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Early Decision Dates For 2017/18 Player Options

March 10th, 2017 at 9:47am CST by Luke Adams

By default, NBA players who hold player options for the following season generally don’t have to make an official decision on those options until June 29, just two days before the new league year gets underway. However, that date can be altered on a contract-by-contract basis, which is why many of the 25 players who have player options or early termination options for 2017/18 will be making their decisions prior to June 29 this year.

Several of those player option decisions are due either on a specific date or a certain number of days following a team’s final regular season game. For instance, Rudy Gay‘s player option calls for him to make a decision either on June 10, or five days after the Kings’ last game — whichever comes later. Kyle Lowry, meanwhile, has to make a decision on his player option by June 19, or within seven days of the Raptors’ last game — whichever comes earlier.

Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders has done an excellent job keeping tabs on these early player option decision dates, so we’ll use his data to break down the schedule of upcoming decision dates. If a player who holds a 2017/18 player option isn’t listed here, that means his decision is due on June 29, or his decision date hasn’t been reported.

Here’s the list of early decision dates for 2017/18 player options:

Potentially dependent on when team’s season ends:

  • June 10 (or five days after team’s last game): Rudy Gay (Kings)
  • June 19 (or seven days after team’s last game): Kyle Lowry (Raptors)
  • June 20 (or two days after team’s last game): Aron Baynes (Pistons), C.J. Miles (Pacers)

The rest:

For details on how much these player options are worth, check out our list of 2017 free agents by position or by team.

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And-Ones: Lowry, M. Gasol, D-League, BIG3

March 8th, 2017 at 4:21pm CST by Luke Adams

All-Star guard Kyle Lowry, who underwent wrist surgery last week, confirmed that the injury wasn’t exactly a new one. As Mike Ganter of The Toronto Sun details, Lowry has been dealing with wrist problems for a while, but aggravated it prior to the All-Star break, necessitating surgery.

“From what I’ve been told, it’s a 10-year process,” Lowry said. “It’s a long process of wear and tear, and bumping and grinding, and hitting guys. It’s a little bit of wear and tear. It was just at the point where it got a little bit worse to the point where I couldn’t play. If it’s that serious for me, I knew it was something that needed to be checked on.”

Although Lowry has a plan in mind for when he’d like to return, the Raptors guard was unwilling to lay out his recovery timetable publicly, telling reporters that he just wants to be sure he’s “completely healthy” when he gets back on the court: “I don’t want to have to be not full Kyle going into any situation. I want to be able to go out and play and not have any hold-back.”

Here are a few more odds and ends from across the NBA:

  • After signing with Octagon Sports last year, Grizzlies center Marc Gasol has left that agency and is currently without representation, reports Liz Mullen of SportsBusiness Journal (via Twitter). Gasol’s max contract won’t expire until at least 2019, so he won’t need to negotiate a new contract anytime soon.
  • While most NBA pundits who handed out grades for deadline trades did so just hours after the trade deadline passed last month, Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer decided to wait a couple weeks to see how players meshed with their new teams. The Wizards, Raptors, Mavericks, and Rockets are among the teams to get high grades, while the Pelicans have earned an F so far, with the potential for an eventual A if they can figure things out with DeMarcus Cousins.
  • Former NBA players Jabari Brown, Jerrelle Benimon, and Shane Edwards have signed D-League contracts, according to Chris Reichert of The Step Back (all Twitter links). As Reichert notes (via Twitter), Brown’s rights are held by the Santa Cruz Warriors, while Benimon’s are held by the Delaware 87ers.
  • Allen Iverson and DerMarr Johnson will serve as co-captains for a BIG3 team called 3’s Company, according to the league’s website. Iverson and Johnson will fill out the rest of their five-man roster via the BIG3 draft pool.
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Atlantic Notes: Raptors, Lowry, Embiid, Celtics

March 2nd, 2017 at 11:35am CST by Luke Adams

Newly-added Raptors Serge Ibaka and P.J. Tucker will add much-needed veteran leadership to the team in Kyle Lowry‘s absence, writes Doug Smith of The Toronto Star. Of course, Lowry, who underwent successful wrist surgery on Tuesday (Twitter link), doesn’t plan to sit by idly while he gets healthy. As Smith details in another piece for The Star, the veteran point guard is giving plenty of input to his coaches and teammates while he’s sidelined.

Here’s more from around the Atlantic division:

  • In the wake of the Sixers‘ announcement that Joel Embiid is out for the season, Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical (video link) examines a tricky contract situation for the Sixers and Embiid, who will be eligible for an extension this offseason. Meanwhile, head coach Brett Brown weighs in with his thoughts on Embiid’s rookie season and an interesting Rookie of the Year race (link via Brian Seltzer of Sixers.com).
  • Despite season-ending injuries to Embiid and Ben Simmons, the future is still bright for the Sixers, thanks to former GM Sam Hinkie, says Chris Mannix of The Vertical.
  • As Isaiah Thomas explains to Michael Lee of The Vertical, Thomas and his Celtics teammates weren’t counting on the team adding major reinforcements at the trade deadline and are very comfortable moving forward with the current group. “We were ready to go to war with the guys in this locker room,” Thomas said. “There is no other way. We understand that and we’ve got the utmost confidence in each other to keep going.”
  • Having been sent from Toronto to Orlando in a trade last month, Terrence Ross pens a farewell to the Raptors at The Players’ Tribune.
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Deveney’s Latest: Griffin, CP3, Lowry, Wade

February 28th, 2017 at 5:58pm CST by Austin Kent

The Clippers delayed the inevitable, opting not to address their cap room situation at the trade deadline and instead leaving it to the summer. Sean Deveney of The Sporting News writes that head coach Doc Rivers and president of basketball operations would have been wise to do something with either Jamal Crawford or Austin Rivers, who will be owed $26MM in 2017/18.

When the free agency period begins this summer, the Clippers will have the tough task of re-signing Chris Paul, Blake Griffin and J.J. Redick. To do so comfortably, they would need to find a way to save money elsewhere. Paul, Deveney writes, could land a deal worth nearly $210MM over five years and isn’t likely to give the franchise a hometown discount.

Of note is that Deveney suggests that the Clippers may not automatically bring back Griffin on such a contract. He writes that if the team doesn’t make progress in the postseason this spring, they may be remiss to invest so much in their oft-injured big man.

Regardless of how the summer transactions play out for the Clippers, they could have been simplified had Rivers opted to address the problem mid-season rather than electing to kick the can further down the road.

There’s more from Deveney:

  • The Lakers, Sixers and Nuggets could all make a play for Raptors point guard Kyle Lowry this summer. The veteran playmaker will be due for a significant pay raise after establishing himself as an All-Star and a core component of a winning basketball club. Lowry considered the Lakers in 2014, Deveney writes, and could be partial to returning to his hometown of Philadelphia as well.
  • Consider the Nuggets among the frontrunners to pursue Dwyane Wade aggressively should he opt out of the final year of his deal with the Bulls. Though Chicago has been winning recently, the season has been a frustrating one for the organization. Deveney also mentions the Bucks as a possible landing spot because Wade’s alma matter, Marquette, is in Milwaukee.
  • The Mavericks have made it clear to newly acquired big man Nerlens Noel that they will meet any offer that the restricted free agent signs with other teams, Deveney says. The Mavs were able to get Noel relatively cheap from the Sixers and it appears they’re eager to factor him into their long-term plans.
  • The Wizards are intent on keeping forward Otto Porter in Washington, Deveney writes, even as the suddenly hot 23-year-old commodity, gets pursued by other teams like the Suns and Nets, as expected. As the pool of suitors grows, Porter’s price tag could approach max territory.
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Kyle Lowry To Undergo Wrist Surgery, Aims To Return For Playoffs

February 27th, 2017 at 2:22pm CST by Luke Adams

2:22pm: Sources tell Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical (Twitter link) that Lowry has a chance to return in four or five weeks and play in regular season games prior to the postseason.

2:11pm: Raptors point guard Kyle Lowry is scheduled to undergo wrist surgery on Tuesday morning to remove loose bodies from his wrist, the team announced today (via Twitter). While an exact timeline for Lowry’s recovery isn’t provided, the club suggests that he’s aiming to return for the playoffs, so it sounds like the All-Star guard will be sidelined for at least a few weeks, if not longer.

As we noted on Saturday after Lowry was originally ruled out indefinitely, the 30-year-old injured his wrist prior to the All-Star break, but participated in the three-point contest and the All-Star Game in New Orleans since he didn’t think it was a serious issue.

“Honestly, I thought I’d slept on it wrong — I thought it would go away,” Lowry said last week. “It was a little sore, but I paid no attention to it.”

Without Lowry in the lineup, the Raptors have won their first two games following the All-Star break. Cory Joseph has started in Lowry’s spot, DeMar DeRozan has averaged 38 points per game, and newcomers Serge Ibaka and P.J. Tucker have fit in well. Still, Lowry has been the Raptors’ most important player in recent years, and his absence will be felt by the team in the coming weeks. As NBA.com’s advanced stats show, the club has a +8.0 net rating this season when Lowry is on the court, and a -3.5 rating when he’s not.

Lowry, who is earning a $12MM salary this season, has a $12MM player option for 2017/18. This injury is unlikely to affect his decision on that option — he’ll turn it down, though the Raptors are viewed as a strong favorite to re-sign him.

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Lowry Out Indefinitely With Wrist Injury

February 25th, 2017 at 9:58am CST by Austin Kent

The Raptors will have to wait to see how all of the pieces they acquired at the trade deadline will fit with their existing rotation. Last night, it was announced that All-Star point guard Kyle Lowry will miss an indefinite amount of time with a lingering wrist injury. Prior to the club’s Friday night contest against Boston, head coach Dwane Casey told Arden Zwelling of Sportsnet that “it’s not a one-day thing.”

The guard apparently first injured the wrist prior to the All-Star break but didn’t realize it at the time. “Honestly, I thought I’d slept on it wrong — I thought it would go away,” Lowry said. “It was a little sore, but I paid no attention to it.”

Lowry, who’s averaged a career best 22.8 points per game in in 56 games for the Raptors, participated in both the Three-Point Contest and All-Star Game last weekend but has otherwise rested. The pain, however, continues to plague him now that the club has returned to action with new acquisitions Serge Ibaka and P.J. Tucker in tow.

As of Saturday morning, an official medical diagnosis hasn’t been announced and may not until after the weekend but the guard has been sent for medical imaging.

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Kyler’s Latest: CP3, Holiday, Lowry, G. Hill, Gibson

February 21st, 2017 at 10:12am CST by Luke Adams

Chris Paul and the Clippers essentially have a verbal agreement in place for a new contract this summer, sources close to the process tell Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders. Although the star point guard is technically eligible for an extension now, he can get a longer-term – and more lucrative – deal by re-signing with the club in July.

A verbal agreement isn’t binding, so things could change between now and July, but Paul has always been viewed as likely to remain in Los Angeles. As Kyler notes, the 31-year-old will be eligible to sign a new five-year contract worth more than $200MM this offseason, so as long as the Clippers are willing to put that offer on the table – and it seems they are – there’s virtually no chance of CP3 changing teams.

Kyler’s latest Basketball Insiders piece also features several other interesting tidbits related to players on expiring contracts, so let’s round up a few of the highlights…

  • Other free agent point guards who are strong bets to re-sign with their current teams: Stephen Curry (Warriors), Jrue Holiday (Pelicans), and Kyle Lowry (Raptors). According to Kyler, New Orleans is prepared to offer Holiday the max, or something close to it, while Toronto is willing to make a similar offer to Lowry, as long as he wants to remain with the team.
  • Like Paul, teammates Blake Griffin and J.J. Redick are viewed as highly likely to re-sign with the Clippers this summer, per Kyler. The Thunder were mentioned at one point as a potential suitor for Griffin, but OKC has since added a ton of salary to its 2017/18 books, and Kyler suggests that Griffin was never all that interest in returning to Oklahoma, where he played his college ball.
  • Sources close to the George Hill situation say the point guard is very happy in Utah. There’s mutual interest in a new deal this offseason between Hill and the Jazz, but it remains to be seen how high the team will be willing to go with its offer, Kyler writes.
  • According to Kyler, the Bulls are interested in re-signing free-agent-to-be Taj Gibson, but there’s a belief that he’ll want to explore other options in free agency, which makes Chicago’s decision this week a little trickier — the club won’t want to risk losing him for nothing.
  • Although Derrick Rose is viewed as very available, his contract will make it difficult to move him, since the Knicks want to maintain cap flexibility, says Kyler.
  • For a few more notes on players with expiring contracts, be sure to check out Kyler’s full piece.
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Atlantic Notes: Ibaka, Raptors, Knicks

February 19th, 2017 at 8:53pm CST by Austin Kent

When the Raptors return from the All-Star Break they won’t have long to incorporate newly acquired Serge Ibaka into their lineup. Team leaders DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry are well aware of the fact that they’ll have to hit the ground running, writes Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today.

“With a veteran like Serge who understands fitting in and everything about the league, I don’t think it should take long,” Raptors guard DeRozan said. “It’s on us to hop out the gate and take advantage. […] It’s given us a jolt.”

The Raptors currently sit fourth in the Eastern Conference with a 33-24 record but a recent slide has pushed the club out of the No. 2 spot that they occupied for the first few months of the season. The decision to ship core guard Terrence Ross to the Magic in exchange for Ibaka raises the stakes for the franchise.

“We ain’t got time. You know that,” Lowry said. The Raptors return to action Friday.

There’s more out of the Atlantic Division:

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Hoops Links: Lowry, Embiid, Antetokounmpo, Porzingis, Nicholson

February 19th, 2017 at 4:24pm CST by Milo Taibi

On Sundays, we link to some of the very best work from around the basketball blogosphere. Do you have a link to a great basketball blog post – either your own or someone else’s – that you want to see featured on Hoops Rumors? Send it to us at HoopsLinks@gmail.com. Here’s this week’s rundown:

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Raptors Rumors: Ibaka, Gallinari, Gibson, Ross

February 13th, 2017 at 12:45pm CST by Luke Adams

The Raptors’ hold on a top-four seed in the Eastern Conference is tenuous, as the team has won just four of its lost 14 games to slip to 32-23, fourth in the East. While injuries have played a part in Toronto’s slump, the club could use some roster reinforcements, particularly at the power forward spot, where the Raptors have been on the lookout for a long-term solution in recent years.

Here’s the latest on the reigning Atlantic division champs:

  • The Raptors have been “actively involved” in discussions for at least three power forwards, according to Sean Deveney of The Sporting News, who identifies Serge Ibaka, Danilo Gallinari, and Taj Gibson as potential targets. Ibaka and Gallinari have been linked to Toronto recently, but Gibson hasn’t been mentioned in many trade rumors this season. Back in July, a report indicated that the Raptors had been close to acquiring Gibson before Dwyane Wade agreed to join the Bulls.
  • The Raptors are “playing hardball” in trade talks, per The Sporting News. A source tells Deveney that the club has resisted the idea of giving up Terrence Ross, and Deveney says Toronto also wants to keep Bruno Caboclo, who is a “project the team wants to complete itself.”
  • According to Deveney, the Raptors are reluctant to give up substantial packages for players like Ibaka, Gallinari, and Gibson, who are all eligible for unrestricted free agency in the summer.
  • Following the Raptors’ Sunday loss to the Pistons, Kyle Lowry aired his frustrations during a conversation with reporters. The star point guard suggested that things need to change in Toronto, and his comments were interpreted by many as a veiled criticism of head coach Dwane Casey. However, Lowry said today that he wasn’t directing his comments at anyone in particular, and Casey stressed that the club is sticking together through its rough patch (Twitter links via Ryan Wolstat of The Toronto Sun and Josh Lewenberg of TSN).
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