Utah Jazz Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Leftovers Notes From Cavs/Jazz Trade

December 24th, 2019 at 8:38am CST by Luke Adams

When the Cavaliers and Jazz make their Jordan Clarkson/Dante Exum swap official, it will end one of the longest trade droughts in NBA history. The Rockets and Thunder formally finalized their Chris Paul/Russell Westbrook deal on July 16, so it has been 161 days since a trade has been completed.

Several weeks ago, Bryan Kalbrosky of HoopsHype noted that the league was already in the midst of its longest trade drought since 1968. That year, there was a 159-day gap between trades, so this year’s drought has now exceeded that one. However, it should finally come to an end today.

Here are a few notes and items worth passing along on the NBA’s first trade in more than five months:

Clarkson’s Cavaliers teammates learned about the trade just before taking the court for Monday night’s game, writes Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com. “I fell to the ground,” Kevin Love said of finding out about the deal. “This one hurts for me. That is my guy. We just hit it off when he got here a few years ago. He became a really close friend of mine. It’s really tough.”
Talks between the Cavaliers and the Jazz began at last week’s G League Showcase, according to Fedor, who hears from sources that Cleveland moved on the deal now because the club wasn’t confident in its ability to land a first-round pick for Clarkson later in the winter.
While Clarkson is on an expiring contract, the Jazz don’t view him as a rental, tweets Tony Jones of The Athletic. Utah will have Clarkson’s Bird rights at season’s end.
In his full report on Utah’s Monday roster moves, Jones notes that the team has been unhappy with its bench play, prompting a roster shakeup that also included waiving Jeff Green and signing Rayjon Tucker. Jones also cites sources who say that the Jazz‘s interest in Clarkson dates back to his draft year in 2014 and that the club’s front office felt as if Exum needed a change of scenery.
Keith Smith of RealGM (Twitter link), Jeff Siegel of Early Bird Rights (Twitter link), and ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski all note that the Cavaliers‘ projected 2020 cap room will be impacted by this trade. Smith and Siegel have the projected figure in the $25-26MM range, while Woj suggests Cleveland will have $28MM+ to work with.
In his breakdown of the trade, Siegel notes that if Exum can provide the Cavaliers with any semblance of on-court value, the deal will be a big win for the franchise.

NBA Trade Candidate Watch: Northwest Division

December 20th, 2019 at 12:02pm CST by Luke Adams

Over the course of the 2019/20 NBA season, up until February’s trade deadline, we’re keeping an eye on potential trade candidates from around the NBA, monitoring their value and exploring the likelihood that they’ll be moved. Each of these looks at possible trade candidates focuses on a specific division, as we zero in on three players from that division.

The Northwest Division is primed for a potentially eventful 2020 trade deadline. The Thunder have veterans to shop. The Timberwolves want a point guard. The Nuggets have the pieces to put together a package for an impact player. And the Jazz and Trail Blazers may be looking to shake things up after up-and-down starts.

As we wait to see what these teams have in mind, let’s take a closer look at three more potential trade candidates from around the Northwest:

Malik Beasley, SG
Denver Nuggets
$2.7MM cap hit; RFA in 2020

Beasley enjoyed a breakout season in 2018/19, boosting his scoring average from 3.2 PPG to 11.3 PPG and posting an impressive .474/.402/.848 shooting line as a key member of the Nuggets’ rotation. After failing to come to terms on an extension with the club this fall, he has struggled out of the gate in 2019/20 and is no longer receiving consistent minutes on a deep Denver squad.

For teams in need of outside shooting help, Beasley – who is still making 41.1% of his outside attempts this season – may look like a tantalizing buy-low target. He’ll be a restricted free agent next summer, so any team that wants to keep him beyond this season should have no problem doing so, assuming he doesn’t receive an exorbitant offer sheet next July.

The Nuggets are in a position where it might make sense to consolidate their depth in a trade package if the right impact player is available. Such a deal, which could also open up some additional playing time for promising young forward Michael Porter Jr., may very well involve Beasley.

Danilo Gallinari, F
Oklahoma City Thunder
$22.6MM cap hit; UFA in 2020

Gallinari is one of the NBA’s most obvious trade candidates this winter, and the only reason he wasn’t included in our initial look at the Northwest last month is because the Thunder have an even more obvious trade candidate in Chris Paul.

Moving Gallinari appears more realistic than dealing CP3, since Gallinari’s cap hit isn’t quite as exorbitant and his contract is expiring. The challenge for Oklahoma City will be finding a trade partner in need of a scoring forward that has the contract(s) necessary to salary-match and a first-round pick – or a promising young prospect – to spare.

Portland, with Kent Bazemore‘s and Hassan Whiteside‘s expiring contracts, initially looked like an ideal fit, but the Trail Blazers have been talking as if they’re looking ahead to future seasons rather than just focusing on this one, so Gallinari might not be near the top of their wish list. If that’s the case, we’ll see if OKC can find another team in position to make a deal work.

Dante Exum, G
Utah Jazz
$9.6MM cap hit; $9.6MM guaranteed salary in 2020/21; UFA in 2021

The Jazz have showed remarkable patience with Exum since selecting him fifth overall in the 2014 draft, but the Australian guard doesn’t really seem any closer to being an impact player than he was five years ago. Utah hasn’t given up on him yet, but at this point a change of scenery might be the best thing for the 24-year-old, especially if another team still believes in his upside.

Because his contract has another guaranteed year beyond 2019/20, Exum probably doesn’t have positive trade value, but he’d make a good salary-matching piece if the Jazz try to make a roster upgrade — the only other mid-level type contract on the team’s books belongs to Joe Ingles, who can’t and won’t be traded this season.

I’d expect Exum to finish the season in Utah, but he’s worth keeping an eye on because of his cap hit.

Revisit the rest of our 2019/20 Trade Candidate series right here.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Grizzlies Still Seeking First-Rounder For Iguodala?

December 19th, 2019 at 4:00pm CST by Luke Adams

The Grizzlies, who have no plans to buy out Andre Iguodala, also haven’t adjusted their asking price on the trade market for the veteran forward, according to Sean Deveney of Heavy.com. Having acquired a first-round pick along with Iguodala in July, the Grizzlies are hoping to secure a second first-round pick when they flip the 35-year-old.

“They haven’t budged,” a league executive told Deveney. “Maybe they will as the date gets closer, but they’ve made clear, they’re not interested in a buyout with Andre and they’re looking for a first-rounder. Teams have been trying. They haven’t let go of that. But that tells you they know they’ll be able to get something and won’t have to buy him out.”

Acquiring a first-round pick for Iguodala’s $17MM expiring contract seems ambitious unless the Grizzlies are willing to take on some unwanted multiyear money, but there’s no harm in trying. The former Finals MVP is currently away from the team, and any potential trade partner with interest would be eyeing him for a potential playoff run, so Memphis can afford to be patient.

While I’d be surprised if the Grizzlies get a first-rounder for Iguodala, it seems as if the club should be able to land a second-rounder or two. The Mavericks, who control one of 2020’s most valuable second-round picks and could match Iguodala’s salary using Courtney Lee‘s expiring contract, still look to me like the best fit, but Deveney identifies the Bucks, Nuggets, and Jazz as a few other possible suitors.

I explained earlier today why several contending teams – including the Lakers – will have a tough time putting together a trade package for a player like Iguodala.

Why Some Contenders’ Trade Options Will Be Limited

December 19th, 2019 at 8:46am CST by Luke Adams

When David Aldridge of The Athletic polled NBA executives in November on Andre Iguodala‘s eventual landing spot, the responses were nearly unanimous. Nearly every exec who spoke to Aldridge predicted that Iguodala would ultimately end up with the Lakers.

However, with the Grizzlies standing firm on their stance that they intend to trade Iguodala rather than buy him out, it’s hard to envision a scenario in which those execs will be proven right.

As we explain in our glossary entry on the NBA’s trade rules, in order to take back Iguodala’s $17,185,185 salary, the Lakers would have to send out $12,185,185 in outgoing salary. The Lakers have three players earning more than that amount on their own: LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and Danny Green. It seems safe to assume none of those players will be included in a deal for Iguodala.

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope‘s $8.09MM cap charge could be a good starting point in putting together a package for Iguodala, but Caldwell-Pope is one of three Lakers who has a de facto no-trade clause after re-signing with the team this past offseason — JaVale McGee and Rajon Rondo are the others. There’s probably no good reason for any of those players to approve a trade from the 24-4 Lakers to the 10-18 Grizzlies.

So what’s left? Even if the Lakers were to package all their next-biggest contracts, including Avery Bradley ($4.77MM), DeMarcus Cousins ($3.5MM), and Quinn Cook ($3MM), they’d have to include at least four players just to reach the threshold to take back Iguodala’s salary. That would mean either asking the Grizzlies to waive three players or getting other teams involved, neither of which presents a particularly realistic path to a deal.

The Lakers are perhaps the most striking example of how a lack of expendable contracts in the mid-level range ($8-12MM) may limit teams’ trade options this winter. But they’re hardly the only example.

Consider the Celtics. They only have three players earning between $5MM and $32.7MM in 2019/20. Those three players are Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, and Marcus Smart, and I wouldn’t expect the team to seriously consider moving any of them. For the C’s, acquiring a player in the $15-20MM range would mean packaging together at least three players earning $5MM or less, and three-for-one or four-for-one deals aren’t easy to pull off during the season.

The Sixers are in this group too. They have just two players with ’19/20 cap hits between $4.77MM and $27.5MM — Josh Richardson ($10.12MM) and Ben Simmons ($8.11MM). Trading Simmons probably isn’t a consideration anyway, but doing so would be virtually impossible due to the poison pill provision attached to his newly-signed extension. If Philadelphia wants to put together a trade package without including Richardson, it would likely mean starting with Mike Scott ($4.77MM) and Zhaire Smith ($3.06MM), which will limit the team’s ability to take on a bigger contract.

The Rockets had this quandary in mind when they signed Nene to an incentive-packed contract that bumped his cap hit to $10MM, despite a guarantee of just $2.56MM. The team essentially tried to create an expendable mid-level trade chip out of thin air, but the NBA thwarted the plan, ruling that Nene would only count for $2.56MM for matching purposes. As a result, Houston’s only contracts worth more than $3.54MM belong to the team’s five most important players, and one of them (Eric Gordon at $14.06MM) can’t be traded at all this season because he recently signed an extension.

The Clippers have one potentially expendable mid-level deal, but Maurice Harkless ($11.01MM) has been a pretty effective rotation player for the team this season, so L.A. would only move him for a clear upgrade. The Jazz and Raptors each have one contract in the mid-level range that could be used to build a trade package, but Dante Exum ($9.6MM) and Norman Powell ($10.12MM) both have multiple years left on their deals, complicating their value.

For certain trade targets, this dearth of expendable mid-level contracts among contenders won’t matter — there’s a viable path to match the salary of a player like Jae Crowder ($7.82MM) or even Robert Covington ($11.3MM) with some of those smaller deals.

Still, the salary-matching factor is one that shouldn’t be overlooked when it comes to pricier trade candidates like Iguodala or Danilo Gallinari ($22.62MM). Every team except the Hawks is currently over the cap, so every team with title aspirations is subject to those salary-matching rules, which are even more restrictive on taxpaying teams.

At this point, contenders with movable contracts in the $10-15MM range, such as the Mavericks (Courtney Lee, $12.76MM), Heat (multiple players), and Nuggets (multiple players) appear better positioned to make certain deals to improve their rosters at the deadline.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Mike Conley To Miss More Time With Hamstring Injury

December 18th, 2019 at 12:48pm CST by Luke Adams

After missing five games with a left hamstring injury, Jazz point guard Mike Conley returned to action on Tuesday, but logged just 19 minutes before re-aggravating the injury and exiting the game. According to Shams Charania and Tony Jones of The Athletic (Twitter links), Conley’s hamstring issue is expected to sideline him once again going forward.

League sources tell The Athletic that Conley will at least miss multiple games. The Jazz will evaluate the injury on a day-to-day basis, but there’s a chance the veteran guard could be on the shelf for multiple weeks, according to Charania and Jones.

Conley, 32, has gotten off to a slow start in his first year in Utah. While his 36.0% rate on three-pointers is about in line with his career numbers, he’s making just 36.9% of his two-point attempts, easily a career worst. His 13.6 PPG also represent his lowest average since 2011/12.

In Conley’s absence, Utah inserted Joe Ingles into its starting lineup, giving Ingles and Donovan Mitchell the opportunity to share ball-handling duties. Ingles remained in the starting five when Conley returned on Tuesday, with Royce O’Neale returning to the bench — both players will likely start with Conley out again. Emmanuel Mudiay should also see regular minutes, with Dante Exum and Nigel Williams-Goss in the mix as emergency options.

Banned Fan Sues Jazz, Russell Westbrook

December 18th, 2019 at 11:01am CST by Luke Adams

The Utah fan who was banned from the Vivint Smart Home Arena last season for allegedly directing racist and derogatory remarks toward Russell Westbrook has sued the Jazz and Westbrook and is seeking $100MM in damages, according to Benjamin Wood and Andy Larsen of The Salt Lake Tribune. The fan, Shane Keisel, claimed that his heckling “was of the same kind and caliber as that of the other audience members in the section.”

Western Notes: Paul, Jazz, Miller, Zion

December 17th, 2019 at 9:49pm CST by ChrisCrouse

While Oklahoma City is exceeding expectations this season, GM Sam Presti is still operating with the franchise’s long-term future in mind, Jenni Carlson of The Oklahoman writes. Chris Paul is unlikely to be dealt before the deadline, but his play could be increasing his trade value and that helps the team’s long-term position, whether a trade happens this season or down the road. On Monday night, Paul had arguably his best game as a member of the Thunder, scoring 19 points in the fourth quarter as the team beat the Bulls.

Here’s more from the Western Conference:

Tony Jones of The Athletic wonders if the Jazz can turn their season around on their own or if the team needs to make a trade. While Utah could use additional depth, the franchise doesn’t have many assets that would make a trade worthwhile.
Darius Miller, who is recovering from a torn Achilles, spoke with William Guillory of The Athletic about his journey back to the court as well as the differences between the Pelicans this season vs. last. “Of course, we’ve had our ups and downs, but it’s a great group of guys,” Miller said. “Griff (head of basketball operations David Griffin) did a great job putting great teammates here, great people. Not just great basketball players, but great people. It’s been good getting to know all these guys. We’re still young, so we’re really just trying to figure out everything.”
Paul Pierce believes that the Pelicans should shut down Zion Williamson for the season, as he explains on ESPN’s The Jump. The 2019 No. 1 overall pick hasn’t played for New Orleans yet this season because of a knee injury.

Northwest Notes: Porter, Murray, Wolves, Jazz

December 10th, 2019 at 10:58pm CST by ChrisCrouse

Nuggets head coach Mike Malone said he considers expanding Michael Porter Jr.‘s role “everyday”

“I really do,” Malone said (via Mike Singer of The Denver Post). “We met as a staff yesterday and today, this morning prior to shootaround, when you’re 1-4 [over the last five games] and your offense is kind of holding you back, you have to have all options on the table.”

Heading into the night, Porter was averaging just 8.6 minutes per game and has appeared in just 10 contests for Denver.

Here’s more from the Northwest Division:

Jamal Murray left the Nuggets‘ contest tonight with a torso injury, Singer tweets. The point guard injured himself during a collision with Ben Simmons. There’s no word yet on the severity of the ailment.
Matt John of Basketball Insiders examines whether the Timberwolves will be buyers or sellers at the trade deadline. Minnesota would like to add more talent, though its hard to envision the team making a substantial trade without including one of its core pieces.
The Jazz remain buyers and could certainly use some help after a disappointing start to the 2019/20 campaign, John writes in the same piece. Utah’s bench has struggled and adding depth could be the key to turning around the club’s season.

Examining How Jazz Could Take Advantage Of Easier December Schedule

December 8th, 2019 at 5:36pm CST by JD Shaw

Eric Walden of The Salt Lake Tribune examines the easier December schedule for the Jazz, pondering whether the franchise will be able to take advantage of their upcoming games. Utah is just 13-10 through 23 games, good for the sixth-best record in the Western Conference.

Jazz Still Expect To Compete For Title Despite Start

December 8th, 2019 at 3:41pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Despite a middling start to the NBA season, the Jazz remain steadfast in their belief that they are championship contenders. Utah is currently 13-10 and seeded at No. 6 in the tough Western Conference. The Athletic’s Michael Lee appraised Jazz stars Donovan Mitchell and Mike Conley‘s feelings about the team’s underwhelming start to the season.

Conley exuded confidence, saying, “It’s great to have pressure. Great to have expectations.” Though frustrated with a recent 1-4 road swoon for the Jazz, Mitchell stressed patience. “We’re all making adjustments,” he said. “We’re all finding ways to get to know each other. And when you’ve got guys who are unselfish, it makes it easier.”