Tag: Dante Exum

Rockets guard Dante Exum named to Australia’s Olympic team

Exum, who missed most of the season due to injury, is the only member of Houston’s final roster who is slated to play in the 2021 Olympics.

Rockets guard and veteran defensive ace Dante Exum is among six NBA players who will play for the Australia men’s basketball team during the upcoming 2021 Olympics. As of now, Exum is the only member of Houston’s 2020-21 roster who is slated to play in Tokyo.

It will be the first Olympics appearance for Exum, who turns 26 years old later this month. Though Exum has been a part of Houston’s roster since January, he did not play in any games for the Rockets due to a calf injury. It does not seem that the injury will compromise his availability in 2021-22, since he is medically cleared for the Olympics.

It appears that Exum will be the only representation from Houston’s 2020-21 roster in Tokyo. Kelly Olynyk did not play in Canada’s recent qualifying tournament, presumably due to his pending free agency, and Canada ultimately did not qualify for the Olympics. The final U.S. team does not include any player with ties to the Rockets.

As for Exum, he was acquired by the Rockets in January as part of the complicated four-team blockbuster trade that sent James Harden to Brooklyn. Considering Houston’s sudden status as a rebuilding team, it always seemed more likely that Exum’s inclusion in the trade was for salary reasons — both to provide salary cap flexibility in the form of an expiring contract, as well as to potentially use Exum’s in-season salary ($9.6 million) or offseason Bird rights for trade filler purposes.

Despite his health issues, though, it’s worth noting that Houston did not release Exum — even when a barrage of injuries forced them to free up roster spots on several occasions late in the season. Many of those decisions to release players came after the March 25 trade deadline, so it wasn’t as if general manager Rafael Stone was hoping for an in-season exchange. That could signal an openness to keeping Exum around, or at least attempting to use his Bird rights to facilitate a sign-and-trade.

The Olympics men’s basketball competition takes place from July 25 through August 7. With NBA free agency set to begin in the first week of August, it could provide an opportunity for teams to gauge Exum’s health and form prior to making any decisions about a contract offer.

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Outlook: Offseason projections for 2020-21 Houston Rockets roster

With the 2020-21 regular season in the books, we look back at the performances of Houston’s roster and rank the likeliest to return.

For the first time in nearly 40 years, the Houston Rockets finished an NBA regular season with the league’s worst record in 2020-21. But that doesn’t mean the year was devoid of bright spots to build around.

Young center Christian Wood earned all-star consideration prior to a severe ankle sprain, and veteran point guard John Wall showed flashes of the form that made him a five-time All-Star earlier in his career. Prospects such as Jae’Sean Tate, Kevin Porter Jr. and KJ Martin burst onto the scene, punctuated by Porter’s historic game (50 points, 11 assists) in a feel-good victory over Milwaukee in late April. Porter, Tate, Martin and Wood were identified as the team’s “young core” to build around.

Veteran big man Kelly Olynyk also made quite an impression around Toyota Center by posting some of the best numbers of his career after his acquisition by Houston at the March 25 trade deadline.

Yet, the status of the franchise’s roster entering the 2021-22 season remains very much in flux. Given Houston’s newfound rebuilding state, general manager Rafael Stone is likely to leave no stone unturned (pardon the pun) in searching for free agency or trade upgrades and potential paths to acquiring another superstar talent — similar to what they had in James Harden, prior to Harden’s forced departure in January.

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There are also complicated decisions to be made involving free agents. For example, if Olynyk wants to stay, Houston has the financial means (Bird rights) to offer whatever it takes to get a deal done. But will he accept the type of proposal that could maintain financial flexibility for Stone to pursue better players in future offseasons? After all, while Olynyk was a good player with the Rockets, he’s certainly not a star.

With those types of considerations in mind, we’re ranking the team’s final 2020-21 roster by likelihood of returning — with categories of very likely, more likely than not, questionable and doubtful. Given Houston’s rebuilding state, it would be silly to call anything 100 percent or zero.

Keep in mind that there aren’t unlimited roster spots. For example, if Houston uses all three of its current 2021 first-round draft picks on players who are immediately available to play, that could require opening three roster spots by this fall. Similarly, any signing of an external free agent in August could take away a roster spot from a 2020-21 player.

Read on to see our tiers, with links to each individual player’s personal profiles and the factors likely to be considered.

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Rockets hopeful of Dante Exum return in second half of season

Largely for salary reasons, Exum was acquired by Houston as part of the blockbuster trade involving James Harden and Victor Oladipo.

Newly acquired guard Dante Exum remains sidelined indefinitely with a high-grade calf strain suffered in early January, according to Houston Rockets coach Stephen Silas. The initial prognosis was for Exum to miss up to two months, and it seems it could be even more than that.

Exum, who is making $9.6 million this season on an expiring contract, was acquired largely for salary reasons as part of January’s blockbuster trade headlined by James Harden, Victor Oladipo, and Caris LeVert.

Nonetheless, the No. 5 overall pick from the 2014 NBA draft is still only 25 years old, and he’s become known over the years as a valuable perimeter defender. Thus, if he can get healthy, he could be a contributor in Houston. Over portions of six NBA seasons, the 6-foot-5 guard has averaged 5.7 points and 2.1 assists in 18.6 minutes per game.

When asked about Exum before Sunday’s game, Silas said:

His prognosis is getting better. I believe he’s still in the (walking) boot, if I’m not mistaken.

It’s hard for him. He’s kind of on an island. He’s in on some of our film sessions, he’s doing his recovery and rehab, and all of that. But he was traded here injured, and hasn’t really gotten a chance to be part of the group, which is unfortunate for him. When all of that stuff (winter storm) was happening in Houston, we were on the road and he was here. He didn’t have water and electricity. That’s not a great thing for one of your players.

He’s coming along slowly. I don’t really have a timetable, as far as when after the All-Star break that he will be available. But when he is available, we’ll definitely welcome him with open arms. Not only the basketball part, but also the teammate part.

Whenever Exum is able to return to the team in the second half of the season, he could figure into Houston’s guard rotation behind established veterans John Wall, Eric Gordon and Oladipo. Then again, thanks to Exum’s expiring salary, he may also be a candidate to be dealt again before the NBA’s March 25 trade deadline — should that salary figure be needed to help make the salary-cap math work on a potential deal.

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Rockets hopeful of Dante Exum return in second half of season

Largely for salary reasons, Exum was acquired by Houston as part of the blockbuster trade involving James Harden and Victor Oladipo.

Newly acquired guard Dante Exum remains sidelined indefinitely with a high-grade calf strain suffered in early January, according to Houston Rockets coach Stephen Silas. The initial prognosis was for Exum to miss up to two months, and it seems it could be even more than that.

Exum, who is making $9.6 million this season on an expiring contract, was acquired largely for salary reasons as part of January’s blockbuster trade headlined by James Harden, Victor Oladipo, and Caris LeVert.

Nonetheless, the No. 5 overall pick from the 2014 NBA draft is still only 25 years old, and he’s become known over the years as a valuable perimeter defender. Thus, if he can get healthy, he could be a contributor in Houston. Over portions of six NBA seasons, the 6-foot-5 guard has averaged 5.7 points and 2.1 assists in 18.6 minutes per game.

When asked about Exum before Sunday’s game, Silas said:

His prognosis is getting better. I believe he’s still in the (walking) boot, if I’m not mistaken.

It’s hard for him. He’s kind of on an island. He’s in on some of our film sessions, he’s doing his recovery and rehab, and all of that. But he was traded here injured, and hasn’t really gotten a chance to be part of the group, which is unfortunate for him. When all of that stuff (winter storm) was happening in Houston, we were on the road and he was here. He didn’t have water and electricity. That’s not a great thing for one of your players.

He’s coming along slowly. I don’t really have a timetable, as far as when after the All-Star break that he will be available. But when he is available, we’ll definitely welcome him with open arms. Not only the basketball part, but also the teammate part.

Whenever Exum is able to return to the team in the second half of the season, he could figure into Houston’s guard rotation behind established veterans John Wall, Eric Gordon and Oladipo. Then again, thanks to Exum’s expiring salary, he may also be a candidate to be dealt again before the NBA’s March 25 trade deadline — should that salary figure be needed to help make the salary-cap math work on a potential deal.

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Victor Oladipo joins Rockets on road trip as trade becomes official

Oladipo was not active for Saturday’s game in San Antonio, but he could make his Houston debut on Monday night in Chicago.

The Houston Rockets announced Saturday that their original three-team trade with Brooklyn and Cleveland (centered around James Harden) was amended into a four-team trade involving Indiana. With that revision, two-time All-Star guard Victor Oladipo is officially a Rocket, along with guard Dante Exum and forward Rodions Kurucs.

Originally, the plan was for two separate trades, with the Rockets taking Exum, Kurucs, Caris LeVert, and draft considerations from Brooklyn and Cleveland before flipping LeVert (and a future second-round draft pick) to Indiana in a separate deal for Oladipo. By taking in LeVert, rather than Oladipo, in the Harden trade, Houston would have generated a slightly larger Traded Player Exception (TPE) for future use.

However, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic, Indiana took issue with something found in LeVert’s physical. To compensate for this, Brooklyn is sending them an extra second-round pick and cash considerations, which required Indiana’s inclusion in the original trade.

Houston did not have any cash to offer, since the Rockets already spent their full allotment for the 2020-21 league year as part of the offseason sign-and-trade arranagement with Detroit for Christian Wood. Also, the Rockets may have prioritized a future second-round pick over the slightly larger TPE, since many TPEs expire without being used.

With the revision, Houston’s TPE is worth approximately $10.65 million, as opposed to $15.45 million under the original construction of two separate trades. The TPE allows the Rockets to take in a salary of up to that amount in trades for up to one year without being subject to the NBA’s usual salary-matching rules (for teams above the salary cap).

In a picture shared on the team’s social media channels, Oladipo was seen joining his new Houston teammates in San Antonio. From the press release, here’s how the Rockets describe his NBA career:

Oladipo (6-4, 210) is in his eighth season and is a two-time All-Star.  In 430 career games with 370 starts, he is averaging 17.4 points, 4.6 rebounds, 3.9 assists, and 1.7 steals.  Over the past three seasons, he was the only player to have averaged at least 20.0 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 4.0 rpg, and 1.90 spg.  In 2017-18, Oladipo was named Most Improved Player, All-NBA Third Team, and All-Defensive First Team.

Oladipo was not activated in time for Saturday’s game, while Kurucs was. However, Houston coach Stephen Silas said pregame that he anticipated having more roster reinforcements by Monday’s game in Chicago, and presumably that would include Oladipo — who is not injured.

In what should be Oladipo’s debut, Monday’s tipoff between the Rockets and Bulls from United Center is set for 7:00 p.m. Central. Oladipo should start at shooting guard as the lineup replacement for Harden.

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Here is the projected rotation for the Rockets after trading James Harden

The Houston Rockets traded away 2018 NBA MVP James Harden in a blockbuster deal. But what will the new version of this team look like?

The Houston Rockets traded away 2018 NBA MVP James Harden in a blockbuster deal. But what will the new version of this team look like?

Under first-year head coach Stephen Silas, Houston will run their offense through John Wall and Christian Wood. They will also incorporate two-time NBA All-Star Victor Oladipo, who was acquired from the Indiana Pacers in the deal as well.

Overall, this move was more focused on the future than the present, as the Rockets landed a total of four unprotected first-rounders and four unprotected pick swaps.

There were also immediate financial implications considering, as noted by our own Yossi Gozlan, Houston went from $5.2 million over the luxury tax to $3.7 million under the tax. Houston can also generate a traded player exception worth $10.7 million if they want to continue tweaking this roster, per Gozlan.

Below, however, as what the rotation looks like for the Rockets after trading away their longtime superstar:

Here is the projected rotation for the Rockets after trading James Harden

The Houston Rockets traded away 2018 NBA MVP James Harden in a blockbuster deal. But what will the new version of this team look like?

The Houston Rockets traded away 2018 NBA MVP James Harden in a blockbuster deal. But what will the new version of this team look like?

Under first-year head coach Stephen Silas, Houston will run their offense through John Wall and Christian Wood. They will also incorporate two-time NBA All-Star Victor Oladipo, who was acquired from the Indiana Pacers in the deal as well.

Overall, this move was more focused on the future than the present, as the Rockets landed a total of four unprotected first-rounders and four unprotected pick swaps.

There were also immediate financial implications considering, as noted by our own Yossi Gozlan, Houston went from $5.2 million over the luxury tax to $3.7 million under the tax. Houston can also generate a traded player exception worth $10.7 million if they want to continue tweaking this roster, per Gozlan.

Below, however, as what the rotation looks like for the Rockets after trading away their longtime superstar:

James Harden trade: Grading all four teams in the blockbuster NBA deal

WOW.

Welp. It finally happened. James Harden is officially a Brooklyn Net.

We all knew this was coming sooner rather than later after Harden’s incendiary press conference from Tuesday night where he called out his teammate’s lack of talent.

But no one knew that the deal would be this bonkers. It took doing a four team deal with a whole bunch of draft picks changing hands and going to Houston for it to happen, but the deal is done, according to The Athletic’s Shams Charania.

The details are wild. The Rockets traded Harden and got back Brooklyn’s entire draft for potentially the next six years.

And all of the picks are unprotected.

Whew. That’s done. You know what’s next: Trade grades. Let’s jump into them.

Rockets trade James Harden to Brooklyn in deal landing Victor Oladipo, draft assets

The Rockets are getting two-time All-Star Victor Oladipo and significant future draft compensation in the trade sending Harden to Brooklyn.

One night after his brutal postgame remarks, the Houston Rockets are granting James Harden’s original wish of a trade to the Brooklyn Nets to join forces with close friend and former teammate Kevin Durant.

In a four-team trade involving the Nets, Cleveland Cavaliers, and Indiana Pacers, the biggest motivation for the Rockets is the four future first-round draft picks and four pick-swap rights that they are receiving (all unprotected). Those picks are Brooklyn’s first-round selections in 2022, 2024, and 2026; pick-swap rights from the Nets for 2021, 2023, 2025, and 2027; and a 2022 first-round pick from Milwaukee (via Cleveland).

To absorb Harden’s $41.3-million contract, the Nets had to send out significant salaries (Caris LeVert, Jarrett Allen, and Taurean Prince) to make the deal permissible under the NBA’s collective bargaining agreement. However, the Rockets are not actually taking in any of those three players. Houston is redirecting Allen and Prince to Cleveland for Milwaukee’s draft pick and defensive-minded guard Dante Exum, presumably as salary filler at $9.6 million on an expiring contract.

The Rockets are also moving Levert to the Pacers for Oladipo, a two-time All-Star in 2018 and 2019. A versatile 6-foot-4 guard, Oladipo is averaging 20.0 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 4.2 assists in 33.3 minutes per game this season, but he’s set to become a free agent this summer — which likely played a role in Indiana’s willingness to move him.

It isn’t yet clear if the Rockets have had discussions with Oladipo’s representatives about a potential extension, but for now, he should slide into Harden’s spot as the starting shooting guard next to John Wall.

The Rockets had said they wanted significant draft compensation and a “young franchise cornerstone” in any deal involving Harden, a perennial All-Star and MVP finalist, and it could be argued that they received it in this trade. At 28 years old, Oladipo is several years younger than the 31-year-old Harden, and the four unprotected future first-round picks and pick-swap rights are a significant haul for new GM Rafael Stone.

The Nets also sent Rodions Kurucs, a second-round pick in the 2018 NBA draft, to Houston as part of the massive transaction. In three NBA seasons, the lanky 6-foot-9 forward from Latvia has averaged 6.5 points (44.8% FG) and 3.4 rebounds in 17.3 minutes per game.

It’s unclear when Oladipo, Kurucs, and Exum will be cleared to play for the Rockets, since the presence of four teams in the transaction will require a significant amount of physicals to be passed.

For the Rockets, though, it’s the end of an era — with Thursday’s game versus San Antonio representing the first time since April 2012 that Houston has played in the regular season without Harden on its roster.

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Analyzing fit of Jordan Clarkson on Jazz after trade from Cavaliers

The Utah Jazz acquired Jordan Clarkson via trade from the Cleveland Cavaliers on December 23. He made his debut with them on Thursday night.

The Utah Jazz acquired Jordan Clarkson via trade from the Cleveland Cavaliers on December 23. He made his debut with them on Thursday night.

The main reason for the move is that the Jazz have an anemic offense when Donovan Mitchell is not on the court. Their offensive rating in these minutes (100.4) has been far below the league average (109.1) so far this season. Cleveland, meanwhile, had scored well (110.5) with Clarkson in December. He has long shown he is capable of massive scoring eruptions any given night.

Dennis Lindsey, Utah’s executive vice president of basketball operations, spoke about Clarkson before his debut with the Jazz (via Deseret.com):

“There was a little bit of a duh-factor being 28th in bench scoring. We needed to add someone that could just go and get a shot … He was a player that Quin asked me about this summer so it’s not the first conversation we’ve had about him.”

During his first game for the franchise, he showcased his ability to get a quick bucket off the bench. He scored nine points in his first nine minutes with the new squad.

He was held scoreless for the remainder of the game as the Jazz, though. The beginning of the match showed why the team was willing to move on from a former lottery pick in Dante Exum. The latter half showed why both the Los Angeles Lakers and the Cleveland Cavaliers have been so willing to move on from him via trade as too often he can vanish.

While he has shown he can play one-through-three, the 27-yar-old has spent 86 percent of his minutes as the shooting guard this season. That will be his primary position, though his experience as a point guard and small forward will make him valuable as veteran Mike Conley recovers from a hamstring issue over the next few weeks.

He was able to slide into the three alongside Mitchell as well as Emmanuel Mudiay in the backcourt. However, he spent a few possessions as the point with Mitchell and Joe Ingles on the wing.

But more likely than not, his primary role (once Conley returns from his injury) will be as a scoring sparkplug during minutes without Mitchell. This is mostly because he’s a high-usage, ball-dominant player that requires the rock to make his biggest impact. The 6-foot-5 guard has averaged 59.7 touches per 36 minutes during his professional career, indicating it will be hard for him to do much while Mitchell is on the court.

Meanwhile, one of the other advantages of his addition is that it allows Royce O’Neale to play his natural position as their backup small forward. O’Neale has spent 57 percent of his minutes in 2019-20 at shooting guard out of necessity, though it has not been his best position.

According to Cleaning the Glass, for example, the Jazz have been outscored by 1.0 point per 100 possessions when O’Neale has played the two. But they have outscored their opponents by 14.4 points per 100 when he has played at the three.

During his debut, the guard was actually held scoreless on catch-and-shoot opportunities. This is another way he can surely make a difference for his new offense once he gets more in rhythm.

Only five teams have taken fewer catch-and-shoot three-pointers per game than Utah (20.8) so far this season. But the Jazz lead the NBA in three-point percentage (42.4 percent) on these attempts.

Clarkson is currently shooting 39-for-93 (41.9 percent) on three-pointers off the catch. Considering how well Utah has been on these attempts, they will have another weapon in the arsenal with Clarkson as a viable option on their team.

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