Hoops Rumors’ 2018 NBA Mock Draft
With the 2018 NBA draft just two days away, it’s time to reveal Hoops Rumors’ own mock draft. Arthur Hill and Chris Crouse of Hoops Rumors have tackled the 2018 first round, alternating picks and providing their thoughts and rationale for each selection.
Our mock draft isn’t necessarily a reflection of what we think will happen on Thursday night, but rather what Arthur and Chris feel each team should do with the 30 first-round picks. Our draft also doesn’t include trades, so a busy week on the trade market could significantly alter our projected order.
After checking out our picks, be sure to head to the comments section to weigh in with your own thoughts, opinions, and predictions.
Let’s dive in…
1. Phoenix Suns: Deandre Ayton, C (Arizona)
Arthur Hill: The Suns, who entered the offseason hoping to find an answer at center, got lucky in the lottery and won the chance to draft Ayton. He was a difference maker in college at both ends of the court, though scouts believe his offense is ahead of his defense at the NBA level. He and Devin Booker should be an exciting combination for many years to come.
2. Sacramento Kings: Michael Porter Jr., F (Missouri)
Chris Crouse: The Kings are reportedly seriously considering Porter Jr. and it’s easy to see why. The versatile forward may be the draft’s biggest risk/reward prospect, but he has the talent to be a franchise player. Nobody wants to see another Joel Embiid situation where a top prospect, falling because of health concerns, ends up being the best player in the draft. Porter can be that kind of special player and the risk is worth the reward.
3. Atlanta Hawks: Jaren Jackson Jr., F/C (Michigan State)
AH: It could be a coin flip for the Hawks between Jackson and Marvin Bagley III. Bagley provides more punch on offense, but Jackson is far more advanced on the defensive end. Jackson could turn into a dominant shot blocker with a 7’4″ wingspan and seems like a better fit next to John Collins.
4. Memphis Grizzlies: Luka Doncic, PG (Real Madrid)
CC: If Doncic is still available at No. 4, the Grizzlies’ phone should be ringing off the hook. The Sixers are looking to trade up and he’d be a great fit to help complete the process. If Memphis stays put, Doncic would be a nice pick to play alongside Mike Conley to try and squeeze one more playoff run out of what’s remaining from the Grit-and-Grind era.
5. Dallas Mavericks: Marvin Bagley III, F/C (Duke)
AH: The Mavericks are happy to see Bagley slide to fifth and will snap up the draft’s most offensively skilled big man. Dallas can address its needs at center on the free agent market, as Bagley provides an inside scoring threat the team has lacked along with an aggressive rebounder. Bagley averaged a double-double in his lone season at Duke and appears capable of posting similar numbers at the NBA level.
Five Key Offseason Questions: Portland Trail Blazers
The Trail Blazers improved their record by eight games in 2017/18 and claimed the No. 3 seed in a competitive Western Conference. However, their season ended the same way it did the year before, with a first-round playoff sweep. And this time around, that sweep came at the hands of the underdog Pelicans rather than the eventual champions in Golden State.
Portland’s roster will need to undergo some tweaks in order to make the club a contender capable of seriously challenging the Warriors and the other top teams in the West, but a 2016 spending spree has limited the front office’s ability to make adjustments. Finding a way to make upgrades will be the primary challenge this offseason for the cap-strapped Blazers.
Here are five key questions facing the franchise this summer:
1. Will the Blazers consider breaking up their star backcourt?
Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum were largely responsible for the Blazers’ 49-win season, combining for 48.3 PPG and 10.0 APG between them. Lillard, a three-time All-Star, earned First Team All-NBA honors for the first time in his career this spring, and McCollum is a star in his own right, averaging 21.7 PPG with a .412 3PT% over the last three seasons and virtually never missing a game.
Still, there’s a nagging sense that the Blazers won’t ever win a championship as long as Lillard and McCollum are their two best players. Unlike in Golden State, where the Stephen Curry/Klay Thompson duo thrives due to their varied skill sets, neither of Portland’s star guards is an elite wing defender or excels as a simple catch-and-shoot option on offense.
The Blazers have repeatedly insisted that they won’t break up their star backcourt, but it’s an idea worth considering. Lillard almost certainly won’t go anywhere as long as he’s happy in the Pacific Northwest, but finding the right McCollum deal could kill two birds with one stone — McCollum could net the Blazers an impact player who better balances the roster, and moving his $25.76MM salary might help the team better balance its books.
A shakeup of that magnitude is probably unlikely for a team that had the success Portland did in 2017/18, so I expect both guards to stick with the Blazers to start next season. Still, at some point the front office will have to seriously weigh the idea of a change. If it happens as soon as this summer, it wouldn’t be a total shock.
2. Will the Trail Blazers re-sign Jusuf Nurkic?
Assuming the Blazers move forward with Lillard and McCollum, it’s crucial that the duo is complemented with an impact player in the frontcourt, preferably one who can protect the rim and help make up for defensive lapses on the perimeter. Nurkic initially appeared to be that guy after coming over in a midseason trade with the Nuggets in 2017.
While Nurkic had a solid showing in 2017/18, averaging 14.3 PPG and 9.0 RPG with 1.4 BPG, he struggled with consistency on defense, and his offensive game is still somewhat limited. Nurkic will only turn 24 years old in August, so there’s plenty of time for him to continue to develop, but with restricted free agency looming, the Blazers will have to decide how much of an investment his upside is worth. If Portland bets big on Nurkic, the team could be locked into its current core for years, so a long-term deal is a risk.
On the other hand, Zach Collins may not be ready for a major role and fellow big man Ed Davis is a free agent this offseason too. If the Blazers let Nurkic walk, they’d not only be losing him for nothing — they’d also be potentially creating a major hole in their frontcourt without freeing up any extra cap room to fill that hole.
The Blazers’ decision on Nurkic will be a fascinating one. If another team like the Mavericks swoops in with an aggressive offer sheet in the range of $15-20MM per year, matching that offer would be a tough pill for Portland to swallow, especially since insisting on locking up restricted free agents to big-money deals in 2016 helped create the Blazers’ current cap troubles. Still, Nurkic might have a higher ceiling than any of those previous RFAs, and the club won’t want him to become the one that got away.
Five Key Offseason Questions: Indiana Pacers
The trade that sent Paul George to Oklahoma City in exchange for Victor Oladipo and Domantas Sabonis, widely panned at the time, was the catalyst for the Pacers‘ surprisingly strong 2017/18 season. Although they were unable to knock off the Cavaliers in the first round of the playoffs, the Pacers won 48 regular-season games and then gave LeBron James‘ squad all it could handle in the Eastern Conference quarterfinals.
Having cleverly sidestepped the prospect of a potential rebuild, the Pacers are now in position to keep fortifying an impressive roster, given their cap flexibility.
Here are five key questions facing the franchise this summer:
1. Will Thaddeus Young opt out of his contract?
The second-highest-paid player on the Pacers’ roster in 2017/18, Young also averaged the second-most minutes per game behind Oladipo, playing an important role in the team’s success. Still, as a frontcourt player who doesn’t protect the rim or make many outside shots, Young probably wouldn’t be one of the league’s most coveted free agents if he opts out of his contract this summer.
Nonetheless, Young is reportedly strongly considering the possibility of declining a player option worth $13.76MM. The veteran forward, who turns 30 on Thursday, may never again have a better chance to land a long-term contract than he does this summer, so even if he has take a pay cut for 2018/19, signing a multiyear deal and receiving some long-term security could be worth it.
Young’s decision will have a significant impact on the Pacers’ cap outlook for next season. If he opts out and doesn’t re-sign in Indiana, the club could potentially double its available cap room, which would create new opportunities in the free agent and/or trade market.
The best outcome for both sides may see Young turn down his player option in order to sign a new contract with the Pacers. For instance, an agreement in the three-year, $30MM range would give Young a good reason to turn down a one-year payday of $13MM+, and it would open up some extra cap space for Indiana this summer.
2. Will the Pacers retain their veterans on partially guaranteed contracts?
The majority of players around the NBA who are on non-guaranteed or partially guaranteed contracts for 2018/19 will earn the minimum salary if they’re retained. That’s not the case for three Pacers veterans, who would make a combined $30.5MM if they stick with Indiana.
Bojan Bogdanovic ($10.5MM) and Darren Collison ($10MM) signed similar two-year contracts with Indiana last summer, and now both look like good bets to return for next season. Bogdanovic only has a $1.5MM guarantee, but he had an excellent year as the Pacers’ starting small forward, averaging a career-high 14.3 PPG and knocking down 40.2% of his three-pointers. At $10.5MM on an expiring deal, he’s a solid value, and the same can be said for Collison, who has a $2MM partial guarantee for now. As Indiana’s starting point guard, he recorded 12.4 PPG and 5.3 APG to go along with a league-leading .468 3PT%.
That leaves Jefferson, who also has a $10MM salary for next season, with $4MM currently guaranteed. Unlike Bogdanovic and Collison, the 33-year-old isn’t a regular rotation player for the Pacers, having established new career lows in minutes in each of his two seasons in Indiana. The Pacers would save $6MM by waiving Jefferson, and I’d be surprised if they don’t take advantage of that opportunity.
It’s possible that the outlooks for these players could change — if the Pacers get a shot at a marquee free agent, perhaps Bogdanovic and/or Collison would need to be waived to create extra cap space. If Indiana needs to reach the minimum cap floor, perhaps Jefferson’s salary will get guaranteed. But for now, the club’s decisions seem fairly straightforward.
Community Shootaround: Kings’ No. 2 Overall Pick
From all appearances, the Suns will take Arizona center Deandre Ayton with the top pick on Thursday. However, there’s quite a bit of intrigue in terms of what the Kings will do at No. 2.
For months, Euro guard Luka Doncic was considered the likely selection at that spot. His stock has seemingly fallen this month, as Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports reported Monday that Doncic could still be on the board at No. 4.
The Kings could use help in a lot of areas, of course, and they’re not chock full of dynamic playmakers. They were tied for 24th in the league in assists per game last season. But they are apparently committed to last year’s lottery pick, De’Aaron Fox, as their main ballhandler.
Instead, they’re in the market for big man who can stretch the defense. Duke’s Marvin Bagley III has emerged as the leading candidate to fill that need. He’s a near-lock to be their selection, according to the Dallas Morning News’ Eddie Sefko (Twitter link).
The 6’11” Bagley put up big numbers in his lone college season, averaging 21.0 PPG and 11.1 RPG. He didn’t take a lot of threes but he knocked down 39.7% of the ones he attempted.
Michigan State’s Jaren Jackson, who reportedly had a very impressive workout for the Suns, is another enticing prospect. Texas center Mohamed Bamba has zoomed up many draft boards and is currently ranked No. 3 overall by ESPN’s Jonathan Givony. Michael Porter Jr., despite his health risks, could be the wildcard in the equation.
It’s no lock the Kings will even hold onto the pick. GM Vlade Divac is reportedly willing to deal the pick in order to acquire additional assets. When Kawhi Leonard made public last week his desire to be dealt from the Spurs, the Kings made the list of potential landings spots. They are reportedly willing to give up the pick as part of a package to land the star forward.
This brings us to our question of the day: Assuming the Suns draft Ayton with the top pick, which player should the Kings select at No. 2? Or should the Kings deal the pick for additional draft choices and/or players?
Please take to the comments section to weigh in on this topic. We look forward to what you have to say.
Five Key Offseason Questions: New Orleans Pelicans
After the in-season acquisition of DeMarcus Cousins didn’t pay immediate dividends for the Pelicans down the stretch in 2016/17, head coach Alvin Gentry and GM Dell Demps weren’t a lock to stick with the team last summer. New Orleans retained both, however, and the club was rewarded for its patience with its best regular-season record since 2009 and its deepest playoff run since 2008.
With Anthony Davis having become a perennial MVP candidate and Jrue Holiday establishing himself as one of the NBA’s best perimeter defenders, the Pelicans have a pair of building blocks under contract for multiple years. Now, the team will have to figure out how to retain enough pieces around those two stars to remain in contention going forward, particularly with two major contributors – Cousins and Rajon Rondo – up for new deals.
Here are five key questions facing the franchise this summer:
1. Will the Pelicans re-sign Cousins?
In 48 games before he tore his Achilles tendon, Cousins put up some truly incredible numbers, racking up 25.2 PPG, 12.9 RPG, 5.4 APG, 1.6 BPG, and 1.6 SPG. For good measure, he also led the team with 2.2 three-pointers per contest.
That production made Cousins an obvious candidate for a long-term, maximum-salary contract, but his ongoing recovery from Achilles surgery complicates matters significantly. While Achilles tears aren’t necessarily career-ending injuries, they’re often career-altering ailments, with players never quite looking the same as they did prior to the injury.
There’s no guarantee that will be the case with Cousins. It’s possible he’ll return to the court next season and look just as good as ever. However, that’s virtually impossible to predict, and teams willing to gamble on that sort of prognosis will have to pony up the max – or something close to it – months before Cousins is ready to return to action to find out if they’re right.
After giving up a slew of assets for Cousins just 16 months ago, the Pelicans probably can’t afford to just let him walk for nothing, especially since doing so wouldn’t get the team below the cap. That leaves two probable scenarios — either New Orleans brings back the ex-King, or the club negotiates a sign-and-trade deal to send him elsewhere.
Given the overlap between Davis’ and Cousins’ skill sets, the idea of signing-and-trading Cousins for a wing who might fit better alongside Davis and Holiday is intriguing. But sign-and-trades require two teams and the player to all be on the same page, and roadblocks can often get in the way of finalizing a deal. So that scenario might be a last resort for the Pelicans, whose preference will be to bring back Cousins on a shorter-term or less expensive deal that would mitigate the risk in case his Achilles continue to be an issue going forward. It remains to be seen whether the star center will be on board for that sort of contract or whether he’ll receive better offers.
2. Will the Pelicans re-sign Rondo?
While Rondo isn’t the sort of marquee free agent that Cousins is, the Pelicans won’t overlook him this offseason. Not every stop in Rondo’s NBA career has been a huge success, but teams that like him really like him, and that appeared to be the case in New Orleans, where he was credited for helping set the culture for a team that won 48 games and a playoff series.
Rondo is coming off a one-year, $3.3MM pact, and will be in line for a raise this summer. If the Pelicans bring back Cousins or sign-and-trade him for another highly-paid veteran, the club will have to be cautious about how much it offers Rondo.
New Orleans already has nearly $93MM in guaranteed money on its books for 2018/19, and re-signing Cousins could add another $25MM+ to that figure. If Rondo commands a salary in the $8-10MM range, the Pelicans would be into luxury-tax territory unless they can cut costs elsewhere.
That doesn’t mean that Rondo won’t return — it simply means that the franchise will have to think long and hard about where its priorities lie and how it wants to spends its money. I imagine the Pelicans will do all they can to make sure the veteran point guard is back on the roster next season.
NBA Salary Guarantee Dates For Summer 2018
Most NBA teams have at least one player on their books with a non-guaranteed salary or a partially guaranteed salary for the 2018/19 season. In the majority of those cases, the team has the ability to waive the player and get off the hook for that entire salary before it becomes guaranteed. However, many of those decisions will be due well before next year’s regular season gets underway.
Below, we’ve broken down the upcoming salary guarantee dates for many players currently on non-guaranteed or partially guaranteed contracts for 2018/19. Not every player on a non-guaranteed deal is included here — if a player’s contract doesn’t include any early salary guarantee dates, and won’t become fully guaranteed until January 2019, we’ll look at his deal at a later date.
For now, we want to get a better idea of which teams will have to make decisions on salary guarantees during or before the free agent period. So if a player’s non-guaranteed contract becomes fully or partially guaranteed during the months of June, July, August, or September, that’s noted below.
When his deadline date passes, we’ll note below if a player was waived. If he remained on the roster, receiving his guarantee, that’s noted with a ✔️ symbol. However, since teams and players can agree to push back guarantee dates, we’ll wait for confirmation one way or the other on those guarantees — if a player simply remains on the roster, without any updates, we won’t necessarily assume his deal has become guaranteed.
With the help of contract information from Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders and ESPN’s Bobby Marks, here are this summer’s upcoming salary guarantee dates by team:
Atlanta Hawks
- Isaiah Taylor: $1,544,951 salary becomes partially guaranteed for $300,000 after June 30. Full salary becomes guaranteed after July 27. (Waived)
Boston Celtics
- Daniel Theis: $1,378,242 salary becomes guaranteed after July 10. (✔️)
- Semi Ojeleye: $1,378,242 salary becomes guaranteed after July 15. Already partially guaranteed for $901,965. (✔️)
Brooklyn Nets
- None
Charlotte Hornets
- None
Weekly Mailbag: 6/11/18 – 6/17/18
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.
Who do you see the Kings selecting with the second overall pick now that Iman Shumpert has opted in? — Pat Aukes
Shumpert’s decision really doesn’t factor into Sacramento’s draft strategy. His contract only runs for another year, and the Kings have to be thinking about the long-term future with this draft. Luka Doncic was considered a co-No. 1 prospect with Deandre Ayton for most of the winter, and the Kings are said to have their eyes on Michael Porter Jr., assuming team doctors approved him at Friday’s medical exam. If they really want Porter, their best move is find a team that likes Doncic and trade down a few spots. The Kings need a lot of help up front, so if they stay at No. 2, look for them to take Marvin Bagley III or Jaren Jackson Jr.
Considering the deep draft, who are the teams most willing to trade on draft night? — Fernando Bravo
The Grizzlies have let it be known that their selection at No. 4 is available to anyone willing to take on Chandler Parsons‘ contract, and as we relayed earlier today, the Sixers have more draft picks than open roster spots. We could see a lot of movement on draft night as this year’s crop of players offers intriguing prospects through the middle of the first round. Porter presents a wild card that makes this year’s draft especially unpredictable. He may have been in contention for the No. 1 spot without the back injury, and it’s hard to say who might try to engineer a trade to get their hands on him. The farther he falls on draft night, the more likely it is that someone will be willing to take the risk.
Which player will be the first shock with how early he went? — Jimmy Robinson, via Twitter
There are several contenders, especially after the way Donovan Mitchell shocked the league after falling to 13th last year. No one wants to miss the next Mitchell, so teams are taking a long look at prospects pegged to go in the middle of the first round. One potential surprise is Kentucky guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who turned into a star for the Wildcats over the second half of the season. He stands 6’6″ with a 7-foot wingspan and can handle either backcourt position. Don’t be surprised if he moves into the top 10.
Community Shootaround: This Year’s Donovan Mitchell
“He made strides as a playmaker in his sophomore season and operating out of the pick and roll … However, he still plays too fast at times, not always reading the defense and making the simple play … He also lacks the ideal height and court vision to see over the top of the defense, especially with bigger opponents guarding him … He has a tendency to settle for tough, contested two-point jumpers, partially due to his inability to consistently get all the way to the rim, and also because of his average decision making skills … While he can make some of these attempts, it will not be a reliable way to score at the next level, and it will decrease his overall offensive efficiency, as it has in college.”
From NBAdraft.net, that was part of last year’s scouting report on Donovan Mitchell. Those concerns led to him being passed over by 12 teams and then traded by the one that did select him. Mitchell was viewed as an undersized player for his position who needed to land in the right situation to be successful.
He blew away expectations, of course, providing the Jazz with the go-to scorer they needed after the loss of free agent Gordon Hayward. Mitchell became a finalist for the Rookie of the Year award and reminded us that the draft remains hard to predict, no matter how closely the prospects are studied.
It’s easy to criticize the teams that didn’t see Mitchell as a future star. It’s much harder to pick out a similar surprise from this year’s crop. The first 10 selections in the latest mock draft by ESPN’s Jonathan Givony are Deandre Ayton, Marvin Bagley III, Jaren Jackson Jr., Luka Doncic, Mo Bamba, Wendell Carter Jr., Michael Porter Jr., Trae Young, Kevin Knox and Mikal Bridges. The next version of Mitchell might be somewhere outside that group. Here are a few candidates:
- Shai Gilgeous-Alexander — The late-blooming Kentucky star has exceptional size for a point guard, standing 6’6″ with a nearly 7-foot wing span. He is an aggressive defender who can guard several positions, and scouts are confident that his offense will improve as he ages.
- Lonnie Walker — Miami’s shooting guard is blessed with considerable athletic ability and a nice shooting stroke that should transfer well into the NBA. He was impressive at the combine both on and off the court, as teams took notice of how he smoothly conducted himself with the media.
- Collin Sexton — For all the attention that went to Young, Alabama’s Sexton may have been the best pure point guard in college basketball. He displayed a combination of strength, speed and agility and seemed to raise his game in big moments.
- Zhaire Smith — Athleticism stands out for the Texas Tech freshman, who proved to be a dangerous scorer from all over the court and is particularly adept at drawing fouls. He also made strides on defense and as a rebounder and could develop into an all-around player.
- Miles Bridges — An A-plus athlete who can match up with guards and forwards, Bridges might have been a certain lottery pick if he had left Michigan State last year. He has a smooth jumper and can get easy points on cuts to the basket, but scouts are most impressed by his athleticism and competitive drive.
Of course, there are a lot more candidates, and we want to get your input. Which player projected to be drafted outside the top 10 has the best chance to turn into a star? Please leave your feedback in the comments section below.
Five Key Offseason Questions: Utah Jazz
Losing a homegrown All-Star like Gordon Hayward in free agency last summer could have set the Jazz back years. Instead, it only set them back by three regular-season wins, as the club returned to the postseason and once again advanced to the second round before being bounced from the playoffs.
It was a very encouraging year for the Jazz, showing they’d be able to withstand the loss of a franchise cornerstone without slipping back into the lottery. Rookie guard Donovan Mitchell helped smooth the transition to the post-Hayward era, emerging as a long-term building block in his own right. Now, Utah will have to figure out what roster moves are necessary to give the franchise a better chance at making a slightly deeper playoff run.
Here are five key questions facing the Jazz this summer:
1. Will the Jazz re-sign Derrick Favors?
For a time, it seemed as if a frontcourt combination of Favors and Rudy Gobert simply wasn’t compatible, with Favors struggling to make an impact alongside Gobert and thriving when given a chance to handle the center position on his own. However, Quin Snyder and the Jazz made it work in the second half of the 2017/18 season.
In Favors, the Jazz have not only a reliable backup center for Gobert who can step in and play starter minutes in the event of an injury, but a power forward capable of matching up with other teams’ two-big lineups. Neither Favors nor Gobert can shoot from beyond the arc, but Favors has a mid-range game that stretches the floor to some extent, and as long as they’re on the court with two or three other players capable of hitting threes, it seems to work.
Assuming Utah is confident that the pairing can continue to have success, I’d expect the club to make a strong effort to re-sign Favors as a free agent this summer. If the Jazz have the opportunity to land a versatile impact player at the four, the team could let Favors walk and look to add a more affordable backup center separately, but if not, the Jazz have the cap flexibility to outbid teams that only have the mid-level exception available. It wouldn’t be a surprise to see Favors land a deal worth slightly more than the MLE — perhaps three years for $30-35MM.
2. Will Dante Exum‘s time in Utah continue?
Selected right after Joel Embiid and Aaron Gordon and right before Marcus Smart and Julius Randle in the 2014 draft, Exum is perhaps the only player in that group who isn’t assured a big payday this summer. Various injuries have limited him to 80 regular-season games in the last three seasons, but Exum is still just 22 years old, and flashed tantalizing play-making potential when he got healthy down the stretch in 2017/18.
With Ricky Rubio under contract for one more season and Raul Neto also eligible for restricted free agency this summer, Utah’s long-term outlook at the point guard spot is somewhat hazy. As such, it might make sense for the club to invest in Exum on a sort of a bridge deal for two or three years. If he stays healthy and keeps improving, he could be a ready for a bigger role by the time Rubio’s contract expires. If he continues to battle injuries and fails to make major strides, then the Jazz can get out from under his deal before too long.
Finding a price point that works for both Exum and the Jazz could be a challenge. Near the end of the regular season, one front office executive estimated that a two-year offer worth a total of $18-20MM might be enough for a rival team to pry the former fifth overall pick out of Utah, and I wouldn’t be shocked if a team drew up an offer sheet even more aggressive than that. A team like the Suns, for instance, could afford to roll the dice on a young player like Exum developing into their point guard of the future.
If an offer sheet of that caliber doesn’t materialize, the Jazz should be able to retain Exum on a more reasonable deal, perhaps in the range of $7-8MM per year.
Hoops Rumors Originals: 6/9/18 – 6/16/18
Every week the Hoops Rumors writing staff strives to create interesting and original content to complement our news feed. Here are the original segments and features from the last seven days:
- Luke Adams took an in-depth look at the factors that might affect LeBron James‘ free agency decision.
- We offered a rundown of notable trade exceptions that teams can use during the offseason.
- Adams’ series of Five Key Offseason Questions continued with the Thunder, Timberwolves, Spurs, Bucks, Heat, Wizards and Nuggets.
- We published the complete list of early entrants for this year’s draft.
- We recapped all the news surrounding head coaching vacancies since the regular season ended.
- Our Free Agent Stock Watch Series profiled the Cavaliers.
- Arthur Hill’s Weekly Mailbag tackled questions on LeBron James, Hassan Whiteside and the trades that might be coming for the Timberwolves.