses appeared to be on track to meet in the semifinals. Two days later though, both USA and Serbia have been eliminated from medal contention and will instead meet in the loser’s bracket, with both clubs unable to place higher than fifth.

With the presumed top two teams in the tournament now eliminated, the World Cup is wide open, with a handful of programs very much in the mix for the gold. Here are the four remaining contenders:

Australia: The Boomers weren’t exactly dominating the early rounds of this tournament, but they managed to win all five of their round-robin games despite a modest point differential of +42 (the third-best mark in their second-round group of four teams). Led by NBA players like Patty Mills, Aron Baynes, and Joe Ingles, Australia beat the Czech Republic in the quarterfinals and will now face Spain in the semifinals.

Spain: Once considered the top international threat to Team USA, Spain had lost some talent – including longtime center Pau Gasol – entering this year’s event. But Marc Gasol, Ricky Rubio, Juan Hernangomez, and the rest of the Spaniards have had an impressive run in China this month, winning all six games they’ve played, including an upset over Serbia and a fairly comfortable win over Poland in the quarterfinals.

Argentina: They don’t have a single current NBA player on their roster, but the Argentinians have been as dangerous as ever in this year’s World Cup, compiling a 6-0 record that includes an impressive quarterfinal victory over Serbia. Former NBA players like Luis Scola, Patricio Garino, Nicolas Laprovittola have helped lead the way, with EuroLeague point guard Facundo Campazzo dishing out 8.0 assists per game.

France: Of the remaining contenders, France is the only team that has lost a game in the World Cup, having fallen to Australia by a single basket in the second round. However, the French squad is also the only team that knocked off the U.S. in the tournament, and will look to carry that momentum into a semifinal showdown with Argentina. NBA veterans Rudy Gobert and Evan Fournier have been France’s anchors, with Nicolas Batum, Frank Ntilikina, and Nando De Colo also playing key roles.

What do you think? Which of the four remaining teams do you think will win two more games and take home World Cup gold?

Vote in our poll, then head to the comment section below to make your case!

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Community Shootaround: Bring Back The SuperSonics?

September 7th, 2019 at 9:04pm CST by Arthur Hill

Jack Sikma dedicated part of his Hall of Fame induction speech Friday night to campaigning for a return of the SuperSonics. Sikma was one of Seattle’s most recognizable players and part of its only NBA championship team in 1979. His number 43 is among seven that have been retired by the franchise.

“To all the diehard Sonic fans who proudly sport the green and gold … there’s a hole in Seattle that needs to be filled,” Sikma said in comments relayed by Anthony Olivieri of ESPN The Magazine. “Speaking for all Sonics fans, it’s our great hope that the NBA will soon find a pathway to bring a franchise back to Seattle. It’s time.”

The Sonics were a beloved part of the Pacific Northwest from their creation in 1967 until Clay Bennett moved them to Oklahoma City in 2008. Although it has since been broken, the team set a league attendance record by averaging 21,725 fans per night during the 1979/80 season.

Hope for a return was reignited by a new $900MM facility that will serve as home to Seattle’s expansion NHL team, which begins play in 2021. The building sits on the site of the former KeyArena, and fans in the area hope it will eventually house the Sonics as well.

Although Seattle has been rumored to be atop the NBA’s expansion list ever since the original team left, there’s no indication that the league plans to add teams any time soon. NBA commissioner Adam Silver has repeatedly thrown cold water on the idea.

“There’s no doubt there are a number of cities in the United States that could host NBA basketball, but we analogize it to selling equity,” he said in July. “I think we would want to make sure at the time we expanded we felt it would help grow the entire league and not just support the NBA in that particular city.”

What do you think? Does it make sense for the NBA to add another team or two right now? Or is it smarter to wait, regardless of the emotional attachment that many have to the Sonics?

Head to our comment section below to share your feedback.

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