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Community Shootaround: Brandon Knight

November 17th, 2016 at 4:00pm CST by Luke Adams

It was less than two years ago that the Suns sent Miles Plumlee and a first-round pick out as part of a three-team trade that netted them Brandon Knight. Phoenix signed Knight to a lucrative extension in the summer of 2015, and he seemed poised to become a huge part of the team’s future, but as we approach 2017, Knight’s place in the Suns’ long-term plan doesn’t look quite as clear.

The emergence of 2015 first-rounder Devin Booker has made the Suns reevaluate the roles of Knight and Eric Bledsoe, both now and going forward. Booker certainly isn’t going anywhere, and an October report from ESPN’s Zach Lowe suggested the team doesn’t want to move Bledsoe either, which leaves Knight as a potential odd man out. A strong start this season would have helped create a palatable trade market for Knight if the Suns wanted to deal him, Lowe wrote at the time.

Twelve games into the season though, that strong start hasn’t materialized. It’s still very early, but so far, Knight has posted career-worst marks in PPG (12.8), FG% (.377), 3PT% (.286), and APG (3.2), signaling that the transition to a bench role hasn’t been a smooth one. Still, in an appearance on Arizona Sports 98.7FM, Suns general manager Ryan McDonough said his club won’t rush into any major roster changes, and isn’t considering trading the veteran guard at this point.

“We’re certainly not looking to move Brandon, we haven’t been close to trading Brandon,” McDonough said. “I think he’d love to be starting, we understand that. He’s accepted the role very well. I think you guys will see him go on a run here. As you know, watching him play the last couple years, he has the ability to get hot and put up a lot of points in a hurry and take over stretches of games — he hasn’t done that yet for us consistently but I think it’s coming.”

The Suns loaded up on young frontcourt talent in this year’s draft, using a pair of top-eight picks to snag Dragan Bender and Marquese Chriss, but most of the team’s notable current contributors are guards or wings — Booker, Bledsoe, Knight, and small forward T.J. Warren are Phoenix’s top four scorers, with shooting guard Jared Dudley tied for fifth. If the Suns were to consider trading Knight, they could target a big man, or perhaps a shooter. A future draft pick or two would likely also appeal to the Suns, who aren’t necessarily looking to contend immediately.

Still, there’s no rush to move Knight. As McDonough notes, the 24-year-old is streaky and his stock isn’t particularly high at this point. He’s also under contract through 2019/2020, meaning the Suns can be patient and assess how their pieces all fit together as Booker, Warren, and the young bigs continue to develop.

What do you think? Should the Suns be looking to move Knight before this year’s deadline to address other areas of need, or to add future picks? Or should they wait things out, knowing that they could still trade Knight a year or two from now if their areas of need become more obvious by that point? Jump into the comments section and weigh in with your thoughts!

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NBA 2016/17 Dead Money: Southwest Division

November 17th, 2016 at 1:03pm 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, and Southeast divisions. Today, we’ll turn our attention to the Western Conference and check in on the Southwest division.

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

1. San Antonio Spurs
Total dead money: $3,245,090
Full salary cap breakdown

A higher dead-money total doesn’t necessarily mean a team managed its cap poorly, but it’s still a little surprising to see the Spurs atop the Southwest list, given what a tight ship the team runs. Some of these charges were essentially out of San Antonio’s control. For instance, Tim Duncan is counting for $1.881MM on the 2016/17 books, since the club wasn’t about to fight to recoup his salary after he decided to retire.

However, Livio Jean-Charles‘ $1.189MM dead-money hit is a curious one. The team signed him to a four-year rookie contract earlier this year, and the first two years were guaranteed, so he’ll count against the Spurs’ cap again in 2017/18. It’s extremely rare for a first-round pick to be waived so soon after he signed his rookie deal.

2. New Orleans Pelicans
Total dead money: $2,380,431
Full salary cap breakdown

In order to keep Lance Stephenson on their roster to start the season, the Pelicans had to waive a guaranteed salary, which meant parting ways with Alonzo Gee ($1.4MM). Given his place on the roster bubble, it was somewhat odd that New Orleans gave Gee a fully guaranteed contract to begin with — not to mention they cost themselves some extra money by not doing a minimum salary deal, as I’ve outlined before.

Still, while that decision could be questioned, it’s hard to criticize the Pelicans for the rest of their dead money. Stephenson suffered a groin injury and needed to be waived to clear room to add backcourt depth. His salary was only initially guaranteed for $100K, but New Orleans remains on the hook for the full $980K cap hit until Stephenson recovers from the procedure on his groin. He should return early in the new year, at which point the Pelicans’ dead-money total will decrease.

3. Houston Rockets
Total dead money: $1,655,966
Full salary cap breakdown

Like the Spurs and Pelicans, the Rockets signed a player this summer to a guaranteed deal, then waived him. Houston actually did it twice, with Pablo Prigioni ($1.051MM) and Gary Payton II ($543K), opting to keep Bobby Brown and Kyle Wiltjer on the roster instead. Still, the Rockets wouldn’t have gained any meaningful cap room by cutting their non-guaranteed players instead of Prigioni and Payton, so the moves didn’t impact their flexibility — they just cost ownership a little extra money.

4. Memphis Grizzlies
Total dead money: $1,475,696
Full salary cap breakdown

The majority of the Grizzlies’ dead money for 2016/17 comes as a result of waiving former first-round pick Jordan Adams ($1.22MM). In retrospect, the team likely regrets picking up its 2016/17 option on Adams last year, since his contract would have expired in the summer in that scenario, leaving no extra money on the ’16/17 cap. It may not come back to haunt the Grizzlies, but the club is currently less than $3MM away from the luxury tax line, limiting the team’s ability to add much salary throughout the season via signings or trades.

5. Dallas Mavericks
Total dead money: $1,386,548
Full salary cap breakdown

The Mavericks, like the Grizzlies, are less than $3MM away from the tax threshold, so even though their dead-money charges aren’t significant, every little bit counts. Among the former Mavs counting against the cap this year? Jonathan Gibson ($543K), Maurice Ndour ($437K), and Gal Mekel ($316K).

Sometimes, teams needing to clear salary from their books can convince a team to take on a modestly-paid player by throwing in cash in the deal, but the Mavericks won’t be able to do that during the 2016/17 season — they’ve already used that move. In order to clear cap room this summer to accommodate Harrison Barnes and their other additions, Dallas sent Jeremy Evans and his $1.227MM salary to Indiana along with $3.227MM in cash. Teams can only send up to $3.5MM out in trades during the ’16/17 league year, so if the Mavs need to clear salary at some point, they’ll need to take another approach.

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

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NBA 2016/17 Dead Money: Southeast Division

November 16th, 2016 at 4:59pm 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.

Over the next few days, we’ll examine each of the NBA’s 30 teams, breaking them down by division, to figure out 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 and Atlantic divisions. Today, we’ll turn our attention to the Southeast.

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

1. Atlanta Hawks
Total dead money: $2,030,431
Full salary cap breakdown

The Hawks have a D-League franchise lined up to begin play in 2019/2020, but for now, the team can’t assign affiliate players to a D-League squad before the season, limiting the need for partial guarantees — Matt Costello‘s $50K guarantee was the only one handed out by the team. Still, Atlanta has been willing to waive a couple players on fully guaranteed salaries so far, after determining those guys weren’t in the plans. Edy Tavares ($1MM) and Jarrett Jack ($980K) both received their walking papers from the Hawks.

2. Washington Wizards
Total dead money: $1,008,334
Full salary cap breakdown

Interestingly, a handful of Wizards signees appeared to be merely camp invitees based on their contracts — Danuel House, Daniel Ochefu, and Sheldon McClellan all got guaranteed worth between $50-100K. However, all three players remain on the team. Instead, the Wizards’ dead-money total is made up of cap charges for one player who was waived last year – Martell Webster ($833K) – and one who wasn’t able to hang onto his roster spot in camp this year (Jarell Eddie — $175K).

Eddie’s deal originally didn’t feature any guaranteed money for the 2016/17 season, but the Wizards agreed to guarantee a portion of it in order to push his guarantee deadline back, allowing the team to get a look at him in camp. That move wasn’t particularly costly, but ultimately proved unnecessary.

3. Miami Heat
Total dead money: $602,989
Full salary cap breakdown

Most of the Heat’s modest dead-money charges are for camp invitees, including Stefan Jankovic ($100K), Okaro White ($100K), and Keith Benson ($75K). The team’s most interesting dead-money cap hit belongs to Briante Weber, who left a $328K charge on Miami’s books. Weber showed promise last year, and recorded a triple-double in his first game for the Heat’s D-League affiliate this season. If he rejoins the NBA team at some point, Miami would have to pay him a new salary on top of the dead money from his previous contract.

4. Charlotte Hornets
Total dead money: $75,000
Full salary cap breakdown

The Hornets have been careful to avoid taking on much dead money over the last couple seasons, and that trend has continued so far this year. With the exception of Mike Tobey ($75K), most of the club’s camp invitees who have since been assigned to Greensboro didn’t even receive a partial guarantee, and none of Charlotte’s veterans look like release candidates, so the team should be able to keep its books fairly clean for the rest of the season.

5. Orlando Magic
Total dead money: $0
Full salary cap breakdown

The Magic’s books are even cleaner than Charlotte’s, with no dead money tainting the team’s cap so far. While Orlando has done a good job to avoid waiving unwieldy veteran contracts, it might have might some sense for the team to invest a little money on its camp invitees. The Magic avoided undrafted rookies, instead focusing on guys who already had some professional experience, and may have sacrificed a little upside in the process.

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

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NBA 2016/17 Dead Money: Atlantic Division

November 14th, 2016 at 3:32pm 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.

Over the next few days, we’ll examine each of the NBA’s 30 teams, breaking them down by division, to figure out 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 got things underway on Friday by examining the Central division. Today, we’ll move on to the Atlantic.

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

1. Philadelphia 76ers
Total dead money: $12,098,851
Full salary cap breakdown

The Sixers’ dead money list is essentially a means to end. Veterans like Carl Landry ($6.5MM), Tibor Pleiss ($3MM), and Sasha Kaun ($1.333MM) weren’t exactly players Philadelphia went out and targeted for their on-court contributions. They were players with burdensome contracts, which the Sixers agreed to take on if they got something out of the deal — usually a second-round pick or two.

Since they’re still in rebuilding mode, the 76ers haven’t needed all their cap room to go out and sign immediate contributors, which means they can afford to use some of that room to essentially buy draft picks. In that sense, their $12MM in dead money isn’t a problem at all.

Of course, not all of the Sixers’ dead-money charges were beneficial. The club is paying Elton Brand‘s full $980K salary for this season after he decided to retire, and the $155K guarantee Brandon Paul received from Philadelphia seems unnecessary, now that he’s neither on the roster nor on the Sixers’ D-League squad.

2. Brooklyn Nets
Total dead money: $10,891,212
Full salary cap breakdown

A handful of point guards are responsible for the majority of the Nets’ dead money, with Deron Williams ($5.475MM) and Greivis Vasquez ($4.348MM) leading the way. Brooklyn is also carrying dead money for point guards Jarrett Jack ($500K) and Yogi Ferrell ($100K). In nearly all of those cases, the Nets’ desire to move on from veteran players and get younger resulted in those veterans leaving some dead money on the cap. The only exception is Ferrell, who got a partial guarantee from the club as a camp invitee, was waived, and is now back on a new contract.

Egidijus Mockevicius ($100K) and Beau Beech ($45K) also got partial guarantees as camp invitees, and Andrea Bargnani ($324K) represents another veteran player who the team is paying not to play for them. But even once you add all that dead money up, it’s not having a huge impact on the Nets’ 2016/17 cap — the team remains well below the salary floor, and could be willing to take on even more dead money by the end of the season.

3. Boston Celtics
Total dead money: $1,550,240
Full salary cap breakdown

The Celtics continue to be patient when it comes to stockpiling assets and seeking out an ideal trade partner, but that patience may have cost them a little last month. With so many candidates for the 15-man roster, Boston had to waive R.J. Hunter and eat his guaranteed salary ($1.2MM). Additionally, the C’s gave second-round pick Ben Bentil a $250K bonus in the hopes of convincing him to play for their D-League affiliate, the Maine Red Claws. But Bentil ultimately signed a second deal with the Pacers, giving Indiana his D-League rights.

While the Celtics’ dead money charges for Hunter and Bentil represent a couple youngsters who got away, the team’s other partial guarantees – $50K for Damion Lee and $25K apiece for Marcus Georges-Hunt and Jalen Jones – were worthwhile investments. All three camp invitees landed in Maine to start the season.

4. New York Knicks
Total dead money: $1,180,431
Full salary cap breakdown

The Knicks gave partial guarantees worth $100K apiece to Chasson Randle and J.P. Tokoto, who are now members of the D-League’s Westchester Knicks. The team’s other dead-money cap charge belongs to Lou Amundson, who got a fully guaranteed minimum salary contract from the club during the offseason. New York isn’t close to the tax line, and probably won’t get anywhere close this season, barring a major trade, so that Amundson deal won’t hurt them. Still, it was an odd decision to give a fully guaranteed salary to a borderline NBA player at a time in the offseason when most remaining free agents weren’t getting guaranteed deals.

5. Toronto Raptors
Total dead money: $206,500
Full salary cap breakdown

With no veteran cuts taking up room on their cap, the Raptors’ $206.5K in dead-money charges belong to four of the club’s camp invitees: Brady Heslip ($56.6K), Yanick Moreira ($50K), E.J. Singler ($50K), and Jarrod Uthoff ($50K). Toronto was ultimately able to add all four players to Raptors 905, the club’s D-League affiliate, so those modest cap hits paid off.

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

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Hoops Rumors Features

November 14th, 2016 at 9:02am CST by Luke Adams

In addition to passing along news, rumors, and analysis on a daily basis, Hoops Rumors provides a number of additional features and resources that can be found anytime on our right-hand sidebar under “Hoops Rumors Features.” Here’s a look at some of those resources:

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Weekly Mailbag: 11/7/16-11/13/16

November 13th, 2016 at 8:33pm 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:

Could it even be possible for the Warriors to fill their big man need with DeMarcus Cousins? — Isaac Gylfe

It would certainly add to the team’s supervillain image if Boogie came to town. It sure seems like Cousins will be traded somewhere before his contract expires at the end of next season, but Golden State? Let’s look at the salary numbers. Cousins is making a shade under $17MM this season and will get a little more than $18MM in 2017/18. Theoretically, the Warriors could trade Klay Thompson [$16,663,575] for him straight up if they’re willing to break up the Splash Brothers. Draymond Green [$15,330,435] and one of the younger players like Kevon Looney [$1,182,840] or Ian Clark [$1,015,696] just about gets it done, but losing Green would destroy the team chemistry. Among players Golden State might be willing to part with, the most realistic offer is Andre Iguodala [$11,131,368] and Zaza Pachulia [$2.898MM] with some others thrown in to match salary. But both will be free agents next summer, and the Kings will definitely get better offers than that. If you want to see Cousins with this current Warriors roster, the only way to make it happen is NBA 2K17.

The Bucks are seeing Giannis Antetokounmpo make the leap to near All-Star level and Jabari Parker showing the NBA just how high his offensive ceiling is as he gains confidence in his 3-ball, 42% though eight games. My question is, how ominous are the John Henson [four years, $44MM] and Miles Plumlee [four years, $52MM] deals? A lot of Bucks fans are already terrified they’re both unmovable and will seriously impair the Bucks from adding pieces the next two summers as their prospects turn into stars. It’s like having two Omer Asiks on the roster. — Daren Hill

It is hard to understand why Milwaukee thought it needed to pay eight-figure salaries to both Henson and Plumlee, as well as Greg Monroe. Once the extension for Antetokounmpo kicks in next season, the Bucks are going to have very little room to maneuver under the cap. Throw in big salaries for Khris Middleton, Mirza Teletovic and Matthew Dellavedova, and the Bucks are just about capped out. Monroe can opt out next summer — if he isn’t traded first — which would take away $17.9MM for next season, but otherwise Milwaukee had better hope it can contend with its current core.

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Community Shootaround: Alvin Gentry, Brett Brown

November 13th, 2016 at 6:01pm CST by Arthur Hill

A story today by Sam Amico of AmicoHoops.net says that Alvin Gentry may be down to his last days as head coach of the New Orleans Pelicans. Amico has talked to several coaches and GMs who think Gentry will soon become the first coach to be fired in the new season.

The Pelicans are off to a disappointing 1-9 start after finishing 30-52 last season. That means Gentry has won about a third of his games after taking over a team that made the playoffs under Monty Williams.

However, the Pelicans have been beset by injuries and other misfortune ever since Gentry became their coach. They have played without Tyreke Evans and Quincy Pondexter this season, as well as Jrue Holiday, who is on a leave of absence tending to his wife during her health crisis. A year ago, star center Anthony Davis was shut down for surgery in March and played just 61 games. In addition, injuries limited Holiday to 65 games and Evans to 25. Eric Gordon, who left in free agency, appeared in just 45.

Gentry has been dealt an unfair hand in New Orleans, but it’s not clear if that will be enough to save his job. Pelicans management was counting on becoming a contender after giving a $145MM extension to Davis last summer, and they made be ready to replace Gentry just to shake things up.

Another snake-bitten coach is off to a slow start in the Eastern Conference. The Sixers have lost eight of their first nine games, but haven’t had overall No. 1 pick Ben Simmons or power forward Nerlens Noel because of injuries. In addition, Joel Embiid and Jahlil Okafor both started the season on minutes restrictions related to concerns about their health.

Even so, there was a report this week that Brett Brown could be on the hot seat. He was hired by former GM Sam Hinkie, and the new regime may want to make a change to send a message to the team and let the fans know the Sixers are getting serious about trying to win.

That brings us to tonight’s question: Under the circumstances, do Gentry or Brown deserve to be fired? And if they are, who would be the best replacements for the Pelicans or Sixers?

Take to the comments section below to share your thoughts and opinions on the topic. We look forward to what you have to say.

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Hoops Rumors Originals: 11/6/16-11/12/16

November 12th, 2016 at 11:57am 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 11th, 2016 at 10:18pm 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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Following Specific Players On Hoops Rumors

November 11th, 2016 at 7:10pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Hoops Rumors lets you keep up with your favorite teams as they plot their moves, and we also provide ways to easily follow the latest on all of your favorite players and trade candidates. You can get news about players wherever you go with our Trade Rumors app, available for iOS and Android devices. The app is free and allows you to add a feed for any player and set up notifications that will alert you whenever we write about him.

Every player we’ve written about has his own rumors page. You can find any player by using our search box (located in the right sidebar); by clicking his tag at the bottom of a post in which he’s discussed; or, by simply typing his name in your address bar after hoopsrumors.com, substituting dashes for spaces. For example, Kevin Durant’s page is hoopsrumors.com/kevin-durant.

You can also set up an RSS feed for any of our player pages by adding /feed to the end of the page URL, like this: hoopsrumors.com/demarcus-cousins/feed. Entering that URL into the reader of your choice should enable you to get updates whenever we write about DeMarcus Cousins. It works for teams, too. If you’re a Kings fan, you can enter hoopsrumors.com/sacramento-kings/feed into your reader and stay on top of all the latest from Sacramento.

In addition to players and teams, there are a number of other subjects you can track by clicking on the tags that we use at the bottom of posts. You can keep tabs on news related to the draft right here. Items about the salary cap can be found on this page. You can simply scan our top stories here. Again, you can set up a feed with any of these pages by adding /feed to the end of the URL.

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