Tag: Allen Crabbe

How NBA teams may use replacement players

The NBA will allow teams to sign a replacement player if there’s an injury, a positive COVID-19 test or a player who chooses to sit out.

As the NBA prepares to resume the 2019-20 season in July, more details about the league’s plan are coming to light. In the event of an injury or a positive COVID-19 test during training camp or the regular season, teams will be able to sign replacement players from the free-agent pool. 

The NBA will allow each team to bring 17 players (including their two-way guys) to Disney’s Wide World of Sports. There won’t be a limit on how many replacement players a team can sign, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. Once the playoffs start on August 17, teams won’t be able to add any replacement players. 

Every night, players will be tested for COVID-19; if a player tests positive, they must self-quarantine for 10-14 days while their team continues playing.

Not only will replacement players be necessary in the event of positive tests, they also could be called upon if a player is injured. Most teams will arrive in Orlando healthier than usual at this point in the season thanks to the four-month break, but a number of trainers and players have expressed concern that there could be more injuries than usual when the season resumes. After all, players have been working out on their own since mid-March and it’s hard to mimic game movements and intensity while training alone. Ramping back up slowly with a training camp (and potentially two or three exhibition games) should help, but there’s still increased injury risk. 

Because this is an unprecedented situation, people around the NBA have no idea how teams will approach this transaction window and how many replacement players will be signed.

“I’m not sure if teams will rush to sign guys,” an agent said. “NBA rosters are already the biggest of any major sport in terms of the ratio of players on the roster to players on the court/field,” the agent explained. “In the NBA, it’s 15:5 (or 3:1) whereas it’s 25:9 (or 2.8:1) in MLB and 53:22 (or 2.4:1) in the NFL. And that doesn’t even include two-way players. I’m sure every team is aware of all the available G League guys and free agents. But in the playoffs, most rotations shrink to nine or 10 guys anyway. So, if you have 15 players, you should have five extra guys.”

“I’m curious to see if teams will sign free agents,” one Western Conference executive added. “I have no idea what will happen. At the end of the day, we’re just talking about a 15th man most likely, right?” 

One Eastern Conference general manager pointed out that some teams may not consider signing replacement players at all, even if there is an injury or a positive COVID-19 test. Since a replacement player would have to quarantine for 10-14 days before playing, the team’s injured or sick player may be close to returning by the time the replacement player is finally able to take the court.

“I think as long as a team doesn’t have multiple players who get sick at the same time, they won’t sign anyone,” the general manager said. “I think most teams will just wait for their sick player to return.” 

Some NBA teams with an open roster spot may decide to sign a free agent prior to arriving in Orlando rather than waiting until an injury or positive test occurs to address their depth. Technically, this player wouldn’t be a “replacement player,” but he’d be stashed on their roster in case of emergency. This would allow the player to go through training camp with the team as well as the initial quarantine period in Orlando. Then, if there is an injury or positive test, he would be able to play right away rather than having to quarantine for 10-14 days upon arrival like a replacement player would have to do.

Recently, there’s been a lot of discussion about how some players may choose not to play when the season resumes in Orlando. In recent weeks, a number of executives brought up this possibility and openly wondered what would happen if their players sit out because they didn’t want to be in the bubble for months and risk their health. Now, some players are also concerned that resuming play would shift the public’s focus away from the Black Lives Matter movement.

While it’s possible that enough NBA players speaking up would force the NBPA to back out of the plan to resume play, it seems more likely that the NBA will just allow each player to make their own decision when it comes to participating. If a player chooses to sit out, their team will resume play without them. These players wouldn’t face any consequences (aside from not being paid) and NBA teams would be allowed to sign a replacement player to take their place, according to a recent article by Wojnarowski. 

There’s also some concern that players on fringe playoff teams will opt to play, but then want to leave the bubble or sit out as soon as their team is mathematically eliminated from the postseason. Players won’t want to put their health at risk and stay in the bubble if they aren’t playing for something. Some players (such as Damian Lillard) have already said that they wouldn’t risk their health to participate in meaningless games, and who could blame them?

“I feel like the eighth seed and the ninth seed could partially be determined by whose schedule sets them up against teams who are ‘tanking’ at the end,” said one Western Conference executive.

DeMarcus Cousins is one of the free agents who’s eligible to be signed. (Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports)

Interestingly, not all free agents are eligible to be signed as replacement players.

In order to be eligible, a player had to be on an NBA or G League roster this season or last season. Players who were overseas as of March 11, 2020 (when the NBA season was suspended) are not eligible to be signed, which rules out some notable free agents such as Lance Stephenson, Donatas Motiejunas, Greg Monroe and Miles Plumlee. If a player started the season overseas but got a FIBA clearance before March 11, they are eligible to be signed as long as they were on an NBA or G League roster in 2019-20 or 2018-19 (like Willie Reed, for example, who was in Greece to start the season but then got his FIBA clearance and signed with a G League team). 

There are plenty of of notable free agents and former G League players who are eligible to be signed including DeMarcus Cousins, Isaiah Thomas, Darren Collison, Jamal Crawford, Iman Shumpert, JR Smith, Nik Stauskas, Kenneth Faried, Tyler Zeller, Jerian Grant, Corey Brewer, Tyler Johnson, Jodie Meeks, Michael Beasley, Nick Young, Trey Burke, Allen Crabbe, Jordan Bell, Justin Anderson, Tim Frazier, Tyrone Wallace, Ivan Rabb, Jarrod Uthoff, Amile Jefferson, Jonah Bolden, Tyler Ennis, Josh Magette, JP Macura, Ryan Broekhoff and Yante Maten among others.

While it’ll be interesting to see how the 22 NBA teams in the bubble utilize the replacement players, the eight teams who aren’t resuming play will be allowed to sign players during this transaction window too. Don’t be surprised if some of these teams take advantage of this opportunity to add a free agent and acquire their Bird rights.

“I would be on the lookout for a smart non-bubble team to add someone during the transaction window,” one NBA agent said. “Any team can sign guys from that same pool of talent and, I assume, pay guys the same pro-rated amount.” 

In Wojnarowski’s article about replacement players, he confirmed that “the eight teams left out of the Orlando resumption are allowed to waive or sign players during the transaction window,” although “they cannot sign a player to a two-way contract.”

It’s worth noting that a lot of these details are still being worked out and nothing is official as of yet. Several agents and executives pointed out that they’re receiving these updates through social media, just like the rest of us, and awaiting further instruction from the league or NBPA.

Tolliver, Crabbe to be bought out; should Celtics inquire?

Two more names enter the pool of players hoping to latch on to a contender by tomorrow afternoon – Allen Crabbe and Anthony Tolliver. Should Boston make a call?

There’s always a few surprises entering the buyout market each season, and the Boston Celtics find themselves with a few relatively unexpected names to consider as a result.

Neither, it should be stressed, is going to swing a series with their play, but both could in theory help Boston’s bench — one of the worst in the NBA when it comes to generating offense.

Those two players would be shooting guard Allen Crabbe (formerly with the Minnesota Timberwolves) and forward Anthony Tolliver (in the process of being bought out by the Sacramento Kings).

While both are admittedly marginal upgrades on the end of Boston’s bench, they still might be worth a look given wing Javonte Green has played precisely zero minutes since Feb. 7, and scored just 1 point since Jan. 6.

Tolliver, a journeyman’s journeyman, hasn’t been shooting the ball very well recently, but his situation may be a major part of the reason why.

Age may be a part of that as well at 34 years old, but his 3-point percentage dropped from 33.7 % with the Portland Trail Blazers to 17.6 % with the Kings after being dealt there midseason.

A career 37.3 % shooter from beyond the arc, Tolliver is probably closer to his Blazers numbers than what we’ve seen of late. The Creighton product doesn’t bring too much else to the table at this stage of his career, but could still be of interest if just for his shooting.

Crabbe, on the other hand, is an intriguing option even as bad as he’s been this season. Like Tolliver, he’s been a solid shooter for most of his career whose numbers fell off drastically after being traded to rebuilding teams.

Unlike Tolliver, he’s still relatively young at 27, and scoring more on bad teams (a combined average of 4.6 points per game between his time with the Atlanta Hawks and Wolves this season) than the former Kings forward was when he was with Portland (3.9 points per game).

When Crabbe was with the Brooklyn Nets last season, he wasn’t earning the $18.5 million payday doled out by an over-enthusiastic Blazers front office in the heady days of 2016, but he was a decent player.

Crabbe scored 9.6 points per game and pulled down 3.4 boards per contest while shooting a very respectable 37.8 % from deep.

While he’s always been a terrible defender, he’d be playing alongside defensive-minded players like Marcus Smart, Grant Williams, Romeo Langford, Robert Williams III and Semi Ojeleye, of which only Smart is any kind of consistent offensive threat.

While the market has improved considerably to secure a buyout that would make sense for the Celtics even from the morning of the day before the March 1 buyout deadline, chances are still good team president Danny Ainge and company does nothing at the deadline.

But if they do make a move, Tolliver could be helpful, and Crabbe even more so. If nothing else, it won’t hurt to have them in for an interview.

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How the Wolves can still avoid the luxury tax

The Minnesota Timberwolves found themselves above the luxury tax line after making several trades ahead of the NBA trade deadline. Being above the luxury tax is not ideal considering the Timberwolves have the league’s fourth-worst record. Teams that …

The Minnesota Timberwolves found themselves above the luxury tax line after making several trades ahead of the NBA trade deadline. Being above the luxury tax is not ideal considering the Timberwolves have the league’s fourth-worst record. Teams that perform this poorly generally avoid it, but the Timberwolves had to take on more incoming salary in order to complete their trade with the Golden State Warriors.

Although the deadline passed more than two weeks ago and all contracts are fully guaranteed for the rest of the season, the Timberwolves can still get under the luxury tax. They are close enough to it ($1,136,269) that they can pull it off through buyouts and/or the waiver/claim process. Not only that, but they can also create significant enough space that allows them to fill out the rest of their roster afterward.

ROUTE A: BUYOUTS

The most straightforward way for the Timberwolves to reduce their payroll right now is through a buyout. Forward Evan Turner is already in the process of meeting other teams with the expectation he will be bought out ahead of the March 1 playoff-eligibility deadline. Guard Allen Crabbe is also a potential buyout candidate.

Players usually give back to their previous teams the amount of money their new team will pay them. For the most part, it is the equivalent to their respective prorated minimum salary. For Turner and Crabbe, their daily cap hits are $13,173 and $11,461, respectively. Each day that passes without a buyout is one less day for a new team to pay them, which means less money being surrendered in an eventual buyout to the Timberwolves.

For example, if Turner and Crabbe both get new teams committed to sign them to prorated minimum rest-of-season deals on February 22, they could finalize buyouts with the Timberwolves that day and sign with their new teams on February 24, two days after clearing waivers. Turner and Crabbe’s prorated minimum salaries on February 24 are $684,988 and $595,971, respectively. Combined, that is $1,280,959 that would be surrendered in their buyouts, which would put the Timberwolves $144,690 below the luxury tax.

Although they would be under the luxury tax after those buyouts, they would eventually go over it again in order to meet the 14-player league minimum roster requirement. This particular route would’ve been successful had they done it right after the trade deadline since both players would have given up more money. However, players usually don’t agree to buyouts until they have a new team lined up, so there wasn’t much the Timberwolves could do.

The expectation is that at least Turner will secure a buyout, but for the Timberwolves’ tax avoidance goal, hopefully, there is a bidding war for him. If a team offers more than the prorated minimum salary, such as one that has their mid-level exception (MLE) or a disabled player exception (DPE) remaining, Turner would give back around the same amount to Minnesota. For example, if the Lakers sign Turner using their $1.75 million DPE, the $1.75 million surrendered in his buyout would put the Timberwolves $613,731 below the tax. That is plenty of space for them to fill out the rest of the roster while avoiding the luxury tax altogether.

ROUTE B: WAIVE A PLAYER THAT ANOTHER TEAM WILL CLAIM

Another path for the Timberwolves to get under the tax and avoid it while fulfilling roster requirements is to waive a player whose salary is large enough to create the space but small enough to be claimed by another team. The Miami Heat did this last season when they reluctantly waived Rodney McGruder. They outright waived him, meaning his entire salary would have stayed on their payroll as dead money but because he was claimed by the Los Angeles Clippers, his cap hit was wiped off the Heat’s payroll.

The Timberwolves have two newly acquired players that so far aren’t in their future plans and could potentially be candidates to be waived: Omari Spellman and Jacob Evans. Both players were acquired alongside D’Angelo Russell so the Warriors can get under the luxury tax, but doing so pushed the Timberwolves over it. Both players are on the second season of their rookie contracts and as of now are only guaranteed for 2020-21, with an upcoming team option for 2021-22.

There is no rush for the Timberwolves to go through this route as it can be done towards the end of the year, just like the Heat did with McGruder last season. Let’s say they decide to waive Spellman ($1,897,800), who earns less than Evans ($1,925,880), and they have assurances of a team willing to put a claim on him. Teams must either have cap space (no one), or a traded player exception (TPE) equal to the amount of Spellman’s salary (Cleveland and Houston, for example) to claim him. If successfully claimed, the Timberwolves would be $761,531 below the luxury tax.

The Timberwolves could look to do a combination of the two routes in order to maximize space below the tax and create additional roster spots. Two-way players Kelan Martin and Jordan McLaughlin have been in the Timberwolves rotation but are limited by their 45-day two-way clock. They could use their post-buyout/waiver space below the luxury tax to sign both players to rest-of-season deals. They could also lock them in for at least three seasons with the remainder of their MLE ($3.7 million remaining as of February 22).

PHOTOS: Top buyout candidates now that 2020 NBA trade deadline passed

Now that the 2020 NBA trade deadline has officially passed, it is worth looking at the most interesting buyout candidates in the league.

Now that the 2020 NBA trade deadline has officially passed, it is worth looking at the most interesting buyout candidates in the league.

Some of the bigger names that could have been available (e.g. Tristan Thompson, Ian Mahinmi, E’Twaun Moore, Langston Galloway and even Vince Carter) are expected to stay with their teams for the remainder of the season. Similarly, there are various other players (e.g. Isaiah Thomas, Trey Burke and Tim Frazier) who are expected to be waived by their teams rather than bought out.

But with all of that in mind, there are several players around the league who do make sense as options on the buyout market.

All figures are courtesy of the NBA Player Salaries page on HoopsHype.

TYLER JOHNSON, PHOENIX

Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

SALARY: $19,245,370

Phoenix Suns guard Tyler Johnson is playing a career-low 16.6 minutes per game. The 27-year-old has played in just three of their last even games as he recovers from a calf injury. He was mostly brought into the organization so that the team could move off the hefty money owed to the veteran forward Ryan Anderson. Even though Johnson provides little value to the Suns, he could be a 3-and-D option in the backcourt for a contender. During his best season with the Miami Heat in 2016-17, he averaged 1.3 three-pointers and 1.2 steals per game.

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NBA buyout candidates: Who’s available after 2020 trade deadline?

Now that the 2020 NBA Trade Deadline has officially passed, it is worth looking at the most interesting buyout candidates in the league.

Now that the 2020 NBA trade deadline has officially passed, it is worth looking at the most interesting buyout candidates in the league.

Some of the bigger names that could have been available (e.g. Tristan Thompson, Ian Mahinmi, E’Twaun Moore, Langston Galloway and even Vince Carter) are expected to stay with their teams for the remainder of the season. Similarly, there are various other players (e.g. Isaiah Thomas, Trey Burke and Tim Frazier) who are expected to be waived by their teams rather than bought out.

But with all of that in mind, there are several players around the league who do make sense as options on the buyout market.

All figures are courtesy of the NBA Player Salaries page on HoopsHype.

TYLER JOHNSON, PHOENIX

Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

SALARY: $19,245,370

Phoenix Suns guard Tyler Johnson is playing a career-low 16.6 minutes per game. The 27-year-old has played in just three of their last even games as he recovers from a calf injury. He was mostly brought into the organization so that the team could move off the hefty money owed to the veteran forward Ryan Anderson. Even though Johnson provides little value to the Suns, he could be a 3-and-D option in the backcourt for a contender. During his best season with the Miami Heat in 2016-17, he averaged 1.3 three-pointers and 1.2 steals per game.

EVAN TURNER, MINNESOTA

Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

SALARY: $18,606,556

Unlike with Allen Crabbe, the Minnesota Timberwolves have not yet given any playing time to Evan Turner. Even when he was on the Atlanta Hawks, the 31-year-old forward was playing a career-low 13.2 minutes per game. He was, however, playing a career-high 63 percent of his time at the point guard position. Turner may not have much value around the league at this point but the Boston Celtics have already been linked to him for a potential reunion.

BISMACK BIYOMBO, CHARLOTTE

Jeremy Brevard-USA TODAY Sports

SALARY: $17,000,000

Charlotte Hornets veteran big man Bismack Biyombo is certainly one of the candidates for a buyout, though such an agreement may be unlikely. There is at least some incentive for the Hornets to keep Biyombo on their roster as he is currently playing 19.1 minutes per game. That is the most playing time that he has had since 2016-17. Meanwhile, he has also been in the starting lineup for 25 of the 43 games he has played so far this season. It may make the most sense for Biyombo to continue getting his reps up in Charlotte, like Mahinmi with Washington, so that he can prove hs is worth more than a minimum deal in the offseason. However, if a contender expresses interest in a center who is capable of playing in their rotation, perhaps he is willing to leave the Hornets for a winning team.

BRANDON KNIGHT, DETROIT

Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

SALARY: $15,643,750

28-year-old combo guard Brandon Knight was included in a package that sent him from the Cleveland Cavaliers to the Detroit Pistons. Knight has only played 241 minutes so far this season, coming off the bench in each of the 16 games he played. That is a stark contrast to last year when he started in 26 of 27 games played for Cleveland. If the Pistons decided to hold on to Knight, it would be a reunion with the organization. He was drafted by Detroit with the No. 8 overall pick back in 2011 and made NBA All-Rookie First Team.

MARVIN WILLIAMS, CHARLOTTE

Jeremy Brevard-USA TODAY Sports

SALARY: $15,006,250

For a team looking to find a floor-spacing big man, there are few if any better at the price he could be available at then Charlotte Howard forward Marvin Williams. With the emergence of rookie PJ Washington (who was selected to the Rising Stars team at All-Star Weekend), Williams has lost the formerly steady role that he once had on his team. He had previously started in every game that he played for the Hornets since 2015-16. Now, he has made only one appearance in their starting lineup this season. His playing time is down to a career-low 19.7 minutes per game. But at 6-foot-8, the forward has made 1.2 three-pointers per 36 minutes in his career and has shot 36.2 percent from downtown. There should be a decent amount of interest in Williams if he and his team agree to a buyout.

SOLOMON HILL, MIAMI

(Photo by Joe Murphy/NBAE via Getty Images)

SALARY: $13,290,395

When the Memphis Grizzlies traded Andre Iguodala to the Miami Heat, the front office also included Solomon Hill for salary-matching purposes. While he has largely fallen out of favor on the teams he has played for over the past few years, the 6-foot-6 wing was shooting a career-best 38.1 percent from the three-point line this season. He had also made a career-best 2.2 three-pointers per 36 minutes during his time in Memphis. According to the Miami Herald’s Barry Jackson, the 28-year-old was told by the front office that he should plan to remain with the team “barring something unforeseen” happening. But in the NBA, those types of unforeseen situations happen all of the time.

MICHAEL KIDD-GILCHRIST, CHARLOTTE

Jeremy Brevard-USA TODAY Sports

SALARY: $13,000,000

It was less than eight years ago when Anthony Davis was selected at No. 1 overall in the 2012 NBA draft. The player selected next was Michael Kidd-Gilchrist. The contrast between these picks remains absolutely deafening as hindsight rears its ugly head. The 26-year-old is down to a career-low 13.3 minutes per game and has only made twelve appearances for his team. With only 160 minutes offered to him this year, Charlotte has likely moved on. He may still have suitors around the NBA due to his defensive ability. According to The Athletic’s Kelly Iko, the Houston Rockets organization “has liked him for some time” and would be willing to take a flyer on him. The Charlotte Observer’s Rick Bonnell recently reported that the Dallas Mavericks are also “kicking tires” on Kidd-Gilchrist.

COURTNEY LEE, DALLAS

Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

SALARY: $12,759,670

The reality of the situation is that Courtney Lee was only included in a trade to the Dallas Mavericks for salary-cap filler so that they could land Kristaps Porzingis from the New York Knicks. During his two seasons with the team so far, he has played just 10.9 minutes per game in 33 total appearances. The 6-foot-5 wing has virtually no role on the Mavericks and despite their record being that of a contender thus far, perhaps another team would take a look at what Lee could offer them. The 34-year-old has shot 38.8 percent from three during his career, hitting 1.4 three-pointers per 36 minutes.

JOHN HENSON, DETROIT

Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

SALARY: $9,732,396

The Detroit Pistons had to cut one of the players on their roster after trading away Andre Drummond in a two-for-one deal with the Cleveland Cavaliers. They reportedly opted to go with Tim Frazier rather than Knight or John Henson. This makes sense as Henson may play some of the minutes that Drummond was giving Detroit. He recorded a double-double (10 points and 11 rebounds) in his most recent game for the Cavaliers on February 5 against the Oklahoma City Thunder. That was his first game in the starting lineup since January 5 and just his second time in the first unit all season. More likely than not, though, he will join Thon Maker as backcourt depth in Detroit behind 24-year-old Christian Wood and rookie forward Sekou Doumbouya.

MATTHEW DELLAVEDOVA, CLEVELAND

Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

SALARY: $9,607,500

There is hardly a role for Matthew Dellavedova on the Cleveland Cavaliers. Their team already has three promising young guards selected in the past two NBA drafts in Darius Garland, Collin Sexton and Kevin Porter Jr. and all require playing time for their development. Meanwhile, they recently traded Jordan Clarkson to land the 24-year-old Dante Exum. Dellavedova has not been in an NBA starting lineup since December 23, 2017. Unfortunately, his most valuable skill set (three-point shooting) has taken a major plummet this year. His career mark from downtown (36.7 percent) is suddenly down to an abysmal rate (16.4 percent) so far this season. It dampers any of the market that would have otherwise been interested in signing him.

YOGI FERRELL, SACRAMENTO

Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

SALARY: $3,150,000

Sacramento Kings guard Yogi Ferrell does not make very much money and has a lower salary than anyone else on this list. However, he is playing at a career-low 11.4 minutes per game and was scratched from the lineup in the most recent game for the team. Ferrell is buried in their backcourt rotation behind emerging star De’Aaron Fox and backup point guard Cory Joseph. While there may not be much of a market for the six-foot playmaker, he has averaged 4.0 assists with 2.0 three-pointers and 1.1 steals per 36 minutes in his NBA career. Still only 26 years old, there may be at least one contender that would be willing to give him minutes in their rotation.

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The trade between the Hawks and Timberwolves feels like a rare win-win

Jeff Teague is BYKE.

After every transaction in the NBA there’s always a rush to figure out who won the deal and who got the short end of the stick.

It’s rare that you get a trade that comes through the grapevine and feels like an immediate win for both sides but that’s what this new deal between the Hawks and Timberwolves sending Jeff Teague back to Atlanta feels like.

Once you finish processing the weird four year trade loop with Jeff Teague that was just completed (that takes a while), you realize start to realize that this deal makes a lot of sense on both sides.

Let’s get in to the details. The Hawks are trading Allen Crabbe to the Timberwolves for Jeff Teague and 3-and-D prospect Treveon Graham, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported.

Now, the details.

The Hawks finally have a backup point guard

The Hawks are a bottom feeder even when Trae Young is playing on the court. When he sits, as you can imagine, things really start to go bad.

When Young is on the floor the Hawks have an offensive rating of 108.2. When he sits that number tanks all the way to 90.7, per NBA.com’s stats tool. That’s dreadful.

Teague gives Atlanta a veteran presence at the guard spot behind Young who has shown he can manage, at least, a below average NBA offense.

Plus, they’re getting back a Hawks legend.

The Timberwolves have wiggle room

By moving both Teague and Graham, the Timberwolves just opened up wiggle room to make some sort of trade down the line.

Teague was a fine player in Minnesota, but he didn’t move the needle at point guard. He had a -3.9 net rating in 34 games played in Minnesota this season. It was a move that, from the beginning, didn’t make much sense and never really worked out.

It didn’t cost them anything to move Teague, either. Teague makes $19 million and Crabbe made $18.5 million. Throw in Graham’s small $1.65 million deal and they actually shave a bit of money. Plus, they have another opportunity to upgrade their roster.

Let’s be honest here for a second, though.  The real winners are the rest of us. I think speak for us all when I say I missed the Hawks’ arena announcer yelling Jeff TEAAAAAAGUE every time he scored. The NBA wasn’t right without that. Now it’s back.

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