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And-Ones: McCullough, Trades, 2020 Draft

January 25th, 2019 at 3:27pm CST by Luke Adams

Former first-round pick Chris McCullough has signed a G League contract and entered the NBAGL player pool, tweets Adam Johnson of 2 Ways & 10 Days, noting that the former Syracuse power forward is eligible to be claimed off waivers.

The 29th overall pick in the 2015 draft, McCullough spent a season and a half in Brooklyn, followed by a season and a half in Washington. He appeared in just 59 total games for the two clubs, averaging 3.3 PPG and 1.9 RPG in 9.0 minutes per contest. Most recently, the 23-year-old joined the Pistons for training camp, then played in China for a month in the fall. He’ll be looking to earn another shot in the NBA once he lands with a G League team.

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

  • In an entertaining piece for The Athletic, Sam Amick speaks to veteran front office executives John Hammond (Magic general manager), Travis Schlenk (Hawks general manager), and Mike Zarren (Celtics assistant GM) about the process of negotiating and completing trades in the NBA. The three men revisited some of the deals they’ve made over the years in their current or previous management roles.
  • We’re still about five months away from the 2019 draft, but that didn’t stop ESPN’s Jonathan Givony (Insider-only link) from looking ahead to 2020’s draft. Prep star Jaden McDaniels is Givony’s new pick for the No. 1 prospect in the 2020 class.
  • Keith Smith of Yahoo Sports provides some information on this season’s two-way contracts, listing the 13 deals which run for two years and don’t expire until 2020 (Twitter links). The Sixers, Mavericks, and Grizzlies each have both of their two-way players locked up through the 2019/20 season, per Smith.
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2018/19 NBA Disabled Player Exceptions

January 25th, 2019 at 2:38pm CST by Luke Adams

A disabled player exception can be granted when an NBA team has a player go down with an injury deemed to be season-ending. The exception gives the club some additional spending flexibility, functioning almost as a cross between a traded player exception and a mid-level exception.

We go into more detail on how exactly disabled player exceptions work in our glossary entry on the subject. But essentially, a DPE gives a team the opportunity to add an injury replacement by either signing a player to a one-year contract, trading for a player in the final year of his contract, or placing a waiver claim on a player in the final year of his contract.

Because the rules related to disable player exceptions are somewhat restrictive and the exceptions themselves often aren’t worth a lot, they often simply expire without being used (this year’s deadline is March 11). As ESPN’s Bobby Marks recently observed (via Twitter), only about 29% of the teams that have received DPEs over the years have ended up using them.

Still, it’s worth keeping an eye on which disabled player exceptions have been granted, just in case. Here’s a breakdown of the teams with DPEs available for the 2018/19 league year:

Teams that have been granted disabled player exceptions:

The Mavericks and Grizzlies are probably unlikely to use their disabled player exceptions, as they’re both long shots to make the playoffs — especially Memphis. If they sign a free agent in the coming weeks, it probably won’t be for more than the minimum.

Teams ineligible for disabled player exceptions:

The Suns applied for a disabled player exception for Arthur in the fall, despite the fact that it was unclear what sort of season-ending injury he might have sustained since being acquired three months earlier. Phoenix likely wouldn’t have been granted a DPE anyway, but became ineligible a few days later when they waived Arthur outright.

Indiana had the misfortune of having its star player ruled out for the season after January 15, the deadline to request a disabled player exception. The Pacers have no mid-level, bi-annual, or trade exceptions available, so they’ll have to make do with the minimum salary exception the rest of the way.

We’ll likely add more teams to this list in the coming months as more players go down with season-ending injuries. For now, it’s worth mentioning three other clubs with long-term ailments: The Bulls (Denzel Valentine), Spurs (Dejounte Murray), and Warriors (Damian Jones). None of those teams applied for disabled player exceptions this season, Bobby Marks confirmed to Hoops Rumors.

While the players from that group may all miss the rest of the season, there’s an outside chance that Murray and Jones could return in the spring, which is one reason why those teams might not have sought a disabled player exception. Additionally, no one from that group is earning more than $2.28MM this season, so any DPE would have been extremely limited.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

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Columnist Hopes Pera Knows What He's Doing; Trade Ideas For Conley

January 25th, 2019 at 11:27am CST by Luke Adams
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Grizzlies Granted Disabled Player Exception

January 25th, 2019 at 8:43am CST by Luke Adams

The Grizzlies have been granted a disabled player exception for the 2018/19 season by the NBA, reports Omari Sankofa of The Athletic (Twitter link). The team will have until March 11 to use the exception.

If a player is seriously injured, his team can request a disabled player exception to replace him. In order for the exception to be granted, an NBA-designated physician must determine that the player is “substantially more likely than not” to be sidelined through at least June 15. In the Grizzlies’ case, it’s Dillon Brooks who will be out for the next several months.

[RELATED: Dillon Brooks to miss rest of season]

The disabled player exception allows a club to add a replacement player for 50% of the injured player’s salary, or for the amount of the non-taxpayer’s mid-level exception, whichever is lesser. Brooks’ salary is $1,378,242, so Memphis’ new DPE is worth a very modest $689,121.

While a disabled player exception can be used to trade for a player or claim a player off waivers, the amount of the Grizzlies’ DPE is less than the minimum salary for a rookie, all but eliminating those options.

Memphis could technically use its disabled player exception to sign a player for more than the minimum salary, since that figure prorates over the course of the season — as of today, a rest-of-season minimum contract for a veteran would be worth about $649K.

However, Memphis is already right up against the luxury-tax threshold and would cross that line by using the entire exception. In other words, this DPE is unlikely to be used. Still, it doesn’t hurt to have, especially since the Grizzlies don’t have any of their mid-level exception or bi-annual exception available.

The Grizzlies would have to clear a roster spot in order to use their new exception. Currently, Bruno Caboclo occupies the final spot on the club’s 15-man roster, but his spot will open up if he’s not re-signed once his 10-day contract expires in early February.

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Jazz Eyeing Mike Conley, Otto Porter

January 24th, 2019 at 2:13pm CST by Luke Adams

The Jazz have continued to search for a “dynamic” third piece to add to their star duo of Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert, according to Tony Jones of The Athletic, who hears from sources that Utah has expressed interest in both Mike Conley of the Grizzlies and Otto Porter of the Wizards. Shams Charania of The Athletic wrote on Wednesday about the Jazz’s interest in Porter.

As Jones explains, Utah’s interest doesn’t mean the club will necessarily make an offer for either player. Conley’s and Porter’s contracts will also complicate matters, as both players are owed massive salaries through the 2020/21 season. Still, both players intrigue the Jazz, who may throw their hat into the ring if “circumstances align” and if they feel comfortable with forfeiting future cap room to lock in a productive veteran like Conley or Porter.

Here’s more from Jones on the Jazz:

  • While Conley or Porter would be expensive, their contracts are set to end around the same time Gobert’s deal expires and Mitchell’s second contract will begin, Jones observes. That timeline matches up well with what the Jazz would be looking for — there’s a sense that if they’re going to be aggressive trying to land a pricey impact player, it should happen while Mitchell is still on his rookie contract, says Jones.
  • Jazz general manager Dennis Lindsey will continue to monitor the trade market over the next couple weeks in search of opportunities, according to Jones, who points to last year’s acquisition of Jae Crowder and this season’s trade for Kyle Korver as the sort of smaller-scale deals that have really helped the club.
  • Utah’s front office has “dreams” of being active and aggressive on the 2019 free agent market, sources tell Jones. So if they don’t make any major moves that cut into their future cap room before the trade deadline, the Jazz figure to be a team to watch this summer.
  • The Jazz weren’t caught off guard by Mitchell’s shooting struggles during the first couple months of the season, sources tell Jones. The team knew that a toe injury prevented the second-year guard from working out in the offseason and figured he might be a little slow to get going in his sophomore season. Mitchell has been an efficient scorer so far in 2019, shooting 48.1% from the floor in his last 11 games, including 44.3% on three-pointers, after shooting 40.7% (29.1% on threes) in his first 34.
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Grizzlies Sign Bruno Caboclo To 10-Day Deal

January 24th, 2019 at 11:21am CST by Luke Adams

JANUARY 24: The Grizzlies have officially signed Caboclo to a 10-day contract, the team announced today in a press release. The deal will run through February 2.

JANUARY 21: The Grizzlies are set to fill the opening on their 15-man roster, at least for the next week and a half, by signing forward Bruno Caboclo to a 10-day contract, reports ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (via Twitter).

Caboclo, the 20th overall pick in the 2014 draft, never developed into an NBA rotation player for the Raptors, who traded him to Sacramento in a cost-cutting move at last year’s trade deadline. After his rookie contract expired, the 23-year-old signed a camp contract with the Rockets last summer and was cut before the start of the 2018/19 season.

Although he didn’t stick with Houston for the regular season, Caboclo had been playing for the team’s G League affiliate, the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, so far in 2018/19. In 28 games (28.3 MPG), he averaged 16.4 PPG, 7.1 RPG, and 3.0 BPG with an impressive .516/.428/.744 shooting line.

In Memphis, Caboclo may get a shot at some playing time right away, as the Grizzlies have found themselves short-handed on the wing with Chandler Parsons, Dillon Brooks, and Kyle Anderson all unavailable. Caboclo’s 10-day deal will feature a cap hit of $85,458.

For a full list of this year’s 10-day contracts, including which deals remain active, be sure to check out our tracker. Caboclo’s deal will be added to that tracker once it becomes official.

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NBA Players Who Can’t Be Aggregated In Trades

January 24th, 2019 at 10:44am CST by Luke Adams

The NBA’s Collective Bargaining Agreement includes a rule that states players who are acquired using an exception (ie. not using cap space) can’t be aggregated in a second trade for two months after the original deal.

Aggregating a player in a trade refers to the act of combining his contract with another player’s contract for salary-matching purposes. For instance, an over-the-cap team can’t trade a player with a $5MM salary straight up for a player with a $13MM salary. But if the team aggregates that player with a second player who also earns $5MM, the deal would work.

[RELATED: Hoops Rumors Glossary: Traded Player Exception]

The rule against including a player in an aggregated trade for two months after he’s acquired doesn’t preclude the player’s team from adding him to a multi-player deal. His salary simply can’t be relied upon for matching purposes in such a trade.

For instance, even if a player earning a minimum salary can’t be aggregated in a trade, his team could still attach him to a swap involving a pair of $10MM players, since his minimum-salary cap hit wouldn’t be needed for salary matching.

With those rules in mind, here’s the list of players who have been traded within the last two months and can’t be aggregated in a trade, at least for now:

Restrictions lifting January 29:

Restrictions lifting February 7:

Restrictions not lifting before trade deadline:

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Heat Notes: Ellington, McGruder, Grizzlies, Olynyk

January 23rd, 2019 at 8:40pm CST by Arthur Hill

Trading Wayne Ellington would give the Heat just enough cap relief to escape the luxury tax, writes salary cap expert Albert Nahmad for HeatHoops. Miami currently projects to be $6.2698MM over the tax line and Ellington’s salary is $6.27MM, so if the Heat can find a deal in which they don’t take any money back, they would be in the clear by $159.

However, Nahmad notes that won’t be easy to accomplish. Only six teams have the ability to make such a trade with Miami, but the Hornets and Pistons would put themselves into tax territory, the Thunder and Wizards are already over the threshold and may not want to take on more salary and the Kings aren’t likely to be interested in using their cap room because they already have Buddy Hield.

Nahmad identifies the Nuggets, who are $6.9MM below the tax line and have a pair of trade exceptions worth $12.8MM and $13.8MM, as the most likely team to take on Ellington. His salary would be pro-rated at $2.2MM if he’s acquired at the February 7 deadline, and the Heat can trade up to $5.3MM in cash to help offset that.

However, it’s not certain that another shooter is Denver’s top priority. Any other club that trades for Ellington would have to send out at least $3.5MM in salary, which means a third team would have to get involved to make it work for Miami. Nahmad cites the Lakers, Rockets and possibly the Thunder as other potential contenders for Ellington.

There’s more news from Miami:

  • The Heat have been working on deals to ease their overcrowded roster and Rodney McGruder may be a candidate to get traded, a source tells Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald. The source adds that McGruder would be a good fit for the Celtics, who could use an all-around role player and wouldn’t mind adding his expiring $1.5MM contract. The Heat may not get more than a second-round pick for McGruder, but won’t be in a great position to re-sign him this summer because of their cap situation.
  • In the same story, Jackson states that the Heat don’t seem like a good fit for the Grizzlies’ Marc Gasol or Mike Conley, who are reportedly now available on the trade market. Jackson cites Conley’s $32.5MM salary for next season and $34.5MM in 2020/21 as too much for Miami to take on, while Memphis may not be interested in the collection of players — James Johnson, Kelly Olynyk and Dion Waiters — that would need to be included to match the salaries of Gasol and Chandler Parsons, whom the Grizzlies would like to move in a trade involving the center.
  • Olynyk is the latest player to fall out of the Heat’s frequently changing rotation, notes Ira Winderman of The Sun-Sentinel. The backup center didn’t play in the second half Saturday, then was held out of Monday’s game. “You look at the game saying, ‘I definitely think I can help out there. I can make an impact, make a difference,'” Olynyk said. “But Coach has to do his job and I don’t envy him, because it’s not an easy job.
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Celtics Notes: Grizzlies’ Pick, Irving, Trade Deadline, Smart

January 23rd, 2019 at 6:14pm CST by Arthur Hill

If the Grizzlies commit to rebuilding, the Celtics could wind up with a valuable trade asset, writes Chris Forsberg of NBC Sports Boston. The Celtics are owed a future first-round pick from Memphis that will have declining protections over the next three seasons.

The selection, which was acquired in a three-team deal in 2015 that also involved the Pelicans, is top-eight protected this season, top-six protected in 2020 and completely unprotected in 2021. Memphis got off to a 12-5 start this year, but is just 7-23 since November 21 and has fallen to sixth in our latest Reverse Standings.

A report out of Memphis this week indicates that the organization is listening to trade offers involving veteran stars Marc Gasol and Mike Conley. If the Grizzlies launch a youth movement, the Celtics could end up with an asset similar to the 2018 Nets pick that they sent to Cleveland as part of the Kyrie Irving deal. It could give Boston an edge in the pursuit of Anthony Davis or any other elite player who might become available.

There’s more out of Boston:

  • Several of Irving’s former teammates in Cleveland talked to Joe Vardon of Cleveland.com about whether he might go back on his verbal commitment to re-sign with the Celtics this summer and if he might consider teaming up with LeBron James again as a Laker. “Anything is possible,” said Tristan Thompson. “One day he could wake up and think about it. Just the possibility for y’all to think about it. There’s a method to the madness.” However, a league sources tells Vardon that an L.A. reunion is unlikely because Irving hasn’t changed in his desire to be “the man” wherever he plays.
  • Jay King of The Athletic examines the Celtics’ options at the trade deadline and how they could be impacted by free agency. Marcus Morris will be an unrestricted free agent this summer, Al Horford and Aron Baynes both have player options and Terry Rozier and Daniel Theis will be restricted. King states that management may check into offers for Rozier and Theis, but believes they will keep both as insurance in case someone gets hurt during the playoffs.
  • King also considers whether the Celtics might try to get underneath the luxury tax this season, considering the sizable payments looming in the future. With the team projected to be about $3MM over the tax line, that would mean sending out Rozier’s contract in a salary dump, which King doesn’t expect to happen.
  • Marcus Smart was fined $35K for charging after the Hawks’ DeAndre’ Bembry in an altercation in Saturday’s game, the league office announced.
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Grizzlies Rumors: Gasol, Conley, Temple, Green

January 23rd, 2019 at 12:53pm CST by Luke Adams

Asked today about the report that the Grizzlies are open to listening to trade inquiries on them, Marc Gasol and Mike Conley told reporters, including David Cobb of The Memphis Commercial Appeal, that they’re in wait-and-see mode since those discussions are out of their hands. Conley also confirmed that he received a phone call from owner Robert Pera on Tuesday confirming that the team is listening to offers, as Cobb notes.

“When I signed back a couple years ago, that’s a thought that goes through your head that, ‘Man, I could play in the same place for 14 or 15 years,'” Conley said. “That’d be awesome, and hopefully retire one day as a Grizzly. You also understand that in three, four years a lot can happen and a lot can change. Memphis is all I know. This is my home. I love everybody here and my teammates and the organization. I don’t know any better. This is new grounds for me, so we’ll just see how it plays out.”

Gasol, who also expressed a love for Memphis and said that being traded wouldn’t change how he feels about the city and the fans, was surprised to hear that Conley’s name was being mentioned in trade rumors alongside his own, since the veteran point guard remains under contract for multiple seasons.

“I don’t understand why Mike is in those talks either,” Gasol said, per Cobb. “Mike is one heck of a player, and we’re going to need good players moving forward. I don’t understand why Mike is in this.”

Let’s round up a few more notes on Gasol, Conley, and the Grizzlies…

  • Chris Mannix of SI.com writes that the Grizzlies may have waited too long to make Gasol and Conley available, and suggests – based on a survey of NBA team executives – that the duo’s trade value probably won’t be all that high. “Marc, defensively, is pretty limited,” an Eastern scout told Mannix. “Physically, he can’t stay in front of a lot of switches.” A Western exec offered a more optimistic assessment of Conley’s stock: “They could get something for Conley. He’s healthy, and there are a lot of teams desperate for a point guard. They play it right, he could get them a lottery pick.”
  • Chris Herrington of The Daily Memphian identifies a series of hypothetical trade partners for the Grizzlies in a Gasol or Conley trade, arguing that the Mavericks look like the “cleanest” fit for Conley, since Dennis Smith Jr. and Wesley Matthews‘ expiring contract would be a good starting point. That’s just Herrington’s speculation though.
  • Omari Sankofa II of The Athletic takes an in-depth look at the Grizzlies’ trade deadline options, proposing some hypothetical swaps involving Conley and Gasol and identifying Garrett Temple and JaMychal Green as possible trade chips.
  • Earlier today, Shams Charania of The Athletic passed along some Grizzlies-related trade rumors, reporting that the team has attempted to engage the Hawks on a deal involving Chandler Parsons and that Green is expected to generate interest around the league.
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