Weekly Mailbag

We have an opportunity for you to hit us up with your questions in this, our weekly mailbag feature. Have a question regarding player movement, the salary cap or the NBA draft? Drop us a line at HoopsRumorsMailbag@Gmail.com. Here are this week’s inquiries:

Could it even be possible for the Warriors to fill their big man need with DeMarcus Cousins? — Isaac Gylfe

It would certainly add to the team’s supervillain image if Boogie came to town. It sure seems like Cousins will be traded somewhere before his contract expires at the end of next season, but Golden State? Let’s look at the salary numbers. Cousins is making a shade under $17MM this season and will get a little more than $18MM in 2017/18. Theoretically, the Warriors could trade Klay Thompson [$16,663,575] for him straight up if they’re willing to break up the Splash Brothers. Draymond Green [$15,330,435] and one of the younger players like Kevon Looney [$1,182,840] or Ian Clark [$1,015,696] just about gets it done, but losing Green would destroy the team chemistry. Among players Golden State might be willing to part with, the most realistic offer is Andre Iguodala [$11,131,368] and Zaza Pachulia [$2.898MM] with some others thrown in to match salary. But both will be free agents next summer, and the Kings will definitely get better offers than that. If you want to see Cousins with this current Warriors roster, the only way to make it happen is NBA 2K17.

The Bucks are seeing Giannis Antetokounmpo make the leap to near All-Star level and Jabari Parker showing the NBA just how high his offensive ceiling is as he gains confidence in his 3-ball, 42% though eight games. My question is, how ominous are the John Henson [four years, $44MM] and Miles Plumlee [four years, $52MM] deals? A lot of Bucks fans are already terrified they’re both unmovable and will seriously impair the Bucks from adding pieces the next two summers as their prospects turn into stars. It’s like having two Omer Asiks on the roster. — Daren Hill

It is hard to understand why Milwaukee thought it needed to pay eight-figure salaries to both Henson and Plumlee, as well as Greg Monroe. Once the extension for Antetokounmpo kicks in next season, the Bucks are going to have very little room to maneuver under the cap. Throw in big salaries for Khris Middleton, Mirza Teletovic and Matthew Dellavedova, and the Bucks are just about capped out. Monroe can opt out next summer — if he isn’t traded first — which would take away $17.9MM for next season, but otherwise Milwaukee had better hope it can contend with its current core.

We have an opportunity for you to hit us up with your questions in this, our weekly mailbag feature. Have a question regarding player movement, the salary cap or the NBA draft? Drop us a line at HoopsRumorsMailbag@Gmail.com. Here are this week’s inquiries:

There have been rumors of either Jimmy Butler, Jabari Parker or Jae Crowder/Amir Johnson coming to Golden State for Klay Thompson. Would the Warriors be willing to part with one of the league’s best two-way players and an integral part of their team’s success? What has caused these rumors, and which trade seems the most likely? — Matt Trapp

Overactive imaginations? The Warriors aren’t going to break up their superteam so soon after signing Kevin Durant, and with their defensive issues they’re not going to trade their best player on that end of the court. Thompson is only 26 and he is signed for the next three seasons at roughly $16.6MM, $17.8MM and $18.9MM, figures that are very reasonable in the current market. Golden State won’t risk chemistry issues by shipping out Thompson for any of those players, who collectively haven’t been in nearly as many important playoff games as he has.

It was expected that the Warriors’ defense would struggle this year, but now their rebounding has suffered, too. Zaza Pachulia has been serviceable, as has David West, but they have struggled rebounding the ball, and aren’t getting help from everyone else on the floor.  I know it’s still early in the season, but this happened in the Spurs game and tonight against the Lakers. Is there any way Warriors can upgrade at center with the little money they can spend? — Nick Elliston

In an ideal world, they would uncover the next Hassan Whiteside, a shot-blocking force who is looking for an NBA contract that will launch him to stardom. Unfortunately for Golden State, there are very few NBA quality centers who aren’t already in the league. Getting rid of Andrew Bogut and Festus Ezeli was necessary to create enough cap room to sign Durant, and the Warriors would surely do it again. If you’re looking for a realistic long shot, how about Nerlens Noel? He didn’t get a rookie scale extension, so the Sixers wouldn’t mind dealing him before he becomes a restricted free agent. And his salary is only $4,384,490, so in theory he could be had for a combination of Pachulia and Kevon Looney.

For months we had heard about the Celtics trying to make a major trade before the draft.  Then we heard about them trying to make a trade post draft.  Realistically do you think they will make an in-season trade of any significance?  If so what kind of deal? — Dan Mallahan

Nobody has more assets than the Celtics when it comes to young players and draft picks, so it seems like something will get done eventually. They tried to trade for a pick to land Kris Dunn in June, and they’ve been linked to Jahlil Okafor rumors for months, so Danny Ainge has been working the phones. The important thing is that when a star becomes available — the Kings’ DeMarcus Cousins, for instance — Boston will be in position to outbid anyone.

We have an opportunity for you to hit us up with your questions in this, our weekly mailbag feature. Have a question regarding player movement, the salary cap or the NBA draft? Drop us a line at HoopsRumorsMailbag@Gmail.com. Here are this week’s inquiries:

Two games into the season and Anthony Davis has 95 combined points. If the Pelicans start winning games and make the playoffs, do you think he would be Most Valuable Player, Defensive Player of the Year or Most Improved Player? — Will Johnson

Davis might win an armful of awards this season, but Most Improved won’t be one of them. He has always been an exceptional talent. He is just fully healed from the knee and shoulder issues that plagued him last season. Davis has the ability to win multiple MVPs in his career, but he may need a lot of improvement from the Pelicans before that happens. He’s definitely in line for another First Team All-NBA honor this season.

What do you think the odds are of Masai Ujiri finally making a big splash with the Raptors?  I’m not sure he has the intestinal fortitude to swing a big deal [Carmelo Anthony forcing his way out of Denver aside].  He hasn’t been able to put a team over the top in his career.  Sixty wins is impressive, but it’s not a championship.  Do you see any scenarios in which he can finally swing a deal to put a team over the top?  And if so, is there a person or people that you think would be smart targets to put them over the top? — Mike Robins

Ujiri never really had a chance to put the Nuggets over the top, so it’s too early to judge him by that standard. The Raptors have an obvious need at power forward, so if a major deal is coming, that’s where it will be. Greg Monroe in Milwaukee is an obvious target. Another is the Sixers’ Nerlens Noel. A longer shot might be Zach Randolph, who has already been demoted to a reserve role in Memphis and is headed toward free agency. Any of them would make the Raptors a bigger threat to Cleveland in the East.

Does Marcus Smart ever have a shot at being an above average starting point guard in Boston or anywhere else? — Kyle Duzinckas

As long as Isaiah Thomas is with the Celtics, he’s going to be running the offense. Smart is very talented, but I’m not sure he has the point guard skills to ever be a full-time starter, let alone an above average one in a league full of stars. But we probably won’t find out until he goes to another organization.

We have an opportunity for you to hit us up with your questions in this, our weekly mailbag feature. Have a question regarding player movement, the salary cap or the NBA draft? Drop us a line at HoopsRumorsMailbag@Gmail.com. Here are this week’s inquiries:

We have an opportunity for you to hit us up with your questions in this, our weekly mailbag feature. Have a question regarding player movement, the salary cap or the NBA draft? Drop us a line at HoopsRumorsMailbag@Gmail.com. Here are this week’s inquiries:

Tim Duncan and Kevin Garnett have both said they do not want to coach, yet Tim shows up at the Spurs’ practice and Garnett at the Clippers’, showing there is hope for them to coach. Do you think one of them will coach in the future? — Michael Thompson

Despite being retired, it’s clear that neither Duncan nor Garnett is ready to walk away from the game. It’s hard to imagine that they want to take on the schedule and duties of a full-time coach, such as watching film, diagramming plays and organizing drills, but they will probably both continue in the league in some capacity. Duncan has a standing offer to be “coach of whatever he feels like” in San Antonio, and Garnett will probably find a similar arrangement where he serves as an adviser but not a full-fledged member of the coaching staff. With more than 2,850 combined NBA games, they have a lot they can teach younger players.

Ben Simmons is down for at least a couple of months, so how will this change the logjam of centers in Philadelphia? Will they look to hold on to all of them, ramp up trade offers? What do you see them doing after this injury? — Ryan Northey

The biggest factor is the always unpredictable health of Joel Embiid. Reports out of Sixers camp have been encouraging, but no one should get excited about Embiid until he at least plays a few preseason games. If he has no more problems with the right foot that forced him to miss his first two NBA seasons, then Philadelphia will have a lot more freedom to trade Nerlens Noel or Jahlil Okafor. Our best guess is they keep everyone together until Simmons returns from the injury, probably sometime in January, to see how all the young talent meshes. That still leaves about a month to make a final decision before the trade deadline arrives.

ESPN released its Real Plus-Minus predicting every NBA team’s record next season. Was there a team who was extremely overrated? How about underrated? — Matt Trapp

We’ll start with underrated. The Clippers are projected for just 46.3 victories despite having all the key pieces back from last year’s 53-win team. That’s way too low. L.A. should be a top three team in the West. Others with curiously small win totals are the Timberwolves at 37.1, the Mavericks at 34.3, the Hornets at 41.0, the Pacers at 38.9, the Hawks at 38.6, the Bulls at 37.8 and the Knicks at 34.7. As for overrated teams, the Jazz will be much improved, but their projection of 47.6 wins seem too generous. Also, the formulas were done before the news broke about Chris Bosh, but even with him the Heat might not have reached 38 wins.

We have an opportunity for you to hit us up with your questions in this, our weekly mailbag feature. Have a question regarding player movement, the salary cap or the NBA draft? Drop us a line at HoopsRumorsMailbag@Gmail.com. Here are this week’s inquiries:

Since we have lost Kobe Bryant, Tim Duncan and Kevin Garnett, who do you think will be the next great to walk away from the game? I honesty think either Manu Ginobili or Paul Pierce. — pewdsbros28@gmail.com

Pierce’s 39th birthday is next month and he still hasn’t said definitively that he will play this season. If things don’t go well in training camp, his retirement could be coming soon. Ginobili turned 39 over the summer, but his minutes have been limited to less than half a game for the past five years. He probably can remain in that role for a couple more years if his body doesn’t break down. Another name to watch is Vince Carter, who will turn 40 in January. He said recently that he still loves to play and wants to remain in the league two more years, but as always, that’s only if his body holds up.

How do you think the midseason return of Tyreke Evans will affect the Pelicans’ playoff chances? — Adam Guttuso

The latest report on Evans, who underwent two knee surgeries last season, is that he won’t be ready until December at the earliest. It’s hard to project how he will affect the playoff race without knowing exactly when he will return and how the knee will respond to the rigors of NBA competition. A healthy Evans would certainly give New Orleans a boost, but the Pelicans have to find a way to stay in the race until their roster is full again. Along with Evans, the team will start the season without Jrue Holiday, who has taken a leave of absence to care for his ailing wife, and Quincy Pondexter, who is still recovering from cartilage replacement surgery on his left knee in January.

Which big name players [such as Jimmy Butler and DeMarcus Cousins] will get involved in trade talks? — Eran Dekel

Those are two good ones to start with. The Celtics and Timberwolves both tried hard to swing a deal for Butler around draft time, but neither team got it done. Butler had a well-publicized clash with coach Fred Hoiberg last season, and if he doesn’t mesh well with newcomers Dwyane Wade and Rajon Rondo, look for trade rumors to heat up again. Cousins enters this season with another new coach and another revamped roster in Sacramento. The clock is ticking toward his free agency in the summer of 2018, and if the Kings get off to another bad start they may explore what they could get in a trade for their big man. A long shot might be Blake Griffin, who angered Clippers management by breaking his hand in a fight with an equipment manager last season. Griffin has an early termination clause and can become a free agent next summer, so the Clippers may look to make a deal if they aren’t one of the top teams in the West.

We have an opportunity for you to hit us up with your questions in this, our weekly mailbag feature. Have a question regarding player movement, the salary cap or the NBA draft? Drop us a line at HoopsRumorsMailbag@Gmail.com. Here are this week’s inquiries:

Will Kevin Garnett be back with the up-and-coming Timberwolves for a NBA record 22nd season? One would think Garnett’s decision should be easy with the longevity milestone within reach and $8MM on the table. Is there any truth to the rumor that there was a falling out between him and new Minnesota coach Tom Thibodeau when they were together in Boston? Is it possible that KG plays for someone other than the T’Wolves this year? — Matt Trapp

The Wolves are still waiting for a definite answer from Garnett, but the record and the money are strong incentives to return for another year. It’s not like Garnett played all that much last season. He averaged 14.6 minutes per night for 38 games until injuries knocked him out of action. There’s no reason he can’t handle a limited workload. There were reports after Thibodeau was hired that he and Garnett maintained a good relationship and having him as coach might be enough to make Garnett continue as an active player. Garnett reportedly wants to transition into an ownership role with Minnesota, so there’s almost no chance he winds up with another team.

I thought the Bucks might move Greg Monroe after the free agent dust settled in July, but obviously that didn’t happen. Do you see them making a move before the season starts? — Brad Polczynski

The Monroe trade rumors have dragged out all summer, and it’s easy to understand why. After being heralded as a rare big-name free agent who chose the Bucks, he turned out to be a poor fit. Plus, he still has two years and $35MM left on his contract. There have been rumors that the Pelicans are interested, but this is historically a difficult time to make a trade. Maybe once we get to December 15th and offseason signees are eligible to be dealt, the trade market for Monroe will heat up.

Do the NBA draftees and veteran players invited to training camps get paid even if they don’t make the final cut? — Greg Dizon

It depends on the team, the player and his agent, but many camp invitees get some kind of guarantee. It’s not a way to get rich, but it gives the player an incentive to join an NBA team’s camp rather than signing overseas.

We have an opportunity for you to hit us up with your questions in this, our weekly mailbag feature. Have a question regarding player movement, the salary cap or the NBA draft? Drop us a line at HoopsRumorsMailbag@Gmail.com. Here are this week’s inquiries:

Should the Celtics bite the bullet and trade for Kevin Love in a deal that sends Nerlens Noel to the Cavs, Love to Boston and Jaylen Brown to 76ers, then target Gordon Hayward in free agency should he opt out, which seems to be the consensus around the NBA. Or should they wait until Blake Griffin hits the market and see what the Nets pick brings during the lottery process, where they’ll likely target Harry Giles? — Chris Hawkins

That’s a lot of moving parts. Let’s address them one at a time. Boston probably would have been the best destination for Love if the Cavaliers had lost in the Finals and were looking to shake up the team. But right now, Cleveland has no intention of breaking up the core of its world champions. Also, Love is too similar to Al Horford and that combination would leave the Celtics with no rim protector. Boston will have about $26MM to spend next summer, so it can afford to target Hayward, who has become one of the league’s best small forwards. Griffin seems like a long shot, and Boston shouldn’t be making plans around the possibility that he will decide to leave L.A. And whether it’s Giles or someone else, the Celtics seemed poised to hit the jackpot with the Nets’ picks in the next two drafts. That’s another reason to hold onto Brown and set up a mega-offer for someone like DeMarcus Cousins.

Which free agents are most likely to be off the market at the start of the season? — Ryan Smith

J.R. Smith, for sure. With no other offers to give him leverage, he should sign fairly soon at a number close to what the Cavs offered. Likewise, Donatas Motiejunas got no offers as a restricted free agent and appears to be a lock to remain in Houston. Mario Chalmers and Norris Cole have both been linked to the Cavaliers, who need an experienced point guard to back up Kyrie Irving. Carl Landry was waived by the Sixers last week, and someone will probably pick him up before training camp opens.

What are your thoughts on every NBA team getting to choose its own rep for an All Star dunk, skills or 3-point competition? Seems like this would increase fan interest, as everyone would have a hometown guy to root for. Also, how close are we to having an NBA and D-League relationship that more closely mirrors what MLB has with its upper minor leagues? (Example: Each NBA team has an expanded 20-man roster and 12-man active roster, while the other eight would be in the D-League or disabled list.) Seems this would give more guys a path to the NBA, solve some of the fatigue and injury complaints from the players, increase talent in the D-League, while also keeping more talent stateside instead of going to Europe. — Beauen Bogner

Your first suggestion is intriguing, but I don’t know if it’s workable to have 30 contestants in any of those contests. They often stretch out too long as it is. The D-League has added five teams for the upcoming season, bringing its total to 22, and all have a direct association with an NBA team. There are so many advantages to having a D-League affiliate that it seems eventually all 30 teams will go that route. But even if the D-League evolves into a baseball-style minor league, it will never be able to compete with the salaries that overseas teams pay, so that’s going to remain the first choice for players who don’t make an NBA roster.

We have an opportunity for you to hit us up with your questions in this, our weekly mailbag feature. Have a question regarding player movement, the salary cap or the NBA draft? Drop us a line at HoopsRumorsMailbag@Gmail.com. Here are this week’s inquiries:

Do you think there’s a chance that Stephen Curry will join the Lakers after his contact expires next season, since one of his former coaches, Luke Walton, is the Lakers’ coach now? — Greg Dizon

It may be fun for Lakers fans to dream about the possibility of Golden State players following their former coach to L.A., but we can’t envision any scenario where Curry leaves the Warriors. He’s criminally underpaid at about $12.1MM for the upcoming season, but that’s a result of signing his current deal four years ago when there were still concerns about his ankles. The Warriors aren’t in a position to renegotiate right now, especially after signing Kevin Durant, but they will take care of Curry next summer. The Lakers will have to look elsewhere for stars.

If J.R. Smith doesn’t re-sign with the Cavs, what is the most logical destination for him? Boston, Brooklyn, Denver, Miami, Minnesota, Oklahoma City, Philadelphia, Phoenix and Utah all seem to have cap space to sign him.–Matt Trapp

While it’s true that all those teams have the cap room to add Smith, it’s also true that none of them has made an offer since he became a free agent more than two months ago. At age 30 and with a somewhat checkered NBA past, it’s understandable why teams didn’t line up to throw money at him. Plus, there have been reports that J.R. and the Cavs aren’t that far apart on money, with the team offering $10MM to $12MM a year and Smith wanting $15MM. Our best guess is that this gets wrapped up before the season starts and at terms closer to the Cavaliers’ offer, much like the Tristan Thompson standoff did last year. But back to your question, if Smith does go somewhere else, Minnesota is intriguing. With all the young talent on their roster, the Wolves might want a veteran shooting guard with championship experience.

What is the likelihood that:

• Greg Monroe is traded before the season?
• Monroe finds a productive/effective role with the Bucks this year?
• Monroe is traded before the deadline?
• Monroe does not opt out next summer because no one will pay him more than what his third year is worth? — Nick Sawyer

Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders reported this week that Milwaukee doesn’t want to make a major deal before camp opens, so the likelihood of the first question appears very low. Monroe was an awkward fit last season and there haven’t been enough roster changes to see how that improves, so the second question also seems like a long shot. Questions three and four are related, as any team that considers a midseason trade for Monroe is going to want an assurance that he won’t opt out of a $17.9MM salary next summer. His decision may come down to how soon he wants to leave Milwaukee.

We have an opportunity for you to hit us up with your questions in this, our weekly mailbag feature. Have a question regarding player movement, the salary cap or the NBA draft? Drop us a line at HoopsRumorsMailbag@Gmail.com. Here are this week’s inquiries:

What exactly is going on with the Magic? Do they have a plan? — Yancy Yeater

Orlando’s plan for the summer seemed to involve acquiring as much talent as possible, then worrying later about how it all fits together. They got two of the best shot blockers in the league by signing Bismack Biyombo and trading for Serge Ibaka. How they’ll mesh with holdover center Nikola Vucevic remains to be seen, and Vucevic may not be easy to move with three seasons and $36.75MM left on his contract. New coach Frank Vogel faces a big challenge in putting all the pieces together, but Orlando probably raised its talent level enough to challenge for a playoff spot.

Why didn’t the Knicks pursue Lance Stephenson? He’s only 25 and  brings a strong resume playing in playoff competition. He’s a big guard, can defend well, rebounds great, passes well, shoots 48% from field and 39% from 3. He’s a New York City product and has the state high school all-time scoring record. Why no interest? — Harvey Ludwin

It’s not just the Knicks. A lot of teams that could have used Stephenson’s talent decided to pass on his personality. A series of incidents both large and small have resulted in him playing on three teams in the last two seasons. A rumor that the Nets might have a spot for Stephenson was seemingly debunked today, and Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe recently reported that the sixth-year swingman might have to play overseas for a while and work his way back to the NBA.