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Central Notes: Livingston, Mathurin, Pacers, Pistons Rotation

September 25th, 2024 at 9:26pm CST by Tristan Tucker

Still just 20 years old, Bucks forward Chris Livingston has a year of professional ball under his belt after being the final pick of the 2023 draft. Despite being a contending team with few available minutes for a rookie, the Bucks showed their confidence in Livingston by giving him a multiyear deal when many players drafted before him received two-way offers.

Now, Livingston is hoping for more minutes with Milwaukee to help the team take another step forward, Jim Owczarski of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel writes in a subscriber-only story.

“It’s a fine line between being hungry and also being realistic, I guess you could put it like that,” Livingston said. “Me, believing in myself and believing in my game but also staying patient and understanding that things take time. Whether that’s carving out a role, earning the trust from the coaching staff – especially since we had a new coaching staff the second half of the season anyway – so just continuing to be patient and just learn throughout the process and understand this is what it’s going to be and just making the most of my situation.”

Livingston averaged 13.7 points, 7.0 rebounds, 1.2 steals, and 1.0 block per game while shooting 48.2% from the field and 37.1% on three-pointers in 21 contests with the Wisconsin Herd in the G League last season. According to Owczarski, the 20-year-old worked a ton on his all-around game this offseason. He’ll join the likes of Andre Jackson Jr., A.J. Green, MarJon Beauchamp and the Bucks’ rookies — AJ Johnson and Tyler Smith — as young players hoping to break into the rotation.

We have more from the Central Division:

  • Bennedict Mathurin earned All-Rookie honors in 2022/23 and joined the starting lineup as the season wore on. Last year, he began the season in the starting lineup but was removed mid-year. Having torn his labrum in March, Mathurin missed the rest of the season and finished with just 19 starts. According to IndyStar’s Dustin Dopirak, the Pacers say they’re pleased with Mathurin’s progress, but they don’t think he has to be a part of the starting lineup to make an impact. “He wants to feel like he’s contributing,” Pacers general manager Chad Buchanan said on Tuesday. “I think he recognizes, ‘Hey, we found a group last year that plays well together.’ He’s got to figure, ‘Where do I fit into that group. Is it trying to fit in as a starter? Is it being a primary scorer off the bench? What is that role?’ I think a lot of that is determined in training camp. … His role is to be determined, and it’s in his hands.” Mathurin will be extension-eligible next offseason.
  • If Mathurin returns and continues getting better and the Pacers are able to improve their defense, they’ll be a strong contender to make it back to the Eastern Conference Finals, Gregg Doyel of IndyStar opines (subscriber link). Indiana returns most of the core that went to the ECF this past spring.
  • The Pistons’ starting lineup heading into the year seems uncertain outside of Cade Cunningham and Tobias Harris, Keith Langlois of Pistons.com writes. Jalen Duren makes sense to hold down the middle, while Malik Beasley and Ausar Thompson could add shooting and perimeter defense, respectively. Langlois also speculates on what Detroit’s second unit could look like.
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Pacers GM Hoping To Retain Turner Beyond This Season

September 24th, 2024 at 9:07pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Pacers are hoping to re-sign starting center Myles Turner next offseason, general manager Chad Buchanan told the media on Tuesday.

“We’re big believers in Myles,” Buchanan said. “We want him to be here.”

Turner, who will make $19,928,500 this season, will be an unrestricted free agent next summer. Complicating matters for Indiana is that Turner will not become extension-eligible before free agency.

As Dustin Dopirak of the Indianapolis Star points out, when Turner signed a two-year contract extension in January 2023, he and the Pacers also renegotiated of the final year of his previous contract. Typically, players become extension-eligible on the two-year anniversary of their previous signing, but renegotiating a contract pushes that timeline to three years.

The Pacers will have a small window after the NBA Finals to negotiate with Turner before other teams can come calling, thanks to a new rule allowing teams to exclusively negotiate with their own free agents between the end of the Finals and June 30.

Turner is an impact player at both ends of the floor. He averaged 17.1 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 1.9 blocks per game last season. He has led the league in blocks twice and is also a respectable three-point shooter (35.4% for his career).

“His development fit with (coach Rick Carlisle’s) system,” Buchanan said. “He fit with our point guards. Fit with Pascal. You see how he seamlessly fits into the way we play.”

Re-signing Turner may not be a simple process, as Indiana has long-term salary cap concerns. Tyrese Haliburton and Siakam are on maximum-salary contracts, while forward Obi Toppin and guards Andrew Nembhard and T.J. McConnell each signed long-term deals worth eight figures annually this offseason.

The Pacers will likely have to exceed the luxury tax threshold in 2025/26 to pay Turner market value and retain their core group.

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Eastern Notes: Stewart, Pistons, Krauskopf, Heat Arena

September 23rd, 2024 at 6:00pm CST by Dana Gauruder

With Mitchell Robinson now targeting December or January for his return to action from ankle surgery, the Knicks are seeking more depth in the middle, according to James Edwards III of The Athletic.

New York has spent a good portion of the last few months scouring the league for another frontcourt player, Edwards reports. One of those potential targets is the Pistons’ Isaiah Stewart.

Stewart’s four-year, $60MM extension kicks in this season and includes a club option. He’s expected to fight for playing time at both power forward and center for the revamped Pistons.

The Pistons received numerous inquiries on Stewart before he signed the extension. Injuries limited him to 46 games last season.

We have more from the Eastern Conference:

  • Speaking of the Pistons and Stewart, Omari Sankofa II of the Detroit Free Press (subscription required) examines three position battles heading into Detroit’s camp. That includes Stewart and Jalen Duren squaring off for the starting center job. There will also be camp battles for backup point minutes behind Cade Cunningham, as well as numerous candidates elbowing for playing time at the forward spots.
  • Kelly Krauskopf is leaving her post as the Pacers’ assistant GM to become the president of basketball and business operations for the WNBA’s Indiana Fever, Dustin Dopirak of the Indianapolis Star relays via a press release from Pacers Sports and Entertainment. Krauskopf was the Fever’s president and GM from the team’s inception in 2000 until 2018. She was then hired by the Pacers and became the first woman in league history to hold an executive basketball management role. “I want to thank (Pacers president) Kevin Pritchard for asking me to join his management staff six years ago. There’s no doubt that experience will serve me well as I enter this next chapter,” she said.
  • Kaseya Center, the current name of the Heat‘s home arena, has undergone a series of multimillion-dollar facility upgrades, according to Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald. The arena upgrades include a new scoreboard, new lighting and audio systems and a new retractable seating system in the lower bowl. The upgrades were made this summer.
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Pre-Camp Roster Snapshot: Central Division

September 21st, 2024 at 3:56pm CST by Luke Adams

Hoops Rumors is in the process of taking a closer look at each NBA team’s current roster situation, evaluating which clubs still have some moves to make and which ones seem most prepared for training camp to begin.

This series is meant to provide a snapshot of each team’s roster at this time, so these articles won’t be updated in the coming weeks as more signings, trades, and/or cuts are made. You can follow our roster counts page to keep tabs on teams’ open spots as opening night nears.

We’re continuing our pre-camp Roster Snapshot series today with the Central Division. Let’s dive in…

Chicago Bulls

The Bulls could set their 21-man training camp roster by officially signing Liddell, who is believed to have agreed to an Exhibit 10 deal. However, there are still questions about what their 18-man regular season roster will look like, even if Chicago doesn’t make any preseason trades.

The Bulls have just 14 players on guaranteed standard contracts, leaving the 15th spot open for a roster hopeful like Bitim, Horton-Tucker, or Lofton. The club also has a two-way slot available.

While Horton-Tucker isn’t eligible for a two-way contract, Domask, Lofton, and Liddell are. Bitim would be too, but he can’t be converted directly to a two-way deal since he’s not on an Exhibit 10 contract — he’d need to be cut and then re-signed after clearing waivers.

Cleveland Cavaliers

The Cavaliers‘ 11 players on fully guaranteed salaries represents the lowest total of any NBA team. But Merrill and Porter are locks to be on the regular season roster, so at least 13 standard spots are accounted for, and the team reportedly doesn’t intend to carry a 15th man into opening night for financial reasons.

Presumably, Thompson will open the season as the 14th man, but that’s not set in stone, since he’s not owed any guaranteed money. The Cavs could still bring in another veteran to challenge for that job.

Even after signing Brown, Cleveland will have three open spots on its 21-man roster, so more Exhibit 10 signings are likely around the corner too.

Detroit Pistons

With over $10MM in cap room still available and only 13 players on guaranteed contracts, the Pistons are one of the NBA’s top candidates to make a move impacting their regular season roster in the next month.

That’s not a lock though. If they hang onto Reed, as expected, the Pistons will have the required 14 players for opening night. And if they want to maximize their remaining cap room in order to accommodate as many potential in-season trade opportunities as possible, they may be reluctant to add even a minimum-salary player as a 15th man.

While it’s an open question whether or not Detroit will fill out its standard 15-man roster, it’s safe to assume the team will carry a third two-way player into the season. We’ll see whether McCoy, Smith, Estrada, and/or Seabron get a chance to compete for that spot or whether the Pistons have any other specific targets in mind. For what it’s worth, the club could add one more player to its 21-man preseason roster even after officially signing Estrada and Seabron.

Indiana Pacers

The partial guarantees held by Johnson and Wiseman will give them the upper hand to join the Pacers‘ dozen players on fully guaranteed contracts as part of the standard opening night roster. That would leave Brown and Swider vying for the 15th spot, with no guarantee that Indiana – within spitting distance of the luxury tax line – would retain either one.

The Pacers, who are already carrying 19 total players, wouldn’t be able to finalize all three of their reported Exhibit 10 deals without waiving someone. That math suggests that at least one of those Exhibit 10 recipients – and maybe more than one – will be cut shortly after he signs, with Indiana rotating players in and out of those back-end roster spots.

Milwaukee Bucks

The Bucks have a hefty projected tax bill to consider, but it still doesn’t make sense to waive Jackson, given that half of his $1.89MM salary is guaranteed. He’ll make that money whether or not he opens the season on the roster, so it looks like Milwaukee will carry a full 15-man squad into opening night.

With all 21 preseason roster spots filled, including all three of their two-way slots, the Bucks don’t need to make any changes before camp begins. Unless one of the camp invitees has a huge fall and pushes one of the current two-way players out, I’d expect Milwaukee’s only preseason roster moves to consist of signing and waiving Exhibit 10 players.

Previously:

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And-Ones: Sports Betting, NBA Offseason, Injury Returns

September 21st, 2024 at 12:10pm CST by Luke Adams

While the NBA is in favor of federal regulations for sports betting, the league doesn’t unequivocally support the bill introduced last week in Congress, which is considered to have both positives and negatives, per David Purdum of ESPN.

The Supporting Affordability and Fairness with Every Bet Act, also known as the “SAFE Bet Act,” would prohibit sportsbook advertising from 8:00 am to 10:00 pm (and during live sports broadcasts) and would ban in-game betting. The proposal to eliminate live wagering is one aspect of the bill likely to be opposed by the NBA and other sports leagues, given the increasing popularity of that form of betting, notes Purdum.

A league source tells Purdum that the NBA is keeping an eye on the legislation and views it as a “starting point to a very lengthy process.”

Here are more odds and ends from around the

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Eastern Notes: Heat, Haliburton, Raptors, Wizards

September 17th, 2024 at 11:33am CST by Luke Adams

The Heat are currently operating below the second tax apron by approximately $1.2MM with 14 players on guaranteed contracts. Adding a 15th man on a minimum-salary deal would push the team’s salary above the second apron, prohibiting the front office from aggregating salaries or sending out cash in a trade.

As Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel acknowledges in a mailbag, the Heat could carry a 15th man on a non-guaranteed contract to open the regular season, essentially paying that player by the day and then waiving him to sneak back below the second apron if needed for an in-season deal. But Miami is more concerned about being able to carry a 15th man later in the season during the playoff race, according to Winderman, who anticipates the team will keep its final standard roster spot open this fall.

For what it’s worth, if the Heat do want to carry 15 players and surpass the second apron, they’d be able to do that and could still aggregate salaries in a trade as long as they sent out more salary than they took back in that trade, moving below the second apron as a result of the transaction. In that scenario, they’d be hard-capped at the second apron for the rest of the season.

Here’s more from around the East:

  • Asked last week during an appearance on ESPN’s Pat McAfee Show (YouTube link) about rumors that he was attempting to recruit his Team USA teammates to the Pacers during his Olympic experience this summer, star guard Tyrese Haliburton suggested that story was overblown. “I think there was recruiting going on from everybody, but me saying that got blown out of proportion because I play in the smallest market,” Haliburton said. “… I’m not going anywhere. So if (anyone) wants to play with me, they’d have to come (to Indiana).”
  • With Scottie Barnes, Immanuel Quickley, RJ Barrett, and Jakob Poeltl locked in as starters, who will claim the fifth spot in the Raptors‘ starting five? Eric Koreen of The Athletic explores that question in an article examining Toronto’s depth chart and rotation, speculating that Gradey Dick will be the fifth starter and that rookie Ja’Kobe Walter will get a shot at rotation minutes this fall.
  • The Capital City Go-Go – the Wizards‘ G League affiliate – announced that they’ve acquired Erik Stevenson‘s returning rights from the Texas Legends (Mavericks) in exchange for a 2024 first-round pick and Jake Stephens‘ returning rights (Twitter link). The move suggests that Stevenson, a former West Virginia standout who played for the Wizards in Summer League, will be with Washington’s G League team to open the 2024/25 season and could be a candidate for a preseason Exhibit 10 contract.
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Checking In On Early 2024/25 Roster Battles

September 14th, 2024 at 11:03am CST by Tristan Tucker

Each year, a handful of teams prefer to bring in players to battle it out for the last remaining spots on a given roster. Let’s take a look at a few training camp battles that are already brewing ahead of October.

Chicago Bulls

The Bulls have been busy in recent weeks, filling out their training camp roster with proven talent. The Bulls have 15 players on standard contracts, but Onuralp Bitim‘s deal is non-guaranteed. In addition, Chicago has two open two-way slots. The Bulls have four players — Talen Horton-Tucker, Kenneth Lofton Jr., E.J. Liddell and Marcus Domask — signed to training camp deals.

Exhibit 10 contracts can be converted to two-way contracts at any time. Horton-Tucker is the only player of that batch who is ineligible for a two-way contract, since he is at five years of NBA service. That gives the Bulls a handful of options for their opening night roster.

In essence, Bitim and Horton-Tucker seem to be battling it out for the Bulls’ 15th roster spot, while Lofton, Liddell and Domask all appear to be candidates for the team’s open two-way slots. Of course, if the Bulls opt to move on from Bitim on a standard deal, they could attempt to re-sign him to a two-way deal. They could also just carry 14 players on the standard roster to begin the year.

New York Knicks

As we detailed Saturday morning, Landry Shamet and Chuma Okeke appear to be battling for the Knicks’ 15th roster spot. Of course, there’s no guarantee that either player will make the roster, but each has a decent case to make the team.

Shamet is a proven three-point shooter while Okeke is a versatile forward who is a previous 16th overall pick. The Knicks will likely assess in training camp what their biggest need is and keep the player who best fits that niche heading into the year.

Indiana Pacers

The Pacers have a handful of players on non-guaranteed or partially contracts heading into the season. However, previous reporting seems to indicate that the team’s final roster spot will come down to either Kendall Brown or Cole Swider.

Brown is an athletic forward who was the 48th overall pick in the 2022 draft. He has spent the last two seasons with the Pacers but has also appeared in just 21 total games. Meanwhile, the Pacers signed Swider to a training camp contract this offseason that doesn’t include Exhibit 10 language. Swider is a known three-point shooter who spent last season with the Heat and helped Miami to a summer league championship this offseason.

James Wiseman and James Johnson each have partially guaranteed salaries with the Pacers.

The others

Other teams across the league are poised to either carry just 14 players on standard deals to begin the year or already have their 15-man rosters determined. However, some of those teams have unsettled two-way roster slots.

The Heat have their standard roster filled out, but summer standout Isaiah Stevens is on an Exhibit 10 deal. It seems like Stevens will battle Dru Smith — who currently holds a two-way deal — outright for that spot.

The Hornets have Moussa Diabate and KJ Simpson on two-way deals but have another spot open. Keyontae Johnson could be an option for that spot. Charlotte also has a potential opening on the 15-man roster, with four players signed to Exhibit 10 deals and another agreed to.

The Wizards also have an open two-way slot. Washington signed Leaky Black, Kira Lewis and Jaylen Nowell to Exhibit 10 contracts, but only Black is eligible for a two-way deal. The Wizards also have 15 players on guaranteed contracts, with Jared Butler and his non-guaranteed deal possibly on the outside looking in unless they make a trade.

The Clippers have RayJ Dennis, Kai Jones and Elijah Harkless signed to Exhibit 10 deals. The team also has an agreement with Kevon Harris for another such spot. With only Jordan Miller and Trentyn Flowers on two-way contracts, all of Dennis, Jones, Harkless and Harris are eligible for the team’s third.

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And-Ones: Watson, First-Rounders, Trade Targets, Punter

September 13th, 2024 at 6:36pm CST by Rory Maher

Former Suns head coach Earl Watson is joining Steve Lavin‘s coaching staff at the University of San Diego, sources tell NBA insider Chris Haynes (Twitter link). It’s a reunion for the two sides — Watson played under Lavin in college at UCLA.

Watson, who played 13 NBA seasons as a defensive-minded point guard, was an assistant with Phoenix before being named interim and then full-time head coach. He was fired at the start of the 2017/18 season. The 45-year-old was an assistant coach under Nick Nurse with Toronto from 2021-23.

Here are a few more odds and ends from around the basketball world:

  • Which NBA teams hold the most valuable future first-round picks? Bobby Marks of ESPN explores that topic (subscriber link), ranking the Spurs No. 1, followed by the Thunder, Nets, Jazz and Rockets. As Marks writes, San Antonio doesn’t have the most picks among those teams, but the selections they do control could be very valuable — in 2025, they control their own pick, the Hawks’ first-rounder (unprotected), a top-10 protected first from Chicago, and a top-14 protected first from Charlotte, the latter of which seems unlikely to convey.
  • Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report lists one “realistic” trade target for every NBA team. According to Pincus, Pacers wing Bennedict Mathurin would make sense as a target for the Hawks and Nets, while Jazz center Walker Kessler could be a logical fit for Indiana.
  • Former Tennessee star Kevin Punter has thrived in Europe since he went undrafted in 2016. In an interview posted by his Spanish club FC Barcelona (Twitter video link), Punter said he used to dream of playing in the NBA. Now? He’s not sure. “When I was younger, my dream was to play the NBA,” Punter said (hat tip to Eurohoops). “That’s all you know growing up, when you play in America. That is all we talk about. That is all you watch. That was my dream. Is it my dream now? To be honest with you, I don’t know. It used to be, but as you get older, a lot of things change, a lot of things become different. You realize a lot of certain things that have nothing to do with basketball.” The 31-year-old said he had serious contract talks with the Raptors in 2023.
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2024/25 NBA Over/Unders: Central Division

September 13th, 2024 at 7:46am CST by Luke Adams

With the 2024/25 NBA regular season set to tip off next month, we’re getting serious about predictions for the upcoming campaign and continuing an annual Hoops Rumors tradition.

With the help of the lines from a series of sports betting sites – including Bovada and BetOnline – we’re running through the predicted win totals for each of the NBA’s 30 teams, by division. In a series of team-by-team polls, you’ll get the chance to weigh in on whether you think those forecasts are too optimistic or too pessimistic.

In 2023/24, our voters went 16-14 on their over/under picks. Can you top that in ’24/25?

We’ll continue our series today with the Central Division…

Milwaukee Bucks

Cleveland Cavaliers

Indiana Pacers

Chicago Bulls

Detroit Pistons

Previous voting results:

Atlantic

  • Boston Celtics (58.5 wins): Over (69.7%)
  • New York Knicks (53.5 wins): Over (58.8%)
  • Philadelphia 76ers (52.5 wins): Under (51.7%)
  • Toronto Raptors (30.5 wins): Under (58.7%)
  • Brooklyn Nets (19.5 wins): Over (54.3%)

Southwest

  • Dallas Mavericks (49.5 wins): Over (78.0%)
  • Memphis Grizzlies (47.5 wins): Under (65.6%)
  • New Orleans Pelicans (46.5 wins): Under (60.6%)
  • Houston Rockets (43.5 wins): Under (51.4%)
  • San Antonio Spurs (36.5 wins): Under (52.9%)

Southeast

  • Orlando Magic (47.5 wins): Over (57.1%)
  • Miami Heat (44.5 wins): Under (63.1%)
  • Atlanta Hawks (35.5 wins): Under (66.4%)
  • Charlotte Hornets (29.5 wins): Under (63.1%)
  • Washington Wizards (20.5 wins): Under (56.6%)

Northwest

  • Oklahoma City Thunder (56.5 wins): Over (68.1%)
  • Minnesota Timberwolves (52.5 wins): Over (65.2%)
  • Denver Nuggets (51.5 wins): Over (54.3%)
  • Utah Jazz (29.5 wins): Under (60.1%)
  • Portland Trail Blazers (22.5 wins): Under (54.7%)
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Pacers Have Three Option Decisions To Make By The End Of October

September 8th, 2024 at 12:59pm CST by Arthur Hill
  • With their roster virtually set for the upcoming season, the Pacers are facing three option decisions that should be easy, per Tony East of Sports Illustrated. Indiana has until October 31 to pick up the third-year options for Ben Sheppard and Jarace Walker, along with the fourth-year option for Bennedict Mathurin. All three players appear to be part of the team’s future, so there’s no reason to part with any of them. The options would pay Sheppard $2.8MM, Walker $6.6MM and Mathurin $9.1MM for the 2025/26 season.
  • The Pacers announced in a press release that they have added Dr. Jaimie Rubin as Director of Sport Psychology and Team Wellness.
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