2019 OFFSEASONEntering the off-season, the Seattle Sonics front office finds themselves at a crossroads.. The team is coming off an abysmal 19 win season, with the #3 and #14 picks on the way. However, they also have an established veteran in C.J. McCollum and ambitions to sign a key free agent or two. Renouncing all free agents will give the team just under $50 million in cap space. Going into the draft, Seattle's depth chart looks like:
PG - S. Gilgeous-Alexander /
M. Teodosic /
W. BaldwinSG - C.J. McCollum / J. Robinson /
T. WallaceSF -
S. Thornwell / D. Gallinari /
J. LaymanPF -
Scott /
Mbah a MouteC -
Gortat /
Marjanovic /
BenderExpiring Contract |
Team OptionGoing into the NBA Draft, most mocks predict the Sonics taking North Carolina forward Nasir Little, but the possibility of moving up has been speculated.
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Sonics Hire Jerry Stackhouse As Head CoachThe Seattle Super Sonics have hired Grizzlies assistant Jerry Stackhouse as their new head coach. Stackhouse, a two-time NBA all-star and 2017 D-League coach of the year, replaces interim coach Sam Cassell. Stackhouse was a top head coaching prospect after his stint with Raptors 905.
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2019 NBA DRAFT1. Boston - PF Zion Williamson (Duke)A no-brainer. Zion has been the consensus top pick for months, and will join an extremely stacked Celtics team as its sixth man.
2. Minnesota - SF Cam Reddish (Duke)Coming off an extremely disappointing season, the Timberwolves surprisingly pass on R.J. Barrett to select his teammate Cam Reddish. He joins Andrew Wiggins and Robert Covington in the wing rotation.
3. Seattle - SF R.J. Barrett (Duke)Duke players go 1, 2 and 3 in the draft as Canadian swingman R.J. Barrett goes to the Sonics. The Sonics were reportedly ecstatic about Barrett falling to them, as they considered moving up to get him. Barrett has been compared to just about every star wing player in the league and was #2 on most big boards.
4. Atlanta - SF Nasir Little (North Carolina)5. Detroit - SG Quentin Grimes (Kansas)Miami trades C Hassan Whiteside to Boston for pick #57I don't know how the Celtics had the cap room to do this, but okay.
6. Orlando - SG Romeo Langford (Indiana)7. Cleveland - SG Keldon Johnson (Kentucky)8. Charlotte - SF Rui Hachimura (Gonzaga)9. Brooklyn - SG Deandre Hunter (Virginia)10. Miami - PF Jontay Porter (Missouri)11. Atlanta - PG Darius Garland (Vanderbilt)12. New Orleans - SF Sekou Doumbouya (France)13. Boston - SG Kris Wilkes (UCLA)14. Seattle - C Daniel Gafford (Arizona)Seattle is happy to take athletic center Daniel Gafford, taking him over the likes of Ja Morant, Bol Bol and Jaylen Hoard. He is a bit of a project, but could pan out well for Seattle.
Gallinari, Jerome Robinson to Pacers for Jon Leuer, Pick 39In a clear salary dump, the Seattle Sonics trade forward Danilo Gallinari and guard Jerome Robinson to the Pacers for Jon Leuer and the 39th pick in the draft. The Sonics clear nearly $14 million in cap space, giving them a second max salary slot. However, they sacrifice recent lottery pick Jerome Robinson, who had a solid rookie season. The Pacers meanwhile add a large expiring contract in Gallinari and a promising young prospect in exchange for an expendable player in Leuer, and a second round draft pick.
39. Seattle - C Wendell Kirkland (Memphis)There is literally nothing on Google about this guy. HIDDEN GEM?
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Sonics Keep Thornwell, Renounce Rest of Free AgentsSecond year swingman Sindarius Thornwell didn't exactly set the world on fire with the Seattle Sonics, averaging 4.5 points per game. He did start 35 of the 58 games he played and shoot an impressive .423% from the field, causing the team to pick up his $1.62M option for the 19-20 season. The same can not be said for Boban Marjanovic, Marcin Gortat, Milos Teodosic, Mike Scott, Luc Mbah a Moute, Wade Baldwin, Tyrone Wallace, Jake Layman or Dragan Bender, who all become unrestricted free agents. I guess going 19-63 will make you let nine of your ten free agents walk! Seattle's depth chart is now as follows:
PG - S. Gilgeous-Alexander
SG - C.J. McCollum
SF - R.J. Barrett [R] / S. Thornwell
PF - J. Leuer
C - D. Gafford [R] / W. Kirkland [R]
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BREAKING: Kevin Durant Signs With SeattleBetter rename them the Seattle Serpents, Seattle has won the Kevin Durant sweepstakes! Durant, who played for Seattle during the 07-08 season before the franchise moved, leaves the Warriors after three controversial seasons in which he won two championships. After blowing a 3-0 lead in the conference semis, Durant jumps ship in what could be a mass exodus with Klay and Cousins also weighing their options. Durant is only signing for one year at a salary of roughly $31 million, putting pressure on the Sonics to do well this season. Reaction to this signing has been mixed, with most fans being relieved to see the Warriors break up but some criticizing Durant for leaving at the first sign of adversity. The Sonics have the cap space to potentially pair him with another superstar as well, with names like Kawhi Leonard, Kemba Walker (not really a superstar) and DeAndre Jordan (definitely not a superstar) being floated.
Sonics Shore Up Frontcourt With Noel, MiroticRather than add another star player, the Sonics opted for a more balanced approach with the signings of Nerlens Noel and Nikola Mirotic. Nerlens Noel, coming off a successful season in OKC signs for two years and $19 million, giving the team a rim protecting presence, albeit with limited offense and some personality concerns. The sharpshooting big man Mirotic signs for 3 years and $30 million, a smaller deal than many expected, but understandable due to his age (28) and subpar defense. Seattle is expected to start Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, C.J. McCollum, Kevin Durant, Mirotic and Noel with rookie R.J. Barrett coming off the bench.
Seattle Bolsters Bench, Sign Four PlayersFormer Warriors point guard Quinn Cook reunites with Kevin Durant, signing a two-year, $8M deal with Seattle. The Sonics also sign swingman Pat Connaughton, guard Derrick White and veteran Jerryd Bayless to minimum contracts. With these moves, the Sonics appear to be done wheeling and dealing for the Summer. Just three players (C.J. McCollum, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Sindarius Thornwell) return from last season. Their projected depth chart is as follows:
PG - S. Gilgeous-Alexander / Q. Cook / D. White
SG - C.J. McCollum / P. Connaughton / J. Bayless
SF - K. Durant / R.J. Barrett [R] / S. Thornwell
PF - N. Mirotic / J. Leuer
C - N. Noel / D. Gafford [R] / W. Kirkland [R]----------
KAWHI SIGNS WITH LAKERSWell, it finally happened... Kawhi Leonard is a Laker. The Lakers became the favorite to sign Leonard after the Clippers left Los Angeles and the Raptors flamed out in the playoffs once again. The silent superstar joins a Lakers team headlined by LeBron James. With Leonard in tow, the Lakers likely become favorites to win the title next season.
KLAY THOMPSON SIGNS WITH RAPTORSChina Klay ---> Canada Klay! After losing Kawhi Leonard, the Raptors saved face by signing Klay Thompson to a four year max deal. Thompson won three championships and made four all-star teams as a member of the Warriors and will finally get the chance to be the face of a franchise.
WARRIORS KEEP COUSINSLosing out on Klay and Durant gave the Warriors the cap room to re-sign DeMarcus Cousins to a four year, max deal. Cousins averaged 23 points and 12 rebounds last season, exceeding expectations on a team that was otherwise disappointing across the board. Golden State now restructures their team around their big three of Cousins, Steph Curry and Draymond Green.
JIMMY BUTLER STAYS IN PHILLYJimmy Butler got his max extension, signing a five year to remain with the 76ers for the rest of his prime, and then some.. The move is risky for the Sixers, who will soon need to extend Ben Simmons, but is one which makes them title contenders for the foreseeable future.
KYRIE RE-SIGNS WITH BOSTONThe Boston Celtics say luxury tax be damned. After re-signing Terry Rozier and trading for Hassan Whiteside, the Celtics re-signed Kyrie Irving to a five year, max salary contract. The Celtics continue to improve on a team that made the finals last season but will have over $180M in salary on the books this upcoming season. Bold.
KEMBA STAYS WITH CHARLOTTEKemba Walker signs a 5 year, $144M deal to remain with the Charlotte Hornets. Walker takes slightly less than the max to stay on a team with little title aspirations. However, Walker is beloved in Charlotte and is undoubtedly the top dog on a middle of the road team.
D'ANGELO RUSSELL SIGNS WITH THE KNICKSAfter a career year in which he averaged 19 points per game, D'Angelo Russell leaves the Nets for the other New York team. Russell's three year, max offer sheet was surprisingly not matched by the Nets, a team infamous for signing other team's players to bloated offer sheets. Russell joins a Knicks team coming off a surprising playoff appearance.
NETS GO ALL IN ON PLAYOFFS, SIGN VUCEVIC AND MIDDLETONThe Brooklyn Nets apparently had enough with this rebuilding nonsense, signing veterans Khris Middleton and Nikola Vucevic to multi-year deals. Middleton, a beloved Milwaukee swingman, signs a 4 year, $90M deal, while Magic center Vucevic signs for 3 years and $61M. While both players are good (Vucevic coming off his first all-star appearance), neither are considered elite players, and play the same positions as Caris LaVert and Jarrett Allen, respectively.
Other Noteworthy SigningsSuns re-sign PF Tobias Harris4 years, $66M
Wizards re-sign C Dwight Howard4 years, $72M
Bulls re-sign SF Jabari Parker3 years, $59M
Bulls sign PG Derrick Rose2 years, $10M
Celtics re-sign PG Terry Rozier3 years, $43M
Magic sign PG Eric Bledsoe3 years, $38M
Warriors sign SG J.J. Redick2 years, $18M
Warriors sign PF Trey Lyles3 years, $27M
Bucks sign PG Spencer Dinwiddie3 years, $28M
Hawks sign C Jordan Bell3 years, $38M
Jazz sign C Enes Kanter3 years, $30M
Timberwolves sign PG Isaiah Thomas3 years, $27M
Sixers sign PG Rajon Rondo3 years, $24M