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2018 Offseason In Review: Minnesota Timberwolves

October 20th, 2018 at 8:23pm CST by Arthur Hill

Hoops Rumors is breaking down the 2018 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 2018/19 season holds for all 30 franchises. Today, we’re focusing on the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Signings:

  • Standard contracts:
    • Anthony Tolliver: One year, $5.75MM. Signed using mid-level exception.
    • James Nunnally: Two years, minimum salary. First year partially guaranteed ($350K). Second year non-guaranteed. Signed using minimum salary exception.
    • Luol Deng: One year, minimum salary. Signed using minimum salary exception.
    • Derrick Rose: One year, minimum salary. Re-signed using minimum salary exception.
  • Two-way contracts:
  • Non-guaranteed camp contracts:

Trades:

  • None

Draft picks:

  • 1-20: Josh Okogie — Signed to rookie contract.
  • 2-48: Keita Bates-Diop — Signed to three-year, minimum salary contract. First two years guaranteed. Signed using minimum salary exception.

Extensions:

  • Karl-Anthony Towns — Signed five-year, maximum salary rookie scale extension. Starts at 25% of the cap. Projected value of $158.05MM. Starts in 2019/20.
    • Note: Starting salary will be worth 30% of the cap if Towns earns All-NBA honors in 2018/19 (projected value of $189.66MM).

Departing players:

Other offseason news:

Salary cap situation:

  • Remained over the cap.
  • Carrying approximately $121.2MM in salary.
  • Hard-capped at $129.82MM.
  • Approximately $2.05MM of mid-level exception available ($6.59MM used on Anthony Tolliver and Keita Bates-Diop).

Check out the Minnesota Timberwolves’ full roster and depth chart at RosterResource.com.

Story of the summer:

Everything else that happened for the Timberwolves during the offseason was overshadowed on September 19 when Jimmy Butler issued a trade request to the front office. The move spawned a stream of chaos, some of it orchestrated and some of it legitimate, but the result was that Butler was in the lineup when Minnesota opened the season, regardless of his wishes.

Butler has expressed a desire to play for a contender and has clashed frequently with younger teammates Karl-Anthony Towns and Andrew Wiggins, but ultimately the dispute is motivated by money. Butler wants a five-year max deal next summer that would pay him around $190MM. The Wolves have his Bird Rights and are the only team that can extend that offer as long as he stays; everyone else is limited to four years at roughly $140MM. Butler is hoping to be traded during the season to another organization willing to make that commitment.

The Heat and Rockets have been the strongest suitors for Butler since his trade request became public, and Miami reportedly had an agreement in place before the Wolves asked for additional assets. That incident, along with sky-high requests from other teams that pursued Butler, have led many to question whether Minnesota has ever been serious about making a deal. Trade talks have been called “mostly dormant” for now, but Butler has maintained his desire to leave and there’s a strong chance something will materialize before the February deadline.

The Butler soap opera dwarfed a piece of good news that may have a greater impact on the Wolves’ future. Towns agreed to an extension last month that could pay him up to $190MM over the next five seasons. He is already among the league’s best centers at age 22 and should provide a cornerstone for the franchise to build around once Butler is gone.

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Hoops Rumors Originals: 10/13/18 – 10/20/18

October 20th, 2018 at 12:47pm CST by clarkcrum

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

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2018 Offseason In Review: Phoenix Suns

October 19th, 2018 at 9:58pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Hoops Rumors is breaking down the 2018 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 2018/19 season holds for all 30 franchises. Today, we’re focusing on the Phoenix Suns.

Signings:

  • Standard contracts:
    • Trevor Ariza: One year, $15MM. Signed using cap space.
    • Jamal Crawford: One year, minimum salary. Signed using minimum salary exception.
  • Two-way contracts:
    • None
  • Non-guaranteed camp contracts:

Trades:

Draft picks:

  • 1-1: Deandre Ayton — Signed to rookie contract.
  • 1-10: Mikal Bridges — Signed to rookie contract.
  • 2-31: Elie Okobo — Signed to four-year, $6.12MM contract. First two years guaranteed. Signed using cap space.
  • 2-46: De’Anthony Melton — Signed to two-year, $2.37MM contract. Fully guaranteed. Signed using room exception.
  • 2-59: George King — Signed to two-way contract.

Extensions:

  • Devin Booker — Signed five-year, maximum salary rookie scale extension. Starts at 25% of the cap. Projected value of $158.05MM. Starts in 2019/20.
    • Note: Starting salary will be worth 27.5% of the cap if Booker makes All-NBA Third Team, 28.5% for Second Team, and 30% for Third Team.

Departing players:

Other offseason news:

Salary cap situation:

  • Used cap space; now over the cap.
  • Carrying approximately $105.5MM in salary.
  • $3.5MM of room exception still available ($949K used on De’Anthony Melton).

Check out the Phoenix Suns’ full roster and depth chart at RosterResource.com.

Story of the summer:

Devin Booker is still around. In fact, Booker signed a rookie scale max five-year extension this summer, which will make him a franchise cornerstone for years to come.

Beyond Booker and his sweet shooting stroke, the Suns look a whole lot different than they did last season. In fact, Phoenix had the biggest roster turnover of any team this offseason.

The Suns made some history in May by hiring Igor Koskokov, the first European-born head coach in NBA history. Koskokov spent 18 years in the league, most recently with the Jazz, before finally getting his big chance.

Draft night was guaranteed to be a pivotal moment in franchise history since the Suns had the top pick. They opted for center Deandre Ayton, who got his NBA career rolling with an 18-point, 10-rebound, 6-assist performance in his regular-season debut. Ayton could quickly develop into the one of the league’s premier big men, which would give the Suns a formidable inside-outside duo.

They swung a deal for another lottery pick, No. 10 selection Mikal Bridges, whom they project as their long-term solution at small forward. In the interim, Phoenix made a splash by signing Trevor Ariza to a one-year, $15MM contract.

Ariza’s contributions as a leader and winner will have a greater long-term impact than anything he does on the court this season. A sage, respected voice was needed in the locker room and they met Ariza’s price to provide it.

Ariza gave up a chance to play for a contender but he can re-enter the market next summer after cashing some big checks. He’ll put up some big numbers along the way and provide his usual solid defense, something the coaching staff can point out in the film room to the younger players.

Perhaps the most surprising personnel moves were made by owner Robert Sarver. During the latter stages of training camp, Sarver abruptly fired GM Ryan McDonough and several other executives. Typically, these types of decisions come right after a disappointing season rather than October in order to let the new regime shape the franchise as it sees fit. McDonough wasn’t going to win any popularity contests but the decisions he made this summer before clearing out his office will be felt for many years.

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2018 Offseason In Review: Boston Celtics

October 19th, 2018 at 3:46pm CST by Luke Adams

Hoops Rumors is breaking down the 2018 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 2018/19 season holds for all 30 franchises. Today, we’re focusing on the Boston Celtics.

Signings:

  • Standard contracts:
    • Marcus Smart: Four years, $52MM. Includes likely incentives. Re-signed using Bird rights.
    • Aron Baynes: Two years, $10.65MM. Second-year player option. Re-signed using Non-Bird rights.
    • Jabari Bird: Two years, minimum salary. Second year non-guaranteed. Re-signed using minimum salary exception.
    • Brad Wanamaker: One year, minimum salary. Signed using minimum salary exception.
  • Two-way contracts:
  • Non-guaranteed camp contracts:

Trades:

Draft picks:

Departing players:

Other offseason news:

Salary cap situation:

  • Remained over the cap.
  • Carrying approximately $126.75MM in salary.
  • Projected tax bill of $6.03MM.
  • Full taxpayer mid-level exception ($5.34MM) still available.

Check out the Boston Celtics’ full roster and depth chart at RosterResource.com.

Story of the summer:

During the 2016 and 2017 offseasons, no NBA team added more All-Stars to its roster than the Celtics, who signed Al Horford and Gordon Hayward before trading for Kyrie Irving. For good measure, the club used a pair of third overall picks to draft Jaylen Brown in 2016 and Jayson Tatum in 2017.

However, the Celtics never really got to see that five-man core in action during the 2017/18 season. Hayward went down with a gruesome season-ending ankle injury during the club’s first game of the year, and Irving’s season ended early due to knee issues.

For the Celtics then, the 2018 offseason wasn’t about going out and getting another All-Star — it was about making sure that their current ones got back to full health to see what the entire group looks like on the court.

Boston’s front office was hardly dormant during the summer of 2018. Restricted free agent negotiations with Marcus Smart were tough, Aron Baynes needed to be re-signed, and the team made a few other tweaks around the edges of its roster before also securing a verbal commitment from Irving, a 2019 free-agent-to-be.

However, the Celtics enter the 2018/19 as the Eastern Conference favorites not because of which players they added over the offseason, but rather because of which players they’re bringing back. With Hayward and Irving healthy and Tatum and Brown continuing to develop, this roster has far more upside than last year’s group, even without any significant changes.

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NBA Teams With Open Roster Spots

October 19th, 2018 at 1:57pm CST by Luke Adams

When the Kings sign Troy Williams to a two-way contract after he clears waivers today, as is expected, they’ll become the 16th NBA team to fill all 17 of their available roster spots, with 15 players on standard contracts and two more on two-way pacts.

Still, that will leave nearly half of the league’s teams that will still have at least one opening on their rosters, either on the standard 15-man squad or in their two-way slots.

For many clubs, that decision is primarily financially motivated. Teams like the Warriors, Rockets, Thunder, Raptors, and Wizards all project to have pricey luxury tax bills at season’s end, so there’s no need for them to push those projected penalties higher by carrying an extra player they won’t use.

Other teams may simply prefer to preserve some roster flexibility rather than carrying a full 15-man squad. The Lakers, for instance, aren’t close to the tax line, but have an open roster spot for now. That could allow the team to make a trade or signing later to fortify its roster without costing anyone a job.

Listed below, with the help of our roster counts breakdown, are the teams that aren’t carrying full rosters.

Teams with an open 15-man roster spot:

  • Charlotte Hornets
  • Cleveland Cavaliers
  • Golden State Warriors
  • Houston Rockets
  • Los Angeles Lakers
  • Miami Heat
  • Minnesota Timberwolves
  • Oklahoma City Thunder
  • Toronto Raptors
  • Washington Wizards
    • Note: The Wizards have two open roster spots and will need to fill one of them by October 30.

Teams with an open two-way slot:

  • New Orleans Pelicans
  • Phoenix Suns
  • Portland Trail Blazers
    • Note: The Blazers have two open two-way slots.
  • San Antonio Spurs
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Special Trade Eligibility Dates For 2018/19

October 19th, 2018 at 12:02pm CST by Luke Adams

In a pair of previous articles, we’ve taken a closer look at the trade restrictions placed on two groups of players who signed free agent contracts this summer. The smaller of the two groups featured players who can’t be traded by their current teams until January 15, having re-signed with their clubs this summer on contracts that met a set of specific criteria. The other offseason signees we examined aren’t eligible to be traded until December 15.

However, there is a third group of players who signed new contracts in recent months and don’t fall into either of those categories. These players also can’t be traded yet, but they won’t necessarily become trade-eligible on December 15 or January 15 either — their trade restrictions lift on different dates.

Trade rules for recently-signed players dictate that a player becomes trade-eligible three months after he signs or on December 15, whichever comes later. So players who signed after September 15 aren’t eligible to be traded starting on December 15. For instance, someone who signed his contract on October 2 won’t have his trade restrictions lift until January 2.

Similarly, players who have two-way pacts converted to standard contracts can’t be dealt for three months after that happens. On top of that, players who sign veteran contract extensions with their current clubs can’t be dealt for six months after they ink their new deals.

Listed below are the recently-signed players who weren’t on our previous two lists, but still have restrictions limiting their ability to be traded. This list, which will continue to be updated as teams sign new players, is sorted by the dates that players will become trade-eligible. Players who have the ability to veto trades are marked with an asterisk (*).

December 18:

December 21:

January 12:

January 16:

January 21:

January 24:

February 6:

Players signed after November 7 this season won’t become trade-eligible before the 2018 trade deadline, since the deadline falls on February 7. The following players fit that bill and can’t be traded during the season:

Note: Only players on standard contracts are listed on this page. Players who sign two-way deals can’t be traded for 30 days after signing. Players on 10-day contracts can’t be traded.

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Key In-Season NBA Dates For 2018/19

October 19th, 2018 at 10:03am CST by Luke Adams

With the 2018/19 NBA season underway, our calendar of important 2018 preseason dates and deadlines can be retired in favor of a list of the key in-season dates for the ’18/19 campaign. Here’s a breakdown of the deadlines and events that will influence player movement for the next several months across the NBA:

October 20

  • NBA G League draft.

October 22

  • NBA G League training camps open.

October 31

November 2

  • NBA G League season begins.

December 1

  • Priority order for waiver claims is now based on 2018/19 record, rather than 2017/18 record. Teams with the worst records receive the highest waiver priority.

December 15

January 5

January 7

  • Last day to waive non-guaranteed NBA contracts before they become guaranteed for the rest of the season. Salaries officially guarantee on January 10 if players haven’t cleared waivers before that date.

January 15

January 20

  • Salaries for all two-way contracts become fully guaranteed.

February 1

  • Former first-round picks who were stashed overseas may sign rookie scale NBA contracts for the 2019/20 season.

February 7

  • Trade deadline (2:00pm CT).

February 15-17

  • All-Star Weekend in Charlotte.

February 28

March 1

  • Last day a player can be waived by one team and remain eligible to appear in the postseason for another team.
  • Last day for a restricted free agent to sign an offer sheet.

March 11

April 10

  • Last day of the regular season.
  • Last day players can sign contracts for 2018/19.
  • Last day two-way contracts can be converted to standard NBA contracts.
  • Luxury tax penalties calculated based on payroll as of this day.

April 12

  • Playoff rosters set (2:00pm CT).

April 13

  • Playoffs begin.

Larry Coon’s Salary Cap FAQ and NBA.com were used in the creation of this post.

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Community Shootaround: Early Lakers Impressions

October 19th, 2018 at 8:48am CST by Luke Adams

We got our first glimpse of the new-look Lakers on Thursday night, as LeBron James appeared in his first regular season game for the franchise in Portland against the Trail Blazers. While the Lakers stuck with the Blazers for three quarters, Portland ultimately pulled away in the fourth, securing a 128-119 win.

There were plenty of positive takeaways for the Lakers. Second-year guard guard Josh Hart had a great game off the bench and already looks to be pushing for Kentavious Caldwell-Pope‘s starting job; the team played at a breakneck pace that allowed for plenty of transition opportunities; and, of course, LeBron looked like LeBron.

Still, two potential flaws with the Lakers’ roster that we heard about throughout the offseason were on display in the club’s first game. L.A. struggled from beyond the arc, missing its first 15 three-pointers and making just seven of 30 attempts for the game. No one besides Hart made more than a single three, prompting veteran free agent Nick Young to seemingly tweet his case for roster consideration after the game, as Alex Kennedy of HoopsHype relays (via Twitter).

In the view of Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report (via Twitter), the Lakers will be fine without elite three-point shooting, but could badly use a “serviceable” big man for 10-12 minutes per game. JaVale McGee played 22 minutes for the Lakers on Thursday, but the team didn’t use another traditional center, leaving forward like Kyle Kuzma or James as the de facto fives in certain lineups. Pincus suggests (via Twitter) that perhaps Moritz Wagner could help out when he gets healthy, but until then, the Lakers may have to lean too heavily on small-ball lineups that should only be used in moderation.

Of course, it was only one game, and given the time it took LeBron to adjust to new teams in Miami in 2010 and Cleveland in 2014, it only makes sense that we should give the Lakers some leeway to figure things out as well. James made that point after the game, as Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN.com relays.

“I always kind of compare it to like instant oatmeal — it is not that fast,” James said of developing chemistry. “It takes a while to get to where you can close your eyes and know exactly where your guys are.

“We’re literally less than a month in,” LeBron added, referring to the Lakers having opened training camp in late September. “So, it’s still early. You still got to go through some things. You’re going to go through some adversity. See how guys react to it. See what guys get going.”

What do you think? Will this Lakers team be fine once it gets another 15 or 20 games under its belt, or does this roster have flaws that will need to be addressed sooner or later in order to seriously compete with the best of the West? Join the discussion in the comment section below!

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2018 Offseason In Review: Los Angeles Clippers

October 18th, 2018 at 3:58pm CST by Luke Adams

Hoops Rumors is breaking down the 2018 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 2018/19 season holds for all 30 franchises. Today, we’re focusing on the Los Angeles Clippers.

Signings:

  • Standard contracts:
    • Avery Bradley: Two years, $24.96MM. Second year partially guaranteed ($2MM). Re-signed using Bird rights.
    • Montrezl Harrell: Two years, $12MM. Re-signed using Bird rights.
    • Luc Mbah a Moute: One year, $4.32MM. Signed using mid-level exception.
    • Mike Scott: One year, $4.32MM. Signed using mid-level exception.
    • Tyrone Wallace: Two years, $2.94MM. Partially guaranteed ($300K). Matched Pelicans’ offer sheet. Re-signed as restricted free agent using Non-Bird rights.
  • Two-way contracts:
  • Non-guaranteed camp contracts:

Trades:

Draft picks:

  • 1-11: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander — Signed to rookie contract.
  • 1-13: Jerome Robinson — Signed to rookie contract.

Departing players:

Other offseason news:

Salary cap situation:

  • Remained over the cap.
  • Carrying approximately $119.6MM in salary.
  • Hard-capped at $129.82MM.
  • Full bi-annual exception ($3.38MM) still available.

Check out the Los Angeles Clippers’ full roster and depth chart at RosterResource.com.

Story of the summer:

Armed with a pair of lottery picks and a desire to land a star player, the Clippers were the subject of a number of trade rumors this summer. Considering the Spurs wanted to acquire an impact scorer in any trade involving Kawhi Leonard, the Clippers were a realistic suitor, as they could have put together a package headlined by Tobias Harris. However, if they made a strong push for Leonard, that push ultimately fell short, with the Spurs sending the former Finals MVP to Toronto instead.

The Clippers explored ways to package their two late-lottery picks to move up in the draft, and multiple reports, both early and late in the pre-draft process, indicated that they had eyes for Luka Doncic. In the end, the franchise didn’t have enough ammunition to realistically move into the top three, and it was the Mavericks who traded up for Doncic.

While it’s possible that the Clippers were discouraged in the short term by their failed runs at impact players, the long-term outlook for the franchise remains promising. They may not have acquired any stars this summer, but by preserving cap room and other assets, the Clippers are well-positioned for 2019 to go after those top-tier targets, including at least one or two that they missed out on this year.

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2018 Offseason In Review: Houston Rockets

October 17th, 2018 at 7:04pm CST by Arthur Hill

Hoops Rumors is breaking down the 2018 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 2018/19 season holds for all 30 franchises. Today, we’re focusing on the Houston Rockets.

Signings:

  • Standard contracts:
    • Chris Paul: Four years, maximum salary ($159.73MM). Fourth-year player option. Re-signed using Bird rights.
    • Clint Capela: Five years, $87.5MM. Includes likely and unlikely incentives. Re-signed using Bird rights.
    • James Ennis: Two years, minimum salary. Second-year player option. Signed using minimum salary exception.
    • Carmelo Anthony: One year, minimum salary. Signed using minimum salary exception.
    • Gerald Green: One year, minimum salary. Re-signed using minimum salary exception.
    • Michael Carter-Williams: One year, minimum salary. Partially guaranteed for $1.2MM. Signed using minimum salary exception.
  • Two-way contracts:
  • Non-guaranteed camp contracts:

Trades:

Draft picks:

  • 1-52: Vince Edwards — Signed to two-way contract (converted from Exhibit 10 contract).

Draft-and-stash signings:

  • Isaiah Hartenstein (2017 draft; No. 43): Signed to three-year, minimum salary contract. First year guaranteed. Second year partially guaranteed for $708K. Signed using taxpayer mid-level exception.

Departing players:

Other offseason news:

  • Exercised 2019/20 option on Mike D’Antoni‘s contract.
  • GM Daryl Morey rebuffed Sixers’ efforts to hire him.
  • Associate head coach Jeff Bzdelik announced retirement.

Salary cap situation:

  • Remained over the cap.
  • Carrying approximately $131.14MM in guaranteed salaries.
  • Projected tax bill of $14.66MM.
  • $4.5MM of taxpayer mid-level exception still available ($838K used on Isaiah Hartenstein).

Check out the Houston Rockets’ full roster and depth chart at RosterResource.com.

Story of the summer:

It happened a year later than expected, but Carmelo Anthony is finally in Houston. He tried to get there for most of the summer of 2017, telling Knicks management that the Rockets were the only team he was willing to waive his no-trade clause to join. However, no deal could be worked out and Anthony expanded his list to include the Thunder shortly before training camps opened.

He never seemed fully comfortable in Oklahoma City, forming an awkward Big Three with Russell Westbrook and Paul George. His scoring averaged dipped to a career-low 16.2 points per night and he sat through the closing minutes of playoff games as OKC opted for a stronger defensive lineup.

An offseason trade to Atlanta and subsequent buyout cleared the final hurdles that kept him from Houston. Now Anthony is being asked to assume a reserve role and become a complementary shooter rather than a primary ball-handler. Playing alongside elite passers in James Harden and Chris Paul should provide plenty of open opportunities and help him improve on a shooting percentage that hit a career-low .404 in Oklahoma City.

Rockets coach Mike D’Antoni appreciates Anthony’s willingness to become a sixth man after starting all 1,054 of his previous games. “I know it’s not the ideal situation for him, because he’s a Hall of Famer and all that,” D’Antoni told ESPN’s Tim MacMahon (Twitter links). “I know it’s a big adjustment, but you know what? He’s true to his word. He said he’d do anything for the team. We think that’s best today. It might not be best later – we don’t know – but having him is something that we didn’t have last year. Obviously, it’s really good.”

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