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Free Agent Stock Watch 2018: Brooklyn Nets

April 1st, 2018 at 8:55pm CST by Austin Kent

With little other options available, Nets general manager Sean Marks has made the most out of his biggest asset: cap space. For that reason, the Nets will likely be diligent as to how they handle free agency in 2018.

While Brooklyn will have its first-round pick in 2019 and doesn’t necessarily have to use its payroll as a landfill for unwanted player contracts just to add assets, the club may continue to leverage its cap space during what continues to be the early stages of a rebuild.

With no set core in place, the Nets won’t feel much pressure to make deals this summer, which is actually kind of a luxury. Don’t expect the franchise to stretch itself thin to bring back any of its free agents if doing so will put them in a bad position.

Jahlil Okafor, C, 22 (Down) – Signed to a three-year, $14MM deal in 2015Jahlil Okafor of the Brooklyn Nets vertical
Is there another player in NBA history who, despite a solid first-year campaign and reasonable health throughout, saw his value plummet more over the course of a rookie contract? It’s hard to imagine that Okafor’s decline is solely a product of his old-school game — he’s also had the misfortune of being employed by two franchises that couldn’t seem to care less about legitimately developing him as an asset. There will be at least one team willing to give Okafor another shot. It could even be the Nets, considering they’d get for an entire offseason and training camp this time. In any case, Okafor will probably have to sign a short-term, prove-it deal before he gets another significant NBA contract.

Quincy Acy, PF, 27 (Up) – Signed to a two-year, $4MM deal in 2017
Acy is an affordable role player who has served well in two stints with the Nets. Since he comes with a cheap price tag, appears to be content with a minor role, and is a serviceable veteran who contributes when called upon, it’s hard to imagine Brooklyn wouldn’t welcome him back. Acy may get a longer-term commitment from the Nets this time around, but he isn’t likely to draw much more than a modest raise above the league minimum from Brooklyn or anybody else.

Dante Cunningham, SF, 31 (Down) – Signed to a one-year, $2MM deal in 2017
The Nets absorbed Cunningham’s contract in a midseason deal, so there’s no guarantee that either party would be interested in a commitment beyond 2017/18. Cunningham is a utility forward seemingly intent on contributing to a reasonably competitive team so maybe their timelines just don’t match. In any event, the eight-year veteran isn’t likely to top the $2MM-$3MM threshold he’s flirted with for the majority of his career.

Joe Harris, SG, 26 (Up) – Signed to a two-year, $3MM deal in 2016
The return on investment for Harris has been great, but the Nets may want to pump the brakes when it comes to re-signing him in the offseason. While Harris has been an excellent example of how the Nets franchise has developed youngsters, overpaying for a niche player without a set core in place isn’t the wisest course of action. If it looks like Harris might get poached by a more competitive team looking to add a solid depth piece, the Nets shouldn’t reach to retain him — not with so many other holes to fill first.

Nik Stauskas, SG, 24 (Down) – Signed to a four-year, $12MM deal in 2014
The Nets have given Stauskas something of a tryout to prove that he could possibly live up to his eighth overall selection back in 2014, but he hasn’t done enough to warrant a raise from his rookie deal. While Stauskas may get another chance to prove himself next season, it’ll have to come cheap and potentially non-guaranteed.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

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Weekly Mailbag: 3/26/18 – 4/1/18

April 1st, 2018 at 1:00pm 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.

What kind of return could the Knicks get for Trey Burke?  With a glut of younger point guards who need developing (Frank Ntilikina and Emmanuel Mudiay), the ability to draft another one (Trae Young? Collin Sexton?), the likelihood that they’ll go after Kyrie Irving in 2019, and Burke’s age (25 turning 26), Burke seems like he won’t be in their future plans despite his success with the team this year. — Alek Miletic

Sorting out the point guard situation will be among the Knicks’ many priorities this offseason. Burke has a nonguaranteed minimum deal for next season that could make him an attractive piece in any trade. However, counting on signing Irving a year from now is a risky strategy, so New York needs to determine which of its current guards has the brightest future or if they need to address the position in the draft. With Burke having a small contract, Ntilikina on a rookie deal and Mudiay (nearly $4.3MM next season) unlikely to be in demand, expect all three of them to be back for another season of sorting things out.

Whom do you think will the Cavaliers will take in the draft using Brooklyn’s pick? — Greg Dizon

The Nets have moved into a tie for seventh in our latest Reverse Standings, which might cost Cleveland a shot at one of the sure-fire big men at the top of the draft. There are too many variables to pick out one player for the Cavs because the direction of the franchise is going to depend on what LeBron James decides to do in July. Point guard could be a position of need with George Hill only one season away from his option year, but Cleveland will probably disregard position concerns and take the highest player on their board, just in case he’s the first step in rebuilding.

It seems draft pick forfeiture is extreme to prevent tanking. What if a team’s record in the final standings directly affected its national television exposure for the following season? Best records in the league get the most games. Worst records get the least. And somehow alter revenue sharing to where the Grizzlies would not benefit from the TV games the Warriors are on, for example. Seems that the less exposure one gets … the less merchandise you will sell, the less tickets you will sell, and the less appealing it would be for a free agent to choose the team as a destination. — Beauen Bogner
Won-loss records already play a big part in determining who gets the network games, which is why you don’t see the Suns, Hawks or Magic play very often. Revenue sharing won’t change unless it’s negotiated in the collective bargaining agreement, and the small-market owners would never agree to such a system. The league’s problem with tanking comes from years of refusing to call out teams that are obviously losing on purpose. Is it tanking for a non-contender to give extra rest to a star player with a minor injury? Or to allocate more minutes to younger players when the postseason is already out of reach? There are probably eight teams this season with no incentive to win, but despite talking tough and handing out fines, the NBA has never provided a clear definition of what constitutes tanking.
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Community Shootaround: Best New Hall Of Famer

March 31st, 2018 at 8:57pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame announced its Class of 2018 today with 13 new inductees from across the basketball spectrum. Most prominent for NBA fans are five perimeter players who established themselves as among the best ever at their positions: Grant Hill, Jason Kidd, Steve Nash, Ray Allen and Maurice Cheeks.

All five posted strong Hall of Fame credentials, but part of the fun of sports is arguing about who was the best:

  • Before an injury derailed his career in the late 1990s, Hill was putting up MVP-type numbers each year, finishing third in the voting in 1997. A seven-time All-Star, he popularized the concept of a “point forward” and averaged 7.3 assists per game during the 1996/97 season. A bad ankle limited him to a total of 47 games in what should have been four of his prime seasons, but he recovered and was able to stay in the league until age 40.
  • Kidd was a triple-double machine who led the Nets to the finals twice, then won a title late in his career with the Mavericks. A 10-time All-Star, he led the NBA in assists five times in a six-year period and finished second in the 2002 MVP voting. Kidd is second in career assists and steals and ranks ninth in made 3-pointers.
  • Nash won back-to-back MVP awards in 2005 and 2006 and finished second in the voting in 2007. An eight-time All-Star, he is best known as the creative force behind the high-scoring Suns team from last decade. One of the game’s most accurate shooters, Nash posted four seasons in the 50/40/90 club.
  • Allen holds the record for most 3-pointers with 2,973 and was a 40% career shooter from long distance. He was a huge scorer for Milwaukee and Seattle, and later became a 3-point threat for championship teams in Boston and Miami. A 10-time All-Star, Allen was one of the most feared shooters in the league for 18 seasons.
  • Cheeks was a talented two-way point guard for Sixers teams that were among the league’s best throughout the 1980s. Though he was often overshadowed by more famous teammates, Cheeks was an important contributor, making four All-Star teams and four All-Defensive first teams. He ranks fifth in career steals and 11th in assists.

We want your opinion on these new Hall of Famers. If you could take one of them in his prime to build a team around, which one would you choose? Jump into the comments section below and give us your pick.

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Hoops Rumors Originals: 3/24/18 – 3/31/18

March 31st, 2018 at 6:03pm CST by Arthur Hill

Every week, we here at Hoops Rumors strive to create interesting original content to complement our news feed. Here are the original segments and features from the past seven days:

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Community Shootaround: Kemba Walker’s Future

March 30th, 2018 at 3:30pm CST by Luke Adams

Although he was the subject of several trade rumors leading up to last month’s deadline, Kemba Walker remained in Charlotte. With the Hornets set to land in the lottery this spring though, the Walker rumor mill figures to be revived in the coming months.

Longtime Hornets general manager Rich Cho is no longer in the picture in Charlotte, as the team is set to hire a new head of basketball operations at season’s end. That new general manager will inherit a cap sheet packed with expensive multiyear contracts, with Walker’s $12MM expiring deal easily representing the most valuable trade chip on the Hornets’ roster. Tasked with turning the franchise into a contender, the new GM could decide that moving Walker is the best way to accelerate a necessary rebuilding process.

It’s also worth considering how Walker’s latest comments differ in tone from his initial response to trade rumors back in January. At the time, the star point guard said he’d be “pretty upset” to be dealt, and talked extensively about having spent his whole career in Charlotte. Two months later, Walker’s fondness for the city likely hasn’t changed, but he sounds more pragmatic about his situation.

Earlier this month, for instance, Walker admitted that he’s not sure he has the stomach to go through another rebuilding process, noting that “nobody wants to lose.” More recently, the 27-year-old acknowledged that he’s getting tired of missing the playoffs, suggesting that winning will be his top priority going forward — including when he has to make a free agency decision in 2019.

The Hornets could certainly retool around Walker and attempt to make a playoff push in 2018/19 before eventually looking to re-sign him in 2019. However, a trade looks like a viable possibility too. In his latest piece for The Ringer, Kevin O’Connor took a closer look at the situation, identifying the Cavaliers, Bucks, Suns, and Knicks as a few teams that could make sense as trade partners if the Hornets want to deal.

What do you think the Hornets should – and will – do with Walker? Would it be misguided to move the team’s only star, or would it ultimately be the best long-term move for the organization? If the Hornets do trade Walker, do you think one of the clubs mentioned by O’Connor would be the best destination for him, or is there another team you view as an ideal fit?

Jump into the comment section below to share your thoughts!

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Latest Update On NBA’s 10-Day Contracts

March 30th, 2018 at 9:41am CST by Luke Adams

With the end of the NBA’s regular season less than two weeks away, teams continue to sign players to 10-day contracts, but those signings aren’t quite as frequent as they were in the weeks following the All-Star break. More and more clubs are filling their final roster spots with players who may have initially signed 10-day deals, but are now on rest-of-season (and often multiyear) contracts.

When we first checked in on 10-day contracts around the NBA earlier in March, there were 14 active deals. As of last Monday, there were 12. Currently, only nine players are on active 10-day deals.

We may still see a few more 10-day signings completed in the coming days – the Rockets are said to be signing Tim Quarterman, for instance – but time is running out. As of next Tuesday (April 3), any contract signed would only run for nine days, meaning it would make more sense for a team looking to fill a roster spot to simply sign a player to a rest-of-season contract.

With this year’s 10-day contract window winding down, we’ll use our tracker to identify the players currently on 10-day deals, who could be candidates to receive rest-of-season contracts once their current pacts expire. The expiration date noted below for each player represents the final day of his contract.

Active 10-day contracts:

Recently expired 10-day contracts that haven’t been renewed:

Players recently signed for the season after their 10-day contracts ended:

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2018 Free Agent Stock Watch: Portland Trail Blazers

March 29th, 2018 at 10:17pm CST by Austin Kent

The Trail Blazers are burdened by some unpalatable long-term contracts, but the $112MM already on the books for 2018/19 is tolerable given that they’re in the running for home-court advantage in the first-round of the playoffs.

With little foreseeable cap space projected until the summer of 2020 at the earliest, the Blazers will have to make some decisions on whether to keep the current core together or make more ambitious, financially-driven moves to position themselves for the future.

The 2017/18 campaign saw general manager Neil Olshey unload 22-year-old Noah Vonleh at the trade deadline in order to duck under the luxury tax line. Could a deep postseason run in the spring be enough to convince franchise owner Paul Allen to blow by that threshold next year?

Jusuf Nurkic, C, 23 (Up) – Signed to a four-year, $8MM contract in 2014.
While Nurkic’s value tends to fluctuate from month to month, there’s no denying that he’s capable of big things if given an opportunity. Were it not for the Blazers’ financial binds, bringing back the Bosnian Beast on a significant deal would be a no-brainer. Alas, making or matching a significant offer for the big man would vault Portland well into the luxury tax, something that we’re not quite sure the club is willing to do yet. It would be a shame for the Blazers to watch Nurkic walk for nothing, so expect them to work the phones aggressively to see if they can find a way to make it work. If they can’t, he’ll get paid elsewhere, even with a glut of other available centers on the market.

Pat Connaughton, SG, 25 (Up) – Signed to a three-year, $3MM deal in 2015.
After two years of sparse playing time, Connaughton has carved out a role for himself in Portland’s rotation. The dual-threat athlete won’t break the bank as a restricted free agent, but could be a welcomed addition should the Blazers look to bring the familiar face back on the cheap.

Ed Davis, C, 29 (Down) – Signed to a three-year, $20MM deal in 2015.
While Davis has consistently established himself as an efficient player in reserve minutes, he’s never taken the leap to make a case for himself as a starter. The big man should be able to at least replicate his last contract considering his per-36 rates of 10.2 points and 14.0 boards, but don’t bank on that coming in Portland — he’s a replaceable piece of the current puzzle.

Shabazz Napier, PG, 26 (Up) – Signed to a four-year, $6MM contract in 2014.
It took Napier four years and three teams to find a home in the NBA, but he has finally come into his own in Oregon. The prolific 26-year-old combo guard has slotted in admirably behind Portland’s celebrated starting duo – a duo consisting of two other prolific combo guards – and has stepped up occasionally when called upon. In nine games as a starter, the former UConn standout has posted 15.8 points, 4.4 rebounds and 4.4 assists per contest, and may have shown just enough in those stints to draw an offer sheet out of a desperate team in restricted free agency. It’s hard to imagine Olshey digging deep to match an aggressive offer from a team with cap space to spare but that wouldn’t be for a lack of interest.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

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How Non-Guaranteed Salaries Will Affect Trades In New CBA

March 28th, 2018 at 4:22pm CST by Luke Adams

Under the NBA’s old Collective Bargaining Agreement, which was in effect through the 2016/17 season, a player’s full salary (not including unlikely incentives) was used for trade purposes, whether or not it was guaranteed. If a player had an $10MM salary with a partial guarantee of $1MM, his outgoing salary in a trade was the same as it would have been for a player who had a fully guaranteed $10MM contract.

That’s no longer the case under the league’s new CBA, however. While contracts signed under the old agreement still operate by the old rules, contracts signed after July 1, 2017 will be subject to the rules of the current CBA.

Under the current CBA, only the guaranteed portion of a player’s contract counts for outgoing salary purposes in a trade, limiting the appeal of non-guaranteed salaries as trade chips.

This detail is crucial for determining how much salary a team can acquire in a trade — unless a team is under the cap, the amount of salary it sends out in a trade dictates how much salary it can take back. The amount of salary an over-the-cap team can acquire in a trade ranges from 125% to 175% of its outgoing salary, depending on how much salary the team is sending out and whether or not the team is a taxpayer.

In the old system, it might make sense for a cap-strapped club to trade a player with a guaranteed salary for a player earning an equivalent non-guaranteed salary — the cap-strapped club could then waive that newly-acquired player to cut costs. That’s trickier to do now.

Complicating matters further is that a team can’t simply circumvent the new rules by trading a player before a league year ends on June 30, then having his new team waive him when his non-guaranteed salary goes into effect on July 1. After the end of the regular season, a player’s outgoing salary for trade purposes is the lesser of his current-year salary and the guaranteed portion of his salary for the following season.

Here’s a practical example: Darren Collison‘s deal with the Pacers featured a fully guaranteed $10MM this season, with only $2MM of $10MM guaranteed for 2018/19. Once the regular season ends this year, Collison would only count for $2MM in outgoing salary for trade purposes.

To paint a complete picture of exactly how these new rules work, let’s assume that a free agent signs a two-year, $24MM contract during the summer of 2018. Each year is worth $12MM, but the first season of the contract is guaranteed for $3MM, while the second year is fully non-guaranteed. Here’s how it would count, for trade purposes, as outgoing salary:

  1. From the date of the signing until the one-quarter mark of the 2018/19 season:
    • $3MM
    • Note: Due to other CBA rules, the player wouldn’t become trade-eligible until at least December 15, 2018 anyway.
  2. From the one-quarter mark of the 2018/19 regular season until salaries become guaranteed on January 10, 2019:
    • A prorated amount of the salary based on the player’s earnings to date.
    • Note: The player would earn 1/177th of his $12MM salary per day; so 60 days into the season, his outgoing salary in a trade would be $4,067,797 (60/177ths of $12MM).
  3. From January 10, 2019 until the 2019 trade deadline:
    • $12MM
  4. From the day after the 2018/19 regular season ends until the start of the 2019/20 regular season:
    • $0
  5. From the start of the 2019/20 regular season until salaries become guaranteed on January 10, 2020:
    • A prorated amount of salary based on earnings to date.
    • Note: The player would once again earn 1/177th of his $12MM salary per day; so 10 days into the season, his outgoing salary in a trade would be $677,966 (10/177ths of $12MM).
  6. From January 10, 2020 until the 2020 trade deadline:
    • $12MM

This new rule in the league’s Collective Bargaining Agreement won’t stop teams from tacking on non-guaranteed years to the end of certain players’ contracts, since those non-guaranteed salaries still provide flexibility. However, the new CBA rules will ensure that they’re no longer as valuable for trade purposes as they once were.

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Community Shootaround: Markelle Fultz’s Return

March 27th, 2018 at 12:34pm CST by Luke Adams

After months of uncertainty about his status, Markelle Fultz returned to action for the Sixers on Monday night, with head coach Brett Brown making the surprise announcement just a couple hours before opening tip. Fultz’s night got off to a shaky start when he committed a quick turnover and air-balled his first jump shot, but he finished with 10 points and eight assists in just 14 minutes, contributing a few clips to the game’s highlight reel.

It was a long road back for Fultz, who appeared in just four games at the start of the regular season before being shut down due to shoulder issues — and to rebuild his jumper. For a time, it looked like the Sixers may just keep Fultz on the shelf for the rest of the season, playing it safe as they’d done in past seasons with key players like Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid.

However, after last year’s No. 1 overall pick visited the University of Washington during last month’s All-Star break, he returned to Philadelphia focused on getting back on the court this season, according to Michael Lee of Yahoo Sports. When he told Brown before Monday’s game that he was ready to go, the 76ers head coach was thrilled to get him back in the lineup and was a little emotional when he made the announcement, as Derek Bodner of The Athletic details.

Fultz’s return is exactly what was needed not just for Fultz himself but for team president Bryan Colangelo, writes Sean Deveney of The Sporting News. As Deveney outlines, a segment of Sixers fans attribute the team’s current success solely to former GM Sam Hinkie, rather than assigning any credit to Colangelo. Considering last summer’s trade for Fultz was the biggest risk Colangelo has taken during his tenure in Philadelphia, he had a lot hinging on the point guard’s recovery. Monday night’s performance in Denver looked like a solid first step toward that move paying off.

Still, with the Sixers set to open the postseason in less than three weeks, it remains to be seen whether they can count on Fultz to play a major role during those playoff games. Philadelphia’s roster is somewhat short on playmakers, so in the view of David Murphy of Philly.com, Fultz is someone who can help. But the extent of the rookie’s role down the stretch remains a question mark.

What do you think? Is it a risk to count on Fultz in the postseason? Will he hold his own as Simmons’ backup at the point? Will he be ready to take on an even larger role by the time the playoffs begin? How has his unusual rookie season affected your view of his long-term potential?

Jump into the comment section below to share your thoughts!

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Fantasy Hoops: Burke, Nets, Cook, Rozier

March 26th, 2018 at 3:59pm CST by ChrisCrouse

Whether you’re still alive in the fantasy basketball playoffs (congratulations!) or simply need an edge in daily fantasy, Hoops Rumors has you covered. Here are some basketball nuggets to help you take down the competition down the stretch:

  • Trey Burke is averaging 14.3 points per game while hitting 55.6% of his shots from the field over the last six contests. He’s a solid streaming option on Monday when the Knicks take on the Hornets — no team is allowing opposing point guards to shoot a higher percentage over the last 10 games.
  • The Nets are getting eaten alive on the boards by opposing fives, allowing a league-worst 15.1 rebounds to the position over their last 10 games. Brooklyn plays the Magic on Wednesday and Nikola Vucevic should provide nice value in daily fantasy leagues.
  • Quinn Cook is a must-own for all those still playing in season-long leagues. Over his last eight games (seven starts), the Duke product is scoring 16.0 points per game while shooting 51.0% from the field and knocking down nearly two shots from behind the arc. He’s also adding 4.0 rebounds, 3.6 assists and nearly a steal per contest over that span for a depleted Warriors team. Cook’s teammate and mentor, Stephen Curry, can be dropped in all leagues, as he’s expected to be sidelined through the end of the regular season.
  • Both Kyrie Irving and Marcus Smart are out of the lineup for the remainder of the regular season, which means it’s the Terry Rozier show for the Celtics. Rozier went crazy against Sacramento on Sunday, scoring 33 points on 75% shooting. He also added five rebounds and three assists. He should be owned in all season-long leagues, and his usage makes his an attractive option in daily.
  • The Raptors are the only team with two games this upcoming week. Every other team plays three or four.

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

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

Statistics are current through Monday morning. Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

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