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NBA Teams In The Tax For 2018/19

August 15th, 2018 at 4:00pm CST by Luke Adams

After the NBA salary cap increased by nearly 35% for the 2016/17 league year, it has grown at a far more modest rate in two subsequent seasons, increasing from $94.1MM to $99.1MM to $101.9MM. Still, the cap spike in 2016 resulted in a free agent spending spree that is still haunting some teams.

Many of the clubs that currently project to be taxpayers for the 2018/19 season still have an unwieldy contract or two from the summer of 2016 on their books. That list includes Ian Mahinmi for the Wizards, Evan Turner for the Trail Blazers, and Hassan Whiteside and Tyler Johnson for the Heat.

Even this year’s projected taxpayers that spent their money more wisely in 2016 can blame that summer at least in part for their substantial team salaries — clubs like the Warriors and Celtics likely wouldn’t have been able to land stars like Kevin Durant and Al Horford without the cap spike, and commitments to those players are helping push both teams into tax territory today.

In total, nearly one-third of the NBA’s teams could end up over the luxury tax threshold this season. Currently, eight teams have crossed that $123.733MM line, while two more are narrowly below it. Teams have until the end of the 2018/19 regular season to adjust team salary in an effort to get back under the tax line, but most of those clubs will have little leverage if they try to dump salary, so it won’t be easy to cut costs.

Here’s an early look at the teams likely to finish 2018/19 as taxpayers:

Oklahoma City Thunder
Current guaranteed team salary (approximate): $149.58MM

The Thunder have actually reduced their projected tax bill in the last month by trading Carmelo Anthony and his $28MM salary, but this roster will still have a massive price tag attached to it. Because they’ll finish the season having been in the tax in three of the last four years, the Thunder will be subject to the repeater tax, resulting in more punitive penalties. As a result, their tax bill currently projects to be worth a staggering $93.19MM.

Golden State Warriors
Current guaranteed team salary (approximate): $143.64MM

The Warriors will actually get off relatively easy this year, despite a projected tax bill of $51MM+ if Patrick McCaw returns on his qualifying offer. Klay Thompson and Draymond Green are still on old contracts that pay them well below their current maximum salaries, and Golden State won’t get hit with the repeater tax until 2019/20. If Thompson and Durant sign lucrative new deals next summer, the Dubs may well face more significant tax penalties in future seasons.

Toronto Raptors
Current guaranteed team salary (approximate): $139.79MM

The Raptors have avoided the tax during their recent run of 50-win seasons, but they’re unlikely to do so again this year. Even if they’re able to dump one unwanted contract, it probably won’t be enough to slip below the tax line. That’s not the end of the world though, as team ownership should be willing to pay a little extra in 2018/19 for what could be a championship-caliber roster. Some money will come off the books in 2019, and much more will be cleared by 2020, so the club likely won’t have to worry about spending the next several years in tax territory.

Washington Wizards
Current guaranteed team salary (approximate): $134.86MM

One of four taxpayers last season, the Wizards came away with little to show for the extra investment in their roster — the club finished eighth in the East and was eliminated in the first round of the playoffs. That didn’t dissuade ownership from spending big again this season on a roster that looks pretty similar to last year’s, plus Dwight Howard. Based on their current team salary, the Wizards are on the hook for a projected tax bill of $19MM+.

Houston Rockets
Current guaranteed team salary (approximate): $133.72MM

The Rockets‘ guaranteed team salary currently only accounts for 11 fully guaranteed contracts and one partially guaranteed deal, so that total figures to increase by the time Houston sets its final 14- or 15-man roster. With expensive multiyear deals for James Harden, Chris Paul, Clint Capela and others on the books for 2019/20 as well, it will be interesting to see just how willing new owner Tilman Fertitta is to remain in tax territory for multiple years if the Rockets once again fall short of the NBA Finals in 2018/19.

Portland Trail Blazers
Current guaranteed team salary (approximate): $131.64MM

The Trail Blazers deftly ducked below the tax line at the 2018 trade deadline when they shipped Noah Vonleh‘s expiring contract to Chicago. Barring a fire sale, it will be more difficult to get below that threshold this season — the Blazers would have to shed about $8MM to do so, and there are no big expiring contracts on their books that would make good trade chips.

Miami Heat
Current guaranteed team salary (approximate): $126.98MM

Like the Rockets, the Heat don’t have a full roster yet, so their total guaranteed team salary is based on just 12 players. If they bring back Dwyane Wade and Udonis Haslem, even on minimum salary contracts, the gap between the Heat’s team salary and the tax line will increase. That will make it trickier to get out of the tax at the trade deadline, though Miami has reportedly explored potential trades this offseason involving some of the team’s highest-paid players.

Boston Celtics
Current guaranteed team salary (approximate): $126.75MM

The Celtics‘ tax bill is currently only projected to be about $5.8MM, which is modest enough that the club won’t do anything drastic to move below the tax line. Still, the front office will be mindful of the cost of the roster in future seasons. With lucrative new contracts for the likes of Kyrie Irving, Jaylen Brown, and Jayson Tatum due before too long, the Celtics could eventually become a perennial taxpayer, so it might be in the club’s best interests to sneak out of the tax in 2018/19 to avoid starting the clock on the repeater tax.

Outside of the eight teams listed above, the Pistons and Grizzlies will be the wariest about their standing in relation to the tax line in 2018/19. Both clubs currently have about $123.25MM in team salary on their books, leaving them less than $500K away from tax territory. Memphis could create some extra breathing room by waiving Andrew Harrison‘s non-guaranteed salary.

Salary information from Basketball Insiders was used in the creation of this post.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

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2018/19 NBA Contract Extension Tracker

August 15th, 2018 at 1:35pm CST by Luke Adams

So far this offseason, we’ve been keeping close tabs on the way teams are acquiring new players, tracking free agent signings, draft pick signings, draft-and-stash deals, two-way contracts, trades, and waiver claims. However, there’s one more form of transaction worth monitoring: contract extensions.

Extensions, of course, don’t involve adding a new player to the roster. By extending a contract, a team ensures that a current player will remain locked up for multiple years to come. Although a contract extension may not change the club’s outlook on the court, it can have a major impact on that team’s salary cap situation for the next several summers.

Rookie scale extensions are the most common form of contract extension, and Devin Booker became the first member of the 2015 draft class to sign one back in July. However, he’s unlikely to be the last. There are many other players eligible for new deals up until the October 15 deadline, and it’s common for about four to eight players entering the final year of their respective rookie contracts to sign extensions.

[RELATED: Players eligible for rookie-scale extensions]

While they’ve historically been less common than rookie-scale extensions, veteran extensions are happening a little more frequently these days, with the league’s new Collective Bargaining Agreement expanding the rules for eligibility and creating some additional incentives for star players to sign new deals before they reach free agency. Seven players signed veteran extensions during the 2017/18 league year. Kevin Love was the first veteran to sign one this offseason.

Listed below are the players who have finalized contract extensions so far in the 2018/19 league year. This list, which can be found on the right-hand sidebar under “Hoops Rumors Features” on our desktop site (or on the “Features” page in our mobile menu) will be kept up to date throughout the offseason, and even throughout the ’18/19 regular season if any veteran players ink an extension at that point.

Veteran extensions:

  • Kevin Love (Cavaliers): Four years, $120,402,172 (story). Starts in 2019/20.
  • Eric Bledsoe (Bucks): Four years, $70MM (story). Partial guarantee ($3.9MM) in fourth year. Starts in 2019/20.
  • Spencer Dinwiddie (Nets): Three years, $34,360,473 (story). Third-year player option. Starts in 2019/20.

Rookie scale extensions:

  • Karl-Anthony Towns (Timberwolves): Five years, 25% maximum salary (story). Projected value of $158,050,000. Can be worth 30% of the cap (projected value of $189,660,000) if Towns earns All-NBA honors or wins MVP or DPOY in 2018/19. Starts in 2019/20.
  • Devin Booker (Suns): Five years, 25% maximum salary (story). Projected value of $158,050,000. Can be worth up to 30% (projected value of $189,660,000) if Booker earns First Team All-NBA honors in 2018/19. Starts in 2019/20.
  • Myles Turner (Pacers): Four years, $72MM (story). Includes $8MM in unlikely incentives. Starts in 2019/20.
  • Larry Nance Jr. (Cavaliers): Four years, $44.8MM (story). Starts in 2019/20.
  • Justise Winslow (Heat): Three years, $39MM (story). Third-year team option. Starts in 2019/20.
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Players Who Can’t Be Traded Until January 15

August 14th, 2018 at 3:57pm CST by Luke Adams

As we detailed earlier, players who signed new contracts as free agents during the 2018/19 league year can’t be traded for three months or until December 15, whichever comes later. That means that nearly every team has at least one player – and generally a handful – who won’t become trade-eligible until mid-December.

There’s also a small subset of free agent signees whose trade ineligibility lasts for an extra month. 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.

Listed below are the players who meet this criteria and can’t be traded until at least January 15, 2019. Players who have the ability to veto trades in 2018/19 are marked with an asterisk. We’ll continue to update this page over the next few months, if necessary.

Boston Celtics

Brooklyn Nets

Chicago Bulls

Cleveland Cavaliers

Denver Nuggets

Houston Rockets

Los Angeles Clippers

Oklahoma City Thunder

Orlando Magic

Portland Trail Blazers

San Antonio Spurs

Toronto Raptors

Utah Jazz

Information from Basketball Insiders was used in the creation of this post.

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Players Who Can’t Be Traded Until December 15

August 14th, 2018 at 2:40pm CST by Luke Adams

As teams explore the trade market for potential deals to complete their rosters for training camp, there are a number of trade restrictions those clubs must take into account. For instance, recently-signed draft picks can’t be traded for 30 days and waiver claims can’t be traded for until the 30th day of the regular season. Most notably, newly-signed free agents can’t be dealt until at least December 15.

The NBA’s Collective Bargaining Agreement states that a free agent who signs with an NBA team can’t be traded for three months or until December 15, whichever is later. So, players who sign new contracts prior to September 15 won’t be trade-eligible until at least December 15.

There are also some recently-signed players who meet a few specific criteria and can’t be traded until January 15. Those players are listed here.

For now, here are the players who aren’t eligible to be traded until December 15. Players whose contracts haven’t been officially finalized aren’t yet listed below. Players on summer contracts are marked with an asterisk (*), while players who have the ability to veto trades in 2018/19 are indicated with a caret (^). We’ll continue to update this page over the next few months, as players are signed or waived.

Updated 11-29-18 (7:53am CT)

Atlanta Hawks

Boston Celtics

Brooklyn Nets

Charlotte Hornets

Chicago Bulls

Cleveland Cavaliers

Dallas Mavericks

Read more

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Poll: Which Team Will Win Northwest Division?

August 14th, 2018 at 1:17pm CST by Luke Adams

There may not be an NBA division more top-heavy than the Atlantic, where the Celtics, Raptors, and Sixers are all projected to win more than 50 games in 2018/19. However, the Atlantic also features the Nets and Knicks, who are widely expected to finish in the lottery.

In terms of top-to-bottom talent, the Northwest has a stronger case to be considered the NBA’s best division. Last season, four Northwest teams made the playoffs and a fifth missed the postseason by a single game. The five clubs finished the regular season separated by just three games, racking up between 46 and 49 wins apiece.

None of those Northwest clubs took a huge step backward this offseason, but there were no massive upgrades either, with many of the most significant roster moves in the division involving re-signing key free agents. As such, oddsmakers once again view the Northwest as a five-team race, with each of those five teams projected to finish above .500.

According to betting site Bodog.eu, the Thunder are consider the very slight favorites to win the Northwest, with an over/under of 49.5 wins for the season. However, the Jazz (49 wins) and Nuggets (47.5) are right behind them, with the Timberwolves (44.5), and Trail Blazers (42.5) within striking distance.

After we asked you on Monday to assess the top of the Atlantic standings for 2018/19, we’re shifting our focus today to the Northwest.

Will the Blazers repeat as division champions? Will the Thunder or Jazz take a step forward and win the Northwest? Or will the Nuggets or Timberwolves go from vying for the No. 8 seed in the West to battling for the division crown?

Vote below in our poll for the 2018/19 Northwest division winner, then head to the comment section to make your case for your pick.

Trade Rumors app users, click here to vote.

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Remaining Offseason Questions: Central Division

August 14th, 2018 at 12:07pm CST by Luke Adams

NBA teams have now completed the brunt of their offseason work, with the draft and free agency practically distant memories. Still, with training camps more than a month away, most clubs around the league have at least one or two outstanding issues they’ve yet to address.

Over the next week, we’re looking at all 30 NBA teams, separating them by division and checking in on the key outstanding question that each club still needs to answer before the 2018/19 regular season begins.

After focusing on the Atlantic on Monday, we’re moving on to the Central today…

Chicago Bulls
Will the Bulls sign Bobby Portis to a rookie scale extension this year?

Even before Portis was technically eligible to sign a rookie scale extension, a report indicated that he and the Bulls were discussing the possibility of a new deal. That was a strong signal that there was legitimate interest on both sides in getting something done this year.

The Bulls will have cap room available next summer and may want to wait on Portis’ contract in order to maximize their flexibility in 2019. But I wouldn’t be surprised if that’s not a huge concern for the team — Portis’ cap hold as a restricted free agent would be about $7.5MM, so if he signs a new contract now that goes into effect in 2019/20, it’s unlikely to significantly increase that cap charge and compromise Chicago’s cap space.

The Bulls and Portis have until October 15 to work something out. Last we heard, talks between the club and the forward’s camp were ongoing.

Cleveland Cavaliers
Will the Cavs eventually re-sign Rodney Hood?

The Cavaliers actually have several questions still to address. Will their long-rumored deal with David Nwaba be finalized anytime soon? Will Larry Nance get an extension this offseason? Will J.R. Smith or anyone else be traded before the season begins? Still, Hood’s status is the biggest question mark for the Cavaliers at this point, as he’s the most noteworthy free agent from the class of 2018 who remains unsigned.

Because Hood is a restricted free agent and there doesn’t appear to be a rival suitor out there ready to put an offer sheet on the table, Cleveland isn’t under pressure to get a deal done right away. The apparent standoff between Hood and the Cavs could last several more weeks. Last year, for instance, RFAs like Alex Len, Nikola Mirotic, and JaMychal Green didn’t resolve their situations until the last week of September when training camps got underway.

We’ll have to wait to see whether Hood will go the Len route – signing his one-year qualifying offer – or if he’ll be able to agree to terms on a multiyear deal with the Cavs, like Mirotic and Green did with their respective clubs last September.

Detroit Pistons
Is the Pistons’ roster set?

There are no burning questions looming over the Pistons as training camp approaches. Detroit has 15 players on guaranteed contracts and both its two-way contract slots filled. There are no major trade candidates on the roster. And it looks like the team is just about done making changes to its coaching staff and front office.

It remains to be seen whether senior advisor Ed Stefanski will officially get a general manager or president of basketball operations title, but there’s little intrigue there — he has led the Pistons’ front office this offseason and is the team’s effective head of basketball operations, even if he doesn’t have the usual title.

So our question for the Pistons is whether this is the roster that will open the season. Jon Leuer is hurt again, and there’s not a ton of depth in the frontcourt behind Andre Drummond and the oft-injured Blake Griffin. It remains to be seen whether Henry Ellenson is ready for major minutes or if Zaza Pachulia can still play them.

The Pistons have plenty of depth at point guard and on the wing, so it will be interesting to see if they trade in any of that depth for one more frontcourt contributor. Even Detroit’s two-way players – Reggie Hearn and Keenan Evans – are guards, so perhaps the club will consider replacing one of them with a big man for insurance purposes.

Indiana Pacers
Will Myles Turner get a rookie scale extension from the Pacers this year?

Turner was expected to take a huge step forward last season with Paul George no longer in Indiana, but he was nagged by injuries throughout the season and had his role adjusted to some extent to accommodate Domantas Sabonis‘ breakout year. The 22-year-old Turner should still be a major part of the Pacers‘ future, but after a modest showing in 2017/18 (12.7 PPG, 6.4 RPG, .479 FG%), it’s not clear if the two sides will be able to compromise on his long-term value this offseason.

I expect Turner’s representatives to push for a long-term extension at least in the Clint Capela range ($16-18MM annually). The Pacers, who are poised to open up major cap room next summer and still have to figure out if the Turner/Sabonis pairing can succeed, may be reluctant to invest that heavily quite yet.

Like Portis and the Bulls, Turner and the Pacers will have until October 15 to strike a new deal. If negotiations get serious, it’s likely to happen closer to that deadline. And if the two sides can’t reach an agreement, Turner will be on track for restricted free agency in 2019.

Milwaukee Bucks
Who will be the Bucks’ 15th man for the regular season?

It’s still possible that the Bucks will be able to work out a trade that sends out a player like Matthew Dellavedova or John Henson. Assuming the current 14 players on guaranteed salaries make the regular season roster though, that leaves just one open spot, with multiple candidates to fill it.

Tyler Zeller will be on a non-guaranteed deal and won’t necessarily be assured of a roster spot. The same goes for Shabazz Muhammad. Training camp invitees like Travis Trice, Brandon McCoy, and Jordan Barnett will likely end up with the Wisconsin Herd, but perhaps one of them becomes a contender for that 15th roster spot with a strong preseason.

Jason Terry also remains a wild card in the Bucks’ decision-making process. Terry has said multiple times that he wants to play one more NBA season, and he has spent the last two years in Milwaukee. In 2017, he didn’t sign with the Bucks until mid-September, so we can’t rule out the possibility of him returning to the team once more. If he does, he’d almost certainly have the upper hand for that final opening on the roster.

Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

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How Teams Have Acquired Players In 2018 Offseason

August 14th, 2018 at 10:56am CST by Luke Adams

It has been nearly two months since the NBA completed its 2018 draft, and about a month and a half since the free agent period opened. All summer long, we’ve been tracking player movement across the league, relaying word of every free agent signing, trade, and all sorts of other transactions.

We don’t want to let any roster moves slip through the cracks, so today we’re taking a closer look at exactly how the NBA’s 30 teams have added players to their respective roster this offseason. Let’s dive in…

Free agents:

Our 2018 NBA free agent tracker keeps tabs on every signing that has taken place since July 1, including NBA free agents heading overseas for the 2018/19 season. So far, every NBA team has completed at least two free agent signings, and some clubs have finalized many more deals than that, particularly once training camp contracts are taken into consideration.

Currently, our tracker accounts for 138 NBA free agent contract agreements, though that number figures to increase in the coming weeks as teams finalize their training camp rosters.

Trades:

Our 2018 offseason trade tracker features every single deal completed so far this offseason, starting with the draft-night blockbuster that landed Luka Doncic in Dallas and Trae Young in Atlanta.

While many of this summer’s trades have been minor moves or have been motivated by cap or tax considerations, we’ve seen several significant trades completed too — the Kawhi Leonard/DeMar DeRozan mega-deal between the Raptors and Spurs definitely fits that bill.

Since the 2017/18 NBA season ended, teams have completed a total of 28 trades.

Draft picks:

While 60 players were selected during the 2018 draft, not all 60 will play in the NBA this coming season. Still, so far, only a handful have made plans to play overseas, and all 30 first-rounders have signed their NBA rookie contracts.

As our tracker of draft pick signings shows, four second-round picks will play in international leagues and four remain unsigned. Of the remaining second-rounders, 18 have signed standard NBA contracts and four have inked two-way deals.

Two-way contracts:

Speaking of two-way contracts, we’re tracking all of 2018/19’s right here, and the list already looks much different than 2017/18’s group of two-way players. While a few holdovers are still on their old two-way contracts, there has been plenty of turnover in the two-way ranks.

So far this offseason, 33 players have signed two-way contracts with new teams, three more have agreed to two-way deals but have yet to finalize them, and three others signed new two-way contracts with their old teams.

Draft-and-stash signings:

The introduction of the two-way contract has made it easier for NBA teams to avoid stashing drafted prospects overseas for a year or two, which is perhaps one reason why the number of draft-and-stash signings this year is smaller than usual. So far, only two draft-and-stash players – Jonah Bolden (Sixers) and Isaiah Hartenstein (Rockets) – have signed NBA contracts, as our breakdown shows.

Waiver claims:

Finally, two players have been claimed off waivers during the 2018/19 league year, per our tracker. Those players are Thomas Bryant, claimed from the Lakers by the Wizards, and Antonius Cleveland, claimed from the Hawks by the Bulls.

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2018/19 NBA Waiver Claims

August 14th, 2018 at 8:55am CST by Luke Adams

Waiver claims are something of a rarity in the NBA. In order to claim a player off waivers, a team generally must be able to fit the player’s entire salary into cap room, a traded player exception, or a disabled player exception. While there are a few teams with sizable trade exceptions available, disabled player exceptions can only be granted during the season, and the Kings are the only team with real cap room left.

Given those limitations, the players most frequently claimed on waivers are those on minimum salary deals, since any club is eligible to place a claim on those players using the minimum salary exception. Even then though, there are exceptions — the minimum salary exception can only be used to sign players for up to two years, so the same rules apply to waiver claims. If a player signed a three-year, minimum salary contract, he can’t be claimed using the minimum salary exception.

Taking into account all the rules that reduce the odds of a waiver claim – not to mention the limited roster spots available for NBA teams – it makes sense that nearly all of the players who get released ultimately clear waivers. During the 2017/18 league year, only four players were claimed off waivers. That number was six in 2016/17 and seven in 2015/16.

Despite how infrequent they are, we still want to track all the waiver claims that take place during the 2018/19 league year, so we’ll do so in the space below. This list will be updated throughout the offseason and regular season to include the latest claims.

Here’s the list:

  • Wizards claim Thomas Bryant from Lakers (July 2)
    • The Lakers waived Bryant before his $1,378,242 salary for 2018/19 became guaranteed, but the Wizards were happy to guarantee that figure for the young center. Because Bryant signed a two-year, minimum salary contract in 2017, he was eligible to be claimed using the minimum salary exception. He’ll be eligible for restricted free agency at the end of the ’18/19 season.
  • Bulls claim Antonius Cleveland from Hawks (July 23)
    • Cleveland signed a two-year, minimum salary contract with the Hawks near the end of the 2017/18 season, so the Bulls used the minimum salary exception to claim him after having spent all their cap room on Jabari Parker. Cleveland’s $1,378,242 salary for 2018/19 season wasn’t set to become guaranteed until January, but the Hawks waived him early in order to create more space to accommodate their Carmelo Anthony acquisition. The Bulls took a look at Cleveland in camp, but cut him before the regular season began.
  • Bulls claim Tyler Ulis from Warriors (October 14)
    • The Bulls had a full 15-man roster when they claimed Ulis, one day before the regular season cutdown deadline. However, they took advantage of an open two-way contract slot and Ulis’ Exhibit 10 contract, claiming him from the Warriors using the minimum salary exception, then converting his deal into a two-way pact in order to avoid having to cut anyone else. Ulis starts the season as a two-way player for Chicago.
  • Pelicans claim Tim Frazier from Bucks (October 17)
    • The Pelicans waived both Jarrett Jack and Darius Morris when they cut down their roster to the regular season limit, but they fortified their point guard depth just days later by claiming Frazier from the Bucks.
  • Hornets claim Shelvin Mack from Hawks (February 10)
    • The Hawks acquired Mack at the trade deadline and subsequently waived him. They were let off the hook for his remaining salary when the Hornets submitted a claim, using their open roster spot to accommodate their new point guard.
  • Pelicans claim Christian Wood from Bucks (March 20)
    • In need of backcourt depth, the Bucks signed Tim Frazier, opening up a roster spot by waiving Wood, despite his terrific G League numbers. The lottery-bound Pelicans opted to take a flier on Wood, whose minimum-salary deal made it easy to place a claim.
  • Thunder claim Jawun Evans from Suns (March 25)
    • The first waiver claim of a two-way player this season, the Thunder‘s claim of Evans was somewhat unexpected. After he was cut by the Suns, Evans was expected to be nabbed by Houston, but Oklahoma City was ahead of the Rockets in the waiver order and beat them to the punch.
  • Rockets claim Trevon Duval from Bucks (March 26)
    • A day after losing out on Evans, the Rockets filled the open two-way slot on their roster by instead claiming Duval from the Bucks.
  • Clippers claim Rodney McGruder from Heat (April 9)
    • With their postseason hopes dwindling, the Heat decided to prioritize getting out of the luxury tax, and the Clippers helped them do so. Miami ducked below the tax line by removing McGruder’s cap hit from its books, and L.A. secured his Early Bird rights in advance of the offseason.
  • Rockets claim Deyonta Davis from Hawks (June 12)
    • Davis’ salary is non-guaranteed until August 1, so the Rockets presumably snatched him off waivers just in case he can be used in trade scenarios before then.
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Poll: 2018/19 Atlantic Division Standings

August 13th, 2018 at 3:56pm CST by Luke Adams

Winning a division isn’t as crucial in the NBA as it is in many other major professional sports leagues in North America. In the NBA, a club is more likely to worry about its playoff seed within the conference than its spot in the divisional standings.

Still, even if winning a division doesn’t assure a team of a first-round bye or a weak opponent in the postseason, there will be at least one NBA divisional race worth keeping a close eye on in 2018/19. The Celtics, Raptors, and Sixers project to be not just the top three teams in the Atlantic but also the three best teams in the Eastern Conference, based on a handful of early win-loss projections from oddsmakers.

According to sports betting site Bodog.eu, for instance, the Celtics have an over/under of 58.5 wins for next season, followed by Toronto and Philadelphia at 54.5. No other Eastern Conference team is projected for more than 46.5 wins.

The forecast for the Atlantic makes sense. The Raptors (59-23), Celtics (55-27), and 76ers (52-30) were the top three seeds in the Eastern Conference in 2017/18, and there’s no reason to expect any of them to take a huge step back.

The Celtics should have Gordon Hayward and Kyrie Irving back to lead a deep rotation that includes Jayson Tatum, Al Horford, Marcus Smart, Terry Rozier, Jaylen Brown, and Marcus Morris, among others. Young Sixers stars Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons now have a full year under their belts, and if 2017’s first overall pick Markelle Fultz can bounce back from a lost rookie season, Philadelphia has a scary amount of high-level talent on its roster.

The Raptors underwent the most significant changes of any of the Atlantic’s top three teams this summer, with Nick Nurse replacing Dwane Casey on the sidelines and Kawhi Leonard replacing DeMar DeRozan on the court. If Nurse struggles in his first NBA head coaching job and/or Leonard isn’t fully healthy, the Raptors figure to fall short of their projections, but their upside is as high as that of any team in the East.

We want to get your thoughts on how the Atlantic division will play out this season. Will the Celtics make good on their status as favorites and take the division? Will the Raptors defend their Atlantic title? Will the Sixers take a big step forward as their young stars continue to improve? What order do you expect those top three Atlantic teams to finish in?

Vote below in our poll and jump into the comment section below to share your thoughts!

Trade Rumors app users, click here to vote.

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Hoops Rumors Seeking Part-Time Writer

August 13th, 2018 at 2:17pm CST by Luke Adams

We’re looking to add a part-time contributor to the Hoops Rumors writing team. The position pays on an hourly basis. Applicants must meet the following criteria:

  • Exceptional knowledge of all 30 NBA teams, with no discernible bias. We want you to be as comfortable writing about Jawun Evans and Tyler Dorsey as you would be writing about LeBron James and Kevin Durant.
  • Knowledge of the NBA’s salary cap, collective bargaining agreement, and transaction-related concepts.
  • Strong weeknight and weekend availability, along with the ability to work at least one or two regular shifts per week. Flexibility to work on short notice is a plus.
  • At least some college education.
  • Extensive writing experience, with professional experience and a background in journalism both preferred.
  • Keen understanding of journalistic principles, ethics, and procedures. Completion of basic college-level journalism classes is preferred.
  • Attention to detail — absolutely no spelling errors, especially for player and journalist names.
  • Ability to follow Hoops Rumors’ style and tone.
  • Ability to analyze articles and craft intelligent, well-written posts summing up the news in a few paragraphs. We need someone who can balance quick writing with thoughtful analysis. You must be able to add value to breaking news with your own insight, numbers, or links to other relevant articles.
  • Ability to use Twitter, TweetDeck, and WordPress.

If you’re interested, email hoopsrumorsparttimers@gmail.com by Monday, August 20 (4:00pm central time) and take a few paragraphs to explain why you qualify and stand out. Please include one or two writing samples as well — NBA-related pieces are preferred, but not mandatory.

Many will likely apply, so unfortunately we cannot respond to every applicant.

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