Offseason In Review

Offseason In Review: Charlotte Hornets

October 28th, 2016 at 10:14pm CST by Luke Adams

Over the next several weeks, Hoops Rumors is breaking down the 2016 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 2016/17 season holds for all 30 franchises. Today, we’re focusing on the Charlotte Hornets.

Free agent signings:

Nicolas Batum: Five years, $120MM. Fifth year player option.
Marvin Williams: Four years, $54.5MM. Fourth year player option.
Ramon Sessions: Two years, $12.27MM. Second year team option.
Roy Hibbert: One year, $5MM.
Christian Wood: Two years, minimum salary. Second year team option.
Brian Roberts: One year, minimum salary.

Camp invitees:

Andrew Andrews: One year, minimum salary (summer contract). Waived.
Perry Ellis: One year, minimum salary (summer contract). Waived.
Treveon Graham: Two years, minimum salary ($75K guaranteed)
Rasheed Sulaimon: One year, minimum salary (summer contract). Waived.
Mike Tobey: Two years, minimum salary ($75K guaranteed). Waived.

Trades:

Acquired Marco Belinelli from the Kings in exchange for the draft rights to Malachi Richardson (No. 22 pick).
Acquired cash from the Grizzlies in exchange for Troy Daniels (sign-and-trade).

Draft picks:

None

Departing players:

Other offseason news:

Cody Zeller eligible for contract extension until October 31.
Acquired D-League rights to 12 players in D-League expansion draft. Named Noel Gillespie head coach of expansion Greensboro Swarm.

Check out our salary cap snapshot for the Charlotte Hornets right here.

With a regular-season record of 48-34, the 2015/16 Charlotte Hornets had the most successful year of any squad in the current iteration of the franchise. The last Charlotte team to win that many games was led by players like Eddie Jones, David Wesley, Anthony Mason, and Derrick Coleman, way back in 1999/2000, just a couple years before the previous version of the franchise moved to New Orleans.

The Hornets still weren’t able to get over the hump in the postseason, falling in seven games to the Heat in a tough first round series. Charlotte hasn’t made it past the first round of the playoffs since re-entering the NBA as the Bobcats in 2004, but this past spring represented the first time the team avoided a sweep. The season as a whole was a clear sign the Hornets were headed in the right direction, which made it unfortunate that so many of the club’s key players were on expiring contracts.

Heading into the offseason, Nicolas Batum, Courtney Lee, Marvin Williams, Jeremy Lin, and Al Jefferson were on track for unrestricted free agency. Those five players were all among Charlotte’s top eight in minutes per game in 2015/16, and one of those eight players was Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, who only appeared in seven contests due to shoulder injuries. The other two — Kemba Walker and Cody Zeller — remain under contract, along with Kidd-Gilchrist and Frank Kaminsky, but when the summer began, it appeared the Hornets would look a lot different in 2016/17 than they did last year.

Recognizing as they entered the summer that they couldn’t afford to keep all of their free agents, the Hornets prioritized the players they wanted to re-sign and explored less expensive ways to replace the others. That meant honing in on Batum and Williams, two three-and-D wings who were major contributors last season. Neither player is a volume scorer, but they’re both capable of making a couple three-pointers per game, chipping in a few rebounds, and playing tough defense.

Batum, the more dynamic player of the two, and the one with the longer track record, got the bigger payday, inking a five-year, $120MM pact to remain in Charlotte. Williams’ four-year, $54.5MM deal was more modest, but it still represented an impressive number for a player who was long known as the guy the Hawks drafted instead of Chris Paul.

With Batum and Williams locked up on the wing, Walker manning the point, and big men like Zeller and Kaminsky ready to take on larger roles, the Hornets looked to replace players like Lin, Lee, and Jefferson on the cheap.

While Lin inked a three-year, $36MM contract with the Nets, Charlotte landed Ramon Sessions on a more affordable two-year, $12MM+ pact that features a team option in year two. Sessions is certainly no star, but he’s a perfectly capable backup who played behind John Wall in 2015/16, averaging 9.9 PPG and 2.9 APG. He was a more efficient scorer last season than Lin, and should be capable of holding his own as a possible short-term starter if Walker misses any time with injuries.

Like Lin, Lee landed a $12MM annual salary from a rival suitor in July, inking a four-year, $48MM deal with the Knicks. By the time things get serious between Lee and the Knicks, the Hornets had already addressed that hole in their lineup, sending their first-round pick to the Kings in exchange for Marco Belinelli. The deal earned more praise from NBA observers for Sacramento than Charlotte, which was fair — Belinelli’s calling card is his three-point shot, but he struggled with his accuracy last season, making a career-low 30.6% of his shots from the outside.

Still, the deal made some sense from the Hornets’ perspective. The 22nd overall pick almost never turns into more than a solid role player, so giving it up for Belinelli presented little risk and gave Charlotte a rotation-ready veteran. The 30-year-old will make just under $13MM over the next two years, a very fair price given what many free agent shooters signed for this summer. Additionally, before last season, Belinelli had a career three-point percentage of 39.2%, having never made less than 35.7% in a season, meaning he’s a solid candidate for a bounce-back campaign.

Having found a backup point guard and a shooter off the bench for about half the price of what Lin and Lee were making, the Hornets managed to do the same thing at center — rather than re-signing Jefferson to a three-year, $30MM deal like the one he received from the Pacers, Charlotte got a bargain on Roy Hibbert, who will make $5MM on his new one-year contract with the Hornets.

Hibbert looks pretty far removed from his days as an All-Star center in Indiana, but his situation last season in Los Angeles, where he was practically a spectator for Kobe Bryant‘s farewell tour, didn’t give him a chance to show his strengths. Unlike Jefferson, who is a talented scorer but doesn’t contribute much on the other end of the floor, Hibbert gives the Hornets a capable defender and rim protector. He’s the sort of shot blocker the team didn’t have on its roster last season, and his presence will give head coach Steve Clifford a little more flexibility to try different things on defense this year.

After winning 48 games last season, the Hornets were given an over/under of 42.5 wins for this season by offshore oddsmakers, and when we conducted our preseason polls, more than 62% of our respondents voted that Charlotte would end up under 42.5 wins. That’s not a surprising assessment. Outside of perhaps Walker, the team has little star power, and the deals signed by Lin, Lee, and Jefferson total more than $100MM — that’s a lot of talent to lose.

Still, I disagree with the notion that the Hornets will take a noticeable step backward this season. Charlotte’s summer moves seemed designed to keep the team in contention in the short term, rather than to significantly retool with an eye toward the future. The Hornets did well to supplement their core pieces with inexpensive approximations of the complementary players they lost, but guys like Sessions, Belinelli, and Hibbert almost certainly won’t become building blocks in Charlotte, and the team gave up its first-round pick. Those moves suggest a win-now approach, and I think the roster is strong enough – and Clifford is a talented enough head coach – that such an approach is viable. I expect to see the Hornets back in the playoffs in the East next spring.

In order to continue improving though, the Hornets will have to count on a strong bounce-back performance from Kidd-Gilchrist, along with major positive development for Kaminsky. Most importantly, they’ll need Batum and Williams to deliver on the huge investments the team made in them. As savvy as some of Charlotte’s minor offseason additions were, those moves would be overshadowed by a larger-scale misfire if either the Batum or Williams signing goes south.

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

Offseason In Review: Orlando Magic

October 25th, 2016 at 10:27pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Free agent signings:

Evan Fournier: Five years, $85MM. Fifth year player option.
Bismack Biyombo: Four years, $68MM. Fourth year player option.
D.J. Augustin: Four years, $29MM
Jeff Green: One year, $15MM.

Camp invitees:

Cliff Alexander: One year, minimum salary (summer contract). Waived.
Branden Dawson: One year, minimum salary (summer contract). Waived.
Ramon Galloway: Contract details not yet known. Waived.
Nick Johnson: One year, minimum salary (summer contract). Waived.
Kevin Murphy: One year, minimum salary (summer contract). Waived.
Arinze Onuaku: One year, minimum salary (summer contract)
Damjan Rudez: One year, minimum salary (summer contract)

Trades:

Acquired Serge Ibaka from the Thunder in exchange for the draft rights to Domantas Sabonis (No. 11 pick), Victor Oladipo, and Ersan Ilyasova.
Acquired the Trail Blazers’ own 2019 second-round pick and cash ($1.2MM) from the Trail Blazers in exchange for the draft rights to Jake Layman (No. 47 pick).
Acquired Jodie Meeks from the Pistons in exchange for a 2019 second-round pick.
Acquired cash ($75K) from the Trail Blazers in exchange for Shabazz Napier.
Acquired C.J. Wilcox and cash ($230K) from the Clippers in exchange for Devyn Marble and the Cavaliers’ 2020 second-round pick.

Draft picks:

2-41: Stephen Zimmerman: Signed for three years, $2.993MM. Second and third years non-guaranteed.

Departing players:

Other offseason news:

Hired Frank Vogel as head coach to replace Scott Skiles.
Jodie Meeks recovering from foot surgery, expected to return in November.
Serge Ibaka eligible for veteran contract extension.

Check out our salary cap snapshot for the Orlando Magic right here.

The Magic’s 2015/16 season was a disappointing one, with the team finishing with a record of 35-47 and missing the playoffs for the fourth straight year. Their head coach, Scott Skiles, resigned over differences in philosophy with the front office and the team entered the summer still searching for an identity and lacking a star player to build around. What followed was an active and somewhat puzzling offseason, with the franchise making a number of changes that arguably made the team better, but raised quite a few questions about how the pieces will fit together cohesively this year.

Orlando’s first move of the offseason was to replace Skiles, who never seemed like the right fit with the franchise anyway. Skiles has always been a taskmaster who has quickly worn out his welcome at past coaching stops, and whose old-school style wasn’t the right blend with the plethora of young players on the team’s roster. GM Rob Hennigan made a solid move in hiring Frank Vogel, who was let go by the Pacers despite his years of solid work with the franchise. Vogel is a much better fit for this group of players and he should quickly be able to turn around the culture of the team.

With a new head coach in place, Hennigan then turned toward reworking the team’s roster. The GM’s biggest and riskiest move of the summer was the draft night trade with the Thunder that shipped out Victor Oladipo, Ersan Ilyasova and the rights to Domantas Sabonis, the 11th overall pick, in exchange for versatile and athletic forward, Serge Ibaka.

This is a swap that I have extremely conflicted feelings about. Ibaka has the potential to emerge as a star in Orlando now that he is out of the shadows of Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant in Oklahoma City. The 27-year-old is a solid all-around defender whose outside shooting and athleticism will give Vogel some interesting and exciting possibilities on offense. However…there are a number of negatives to his acquisition that I find difficult to overlook.

First off, the team gave up quite a bit to acquire him. Oladipo has been somewhat of a disappointment since being selected in the draft lottery, with his offensive game not quite evolving the way the franchise had hoped. But he is a solid three-and-D player who still has a lot of upside. Skiles was definitely the wrong coach to bring out Oladipo’s best, and I would have loved to have seen what Vogel could have gotten out of the player. While Ilyasova is nowhere near the defender and rebounder that Ibaka is, when all things are said and done, his scoring output won’t be that far removed from what Ibaka’s numbers have been throughout his career. Plus, Sabonis is one of the more polished players in this year’s draft class, and he could end up being a solid rotation player for years to come.

There is also a question of fit for Ibaka, especially when coupled with a number of the team’s other moves this offseason. The addition of Ibaka will either force former lottery pick Aaron Gordon to shift to small forward, a position his shaky outside shooting may not be best suited for, or to the bench, will will stunt his growth as a player. Then there’s Jeff Green, who was signed to a one-year, $15MM deal by Orlando. This is an addition that I fail to see the logic in for the Magic. Green is a versatile player who can man either forward spot, but he’s not a great defender and his offensive game has been steadily on the decline. The money that went to Green could have been better spent to plug other holes on the roster, and the minutes he’ll soak up would be better allocated to developing the younger players on the team who’ll now be forced to sit as Green plays out his one-year deal. Plus, if you were going to pay a forward that much, it would have made far more sense to simply hold onto Tobias Harris, whose skillset would have been tailor-made for Vogel’s system.

Another signing that was somewhat odd for the Magic, given their roster makeup, was the addition of rebounding monster, Bismack Biyombo. I have no issues with Biyombo as a player. He’s a hard-worker who will fight for every rebound like it was his last and play solid defense every second he’s on the court. But with Nikola Vucevic already on the roster, unless the Magic intend to find a taker for the 25-year-old in the trade market, it creates another playing time logjam for the team. Either Vucivic, who is earning $11,750,000 this year and under contract for two more season beyond this one, or Biyombo, who is set to earn $17MM each of the next four seasons, will be coming off the bench. That’s an expensive luxury for a non-contender to have.

There were two other questionable acquisitions made by Orlando this offseason. First up, the trade with Detroit to acquire Jodie Meeks and his expiring contract. In 63 total games over the last two years, including just three in 2015/16 due to injury, Meeks averaged 10.9 points and 0.9 steals per game while shooting 35.3% from three-point range. If healthy, which he currently is not, Meeks can provide a spark off the bench. But…why did the Magic feel the need to add him to the mix when it potentially takes away playing time from 2015 lottery pick Mario Hezonja? The second-year player has a wealth of potential, despite what he showed during his rough rookie campaign. Meeks doesn’t move the dial enough in my book for him to be worth acquiring, and this is an area where the money spent on Green could have been better allocated and used to sign a higher impact player on the wing.

The other addition I alluded to in the previous paragraph was the signing of point guard D.J. Augustin to a four-year, $29MM deal. I understand the team’s concerns regarding Elfrid Payton, whose outside shooting doesn’t strike fear into the hearts of defenders. But I question the move to give Augustin, who has dealt with nagging injuries the past few seasons, a four-year commitment. While he has a clear fit in the team’s rotation, unlike a number of the team’s other offseason additions, his $7,250,000 salary, coupled with Biyombo’s and Green’s makes for a rather expensive bench. It feels to me like Hennigan overreacted this offseason to the Magic’s deficiencies and threw too much money at the problem, rather than waiting to see what Vogel would be able to correct through coaching and rapport.

One move made by Hennigan that I can find no fault in, is re-signing restricted free agent Evan Fournier to a five-year, $85MM pact. The 23-year-old enjoyed a breakout season for Orlando in 2015/16, starting a career-high 71 of 79 games for the team and notching career-best marks in several other categories, including PPG (15.4), APG (2.7), RPG (2.8), and 3PT shots made per contest (2.0). He also had a very respectable shooting line of .462/.400/.836. Given the current economics of the game thanks to the new TV contract and salary cap bump that comes along with it, keeping the talented young wing in the fold for approximately $10MM below the max should be considered a win. With Oladipo now gone, this clears the way for Fournier to continue to evolve as a player, and hopefully, become a star in the East. Granted, that size contract always carries with it some risk, but this is one that should pay off for the team over the life of the deal.

I’d wager that if the Magic can remain healthy as a team in 2016/17, finishing with 40-45 wins is within the realm of possibility. The presence of Vogel alone should be good for a five win improvement over last season. However, there are far too many rotation questions thanks to the seemingly ill-fitting parts the team added over the summer. Orlando needs to be active prior to the trade deadline and attempt to make a big trade to land another star to place alongside Ibaka, consolidating its roster depth in the process. Hopefully the team will do well enough to convince Ibaka that Orlando is his best option for a long-term home when he hits free agency this coming offseason. If the forward were to depart next July, it would be disastrous for the franchise and set it back years as a result.

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

Offseason In Review: Miami Heat

October 24th, 2016 at 8:00pm CST by Arthur Hill

Free agent signings:

Hassan Whiteside: Four years, $98.42MM. Maximum salary contract. Fourth year player option.
Tyler Johnson: Four years, $50MM. Fourth year player option. Matched Nets’ offer sheet.
Wayne Ellington: Two years, $12.27MM. Second year non-guaranteed.
Dion Waiters: Two years, $5.926MM. Second year player option.
Derrick Williams: One year, $4.598MM.
Udonis Haslem: One year, $4MM.
James Johnson: One year, $4MM.
Willie Reed: Two years, minimum salary. Second year player option.
Beno Udrih: One year, minimum salary. Waived.

Camp invitees:

Keith Benson: Two years, minimum salary ($75K guaranteed). Waived.
Vashil Fernandez: One year, minimum salary (summer contract). Waived.
Stefan Jankovic: Two years, minimum salary ($100K guaranteed). Waived.
Rodney McGruder: Three years, minimum salary ($150K guaranteed).
Luis Montero: One year, minimum salary (summer contract). Waived.
Okaro White: Two years, minimum salary ($100K guaranteed). Waived.

Trades:

Acquired Luke Babbitt from the Pelicans in exchange for the Pelicans’ own 2018 second-round pick (previously traded to Miami) and cash.

Draft picks:

None

Departing players:

Other offseason news:

Chris Bosh remains on Heat roster, but isn’t expected to play another game for team.
Reportedly kicked the tires on a possible Rudy Gay trade.
Josh Richardson suffered partially torn MCL and is expected to miss start of season.
Exercised 2017/18 option on Justise Winslow‘s rookie contract.

Check out our salary cap snapshot for the Miami Heat right here.

When LeBron James returned home to Cleveland two summers ago, the Heat moved on to Plan B, which was to rebuild a title contender around Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh.

Now it’s time for Plan C.

Wade, the cornerstone of the franchise for the past 13 years, signed with the Bulls in July after a contract dispute. Bosh faces an uncertain future after failing his training camp physical because of a lingering problem with blood clots. The Heat underwent a massive roster overhaul during the summer and now seem like fringe playoff contenders in the Eastern Conference.

Free agency got off to a great start for Miami, as center Hassan Whiteside opted in the early-morning hours of July 1st to remain with the Heat. Miami didn’t have Bird rights on Whiteside, who met with Dallas and had a session scheduled with Portland before making his decision. After being out of the NBA for two seasons, Whiteside signed with Miami in November of 2014 and quickly developed into a defensive force. He led the league in blocked shots by a wide margin last season with 3.68 per game, along with 14.2 points and 11.8 rebounds.

Whiteside’s new maximum-salary deal paved the way for Wade’s decision to leave Miami. Wade was angry that the Heat weren’t willing to give him a max offer as well, considering that he accepted less than his market value for years to give the franchise enough cap room to bring in James and Bosh. As negotiations with Miami deteriorated in early July, Wade accepted a two-year, $47MM offer from Chicago. His departure not only created a hole in the lineup at shooting guard, it left the psychological scar of losing the most accomplished player in franchise history.

That feeling was compounded last month when Bosh, the only remaining member of the Big Three, was unable to pass a physical administered before the start of training camp. Bosh, who has seen his past two seasons cut short by blood clots, had worked throughout the offseason to prepare for camp and had proposed taking a new medication that would be out of his system by game time. However, the Heat’s reluctance to accept that plan combined with his lack of medical clearance probably means that Bosh has played his last game for the franchise.

The other defining event of Miami’s offseason was a four-year, $50MM offer sheet the Nets extended to backup guard Tyler Johnson. The contract was backloaded to make it difficult for the Heat to match, with annual salaries of $5.628MM, $5,881,260, $18,858,765 and $19,631,975. Miami decided to match anyway and made a slew of moves beforehand. In one day, the Heat added free agents Wayne Ellington, James Johnson and Willie Reed, swung a trade with the Pelicans for Luke Babbitt, re-signed veteran big man Udonis Haslem and then matched Johnson. It’s up to the third-year guard to prove he can earn that big-money deal after playing just 36 games at the NBA level last season and averaging 8.7 points and 2.2 assists per night.

But the Heat weren’t done adding free agents. They also signed Knicks forward Derrick Williams for one season at $4.598MM and Thunder shooting guard Dion Waiters for two years at $5.926MM with a player option on the second season. In addition, Miami re-signed veteran point guard Beno Udrih, who accepted a controversial buyout last season that helped the Heat escape luxury tax penalties. Udrih was waived Saturday, but still received a guaranteed veteran’s minimum deal of $1.5MM, which was a nice reward for giving up $90K in the buyout. He has since been claimed off waivers by Detroit, which absolves the team of any cap hit.

After a summer of turnover, the Heat may not be done with roster moves. They were rumored to be discussing a deal with the Kings that would send Goran Dragic to Sacramento in exchange for Rudy Gay and Darren Collison. Gay has made it known that he plans to opt out of his contract next summer and end his relationship with the Kings, but he might be interested in a long-term future in South Florida.

Draft night was quiet in Miami as the Heat didn’t have a pick in either round. Their first-rounder was shipped to Philadelphia, which used it to take Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot at No. 24, and their second-rounder went to Boston, which selected Ben Bentil at No. 51.

After a seven-game loss to Toronto in the conference semifinals, the Heat entered the offseason hoping they could re-sign Whiteside to combine with Wade, Bosh and Dragic as the core of one of the East’s best teams. But keeping their star center was about the only predictable thing that happened since last season ended. The roster overhaul saw veteran free agents Luol Deng, Joe Johnson, Amar’e Stoudemire and Gerald Green all leave town, forcing the Heat to start rebuilding around their young talent.

Now that the Big Three era is over in Miami, fans can expect change to continue. None of the five outside free agents the Heat brought in has a commitment beyond this season. That gives the team lots of flexibility for deals during the year and a chance to chase elite free agents next summer if Bosh’s salary is cleared off the books. Regardless of this year’s win-loss record, fans shouldn’t get too comfortable with the current Heat roster. Chances are strong that it will look much different by next October.

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

Offseason In Review: Washington Wizards

October 23rd, 2016 at 10:01pm CST by ChrisCrouse

Over the next several weeks, Hoops Rumors will be breaking down the 2016 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 2016/17 season holds for all 30 franchises. Today, we’re focusing on the Washington Wizards.

Free agent signings:

Bradley Beal: Five years, $127.171MM. Maximum salary contract.
Ian Mahinmi: Four years, $64MM.
Andrew Nicholson: Four years, $26MM. Fourth year player option.
Jason Smith: Three years, $15.675MM. Third year player option.
Marcus Thornton: One year, minimum salary.

Draft-and-stash signings:

Tomas Satoransky: Three years, $9MM.

Camp invitees:

Danuel House: Two years, minimum salary ($100K guaranteed)
Sheldon McClellan: Two years, minimum salary ($50K guaranteed)
Johnny O’Bryant: One year, minimum salary (summer contract). Waived.
Daniel Ochefu: Three years, minimum salary ($50K guaranteed).
Casper Ware: One year, minimum salary (summer contract). Waived.

Trades:

Acquired Trey Burke from the Jazz in exchange for the Wizards’ own 2021 second-round pick.

Draft picks:

None

Departing players:

Other offseason news:

Hired Scott Brooks as head coach to replace Randy Wittman.
Seriously pursued Al Horford in free agency.
Exercised 2017/18 option on Kelly Oubre.
Otto Porter and Trey Burke eligible for rookie-scale contract extension until October 31. John Wall eligible for veteran contract extension.
Reports questioned the on- and off-court chemistry between Wall and Bradley Beal.
Wall recovering from multiple knee surgeries.

Check out our salary cap snapshot for the Washington Wizards right here.

The Wizards spent the last few years preparing for the summer of 2016. Every transaction was scrupulously completed with future flexibility in mind, as the team had an eye toward offering Maryland native Kevin Durant a maximum salary deal. Durant didn’t even take a meeting with Washington, opting to join forces with the Warriors instead. In addition to striking out on Durant, Washington also missed out on other major targets, such as Al Horford and Ryan Anderson. The franchise quickly pivoted to other options and ultimately ended up exhausting its cap space on ancillary parts.

Ian Mahinmi, who signed a four year, $64MM deal with the team, was brought in to be a force in the paint. Mahinmi has always been known for his defense — he was the third-best center on that end of the floor, according to ESPN’s Real Plus/Minus — but he’s been quietly improving his offensive game as well. He allowed Indiana to play a pace-and-space type offense because of his understanding of the game and his ability to quickly make the right reads and deliver crisp, clean passes. New coach Scott Brooks, who signed a five year, $35MM contract with the team this offseason, should be able to employ a similar game plan with pick-and-rolls mixed in.

Mahinmi’s arrival brought speculation that Marcin Gortat could be on his way out, though a torn meniscus suffered by Mahinmi has temporarily quieted that talk. The two centers shouldn’t see too much court time together because of their overlapping skill-set, including a relative lack of shooting range. Playing the duo together would severely clog the lane, and with only 48 minutes available for the five spot, it’s logical to conclude that a trade may be forthcoming. Gortat has proven to be the better player thus far, but he’s on a team-friendly contract that will pay him $36MM over the next three years. He would fetch more for Washington in a trade should the team decide to make a move.

The Wizards’ other offseason moves also suggest they may be gearing up for a Gortat trade. In addition to Mahinmi, the team signed Jason Smith and Andrew Nicholson. In today’s NBA, Smith and Nicholson are best suited to play the five as well, though both players can handle minutes at the power forward position.

Nicholson is an especially intriguing addition — he’s a bruiser down in the paint with an arsenal of post moves, whose game fits nicely with both Mahinmi and Gortat. I envision him getting some playing time alongside Markieff Morris as well. Washington’s frontcourt is crowded, especially with Otto Porter splitting time at the four with Morris. The Wizards’ depth affords them the ability to deal Gortat for a guard or wing, but the league is jam-packed with non-shooting big men, so finding a suitor will be tricky.

Depth in the backcourt is another story. The team signed Tomas Satoransky and traded for Trey Burke, yet neither option is proven. Burke didn’t live up to expectations in Utah, so the Wizards will be banking on an improvement from the 23-year-old. His development, along with Satoransky’s transition to the league, could be key to the team’s success this season.

Washington also brought in Marcus Thornton to round out the guard rotation and he should see significant minutes off the bench. The lack of quality perimeter options on the second unit is alarming for a team that has injury concerns with both of its starting guards.

Bradley Beal is fresh off landing a five-year, maximum salary contract, and the Wizards will need him to stay on the court if they’re going to climb the standings in the Eastern Conference. Beal has missed 81 regular season games over the first four years of his career and prior to him signing his lucrative new deal, there was talk that he could be under minute restrictions for the rest of his career due to health concerns. Meanwhile, John Wall underwent multiple knee surgeries over the summer, though he looked sharp in limited minutes during the preseason. If either player misses significant time this season, Washington will struggle to stay in the playoff race.

The Wizards underperformed last season, failing to make the playoffs and notching only 41 wins. This year, they’ll have an opportunity to steal the division crown, since every team in the Southeast is undergoing some degree of transformation: Miami will begin the season without any member of The Heatles for the first time since the 2002/03 campaign; the Hawks will attempt to shoehorn Dwight Howard into their pace-and-space system; the Magic bolstered their frontcourt, but it remains to be seen how the new arrivals will mesh; and the Hornets enjoyed career years from several key players last season, which resulted in them losing a few of their valuable reserves in free agency.

The Southeast division will be up for grabs and while the Wizards didn’t land a top free agent during the offseason, a top seed in the Eastern Conference standings is within their reach.

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

Offseason In Review: San Antonio Spurs

October 22nd, 2016 at 9:25pm CST by Luke Adams

Free agent signings:

Pau Gasol: Two years, $31.698MM. Second year player option.
Manu Ginobili: One year, $14MM.
Dewayne Dedmon: Two years, $5.926MM. Second year player option.
David Lee: Two years, minimum salary. Second year player option.

Draft-and-stash signings:

Davis Bertans: Two years, minimum salary.
Livio Jean-Charles: Four years, rookie contract. Waived.

Camp invitees:

Ryan Arcidiacono: Two years, minimum salary ($75K guaranteed). Waived.
Bryn Forbes: Two years, minimum salary ($125K guaranteed)
Patricio Garino: Two years, minimum salary ($100K guaranteed). Waived.
Joel Anthony: One year, minimum salary (summer contract). Waived.
Nicolas Laprovittola: One year, minimum salary (summer contract)

Trades:

Acquired the draft rights to Olivier Hanlan from the Jazz in exchange for Boris Diaw, Spurs’ 2022 second-round pick, and cash.

Draft picks:

1-29: Dejounte Murray. Signed to rookie contract.

Departing players:

Other offseason news:

Reports suggested Spurs are open to moving LaMarcus Aldridge, who may not be happy in San Antonio. Aldridge says he’s happy.
Gregg Popovich says Tim Duncan will have some sort of role with Spurs.
Exercised 2017/18 team option on Kyle Anderson‘s rookie contract.
Hired former NBA head coach Monty Williams as vice president of basketball operations. Hired former Cavaliers GM Chris Grant as scout. Also hired former NBA players Pops Mensah-Bonsu and Landry Fields as scouts.
Lost rights to 2010 second-round pick Ryan Richards.

Check out our salary cap snapshot for the San Antonio Spurs right here.

Over the course of the last 19 NBA seasons, the Spurs won fewer than 50 games just once, and that happened during the strike-shortened 1998/99 campaign, when the team went 37-13 and won the NBA Finals. San Antonio compiled an incredible .710 regular-season winning percentage during that run of nearly two decades, as well as a staggering .617 postseason winning percentage, racking up five championships along the way.

The two constants during that 19-year run? Gregg Popovich on the bench and Tim Duncan in the middle. Popovich remains at the helm of the Spurs, but for the first time since the 1996/97 season, he’ll enter opening night without his future Hall-of-Fame power forward in the lineup, as Duncan announced his retirement in July.

For many years, the belief was that Duncan and Popovich would end their respective careers at the same time, but for the Spurs’ long-time head coach, there are plenty of reasons to stick around. Many of his other long-tenured players, like Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili, remain in San Antonio, and the team has ushered in a new era of stars, with Kawhi Leonard and LaMarcus Aldridge now front and center. Things will certainly be different with Duncan no longer on the court, but in his final season, he was simply a productive role player, rather than the dominant force he had been during the prime of his career.

The Spurs will attempt to fill the void left by Duncan by turning to veteran free agent signees like Pau Gasol and David Lee, who each inked two-year deals with player options on that second year. Neither Gasol nor Lee is the defender that Duncan is, but both players are proficient scorers. Gasol is coming off consecutive All-Star seasons in Chicago, where he averaged 17.6 PPG and 11.4 RPG during his two seasons as a Bull. Lee, meanwhile, has seen his playing time and production decline significantly since 2014, and his days as an 18+ PPG player are almost certainly over, but if there’s any team capable of coaxing a bounce-back performance out of the 33-year-old, it’s the Spurs.

Gasol will earn more than $15MM annually on his two-year deal, making him a bigger risk than Lee, who is on a minimum-salary pact. But even at age 36, Pau has shown few signs of slowing down, and playing in San Antonio should be a nice fit for him, given his strong passing ability and basketball IQ. Marc Gasol agrees, having suggested back in April that his brother should sign with the Spurs.

While Gasol and Lee should provide the Spurs with some additional scoring punch on the inside, Dewayne Dedmon was signed – using the room exception – to help improve the team’s rim protection and defense. Dedmon only averaged about 13.2 minutes per game in Orlando over the last two seasons, but the Magic’s defensive rating was better when he was on the floor, particularly in 2014/15.

The Spurs’ new big men will team up with Aldridge to present a much different look than the Spurs showed last season. Along with Duncan, Boban Marjanovic and David West are also gone, having signed free agent deals with the Pistons and Warriors, respectively. Meanwhile, Boris Diaw was traded to the Jazz in a move designed to clear the cap room necessary to add Gasol, and longtime Spurs sharpshooter Matt Bonner remains unsigned.

For a franchise that generally thrived on continuity, the frontcourt overhaul is an interesting one. Aldridge will likely be relied upon as the stabilizing presence up front, but there have been some questions about his place in San Antonio this fall. Recent reports have suggested that the Spurs may be open to the idea of trading Aldridge at some point in 2016/17, with multiple journalists indicating that the former Blazer may not be thrilled about the fact that he has become Leonard’s wingman after previously believing he’d be the Spurs’ primary option going forward.

For his part, Aldridge has insisted that he’s happy in San Antonio, and there’s no reason why that shouldn’t be true. After all, even after winning 50+ games every season for nearly two decades, the Spurs had never won as many games as they did in 2015/16 — they racked up 67 victories in Aldridge’s first season with the franchise.

By all accounts, the Spurs intend to move forward with Aldridge as a core piece, and would only even consider shaking things up if they significantly under-performed or if the relationship between the two sides takes a turn for the worse. That seems like the right call, since Aldridge’s on-court contributions would be hard to replace, even for a team as savvy at spotting value as the Spurs.

San Antonio’s knack for finding value surfaced again during this year’s draft, when the team landed Washington guard Dejounte Murray with the 29th overall pick. Viewed by some experts before the draft as a potential lottery pick, Murray was dubbed the steal of the night by ESPN’s Chad Ford, who gave the Spurs an A+ grade based on their lone 2016 selection.

The Washington product is still just 20 years old, and will probably need to improve his shooting to become a regular rotation player for the Spurs. Still, San Antonio has the luxury of bringing Murray along slowly rather than throwing him right into the fire, allowing him to develop and learn from players like Parker and Ginobili, who have eight All-Star appearances between them. The club has taken that approach with players like Jonathon Simmons and Kyle Anderson, who appear poised to take on larger roles in 2016/17.

It’s certainly possible – even likely – that the Spurs will see their win total slip a little this season, but with the exception of the Warriors, no other Western Conference contenders took a major step forward this offseason. In fact, the Thunder, who defeated the Spurs in the second round of the playoffs last spring, took a huge step backward, having lost former MVP Kevin Durant. There may be some growing pains as this summer’s new acquisitions – both young and old – adjust to their roles, and longtime Spurs like Parker and Ginobili adjust to life without Duncan. But with Leonard and Aldridge leading the way, the Spurs should be a top-four team in the West, and they appear well-positioned to remain a contender for the next several years.

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

Offseason In Review: New Orleans Pelicans

October 21st, 2016 at 9:31pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Free agent signings:

Solomon Hill: Four years, $48MM.
E’Twaun Moore: Four years, $34MM.
Langston Galloway: Two years, $10.634MM. Second year player option.
Tim Frazier: Two years, $4.09MM.
Alonzo Gee: One year, $1.4MM.
Terrence Jones: One year, minimum salary.

Camp invitees:

Quinn Cook: One year, minimum salary (summer contract)
Chris Copeland: One year, minimum salary (summer contract). Waived.
Shawn Dawson: One year, minimum salary (summer contract)
Quincy Ford: One year, minimum salary (summer contract)
Robert Sacre: One year, minimum salary (summer contract)
Lance Stephenson: One year, minimum salary ($100K guaranteed)

Trades:

Acquired the draft rights to Cheick Diallo (No. 33 pick) from the Clippers in exchange for the draft rights to David Michineau (No. 39 pick) and the draft rights to Diamond Stone (No. 40 pick)
Acquired their own 2018 second-round pick (previously traded to Miami) and cash from the Heat in exchange for Luke Babbitt.

Draft picks:

1-6: Buddy Hield. Signed to rookie contract.
2-33: Cheick Diallo. Signed for three years, minimum salary. Third year partially guaranteed.

Departing players:

Other offseason news:

Tyreke Evans to miss start of season due to knee surgeries. Jrue Holiday to miss start of season due to family reasons. Anthony Davis dealing with ankle sprain.
Davis received max extension worth 25% of the cap instead of 30%.
Evans and Holiday eligible for contract extensions. Quincy Pondexter eligible for contract extension as of October 31.
Hired Danny Ferry as special advisor.

Check out our salary cap snapshot for the New Orleans Pelicans right here.

The Pelicans’ 2015/16 campaign was a brutal one, with the team’s players missing a total of 351 games due to illness or injury. That was the most in the past six NBA seasons and second-most in the past decade, resulting in the franchise using 42 different starting lineups. There aren’t many teams that could weather that sort of personnel strife, so it’s no surprise that New Orleans only won 30 games, finishing 12th in the Western Conference. The franchise entered the offseason with a number of decisions to make regarding the future, needing to do its best to maximize the talents of its young star Anthony Davis. and to surround him with the players necessary to achieve that goal.

New Orleans allowed Ryan Anderson and Eric Gordon to leave in free agency, with both players ending up in Houston, and added the likes of Solomon Hill, E’Twaun Moore, Langston Galloway and Terrence Jones. On paper, the Pelicans look worse on offense, with the loss of their two best three-point shooters in Gordon and Anderson. However, the team should improve on the defensive end thanks to the presence of Hill and Moore. It shouldn’t take much for the Pelicans to make strides in that area, given that they ended last season ranked 28th overall in the league in defensive efficiency, surrendering a whopping 107.3 points per 100 possessions. The only two squads that were more porous were the Nets and Lakers.

Despite the loss of production from Anderson and Gordon, allowing them to depart was a wise move on the organization’s part. Anderson will be missed the most, as his skillset is perfect for the direction the NBA is headed regarding how big men are used. But the 28-year-old has only averaged 60 games per season over the course of his career, and he isn’t likely to grow more durable as he enters his 30s. Committing $20MM+ per season over four years would not have been a prudent move. Gordon has been even more brittle since entering the league, averaging just 52 contests each season.

The team’s biggest external offseason move was inking Hill to a four-year, $48MM pact. I have to question the logic of New Orleans handing Hill a long-term deal with an average annual value of $12MM per season given his track record. The 26-year-old’s best season came in 2014/15, when he averaged 8.9 points and 3.8 rebounds over 82 appearances for the Pacers. Last season, his minutes were sliced in half and he notched 4.2 PPG and 2.8 RPG in just 14.7 minutes per outing while connecting on 44.7% of his shots overall and 32.4% from beyond the arc. While he did provide a spark in small stretches for Indiana in 2015/16, his addition isn’t something to get too excited over. Even in this new era of the expanded salary cap, this is a contract that has an extremely high probability of backfiring for the franchise. The Jazz, Grizzlies, Mavs and Bulls were all reportedly interested in Hill this summer, but I’m still surprised he was able to parlay a strong playoff showing into this contract.

I’m a bit more enthusiastic about the addition of Moore, who will never be a star in the league, but is a valuable rotation piece who can do a number of things well. He can play either guard spot, is a solid perimeter defender and can be effective shooting the ball from the outside. Moore’s versatility will serve the Pelicans well, especially with the constant injury concerns the team seems to have, and he’ll make a fine mentor for 2016 lottery pick Buddy Hield. While I don’t necessarily like New Orleans giving him a four year pact, especially considering he has averaged just 57.5 games the past two seasons for the Bulls, I’d bet on Moore providing more value over the course of his deal than Hill will.

The two signings the Pelicans made that I like without any reservations are the additions of Langston Galloway (two years, $10.634MM) and Terrence Jones (one year, $980,431). Both deals carry very little risk and could pay off for the franchise. Galloway is a versatile player who can play multiple positions and provide solid depth for the team. He’s averaged 9.1 PPG, 3.8 RPG and 2.8 APG in his two seasons in the league, and at 24 years of age, still has quite a bit of upside. He needs to improve his shooting, connecting on just 39.6% of his field goal attempts for his career, but he’s a hard-worker and solid locker room presence who will strengthen the team’s culture.

As for Jones, he desperately needed a change of scenery after never living up to his potential during his four seasons in Houston. He should garner more consistent playing time in New Orleans and could blossom into a solid rotational piece for the franchise. He’s still a tweener without a defined position, with his outside shooting not necessarily making him a good fit as a stretch-four in a smaller lineup. But the 24-year-old should be plenty motivated to prove he belongs in the league this season, and there is absolutely no risk for the Pelicans in giving him a shot on a minimum salary deal. I expect a bounce back campaign from the former first-rounder as he is playing for his next contract, and perhaps, his NBA career.

Given its multiple roster holes, New Orleans needed a strong showing on draft night to have some hope for a turnaround. The team did extremely well, nabbing Hield with the No. 6 overall pick and acquiring the draft rights to Cheick Diallo (No. 33). Hield was one of the top players in college last season and he fits the Pelicans’ roster perfectly. His outside shooting is sorely needed with the losses of Anderson and Gordon, and he’s a player who can pair with Davis to form a solid young core for the franchise. Hield doesn’t arrive without question marks, as there is concern among some scouts regarding his defense and ability to create his own shot at the NBA level. I’m a big fan of Hield and believe he will become a star in New Orleans. Snagging Diallo, who was a projected first-rounder in a number of mock drafts was a solid move. He is incredibly raw, but given his athleticism, high-motor and upside, the Pelicans landed an intriguing piece for the future.

Of course, the fate of the Pelicans rests on the shoulders (or knees, feet and ankles) of Davis, who is still under contract for four more seasons beyond this one. The big man’s future earnings took a bit of a hit this past season, thanks to him not being named to the All-NBA third team. As a result, the Derrick Rose Rule won’t apply to his max extension, costing him an extra $20MM+ over the life of his contract. The franchise needs to surround him with solid talent before Davis begins to get frustrated by all the losses and perhaps starts to contemplate heading elsewhere. It would also help the team’s fortunes immensely if the 23-year-old can remain healthy, with Davis missing an average of 17 games per season since being selected No. 1 overall in the 2012 NBA Draft.

The Pelicans aren’t off to a great start in 2016/17, with Tyreke Evans and Quincy Pondexter expected to be out of action until mid-December, Jrue Holiday out indefinitely due to family reasons and Davis already nursing a sprained ankle. Despite all that, it is difficult to imagine the team being hit as hard by injuries as it was in 2015/16. By virtue of that alone the team should be more competitive this season. Plus, the new additions should provide coach Alvin Gentry with greater flexibility to weather those losses and implement a system that will take advantage of his roster’s strengths. I don’t expect the Pelicans to make the playoffs this season, especially with the loss of scoring this offseason. But the franchise appears headed in a better direction than a season ago, though the contracts of Hill and Moore may prove to be problematic in the coming years.

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

Offseason In Review: Houston Rockets

October 20th, 2016 at 7:26pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Free agent signings:

Ryan Anderson: Four years, $80MM.
Eric Gordon: Four years, $52.887MM.
Nene: One year, $2.898MM.
Gary Payton II: Two years, minimum salary. Second year non-guaranteed.
Pablo Prigioni: Two years, minimum salary. Second year non-guaranteed.

Pending restricted free agents:

Donatas Motiejunas: Qualifying offer worth $4,433,683 expired on October 1.

Camp invitees:

Bobby Brown: One year, minimum salary (summer contract)
P.J. Hairston: One year, minimum salary (summer contract)
Isaiah Taylor: Two years, minimum salary ($50K guaranteed). Waived.
Kyle Wiltjer: Two years, minimum salary ($275K guaranteed)

Contract extensions:

James Harden: Four years, $117.965MM. Extension gave him a raise to the maximum salary for 2016/17 and added two extra years to his contract, including a fourth year player option.

Trades:

Acquired Tyler Ennis from the Bucks in exchange for Michael Beasley.

Draft picks:

2-37: Chinanu Onuaku. Signed for three years, minimum salary. Fully guaranteed.
2-43: Zhou Qi. Will play overseas.

Departing players:

Other offseason news:

Hired Mike D’Antoni as head coach to replace interim coach J.B. Bickerstaff.
Were “really close” to signing Kent Bazemore, who turned down four-year, $72MM offer.
Met with Al Horford in free agency.
Hope to sign draft-and-stash Euroleague star Sergio Llull in 2017.

Check out our salary cap snapshot for the Houston Rockets right here.

It’s easy to forget, considering all the changes the franchise has made over the past year, that the Rockets reached the Western Conference Finals in 2015. They were considered one of the elite teams at this time last year but their season fell apart quickly after a slow start. Right now, it’s difficult to say whether their current roster is any better than the dysfunctional group that finished .500 and barely qualified for the playoffs last season.

When all the smoke cleared this summer, the new-look Rockets headed into training camp with two clearcut leaders: franchise player James Harden and coach Mike D’Antoni. The Rockets made a long-term commitment to Harden, despite his quirky personality and questionable desire to play defense, by restructuring and extending his contract for four years and $118MM.

The disconnect between Harden and the team’s other superstar, Dwight Howard, was evident last season but with Howard out of the picture, Harden is embracing the leadership role. He organized mini-camps and workouts with some of his teammates prior to training camp. “Just trying to shake things up, just trying to make sure we really know each other in and out on and off the court,” he said. “I think that will translate to a better team.”

Harden’s 29.0 scoring average last year was second only to the 30.1 averaged posted by Stephen Curry and he could be even more dangerous under offensive guru D’Antoni. The Rockets pursued a number of high-profile candidates to replace interim coach J.B. Bickerstaff, who took over after the early-season firing of Kevin McHale. They settled on the former Suns, Knicks and Lakers coach, who will put the ball in Harden’s hands as much as possible.

Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski believes D’Antoni’s scheme perfectly suits Harden’s skills. “When you have plays and reads, it’s the best combination,” Krzyzewski said. “It’s especially good if you have a special player, and they do in James. It will be interesting to see how that develops because James is not just a really good scorer; James is a heck of a passer.”

Howard wore out his welcome in Houston and the front office gladly let him walk after he opted out of the final year of his contract. What the franchise did in free agency was both intriguing and risky.

The Rockets handed generous contracts to two oft-injured players. Power forward Ryan Anderson inked a colossal four-year, $80MM deal and guard Eric Gordon received a four-year, $52.9MM commitment. Anderson seems like a great fit as the stretch four in D’Antoni’s free-flowing attack. The biggest drawback is that Anderson has only once played more than 66 games during his eight-year career because of various ailments.

Compared to Gordon, Anderson is an iron man. His balky knees limited him to 221 games in five seasons with the Pelicans. When he’s on the court, Gordon is a solid, aggressive scorer and 3-point shooter. The pressure on the Rockets’ medical staff to have Gordon wearing a uniform instead of a suit on game nights.

Harden could see a lot of time at the point with Gordon at shooting guard, particularly with Patrick Beverley experiencing knee issues in camp that may require surgery. The Rockets do have some other options at the point, despite renouncing their rights to Jason Terry as well as forwards Terrence Jones and Josh Smith at the start of free agency. Pablo Prigioni was re-signed to a partially-guaranteed contract and Tyler Ennis was acquired from the Bucks in exchange for forward Michael Beasley.

The Rockets also added depth at center behind new starter Clint Capela by signing another player with a long injury history, 34-year-old Nene Hilario, to a one-year contract.

With Trevor Ariza and Corey Brewer signed through the 2017/18 season, the Rockets didn’t feel the need to tinker with their small forward position.

They could add more depth at power forward, depending upon how the Donatas Motiejunas saga plays out.

Motiejunas remains the last retricted free agent on the market but long-term concerns over his back have virtually destroyed his bargaining power. The Pistons rescinded a trade for him last winter after their medical personnel examined Motiejunas.

Houston made a qualifying offer to Motiejunas, which expired at the beginning of this month. However, that only strengthens the Rockets’ position. They still have the right of first refusal and Motiejunas no longer has the safety net of signing that one-year QO, which would have allowed him become an unrestricted free agent next summer.

Houston didn’t have a first-round pick in the draft and the remainder of its training-camp roster mainly consists of rookies and marginal players trying to make the team.

Undoubtedly, the Rockets should be fun to watch, with Harden leading a quick-paced attack that might lead the league in scoring. But the Rockets finished fourth in that category last year despite all the chemistry issues.

The big challenge is whether the Rockets will defend well enough to become a true contender again. They were 25th in points allowed and 19th in defensive field-goal percentage. They also finished at the bottom in defensive rebounding percentage last season despite the presence of Howard.

Can they protect the rim well enough with the duo of Capela and Anderson, as well as improve their defensive rebounding to get their high-powered offense in gear? Those are questions that will only be resolved as the season moves along.

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

Offseason In Review: Memphis Grizzlies

October 18th, 2016 at 10:22pm CST by Luke Adams

Free agent signings:

Mike Conley: Five years, $152.608MM. Maximum salary contract. Fifth year partially guaranteed.
Chandler Parsons: Four years, $94.439MM. Maximum salary contract.
Troy Daniels: Three years, $10MM. Sign-and-trade deal with Hornets.
James Ennis: Two years, $5.926MM.

Draft-and-stash signings:

Andrew Harrison: Three years, $3.025MM. Third year non-guaranteed.

Camp invitees:

Chris Crawford: One year, minimum salary (summer contract)
Vince Hunter: One year, minimum salary (summer contract)
Wayne Selden: One year, minimum salary (summer contract)
D.J. Stephens: Two years, minimum salary ($35K guaranteed)
Troy Williams: Two years, minimum salary ($150K guaranteed)
Tony Wroten: Two years, minimum salary ($25K guaranteed). Waived.

Trades:

Acquired the draft rights to Deyonta Davis (No. 31 pick) and the draft rights to Rade Zagorac (No. 35 pick) from the Celtics in exchange for Clippers’ 2019 first-round pick (lottery protected).
Acquired Troy Daniels (sign-and-trade) from the Hornets in exchange for cash.

Draft picks:

1-17: Wade Baldwin. Signed to rookie contract.
2-31: Deyonta Davis. Signed for three years, $3.923MM. Fully guaranteed.
2-35: Rade Zagorac. Will play overseas.
2-57: Wang Zhelin. Will play overseas.

Departing players:

Chris Andersen
Matt Barnes
Bryce Cotton
Jordan Farmar
P.J. Hairston
Xavier Munford (declined team option)
Lance Stephenson (declined team option)

Other offseason news:

Hired David Fizdale as head coach to replace Dave Joerger. Added former head coach Keith Smart as an assistant.
Marc Gasol, returning from a broken foot, cleared to play, then suffered a bone bruise on a different bone in his foot.
Zach Randolph transitioning to bench role. JaMychal Green to start at power forward.
Renounced rights to RFA Nick Calathes.
Tony Allen eligible for veteran contract extension.

Check out our salary cap snapshot for the Memphis Grizzlies right here.

As the list of recent NBA Finals winners shows, star power is a key ingredient for most championship teams. The last 12 NBA champs are littered with All-Stars and future Hall-of-Famers, including Tim Duncan, LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh, Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, Dirk Nowitzki, and Stephen Curry. Finding those star players, and accumulating two or three of them on one roster, can be difficult, but once a team lands them, it’s worth paying a premium to keep them — depth and roster gaps can be filled on the cheap.

On the surface, the Grizzlies’ offseason resembles the kind of summer a star-studded championship contender would have as it gears up for a title run — with one maximum-salary All-Star already on the roster, Memphis locked up another one of its starters to the biggest contract in NBA history, and signed another free agent to a max deal of his own. The league’s growing salary cap means that the Grizzlies’ three max contracts don’t soak up all of the team’s cap room, like they would have a year or two ago, but the money committed to Marc Gasol, Mike Conley, and Chandler Parsons is significant, and signals that the club views the trio as its core pieces going forward.

While Gasol, Conley, and Parsons are certainly above-average NBA starters, the Grizzlies’ Big Three isn’t exactly comparable to that of the Heat circa 2010. We’ll start with Conley, who has never made an All-Star team, but has been a steady and productive second-tier point guard in the Western Conference over the last several years, behind a top tier led by Chris Paul and Russell Westbrook. Since Memphis held Conley’s Bird rights, retaining him was a key component of the team’s offseason, but the price to do so was awfully high. No NBA player has ever signed for more than the $152.608MM Conley will receive over the life of his five-year deal.

The Grizzlies were victimized by bad timing when it came to Conley’s free agency. Other suitors, including the division-rival Mavericks, were ready to offer the veteran point guard a maximum-salary contract of their own, so Memphis had little choice but to put max money on the table. After Conley, the best unrestricted free agent point guards of 2016 were players like Jeremy Lin, Rajon Rondo, and D.J. Augustin, so if the Grizzlies had let Conley walk, the team would have been looking at a major downgrade at the position, and wouldn’t have been able to fully maximize its cap room. Still, Conley is entering his age-29 season and has never averaged more than 17.2 PPG or 6.5 APG in a season. It’s reasonable for Grizzlies fans to be a little uneasy about his new contract.

Around the same time the Grizzlies secured Conley, the team was also finalizing a max contract for former Maverick Parsons, another player who has never made an All-Star team. You could make the argument that the Grizzlies would be mismanaging an asset by losing it for nothing if they’d let Conley go, but that wasn’t the case for Parsons, whom the team used most of its remaining cap room to sign. The veteran forward, who turns 28 later this month, is a talented sharpshooter, but he has yet to truly break out, and has been limited by injuries in recent years. Having undergone knee surgery in March, Parsons has yet to make his preseason debut for the Grizzlies, and may not be ready for the club’s regular-season opener.

If Parsons were still 23 or 24 years old, it would be easier to be optimistic about his chances of getting 100% healthy and putting it all together for two or three solid years with the Grizzlies. But he’s entering his sixth NBA season, and there are major questions about whether he’ll live up to his new deal.

The question marks surrounding Parsons’ health also relate to broader concerns about the Grizzlies’ roster. Conley finished the 2015/16 season on the shelf with an Achilles injury, and Gasol – who is returning from a broken foot – suffered a bone bruise during the preseason. Memphis can certainly still contend for the playoffs if one of the club’s top players is sidelined for a month or two, but for the team to reach its full potential, Conley, Parsons, and Gasol need to play 70+ games apiece. The odds of that happening don’t seem great at this point.

With most of their cap room committed to their top three players, the Grizzlies got a little creative to add depth, particularly in the backcourt. The club acquired Troy Daniels in a sign-and-trade deal, brought over draft-and-stash prospect Andrew Harrison, used its room exception to sign James Ennis, and drafted Wade Baldwin and Deyonta Davis.

Not all of those players will be ready to contribute immediately, which could complicate matters at point guard. The Grizzlies signed, but waived, Tony Wroten, leaving Baldwin and Harrison to battle for the right to back up Conley. The team has no other viable point guard options, so if the youngsters aren’t ready, or if Conley misses any time, another veteran addition will probably be necessary. For the most part though, Memphis did well with its limited leftover cap flexibility to add promising young players capable of taking on greater roles as the season progresses.

New head coach David Fizdale will be tasked with helping to develop those talented young newcomers, and while a coach’s first offseason and preseason don’t tell us a whole lot, the Grizzlies appear to like what they have in Fizdale. The former Heat assistant received rave reviews from his players in Miami, and reportedly made a strong first impression in Memphis. Although he’s a first-time head coach, Fizdale indicated he wasn’t interested in leading a franchise through a rebuilding process, and expressed a desire to take the Grizzlies “from good to great.”

One of Fizdale’s first moves has been to move veteran big man Zach Randolph from the starting lineup to the bench, with JaMychal Green taking over as Memphis’ starting power forward. Replacing one of the longest-tenured Grizzlies with a third-year player on a non-guaranteed contract is a bold move, but one that makes sense. Green won’t be asked to do too much as a starter, with Conley, Parsons, and Gasol prepared to handle the offensive load, while Randolph will add some much-needed scoring punch to the club’s second unit.

Of course, Randolph’s role may remain flexible once the season gets underway — having him play off the bench is a move that could be easily undone. The same can’t be said for the Conley and Parsons contracts, which combine to total nearly $250MM. If the Grizzlies’ high-priced gamble that Conley and Parsons are max-salary players pays off, they should vie for a top-four spot in the West and would be one of the top challengers to the Warriors in the postseason. But if the team’s standout players continue to battle health problems and don’t live up to those big-money deals, Fizdale could be in for a major challenge during his first year in Memphis.

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

Offseason In Review: Dallas Mavericks

October 17th, 2016 at 7:45pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Free agent signings:

Harrison Barnes: Four years, $94.439MM. Maximum salary contract. Fourth year player option.
Dirk Nowitzki: Two years, $50MM. Second year team option.
Dwight Powell: Four years, $37.269MM. Player option.
Deron Williams: One year, $9MM.
Seth Curry: Two years, $5.926MM.
Jonathan Gibson: Three years, minimum salary. Second and third years non-guaranteed.
Quincy Acy: Two years, minimum salary. Second year non-guaranteed.

Camp invitees:

Nicolas Brussino: Three years, minimum salary ($100K guaranteed)
Kyle Collinsworth: Two years, minimum salary ($70K guaranteed)
Dorian Finney-Smith: Three years, minimum salary ($100K guaranteed)
Keith Hornsby: One year, minimum salary (summer contract)
Jameel Warney: One year, minimum salary ($20K guaranteed). Waived.
C.J. Williams: One year, minimum salary (summer contract)

Trades:

Acquired Andrew Bogut and Warriors’ 2019 second-round pick from the Warriors in exchange for the Mavericks’ own 2019 second-round pick (protected 31-55).
Acquired the draft rights to Stanko Barac from the Pacers in exchange for Jeremy Evans, the draft rights to Emir Preldzic, and cash ($3.2MM).

Draft picks:

2-46: A.J. Hammons: Signed for three years, $2.606MM. Fully guaranteed.

Departing players:

Other offseason news:

Andrew Bogut eligible for contract extension as of October 25.
Pursued Mike Conley and Hassan Whiteside in free agency.

Check out our salary cap snapshot for the Dallas Mavericks right here.

“Always a bridesmaid and never the bride.” That classic phrase sums up what the Mavericks’ offseasons have become the past few years. In 2013, the team set its sights on Deron Williams and Dwight Howard, a year when both were still highly sought after free agents, only to end up with Monta Ellis. In 2015 the franchise let Tyson Chandler depart (for the second time) and targeted DeAndre Jordan, only to have the big man switch gears and after a bizarre psuedo-standoff at his home, rejoin the Clippers. Instead, the Mavs ended up signing Zaza Pachulia. This past summer, Mark Cuban and company had designs on signing Mike Conley and Hassan Whiteside, but instead ended up with Harrison Barnes. Notice a disturbing trend here?

One could easily argue that the Warriors’ signing of Kevin Durant ultimately saved Dallas from having an absolutely disastrous summer. If KD doesn’t join the Warriors, Golden State has no reason to let Barnes leave as a free agent or to trade Andrew Bogut, and the Mavs would have been left high and dry as a result of overreaching for players who had no intention of joining the team. While the Bogut acquisition was a solid move for the club, perhaps it may have been better to bottom out for a year rather than fork over the exorbitant contract that the team gave to Barnes.

Dallas essentially chose Barnes over Chandler Parsons, who signed with the Grizzlies this offseason. Given Parsons’ injury woes, I don’t knock the Mavs for balking at offering him a maximum salary contract, but committing that amount of money to Barnes is just as big of a risk. Barnes has been a solid rotational piece for the Warriors throughout his first four NBA seasons, shooting 37.6% on three-pointers and averaging double-digits in points for his career. However, he was inconsistent in the playoffs this past season, no-showing in some key games down the stretch for Golden State. In the 2016 NBA Finals, Barnes shot just 35.2% from the floor, including 31.0% from three-point range, and many of those misses were uncontested shots. Now he’s going to be the focal point of Dallas’ rebuilding plan and have the weight of needing to live up to his contract on his shoulders.

If Parsons wasn’t worthy of this level of investment, I’m not sure how Barnes is. Granted, his numbers should see an uptick based on increased playing time and coach Rick Carlisle‘s ability to squeeze production out of his players, but it is extremely unlikely that the 24-year-old will perform to the level his contract. Adding him seems reactionary on the part of Dallas, with the team needing to do something over the summer to try and change up the formula. I like Barnes as a third-option on a playoff team, but not as one of its primary building blocks, which is what earning $22MM-$25MM per season over the course of his contract forces him to be.

As I previously mentioned, I’m a fan of the team’s acquisition of Bogut for the low cost of a protected second-rounder in what was a clear salary dump for the Warriors. The 31-year-old is an injury risk, but with just one year remaining on his current deal at the very reasonable rate of $11,027,027 for 2016/17, this one could pay off big for Dallas. The Mavs have had a gaping hole in the middle since Chandler departed, and Bogut’s defense, grit and rebounding are all welcome additions. Coupled with the arrival of Barnes, who is a defensive upgrade over Parsons, and a healthy Wesley Matthews, the team should be much improved on that end of the court.

The rest of the Mavs’ offseason signings were solid, if unspectacular. Given the lack of options, re-signing Deron Williams for one-year, $9MM was a decent move. Williams is no longer the star player he was during his time with the Jazz, which seems like a lot longer than six seasons ago, but his 2015/16 numbers of 14.1 PPG, 2.9 RPG and 5.8 APG to go along with a shooting line of .414/.344/.869 are worth keeping him around on this low-risk pact. However, I’m not as bullish on re-signing Dwight Powell to a four-year, $37.27MM deal. Giving that level of commitment to a player who has been as inconsistent as Powell has been is a risky move that could hamper the team in future offseasons. The 25-year-old has struggled to remain healthy during his brief time in the league and he doesn’t quite fit the mold of where the league is headed regarding how big men are utilized.

One signing that I am excited about for the Mavericks is the addition of Seth Curry, whose two-year, $5.93MM could turn out to be an absolute steal for the team. Curry has looked very sharp thus far in the preseason, averaging 12.8 PPG, 2.3 RPG and 1.5 APG while connecting on 53.3% of his shots from beyond the arc. While he’s never likely going to approach the skill level of his brother Stephen Curry,, the younger Curry has a legitimate shot under Carlisle to be a Sixth Man of the Year candidate. Dallas should focus more on adding undervalued players who can have breakout seasons, rather than chasing the “big fish” every offseason without having a legitimate chance of landing them.

Perhaps the best move the Mavericks made this offseason was re-signing Dirk Nowitzki to a two-year, $50MM deal. The franchise finally did right by the big German, upping the initial deal by $10MM when it became clear that the money wasn’t going to other players. Nowitzki has been the textbook example of unselfish, taking far less than market rate on his past two contracts in order to give the team flexibility to add players around him. Besides rewarding his loyalty, Dallas avoided having its longtime franchise player depart over a lowball offer the way Dwyane Wade ended his tenure in Miami this summer. Kudos to Cuban on the move, its just unfortunate that Nowitzki will likely end his career without having a legitimate shot at winning another NBA title.

After what turned out to be another disappointing summer for the team and its fans, the Mavs enter the new season as an unknown quantity. The team will likely struggle to equal its 42 wins from a season ago and it will take a number of players meeting and exceeding expectations for the club to reach the postseason again. The only true positive I can offer is that Dallas at least has a higher ceiling than it did last year, with the defense likely to be improved and some new blood on the roster. If Barnes can come close to living up to his contract, the Mavs could surprise. But that is a tall order, especially if the young forward succumbs to the pressure of silencing his critics. Hopefully, the franchise will enter next offseason with a more realistic shopping list, which could help it avoid having to play catch-up like it has the past few summers.

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

Offseason In Review: Cleveland Cavaliers

October 16th, 2016 at 8:27pm CST by Arthur Hill

Free agent signings:

LeBron James: Three years, $99.857MM. Third year player option.
J.R. Smith: Four years, $57MM. Fourth year non-guaranteed. Official contract details not yet confirmed.
Richard Jefferson: Three years, $7.613MM. Third year non-guaranteed.
Chris Andersen: One year, minimum salary.
James Jones: One year, minimum salary.

Camp invitees:

Markel Brown: One year, minimum salary (summer contract)
Toney Douglas: One year, minimum salary (summer contract). Waived.
John Holland: One year, minimum salary (summer contract)
Jonathan Holmes: One year, minimum salary (summer contract)
Cory Jefferson: One year, minimum salary (summer contract)
Dahntay Jones: One year, minimum salary (summer contract)
DeAndre Liggins: Two years, minimum salary ($25K guaranteed)
Eric Moreland: One year, minimum salary (summer contract). Waived

Trades:

Acquired the draft rights to Kay Felder (No. 54 pick) from the Hawks in exchange for cash ($2.47MM).
Acquired the draft rights to Albert Miralles from the Bucks in exchange for Matthew Dellavedova (sign-and-trade) and cash ($200K).
Acquired Mike Dunleavy and the draft rights to Vladimir Veremeenko from the Bulls in exchange for the draft rights to Albert Miralles.
Acquired the draft rights to Chu Chu Maduabum from the Sixers in exchange for Sasha Kaun and cash.

Draft picks:

2-54: Kay Felder. Signed for three years, minimum salary. Second year partially guaranteed. Third year team option.

Departing players:

Other offseason news:

Signed head coach Tyronn Lue to a five-year extension reportedly worth $35MM.
Reportedly have interest in Kevin Garnett as assistant coach.
Iman Shumpert arrested for DUI.
Named Nate Reinking coach of D-League affiliate Canton Charge.

Check out our salary cap snapshot for the Cleveland Cavaliers right here.

The band is finally back together in Cleveland, although there’s not much rehearsal time before the season starts.

The Cavaliers brought back the final piece of their championship puzzle Friday when J.R. Smith ended his long standoff by agreeing to a contract with $45MM guaranteed over the first three seasons. A fourth year at about $12MM will become guaranteed if he remains on the Cavs’ roster at the end of the 2018/19 season.

Smith has been an indispensable member of the team’s backcourt since coming to Cleveland in a trade with the Knicks in January of 2015. He averaged 11.5 points per game and shot 43% from 3-point range during last season’s playoff run. During the season, Smith started all 77 games in which he played and averaged 12.4 points per night.

Getting Smith under contract solidifies one backcourt position, but uncertainty remains at point guard. Kyrie Irving has become one of the league’s best players and added to his legend with the winning shot in Game 7 of the NBA Finals. But it’s uncertain who will be backing him up after Matthew Dellavedova was shipped to Milwaukee in a sign-and-trade over the summer.

Veteran Toney Douglas was waived Saturday after Smith was signed, and Jordan McRae has been pulled from the competition because head coach Tyronn Lue wants him to concentrate on being a shooting guard. Rookie Kay Felder has been sharing reserve duties in the preseason with DeAndre Liggins, so that arrangement will probably continue once the season starts.

Veteran Mo Williams, who played 41 games for the Cavs last season, told the team late last month that he plans to retire, and he had surgery on his left knee three days ago. However, Williams hasn’t filed retirement papers with the league and he still has a spot on the Cavaliers’ roster. The team plans to monitor his progress in case he decides to play again. Williams would receive his full $2.2MM salary if Cleveland waives him, and buyout talks have produced little progress.

After winning his third NBA title in June, LeBron James reached another milestone in August as a new three-year, $99.857MM contract made him the league’s highest-paid player for the first time. His $33MM salary in 2017/18 will be the largest in NBA history.

It’s a fitting reward for a player who led the Cavs to the first championship in their 45-year history. James is coming off another brilliant year, averaging 25.3 points, 7.4 rebounds and 6.8 assists per game during the regular season and raising those numbers to 26.3 points, 9.5 rebounds and 7.6 assists in the playoffs.

Cleveland also re-signed veteran small forward Richard Jefferson for three years at $7.613MM, with the third season non-guaranteed. The 36-year-old initially announced his retirement while the Cavaliers celebrated their championship, but he changed his mind as the summer wore on.

Another important re-signing was Lue, who led the Cavs to the title after taking over as head coach when David Blatt was fired in January. Lue received a five-year extension believed to be worth $35MM.

The Cavs reached offseason agreements with two of James’ teammates from his days in Miami, re-signing James Jones for one year at a veteran’s minimum salary and giving a similar deal to center Chris Andersen. Cleveland had a need for center help after losing Timofey Mozgov to the Lakers in free agency and trading Sasha Kaun to the Sixers. Andersen appeared in just seven games for the Heat and 20 for the Grizzlies last season.

Cleveland picked up another veteran when the Bulls had to unload Mike Dunleavy Jr.‘s salary to create enough cap room to sign Dwyane Wade. The Cavs swung a trade that brought Dunleavy from Chicago for virtually nothing in return, giving them another potent 3-point shooter to help stretch defenses.

The championship helped to quiet trade speculation surrounding Kevin Love, who appears to be set as the power forward for years to come. Complaints that Love wasn’t a good fit alongside James and Irving have been following him ever since he was acquired from Minnesota in a 2014 deal. Love turned in a strong playoff performance, averaging 14.7 points and 8.8 rebounds per game after missing most of the 2015 playoff run with a shoulder injury. A report last month said the Cavaliers stopped listening to trade offers for Love in the middle of the season.

Draft night was quiet in Cleveland except for a deal with the Hawks that brought in Felder, the 54th pick, in exchange for cash considerations. A speedy 5’9″ sparkplug, Felder impressed the Cavs during summer league and was signed to a three-year contract.

The last-minute addition of Smith means the Cavaliers will have a very familiar look as they try to defend their NBA title. Dellavedova, Mozgov and Wiliams are the only significant losses from last year, and the additions of Dunleavy and Andersen will help offset those, along with a full season from Channing Frye, who was acquired from Orlando at February’s trade deadline.

The Cavs make have to tweak the roster a little bit if Felder doesn’t work out as the reserve point guard, but they enter the season as very heavy favorites to tear through the East again and return to the NBA Finals. The Big Three of James, Irving and Love will always be in the spotlight in Cleveland, but owner Dan Gilbert has proven that he will spend big to put a dangerous team around them.

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

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