Miami Heat Rumors | Hoops Rumors

James Johnson Underwent Sports Hernia Surgery

May 28th, 2018 at 11:40am CST by Luke Adams

Heat forward James Johnson underwent surgery for a sports hernia, league sources tell Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link). According to Charania, Johnson had the procedure sometime recently, following Miami’s elimination from the playoffs.

Johnson, 31, averaged 10.8 PPG, 4.9 RPG, and 3.8 APG with a .503 FG% for the Heat in 2017/18. He started 41 of the 73 games he played for the club this season, and was a crucial part of Miami’s rotation.

Having signed a long-term contract with the Heat during the summer of 2017, Johnson remains under contract with the franchise for two more guaranteed years, with a player option for 2020/21. Assuming he plays out his full deal, he’ll earn about $46MM over the next three seasons.

While the Heat have yet to issue a statement on Johnson’s postseason surgery, the procedure seems unlikely to affect his ability for the 2018/19 season. I’d expect him to be good to go when training camps get underway in September.

Hornets Notes: Walker, Whiteside, Draft, Salary Cap

May 27th, 2018 at 11:41am CST by Arthur Hill

The lack of teams with cap space and a weak crop of free agent point guards could work to the Hornets’ advantage if they decide to trade Kemba Walker, writes Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer. That’s the assessment of ESPN’s Bobby Marks, a former executive with the Nets, who thinks Walker will reach his peak trade value this summer. Walker has one year left on his contract, and Marks states that teams would rather pick up a player in the offseason rather than close to the trade deadline.

Addressing trade rumors during the season, team owner Michael Jordan said he would only consider moving Walker if it meant getting an All-Star in return. Marks considers that unrealistic, saying a lottery pick is likely the best the Hornets can hope for. The franchise is near the tax threshold and would like to unload one of its expensive contracts in any Walker deal, but Marks says that will only happen if Walker’s new team gets assurances he will re-sign.

There’s more today from Charlotte:

Hassan Whiteside would help the Hornets get younger at center, but his contract woudn’t make him a wise pickup, Bonnell cautions in a separate piece. Whiteside clashed with Heat coach Erik Spoelstra this season over reduced playing time, and there are indications out of Miami that the team would like to deal him. Charlotte has Dwight Howard signed for one more year at $23.8MM, while Whiteside is owed $25.4MM next season with a $27MM player option for 2019/20. Bonnell doubts the investment in Whiteside would be worth it, considering the NBA is trending away from traditional low-post centers.
In another story, Bonnell analyzes the Hornets’ draft prospects and takes a look at new GM Mitch Kupchak’s drafting history. Bonnell identifies a top eight of DeAndre Ayton, Luka Doncic, Marvin Bagley III, Jaren Jackson Jr., Mo Bamba, Michael Porter, Wendell Carter and Trae Young, and states that anyone else has a reasonable chance of being available when Charlotte picks at No. 11.
This year’s extended playoffs, which feature a seventh game in both conference finals for the first time since 1979, will provide the NBA with extra revenue that will affect next year’s salary cap, Bonnell tweets. That should raise the $101MM cap projection at least slightly and benefit cash-strapped teams like the Hornets, who already have $117.9MM in committed salary for next season.

Details On 2018 NBA Playoff Pool Money

May 25th, 2018 at 12:28pm CST by Luke Adams

The NBA’s playoff pool money has increased to $20MM this season, up from $15MM for the last two years and $14MM for the two years before that, tweets Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today. This pool represents money awarded to teams for certain achievements, which is then divvied up among the club’s players.

According to Zillgitt, the breakdown for 2018’s playoff pool money is as follows:

Regular season achievements:

Best record in NBA (Rockets): $576,843
No. 1 seeds in each conference (Rockets, Raptors): $504,737 each
No. 2 seeds (Warriors, Celtics): $405,684 each
No. 3 seeds (Trail Blazers, Sixers): $302,843 each
No. 4 seeds (Thunder, Cavaliers): $238,001 each
No. 5 seeds (Jazz, Pacers): $198,317 each
No. 6 seeds (Pelicans, Heat): $135,263 each

Postseason achievements:

Teams participating in first round (all playoff teams): $298,485 each
Teams participating in Conference Semifinals (Rockets, Warriors, Jazz, Pelicans, Celtics, Cavaliers, Sixers, Raptors): $355,159 each
Teams participating in Conference Finals (Rockets, Warriors, Celtics, Cavaliers): $586,898 each
Losing team in NBA Finals (TBD): $2,346,947
Winning team in NBA Finals (TBD): $3,541,896

And-Ones: BWB Asia, Gambling, Williams, G League

May 24th, 2018 at 9:01pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Thunder’s Corey Brewer, Nets’ Caris LeVert, Heat’s Kelly Olynyk and Mavericks’ Dwight Powell will coach top high school age campers from the Asia-Pacific region in the 10th edition of Basketball Without Borders Asia, according to an NBA release.

BWB Asia 2018 will be held May 30–June 2 at The NBA Academy India in Delhi National Capital Region. Players and coaches will lead the campers through a variety of activities on and off the court, including movement efficiency, positional skill development, shooting and skills competitions, 5-on-5 games, and daily life skills seminars.

In other developments from around the league:

New Jersey Senate President Steve Sweeney voiced strong opposition to the sports’ leagues request for sports betting fees, ESPN Chalk’s David Payne Purdum tweets. “They are calling this extortion attempt an integrity fee, even while fully aware that providing participants a stake in the volume of betting would amount what could more accurately be called an anti-integrity fee,” Sweeney said. The NBA later defended its position, saying its games are the foundation of what will be bet on, the Associated Press reports. “We believe it is reasonable for casinos to compensate the NBA with a small percentage of the total amount bet on our games,” NBA spokesman Mike Bass said.
The NBA is projecting the salary cap to inflate by $7MM in 2019 and some of that projection might include some anticipated new gambling-related revenue, according to ESPN’s Brian Windhorst. While the cap could rise due to gambling-related income, it won’t cause a dramatic increase in the future, Windhorst adds.
Former NBA guard Mo Williams will join Mark Gottfried’s staff at Cal State Northridge, ESPN’s Jeff Goodman tweets. Williams played for Gottfriend at Alabama, Goodman notes.
The G League showcase has been moved from January to December and Las Vegas is a strong contender to host it, Marc Stein of the New York Times tweets. Orlando is also being considered as a host site, according to 2ways10days.com. League expansion is a major reason why Las Vegas and Orlando are potential landing spots for the showcase.

Latest On Hassan Whiteside, Heat

May 23rd, 2018 at 3:56pm CST by Luke Adams

After expressing frustration with his role during – and after – the postseason, Hassan Whiteside doesn’t appear to be any closer to mending fences with the Heat. As Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald relays, Whiteside posted an Instagram video this week in which he suggested that the franchise doesn’t allow him to take perimeter shots.

“There’s a difference between ‘You can’t shoot’ and ‘You’re not allowed [to shoot],'” Whiteside said in the video after knocking down a jumper.

According to Jackson, the latest video marks at least the fifth time within the last few months that Whiteside has complained or expressed dissatisfaction about how the Heat handles him. That dissatisfaction is one factor contributing to a “strong sentiment” within the Heat organization that the team should move on from the veteran center, Jackson reports.

Miami is expected to explore deals involving Whiteside during the coming offseason, sources tell Jackson. Still, a favorable trade scenario may be hard to find, given the 28-year-old’s pricey contract. Whiteside is owed $25.43MM in 2018/19 and has a player option worth $27.09MM for 2019/20.

Ironically, a reliable outside jumper would actually increase Whiteside’s value, since his lack of offensive versatility was a main reason why his minutes were dialed back this season. Introducing an ability to stretch the floor to his game wouldn’t solve all Whiteside’s problems, but it would be a good start — if the Heat didn’t want him attempting outside shots, they likely felt those shots weren’t high-percentage enough to be worthwhile.

While Whiteside will enter the summer as a trade candidate, he’ll hardly be the only player on Miami’s roster who fits that bill. In his end-of-season conversation with reporters, Heat president Pat Riley indicated that no one on the roster will be untouchable.

NBA Announces 2017/18 All-Rookie Teams

May 22nd, 2018 at 1:26pm CST by Luke Adams

The NBA has officially announced its First and Second All-Rookie Teams for the 2017/18 season. Ben Simmons of the Sixers and Donovan Mitchell of the Jazz – widely viewed as the top two contenders for this season’s Rookie of the Year award – were the only two players to be unanimously selected to the First Team. Celtics forward Jayson Tatum received 99 of 100 potential First Team votes.

Listed below are the NBA’s All-Rookie teams for 2017/18, with the player’s vote total in parentheses. Players received two points for a First Team vote and one point for a Second Team vote.

First Team:

Ben Simmons, Sixers (200)
Donovan Mitchell, Jazz (200)
Jayson Tatum, Celtics (199)
Kyle Kuzma, Lakers (193)
Lauri Markkanen, Bulls (173)

Second Team:

Dennis Smith Jr., Mavericks (96)
Lonzo Ball, Lakers (87)
John Collins, Hawks (76)
Bogdan Bogdanovic, Kings (75)
Josh Jackson, Suns (45)

Jackson, who received one First Team vote to go along with 43 Second Team votes, narrowly beat out Bam Adebayo of the Heat for the final spot on the Second Team — Adebayo finished with 44 points.

Outside of Adebayo and the 10 players who earned spots on the All-Rookie teams, 14 other players received votes, with De’Aaron Fox (Kings), OG Anunoby (Raptors), and Jarrett Allen (Nets) leading the way among that group.

Shane Battier Expected To Get Second Interview With Pistons

May 22nd, 2018 at 12:01pm CST by Luke Adams

Heat director of basketball development and analytics Shane Battier is expected to interview with the Pistons for a second time, according to Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald (Twitter link). We initially heard last week that the Heat had granted Battier permission to meet with Detroit about a possible front office role.

According to Jackson, the Pistons were “impressed” by Battier during that first meeting, resulting in a probable second interview later this week.

While Battier isn’t believed to be in consideration for the top job in Detroit’s front office, the Pistons could offer the longtime NBA forward a promotion from his current role in Miami. The Heat are believed to be grooming Battier for a higher-level front office job down the road, but if things go well with the Pistons, the 39-year-old could accelerate that timeline and potentially join his hometown team — Battier was born in Birmingham, Michigan.

Having parted ways with Stan Van Gundy earlier this month, the Pistons are on the lookout for a new head of basketball operations and a new head coach, and are said to be focusing on the front office job first.

NBA executive VP of basketball operations Kiki VanDeWeghe, Grizzlies executive VP of player personnel Ed Stefanski, Rockets executive VP of basketball operations Gersson Rosas, and Nets assistant GM Trajan Langdon are among the candidates reportedly receiving consideration from the Pistons for the top basketball ops job, with former players Battier and Brent Barry said to be in the mix for front office positions too.

Heat Notes: LeBron, Draft, Haslem, T. Johnson

May 20th, 2018 at 11:41am CST by Arthur Hill

The Heat are often mentioned as a potential destination for LeBron James if he decides to leave Cleveland, but Ira Winderman of The Sun-Sentinel doesn’t believe such a move is realistic. Miami, of course, is where James went the last time he parted ways with the Cavaliers. He spent four seasons with the Heat and combined with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh to reach the NBA Finals each year.

However, a reunion is extremely unlikely, Winderman notes. The Heat don’t have any cap space to work with and would need to have a massive sell-off or have James opt in and engineer a trade. Winderman estimates Miami would have to part with Josh Richardson, Justise Winslow, Bam Adebayo and the high salary of either Hassan Whiteside or Goran Dragic, which would leave LeBron with a worse supporting cast then he has now in Cleveland.

There’s more news from Miami:

Without a pick in this year’s draft, the Heat can’t get prospects to come to Miami, so scouts are going on the road to see them, Winderman writes in a separate piece. Team representatives are headed to Bradenton, Florida, New York City, Atlanta and Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, this week to attend workouts being held by agents and trainers. Next week, the scouting staff will be at seven workouts in Los Angeles and one in Las Vegas. “We go there not only to watch that workout, but we also would use that as a mini-Chicago [draft combine], where we interview players,” VP of Player Personnel Chet Kammerer explained. “It’s not us running the workouts, but we’re going to get to look at as many people as we can among our staff.”
At age 38, Udonis Haslem hasn’t decided if he will return for another season, but he continues to work out as if he’ll keep playing, Winderman relays in another story. “When you get to this stage of your career and life, you either do it or you don’t,” Haslem said. “You can’t really turn it on and off. It becomes a lifestyle.” Interviewed Saturday, Haslem repeated that he has no interest in coaching but would be intrigued by a front office position.
Tyler Johnson won’t try to change his game to live up to the salary increase that’s about to kick in, writes Jordan McPherson of The Miami Herald. The backloaded offer sheet Johnson received from the Nets two years ago increases from $5.88MM this year to $19.25MM in each of the next two seasons. “It doesn’t bother me,” Johnson said. “It’s just a nicer paycheck when I go home.”

2018 NBA Draft Picks By Team

May 17th, 2018 at 10:49am CST by Luke Adams

While the Sixers were knocked out of the 2018 playoffs in the Eastern Conference Semifinals by the underdog Celtics, few teams are better positioned in this year’s draft than Philadelphia. The 76ers own six of the 60 picks in the 2018 NBA draft, including a pair of first-rounders.

As our full 2018 draft order shows, the Sixers are one of seven NBA teams that holds more than two selections in this year’s draft. On the other end of the spectrum, eight teams have just one pick in 2018, while two teams – the Heat and Raptors – don’t have any selections.

To present a clearer picture of which teams are most – and least – stocked with picks for the 2018 NBA draft, we’ve rounded up all 60 picks by team in the space below. Let’s dive in…

Teams with more than two picks:

Philadelphia 76ers (5): 10, 26, 38, 56, 60
Phoenix Suns (4): 1, 16, 31, 59
Atlanta Hawks (4): 3, 19, 30, 34
Dallas Mavericks (3): 5, 33, 54
Orlando Magic (3): 6, 35, 41
Charlotte Hornets (3): 11, 45, 55
Denver Nuggets (3): 14, 43, 58
Los Angeles Lakers (3): 25, 39, 47

Teams with two picks:

Sacramento Kings: 2, 37
Memphis Grizzlies: 4, 32
Chicago Bulls: 7, 22
New York Knicks: 9, 36
Los Angeles Clippers: 12, 13
Washington Wizards: 15, 44
San Antonio Spurs: 18, 49
Minnesota Timberwolves: 20, 48
Utah Jazz: 21, 52
Indiana Pacers: 23, 50
Brooklyn Nets : 29, 40
Oklahoma City Thunder: 53, 57

Teams with fewer than two picks:

Cleveland Cavaliers (1): 8
Milwaukee Bucks (1): 17
Portland Trail Blazers (1): 24
Boston Celtics (1): 27
Golden State Warriors (1): 28
Detroit Pistons (1): 42
Houston Rockets (1): 46
New Orleans Pelicans (1): 51
Miami Heat (0)
Toronto Raptors (0)

Shane Battier Gets Permission To Interview With Pistons

May 16th, 2018 at 7:15pm CST by Arthur Hill

Shane Battier has received permission from the Heat to discuss a possible front office job with the Pistons, tweets Ira Winderman of The Sun-Sentinel.

Battier was among several candidates revealed earlier today to be under consideration for positions in Detroit. He currently serves as director of basketball development and analytics in Miami.

Battier is being groomed for a high-level position with the Heat and may even run the organization someday if he stays there, according to the Five Reasons Sports Network (Twitter link). However, team president Pat Riley is expected to remain in place for several more years, and Battier’s connections to Michigan may be enough to lure him to the Pistons.