Mobile Menu
HEADLINES

Offseason In Review

Offseason In Review: Sacramento Kings

November 30th, 2012 at 2:25pm CST by Luke Adams

Hoops Rumors is in the process of looking back at each team's offseason, from the end of the playoffs in June right up until opening night. Trades, free agent signings, draft picks, contract extensions, option decisions, camp invitees, and more will be covered, as we examine the moves each franchise made over the last several months.

Signings

Trades and Claims

  • Acquired cash from the Pacers in exchange for the No. 36 pick in 2012 draft.
  • Acquired James Johnson from the Raptors in exchange for a 2014 second-round pick.

Draft Picks

Camp Invitees

Departing Players

Rookie Contract Option Decisions

It's been a rough few years for the Kings, who haven't qualified for the postseason since the 2005/06 season, and have had five different coaches patrol the sidelines since that point. After they finished the 2011/12 season with a 22-44 record, it wasn't realistic to expect the Kings to formulate an overnight fix this offseason. The best one could hope for was a few smart decisions that put the team on the right track.

With that in mind, it was a moderately successful offseason for the Kings. Heading into the draft, Thomas Robinson was considered perhaps the most sure-thing prospect not named Anthony Davis, so nabbing him at No. 5 was viewed as a coup. Sacramento also got a good price for Aaron Brooks, who returned from an impressive stint in China to ink an affordable two-year deal. And in exchange for a future second-round pick, the Kings acquired James Johnson, an all-around contributor on a small salary whose career PER had been steadly on the rise. If Sacramento decides Johnson isn't a part of the team's long-term plan, his contract expires at season's end, so the club could trade him or let him walk.

The Kings' new contract with Jason Thompson was a little more perplexing. A $6MM annual salary for even a modestly productive big man isn't a bad price by any means, and with few free agents clamoring to come to Sacramento, retaining players is important for the Kings. Still, five years is a significant commitment for a player who has yet to show he can be more than a decent rotation piece. By comparison, J.J. Hickson signed a one-year, $4MM deal with the Trail Blazers. Hickson is two years younger than Thompson, and their numbers over the last three seasons are fairly similar — Hickson has posted 10.4 PPG, 6.7 RPG, and a 15.3 PER against Thompson's 10.2 PPG, 7.2 RPG, and 14.8 PER.

Even if Thompson's contract is questionable compared to the team's other fairly solid moves, it's Thompson's deal that more accurately reflects the decisions the Kings have made in the past few years. Sacramento's cap is weighed down by a number of bad contracts, such as John Salmons', Francisco Garcia's, and Travis Outlaw's. Even the players on reasonable contracts don't mesh well together, with Marcus Thornton, Tyreke Evans, Jimmer Fredette, and DeMarcus Cousins among the other Kings vying for shots.

There are certainly talented players on the Kings' roster, but bad contracts and poor fits have kept the team from developing into a real postseason contender. Disregarding chemistry and simply bringing in talent hasn't worked for Sacramento yet, so it was a positive sign to see the team not rushing to extend Evans this summer. Since his standout rookie season, Evans' specific role with the Kings has been unclear, with his development slowed by the lack of a true position or complementary personnel around him. It's possible the Kings could still lock Evans up next summer if he takes a step forward this year, but the team was wise to keep its options open, and could field trade offers at February's deadline.

With Salmons, Thornton, Chuck Hayes, and many more players on this year's roster under contract through next season as well, the Kings don't have the cap flexibility going forward that you'd like to see from a rebuilding team. Their best chance at turning things around may involve building around Cousins, and bringing in the pieces necessary to support him. If Evans and Fredette can't be those guys, they represent Sacramento's most valuable trade chips.

Outside of a surprising long-term deal for Thompson, the 2012 offseason didn't include any real head-scratchers for the Kings, and Robinson has a chance to be a very good NBA player. But given the bad contracts and bad fits that were already in place before the offseason began, this summer's moves don't change the Kings' outlook a whole lot. This is still a club headed for the lottery in 2013.

Retweet 0 Share 0 Send via email0

Offseason In Review: Phoenix Suns

November 29th, 2012 at 3:30pm CST by Luke Adams

Hoops Rumors is in the process of looking back at each team's offseason, from the end of the playoffs in June right up until opening night. Trades, free agent signings, draft picks, contract extensions, option decisions, camp invitees, and more will be covered, as we examine the moves each franchise made over the last several months.

Signings

Trades and Claims

  • Acquired 2013 and 2015 first-round picks and 2013 and 2014 second-round picks from the Lakers in exchange for Steve Nash. Nash was signed-and-traded.
  • Acquired Wesley Johnson and a 2013 first-round pick from the Timberwolves, along with Brad Miller and Jerome Dyson from the Hornets, in exchange for Robin Lopez (sent to Hornets), Hakim Warrick (sent to Hornets), cash (sent to Hornets), and a 2014 second-round pick (sent to Timberwolves). Lopez was signed-and-traded.
  • Claimed Luis Scola off amnesty waivers from the Rockets. Bid $13.53MM over three years.

Draft Picks

Camp Invitees

Departing Players

Rookie Contract Option Decisions

For some teams, clearing cap space means creating the opportunity to make a run at the offseason's prized free agents. When the Heat, Knicks, and a handful of other teams cleared their books in anticipation of the 2010 offseason, the goal was to land members of one of the most impressive free agent classes of all-time. When the Mavs elected not to re-sign Tyson Chandler in December 2011, it gave them to chance to pursue Deron Williams in free agency in the summer of 2012.

Not all teams are lucky enough to be destinations that those top free agents would consider, however. Heading into this summer, the Suns were poised to clear a huge chunk of cap space, but the club was never seriously in the running for Williams, the top unrestricted player on the market. Phoenix used its cap space to make a play for Eric Gordon, but the club could only watch as the Hornets matched the Suns' offer sheet and brought Gordon back to New Orleans.

Cap space doesn't always have to be used to lure top free agents though. The Suns did use that room to bring in a few outside FAs this offseason, including Goran Dragic, who will give the team a younger, cheaper alternative to Steve Nash, and may end up being the more productive player of the two over the course of their new contracts. But the Suns also took advantage of their cap space to great effect with a couple of the summer's other major moves.

When players are released via the amnesty clause, only clubs under the cap are eligible to bid on them. Often, those amnesty victims aren't worth pursuing — no teams were lining up to participate in the amnesty auction for Josh Childress, for instance. But occasionally an amnestied player will simply be the victim of a cap reshuffle, as Luis Scola was in Houston. Arguably the best player to be amnestied this offseason or last, Scola was snapped up by the Suns for only about $4.5MM annually over the next three years, a terrific price for a productive frontcourt piece.

Another benefit of having cap space is the ability to take other teams' unwanted contracts and receiving a little something for your troubles. In the Suns' case, that meant facilitating a three-way deal that involved acquiring Wesley Johnson from the Timberwolves. With Minnesota looking to make room for Andrei Kirilenko and the rest of the team's offseason additions, Johnson's $4.29MM salary was an albatross the T-Wolves needed to move. In return for helping out, the Suns landed the Wolves' 2013 first-round pick.

Minnesota's first-rounder is top-13 protected for the next two seasons and top-12 protected for the following two years, so it's unlikely to turn into a lottery pick, but considering the relatively small price the Suns paid to acquire it, it's a worthwhile asset. Throw in the future picks, including two first-rounders, that the Lakers sent over in the Nash sign-and-trade, and the Suns ultimately landed four picks (three first-rounders) in exchange for absorbing a little salary and giving up players they weren't re-signing anyway.

Having said that, I didn't like all the ways the Suns used their cap room this summer. The three-year deal handed out to Michael Beasley was a little eyebrow-raising, even if the third season isn't guaranteed. Still, in Beasley and Johnson, the Suns added a pair of players who were former top-five picks. With elite free agents unlikely to come to Phoenix, the team resorted to acquiring players who were viewed as elite talents in the past. If guys like Beasley and Johnson can recapture some of the promise that made them top picks, they'll be strong investments — if not, at least the cost to take a look at them wasn't exorbitant.

This Suns squad doesn't look like a playoff contender in the Western Conference, but that doesn't come as a huge surprise. Even with Nash still on the roster, the team fell short of the postseason a year ago, and with their franchise player gone, the Suns are entering a retooling period, if not a total rebuild. While I didn't love all their free agent signings, the team traded for a number of future draft picks, locked up a valuable asset in Scola at a bargain price, and retained enough cap space going forward that additional moves are still possible.

Retweet 0 Share 0 Send via email0

Offseason In Review: Golden State Warriors

November 27th, 2012 at 3:50pm CST by Luke Adams

Hoops Rumors is in the process of looking back at each team's offseason, from the end of the playoffs in June right up until opening night. Trades, free agent signings, draft picks, contract extensions, option decisions, camp invitees, and more will be covered, as we examine the moves each franchise made over the last several months.

Signings

Extensions

Trades and Claims

Draft Picks

  • Harrison Barnes (Round 1, 7th overall). Signed via rookie exception.
  • Festus Ezeli (Round 1, 30th overall). Signed via rookie exception.
  • Draymond Green (Round 2, 35th overall). Signed via mid-level exception.
  • Ognjen Kuzmic (Round 2, 52nd overall). Will play overseas.

Camp Invitees

  • Carlon Brown
  • Lance Goulbourne
  • Stefhon Hannah
  • Rick Jackson
  • Tarence Kinsey

Departing Players

Rookie Contract Option Decisions

Like the Bucks, whose offseason we reviewed over the weekend, the Warriors entered the summer having already made their blockbuster move of 2012. In fact, the Bucks were Golden State's trading partner back in March when both teams decided to part ways with longtime centerpieces. Monta Ellis headed for Milwaukee, with the Warriors landing a potential All-Star center in Andrew Bogut.

The move was certainly not the safe play for the Warriors. Ellis was an established 20 PPG scorer in a league where those players are rare. Golden State also hard to give up a young big with upside, Ekpe Udoh, to finalize the deal. The biggest concern of all though was Bogut's health — recovering from a broken ankle when the trade was made, Bogut didn't even see the floor for the Warriors in 2011/12.

For a team whose star player, Stephen Curry, was already dealing with ankle injuries, acquiring another potentially injury-prone star actually helped the Warriors in the short-term. Golden State's finish in the spring of 2012 was so dismal that the club lucked into the No. 7 overall pick in the draft lottery, ensuring that the top-seven-protected selection wouldn't be sent to the Jazz.

In the long-term? Bogut's injury woes are a bit more concerning. His surgically repaired ankle is still giving him trouble, and while Andrew Bynum's knee problems in Philadelphia are receiving more media attention and coverage, the situation with Bogut in Golden State is somewhat similar. The former first overall pick is under contract for an additional year, through 2014, but after suffering multiple major injuries throughout his career, there are questions about how much production the Warriors will ultimately receive from Bogut.

Still, like the pre-Bynum Sixers, the Warriors weren't on their way to becoming an elite team with Ellis leading the way, so even if Bogut doesn't pan out, the trade represented a worthwhile risk for Golden State. For teams that don't attract big-name free agents or luck their way into superstars in the draft, a certain number of gambles are necessary in order to try to build a championship contender. The Warriors were likely operating under that mindset when they reached a surprise extension agreement with Curry just before the Halloween deadline.

The years and dollars for Curry, four years at $44MM, are sizable considering the trouble the sharpshooter has had staying on the court. Still, if he had remained healthy through 2012/13, there could easily have been max-salary offers awaiting Curry in restricted free agency next summer. As such, the Warriors' decision to lock him up represents another calculated gamble, with the team doubling down on injury risks and moving forward with Curry and Bogut at its core.

With or without those two stars on the court, this team has plenty of talent from top to bottom. Klay Thompson was one of the most impressive rookies in the NBA last season, and was a popular pick to take another step forward and be the league's Most Improved Player this season. The aforementioned seventh overall pick that the team managed to keep turned into Harrison Barnes, who is already playing significant minutes for the club and could turn into a mainstay at the three spot. David Lee is overpaid and isn't a strong defender, but he's certainly a capable scorer and rebounder at the four.

The Warriors also made a series of offseason moves to bring in veteran help to complement a starting lineup that's talented but injury-prone. Carl Landry's two-year, $8MM deal was one of my favorite signings of the summer, and should work out well for the Warriors even if Landry opts out of the second year next summer. Brandon Rush's identical two-year contract also looked like a coup for the Warriors, though Rush suffered an early-season ACL injury that will keep him out for the season.

Golden State's only trade of the summer was a minor one, with the Warriors sending Dorell Wright to the Sixers in a deal that landed them Jarrett Jack. I like Wright, but with Barnes and Rush on board, there weren't going to be enough minutes to go around. And Jack was exactly the sort of player the team needed — a tough veteran who will provide insurance at the point and is more than capable of starting if Curry has to miss time.

With players like Curry, Thompson, and Barnes still in the developmental stages, the Warriors aren't on the verge of contending for a title this season. However, the roster is well-constructed enough that even relatively good health should put Golden State in position to fight for a postseason berth. The team is rolling the dice by building around players with injury histories like Curry and Bogut, but those sort of gambles are sometimes necessary to acquire and retain elite talent. Now it's just a matter of waiting to see whether those gambles pay off.

Retweet 0 Share 0 Send via email0

Offseason In Review: Milwaukee Bucks

November 24th, 2012 at 4:02pm CST by Chuck Myron

Hoops Rumors is in the process of looking back at each team's offseason, from the end of the playoffs in June right up until opening night. Trades, free agent signings, draft picks, contract extensions, option decisions, camp invitees, and more will be covered, as we examine the moves each franchise made over the last several months.

Signings

Trades and Claims

Draft Picks

  • John Henson (Round 1, 14th overall). Signed via rookie exception.
  • Doron Lamb (Round 2, 42nd overall). Signed via mid-level exception.

Camp Invitees

Departing Players

Rookie Contract Option Decisions

The Bucks entered the offseason having already made their splashy move, acquiring Monta Ellis at the trade deadline in a deal that sent out Andrew Bogut, whom the team drafted No. 1 overall in 2005. Milwaukee failed to make a charge into the playoffs after the trade, but it seemed clear the team wasn't going to evaluate the backcourt pairing of Ellis and Brandon Jennings on a brief 21-game sample. The Bucks brought back GM John Hammond and coach Scott Skiles for the final seasons of their deals in 2012/13, and with Ellis, who can exercise an early-termination option next summer, and Jennings, in the last year of his rookie deal, under no long-term commitments, this season shapes up as an 82-game referendum.

The lingering story of the offseason was whether the team would grant an extension to Jennings, and he wound up as likely the biggest name not to sign a rookie-scale extension among those eligible this year. He admitted soon afterward that he's "kind of auditioning for other teams" this season, and when Zach Links of Hoops Rumors asked whether readers thought the Bucks would trade Jennings this season, the results were almost 50-50. I think the Bucks will ride out the season with Jennings and the rest of their group to see how they play together, especially given the team's hot start, but it's clear the team isn't yet sold on the Ellis-Jennings combination. If Jennings were locked up long-term and the team failed to make the playoffs this season, it could have cost Hammond his job. Nonetheless, it might have been a more regrettable mistake to miss out on a chance to secure Jennings at less than the maximum salary, as fellow point guards Ty Lawson, Stephen Curry and Jrue Holiday all signed extensions for well below the max.

Milwaukee's decision on Jennings is particularly befuddling considering their commitment to Ersan Ilyasova, who parlayed a second-place finish for the Most Improved Player award into a five-year, $40MM deal. The Nets made a strong push for him this summer, and while the Bucks could match their offer for the restricted free agent, they had no such control over European clubs, one of which reportedly made a "big offer" to Ilyasova. A return overseas might have given him as much as $5MM in tax-free income, so perhaps the Bucks were bidding against non-NBA teams. Either way, they can't be pleased with his production so far, as his points and rebounds have been cut roughly in half, and a lengthy $8MM-a-year commitment to a disappointing player, even though the final season is only partially guaranteed, is quite an albatross for a small-market team. 

Before the draft and free agency, the Bucks made a move aimed at replacing some of Bogut's basket protection skills, landing Samuel Dalembert from the Rockets in a deal that sent out three players who were waived before ever playing a regular season game for Houston. The trade also moved the Bucks back two draft slots, but they were still able to land John Henson, whom the team reportedly thought it would have to move into the top 10 to grab. Dalembert is overpaid at $6.7MM this year, but it's final season of his deal, and Milwaukee will presumably have the edge to re-sign him next summer if he pans out.

Milwaukee added veterans Marquis Daniels and Joel Przybilla, and though their minimum-salary deals won't break the bank, the willingness to give two roster spots to known commodities instead of youngsters who might develop signals how important wins and losses are to the team this year. The Bucks aren't contending for a title, but if they can show improvement and make the playoffs, they'll likely make a strong push to retain Ellis and Jennings next summer.

The question is whether simply being a playoff team will be enough long-term. There's legitimate doubt about whether the team's players on rookie contracts — Henson, Ekpe Udoh, Larry Sanders and Tobias Harris — can blossom into the kinds of pieces needed on a championship team. Other than Jennings and Ellis, the veterans on the club aren't marquee names, and Ilyasova,Drew Gooden and Luc Mbah a Moute are all under contract through 2015. Milwaukee is by no means a free agent destination, so the Bucks must build from within, or through trades. The playoff appearance the team angled for this offseason would buy Hammond and Skiles more time, but I'm not sure a championship foundation exists with this bunch.

Luke Adams contributed to this post.

Retweet 0 Share 0 Send via email0

Offseason In Review: Indiana Pacers

November 23rd, 2012 at 9:03pm CST by Chuck Myron

Hoops Rumors is in the process of looking back at each team's offseason, from the end of the playoffs in June right up until opening night. Trades, free agent signings, draft picks, contract extensions, option decisions, camp invitees, and more will be covered, as we examine the moves each franchise made over the last several months.

Signings

Trades and Claims

Draft Picks

Camp Invitees

Departing Players

Rookie Contract Option Decisions

The Pacers began the summer with a front-office shakeup, replacing president of basketball operations Larry Bird with Donnie Walsh and GM David Morway with Kevin Pritchard. Initial indications were that Bird's health was the reason he stepped down, but later we heard about Bird's frustration with owner Herb Simon's unwillingness to add to a team that had just put a scare into the eventual champion Heat in the second round of the playoffs. The Pacers had one of the lowest payrolls in the league last season, and though they're well over the cap this year, they spent most of that additional money to retain their existing talent.

The largest expenditure came in the form of a max contract for Roy Hibbert, who agreed to ink an offer sheet with the Blazers before realizing the Pacers would match, prompting him to sign with Indiana instead. His early struggles, coupled with the team's disappointing record, have led to criticism of the deal, but Hibbert's steady improvement and a 19-point, 18-rebound effort to give the Pacers a 2-1 lead in the series against Miami made the contract entirely justifiable at the time. Still, it's a necessity that Hibbert develop into a No. 1 option, or something close to it, at some point during the deal to make it ultimately worthwhile, especially for a small-market team like the Pacers. Talented seven-footers are commodities, but so are max salary slots.

Perhaps even more troubling for the Pacers might be the commitment of $40MM over five years to George Hill, who was also a restricted free agent. Hill had only started 64 regular season games in four years and spent most of last season playing behind Darren Collison. The Pacers made their choice of point guards abundantly clear when they sent Collison away in a trade with the Mavs, but there's little evidence to suggest Hill, who is a year older and had a lower career PER coming into the season, is an upgrade over Collison, who is in the final season of his rookie deal. Hill is an Indianapolis native, and the team gave up a first-round pick (Kawhi Leonard) to acquire him, so perhaps those factors played a role in the decision.

The signing of D.J. Augustin to a one-year deal for $3.5MM to serve as Hill's backup is perplexing as well, since the Pacers could have kept Collison for about $1.2MM less. The trade that sent out Collison and Dahntay Jones brought in Ian Mahinmi, who immediately signed for four years and $16MM. While Mahinmi will be nothing more than a backup center as long as Hibbert's around, $4MM isn't a particularly burdensome amount. It's a premium for someone who seems destined to play no more than 15 minutes a night, but perhaps the Pacers envision bucking the small-ball trend and spotting him some minutes at power forward in the future if they can't re-sign David West this summer. Mahinmi, like Hill, is a former first-round pick by the Spurs, and while it might be well-advised to borrow from San Antonio's model, there must be a reason Hill and Mahinmi are ex-Spurs.

The ultimate consequence of the team's long-term deals could be the team's failure to retain another key piece of its core. The Pacers got West at a something of a discount after he suffered a knee injury in 2011, and they'd reportedly like to have him back. West is already pointing to the team's books as a reason why that might not happen, as the Pacers would probably have to become a taxpayer to re-sign him, barring a trade that frees up salary.

Though this past summer was the first time in a while the Pacers were picking toward the end of the first round, the team didn't draft well under Bird's leadership. Paul George is the only starter they've taken in the first round since landing Danny Granger in 2005, with the exception of Leonard, who never wore the blue and gold. Winding up in the lottery would be a disaster for a team that hoped to contend for a division title, if not more, this season, but it might provide an inexpensive avenue for Walsh, Pritchard and company to improve the team. If it's true that Simon won't open his pocketbook any further to help the team become a legitimate title contender, Granger's injury might wind up being a blessing in disguise, and one more way the Pacers could imitate the Spurs, who parlayed David Robinson's lost season into a draft pick for Tim Duncan. That sort of wishful thinking isn't why Walsh has been around the league for so long, however, and it seems more likely the team will make changes via trade if it determines it can't make this roster work.

Luke Adams contributed to this post.

Retweet 0 Share 0 Send via email0

Offseason In Review: Chicago Bulls

November 23rd, 2012 at 3:15pm CST by Luke Adams

Hoops Rumors is in the process of looking back at each team's offseason, from the end of the playoffs in June right up until opening night. Trades, free agent signings, draft picks, contract extensions, option decisions, camp invitees, and more will be covered, as we examine the moves each franchise made over the last several months.

Signings

Extensions

Trades and Claims

Draft Picks

  • Marquis Teague (Round 1, 29th overall). Signed via rookie exception.

Camp Invitees

Departing Players

Rookie Contract Option Decisions

Few NBA teams have faced more scrutiny for their offseason moves than the Chicago Bulls. After posting the Eastern Conference's best record for back-to-back seasons in large part due to the play of their reserves, the Bulls broke up their "Bench Mob" over the summer. Kyle Korver was dealt to the Hawks, Omer Asik's offer sheet with the Rockets wasn't matched, John Lucas III signed with the Raptors, and Ronnie Brewer and C.J. Watson had their options turned down by Chicago. Both players eventually signed minimum-salary deals to play for New York clubs — Brewer with the Knicks and Watson with the Nets.

On one hand, it's not hard to see the Bulls' case for letting all those bench players walk. Asik would have earned $5MM this season, and a lot more than that by 2014/15, given Houston's backloaded offer. Korver is also earning $5MM, while Brewer's and Watson's non-guaranteed salaries were worth $4.37MM and $3.2MM respectively. Retaining all those players, even if the team could have brought back Brewer and Watson at slightly reduced rates, would've been pricey, and would have pushed the team well into the luxury tax with an extension for Taj Gibson looming.

Could the big-market Bulls have afforded that tax hit? Most likely. But the club has always displayed a reluctance to venture into the tax, and even if that habit changes, this wasn't the year it was going to happen. Not with Derrick Rose still recovering from ACL surgery and out of action until sometime in 2013. With the health of their star player up in the air, it didn't make sense for the Bulls to load up and try to make a run right now.

That also explains in part why the Bulls didn't use their amnesty clause on Carlos Boozer in July. Amnestying Boozer now would have allowed Chicago to bring many of the pieces of that Bench Mob back for this season, but most of those guys would have been in the last year of their contracts anyway. And the flexibility created by eliminating Boozer's deal wouldn't have been significant enough to sign an impact free agent. It's not clear the team would have been much improved with Boozer gone and guys like Korver, Brewer, and Watson around for one more year.

Still, while some of the Bulls' offseason choices are defensible, there's still plenty about the team's summer that doesn't make sense. Notably, Chicago's decision to give Kirk Hinrich nearly $4MM in mid-level exception money ensured that the Bulls would be hard-capped this season, unable to pass $74,307,000 in team salary at any point. While I recognize that the Bulls liked Hinrich and were willing to pay the price it took to get him back, there were ways around the hard cap.

For instance, the Bulls traded Korver to Hinrich's old team, the Hawks, shortly after completing their deal with Hinrich. As Mark Deeks of ShamSports and others have noted, the teams could have reworked the two moves into one, sending Hinrich to Chicago in a sign-and-trade transaction. Had they done that, the Bulls would've retained their mid-level exception and avoided the hard cap, unless they committed more than $3.09MM of that MLE to another player.

The Korver deal did give Chicago a $5MM traded player exception that the team will have until next summer to use, but it came at a cost. First-rounder Marquis Teague had to accept a lesser percentage of the rookie scale amount than the other 29 first-round picks, and the Bulls were unable to carry more than 13 players on their opening-day roster, given how close they were to scraping up against that hard cap. Now that the veteran's minimum amount has pro-rated a little, the Bulls have a tiny bit of breathing room to sign a free agent, but if the club is hit hard by injuries later in the season, there will be virtually no flexibility to bring in additional bodies.

Like the Thunder, the Bulls may have taken a step back this summer in order to maintain a strong long-term core. Oklahoma City will miss James Harden, but the team did what it had to do to maintain cap flexibility, avoid a big tax hit, and add assets for the future. Similarly, Chicago may regret not finding a way to hang on to Asik, but with assets like Nikola Mirotic, the Bobcats' future first-rounder, and a newly-extended Gibson still in the fold along with Rose, Joakim Noah, and Luol Deng, the team isn't in danger of a severe drop-off anytime soon.

Retweet 0 Share 0 Send via email0

Offseason In Review: Cleveland Cavaliers

November 22nd, 2012 at 9:08pm CST by Luke Adams

Hoops Rumors is in the process of looking back at each team's offseason, from the end of the playoffs in June right up until opening night. Trades, free agent signings, draft picks, contract extensions, option decisions, camp invitees, and more will be covered, as we examine the moves each franchise made over the last several months.

Signings

Trades and Claims

Draft Picks

  • Dion Waiters (Round 1, 4th overall). Signed via rookie exception.
  • Tyler Zeller (Round 1, 17th overall). Signed via rookie exception.

Camp Invitees

  • Kevin Anderson
  • D'Aundray Brown
  • Micheal Eric
  • Justin Holiday
  • Kevin Jones

Departing Players

Rookie Contract Option Decisions

When a team has a number of expiring contracts coming off its books and a chance to claim a large amount of cap room, certain expectations arise among the club's fanbase. The Cavaliers certainly didn't have a huge amount of expiring contracts on their books last season, but clearing Antawn Jamison's $15MM+ salary was enough to create significant flexibility on its own. The Cavs had the opportunity to go out and spend over the summer, and based on the questions I received on a weekly basis in our live chats, it seemed that many Cavs fans were hoping to see that happen.

The Cavs ultimately weren't a major factor on the free agent market at all. Alonzo Gee and Luke Harangody were brought back on fairly small deals, and the team's lone outside free agent was C.J. Miles, who only received $2.25MM in guaranteed money. When the season got underway, the Cavs had the lowest payroll in the league by far, with well over $10MM in cap space still available. Why wasn't the club more aggressive in using that cap room over the offseason? There are a few reasons that likely contributed to the decision.

  1. Although Cleveland is well below the cap, it's still paying in the neighborhood of $60MM in player salaries, due to the $14.75MM owed to the amnestied Baron Davis.
  2. Since LeBron James left town, Cleveland hasn't exactly been a prime destination for free agents, meaning the Cavs may have needed to significantly overpay to land a free agent. One report suggested that the team made a $52MM offer to Nicolas Batum, which he turned down in favor of a lesser offer.
  3. While Batum would have been a nice fit in Cleveland, most $10MM-per-year free agents wouldn't have been enough to make the Cavs a real contender.
  4. By retaining that cap space, the Cavs are in position to take on a bad contract to facilitate a trade that lands them young players or picks.

It's that last point that should give Cavs fans hope going forward. Before the Lakers, Magic, Sixers, and Nuggets completed the four-way blockbuster that sent Dwight Howard to Los Angeles, the Cavs had been involved in the Howard trade talks. It wasn't because Cleveland had pieces that the Lakers or Magic wanted, but because the club had the necessary cap space to absorb a bad contract or two.

Every year, there's at least one GM (and often more) that will part ways with a first-round pick in order to gain cap flexibility. Sometimes it's as simple as taking one bad contract in exchange for another that expires earlier — the Bobcats and the Pistons consummated such a trade this offseason, when the Bobcats agreed to trade Corey Maggette's expiring deal for Ben Gordon's two-year deal and a first-rounder. By staying so far under the cap, the Cavs are in perfect position to get involved in such a deal and to continue accumulating assets.

While maintaining that future flexibility is nice, it doesn't necessarily mean the Cavs' offseason was a success. Cleveland had the fourth overall pick in the draft and traded multiple picks to move up to No. 17 overall. The club used those picks to select Dion Waiters and Tyler Zeller, neither of whom are viewed as future All-Stars. Both players certainly have upside, and it's hard to criticize the Cavs for passing on a player like Damian Lillard when Kyrie Irving is already on the roster. Still, after last year's fourth overall pick was second-guessed by pundits who suggested the Cavs should have taken Jonas Valanciunas instead, Waiters' development will be crucial. There were plenty of experts who felt Harrison Barnes could be the better fit in Cleveland, so Waiters will be under the same sort of scrutiny as Thompson if he doesn't produce right away.

Although the Cavs' rebuilding process may be moving slower than some fans in Cleveland would like, the team has been wise to avoid being dragged down by long-term contracts and ill-advised free agent signings. Eventually, Cleveland will need to spend on either locking up its own players or on impact free agents, but for now, the team continues to inch in the right direction. The Cavs figure to have at least two first-round picks in 2013, and could continue to add even more if they find a team willing to give up a pick along with some unwanted salary. With Irving leading the way, it's a matter of putting those picks to good use, acquiring players capable of complementing the star point guard and making Cleveland a contender again.

Retweet 0 Share 0 Send via email0

Offseason In Review: Detroit Pistons

November 21st, 2012 at 10:01pm CST by Chuck Myron

Hoops Rumors is in the process of looking back at each team's offseason, from the end of the playoffs in June right up until opening night. Trades, free agent signings, draft picks, contract extensions, option decisions, camp invitees, and more will be covered, as we examine the moves each franchise made over the last several months.

Signings

Trades and Claims

Draft Picks

  • Andre Drummond (Round 1, 9th overall). Signed via rookie exception.
  • Khris Middleton (Round 2, 39th overall). Signed via rookie exception.
  • Kim English (Round 2, 44th overall). Signed via minimum salary exception.

Camp Invitees

Departing Players

Rookie Contract Option Decisions

There are few quick fixes for perennial lottery teams, and this past offseason for the Pistons serves as primary evidence. The team's most significant move was probably the trade that sent Ben Gordon's contract, which includes a $13.2MM player option for 2013/14 he will almost certainly pick up, to the Bobcats for Corey Maggette, who'll be off the books by next summer. Still, it's a deal that isn't likely to do much for the Pistons this season, when it amounts to swapping one overpriced wing player for another.

The drafting of Andre Drummond was also done with an eye cast beyond the horizon. Drummond, who turned 19 in August, is a raw talent, and the team has displayed restraint against the urge to rush his development despite their immediate need for more production, limiting him to 15.4 minutes per game despite his 23.6 PER. Teams at the top of the draft were scared off by Drummond's lack of production at Connecticut, but the Pistons snatched him up at No. 9, content to wait for him to continue to learn and, they hope, eventually fulfill his potential as the perfect complement to Greg Monroe inside, giving the team a rare combination of talented big men in a small-ball era.

If Drummond pans out, the Pistons will have come away remarkably well from a stretch of three consecutive seasons in the no man's land of the middle of the lottery, where they've picked seventh, eighth and ninth the last three years, respectively. That would soothe the sting of parting with the protected first-round pick in the Gordon/Maggette trade, one that seems likely to head to Charlotte in either 2014 or 2015. The inclusion of the pick in that deal suggests that president of basketball operations Joe Dumars and company expect by the team to have improved by then. The protection only covers the top pick in 2015, and it becomes unprotected in 2016, so a downturn in fortunes could be extra painful.

The team is getting surprising play from Kyle Singler, the 33rd pick in the 2011 draft who spent last season in Europe. Vyacheslav Kravtsov, an undrafted signee from the Ukraine, hasn't seen the floor in the regular season, but the Pistons were reportedly pleased with his work in camp. The onus is on coach Lawrence Frank and his staff to develop a hidden gem or two to compensate for the lack of high lottery picks and established stars.

The Pistons also took no-risk fliers on a pair of wayward lottery picks, inviting Jonny Flynn and Terrence Williams to camp on non-guaranteed deals. The team already had 15 guaranteed contracts, forcing Flynn and Williams to be especially impressive to earn a spot on the regular season roster. They weren't, and wound up getting cut, but the moves demonstrated one more avenue Dumars is pursuing to try to bring talent aboard.

The bittersweet backstory to the offseason was the closed door the team showed to center Ben Wallace, one of the last remaining links to the 2004 championship team. He said he wanted to retire last season and changed his mind over the summer. With 15 guaranteed deals, the Pistons no longer had room for the 38-year-old, and the Pistons reportedly didn't extend him a training camp invite to avoid the indignity of having to cut him. Wallace hasn't latched on with anyone else.

The final judgment on the offseason won't come anytime this season. Handcuffed by their regrettable signings of Gordon and Charlie Villanueva three years ago, there wasn't much more they could do this summer. The Pistons see this year as one of development for its young players, and aren't panicking after a slow start. The Gordon/Maggette deal was a step in the right direction, since it will give the team more than $10MM in cap room a year sooner than it would have otherwise freed up. As long as the first-round pick in that trade doesn't come back to bite them, this verdict on offseason will likely come down to Drummond's eventual impact, and the Pistons can only hope the early returns are indicative of the final result.

Luke Adams of Hoops Rumors contributed to this post.

Retweet 0 Share 0 Send via email0

Offseason In Review: New York Knicks

November 21st, 2012 at 5:05pm CST by Luke Adams

Hoops Rumors is in the process of looking back at each team's offseason, from the end of the playoffs in June right up until opening night. Trades, free agent signings, draft picks, contract extensions, option decisions, camp invitees, and more will be covered, as we examine the moves each franchise made over the last several months.

Signings

Trades and Claims

Draft Picks

  • Kostas Papanikolaou (Round 2, 48th overall). Rights traded to Trail Blazers. Will play overseas.

Camp Invitees

Departing Players

Rookie Contract Option Decisions

When the NBA and the players' union agreed to a new collective bargaining agreement a year ago, many of the changes included in the CBA didn't take effect immediately. Teams were generally given a year or two to get their books in order before the increased spending restrictions and tax penalties became a reality.

The Knicks were one team that managed to take full advantage of that wrinkle this past offseason. With Carmelo Anthony ($20.46MM), Amare Stoudemire ($19.95MM), and Tyson Chandler ($13.6MM) practically taking up all the Knicks' cap room on their own, the team needed to explore avenues that allowed them to bring in talent without needing to use cap space.

One such tool? The sign-and-trade. Starting next offseason, teams that are over the luxury tax line will no longer be able to complete sign-and-trade deals, but that option was still available in the summer of 2012, and the Knicks made the most of it. After committing their taxpayer-sized mid-level exception to Jason Kidd, the Knicks managed to bring in two outside free agents who will earn more than the $3.09MM annual salary allotted to Kidd. Marcus Camby was acquired in a sign-and-trade with the Rockets, while the Knicks landed Raymond Felton, along with Kurt Thomas, in a sign-and-trade with the Trail Blazers.

There are other ways for the taxpaying Knicks to add outside free agents, of course. A handful of players, including Ronnie Brewer and Rasheed Wallace, inked minimum-salary deals, and the mini MLE that was used on Kidd will be available annually to taxpayers. Additionally, taxpaying teams will still be able to retain their own free agents using the various Bird exceptions, as New York did with Steve Novak and J.R. Smith. But the value of those sign-and-trades shouldn't be overlooked. Knowing that the CBA's upcoming changes wouldn't afford them the same flexibility in future offseasons, the Knicks moved to acquire players while they could in any way possible, and Felton, at least, has been well worth the trouble in the early going.

Of course, the Knicks' offseason can't be discussed without mentioning the player that Felton essentially replaced in New York: Jeremy Lin. Lin's restricted free agency dominated headlines for much of July, with the Knicks declining to match the Rockets' backloaded offer sheet and letting him walk to Houston.

New York's decision here has been criticized, and rightly so. However, it's not quite as cut-and-dried an issue as it may seem on the surface. If the Knicks felt Lin wasn't a fit in their system and didn't want to take an increased tax hit, they could have attempted to work out a sign-and-trade — but New York wouldn't have been able to offer him as much money as the Rockets did, providing little incentive for Lin to explore such a move. The Knicks didn't seem to have much interest in that sort of deal anyway, reportedly telling Lin to go out and get an offer sheet, indicating they'd match any offer he received.

Once Lin signed Houston's offer sheet, it wouldn't have been out of the question for the Knicks to match the offer to retain Lin as an asset, hoping to trade him down the road. But it also wouldn't necessarily be a lock that they'd find a taker. Lin wouldn't have been trade-eligible until a few weeks into the season, and if he got off to a rough start, shopping a contract that included a third-year cap hit worth about $15MM would have been no easy task.

The Knicks ultimately decided that Felton was a better fit for the team, and while the move was panned by many, it's worked out splendidly so far, with Felton looking like an entirely different player than the one who struggled in Portland last season. Losing Lin for nothing still wasn't the optimal move for the Knicks, but early in the season, it's easier to understand why the Knicks chose Felton.

It remains to be seen whether the Knicks, as constructed, are a legit championship contender, but the front office certainly did its best to add all the reinforcements it could this summer. Knowing that the club wasn't likely to be a player for Chris Paul or other free agents next summer, considering all the money on the books already, New York made its moves this past offseason, while taxpaying teams still maintained some flexibility. With significant upgrades unlikely a year from now, the Knicks are hoping this collection of veterans is enough to make some noise in the East.

Retweet 0 Share 0 Send via email0

Offseason In Review: Boston Celtics

November 20th, 2012 at 4:48pm CST by Luke Adams

Hoops Rumors is in the process of looking back at each team's offseason, from the end of the playoffs in June right up until opening night. Trades, free agent signings, draft picks, contract extensions, option decisions, camp invitees, and more will be covered, as we examine the moves each franchise made over the last several months.

Signings

Trades and Claims

Draft Picks

  • Jared Sullinger (Round 1, 21st overall). Signed via rookie exception.
  • Fab Melo (Round 1, 22nd overall). Signed via rookie exception.
  • Kris Joseph (Round 2, 51st overall). Signed via minimum salary exception.

Camp Invitees

  • Dionte Christmas
  • Micah Downs
  • Rob Kurz
  • Jamar Smith

Departing Players

Rookie Contract Option Decisions

For most of last season, GM Danny Ainge and the Celtics were inundated with questions about whether 2011/12 would be the Big Three's last run in Boston. With Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen on expiring deals, there was a chance the core of the Celtics team that won the NBA Finals in 2008 would be dismantled, with an eye toward rebuilding, or at least retooling, the roster.

In retrospect, speculation about the end of an era in Boston was probably overblown. Rajon Rondo and Paul Pierce, who both had bigger roles on the club than Allen, weren't going anywhere, and it was hard to imagine Garnett retiring after putting up the numbers he did in '11/12. Allen headed to Miami in July, but you could easily argue that if there was still a "Big Three" in Boston, Allen was no longer a part of it.

With most of the team's key pieces returning, the potential cap space the C's could have gained by letting its major free agents walk didn't materialize, which may have been for the best. Rather than fighting for players on the open market, the C's looked to their own free agents, armed with the Bird rights to players like Jeff Green and Brandon Bass. Neither forward is a star, but both have proven to be very useful complementary players alongside the bigger names. The price for Green was a little high for my liking, but committing less than $20MM for three years of Bass is a solid investment.

Having managed to stay below the tax threshold, the Celtics also had the full mid-level exception at their disposal, allowing them to lock up Jason Terry. Not only can Terry do many of the things that made Allen a good fit in Boston, but he has the ability to handle the ball and create his own shot, something Allen didn't bring to the table.

Even after signing Terry, the Celtics had enough assets to bring aboard another player at a mid-level price, sending out four players and three draft picks, none of which were exceptionally valuable, to land Courtney Lee. Along with Leandro Barbosa, who signed a minimum-salary contract, Lee helps provide the Celtics with the sort of dynamic scoring backcourt the team didn't have a season ago.

There's not much upside to be had with Jason Collins, Darko Milicic, and Chris Wilcox, who all signed minimum-salary deals to bolster the Celtics' bench. However, in Jared Sullinger and Fab Melo, the team added youth to its frontcourt through the draft. Sullinger, who slipped to No. 21 due to a medical red flag, is ready to contribute immediately and could be a steal. Melo is too raw to enter the rotation right away, but having plenty of bodies to play NBA minutes allows the C's to develop the young center in the D-League for now.

The Celtics' original Big Three may not still be intact, but Ainge certainly didn't go until rebuilding mode this offseason in Boston. Retooling mode though? Sure. Only five players that finished last season with the Celtics returned to the club this year, meaning there figures to be a bit of an adjustment period while the new players adjust to Doc Rivers' system and Rivers figures out which groups of players best complement one another.

Once the Celtics work through that adjustment period though, this is a deep, talented team that looks better on paper now than it did when it took the Heat to seven games in last year's Eastern Conference Finals. They'll need to stay healthy and establish chemistry, but if they do, the Celtics are poised to make a deep run again in the playoffs in 2013.

Retweet 0 Share 0 Send via email0
Load More Posts