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Hoops Rumors Glossary: Designated Rookies / Rose Rule

December 20th, 2018 at 11:44am CST by Luke Adams

The NBA’s designated rookie rule and the Derrick Rose rule (formally known as the 5th year, 30% max criteria) are two related – but separate – rules in the league’s Collective Bargaining Agreement that apply to players who are finishing up their rookie contracts.

These rules have been the subject of several Celtics-related discussions this season when the possibility of Boston acquiring Anthony Davis is broached. While the Rose rule is frequently cited as the reason why the Celtics can’t trade for Davis during the 2018/19 league year, it’s actually the designated rookie rule that applies in that situation.

Here’s a breakdown of how each rule works, and the differences between the two:

The Designated Rookie Rule:

The designated rookie rule allows a team to sign a player entering the fourth year of his rookie scale contract to a longer extension than usual. NBA contracts are typically limited to five total years, which means a player with one season left on his rookie contract could only get four new years tacked onto that deal. However, the designated rookie rule allows a team to give a player five new years on an extension, for a total of six years.

There is no performance criteria required for a player to qualify as a designated rookie — his team just has to make the determination that he’ll be a designated player. The starting salary in a designated rookie extension must be worth at least 25% of the cap, which is typically the maximum salary for a player with fewer than seven years of NBA experience. In some cases, a player’s max can exceed 25%, but that’s getting into Rose rule territory, so we’ll put it on the back-burner for now.

The designated rookie rule only applies to a player who signs an extension before the final year of his rookie contract. If a player finishes his rookie contract, then signs a new five-year contract with his team when he hits restricted free agency, it may ultimately look the same as a designated rookie extension in terms of years and dollars, but he wouldn’t technically be considered a designated rookie.

An NBA team is permitted to have up to two designated rookies on its roster at a time. However, only one of those two designated rookies can be acquired via trade. This is why the Celtics can’t acquire Davis during the 2018/19 season.

Boston already traded for one player who is on a designated rookie extension – Kyrie Irving – so the only way to trade for Davis during the ’18/19 league year would be to get rid of Irving, which isn’t happening. With Irving expected to opt out of his contract to become a free agent during the summer of 2019, the Celtics would no longer have Irving on that designated rookie extension, and would be permitted to trade for Davis starting in July.

Irving’s deal will expire before Jayson Tatum is eligible for a rookie scale extension of his own, but even if the two contracts overlapped, it wouldn’t be an issue — teams can have up to two designated rookies at a time as long as they only traded for one of them, so the Celtics could make Tatum a designated rookie even if they already had one on their roster.

That two-per-team limit applies even if a team waives a player before his designated rookie extension is up. For instance, if a club has a player on a designated rookie extension through 2020/21 and waives him now, he would still count toward that team’s designated rookie limit until 2021, when his contract would have expired.

Derrick Rose Rule:

While the designated rookie rule allows a player to sign a longer extension with his current team, the Rose rule allows that player to sign for a larger-than-usual salary with his club. The rule, which was created after Rose won the MVP while playing on his rookie contract, allows young stars to qualify for a higher maximum salary – 30% of the cap instead of 25% – early in their careers.

Although we colloquially refer to this rule as the Rose rule, it’s technically known in the CBA as the 5th year, 30% max criteria, since a player has to meet certain criteria to qualify for the higher maximum salary in his fifth NBA season. A player becomes eligible for the 30% max when at least one of the following is true:

  • The player was named to an All-NBA team in the most recent season, or in two of the past three seasons.
  • The player was named Defensive Player of the Year in the most recent season, or in two of the past three seasons.
  • The player was named Most Valuable Player in any of the past three seasons.

A player signing a rookie scale extension can receive the higher Rose-rule max if his extension covers at least four new years. A player signing a free agent contract can also be eligible for the Rose-rule max, if he’s coming off his four-year rookie contract, or if he’s a former second-round pick or undrafted free agent with four years of experience, and is re-signing with his current team.

For instance, if the Nuggets had exercised Nikola Jokic‘s team option for the 2018/19 season, he would have been an unrestricted free agent in 2019 with four years of NBA service. Denver could have made him a Rose-rule extension offer at that point if he had made an All-NBA team this season.

Of course, just because a player is eligible for a Rose-rule extension, that doesn’t mean a team has to offer a starting salary worth the full 30% max. That’s still a matter of negotiation between the player and team, and a starting salary between 25-30% is possible.

Teams and players can also negotiate conditional maximum starting salaries that hinge on the player’s performance. For example, when the Suns extended Devin Booker this past offseason, they included the following criteria for Booker’s starting salary:

  • 25% of the cap if Booker doesn’t make an All-NBA Team in 2018/19.
  • 27.5% of the cap if he’s named to the All-NBA Third Team.
  • 28.5% of the cap if he’s named to the All-NBA Second Team.
  • 30% of the cap if he’s named to the All-NBA First Team.

Booker’s new extension is a prime example of both of these rules at work — the designated rookie rule ensures that he got a five-year extension and will limit Phoenix to one other designated rookie for the duration of Booker’s contract. The Rose rule will ensure that he gets a higher starting salary than the 25% max if he has an All-NBA season, though that looks like a long shot at this point.

While the two rules are closely linked, a player can be a designated rookie without receiving a Rose-rule max, and vice versa.

The NBA’s Collective Bargaining Agreement also includes the designated veteran rule, which combines aspects of both the designated rookie and Rose rules, but applies to players with more years of experience. We explain that concept in a separate glossary entry.

Note: This is a Hoops Rumors Glossary entry. Our glossary posts will explain specific rules relating to trades, free agency, or other aspects of the NBA’s Collective Bargaining Agreement. Larry Coon’s Salary Cap FAQ was used in the creation of this post.

Earlier variations of this post were published in 2013 by Chuck Myron.

Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

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Poll: Eastern Conference Playoff Race

December 18th, 2018 at 2:57pm CST by Luke Adams

Four Eastern Conference teams have reached the 20-win mark so far, and all four clubs look like locks to earn spots in the postseason. The Raptors (23-9) still hold the lead in the standings, followed by the Bucks (20-9), Pacers (20-10), and Sixers (20-12).

That group of four doesn’t include the team that many observers expected to be the East’s top seed in 2018/19, but the Celtics (18-11) have come on strong lately, winning eight straight games before falling to Detroit on Saturday. That eight-game win streak didn’t exactly come against the most difficult stretch of their schedule, but the C’s still look like a surefire bet to make the playoffs.

That leaves us with five postseason locks in the East, with three spots available. No other team in the conference is currently above .500, so it’s probably too early to pencil in any clubs for the No. 6, No. 7, or No. 8 seed.

The contenders include…

  • Pistons (14-14): Blake Griffin is having perhaps the best year of his career so far, but he might need a little more help, as Detroit has lost seven of eight games since starting 13-7.
  • Hornets (14-15): Like Griffin in Detroit, Kemba Walker is carrying his team to a playoff spot for now, but may need more from his supporting cast to hang onto that spot. Charlotte has hovered right around .500 all season, never going more than one game over or two games under.
  • Magic (14-15): New head coach Steve Clifford has the Magic playing hard and exceeding expectations, with Nikola Vucevic having a huge season so far. Still, there are holes on the roster, including at point guard.
  • Heat (13-16): Miami has invested heavily in several players who are just good, not great, and some of those players are having a hard time staying healthy. There’s talent and depth on the roster, but no real star power.
  • Nets (13-18): Brooklyn appeared to be headed toward the bottom of the NBA’s standings after losing Caris LeVert to a major foot injury, but they’ve rebounded nicely, winning five games in a row since falling to 8-18.
  • Wizards (12-18): The Wizards got off to a 2-9 start and have appeared on the verge of turning the corner multiple times since then. However, they recently endured another four-game losing streak and remain well below .500. Their trade for Trevor Ariza signals that they still believe they’re a playoff team in a weak conference.

Given how weak the back half of the Eastern Conference has been so far this season, perhaps the Knicks (9-23), Cavaliers (7-23), Bulls (7-24), and Hawks (6-23) shouldn’t be ruled out of the playoff hunt, but it’s hard to imagine any of those clubs making a serious second-half run.

What do you think? Which of these relatively uninspiring clubs will join the Raptors, Bucks, Pacers, Sixers, and Celtics in the Eastern Conference playoffs when April rolls around?

Vote for your three choices below, then head down to the comment section to weigh in.

Trade Rumors app users, click here to vote.

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Community Shootaround: Brandon Ingram’s Outlook

December 18th, 2018 at 11:04am CST by Luke Adams

The Lakers have bounced back from a slow start to insert themselves directly in the middle of the Western Conference playoff picture, with their 18-12 record currently placing them fourth in the conference.

However, while things are mostly running smoothly in Los Angeles, the fit of top prospect Brandon Ingram alongside LeBron James has been the subject of some concern. Jonathan Tjarks of The Ringer explored the topic last week, and Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report revisited it on Monday, speaking to executives and scouts around the NBA to get their impressions on the pairing.

“I’m still a believer in Ingram,” one video analyst told Pincus. “He’s still learning what he can do on the court. It’s just a little harder to find yourself when you’re playing with LeBron.”

Another executive essentially agreed with that assessment, pointing out that Ingram has had a harder time adjusting to LeBron’s arrival than players like Kyle Kuzma and Josh Hart because they move better without the ball than Ingram does.

While Ingram, who is still just 21 years old, may eventually get more comfortable alongside LeBron, it will be interesting to see whether the Lakers have the patience to go through that learning process. The club has thus far been unwilling to include any of its top young prospects – Ingram, Kuzma, Hart, or Lonzo Ball – in trade packages for short-term help, but if a star becomes available, Ingram would be the sort of “1-A” prospect that could headline a package, one executive suggested to Pincus.

“The Lakers are in win-now mode,” an NBA player agent told Pincus. “Everything is on the table to appease LeBron. They’re going to make moves to bring in vets who fit around [James]. … I think they wait until the summer to look into a big move involving a player like Ingram. That gives them more time to get the best deal.”

The Lakers could ultimately use their cap room to add a second star in free agency in 2019, and may not need to use Ingram or their other youngsters as trade chips. However, if L.A. strikes out on the open market or wants to acquire a third star, Ingram is positioned to become a prime trade candidate.

What do you think? Does Ingram have a long-term future in Los Angeles? If so, will he and LeBron eventually develop into a complementary duo? Or do you envision the Lakers trading Ingram within the next year or two?

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Examining Suns’, Wizards’ Latest Roster Moves

December 18th, 2018 at 9:44am CST by Luke Adams

Shortly after completing their trade that sent Trevor Ariza to Washington and Kelly Oubre and Austin Rivers to Phoenix, the Suns and Wizards each lined up an additional roster move — the Suns are parting ways with Rivers, while the Wizards are re-signing Chasson Randle.

Rivers’ release was somewhat unexpected, and there’s more to the Wizards’ decision to re-sign Randle than initially meets the eye, so let’s take a closer look at each move…

Suns parting ways with Austin Rivers:

The Suns, who have had a revolving door of starting point guards this season, were said to be shopping for a play-making guard when they put Ariza on the trade block. The centerpiece of the deal they ultimately made was another forward in Oubre. However, their return also included Rivers, who is capable of handling the ball, even if he’s not a traditional point guard.

As such, it came as a surprise when Phoenix quickly reached an agreement to part ways with Rivers. The Suns and Rivers’ camp reportedly agreed that he’d be a better fit with a more veteran team that’s in playoff contention.

The Suns, under new interim GM James Jones, had already shown a willingness this year to part ways with a useful veteran player well in advance of the NBA’s typical buyout period, as they reached an agreement to cut Tyson Chandler in early November. In Chandler’s case though, the Suns at least got a little money back in a buyout. As Keith Smith of Yahoo Sports confirms (via Twitter), Rivers’ release won’t include any form of buyout, since he doesn’t have his next team lined up yet.

It’s possible that no good would have come of keeping Rivers around for the next couple months — maybe he would have been upset about being sent to the worst team in the West and wouldn’t have been a good fit in Phoenix’s locker room. Perhaps the Suns couldn’t have flipped him for anything worthwhile in another deal before the deadline.

Still, it looks like an odd move on the surface. The Suns recently carried 13 players for nearly two full weeks and still had just 14 players on their squad before making the Ariza trade, so it’s not as if they’re desperate to open up a roster spot.

Even if Rivers had no interest in suiting up for the Suns, they could have kept him under contract for the time being to see if his $12.65MM expiring contract had any use on the trade market. Once they formally waive Rivers, the Suns’ most valuable expiring contract will be Dragan Bender‘s, worth $4.66MM. That’s not a big enough cap figure to match a contract in the $10-15MM range if another trade opportunity opens up for Phoenix, which could limit the club’s options at the deadline.

Wizards re-signing Chasson Randle:

The Wizards‘ latest reunion with Randle may not be as interesting as the Suns’ release of Rivers, but it’s somewhat noteworthy.

The NBA allows teams to dip down to 13 players for two weeks at a time before getting back up to the minimum of 14 players, and the Wizards have been bouncing back and forth between 13 and 14 players so far this season in an effort to keep their projected luxury-tax bill in check. Washington had already waived and re-signed Randle once earlier this fall in order to reach the league’s minimum roster requirements.

The Wizards slipped back to 13 players as a result of the Ariza deal and have until New Year’s Eve to add a 14th player, so they’ll once again sign Randle to get back to the minimum. However, in this case, it appears they’ll sign him well before that deadline arrives. As cap expert Albert Nahmad observes (via Twitter), re-signing Randle right away instead of waiting the two weeks will cost the Wizards about $294K in salary and tax savings. So why bring back Randle so soon?

Well, having traded away Rivers and Oubre, the Wizards could use the depth. John Wall, Bradley Beal, Tomas Satoransky, and two-way player Jordan McRae are essentially the only backcourt players available for Washington at the moment, so if one of those players were to go down with an injury, the club would be in a pretty tough spot. Given the Wizards’ limited backcourt options, Randle, who didn’t appear in a game during his earlier stint with the team, might actually get a chance to play this time around.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

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NBA Players Who Still Can’t Be Traded

December 17th, 2018 at 2:47pm CST by Luke Adams

Most of 2018’s offseason signees became eligible to be traded over the weekend, and at least one team wasted no time in moving one of those players, as the Suns sent Trevor Ariza in a deal completed earlier today.

However, while most players on NBA contracts can now be dealt, there are still a handful of players who remain ineligible to be traded — at least for now.

Here’s a breakdown of the players still facing trade restrictions:

Players who met the January 15 criteria:

Not every player who signed a free agent contract in the offseason had their trade restrictions lifted on December 15. For a select handful of players, that date will be January 15 instead.

These players all meet a specific set of criteria: Not only did they re-sign with their previous team this offseason, but they got a raise of at least 20%, their salary is worth more than the minimum, and their team was over the cap, using Bird or Early Bird rights to sign them.

The following players meet this criteria and will become trade-eligible on January 15:

Players who signed as free agents after September 15:

Technically, the NBA’s Collective Bargaining Agreement states that a player who signs a free agent contract can’t be traded for three months or until December 15, whichever comes later. Most big-name free agents sign new contracts in July, so we default to December 15 in those cases. That’s not the case for everyone though, as the three-month rule applies to any player who signs after September 15.

Here are the players who signed after September 15 and remain on NBA rosters, along with the dates they’ll become trade-eligible:

Of course, since this season’s trade deadline falls on February 7, players who signed their contracts after November 7 won’t be trade-eligible at all until after the season. The following players fit that bill:

Players who recently signed contract extensions:

When a player signs a veteran contract extension that exceeds the NBA’s extend-and-trade rules – which are fairly restrictive – he can’t be traded for six months. There are only two players who have signed veteran extensions so far in the 2018/19 league year: Kevin Love of the Cavaliers and Spencer Dinwiddie of the Nets.

Because Love signed his extension on July 24, he’ll become trade-eligible on January 24, a couple weeks before the deadline. But since Dinwiddie just signed his extension last week, he won’t be trade-eligible until June.

Players who can be dealt — with caveats:

The players in this group can technically be traded, so we won’t list them all. However, a variety of potential roadblocks may impact whether or not it’s actually realistic to move them this season. Here’s the breakdown:

  • Players whose contracts meet certain criteria have the ability to block trades that involve them. Here’s the full list of 22 players who have that veto ability in 2018/19.
  • Players who have trade kickers in their contracts will receive bonuses if they’re traded, which can complicate some potential deals financially. The 23 players with trade kickers in their contracts are listed here.
  • A player can’t be aggregated with another player for salary-matching purposes if he has been traded to an over-the-cap team within the last two months. That restriction currently applies to all players who have been involved in trades since the 2018/19 regular season began. However, by February 7, all of those players will be eligible to be aggregated in a trade except for Trevor Ariza, Austin Rivers, and Kelly Oubre.
  • The “poison pill provision” applies to players who signed rookie scale extensions that will begin the following season. The poison pill provision, which we outline in greater detail in a glossary entry, can make salary-matching very difficult in trades. It currently affects five players, including Karl-Anthony Towns and Devin Booker.
  • If a team traded a player to another team earlier in the 2018/19 league year, it can’t re-acquire that player from that team again during the season. For instance, after acquiring him from Phoenix in August, the Rockets couldn’t trade Brandon Knight back to the Suns this season. This rule applies to any trade consummated since the start of July, so the full list of players moved can be found in our trackers for 2018 offseason trades and 2018/19 in-season trades.
  • Tyrone Wallace (Clippers) can’t be traded to the Pelicans this season, and Zach LaVine (Bulls) can’t be sent to the Kings. That’s because those teams signed those players to offer sheets during the 2018 offseason — when those offer sheets were matched, those teams became ineligible to trade for those players for a year.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

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Financial Impact Of Suns/Wizards Trade

December 15th, 2018 at 2:30pm CST by clarkcrum

The trade between the Suns and Wizards agreed to this morning won’t be finalized until Monday, when the league office opens back up for the week, but since it’s still fresh in everyone’s mind, we wanted to take dive into the financial impact now and in the future for both Phoenix and Washington.

How salary-matching works in the trade:

Trevor Ariza‘s $15,000,000 cap hit is the largest salary involved in the trade. Because the Suns will be a non-taxpaying team after the trade and Ariza’s salary is between $6,533,334 and $19,600,000, it alone allows the Suns to take back up to $20MM in salary (the outgoing salary, plus $5MM). As such, using it to absorb both Austin Rivers‘ ($12,650,000) and Kelly Oubre‘s ($3,208,630) contracts is permissible under the NBA’s Collective Bargaining Agreement rules.

As for the Wizards, Rivers’ salary alone is able to absorb Ariza’s salary. Specifically, because the Wizards will remain a tax-paying team after the trade, they are permitted under the CBA to acquire up to $15,912,500 for Rivers’ salary (125% of $12,650,000, plus $100K), which is more than the $15MM owed to Ariza. And because the Wizards are therefore essentially trading Oubre for nothing in return, they’ll acquire a traded player exception worth the amount of his salary – $3,208,630.

[RELATED: Outstanding NBA Traded Player Exceptions]

As we noted before in these series of posts on financial ramifications after trades, the rules for the amount the Suns can take back using Ariza’s $15MM vs. the amount the Wizards can take back using Rivers’ $12.65MM are different because the rules are different for teams in the tax. We explain that in more depth in our glossary entry on the traded player exception.

The luxury tax ramifications for the Wizards:

While the deal last week for Sam Dekker appeared to be primarily financially motivated for Washington, this deal seems to be more about bringing Ariza back to help the team win now and improve the locker room dynamics.

However, the Wizards do also improve their projected tax bill with this trade. The team’s payroll will be reduced by $558.6K, which equates to tax savings of about $1.5MM (h/t to Albert Nahmad).

Future cap ramifications:

All three players – Ariza, Rivers, and Oubre – will be free agents next summer, so their isn’t really any ramification for either team’s 2019 cap outlook. However, it’s interesting to note that the Wizards were probably wary about having to pay for Oubre next summer, who will likely be looking for a large payday coming off his rookie contract.

The Wizards already have $111.2MM in guaranteed salary for next season for only five players, so it’s unlikely they would have been willing to spend big on Oubre considering the team’s struggles so far this season.

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Hoops Rumors Originals: 12/8/18 – 12/15/18

December 15th, 2018 at 1:29pm CST by clarkcrum

Our writing team here at Hoops Rumors continually creates original content to complement our news feed. Below are the original segments and features from the past seven days:

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Recapping Friday’s Drama And Resetting The Ariza Market

December 14th, 2018 at 11:09pm CST by Luke Adams

With the calendar having turned to December 15, Suns forward Trevor Ariza is now officially eligible to be traded. However, it appears the veteran forward won’t be going to the Wizards in a three-team trade that included the Grizzlies and was seemingly on the verge of completion on Friday night.

As we explained in updates to our story on those Ariza trade talks, a deal sending the Suns forward to D.C. was about to cross the finish line when Memphis and Phoenix realized they weren’t on the same page on one of the players involved in the proposal — the Suns thought they were receiving promising young forward Dillon Brooks from the Grizzlies, while Memphis believed journeyman guard MarShon Brooks was the player involved in the deal. With the Grizzlies unwilling to include Dillon and the Suns unwilling to trade for MarShon, the potential swap fell apart.

How exactly does something like this happen? Well, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported that the Grizzlies and Suns never spoke directly during the negotiations, using the Wizards as a conduit. However, John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7, who is one of the most plugged-in reporters on the Suns’ side, tweets that Phoenix had “multiple conversations” with Memphis over the last 24 hours, and even checked Dillon Brooks‘ medicals.

The Suns never had any discussions about MarShon Brooks with either team, according to Gambadoro, who strongly suggests (via Twitter) that the Grizzlies appear to be the team at fault here.

Conversely, according to David Aldridge of The Athletic (via Twitter), the Grizzlies say they “never” discussed Dillon Brooks with anyone and were always talking about MarShon Brooks, adding that they’re “at a loss” to understand the mix-up. However, Wojnarowski tweets that the Wizards believed in conversations with Memphis that they were talking about Dillon.

As Howard Beck of Bleacher Report observes (via Twitter), in the days before details of potential deals leaked immediately to Twitter, this is the sort of mix-up that would have killed a trade well before word broke publicly. Given how today’s media landscape works though, we learned about the failed deal in real time, rather than seeing it reported as a humorous “what-if” anecdote months or years later.

The ramifications of today’s drama shouldn’t be overlooked — Kelly Oubre and Austin Rivers will presumably remain Wizards, knowing that their team had reached an agreement to trade them. It’ll be interesting to see if that has an impact on them going forward, or if Washington is motivated to work out a new deal to move them to avoid locker-room discomfort.

In Memphis, MarShon Brooks and Wayne Selden are in the same boat. According to Chris Herrington of The Daily Memphian (via Twitter), both players were told when leaving the floor tonight that they were being traded, but they’ll report back to the Grizzlies tomorrow.

Meanwhile, before the Brooks-related drama reached its climax -when it still appeared the deal would get done – an interesting detail was reported about Ariza. A source told David Aldridge of The Athletic (Twitter link) that Suns owner Robert Sarver was adamantly opposed to sending the 33-year-old to the Lakers, prompting Phoenix’s front office to pivot to other options. Will Sarver stick to that stance now that today’s deal fell through? Can we essentially rule the Lakers out of the Ariza sweepstakes going forward?

Today’s failed deal also provides a hint of what sort of return the Suns are looking for in exchange for Ariza. Gambadoro tweets that the deal was all about Dillon Brooks for Phoenix, rather than Rivers or Selden. So despite their depth on the wing and their need for a point guard, the Suns appear willing to move Ariza for a promising young player at any position — not just one who fills a position of need.

The Wizards and Suns could still try to find a third team to make an Ariza deal work, with potential trade partners knowing now that Oubre could be had. Of course, reports earlier this week suggested that at least eight teams had expressed some interest in Ariza, and now that we have a sense of what it might take to get him, perhaps some new opportunities will open up for the Suns.

It’s not even out of the realm of possibility that these three teams revisit the framework of today’s deal in an effort to find a compromise, according to Aldridge, who notes (via Twitter) that one source said Sarver and Grizzlies owner Robert Pera talked to each other and discussed Dillon Brooks. In a follow-up tweet, Aldridge notes that Grizzlies GM Chris Wallace strongly denies that Sarver and Pera spoke about this proposed trade.

Whatever happens next, tonight’s Ariza/Brooks drama is just the latest reminder of why the NBA’s rumor mill is so much fun.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

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NBA Trade Candidate Watch: Central Division

December 14th, 2018 at 8:47pm CST by Luke Adams

Over the course of the 2018/19 NBA season, up until February’s trade deadline, we’re keeping an eye on potential trade candidates from around the NBA, monitoring their value and exploring the likelihood that they’ll be moved. Each of these looks at possible trade candidates focuses on a specific division, as we zero in on three players from that division.

The Central has been the most active division in terms of in-season trades so far in 2018/19, with the Cavaliers participating in two trades so far and the Bucks making one. There’s no indication those will be the last deals made by Central clubs this season, as there are still a number of players who could be on the move by February 7.

Here’s our latest look at a few possible trade candidates from the Central…

Jabari Parker, F
Chicago Bulls
$20MM cap hit; $20MM team option for 2019/20

It has been an eventful couple days for Parker, who was pulled from the rotation by the Bulls on Thursday and then became the subject of trade rumors on Friday.

A pair of reports on the Parker trade talks today both suggested that there’s considerable interest around the NBA in the former No. 2 overall pick, which is somewhat hard for me to believe. While there’s sure to be some interest in Parker, who remains a dynamic scorer, the Bulls and agent Mark Bartelstein may be motivated to exaggerate that interest a little. It’s just hard to imagine a bunch of teams driving up the bidding for a player who is on a $20MM contract, will likely be a free agent in a few months, and has admitted to not having much interest in playing defense.

A trade would be particularly challenging if the Bulls are unwilling to take on multiyear money that would cut into their projected 2019 cap room. For instance, if a team like the Trail Blazers pursued Parker, there would be virtually no way to make a deal work without including a player like Meyers Leonard or Maurice Harkless – who are earning more than $11MM apiece in 2019/20 – or someone with an even more expensive ’19/20 salary.

The Kings are one potentially intriguing fit, given their expiring contracts and their cap room — Zach Randolph‘s $11MM expiring deal would be enough to send out for Parker, who could subsequently fit into Sacramento’s cap space. However, the Kings, who have long been seeking their small forward of the future, would have to be confident Parker could play at the three instead of the four, since they already have a number of options up front.

Darren Collison, G
Indiana Pacers
$10MM cap hit; unrestricted free agent in 2019

A report this week suggested that league executives believe the Pacers may consider trading one of their veteran point guards – Collison or Cory Joseph – in advance of the trade deadline. A move would make some sense, with Victor Oladipo and Tyreke Evans also sharing ball-handling duties for the Pacers, who in turn want to carve out regular minutes for rookie guard Aaron Holiday.

While Collison is Indiana’s starting point guard, Joseph is probably having the stronger season. Joseph’s shooting numbers are better, he’s a stronger defender, and the Pacers have been noticeably better when he’s on the court (+7.4 net rating) than when he’s not (+2.0 net rating). That could make Collison the more expendable of the two guards.

Of course, the Pacers project to be a top-five seed in the East, so they won’t trade a starter in a deal that doesn’t provide an immediate upgrade at another position. They may also want to do right by the veteran Collison by not sending him to an unfavorable situation like, say, Phoenix.

There are some trade scenarios that could be viable though, even if the Pacers limit their scope. The Sixers, Pelicans, Nuggets, Spurs, and Magic are among the many playoff contenders who could benefit from the presence of a veteran guard like Collison.

Rodney Hood, G
Cleveland Cavaliers
$3.47MM cap hit; UFA in 2019

The Cavaliers have already moved Kyle Korver and George Hill, and we profiled J.R. Smith in our last check-in on the Central’s trade candidates. There are still plenty of players who could be on the block in Cleveland, however, with a report this week indicating that Alec Burks and Hood are among them.

Although Hood has seen his stock dip a little over the last year and hasn’t developed into the kind of impact player that many observers expected him to, his .438 FG% is a career-best and he’s knocking down 37.5% of his three-point attempts. At just $3.47MM, he’d be an inexpensive target for a playoff team looking for a second-unit scorer, and he could likely be had for a reasonable return, given his looming unrestricted free agency.

There are just two potential roadblocks in the way of a Hood deal: He’s not trade-eligible until January 15 and he has the power to block a trade, since he’d lose his Bird rights if he’s moved. Still, if the Cavs signal that they don’t plan to re-sign him, losing those Bird rights wouldn’t hurt much, and he may welcome a change of scenery, given Cleveland’s place in the standings.

Previously:

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

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Fantasy Hoops: It’s Time To Trade For Myles Turner

December 14th, 2018 at 3:29pm CST by ChrisCrouse

The Pacers were a surprise contender last season, making the playoffs after trading away franchise star Paul George. After an offseason of adding reinforcements, the team looks to be in even better shape, entering the day fourth in the Eastern Conference standings.

Indiana lost its new franchise star Victor Oladipo for 11 games, but was able to perform well in his absence, going 7-4 over that stretch. The team was able to find success by relying on its defense, as only the Thunder had a better defensive rating during the time that Oladipo was out — Indiana actually performed slightly better on the defensive end during the 11-game Oladipo-less stretch than they have on the season, per NBA.com.

Myles Turner is the anchor of the team’s stifling defense, providing elite rim protection for the club. He also stepped up his game on the offensive end this season, particularly of late. He’s averaging 16.7 points, 10.2 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 3.5 blocks over his last six contests and he’s starting to look like he will have top-50 value in season-long roto leagues.

Oladipo reentered the lineup on Wednesday against the Bucks, accumulating 12 points, 10 rebounds, and six assists in 29 minutes of action. The return of Indy’s high-usage guard didn’t dramatically decrease Turner’s role, as the big man scored 23 points on 22 shots (including 4-for-6 from 3-point land) while adding seven rebounds, four assists, and three blocks.

While it may seem like he’s at a high-point in value, I’d expect him to, at a minimum, maintain this value going forward. Ben Simmons, Jusuf Nurkic, Andre Drummond, Aaron Gordon, C.J. McCollum, and Devin Booker are all players I’d trade for Turner in a player-for-player fantasy deal.

The big man recently signed a four-year, $72MM extension with the Pacers and so far this season, it appears as if he’ll provide good value for the franchise. Now’s the time to acquire him in fantasy before his value in that space rises even further.

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