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Community Shootaround: NBA’s Race To The Bottom

February 26th, 2023 at 11:57am CST by Luke Adams

Coming into the 2022/23 season, there was some concern that the presence of Scoot Henderson and (especially) Victor Wembanyama at the top of the 2023 draft class could result in some pretty aggressive tanking from the bottom third of the NBA’s teams.

It hasn’t played out that way so far though, due to a competitive race for the top 10 spots in each conference. In the West, the top 13 teams all either hold a playoff or play-in spot or are no more than 1.5 games back of the No. 10 seed. It’s not quite as congested in the East, but the conference’s 13th team is only four games out of a play-in spot.

As a result, there have been only four teams in full-on “race for Wembanyama” mode, and one of those four clubs hasn’t exactly been in tanking mode as of late, winning its last four games. Here’s what the bottom of the NBA’s standings look like as of Sunday morning:

Houston Rockets (13-46)
San Antonio Spurs (14-47)
Detroit Pistons (15-46)
Charlotte Hornets (19-43)
Orlando Magic (25-36)
Indiana Pacers (27-35)
Chicago Bulls (27-33)
Los Angeles Lakers (28-32)
(tie) Portland Trail Blazers / Oklahoma City Thunder / Washington Wizards (28-31)

Given that the odds for the No. 1 pick are the same for each of the NBA’s three worst teams, it seemed as if we’d get a four-team race for those three spots at the bottom of the standings. But the Hornets have won their last four games and appear far better positioned to continue getting victories than the Rockets (losers of eight in a row and 23 of their last 26), the Spurs (losers of 15 in a row and 21 of 22), and the Pistons (losers of four in a row and seven of their last eight).

Of course, if the Hornets were to play .500 ball the rest of the way, they’d still end up with just 29 wins, so they may end up with the NBA’s fourth-worst record even if they finish strong. After all, the Bulls, Lakers, Trail Blazers, and Wizards all seem motivated to make the play-in.

The Magic, Pacers, and Thunder are perhaps candidates for stealth end-of-season tanks in order to secure top-five lottery odds, since none of those clubs expected to be a playoff team this season. But they’ve been competitive all season and would probably have to start ruling out some of their top players due to injuries if they want to start winning less often (similar to what Portland did last year).

As for the race to the bottom among the NBA’s three worst teams, it’s hard to bet against the Rockets, who also finished with the league’s worst record in 2021 and 2022. But the Spurs are giving them a run for their money with their recent stretch of futility, posting an abysmal -15.8 net rating during their 15-game current losing streak. And the Pistons seem happy to experiment with new lineups while incorporating recently added players.

We want to know what you think. How will the race for lottery positioning play out the rest of the way? Which team will finish as the NBA’s worst? Has the Hornets’ recent success locked them into the fourth spot in the lottery standings? Are there any teams with 25 or more wins that you expect to go into full-on tank mode in the coming days or weeks?

Head to the comment section below to weigh in!

Contract Details For Admiral Schofield

February 22nd, 2023 at 10:19am CST by Luke Adams

Admiral Schofield‘s new contract with the Magic is a two-year, minimum-salary deal, Hoops Rumors has learned. Schofield will earn $506,508 for the rest of this season and Orlando will hold a $1,997,238 team option on the forward for 2023/24.

Magic Waive R.J. Hampton

February 21st, 2023 at 1:55pm CST by Luke Adams

2:12pm: The Magic have officially waived Hampton, the team confirmed in a press release.

1:55pm: The Magic are waiving former first-round pick R.J. Hampton, according to Khobi Price of The Orlando Sentinel (Twitter link).

The No. 24 pick in the 2020 draft, Hampton was part of Orlando’s return in the 2021 trade that sent Aaron Gordon to Denver. He had a rotation role in his first season-and-a-half with the Magic, but has seen his playing time decline precipitously in 2022/23 after the team declined the ’23/24 team option on his rookie scale contract.

Hampton, who turned 22 earlier this month, appeared in just 26 contests for the Magic this season, averaging 5.7 points, 1.5 rebounds, and 1.3 assists on .439/.340/.838 shooting in 13.9 minutes per game. He wasn’t a regular contributor in a crowded backcourt that features Markelle Fultz, Cole Anthony, Jalen Suggs, and Gary Harris.

Considered a trade candidate for much of this season, Hampton remained in Orlando through the February 9 deadline. A report surfaced shortly after the deadline suggesting that his days with the Magic were numbered.

Hampton has a $2,412,840 cap hit for 2022/23, so a team with cap room or a trade exception big enough to absorb that amount could place a waiver claim. The more likely scenario is that he’ll go unclaimed and seek out a new home as an unrestricted free agent.

The Magic are also promoting two-way player Admiral Schofield to a standard contract, so once officially they complete both transactions, they’ll have two spots available on their 17-man roster — one standard and one two-way.

Magic Promote Admiral Schofield To Standard Roster

February 21st, 2023 at 1:22pm CST by Luke Adams

2:11pm: The move is official, the Magic announced in a press release.

1:22pm: The Magic are signing forward Admiral Schofield to a new two-year standard contract, agents Mark Bartelstein and George Roussakis tell Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link).

Schofield had been on a two-way deal since re-signing with Orlando last July. The new agreement will promote him to the 15-man roster with no corresponding move necessary, since the Magic are currently carrying only 14 players on standard contracts.

A second-round pick in 2019 out of Tennessee, Schofield began his professional career with the Wizards but has spent most of the last two seasons with the Magic, providing depth in Orlando’s frontcourt. In 2022/23, he has averaged 4.6 PPG and 1.9 RPG in 27 appearances (13.0 MPG), while posting career-best shooting marks (.478/.333/.895).

The exact terms of Schofield’s new deal aren’t known, but it’s unlikely to include much – if any – guaranteed money beyond this season. A minimum-salary contract seems probable, but the Magic do have an unused portion of their mid-level exception available if they want to give the 25-year-old more than the minimum.

Southeast Notes: Banchero, Ross, Kuzma, Porzingis, Heat

February 20th, 2023 at 1:35pm CST by Rory Maher

Magic forward Paolo Banchero, the No. 1 overall pick of last June’s draft, is looking like a strong favorite to win the Rookie of the Year award, according to Kelly Iko, Eric Nehm and Josh Robbins of The Athletic. The three beat writers for The Athletic all had votes for the award last season.

Robbins points out that Banchero ranks first among rookies in points per game (19.9), fourth in rebounds (6.6) and third in assists (3.6), a sign of his all-around game. The 20-year-old has been in a major shooting slump in February, going 1-of-27 from 3-point range, but many of his rookie peers have gone through peaks and valleys as well.

The three writers would have Indiana’s Bennedict Mathurin second and Utah’s Walker Kessler third on their ballots at the All-Star break.

Here’s more from the Southeast:

Mike Bianchi of The Orlando Sentinel (subscriber link) believes the Magic and Terrence Ross did right by each other. Instead of trading him to a random team for a second-round pick, the Magic bought Ross out and waived him to let him pick his next destination (Phoenix). As Bianchi writes, when the team started rebuilding a couple years ago, Ross was one of the few veterans left on the roster, but instead of publicly complaining or being a distraction he served as a positive mentor for the younger players. Bianchi believes players and agents around the NBA will notice that Orlando treated Ross well after a seven-year stint with the team.
Both Kyle Kuzma and Kristaps Porzingis are having career years in 2022/23 and both players can enter free agency in the summer if they decline their player options (Kuzma has already publicly said he’s going to). What does that mean for the Wizards going forward? Chase Hughes explores that topic for NBC Sports Washington.
The Heat intend to bolster their frontcourt depth by signing Kevin Love and Cody Zeller. Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald reports that Love is expected to receive part of the Heat’s mid-level exception, while Zeller will likely receive a minimum-salary deal for the rest of the season, though the details were still being finalized as of Sunday afternoon.

NBA Announces All-Star Saturday Night Participants

February 14th, 2023 at 7:57pm CST by Dana Gauruder

It was quite a Valentine’s Day for Mac McClung. He was signed to a two-way contract by the Sixers and, hours later, was named as one of the four participants in this year’s Slam Dunk competition during All-Star weekend, according to an NBA press release.

He’ll be joined by the Rockets’ Kenyon Martin Jr., the Pelicans’ Trey Murphy III and the Knicks’ Jericho Sims.

The Skills Challenge will feature a brother act. Team Antetokounmpo, predictably, will include Giannis Antetokounmpo and Thanasis Antetokounmpo of the Bucks and Alex Antetokounmpo of the G League’s Wisconsin Herd.

Team Jazz will include Jordan Clarkson, Walker Kessler and Collin Sexton, while Team Rookies will feature top pick Paolo Banchero of the Magic, as well as the Pistons’ Jaden Ivey and the Rockets’ Jabari Smith Jr.

The participants in this year’s 3-point contest can be found here.

Beverley Will Give Some Money Back If Signed

February 14th, 2023 at 6:54pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Patrick Beverley will give some money back to the Magic if he signs with another team, according to ESPN’s Bobby Marks (Insider link). Beverley was waived on Saturday after reaching a buyout with the Magic. Beverley had a $13MM contract and will receive that full amount from Orlando if he remains a free agent. The Magic’s obligation to him would be reduced by $918,516 if he were to sign with a team on Tuesday, says Marks.

Magic Sign Former Pacer Goga Bitadze

February 13th, 2023 at 7:41pm CST by Dana Gauruder

7:41pm: Bitadze received a two-year deal with a team option for next season, Michael Scotto of HoopsHype tweets.

6:26pm: The Magic have signed former Pacers center Goga Bitadze, according to a team press release.

Bitadze was waived when Indiana needed to create roster space in the four-team blockbuster trade that sent Kevin Durant to Phoenix. The Pacers acquired Jordan Nwora, George Hill, Serge Ibaka in the deal, though Ibaka was later waived.

Bitadze played in 21 games this season with Indiana, averaging 3.3 points and 2.3 rebounds in 9.6 minutes. He was in the final season of his rookie scale contract when Indiana let him go.

The 18^th overall pick of the 2019 draft, Bitadze has played in 170 career games (21 starts), averaging 4.8 points and 2.8 rebounds in 11.5 minutes.

Orlando had some open roster spots after waiving Terrence Ross and recently acquired Patrick Beverley. The Magic also traded a big man, Mohamed Bamba, to the Lakers, so that may open up some playing time for Bitadze.

Patrick Beverley Waived By Magic

February 12th, 2023 at 3:37pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

As had been widely anticipated, combo guard Patrick Beverley has been waived by the Magic, the team announced in a press release (Twitter link).

The 6’1″ Beverley will become a free agent once he clears waivers. He was sent to the Magic by the Lakers as part of a four-team trade that netted Los Angeles two second-round draft picks, along with 3-and-D reserve big man Mo Bamba.

In 45 games for the Lakers, all starts, the 34-year-old posted averages of 6.4 PPG on .402/.348/.780, plus 3.1 RPG, 2.6 APG and 0.9 SPG.

Beverley has emerged as a rumored buyout market target of the Clippers, after the team traded veteran point guards Reggie Jackson and John Wall at the deadline. That would mark his second go-round with L.A., He spent four seasons with the Clippers, from 2017-21, and was named to the league’s All-Defensive Second Team in 2020.

Magic May Move On From R.J. Hampton

February 12th, 2023 at 2:10pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Magic reserve guard R.J. Hampton may be waived or bought out by Orlando, sources inform Khobi Price of The Orlando Sentinel (Twitter link). Price reveals that Hampton is not traveling with the team for its game tomorrow against the Bulls.

As Price notes, Hampton – facing a logjam in the Magic’s backcourt rotation – could get more frequent run with another club committed to his development.

Hampton is currently fourth in Orlando’s point guard rotation, behind starter Markelle Fultz, 2021 lottery pick Jalen Suggs, and even primary backup shooting guard Cole Anthony. Gary Harris and Anthony serve as the team’s two primary shooting guards.

Hampton, a five-star high school prospect out of Little Elm, Texas, opted to skip college so he could kick off a pro career. He had joined NBL club the New Zealand Breakers for the 2019/20 season, and his erratic on-court play sank his draft value.

The 6’4″ combo guard, who has just turned 22, was first selected with the No. 24 pick in 2020. He spent half the season with the Nuggets before being traded to Orlando. This year, he had been averaging 5.7 PPG on .439/.340/.838 shooting splits with the Magic in just 26 games. He is also chipping in 1.5 RPG and 1.3 APG, across 13.9 MPG.

Hampton is one of just three players on rookie scale contracts who had his 2023/24 option declined last fall, so he’s on an expiring $2.4MM deal.