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Weekly Mailbag: 9/5/16-9/11/16

September 11th, 2016 at 8:41pm 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:

Should the Celtics bite the bullet and trade for Kevin Love in a deal that sends Nerlens Noel to the Cavs, Love to Boston and Jaylen Brown to 76ers, then target Gordon Hayward in free agency should he opt out, which seems to be the consensus around the NBA. Or should they wait until Blake Griffin hits the market and see what the Nets pick brings during the lottery process, where they’ll likely target Harry Giles? — Chris Hawkins

That’s a lot of moving parts. Let’s address them one at a time. Boston probably would have been the best destination for Love if the Cavaliers had lost in the Finals and were looking to shake up the team. But right now, Cleveland has no intention of breaking up the core of its world champions. Also, Love is too similar to Al Horford and that combination would leave the Celtics with no rim protector. Boston will have about $26MM to spend next summer, so it can afford to target Hayward, who has become one of the league’s best small forwards. Griffin seems like a long shot, and Boston shouldn’t be making plans around the possibility that he will decide to leave L.A. And whether it’s Giles or someone else, the Celtics seemed poised to hit the jackpot with the Nets’ picks in the next two drafts. That’s another reason to hold onto Brown and set up a mega-offer for someone like DeMarcus Cousins.

Which free agents are most likely to be off the market at the start of the season? — Ryan Smith

J.R. Smith, for sure. With no other offers to give him leverage, he should sign fairly soon at a number close to what the Cavs offered. Likewise, Donatas Motiejunas got no offers as a restricted free agent and appears to be a lock to remain in Houston. Mario Chalmers and Norris Cole have both been linked to the Cavaliers, who need an experienced point guard to back up Kyrie Irving. Carl Landry was waived by the Sixers last week, and someone will probably pick him up before training camp opens.

What are your thoughts on every NBA team getting to choose its own rep for an All Star dunk, skills or 3-point competition? Seems like this would increase fan interest, as everyone would have a hometown guy to root for. Also, how close are we to having an NBA and D-League relationship that more closely mirrors what MLB has with its upper minor leagues? (Example: Each NBA team has an expanded 20-man roster and 12-man active roster, while the other eight would be in the D-League or disabled list.) Seems this would give more guys a path to the NBA, solve some of the fatigue and injury complaints from the players, increase talent in the D-League, while also keeping more talent stateside instead of going to Europe. — Beauen Bogner

Your first suggestion is intriguing, but I don’t know if it’s workable to have 30 contestants in any of those contests. They often stretch out too long as it is. The D-League has added five teams for the upcoming season, bringing its total to 22, and all have a direct association with an NBA team. There are so many advantages to having a D-League affiliate that it seems eventually all 30 teams will go that route. But even if the D-League evolves into a baseball-style minor league, it will never be able to compete with the salaries that overseas teams pay, so that’s going to remain the first choice for players who don’t make an NBA roster.

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Community Shootaround: Kevin Garnett

September 11th, 2016 at 7:21pm CST by Arthur Hill

Can Kevin Garnett return for a 22nd NBA season? As he once famously said, anything is possible.

The problem is that Garnett hasn’t informed the Timberwolves of his intentions. With training camp opening in two weeks and important roster decisions to be made, Minnesota officials are going to need a decision soon.

Garnett is entering the final year of his contract with the Wolves and will make $8MM if he suits up. However, he turned 40 in May and is probably pondering whether the rigors of another season are worth it at his age. With Tim Duncan retiring and Andre Miller still unsigned, Garnett would be the league’s oldest player if returns for another season.

Garnett has eased into a mentor’s role since he returned to Minnesota in 2015. He appeared in 38 games last season, averaging just 14.6 minutes and 3.2 points per night. However, he has provided valuable instruction to the team’s young players, especially Rookie of the Year Karl-Anthony Towns.

Wolves owner Glen Taylor doesn’t want to rush Garnett into a decision, even if one doesn’t come before camp begins.

“Kevin hasn’t told me or informed me yet if he’s coming back to play or if he isn’t coming back,” Taylor said recently. “I can only assume I’ll be hearing from him in the next three weeks.”

That brings us to tonight’s question: Should Garnett try to play one more season or should he accept some other role in the Wolves organization? 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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Poll: 2008 NBA Draft Take Two (Pick No. 22)

September 11th, 2016 at 5:59pm CST by Arthur Hill

Scouting players and predicting how their skills will translate to the NBA is one of the more difficult tasks front offices have on their plates. Looking back over past drafts and how many lottery picks never evolved into stars, or even made a significant impact in the league, illustrates just how often stats, combine numbers and pure gut instinct often come up short.

Of course, we get the opportunity to critique these moves with the benefit of hindsight — a luxury that GMs don’t have on draft night. Having said that, it’s still fun to go back in time and take a theoretical look at how these drafts should have/could have gone.

We’ve been revisiting 2008 draft, which had a number of players who have gone on to post big numbers in the league. This was the year of Derrick Rose (No. 1 overall), Russell Westbrook (No. 4), Kevin Love (No. 5), Brook Lopez (No. 10) and Nicolas Batum (No. 25). Over the next few weeks, we’ll be posting a series of polls asking readers to vote on whom teams should have selected in each spot.

We’ve arrived at the No. 22 overall pick, which was held by the Magic. In the “real world” draft, Orlando took Courtney Lee, who is already off the board in our re-draft, going 14th to Golden State. That means Magic brass will have to go in a different direction, but there are still many talented players available.

So cast your vote for who Orlando selects and check back on Monday to see the results, as well as to vote on whom the Jazz should have taken with the No. 23 pick. Also, don’t limit yourself to a simple button click. Take to the comments section below and share your thoughts on the pick and why you voted the way that you did. If we fail to list a player who you think should be selected, feel free to post that in the comments section and we’ll be certain to tally those votes as well.

  1. Bulls — Russell Westbrook [Actual Pick — Derrick Rose]
  2. Heat — Kevin Love [Actual Pick — Michael Beasley]
  3. Wolves — Derrick Rose [Actual Pick — O.J. Mayo]
  4. Sonics/Thunder — DeAndre Jordan [Actual Pick — Russell Westbrook]
  5. Grizzlies — Brook Lopez [Actual Pick — Kevin Love]
  6. Knicks — Serge Ibaka  [Actual Pick — Danilo Gallinari]
  7. Clippers — Nicolas Batum [Actual Pick — Eric Gordon]
  8. Bucks — Goran Dragic [Actual Pick — Joe Alexander]
  9. Bobcats/Hornets — Danilo Gallinari [Actual Pick — D.J. Augustin]
  10. Nets — Ryan Anderson [Actual Pick — Brook Lopez]
  11. Blazers (from Pacers) — Eric Gordon [Actual Pick — Jerryd Bayless]
  12. Kings — George Hill  [Actual Pick — Jason Thompson]
  13. Pacers (from Blazers) — Robin Lopez [Actual Pick — Brandon Rush]
  14. Warriors — Courtney Lee [Actual Pick — Anthony Randolph]
  15. Suns — Roy Hibbert [Actual Pick — Robin Lopez]
  16. Sixers— Nikola Pekovic [Actual Pick  — Marreese Speights]
  17. Raptors — O.J. Mayo [Actual Pick — Roy Hibbert]
  18. Wizards — Mario Chalmers [Actual Pick — JaVale McGee]
  19. Cavaliers — Timofey Mozgov [Actual Pick  — J.J. Hickson]
  20. Bobcats/Hornets (from Nuggets) — Michael Beasley [Actual Pick — Alexis Ajinca]
  21. Nets (from Mavs) — Omer Asik [Actual Pick — Ryan Anderson]
  22. Magic  — ?? [Actual Pick — Courtney Lee]

If you’re a Trade Rumors app user, click here to vote.

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Community Shootaround: Hall Of Fame

September 10th, 2016 at 7:42pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame inducted another star-studded class Friday night, headlined by NBA legends Shaquille O’Neal, Allen Iverson and Yao Ming. All three reached the hall in their first year of eligibility, which created a problem for some other players who are hoping to join them.

Former Suns point guard Kevin Johnson was a finalist for induction, but failed to receive enough votes. During a career that lasted more than 12 seasons, Johnson was a five-time All-Star who made five all-NBA teams and turned Phoenix into one of the league’s elite teams.

Johnson’s best opportunity at enshrinement will come next year, according to Scott Howard-Cooper of NBA.com. There won’t be any slam-dunk enshrinees joining the ballot in 2017, but that changes in 2018 when Jason Kidd, Grant Hill and Tracy McGrady become eligible.

Johnson will have plenty of fellow contenders when the votes are cast next year. There are several players who have been lingering on the ballot for a long time, and like Johnson, they may be approaching their last really good chance to reach the hall.

Along with K.J., these are the players with the best shot at induction in 2017, according to Joel Brigham of Basketball Insiders:

  • Jack Sikma — The former SuperSonics and Bucks center has a championship ring and seven All-Star appearances on his resume. All other eligible players who reached the All-Star game at least seven times are already in the hall.
  • Shawn Kemp — He made it to the NBA Finals once and the All-Star Game six times. Kemp had more than 15,000 career points and 9,000 rebounds in 14 seasons. He is one of the greatest players in Sonics’ history and one of the most electrifying dunkers ever to play the game.
  • Mark Aguirre — The first pick in the 1981 draft, Aguirre won two rings with the Pistons’ “Bad Boys” teams. Aguirre was a three-time All-Star and averaged 20 points per game in his 14-year career.
  • Ben Wallace — The defensive anchor of the 2004 champion Pistons, Wallace could become the first undrafted player to reach the hall. He was named Defensive Player of the Year four times and was voted to the All-Defensive First Team five times.
  • Tim Hardaway — A member of the highly regarded “Run TMC” teams in Golden State, Hardaway also prospered in Miami. He made five All-Star teams and was a first-team all-NBA selection in 1996/97. He topped 15,000 points and 7,000 assists in a 14-year NBA career.
  • Chis Webber — He was the top star on the highly successful Kings teams from a decade ago. Webber made five All-Star teams and was a five-time all-NBA selection. He scored more than 17,000 points in 15 years in the league.
  • George McGinnis — An ABA legend and a three-time NBA All-Star, McGinnis is the only eligible MVP from the NBA or ABA who hasn’t reached the hall. McGinnis won two ABA titles with the Pacers and played in the 1977 NBA Finals with the Sixers.

That brings us to tonight’s question: Who is the best eligible player not currently in the Hall of Fame? 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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Salary Cap Snapshot: Portland Trail Blazers

September 10th, 2016 at 3:57pm CST by Eddie Scarito

With the free agent signing period winding down and teams looking ahead to the preseason, we at Hoops Rumors will be tracking the Salary Cap figures for each team around the league. These posts will be maintained throughout the season once financial data is reported. They will be located on the sidebar throughout the year, once all the teams’ cap figures have been relayed. You can always check RosterResource.com for up-to-date rosters for each franchise, with the Blazers’ team page accessible here.

Here’s a breakdown of where the Blazers currently stand financially:

Guaranteed Salary

Total Guaranteed Salary= $112,845,579

Cash Sent Out Via Trade: $2,925,000. Sent $2,850,000 to Nuggets in Jusuf Nurkic trade. Sent $75,000 to Magic in Shabazz Napier trade. [Amount Remaining $575,000]

Cash Received Via Trade: $0 [Amount Remaining $3.5MM]

Payroll Exceptions Available

  • Room Exception — $2,898,000
  • Trade Exception — $407,210 (Mason Plumlee trade) — Expires on 2/13/18

Total Projected Payroll: $112,845,579

Salary Cap: $94,143,000

Estimated Available Cap Space: –$18,702,579

Luxury Tax Threshold: $113,287,000

Total Projected Payroll For Tax Purposes: $113,282,539

Amount Below Luxury Tax: $4,461

Last Updated: 4/15/17

The Basketball Insiders salary pages and The Vertical’s salary database were used in the creation of this post.

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Poll: 2008 NBA Draft Take Two (Pick No. 21)

September 10th, 2016 at 2:46pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Scouting players and predicting how their skills will translate to the NBA is one of the more difficult tasks front offices have on their plates. Looking back over past drafts and how many lottery picks never evolved into stars, or even made a significant impact in the league, illustrates just how often stats, combine numbers and pure gut instinct often come up short.

Of course, we get the opportunity to critique these moves with the benefit of hindsight — a luxury that GMs don’t have on draft night. Having said that, it’s still fun to go back in time and take a theoretical look at how these drafts should have/could have gone.

We’ve been revisiting 2008 draft, which had a number of players who have gone on to post big numbers in the league. This was the year of Derrick Rose (No. 1 overall), Russell Westbrook (No. 4), Kevin Love (No. 5), Brook Lopez (No. 10) and Nicolas Batum (No. 25). Over the next few weeks, we’ll be posting a series of polls asking readers to vote on whom teams should have selected in each spot.

We’ve arrived at the No. 21 overall pick, which was held by the Nets. The team, which still called New Jersey home at the time, had acquired the pick from Dallas in a trade that February. The specifics of that swap were: The Nets acquired Dallas’ 2008 and 2010 first-round draft picks, Devin Harris, Trenton Hassell, Maurice Ager, DeSagana Diop, and Keith Van Horn in exchange for Jason Kidd, Antoine Wright and Malik Allen. In the “real world” draft, the Nets used this pick to nab Ryan Anderson, whom the team already landed at No. 10 in our re-draft.

So cast your vote for who the Nets select and check back on Sunday to see the results, as well as to vote on whom the Magic should have taken with the No. 22 pick. Also, don’t limit yourself to a simple button click. Take to the comments section below and share your thoughts on the pick and why you voted the way that you did. If we fail to list a player who you think should be selected, feel free to post that in the comments section and we’ll be certain to tally those votes as well.

  1. Bulls — Russell Westbrook [Actual Pick — Derrick Rose]
  2. Heat — Kevin Love [Actual Pick — Michael Beasley]
  3. Wolves — Derrick Rose [Actual Pick — O.J. Mayo]
  4. Sonics/Thunder — DeAndre Jordan [Actual Pick — Russell Westbrook]
  5. Grizzlies — Brook Lopez [Actual Pick — Kevin Love]
  6. Knicks — Serge Ibaka  [Actual Pick — Danilo Gallinari]
  7. Clippers — Nicolas Batum [Actual Pick — Eric Gordon]
  8. Bucks — Goran Dragic [Actual Pick — Joe Alexander]
  9. Bobcats/Hornets — Danilo Gallinari [Actual Pick — D.J. Augustin]
  10. Nets — Ryan Anderson [Actual Pick — Brook Lopez]
  11. Blazers (from Pacers) — Eric Gordon [Actual Pick — Jerryd Bayless]
  12. Kings — George Hill  [Actual Pick — Jason Thompson]
  13. Pacers (from Blazers) — Robin Lopez [Actual Pick — Brandon Rush]
  14. Warriors — Courtney Lee [Actual Pick — Anthony Randolph]
  15. Suns — Roy Hibbert [Actual Pick — Robin Lopez]
  16. Sixers— Nikola Pekovic [Actual Pick  — Marreese Speights]
  17. Raptors — O.J. Mayo [Actual Pick — Roy Hibbert]
  18. Wizards — Mario Chalmers [Actual Pick — JaVale McGee]
  19. Cavaliers — Timofey Mozgov [Actual Pick  — J.J. Hickson]
  20. Bobcats/Hornets (from Nuggets) — Michael Beasley [Actual Pick — Alexis Ajinca]
  21. Nets (from Mavs) — ?? [Actual Pick — Ryan Anderson]

If you’re a Trade Rumors app user, click here to vote.

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Hoops Rumors Originals: 9/4/16-9/10/16

September 10th, 2016 at 11:46am 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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2017 NBA Free Agent Power Rankings

September 9th, 2016 at 11:00pm CST by Luke Adams

After losing arguably the top free agent of the 2016 class to the Warriors, the Thunder ensured that they won’t watch their other superstar walk away next summer, locking up Russell Westbrook to a new contract extension earlier in the offseason. Westbrook’s absence from the 2017 free agent list takes a little star power away from the group, but it’s still an intriuging list.

The players who sit at the top of the first installment of our 2017 free agent power rankings aren’t necessarily expected to change teams next July. It would be a shock to see Kevin Durant leave Golden State after a year, for instance, but he does have a player option for 2017, meaning he could depart, and has to be featured on our list.

Similarly, there are a handful of restricted free agents on our lists who will probably get maximum-salary contracts – or close to it – from their current teams, perhaps even within the next couple months while they’re extension-eligible. For now though, the slim chance that they reach the open market means they have to earn spots on our list.

While this is our first extended look at 2017’s top free agents, it certainly won’t be our last. Injuries, breakout years, trades, or poor performances could affect these rankings significantly over the course of the 2016/17 season, so we’ll be revisiting the list every month or two to make updates and changes.

Our list reflects each player’s expected value on the 2017 free agent market, rather than how we think they’ll perform on the court for the 2016/17 season. For instance, older players like Pau Gasol and Zach Randolph have strong short-term value, but didn’t make our top 20 because they’re unlikely to inspire major bidding wars next summer. In other words, age and long-term value is important.

Here’s the first installment of our 2017 free agent power rankings:Read more

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Salary Cap Snapshot: Phoenix Suns

September 9th, 2016 at 10:07pm CST by Eddie Scarito

With the free agent signing period winding down and teams looking ahead to the preseason, we at Hoops Rumors will be tracking the Salary Cap figures for each team around the league. These posts will be maintained throughout the season once financial data is reported. They will be located on the sidebar throughout the year, once all the teams’ cap figures have been relayed. You can always check RosterResource.com for up-to-date rosters for each franchise, with the Suns’ team page accessible here.

Here’s a breakdown of where the Suns currently stand financially:

Guaranteed Salary

Total Guaranteed Salary= $85,055,253

Cash Sent Out Via Trade:  $0 [Amount Remaining $3.5MM]

Cash Received Via Trade: $1.5MM ($1MM received from Raptors in P.J. Tucker trade. $500K received from Hawks in Mike Scott trade.) [Amount Remaining $2MM]

Payroll Exceptions Available

  • Room Exception — $2,898,000

Total Projected Payroll: $85,055,253

Salary Cap: $94,143,000

Estimated Available Cap Space: $9,087,747

Luxury Tax Threshold: $113,287,000

Amount Below Luxury Tax: $28,231,747

Salary Cap Floor: $84,729,000

Amount Above Salary Cap Floor: $326,253

Last Updated: 4/14/17

The Basketball Insiders salary pages and The Vertical’s salary database were used in the creation of this post.

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Submit Your Questions For Hoops Rumors Mailbag

September 9th, 2016 at 9:16pm 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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