New York Knicks Rumors | Hoops Rumors

2016/17 Salary Cap Projection: New York Knicks

December 12th, 2015 at 5:10pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The NBA’s salary cap for 2015/16 has been set at $70MM, which is an 11% increase from last season, and the luxury tax line is fixed at $84.74MM. The last cap projection from the league prior to the official numbers being announced had been $67.1MM, and the projection for the tax line had been $81.6MM. Many league executives and agents believe that the salary cap will escalate to a whopping $95MM for 2016/17, a higher figure than the league’s last projection of $89MM. This significant bump is a result of the league’s new $24 billion TV deal that kicks in just in time for next season.

The increase in the salary cap will almost assuredly set off a flurry of activity in the free agent market next summer, and it will also make it easier than ever for teams to deal away their higher-priced stars. Prudent executives are acutely aware of exactly how much cap room they have to play with, not just for the current campaign, but for next season and beyond as well. While the exact amount of 2016/17’s salary cap won’t be announced until next summer, it always pays to know just how much salary is on the books for each franchise. With this in mind, we at Hoops Rumors will be breaking down the projected 2016/17 financial commitments for each franchise, and we’ll continue onward with a look at the New York Knicks:

Fully Guaranteed Salary Commitments: $67,964,567*
Partially Guaranteed Salary Commitments: $0
Non Guaranteed Salary Commitments: $0
Total Projected Salary Cap Commitments: $67,964,567

*Note: This amount includes Arron Afflalo‘s player option worth $8,000,000 and Derrick Williams‘ player option, which is worth $4,598,000.

If the salary cap were to fall in line with the projection of $89MM, New York would have approximately $21,035,433 in cap space, or $27,035,433 if the cap were to be set at the higher mark of $95MM. Again, these are merely predictions until the exact cap amounts are announced, and they are not meant to illustrate the exact amount that the team will have available to spend this coming offseason.

New York will also need to make decisions regarding Cleanthony Early and Langston Galloway, both of whom are eligible to become restricted free agents next summer. If the Knicks wish to retain the right to match any offer sheets the two players were to receive the team would need to submit qualifying offers to both, with Early’s being worth $1,180,431 and $1,180,431 for Galloway. Galloway could bump his figure up to $2,725,003 if his playing time remains steady, as Hoops Rumors’ Chuck Myron noted. Those numbers would merely be placeholders until the players either inked new deals or signed their qualifying offers, which would then set them up for unrestricted free agency the following offseason.

Trades and long-term free agent signings made during the season will also have a significant impact on the figures above, and we’ll be updating these posts to reflect the new numbers after any signings and trades have been made official.

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

Atlantic Notes: Hollins, Stevens, Lopez

December 12th, 2015 at 1:10pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Nets coach Lionel Hollins seemingly turned a compliment Stephen Curry gave point guard Jarrett Jack into a negative, Fred Kerber of The New York Post writes. Responding to Curry’s praise of Jack’s vocal leadership when the two were teammates in Golden State, Hollins said, “Did Stephen Curry say it? When Stephen Curry speaks, everybody listens … so it must be right. I see the same thing. Here’s the deal. Too much is made of leadership. Everybody should be a leader on the court.”

“Leadership comes by you going out there and doing your job to the best of your ability as hard as you can consistently. You do that, people are going to follow you. Then the great players lead by their ability to score the ball, and people follow them because they know that they can help them win,” Hollins continued. “The worst kind of leadership is that ‘Rah-rah, come on, everybody.’ To me, that’s just annoying people. I think leadership is like, ‘OK, somebody’s missed two or three, don’t worry about it, I got you, I’m going to come back to you again.’”

Here’s more from the Atlantic Division:

The strong play of Knicks rookie big man Kristaps Porzingis may force coach Derek Fisher to shift center Robin Lopez to the bench, Marc Berman of the New York Post writes. Lopez, who has struggled this season after signing a four-year, $54MM deal this past summer, notes his slow start is due to adjusting to the triangle offense, Berman notes. “Defensively, that’s been pretty consistent,’’ Lopez said. “I’ve always been able to fall back on that. Offensively I’m trying to figure things out. How much I’m expected to score? What am I expected to do when I catch the ball in the post? Now I’m getting more comfortable, starting to realize what the role is.’’
Brad Stevens has molded the Celtics into one of the NBA’s toughest defensive teams despite the lack of a true rim-protector, Brett Koremenos of RealGM writes in his analysis of the team’s improvement.

Atlantic Notes: Anthony, Brown, Joseph

December 10th, 2015 at 7:32pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Sixers coach Brett Brown has already developed a solid relationship with new team executive Jerry Colangelo, who was officially hired on Monday, Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer writes. When asked how often he communicates with Colangelo, Brown responded, “All the time. I think for me to be able to call upon somebody like him and say, what do you think of that, is a priceless sounding board for me. I love it. I respect his history. When answers come out you immediately respect the history of which that opinion was formed. It’s amazing.”

Here’s more from the Atlantic Division:

Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony is frustrated by the team’s struggles this season and isn’t hiding his displeasure, Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com notes. “Losing is frustrating,” Anthony said. “I don’t want this to be an ongoing situation or an ongoing feeling where we have to come into the locker room and explain why we’re losing basketball games.” Anthony is also upset with New York’s pace of play, and wants the team to increase its tempo, a team source tells Begley. “He [Anthony] felt like they were stuck in the half court too much,” the source told the ESPN scribe.
The Raptors are hoping to imitate the long-term success of the Spurs as an organization, which is one reason why Toronto signed Cory Joseph this past offseason, writes Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca. “You can’t go through a program like that, I don’t care what program you are with in college or the pros, if you’re from a successful program some of those habits come away with you,” said coach Dwane Casey of Joseph. “That’s why bringing a guy in like that from a winning program, that’s won a championship, knows what it takes to win. Those qualities have rubbed off on him.“
The Celtics have once again assigned power forward Jordan Mickey to their D-League affiliate, the team announced. This will be Mickey’s sixth trek to Maine this season, as our tracker shows.

Southwest Notes: Williams, Motiejunas, Jones

December 8th, 2015 at 11:01am CST by Chuck Myron

Playing in Brooklyn gave Deron Williams the sense that “everybody felt I was the problem,” and he cited his own injuries as well as what he saw as the negative effect frequent coaching turnover had on chemistry for reasons why it didn’t work out with the Nets, as Mike Mazzeo of ESPNNewYork.com chronicles. The Nets weren’t pleased with Williams’ attitude, nor his declining production, sources told Mazzeo, but Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle has showered praise on the point guard, who feels much more at home on his new team.

“[Dallas] has been great for me,” Williams said, according to Mazzeo. “It’s been great for my family. [There’s] a lot more positivity in Dallas, and I think I needed that in my life.”

Williams has a player option worth more than $5.621MM for next season. See more on the Mavs amid the latest from the Southwest Division:

Mavericks owner Mark Cuban said Monday that he wanted every player the Knicks wound up with from the 2015 draft: Kristaps Porzingis, Jerian Grant and Guillermo Hernangomez, a second-round draft-and-stash pick, tweets Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com. The main attraction was naturally Porzingis, the No. 4 overall selection, as Marc Berman of the New York Post details. “We would have traded up in a heartbeat to get that kid,’’ Cuban said. “We loved him. Obviously, people are going to compare him to Dirk [Nowitzki] because that’s what people like to do. When you’re 7’3″, those three inches make a difference.”
The Rockets are reportedly thinking about trading Donatas Motiejunas and Terrence Jones, but Jonathan Tjarks of RealGM points to their presence in Houston as reason for hope amid the team’s slow start.
Kendrick Perkins was expected to miss three months when he went down with a right pectoral injury in early November, but a decent chance exists that he returns to play sometime this month, according to John Reid of The Times Picayune. Coach Alvin Gentry lauded the big man’s work ethic during rehab, Reid notes, and this weekend Gentry praised Perkins’ locker room influence, as Brett Dawson of the New Orleans Advocate relays (Twitter link). Perkins is with the Pelicans on a one-year deal. “I think he’s the best teammate I’ve ever seen,” Gentry said. “I mean, without a doubt. I really do believe that.”

Atlantic Notes: Rondo, Lopez, Joseph, Williams

December 7th, 2015 at 8:59am CST by Chuck Myron

The breakfast meeting between Rajon Rondo and Kobe Bryant that took place a year ago hastened the trade that took Rondo out of Boston, the point guard believes, according to Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com. Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge didn’t indicate that was the case, Rondo concedes, and he wound up signing in the summer with the Kings instead of the Lakers, but Rondo still connects the breakfast and the trade, which happened two weeks apart, Forsberg notes.

“No, Danny never said anything, but I’m pretty sure that, after that, Danny thought he’d lose me for nothing at the end of the year so he made a decision and I understand that,” Rondo said.

People in the Celtics organization, including coach Brad Stevens, are glad to see Rondo playing well again, and Avery Bradley and Jared Sullinger both say their former teammate is like a brother to them, as Forsberg details. Rondo is reportedly back in play for a max deal in the summer ahead. See more from the Atlantic Division:

One reason why Kristaps Porzingis is rebounding so well, to the tune of 12.0 per 36 minutes, is the presence of Knicks offseason signee Robin Lopez, writes Marc Berman of the New York Post. “When you take a look at Robin in Portland, LaMarcus Aldridge’s rebounding numbers next to Robin were really good,” Knicks coach Derek Fisher said. “Robin does a really good job impacting his guy, boxing out and holding guys away from the basket so other players can get rebounds.’’
Cory Joseph‘s scoring has been a positive revelation for the Raptors, observes Doug Smith of the Toronto Star, who looks at the highlights and trouble spots for the team so far. The inability of fellow free agent acquisition Bismack Biyombo to provide a reasonable facsimile for what the injured Jonas Valanciunas can do on offense helps lead to the lack of ball movement that has plagued Toronto, Smith adds.
Deron Williams‘ shooting percentage and scoring are up, and Lionel Hollins, his former coach, attributes that to his escape from the spotlight of the New York metropolitan area, notes Brian Lewis of the New York Post. Williams gave up nearly $16MM in salary as part of a buyout of the final two years of his contract with the Nets before signing a two-year, $11MM deal with the Mavs this past offseason. “He’s played well. I said he’d play well, he’d be more comfortable out of New York,’’ Hollins said. “I said that he’d go down and play in a little different system, but mainly be out of New York and be away from the New York spotlight and expectations that were really unnatural. So I expected him to play better.’’

Atlantic Notes: Young, Okafor, Marshall, Knicks

December 6th, 2015 at 12:52pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Celtics‘ James Young had the shortest D-League assignment of his career Friday, writes A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com. After sending him to their Maine affiliate, the Celtics decided they needed Young as insurance because of a quad injury to Avery Bradley. So Young was recalled to the NBA before he got on the plane. “I got to the airport, I got to the gate and everything, I got a phone call saying I was going to stay here,” Young said. “I was like, ‘alright.’ I had to tell people, I need my bags back. So they took it to baggage claim and I went down.”

There’s more from the Atlantic Division:

The off-court conduct of Sixers rookie Jahlil Okafor is a result of GM Sam Hinkie failing to have veteran mentors on the roster, charges Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe. Okafor served a two-game suspension this week that was imposed after two alleged altercations in Boston on November 25th, among other reported transgressions. Washburn criticizes Hinkie and the organization for not having someone in place to help Okafor learn about life in the NBA.
The Sixers hope to have Kendall Marshall make his season debut in Thursday’s game against the Nets, tweets Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer. Marshall, recovering from a torn ACL, was recalled from the D-League on Friday, along with fellow injured point guard Tony Wroten. Wroten hopes to play 15 or 16 minutes against the Spurs Monday, Pompey also tweets.
The Knicks are crediting changes to their training program and staff for improved health through the first month of this season, according to Marc Berman of The New York Post. Since Arron Afflalo returned from a strained hamstring on November 11th, the team has had all 14 players ready for nearly every game. “That started last season — re-evaluating what we were doing, how we were doing it,” said coach Derek Fisher. “How the practices should be structured, how long they should be, offseason progress. [It was] all designed to create this environment. Everybody can be here for us and ready to play and it gives us the most chance to win.”

And-Ones: Jones, All-Stars, Draft Picks, Inglis

December 5th, 2015 at 11:00pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Timberwolves have assigned rookie point guard Tyus Jones to the D-League, the team tweeted tonight. The former Duke star was drafted 24th overall by the Cavaliers in June and then shipped to Minnesota in a draft-night trade. He has played just 14 minutes in two games with the Wolves, with 1 point, 1 rebound and 1 assist. Minnesota officials had previously announced their intention to have Jones spend part of the year in the D-League to get more playing time. Jones will be sent to the Idaho Stampede, the affiliate of the Jazz. Wolves GM Milt Newton will address the situation Sunday, according to a tweet from the team.

There’s more from around the basketball world:

Pistons center Andre Drummond heads a list of most likely first-time all stars compiled by Joel Brigham of Basketball Insiders. With Drummond averaging more than 18 points per game and leading the league in rebounds, Brigham considers the fourth-year center a shoo-in for the February 14th contest in Toronto. Potentially joining him from the Eastern Conference are Knicks rookie Kristaps Porzingis, the Hornets‘ Kemba Walker, the Celtics‘ Isaiah Thomas and the Heat’s Hassan Whiteside. Brigham’s five picks for the Western squad are the Warriors‘ Draymond Green, the Spurs‘ Kawhi Leonard, the Suns‘ Eric Bledsoe and/or Brandon Knight and the Jazz’s Derrick Favors.
LSU’s Ben Simmons looks like the clear No. 1 pick in the 2016 draft, Brigham writes in a separate story analyzing the top six contenders for that honor. Brigham cites the Australia freshman’s versatility on offense, where he possesses the skills of a point guard but the 6’10” frame of a power forward. Also on Brigham’s list are Kentucky freshman Skal Labissiere, California freshman Jaylen Brown, Duke freshman Brandon Ingram, Providence junior Kris Dunn and Utah sophomore Jakob Poeltl.
The Bucks recalled Damien Inglis from the Canton Charge of the D-League, tweets Charles F. Gardner of The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. He was sent to Canton on November 22nd.
The Raptors recalled Bruno Caboclo and Delon Wright from Raptors 905, the team tweeted today. Neither was active for today’s game with the Warriors.

Sixers Rumors: Okafor, Draft, Williams, Moultrie

December 5th, 2015 at 7:40pm CST by Arthur Hill

Sixers coach Brett Brown thinks a two-game suspension imposed on Jahlil Okafor could serve as a “turning point” for the rookie center, according to Bob Cooney of The Philadelphia Daily News. Brown said Okafor understands he “messed up” with his off-court conduct that included two altercations in Boston on November 25th. “In a strange way maybe this is a turning point for him, to get hit on such a repetitive basis that maybe it’s just that much more dramatic,” Brown said. “Maybe the point is made more violently and viciously. This is, right now, a situation that we have to talk through and help him. He will come out just fine, I’m confident of that.”

There’s more out of Philadelphia:

The 2016 draft will determine if the Sixers can make a quick turnaround, according to Tim Bontemps of The Washington Post. Already holding the worst record in basketball, Philadelphia could receive the Lakers’ first-round pick, which is only top-three protected, along with first-round selections from the Thunder and Heat. Add in the possible debut of Joel Embiid and the chance that Dario Saric, the No. 12 pick in 2014, could be enticed from Europe, and the Sixers could have six additional first-round talents playing for them next season.
The Sixers are counting on fans to stay patient with their rebuilding plan, former Philadelphia GM Pat Williams tells Mike Sielski of The Philadelphia Inquirer. He acknowledges it’s not an easy thing to ask a city not known for its patience to keep believing in a process that has produced a 1-20 start in the third year of rebuilding. “They’ve got to stay the course: draft high, do lots of teaching, wait for these youngsters to mature,” Williams said. “It takes some years to see the vision and stick with it, and it stretches the patience of any good sports fan. You can’t survive without hope. That’s what Sixers fans are searching for here.”
Arnett Moultrie, who last played with the Sixers in 2013/14, has signed to play in Lebanon with Al Riyadi, according to Sportando’s Emiliano Carchia. After two seasons in Philadelphia, Moultrie was traded to the Knicks in October of 2014, but was waived before the season started.

Atlantic Notes: Johnson, Porzingis, D-League

December 4th, 2015 at 8:20pm CST by Eddie Scarito

A five person ESPN.com panel was asked to speculate on where Nets small forward Joe Johnson would play in 2016/17, and some members posited that the Warriors, Kings or Grizzlies could be possibilities in 2016/17, while others noted that Johnson is a prime candidate to reach a buyout arrangement with Brooklyn this season if the team were unable to trade him before the February deadline. While the panel members may not have agreed upon the specific franchise Johnson would end up with, the consensus opinion was that he most certainly would not return to Brooklyn next season.

Here’s more from the Atlantic Division:

With the Nets franchise in disarray, the Knicks, thanks to the growing popularity of rookie Kristaps Porzingis, have a secure foothold as the No. 1 team in New York, Stefan Bondy of The New York Daily News writes. Porzingis has adapted remarkably well to living and playing in the U.S., and the big man credits his brother Janis for helping prepare him, Bondy adds. “[Janis] was always thinking 10 steps ahead. When I was younger I took extra English classes just to make sure I have good English if I had the chance to play professionally. Things like that,” Porzingis said. “When I was young I was doing a lot of extra stuff for my body. Now that makes sense, all the stuff I did. At that time, I was like, ‘Why do you make me do all this stuff?’ But that just showed me how much they were preparing me for what’s coming.”
The Raptors have assigned Bruno Caboclo and Delon Wright to their D-League affiliate, the team announced. This is Caboclo’s second trip of the season to the Raptors 905 and Wright’s third.
Celtics swingman James Young was assigned to and recalled from the Maine Red Claws, Boston’s D-League affiliate, the team announced (Twitter links). This was the sixth trek to Maine of the 2015/16 season for Young.

Maurice Ndour To Play In Spain

December 4th, 2015 at 12:46pm CST by Chuck Myron

Maurice Ndour is joining Real Madrid, reports Carlos Sánchez Blas of Radio Marca in Spain (Twitter link; translation via Sportando’s Orazio Cauchi). Blas indicates that Ndour has already put pen to paper, though the team has yet to make a formal announcement. The power forward signed a contract with the Mavericks in the summer that included a season and a half of guaranteed salary, but he suffered a stress reaction in his left leg, and Dallas waived him amid a roster crunch at the end of the preseason, a move owner Mark Cuban described as difficult. International journalist David Pick tweeted shortly thereafter that Ndour was scheduled to resume action at the end of November and that he was canvassing interest from the NBA and overseas. Chema de Lucas of Gigantes del Basket first reported Madrid’s interest in the first-year pro (translation via HoopsHype).

Ndour went undrafted out of Ohio University in June, but he made a strong impression as a Knicks summer-leaguer in July, when he averaged 9.6 points and 4.8 rebounds in 23.4 minutes per contest across five appearances. The Knicks tried to get him to back out of the commitment he made to the Mavs, who formally signed him about a week after his final summer league game, as Marc Berman of the New York Post reported, but Ndour declined to imitate DeAndre Jordan‘s infamous flip-flop. New York has maintained an open roster spot since the start of the regular season, but it has seemed unlikely that Ndour would fill it, as Berman reported in late October.

It’s unclear how much Ndour will make on his deal with Madrid, but if he earns more than $845,059, it would be possible for the Mavericks to slightly trim the amount they owe him for this season, thanks to the NBA’s rule regarding set-off rights. Dallas is currently on the hook to Ndour for more than $525K this season and in excess of $437MM for 2016/17.

Should an NBA team have pounced on Ndour before he decided to play overseas instead? Leave a comment to tell us.