Hoops Rumors Originals

Poll: Will Pistons Make Playoffs In 2019/20?

August 26th, 2019 at 12:12pm CST by Luke Adams

No NBA playoff team from the 2018/19 season came closer to missing the postseason than the 41-41 Pistons, who finished just two games ahead of the Hornets and Heat (39-41).

Now, with the 2019/20 NBA season fast approaching, no team has closer to even odds to make the playoffs next spring than the Pistons, according to BetOnline.ag. The betting site gives Detroit -155 odds to miss the postseason and +135 odds to make it. That means that if you bet $100 on the Pistons to be a playoff team and they come through, you’d win $135 — if you think they’re a lottery team, you’d have to risk $155 to win $100.

Based on the rest of the Eastern teams’ playoff odds at BetOnline.ag, it’s easy to understand the bookmakers’ logic. The Bucks, Raptors, Sixers, Celtics, Pacers, Nets, and Magic – all of whom made the postseason a year ago – are viewed as favorites to finish ahead of the Pistons again in 2019/20. Meanwhile, the Heat are considered the most likely club to join that group of seven, leapfrogging the Pistons in the projected standings after adding star swingman Jimmy Butler.

Unlike Miami, the Pistons didn’t make any splashy free agent or trade acquisitions this summer. Sure, they signed a former MVP, but at this point Derrick Rose is a solid role player, not a difference-making star. Detroit’s list of modest additions also included forwards Markieff Morris, Tony Snell, and rookie Sekou Doumbouya, along with veteran point guard Tim Frazier.

Now that Andre Drummond, Blake Griffin, and Reggie Jackson have a full year together under their belts, perhaps they’ll reach new heights in 2019/20, but it might be too optimistic to count on all three players to suit up for 75+ games again, especially given Griffin’s and Jackson’s injury histories.

Still, there are reasons to be bullish on the Pistons. Head coach Dwane Casey is a proven winner – at least in the regular season – and rotation players like Luke Kennard, Bruce Brown, and Thon Maker are still young enough to take major steps forward. Drummond will be motivated to have a huge contract year, and Jackson finally looks fully healthy. With some good injury luck, the Pistons should have no problem staying in the playoff hunt.

What do you think? Are the Pistons a playoff team in 2019/20? Will last year’s seven postseason representatives and the Heat make the playoffs in the East, or is there another dark horse contender you like ahead of Detroit?

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

Trade Rumors app users, click here to vote.

Bucks, Knicks Carrying Most 2019/20 Dead Money

August 26th, 2019 at 11:01am CST by Luke Adams

Over three-quarters of the NBA’s 30 teams are carrying some sort of “dead money” on their salary cap for the 2019/20 season. This dead money is created as a result of having, at some point, waived a player who had guaranteed money left on his contract.

In some cases, teams are carrying cap hits for players even though they released them several years ago. That’s the case in Brooklyn, for instance, where the Nets have a $5,474,787 cap charge for Deron Williams this season — the Nets cut Williams in 2015.

In other situations, the dead money is a result of having waived a player within the last couple months. The Heat, for example, created $5,214,584 in dead money on their ’19/20 cap when they released Ryan Anderson in July. Because Anderson’s remaining guaranteed money was stretched across three seasons, he’ll count for that amount annually on Miami’s cap through 2021/22.

The dead money total for most teams will increase over the course of the season. A few players on guaranteed contracts will be cut when rosters are reduced to 15 players in October. Some clubs will carry players on non-guaranteed contracts for a little while, then waive them before their full salaries guarantee, leaving a partial cap charge on their books. Expired 10-day contracts are also a common source of dead money later in the season.

A year ago at this time, the Hawks and Nets were each carrying more than $24MM in dead money on their books, but no team is anywhere near that amount for 2019/20 at this point. In 2018, Atlanta and Brooklyn acquired draft picks and pricey salary-dump contracts, then waived those players, but most teams this year have kept the players they acquired in salary-dump trades.

For instance, the Hawks still have Allen Crabbe on their roster, while Andre Iguodala remains under contract with the Grizzlies. If veterans like Crabbe and Iguodala are cut at some point, the dead-money totals for those teams will increase substantially.

Currently, the Bucks are carrying the most dead money for the 2019/20 season, with a mix of stretched salaries from years past (Larry Sanders, Spencer Hawes) and more recent cuts (Jon Leuer, George Hill).

Here’s the full list of 2019/20 dead money by team, as of August 26, starting with those Bucks:

Milwaukee Bucks: $8,041,952
New York Knicks: $6,431,667
Orlando Magic: $5,906,667
Miami Heat: $5,664,671
Memphis Grizzlies: $5,498,511
- Note: This is an estimate based on Dwight Howard‘s reported buyout and the assumption that the Grizzlies aren’t stretching his cap hit.
Brooklyn Nets: $5,474,787
Detroit Pistons: $5,331,729
Portland Trail Blazers: $5,091,108
San Antonio Spurs: $5,074,856
Los Angeles Lakers: $5,000,000
Phoenix Suns: $3,440,000
Indiana Pacers: $2,245,400
Sacramento Kings: $2,133,541
Oklahoma City Thunder: $1,736,267
Cleveland Cavaliers: $1,456,667
Boston Celtics: $1,131,937
Toronto Raptors: $1,000,000
Washington Wizards: $1,000,000
Dallas Mavericks: $708,426
Minnesota Timberwolves: $685,340
Golden State Warriors: $666,667
Houston Rockets: $122,741
Atlanta Hawks: $100,000
Charlotte Hornets: $0
Chicago Bulls: $0
Denver Nuggets: $0
Los Angeles Clippers: $0
New Orleans Pelicans: $0
Philadelphia 76ers: $0
Utah Jazz: $0

Carrying a significant amount of dead money doesn’t necessarily mean a team has mismanaged its cap, and carrying little to no dead money isn’t a concrete sign of solid cap management. Still, contending clubs generally want to be spending as much of their cap space as possible on players who are actually suiting up for the team.

Over the course of the 2019/20 campaign, we’ll likely see several rebuilding teams inch up a few spots on this list as they jettison veterans in favor of younger projects, or cycle through prospects on 10-day contracts.

Contract information from Basketball Insiders and Early Bird Rights was used in the creation of this post.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Trade Rumors App For iOS/Android

August 26th, 2019 at 10:11am 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!

Categories:
Hoops Rumors Originals

Community Shootaround: Rookie Scale Extension Candidates

August 26th, 2019 at 9:00am CST by Luke Adams

Caris LeVert‘s contract agreement with the Nets on Sunday marked the third time this offseason that a player eligible for a rookie scale extension has reached a deal with his team.

Heading into July, 20 players were eligible for rookie scale extensions. So far, Ben Simmons, Jamal Murray, and LeVert have received them, leaving 17 players still up in the air. Not all of those players are legitimate candidates for new deals, but many of them figure to enter negotiations with their respective clubs, and they still have plenty of time to work something out before the October 21 deadline.

Rookie scale extensions haven’t been completed quite as frequently within the last couple years as they were in the past, but five deals were reached last year and four occurred in 2017. In other words, we can probably count on at least one or two more happening before the 2019/20 season begins.

Pascal Siakam (Raptors), Domantas Sabonis (Pacers), Buddy Hield (Kings), and Jaylen Brown (Celtics) are among the most productive players who remain eligible for rookie scale extensions. Their teams would certainly like to lock them up long-term, but it might be in the players’ best interests to wait.

After all, if any of their teams were willing to put a max contract on the table right now though, a deal would likely already be done — that’s why Simmons and Murray didn’t waste much time in agreeing to their new pacts. And while a max contract may not be waiting in free agency for the likes of Sabonis, Hield, and Brown, the 2020 unrestricted free agent class projects to be weak. There could very well be teams willing to overpay on huge offer sheets for the top restricted free agents.

The Pelicans seem unlikely to invest heavily in Brandon Ingram before he suits up in a single game for the franchise, but a bridge deal like the one LeVert is signing with Brooklyn could make sense for another player who has dealt with health issues: Dejounte Murray. This offseason might be the Spurs‘ best chance to lock up Murray at a team-friendly rate, since he appeared poised for a breakout before tearing his ACL last fall.

Dario Saric (Suns), Taurean Prince (Nets), and Damian Jones (Hawks) are the other extension-eligible players who changed teams this offseason — new deals seem like long shots unless their clubs really like what they see in the preseason.

Role players who could sign modest rookie scale extensions if the price is right include Malik Beasley (Nuggets), Juan Hernangomez (Nuggets), Thon Maker (Pistons), DeAndre’ Bembry (Hawks), and Jakob Poeltl (Spurs).

Bulls guards Kris Dunn and Denzel Valentine and Trail Blazers big man Skal Labissiere are the remaining players eligible for rookie scale extensions. Valentine is the best extension candidate of the three, but I’d be surprised if any one of them signs a new deal.

What do you think? Are more rookie scale extensions are on the way before the season begins? Which of the eligible players do you think are most likely to sign new deals, and what would a fair price be in those cases?

Head to the comment section below to join the discussion!

Community Shootaround: Best Available Veteran Center

August 25th, 2019 at 7:03pm CST by JD Shaw

With the Lakers claiming another veteran center off the open market by agreeing to a one-year deal with Dwight Howard, it’s time to take a look at the best remaining veteran big men who still don’t have a job for next season.

In addition to Howard, Los Angeles worked out the likes of Joakim Noah and Marreese Speights, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, ultimately choosing a reunion with the eight-time All-Star and three-time Defensive Player of the Year. Noah was also said to impress the Lakers, with Speights being unable to attract enough interest for an offer.

Speights, 32, also worked out for nearly 20 teams just over a month ago in Las Vegas, eager to showcase he still has enough in the tank for another run. Only a handful of NBA clubs were in attendance of those 20 teams, which mostly consisted of groups from overseas, according to a league source. The Lakers had kept tabs on Speights throughout the summer as a potential back-up option in the frontcourt.

Noah, 34, is coming off an underrated season that saw him average 7.1 points, 5.7 rebounds and 0.7 blocks in just 16.5 minutes per contest with Memphis. A two-time All-Star in his own regard, Noah hasn’t played over 50 games in a single season since the 2014/15 campaign with Chicago, though many league observers believe he can still contribute off the bench for a playoff team.

Other veteran free agent centers include Marcin Gortat, Kenneth Faried, Nene, Zaza Pachulia, Willie Reed, Salah Mejri, Jason Smith, Alexis Ajinca and more.

Which of these players is the most valuable option for a team still seeking an experienced center this season? Is there a player not mentioned above that you believe deserves to be? Take to the comments section below!

Five Key Stories: 8/17/19 – 8/24/19

August 24th, 2019 at 6:21pm CST by Arthur Hill

If you missed any of this past week’s biggest headlines from around the NBA, we’ve got you covered with our Week in Review. Here are some of the most noteworthy stories from the last seven days:

Dwight Howard completed an unlikely return to the Lakers this week, reaching an agreement to sign with L.A. once he clears waivers. He consented to a buyout deal with the Grizzlies and was waived this morning. Howard had a messy parting with the franchise when he left as a free agent in 2013, but an ACL injury to DeMarcus Cousins last week created an opening for him to return.

The final roster decision for the U.S. World Cup team was simplified when a sore left ankle took Kyle Kuzma out of the running. Team USA suffered its first international loss in 13 years earlier today when Australia pulled off a 98-94 victory in an exhibition game.

The NBA and the Kings concluded their investigation into a sexual assault lawsuit filed against Sacramento coach Luke Walton. The league ruled that there isn’t enough evidence to take disciplinary action against Walton. His accuser, Kelli Tennant, refused to participate in the investigation.

The Hawks promoted Travis Schlenk to president of basketball operations and gave him a multi-year contract extension. Schlenk has put together one of the league’s most impressive collections of young talent since joining the organization in 2017.

Tyronn Lue reached an agreement to become part of Doc Rivers’ staff with the Clippers. Lue, who was considered the favorite to become the Lakers‘ next head coach earlier this summer, compiled a 128-83 record in Cleveland.

Here are 10 more noteworthy headlines from the past week:

In amendments to a lawsuit filed against his former representative, Pelicans rookie Zion Williamson alleges that Gina Ford and Prime Sports Marketing started recruiting him in January, three months before he declared for the NBA draft.
Williamson and Grizzlies guard Ja Morant are the favorites to be named Rookie of the Year in a survey of their peers. However, it’s been more than a decade since that survey picked the correct winner.
Some WNBA players are discussing a work stoppage that could wipe out all of next season. The league’s base salary is about $75K and the average player makes $116K, but attendance is down and a $12MM loss was reported last year.
There’s speculation that the Thunder will be patient in their effort to trade Chris Paul. Oklahoma City found few takers in its attempt to move Paul after acquiring him from Houston, and the front office hopes to build some leverage before trying again.
A source says Bradley Beal would give “serious consideration” to joining the Heat if he can’t work out a long-term deal with the Wizards. Beal is eligible for an extension this summer, but he plans to wait until Washington can make a larger offer before deciding on his future.
Rockets forward P.J. Tucker said he’s optimistic about an extension with the team. Tucker will make $8.3MM this season, but only has a $2.57MM guarantee on his $7.97MM salary for 2020/21.
Free agent power forward Trevor Booker is getting interest from three of the NBA’s top teams. Booker worked out for the Nuggets this week and has upcoming sessions with the Bucks and Clippers.
Veteran guard Isaiah Canaan has reached a deal to play in China this season. The 28-year-old will join Shandong in the Chinese Basketball Association.
Jerryd Bayless, who split last season between the Sixers and Timberwolves, is also headed to China. The 31-year-old guard signed with the Sichuan Blue Whales.
Long-time Maverick J.J. Barea officially signed up for another year with the franchise. He is still recovering from an Achilles tear and hopes to be ready for training camp.

Photo courtesy of USA Sports Images.

Hoops Rumors Originals: 8/17/19 – 8/24/19

August 24th, 2019 at 1:22pm CST by ChrisCrouse

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:

With so many players finding themselves on new teams, there’s a long list of players who can’t be traded for a while. Luke Adams detailed which players can’t be traded until December 15 and which ones can’t be dealt until January 15.
Depth could be a major problem for the Heat this upcoming season and that means the team’s two-way contract players may have to step up. We examined Miami’s roster and some candidates for those two spots.
Luke Adams examined which 2020 first-round picks have already changed hands.
Did you know we had a free agent tracker? While it is an intuitive product, we provided some details on the tracker and how it’s updated.
Prior to Dwight Howard signing with the Lakers, we conducted a poll on the team’s options at center. Nearly 40% of our readers who participated believed the team should sign Howard. Roughly 25% believed in Joakim Noah with the remainder opting for either another center or standing pat.
This week in our Community Shootaround discussions, we focused on:
- Howard’s return to Hollywood.
- How successful the Nets will be this upcoming season.
- How the Warriors will rebound after losing several veterans.

Categories:
Hoops Rumors Originals

Community Shootaround: Nets’ Outlook

August 21st, 2019 at 2:30pm CST by Dana Gauruder

There’s plenty of excitement in Brooklyn these days after the Nets signed two top free agents, Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant (though technically Durant came in a sign-and-trade with the Warriors).

The only thing putting a damper on that excitement is Durant’s Achilles injury. While Durant is making good progress rehabbing the ruptured tendon, it’s unlikely he’ll play in the upcoming season.

The Nets essentially swapped out point guards with the more accomplished Irving replacing D’Angelo Russell, who wound up with Golden State. The team added another veteran free agent, DeAndre Jordan, though the Nets already had a promising young center in Jarrett Allen.

That could lead to some playing time issues for coach Kenny Atkinson. Several other players have blossomed under Atkinson’s tutelage in recent seasons, including Caris LeVert, Joe Harris and Spencer Dinwiddie. Forward Taurean Prince was acquired in a trade with the Hawks, who were a willing partner in a salary dump involving Allen Crabbe in order to acquire other assets. Forward Rodions Kurucs could make a major step forward in his second season if he improves his long-range stroke.

By all accounts, the oft-moody Irving is embracing a leadership role with his new team.

How all those pieces will fit while the franchise waits for the 2020/21 season, when Durant should be back to full strength, remains to be seen. Brooklyn reached the playoffs last season but got knocked out by the more talented Sixers, 4-1, in the opening round. Good chemistry played a role in its regular-season success but this is a different mix.

That leads us to our question of the day: Will the Nets make the playoffs again this upcoming season? If so, how deep of a postseason run can they make?

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

Examining The Heat’s Two-Way Contract Situation

August 20th, 2019 at 7:34pm CST by ChrisCrouse

The Heat have yet to utilize either of their two-way contracts slots, making them one of three rosters not to feature this type of deal (Raptors, Rockets). Jeremiah Martin, Chris Silva, and Kyle Alexander are each under Exhibit 10 contracts, and it’s plausible that the team will end up converting up to two of the three into two-way deals at some point before the season.

Two-way contracts, which allow players to split time between the NBA and the G League, were implemented during the 2017 season and there has been numerous instances where the players under these deals make an impact for their NBA squad. Quinn Cook (Warriors), Tyrone Wallace (Clippers), and Danuel House (Rockets) are among the players who have contributed to their respective team’s success.

Martin, Silva, and Alexander each suited up for the Miami’s summer league team in Las Vegas and each had impressive stints for the squad, which is why the franchise plans on bringing the trio to camp. Each will likely play for the team’s G League affiliate, the Sioux Falls Skyforce, should they not receive a two-way deal.

Examine Miami’s roster and its easy to find a need for additional depth. James Johnson, Dion Waiters, and Goran Dragic are among the players to miss extensive time with injuries last season. Kelly Olynyk is already nursing a knee injury that forced him to pull out of the World Cup and while the team brought back Udonis Haslem to man the 15th roster spot, the power forward hasn’t played more than 130 total minutes in a season since the Obama administration was in office.

Hitting on two-way players is critical for this team, as it will help mitigate the risk of sliding down the standings in the event of injuries and back-end of the roster ineffectiveness. The franchise only needs to look back at last season to such occurrences.

Miami’s salary cap situation makes its two-way contract slots even more crucial. The franchise sits less than $1MM below the apron, which represents a hard cap at as a result of the Jimmy Butler sign-and-trade. While many teams will have the ability to tinker with the back end of the rotation and replace players with guaranteed contracts who don’t fit. Miami has no such luxury; the organization had no margin for error here.

The Heat could ostensibly make moves, such as releasing Kendrick Nunn, whose contract is non-guaranteed, in order to make another addition to the official roster. It could also waive any guaranteed contract it wants without making an addition. However, those, like many of the paths for Miami to add talent, appears unlikely.

Two-way contracts do not count against the salary cap, though they allow players under these deal to spend up to 45 days in the NBA. Whether it’s a pair from the Silva/Martin/Alexander trio or other players who end up with those deals, Miami may need production from these spots even if it’s only a total of 90 days of NBA service.

Community Shootaround: Warriors’ Outlook

August 20th, 2019 at 3:07pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Stephen Curry has been saying all the right things this summer.

Curry remains upbeat about the Warriors’ prospects for the upcoming season despite Kevin Durant‘s departure to the Nets, Klay Thompson‘s knee injury and the loss of numerous other rotation players, including Andre Iguodala (trade) and Shaun Livingston (waived).

“It’s just a change in dynamic all the way around,” Curry said this month. “We’re excited about the opportunities, the challenges for the whole roster, because we’ve got a lot of guys that have the opportunity to really prove themselves and make a difference in our team. Obviously our core, ’til Klay gets back, we know how to win and we know how to play. We’re just going to do it a little differently.”

It’s uncertain if and when Thompson will return from his ACL injury. Most likely it will be after the All-Star break and the Warriors will certainly take a cautious approach with an All-Star who just signed a $190MM contract.

D’Angelo Russell was the team’s big offseason acquisition and it remains to be seen how he’ll mesh with Curry while playing off the ball. What they’ll do with Russell once Thompson is healthy enough to play is another major question mark.

The Warriors should have a decent one-two punch defensively at center with Kevon Looney and another off-season addition, Willie Cauley-Stein.

The remainder of the roster is dotted with young, unproven players and a couple of others trying to revive their careers. Their backup shooting guard options include Alec Burks, Jacob Evans and Jordan Poole. Alfonzo McKinnie, Glenn Robinson III, and two-way player Damion Lee are the main contenders at small forward while Omari Spellman, Alen Smailagic and Eric Paschall are the other big man reserves.

Hardly an imposing lot. The good news is that the trio of Curry, Russell and Draymond Green — provided he’s motivated and stays in top shape — are better than the top three players on most other rosters. Additionally, Steve Kerr is one of the top coaches in the league and will be out to prove he can maximize the talent he has on the roster.

That brings us to our question of the day: Will the Warriors make the playoffs during the upcoming season? If so, what is their postseason ceiling?

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

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