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Poll: Phoenix Suns Vs. Dallas Mavericks Game 7

May 13th, 2022 at 12:05pm CST by Luke Adams

The Celtics and Grizzlies will be looking to pick up wins on Friday night in the hopes of sending their respective Conference Semifinals to a seventh and deciding game. But as we await the outcomes of those games, we can already look forward to one Game 7 — the Mavericks‘ home victory over the Suns on Thursday assured that the two teams will play a win-or-go-home contest in Phoenix on Sunday.

It has been an unusual series so far, with none of the first six games decided by fewer than seven points. The Suns have won their three home games by an average margin of 19 points per game, but have lost their three road games by more than 15 points per contest. Those home/road splits bode well for the NBA-best Suns, who earned home court advantage with their 64-18 regular season record and will host Game 7.

Still, they’ll be coming off their worst performance of the series, a 29-point blowout loss in Game 6. In Thursday’s Mavs victory, Luka Doncic reinforced his claim as the best player in this series, putting up 33 points, 11 rebounds, eight assists, and four steals while the Suns’ All-Star guards – Devin Booker and Chris Paul – combined for eight turnovers and just seven assists.

As Tim MacMahon of ESPN relays, it was the second game this series in which Paul recorded more turnovers than assists in a game, marking the first time in his career that he has done that more than once in a single postseason.

Suns head coach Monty Williams said after Thursday’s loss that his team didn’t match Dallas’ level of desperation. Starting center Deandre Ayton said Phoenix will have to adjust its intensity level for Game 7.

“It’s got to be a together thing where everybody is on the same page,” Ayton said. “And it wasn’t like that (on Thursday). There were a lot of mistakes. It felt like a regular season game, the amount of mistakes we had today. The turnovers, terrible, unacceptable. It was that type of game where it was just unacceptable, man. Them dudes, they wanted it more.”

The Suns are currently six-point favorites in Game 7, per BetOnline.ag, but if Doncic has another huge game and Booker and Paul aren’t at their best, there’s not a ton of room for error. The Mavs were one of the NBA’s best teams down the stretch – they had a better record than the Suns during the final two months of the regular season – and have shown by forcing a Game 7 that they won’t roll over easily.

What do you think? Will the Suns hang on and advance to the Western Finals for a second consecutive year, or will the Mavs pull off the upset?

Vote in our poll, then head to the comment section below to share your predictions.

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2022 NBA Offseason Preview: Indiana Pacers

May 11th, 2022 at 11:00am CST by Luke Adams

The Pacers entered the 2021/22 season with playoff aspirations, but some bad luck and tight losses derailed the first half of their season, and a series of injuries contributed to their inability to get back on track.

By the trade deadline, the Pacers were looking ahead to the future and decided to send All-Star center Domantas Sabonis to Sacramento in a six-player deal for potential franchise cornerstone Tyrese Haliburton.

The move was typical of an Indiana team that has historically been reluctant to launch a full-fledged rebuild. As was the case when they traded Paul George to Oklahoma City in 2017 for Sabonis and Victor Oladipo, the Pacers preferred to acquire a promising young player rather than far-away draft picks, in the hopes of accelerating their return to the postseason.

With a top-10 pick in hand and some intriguing talent under contract, it will be interesting to see how much patience the front office is willing to exercise this offseason as the retooling process continues.

The Pacers’ Offseason Plan:

We know that Haliburton will be part of the future in Indiana, and it’s a safe bet that 2021 first-rounders Chris Duarte and Isaiah Jackson aren’t going anywhere either. Beyond that, there are some unanswered questions.

Myles Turner was viewed as one of the NBA’s top trade candidates early in the 2021/22 season. With Sabonis gone, will Turner stick around or will the Pacers still be willing to discuss him trade talks? If he’s part of the long-term plans, will Indiana be able to extend him this offseason as he prepares to enter a contract year? Would Turner be open to an extension?

Malcolm Brogdon, meanwhile, is under contract for three more seasons, and could theoretically fit alongside Haliburton, since both players can handle the ball or play off it and neither is a defensive liability. However, there has been some speculation that Brogdon could be dealt, especially if the Pacers want to clear some long-term money from their books. He wasn’t trade-eligible during the season after signing an extension, but he will be this summer. Will Indiana look to move him?

When Buddy Hield was included in the Haliburton trade in February, it wasn’t clear whether he was simply thrown in for salary-matching purposes or if the Pacers envisioned him remaining on the roster beyond the season. His performance in Indiana made that an even more interesting question — his 18.2 PPG and .447 FG% were significant steps up from the numbers he was putting up in Sacramento, and he flashed newfound play-making skills (a career-high 4.8 APG).

Hield has two years and $40MM left on his contract, which looks a little more team-friendly than it did three or four months ago. The Pacers should be able to move him without having to attach other assets, but it’s unclear what their intentions are.

Jalen Smith played well for the Pacers after arriving in a deadline deal, but because his 2022/23 rookie scale team option was declined last year, the team can’t offer him a starting salary higher than about $4.7MM, which may not be enough to bring him back.

I also wouldn’t expect Ricky Rubio or T.J. Warren – neither of whom played a game for Indiana this season – to return, but the team’s final unrestricted free agent, Lance Stephenson, is a good candidate for a new deal. He seems to have found a home in Indiana.

Of course, before they have to make any free agent decisions, the Pacers will have a lot riding on the draft lottery results. Their offseason will take a much different shape if they’re picking in the top three or four than it would if they slip to No. 7 or No. 8.

Salary Cap Situation

Note: Our salary cap figures are based on the league’s latest projection ($122MM) for 2022/23.

Guaranteed Salary

Player Options

  • None

Team Options

Non-Guaranteed Salary

Restricted Free Agents

  • None

Two-Way Free Agents

Draft Picks

  • No. 6 overall pick ($6,498,600)
  • No. 31 overall pick (no cap hold)
  • No. 60 overall pick (no cap hold)
  • Total: $6,498,600

Extension-Eligible Players

Note: These are players who are either already eligible for an extension or will become eligible before the 2022/23 season begins.

  • Goga Bitadze (rookie scale)
  • Buddy Hield (veteran)
  • Myles Turner (veteran)

Unrestricted Free Agents / Other Cap Holds

Offseason Cap Outlook

Taking into account their returning players, Brissett’s team option, and a cap hold for their first-round pick, the Pacers project to have about $94MM in guaranteed money. That number could fluctuate a little one way or the other, depending on their lottery luck, but it puts the team in position to open up at least $20-25MM in cap space.

Taking that route would mean renouncing most of their free agent cap holds, as well as about $35MM in free agency and trade exceptions, detailed below. So the Pacers would need a good reason to renounce those cap charges and operate under the cap. If they have no specific use for the space, they could simply continue to function as an over-the-cap club, retaining all their exceptions.

Cap Exceptions Available

  • Mid-level exception: $10,349,000 5
  • Bi-annual exception: $4,050,000 5
  • Trade exception: $10,500,000
  • Trade exception: $7,333,333
  • Trade exception: $2,320,000
  • Trade exception: $420,049

Footnotes

  1. Taylor’s salary will become fully guaranteed after July 10.
  2. Brissett’s salary will remain non-guaranteed even if his option is exercised.
  3. Washington’s salary will become fully guaranteed after July 6.
  4. The Pacers can’t offer Smith a starting salary worth more than his cap hold, since his 2022/23 rookie scale option was declined.
  5. These are projected values. If the Pacers decide to go under the cap and use cap room, they’ll forfeit these exceptions (and their trade exceptions) and instead gain access to the room exception ($5,329,000).

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

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Community Shootaround: All-NBA Positional Designations

May 10th, 2022 at 4:06pm CST by Luke Adams

Monday’s report stating that Nikola Jokic will win this season’s Most Valuable Player award means that Sixers center Joel Embiid will likely finish as the runner-up in MVP voting for a second straight year. It also means there’s a real chance Embiid could end up on the All-NBA Second Team for a second consecutive year, despite ostensibly being the league’s second-most valuable player.

Unlike the NBA’s All-Star teams, which call for two guards and three frontcourt players, or its All-Rookie teams, which are positionless, the All-NBA squads require voters to select two guards, two forwards, and one center. This means that only one of Jokic or Embiid is in position to make the All-NBA First Team, since both are centers.

This season, the league made Jokic and Embiid eligible at forward as well as center, despite the fact that no reasonable NBA fan could argue that either player spent any real time at power forward this season. The decision is a concession to voters who feel that both players must be on the All-NBA First Team, allowing those voters to essentially disregard positions by listing one of Jokic or Embiid at forward instead of center.

However, it’s a half-measure and one that will likely result in some messy voting results, since a player’s position for All-NBA purposes is the one where he receives the most votes. For instance, let’s say Jokic receives 80 First Team votes (60 as a center and 20 as a forward) and 20 Second Team (as a center) votes, while Embiid receives 60 First Team votes (40 as a center and 20 as a forward) and 40 Second Team votes (as a center).

In that scenario, the result would be the same as last year’s: Jokic would be the All-NBA First Team center, while Embiid would be the Second Team center, even if he has more points than one of the top two forwards, since 80 of his 100 votes came at center, not forward.

In order to have a shot at making the First Team as a forward, Embiid would need over half his voters to list him at forward. And in order for that to happen, at least half of the 100 voters would have to be willing to essentially disregard positions and would have to decide as a group which of the two star centers they’ll list as a forward.

In the grand scheme of things, a spot on the All-NBA Second Team vs. First Team isn’t a big deal, but it’s something we’ll look at down the road when comparing players’ career résumés. The league was willing to make a change to its All-Star voting to reduce the likelihood of an undeserving player making the cut or a deserving player missing out — should it do the same for its All-NBA vote?

We want to know what you think. Are you in favor of keeping the system the way it is, taking the All-Star approach (three frontcourt players instead of two forwards and a center), or removing positions from the equations entirely and asking voters to just select the season’s top 15 players?

If you had a ballot this year, would you have listed one of Jokic or Embiid at forward, or do you like the idea of sticking to the proper positions and putting one of them on the Second Team?

Head to the comment section below to weigh in with your thoughts!

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Poll: Who Will Win Game 4 Of Bucks Vs. Celtics?

May 9th, 2022 at 1:38pm CST by Rory Maher

In our poll before the No. 2 seed Celtics faced the No. 3 seed Bucks in the East’s second round, 62.87% of our respondents predicted Boston to emerge victorious in the series.

Through three games, Milwaukee holds a 2-1 lead in a hotly contested matchup. The first two games were both fairly lopsided, with the Bucks putting on a defensive clinic in Game 1’s 101-89 win, followed by the Celtics making key adjustments in a blowout 109-86 victory in Game 2, holding Milwaukee to just 3-of-18 on three-pointers.

Game 3 had some controversy, as both sides were unhappy with the officiating. The Bucks ultimately emerged victorious by a score of 103-101 after the Celtics missed three put-back attempts in the closing seconds.

Reigning Finals MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo has been the best player in the series to this point, averaging 31.3 points, 11.3 rebounds, 9 assists, 1 steal and 1.7 blocks in 38.1 minutes per contest, although he’s struggled with shooting percentages (.439/.167/.625). In the absence of Khris Middleton, who will miss at least Game 4 (and possibly the rest of the series), Antetokounmpo is carrying a heavy load and will have to continue to play at an extremely high level to triumph over Boston’s top-ranked defense.

For the Celtics, Jaylen Brown (23 points, 9 rebounds, 4.7 assists and 1.3 steals on .489/.417/.867 shooting) and Al Horford (15 points, 12.3 rebounds, 3.7 assists, 1.7 steals and 1.7 blocks on .459/.429/1.000 shooting) have both been fantastic. However, the team needs more from star Jayson Tatum, who shot just 6-of-18 from the field in Game 1 and 4-of-19 in Game 3, sporting an overall slash line of 20 points, 3.3 rebounds, 4.7 assists, 2 steals and 1.7 blocks on .351/.360/.688 shooting.

Wesley Matthews has done a great job shadowing Tatum and making him uncomfortable, but Tatum is 11 years younger (24 vs. 35) and four inches taller (6’8″ vs. 6’4″) than Matthews, so he should still be able to get his shot off. Of course, if he drives to the paint, Antetokounmpo and/or Brook Lopez will be waiting for him, so that makes things more complicated.

Who will Monday’s crucial Game 4? Will it be another nail-biter? We want to know what you think. Vote in our poll, then head to the comment section below to weigh in with your thoughts on Celtics/Bucks!

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2022 NBA Offseason Preview: Oklahoma City Thunder

May 4th, 2022 at 1:50pm CST by Luke Adams

It may feel as if the Thunder have been mired in the rebuilding process forever, but it was less than two years ago that the Chris Paul-led version of the team was competing in the bubble playoffs as a No. 5 seed. Since then, of course, Oklahoma City hasn’t come close to sniffing the postseason and has shown little inclination to try, shutting down a series of players due to injuries after the All-Star break in both 2021 and 2022.

Still, the Thunder haven’t been the NBA’s worst team in the last two years, and they’ve uncovered some potential gems during that stretch. Last year’s No. 6 overall pick, Josh Giddey, looks like the closest thing to a home run so far, but OKC has some other promising young players under contract and has done well to get value out of a player like Kenrich Williams, a throw-in in the Steven Adams sign-and-trade two offseason ago.

Given how many draft picks the Thunder have stockpiled and how few games they’ve won since leaving the 2020 bubble, there will be some fans anxious to see them start pushing their chips into the middle of the table this summer. But Sam Presti, who has no concerns about his job security, won’t be rushed, and appears satisfied to spend at least one more year in the lottery, focused on player development, before he begins to put his foot a little further down on the gas pedal.

The Thunder’s Offseason Plan:

The Thunder will be a team worth watching close before and during the draft, since they still have a ton of unused cap room for the 2021/22 league year. That cap space will essentially disappear at the start of July when the new league year begins and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander‘s maximum-salary extension hits the team’s books, but it’ll be available in June and could be useful to accommodate a salary-dump trade.

Of course, the fact that the Thunder are once again loaded with valuable draft picks will also make them one of the most intriguing teams of the first half of the offseason. Oklahoma City controls four of the top 34 picks of 2022 and will have two lottery selections.

The Thunder didn’t have great lottery luck a year ago, slipping from fourth in the lottery standings to sixth in the draft itself. But with their own pick and the Clippers’ pick in this year’s lottery, their odds of landing the No. 1 overall pick are as good as anyone’s, and they’ll have a better chance than any other team of ending up in the top four. That bodes well, considering some draft experts believe there’s a drop-off after the consensus top four prospects (Chet Holmgren, Jabari Smith, Paolo Banchero, and Jaden Ivey).

All 15 of the Thunder players who finished the season on standard deals remain under contract for next season, so the front office won’t technically have any free agent decisions to make. But the team will still have to make several keep-or-cut calls on players who have team options or non-guaranteed salaries. Some of those decisions will be simple – Williams and Luguentz Dort, both earning $2MM or less, obviously won’t be cut – but I certainly wouldn’t expect everyone to be back.

Presti could also be active on the trade market, if only to help make room for the incoming rookies. Derrick Favors is the most obvious trade candidate on the roster, but it wouldn’t be a surprise to see some young players shopped if they’re not considered long-term cornerstones. Darius Bazley and Ty Jerome, for instance, are both entering contract years and could be trade candidates if OKC doesn’t want to lock them up with extensions.

Among the Thunder’s extension-eligible players, Dort and Williams are the best candidates to receive new deals. The team would be able to offer either player a four-year extension worth up to approximately $60MM.

If the Thunder are concerned about their ability to extend Dort, they do have the option of turning down his team option for 2022/23 in order to make him a restricted free agent. That would make him more expensive in the short term, but would eliminate the possibility of him getting away in unrestricted free agency in 2023. In that scenario, Oklahoma City would also be able to go beyond the four-year, $60MM-ish limit that would apply to an extension.

Salary Cap Situation

Note: Our salary cap figures are based on the league’s latest projection ($122MM) for 2022/23.

Guaranteed Salary

Player Options

Team Options

Non-Guaranteed Salary

Restricted Free Agents

  • None

Two-Way Free Agents

Draft Picks

  • No. 2 overall pick ($9,758,880)
  • No. 12 overall pick ($4,283,400)
  • No. 30 overall pick ($2,164,560)
  • No. 34 overall pick (no cap hold)
  • Total: $16,206,840

Extension-Eligible Players

Note: These are players who are either already eligible for an extension or will become eligible before the 2022/23 season begins.

  • Darius Bazley (rookie scale)
  • Luguentz Dort (veteran) 5
  • Derrick Favors (veteran) 5
  • Ty Jerome (rookie scale)
  • Theo Maledon (veteran)
  • Isaiah Roby (veteran) 5
  • Kenrich Williams (veteran)

Unrestricted Free Agents / Other Cap Holds

Offseason Cap Outlook

The Thunder only currently have about $84MM in guaranteed money on their books for next season, but after accounting for the options most likely to be picked up and the cap holds for three first-round picks, that number jumps to about $117MM. That means the Thunder will almost certainly operate as an over-the-cap team once free agency opens.

It’s possible Oklahoma City will shed some salary in trades and try to gain some cap room, but there would need to be a specific purpose for that cap space. The Thunder showed in 2021/22 when they were only carrying $78MM in guaranteed money and still operated “over” the cap for much of the season that they won’t renounce exceptions and cap holds and go under the cap just for the sake of it.

Cap Exceptions Available

  • Mid-level exception: $10,349,000 7
  • Bi-annual exception: $4,050,000 7

Footnotes

  1. Gilgeous-Alexander’s salary will be worth 25% of the salary cap. If the cap ends up above or below $122MM, this figure will be adjusted upward or downward.
  2. Roby’s salary will remain non-guaranteed until July 3 even if his option is exercised.
  3. Williams’ salary will become fully guaranteed after last day of offseason (mid-October).
  4. Maledon’s salary will become fully guaranteed after June 30.
  5. Dort, Favors, and Roby would only be eligible if their options are exercised.
  6. The cap holds for these players remain on the Thunder’s books from prior seasons because they haven’t been renounced. They can’t be used in a sign-and-trade deal.
  7. These are projected values.

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

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2022 NBA Head Coaching Search Tracker

May 4th, 2022 at 10:27am CST by Luke Adams

With another regular season in the books, a handful of teams around the NBA are making head coaching changes in advance of the 2022/23 campaign.

In the space below, we’ll provide regular updates on the head coaching searches for each club that has yet to give anyone the permanent title. Some of these searches could extend well into the offseason, so be sure to check back often for the latest updates.

You’ll be able to access this page anytime under the “Hoops Rumors Features” menu on the right sidebar on our desktop site, or on the “Features” page in our mobile menu.

Updated 6-28-22 (2:59pm CT)

Completed Searches:

Charlotte Hornets

  • New coach:
  • Previous coach:
  • Offered job:
    • Warriors assistant Kenny Atkinson (story)
  • Also interviewed/considered:
    • Former NBA head coach Mike D’Antoni (story)
    • Mavericks assistant Sean Sweeney (story)
    • Bucks assistant Charles Lee (story)
    • Nets assistant David Vanterpool (story)
    • Former NBA head coach Frank Vogel (story)
    • Former NBA head coach Terry Stotts (story)
    • Bucks assistant Darvin Ham (story)
  • Other rumored candidates/targets:
    • Vanderbilt head coach Jerry Stackhouse (story)
    • Jazz head coach Quin Snyder (story)

Hornets leadership – apparently frustrated by the club’s subpar defense and poor play-in performances – decided this spring that Borrego was no longer the man for the job, despite his solid track record of player development.

The Hornets, said to prefer candidates with previous NBA head coaching experience, ended up meeting with a handful of former head coaches and experienced assistants. Ham was thought to be a serious candidate for the job before he accepted an offer from the Lakers, and D’Antoni and Stotts also reportedly made it deep in the process, but it was ultimately Atkinson who won out — or so it seemed.

Eight days after reportedly reaching an agreement on a four-year deal with the Hornets, Atkinson had a change of heart and decided to remain in his assistant role with the champion Warriors, sending Charlotte back to the drawing board.

With their search back on, the Hornets landed on an unlikely candidate: Clifford, who coached the team from 2013-18. He’s back for a second go-round after leading Charlotte to a pair of playoff appearances during his previous five-year stint. Clifford reportedly signed a three-year deal that includes two guaranteed seasons and a team option.

Los Angeles Lakers

  • New coach:
  • Previous coach:
  • Also reportedly interviewed/considered:
    • Former NBA head coach Terry Stotts (story)
    • Warriors assistant Kenny Atkinson (story)
    • Raptors assistant Adrian Griffin (story)
    • Former NBA head coach Mark Jackson (story)
    • Bucks assistant Charles Lee (story)
  • Other rumored candidates/targets:
    • Sixers head coach Doc Rivers (story)
    • Michigan head coach Juwan Howard (story)
    • Jazz head coach Quin Snyder (story)
    • Raptors head coach Nick Nurse (story)

Vogel, predictably, became the fall guy in Los Angeles for one of the most disappointing seasons in franchise history. The handling of Vogel’s dismissal, the Lakers’ cap inflexibility, and rumors of front office meddling raised questions about the position’s appeal for a number of would-be candidates, especially those who already had head coaching jobs. Targets like Nurse, Rivers, and Howard never seemed realistic.

After narrowing their search down to three reported finalists, the Lakers opted for a first-time head coach – Bucks assistant Ham – over a pair of candidates with previous head coaching experience in Stotts and Atkinson. L.A. will be hoping Ham can replicate the success that first-timers (and former players) like Ime Udoka and Willie Green had in 2021/22.

Ham reportedly agreed to a four-year contract with the Lakers.

Sacramento Kings

  • New coach:
  • Previous coach:
  • Also reportedly interviewed/considered:
    • Former NBA head coach Mark Jackson (story)
    • Former NBA head coach Steve Clifford (story)
    • Former NBA head coach Mike D’Antoni (story)
    • Bucks assistant Darvin Ham (story)
    • Bucks assistant Charles Lee (story)
    • Celtics assistant Will Hardy (story)

Gentry, who replaced Luke Walton during the first half of 2021/22, previously stuck around following interim stints in Detroit and Phoenix to become those teams’ permanent head coaches, but he was unable to replicate that feat in Sacramento, leading the club to an underwhelming 24-41 record to close out the season.

After the Kings decided to replace Gentry, a report indicated that they wanted to hire a defensive-minded head coach who had experience turning a lottery team into a playoff club. Brown (Cleveland), Jackson (Golden State), and Clifford (Charlotte and Orlando) – Sacramento’s three finalists – all fit that bill. The team ultimately chose Brown, hiring him away from a Golden State franchise that Kings governor Vivek Ranadive used to own a stake in.

Brown reportedly received a four-year contract from the Kings.

Utah Jazz

  • New coach:
  • Previous coach:
  • Interviewed/expected to interview:
    • Former NBA head coach Terry Stotts (story)
    • Jazz assistant Alex Jensen (story)
    • Knicks assistant Johnnie Bryant (story)
    • Bucks assistant Charles Lee (story)
    • Celtics assistant Joe Mazzulla (story)
    • Former NBA head coach Frank Vogel (story)
    • Jazz assistant Lamar Skeeter (story)
    • Raptors assistant Adrian Griffin (story)
    • Suns assistant Kevin Young (story)
    • Heat assistant Chris Quinn (story)
    • Mavericks assistant Sean Sweeney (story)
    • Grand Rapids Gold coach Jason Terry (story)
    • Pistons assistant Jerome Allen (story)
    • Sixers assistant Sam Cassell (story)

Speculation about Snyder’s future began well before the Jazz were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs. While Utah reportedly had no interest in replacing Snyder, the veteran coach decided it was time for him to move on after spending the last eight years with the franchise.

With the Jazz expected to consider major roster changes this summer after another disappointing finish to the season, the team was reportedly seeking a coach that could command “buy-in and respect” from Utah’s players. The focus was said to be on candidates who were highly regarded for their player development skills and defensive acumen.

The team cast a wide net and ultimately landed on Celtics assistant Hardy, who served for several years under Gregg Popovich in San Antonio before joining Ime Udoka in Boston. Hardy, a first-time head coach, will be the NBA’s youngest active head coach at age 34.

He reportedly got a five-year deal from Utah.

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Community Shootaround: Best Open Coaching Job

May 2nd, 2022 at 2:54pm CST by Luke Adams

So far, the 2022 offseason hasn’t been an especially busy one on the head coaching carousel. In some years, upwards of one-quarter or one-third of the NBA’s teams make coaching changes once the season ends, but just three clubs are currently searching for someone to fill that job: the Lakers, Kings, and Hornets.

There’s still plenty of time for that to change. Perhaps Quin Snyder will decide to leave the Jazz or longtime Spurs coach Gregg Popovich will opt to retire. It’s also possible a playoff team that falls short of its expectations will make a change. For now though, there’s just those three openings.

The three teams seeking a new head coach have one thing in common: They all expected to make the playoffs in 2021/22 and fell short.

No team missed out on the postseason in more dramatic fashion than the Lakers, who were among the NBA’s title favorites entering training camp. The team was never able to properly acclimate Russell Westbrook to his new team, didn’t get enough production from several veteran reserves, and was hurt by injuries to LeBron James and Anthony Davis.

The Lakers are one of basketball’s marquee franchises and any team with LeBron and AD on the roster is capable of contending, but some candidates may be wary of pursuing the job. The front office, which has been rumored to meddle, has sky-high expectations for the team but lacks the trade assets and cap flexibility to significantly upgrade a roster that finished out of the top 10 in the West. Some veteran coaches might also be turned off by the way the team handled the ouster of Frank Vogel, who won a title for L.A. less than two years ago.

If the Lakers are one of the NBA’s marquee franchises, the Kings are…somewhere on the other end of the spectrum. In 2022, Sacramento set a new league record for futility by missing out on the playoffs for a 16th consecutive season and traded away one of its best recent draftees, second-year guard Tyrese Haliburton, at the trade deadline.

Still, the duo of De’Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis represents a good start, especially on offense. If the team can surround Fox and Sabonis with players who can shoot and defend, there’s some intriguing potential on this roster. Adding those kinds of players is easier said than done, but rookie guard Davion Mitchell has big-time defensive upside and Harrison Barnes is a solid three-and-D wing.

The Hornets, meanwhile, have made the play-in tournament twice in a row, but were blown out and eliminated in their first play-in game both last year and this year. Charlotte looks like a team on the rise, with LaMelo Ball, Miles Bridges, and P.J. Washington still getting better. But Gordon Hayward‘s health problems and a lack of a strong presence at center have limited the team’s ceiling since Ball and Hayward arrived in 2020.

We want to know what you think. Which of these head coaching openings looks most appealing to you? Which do you expect to attract the strongest group of candidates? Which is the least appealing?

Head to the comment section below to weigh in with your thoughts!

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Hoops Rumors Glossary: Cap Holds

May 2nd, 2022 at 1:53pm CST by Luke Adams

The Bulls have approximately $98MM in guaranteed money committed to player salaries for 2022/23. However, even though next season’s salary cap is expected to come in at $122MM, Chicago won’t begin the 2022 offseason with tens of millions in cap room to spend.

In fact, the Bulls technically won’t open the new league year with any cap space at all. Each of Chicago’s own free agents will be assigned a free agent amount – or “cap hold” – until the player signs a new contract or the Bulls renounce his rights.

The general purpose of a cap hold is to prevent teams from using room under the cap to sign free agents before using Bird rights to re-sign their own free agents. If a team wants to take advantage of its cap space, it can renounce the rights to its own free agents, eliminating those cap holds. However, doing so means the team will no longer hold any form of Bird rights for those players — if the team wants to re-sign those free agents, it would have to use its cap room or another kind of cap exception.

The following criteria are used for determining the amount of a free agent’s cap hold:

  • First-round pick coming off rookie contract: 300% of the player’s previous salary if prior salary was below league average; 250% of previous salary if prior salary was above league average.
  • Bird player: 190% of previous salary (if below league average) or 150% (if above average).
  • Early Bird player: 130% of previous salary.
  • Non-Bird player: 120% of previous salary.
  • Minimum-salary player: Two-year veteran’s minimum salary, unless the free agent only has one year of experience, in which case it’s the one-year veteran’s minimum.
  • Two-way player: One-year veteran’s minimum salary.

A cap hold for a restricted free agent can vary based on his contract status. A restricted free agent’s cap hold is either his free agent amount as determined by the criteria mentioned above or the amount of his qualifying offer, whichever is greater.

No cap hold can exceed the maximum salary for which a player can sign. For instance, the cap hold for a Bird player with a salary above the league average is generally 150% of his previous salary, as noted above. But for someone like Wizards star Bradley Beal, who earned $33,724,200 this season, 150% of his previous salary would be north of $50MM, well beyond the projected maximum salary threshold.

Beal’s cap hold – assuming he turns down his 2022/23 player option – will be equivalent to the maximum salary for a player with 10+ years of NBA experience. If we assume a cap of $122MM, that figure works out to $42.7MM.

One unusual case involves players on rookie contracts whose third- or fourth-year options are declined. The amount of their declined option becomes their cap hold, and if the player’s team wants to re-sign him, his starting salary can’t exceed that amount.

For instance, the Suns declined Jalen Smith‘s 2022/23 fourth-year option last fall before trading him to the Pacers during the season. As a result, the Pacers won’t be able to offer Smith a starting salary this offseason worth more than $4,670,160, the amount of that option. That figure will also be his cap hold.

That rule is in place so a team can’t circumvent the rookie scale and decline its option in an effort to give the player a higher salary. It applies even if the player is traded, as in the case of Smith, but only to the team the player is part of at season’s end. So, theoretically, the Suns could now offer Smith a starting salary greater than $4,670,160 this offseason despite being the team that initially turned down his option.

If a team holds the rights to fewer than 12 players, cap holds worth the rookie minimum salary are assigned to fill out the roster. So, even if a front office chooses to renounce its rights to all of its free agents and doesn’t have any players under contract, the team wouldn’t be able to fully clear its cap. An incomplete roster charge in 2022/23 projects to be worth $1,004,159, meaning a team without any guaranteed salary or any other cap holds would have closer to $110MM in cap room than $122MM.

A player who has been selected in the draft but has not yet officially signed his rookie contract only has a cap hold if he was a first-round selection. A cap hold for a first-round pick is equivalent to 120% of his rookie scale amount, based on his draft position. An unsigned second-round pick doesn’t have a cap hold.

Cap holds aren’t removed from a team’s books until the player signs a new contract or has his rights renounced by the club. For example, the Warriors are still carrying cap holds on their books for retired players David West and Matt Barnes, who never signed new contracts since playing for Golden State.

Keeping those cap holds allows teams some degree of cushion to help them remain above the cap and take advantage of the mid-level exception and trade exceptions, among other advantages afforded capped-out teams. If and when the Warriors want to maximize their cap room, they’ll renounce West and Barnes, but they’ve been over the cap and haven’t required any added flexibility since those players became free agents in 2017.

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 and the Basketball Insiders salary pages were used in the creation of this post.

Earlier versions of this post were published in previous years by Luke Adams and Chuck Myron.

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Poll: Phoenix Suns Vs. Dallas Mavericks

May 2nd, 2022 at 8:51am CST by Luke Adams

The Suns were the NBA’s most dominant team in 2021/22. Their 64 regular season wins were eight more than any other team compiled, and their +7.5 net rating ranked first in the league.

However, with Devin Booker banged up for part of their first-round series, it took the Suns six games to beat the upstart Pelicans, and they weren’t exactly blowout victories — Phoenix outscored New Orleans by just nine points across those six games.

While the Suns may have looked more susceptible to a playoff upset in the first round than they did for most of the season, one crucial stat carried over to the postseason. After registering a ridiculous +33.4 net rating in “clutch” situations during the regular season, Phoenix improved that number to +35.0 in the first round.

The Suns’ ability to score late in close games has been crucial all year, and could be a difference-maker as they look to make a deep playoff run. Having Booker back in the lineup will provide a huge boost as well. He missed three games with a hamstring strain, but returned to action on Thursday and has had three full days of rest before Game 1 of the team’s second-round series on Monday. Assuming he’s back to something resembling 100%, Phoenix will enter the Western Conference Semifinals at full strength.

The Suns’ second-round opponent will be a Mavericks team that has advanced beyond round one for the first time since Luka Doncic arrived in Dallas in 2018, having defeated the Jazz in round one. Like Booker, Doncic was unavailable due to a leg injury (calf strain) for three games in the first round, but the Mavs didn’t miss a beat without him, as Jalen Brunson took his game to another level by putting up 32.0 PPG and 5.3 APG in Doncic’s absence.

Brunson and Doncic, both healthy and ready to go for round two, will face more resistance against Phoenix than they did against Utah’s subpar perimeter defense. Defensive Player of the Year finalist Mikal Bridges has evolved into one of the league’s top shutdown defenders, and he’s flanked by a number of solid performers on that end, including Chris Paul and Jae Crowder. Doncic and Brunson are still capable of putting up big numbers, but they’ll have to work a lot harder to do so in round two.

Although Dallas finished the season 12 games back of Phoenix in the standings, the current iteration of the team looked as dangerous as anyone during the season’s final two months. From the time newly-acquired guard Spencer Dinwiddie made his Mavs debut on February 15 through the end of the regular season, no NBA team had a better record than Dallas (19-6).

The Mavs won’t enter their series vs. the Suns as favorites, but they’re an extremely dangerous team that should make life very difficult for the reigning Western Conference champs.

What do you think? Will the Suns make it back to the Western Conference Finals this season, or will the Mavericks pull off the upset? Vote in our poll, then head to the comment section below to weigh in with your thoughts and predictions!

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2022 NBA Offseason Preview: Detroit Pistons

May 2nd, 2022 at 7:32am CST by Luke Adams

The Pistons‘ rebuild took a major step forward when they lucked into the No. 1 overall pick in the 2021 NBA draft, giving them first dibs in what looked to be an exceptional pool of prospects. Detroit’s choice – Cade Cunningham – didn’t win this season’s Rookie of the Year award, but he led all first-year players in points per game and his strong second half reinforced the Pistons’ belief in his ability to be a franchise centerpiece.

The team’s front office and ownership won’t want to rush the roster-building process, but after winning no more than 23 games in each of the last three seasons, they’ll likely be eager to take the next step forward as soon as possible.

With Cunningham and strong secondary pieces like Saddiq Bey and Isaiah Stewart in place, the Pistons are on the right track, but some more good fortune in the lottery (they have a 52.1% chance of securing a top-four pick) would help further accelerate the team’s climb back to playoff contention.

The Pistons’ Offseason Plan:

The Pistons are one of the only NBA teams projected to have cap room available this summer, but to fully take advantage of it, they’ll have to first resolve Marvin Bagley III‘s free agency, since his cap hold ($28MM+) far exceeds his expected salary.

After three-and-a-half relatively underwhelming seasons in Sacramento, Bagley finished the 2021/22 season strong in Detroit, unburdened by the same expectations he faced with the Kings, where he was known as the player the team drafted one spot ahead of Luka Doncic. He averaged 14.6 PPG with a career-best .555 FG% in 18 games as a Piston.

The Pistons, who reportedly liked the athleticism Bagley brought to the frontcourt and want to re-sign him to a multiyear deal, should have a good amount of leverage, given that the former No. 2 overall pick will be a restricted FA and seems unlikely to draw significant interest from many other teams. The three-year deals signed a year ago by big men Khem Birch ($20MM) and Nerlens Noel ($27MM) could be used as points of comparison.

Even after accounting for the cap hold for their lottery pick and a new deal for Bagley, the Pistons are poised to have a good deal of cap space available. The team has been linked to a wide variety of potential free agent targets, ranging from point guards (Jalen Brunson) to wings (Miles Bridges) to centers (Mitchell Robinson), but shouldn’t feel compelled to spend big in free agency — that cap room could just as easily be used to accommodate trades to continue stockpiling draft picks and/or young talent.

Speaking of trades, the Pistons will face a decision this summer on Jerami Grant, who has one season left on the three-year contract he signed in 2020 and will be eligible for an extension of up to four years. Reports at the trade deadline indicated that vice chairman Arn Tellem was more open to the idea of moving Grant than general manager Troy Weaver was, but if Detroit isn’t prepared to extend the veteran forward, perhaps the front office will become more united behind the idea of pursuing a trade this offseason.

A handful of option decisions will impact how the Pistons fill out their bench — Cory Joseph holds a player option and would be a solid backup to Cunningham or a useful trade chip if he opts in. Detroit also has team options on four players: Hamidou Diallo, Frank Jackson, Carsen Edwards, and Luka Garza.

Salary Cap Situation

Note: Our salary cap figures are based on the league’s latest projection ($122MM) for 2022/23.

Guaranteed Salary

Player Options

Team Options

Non-Guaranteed Salary

  • None

Restricted Free Agents

Two-Way Free Agents

Draft Picks

  • No. 5 overall pick ($7,155,120)
  • No. 46 overall pick (no cap hold)
  • Total: $7,155,120

Extension-Eligible Players

Note: These are players who are either already eligible for an extension or will become eligible before the 2022/23 season begins.

  • Jerami Grant (veteran)

Unrestricted Free Agents / Other Cap Holds

Offseason Cap Outlook

Let’s assume the Pistons keep all eight players with guaranteed salaries, re-sign Bagley to a deal starting at $7MM, get the No. 3 overall pick, and bring back all five players who have options. In that scenario, the team would still have over $19MM in cap room.

If the Pistons aren’t committed to picking up all their team options, their cap room could increase to $25-30MM. Of course, Joseph’s option decision, Bagley’s free agency, and possible trades are also wild cards that will affect that number. But if Detroit has a move in mind that requires $20MM-ish in cap space, it looks like it won’t be too difficult to carve out that space.

Cap Exceptions Available

  • Room exception: $5,329,000 1

Footnotes

  1. This is a projected value.

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

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