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Five Key Offseason Questions: Sacramento Kings

May 18th, 2018 at 4:00pm CST by Luke Adams

After trading DeMarcus Cousins during the 2016/17 season, the Kings appeared poised to embark on a full-scale rebuild. However, they hedged their bets to some extent in the 2017 offseason, inking veteran free agents like George Hill, Zach Randolph, and Vince Carter to lucrative contracts in order to reach the salary floor.

Those free agent additions didn’t help much on the court in 2017/18, as the Kings fell out of playoff contention early and focused on developing their young players in the second half of the season. Now, Hill is gone and Carter seems likely to follow, as another year of rebuilding gets underway in Sacramento.

Here are five key questions facing the franchise this summer:

1. What will the Kings do with the No. 2 overall pick?

The Kings hadn’t had much luck in the draft lottery up until this week. Despite years of futility (Sacramento hasn’t made the playoffs since 2006), the franchise hadn’t secured a top-three pick since 1991. That streak ended this spring, as the Kings jumped up from No. 7 to No. 2 in the lottery standings, putting them in position to grab a potential franchise player.

Now the Kings’ front office will have to decide how to maximize the value of that second overall pick. Deandre Ayton and Luka Doncic are widely considered the top two prospects in this year’s draft. Should Sacramento simply be happy to take whichever one of those two doesn’t go No. 1? Will Marvin Bagley III or another player receive serious consideration? Would the Kings explore the possibility of trading down to pick up more assets?

Sacramento is only two years removed from making Georgios Papagiannis a lottery pick, so the front office hasn’t exactly earned the benefit of the doubt. Still, given the Kings’ prime position and the relative strength of this year’s class, it seems safe to assume that the team should come out of the draft with another building block to complement De’Aaron Fox.

2. Can the Kings get back into the first round of the 2019 draft?

If the Kings do decide to move down in the draft, last year’s Celtics/Sixers swap should serve as a template. In fact, the asset Boston picked up in that trade for moving down two spots will likely end up being Sacramento’s 2019 first-round pick. Missing their own first-rounder for 2019 is bad news for the Kings, who figure to remain a lottery team a year from now, but if they can find a way to acquire another ’19 pick, that would soften the blow.

The Kings could also look to the Nets as a reference point as they go shopping on the trade market. Despite having sent their own first-round picks to other teams for several years in a row, the Nets found ways to get back into the first round or to pick up other selections, either by trading their own veterans or taking on another teams’ unwanted contracts. The Kings can head into the new league year armed with cap space and expiring contracts, so they should have some options.

3. Will any veterans be bought out or traded?

Assuming all the Kings veterans with player options pick them up – Kosta Koufos already has – Sacramento will have almost $40MM on its 2018/19 cap for the expiring contracts of Koufos, Iman Shumpert, Garrett Temple, and Zach Randolph.

While there’s something to be said for having veteran mentors on the roster to help young players develop, those particular vets may want the opportunity to join a team closer to contention, and may be willing to give up a portion of their salaries for that opportunity.

Even if the Kings don’t gain any traction on buyout talks with any of those players, or simply aren’t interested in pursuing buyouts, their expiring contracts could make them interesting trade pieces. One potential scenario would see a cap-strapped team sending a player on a longer-term contract to the Kings in exchange for one of their expiring contracts. That cap-strapped club could then waive and stretch its newly-acquired player, perhaps avoiding tax territory, while the Kings would gain multiyear control of a player who better fits their timeline.

4. Will the Kings dive back into the free agent market?

The Kings currently project to have upwards of $19MM in cap room, which isn’t as much as they had available a year ago, but is still more than most teams will have.

From an outsider’s perspective, it didn’t seem as if the Kings’ strategy of bringing in veterans like Hill, Carter, and Randolph was a huge success, but it’s possible the team views it differently. If Sacramento considers the leadership and locker room presence of that type of player valuable, then perhaps we’ll see more short-term veteran signings using that cap space this summer.

However, I believe the more likely outcome for the Kings’ cap room involves pursuing a young free agent to add to their core, or using that cap space to accommodate another team’s salary dump and pick up an asset or two in the process. Both of those approaches could benefit Sacramento in the long run.

5. What can the team expect from Harry Giles?

One of the Kings’ most interesting moves in 2017 was the decision to trade down from No. 10 in the draft to pick up the 15th and 20th picks. They used that extra selection to nab Giles, a high-upside center with a history of knee issues.

The rebuilding Kings took an ultra-conservative approach with Giles during his rookie year, initially ruling him out until 2018 and then shutting him down for the season. The youngster is now set to make his long-awaited pro debut this July in Summer League action, barring any setbacks.

The Kings have used several draft picks on big men over the last several years, and some of those players have had a more successful transition to the pros than others — Willie Cauley-Stein, for instance, could be a long-term piece, while Papagiannis was waived before the end of his second NBA season. Still, none of those young bigs have emerged as a potential cornerstone player for the franchise.

Giles may not be that guy either, but if he can stay healthy, his promise is tantalizing. It will be interesting to see what Sacramento can get out of him in 2018/19.

Here’s where things currently stand for the Kings financially:

Guaranteed Salary

Zach Randolph ($11,692,308)
Bogdan Bogdanovic ($9,000,000)
Kosta Koufos ($8,739,500): Exercised player option
De’Aaron Fox ($5,470,920)
Willie Cauley-Stein ($4,696,875)
Buddy Hield ($3,833,760)
Justin Jackson ($2,807,880)
Harry Giles ($2,207,040)
Matt Barnes ($2,133,542) — Waived via stretch provision
Georgios Papagiannis ($2,000,400) — Waived
Skal Labissiere ($1,544,951)
Frank Mason ($1,378,242)
Caron Butler ($517,219) — Waived via stretch provision
Total: $56,022,637

Player Options

Iman Shumpert ($11,011,234)
Garrett Temple ($8,000,000)
Total: $19,011,234

Team Options

None

Non-Guaranteed Salary

Nigel Hayes ($1,378,242)¹
Total: $1,378,242

Restricted Free Agents

Bruno Caboclo ($3,512,605 qualifying offer / $7,353,675 cap hold): Bird rights
Total: $7,353,675

Unrestricted Free Agents / Other Cap Holds

Vince Carter ($9,600,000): Non-Bird rights
No. 2 overall pick ($7,243,344)
Total: $14,003,246

Projected Salary Cap: $101,000,000

Projected Cap Room: $18,722,785

Our cap projection for the Kings includes their 10 guaranteed contracts, the cap hold for their No. 2 overall pick, and the player options for Shumpert and Temple. Taking into account all those salaries and cap holds, and assuming all free agents are renounced, the Kings’ total team salary adds up to $82,277,215.

Footnotes:

Hayes’ exact contract details, including guarantee info, aren’t yet known.

Note: Rookie scale cap holds are estimates based on salary cap projections and could increase or decrease depending on where the cap lands.

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

2018 NBA Offseason Salary Cap Digest: Indiana Pacers

May 18th, 2018 at 12:34pm CST by Luke Adams

The Pacers’ decision to send Paul George to Oklahoma City for Victor Oladipo and Domantas Sabonis last summer received more criticism than just about any other trade or signing. With George poised to potentially leave OKC and Oladipo headed for a potential All-NBA nod, those reviews look misguided in retrospect. That deal was the first in a series of moves that set up the Pacers with enviable cap flexibility going forward.

Here’s where things currently stand for the Pacers financially, as we continue our Offseason Salary Cap Digest series for 2018:

Guaranteed Salary

Victor Oladipo ($21,000,000)
Cory Joseph ($7,945,000): Exercised player option
Al Jefferson ($4,000,000) — Partial guarantee. Non-guaranteed portion noted below.¹
Myles Turner ($3,410,284)
Domantas Sabonis ($2,659,800)
T.J. Leaf ($2,407,560)
Monta Ellis ($2,245,400) — Waived via stretch provision
Darren Collison ($2,000,000) — Partial guarantee. Non-guaranteed portion noted below.²
Bojan Bogdanovic ($1,500,000) — Partial guarantee. Non-guaranteed portion noted below.³
Ike Anigbogu ($690,000) — Partial guarantee. Non-guaranteed portion noted below.⁴
Total: $47,858,044

Player Options

Thaddeus Young ($13,764,045)
Total: $13,764,045

Team Options

Lance Stephenson ($4,360,000)
Joe Young ($1,600,520)⁵
Total: $5,960,520

Non-Guaranteed Salary

Bojan Bogdanovic ($9,000,000) — Partial guarantee. Guaranteed portion noted above.³
Darren Collison ($8,000,000) — Partial guarantee. Guaranteed portion noted above.²
Al Jefferson ($6,000,000) — Partial guarantee. Guaranteed portion noted above.¹
Alex Poythress ($1,544,951)⁶
Ike Anigbogu ($688,242) — Partial guarantee. Guaranteed portion noted above.⁴
Total: $25,233,193

Restricted Free Agents

None

Unrestricted Free Agents / Other Cap Holds

No. 23 overall pick ($1,895,624)
Trevor Booker ($1,499,698): Non-Bird rights
Glenn Robinson III ($1,499,698): Bird rights
Total: $4,895,020

Projected Salary Cap: $101,000,000

Projected Cap Room: $14,602,734

Few NBA teams have more wild cards affecting their cap situation than the Pacers, who entered the offseason with five players on non-guaranteed or partially guaranteed contracts and four more with player or team options.
Our projection accounts for Indiana’s five fully guaranteed salaries, Thaddeus Young‘s player option, full salaries for Bogdanovic, Collison, and Anigbogu, Stephenson’s team option, and cap holds for the first-round pick and one empty roster spot. The result? A total team salary of $86,397,266.
It goes without saying that things could much look different for Indiana. A big free agent splash seems unlikely, but if the team really wanted to clear space, it could renounce its free agents, decline some options, and waive its non-guaranteed contracts. With just their five guaranteed contracts, Young’s player option, and Anigbogu on the books, the Pacers could get up to nearly $35MM in cap space. Still, they’re unlikely to simply cut loose solid values like Stephenson, Bogdanovic, and Collison.

Footnotes:

Jefferson’s salary becomes fully guaranteed after July 2.
Collison’s salary becomes fully guaranteed after July 1.
Bogdanovic’s salary becomes fully guaranteed after June 29.
Anigbogu’s salary becomes fully guaranteed after July 15.
Young’s salary would still be non-guaranteed until July 1 if his option is exercised.
Poythress’ salary becomes fully guaranteed after July 25.

Note: Rookie scale cap holds are estimates based on salary cap projections and could increase or decrease depending on where the cap lands.

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

Five Key Offseason Questions: Phoenix Suns

May 17th, 2018 at 3:18pm CST by Luke Adams

For a third straight season, the Suns failed to reach the 25-win mark. Their 2017/18 record of 21-61 was the second-worst in franchise history and ranked dead last in the NBA, but all that losing paid off on May 15, when the club won the first overall pick in the 2018 draft lottery.

With a new head coach (Igor Kokoskov) on board and that No. 1 overall pick in hand, the Suns have some reason for optimism heading into the 2018 offseason.

Here are five key questions facing the franchise this summer:

1. What will the Suns do with the No. 1 pick?

With plenty of talent to be found at the top of this year’s draft class, there’s no shortage of good options for the Suns. The two best ones are probably Deandre Ayton, an ultra-talented big man who played his college ball at nearby University of Arizona, and Luka Doncic, a 19-year-old EuroLeague standout who has played for Kokoskov on the Slovenian national team.

Ayton appears to be the early frontrunner, but Suns GM Ryan McDonough has said the team will take its time to make a decision. It will be interesting to see if McDonough considers trading down. A year ago, Markelle Fultz and Lonzo Ball represented the consensus top two, allowing Danny Ainge to pick up a valuable extra asset by moving down to No. 3 and getting the player he wanted all along.

If the Suns aren’t in love with Ayton or Doncic and another team is, McDonough could make a similar move, though the bet here is that Phoenix won’t pass up on the chance to choose a potential franchise player at No. 1.

2. Will Devin Booker get a long-term extension this year?

Whoever the Suns draft with their top pick will have to mesh with Booker, the closest thing the Suns currently have to a franchise player. Speaking of Booker, he’ll find himself in an interesting contract situation as he enters his fourth NBA season.

Booker will become eligible for a contract extension for the first time on July 1, and he and the Suns will have until the start of the regular season to work out a new long-term deal. Phoenix has no cap limitations restricting the team’s ability to make a lucrative offer to Booker. Still, it’s not clear whether the Suns will rush into an extension for their top scorer or if they’ll prefer to wait until his restricted free agency in 2019.

Even if the Suns have no doubts about securing Booker for the long term, waiting until 2019 to finalize that deal could create more cap flexibility. His cap hold as an RFA in the summer of ’19 would be just under $10MM, while an extension would immediately hit the club’s 2019/20 cap at $25MM+.

3. How will the Suns use their cap space?

The Suns’ decision on Booker could ultimately come down to how the team uses its cap room this offseason. With about $18MM available – and the ability to create more space – Phoenix could go out and pursue a top free agent. The team has been in the mix for players like LaMarcus Aldridge, Blake Griffin, and Kyrie Irving in recent years, so the desire to add a star is there — maybe this is the time.

Clint Capela has been mentioned as a potential target for the Suns, though he’d make less sense if the club drafts Ayton. In order to create enough cap room to offer Capela – or another RFA – a max or near-max contract, Phoenix might need to buy out Tyson Chandler and/or Jared Dudley.

Still, while McDonough and the front office have been trying to land a star for years, they’ll want to avoid spending big money on the wrong player this summer. If they strike out on their top two or three targets, it could be more prudent to use that cap room to take on another team’s unwanted contract, picking up extra assets in the process. That could put the Suns in position to spend big in 2019, when Chandler and Dudley come off their books.

4. Is Kokoskov the right man for the head coaching job?

Kokoskov’s résumé is impressive, and he deserves a shot at a head coaching position. Still, it’s worth noting that he wasn’t Phoenix’s first choice.

It’s not clear how serious the Suns’ interest in Mike Budenholzer was, as Budenholzer withdrew his name from consideration before we knew if Phoenix would make him an offer. However, we do know the club made an offer to David Fizdale, who opted to join the Knicks instead.

Being a second or third choice doesn’t mean Kokoskov can’t become an excellent NBA head coach. However, there’s a lot of pressure on McDonough and the Suns to get this hire right. Kokoskov is the club’s seventh head coach since Mike D’Antoni left Phoenix in 2008, and the fourth coach Booker has played for since he was drafted. Everyone involved wants this relationship to turn into a long-term marriage.

5. Are Marquese Chriss and/or Dragan Bender keepers?

One of Kokoskov’s first challenges will be unlocking the potential of Chriss and Bender. Before they landed the first overall pick in this year’s draft, the Suns’ most important draft in recent history was 2016’s — it saw the team select Bender at No. 4, then trade a bevy of assets – including the rights to Bogdan Bogdanovic – to Sacramento in order to nab Chriss at No. 8. Those two young bigs looked like key pieces in the Suns’ rebuild at that point.

Two years later, both players have shown flashes of upside, but neither one has enjoyed a true breakout stretch as an NBA player. On the plus side, they’re both still just 20 years old, and if the Suns draft Ayton next month, there will be far less pressure on Chriss and Bender to become the team’s frontcourt duo of the future.

I don’t expect the Suns to turn down their 2019/20 rookie scale team options on either Chriss or Bender — as we saw this season with guys like Mario Hezonja and Kevon Looney, declining those options on young players can backfire. Still, 2018/19 could be a make-or-break year for Chriss and Bender when it comes to determining their long-term futures in Phoenix.

Here’s where things currently stand for the Suns financially:

Guaranteed Salary

Brandon Knight ($14,631,250)
Tyson Chandler ($13,585,000)
T.J. Warren ($11,750,000)
Jared Dudley ($9,530,000)
Josh Jackson ($6,041,520)
Dragan Bender ($4,661,280)
Devin Booker ($3,314,365)
Troy Daniels ($3,258,539)
Marquese Chriss ($3,206,160)
Davon Reed ($689,121) — Partial guarantee. Non-guaranteed portion noted below.¹
Total: $70,667,235

Player Options

None

Team Options

None

Non-Guaranteed Salary

Alan Williams ($5,520,000)²
Tyler Ulis ($1,544,951)
Shaquille Harrison ($1,378,242)³
Davon Reed ($689,121) — Partial guarantee. Guaranteed portion noted above.¹
Total: $9,132,314

Restricted Free Agents

Elfrid Payton ($4,749,591 qualifying offer / $9,997,020 cap hold)
Total: $9,997,020

Unrestricted Free Agents / Other Cap Holds

No. 1 overall pick ($8,095,595)
Alex Len ($7,956,438): Bird rights
No. 16 overall pick ($2,589,510)
Total: $18,641,543

Projected Salary Cap: $101,000,000

Projected Cap Room: $18,958,539

Our projection assumes that Phoenix retains its nine guaranteed contracts, plus Reed and its two first-rounders, totaling $82,041,516. In that scenario, the Suns would renounce Payton and Len, and waive their non-guaranteed players. The team could create more room via trades or cuts.

Footnotes:

Reed’s salary becomes fully guaranteed after June 30.
Williams can reportedly trigger a $1MM partial guarantee by meeting certain weight, body fat, and minute requirements. His salary becomes fully guaranteed after July 6.
Harrison’s salary will become guaranteed for $50K after August 1.

Note: Rookie scale cap holds are estimates based on salary cap projections and could increase or decrease depending on where the cap lands.

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

Poll: Rockets Or Cavaliers In Better Position?

May 17th, 2018 at 2:11pm CST by Luke Adams

The Cavaliers are coming off one of their most disappointing games of the season, as they surrendered a halftime lead on Tuesday night and dropped a second consecutive game in Boston, with the Celtics taking a 2-0 lead in the series.

The Rockets, on the other hand, looked like a legit title contender on Wednesday night in Houston, jumping on the Warriors early and outscoring them in every quarter en route to a 127-105 win to even up that series at 1-1.

Despite each team’s most recent game though, the Cavaliers are still viewed as a stronger bet to make the NBA Finals than the Rockets, as the odds at Bovada.lv show. A $100 wager on the Cavs to win their series would net $175 in winnings, while the same bet on the Rockets would earn you $250.

A strong respect for LeBron James – and for the Warriors – is reflected in those lines, but LeBron’s excellence isn’t the only reason why oddsmakers still view the Cavs as a stronger bet than the Rockets. The Eastern Conference Finals are headed back to Cleveland, where the Cavaliers have a 5-1 record so far in the postseason. The Celtics, meanwhile, are 1-4 on the road in playoff games this spring. If the Cavs can take care of business at home, the series would return to Boston for Game 5 tied at 2-2.

Home-court advantage is also a major factor in the Western Conference Finals. Having stolen Game 1 in Houston, the Warriors don’t need to win another road game to win the series. In fact, the Rockets will be under pressure to win one of the next two games in Oakland to avoid heading back home down 3-1.

Outside of the home-court factor, oddsmakers also figure to be heavily weighing recent history in their lines. The Warriors were one win away from taking home the last three NBA titles, and have looked virtually unstoppable in the postseason since Kevin Durant joined the roster in 2016. James, meanwhile, has been in the last seven NBA Finals, and it wasn’t long ago that he and the Cavs steamrolled the East’s top seed in a four-game sweep.

What do you think? Are the Rockets, with one win in hand, in a better position to advance than the Cavs, or are oddsmakers right to give the Cavs a stronger chance to make the Finals?

Vote in our poll, then jump into the comment section below to make your case.

Trade Rumors app users, click here to vote.

Three NBA Head Coaching Searches Still Active

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

Not a single NBA team made a head coaching change during the 2017 offseason, but the market has course-corrected so far in 2018. Already, five clubs – the Suns, Knicks, Hawks, Hornets, and Bucks – have reached agreements with new head coaches since the regular season ended, with a sixth club (the Grizzlies) elevating its interim head coach to the permanent role.

While those six teams have completed their coaching searches, there are more changes still to come, as three other clubs remain on the lookout for new head coaches. Here’s the latest on those searches:

Detroit Pistons

We haven’t heard much yet about the Pistons’ search for a new head coach, but that makes sense, since the club is also in the market for a new head of basketball operations — Stan Van Gundy held both roles.

Initial reports indicated that the Pistons would likely focus on finding someone for that front office role first, to ensure that person would have some say in the coaching search. That remains the team’s preference, according to Vince Ellis of The Detroit Free Press, who says the goal is to have a new head of basketball operations in place within the next couple weeks (Twitter links). ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski passed along a partial list of candidates on Wednesday.

While the front office hire could dictate which direction the Pistons go for a head coach, former Raptors head coach Dwane Casey and Raptors 905 coach Jerry Stackhouse have been cited as possible targets.

Orlando Magic

As promised, the Magic have certainly taken their time with their head coaching search. Orlando fired Frank Vogel on April 12, one day after the regular season ended, so the team has now been without a head coach for five weeks.

In addition to being patient, the Magic have also been quite secretive, declining to confirm whether or not they’re considering some rumored candidates. We know they’ve interviewed Trail Blazers assistant David Vanterpool and Spurs assistant Ime Udoka. David Fizdale also met with Orlando, but has since been hired by the Knicks.

Recently, reports have indicated that the Magic’s top candidate may be a surprise choice: University of Houston head coach Kelvin Sampson. Orlando president of basketball operations Jeff Weltman and GM John Hammond both worked in the Bucks’ front office back when Sampson served as an assistant coach in Milwaukee, so presumably they know him well.

While Sampson’s link to the Magic front office could pay off, it doesn’t appear that a link to Weltman – a former Raptors GM – will pay off for Toronto’s Nick Nurse or Jerry Stackhouse. They were initially believed to be candidates, but reportedly haven’t been interviewed for the job.

Toronto Raptors

The Raptors may have lost their top choice on Wednesday, when Mike Budenholzer – who met with Toronto on Monday – reached an agreement to coach the Bucks. With the former Hawks coach off the market, it’s not clear which direction the Raptors will go.

As Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca writes today, the other known candidates to replace Dwane Casey are all in-house coaches. Nick Nurse, Rex Kalamian, and Jerry Stackhouse have interviewed for the position, according to Grange, who suggests that Nurse may be the favorite of those three based on his excellent work with Toronto’s offense.

Still, it’s not a lock that the Raptors will pick one of their internal candidates. In fact, Grange says he’d be “very surprised” if team president Masai Ujiri doesn’t cast a wider net in the coming days — or even weeks.

While it’s possible that another team could join the Pistons, Magic, and Raptors in a search for a new head coach, the odds of that happening seem less and less likely.

Teams that have been eliminated from the postseason – or didn’t make it to begin with – probably wouldn’t drag their feet this long before making a change.

As for the four teams still alive, Tyronn Lue is the only one of those four head coaches whose seat may be heating up, but I don’t think he’s in any immediate danger of being fired by the Cavaliers.

To keep tabs on the NBA’s head coaching updates for the rest of the spring, be sure to check out our tracker.

2018 NBA Draft Picks By Team

May 17th, 2018 at 10:49am CST by Luke Adams

While the Sixers were knocked out of the 2018 playoffs in the Eastern Conference Semifinals by the underdog Celtics, few teams are better positioned in this year’s draft than Philadelphia. The 76ers own six of the 60 picks in the 2018 NBA draft, including a pair of first-rounders.

As our full 2018 draft order shows, the Sixers are one of seven NBA teams that holds more than two selections in this year’s draft. On the other end of the spectrum, eight teams have just one pick in 2018, while two teams – the Heat and Raptors – don’t have any selections.

To present a clearer picture of which teams are most – and least – stocked with picks for the 2018 NBA draft, we’ve rounded up all 60 picks by team in the space below. Let’s dive in…

Teams with more than two picks:

Philadelphia 76ers (5): 10, 26, 38, 56, 60
Phoenix Suns (4): 1, 16, 31, 59
Atlanta Hawks (4): 3, 19, 30, 34
Dallas Mavericks (3): 5, 33, 54
Orlando Magic (3): 6, 35, 41
Charlotte Hornets (3): 11, 45, 55
Denver Nuggets (3): 14, 43, 58
Los Angeles Lakers (3): 25, 39, 47

Teams with two picks:

Sacramento Kings: 2, 37
Memphis Grizzlies: 4, 32
Chicago Bulls: 7, 22
New York Knicks: 9, 36
Los Angeles Clippers: 12, 13
Washington Wizards: 15, 44
San Antonio Spurs: 18, 49
Minnesota Timberwolves: 20, 48
Utah Jazz: 21, 52
Indiana Pacers: 23, 50
Brooklyn Nets : 29, 40
Oklahoma City Thunder: 53, 57

Teams with fewer than two picks:

Cleveland Cavaliers (1): 8
Milwaukee Bucks (1): 17
Portland Trail Blazers (1): 24
Boston Celtics (1): 27
Golden State Warriors (1): 28
Detroit Pistons (1): 42
Houston Rockets (1): 46
New Orleans Pelicans (1): 51
Miami Heat (0)
Toronto Raptors (0)

2018 NBA Offseason Salary Cap Digest: New Orleans Pelicans

May 17th, 2018 at 8:57am CST by Luke Adams

Re-signing Jrue Holiday to a massive five-year contract during the 2017 offseason ensured that the Pelicans didn’t have any cap room available last year, and that figures to be the case again this summer. Now, the big question will be whether the team can bring back its two key free agents – DeMarcus Cousins and Rajon Rondo – without going deep into luxury-tax territory.

Here’s where things currently stand for the Pelicans financially, as we continue our Offseason Salary Cap Digest series for 2018:

Guaranteed Salary

Jrue Holiday ($26,131,111)
Anthony Davis ($25,434,262)
Nikola Mirotic ($12,500,000)
Solomon Hill ($12,252,928)
E’Twaun Moore ($8,808,685)
Alexis Ajinca ($5,285,394)
Frank Jackson ($1,378,242)
Cheick Diallo ($500,000) — Partial guarantee. Non-guaranteed portion noted below.¹
Total: $92,290,622

Player Options

None

Team Options

None

Non-Guaranteed Salary

Emeka Okafor ($2,445,085)²
Darius Miller ($2,205,000)³
DeAndre Liggins ($1,795,015)⁴
Cheick Diallo ($1,044,951) — Partial guarantee. Guaranteed portion noted above.¹
Total: $7,490,051

Restricted Free Agents

None

Unrestricted Free Agents / Other Cap Holds

DeMarcus Cousins ($27,095,775): Bird rights
Rajon Rondo ($3,960,000): Non-Bird rights
Jordan Crawford ($1,499,698): Early Bird rights
Ian Clark ($1,499,698): Non-Bird rights
Total: $34,055,171

Projected Salary Cap: $101,000,000

Projected Cap Room: None

Even if the Pelicans were to renounce all their free agents and waive all their non-guaranteed salaries, their total team salary would still reach a minimum of $96,447,177, creating less than $5MM in cap room. The mid-level exception projects to be worth about $8.57MM, so New Orleans is better off remaining an over-the-cap team. Plus, cap holds for Cousins and Rondo would put the club way over the cap anyway.
For what it’s worth, Cousins’ max salary projects to be $30.3MM. Adding that figure to the Pelicans’ current guaranteed salaries increases team salary to $122,590,622 for just eight players, meaning New Orleans would have to go well past the tax line to fill out its roster. As such, if the club plans to bring back Cousins on a max deal, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see one or two of those other guaranteed contracts traded or waived.

Footnotes:

Diallo’s salary becomes fully guaranteed after July 7.
Okafor’s salary becomes guaranteed for $100K after July 12.
Miller’s salary becomes guaranteed for $300K after June 28, then fully guaranteed after July 24.
Liggins’ salary becomes guaranteed for $50K after July 15, then guaranteed for $75K after July 30.

Note: Rookie scale cap holds are estimates based on salary cap projections and could increase or decrease depending on where the cap lands.

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

2018 NBA Offseason Salary Cap Digest: Utah Jazz

May 16th, 2018 at 2:51pm CST by Luke Adams

The Jazz lost out on last summer’s top free agent, as Gordon Hayward left Utah for Boston. However, a Rookie of the Year candidate (Donovan Mitchell) and a Defensive Player of the Year candidate (Rudy Gobert) made sure that the team didn’t take a step back in 2017/18. Still, after being handily defeated in the Western Conference Semifinals for a second straight spring, Utah will enter the 2018 offseason looking for ways to raise the ceiling of its roster.

Here’s where things currently stand for the Jazz financially, as we continue our Offseason Salary Cap Digest series for 2018:

Guaranteed Salary

Rudy Gobert ($23,491,573)
Ricky Rubio ($14,975,000)
Joe Ingles ($13,045,455)
Alec Burks ($11,536,515)
Jae Crowder ($7,305,825)
Donovan Mitchell ($3,111,480)
Tony Bradley ($1,679,520)
Total: $75,145,368

Player Options

None

Team Options

None

Non-Guaranteed Salary

Thabo Sefolosha ($5,250,000)¹
Jonas Jerebko ($4,200,000)²
Ekpe Udoh ($3,360,000)³
David Stockton ($1,544,951)⁴
Royce O’Neale ($1,378,242)
Total: $15,733,193

Restricted Free Agents

Dante Exum ($4,333,931 qualifying offer / $14,977,156 cap hold): Bird rights
Raul Neto ($1,839,228 qualifying offer / $1,839,228 cap hold): Bird rights
Total: $16,816,383

Unrestricted Free Agents / Other Cap Holds

Derrick Favors ($18,000,000): Bird rights
No. 21 overall pick ($2,056,693)
Total: $20,056,693

Projected Salary Cap: $101,000,000

Projected Cap Room: None

The Jazz aren’t typically major players in free agency, so our cap projection assumes they won’t make an effort to create cap room this summer. With $75MM+ in guaranteed contracts and a $2MM cap hold for their first-round pick, the Jazz would almost certainly remain an over-the-cap team if they re-sign Exum and Favors and bring back some or all of their players on non-guaranteed contracts.
On the other hand, if the Jazz do want to clear cap space, they could do so. Their seven guaranteed salaries along with cap charges for their first-round pick and four empty roster slots would result in a total team salary of $80,527,305. That would mean more than $20MM in cap room — but it would also mean renouncing or waiving Exum, Favors, Sefolosha, Jerebko, O’Neale, and others. That’s probably not realistic.

Footnotes:

Sefolosha’s salary becomes fully guaranteed after July 1.
Jerebko’s salary becomes fully guaranteed after July 9.
Udoh’s salary becomes fully guaranteed after July 9.
Stockton’s exact contract details, including guarantee info, aren’t yet known.

Note: Rookie scale cap holds are estimates based on salary cap projections and could increase or decrease depending on where the cap lands.

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

Poll: Who Should Suns Draft With No. 1 Pick?

May 16th, 2018 at 9:50am CST by Luke Adams

Josh Jackson‘s lucky underwear paid off at Tuesday night’s draft lottery, with the Suns taking home the No. 1 pick for the 2018 NBA draft. While it was the fourth consecutive year that the team with the worst record in the league came away with the first overall selection, it was the first time in franchise history that Phoenix had nabbed that top pick.

“In the 50-year history of the Phoenix Suns, there have been a lot of great nights and great accomplishments, and I think this is one of them,” GM Ryan McDonough said, per Scott Bordow of The Arizona Republic. “This is something the franchise has never done before.”

While the Suns are in position to select whichever player they want from this year’s draft class, there’s no LeBron James or Anthony Davis in the 2018 pool. While there are plenty of tantalizing prospects to choose from, none of those players is a consensus top choice.

The top candidate to come off the board is probably big man Deandre Ayton, who played his college ball at Arizona, averaging a double-double (20.1 PPG, 11.6 RPG) in his first and only season with the Wildcats. After the Suns won the top pick on Tuesday night, Jackson endorsed Ayton, suggesting the youngster’s ceiling is “through the roof.”

However, Ayton isn’t the only prospect in play at No. 1. Many draft experts think just as highly of Real Madrid star Luka Doncic, who is viewed as one of the top prospects to ever come out of the EuroLeague. Doncic is also familiar with new Suns head coach Igor Kokoskov, who coached Doncic on the Slovenian national team.

While Ayton and Doncic are widely considered the top two prospects in this year’s draft class, McDonough said there’s a “small grouping” of players the club will consider with the No. 1 pick, per Bordow. As Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press writes, Marvin Bagley III – an Arizona native – could be a part of that group. The ACC Player of the Year, Bagley averaged 21.0 PPG and 11.1 RPG in his freshman year at Duke.

What do you think? Do you like Ayton, Doncic, Bagley, or someone else for the Suns at No. 1? Should the team give much consideration to how those players would fit alongside Jackson and Devin Booker, or does it simply make sense to pick the best player available?

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

Trade Rumors app users, click here to vote.

NBA Owners To Gain From Legalized Sports Betting, Players Could Be Next

May 15th, 2018 at 10:47pm CST by ChrisCrouse

New Jersey is expected to offer sports bets by the end of the month and many states will likely open up their own shops in the coming months. It’s a huge win for the gambling community and those in the gaming industry, but it’s also a huge win for owners of NBA teams.

Mavericks owner Mark Cuban said he believes franchise owners saw the value of their teams double as a result of the U.S. Supreme Court decision that will allow states the right to permit sports gambling. The Shark Tank star added that he has no plans to sell the Mavericks regardless of how high the valuation for his team is, as I relayed on Twitter.

Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta, who is also a part owner of the Golden Nugget casinos, sees the ruling as a plus, but not necessarily a 100% increase in value for his franchise.

“Do I hope Mark is right? Yes, but I don’t think that’s where it really is,” Fertitta said on CNBC’s Power Lunch. “Remember, there’s already a black market … out there and you’re not going to be able to go to a game and bet on a game…Even though this has been pushed back to the states, there is still going to be a lot of federal regulation.”

The NBA and NFL are among the leagues pushing for federal regulation, but that might not be in the cards, as I explain on NBAMath’s Hardwood Knocks podcast. States have owned the decision-making power with regard to gambling for quite some time and it’ll be difficult for the federal government to take that from them. Cuban believes the leagues and states need to work together to come up with the right framework or there will parties that win and parties that lose.

The possible increased interest in the NBA as a result of sports betting is also a plus for the players over the long-term since the salary cap is tied to the league’s revenue. While the record-setting $24 billion dollar TV contract won’t expire until after the 2024/25 season, once the deal is complete, I speculate that the NBA will have the leverage in negotiations with media companies to set a new record as a result of this month’s ruling.

Then again, the players may not have to wait until the next TV deal to see significant gains. The NBPA previously expressed a desire to have a seat at the table as the NBA negotiates with states on the integrity fee, a proposed tax which is designed to help pay for policing the game from match-fixing and protect the integrity of the game.

The NBA is one of several leagues angling for this tax and it remains open to having its players’ union in on the conversation. It wouldn’t be surprising to see the NBPA negotiate a piece of the integrity fee pie for themselves should the leagues get their wishes with the tax, although that’s strictly my speculation.

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