Offseason In Review

2017 Offseason In Review: Atlanta Hawks

October 5th, 2017 at 9:39pm CST by Austin Kent

Hoops Rumors is breaking down the 2017 offseason for all 30 NBA teams, revisiting the summer’s free agent signings, trades, draft picks, departures, and more. We’ll evaluate each team’s moves from the last several months and look ahead to what the 2017/18 season holds for all 30 franchises. Today, we’re focusing on the Atlanta Hawks.

Signings:

Dewayne Dedmon: Two years, $12.3MM. Second-year player option.
Mike Muscala: Two years, $10MM. Second-year player option.
Ersan Ilyasova: One year, $6MM.
Luke Babbitt: One year, minimum salary. Partially guaranteed ($987K).
Josh Magette: Two-way contract. One year. $50K guaranteed.

Camp invitees:

Quinn Cook: Two years, minimum salary. First year partially guaranteed ($100K).
Tyler Cavanaugh: One year, minimum salary. Partially guaranteed ($50K).
Jeremy Evans: One year, minimum salary. Partially guaranteed ($50K).
Jordan Mathews: One year, minimum salary. Exhibits nine and 10.
John Jenkins: One year, minimum salary. Summer contract with exhibit nine.

Waiver claims:

Claimed Nicolas Brussino off waivers from the Mavericks.

Trades:

Acquired Miles Plumlee, Marco Belinelli and the No. 41 overall pick from the Hornets in exchange for Dwight Howard and the No. 31 overall pick.
Acquired cash ($75K) from the Rockets in exchange for Ryan Kelly.
Acquired Jamal Crawford, Diamond Stone, the Rockets’ 2018 first-round pick (top-three protected), and cash ($1.3MM) in a three-way trade with the Clippers and Nuggets in exchange for the Wizards’ 2019 second-round pick.
- Notes: Wizards’ 2019 second-round pick sent to Nuggets; Crawford and Stone later waived.
Acquired DeAndre Liggins and cash ($100K) from the Clippers in exchange for the Hawks’ own 2018 second-round pick (top-55 protected).
- Note: Liggins later waived.

Draft picks:

1-19: John Collins — Signed to rookie contract.
2-41: Tyler Dorsey — Signed to two-year, minimum salary contract.
2-60: Alpha Kaba — Stashed overseas.

Departing players:

Jose Calderon
Mike Dunleavy (waived)
Tim Hardaway Jr.
Dwight Howard
Kris Humphries
Ryan Kelly
Paul Millsap
Thabo Sefolosha

Other offseason news:

Restructured front office, removing president of basketball operations title from Mike Budenholzer and re-assigning GM Wes Wilcox to special advisor role.
Hired Warriors executive Travis Schlenk to be new general manager.
Introduced new G League expansion team, the Erie BayHawks.
Dennis Schroder arrested on battery charge.

Salary cap situation:

Operating under the cap, but over the salary floor. Can create $4MM+ in cap room. Carrying approximately $94.2MM in guaranteed salaries. Room exception ($4.328MM) still available.

Check out the Atlanta Hawks’ full roster and depth chart at RosterResource.com.

Story of the summer:

After waffling on the idea of a full-on rebuild for at least a season, the Hawks finally dove in and accepted their fate. The franchise also shook up their front office, relieving head coach Mike Budenholzer of his executive duties and appointing Travis Schlenk the new general manager of the squad.

The fresh slate could serve the organization well as it had become abundantly clear that the lingering remnants of the Hawks team that won 60 games in 2014/15 just weren’t going to cut it as a contender in the current NBA landscape.

Put simply, the Hawks managed to get through the first summer of transition unscathed, with Schlenk’s staff wisely letting veterans Paul Millsap and Tim Hardaway Jr. pursue monster deals elsewhere. It’ll be a long road back to the top, sure, but they have to start somewhere.

Key offseason losses:

It may not have been easy but the Hawks said goodbye to four-time All-Star Millsap this summer. Considering that the 32-year-old landed a three-year deal worth north of $30MM annually with the Nuggets, they’ll be relieved that they did. Retaining the forward would have made no sense for a team in transition, despite the fact that Millsap had come to embody much of the club’s recent identity.

Similarly, the Hawks wasted no time dodging the $23.5MM salary owed to veteran big man Dwight Howard. While Atlanta was able to get out from any financial obligation to Millsap free of charge, they had to take back Miles Plumlee‘s $12.5MM-per-year albatross to shed Howard’s contract. Given that Plumlee offers less on the court than Howard does and is under contract for a year longer, it figures to be somewhat of a lateral move.

If the Hawks had any intention of bringing back 25-year-old Hardaway Jr. to play a role in the club’s rebuild, those hopes were quickly shattered when the Knicks challenged them to a game of chicken in the form of a $71MM offer sheet. Atlanta balked at the idea of paying such a disproportionate sum for their restricted free agent, opting not to match New York’s offer.

A series of smaller moves fall in line with the rest of the regime change in Atlanta, as the Hawks waived Mike Dunleavy and watched veterans like Thabo Sefolosha and Kris Humphries sign elsewhere.

Key offseason additions:

The Hawks made one of the league’s most intriguing frugal signings this summer, bringing journeyman center Dewayne Dedmon aboard for two years at $14MM. Dedmon has bounced around from team to team throughout his four-year career, but profiles as a productive asset when given an opportunity.

Another savvy, cost-effective move saw the Hawks bring back 26-year-old big man Mike Muscala. Muscala’s $10MM deal is particularly palatable considering that he’ll be able to provide the young roster with an outside threat and is already familiar with the organization.

The Hawks will also bring aboard one of college basketball’s most established low post scorers in John Collins. Whether the Wake Forest products can do for his new squad what he was able to do in the ACC remains to be seen. Rest assured, considering where the franchise falls on its current timeline, he’ll get plenty of opportunity to do work.

Outlook for 2017/18:

The Hawks saw the writing on the wall and made the decision to shed salaries and fully embrace a rebuild. After going back and forth on whether to trade Millsap, ultimately hanging onto him and squandering any opportunity to ship him out as a rental last season, the club has very little to work with heading forward.

That’s not the end of the world for Schlenk as he gets his feet wet in his new position and crafts something of his own design.

The Hawks deserve credit for being diligent financially and will have significant cap room for the 2018 free agent class. Still, a roster mostly devoid of redeeming qualities will be a difficult sell to the ’18 class when the moratorium on signings lifts next July.

It’ll be a while before Atlanta returns to relevance, even in the East, but the fact that the Hawks have managed to survive some miscues without major damage to their financial flexibility will serve them well. It’s better to start at zero than it is to start in the red.

Salary information from Basketball Insiders used in the creation of this post. Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images. Luke Adams contributed to this post.

2017 Offseason In Review: Philadelphia 76ers

October 5th, 2017 at 8:54am CST by ChrisCrouse

Signings:

J.J. Redick: One year, $23MM.
Amir Johnson: One year, $11MM.
James McAdoo: Two-way contract. One year, $50K guaranteed.

Camp invitees:

James Blackmon Jr.: One year, minimum salary. Exhibits nine and 10.
Kris Humphries: One year, minimum salary. Summer contract with exhibit nine.
Jacob Pullen: One year, minimum salary. Summer contract.
Emeka Okafor: One year, minimum salary. Summer contract with exhibit nine.

Trades:

Acquired the No. 1 overall pick from the Celtics in exchange for the No. 3 overall pick and the Lakers’ 2018 first-round pick (top-1 protected and 6-30 protected).
- Note: If Lakers’ 2018 first-round pick doesn’t convey, Celtics will instead acquire more favorable of Kings’ and Sixers’ 2019 first-round picks (top-1 protected).
Acquired the draft rights to Anzejs Pasecniks (No. 25 pick) from the Magic in exchange for the Thunder’s 2020 first-round pick (top-20 protected) and the less favorable of the Knicks’ and Nets’ 2020 second-round picks.
- Note: Thunder pick is top 20-protected through 2022. If it doesn’t convey, Magic will instead acquire Thunder’s 2022 and 2023 second-round picks.
Acquired the Rockets’ 2018 second-round pick and cash ($100K) from the Rockets in exchange for Shawn Long.
Acquired cash ($3.2MM) from the Clippers in exchange for the draft rights to Jawun Evans (No. 39 pick).
Acquired cash ($1.9MM) from the Bucks in exchange for the draft rights to Sterling Brown (No. 46 pick).

Draft picks:

1-1: Markelle Fultz — Signed to rookie contract.
1-25: Anzejs Pasecniks — Stashed overseas.
2-36: Jonah Bolden — Stashed overseas.
2-50: Mathias Lessort — Stashed overseas.

Draft-and-stash signings:

Furkan Korkmaz (2016; No. 26) — Signed to rookie contract.

Departing players:

Gerald Henderson (waived)
Shawn Long
Alex Poythress
Sergio Rodriguez
Tiago Splitter

Other offseason news:

Hired Elton Brand as the general manager of the Delaware 87ers, their G League affiliate.

Salary cap situation:

Operating under the cap and under the salary floor. Currently have about $15MM in cap space, plus full room exception ($4.328MM) still available.

Check out the Philadelphia 76ers’ full roster and depth chart at RosterResource.com.

Story of the summer:

Gone are the days of tanking, salary cap manipulation, and Philadelphians routing for their team to sink further down in the standings. Here are the nights of watching budding talent, employing a full squad of NBA players, and spotting Joel Embiid running down one-way streets in the City of Brotherly Love.

After years of intentionally taking steps back – or at least making no effort to move up in the standings – the Sixers are set to head into the 2017/18 season with a team that should be competitive in a weakened Eastern Conference. President of basketball operations Bryan Colangelo entered the offseason with plenty of flexibility and he completed an impressive series of summer moves without sacrificing that flexibility for the future.

Key offseason losses:

The Sixers let Sergio Rodriguez and Tiago Splitter walk once their respective contracts expired. They also sent Shawn Long, a player who showed flashes of potential as an NBA role player, to Houston during Daryl Morey’s finest day as a salary cap wizard, and waived Gerald Henderson in what was likely a financially-driven decision.

Given the modest production the Sixers received from those players, Alex Poythress may end up being the franchise’s biggest offseason loss. The Kentucky product thrived in the G League last season before finishing the season with Philadelphia. The 24-year-old was a candidate to return to the team as one of the organization’s two-way contract players, but he decided to sign with the Pacers instead.

Key offseason additions:

Paying a combined $33MM to J.J. Redick and Amir Johnson this season seems excessive in a vacuum, but the deals actually look like smart signings. Philadelphia currently sits below the salary floor, so inking the two veterans on one-year contracts does nothing to hurt the Sixers’ financial obligations this season and allows the club to maintain flexibility in the future.

Both signings make sense from a basketball perspective as well. Redick, a career 41.5% shooter from downtown, adds to the team’s spacing, something that will benefit Embiid in the post and Ben Simmons when he drives through the lane. The Duke alum is penciled in as the team’s starting two guard, but he understands his job requires more than simply performing well in the starting unit.

“We are in the second phase of our career,” Redick said of himself and Johnson. “We’ve been through enough now and have enough wisdom that we can be an effective elder.”

Having Johnson, who was the third-best power forward on defense last season (per ESPN’s Real Plus/Minus) mingling with the team’s young frontcourt talent in practice everyday is a solid strategy. Low-post defense is a skill that often takes considerable time for young prospects to learn and the franchise is banking on Johnson’s guidance to streamline that process.

Trading for Markelle Fultz was a calculated risk, one that was made feasible by Sam Hinkie‘s asset accumulation strategy. If the franchise didn’t possess an array of future picks, Colangelo would have had to think long and hard about giving up a future first for the right to move up two spots in the draft. Perhaps he tries to shoehorn Jahlil Okafor – someone who is seemingly perpetually on the trade block – to Boston in the pre-draft deal; maybe he gives away a future Sixers’ selection; maybe he doesn’t make the trade at all. As a result of his predecessor’s work, Colangelo was able to move up to select Fultz while keeping the cupboard well stocked.

The addition of Fultz, along with getting Simmons and Embiid back on the court, brings a new level of excitement to the organization, while the veteran additions will help to ensure the young talent remains on the right path to living up to the hype.

Outlook for 2017/18:

The Sixers are expected to improve in the win column and compete for a playoff berth in a new-look Eastern Conference. Offshore oddsmakers place the team’s over/under at 41.5 wins, while ESPN’s Kevin Pelton projects the team to win roughly 33 games. It’s worth noting that those offshore odds are partially derived by betting behavior of consumers, whereas the models produced by Pelton are wholly based on predictive analytics.

A win total somewhere between those two projections is the most likely outcome as long as the team avoids major injuries. That’s far from a certainty, given Embiid’s history of knee and foot issues, Simmons’ surgically repaired foot, and Fultz’s Summer League scare. But if Philly’s young Big-If-3 (trademark pending) can stay on the court, the franchise could find itself in the playoffs for the first time since 2012.

Shortly after that playoff run, Hinkie joined the team and implemented his analytical-driven approach to roster building. That strategy set the stage for the product on the floor this season.

With the arrival of a more Colangelonian infrastructure, The Process appears set to enter its growth phase; those that trusted it could easily be rewarded this season and beyond.

Salary information from Basketball Insiders used in the creation of this post. Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images. Luke Adams contributed to this post.

2017 Offseason In Review: Los Angeles Clippers

October 4th, 2017 at 3:27pm CST by Luke Adams

Signings:

Blake Griffin: Five years, $171.175MM. Fifth-year player option.
Danilo Gallinari: Three years, $64.763MM. Acquired in sign-and-trade.
Milos Teodosic: Two years, $12.3MM. Second-year player option. Second year partially guaranteed ($2.1MM).
Willie Reed: One year, minimum salary.
Jamil Wilson: Two-way contract. Two years. $50K guaranteed.

Camp invitees:

Marshall Plumlee: One year, minimum salary. Exhibits nine and 10.
Tyrone Wallace: One year, minimum salary. Exhibits nine and 10.
C.J. Williams: One year, minimum salary. Exhibits nine and 10.
LaDontae Henton: One year, minimum salary. Summer contract.

Trades:

Acquired the draft rights to Sindarius Thornwell (No. 48 pick) from the Bucks in exchange for cash ($2MM).
Acquired Lou Williams, Patrick Beverley, Sam Dekker, Montrezl Harrell, DeAndre Liggins, Kyle Wiltjer, Darrun Hilliard, the Rockets’ 2018 first-round pick (top-three protected, and cash ($661K) from the Rockets in exchange for Chris Paul.
- Note: Wiltjer and Hilliard later waived.
Acquired the draft rights to Jawun Evans (No. 39 pick) from the Sixers in exchange for cash ($3.2MM).
Acquired Danilo Gallinari (sign-and-trade) in a three-way trade with the Hawks and Nuggets in exchange for Jamal Crawford, Diamond Stone, the Rockets’ 2018 first-round pick (top-three protected), and cash ($1.3MM).
- Note: All of Clippers’ outgoing pieces sent to the Hawks.
Acquired the Hawks’ 2018 second-round pick (top-55 protected) from the Hawks in exchange for DeAndre Liggins and cash ($100K).

Draft picks:

2-39: Jawun Evans — Signed to three-year, minimum salary contract. Third-year team option.
2-48: Sindarius Thornwell — Signed to three-year, minimum salary contract. Third year non-guaranteed.

Departing players:

Alan Anderson
Brandon Bass
Jamal Crawford
Raymond Felton
Luc Mbah a Moute
Chris Paul
Paul Pierce (waived; retired)
J.J. Redick
Marreese Speights
Diamond Stone

Other offseason news:

Promoted Lawrence Frank to president of basketball operations. Doc Rivers now just head coach.
Hired Michael Winger as general manager.
Hired Trent Redden as assistant general manager. Hired Mark Hughes as assistant GM.
Hired former GM Dave Wohl as special advisor.
Introduced new expansion G League team, the Agua Caliente Clippers of Ontario.
Willie Reed charged with domestic battery.

Salary cap situation:

Operating over the cap and very slightly under the tax. Carrying approximately $119MM in guaranteed salaries. Hard-capped. Small portion ($775K) of mid-level exception still available. Otherwise, only minimum salary exception available.

Check out the Los Angeles Clippers’ full roster and depth chart at RosterResource.com.

Story of the summer:

Following another disappointing first-round exit from the 2017 playoffs, the Clippers entered the offseason in a difficult spot. The Chris Paul-led squad of the last six years had never made it beyond the Western Conference Semifinals, and while injuries to key players at inopportune times created some tantalizing what-ifs in previous seasons, the 2016/17 Clippers didn’t look like a team on the verge of a breakthrough.

With Paul, Blake Griffin, and J.J. Redick all eligible for free agency, the possibility of re-signing the trio, blowing by the luxury tax line, and continuing to struggle in the early rounds of the postseason didn’t look like the right approach. But players like Paul and Griffin aren’t easy to replace, particularly given the Clippers’ lack of cap flexibility, and letting them go for nothing wouldn’t have made sense either.

In a somewhat fortunate turn of events, Paul ultimately made the decision simpler for the Clippers, deciding that he wanted a change of scenery. Instead of signing with the Rockets as a free agent though, Paul gave the Clips a heads-up on his intentions, allowing the team to work out a trade with Houston. That deal helped the Clippers add depth, gave the club a first-round pick to dangle in a subsequent trade, and created the cap flexibility necessary to lock up Griffin to a long-term contract while potentially avoiding the tax.

Of course, losing an All-NBA caliber guard is never ideal, but the Clippers were in need of a shake-up, and the team did an admirable job revamping the roster in the wake of CP3’s departure.

Key offseason losses:

Injuries limited Paul to 61 games in 2016/17, meaning he was left off the West’s All-Star roster for the first time since 2006/07. Still, the 32-year-old remained one of the league’s most productive point guards, averaging 18.1 PPG, 9.2 APG, and 5.0 RPG while shooting .476/.411/.892 and playing solid defense. Moving on from Paul will allow the Clippers to adjust and speed up their style of play, and there will likely be players on the roster who don’t miss the veteran’s occasionally abrasive approach to leadership. But his contributions on both ends of the floor will be missed.

The Clippers will also find it challenging to replace the outside shooting the team lost by letting Redick sign elsewhere in free agency. Tthere’s no shortage of effective three-point shooters in the NBA these days, but few are more deadly than Redick, who has shot 44.6% from beyond the arc and made 2.6 threes per game over the last three seasons.

While Paul and Redick were the Clippers’ most notable offseason losses, there was a ton of turnover on the roster, with eight more players who finished last season with the club no longer on the roster. Some of those players won’t be missed much — Diamond Stone, Paul Pierce, and Alan Anderson, for instance, didn’t play many minutes for L.A. in 2016/17.

The team’s list of departing players includes several more rotation players though, including starting small forward Luc Mbah a Moute. Perennial Sixth Man of the Year candidate Jamal Crawford is no longer in the mix either, meaning the team lost its top defensive specialist on the wing in Mbah a Moute and its top bench scorer in Crawford.

The frontcourt rotation underwent some changes, with Brandon Bass and Marreese Speights landing elsewhere. And finally, backup point guard Raymond Felton left L.A. as a free agent, leaving the Clips to entirely rework their point guard rotation to fill the holes left by Paul and Felton.

Key offseason additions:

The Paul trade with the Rockets allowed the Clippers to stockpile several useful players, led by veteran guards Patrick Beverley and Lou Williams. The latter should be a capable replacement for Crawford as a sixth man off the bench, while the former can match – or top – Paul’s tenacity on the defensive end of the floor.

Of course, Beverley’s offensive game leaves something to be desired, but the Clippers added a playmaking veteran at the position by signing Euroleague star Milos Teodosic, who has already made a strong first impression on Clippers fans with his passing ability. Teodosic’s defense leaves something to be desired and his transition to the NBA may not be seamless, but his ability to set up teammates should pay major dividends in Los Angeles this season.

The CP3 deal also netted the Clippers a first-round pick which the team flipped to Atlanta in a three-team, sign-and-trade deal for Danilo Gallinari. The best way to use Gallinari is probably as a stretch four, so I’m somewhat skeptical about how he’ll fit on the floor next to Griffin and DeAndre Jordan. But if Doc Rivers can figure out the best way to juggle his lineups, Gallinari represents an intriguing addition to the roster. He was somewhat overlooked in Denver, but the Italian sharpshooter averaged 18.8 PPG for the Nuggets over the last two years and will help balance the Clippers’ offensive attack.

In addition to their bigger-name acquisitions, the Clippers picked up an interesting pair of young forwards – Sam Dekker and Montrezl Harrell – in the CP3 trade, and signing Willie Reed for the veteran’s minimum was a nice way to add depth behind Jordan at the five.

I was also impressed with the Clippers’ willingness to spend some cash to buy a couple second-round picks in June, adding Jawun Evans and Sindarius Thornwell in the draft. How much Evans and Thornwell will contribute in 2017/18 and beyond remains to be seen, but Rivers had been somewhat reluctant in recent years to invest heavily in young players, preferring to fill out his bench with aging veterans. The fact that the Clips – armed with a new G League affiliate – are open to the idea of developing young players bodes well for the club’s long-term outlook.

Outlook for 2017/18:

There are plenty of reasons to be down on the Clippers heading into 2017/18. Losing Paul almost certainly reduces the team’s upside, and many of the key contributors – including Griffin and Gallinari – have worrisome injury histories. Given the strides made by many of their conference rivals, the Clippers could fall out of the top eight in the West this season and it wouldn’t come as a total shock.

Nonetheless, given the way the Clippers’ 2016/17 season ended, it’s hard to fault the team for taking this approach. It didn’t make sense for the franchise to make a huge monetary commitment to a nucleus that had failed to make a deep playoff run, but the club also wasn’t well positioned to embark on a full-fledged rebuild.

By re-signing Griffin, receiving a surprisingly solid haul for Paul, and foraying into free agency for some useful veterans, the Clippers didn’t exactly build a title contender, but this is their deepest roster in years, and it will be fascinating to see how the new pieces fit together.

Salary information from Basketball Insiders used in the creation of this post. Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

2017 Offseason In Review: Detroit Pistons

October 3rd, 2017 at 10:15am CST by Dana Gauruder

Signings:

Langston Galloway: Three years, $21MM.
Eric Moreland: Three years, $5.479MM. First year partially guaranteed ($750K). Second and third years non-guaranteed.
Reggie Bullock: Two years, $5MM. Second year non-guaranteed.
Anthony Tolliver: One year, $3.29MM.
Luis Montero: Two-way contract. Two years.
Dwight Buycks: Two-way contract. One year, $50K guaranteed.

Camp invitees:

Beno Udrih: One year, minimum salary. Exact details not yet known.
Landry Nnoko: One year, minimum salary. Exhibits nine and 10.
Derek Willis: One year, minimum salary. Exhibits nine and 10.

Trades:

Acquired cash ($1MM) from the Rockets in exchange for Darrun Hilliard.
Acquired Avery Bradley and a 2019 second-round pick from the Celtics in exchange for Marcus Morris.

Draft picks:

1-12: Luke Kennard — Signed to rookie contract.

Departing players:

Aron Baynes
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope
Michael Gbinije (waived)
Darrun Hilliard
Marcus Morris

Other offseason news:

Moved to downtown Detroit, from Palace of Auburn Hills to Little Caesars Arena.
Jason Maxiell retired as a Piston.

Salary cap situation:

Operating over the cap and under the tax. Carrying approximately $115MM in guaranteed salaries. Hard-capped. Only minimum salary exception available.

Check out the Detroit Pistons’ full roster and depth chart at RosterResource.com.

Story of the summer:

Head coach and president of basketball operations Stan Van Gundy, along with GM Jeff Bower, had a tough dilemma following a very disappointing 2016/17 campaign: Should they give shooting guard and restricted free agent Kentavious Caldwell-Pope a long-term contract?

Entering the offseason, the general consensus was that the Pistons would either lock up Caldwell-Pope or they would match an offer sheet, as long as the monetary burden wasn’t overwhelming. Caldwell-Pope was the team’s best perimeter defender, matching up with the opponent’s top offensive guard, regardless of whether that player was a point guard or shooting guard. He could also shadow some threes in smaller lineups.

A few factors swayed Van Gundy and Bower in another direction. First, Caldwell-Pope’s spotty offensive production was an issue. In 31 of the 76 games he played last season, Caldwell-Pope scored 10 or fewer points.

Second, the Pistons were already saddled with burdensome contracts for starters Reggie Jackson, Andre Drummond, Tobias Harris and backup Jon Leuer. Giving Caldwell-Pope $20MM or more annually would push a team that didn’t even make the playoffs last season into luxury tax territory. Third, they found a better solution, at least in the short term.

The Celtics needed to unload some salary in order to sign Gordon Hayward and the Pistons swooped in and traded for versatile Avery Bradley to replace Caldwell-Pope. Bradley becomes a free agent after this season, though Detroit’s brass has already indicated its desire to re-sign Bradley.

The Pistons renounced their rights to Caldwell-Pope once they agreed to the deal. As it turned out, Caldwell-Pope had a harder time finding long-term security than expected. He signed a one-year, $18MM contract with the Lakers and will return to the free agent market next summer.

Key offseason losses:

Marcus Morris was forwarded to the Celtics in the Bradley deal. Morris isn’t a player favored by analytics and advanced stats. He had a 12.47 Player Efficiency Rating, below the 15.0 league average. But he played both forward spots and answered the bell more than any other Pistons player the last two seasons, starting in 79 games last season and 80 the previous year. Van Gundy could count on Morris for consistency and toughness, and now it will be up to Stanley Johnson – who had a poor sophomore season – to fill that void.

Backup center Aron Baynes opted out of his contract and eventually signed with the Celtics. Van Gundy often stated last season that Baynes was good enough to start for most teams. However, Baynes actually wound up accepting less money to play for a serious contender.

Key offseason additions:

Bradley is an outstanding two-way player coming off a career year. The 6’2” guard averaged a career-high 16.3 PPG and also made a significant impact on the boards (6.1 RPG). He’s a tenacious defender and above-average three-point shooter (39.0% last season). The latter skill will greatly aid an offense heavily reliant on pick-and-rolls to make defenses pay for collapsing on Drummond.

Langston Galloway was a surprising addition from the free agent market, but Van Gundy liked his versatility. He can play either guard spot and gives the Pistons some insurance in case Jackson’s knee issues remain a lingering problem. He’s also an above-average long-distance shooter.

Speaking of shooting, the Pistons used their late-lottery pick on former Duke two guard Luke Kennard, who may have been the best pure shooter in the draft. He’ll battle Galloway for playing time behind Bradley.

Anthony Tolliver returns for a second stint with the club and gives the Pistons a veteran locker-room presence and another stretch four at Van Gundy’s disposal.

Outlook for 2017/18:

The Pistons are moving into a new downtown arena and they hope that will bring some new energy to a franchise that sorely needs every boost it can get.

Detroit seemingly has the talent to make the postseason for the second time in three seasons but that hinges on bounce-back seasons from Jackson and Drummond. Jackson struggled physically last season after missing 21 games due to knee tendinitis and his lack of explosiveness diffused the entire attack. Drummond’s production suffered and he often looked disinterested and frustrated as the losses piled up.

Bradley should boost the starting unit, but Johnson’s development is a key factor. He’s got to become more of an offensive threat and show more overall focus. Leuer also needs to recover from a poor second half and regain his long-range stroke.

Boban Marjanovic will have an expanded role as Drummond’s backup and it will be interesting to see if the lumbering big man’s offensive power can outweigh his lack of defensive mobility.

Van Gundy’s seat could get very hot if the Pistons don’t show vast improvement this season.

Salary information from Basketball Insiders used in the creation of this post. Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images. Luke Adams contributed to this post.

2017 Offseason In Review: Minnesota Timberwolves

October 2nd, 2017 at 3:53pm CST by Luke Adams

Signings:

Jeff Teague: Three years, $57MM. Third-year player option.
Taj Gibson: Two years, $28MM.
Jamal Crawford: Two years, $8.872MM. Second-year player option.
Shabazz Muhammad: Two years, minimum salary. Second-year player option.
Aaron Brooks: One year, minimum salary.
Anthony Brown: Two-way contract. One year, $50K guaranteed.

Camp invitees:

Marcus Georges-Hunt: One year, minimum salary. Non-guaranteed.
Amile Jefferson: One year, minimum salary. Exhibits nine and 10.
Melo Trimble: One year, minimum salary. Exhibits nine and 10.

Trades:

Acquired Jimmy Butler and the draft rights to Justin Patton (No. 16 pick) from the Bulls in exchange for Zach LaVine, Kris Dunn, and the draft rights to Lauri Markkanen (No. 7 pick).
Acquired the Thunder’s 2018 first-round pick (top-14 protected) from the Jazz in exchange for Ricky Rubio.

Draft picks:

1-16: Justin Patton — Signed to rookie contract.

Departing players:

Omri Casspi
Kris Dunn
Jordan Hill
Zach LaVine
Adreian Payne
Nikola Pekovic (waived; medical retirement)
Ricky Rubio
Brandon Rush

Other offseason news:

Expected to finalize rookie scale extension with Andrew Wiggins.
Bought Iowa Energy, renamed the G League team as the Iowa Wolves.

Salary cap situation:

Used up all cap room and room exception. Over the cap, carrying approximately $104MM in guaranteed salaries. Only minimum salary exception available.

Check out the Minnesota Timberwolves’ full roster and depth chart at RosterResource.com.

Story of the summer:

Heading into June’s draft, it looked like the Timberwolves were on track to add another young prospect – perhaps Malik Monk or Lauri Markkanen – to a core that already featured Andrew Wiggins, Karl-Anthony Towns, Kris Dunn, and Zach LaVine. Throw in a free agent addition or two, and that young group would have had a chance to make the leap into the top eight in the West, earning the Wolves their first playoff berth since 2004.

Head coach and president of basketball operations Tom Thibodeau had other ideas though, signaling that he wasn’t satisfied with simply taking another incremental step forward. Instead of playing it safe on draft day, the Wolves flipped Dunn, LaVine, and the team’s No. 7 pick to the Bulls for old friend Jimmy Butler.

Once free agency got underway, Thibs and the front office added another familiar face from his Bulls days by signing Taj Gibson, and filled out the backcourt with a couple more veterans, signing Jeff Teague and Jamal Crawford.

When the dust settled, the Timberwolves still looked like a team capable of making strides based on the development of former top picks Wiggins and Towns, but the veteran additions – headlined by Butler – had significantly increased the ceiling for the club. Suddenly, Minnesota looked ready not just to end the franchise’s postseason drought, but to potentially grab a top-five seed in a competitive Western Conference.

Key offseason losses:

The fifth overall pick in the 2016 draft, Dunn garnered significant interest a year ago, with the Bulls among the clubs that looked to acquire him on draft night. After a poor rookie season, it seemed safe to assume that Dunn’s value would have been somewhat diminished, but Chicago was still willing to make him and LaVine the centerpieces of a trade involving an All-NBA forward in Butler.

While Dunn has the potential to develop into an above-average NBA point guard and LaVine enjoyed a breakout season in 2016/17 before tearing his ACL, losing the duo shouldn’t have a huge impact on Minnesota’s on-court performance in the short term. Dunn’s .377/.288/.610 shooting percentage made him a liability, and LaVine only appeared in 47 games last season.

The bigger immediate loss for the Timberwolves will be Ricky Rubio, the former fifth overall pick who enjoyed his best season in 2016/17. Few point guards in the NBA can match the playmaking abilities of the Spaniard, who averaged 16.0 PPG and 10.5 APG after the All-Star break last season, but moving on from Rubio and Dunn will allow Minnesota to upgrade its shooting at the point guard spot — Rubio’s modest .402 FG% last season was a career best.

The Wolves also said goodbye to another long-tenured veteran over the offseason, waiving Nikola Pekovic and clearing his salary from their cap due to medical retirement. Pekovic hadn’t played in an NBA game since January 2016, so his departure essentially just opened up a roster spot and some cap room for the Wolves, but it wasn’t that long ago that he was a standout center for the franchise (17.5 PPG in 2013/14).

Key offseason additions:

While I didn’t hate the Butler deal for the Bulls as intensely as many NBA fans and observers did, it was certainly a coup for the Timberwolves. To land one of the 20 best players in the NBA, Minnesota only needed to move down nine spots in the draft and part with a struggling second-year point guard and a 2018 RFA-to-be recovering from a torn ACL.

It will be interesting to see whether Butler and Wiggins – who have similar games and aren’t exactly deadly outside shooters – can comfortably co-exist in the same lineup, but they’re both so talented that I have little doubt Thibodeau and company will find a way to make it work.

Teague and Crawford should be solid fits as well, providing the team with some solid – if not spectacular – three-point shooting. While Teague doesn’t have Rubio’s passing ability, he has also never been the sort of point guard who needs to take 15 or 20 shots per game, meaning he should have no problem getting Wiggins, Butler, and Towns involved in the offense. Crawford is less inclined to get everyone else looks, but if he plays with the second unit, that shouldn’t be a huge priority — with that group, he’ll be relied upon to score.

The signing of Gibson was one Wolves move that I questioned. His toughness and rebounding ability should pay off at times throughout the season, and he’ll have Thibodeau’s trust out of the gate, but $14MM per year is a significant price for an aging power forward without an outside shot. Patrick Patterson‘s three-year, $16MM+ deal with Oklahoma City might’ve been a better fit for the Wolves, giving them a more versatile power forward and freeing up some money to dedicate to a wing or a backup point guard.

Without that extra cap flexibility, the Wolves went bargain hunting for a wing and a point guard, and were able to lock up Shabazz Muhammad and Aaron Brooks, another former Bull. Minnesota certainly could’ve done worse for the minimum salary, but Muhammad isn’t a particularly well-rounded player, and Brooks has seen his role dwindle over the last few years.

Outlook for 2017/18:

Although I expect the Timberwolves to end their postseason drought in 2017/18, I think the club will ultimately fight for a spot in the back half of the West’s top eight, rather than seriously vying for a top-five seed.

Minnesota landed a star when the team traded for Butler, but jettisoning Rubio in order to sign Teague looks like a marginal upgrade at best. And while Butler and Crawford should be net positives, their best days are likely behind them. The Timberwolves’ ability to make major strides this season may ultimately come down to Butler’s contributions and improvements from Wiggins and Towns.

It’s easy to forget now, but there were NBA experts who expected the Wolves to rack up 45 or 50 wins a year ago based on the upside of Wiggins and Towns. With the focus on Butler and the newcomers this year, those former No. 1 picks are under a little less pressure to carry the team. However, if the Wolves aim to win 45 or 50 games this season, Wiggins and Towns will have to have a major hand in it.

Salary information from Basketball Insiders used in the creation of this post. Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

2017 Offseason In Review: Indiana Pacers

October 1st, 2017 at 10:16pm CST by Austin Kent

Signings:

Bojan Bogdanovic: Two years, $21MM. Second year partially guaranteed ($1.5MM).
Darren Collison: Two years, $20MM. Second year partially guaranteed ($2MM).
Edmond Sumner: Two-way contract. Two years, $50K guaranteed in each season.
Alex Poythress: Two-way contract. Exact details not known.

Camp invitees:

Damien Wilkins: One year, minimum salary. Partially guaranteed ($25K).
DeQuan Jones: One year, minimum salary. Exhibits nine and 10.
Trey McKinney-Jones: One year, minimum salary. Exhibits nine and 10.
Ben Moore: One year, minimum salary. Exhibits nine and 10.
Jarrod Uthoff: One year, minimum salary. Exhibits nine and 10.

Trades:

Acquired the draft rights to Edmond Sumner (No. 52 pick) from the Pelicans in exchange for cash ($1MM).
Acquired Victor Oladipo and Domantas Sabonis from the Thunder in exchange for Paul George.
Acquired Cory Joseph from the Raptors in exchange for the draft rights to Emir Preldzic.

Draft picks:

1-18: T.J. Leaf — Signed to rookie contract.
2-47: Ike Anigbogu — Signed to three-year, $3.947MM contract. Second year partially guaranteed ($690K). Third year non-guaranteed.
2-52: Edmond Sumner — Signed to two-way contract.

Departing players:

Lavoy Allen (declined team option)
Aaron Brooks
Rakeem Christmas (waived)
Monta Ellis (waived)
Paul George
C.J. Miles
Georges Niang (waived)
Kevin Seraphin (waived)
Jeff Teague

Other offseason news:

Larry Bird stepped down as president of basketball operations. GM Kevin Pritchard promoted to replace Bird.
Hired Hornets executive Chad Buchanan to be general manager.
Glenn Robinson III expected to be out until November or December due to ankle injury.
Exercised 2018/19 team option on Myles Turner.
Lakers fined $500K for tampering with Pacers/Paul George.

Salary cap situation:

Operating under the cap. Can create up to about $7MM in cap room (carrying approximately $92MM in guaranteed salaries). Still have room exception ($3.29MM) available.

Check out the Indiana Pacers’ full roster and depth chart at RosterResource.com.

Story of the summer:

There’s no denying that, despite the good work they’ve done since, the biggest event of the Pacers’ summer was a disappointing one.

Reports in the spring indicated that 2018 free-agent-to-be Paul George had little interest in returning to Indiana, effectively forcing the team’s hand if it wanted anything in return for the outgoing star. In the wake of that news, all eyes turned to recently-appointed president of basketball operations Kevin Pritchard, suddenly thrust into the deep end of his new role.

While the Pacers have done an admirable job getting up off the mat and putting together a respectable squad that will make an effort to compete in the East, the club’s haul in the George trade that will be held under the microscope for years to come.

When word broke on the last day of June that Victor Oladipo and Domantas Sabonis would be on their way to Indiana in exchange for the disgruntled All-Star, some were left underwhelmed, considering what the Celtics had supposedly been willing to offer for George. Others were simply frustrated that the Pacers were even forced into such a precarious position in the first place.

Regardless of the circumstances of the deal that brought an end to the modern-day Pacers as we know them, the only thing that matters now is how the franchise rallies after sustaining the blow.

Key offseason losses:

The Pacers will be hard-pressed to replace the impact that George had on the team’s offense. Not only did the All-Star forward provide a consistent 20-plus points per game over the last few seasons — he was also a reliable late-game option that could single-handedly win games in both the regular season and playoffs.

While Jeff Teague didn’t exactly push the franchise to new heights during his one season with the club, his absence will be felt as well. Prior to Teague’s arrival in Indiana, the team leaned heavily on George Hill, so realistically the Pacers will face their first season in over half a decade without a reliable, proven NBA starter at the point.

Veteran C.J. Miles will ply his trade as a three-and-D specialist in Toronto this season, one of the subtle reminders that the Pacers team fans have grown familiar seeing battling in the postseason is a thing of the past. Miles averaged a pedestrian 10.7 points per game for the squad last season, but had been a part of the club’s rotation for three years.

After falling out of favor in Indiana, Ellis ended up off the team altogether. Not long ago the guard was a reliable offensive spark plug. This summer, however, given the abundance of other issues Indiana’s front office had to worry about, the final two years of Ellis’ contract – roughly $23MM through 2018/19 – proved too much to bear and he was waived and stretched.

Key offseason additions:

The Pacers apparently coveted Oladipo for years. Now they finally have him. It’ll be interesting to see what the former second overall pick is capable of when given the freedom to lead another offense. While it’s easy to get excited about the 25-year-old combo guard’s potential in Indiana, it’s worth noting that his production was rather modest during his three-year stay in Orlando.

It was hard for Sabonis to get consistent minutes in Oklahoma City’s crowded frontcourt, but he arrives in Indiana as a skilled young big man with an excellent pedigree. Although he may remain a reserve throughout the 2017/18 campaign, it’s likely he’ll see more meaningful minutes at the four with just Thaddeus Young ahead of him.

The Pacers needed a point guard after losing Teague via free agency and came up with a more than serviceable duo. Indiana gets the best of both worlds in established career reserve Darren Collison – a veteran who doesn’t need to start, but has frequently thrived when given the opportunity to do so – and Cory Joseph, a high-upside player that went underutilized in Toronto. Collison will be able to help contribute to a deceptively deep team out of the gates, while Joseph should serve as a potential building block heading forward.

The Wizards liberated Bojan Bogdanovic from the Nets last season and he proved capable of elevating his game while playing more meaningful minutes in Washington. This year he’ll bolster Indiana’s perimeter offense, an area particularly hard hit by George’s exit.

Outlook for 2017/18:

Perhaps the Pacers were overly optimistic about the idea of George remaining in Indiana, because they certainly didn’t do themselves any favors by hesitating to trade him while his value was at its highest last season.

Indiana’s front office suffered the biggest blow a small market team could suffer this summer and then mishandled the events that followed. What they’ve done since, however, has been nothing short of impressive.

Pritchard and company deserve credit – and fan support – after quickly patching together a decent lineup of solid assets when other teams may have been inclined to drift to the bottom of the standings and pursue a top draft pick. This year, sans George, Indiana could still compete for the East’s eighth seed.

Will an Oladipo- and Bogdanovic-led offense contend with the Cavaliers in 2018? No, but it shows grit and pride that won’t be wasted on the next great player to emerge in Indiana – especially if that player has been there, waiting for his opportunity all along.

The Myles Turner Era has begun.

Salary information from Basketball Insiders used in the creation of this post. Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images. Luke Adams contributed to this post.

2017 Offseason In Review: Toronto Raptors

September 28th, 2017 at 9:06pm CST by Austin Kent

Signings:

Kyle Lowry: Three years, $93MM. Includes unlikely incentives.
Serge Ibaka: Three years, $65MM.
C.J. Miles: Three years, $25MM. Third-year player option.
Lorenzo Brown: Two-way contract. One year, $50K guaranteed.
Malcolm Miller: Two-way contract. One year, $50K guaranteed.

Camp invitees:

Alfonzo McKinnie: Two years, minimum salary. $100K guarantee.
K.J. McDaniels: One year, minimum salary. $100K guarantee.
Kennedy Meeks: One year, minimum salary. Summer contract.
Kyle Wiltjer: One year, minimum salary. Summer contract.
Andy Rautins: One year, minimum salary. Exact terms not yet known.

Trades:

Acquired Magic’s 2018 second-round pick from the Magic in exchange for the right to hire Jeff Weltman.
Acquired Justin Hamilton from the Nets in exchange for DeMarre Carroll, the Raptors’ 2018 first-round pick (top-14 protected), and a 2018 second-round pick (less favorable of Lakers and Magic picks).
Acquired the draft rights to Emir Preldzic from the Pacers in exchange for Cory Joseph.

Draft picks:

1-23: OG Anunoby — Signed to rookie contract.

Departing players:

DeMarre Carroll
Cory Joseph
Patrick Patterson
P.J. Tucker

Other offseason news:

Promoted Bobby Webster to general manager after GM Jeff Weltman left to become Magic’s president of basketball operations.
Tendered qualifying offer to Nando De Colo to retain RFA rights.

Salary cap situation:

Operating over the cap and slightly under the tax. Hard capped. Carrying approximately $117MM in guaranteed salary. Full bi-annual exception ($3.29MM) still available.

Check out the Toronto Raptors’ full roster and depth chart at RosterResource.com.

Story of the summer:

The Raptors faced an existential fork in the road this summer and made the decision to keep their core in place. By re-signing Kyle Lowry and Serge Ibaka, the club doubled down on a formula that has delivered mixed results, depending on whom you ask.

Put simply, the Medium Three of DeMar DeRozan, Lowry, and Ibaka may not be enough to legitimately contend with the Cavaliers or Celtics, but it’s reasonably safe to say it’s enough to clinch home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs in the watered-down Eastern Conference.

To afford Lowry and Ibaka, owed $28.7MM and $20.1MM this season, Toronto needed to drastically limit future financial flexibility and also forego some of its peripheral core, including several prominent rotation pieces.

The jury is out on whether or not the Raps’ decision to stick with their stars as opposed to explore a more intensive overhaul was a smart one, but that’s a question for basketball philosophers.

Will the moves bring the franchise the success that it pines for? And what constitutes success for a fringe contender in the Super-Team Era anyway?

Key offseason losses:

The Raptors said farewell to four rotation players out of financial necessity this summer, and only one of them turned around and bad-mouthed the roster on his way out the door.

Don’t expect head coach Dwane Casey to lose sleep thinking of ways to replace DeMarre Carroll‘s 8.9 points per game. Rather, clearing out the depth chart at the three should open more of an opportunity for third-year man Norman Powell.

Patrick Patterson, however, will represent a more significant on-court loss. For years, Patterson stepped up as a reliable deep threat off the bench. He never consistently dominated ball games, hence his expendability, but he was a valuable option at the team’s disposal over the course of the last few seasons.

The loss of local boy Cory Joseph, a capable spot starter whenever called upon to fill in for Lowry, will be felt in the second unit, but could open an opportunity for Delon Wright.

Another veteran that will suit up elsewhere in 2017/18 is P.J. Tucker. The scrappy forward came over from the Suns at the deadline, but didn’t leave much of an impact during his brief stay in Canada.

Key offseason additions:

The Raptors added a potent perimeter threat through the draft this summer and there’s a chance he’ll find a way into the team’s rotation before the end of the 2017/18 season. Just last January, OG Anunoby was considered a possible top-10 pick, but a knee injury derailed his only season with Indiana and allowed the Raptors to snag him with the No. 23 pick.

The biggest free agent addition made by the Raptors this summer was C.J. Miles. Miles, a 12-year vet, will slot in on the perimeter as a potent three-and-D asset. Outside of his three-point shooting, he could contribute leadership and various other intangibles that the club hoped to get out of Carroll and Tucker last season.

Outlook for 2017/18:

The Raptors made a splash at the trade deadline last season by bringing in Ibaka, but the theme of the campaign still ended up being stagnancy. Not only did the team’s streak of consecutive seasons with improved win totals come to an end at five, but Toronto was systematically dismantled in the postseason by a Cavaliers team that barely even put a dent in the ultimate NBA champion.

The difference between this season and last, however, is that the obligatory turnover within the organization could usher in a semblance of change. On paper, the Raptors may be worse off than they were when they lost to the Cavs. However, a full season with Ibaka on board – coupled with all of the new opportunities their young rotation players will get – provides an element of excitement that wasn’t there this time last year.

Adding to the excitement is the possibility that this could be the year that the iso-heavy team finally adopts a new playing style, as Ujiri implied last May, although we’ll believe that when we see it.

Nonetheless, everybody knows what to expect out of Lowry, DeRozan and Ibaka by now — a solid regular season record and perhaps a trip to the second round. Now, Masai Ujiri and company are rolling the dice on their ability to build the rest of a contender from within.

Salary information from Basketball Insiders used in the creation of this post. Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images. Luke Adams contributed to this post.

2017 Offseason In Review: New Orleans Pelicans

September 27th, 2017 at 10:03am CST by Luke Adams

Signings:

Jrue Holiday: Five years, $131.1MM. Fifth-year player option. Includes unlikely incentives.
Darius Miller: Two years, $4.305MM. Second year non-guaranteed.
Rajon Rondo: One year, $3.3MM.
Dante Cunningham: One year, $2.3MM (reported).
Tony Allen: One year, minimum salary.
Ian Clark: One year, minimum salary.
Jalen Jones: Two-way contract. Two years.
Charles Cooke: Two-way contract. One year.

Camp invitees:

Cliff Alexander: One year, minimum salary. Exact terms not known.
Perry Jones: One year, minimum salary. Summer contract with exhibit nine.
Martell Webster: One year, minimum salary. Exact terms not known.

Trades:

Acquired the No. 52 overall pick from the Wizards in exchange for Tim Frazier.
Acquired the draft rights to Frank Jackson (No. 31 pick) from the Hornets in exchange for the draft rights to Dwayne Bacon (No. 40 pick) and cash ($1.8MM).
Acquired cash ($1MM) from the Pacers in exchange for the draft rights to Edmond Sumner (No. 52 pick).
Acquired the draft rights to Ater Majok from the Bulls in exchange for Quincy Pondexter, the Pelicans’ 2018 second-round pick, and cash ($2.5MM).

Draft picks:

2-31: Frank Jackson — Signed to three-year, minimum salary contract. Third year partially guaranteed ($506K).

Departing players:

Quinn Cook (waived)
Tim Frazier
Donatas Motiejunas
Quincy Pondexter
Axel Toupane (waived)

Other offseason news:

Retained head coach Alvin Gentry and general manager Dell Demps.
Hired Chris Finch as assistant coach.
Solomon Hill underwent surgery to repair torn hamstring, expected to miss most of season.
Frank Jackson underwent surgery to repair broken foot, expected to be out until at least December.
Reportedly narrowed search for G League home to two cities.

Salary cap situation:

Operating over the cap and slightly under the tax. Currently carrying approximately $115MM in guaranteed salary. Portion of mid-level exception ($2.19MM) and full bi-annual exception ($3.29MM) still available.

Check out the New Orleans Pelicans’ full roster and depth chart at RosterResource.com.

Story of the summer:

Entering the 2017 offseason, there was no guarantee that general manager Dell Demps and head coach Alvin Gentry would be back with the Pelicans. The club has posted a 64-100 record during Gentry’s two seasons with the team, despite having arguably the NBA’s best big man in Anthony Davis. As for Demps, New Orleans won 46 games during his first year as GM back in 2010/11, but has topped 34 wins just once since then.

After pulling off a widely lauded trade for DeMarcus Cousins last winter though, Demps bought himself a little more time to see if the club can make the Davis/Cousins tandem work, and Gentry is sticking around too. Still, while the Pelicans didn’t make any leadership changes this offseason, the clock may be ticking on Demps and Gentry.

That ticking clock meant that the Pelicans entered the summer intent on building a win-now roster, but didn’t have the salary cap flexibility necessary to be as aggressive as the front office might have liked. The outcome? A potential overpay for Jrue Holiday, whose Bird rights were held by the team, and then a few smaller moves intended to fill in the gaps of the rotation.

The resulting roster looks stacked in certain areas and lacking in others, and will be under a lot of pressure to perform this season. If things go south in New Orleans, major changes could be in store for the Pelicans at the trade deadline or during the 2018 offseason.

Key offseason losses:

The Pelicans traded Tim Frazier for a second-round pick, then sold that pick for a modest $1MM on draft night, meaning Frazier essentially amounted to a salary dump. The young point guard had shown some promise last season as the club’s primary backup and occasional starter, but with luxury tax concerns looming and Rajon Rondo landing in New Orleans, jettisoning Frazier was probably the right call.

The club’s decision to trade Quincy Pondexter to Chicago in another salary dump was a little more questionable. The Pelicans sent their own 2018 second-round pick and $2.5MM in cash to the Bulls to complete the deal, which netted them nothing but cap savings.

Stretching Pondexter’s salary instead of trading him would have left New Orleans with an extra $1.28MM on its cap for 2017/18, and given the club’s proximity to both the tax line and the hard cap, it’s easy to see why management – and possibly ownership – felt clearing that money was necessary. But it was a steep price to pay to clear such a small cap hit, and raises larger questions about the Pelicans’ cap management.

The Pelicans’ other departing players – Donatas Motiejunas, Quinn Cook, and Axel Toupane – played small roles for the club last season. Losing them won’t have a significant impact on the roster.

Key offseason additions:

While I have serious questions about the Pelicans’ investment in Holiday, particularly since the addition of Rondo signals that Holiday may not even open the season as the starting point guard, the team did some solid work on the periphery of the free agent market this summer. For less than $11MM in guaranteed money, New Orleans picked up Rondo, Darius Miller, Dante Cunningham, Tony Allen, and Ian Clark.

Rondo has been one of the NBA’s biggest enigmas in recent years, but at a price of $3.3MM, it’s certainly worth rolling the dice to see how frequently he can be the player who looked dominant in leading the Bulls to a 2-0 series lead over the Celtics in the spring.

Cunningham, Allen, and Clark were all players I expected to land larger contracts in free agency this summer, so it was a coup for the Pelicans to re-sign Cunningham for $2.3MM and to land Allen and Clark for the minimum.

Of the Pelicans’ offfseason additions, Miller is perhaps the biggest wild card. Last seen in the NBA during the 2014/15 season, the former second-round pick was essentially a non-factor in his previous stint with New Orleans. However, the Pelicans clearly liked what they saw from him during his time with Brose Bamberg in Germany, having used part of their mid-level exception to sign him.

Miller shot 41.5% on threes last season for his German club, so he’ll join Clark and Cunningham as some of the only long-distance threats on the Pelicans’ roster. Neither Clark nor Cunningham attempted a ton of three-pointers last season, but they had good percentages, and will be relied upon to keep defenses honest and help space the floor, particularly if Allen and Rondo are on the court.

Outlook for 2017/18:

Although the combination of Cousins and Davis is a tantalizing one, the Pelicans will face an uphill climb in a daunting Western Conference. With Solomon Hill, Frank Jackson, and Omer Asik already battling health problems, New Orleans’ depth will be tested early, and the team will be under pressure to make both its frontcourt duo and its point guard pairing (Rondo and Holiday) work out of the gate.

There’s no questioning the talent on the roster, and it’s possible the Pelicans will find a way to make it work. But it’s not hard to imagine a worst-case scenario that looks something like the 2016/17 Magic, who made a similar win-now push after a 35-win showing, only to have their season blow up. Serge Ibaka was flipped to a new team months after Orlando acquired him, and the front office was overhauled at season’s end. That same fate could await Cousins and Pelicans management if the club’s new-look roster doesn’t deliver on-court success this season.

Salary information from Basketball Insiders used in the creation of this post. Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

2017 Offseason In Review: Phoenix Suns

September 26th, 2017 at 11:33am CST by Luke Adams

Signings:

Alan Williams: Three years, $17.04MM. Second year non-guaranteed. Third year team option.
Alex Len: One year, $4.188MM. Signed qualifying offer.
Mike James: Two-way contract. One year.
Alec Peters: Two-way contract.

Camp invitees:

Anthony Bennett: One year, minimum salary. Summer contract.
Peter Jok: One year, minimum salary. Exhibits nine and 10.

Trades:

Acquired Troy Daniels and a 2018 second-round pick (second-most favorable of Grizzlies, Heat, and Hornets second-rounders) from the Grizzlies in exchange for Suns’ own 2018 second-round pick (top-55 protected)

Draft picks:

1-4: Josh Jackson — Signed to rookie contract.
2-32: Davon Reed — Signed to four-year, minimum salary contract. Second year partially guaranteed. Third and fourth years non-guaranteed.
2-54: Alec Peters — Signed to two-way contract.

Extensions:

T.J. Warren: Four years, $50MM (reported)

Departing players:

Leandro Barbosa (waived)
Ronnie Price

Other offseason news:

Extended general manager Ryan McDonough.
Hired James Jones as vice president of basketball operations.
Brandon Knight expected to miss 2017/18 season due to ACL tear.
Alan Williams expected to be out until March due to meniscus tear.
Davon Reed expected to be out until at least December due to meniscus tear.

Salary cap situation:

Operating under the cap and under the salary floor. Could create up to $13MM+ in cap space (carrying approximately $85.4MM in guaranteed salary), plus full room exception ($4.328MM) still available.

Check out the Phoenix Suns’ full roster and depth chart at RosterResource.com.

Story of the summer:

The Suns entered the 2017 offseason armed with cap room and ready to make a major splash in free agency or on the trade market. After having been linked to Kevin Love in several trade rumors, Phoenix lined up meetings with the top two free agent big men on the market, Blake Griffin and Paul Millsap.

Ultimately, Love remained in Cleveland, Griffin cancelled his meeting with the Suns after quickly coming to the terms with the Clippers, and the Suns reconsidered their direction. Less than 24 hours after the free agent period began, the Suns backed off their pursuit of Millsap, opting instead to continue taking a patient approach to the rebuilding process and to potentially use their cap space to accommodate salary dumps rather than to sign an impact free agent.

The Suns may have been tempted to deviate from that approach later in the summer when Kyrie Irving made his trade request — Irving is younger than Love, Griffin, or Millsap, and would’ve been a better fit for the Suns’ timeline. However, acquiring Cleveland’s star point guard likely would have cost the Suns Josh Jackson and a future first-round pick, and despite being the club most frequently linked to Irving, Phoenix wasn’t willing to pay that price and compromise its rebuild.

That looks to me like the right call. Clawing their way back to the upper ranks of the Western Conference will be a long, challenging road for the Suns, but going out and compromising their future cap flexibility to land an impact player would have represented an ill-advised short cut. This roster has a long way to go before it’s ready to contend, and adding a single star wouldn’t have changed that.

Key offseason losses:

Veteran guards Eric Bledsoe and Brandon Knight continued to be the subjects of trade rumors throughout the offseason, and young bigs Alan Williams and Alex Len reached free agency. All four of those players are still Suns though, as the roster remained surprisingly stable over the summer.

Thirteen of the 15 players who finished the 2016/17 season as Suns are still on the roster, with Leandro Barbosa and Ronnie Price representing the only departing vets. While their career résumés are impressive (they’ve appeared in nearly 1,400 combined regular season games), Barbosa and Price didn’t have a major impact on last season’s club. Barbosa at least had a rotation role, averaging 6.3 PPG in 67 games, but Price only appeared in 14 total contests.

Key offseason additions:

The Suns’ only major moves in free agency involved re-signing their own players, with Williams and Len getting new deals from the team. That meant that Phoenix’s most notable additions came in the draft, and fourth overall pick Jackson topped the list of the Suns’ draftees.

The Suns headed into the draft lottery as the second-highest seed and slipped two spots to No. 4, so it will be interesting to see if that outcome ends up coming back to haunt the team in the years to come. Having a shot to draft Markelle Fultz or Lonzo Ball likely would’ve resulted in a very different offseason for the Suns, who could have shopped Bledsoe more aggressively in that scenario.

Instead, the Suns came out of one of the best point guard drafts in recent memory with a versatile, two-way forward who – even at age 20 – should be able to contribute immediately, particularly on the defensive end. Jackson’s jump shot will have to improve significantly if he’s going to fully live up to his potential and become an All-Star caliber player, but even if that shot takes some time to come around, his athleticism and his ability to guard multiple positions make him a valuable piece for the Suns’ core. And the team clearly recognizes that value, having resisted including Jackson in an offer for Irving.

The Suns also looked to make up for the loss of Barbosa and Price by adding Davon Reed with the 32nd overall pick in the draft. A 39.5% three-point shooter over the course of his college career, the rookie guard could have teamed with Bledsoe, Knight, Devin Booker, and Tyler Ulis to form a young, promising backcourt.

Instead, after suffering a meniscus tear, Reed looks likely to miss most of the first half of the season, while an ACL tear for Knight is expected to sideline him for the entire 2017/18 campaign. Newly acquired shooting guard Troy Daniels figures to help fill out the backcourt rotation in their absence.

Outlook for 2017/18:

On paper, the Suns look pretty similar to the team that finished 24-58 and finished dead last in the Western Conference in 2016/17. Of course, Phoenix wasn’t trying too hard to win games down the stretch, and another year of development for the club’s young players should result in an improvement on the court.

Still, it’s hard to imagine a scenario in which the Suns aren’t once again occupying one of the spots at the bottom of the conference. Fellow lottery teams like the Nuggets, Pelicans, Timberwolves, and Lakers made more tangible improvements this offseason, and key Suns frontcourt players like Jackson, Marquese Chriss, and Dragan Bender will still be finding their footing in the NBA this season. Plus, the Suns have been hit hard by the injury bug this offseason, with Knight, Reed, and Williams all poised to miss extended time.

Another finish in the bottom five of the NBA standings may not thrill fans, but it’s probably good for the Suns’ long-term outlook. When Phoenix made the decision this summer to be patient with the rebuild rather than looking for a short-term fix, the club committed to at least another year or two in the lottery. That should help give the Suns’ young nucleus some time to grow, while giving the franchise the opportunity to add a couple more core pieces in the coming drafts.

Salary information from Basketball Insiders used in the creation of this post. Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

2017 Offseason In Review: Charlotte Hornets

September 25th, 2017 at 8:00am CST by Austin Kent

Signings:

Michael Carter-Williams: One year, $2.7MM.
Julyan Stone: Two years, minimum salary. Second year non-guaranteed.
Mangok Mathiang: Two-way contract. Two years, $50K guaranteed.
Marcus Paige: Two-way contracts. One year, $50K guaranteed.

Camp invitees:

Terry Henderson: One year, minimum salary. Exhibits nine and 10.
Isaiah Hicks: One year, minimum salary. Exhibits nine and 10.
Luke Petrasek: One year, minimum salary. Exhibits nine and 10.
T.J. Williams: One year, minimum salary. Exhibits nine and 10.

Trades:

Acquired Dwight Howard and the No. 31 overall pick from the Hawks in exchange for Miles Plumlee, Marco Belinelli, and the No. 41 overall pick.
Acquired the draft rights to Dwayne Bacon (No. 40 pick) and cash ($1.8MM) from the Pelicans in exchange for the draft rights to Frank Jackson (No. 31 pick).

Draft picks:

1-11: Malik Monk — Signed to rookie contract.
2-40: Dwayne Bacon — Signed to three-year, minimum salary contract. Third year non-guaranteed.

Departing players:

Marco Belinelli
Miles Plumlee
Brian Roberts
Ramon Sessions (declined team option)
Briante Weber (waived)
Christian Wood

Other offseason news:

Assistant general manager Chad Buchanan hired away by the Pacers.

Salary cap situation:

Remained over the cap all offseason. Carrying approximately $116MM in guaranteed salary, pushing them close to the tax line.
Portion of mid-level exception ($4.89MM) and full bi-annual exception ($3.29MM) still available.

Check out the Charlotte Hornets’ full roster and depth chart at RosterResource.com.

Story of the summer:

The Hornets followed up a feel-good return to relevance with an uninspired effort last season, leaving fans of the rebranded franchise wondering if the club’s brief dalliance with the postseason was anything more than a simple aberration.

In the wake of that 2016 playoff appearance, the club lost a handful of impactful veterans, won 12 fewer contests, and ultimately returned to the lottery wondering what went wrong.

This summer, then, served as a critical indicator of the club’s frame of mind heading forward, and it didn’t take long for general manager Rich Cho to make it loud and clear that he has no intention of blowing up the squad’s current core anytime soon.

The Hornets were aggressive this summer, pulling off one of the biggest heists of the offseason, drafting pragmatically, and generally supplementing their lineup with genuinely complementary players.

At a time when most fringe playoff squads with little cap flexibility might consider blowing things up and starting a new Process, that’s inspiring in itself.

Key offseason losses:

The Hornets came away from the summer mostly unscathed, but the loss that they’ll notice most is that of veteran Marco Belinelli. The Italian two guard led the club’s reserve corps, averaging 10.4 points per game in 74 contests and providing reliable three-point shooting.

The loss of Miles Plumlee is significant for different reasons. The fact that Cho found a way to pawn off the three-year, $37.5MM hot potato that is Plumlee’s contract – just months after acquiring it from Milwaukee – is national holiday-level impressive.

Another notable change to the team comes on the depth chart. Last season Charlotte trotted out Ramon Sessions and Brian Roberts as reserve point guards but neither were particularly effective spelling Kemba Walker. The club even gave G League star Briante Weber a shot at the role but were ultimately underwhelmed there, too. All three are gone for 2017/18.

Key offseason additions:

The last half-decade of Dwight Howard‘s career hasn’t exactly been filled with kittens and rainbows, but the public’s perception of the fallen superstar has over-corrected. The 31-year-old averaged 13.5 points and 12.7 rebounds per game last season on a squad that didn’t particularly want or need him.

Now back under the tutelage of former coach Steve Clifford – who guided Howard during his Magic days – the eight-time All-Star will see his best opportunity to succeed in years. No longer just that dude somebody invited to the party out of obligation, Howard will join a team that actually looks forward to including him and maybe even featuring him in their offense (although let’s not get too crazy).

Another promising move the Hornets made was drafting Malik Monk out of Kentucky. The fact that Charlotte filled an obvious need with an established college player capable of producing out of the gates speaks to the club’s willingness to improve as soon as possible. Monk isn’t a project — not on the offensive side at least. He’s a legitimate scorer who can share some of the scoring burden with Walker.

Finally, dissatisfied with their backup point guard situation, the Hornets went out and picked up Michael Carter-Williams. One of many victims of the chaos in Chicago last season, Carter-Williams arrives in Charlotte as a 26-year-old former Rookie of the Year. Even if the guard never does quite live up to the expectations he set for himself after Year 1, he’s a steal at $2.7MM. Julyan Stone, pried away from an Italian team, will provide additional depth at point guard.

Outlook for 2017/18:

The Hornets put forth a decent start to last season, but started to struggle just before the midway point. This summer they added to their core with established pieces whose skill-sets won’t interfere with any of the team’s incumbent go-to talents.

The fact that the returning lineup has had several years to grow and gel together will serve the Hornets well as they battle with the likes of the Pistons and Sixers for the last few playoff spots. The fact that the new additions will bolster what’s quietly become one of the top-down deepest teams in the East could get them back where they belong: the postseason.

Salary information from Basketball Insiders used in the creation of this post. Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images. Luke Adams contributed to this post.

Load More Posts