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2023 NBA Offseason Preview: New York Knicks

June 4th, 2023 at 12:08pm CST by Luke Adams

After making a huge jump in the standings by going 41-31 in 2020/21, the Knicks brought back largely the same group in ’21/22, but regressed significantly, posting a 37-45 record.

Entering the 2022 offseason in search of a backcourt upgrade, the team was heavily rumored to be considering two big moves: clearing cap room to sign Jalen Brunson away from Dallas, and putting together a mega-package to trade to Utah for Donovan Mitchell.

Ultimately, only one of those two rumored plans came to fruition, with the Knicks sacrificing some draft equity in order to clear the necessary cap room to sign Brunson to a four-year, $104MM contract. Despite weeks of reports linking Mitchell to New York, the All-Star guard was eventually sent to Cleveland instead.

While we can’t say with certainty whether the Knicks’ decision not to meet the Jazz’s lofty asking price for Mitchell was the right call, we can confidently declare the signing of Brunson a success. Given the keys to the Knicks’ offense, Brunson had an incredible first season with his new team, setting new career highs in points (24.0) and assists (6.2) per game, as well as three-point percentage (41.6%).

Buoyed by Brunson’s performance, an All-NBA bounce-back season from forward Julius Randle, and strong contributions from their supporting cast, the Knicks enjoyed a big bounce-back year themselves, winning 47 games (their highest total in a decade) and making the second round of the playoffs.

This still isn’t a championship-caliber roster, but the foundation is more stable than it was two years ago following the Knicks’ previous playoff appearance. And after not going all-in for Mitchell, the club still has plenty of trade assets on hand to continue its search for another star.

The Knicks’ Offseason Plan

All 15 of the players who finished the 2022/23 season with the Knicks are under contract – or at least have an option – for ’23/24, with none of them currently on track for unrestricted or restricted free agency. However, that doesn’t mean the front office can rest on its laurels this offseason.

For starters, Josh Hart is unlikely to exercise his $13MM player option, since he’ll have no problem matching – and likely exceeding – that salary on a new contract that covers multiple years. Turning down that option will make Hart an unrestricted free agent and there will be no shortage of teams with interest in the versatile wing.

As popular as Hart would be on the open market, reports have indicated there’s widespread pessimism among rival suitors about their ability to pry him away from New York. The Knicks gave up their first-round pick in February to acquire Hart, who immediately became a favorite of head coach Tom Thibodeau and seemed to love playing in the Big Apple alongside Brunson, his former college teammate.

Because Hart won’t be restricted, New York won’t technically control his free agency, but it would be a surprise if he doesn’t re-sign with the team, perhaps on a three- or four-year deal worth in the neighborhood of $15-18MM per season.

The Knicks hold team options on two guards, Derrick Rose ($15.6MM) and Miles McBride ($1.8MM). McBride is a good value on his minimum-salary deal and should have his option exercised, but Rose fell out of New York’s rotation last season and spent most of the season serving as a veteran mentor on the sidelines.

Unless there’s a scenario in which his salary is required in a trade for matching purposes, the Knicks will decline Rose’s option, but that doesn’t rule out the possibility that he’ll be back with the team on a minimum-salary contract. Thibodeau and the Knicks clearly value the former MVP’s influence in the locker room and on the bench, having opted to keep him on the roster all season rather than buying him out after the trade deadline. There’s a path for the relationship to continue unless Rose wants to seek more playing time elsewhere.

DaQuan Jeffries and Isaiah Roby have non-guaranteed minimum salaries for 2023/24 and may not be back, especially if the Knicks need to open up their roster spots for newcomers.

New York doesn’t control any 2023 draft picks, but the team should have the cap flexibility necessary to use the full mid-level exception and/or bi-annual exception to go shopping for another rotation piece in free agency.

Any significant roster changes for the Knicks, however, would likely occur on the trade market. Evan Fournier‘s pseudo-expiring $18.9MM contract (he has a 2024/25 team option that won’t be exercised) makes an ideal salary-matching starting point for any package, though no Knick – with the possible exception of Brunson – is likely to be off the table.

New York is also armed with young talent like Immanuel Quickley, Quentin Grimes, and Obi Toppin, and has an excess of future first-round picks, including protected 2024 selections from Dallas, Detroit, and Washington, as well as the Bucks’ 2025 first-rounder (top-four protected). The pieces are there to put together a pretty compelling package for any star player that becomes available this summer.

The real question is whether the stars who might be available in the short term are ones the Knicks would be eager to consolidate their assets for.

There has been constant trade speculation about Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard, who was once viewed as ideal fit for New York. But Lillard will turn 33 this year, is on a massive super-max contract, and doesn’t make as much sense as a Knicks target now that Brunson is in the picture.

Karl-Anthony Towns‘ name has come up frequently as a possible option, but even if the Timberwolves were willing to move him, would Towns would be the right star for the Knicks? The 27-year-old big man has made a few All-Star teams and is a talented scorer, but he’s not a great defender and has won just four total playoff games (across three appearances) since arriving in Minnesota in 2016.

The Raptors could be willing to listen on Pascal Siakam this summer, but the Knicks already have an All-NBA power forward in Randle, whose substantial role has made it tricky to find playing time for Toppin, a former lottery pick. Siakam is a great player, but he’s probably not a big enough upgrade on Randle to really move the needle for the Knicks — and if the team were to acquire him without moving Randle, it’s unclear that the two power forwards could thrive alongside one another.

There are potential trade targets who are capable of being difference-makers for the Knicks. Joel Embiid would be one. Jaylen Brown might be another. But players like that seem unlikely to be available this offseason (and if we’re looking at those two stars specifically, it’s worth noting that it might be a challenge to negotiate a deal with a division rival).

You can count on Leon Rose and the front office to keep a close eye on the trade market this offseason to see if any impact players who fit the current roster will shake loose. But if the right players aren’t available, the prudent move for the Knicks would be continue to exercise patience, jumping on opportunities to keep adding quality players at a good price when they come along, like they did with Brunson and Hart.

That approach may not be popular among fans and league observers eager to see the Knicks make a splash, but going all-in on the wrong player who would be harder to come back from than waiting a little longer to see if better opportunities emerge.

Salary Cap Situation

Guaranteed Salary

Dead/Retained Salary

  • None

Player Options

  • Josh Hart ($12,960,000): Bird rights
    • Note: If Hart picks up his player option, his salary would remain non-guaranteed until June 25.
  • Total: $12,960,000

Team Options

Non-Guaranteed Salary

  • DaQuan Jeffries ($2,066,585)
  • Isaiah Roby ($2,066,585)
  • Jericho Sims ($1,327,896)
    • Note: Partial guarantee. Sims would receive another $600K in guaranteed money if he’s not waived on or before July 16 and would have his salary fully guaranteed if he’s not waived on or before August 16.
  • Total: $5,461,066

Restricted Free Agents

  • None

Two-Way Free Agents

Draft Picks

  • None

Extension-Eligible Players

  • Evan Fournier (veteran)
  • Josh Hart (veteran)
  • Derrick Rose (veteran)
  • Immanuel Quickley (rookie scale)
  • Obi Toppin (rookie scale)

Note: These are players who are either already eligible for an extension or will become eligible before the 2023/24 season begins. Hart would only be eligible if he picks up his player option; Rose would only be eligible if the Knicks pick up his option.

Unrestricted Free Agents / Other Cap Holds

  • None

Cap Exceptions Available

  • Mid-level exception: $12,220,600
  • Bi-annual exception: $4,448,000

Note: The Knicks would lose access to the full mid-level exception and the bi-annual exception if their team salary surpasses the tax apron.

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Poll: What Should Rockets Do With No. 4 Pick?

June 4th, 2023 at 9:00am CST by Luke Adams

The Rockets were technically one of the winners on lottery night last month, claiming one of the top four spots up for grabs in the 2023 NBA draft.

However, Houston entered that night second in the lottery standings and was among three teams with the best odds for the No. 1 pick, so the fact that the club will be picking fourth on June 22 qualifies as a bit of a disappointment — especially in a draft with a consensus top three prospects.

Still, while the Rockets likely won’t get an opportunity to draft Victor Wembanyama, Scoot Henderson, or Brandon Miller, that No. 4 pick has plenty of value, either as tool to add another promising young player to their core or as a prime trade chip.

The latest mock drafts at ESPN, Bleacher Report, The Ringer, and The Athletic all have the Rockets using the fourth overall pick to draft Overtime Elite guard Amen Thompson. A hyper-athletic, ball-handling guard with size (6’7″) and the ability to create shots for teammates, Thompson is an intriguing prospect, though he remains raw as a defender, his shot needs some time to develop, and he wasn’t really tested against top-level competition in the OTE setting.

While Thompson is widely considered the best prospect available at No. 4 if Wembyanama, Henderson, and Miller are off the board, his twin brother Ausar Thompson will be in the mix for Houston too. Ausar is the fifth-best prospect on ESPN’s big board and Jonathan Wasserman of Bleacher Report hears that both Thompsons are under “heavy consideration” at No. 4.

Kevin O’Connor wrote on Friday that he intends move Ausar ahead of Amen when his rankings at The Ringer are updated this week, arguing that Ausar has made more progress with his jump shot and has been the more effective defender of the two.

Of course, the Thompson twins aren’t the only players who will be on the Rockets’ radar at No. 4. Most recent mocks have Villanova wing Cam Whitmore coming off the board before Ausar, and local product Jarace Walker, a power forward who played for the Cougars, is considered a good bet to be drafted in the top half of the lottery.

What makes Houston’s choice all the more interesting is the fact that the club reportedly intends to push aggressively for a playoff spot in 2023/24, using its cap room to pursue veterans (including James Harden) who could help the team win right away. The Rockets don’t control their own 2024 first-round pick, so there’s little incentive for them to continue tanking (technically, the Rockets will keep their 2024 first-rounder if it’s in the top four, but even if they finish with the NBA’s worst record, there’s only about a 50/50 chance of that happening).

Houston could straddle the line between making a playoff push and continuing to build through the draft, using up to $60MM in cap room to sign or trade for veterans and still adding another young player to the core by using the No. 4 pick.

But if the franchise is serious about making a jump in the standings, that lottery pick would make an ideal trade chip in a deal for an impact player. They’d have to be realistic about the pick’s value – it likely wouldn’t bring back an All-Star caliber player unless it’s packaged with other strong assets – but it seems reasonable to assume it could be used to acquire a quality starter.

We want to know what direction you think the Rockets should go with that pick. Should they keep it or trade it? If they hang onto it, which prospect should they draft, assuming the consensus top three aren’t available? If they look to trade it, what kind of player can they realistically expect to land?

Vote in our poll, then head to the comment section below to share your thoughts!

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2023 NBA Offseason Preview: Philadelphia 76ers

June 2nd, 2023 at 3:56pm CST by Rory Maher

2022/23 was more or less the same old story for the Sixers. They had a strong regular season (54-28, the No. 3 seed in the East); Joel Embiid led the league in scoring for the second straight season en route to his first MVP award; and then he once again got injured in the first round of the playoffs, this time suffering a sprained LCL in his right knee.

Embiid only wound up missing two games with the injury thanks in part to a lengthy layoff between rounds, but he said it ordinarily would have kept him sidelined for four-to-six weeks as opposed to the two he actually missed. Still, former head coach Doc Rivers said Embiid “looked very close to normal” upon his return, with the big man later stating he “felt great.”

Even prior to the injury, Embiid was not playing up to his regular season standard, with his scoring, efficiency and assists all down while his turnovers went up. That continued in the team’s second-round ouster to the Celtics. Overall, he averaged 23.7 PPG, 9.8 RPG, 2.7 APG (3.9 TOV) and 2.8 BPG on .431/.179/.905 shooting in nine playoff games (37.3 MPG), compared to 33.1 PPG, 10.2 RPG, 4.2 APG (3.4 TOV), 1.0 SPG and 1.7 BPG on .548/.330/.857 shooting in 66 regular season contests (34.6 MPG).

Since 2017/18, the Sixers have the second-best regular season record in the league, going 300-173 over that six-year span for a .634 winning percentage (an average of 52 wins over an 82-game season). They made it to the playoffs each time, but have yet to advance past the second round. All of the other teams in the top five in regular season wins over the past six seasons — Milwaukee, Boston, Denver and Toronto — have at least advanced to the NBA Finals.

The goal going forward is pretty straightforward, yet anything but easy: Capitalize on Embiid’s remaining prime years and win the title. The Sixers enter the offseason with some big question marks, so it will be interesting to see how the next couple months play out.

The Sixers’ Offseason Plan

Philadelphia already made a significant change this offseason, firing Rivers and replacing him with Nick Nurse, a former Atlantic Division rival with the Raptors. Nurse developed a reputation as a creative coach who was unafraid to experiment with a wide variety of strategies.

Forward Danuel House just exercised his $4.3MM player option for ’23/24, which was expected after his modest role this past season. His contract isn’t onerous by any means, and maybe Nurse will be able to get more out of him than Rivers did.

My expectation is that Montrezl Harrell will pick up his own $2.76MM player option and the Sixers will guarantee the $6.5MM non-guaranteed portion of De’Anthony Melton‘s team-friendly salary (he will make a total of $8MM). I also expect them to issue Paul Reed a $2.26MM qualifying offer to make him a restricted free agent — the young big man has expressed a desire to remain with Philadelphia.

Those moves would give the Sixers nine players with guaranteed deals for a temporary cap charge of $126.5MM (it could go up or down depending on if they give Reed a raise or let him walk).

Of course, the biggest unknown surrounding the Sixers’ offseason is the status of James Harden, who reportedly plans to decline his $35.64MM player option in search of a long-term contract. As with Embiid, Harden’s playoff run was once again inconsistent. He carried Philadelphia with a couple of huge performances in victories against Boston (he was solid in the third win), but struggling mightily in the four losses, including Games 6 and 7.

If Harden declines the option, the Sixers will be left with a $46.9MM cap hold and will have his Bird rights, giving them the ability to go over the cap to re-sign him while offering more money than a rival team can. However, it remains to be seen if Philadelphia is actually willing to give him a huge contract.

Harden, who will turn 34 over the summer, has been repeatedly linked to his former club in Houston over the past several months, with several reporters suggesting it may be a leverage ploy in contract negotiations with Philadelphia. We’ll see what happens.

Harden is clearly past his MVP peak, but he still had a strong year, averaging 20-plus points per game for the 11th straight season while leading the league in assists (10.7) and posting a career-best assist-to-turnover ratio. Is he really worth a max (or close to it) contract at this stage? For one year, sure. A long-term deal, probably not.

The problem is, if Harden walks, the Sixers have no way to replace his ball-handling or play-making abilities. Tyrese Maxey, who is eligible for a rookie scale extension and will certainly be seeking a very lucrative deal of his own, is a terrific scorer, but making plays for others isn’t his forte at the moment.

Re-signing Harden to anything close to a max would push the Sixers into the luxury tax in ’23/24 and they still have several other free agents, including Georges Niang, Jalen McDaniels and Shake Milton. What happens with Harden could have a direct impact on what the team decides to do with its remaining free agents. Either way, Philadelphia will likely try to avoid the punitive second tax apron, which kicks in at $17.5MM above the luxury tax line.

As far as trade chips, Tobias Harris is entering the final year of his $39.3MM contract, which will make him a bit more appealing than he had been in previous seasons. He’s a solid player who willingly adjusted his game after Harden arrived in Philadelphia, and the Sixers won’t want to just dump his salary, especially if Harden walks — they’ll need to make up for his lost production somehow.

I’m sure the Sixers would be happy to shed Furkan Korkmaz‘s $5.37MM expiring contract, and he’s worth keeping an eye on as a salary-matching piece. He requested a trade in February prior to the deadline, but they couldn’t find a suitable deal.

If the 76ers want to make a major win-now move, any offer would likely have to start with Maxey and Harris. I’m not sure how palatable that would be to the front office, but Maxey is the best asset the Sixers have aside from Embiid, and I don’t see the big man going anywhere anytime soon. Maybe that could change if they fail to advance past the second round again next season, but I’d be shocked if he asks out this summer.

Salary Cap Situation

Guaranteed Salary

Dead/Retained Salary

  • None

Player Options

Team Options

  • None

Non-Guaranteed Salary

  • De’Anthony Melton ($6,500,000)
    • Note: Partial guarantee. Melton’s salary would become fully guaranteed if he’s not waived on or before July 3.
  • Total: $6,500,000

Restricted Free Agents

  • Paul Reed ($2,261,266 qualifying offer / $2,261,266 cap hold): Bird rights
  • Total (cap holds): $2,261,266

Two-Way Free Agents

Draft Picks

  • None

Extension-Eligible Players

  • Tobias Harris (veteran)
  • Furkan Korkmaz (veteran)
  • Jalen McDaniels (veteran)
  • De’Anthony Melton (veteran)
  • Shake Milton (veteran)
  • Paul Reed (veteran)
  • Tyrese Maxey (rookie scale)

Note: These are players who are either already eligible for an extension or will become eligible before the 2023/24 season begins. McDaniels, Milton, and Reed are only eligible until June 30.

Unrestricted Free Agents / Other Cap Holds

Note: The cap holds for the players listed in italics remain on the Sixers’ books from prior seasons because they haven’t been renounced. They can’t be used in a sign-and-trade deal.

Cap Exceptions Available

  • Mid-level exception: $12,220,600
  • Trade exception: $2,448,846

Note: The Sixers would lose access to the full mid-level exception if their team salary surpasses the tax apron. If the Sixers go under the cap to use room, they’ll lose access to these exceptions and will gain access to the room exception.

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2023 NBA Offseason Preview: Phoenix Suns

June 1st, 2023 at 7:58pm CST by Rory Maher

The Suns won between 19 and 24 games in the four seasons prior to hiring Monty Williams as head coach in 2019. They had missed the playoffs for nine straight seasons.

After going 26-39 to start the 2019/20 season, the Suns reeled off eight straight victories in the Orlando bubble, a positive sign of things to come. Instead of running back the same group, they decided to shake up the roster, trading for future Hall of Famer Chris Paul, a move that paid immediate dividends.

Phoenix had a remarkable turnaround in ’20/21, snapping its 10-year playoff drought by going 51-21 and making a surprise run to the NBA Finals, ultimately losing in six games to the Bucks. In ’21/22, the Suns held the NBA’s top record at 64-18, but had a meltdown in their second-round loss to Dallas, getting blown out at home in Game 7.

The Suns contemplated dealing for Kevin Durant last summer following that playoff ouster, but decided to stand pat, matching a maximum-salary offer sheet for former No. 1 overall pick Deandre Ayton. But Paul, who is now 38, got injured shortly after the ’22/23 season started and his play declined. Forward Cameron Johnson tore his meniscus as well. They seemed quite far away from making it back to the Finals again, sitting with a 30-26 record entering the trade deadline.

New owner Mat Ishbia pushed hard to go all-in for Durant once the superstar forward reissued his trade request in February. One report said president of basketball operations James Jones was reluctant to include Mikal Bridges in the deal, but ultimately relented.

Durant, 34, injured his ankle shortly after the move to Phoenix and the club didn’t have much time to integrate him into the lineup before the playoffs. Injuries to Ayton and Paul played a factor in another second-round exit, this time at the hands of the Nuggets, who were clearly the better team when Devin Booker wasn’t completely unstoppable.

The second consecutive playoff elimination blowout at home led to the Suns firing Williams, who had just won Coach of the Year in 2022. The Suns will also reportedly be exploring the trade markets for Ayton and Paul this summer in an effort to bring their first NBA championship trophy to Phoenix.

The Suns’ Offseason Plan

Hiring a new head coach is the first order of business, and three finalists reportedly remain: former Sixers coach Doc Rivers, former Lakers coach Frank Vogel, and Suns assistant Kevin Young, who is said to have the backing of several players, including Booker.

Trading away Bridges, Johnson, Jae Crowder (who sat out the season until he was dealt), four unprotected first-round picks and a 2028 pick swap for Durant means the Suns don’t have a ton of moveable assets. It will be difficult to improve the roster around Booker and Durant.

I have a difficult time envisioning a robust market for Ayton. When engaged, he’s a very talented player with soft touch around the rim who is a plus rebounder and defender. The problem is the caveat — when engaged. Far too often Ayton looked downright disinterested over the past couple seasons, even in the biggest moments. His lack of effort during the playoffs was glaring.

Maybe certain teams would view him as a bounce-back candidate, but even when he’s at his best, I’m not sure he’s worth a max contract. Despite an impressive physical profile, the 24-year-old has always been much more finesse than brawn on offense, rarely drawing fouls or effectively posting up smaller players like you’d expect.

While Ayton might hold some appeal, I have an even harder time seeing which team would be interested in paying Paul $30.8MM next season. The Suns don’t have any tradable first-round picks to dump his salary, either.

If they fully guarantee the salaries of Paul and Cameron Payne, the Suns will be over the projected $162MM luxury tax line with only six players under contract (Durant, Booker, Ayton and Landry Shamet are the others, for a total of $163.7MM).

I would be a little surprised if Phoenix didn’t extend a qualifying offer to Jock Landale in order to make him a restricted free agent. The QO is close to the minimum ($2.2MM), and his grit and toughness were on display in the playoffs against the Nuggets. The Australian center has spoken about wanting to stay with the Suns long term.

For the sake of argument, let’s assume Landale simply accepts his QO and he doesn’t get a raise or sign a long-term deal. That would leave the Suns with seven players under contract at $165.9MM. The entire rest of the roster is in flux, as they have eight potential free agents (nine including two-way guard Saben Lee).

The odds are extremely slim that the Suns will issue Darius Bazley a $6.2MM QO after he rarely played following a trade deadline salary dump. They could potentially try to bring him back on a minimum deal, but he’d become an unrestricted free agent and able to join any interested team in that scenario.

I don’t have a great sense of what the team might do with Ish Wainright‘s minimum-salary team option, and having Non-Bird rights on Damion Lee, Josh Okogie, Terrence Ross and T.J. Warren limits what the Suns can offer any of those veterans, assuming there’s mutual interest in a reunion. I don’t expect Bismack Biyombo to get more than another minimum deal, whether it be from Phoenix or a different club.

The one player the Suns can pay and probably want to bring back is forward Torrey Craig, who had a solid season filling in as a starter for much of the season due to injuries. He averaged 7.4 PPG, 5.4 RPG and shot 39.5% from three while playing solid defense in 79 games (60 starts, 24.7 MPG). The 32-year-old made $5.1MM in the final year of his contract and I think he could get at least that much again on the open market.

Let’s say the Suns re-sign Craig to a three-year, $18MM deal, with a $6MM salary each season. That would put their payroll for ’23/24 at $171.9MM with eight players under contract. If they fill out the remainder of the standard roster (14 players instead of 15) with minimum-salary deals at a value of $2MM each, their team salary would be $183.9MM.

Starting July 1, the new Collective Bargaining Agreement will take effect, and with it the introduction of a second tax apron. In the above scenario, the Suns would be nearly $22MM over the tax line; the second apron is at $17.5MM. It is very restrictive, though it isn’t clear how many of the changes would occur immediately, as some will reportedly be phased in over a few seasons.

They could dip under the second apron by salary-dumping Landry Shamet, who is owed $33MM over the next three seasons. That wouldn’t make them better in the short term though, and the goal is to win right now while Durant is still playing at a very high level and Booker is in his prime.

There is a highly unlikely — but not impossible — scenario in which the Suns trade Ayton to a team with cap room, shed Paul’s salary (maybe with a pick swap or two and some second-rounders?), and operate as a cap room team themselves. If they renounced all their free agent cap holds except Landale, they could have about $27MM to spend on external free agents.

That seems like a pretty drastic move given the team’s desire to contend, but it could still technically be an option if the Suns are set on avoiding the tax while trying to sign someone like Fred VanVleet without having to worry about a sign-and-trade, which is the only way they could acquire him presently. I’m also not even sure $27MM is enough to sign VanVleet — I wouldn’t be shocked if he got $30-35MM annually.

Salary Cap Situation

Guaranteed Salary

Dead/Retained Salary

  • None

Player Options

  • None

Team Options

Non-Guaranteed Salary

  • Chris Paul ($15,000,000)
    • Note: Partial guarantee. Paul’s salary would become fully guaranteed if he’s not waived on or before June 28.
  • Cameron Payne ($4,500,000)
    • Note: Partial guarantee. Payne’s salary would become fully guaranteed if he’s not waived on or before June 29.
  • Total: $19,500,000

Restricted Free Agents

Two-Way Free Agents

Draft Picks

  • No. 52 overall (no cap hold)

Extension-Eligible Players

  • Chris Paul (veteran)
  • Cameron Payne (veteran)

Note: These are players who are either already eligible for an extension or will become eligible before the 2023/24 season begins.

Unrestricted Free Agents / Other Cap Holds

Note: The cap holds for Payton and Lundberg remain on the Suns’ books from prior seasons because they haven’t been renounced. They can’t be used in a sign-and-trade deal.

Cap Exceptions Available

  • Taxpayer mid-level exception: $5,000,000
  • Trade exception: $4,975,371

Note: The Suns may not have access to any form of mid-level exception next season if certain new rules related to the second tax apron go into effect immediately and their team salary is above that second apron. The Suns would gain access to the full mid-level exception and the bi-annual exception if their team salary remains below both tax aprons.

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Poll: Which Team Will Win 2023 NBA Finals?

June 1st, 2023 at 9:38am CST by Luke Adams

The 2023 NBA Finals, which tip off on Thursday night, will pit the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference against the No. 8 seed in the East, but the matchup may not be as lopsided as their places in the standings suggest.

Despite finishing the regular season as the West’s top team, the Nuggets weren’t considered a powerhouse entering the playoffs. They lost 10 of 17 games down the stretch in March and April and had only the sixth-best net rating in the NBA (+3.3) during the season. They also didn’t have a recent history of deep playoff runs, coming off a first-round elimination in 2022 and having made it beyond the second round just once in the Nikola Jokic era.

Denver has been the most dominant team of the postseason though, winning 12 of 15 games and posting a playoff-best +8.0 net rating during a run that saw them eliminate stars like LeBron James, Anthony Davis, Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, Karl-Anthony Towns, and Anthony Edwards.

The Heat, meanwhile, battled injuries and inconsistency all season long, winning just 44 games and losing their first play-in game (to Atlanta) before completing a comeback victory over Chicago to claim the East’s final postseason berth. An early playoff exit appeared likely at that point, especially after sharpshooter Tyler Herro broke his hand in Game 1 of round one.

Instead, the Heat knocked off the title-favorite Bucks in five games, dispatched the Knicks in six games, and held off the No. 2 Celtics in a seven-game Eastern Conference Finals. Miami, whose +4.6 postseason net rating is second among all playoff clubs, has looked more like the team that came within one basket of making the NBA Finals in 2022 than the one that endured an up-and-down regular season.

The Heat may be a No. 8 seed – only the second in NBA history to make the Finals – but this is a battle-tested group that has significantly outperformed its regular season record and has plenty of playoff experience.

The Nuggets, who haven’t lost in Denver during the postseason and have looked like the NBA’s best team since the regular season ended, will have home-court advantage and enter the Finals as major favorites — BetOnline.ag has their odds to win the series at -405, with Miami listed as a +325 underdog.

Denver is also the popular pick among experts. John Hollinger of The Athletic laid out his reasoning for taking the Nuggets in six games, while a scout, a coach, and an executive who spoke anonymously to Sam Amick, Darnell Mayberry, and Josh Robbins of The Athletic all picked Denver in six too.

Over at ESPN, the Heat got a little more support, but 12 of 16 NBA reporters and analysts still chose the Nuggets to win the series, with only four – Bobby Marks, Israel Gutierrez, Nick DePaula, and Jorge Sedano – taking Miami.

The fact that the Nuggets are widely expected to come out on top will mean little to the Heat, who were considered even longer shots to beat Milwaukee or Boston. The Bucks were a -1200 betting favorite over Miami at the start of their series, while the Celtics were at -550.

With Game 1 set to tip off in a matter of hours, we want to get your predictions for this year’s NBA Finals. Will the Heat complete their improbable run and become the first No. 8 seed in league history to win a championship, or will Jokic lead the Nuggets to their first ever title?

Vote in our poll, then head to the comment section below to weigh in with your thoughts!

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2023 NBA Offseason Preview: Memphis Grizzlies

May 31st, 2023 at 3:51pm CST by Luke Adams

The Grizzlies were an ascendant team entering the 2022/23 season, having steadily increased their winning percentage from .268 to .683 over the course of the previous five years. Coming off a 56-win showing and their first playoff series win since 2015, the young club was looking to avoid regression and take another step toward title contention.

Memphis did win 51 games in ’22/23, the second-highest total in the Western Conference, but you might be hard-pressed to find many NBA observers willing to call the team’s season a success.

Franchise player Ja Morant, who signed a five-year, maximum-salary extension last summer, began to make more headlines for his troubling behavior off the court than his highlight-reel plays on it, culminating in an eight-game suspension after he flashed a gun at a Colorado strip club during an Instagram Live stream.

Dillon Brooks, whose fiery playing style and penchant for talking trash had come to epitomize the brash attitude of the young Grizzlies, earned a spot on the All-Defensive Second Team. However, his offensive game declined; he earned multiple suspensions for technical and flagrant fouls; and he chose the wrong moments to needle opposing players.

The Grizzlies were quickly eliminated from the playoffs in the first round by the seventh-seeded Lakers, with LeBron James responding to Brooks’ barbs after a Game 2 Memphis win by leading L.A. to three wins in the next four games, including a 40-point trouncing in a decisive Game 6.

Since the Grizzlies’ season ended, Morant has been indefinitely suspended again following another problematic Instagram Live video, while one report indicated that Brooks won’t be re-signed “under any circumstances.” In Desmond Bane and Jaren Jackson Jr., the franchise still has a pair of core players untouched by controversy, but Morant’s off-court actions and Brooks’ impending departure create significant uncertainty for the team heading into an important summer.

The Grizzlies’ Offseason Plan

With 13 players on guaranteed contracts for 2023/24, the Grizzlies likely won’t be looking to overhaul their roster or make major changes to their core. But roster tweaks are coming, and Memphis will have work to do with a pair of its cornerstone players – Bane and Morant – this summer.

Let’s start with Bane, who will be eligible for a rookie scale extension beginning on July 1, the week after he turns 25. Bane has made 42.5% of his three-pointers since entering the NBA and has continued to improve as an all-around scorer and distributor, averaging a career-best 21.5 PPG and 4.4 APG this past season. He’s not an elite defender, but he’s no slouch on that end of the floor either, having taken on challenging perimeter assignments when Brooks missed games.

After players like Tyler Herro and Jordan Poole signed rookie scale extensions worth at least $30MM annually last offseason, it’s safe to assume Bane will at least match – and almost certainly exceed – their deals. In fact, it wouldn’t surprise me if the Grizzlies put a maximum-salary offer on the table. Memphis isn’t a traditional free agent destination, so the team has to take care of the players it spends years developing, and there’s probably no need to nickel-and-dime one of the club’s rising stars when there are so many question marks surrounding another one.

While the Grizzlies’ offseason business with Bane is standard basketball fare, their approach with Morant will be trickier to map out. As disappointed as the team must be to watch the former No. 2 overall pick make bad decisions off the court, he’s under contract for the next five seasons and remains a major part of Memphis’ future.

The franchise has to hope that the series of incidents within the last year will serve as a wake-up call for the All-Star guard and offer him all the tools and guidance he may need to keep on the straight and narrow. Morant hasn’t faced any criminal charges, so if he avoids trouble going forward, there’s no reason he can’t put the last year behind him and enjoy a long, successful NBA career.

Even with so many players locked in for next season and optimism that the trio of Morant, Bane, and Jackson can continue to get better, the Grizzlies will need to address certain areas of the roster, starting with the hole in the rotation that Brooks’ imminent departure will create.

Brooks’ questionable shot selection and inability to consistently make those shots hurt Memphis’ offense, but he’s a strong, physical defender whose willingness to match up with an opponent’s top perimeter scorer each and every night took the pressure off players like Morant and Bane. It’s virtually impossible to find someone on the free agent market who can play that kind of defense and be a positive on offense for $12.2MM, which is the projected value of the Grizzlies’ mid-level exception (Brooks made $11.4MM last season).

In recent years, the Grizzlies have put their faith in the front office’s ability to draft and develop young players, letting non-core veterans walk in free agency or trading them once they get a bit too expensive for the team’s liking. It will be interesting to see if the team adjusts that philosophy at all this summer after losing Kyle Anderson and De’Anthony Melton a year ago.

If they’re willing to more actively pursue veteran help, the Grizzlies are in position to head to the trade market to seek out an upgrade on Brooks. Armed with all of their own future first-round draft picks, the Warriors’ 2024 first-rounder, and a collection of inexpensive young players, Memphis has the assets to make a play for a higher-end wing such as OG Anunoby.

It actually sounds like the Grizzlies actually attempted that sort of move at the trade deadline, with one report indicating they offered four first-round picks for Mikal Bridges. Unfortunately, that wasn’t enough in February and the price for Bridges – if the Nets are even willing to listen – has likely only increased since then.

Still, Brooklyn would be a team worth calling, since a wing like Dorian Finney-Smith or Royce O’Neale could slot nicely into that Brooks’ starting spot. A sign-and-trade for Cameron Johnson would also be worth exploring, though Memphis would likely need to pay a significant price (in terms of both salary and trade assets) to pry him away from the Nets.

The Grizzlies have done a great job in the last five years building a lottery team into a legitimate contender, and if not for the Morant controversy and injuries to Steven Adams and Brandon Clarke this spring, perhaps they would have made a deeper postseason run. But with Brooks departing, Clarke likely to miss most or all of next season due to a torn Achilles, and Morant potentially facing another suspension to start 2023/24, the team will need to find ways to continue fortifying its roster if it wants to take another step toward a championship.

Salary Cap Situation

Guaranteed Salary

Dead/Retained Salary

Player Options

  • None

Team Options

Non-Guaranteed Salary

  • None

Restricted Free Agents

  • None

Two-Way Free Agents

  • None

Draft Picks

  • No. 25 overall ($2,585,040)
  • No. 45 overall (no cap hold)
  • No. 56 overall (no cap hold)
  • Total: $2,585,040

Extension-Eligible Players

  • Dillon Brooks (veteran)
  • Luke Kennard (veteran)
  • Xavier Tillman (veteran)
  • Desmond Bane (rookie scale)

Note: These are players who are either already eligible for an extension or will become eligible before the 2023/24 season begins. Brooks is only eligible until June 30.

Unrestricted Free Agents / Other Cap Holds

Note: The cap hold for Pons remains on the Grizzlies’ books from a prior season because it hasn’t been renounced. He can’t be used in a sign-and-trade deal.

Cap Exceptions Available

  • Mid-level exception: $12,220,600
  • Bi-annual exception: $4,448,000
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2023 NBA Offseason Preview: Sacramento Kings

May 30th, 2023 at 8:26pm CST by Rory Maher

The Kings were the NBA’s best story in 2022/23, snapping their 16-year playoff drought by lighting the beam 48 times during the regular season en route to the No. 3 seed in the West.

Although I’m sure Sacramento was disappointed to lose its first-round series against the defending champion Warriors in seven games, it was still an incredible season based on the modest external expectations for the Kings. Going from 30 to 48 wins is a huge leap, and having one of the top fan bases in the league excited again is fantastic for the team and the city.

Next comes the tricky part. By no means am I diminishing what the Kings accomplished this season — if it was easy to make the playoffs, every team would do it every season. But from an organizational perspective, the hardest thing to do in the NBA is to go from a good team – which the Kings were this season – into a team capable of competing for championships.

The Kings’ Offseason Plan

The blueprint for the Kings to become an elite team already exits: Become their own version of the Nuggets. The reason I say that is because, while I do think Nikola Jokic is a better defender than he’s given credit for, he’s not a traditional rim protector, and neither is center Domantas Sabonis. In order for the Kings to be great with Sabonis and De’Aaron Fox as the their two best players, they need to maintain their top offense in the playoffs while becoming at least an average defense team.

That will be easier said than done. Sacramento had the top offense in the league during the regular season. In fact, the Kings posted the best offensive rating in league history (118.6). In seven games against Golden State, that figure dropped to 109.3, which ranked 12th out of 16 playoff teams. By contrast, their 24th-ranked regular season defense (116.0) improved to seventh of 16 in the postseason (111.6).

I’m not going to overreact – nor should Sacramento – to seven games of a team making the playoffs for the first time since George W. Bush was President of the United States. That should be stated up front. At least four Kings regulars — Fox, Malik Monk, Keegan Murray and Davion Mitchell — were making their postseason debuts. But it was kind of alarming how the series played out for certain players.

Sabonis averaged 19.1 PPG, a league-high 12.3 RPG, 7.1 APG and 2.9 TOV on .615/.373/.742 shooting in 79 regular season games (34.6 MPG), despite playing with a severe thumb injury since December. He averaged 16.4 PPG, 11.0 RPG, and 4.7 APG (3.7 TOV) on .495/.200/.571 shooting in seven playoff games (34.7 MPG), getting outplayed by Kevon Looney for prolonged stretches (Looney was fantastic, averaging 15.1 RPG in 30.1 MPG).

Kevin Huerter, who also had an excellent regular season (15.2 PPG on .485/.402/.725 shooting in 75 games), struggled mightily with his shot (9.1 PPG on .347/.205/.750 shooting). Harrison Barnes had either a neutral or negative plus/minus in six of the seven games, and didn’t play much at all in Games 6 and 7. The Kings were minus-9.5 per 100 possessions in 243 minutes with Sabonis on the court and plus-18.3 when he was off, for a preposterous net rating differential of minus-27.8. Barnes was minus-26.6.

The reason I bring this up is Sabonis is entering the final year of his contract, and Barnes, who turns 31 years old today, will be an unrestricted free agent.

The Kings can — and almost certainly will — offer Sabonis a contract extension with a starting salary of $30.8MM in ’24/25, 140% of his ’23/24 contract. I don’t think there’s much chance actually Sabonis signs it, however, after making third-team All-NBA this past season. He’ll be looking for a maximum deal, or something close to it.

He’s undoubtedly a great player. But is he worth a full max when he isn’t a transcendent offensive player like Jokic? I’m not sure how favorably rival teams would view such a deal, and that’s part of the reason why some people thought Indiana “won” the Sabonis-Tyrese Haliburton trade at the time it was made (Haliburton is entering the final year of his rookie contract and would be a restricted free agent if he doesn’t sign an extension, whereas Sabonis is four years older and would be an unrestricted free agent).

Fox will also be eligible for a veteran extension. He’s unlikely to accept an offer right now though because he could become eligible for a Designated Veteran extension (also known as the super-max) if he makes All-NBA again in one of the next two seasons.

Barnes is extension-eligible until the end of June. He’s coming off a four-plus season run with Sacramento, having averaged a combined 15.4 PPG, 5.3 RPG and 2.3 APG on .472/.387/.827 shooting (and a strong 61.1 true shooting percentage). Barnes, who won a championship with the Warriors in ’14/15 during his third season, has made $85MM over the past four seasons, which feels about right for a solid starter. I think he’ll get something close to that again on the open market, whether it be from Sacramento or another team.

The Kings can create nearly $24MM in cap room if they renounce all their cap holds, keep their first-round pick (No. 24 overall) and exercise their team option on Kessler Edwards, which I think is likely (he’s only on a minimum-salary deal). Could they find something better than Barnes, Terence Davis, Alex Len, Trey Lyles and Chimezie Metu with $24MM? Probably not.

I did say I wouldn’t overreact to one playoff series, and I think the safest choice is to re-sign Barnes. The veteran forward appeared in every game this season and has been quite durable throughout his career. The Kings also had great chemistry, and while a two-way wing is likely high on their wish list, every other team is looking for that too (and that’s partly why they drafted Murray, a first-team All-Rookie selection).

They could also retain Lyles, who has said he wants to return, and Metu or Len. I’m not sure how the team views Davis, but another guard who can reliably score would be a solid fit with how the Kings play.

Perhaps the Kings could get an infusion of production from Sasha Vezenkov, fresh off being named EuroLeague MVP. They exclusively control his NBA rights and can negotiate a deal with him after next month’s draft — he remains under contract with his current club, Olympiacos, but has buyout language in that deal.

Vezenkov averaged 17.6 PPG, 7.0 RPG and 1.9 APG on a highly efficient .546/.398/.857 shooting line in 33 EuroLeague games (28.7 MPG). It’s hard to say how his game would translate, but he has been shooting well for years. If the Kings want to offer him a three- or four-year deal, they’d have to use part of their mid-level exception, which they would lose in the unlikely event that they renounce their cap holds and become a cap room team.

There have been reports indicating the Kings might look to package their three draft picks (Nos. 24, 38 and 54) in a win-now move. The most likely outgoing piece from a salary perspective is center Richaun Holmes.

It’s remarkable how quickly things can change in the NBA. While the Sabonis trade has been mutually beneficial for the Kings and Pacers thus far, one player who did not benefit was Holmes. He was just coming off a career season in ’20/21 at age 27, averaging 14.2 PPG, 8.3 RPG and 1.6 BPG on 63.7% from the field and 79.4% from the line in 61 games (29.2 MPG). He then signed a four-year, $46.5MM contract to stay with Sacramento in 2021 — seemingly solid value for his production.

Instead, his value has cratered in part due to circumstances beyond his control, including a custody battle with serious allegations from his son’s mother (Holmes was later awarded custody and sued his ex). He actually had a good start to ’21/22 prior to that and had great lob chemistry with Haliburton, but his role was basically nonexistent after the Sabonis trade. That was the case again this season.

I do think there are teams Holmes could play well for, but it’s been a while since we’ve really seen him out there. Barnes could also be a sign-and-trade candidate if the Kings want to get aggressive. However, they owe a top-14 protected 2024 pick to Atlanta as part of the Huerter deal with lighter protections until ’26. That means Sacramento only has its ’23, ’28 and ’30 picks available for an all-in type move, which seems a little unlikely at this juncture.

Salary Cap Situation

Guaranteed Salary

Dead/Retained Salary

  • None

Player Options

  • None

Team Options

Non-Guaranteed Salary

  • PJ Dozier ($2,413,304)
    • Note: Dozier’s salary would become fully guaranteed if he’s not waived on or before July 10.
  • Total: $2,413,304

Restricted Free Agents

  • None

Two-Way Free Agents

Draft Picks

  • No. 24 overall ($2,693,160)
  • No. 38 overall (no cap hold)
  • No. 54 overall (no cap hold)
  • Total: $2,693,160

Extension-Eligible Players

Note: These are players who are either already eligible for an extension or will become eligible before the 2023/24 season begins. Barnes and Metu are only eligible until June 30.

Unrestricted Free Agents / Other Cap Holds

Note: The cap holds for Lamb and Brewer remain on the Kings’ books from prior seasons because they haven’t been renounced. They can’t be used in a sign-and-trade deal.

Cap Exceptions Available

  • Mid-level exception: $12,220,600
  • Bi-annual exception: $4,448,000

Note: If the Kings go under the cap to use room, they’ll lose access to these exceptions and will gain access to the room exception.

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Hoops Rumors Glossary: Designated Veteran Contract

May 30th, 2023 at 4:01pm CST by Luke Adams

The NBA’s maximum salary is determined by a player’s years of NBA experience. Players with between zero and six seasons under their belts are eligible for a starting salary worth up to 25% of the salary cap. That figures increases to 30% for players with seven to nine years of NBA experience, and to 35% for players with 10+ years of service.

However, there are certain scenarios in which a player can achieve a higher maximum salary than his years of service dictate. When a player who would normally qualify for the 30% max becomes eligible for a starting salary worth up to 35% of the cap before he gains 10+ years of NBA experience, he can sign a Designated Veteran contract, also known as a “super-max” deal.

A player who has seven or eight years of NBA service with one or two years left on his contract becomes eligible for a Designated Veteran contract if he meets the required performance criteria.

A Designated Veteran contract can also be signed by a player who is technically a free agent if he has eight or nine years of service and meets the required performance criteria.

However, a player can’t sign a Designated Veteran deal with a new team — only his current team. If he has been traded at any time since his first four years in the NBA, he becomes ineligible for such a deal. Players like Donovan Mitchell, Domantas Sabonis, and Lauri Markkanen are no longer eligible for that reason. Even if they meet the required performance criteria, the fact that they’ve been traded in recent years disqualifies them.

Speaking of that performance criteria, here’s what it looks like. At least one of the following must be a true for a player to be eligible for a Designated Veteran contract:

  • He was named to an All-NBA team in the most recent season, or in two of the last three seasons.
  • He was named NBA MVP in any of the three most recent seasons.
  • He was named NBA Defensive Player of the Year in the most recent season, or in two of the last three seasons.

Given the exclusivity of the MVP and Defensive Player of the Year awards, players who qualify for a Designated Veteran contract do so most often by earning All-NBA nods. For instance, Celtics wing Jaylen Brown became eligible for a super-max extension earlier this month when he was named to the All-NBA Second Team.

Brown and his Celtics teammate Jayson Tatum are the only players currently eligible to sign Designated Veteran contracts, and Brown is the only player who can do so during the 2023 offseason. Tatum has met the performance criteria but doesn’t have quite enough service time to sign a super-max extension, so he’ll have to wait until after the 2023/24 season.

As outlined above, if the Celtics were to trade Brown (or Tatum), he would no longer be super-max eligible.

Designated Veteran contracts are different than Designated Rookie contracts, which in turn are slightly different than Rose Rule deals. The Rose Rule allows players with fewer than seven years of NBA experience to qualify for contracts that begin at 30% of the cap instead of 25%, as we outline in a separate glossary entry.

Here are a few other rules related to Designated Veteran contracts:

  • Even if a player qualifies for a Designated Veteran contract, his team isn’t obligated to start its extension offer at 35% of the cap. The player is eligible for a salary up to that amount, but the exact amount is still a matter for the two sides to negotiate. For example, after becoming super-max eligible, Rudy Gobert signed a contract with the Jazz that began at just over 31% of the cap.
  • A Designated Veteran extension can’t exceed six years, including the number of years left on the player’s contract. So if a player signs a Designated Veteran extension when he has two years left on his current contract, he could tack on four new years to that deal.
  • A player signing a Designated Veteran contract as a free agent can’t sign for more than five years.
  • A Designated Veteran extension can only be signed between the end of the July moratorium and the last day before the start of the regular season.
  • If a player signs a Designated Veteran contract, he is ineligible to be traded for one year.
  • Under the 2017 Collective Bargaining Agreement, a team wasn’t permitted to carry more than two players on Designated Veteran contracts at a time. However, that rule won’t carry over to the 2023 CBA.

Our list of the players who have signed Designated Veteran contracts since their inception in 2017 can be found right here.

Note: This is a Hoops Rumors Glossary entry. Our glossary posts will explain specific rules relating to trades, free agency, or other aspects of the NBA’s Collective Bargaining Agreement. Larry Coon’s Salary Cap FAQ was used in the creation of this post.

A previous version of this glossary entry was published in 2018.

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Community Shootaround: Nurse As Sixers’ Head Coach

May 29th, 2023 at 7:54pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Well, this ought to be interesting.

The Sixers are hiring former Raptors coach Nick Nurse as their head coach. Nurse and Most Valuable Player Joel Embiid will now pair together as the franchise looks to bring Philadelphia a long-awaited championship. The Sixers’ drought has reached 40 years and counting.

They have a history together as playoff foes. Toronto broke Philly’s hearts in the 2019 playoffs with Kawhi Leonard‘s basket that bounced four times on the rim proving to be the dagger. The Sixers had the KO punch last year during the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs.

Nurse will also inherit a very talented young guard in Tyrese Maxey but the rest of the roster is in a state of flux. The Sixers could look to unload Tobias Harris, who is entering the final year of his contract. The bench figures to be revamped too, but the biggest offseason question is whether James Harden will decline his player option. Rumors have persisted for months that Harden wants to return to Houston.

Despite delivering a championship to the Raptors franchise, Nurse had a falling out with the front office. They felt he didn’t develop their bench players sufficiently and overworked his starters. There were also questions about accountability and his relationships with key players.

A fresh start for a talented coach could be the Sixers’ gain. That championship on his resume gives him immediate credibility.

It could also attract a top free agent such as Fred VanVleet, who tweeted out congratulations via an emoji after he heard the news.  VanVleet is expected to decline his player option so that he can enter the free agent market. He could be Harden’s replacement.

That brings us to our topic of the day: What do you think of Nick Nurse taking over as the Sixers’ head coach? Did the franchise make the right choice and do you feel Nurse can bring the franchise a long-awaited championship?

Please take to the comments section to weigh in on this topic. We look forward to your input.

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Poll: Pistons’ Lottery Pick

May 28th, 2023 at 8:37pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The biggest loser during the draft lottery was the Pistons. After finishing with the worst record, they entered the lottery at the top of the list. They slid all the way down to the No. 5 spot after the lottery was conducted.

The Pistons under general manager Troy Weaver are at a crossroads. The roster has been totally revamped since Weaver, who is never hesitant to wheel and deal, took over. There are lots of young players dotting the roster but it’s uncertain just how well those pieces fit.

Detroit should be significantly better next season just based on the fact it will have 2021 No. 1 pick Cade Cunningham back in action. Cunningham missed virtually the entire season due to shin surgery.

The Pistons’ 2022 lottery picks, Jaden Ivey and Jalen Duren, showed plenty of promise in their rookie campaign. Certainly, the team is excited by the prospect of Ivey and Cunningham playing together a full season with 2020 lottery pick Killian Hayes backing them up.

Detroit acquired Marvin Bagley and James Wiseman – No. 2 overall picks who were busts with their original teams – over the past two seasons. The Pistons also have two highly valued veterans in Bojan Bogdanovic and Alec Burks.

The franchise has to show major improvement next season to justify all the years of rebuilding. With the Pistons owing the Knicks a first-rounder, this could be the last time Detroit has a lottery pick in the near future.

There are a number of prospects to choose from at the No. 5 pick. Brandon Miller could theoretically slide down that far, though it’s a long shot. More likely, wings such as Cam Whitmore, Ausar Thompson and Anthony Black will be in play at that spot.

Weaver could shift gears and try to trade down in – or even out of – the first round for veteran help to give the Pistons a fighting chance to at least make the play-in tournament next season.

So what should the Pistons do with their first-rounder? Vote in our poll, then head to the comment section below to weigh in!

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