Mobile Menu
HEADLINES

Hoops Rumors Originals

Highest-Paid NBA Players By Team

August 12th, 2022 at 10:38am CST by Luke Adams

On Thursday, we listed the top 50 highest-paid NBA players for the 2022/23 season. Although that list presented a clear picture of the highest earners for the current season, not every NBA team was represented. Five of the league’s 30 franchises – the Spurs, Rockets, Magic, Pistons and Pacers – didn’t have a single player in the top 50.

Our list of highest-paid players for 2022/23 also only provided a snapshot for this year. For example, Kevin Love, who cracked the top 50, will be well compensated for the coming season but is on an expiring contract and will almost certainly fall off that list next year.

Today, we’re shifting our focus to the highest-paid players by team. This will allow us to check in on the clubs that weren’t represented on our initial list, as well as identifying some of the league’s most lucrative multiyear commitments — we’ve included each club’s highest-paid player for the 2022/23 season and its highest-paid player in total.

Let’s dive in…

Atlanta Hawks

  • 2022/23: Trae Young ($37,096,500)
  • Total: Trae Young (five years, $215,159,700)
    • Note: Young’s final year is a player option.

Boston Celtics

  • 2022/23: Jayson Tatum ($30,351,780)
  • Total: Jayson Tatum (four years, $134,896,800)
    • Note: Tatum’s final year is a player option.

Brooklyn Nets

  • 2022/23: Kevin Durant ($44,119,845)
    • Note: Durant’s cap hit includes a $42,969,845 base salary and $1,150,000 in likely incentives.
  • Total: Kevin Durant (four years, $197,656,908)
    • Note: Durant’s four-year earnings include $192,504,908 in base salaries and $5,152,000 in likely incentives.

Charlotte Hornets

  • 2022/23: Gordon Hayward ($30,075,000)
  • Total: Terry Rozier (four years, $96,258,694)
    • Note: A small amount ($1,718,905) of Rozier’s final-year salary is non-guaranteed.

Chicago Bulls

  • 2022/23: Zach LaVine ($37,096,500)
  • Total: Zach LaVine (five years, $215,159,700)
    • Note: LaVine’s final year is a player option.

Cleveland Cavaliers

  • 2022/23: Kevin Love ($28,942,830)
  • Total: Darius Garland (six years, $201,770,795)
    • Note: The amount owed to Garland could increase to $240,340,795 if he makes an All-NBA team in 2023. The value of his maximum-salary extension is based on a projected $133MM salary cap for 2023/24.

Dallas Mavericks

  • 2022/23: Luka Doncic ($37,096,500)
  • Total: Luka Doncic (five years, $215,159,700)
    • Note: Doncic’s final year is a player option.

Denver Nuggets

  • 2022/23: Nikola Jokic ($33,047,803)
    • Note: Jokic’s cap hit includes a $32,478,837 base salary and $568,966 in likely incentives. He also has another $568,966 in unlikely incentives.
  • Total: Nikola Jokic (six years, $303,037,803)

    • Note: Jokic’s final year is a player option. The value of his maximum-salary extension is based on a projected $133MM salary cap for 2023/24.

Detroit Pistons

Golden State Warriors

  • 2022/23: Stephen Curry ($48,070,014)
  • Total: Stephen Curry (four years, $215,353,662)

Read more

Retweet 5 Share 0 Send via email0

Community Shootaround: 2022’s Best, Worst Big-Money FA Deals

August 12th, 2022 at 7:54am CST by Luke Adams

When we identified the top 50 highest-paid NBA players of 2022/23 on Thursday, four names on that list were free agents who signed new contracts this offseason. Those players, who received the four most lucrative free agent deals of 2022, are as follows:

  • Bradley Beal, Wizards: Five years, $251,019,650. Fifth-year player option. 15% trade kicker. No-trade clause.
  • Zach LaVine, Bulls: Five years, $215,159,700. Fifth-year player option. 15% trade kicker.
  • Deandre Ayton, Suns: Four years, $132,929,128.
  • Jalen Brunson, Knicks: Four years, $104,000,000. Fourth-year player option. 10% trade kicker.

As our tracker shows, five other 2022 free agents received multiyear contracts that will pay them at least $15MM per year. Here are those players, along with the details of their new deals:

  • Anfernee Simons, Trail Blazers: Four years, $100,000,000.
  • Luguentz Dort, Thunder: Five years, $82,500,000. Fifth-year team option. Includes $5MM in unlikely incentives.
  • Jusuf Nurkic, Trail Blazers: Four years, $70,000,000.
  • James Harden, Sixers: Two years, $68,640,000. Second-year player option. 15% trade kicker.
  • Mitchell Robinson, Knicks: Four years, $60,000,000.

These nine contracts are what we’re considering the “big-money” deals of 2022 free agency. That term is subjective, but no other free agent received a contract worth more than $50MM in total, or with an annual average value of $15MM+, so these deals are in a class of their own.

With that in mind, we want to know which of this summer’s biggest free agent contracts you view as the best and worst values from a team perspective.

The Wizards have received some criticism not just for signing Beal to a contract exceeding $50MM per year but for handing him a series of perks that will give him significant leverage if the team wants to trade him down the road. But are there other contracts in the groups above that you’d consider even less team-friendly than Beal’s?

Harden, meanwhile, has been lauded for taking a pay cut that created the spending power necessary for the Sixers to sign P.J. Tucker and Danuel House, though his average salary ($34.32MM) is still the third-highest of any of this summer’s free agent deals. Does the short-term nature of that contract and his potential ceiling make it the most team-friendly contract of these nine, or is there another one you like more?

Head to the comment section below to weigh in with your two cents on this year’s best and worst big-money free agent signings!

Retweet 3 Share 0 Send via email0

NBA’s Top 50 Highest-Paid Players For 2022/23

August 11th, 2022 at 10:26am CST by Luke Adams

Many of the NBA’s highest-paid players are on contracts considered maximum-salary deals, but the 2022/23 salaries for those players vary significantly depending on when the player signed his contract and how much NBA experience he has. That’s why a player like Stephen Curry will earn about $17.7MM more than Donovan Mitchell in ’22/23 despite both stars technically being on max deals.

When a player signs a maximum-salary contract, he doesn’t necessarily earn the NBA max for each season of that contract — he earns the max in year one, then gets a series of identical annual raises. In Curry’s case, his 2022/23 salary actually exceeds this year’s maximum, since the annual cap increases since he began earning the max haven’t kept pace with his annual 8% raises.

Listed below, with some help from Spotrac‘s salary data, are the top 50 highest-paid NBA players for the 2022/23 season. The players on this list don’t necessarily have the contracts with the largest overall value. The list below only considers salaries for ’22/23.

Additionally, we’ve noted players who could potentially increase their earnings via incentives or trade bonuses. We didn’t add those notes for players like Curry who have trade bonuses but are already earning the maximum — their salaries for this season can’t increase beyond their max.

The cutoff for a spot on this year’s top-50 list is over $25MM, so 13 players earning $20MM+ didn’t make the cut, led by Knicks forward Julius Randle ($23.76MM, plus incentives) and Hawks big man John Collins ($23.5MM).

Here are the NBA’s 50 highest-paid players for the 2022/23 season:

  1. Stephen Curry, Warriors: $48,070,014
  2. Russell Westbrook, Lakers: $47,063,478
  3. LeBron James, Lakers: $44,474,988
  4. Kevin Durant, Nets: $44,119,845
    • Note: Durant’s cap hit includes a $42,969,845 base salary and $1,150,000 in likely incentives.
  5. Bradley Beal, Wizards: $43,279,250
  6. Giannis Antetokounmpo, Bucks: $42,492,492 (15% trade kicker)
    Kawhi Leonard, Clippers: $42,492,492 (15% trade kicker)
    Paul George, Clippers: $42,492,492
    Damian Lillard, Trail Blazers: $42,492,492
  7. Klay Thompson, Warriors: $40,600,080 (15% trade kicker)
  8. Rudy Gobert, Timberwolves: $38,172,414
  9. Anthony Davis, Lakers: $37,980,720 (15% trade kicker)
  10. Khris Middleton, Bucks: $37,948,276
  11. Jimmy Butler, Heat: $37,653,300 (15% trade kicker)
  12. Tobias Harris, Sixers: $37,633,050 (5% trade kicker)
  13. Luka Doncic, Mavericks: $37,096,500
    Zach LaVine, Bulls: $37,096,500
    Trae Young, Hawks: $37,096,500
  14. Kyrie Irving, Nets: $36,934,550 (15% trade kicker)
    • Note: Irving’s cap hit includes a $36,503,300 base salary and $431,250 in likely incentives. He also has another $718,750 in unlikely incentives.
  15. Pascal Siakam, Raptors: $35,448,672
    Ben Simmons, Nets: $35,448,672
  16. Karl-Anthony Towns, Timberwolves: $33,833,400 (15% trade kicker)
    Devin Booker, Suns: $33,833,400
    Kristaps Porzingis, Wizards: $33,833,400
  17. Jrue Holiday, Bucks: $33,665,040
    • Note: Holiday’s cap hit includes a $32,544,000 base salary and $1,121,040 in likely incentives. He also has another $4,752,000 in unlikely incentives.
  18. Joel Embiid, Sixers: $33,616,770
    Andrew Wiggins, Warriors: $33,616,770
  19. CJ McCollum, Pelicans: $33,333,333
  20. Nikola Jokic, Nuggets: $33,047,803
    • Note: Jokic’s cap hit includes a $32,478,837 base salary and $568,966 in likely incentives. He also has another $568,966 in unlikely incentives.
  21. James Harden, Sixers: $33,000,000 (15% trade kicker)
  22. Brandon Ingram, Pelicans: $31,650,600
    Jamal Murray, Nuggets: $31,650,600
  23. D’Angelo Russell, Timberwolves: $31,377,750
  24. Deandre Ayton, Suns: $30,913,750
    Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Thunder: $30,913,750
    Michael Porter Jr., Nuggets: $30,913,750
  25. Donovan Mitchell, Jazz: $30,351,780 (15% trade kicker)
    Jayson Tatum, Celtics: $30,351,780 (15% trade kicker)
    Bam Adebayo, Heat: $30,351,780
    De’Aaron Fox, Kings: $30,351,780
  26. Gordon Hayward, Hornets: $30,075,000 (15% trade kicker)
  27. Jaren Jackson Jr., Grizzlies: $28,946,605
  28. Kevin Love, Cavaliers: $28,942,830
  29. Jaylen Brown, Celtics: $28,741,071
    • Note: Brown’s cap hit includes a $26,669,643 base salary and $2,071,428 in likely incentives. He also has another $1,035,714 in unlikely incentives.
  30. Chris Paul, Suns: $28,400,000
  31. Kyle Lowry, Heat: $28,333,334
  32. Jalen Brunson, Knicks: $27,733,332 (10% trade kicker)
  33. DeMar DeRozan, Bulls: $27,300,000
  34. Al Horford, Celtics: $26,500,000
  35. Draymond Green, Warriors: $25,806,468 (15% trade kicker)

One player notably missing from this list is Clippers guard John Wall, who exercised a $47,366,760 player option for the 2022/23 season in June, when he was still a member of the Rockets. Wall eventually agreed to a buyout with Houston, but still counts for $40,866,760 against the team’s books this season, and is earning $6,479,000 on his new deal with L.A.

Wall’s combined cap hits would make him one of the top three highest-paid players for 2022/23, so why doesn’t he make the cut? Because he’s not actually earning all that money this season — even if a team doesn’t apply the stretch provision to a player’s cap hit when he’s waived, the player’s payments still get “stretched” across multiple seasons.

That means the Rockets will actually be paying the $40,866,760 they owe Wall across three years instead of just one, which works out to annual payments of approximately $13.62MM. Combining that number with Wall’s new $6,479,000 salary for 2022/23 wouldn’t make him one of the NBA’s top 50 highest-paid players for this season.

Retweet 4 Share 0 Send via email0

Poll: Western Conference Vs. Eastern Conference

August 10th, 2022 at 4:01pm CST by Luke Adams

Entering 2021/22, Eastern Conference teams had posted a winning record against Western Conference teams just once in 22 seasons since the turn of the century. That happened during the 2008/09 campaign, when the East put up a 231-219 record vs. the West.

However, the East regained the upper hand last season, ever so slightly, finishing with a 226-224 record against Western opponents. Even though no team in the East won more than 53 games, the conference was deeper than the West, with 10 teams registering at least 43 victories. By contrast, only eight teams in the Western Conference won more than 36 games.

The emergence of Eastern teams like the Bulls, Cavaliers, and Hornets played a part in the conference’s relative success in 2021/22, while disappointing regular seasons by the Clippers, Lakers, Trail Blazers, and Pelicans were factors in the West’s slide.

Of course, many of those Western underachievers dealt with major injury issues — with better health from Kawhi Leonard, Paul George, Anthony Davis, LeBron James, Damian Lillard, and Zion Williamson, those teams are poised to improve in 2022/23.

This summer’s trades and free agent moves don’t appear likely to swing the pendulum drastically from one conference to the other. Most of the offseason’s top free agents re-signed with their own teams, while the most impactful players who changed teams via trade generally remained in the same conference, including Rudy Gobert (Utah to Minnesota), Malcolm Brogdon (Indiana to Boston), and Christian Wood (Houston to Dallas). Jalen Brunson‘s move from Dallas to New York was one of the few instances of a noteworthy player changing conferences.

There are still big-name trade candidates whose eventual destinations could have a major impact on the East/West balance. Those deals could ultimately favor the East more than the West — the Knicks are considered Donovan Mitchell‘s top suitor, for instance, while Kevin Durant has been linked most frequently to the Heat, Celtics, and Raptors since the Suns brought back Deandre Ayton.

We want to know how you view the East and West ahead of the 2022/23 season. Will returning stars help the West reclaim its place as the dominant conference next year, or will the continued growth of improving Eastern squads result in back-to-back winning seasons vs. the West?

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

Retweet 3 Share 0 Send via email0

2023 NBA Free Agents By Team

August 10th, 2022 at 1:45pm CST by Luke Adams

Hoops Rumors’ up-to-date list of 2023 free agents by team is below. These are players who are eligible for restricted or unrestricted free agency after the 2022/23 season.

Players with team or player options for the 2023/24 season are listed, unless they’re rookie scale options. Potential restricted free agents are marked with (RFA).

This list will continue to be updated throughout the 2022/23 season, so be sure to use it and our list of 2023 free agents by position/type as points of reference.

Both lists can be found anytime under “Hoops Rumors Features” on the right-hand sidebar of our desktop site, or in the “Free Agent Lists” section of our mobile menu. If you have any corrections or omissions, please contact us.

Updated 10-24-23 (3:07pm CT)
Note: No longer being updated as of the start of the 2023/24 regular season.

Atlanta Hawks

  • None

Boston Celtics

  1. Blake Griffin

Brooklyn Nets

  • None

Charlotte Hornets

  • None

Read more

Retweet 7 Share 0 Send via email0

Checking In Again On Unsigned 2022 Draft Picks

August 8th, 2022 at 1:04pm CST by Luke Adams

We’re about a month-and-a-half removed from the 2022 NBA draft, and – as our tracker shows – 46 of the 58 players selected on June 23 have signed their first NBA contracts.

The 12 unsigned players are as follows:

  1. Toronto Raptors: Christian Koloko, F/C
  2. Detroit Pistons: Gabriele Procida, G
  3. Cleveland Cavaliers: Khalifa Diop, C
  4. New Orleans Pelicans: E.J. Liddell, F
  5. Denver Nuggets: Ismael Kamagate, C
  6. Indiana Pacers: Kendall Brown, F
  7. Minnesota Timberwolves: Matteo Spagnolo, G
  8. New Orleans Pelicans: Karlo Matkovic, F
  9. Washington Wizards: Yannick Nzosa, C
  10. Golden State Warriors: Gui Santos, F
  11. Cleveland Cavaliers: Luke Travers, G/F
  12. Milwaukee Bucks: Hugo Besson, G

Most of these prospects will likely spend the 2022/23 season playing in non-NBA leagues around the world. Procida, Diop, Kamagate, Spagnolo, Matkovic, Nzosa, Santos, Travers, and Besson are all good bets to be draft-and-stash players.

That essentially just leaves three 2022 draftees in limbo: Koloko, Liddell, and Brown.

A player selected within the first five picks of the second round, like Koloko was, virtually always receives a multiyear contract that includes at least a year or two of guaranteed money. It’s hard to imagine that won’t be the case for Koloko, despite the Raptors‘ roster crunch. Toronto already has 13 players on guaranteed contracts, with three players on partial guarantees vying for a regular season spot, so if Koloko signs, it would leave one fewer spot up for grabs.

It’s worth noting that once Koloko officially signs, he’ll be ineligible to be traded for 30 days, so it’s possible the Raptors are keeping their options open in case their Kevin Durant trade talks with the Nets get serious.

Toronto may also be mulling whether to use a portion of its mid-level exception to sign Koloko to a contract that spans three or four years. Taking that route, instead of signing him to a two-year, minimum-salary contract, would ensure he remains under team control for an extra season or two, but would hard-cap the Raptors for the 2022/23 season, since the club already used $6MM of its MLE to sign Otto Porter.

Liddell, meanwhile, suffered an unfortunate break to begin his professional career, tearing his ACL during the Las Vegas Summer League. Before he sustained that injury, the question was probably whether Liddell would receive a standard contract or a two-way deal. Now, the question is whether New Orleans still willing to sign him to a two-way contract or whether the team wants to use that slot on someone who could actually contribute on the court in 2022/23.

If they fill their two-way slots, the Pelicans would probably like to see Liddell sign a G League contract and spend the season rehabbing with the Birmingham Squadron before he signs his first NBA deal a year from now.

As for Brown, it remains to be seen whether he’ll begin the season on the Pacers‘ standard 15-man roster or on a two-way deal. For now, Indiana could go in either direction, but the club could be waiting to see whether there are any more trades to be made before training camp begins — if the Pacers were to complete a deal involving Myles Turner and/or Buddy Hield, the number of players they receive in that trade would have an impact on whether or not there’s room on the standard roster for Brown.

For example, if Indiana send Turner and Hield to the Lakers in exchange for Russell Westbrook and draft assets, then bought out Westbrook, it would open up two extra spots on the projected 15-man roster. In that scenario, signing Brown to a three- or four-year standard contract would make sense.

Retweet 4 Share 0 Send via email0

How Players Who Declined Options Fared In Free Agency

August 8th, 2022 at 9:43am CST by Luke Adams

Of the 19 veterans who had player options on their contracts for the 2022/23 season, 13 picked up those options, choosing the security of the guaranteed money over the uncertainty of the open market. That leaves six players who turned down their options and became unrestricted free agents.

Here’s a breakdown of how those players fared in free agency:

Nicolas Batum

  • Option: $3,328,530 (Clippers)
  • Free agent contract: Two years, $22,554,168 (Clippers).

Bobby Portis

  • Option: $4,564,980 (Bucks)
  • Free agent contract: Four years, $48,578,208 (Bucks). Player option. Trade kicker (15%)

Batum and Portis had been in virtually the exact same boat for the last couple years. After successful initial stints with the Clippers and Bucks, respectively, during the 2020/21 season, they re-signed in 2021 on team-friendly deals for the maximum allowable salaries they could receive using Non-Bird rights.

Having accrued Early Bird rights by this summer, both players turned down their ’22/23 options in order to sign more lucrative multiyear contracts. Portis – who is six years younger than Batum – got two extra years on his deal, but both players received starting salaries of $10,843,350, the maximum allowed this year using the Early Bird exception.

Patty Mills

  • Option: $6,184,500 (Nets)
  • Free agent contract: Two years, $13,281,950 (Nets). Includes unlikely incentives ($1,207,452).

Mills was one of the few players this offseason whose option decision wasn’t a no-brainer. He had a solid first year in Brooklyn, but entering his age-34 season, it was unclear how eager teams would be to give him multiple years.

As it turns out, the Nets were on board with giving him one extra year, with a modest raise. After signing a year ago for the team’s full taxpayer mid-level exception, Mills re-signed for a base salary of $6,479,000, the exact amount of this season’s taxpayer MLE. Because Brooklyn had his Non-Bird rights, the club was able to tack on some unlikely incentives to Mills’ new contract.

P.J. Tucker

  • Option: $7,350,000 (Heat)
  • Free agent contract: Three years, $33,043,500 (Sixers). Player option.

Tucker’s two-way contributions during the Heat’s playoff run made him a popular target in free agency this offseason, even at age 37. The three-year offer the Sixers gave him was worth the full mid-level exception and was the most that any team could put on the table for Tucker without using cap room or acquiring him via sign-and-trade (the Over-38 rule prevented Philadelphia or another team from offering four years). It’s a huge win for a player who will have celebrated his 40th birthday by the time the contract expires (unless he opts out again in 2024).

Bradley Beal

  • Option: $36,422,136 (Wizards)
  • Free agent contract: Five years, $251,019,650 (Wizards). Player option. Trade kicker (15%). No-trade clause.

No player who declined an option this June made out better than Beal. In fact, Beal’s deal was easily the most lucrative of any free agent contract signed this offseason.

Not only did Beal get a five-year, maximum-salary contract that starts at 35% of the 2022/23 cap, but he also got plenty of perks, including a fifth-year player option, a trade kicker, and a full no-trade clause. He was the first NBA player in several years to receive a formal no-trade clause.

James Harden

  • Option: $47,366,760 (Sixers)
  • Free agent contract: Two years, $68,640,000 (Sixers). Player option. Trade kicker (15%).

Of the six players who turned down options for 2022/23, only Harden took a pay cut for the coming season. But that was a deliberate choice by the former MVP, who opted to accept a more team-friendly cap number in order to allow the 76ers to use their full mid-level exception and bi-annual exception while remaining under the hard cap.

Harden will still earn a salary worth $33MM in ’22/23, and will be in position to opt out and sign a more lucrative deal next summer if he enjoys a bounce-back year.

Retweet 3 Share 0 Send via email0

25 Of NBA’s 30 Teams Have Made At Least One Offseason Trade

August 8th, 2022 at 8:03am CST by Luke Adams

Since the 2022 NBA offseason began, 26 trades have been made, as our tracker shows. A total of 25 teams have been involved in those 26 deals, with 15 clubs (half the league) completing multiple trades.

The Raptors, Heat, Bulls, Pelicans, and Clippers are the only teams that have not been part of at least one trade since their seasons ended this spring. While most of those clubs were pretty active in free agency, it has been an especially quiet offseason in New Orleans, where the Pelicans also haven’t made a single free agent signing.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, the Timberwolves have been the NBA’s most active team on the trade market this summer, with new president of basketball operations Tim Connelly putting his stamp on the franchise in his first few months on the job. After making four draft-night deals in June, Minnesota finalized the offseason’s biggest trade by acquiring Rudy Gobert from the Jazz just over a month ago.

The Hawks and Knicks, with four deals apiece, have been the next most active teams on the trade market. A pair of Atlanta’s moves were minor, but the other two – acquiring Dejounte Murray and sending Kevin Huerter to Sacramento – will have a major impact on the team going forward. As for New York, most of Leon Rose‘s deals involved shuffling around draft picks and clearing cap room for the team’s free agent signings of Jalen Brunson and Isaiah Hartenstein.

Here are a few more details on this summer’s 26 trades:

  • The Pacers, Pistons, Nuggets, Grizzlies, and Kings have each made three trades. The other teams to make multiple deals are the Hornets, Thunder, Jazz, Trail Blazers, Mavericks, Rockets, and Spurs, with two apiece.
  • That leaves the Sixers, Nets, Celtics, Cavaliers, Bucks, Magic, Wizards, Lakers, Warriors, and Suns as the clubs that have each completed just one trade.
  • All 26 of this offseason’s trades have consisted of just two teams, with no three- or four-team deals made so far. A draft-night agreement involving the Hornets, Knicks, and Pistons was originally reported as a three-team trade, but was ultimately completed as two separate deals.
  • Not a single player has been signed-and-traded so far during the 2022 offseason. That’s pretty surprising, since 27 free agents changed teams via sign-and-trade in the three years from 2019-21 and only four teams used cap room this offseason — sign-and-trades are typically more common in years when most clubs are operating over the cap.
  • Eight first round picks from the 2022 draft were traded this summer, and four of those were dealt twice: Jalen Duren (Charlotte to New York to Detroit); Walker Kessler (Memphis to Minnesota to Utah); Wendell Moore (Dallas to Houston to Minnesota); and TyTy Washington (Memphis to Minnesota to Houston).
  • Another dozen second round 2022 picks changed hands this offseason, including one that was on the move twice (No. 46 pick Ismael Kamagate from Detroit to Portland to Denver).
  • A total of 15 future first round picks (2023 and beyond) were included in trades this summer, including a pair that changed hands twice. Six of those first round picks were unprotected, while nine included protections.
  • Another 19 future second round picks (2023 and beyond) were also traded, with two of those 19 dealt twice. All but one of those traded second rounders was unprotected.
Retweet 2 Share 0 Send via email0

Community Shootaround: Heat Outlook

August 7th, 2022 at 7:38pm CST by JD Shaw

With the dog days of summer upon us, the NBA’s offseason news cycle has slowed to a halt. Most of the major free agents have signed new contracts, summer league has passed, and many executives are just returning from post-summer league vacations. Contending teams across the league — particularly in the Eastern Conference — have seemingly improved.

The Celtics added Malcolm Brogdon and Danilo Gallinari to provide depth behind their elite starting lineup, the Sixers signed P.J. Tucker to add toughness and versatility, and the Bulls bolstered their bench with veterans Goran Dragic and Andre Drummond. The Bucks did their part by standing pat and retaining all their key pieces. The Hawks added Dejounte Murray, and the Raptors shouldn’t be counted out. For as long as Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant play, neither should the Nets.

Among the missing teams, of course, is the Heat. Miami finished first in the East last season with a 53-29 record. The team made the conference finals and took the Celtics to seven games despite dealing with several injuries. Kyle Lowry, Max Strus, Jimmy Butler, P.J. Tucker, Tyler Herro and Gabe Vincent – six of the top seven in Erik Spoelstra‘s playoff rotation – were all battling health issues during the series.

Miami showed it should be taken seriously. However, with Philadelphia prying Tucker away, a hole remains in the team’s starting group. Veteran forward Markieff Morris is still a free agent. As it stands, Butler will most likely be the team’s starting power forward. With the Sixers getting bigger, Milwaukee sporting a lengthy lineup that features Giannis Antetokounmpo at the four and the Nets potentially going big, trouble may await the Heat if they stand pat.

Many Eastern contenders have the flexibility to play bigger, as well. For example, the Bucks ended their first-round series against the Bulls by playing Antetokoummpo, Bobby Portis and Brook Lopez together, overwhelming Chicago with their size. The team similarly made Miami (and Butler) struggle in the 2021 playoffs due to its length.

The Heat did re-sign Caleb Martin, but at 6’7″, he remains an undersized power forward. Third-string forward Haywood Highsmith is still in the process of proving himself. Miami still has time to trade for a power forward, or it could re-sign a player like Morris, but as it stands, the team is one of the smallest in the league. Unless it commits to playing in transition and blitzing more defensively, it’s hard to foresee another first-place finish in the Eastern Conference.

We want to know what you think. How do you view the Heat’s current outlook? If the season started today, who should they start at power forward? Since the team has two open roster spots (one if Udonis Haslem re-signs), which players would you target to help replace Tucker? If the Heat can’t acquire a superstar like Durant, where should they turn to instead? Take to the comments section below and voice your opinions!

Retweet 4 Share 0 Send via email0

Community Shootaround: 2023 First-Time All-Stars

August 5th, 2022 at 10:53pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

A new NBA season brings with it the promise of a new NBA All-Star Game. And though the actual Sunday games themselves have almost totally lost their luster over the last decade or so, qualifying for the contest itself remains a very big deal for every stripe of player.

Last year, there were seven first-time honorees: Ja Morant, Andrew Wiggins, LaMelo Ball, Dejounte Murray, Fred VanVleet, Jarrett Allen and Darius Garland. Many of those first-timers seem likely to return this season, but invariably some will fall short.

For the 2022/23 season, it seems quite possible that several young hoopers on the rise can take the next steps and reach All-Star glory.

This writer’s smart money is on Timberwolves shooting guard Anthony Edwards, who enjoyed a breakout 2021/22 sophomore season in Minnesota — and not just because today is his 21st birthday. The 2020 No. 1 draft pick out of Georgia increased his output across the board, evolving into a two-way leader for a scrappy playoff-bound Timberwolves club that almost clawed its way past the Grizzlies in a hard-fought first-round matchup.

Across 72 games for the 46-36 Timberwolves, the hyper-athletic 6’4″ wing averaged 21.3 PPG, 4.8 RPG, 3.8 APG, 1.5 SPG and 0.6 BPG. His shooting from the floor improved markedly season-to-season, as he converted 44.1% from the field last year, including connecting on 35.7% of his 8.4 three-point attempts.

Though big man Karl-Anthony Towns was Minnesota’s lone All-Star representative last season, Edwards’s two-way contributions on what projects to be an improved Timberwolves roster could help him a first-time All-Star in 2023. Of course, the addition of three-time Defensive Player of the Year Rudy Gobert alongside Towns means that there are two current multi-time All-Stars nominally ahead of Edwards in the team’s pedigree pecking order. But Edwards has more intriguing two-way upside at this juncture than his starrier comrades.

Reigning Raptors Rookie of the Year forward Scottie Barnes looked like a seasoned pro during his inaugural NBA season. Though VanVleet wound up representing Toronto at the 2022 All-Star Game in Cleveland, Barnes’s ceiling is sky-high. Barnes faces some competition from another teammate for All-Star honors next year. Following a slow start, Raptors forward Pascal Siakam rounded into form by the end of the season, making the All-NBA Third Team. Barnes averaged 15.3 PPG, 7.5 RPG, 3.5 APG, 1.1 SPG, and 0.7 BPG in 74 games played for Toronto, all starts. The team finished the season sporting a 48-34 record, good for the fifth seed in a crowded Eastern Conference.

Despite a disappointing 2022 Western Conference Semifinals performance, Suns big man Deandre Ayton was at the the center of significant speculation this summer. The 2018 No. 1 pick became a restricted free agent, and his fate seemed a bit up in the air when free agency opened. For a while, speculation ran rampant that he could become the focal point of a trade for Nets All-Star Kevin Durant. Later, the Pacers tendered Ayton a maximum four-year, $133MM offer sheet, which Phoenix opted to match. He will remain with the Suns until at least January 15, 2023. There’s a reason Ayton was so coveted: the 24-year-old big man is already an excellent player on both sides of the floor. Should he boost his offensive output this season, he may finally reach All-Star status — with the Suns or elsewhere.

Pistons second-year point guard Cade Cunningham will be joined by a flurry of exciting young prospects this season, chief among them 2022 lottery picks Jaden Ivey and Jalen Duren. Cunningham rounded into form down the stretch of the regular season and joined Barnes on the 2022 All-Rookie First Team. At 6’6″, the jumbo-sized lead guard finished with 17.4 PPG, 5.6 APG and 5.5 RPG on a bottom-feeding Pistons team. Should Detroit rise through the standings to around .500 territory, it seems quite possible that will be as a result of the 20-year-old’s contributions.

Another terrific 2022 All-Rookie First Teamer, Cavaliers big man Evan Mobley, formed a formidable front line tandem alongside first-time 2022 All-Star center Allen. Along with All-Star guard Garland, the trio was largely responsible for Cleveland doubling its win total from the (shortened) 2020/21 season, from a 22-50 record to a 44-38 mark. Mobley’s defense played a major role in that turnaround, while his offense was nothing to sneeze at either. The seven-footer averaged 15.0 PPG on 50.8% shooting from the floor, plus 8.3 RPG, 2.5 APG, 1.7 BPG, and 0.8 SPG in 69 games.

All-Star point guard Ja Morant led the Grizzlies to a surprisingly robust No. 2 seed in the West this season, but he didn’t get there alone. Breakout shooting guard Desmond Bane and 2022 All-Defensive First Team power forward Jaren Jackson Jr. provided ample two-way support for their turbocharged lead ball handler. If Memphis’ team success continue this season, either of those players could make the All-Star cut.

Sixers guard Tyrese Maxey had a better postseason run for Philadelphia in 2022 than his inconsistent All-Star teammate James Harden, who has not looked the same since being hampered by a hamstring injury while with the Nets in 2020/21. The third-year swingman could lap Harden and become the Sixers’ second All-Star inclusion this year alongside All-NBA center Joel Embiid. In his second NBA season, Maxey averaged 17.5 PPG, 4.3 APG, and 3.2 APG on .485/.427/.866 shooting splits. In the playoffs, he averaged 20.8 PPG, 3.9 APG, 3.5 RPG, and 0.8 SPG.

Nuggets guard Jamal Murray seemed to be on-track for All-Star inclusion prior to suffering the ACL tear that knocked him out of the conclusion of the 2020/21 NBA season and the entirety of 2021/22. Should he return to his pre-injury productivity while helping current MPV Nikola Jokic lead Denver to a top-four seed in the Western Conference, Murray may finally be able to make his first All-Star team. Across 48 games in 2020/21, Murray averaged 21.2 PPG, 4.8 APG, 4.0 RPG, and 1.3 SPG, with shooting splits of .477/.408/.869.

Other candidates on this writer’s list include the Heat‘s Sixth Man of the Year Tyler Herro, new Knicks point guard Jalen Brunson, and maybe, just maybe, productive young guards Tyrese Haliburton and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, two players saddled with teams that appear poised to tank in 2022/23. But things can change.

We want to know what you think. Will any of the aforementioned NBA player(s) make their All-Star debuts in Salt Lake City next February? Do you have someone else in mind to take the leap? Head to the comments section below and let us know!

Retweet 3 Share 0 Send via email0
Load More Posts