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2016/17 NBA Reverse Standings

November 24th, 2016 at 2:11pm CST by Luke Adams

Throughout the 2016/17 NBA season, Hoops Rumors will be maintaining a feature that allows you to keep an eye on how the 2017 draft order will look. Our 2016/17 Reverse Standings tool, which lists the NBA’s 30 teams from worst to first, will be updated daily to reflect the previous night’s outcomes.

Our Reverse Standings take into account playoff teams in each conference, so they’re essentially a reflection of what 2014’s draft order would look like with no changes to lottery position. In addition to not considering the results of the lottery, our tracker lists teams in random order when they have identical records. At the end of the year, those ties would be broken via random drawings.

Traded picks – and conditionally traded picks – are included via footnotes. For instance, the note next to the Kings‘ pick says that Sacramento will send its pick to the Bulls if it’s not in the top 10. If the Kings’ pick is in the top 10, the 76ers would have the right to swap selections, so that footnote is included next to the Sixers’ pick as well. As of today, the Kings are in a three-way tie for the NBA’s ninth-worst record, putting it right on the cusp of that top-10 protection.

Our Reverse Standings tracker can be found at anytime on our right sidebar under “Hoops Rumors Features.” It’s a great resource not just for monitoring a team’s draft position, but also for keeping an eye on whether or not traded picks with protection will be changing hands in 2017. So be sure to check back often!

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Poll: Is Tanking A Non-Issue?

November 24th, 2016 at 12:56pm CST by ChrisCrouse

The Sixers set the bar on tanking over the last several seasons, compiling teams that had no shot to be competitive with an eye on landing the No. 1 overall pick. Philadelphia’s bold strategy led to conversations on the topic and even efforts toward lottery reform. However, this season it appears every team is at least trying to put its best foot forward and the topic has become a dead issue, Sean Deveney of The Sporting News argues.

“Nobody is doing it this year,” one general manager said. “You need to get your owner on board if you are going to tank an entire season, and I don’t think any owners have the stomach for it anymore. They gave up on it in Philadelphia, because the owner in the end didn’t want to keep seeing his team be a laughingstock. I think there is a lot of pressure from other owners not to let your team go in that direction. It’s something owners worked out among themselves.”

Commissioner Adam Silver believes that teams have realized the importance of trying to win games.

“You don’t want teams to intentionally be bad,” Silver said. “I think, as I said [back in 2014,] there is invariably a correction in the marketplace as well, regardless of what rules we have on the draft lottery. The fact is, teams don’t want to be bad for a long time. They need to sell tickets, they need to keep their fans engaged, our owners care about their reputations, the players don’t want to be part of losing traditions. If you noticed this season, I think there has been a swing back to the realization that culture is important, building winning traditions is equally important.”

Deveney adds that the topic of tanking hasn’t been part of the discussion during negotiations on the new CBA, which is something that both sides believe could be reached sometime next month.

Do you still consider tanking an issue? Don’t limit yourself to a simple button click. Take to the comments section below and share your thoughts and opinions. We look forward to what you have to say!

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Checking In On Traded 2017 First-Round Picks

November 22nd, 2016 at 11:48am CST by Luke Adams

We’re not even a month into the 2016/17 NBA season yet, but based on what we’ve seen over the last four weeks, it’s becoming clearer which teams will be in contention for the rest of the season, and which clubs might fall out of the hunt sooner rather than later.

The standings so far also provide some interesting possibilities for the 2017 NBA draft, since several teams have traded first-round picks for ’17 — some of those traded picks are tied to conditions related to team performance, so it’s worth checking in to see how things look in the early going.

Using our list of traded 2017 first-rounders as a point of reference, here’s what we know – or think we know – so far:

The picks acquired by the Jazz and Raptors are on track to be very late first-rounders

Utah landed a first-round pick from Golden State, and Toronto will acquire the Clippers’ first-rounder if it falls outside the top 14. So far, the Clippers and the Warriors own the NBA’s top two records, meaning the Jazz and Raptors would be in line to acquire the final two picks of the first round — Nos. 29 and 30.

The Nuggets should get a first-round pick from the Grizzlies

Even with offseason signee Chandler Parsons battling knee issues again, Memphis is off to a solid start this season, with a 9-5 record. Last year, the Grizzlies managed to earn a playoff spot even after several key players went down with injuries, and this year’s team looks like it should be in the playoff hunt again. That means the Grizzlies’ first-round pick will likely head to Denver, since the Nuggets will acquire it if it falls outside of the top five.

The Celtics will almost certainly swap first-round picks with the Nets

Boston struggled a little to start the season, and the Nets picked up a few early victories, but the C’s are currently 3.5 games ahead of Brooklyn, and figure to increase that gap as the season goes on. The Celtics have the right to swap picks with the Nets, and barring a huge surprise, the only real drama here will be how high that Brooklyn pick lands — the team is currently tied for the NBA’s fifth-worst record.

The Sixers should get the Lakers’ first-round pick

Expectations were low for the Lakers heading into the season, but the club has played very well in the early going under new head coach Luke Walton, and currently sits in a playoff spot in the West, with a 7-7 record. Even if the Lakers eventually fall out of the top eight in the West, Philadelphia should still be in a strong position to get L.A.’s pick this season, since it’s only top-three protected.

Stay tuned on the Kings’ first-round pick

The one first-round pick that remains firmly up in the air at this point is Sacramento’s, which is top-10 protected. If it falls outside of the top 10, the Bulls will get it. At 5-9, the Kings currently hold the league’s ninth-worst record, and it will be interesting to see if the team – which has no shortage of trade candidates – eventually pushes for a playoff spot, or falls out of contention and makes an effort to hang onto its pick.

Kings ownership wants to see the team make a playoff push this season, and even if the club doesn’t crack the top eight in the West, there’s perhaps a little additional incentive to avoid an all-out tank: Philadelphia has the right to swap first-rounders with the Kings if Sacramento’s pick falls within the top 10. For now, the Sixers (4-10) remain below the Kings in the standings, but not by much.

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Weekly Mailbag: 11/14/16-11/20/16

November 20th, 2016 at 8:32pm 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. Here are this week’s inquiries:

What’s wrong with the Knicks? How do you improve defense? Are these players good together? — Ron Cromartie

The answer to all these questions is that it’s too soon to tell. The Knicks went through a lot of changes over the offseason, with a new coach and three new starters added in Derrick Rose, Courtney Lee and Joakim Noah. It’s going to take more than 13 games to determine if all the pieces fit and the defense can get better. It looks like the talent is there to be a playoff contender, but the fans and the front office are going to have to show patience.

The Raptors definitely have a need at power forward in order to stand a chance against LeBron’s Cavaliers. The rumors are all about trading for Nerlens Noel. With Aaron Gordon playing bench minutes behind Serge Ibaka, would it be possible for the Raptors to package a few players and picks, like Terrence Ross and Pascal Siakam and a pair of future draft picks, to obtain Gordon and Mario Hezonja? — Todd Clarke

It’s nice to see fans thinking big, but it’s unlikely that Orlando will part with Gordon. He’s only 21, he’s still on his rookie contract and the Magic still view him as a future star. They traded for Ibaka in an effort to win right away, but Gordon hasn’t slipped out of their long-term plans. The package you propose should be more than enough to land Noel or Greg Monroe or some other power forward who becomes available as teams slip out of playoff contention.

How far do you think Bruno Caboclo is from being a contributor on the Raptors squad? I feel like he’s progressing well, but is blocked by DeMarre Carroll‘s contract. — Jared Scherling

Caboclo was sent back to the D-League again this week as the Raptors embarked on a nine-day road trip. The Brazilian small forward came to Toronto with a lot of hype, but he hasn’t produced anything to justify it. He has appeared in just 14 NBA games between last season and this one and has just 13 points, so he has concerns much bigger than Carroll’s contract. Caboclo will have to prove himself in the D-League before he get a real shot with the Raptors.

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Community Shootaround: Orlando’s Playoff Chances

November 19th, 2016 at 6:17pm CST by ChrisCrouse

Things haven’t gone as planned in Orlando. The Magic were expected to make major improvements this season under new head coach Frank Vogel. The additions of Serge Ibaka and Bismack Biyombo were supposed to take the Magic out of the rebuilding phase and elevate the team’s defense.

Entering Saturday, Orlando is tied with Golden state for 15th in the league in defensive efficiency this season, up slightly from 17th last year. The lack of drastic improvement on the defensive end, coupled with the team’s offensive struggles (27th in the league in offensive efficiency), has led to a ho-hum 6-7 record.

As big of a disappointment as it has been for the Magic so far, it’s not inconceivable that they turn it around. New players need time to learn how to play with each other (just ask the 2010/11 Heatles). New systems take time to master. Combining both is asking for a delay in winning results.

That leads us to tonight’s topic: Can the Magic rebound and make the playoffs this season? If not, what should the franchise do to better position itself for a playoff run?

Their frontcourt is overcrowded and the franchise might be better off shipping out some of its depth for a scorer on the wing. A trade after December 15 might make the most sense, as many players who signed this offseason will then be eligible to be included in a trade.

Instead of making major moves, perhaps a smaller adjustment should be made, like reducing Jeff Green’s minutes. The forward is sporting a career low 9.3 player efficiency rating and the team has been outscored by 92 points in the 260 minutes he’s played this season.

Should this team make any more changes or should it trust that the changes it has already made will pan out? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below. We look forward to what you have to say!

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NBA 2016/17 Dead Money: Northwest Division

November 19th, 2016 at 2:00pm CST by Luke Adams

The concept of “dead money” on a salary cap isn’t as common in the NBA as it is in the NFL, but it essentially functions the same way in both leagues. Dead money refers to the salary remaining on a team’s cap for players that are no longer on the roster.

For NFL teams, taking on a certain amount of dead money is a common practice, since signing bonuses affect cap hits differently, and big-money players are more likely to be released before playing out their entire contracts. That practice is less common in the NBA.

Still, with the NBA’s salary cap on the rise, teams may be a little more willing to part ways with players on guaranteed salaries, since that increased cap gives clubs more flexibility than they used to have. Within the last month, we’ve seen players like Ronnie Price and Greivis Vasquez, who each had $4-5MM in guaranteed money left on their contracts, waived in order to clear room for newcomers.

We’ve examined each of the NBA’s 30 teams, breaking them down by division, determining which teams are carrying the most dead money on the cap for 2016/17, and assessing what that might tell us about those teams. We’ve already examined the Central, Atlantic, Southeast, Southwest, and Pacific divisions. Today, we’ll turn our attention to the Northwest division to wrap things up.

Here are the 2016/17 dead money figures for the Northwest teams:

1. Minnesota Timberwolves
Total dead money: $9,360,305
Full salary cap breakdown

Only two NBA teams – the Sixers and Nets – are currently carrying more dead money on their 2016/17 salary cap than the Timberwolves. And like those other clubs, Minnesota remains below the salary floor, so those dead-money charges aren’t hurting the team too much. Kevin Garnett ($8MM) is responsible for most of the Wolves’ dead money, and if he had made his retirement decision earlier, the club could have stretched his cap hit across three years. Still, Minnesota may have chosen to apply the entire amount to this season’s cap anyway, since the club has excess cap room at the moment and won’t have to worry about KG’s charges after June. The rest of the Wolves’ 2016/17 dead money comes from Kevin Martin ($1.36MM).

2. Oklahoma City Thunder
Total dead money: $4,358,585
Full salary cap breakdown

The Thunder’s management of their cap has been interesting, as the team has been willing to waive players with guaranteed salaries, like Ronnie Price ($2.558MM) and Mitch McGary ($1.526MM). Oklahoma City was also fairly generous with its partial guarantees for camp invitees, such as Chris Wright ($100K), Kaleb Tarczewski ($75K), Alex Caruso ($50K), and Reggie Williams ($50K).

So it was a little surprising when the Thunder essentially dumped Ersan Ilyasova‘s $8.4MM salary in a trade with the Sixers earlier this month, opening up cap room and reducing their year-end salary bill, at the cost of a future conditional first-round pick. Perhaps Philadelphia simply coveted Ilyasova, but it’s worth keeping an eye on the Thunder the rest of the way to see if they do anything with that newfound cap room.

3. Portland Trail Blazers
Total dead money: $1,984,005
Full salary cap breakdown

Anderson Varejao‘s $1.984MM cap hit is the only dead money on the Trail Blazers’ books, and that contract was one worth taking on, since it landed Portland a future first-round pick. Still, the Blazers will likely do everything they can to avoid eating more salary this season. As it stands, the club is less than $500K from the tax line, so even replacing one minimum salary player with another could have major financial implications for the team.

4. Denver Nuggets
Total dead money: $1,380,431
Full salary cap breakdown

The Nuggets have several players contributing dead-money charges to their cap, ranging from Nick Johnson ($980K) to camp invitees like D.J. Kennedy ($50K) and Nate Wolters ($50K). Most recently, Denver waived Jarnell Stokes, who had a $150K guarantee, and the team likely won’t hesitate to continue rolling over its roster and eating salary if necessary — with only about $75MM in total salary on their books for 2016/17, the Nuggets currently sit well below the salary floor.

5. Utah Jazz
Total dead money: $275,000
Full salary cap breakdown

The Jazz have kept a very clean cap sheet for 2016/17, with their only dead-money charges coming in the form of partial guarantees for camp invitees — Marcus Paige ($125K), Quincy Ford ($75K), and Henry Sims ($75K). As a result, the team is more than $13MM under the cap, which come in handy, since George Hill and Derrick Favors are both eligible for extensions. With the ability to give either player a significant raise for ’16/17, the Jazz have a great opportunity to lock up one of those two players and keep them off the market, if they so choose.

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

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Hoops Rumors Originals: 11/13/16-11/19/16

November 19th, 2016 at 10:43am CST by Eddie Scarito

Here’s a look back at the original content and analysis generated by the Hoops Rumors staff this past week.

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Submit Your Questions For Hoops Rumors Mailbag

November 18th, 2016 at 8:36pm CST by Eddie Scarito

We at Hoops Rumors love interacting with our readers. This is why we provide an opportunity for you to hit us up with your questions in our weekly mailbag feature, which is posted each Sunday.

Have a question regarding player movement, free agent rumors, the salary cap, the NBA draft, or the top storylines of the week? You can e-mail them here: hoopsrumorsmailbag@gmail.com. Feel free to send emails throughout the week, but please be mindful that we may receive a sizable number of questions and might not get to all of them.

If you missed out on any past mailbags and would like to catch up, you can view the full archives here.

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NBA 2016/17 Dead Money: Pacific Division

November 18th, 2016 at 3:45pm CST by Luke Adams

The concept of “dead money” on a salary cap isn’t as common in the NBA as it is in the NFL, but it essentially functions the same way in both leagues. Dead money refers to the salary remaining on a team’s cap for players that are no longer on the roster.

For NFL teams, taking on a certain amount of dead money is a common practice, since signing bonuses affect cap hits differently, and big-money players are more likely to be released before playing out their entire contracts. That practice is less common in the NBA.

Still, with the NBA’s salary cap on the rise, teams may be a little more willing to part ways with players on guaranteed salaries, since that increased cap gives clubs more flexibility than they used to have. Within the last month, we’ve seen players like Ronnie Price and Greivis Vasquez, who each had $4-5MM in guaranteed money left on their contracts, waived in order to clear room for newcomers.

We’re in the process of examining each of the NBA’s 30 teams, breaking them down by division. We’ll determine which teams are carrying the most dead money on the cap for 2016/17, and what that information might tell us about those teams. We’ve already examined the Central, Atlantic, Southeast, and Southwest divisions. Today, we’ll turn our attention to the Pacific division.

Here are the 2016/17 dead money figures for the Pacific teams:

1. Phoenix Suns
Total dead money: $2,871,866
Full salary cap breakdown

While the Suns have a modest dead-money cap charge for Michael Beasley ($778K), most of the team’s dead money comes from Archie Goodwin‘s contract, which counts for $2.094MM on the 2016/17 books. Goodwin is still just 22 years old and was a surprise cut last month, having become expendable after the Suns added Leandro Barbosa and Jared Dudley in free agency. With Eric Bledsoe, Devin Booker, Brandon Knight, and Tyler Ulis also in the backcourt mix, Phoenix figured Goodwin wouldn’t have a meaningful role this season.

The Suns remain well below the salary floor, so that decision probably won’t affect them financially. Still, for a team not expected to be contenders this year, it was an interesting decision to spend on Dudley and Barbosa – two veterans in their 30s – rather than exercising a little more patience with the 22-year-old Goodwin.

2. Sacramento Kings
Total dead money: $1,682,829
Full salary cap breakdown

The Kings have a pair of veterans waived via their stretch provision counting against their cap, in Wayne Ellington ($883K) and Caron Butler ($517K). The team also paid $100K apiece to a pair of camp invitees, in Lamar Patterson and second-round pick Isaiah Cousins. However, Sacramento’s most interesting dead-money cap hits might belong to Jordan Farmar, who counts not once but twice on the team’s books, having already been signed and cut multiple times. Farmar’s two cap charges count for about $83K, which isn’t a bad haul for a player who spent six regular-season days on the roster and four on waivers.

3. Los Angeles Clippers
Total dead money: $1,412,964
Full salary cap breakdown

The Clippers, one of eight NBA teams without a D-League affiliate this season, didn’t bother inviting any undrafted rookies to camp, since the team had nowhere to assign them in the D-League, and had its 15-man roster fairly set. Still, while Los Angeles was able to avoid tacking on modest partial guarantees that way, the club is still carrying cap hits for former Clippers like Carlos Delfino ($650K), Jordan Farmar ($511K), and Miroslav Raduljica ($252K). Those dead-money hits total $1.413MM, and the Clippers currently sit $1.453MM over the tax threshold, making those charges even more costly.

4. Golden State Warriors
Total dead money: $1,380,126
Full salary cap breakdown

Despite carrying four All-NBA players on their roster, the Warriors don’t rank among the highest team salaries in the NBA, and their dead-money charges aren’t exorbitant either, a sign of solid cap management. Jason Thompson, waived back in February, is responsible for most of the Warriors’ dead money this year, with a $945K cap hit. Outside of Elliot Williams, who got a $250K guarantee but didn’t make Golden State’s regular season roster, the team’s other dead-money charges belong to players currently playing for their D-League affiliate: Cameron Jones ($50K), Elgin Cook ($50K), Scott Wood ($50K), and Phil Pressey ($35K).

5. Los Angeles Lakers
Total dead money: $1,184,636
Full salary cap breakdown

Anthony Brown and Yi Jianlian were initially viewed as strong bets to earn spots on the Lakers’ 15-man roster this season, but Thomas Robinson and Metta World Peace ultimately fit into those openings instead, leaving Brown’s $875K salary and Yi’s $250K guarantee on Los Angeles’ books. Along with Zach Auguste ($60K), those dead money charges cut into L.A.’s small amount of remaining cap room, leaving the team just $530K under the cap. However, adding $1.185MM in extra cap space wouldn’t change much — the Lakers still have their $2.898MM room exception if they want to sign a player for more than the minimum.

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

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Community Shootaround: Early Leaders For MVP

November 18th, 2016 at 1:06pm CST by Luke Adams

Most NBA teams have only played 11 or 12 games so far, meaning we’re about one-seventh of the way through the 2016/17 regular season. While that’s too early to make any concrete declarations about how the rest of the season will play out, it has given us a preview of which players figure to be involved in the race for 2017’s Most Valuable Player award.

Oliver Maroney of Basketball Insiders examines this subject in a piece today, providing some early power rankings for the MVP race. In Maroney’s view, James Harden is the early frontrunner for the award. Harden, who is doing it all for the Rockets so far, is leading the league in assists by a comfortable margin, with 12.8 per game, and also ranks in the top five in scoring with 28.5 PPG. He has recorded three triple-doubles in his first 12 games of the season.

Behind Harden, Maroney places LeBron James second, with Chris Paul, Russell Westbrook, DeMar DeRozan, Kawhi Leonard, Damian Lillard, Kemba Walker, Kevin Durant, Stephen Curry, and Blake Griffin filling out the rest of his list.

Some of those players, like DeRozan (33.3 PPG) and Westbrook (31.8 PPG, 9.8 APG, 9.5 RPG), are in the conversation because of the incredible numbers they’re posting so far. Others, like James, Paul, Durant, and Curry belong in the discussion because they’ve been as great as ever for the NBA’s best teams.

Slumps, injuries, and team performances could derail some of these MVP résumés over the course of the season, but based on what you’ve seen so far and what you expect to see the rest of the way: Who is your early pick for the MVP award? Will a dark horse not even mentioned by Maroney emerge as a candidate, or will the eventual winner be one of the 11 players he listed? Do you agree that Harden is the early favorite, or would you lean toward another player?

Jump into the comments section below to weigh in with your thoughts!

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