Hoops Rumors Originals

Weekly Mailbag: 11/26/18 – 12/2/18

We have an opportunity for you to hit us up with your questions in this, our weekly mailbag feature. Have a question regarding player movement, the salary cap or the NBA draft? Drop us a line at HoopsRumorsMailbag@Gmail.com.

Which star is most likely to get traded before the deadline? And what team is most likely to acquire said star? The Lakers? — Thatisspelledwrong, via Twitter

That will become much clearer once the playoff races are a little better formed. The Wizards, for example, may have been more willing to move John Wall or Bradley Beal before this week’s surge put them back into contention. The Spurs have a lot of veterans — LaMarcus Aldridge, Pau Gasol, Rudy Gay, Marco Belinelli — who might become available if they fall out of the Western race. The Heat are another team that might start dealing if they can’t turn things around. If none of those teams decides to blow things up, speculation will turn toward Kevin Love in Cleveland, who becomes eligible to be dealt on January 24. The Cavaliers seem to have accepted the need to rebuild and could get a nice package of assets for the five-time All-Star. There will be plenty of suitors for any big name on the market, but the Lakers are focused on free agency and will only add salary beyond this season if they can land the second star they want.

Should the Spurs make a trade? — Mr. T, via Twitter

San Antonio is a patient organization that won’t rush into panic deals. But after losing back-to-back games this week by a combined 70 points, it might be time to accept that the long run of playoff appearances is about to end. Gasol only has a $6.7MM guarantee on his $16MM salary for next season, so there could be a strong market for him once he returns from a stress fracture in his left foot. Gay has an expiring $10MM contract, while Belinelli has an affordable $5.85MM deal for next season, so there should be interest in both. Aldridge is signed for another year at $26MM, then has a partial guarantee on his $24MM salary for 2020/21, so he won’t be as easy to move. If this week’s disaster is an indication of things to come, the Spurs will definitely be active on the trade market with an eye for the future.

I saw that DeMarcus Cousins is expected back around Christmas. How much is he going to help the Warriors? — RB4, via Twitter

Center is by far the weakest position for the two-time defending champs and it’s starting to grate on coach Steve Kerr, who snapped at a reporter last night for asking about it. Golden State let all its veteran big men leave over the summer, and the combination of Damian Jones, Kevon Looney and Jordan Bell hasn’t been able to replace them. Cousins gives them a potential star in the middle, although his effectiveness will depend on how his body recovers from the Achilles injury. Reports suggest that he has fit in well with the Warriors’ culture, and he will be focused on winning a ring and rebuilding his value for next summer’s free agency. If he play like his old self for just a few minutes a night, he will be exactly what Golden State needs.

Hoops Rumors Originals: 11/24/18 – 12/1/18

Happy December! Every week, our writing team here at Hoops Rumors creates original content to complement our news feed. Below are the original segments and features from the past seven days:

Free Agent Stock Watch 2019: Southwest Division

Every week, Hoops Rumors takes a closer look at players who will be free agents or could become free agents next offseason. We examine if their stock is rising or falling due to performance and other factors. This week, we turn our attention to the Southwest Division:

Wesley Matthews, Mavericks, 32,  SG (Down) – Signed to a four-year, $70MM deal in 2015
Matthews got off to a strong start, reaching the 20-point mark in six of the first 10 games. An injury set him back as a mild hamstring strain kept him out of four games. He’s shot 33% from 3-point range in the last two games since returning to action. There’s always a market for players who can make the long ball but at his age, Matthews is probably looking at a short-term deal in his next contract and might have to settle for a second-unit role.

Marquese Chriss, Rockets, 21, PF, (Down) – Signed to a three-year, $9.2MM deal in 2016
Chriss received a fresh start when the Suns traded him to a contender. So far, Chriss has failed to take advantage of the situation, even after the club decided to part ways with Carmelo Anthony. Chriss has only appeared in seven games and hasn’t played more than eight minutes in any of them. It’s hard to believe he was chosen with the No. 8 overall pick in 2016. Chriss is still younger than many college players, so he’ll get another chance somewhere else, but he’ll have to settle for a modest contract.

Shelvin Mack, Grizzlies, 28, PG (Up) – Signed to a one-year, $2MM deal in 2018
The Grizzlies brought in Mack on a veteran’s minimum deal to back up Mike Conley. Mack has been a steady presence in the rotation, averaging 9.9 PPG and 3.6 APG while keeping his turnovers down (1.3 per game). He’s also shot it well from long range (41.8%). Mack isn’t flashy but he’s a competent second-unit floor leader and he might get more than one year on the open market next summer.

Nikola Mirotic, Pelicans, 27, PF (Up) — Signed to a two-year, $15MM deal in 2017
Mirotic made national headlines last season when Bulls teammate Bobby Portis slugged him during a practice dispute. Far removed from that incident, Mirotic is enjoying a career year with the Pelicans. He’s averaging 19.2 PPG and 10.5 RPG in 31.6 MPG. His 3-point percentage is down from last season but is still a solid 37%. Mirotic should receive plenty of attention on the open market as a stretch four who can also pound the glass.

Rudy Gay, Spurs, 32 (Up) – Signed to a one-year, $10MM deal in 2018
Gay had an ugly outing against Minnesota on Wednesday (three points in 19 minutes) but otherwise he’s been quite efficient this season. He’s shooting 49.2% from the field and 46.7% outside the arc and has also been a factor on the boards (7.1 per game). Gay has been thrust into a starting role with the injury-riddled Spurs but he’ll probably be looked upon as a second-unit contributor when he returns to the open market. He’s showing he still has something left in the tank.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

NBA Trade Candidate Watch: Southeast Division

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 Southeast could be one of the NBA’s most active divisions leading up to this season’s trade deadline. It features a pair of underachieving teams (the Heat and Wizards) who could badly use a trade to shake things up, along with at least one lottery-bound club that looks like an obvious seller (the Hawks). It’s too early to tell which direction the Hornets and Magic will go, but they’re candidates to be active too.

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

Otto Porter Jr., F
Washington Wizards
$26.01MM cap hit; $27.25MM guaranteed salary in 2019/20; $28.49MM player option for 2020/21

As I wrote earlier today when I relayed news of the Kings’ renewed interest in Porter, the young forward looks like the best trade candidate of the Wizards‘ three highly-paid cornerstones. His contract isn’t as scary as John Wall‘s, which will make him easier to move. Conversely, he’s not as valuable an asset as Bradley Beal, meaning Washington won’t be as averse to giving him up.

Although Porter’s contract will make him a somewhat tricky sell, he fits the mold of the three-and-D wing that so many teams around the NBA are seeking. He’ll draw interest, especially from teams that have a little cap flexibility but don’t necessarily expect to be major players in free agency — like the Kings, whose expiring contracts and cap space make them an interesting potential trade partner for Washington.

The Pelicans are also said to have interest in Porter. If they’re willing to include a first-round pick and a mid-sized expiring contract, it might be worth it for the Wizards to take on Solomon Hill‘s contract.

Dewayne Dedmon, C
Atlanta Hawks
$7.2MM cap hit; UFA in 2019

A popular subject of trade speculation last season, Dedmon stayed put at the deadline and ultimately ended up exercising his player option to remain in Atlanta for another year. There are reasons to believe that he’s more likely to be traded this time around.

For one, potential suitors may have been put off by his uncertain contract situation last year. This time, his status is clear — he’ll be an unrestricted free agent at season’s end, so teams won’t have to worry about accounting for him on next year’s books.

Additionally, the Hawks may have some regrets about how they approached last season’s trade deadline, when they kept Marco Belinelli and Ersan Ilyasova, then bought them out after the deadline passed. Both players ended up with the Sixers, serving as important rotation pieces into the second round of the playoffs. This season, Atlanta may be less inclined to let solid contributors get away for nothing.

While Dedmon doesn’t necessarily have one specific skill that could be a difference-maker for a playoff team like Belinelli’s and Ilyasova’s floor-spacing abilities were, he’s a solid big man who has some previous postseason experience under his belt, and he shouldn’t be overly expensive.

Nikola Vucevic, C
Orlando Magic
$12.75MM cap hit; UFA in 2019

It has been a fascinating season for Vucevic and the Magic so far. Despite a modest 10-12 record, Orlando currently holds the No. 8 seed in the Eastern Conference, and Vucevic has played a huge part in the club’s early success, recording career highs in PPG (20.8), FG% (.553), 3PT% (.410), and APG (3.9), among other categories.

The 28-year-old is performing like the type of player the Magic should be trying to re-sign and build around, rather than one they should be looking to dump before he reaches free agency — especially if they remain in the playoff mix. So far, there are no indications that Orlando is interested in trading Vucevic.

Still, this is a complicated situation. The Magic drafted Mohamed Bamba earlier this year to be their center of the future, and with Aaron Gordon and Jonathan Isaac in the frontcourt mix too, it looked like Vucevic might not be in the team’s long-term plans.

Could the Magic realistically lock up Vucevic long-term without compromising the development of their younger players? If they commit to the veteran, would the Magic need to trade one of those other young bigs? Would they be willing to keep Vucevic for the full season and risk simply losing him in unrestricted free agency next summer without any compensation? The answers to those questions will determine whether or not Vucevic becomes available before this season’s trade deadline.

Previously:

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

2018/19 In-Season NBA Trades

As we did with 2018’s offseason trades and the in-season swaps from 2017/18, we’ll be keeping track of all the NBA trades completed this season as they become official, updating this post with each transaction. This post can be found anytime throughout the season on our desktop sidebar under “Hoops Rumors Features,” or in our mobile menu under “Features.”

Trades are listed here in reverse chronological order, with the latest on top. So, if a player has been dealt multiple times, the first team listed as having acquired him is the one that ended up with him. For more details on each trade, click the date above it.

For more information on the specific conditions dictating if and when draft picks involved in these deals will actually change hands, be sure to check out RealGM.com’s breakdown of the details on traded picks.

Here’s the full list of the trades completed during the 2018/19 NBA season:

February 7

February 7

  • Sixers acquire James Ennis.
  • Rockets acquire the right to swap their 2021 second-round pick with the Sixers’ 2021 second-round pick.

February 7

February 7

  • Hawks acquire Jabari Bird and cash ($2,055,910).
  • Celtics acquire the Hawks’ 2020 second-round pick (top-55 protected).

February 7

February 7

February 7

  • Bucks acquire Nikola Mirotic.
  • Pistons acquire Thon Maker.
  • Pelicans acquire Stanley Johnson, Jason Smith, the Nuggets’ 2019 second-round pick (top-55 protected), the Bucks’ 2020 second-round pick, the Wizards’ 2020 second-round pick, and the Wizards’ 2021 second-round pick (all picks from the Bucks).

February 7

  • Nets acquire Greg Monroe and the Raptors’ 2021 second-round pick.
  • Raptors acquire cash ($110K).

February 7

  • Magic acquire Markelle Fultz.
  • Sixers acquire Jonathon Simmons, the Thunder’s 2020 first-round pick (top-20 protected), and either the Cavs’, Magic’s, Trail Blazers’, or Rockets’ 2019 second-round pick (whichever is most favorable).

February 7

February 7

February 7

  • Rockets acquire Iman Shumpert, Nik Stauskas, Wade Baldwin, and the Bucks’ 2021 second-round pick (from Cleveland).
  • Cavaliers acquire Brandon Knight, Marquese Chriss, the Rockets’ 2019 first-round pick (top-14 protected), and the Rockets’ 2022 second-round pick.
  • Kings acquire Alec Burks and either the Rockets’ or Warriors’ 2020 second-round pick (whichever is less favorable).

February 7

February 7

February 6

February 6

February 6

February 6

February 6

February 4

  • Trail Blazers acquire Rodney Hood.
  • Cavaliers acquire Nik Stauskas, Wade Baldwin, the Trail Blazers’ 2021 second-round pick, and the Trail Blazers’ 2023 second-round pick.

February 1

  • Bulls acquire Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot and cash ($2,610,464).
  • Thunder acquire the Bulls’ 2020 second-round pick (top-55 protected).

January 31

January 22

January 7

  • Bulls acquire Michael Carter-Williams and cash ($1,065,966).
  • Rockets acquire the Grizzlies’ 2020 second-round pick (top-55 protected).

January 3

December 17

December 7

  • Bucks acquire George Hill, Jason Smith, the Wizards’ 2021 second-round pick (from Cavaliers), cash ($500K; from Wizards), and 46-60 protections removed on the Wizards’ 2020 second-round pick they already owned.
  • Cavaliers acquire John Henson, Matthew Dellavedova, the Bucks’ 2021 first-round pick (protected; unlikely to convey until at least 2022), the Bucks’ 2021 second-round pick, and the Wizards’ 2022 second-round pick.
  • Wizards acquire Sam Dekker.

November 29

  • Jazz acquire Kyle Korver.
  • Cavaliers acquire Alec Burks, the Jazz’s 2020 second-round pick, and the Wizards’ 2021 second-round pick.

November 12

Fantasy Hoops: Clippers, Griffin, Wade

The Clippers are one of the best teams so far this year, finding themselves atop the Western Conference standings as we reach the quarter-mark of the season. With top-10 rankings in both offensive rating (6th in the league) and pace of play (9th), Los Angeles has been one of the more fantasy-friendly teams as well.

Tobias Harris has solidified top-30 value in both points and roto leagues. Montrezl Harrell is having a breakout season, finding himself alongside Danilo Gallinari with top-70 value in both formats (Harrell over Gallinari in points and vice versa in roto). Lou Williams follows behind both players in season-long value.

Williams’ numbers are down this season and now might be the time to buy low on the two-time Sixth Man of The Year award winner. The streaky shooter is in the midst of a slump, but better times may be on the horizon.

In daily fantasy, I’m targeting Williams against the Kings on Thursday night. No team has allowed more points to the shooting guard position than Sacramento over the last seven games and no team has given up more 3-pointers than the Northern California franchise. The Kings are behind only the Hawks in pace of play this season, meaning more opportunity for the Clippers on Thursday.

Here’s more fantasy advice and notes from around the league:

  • Blake Griffin is approaching top-20 value for the season. The former “Clipper for life” scored 30 points against the Knicks on Tuesday. He has six games with at least as many points so far this season.
  • Dwyane Wade is owned in just 12.2% of ESPN leagues and he’s not a bad spot starter. Since Wade returned to the court last week, he ranks second on the Heat in usage (26.0%) behind only Hassan Whiteside.
  • Fred VanVleet is trending upward. He’s averaging 12.3 points and 4.8 assists over his last six games for the Raptors after scoring 18 against the Grizzlies on Tuesday.

Fantasy questions? Take to the comment section below or tweet me at @CW_Crouse.

Missed an earlier edition of Fantasy Hoops? Check out the entire series here.

Cash Sent, Received In NBA Trades For 2018/19

During each NBA league year, teams face limits on the amount of cash they can send out and receive in trades. Once they reach those limits, they’re no longer permitted to include cash in a deal until the following league year.

For the 2018/19 NBA season, the limit is $5,243,000. The limits on sending and receiving cash are separate and aren’t dependent on one another, so if a team sends out $5,243,000 in one trade, then receives $5,243,000 in another, they aren’t back to square one — they’ve reached both limits for the season.

Since July 1, 14 trades have included cash. The money attached to some of those deals is extremely minimal — in one Mavericks/Clippers swap, Dallas received just $50K from Los Angeles. In other cases though, the money included in a trade can be a major factor. For instance, the fact that the Nets paid the Hornets $5MM in the deal that sent Dwight Howard to Brooklyn and Timofey Mozgov to Charlotte certainly helped incentivize the Hornets to make the move.

We’ll use the space below to track each team’s cash sent and received in trades for the 2018/19 season, updating the info as necessary for the 2019 trade deadline and the first part of the 2019 offseason. These totals will reset once the calendar turns to July 2019 and the ’19/20 league year begins.


Atlanta Hawks

  • Cash available to send: $5,243,000
  • Cash available to receive: $0
    • Received $2,055,910 from Celtics.
    • Received $1,880,000 from Heat.
    • Received $1,307,090 from Warriors.

Boston Celtics

  • Cash available to send: $2,737,090
  • Cash available to receive: $5,243,000

Brooklyn Nets

  • Cash available to send: $243,000
  • Cash available to receive: $5,243,000

Charlotte Hornets

  • Cash available to send: $5,243,000
  • Cash available to receive: $0
    • Received $5,000,000 from Nets.
    • Received $243,000 from Thunder.

Chicago Bulls

  • Cash available to send: $5,243,000
  • Cash available to receive: $0

Cleveland Cavaliers

  • Cash available to send: $5,243,000
  • Cash available to receive: $3,995,506

Read more

Two-Way Players Making Bids For Promotions

Players on two-way contracts are free to appear in NBA games, but there are limitations on the amount of time they can spend with their respective NBA teams. Each two-way player can spend up to 45 days with his NBA club, assuming he signed his two-way deal before the season began.

[RELATED: Hoops Rumors Glossary: Two-Way Contracts]

With some creative transferring back and forth between an NBA team and its G League affiliate, a franchise can make the most of those 45 days. Still, with the clock having started on October 22, the first day of G League training camp, we could see some two-way players reach that 45-day mark as early as December.

Teams can sign players to two-way contracts through mid-January, so during the 2017/18 season, some clubs simply moved onto a new player once their original two-way players neared that 45-day limit. However, many players who used up their 45 days subsequently received a promotion – signing a standard NBA contract and taking a spot on the 15-man roster – to ensure that their NBA teams didn’t lose them.

It’s a little early in the 2018/19 season to determine which two-way players will ultimately end up being promoted to 15-man rosters, but a handful of players on two-way deals have made strong cases for standard contracts in the early going.

Here are the top candidates to receive promotions among this year’s two-way players:

  • Gary Clark (Rockets): Clark went undrafted in June, but has shown so far this season why he was one of the first rookie free agents to reach a deal with an NBA team once the draft ended. While his offensive numbers (3.8 PPG, 3.0 RPG, .333/.293/1.000 shooting) aren’t great, Clark has been very good defensively, and the Rockets have been a better team when he plays — their net rating is +2.9 when he’s on the court and -2.2 when he isn’t. Clark’s early-season play has helped make Carmelo Anthony expendable, and once Houston officially parts ways with Anthony, the rookie forward looks like the odds-on favorite to take his roster spot.
  • Allonzo Trier (Knicks): Another undrafted free agent, Trier has been one of the early brights spots for the lottery-bound Knicks. Appearing in all 21 of the team’s games, the former Arizona shooting guard has scored 11.4 PPG in just 23.7 minutes per contest, posting an ultra-efficient shooting line of .491/.459/.826. It seems like a given that he’ll sign a standard contract with New York at some point — it’s just a matter of how the club will create room for him. If they haven’t been able to trade veterans like Enes Kanter or Courtney Lee to open up a roster spot, the Knicks could consider cutting Ron Baker or Luke Kornet, neither of whom has any guaranteed money due beyond this season.
  • Troy Williams (Kings): Williams’ playing time in 10 games for the Kings has been somewhat sporadic, but he’s made the most of his limited minutes, shooting 50.0% from the field and 40.0% from beyond the arc while using his athleticism to make a handful of highlight-reel plays. Williams may not be as strong a bet for a 15-man roster spot as Clark or Trier, but Sacramento has a number of veterans – Zach Randolph, Kosta Koufos, and Ben McLemore – who seem likely to be traded or bought out by the end of the season. Williams would be one of the candidates to replace them on the roster.

Here are a few more two-way players to keep an eye on:

  • Alex Poythress (Hawks): Poythress gave the Hawks some solid minutes earlier in the season. With John Collins healthy again, Poythress’ minutes figure to be limited going forward.
  • Andrew Harrison (Cavaliers): Harrison is getting regular minutes for the rebuilding Cavaliers, but hasn’t made the most of them so far, shooting 33.3% from the floor and 25.0% on threes.
  • Damion Lee (Warriors): Lee has played at least 16 minutes in each of the Warriors‘ last five games. That streak figures to come to an abrupt end when the team gets healthier and Stephen Curry, Draymond Green, and Alfonzo McKinnie are back. Lee’s making a case for a longer look though, knocking down 47.6% of his three-pointers.
  • Johnathan Williams (Lakers): Williams briefly looked like a revelation for the Lakers earlier in the season, but hasn’t played since the team signed Tyson Chandler.

The full list of players on two-way contracts can be found right here.

Poll: Will The Heat Make The Playoffs?

Several teams have gotten off to slow starts across the league, most notably the Rockets, Jazz, Celtics and Wizards. The Heat are another team that has been somewhat overlooked in that conversation, as they are off to a 7-12 start. Perhaps many overlook the Heat because they are used to slow starts from them (who could forget the 11-30 first half two seasons ago?). Maybe it’s the fact that the Heat are in the Eastern Conference, which should keep them in the playoff picture throughout the entire season.

Regardless, the Heat are struggling as a result of a poor offense, inconsistent play and injuries. Goran Dragic, James Johnson, Dion Waiters, Dwyane Wade, Justise Winslow and Wayne Ellington have all missed several games. As a result, the Heat have had to mix and match lineups and rotations throughout the season, which certainly hasn’t helped their offense.

The Heat currently own the 26th-ranked offense, which is holding back a team that provides effort and defense on a nightly basis (they currently have the 11th-best defense).

As the Heat continue to get healthy and get their ideal rotation on the court, one would expect them to step things up and squeeze into the playoffs. However, with the Hornets and Pistons playing relatively well and looking like potential playoff teams, the Heat may have to battle the Wizards for that final playoff spot (assuming the Magic fall back down to earth).

What do you think? Do you think that this slow start for the Heat is just a result of injuries? Or is this a sign of things to come this season? Vote in the poll below and share your thoughts in the comments section!

Trade Rumors app users, click here to vote

Poll: Will The Jazz Make The Playoffs?

Over the last two days, we’ve gauged your thoughts on two surprise Western playoff contenders, asking if you expect the Grizzlies and the Clippers to make the playoffs. In each case, about two-thirds of the respondents in our poll voted yes. But if the Grizzlies and Clippers are pushing their way into the postseason conversation, that means at least one or two teams we expected to be in the playoffs may end up being pushed out.

One potential candidate to finish outside the top eight in the Western Conference is Utah. The Jazz entered the season with high expectations — they finished the 2017/18 regular season on a 29-6 run, then dispatched the Thunder in the first round before falling to Houston. Entering the 2018/19 campaign, many experts and fans viewed Utah as a probable top-four team in the West.

So far though, the Jazz have played more like the team that started last season 19-28, rather than the team that won 29 of its last 35 games. With Donovan Mitchell banged up and struggling to score efficiently, the Jazz have had problems getting the ball in the net as a team, ranking 26th in offensive rating. At a time when many NBA clubs are looking to score as many of their points as possible from outside the three-point line and at the foul line, Utah ranks 27th in 3PT% and 26th in FT%.

Even the Utah defense, which was considered one of the NBA’s best entering the season, has underperformed, ranking 14th in defensive rating so far, despite anchor Rudy Gobert not missing a game.

The season hasn’t been a total disaster for the Jazz. They’ve had good road wins in Houston, New Orleans, Memphis, and Sacramento, and they’ve beaten Boston twice. But they’ve also had their fair share of duds, including a 50-point loss in Dallas and a 27-point defeat in Indiana. In total, Utah is 8-11, which puts the team in a tie for the second-worst record in a competitive Western Conference.

The Jazz still have a ton of time to turn things around, and it would be surprising if they don’t go on a run at some point. Still, it won’t be easy to earn a top-eight spot in the West. Utah would have to leapfrog the Mavericks, Spurs, Pelicans, Rockets, and the surprising Kings just to get to No. 8. As the season nears the one-quarter mark, it’s worth questioning if we overrated the Jazz at all based on their red-hot finish to the 2017/18 season.

What do you think? Do you still consider the Jazz a strong bet to make the postseason, or do you believe they’ll end up on the outside looking in? Vote in our poll, then head down to the comment section to share your two cents.

Trade Rumors app users, click here to vote.