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NBA Teams With Most, Least Roster Continuity

October 16th, 2018 at 8:51am CST by Luke Adams

As usual, the 2018 NBA offseason featured plenty of player movement, with new rookies entering the league, free agents changing teams, and a total of 31 trades being completed between the end of the 2017/18 season and 2018/19’s opening night.

Some teams were more involved in that summer carousel than others. The Hawks, for instance, will enter the season carrying only seven players who finished last season with the team. The Suns will also bring back just seven players from last year’s squad, and that number figures to drop to six once the team completes its reported signing of Jamal Crawford, assuming Davon Reed is the odd man out.

Because teams are permitted to carry 15 players on standard contracts and two more on two-way deals, the maximum number of players a club could have brought back was 17. No team got that high, but the Heat and Jazz are each bringing back 14 players from last year’s rosters. Impressively, all 14 players on Miami’s standard roster are returning players — only the club’s two-way players are new.

[RELATED: 2018/19 NBA Roster Counts]

While many teams turned over their two-way contract slots entirely, several clubs are bringing back those players, either keeping them on two-way deals or promoting them to their active rosters. The Nuggets, Bulls, Pacers, and Lakers are among the teams who retained both of their two-way players from last season.

[RELATED: 2018/19 NBA Two-Way Contract Tracker]

Listed below are the number of returning players for each of the NBA’s 30 teams, from most to fewest. Bringing back a significant number of players doesn’t necessarily lead to regular season success, but it wouldn’t be a surprise to see a few of the teams near the top of this list enjoy fast starts due to their players’ familiarity with each other, while teams near the bottom of the list may take some time to get used to their changes.

Here’s the returning-player count for each team:

  1. Miami Heat: 14
  2. Utah Jazz: 14
  3. Boston Celtics: 13
  4. Chicago Bulls: 12
  5. Denver Nuggets: 12
  6. New York Knicks: 12
  7. Cleveland Cavaliers: 11
  8. Indiana Pacers: 11
  9. Philadelphia 76ers: 11
  10. Portland Trail Blazers: 11
  11. Sacramento Kings: 11
  12. Toronto Raptors: 11
  13. Charlotte Hornets: 10
  14. Detroit Pistons: 10
  15. Golden State Warriors: 10
    • Note: Patrick McCaw remains a restricted free agent. The Warriors’ returning player count could increase to 11 if he re-signs.
  16. Los Angeles Clippers: 10
  17. Milwaukee Bucks: 10
  18. Dallas Mavericks: 9
  19. Memphis Grizzlies: 9
  20. Minnesota Timberwolves: 9
  21. New Orleans Pelicans: 9
  22. Oklahoma City Thunder: 9
  23. Orlando Magic: 9
  24. Washington Wizards: 9
  25. Brooklyn Nets: 8
  26. Houston Rockets: 8
  27. Los Angeles Lakers: 8
  28. San Antonio Spurs: 8
  29. Atlanta Hawks: 7
  30. Phoenix Suns: 7
    • Note: The Suns’ returning player count will drop to 6 if Jamal Crawford replaces Davon Reed on the roster, as is expected.
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Suns Waive Shaquille Harrison, Darrell Arthur

October 15th, 2018 at 4:43pm CST by Luke Adams

The Suns waived a pair of players on Monday to reach the regular season roster limit, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic, who reports (via Twitter) that Shaquille Harrison and Darrell Arthur have been cut by the team.

Arthur’s release comes as no surprise, since he was never part of the Suns’ plans for this season. Still, by waiving him now, before receiving resolution on their disabled player exception request, the Suns are no longer eligible for that DPE, as Keith Smith of RealGM confirms (via Twitter). Given that there was little evidence that Arthur had recently sustained a season-ending injury, that DPE was unlikely to be approved anyway.

[RELATED: Suns apply for disabled player exception for Arthur]

Harrison’s release is a little more surprising, given the Suns’ lack of depth at point guard. However, he was one of three players – along with Richaun Holmes and Isaiah Canaan – who was on a non-guaranteed contract, making him somewhat expendable. The Suns will now retain Canaan, Elie Okobo, and De’Anthony Melton at the point, with combo guard Jamal Crawford set to enter the mix as well.

Speaking of Crawford, the Suns will need to make one additional roster move when he officially signs his contract, which hasn’t happened yet. Davon Reed is expected to be traded or waived to accommodate Crawford.

With today’s moves, the Suns will create $7.5MM+ in additional dead money on their cap for 2018/19 — Harrison had a modest $50K guarantee, which Phoenix will eat, along with Arthur’s $7,464,912 salary.

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Suns Plan To Trade Or Waive Davon Reed

October 15th, 2018 at 2:45pm CST by Luke Adams

The Suns, who need to remove three players from their roster in order to officially sign Jamal Crawford and reach the regular season roster limit, continue to work on trade scenarios, reports ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. One player involved in those trade talks is second-year guard Davon Reed, who is expected to be traded or released today by Phoenix, according to Wojnarowski (Twitter link).

[RELATED: Suns, Jamal Crawford agree to deal]

Reed, 23, was the 32nd overall pick in the 2017 draft, but missed a significant chunk of his rookie season due to a knee injury. While there was some uncertainty about his place on the Suns’ roster heading into the summer due to the partial guarantee on his 2018/19 salary, he played well in five Summer League games in Las Vegas, posting 13.4 PPG, 4.4 RPG, 3.0 APG, and a .489 FG% in Vegas.

That Summer League showing helped earn Reed the rest of his ’18/19 guarantee and secure his roster spot temporarily, but it appears he won’t make the regular season squad.

Besides Reed, Darrell Arthur also appears likely to be waived by the Suns today, per John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 (Twitter link). The team will have to trade or waive one more player in addition to Reed and Arthur, with non-guaranteed players like Richaun Holmes, Shaquille Harrison, and Isaiah Canaan among the candidates due to their contract status. Gambadoro adds that Dragan Bender‘s place on the roster isn’t necessarily totally secure either.

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Suns, Jamal Crawford Agree To Deal

October 15th, 2018 at 12:42pm CST by Luke Adams

The Suns have reached an agreement on a one-year deal with free agent guard Jamal Crawford, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter links). A report over the weekend indicated that Phoenix had offered Crawford a minimum salary contract after meeting with him on Friday.Jamal Crawford of the Minnesota Timberwolves

Crawford, a three-time Sixth Man of the Year winner, spent last season with the Timberwolves, averaging 10.3 PPG on .415/.331/.903 shooting. Although he could have exercised a $4.5MM player option to stay in Minnesota, Crawford didn’t love the role he played with the Wolves and sought a better fit, turning down that option and hitting the open market.

Although several teams – including the Warriors, Celtics, Sixers, and Lakers – reportedly showed interest in Crawford over the course of the offseason, he had trouble finding a new NBA home. His new agreement with Phoenix comes a day before the regular season gets underway and will represent a pay cut — the minimum salary for a player with Crawford’s years of experience is just shy of $2.4MM.

It’s an interesting move for the Suns, who had already been facing a roster crunch, with 17 players for 15 spots. Signing Crawford means that the club will now have to trade or release three players instead of two by today’s deadline. Richaun Holmes, Isaiah Canaan, and Shaquille Harrison are on non-guaranteed contracts, while Darrell Arthur is the most likely release candidate among the players with guaranteed salaries.

[RELATED: Several Teams Must Make Moves Before Monday’s Roster Deadline]

A combo guard, Crawford figures to get an opportunity to play a ball-handling role for a Suns team short on experience at the one. Besides Canaan and Harrison, the other two point guards on the roster are a pair of second-round rookies, Elie Okobo and De’Anthony Melton.

The 38-year-old Crawford figures to serve as a mentor for those players and as a veteran leader for a team that has aspirations of competing for a playoff spot after signing Trevor Ariza and drafting Deandre Ayton over the summer.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

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Several Teams Must Make Moves Before Monday’s Roster Deadline

October 15th, 2018 at 8:42am CST by Luke Adams

Saturday was a busy day in terms of NBA transactions, with most of the league’s 30 clubs making cuts and getting their rosters down to the regular season limit. As we explained over the weekend, players on non-guaranteed contracts must clear waivers before the first day of the regular season in order to avoid counting at all against a team’s salary cap, which is why most of those players were released on Saturday instead of today.

However, not every team now has a roster in compliance with NBA rules. As ESPN’s Bobby Marks tweets, the Clippers, Suns, Bucks, Pistons, and Spurs still need to make roster moves by 4:00pm CT today in order to get down to the regular season limit. Teams are permitted to carry no more than 15 players on standard contracts and two more on two-way deals entering the season.

Here’s a quick look at the decisions facing those five teams:

Los Angeles Clippers

The Clippers need to trim their roster from 17 standard contracts to 15. Normally, the guys on non-guaranteed contracts would be the most obvious candidates to be cut, but I’d be surprised if the team parts ways with Patrick Beverley or Tyrone Wallace.

Instead, players on guaranteed salaries like Jawun Evans, Wesley Johnson, and Sindarius Thornwell could be in trouble if the Clips can’t find any trades they like.

Phoenix Suns

Like the Clippers, the Suns have 17 players on standard contracts, with multiple vets on non-guaranteed deals whom they’d like to keep. If Phoenix keeps all 14 players with guaranteed salaries, that would leave just one spot for Richaun Holmes, Shaquille Harrison, and Isaiah Canaan.

Of the players with guarantees, Darrell Arthur is the most obvious release candidate, but if the club keeps him before getting an answer from the league on its disabled player exception request, it won’t be eligible for that DPE.

Of course, there’s no guarantee that the Suns will be granted that disabled player exception anyway. Marks wrote on Saturday that multiple team executives were “dumbfounded” by what season-ending injury Arthur could have suffered since being acquired by Phoenix in July. While the big man has been bothered by recurring knee injuries in recent years, the team hasn’t announced any new ailments or listed him on its injury report.

Milwaukee Bucks

The Bucks have 16 players on standard contracts, meaning one player will need to be traded or released today. Christian Wood, who has one of the team’s two non-guaranteed contracts, appears likely to make the team. That doesn’t necessarily mean that the other player on a non-guaranteed deal – Tim Frazier – will be waived though.

The decision may come down to Frazier vs. former first-round pick D.J. Wilson. Although Wilson has a guaranteed salary for 2018/19, his roster spot is “far from secure,” per Keith Smith of RealGM.com (Twitter link).

Detroit Pistons

The Pistons have 15 players on guaranteed contracts and two on two-way deals, leaving no clear openings for the club’s final non-guaranteed player, Zach Lofton. The undrafted free agent has impressed Detroit this fall though, so we’ll see if the club can find room for him, perhaps by having him supplant one of the current two-way players (Reggie Hearn and Keenan Evans).

San Antonio Spurs

The Spurs‘ final move is a mere formality. Manu Ginobili, who announced his retirement this summer, technically remains on the roster, but he should be quietly waived today. Once that happens, San Antonio will have 15 players on standard contracts – including partially guaranteed veteran Quincy Pondexter – and one on a two-way deal.

Note: The Bulls and Rockets also still need to officially convert players on Exhibit 10 contracts to two-way deals. Chicago will reportedly do so with Tyler Ulis, while Houston will do so with Gary Clark and Vince Edwards.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

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Suns Notes: Crawford, Okobo, Jones, Anderson

October 14th, 2018 at 4:49pm CST by Eric Spyropoulos

Following rumors of the Suns being interested in Jamal Crawford, John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7FM has reported that the team has indeed offered the 18-year veteran a contract. Interim general manager James Jones expressed his interest in adding Crawford to the team, telling the sports radio station, “I like Jamal. I know him personally. He’s a great player, he’s a great guy.”

Crawford averaged 10.3 points and 2.3 assists per game with the Timberwolves last season and is known for being instant offense off the bench, regardless of which team he is playing for.

For the Suns, Crawford would be another veteran ball-handler the club could rely upon offensively alongside Devin Booker. However, Crawford would surely hamper the team’s defense, especially alongside players such as Booker, T.J. Warren and Ryan Anderson.

Should the Suns add Crawford, they would stand at 18 players on the roster and would then need to cut that number down to 15 by Monday afternoon.

There’s more out of Phoenix:

  • Speaking of Crawford, Ryan Anderson believes that the 38-year-old would be a good fit with the team. “Obviously having another veteran guy with his abilities – another vocal guy – who can come in and teach these young guys, especially at the guard position, would be really helpful for us,” Anderson said, per Duane Rankin of Arizona Central.
  • Rankin also points out that – while answering a question about defining success for the upcoming season – interim GM James Jones specifically mentioned Elie Okobo as part of the group of key young players of the future. Despite Okobo’s struggles in the preseason, it’s clear that Jones likes the young guard out of France.
  • Finally, Jones addressed the issue of his place in the organization following Ryan McDonough‘s ouster. As Gina Mizell reveals (Twitter link), Jones isn’t focused on earning the Suns full-time GM job, though he’s viewed as a frontrunner. “[Job] titles don’t mean anything to me,” Jones said. “The only title that matters is an NBA title.”
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Suns, Clippers, Bucks Remain Active In Trade Market

October 14th, 2018 at 10:14am CST by Arthur Hill

Most teams made their final roster decisions yesterday, but a few are hoping to swing last-minute trades before Monday’s deadline, tweets Keith Smith of Real GM.

The Suns don’t want to start the season without a veteran point guard and are continuing to make calls around the league in hopes of finding one. They haven’t gotten close to a deal yet, Smith notes, possibly because of their reluctance to surrender a first-round pick.

Phoenix was reportedly talking to the Clippers about Patrick Beverley over the summer, but was only willing to offer second-rounders, while L.A. was holding out for a first. The Suns’ pursuit of point guard help has been complicated by this week’s decision to fire GM Ryan McDonough.

The Clippers and Bucks are also making last-minute trade calls, Smith adds. Both teams remain above the 15-man roster limit and are hoping to trade their excess players rather than cutting them.

L.A. has 15 players with guaranteed contracts, along with Beverley, who has a non-guaranteed $5MM deal, and Tyrone Wallace, who has a partial guarantee for $300K. They are both considered likely to make the roster, but that means getting rid of guaranteed money elsewhere. The Clippers were hoping to resolve the issue in a Jimmy Butler deal, but there’s little chance of that happening before Monday’s deadline.

Milwaukee has reportedly decided to give its final roster spot to big man Christian Wood, which likely means Tim Frazier is expendable. The Bucks waived both Shabazz Muhammad and Tyler Zeller this week, but remain one player above the limit.

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James Jones On Suns' PGs: "We Like Our Young Guys"

October 13th, 2018 at 8:21am CST by Luke Adams

Although the Suns reportedly met with free agent combo guard Jamal Crawford on Friday, interim GM James Jones said earlier in the day that the team doesn’t mind entering the season with its current group of point guards, as Gina Mizell of The Athletic relays (via Twitter).

“They’ve had their ups and downs, but [Suns] coach Igor [Kokoskov] is adamant that we have enough playmakers to figure it out,” Jones said. “We’ll continue to look to improve and strengthen our team, but right now, we like our young guys.”

After trading Brandon Knight during the offseason, the Suns now have Shaquille Harrison, Isaiah Canaan, De’Anthony Melton, and Elie Okobo at the point. Melton and Okobo have yet to appear in a regular season NBA game, and it’s not clear whether the team will keep both Harrison and Canaan through Monday. Phoenix currently has 14 players on guaranteed contracts, with Harrison, Canaan, and Richaun Holmes on non-guaranteed deals.

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Suns Meet With Free Agent Jamal Crawford

October 12th, 2018 at 8:15pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Veteran free agent guard Jamal Crawford met with acting Suns GM James Jones and coach Igor Koskokov on Friday, Arizona Sports 98.7 radio host John Gambadoro tweets.

Crawford is one of few options remaining on the free agent market for teams seeking backcourt help. Phoenix certainly qualifies, though it has more issues at the point than on the wing.

Phoenix’s point guard spot is a muddle with Elie Okobo, De’Anthony Melton, Shaquille Harrison and Isaiah Canaan competing for minutes. Shooting guard Devin Booker is hoping to return for the season opener after undergoing hand surgery prior to camp. The Suns also have a number of other options at the two-guard position, including Josh Jackson, Mikal Bridges and Troy Daniels.

Overall, they have 14 players with guaranteed contracts and three others with non-guaranteed or partially-guaranteed deals.

Jones talked about the team’s interest in Crawford during a 98.7 radio interview.

“I like Jamal. I know him personally. He’s a great player, he’s a great guy,” Jones said. “Those are the types of players that we will look towards as we go through the season. More importantly, it’s not even about who potentially could be here or who’s out there. I’m focused on who’s here and we know who those guys are. Jamal is a name that — a guy that we’re looking at. He’s someone that we’ve expressed interest in, one of many names.”

The 38-year-old Crawford has also drawn interest from the Warriors, Sixers, Lakers and Celtics. Crawford turned down a $4.5MM player option with the Timberwolves in order to reach the open market this summer

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2018/19 Over/Unders: Pacific Division

October 12th, 2018 at 2:26pm CST by Luke Adams

The 2018/19 NBA regular season will get underway in just four days, which means it’s time to get serious about predictions for the upcoming campaign. With the help of the lines from Bovada and the Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook, we’re running through the predicted win totals for each of the NBA’s 30 teams, by division, to have you weigh in on whether you think those forecasts are too optimistic or too pessimistic.

Having already looked at the Atlantic, Central, and Southwest divisions this week, we’re moving onto the Pacific today…

Golden State Warriors

(Trade Rumors app users, click here for Warriors poll)

Los Angeles Lakers

(Trade Rumors app users, click here for Lakers poll)

Los Angeles Clippers

(Trade Rumors app users, click here for Clippers poll)

Phoenix Suns

(Trade Rumors app users, click here for Suns poll)

Sacramento Kings

(Trade Rumors app users, click here for Kings poll)

Previous voting results:

Atlantic:

  • Boston Celtics (59.5 wins): Over (53.63%)
  • Toronto Raptors (55.5 wins): Over (56.95%)
  • Philadelphia 76ers (54.5 wins): Under (51.19%)
  • Brooklyn Nets (31.5 wins): Under (56.04%)
  • New York Knicks (28.5 wins): Under (54.13%)

Southwest:

  • Houston Rockets (56.5 wins): Over (69.33%)
  • New Orleans Pelicans (45.5 wins): Under (53.4%)
  • San Antonio Spurs (44.5 wins): Under (60%)
  • Dallas Mavericks (34.5 wins): Over (55.16%)
  • Memphis Grizzlies (34.5 wins): Under (60.87%)

Central:

  • Indiana Pacers (47.5 wins): Over (62.04%)
  • Milwaukee Bucks (47.5 wins): Over (73.7%)
  • Detroit Pistons (38.5 wins): Over (56.36%)
  • Cleveland Cavaliers (30.5 wins): Over (55.42%)
  • Chicago Bulls (29.5 wins): Over (61.8%)
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