Category: Sixers

Revisiting LeBron James’ 2018 free agency: Was there a better choice out there?

LeBron James was rumored to be joining the Los Angeles Lakers for more than a year before officially signing with them. This move was a little unusual compared to James’ previous free agency decisions since he was not joining an instant contender. …

LeBron James was rumored to be joining the Los Angeles Lakers for more than a year before officially signing with them. This move was a little unusual compared to James’ previous free agency decisions since he was not joining an instant contender. His move to Los Angeles was more than a basketball decision, but of course, the basketball mattered.

While the Lakers weren’t competitive enough to compete for a championship in James’ first season there, they did have enough trade assets with their many talented prospects and first-round picks to offer. They eventually parlayed their assets into Anthony Davis and built a juggernaut that would win the 2020 championship.

Fast forward to 2023 and it’s safe to say James’ tenure in Los Angeles has been more mixed than anyone anticipated. It has been a success with the title, but it also has featured two seasons out of the playoffs and possibly a third if they don’t turn things around this year. There have been plenty of discussions recently on how the Lakers are wasting the remainder of James’ prime and the situation in L.A. probably isn’t getting better any time soon. He is under contract with the Lakers for two more years, including a player option for 2024-25.

While James joining the Lakers was seemingly set in stone, he did have several other good options in 2018 free agency. If his decision prioritized being in the best basketball situation, it’s possible he could’ve found that on a different team. Here are some of James’ rumored suitors in 2018 and an analysis of how things could’ve played out.

James Harden back to Houston? Here’s how the Rockets can pull it off

For the third year in a row, we are getting reports of James Harden setting his sights elsewhere. According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, Harden is seriously considering a return to the Rockets this offseason. This report comes on the eve of the …

For the third year in a row, we are getting reports of James Harden setting his sights elsewhere. According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, Harden is seriously considering a return to the Rockets this offseason. This report comes on the eve of the Sixers extending their winning streak to eight games, which makes it surprising especially given its timing. The idea of Harden leaving a contending Sixers team for a rebuilding Rockets team could be hard to believe for some, but according to Wojnarowski, the comfort and familiarity of Houston appeal to Harden.

Below is a breakdown of Harden’s contract situation and how the Rockets can acquire him.

NBA Notebook: Zach LaVine, Kyle Kuzma, Kristaps Porzingis, Gary Trent Jr, Jordan Clarkson, more

The latest intel on trade talks surrounding Zach LaVine, Kyle Kuzma, Gary Trent Jr, Kristaps Porzingis’ free agency, and more on HoopsHype.

Amid the NBA’s G League Showcase, rival teams are monitoring the Chicago Bulls, Toronto Raptors, and Washington Wizards.

Just before Chicago executives Arturas Karnisovas and Marc Eversley arrived in Las Vegas for the Showcase, Bulls star Zach LaVine drew the frustration of his teammates during a blowout loss to Minnesota. Several NBA teams, including the New York Knicks, are monitoring whether LaVine will become available on the trade market after Chicago’s underwhelming start to the season at 12-18, Lonzo Ball’s return from injury in question, and Nikola Vucevic’s looming free agency.

In addition to LaVine, NBA executives also discussed the futures of three potential free agents who could hit the market if they decline player options: Kyle Kuzma, Kristaps Porzingis, and Gary Trent Jr. 

With that in mind, this week’s NBA notebook includes the latest intel on Trent Jr. as a trade candidate and Porzingis’ potential free agency value from our own Michael Scotto, the latest trade rumors commentary on LaVine and Kuzma from our capologist Yossi Gozlan, a free agency stock watch from our Frank Urbina, and a new All-World Draft Ranking created by Alberto De Roa.

Top trade candidates on each NBA team this season

Reporting on the top trade candidates for all 30 NBA teams from HoopsHype’s Michael Scotto.

NBA executives are beginning their due diligence for the upcoming trade market with December 15th approaching, the first day players who signed offseason contracts can be traded.

Below is the latest intel HoopsHype has gathered on the top trade candidates for all 30 NBA teams.

NBA executives poll: Who are the top breakout candidates for the 2022-23 season?

NBA executives predict who will be the top breakout players of the 2022-23 season in a poll by HoopsHype’s Michael Scotto.

Which players will make the top leaps in their games this year?

HoopsHype polled 20 NBA executives to gauge who will be the top breakout candidates this season. Each executive was asked to list his Top 3 candidates for a breakout campaign.

Most of the talent evaluators prioritized young players who will see an increased role. Others selected younger players who could become All-Stars for the first time.

After receiving the feedback from the executives, the voting results were tabulated, with the top player receiving five points, the second receiving three points, and the third receiving one point for each ballot. Below are the results.

NBA offseason winners and losers; EuroBasket stars who can join NBA

HoopsHype’s winners and losers of the 2022 NBA offseason and potential overseas players to monitor following the EuroBasket tournament.

HoopsHype’s Michael Scotto, Yossi Gozlan, and Dionysis Aravantinos discuss the winners and losers of the 2022 NBA offseason and react to the end of the EuroBasket Tournament with potential overseas players to monitor on the latest edition of the HoopsHype podcast.

For more interviews with players, coaches, and media members, be sure to like and subscribe to the HoopsHype podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and anywhere else you listen to podcasts. Listen to the podcast above or check out some snippets of the conversation in a transcribed version below.

Sixers season preview: Will they get over the hump this year?

The Sixers haven’t made the Conference Finals since 2001, which seems odd considering that they’ve had many successful competitive seasons since. Since ending the tanking portion of “The Process” and making the playoffs in 2018, Philadelphia has …

The Sixers haven’t made the Conference Finals since 2001, which seems odd considering that they’ve had many successful competitive seasons since. Since ending the tanking portion of “The Process” and making the playoffs in 2018, Philadelphia has made it to the second round in all but one season. They have now put together the best-fitting team around Joel Embiid in his career. If everything goes right for them, they could break their Conference Finals streak and potentially make it all the way to the NBA Finals.

Below, check out our preview for the 2022-23 Sixers campaign.

What James Harden re-signing with Sixers means

The Philadelphia 76ers and James Harden have finally agreed on a deal for the 13-year veteran to return. He will re-sign with the Sixers on a two-year deal worth $68.6 million with a player option for year two, according to Adrian Wojnarowski. This …

The Philadelphia 76ers and James Harden have finally agreed on a deal for the 13-year veteran to return. He will re-sign with the Sixers on a two-year deal worth $68.6 million with a player option for year two, according to Adrian Wojnarowski. This move could serve as a temporary financial sacrifice from Harden that allows the Sixers to make moves that improve their title odds.

Aggregate NBA mock draft 7.0: Ousmane Dieng moves into lottery, Jalen Williams top 20; trade talks

The NBA Draft is less than a week away, with more potential big trades on the horizon following the Christian Wood acquisition by the Dallas Mavericks, as noted throughout our new HoopsHype aggregate mock draft. To get a better projection of where …

The NBA Draft is less than a week away, with more potential big trades on the horizon following the Christian Wood acquisition by the Dallas Mavericks, as noted throughout our new HoopsHype aggregate mock draft.

To get a better projection of where all of the projected top prospects stand currently, we compiled mock drafts from ESPN, The Athletic, Bleacher Report, The Ringer, Sports Illustrated, NBADraft.net, CBS Sports, SB Nation, Yahoo, Basketball News, and USA TODAY’s For The Win.

The most notable risers within the projected lottery selections included Dyson Daniels moving up further within the top 10 picks, Ousmane Dieng becoming a projected lottery pick, and Jalen Williams vaulting into the Top 20 range. Jake LaRavia and Dalen Terry, two of the biggest risers throughout the draft process, have moved into the late first round.

Other risers in the second round include Ryan Rollins, Andrew Nembhard, David Roddy, John Butler, Michael Foster, Gabriele Procida, and Dereon Seabron.

The notable name that fell was MarJon Beauchamp, who now is projected outside the top 20 picks despite receiving a green room invite. Josh Minott and Jean Montero were among those whose stock fell in the second round.

NOTE: These rankings reflect the composite score to get a feel for the overall consensus, not our own opinion. For example, if a player was the first pick on a publication’s mock draft, he received 58 points. If a player was second, he received 57 points and so on. We then tabulated the total number of points for each player’s consensus ranking. 

HoopsHype’s Alberto de Roa contributed research to this report

Aggregate NBA mock draft 6.0: Dyson Daniels moves into top 10; Christian Wood trade rumors

Following the withdrawals of several prospects, the aggregate NBA mock draft has shifted noticeably, and more intel on teams have surfaced with the draft nearing. To get a better projection of where all of the projected top prospects stand …

Following the withdrawals of several prospects, the aggregate NBA mock draft has shifted noticeably, and more intel on teams have surfaced with the draft nearing.

To get a better projection of where all of the projected top prospects stand currently, we compiled mock drafts from ESPN, The Athletic, Bleacher Report, The Ringer, Sports Illustrated, NBADraft.net, CBS Sports, SB Nation, Yahoo, Basketball News, and USA TODAY’s For The Win.

The most notable risers within the projected lottery selections included Keegan Murray leaping Shaedon Sharpe into the top five range, Dyson Daniels entering the top 10, and Malaki Branham cracking the end of the lottery. Dalen Terry also vaulted 12 spots since our last aggregate mock draft and is currently positioned as an early second-round pick.

Some of the more notable names that fell slightly included TyTy Washington, Max Christie and Leonard Miller.

NOTE: These rankings reflect the composite score to get a feel for the overall consensus, not our own opinion. For example, if a player was the first pick on a publication’s mock draft, he received 58 points. If a player was second, he received 57 points and so on. We then tabulated the total number of points for each player’s consensus ranking.

HoopsHype’s Alberto de Roa contributed research to this report