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Community Shootaround: Leonard And The Raptors

July 30th, 2018 at 5:59pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The early returns on the Raptors’ gamble by trading for Kawhi Leonard have been promising.

No one was quite sure how Leonard would react to playing in Toronto next season after his acrimonious feelings toward the Spurs convinced San Antonio to trade him. Leonard met recently with new Raptors head coach Nick Nurse and seemed to be genuinely excited about Nurse’s plans for him.

“It was fun to listen to his take,” Nurse told the Toronto Star about his 45-minute meeting with Leonard. “He asked me, ‘How are you going to use me? Where are you going to get me the ball? What do you see?’ And I told him, ‘Listen. To me, you can do pretty much everything. You can post. You can drive. You can handle it up the floor. You can play screen and roll. You can come off pindowns.’ I said, ‘Did I miss anything?’ He’s like, ‘No, that’s about it.’ I said, ‘You’ll probably be doing all that stuff.’”

The ultimate goal for the Raptors is to convince Leonard to stay long-term. Leonard can opt out of his contract next summer and become an unrestricted free agent. It’s well-known that he longs to play in Los Angeles and could join forces with LeBron James on the Lakers.

However, the Raptors have nearly a year to change his mind, just like the Thunder did after trading for Paul George. OKC’s roll of the dice paid off, as the Thunder organization made such a positive impression on George that he opted to stay put.

The Raptors are more dangerous team with a healthy Leonard but that, too, is a big unknown. Leonard played just nine games last season due to a nagging quad injury and he could easily miss a large chunk of the season if he re-injures it. The path to the Finals should be easier for Leonard in the Eastern Conference, especially with James out of the picture.

That leads us to our topic of the day: How do you think Toronto will fare next season with Kawhi Leonard? Do you think he’ll stick around or leave for Los Angeles or another destination next summer?

Please take to the comments section to voice your opinion. We look forward to what you have to say.

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Rules Related To NBA Offseason Roster Limits

July 30th, 2018 at 1:01pm CST by Luke Adams

While NBA teams are limited to 15 players (plus a pair of two-way players) during the regular season, each club can carry up to 20 players during the offseason. Teams don’t have to cut down their rosters from 20 until the day before the regular season.

Players on two-way contracts count toward the 20-man offseason limit, so a club can’t sign 20 players to standard NBA contracts, then add another two more on two-way deals. If a team has filled both of its two-way contract slots, it’s limited to 18 players on standard contracts.

The most common approach for a team building its offseason roster is to carry about 14 players on guaranteed contracts with one or two more on two-way deals and then four or five on training camp contracts.

This is the route the Hornets are currently taking, for instance. Charlotte has 14 players on guaranteed deals, Mangok Mathiang and J.P. Macura on two-way contracts, and four more players – Joe Chealey, Jaylen Barford, Isaiah Wilkins, and Zach Smith – on training camp deals. The Lakers have taken a similar approach, with 15 players on guaranteed salaries, both their two-way slots filled, and three players on camp deals. Charlotte and L.A. were the first two teams to reach the 20-man offseason roster limit.

Still, a team can carry more than 15 guaranteed salaries at this point if it wants to. The Clippers, for example, currently have 16 players on guaranteed contracts, plus Patrick Beverley‘s non-guaranteed deal. Before the regular season begins, the Clips will have to either trade or waive at least two players on guaranteed deals if they intend to keep Beverley. But there’s no rush to do so right away.

Teams with G League affiliates are more likely to use up all 20 of their offseason roster slots than teams without them. The Hornets may end up designating players like Chealey, Barford, Wilkins, and Smith as affiliate players, sending them to the Greensboro Swarm and awarding them an Exhibit 10 bonus if they stick with Charlotte’s G League club. A team like the Nuggets, without an NBAGL affiliate, can’t offer that same bonus.

Once a few more deals around the NBA are officially completed, we’ll be posting our list of roster counts for all 30 teams, which we’ll keep up to date throughout the offseason and the 2018/19 season. Until then, you can read more about NBA roster limits in our glossary entry on the subject.

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11 Free Agents Signed Four- Or Five-Year Contracts

July 30th, 2018 at 11:01am CST by Luke Adams

Not every free agent enters the NBA offseason looking to sign a long-term contract. Just ask Kevin Durant, who – for the third year in a row – has the ability to opt out of his new contract with the Warriors after just one season. Still, nearly all of the most lucrative free agent deals signed this offseason span four or five years, with only a handful of top players having received contracts of that length.

It’s possible that another free agent – perhaps Rodney Hood – could join this group of long-term signees, but for now, just 11 players have signed four- or five-year contracts with NBA teams this offseason.

Those 11 deals all rank in the top 13 contracts of the 2018 offseason in terms of overall value, and each of the other two contracts in that group – Durant’s two-year, $61.5MM pact and Jabari Parker‘s two-year, $40MM contract – may see its value chopped in half if the second-year option is voided.

All 11 players who signed four- or five-year deals were among the best free agents in this year’s class. Six ranked in the top 10 of our top-50 list, and 10 were in the top 20. Only Kyle Anderson (No. 27) was the exception, and his deal was a little longer and more lucrative than anticipated because it was an offer sheet designed not to be matched by the Spurs.

Speaking of restricted free agents, much has been made of the challenges some RFAs face as they try to find fair deals on the open market. However, of the 11 players who signed the longest contracts this offseason, seven were restricted free agents. Nikola Jokic led the way with his five-year contract worth $142MM+, but Clint Capela, Zach LaVine, Aaron Gordon, and several other RFAs did pretty well for themselves too.

In total, the 11 players who signed four- or five-year deals this offseason will receive a combined $1.024 billion if they play out their entire contracts.

Here’s the full list of 2018 free agents who signed four- or five-year contracts, sorted by overall value:

  • Chris Paul (Rockets): Four years, $159.73MM.
  • LeBron James (Lakers): Four years, $153.31MM. Fourth-year player option.
  • Nikola Jokic (Nuggets): Five years, $142.71MM. $1MM annually in unlikely incentives.
  • Paul George (Thunder): Four years, $136.91MM. Fourth-year player option.
  • Clint Capela (Rockets): Five years, $87.5MM. $500K annually in unlikely incentives.
  • Zach LaVine (Bulls): Four years, $78MM.
  • Aaron Gordon (Magic): Four years, $76MM.  $1MM annually in unlikely incentives
  • Will Barton (Nuggets): Four years, $53MM. Fourth-year player option.
  • Marcus Smart (Celtics): Four years, $52MM.
  • Jusuf Nurkic (Trail Blazers): Four years, $48MM. $1.5MM annually in unlikely incentives. Fourth year only partially guaranteed for $4MM.
  • Kyle Anderson (Grizzlies): Four years, $37.16MM.

Salary information from Basketball Insiders was used in the creation of this post. Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

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Community Shootaround: Early Eastern Conference Predictions

July 29th, 2018 at 10:00pm CST by Luke Adams

On Thursday, we opened up a discussion on the Western Conference, asking for your early predictions on the playoff race in the NBA’s more competitive conference. Today, we’re shifting our focus to the East.

Three Atlantic teams appear poised to enter the 2018/19 season as the odds-on favorites to come out of the Eastern Conference. According to the early odds at sports betting site Bovada.lv, the Celtics are the clear frontrunners, as they re-add Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward to a roster that came within one game of the NBA Finals.

Boston is followed by the Raptors and Sixers. While the Raptors have continually come up short in the postseason, they racked up 59 wins last season, and probably increased their ceiling by replacing DeMar DeRozan with Kawhi Leonard. The 76ers, meanwhile, will bring back a roster similar to last year’s, but will be banking on further improvements from young stars Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid.

No other Eastern team has better than 15-to-1 odds to represent the conference in the NBA Finals, but there are a few interesting clubs worth keeping an eye on.

The Pacers didn’t lose any major pieces, and have added Tyreke Evans and Doug McDermott to a squad that finished fourth in the East last season. The Bucks may have the best player in the conference in Giannis Antetokounmpo, and a new head coach should create more stability in Milwaukee. The Wizards underperformed last season, but have a pair of All-Star guards and a newly-added eight-time All-Star center in Dwight Howard.

The Pistons and Heat are both strong candidates to earn playoff spots as well. Detroit will have a full year of Blake Griffin, health permitting, and brought aboard Dwane Casey, the reigning Coach of the Year. Miami has one of the deepest teams and most talented coaches in the conference.

Those eight teams may enter the year as the favorites for playoff spots, but there are several other contenders. The Cavaliers don’t have LeBron James, but there are still plenty of solid players on their roster, including All-Star forward Kevin Love. The same is true of the Hornets, who have a handful of solid role players surrounding their lone All-Star, Kemba Walker.

Young teams like the Knicks and Nets could make a little noise in 2018/19, as could the Bulls, who have added Jabari Parker and Wendell Carter to a group that already featured Lauri Markkanen, Zach LaVine, and Kris Dunn.

The Hawks and Magic still appear lottery-bound, but perhaps new head coaches can spark an unexpected run in Atlanta or Orlando.

What do you think? Which eight teams do you expect to earn postseason berths in the East? Are the Celtics your early pick to come out of the conference, or can the Raptors, Sixers, or another team upend them?

Jump into the comment section below to give us your early thoughts on the new-look Eastern Conference.

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Upcoming NBA Salary Guarantee Dates To Watch

July 29th, 2018 at 7:57pm CST by Luke Adams

Over the last month or so, we’ve seen a number of players traded or waived before their salary guarantees for the 2018/19 season kicked in. Players who sign contracts that feature non-guaranteed salaries in future years often have June or July trigger dates, forcing teams to make decisions fairly early in the offseason — that way, if the player is waived, he’ll still have the opportunity to catch on with a new club well before the new season begins.

We’ve been tracking those decisions using our list of guarantee dates for the summer of 2018. While most of those deadlines are now in the rear-view mirror, a few teams will have decisions to make within the next week.

Here’s a quick rundown of the decision dates to watch this week:

Brandon Jennings (Bucks): $2,222,803 salary becomes guaranteed after August 1.

Jennings’ salary was initially set to become guaranteed if he remained under contract through July 1, and there were reports at the start of the month suggesting he believed that would happen. Instead, the Bucks pushed back his guarantee date until the start of August, giving the team time to assess whether it needed the veteran guard on the roster once it was done making other offseason moves.

The Bucks recently agreed to add Pat Connaughton to their backcourt and haven’t been able to trade Matthew Dellavedova this summer, which may not bode well for Jennings’ roster spot. Even if Milwaukee decides to cut him though, Jennings could return on a new minimum-salary contract at some point — his current deal calls for a $2.22MM cap hit, but the Bucks could give him the same salary on a new one-year contract with a $1.51MM cap charge.

Brandon Paul (Spurs): $1,378,242 salary becomes guaranteed after August 1.

The Spurs tend not to throw in the towel early on developmental projects, preferring to give them time to ease their way into larger roles. Paul only averaged 9.0 minutes per contest last season, but he appeared in 64 games, signaling that San Antonio had enough confidence in him to continue giving him NBA minutes rather than hiding away in the G League. That’s a positive sign for Paul as decision day approaches.

Abdel Nader (Thunder): $1,378,242 salary becomes guaranteed after August 1. Already partially guaranteed for $450,000.

The Thunder went out of their way to acquire Nader from the Celtics in a trade last week even though the young wing already has a partial guarantee of $450K. Oklahoma City’s luxury-tax issues are well documented and the club wouldn’t have traded for him if it didn’t intend to keep him, so Nader looks like a virtual lock to have his full salary guaranteed.

Okaro White (Cavaliers): $1,544,951 salary becomes partially guaranteed for $772,476 after August 5.

White, who missed a good chunk of the 2017/18 season with a broken foot, talked earlier this month about how he’s still working to mentally get over that injury. He was physically healthy enough to play for the Cavaliers‘ Summer League team, but his performance in Las Vegas was a mixed bag. He showed off his energy and rebounding ability with 7.4 RPG in 23.9 minutes per contest, but struggled to put the ball in the basket, averaging just 6.0 PPG on 33.3% shooting.

The Cavs have roster spots to spare and could stick with White, but if they’re still unsure about his place on the roster, they’ll likely waive him by next Sunday to avoid guaranteeing half his salary for 2018/19.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

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Poll: 2018/19 NBA Rookie Of The Year

July 29th, 2018 at 6:54pm CST by Luke Adams

All 30 of 2018’s first-round picks are now under contract with their new NBA clubs, and odds are that one of those 30 players will become the NBA’s next Rookie of the Year — in fact, it’s very likely that a player picked in the top 11 will win that award.

Before 2016 second-rounder Malcolm Brogdon took home the award in 2017, only one player drafted lower than No. 11 overall had earned Rookie of the Year honors in the last 50+ years — No. 18 overall pick Mark Jackson was named Rookie of the Year in 1988.

That bodes well for the top 11 players taken in this year’s draft. And of those players, two top picks look like the early frontrunners for next season’s award. As Kevin Pelton and Mike Schmitz detail in an Insider-only ESPN.com piece, their top two choices for 2018/19 Rookie of the Year are Suns center Deandre Ayton and Mavericks guard Luka Doncic, as each player seems poised to take on a large role and make an immediate impact for his new NBA team.

Still, those aren’t the only contenders for the award. Both Pelton and Schmitz view Kings big man Marvin Bagley III as a strong challenger, despite an underwhelming Summer League performance. Sacramento is high on Bagley and projects to be a bottom-two team in the West, so he’ll get plenty of opportunities to play. The same can be said of Trae Young, who’s in line for a larger role on the lottery-bound Hawks with Dennis Schroder no longer ahead of him on the depth chart.

Pelton and Schmitz are also high on Bulls center Wendell Carter Jr. and Knicks forward Kevin Knox, both of whom had strong Summer League showings this month. Carter and Knox seem better positioned to put up numbers than raw big men like Jaren Jackson Jr. of the Grizzlies and Mohamed Bamba of the Magic — Jackson, in particular, will have to fight for playing time, given Memphis’ playoff aspirations.

Rounding out the top 11 picks are Cavaliers point guard Collin Sexton, Suns forward Mikal Bridges, and Clippers guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, all of whom should get a chance to earn regular minutes in their rookie seasons.

It’s possible that a player outside of that group of 11 will be named the 2018/19 Rookie of the Year. One dark-horse candidate is Kings center Harry Giles, the 20th overall pick in the 2017 draft. After missing all of last season, Giles could take the Ben Simmons route and compete for Rookie of the Year honors in what is technically his second NBA season. Health remains a concern for Giles, but he played well in the Sacramento and Las Vegas Summer Leagues this month.

A healthy Michael Porter Jr. would be a candidate for this award too, but the Nuggets figure to take it slow with the rookie forward, who has dealt with back problems this year. Even if he’s effective when he plays, Porter probably won’t see enough action to make a serious case for RoY consideration.

What do you think? Who is your very-early pick for the 2018/19 Rookie of the Year award? Will a favorite like Ayton or Doncic win it, or will we see an underdog candidate emerge?

Vote below in our poll and then head to the comment section to make your case!

Trade Rumors app users, click here to vote.

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Hoops Rumors’ 2018 NBA Free Agent Tracker

July 29th, 2018 at 5:46pm CST by Luke Adams

We’re nearly a month into 2018’s free agent period and with news of contract agreements and signings continuing to break, Hoops Rumors is here to help you keep track of which players are heading to which teams this offseason. To this end, we present our Free Agent Tracker, a feature we’ve had each year since our inception in 2012. Using our tracker, you can quickly look up deals, sorting by team, position, free agent type, and a handful of other variables.

A few notes on the tracker:

  • Some of the information you’ll find in the tracker will reflect tentative agreements, rather than finalized deals. As signings become official, we’ll continue to update and modify the data as needed.
  • Similarly, contract years and dollars will sometimes be based on what’s been reported to date, so those amounts could be approximations rather than official figures. Salaries aren’t necessarily fully guaranteed either.
  • A restricted free agent who signs an offer sheet won’t be included in the tracker right away. We’ll wait to hear whether the player’s original team will match or pass on that offer sheet before we update our tracker, in order to avoid confusion.
  • If you’re viewing the tracker on our mobile site, be sure to turn your phone sideways to see more details.

Our 2018 Free Agent Tracker can be found anytime on the right sidebar of our desktop site under “Hoops Rumors Features,” and it’s also under the “Tools” menu atop the site. On our mobile site, it can be found in our menu under “Free Agent Lists.”

The tracker will be updated throughout the offseason, so be sure to check back for the latest info. If you have any corrections, please let us know right here.

Our lists of free agents by position/type and by team break down the players who have yet to reach contract agreements.

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Weekly Mailbag: 7/23/18 – 7/29/18

July 29th, 2018 at 12:59pm CST by Arthur Hill

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.

Why does Vince Carter keep signing with non-playoff teams like the Kings and Hawks when he should be chasing rings at his age? — DW, via Twitter

The priority for Carter seems to be playing time, which wouldn’t be guaranteed on a contending team for someone who will turn 42 during the season. A lot of people questioned his decision to sign with Sacramento last season, but he wound up in 58 games and averaged 17.7 minutes per night. Plus he collected $8MM, which no contender would have been willing to pay. Carter will only get a veteran’s minimum deal from the Hawks, but it gives him another year in the NBA and it allows him to serve as a mentor to a young roster, which is something else he seems to enjoy.

Just wondering about Kenrich Williams, saw him perform well for the Nuggets during summer league. He should have been drafted, shocked that he wasn’t and I think that someone is going to get him for a steal. — Sergeant Preston

This email was received before Williams signed with the Pelicans this week, but he does have the look of someone who can eventually contribute at the NBA level. Williams was a versatile player at TCU, posting a 13.2/9.3/3.9 line in his senior season, and he projects as either a small forward or stretch four in the NBA. At 23, he’s a little bit old for a prospect and it doesn’t help that he landed on a team without a direct G League affiliate. However, his ability to guard several positions is highly valued in the modern NBA and he will have opportunities to find the right situation, whether that’s with the Pelicans or someone else.

How likely is it the Knicks make the playoffs? — Eli Samuels

If you mean in 2018/19, the chances are really bad. Nobody knows for sure if Kristaps Porzingis will return from his torn ACL this season, and even the most optimistic projections have him out until January. The Knicks didn’t add anything significant in free agency beyond Mario Hezonja, nor did they take on any long-term salary because they’re saving their money for next summer. Their most exciting newcomers are rookies Kevin Knox and Mitchell Robinson, who will both need time to adjust to the NBA. Beyond the upcoming season, New York’s prospects are much brighter. The franchise could be in position to offer two max deals in 2019, with Kyrie Irving, Jimmy Butler and Kevin Durant among those rumored to have interest. Also, a competent management team finally seems to be in place that won’t throw big money at average players in contracts the team comes to regret.
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Community Shootaround: Kevin Love’s New Contract

July 28th, 2018 at 7:33pm CST by Arthur Hill

Before asking Kevin Love to become their new franchise player, the Cavaliers decided to pay him like one. Cleveland reached a four-year, $120MM extension this week with the All-Star forward, who becomes the face of the franchise now that LeBron James has left for the Lakers.

It’s a radical role change for Love, who came to Cleveland as the third member of a Big Three that also included Kyrie Irving. That group reached three straight NBA Finals and won a title in 2016 before the Cavs granted Irving’s trade request and shipped him to the Celtics last summer.

Love showed he can handle being a No. 1 option during the first six years of his career in Minnesota. He made three All-Star appearances in that stretch and posted some impressive numbers, including a 26.1/12.5/4.4 line during his final season with the Wolves.

Love never came close to matching that production in Cleveland, especially in scoring, where he often subjugated his offense in deference to James and Irving. Love spent much of his time waiting for kick-out passes at the 3-point line and often seemed directionless as his star teammates dominated the ball.

Now Love is the star and should get more touches than anyone. He will be the focal point of an offense that features plenty of shooters such as Kyle Korver, J.R. Smith and Rodney Hood if he re-signs, but few creators or playmakers, unless rookie point guard Collin Sexton is ready to contribute right away.

Even before LeBron announced his latest decision, Cavaliers management was making it clear that there were no plans to tank without him. Cleveland will be counting on Love to keep its playoff streak alive, not just in 2018/19 but well into the next decade.

We want your opinion on the new deal. Is Love worth the money he’s going to make in his extension, or is this a panic move by an organization that should be rebuilding after losing its two best players in back-to-back summers? Please leave your feedback in the space below.

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Hoops Rumors Originals: 7/21/18 – 7/28/18

July 28th, 2018 at 3:51pm CST by clarkcrum

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

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