- Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders provides some housekeeping details on a few offseason trades, reporting that the Clippers paid the Magic $230K in their C.J. Wilcox trade, the Jazz paid the Sixers $1.6MM in their Tibor Pleiss deal, and the Cavaliers paid the Sixers $1.8MM in their Sasha Kaun swap (all Twitter links).
The Magic have signed Ramon Galloway, Josh Robbins of The Orlando Sentinel reports (via Twitter). The guard’s stay on Orlando’s roster is likely to be a short one, with the player added merely to acquire his D-League rights, Robbins adds. The Magic have confirmed the signing via press release.
The 25-year-old went undrafted in 2013 after splitting his four-year college career between LaSalle and South Carolina. He spent the 2015/16 campaign playing overseas with both OpenJobMetis Varese and Fulgor Omegna in Italy. His combined numbers through 26 contests were 11.7 points, 4.2 rebounds and 3.0 assists to accompany a shooting line of .437/.333/.889.
Galloway suited up for Charlotte’s entry in the Orlando summer league this year, making three appearances and notching averages of 9.0 PPG, 2.7 RPG and 1.7 APG. His slash line was .476/.250/1.000.
The 2016/17 NBA regular season will get underway next week, which means it’s time to start getting serious about predictions for the upcoming campaign. With the help of the lines from offshore betting site Bovada.lv, we’re running through the predicted win totals for each of the NBA’s 30 teams, by division, and having you weigh in on whether you think those forecasts are too optimistic or too pessimistic. Having looked at the Atlantic, Northwest, Central, and Southwest divisions so far, we’re moving on to the Southeast today…
Atlanta Hawks
- 2015/16 record: 48-34
- Over/under for 2016/17: 43.5 wins
- Offseason in review: Added Dwight Howard, Malcolm Delaney, Taurean Prince, DeAndre’ Bembry. Lost Al Horford, Jeff Teague, Lamar Patterson.
(App users, click here for Hawks poll)
Charlotte Hornets
- 2015/16 record: 48-34
- Over/under for 2016/17: 42.5 wins
- Offseason in review: Added Marco Belinelli, Ramon Sessions, Roy Hibbert, Brian Roberts, Christian Wood. Lost Al Jefferson, Jeremy Lin, Courtney Lee, Troy Daniels.
(App users, click here for Hornets poll)
Washington Wizards
- 2015/16 record: 41-41
- Over/under for 2016/17: 42.5 wins
- Offseason in review: Added Ian Mahinmi, Andrew Nicholson, Jason Smith, Tomas Satoransky, Trey Burke. Lost Nene, Jared Dudley, J.J. Hickson, Ramon Sessions, Garrett Temple.
(App users, click here for Wizards poll)
Orlando Magic
- 2015/16 record: 35-47
- Over/under for 2016/17: 37.5 wins
- Offseason in review: Added Bismack Biyombo, Serge Ibaka, Jeff Green, D.J. Augustin, Jodie Meeks, C.J. Wilcox, Stephen Zimmerman. Lost Victor Oladipo, Brandon Jennings, Jason Smith, Ersan Ilyasova, Andrew Nicholson, Dewayne Dedmon, Shabazz Napier.
(App users, click here for Magic poll)
Miami Heat
- 2015/16 record: 48-34
- Over/under for 2016/17: 34.5 wins
- Offseason in review: Added Wayne Ellington, Derrick Williams, James Johnson, Dion Waiters, Luke Babbitt, Willie Reed. Lost Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh, Luol Deng, Joe Johnson, Amar’e Stoudemire, Gerald Green
- Note: Bosh remains on roster, but won’t play again for Heat.
(App users, click here for Heat poll)
Previous voting results:
- Boston Celtics (52.5 wins): Under (54.59%)
- Toronto Raptors (50.5 wins): Over (54.63%)
- New York Knicks (38.5 wins): Over (71.41%)
- Philadelphia 76ers (23.5 wins): Under (54.62%)
- Brooklyn Nets (20.5 wins): Under (60.74%)
- Utah Jazz (49 wins): Under (68.72%)
- Portland Trail Blazers (45.5 wins): Over (69.92%)
- Oklahoma City Thunder (43.5 wins): Over (65.71%)
- Minnesota Timberwolves (40.5 wins): Over (50.11%)
- Denver Nuggets (37 wins): Under (68.81%)
- Cleveland Cavaliers (56.5 wins): Over (66.5%)
- Detroit Pistons (44.5 wins): Over (55.03%)
- Indiana Pacers (44.5 wins): Over (73.06%)
- Chicago Bulls (38.5 wins): Over (61.9%)
- Milwaukee Bucks (34.5 wins): Over (67.48%)
- San Antonio Spurs (58.5 wins): Under (57.4%)
- Houston Rockets (44 wins): Over (52.76%)
- Memphis Grizzlies (42.5 wins): Over (59.69%)
- Dallas Mavericks (38.5 wins): Over (69.71%)
- New Orleans Pelicans (37 wins): Under (70.9%)
- Damjan Rudez is likely to make the Magic’s opening night roster, Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel notes. Coach Frank Vogel, who coached Rudez during his time in Indiana, lobbied for the team to invite the big man to training camp. “There’s so many spread fours out there that are making big bucks,” Vogel said. “[We had] an opportunity maybe to get him without paying a huge contract, but you get the same value as some of these Channing Frye, Ryan Anderson types.” Orlando has 13 players with guaranteed deals and 16 total player under contract, as the team’s depth chart at Roster Resource indicates.
- Magic sources continue to “flatly deny” having any interest in trading Nikola Vucevic. However, Kyler wonders if that stance may become a little more flexible if Orlando’s other bigs are playing well, and the right swingman is available in a potential deal.
[SOURCE LINK]
The Magic have waived Cliff Alexander, Branden Dawson and Kevin Murphy, tweets ESPN’s Jeff Goodman. GM Rob Hennigan announced the moves, which bring the roster down to 16, after tonight’s game with the Hawks.
Alexander, 20, is a power forward/center who appeared in eight games with the Trail Blazers last year after signing as an undrafted rookie out of Kansas. Portland waived him in July before his salary for this season became guaranteed.
Dawson is a 23-year-old power forward who played six games for the Clippers last season. He was a second-round pick out of Michigan State, but spent most of the year in the D-League.
Murphy, 26, is a shooting guard who has played for three D-League teams and spent time in China and Japan. He played 17 games for Utah in 2012/13 after being taken by the Jazz in the second round of the 2012 draft.
- Magic center Bismack Biyombo understands that big money makes players targets for criticism, especially when they aren’t starting, relays Brian Schmitz of The Orlando Sentinel. Biyombo’s outstanding performance in last season’s playoffs earned him a $17MM raise, as he signed a four-year, $72MM deal with Orlando. The contract tied him with Evan Fournier as the highest-paid player on the team, but it didn’t make him the starting center. That role is still held by Nikola Vucevic. “People say things, say I can’t do this, do that … but all that matters to me is winning,” Biyombo said. “I’m really not going to care. I’m playing for my teammates. I love the game. I don’t take a day off. I don’t miss games. If I give 150 percent, I can go home happy.”
Within a piece on Kevin Murphy‘s quest for a roster spot, Josh Robbins of The Orlando Sentinel notes that Magic officials likely want to open the season with 14 players instead of the maximum 15, to maintain some flexibility. Still, if the team decides to carry a 15th man with a non-guaranteed contract, that player could be cut any time before January 10 and Orlando wouldn’t be on the hook for his full salary. As Robbins notes, Jodie Meeks‘ absence could help improve Murphy’s chances of earning a roster spot for the Magic.
- In another story for The Sentinel, Robbins notes that Serge Ibaka showed signs in his Magic debut on Wednesday of why the team traded for him. Meanwhile, new Orlando head coach Frank Vogel believes the frontcourt additions the team made this summer, including Ibaka, will benefit Elfrid Payton, as John Denton of OrlandoMagic.com details.
- Jeff Green‘s ties to the Magic’s front office and the trade that brought Serge Ibaka to Orlando made it an easy decision for him to sign with the franchise, John Denton of OrlandoMagic.com writes. The well-traveled small forward signed a one-year, $15MM contract with the Magic after agreeing to the deal on the first day of free agency. “I knew (assistant GM) Scott (Perry) and (GM) Rob (Hennigan), too, from OKC,” Green told Denton. “I saw that the Magic had traded for Serge on draft day and I had played with Serge already. … I knew this would be a great situation.”
While most NBA teams rely on a variety of different types of roster moves to revamp their rosters in the offseason, a club can sometimes find itself leaning more heavily on one approach in a given summer. That could mean signing a handful of free agents and forgoing the trade route. It could mean loading up on draft picks and staying out of free agency.
For the teams we’ll examine in this post, the trade market was a primary means of addressing their rosters over the last few months. Each of the clubs we’ll discuss below made at least three trades since the end of the season. In some cases, the moves were designed to cut costs and clear cap room; for other teams, those deals were a way to add talent without having to foray into the free agent market, where contract prices were at an all-time high.
Let’s dive in and examine the teams that made the most trades this offseason…
Orlando Magic
- Number of trades: 5
- Most notable move: Acquired Serge Ibaka from the Thunder in exchange for Victor Oladipo, Ersan Ilyasova, and the draft rights to Domantas Sabonis (No. 11 pick).
- Other players acquired: Jodie Meeks, C.J. Wilcox
- Other players moved: Shabazz Napier, Devyn Marble, No. 47 pick (Jake Layman)
The Magic certainly didn’t sit out free agency, bringing players like Bismack Biyombo and Jeff Green aboard on big-money deals. You could also make the case that the team made the biggest trade of the offseason by landing Ibaka. if Ibaka doesn’t mesh well with Biyombo and Nikola Vucevic, and Meeks misses significant time with injury issues this season, Orlando’s offseason deals won’t look great, but the club remains optimistic for now.
Utah Jazz
- Number of trades: 5
- Most notable move: Acquired George Hill in a three-way trade with the Hawks and Pacers in exchange for the No. 12 overall pick.
- Other players acquired: Boris Diaw, Kendall Marshall (waived), No. 55 pick (Marcus Paige)
- Other players moved: Trey Burke, Tibor Pleiss, No. 42 pick (Isaiah Whitehead)
The Jazz were a perfect example of a team that used its cap room to improve via trades rather than free agency. The salaries for Hill and Diaw easily fit within the team’s cap space, and while Hill cost a first-round pick, Diaw was essentially a salary-dump for the Spurs. The Jazz were also on the other end of a couple salary dumps, most notably sending Pleiss to the Sixers for Marshall, a player they immediately waived.
Chicago Bulls
- Number of trades: 4
- Most notable move: Acquired Robin Lopez, Jose Calderon, and Jerian Grant from the Knicks in exchange for Derrick Rose, Justin Holiday, and their 2017 second-round pick.
- Other players acquired: Spencer Dinwiddie
- Other players moved: Mike Dunleavy, Cameron Bairstow, Jose Calderon (in second deal)
While Lopez figures to be a key piece in Chicago this season, the deal with the Knicks was more noteworthy for the star headed in the other direction, as the Bulls finally decided to move Rose, a Chicago native and a former MVP. The Bulls significantly revamped their roster using free agency as well, and the trades of Dunleavy and Calderon reflected the team’s need to create cap room for those signings.
Cleveland Cavaliers
- Number of trades: 4
- Most notable move: Acquired Mike Dunleavy and draft rights to Vladimir Veremeenko from the Bulls in exchange for the draft rights to Albert Miralles.
- Other players acquired: No. 54 pick (Kay Felder)
- Other players moved: Matthew Dellavedova (sign-and-trade), Sasha Kaun
The Cavaliers used the trade market well this summer, acquiring Dunleavy from a Bulls team that couldn’t afford to keep him, and only parting with cash to acquire Felder, who could be the team’s backup point guard. Kaun, meanwhile, was a salary dump, reducing Cleveland’s future tax bill, while the Dellavedova deal allowed the club to get something out of nothing, since Dellavedova had already agreed to sign an offer sheet the Cavs weren’t going to match.
Indiana Pacers
- Number of trades: 3
- Most notable move: Acquired Jeff Teague in a three-way trade with the Jazz and Hawks in exchange for George Hill.
- Other players acquired: Thaddeus Young, Jeremy Evans
- Other players moved: No. 20 pick (Caris LeVert)
Like Utah, Indiana isn’t typically a big-time free agent destination, so the Pacers turned to the trade market to make a couple of their biggest moves of the summer, landing Teague and Young, who will likely both start for the club this season. Indiana dove into free agency a little, signing Al Jefferson, Aaron Brooks, and Kevin Seraphin, but I’d expect their trade acquisitions to have a larger impact in 2016/17.
Milwaukee Bucks
- Number of trades: 3
- Most notable move: Acquired Matthew Dellavedova (sign-and-trade) and cash ($200K) in a sign-and-trade with the Cavs in exchange for the draft rights to Albert Miralles.
- Other players acquired: Michael Beasley
- Other players moved: Tyler Ennis, No. 38 pick (Patrick McCaw)
The Bucks could move up this list before the regular season gets underway, since the team continues to scour the market for a player to replace Khris Middleton. Milwaukee also reportedly wouldn’t mind moving Greg Monroe and Michael Carter-Williams.
Oklahoma City Thunder
- Number of trades: 3
- Most notable move: Acquired the draft rights to Domantas Sabonis (No. 11 pick), Victor Oladipo, and Ersan Ilyasova from the Magic in exchange for Serge Ibaka.
- Other players acquired: Joffrey Lauvergne, No. 56 pick (Daniel Hamilton)
- Other players moved: None
Moving Ibaka was the major move for the Thunder, and one that occurred while the team still had a shot at re-signing Kevin Durant. It would have been interesting to see what the team would have looked like in 2016/17 with Sabonis, Oladipo, and Ilyasova playing alongside KD and Russell Westbrook, but even with Durant no longer in the mix, the move could pay off for Oklahoma City. Sabonis looks like a promising young big man who won’t be expensive for the next few years, and Oladipo could be the backcourt mate the Thunder have long been seeking for Westbrook.
Other teams that made more than one trade this offseason:
- Atlanta Hawks
- Brooklyn Nets
- Charlotte Hornets
- Dallas Mavericks
- Denver Nuggets
- Detroit Pistons
- Golden State Warriors
- Los Angeles Clippers
- Memphis Grizzlies
- New Orleans Pelicans
- Philadelphia 76ers
- Portland Trail Blazers
- Sacramento Kings
For the full rundown of the offseason’s trades to date, check out our list right here.