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And-Ones: Spurs, Celtics, Sixers, Pistons, Nuggets

Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili aren’t certain whether they’ll retire, as Michael C. Wright of ESPN.com details, but they’re not the only Spurs liable to hang it up in the wake of the team’s playoff elimination Thursday night. Andre Miller has strongly considered retirement, though he, too, hasn’t made up his mind yet, as he told Marc Spears of The Undefeated (Twitter link). San Antonio’s contract with the 40-year-old Miller expires at the end of next month while Duncan, also 40, and Ginobili, who turns 39 in July, have player options. David West also has a player option, and though he turns 36 over the offseason, the talk surrounding him isn’t of retirement but of the lack of regrets he has about sacrificing roughly $11MM to sign his two-year minimum-salary contract with San Antonio last summer, as Tom Orsborn of the San Antonio News-Express relays (Twitter links).

“It’s been a great experience,” West said of his season with the Spurs. “I wouldn’t trade it for anything.”

See more from around the NBA:

  • The Celtics, Sixers, Pistons, Nuggets, Pacers and Trail Blazers all benefited this season from set-off rights, reducing their obligations to waived players who had guaranteed salary remaining on their contracts, as Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders details. Boston saved $620,306 from the money it owed David Lee because he signed a deal with the Mavs that paid more than $845,059, a figure equivalent to the one-year veteran’s minimum salary, Pincus writes. The Sixers saved $227,241 on JaVale McGee the same way. The Nuggets were spared $68,144 on Pablo Prigioni, the Pacers avoided paying $159,900 to Toney Douglas and the Trail Blazers shaved $327,064 from their bill for Mike Miller, according to Pincus. The Pistons saved $341,353 on Josh Smith, though that figure will be spread evenly over each season of the five-year obligation Detroit still has to him because the team used the stretch provision.
  • The Pistons also got cap relief for Aaron Gray, whom they owe $452,049 each season from 2015/16 through 2017/18, Pincus points out. Gray had to retire because of a heart condition, but a team can remove the cap hit for a player who had to retire because of a medical reason one year after his final game. Gray last played in 2014. Detroit still must pay the money to Gray, but it doesn’t count against the team’s cap, Pincus notes.
  • Agent Jason Glushon and the Wasserman agency mutually agreed to part ways, and Glushon will start his own agency, a source told Spears (Twitter link). Glushon has a short list of clients, with none more prominent than Hawks soon-to-be free agent Al Horford, who left Wasserman, Glushon and B.J. Armstrong to sign with Bill Duffy of BDA Sports last fall only to rejoin Wasserman a couple of months later. Jrue Holiday and Norman Powell are other Glushon clients.

Eastern Notes: Bazemore, Pistons, Whiteside, Lin

The HawksKent Bazemore stands to significantly increase his $2MM salary as he heads toward free agency, but he tells Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe that he has been too busy to think about it. “Honestly, I haven’t had time,” Bazemore said. “It’s been a very aggressive year as far as scheduling, as far as the physical and mental load. I think in December, I had already played 300 more minutes than I had the whole last year. So physically, it was a lot.” Bazemore probably attracted a lot of suitors by averaging 11.6 points and 5.1 rebounds in his first full year as a starter with the Hawks. He was the team’s fourth-leading scorer and third-leading rebounder. Although he can expect to get plenty of offers this summer, Bazemore’s first choice is to remain in Atlanta. “Being able to be out there and play through your mistakes and have a coach [Mike Budenholzer] who takes it personal to coach you,” Bazemore said. “He loves my competitiveness and I love how competitive he is. It’s a match made in heaven.”

There’s more from the Eastern Conference:

  • Cleveland’s 3-0 lead over the Pistons in their playoff series has helped expose some of the changes that need to be made this offseason, according to David Mayo of MLive. The team could use another player who can create off the dribble, Mayo writes, along with more shooters and a reliable backup point guard. The Pistons will also look at what Tobias Harris has brought to the team since he was acquired in February and see how to compensate for the weaknesses in Andre Drummond‘s game.
  • The Heat were hurt by not having the taxpayer’s mid-level exception available last season, writes Bobby Marks of The Vertical. Miami had to use its room mid-level, which limits contracts to two years, to sign free agent center Hassan Whiteside. He emerged into a player who may demand a max contract this summer, and the Heat don’t own his Bird rights because he only had a two-year deal.
  • The hiring of coach Kenny Atkinson, who was Jeremy Lin‘s mentor with the Knicks, could give the Hornets point guard a reason to come to Brooklyn, according to NetsDaily. The Nets need backcourt help and may be interested in Lin, who passed on a $3.5MM mini-mid level offer from Brooklyn last season.

Duke SG Grayson Allen Declines To Enter Draft

Duke sophomore shooting guard Grayson Allen has decided against entering this year’s draft, the school announced. The leading scorer for the Blue Devils was a fringe first-round prospect, ranking 30th in Chad Ford’s ESPN Insider listings and 34th with Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress.

The 20-year-old broke out in a major way this season, averaging 21.6 points in 36.6 minutes per game after seeing single digits in both categories last year on a richly talented Duke squad that won the national championship. Still, Allen made his presence felt with 16 points in the 2015 title game. This year’s Blue Devils fell in the third round of this year’s NCAA Tournament despite the presence of Allen and Brandon Ingram, a strong candidate for the No. 1 overall selection. Allen’s size is an issue for NBA scouts, according to Ford, who lists him at 6’5″. Givony pegs him as only 6’4″. Allen led the Blue Devils with 3.5 assists per game this season and can play the point, according to Ford, so that could ultimately ease size concerns.

It’s somewhat surprising to see Allen decide against the draft, particularly given the ability prospects have this year to take part in workouts for NBA teams, as well as the combine, while still retaining their college eligibility if they refrain from hiring an agent and withdraw by May 25th. Allen could have shown NBA teams what he can do at the point, though he figures to have an opportunity to do the same with next season’s Blue Devils, who are positioned as the favorites for the 2017 title with another strong recruiting class coming in.

Most Frequently Traded Draft-And-Stash Players

The trade that sent Josh Smith from the Clippers to the Rockets on Friday didn’t include anyone else currently in the NBA, but it did involve two draft-and-stash players. Maarty Leunen went from the Rockets to the Clippers, while Sergei Lishouk went from the Clippers to the Rockets in the deal, which marked the third time Houston has traded for Lishouk’s rights. It’s six trades overall for the 49th overall pick from the 2004 draft, and still zero NBA games played, as Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle pointed out (Twitter links). The Ukrainian native has played internationally all the while, as he continues to toil for Murcia of Spain.

Georgios Printezis is the only other draft-and-stash player whose rights currently belong to an NBA team who has been traded more often than Lishouk has, but plenty of others have been dealt more than once. More than a dozen other draft-and-stash players have seen their NBA rights traded traded multiple times and, by definition, they’ve yet to sign a contract with any NBA team. Edin Bavcic, the 56th overall pick from 2006, comes closest. He’s been traded four times, most recently in the 2014 trade that sent his rights to the Cavaliers in a deal that allowed Cleveland to clear the cap space necessary for the return of LeBron James. So, these players, while obscure, aren’t inconsequential.

Here’s a look at every current draft-and-stash player whose rights have been traded more than once:

SEVEN TRADES

Georgios Printezis (2007, 58th overall)

  • Spurs to Raptors
  • Raptors to Mavericks
  • Mavericks to Knicks
  • Knicks to Trail Blazers
  • Trail Blazers to Thunder
  • Thunder to Hawks
  • Hawks to Spurs

SIX TRADES

Sergei Lishouk (2004, 49th overall)

  • Grizzlies to Rockets
  • Rockets to Lakers
  • Lakers to Rockets
  • Rockets to Sixers
  • Sixers to Clippers
  • Clippers to Rockets

FOUR TRADES

Edin Bavcic (2006, 56th overall)

  • Raptors to Sixers
  • Sixers to Pelicans
  • Pelicans to Nets
  • Nets to Cavaliers

THREE TRADES

Cenk Akyol (2005, 59th overall)

  • Hawks to Clippers
  • Clippers to Sixers
  • Sixers to Nuggets

Albert Miralles (2004, 39th overall)

  • Raptors to Heat
  • Heat to Celtics
  • Celtics to Bucks

Emir Preldzic (2009, 57th overall)

  • Suns to Cavaliers
  • Cavaliers to Wizards
  • Wizards to Mavericks

TWO TRADES

Semaj Christon (2014, 55th overall)

  • Heat to Hornets
  • Hornets to Thunder

Tadija Dragicevic (2008, 53rd overall)

  • Jazz to Mavericks
  • Mavericks to Bulls

Roberto Duenas (1997, 57th overall)

  • Bulls to Pelicans
  • Pelicans to Heat

Lior Eliyahu (2006, 44th overall)

  • Magic to Rockets
  • Rockets to Timberwolves

Petteri Koponen (2007, 30th overall)

  • Sixers to Trail Blazers
  • Trail Blazers to Mavericks

Chukwudiebere Maduabum (2011, 56th overall)

  • Lakers to Nuggets
  • Nuggets to Sixers

Milovan Rakovic (2007, 60th overall)

  • Mavericks to Magic
  • Magic to Bulls

Sofoklis Schortsanitis (2003, 34th overall)

  • Clippers to Hawks
  • Hawks to Thunder

Latavious Williams (2010, 48th overall)

  • Heat to Thunder
  • Thunder to Pelicans

RealGM was used in the creation of this post.

Records Of Teams Since Trade Deadline

Lots of teams make in-season trades with the idea of bettering themselves, yet of the 17 that swung a deal at the February trade deadline last season, only five have a winning record since. That’s a strikingly low number as front offices get set for the unofficial start of in-season trading for 2015/16 on December 15th, the date that most offseason signees become eligible to be traded.

Still, that’s not to say that plenty of movement can’t lead to success. The Celtics made seven in-season trades in 2014/15, and they have the best record since the February deadline among those that made deals that day. The Rockets have struggled this season and trade rumors involving Houston have emerged, but they’re right behind the Celtics in this category.

It’s no surprise to see the Sixers at the bottom of this list, but it’s noteworthy that the Suns and Bucks, who were part of a three-team deadline-day deal with Philadelphia that sent Brandon Knight from Milwaukee to Phoenix, have almost the same poor record since.

Here’s a look at each team that swung a trade at the deadline last year, ranked by winning percentage since then. Details on the trade each team made can be seen by clicking the date. If a team made multiple trades at the deadline, further details are linked within parentheses.

  1. Celtics — 31-20 (.608) February 19th, 2015 (also see other trade made that day)
  2. Rockets — 30-20 (.600) February 19th, 2015 (also see other trade made that day)
  3. Jazz — 28-19 (.596) February 19th, 2015
  4. Thunder — 29-20 (.592) February 19th, 2015 (also see other trade made that day)
  5. Heat — 27-21 (.563) February 19th, 2015
  6. Trail Blazers — 24-26 (.480) February 19th, 2015
  7. Pelicans — 23-26 (.469) February 19th, 2015
  8. Pistons — 23-26 (.469) February 19th, 2015 (also see other trade made that day)
  9. Wizards — 21-25 (.457) February 19th, 2015
  10. Nets — 22-28 (.440) February 19th, 2015
  11. Bucks — 19-31 (.380) February 19th, 2015
  12. Suns — 18-31 (.367) February 19th, 2015 (also see two other trades made that day)
  13. Nuggets — 18-32 (.360) February 19th, 2015 (also see other trade made that day)
  14. Kings — 18-34 (.346) February 19th, 2015
  15. Knicks — 17-33 (.340) February 19th, 2015
  16. Timberwolves — 13-35 (.271) February 19th, 2015
  17. Sixers — 7-43 (.140) February 19th, 2015 (also see two other trades made that day)

Central Notes: Morris, Noah, Pacers

With increased minutes this season, Marcus Morris is making the most of his opportunity with the Pistons after being acquired by Detroit in a summer trade with the Suns, Rod Beard of the Detroit News details. Morris is a focal point of the offense and has been a workhorse, Beard writes. Morris is playing 37 minutes per game this season. In comparison, he saw 25.2 minutes per game last year, which set a career-high for the 26-year-old. Morris has played well lately and is averaging 14.8 points per game. There is a strong chance the trade turns out to be the Pistons’ best move of the offseason, Beard adds.

“Marcus can do a lot of things and I have to create more and more things for him. He’s a [expletive]-good passer too. We’re really fortunate to have him,” Pistons coach Stan Van Gundy said. “We thought he was good when we got him and he’s better than I thought he was.”

Here’s more from around the Central Division:

  • Joakim Noah, a 2016 free agent who is now coming off the bench for the Bulls, has had a string of solid performances for the first time this season, Chris Kuc of the Chicago Tribune writes. “I’m still trying to figure it out,” Noah said. “I just stay positive and keep my focus on what I can control. Overall, I think I’m in a good place and I just have to keep building.”
  • Pacers rookie shooting guard Joseph Young has played in only seven games so far this season, but the former Oregon star isn’t frustrated about being left out of the rotation, Tyson Alger of The Oregonian relays in a Q&A. “I asked coach, ‘Coach what do I need to do to get in the rotation?’ And coach said, ‘Son, you’ve done everything you need to do to get in the rotation. But right now, we need to play the players we’re paying,'” Young told Alger. “He’s saying that he’s got to get Monta Ellis 30-plus minutes. Rodney Stuckey, you got to get him minutes. They’re paying them and they want to play them. I’m a rookie. I just got to keep working hard and my time is going to come. Just paying my dues.”

More Than 120 Players To Hit Waivers This Month

NBA teams can carry as many as 20 players during the preseason, but they have to trim that number to 15 by October 26th, the last day before regular season games begin. Every team is carrying at least 17 players, and almost half the league has full 20-man rosters. Currently, 573 players are under contract with NBA teams. That number will decline to no more than 450 by the deadline later this month, meaning at least 123 players will go on waivers between now and then.

Some teams have more moves to make than others. The Clippers, Pacers and Trail Blazers need only trim two players. Most teams will end up cutting four or five, but some may release even more. Teams need only carry 13 players in the regular season, and while 27 of the 30 teams had full 15-man rosters on opening night last year, the Bulls, who have 19 players in the wake of today’s signing, and other franchises have made a habit of beginning the regular season with smaller rosters.

Most of the extra players on NBA rosters have non-guaranteed or partially guaranteed contracts, so teams have flexibility, but 16 teams can make signings without having to make a corresponding move. Here’s a breakdown of each team’s open preseason roster spots:

Three open preseason spots

  • Clippers
  • Pacers
  • Trail Blazers

Two open preseason spots

  • Hornets
  • Kings
  • Pelicans
  • Suns
  • Timberwolves

One open preseason spot

  • Bulls
  • Lakers
  • Knicks
  • Magic
  • Nuggets
  • Raptors
  • Rockets
  • Thunder

Zero open preseason spots

  • 76ers
  • Bucks
  • Cavaliers
  • Celtics
  • Grizzlies
  • Heat
  • Hawks
  • Jazz
  • Mavericks
  • Nets
  • Pistons
  • Spurs
  • Warriors
  • Wizards

Note: The Cavaliers have 20 players even without Tristan Thompson, so they’ll have to waive somebody for him to come aboard if he does.

Southwest Rumors: Parsons, Lawson, Spurs

Mavericks small forward Chandler Parsons had a “minor hybrid” microfracture operation on his right knee, sources told Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com. Parsons confirmed the procedure during the team’s media day session on Monday, MacMahon tweets. Parsons has not been fully cleared for the beginning of training camp but coach Rick Carlisle said he might be ready for the opener, Brad Townsend of the Dallas Morning News tweets. Wesley Matthews, who is recovering from a torn Achilles tendon, might be ready by Christmas, Townsend reported in the same tweet. Matthews has already been ruled out for the opener by Carlisle, MacMahon adds (Twitter link).

In other news around the Southwest Division:

  • Ty Lawson knows this season with the Rockets will be a pivotal one in his career, Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle tweets. Lawson was dealt by the Nuggets after he was arrested twice on DUI charges this year. “This is like a turning point. What kind of career are you going to have?” Lawson told Feigen.
  • New Pelicans coach Alvin Gentry plans to install an up-tempo offense focused on spacing, ball movement and quick-strike scoring, John Reid of NOLA.com reports. Gentry believes he has the personnel to play that style, Reid adds. ”I think it’s going to be an exciting brand of basketball,” Gentry told Reid. “We’re going to try and get the ball up and down the floor.”
  • Tim Duncan doubted that the Spurs would land free agent prize and power forward LaMarcus Aldridge, Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News tweets. “Honestly, I was betting against us … right up to the end,” Duncan told McDonald.
  • Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich admitted the team needed to trade center Tiago Splitter to create financial flexibility, according to Jabari Young of the San Antonio Express-News (Twitter link). Splitter, who has two year and $17.35MM remaining on his contract, was shipped to the Hawks in July. “We knew if we wanted to change the team and add talent, [trading Tiago] was something we had to do,” Popovich said during the team’s media day.

Hoops Rumors Community Shootaround 9/19/15

The Kings made several moves to improve the team around their star center DeMarcus Cousins with an eye on making the playoffs this season. After signing a one-year, $9.5MM deal with Sacramento, Rajon Rondo will look to lead this team to the postseason, something that hasn’t been accomplished since the 2005/06 campaign. The Kings added a pair of centers with in order to aid their 27th ranked defense and added veterans Marco Belinelli and Caron Butler with the hopes of improving their outside shooting.

Sacramento also made news this summer for the rift between Cousins and coach George Karl, which caused owner Vivek Ranadive to consider firing Karl.  Karl signed a four-year pact last February and he’ll be in town to at least start the second year of that pact. He’s had a history of rocky starts with franchises, as Sam Amico of Hoops Rumors detailed in his weekly column, but he has also had success at pretty much every stop in his career.

So here’s tonight’s topic: How many games will the Kings win this season and do you think they can achieve their goal of making the playoffs?

Take to the comments section below to share your thoughts and opinions on the subject. We look forward to what you have to say!

Most Lucrative Free Agent Deals By Total Value

LeBron James might have been the most powerful free agent in the NBA this offseason, but it was instead teammate Kevin Love who secured the greatest amount of money in a new contract this summer, or at least tied for the honor with Marc Gasol. James put pen to paper for an amount that provided only the 22nd-greatest total of guaranteed salary among all 2015 free agent signees, though that’s because he prefers the flexibility of a two-year deal with a player option after year one.

Love and James were two of three Cavs who wound up with deals lucrative enough for the top 25. Iman Shumpert, who scored a four-year, $40MM deal, was the other. Tristan Thompson seemingly has a chance to find his way onto the list, though negotiations between the power forward and the team have stalled, and he’s reportedly already looking at the chance for an even greater payday next summer.

For now, it’s hard to touch what the Spurs shelled out this year, with two top 10 deals for Kawhi Leonard and LaMarcus Aldridge. Danny Green is tied with Shumpert for 25th.

The list counts only guaranteed salary. Thus, Omer Asik, whose total package of nearly $53MM would put him at No. 19, is instead No. 23, right behind LeBron. Player option seasons do count, however.

Most lucrative free agent contracts signed in 2015, by total value:

  1. (tie) Marc Gasol, Grizzlies — $113,211,750 (five years)
  2. (tie) Kevin Love, Cavaliers — $113,211,750 (five years)
  3. Kawhi Leonard, Spurs — $94,343,129 (five years)
  4. Jimmy Butler, Bulls — $92,339,878 (five years)
  5. DeAndre Jordan, Clippers — $87,616,050 (four years)
  6. Goran Dragic, Heat — $85,002,250 (five years)
  7. LaMarcus Aldridge, Spurs — $84,072,030 (four years)
  8. Draymond Green, Warriors — $82,000,000 (five years)
  9. Reggie Jackson, Pistons — $80,000,000 (five years)
  10. (tie) Enes Kanter, Thunder — $70,060,028 (four years)
  11. (tie) Wesley Matthews, Mavericks — $70,060,028 (four years)
  12. (tie) Brandon Knight, Suns — $70,000,000 (five years)
  13. (tie) Khris Middleton, Bucks — $70,000,000 (five years)
  14. Tobias Harris, Magic — $64,000,000 (four years)
  15. Brook Lopez, Nets — $63,497,025 (three years)
  16. Paul Millsap, Hawks — $60,216,099 (three years)
  17. DeMarre Carroll, Raptors — $58,000,000 (four years)
  18. Robin Lopez, Knicks — $54,015,500 (four years)
  19. Tyson Chandler, Suns — $52,000,000 (four years)
  20. Greg Monroe, Bucks — $51,437,514 (three years)
  21. Thaddeus Young, Nets — $50,000,000 (four years)
  22. LeBron James, Cavaliers — $46,974,673 (two years)
  23. Omer Asik, Pelicans — $43,999,999 (five years)
  24. Monta Ellis, Pacers — $43,981,000 (four years)
  25. (tie) Danny Green, Spurs — $40,000,000 (four years)
  26. (tie) Iman Shumpert, Cavaliers — $40,000,000 (four years)

The Basketball Insiders salary pages were used in the creation of this post.