15 Biggest Storylines to Watch During 2015-16 NBA Training Camp
Cue the confetti. Turn up the cheesy, secretly catchy dance music. Start tweeting like you mean it again. The NBA offseason is coming to an end. Training camps are opening for business.
You've made it. We've made it. Our reward for surviving the summer: celebrating offseason's end with NBA story time.
These aren't your normal "Once upon a time, there was a fun-loving alien cyborg named Anthony Davis" fairy tales. They're pressing matters that deserve our attention now, before the regular season even tips off.
Contract limbos, depth-chart issues, position battles, injuries and unresolved rumors are all fair game. Just remember that, while many of these real-life plots will carry over into the new campaign, we are not after regular season-specific scoops.
Worrying about whether the Golden State Warriors can relive their 67-win fantasy from 2014-15 is for another day. Davis' continued ascension through the superstar ranks and into LeBron James' best-player throne in the sky is, for now, of little concern. We'll leave forecasting the MVP race to future us.
Instead, we're focusing on the questions and storylines that will seize training-camp headlines and need some type of resolution before opening night.
Tristan Thompson's Contractual Tango with Cleveland
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Tristan Thompson's restricted free agency hasn't gone according to plan. He and the Cleveland Cavaliers are at an impasse, and the prospect of Thompson signing his qualifying offer and playing out next season amid mass speculation has never been more real.
According to ESPN.com's Brian Windhorst, the Cavaliers are holding "firm" with a five-year, $80 million offer. Thompson is looking for a max deal worth around $94 million, putting the two sides nearly $15 million apart, with no resolution in sight.
If Thompson and the Cavaliers cannot hammer out a long-term pact by the Oct. 1 deadline, the 24-year-old is, per Windhorst, expected to leave Cleveland as an unrestricted free agent next summer. And that's hardly ideal, not just because his inevitable departure will be a months-long distraction, but because the Cavaliers cannot spend the money they have earmarked for him on anyone else.
At the same time, bending to Thompson's contract demands will be costly. Handing him a max deal that starts at roughly $16.4 million in 2015-16 would bring the Cavaliers' payroll north of $111 million, leaving them with a luxury-tax bill of more than $70 million.
Then again, trying to out-negotiate Thompson, even if it means reaching the point of no return, is not a decision Cleveland can take lightly. Thompson's agent, Rich Paul, is also James' agent—the same James who, per ESPN.com's Dave McMenamin, is on the record as saying Thompson "should probably be a Cavalier his entire career."
And yet, on the flip side once more, James hasn't tried to exert his influence over Cleveland's front office beyond that public support. A source told Joe Vardon of Northeast Ohio Media Group that Thompson's contract talks, or lack thereof, are a non-issue for the Cavaliers frontman.
Maybe that changes as the Oct. 1 deadline nears. Maybe the Cavaliers give in to Thompson. Maybe it's the other way around.
Or maybe nothing happens at all, paving the way for everything to unravel in 2016.
Markieff Morris, the Phoenix Suns, Silent Treatment and You
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Nothing has changed on the Markieff Morris front—which is to say, training camp should be awkward.
Incensed by the Phoenix Suns' decision to send his brother, Marcus Morris, to the Detroit Pistons, Markieff is still looking for a trade, according to AZCentral.com's Paul Coro. But the Suns have no plans to move him and are instead going out of their way to compliment the disgruntled forward.
"Markieff is a great competitor," Suns coach Jeff Hornacek told SiriusXM radio. "He's going to get out there with his teammates and just play."
That's the assumption anyway. It's always the assumption.
Players do not, as Tyson Chandler, Morris' new teammate, told Coro, play for the owners and general manager. They play for each other.
"It's not about them," Chandler said. "That's no offense to Ryan [McDonough], the GM, or the owner. Players play for players and the coaches. You've got a bond. Management has nothing to do with anything that goes on when you're on the court."
Morris doesn't exactly have a choice in the matter. He's under contract for the next four years, and his trade value has likely plummeted amid these very public, supremely unflattering proceedings. It's easier for him to just play and hope his demands are met down the road.
Still, this is the same Morris who tweeted, "My future will not be in Phoenix." There's no use trying to predict what happens between now and opening night.
Boston's Everywhere Logjam
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I know it. You know it. Your neighbor's cat's kittens know it. The Boston Celtics themselves know it: There are logjams everywhere in Beantown.
"I think that's going to be a challenge for our coaching staff," team president Danny Ainge said, per the Boston Globe's Adam Himmelsbach. "You'll probably see a lot of different combinations through training camp scrimmages and in exhibition games and see who plays best together."
That's front office-speak for "Coach Brad Stevens better know how to simultaneously solve two Rubik's Cubes while riding a unicycle blindfolded."
Twenty players make up the Celtics' employee dossier. Sixteen of them are on guaranteed deals. Training camp and preseason cuts will trim some of the fat off their roster's spare tire, but that alone won't fully address a universally overcrowded depth chart.
Marcus Smart, Isaiah Thomas, Avery Bradley and James Young all need playing time in the backcourt. Rookies Terry Rozier and R.J Hunter must be considered as well.
There's even more to deal with on the front line, where the Celtics have no less than seven players who should see time at the 4 and 5: Jared Sullinger, Amir Johnson, Tyler Zeller, David Lee, Kelly Olynyk, Jonas Jerebko and Perry Jones III. And this is before considering that, at 6'7", Jae Crowder has the build and skill set of a combo forward who should get reps at power forward himself.
So, to sum up: Sheesh.
Boston has some experimenting to do.
Dallas' Boston-Shaming Frontcourt Logjam
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After losing DeAndre Jordan to a potent case of "I really want to be Cole Aldrich's teammate," the Dallas Mavericks responded the only way they could: by binge-acquiring bigs.
Seriously, the Celtics look shallow up front compared to what's happening in Dallas. The Mavericks have roughly 12,639 power forwards and centers entering training camp: Dirk Nowitzki, JaVale McGee, Zaza Pachulia, Dwight Powell, Maurice Ndour, Brandon Ashley, Charlie Villanueva, Samuel Dalembert, Jarrid Famous and Salah Mejri.
Throw Chandler Parsons and Jeremy Evans into that mess, too. They're listed as small forwards but should really be stretch 4s in today's league.
Some of these players are on non-guaranteed deals and easy to dump. McGee and Parsons also won't be cleared to start training camp, according to ESPN.com's Tim MacMahon. And with Chandler in Phoenix, the Mavericks need big bodies.
It's just that, you know, they have a lot of big bodies—enough to suggest their frontcourt rotation will remain in flux not just now but all season.
Anthony Bennett's Future
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Anthony Bennett, the No. 1 pick in 2013, is in the market for another team—his third.
Bennett was waived by the Minnesota Timberwolves, per a team announcement, further complicating what has already been a complicated career.
Not only has Bennett missed at least 25 games in each of his first two seasons, but he's struggled to earn playing time even when healthy. He has never come close to posting an above-average player efficiency rating, and at 6'8", with virtually no three-point touch to speak of (20-of-76 in his career), Bennett has no clear future at either of the two forward spots.
Two seasons of limited basketball isn't typically enough for a top pick to secure "bust" status. But Bennett's career is no doubt on the line as he looks to his next team.
Multiple squads are already registering interest, according to Sam Amico of Amico Hoops. If and when he clears waivers, there will be some team waiting to pounce in hopes Bennett soon actualizes his offensive potential.
Until then, and until his role in the new digs becomes clear, Bennett will continue to toe the line between legitimate prospect and potential lost cause.
Kristaps Porzingis' Aversion to Shawn Bradley
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In the penultimate installment of Charley Rosen's "The Phil Files" for ESPN.com, New York Knicks president Phil Jackson compared rookie Kristaps Porzingis to...Shawn Bradley.
This did not fly with Porzingis—who, according to the New York Daily News' Stefan Bondy, would like you to stop calling him "Zinger." (No word yet on whether "Porkfingers" is OK.)
"That fired me up," Porzingis said of Jackson's reference, per ESPN.com's Ian Begley. "I'm like, 'I'm not Shawn Bradley, you know?'"
Oh, we know. What we don't know is why Bradley checks in as an undesirable comparison. The 7'6" giant led the NBA in block percentage six times over a seven-year span. While a specialist at heart, Bradley is not Kwame Brown. Zing—um, I mean, Porzingis needn't fret over the comparison.
Not that he's truly insulted. He's just supposed to have a more expansive skill set.
Porzingis projects as that rare floor-spacing juggernaut who also blocks shots and protects the rim. That combination repertoire was never Bradley's calling card; he made just four three-pointers his entire career. Porzingis is striving to emulate someone else entirely.
Think along the lines of Serge Ibaka. Or the three-point-chucking Anthony Davis of three months from now. They should be Porzingis' unofficial role models. Their career arcs—those of superstars—should be the standard he aspires to match.
And in order to do so, he must leave the (admittedly random) Bradley parallel behind.
Houston's Starting Point Guard Situation
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Ty Lawson has been a full-time starter for almost a half-decade. He ranked fourth in assist percentage last season. At his best, he's a fringe All-Star, someone around whom coaches can construct a dangerous offense.
None of that, though, is enough to guarantee Lawson a spot in the Houston Rockets' starting lineup. Patrick Beverley is still firmly in the mix to start alongside Harden, and head coach Kevin McHale isn't tipping his hand—assuming he's holding one.
"They'll determine that," he said of the starting point guard situation, per the Houston Chronicle's Jonathan Feigen. "We'll find out. Can we play them together? Maybe. We'll put them out there. We had 28 days of camp. We'll decide who will get the lion's share of the minutes. One will and one will be a backup."
As the flashier offensive player, Lawson would seem like the obvious choice. He is the complementary playmaker Harden hasn't enjoyed since arriving in Houston and will earn almost twice as much as Beverley.
But Harden and Lawson are both ball-dominant guards. One will have to play off the rock for them to successfully coexist, and that requires a drastic shift in play style—especially for Lawson.
Harden has extensive experience functioning as an off-ball weapon from his time with the Oklahoma City Thunder. Even last season, when he was the Rockets' lone reliable ball-handler, Harden still fired away off the catch more than Lawson.
Moving Lawson to the bench could simplify his transition. He can direct the offense for Houston's second unit and play beside Harden sparingly. Beverley, meanwhile, gets to retain his role as a defensive specialist without the burden of quarterbacking the second unit's scoring attack.
Of course, if this decision were that easy, McHale would have made it already. And while this, in theory, is a good problem to have, it's still a problem.
Jamal Crawford's Role with the Clippers
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When it looked like Jordan would bolt for Dallas, the Los Angeles Clippers began using the 35-year-old Jamal Crawford as starting-center bait in trade talks, according to Basketball Insiders' Alex Kennedy. That chatter has since ebbed into extinction, with head coach Doc Rivers attempting to kill it entirely.
"Jamal's a Clipper," he said, per Dan Woike of the Orange Country Register, "and I'd be very surprised if he's not a Clipper at season's end."
Let's completely disregard everything we know about the NBA and assume Crawford remains in Clippers red through 2015-16. What does he mean to them now, on the heels of a roster-retooling offseason?
The Clippers no longer need Crawford to serve as quasi-backup to Chris Paul. They retained Austin Rivers and picked up Pablo "I pass up open shots and I'm not sorry" Prigioni.
Adding Wesley Johnson, Paul Pierce and Lance Stephenson leaves the Clippers stacked on the wings. The latter two can be secondary playmakers, while Johnson and Stephenson are stark defensive upgrades at the 2 and 3 slots.
With the sharpshooting J.J. Redick and his GQ haircut also still in town, Crawford doesn't have a clear purpose. Does Rivers pull a rabbit out of his hat and find him one? Will he just chain the volume-shooting veteran, who hasn't averaged fewer than 25 minutes per game in more than a decade, to the bench?
Might the rumor mill start churning out speculation regularly again?
All this, and more, will have to be determined at some point—preferably before opening night.
Miami's Search for Stability
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Theoretically, the Miami Heat should be Eastern Conference contenders. Because, theoretically, they have one of the most intimidating starting fives in the league. And, theoretically, their bench is restocked enough to spell that starting five without implosive consequences.
Unfortunately for the Heat, everything about their championship ceiling is merely theoretical. A starting lineup of Chris Bosh, Luol Deng, Goran Dragic, Dwyane Wade and Hassan Whiteside is absolutely terrifying on paper. But paper appeal is all it has, since this five-man combination has never played together.
As for the ones who have experience together, the results are lukewarm, if unimpressive.
Deng, Dragic, Wade and Whiteside made up Miami's most-used four-man combination last season. And in the 329 minutes of court time they saw together, the Heat were outscored by 5.8 points per 100 possessions—a net rating worse than that of the 25-win Orlando Magic.
Bosh, Deng, Wade and Whiteside were a monstrous plus when sharing the floor, but their sample size didn't even equate to a full game (44 minutes). They lay the groundwork for conservative optimism at best.
Miami isn't exactly young, either. Wade will turn 34 in January and has missed at least 13 games in each of the last four seasons. Bosh is on the wrong side of 30 and working his way back from a blood clot in his left lung.
Dragic will turn 30 in May. Deng is 30 and has more than 27,500 playoff and regular-season minutes on his treads. Amar'e Stoudemire will be 33 in November and has missed at least 17 contests through every season since 2010-11.
At 26, Whiteside is no baby. He's a veteran with rookie-level exposure. He has just 67 NBA tilts under his belt, and last season's Cinderella story didn't even span 50 games. Right now, his importance to the Heat belies his experience.
Theoretically, that shouldn't derail Miami's imminent hopes. Because, theoretically, they have enough talent to not just survive, but thrive.
In reality, though, they have enough question marks to be an unknown—a collective maybe that, after luxury taxes, will cost the Heat more than $100 million to deploy.
Kobe Bryant's Purpose with the Lakers
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Kobe Bryant is gearing up for a 20th go-round in 2015-16, and, well, we have no idea what to expect.
The 37-year-old has appeared in just 41 games since rupturing his Achilles tendon in April 2013. League sources told Bleacher Report's Kevin Ding that Bryant has been "medically cleared for all basketball activities," but he's returning to a Los Angeles Lakers team with both eyes on the post-Kobe era.
It's not going to be like last season, when Bryant posted the fourth-highest usage rate of his career through 35 contests. Sophomore Jordan Clarkson and rookie D'Angelo Russell, both guards, must be given a chance to run the offense. The Lakers have to see what they have in Julius Randle, who is set to return from a broken leg. Lou Williams and Marcelo Huertas, also guards, are in Hollywood for a reason.
Furthermore, head coach Byron Scott told Bill Oram of the Orange Country Register that he won't be trotting out Bryant at will:
"He and I have talked a number of times on the phone, we've talked about playing time, we've talked about back-to-back, we're going to probably sit down as we get closer to training camp or as we get in training camp and even talk more about it. Because the one thing I want, if this is his last year, I want him to go out standing. I don't want him to go out hurt. I want to make sure I do everything in my power to make sure we stick to the game plan, as far as his minutes and as far as back-to-back games.
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These limitations seem like a no-brainer. But Bryant isn't used to minutes caps. Fresh off his Achilles injury, he flirted with an average of 30 minutes per game in 2013-14. Last season, he hovered close to 35 minutes.
Ceding touches and playing time will be an adjustment. The last time Bryant didn't lead the Lakers in usage rate was 2001-02, and he was playing alongside a 29-year-old Shaquille O'Neal.
Training camp will be a learning experience. More than that, as Bryant adapts to the new status quo in Los Angeles, it will be a wake-up call.
Kevin Durant's Return
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Like Bryant, Kevin Durant is now cleared for unrestricted basketball activity, per ESPN.com's Royce Young. Unlike Bryant, he's going on 27, not 37, and there's more riding on his return than a pleasant end-of-career swan song.
Durant's impending free agency does raise the stakes. Anything he says that's even remotely related to next summer will be dissected and dismembered and presented as profound substance. The Thunder desperately need everything to be hunky-dory if the upcoming campaign is to be even kind of bearable.
But free agency is more than nine months away. And, to be frank, it would be a secondary concern even if Durant hit the open market tomorrow.
Foot injuries are fickle pests, and Durant had three such surgeries in seven months. For someone who moves as he does—balletic, yet sharp and explosive—they're especially troubling.
What happens ahead during training camp won't reveal everything there is to know about Durant's immediate future. But, for now, they are the only glimpse into the next, post-inury phase of his career.
Sustained health will provide reassurance. Optimistic training camp-isms, while overused and usually hollow, are now of significant importance. Tweets about exhibition showings are no longer meaningless.
Everything related to Durant matters. This isn't just someone coming back from a routine setback. It's an MVP trying to prove that the first major injury of his NBA career was an anomaly, not a reversal of fortune that will shape his future.
San Antonio's Transition
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Now, we nitpick.
Questioning the San Antonio Spurs' ability to integrate LaMarcus Aldridge, 30, doesn't seem fair. They're the Spurs. This is what they do: adjust, adapt, annihilate. Rinse, lather, repeat.
Incorporating Aldrige into their on-court dynamic is also made easier by the fact that his offensive armory is, in so many ways, made for the Spurs' system. As Grantland's Zach Lowe wrote:
"Aldridge has earned his reputation as a post-up glutton, but don’t typecast him. He’s also comfortable buzzing around the elbows, where San Antonio’s big men live. Only 10 players recorded more touches at the elbows than Aldridge last season, per SportVU data provided to Grantland, and the threat of his jumper means defenses have to pressure him when he has the ball there. That leaves open space for cutters, and you can envision Aldridge working handoffs, picking out [Tony] Parker slithering along the baseline, and forming sublime high-low partnerships with [Tim] Duncan, Boris Diaw, and David West. Kawhi Leonard is already a mean post-up player; he could be even meaner with Aldridge sucking one opposing big man far from the paint.
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There are still some questions about whether Aldridge will disrupt the Spurs' peerless flow. Aldridge, for one, isn't an established off-ball shooter. Nearly 30 percent of his field-goal attempts last season came as standstill looks, so he knows how to move off the ball, but he shot just over 42 percent in those situations.
Barely 25 percent of Aldridge's looks came early in the shot clock as well. He likes to hold the ball, survey the defense, establish position and then go to work, a process that sometimes eats up precious seconds. The Spurs, by comparison, attempted more than 28 percent of their shots with 15 seconds or more left on the ticker.
For most of his career, Aldridge has been an above-average passer at his position. But he was closer to average last season and has never played within an offense that relies on one pass setting up another.
That's just a taste of what the Spurs and Aldridge are up against as they try to become the perfect match. His acclimation could take time. It could be downright difficult.
Most of us assume there won't be a problem, but this reality of San Antonio dumping salaries and landing a top free agent is very un-Spurs in itself. And so, there is room enough for questions, if not genuine concern.
The Great Rookie Debate
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Should your favorite team's rookie start or come off the bench? It's a dilemma older than, well, rookies.
Certain teams don't have this problem. Justise Winslow isn't going to begin games for the Heat. Sam Dekker won't sniff the Rockets' starting five. If Cameron Payne is starting games for the Thunder, you'll know to pray for Russell Westbrook.
Conversely, Karl-Anthony Towns is a lock to start in Minnesota. Emmanuel Mudiay will take control of the Denver Nuggets offense immediately. If D'Angelo Russell isn't in the Lakers' starting lineup, someone is getting fired. Or Kobe has been named player-general manager.
Other situations aren't as cut and dry. They're relative mysteries, many of which won't be solved until training camp and preseason returns are in.
Can Frank Kaminsky bring his Crater Lake-deep bag of offensive tricks to the Charlotte Hornets' starting frontcourt, much to the disappointment of Marvin Williams and Cody Zeller? Are the Sacramento Kings bold enough to start Willie Cauley-Stein, a center by craft, alongside DeMarcus Cousins, another center?
Will the Indiana Pacers double down on their infatuation with versatility and slot shot-blocker and (eventual) floor-spacing extraordinaire Myles Turner as their starting five? Might the Knicks consider starting Porzingis at power forward if they're intent on leaving Carmelo Anthony at the 3?
Could the Magic shift Tobias Harris to the 4, leave Aaron Gordon on the bench and start Mario Hezonja, the "Croatian Kobe," at small forward? Will the Pistons tab Stanley Johnson as their starting 3 or 4, as opposed to rolling with someone like Marcus Morris or Ersan Ilyasova?
And so it goes, on and on, until some difficult decisions are made.
The Future of Harrison Barnes' Checking Account
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Forget about preserving (conditional) cap flexibility ahead of the Durant sweepstakes next summer. The Warriors are ready to hash out an extension with Harrison Barnes now.
Golden State presented Barnes with a four-year, $64 million offer, according to Yahoo Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski. That, for those keeping score at home, is about $6 million less than the Warriors gave Klay Thompson, now an All-Star, last summer.
So, naturally, Barnes' camp rejected Golden State's initial overtures. ESPN.com's Ethan Sherwood Strauss explained why:
"So yes, when 2016 free agency hits, Barnes can likely get a $20 million per year contract somewhere -- provided he remains ambulatory and sentient. It won't matter how frustrating his flaws are. Even in Barnes' nightmare scenario in which he completely falls apart and loses his starting gig to the reigning Finals MVP, Andre Iguodala, his fall will be broken by soft stacks of cash. Some team out there will have money to burn on a young, athletic wing. Remember that most franchises can't even consider competing for the superstar free agents. This makes the 23-year-old Barnes a might-as-well proposition for multiple general managers.
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Locking up Barnes now will save the Warriors money. A ton of money. And that's why they'll probably increase their current bid.
Letting Barnes' contract situation ride remains another option. He will only be a restricted free agent, and the Warriors will have the right to match any offer he receives.
Delaying Barnes' next deal cheapens his cap hold leading into free agency. It would stand at $9.7 million until he puts pen to paper on another contract, and that's wiggle room Golden State can use if it decides to cut salary elsewhere and make an immensely intriguing run at Durant.
But even in that scenario, the Warriors still need to sever ties with Festus Ezeli or Shaun Livingston while dumping Andrew Bogut, Andre Iguodala and others just to open up max room for Durant without touching their core of Stephen Curry, Draymond Green and Klay Thompson.
Barnes is more of a sure thing. He's already on the roster, and the Warriors can always use him to anchor sign-and-trade proposals for Durant later if they're so inclined.
Ironing out an extension before the Oct. 31 deadline wouldn't just make Barnes the highest paid Warrior in 2016-17 (seriously). It would seem to be the smart, safe play. But, hey, when there's this much money involved, anything can happen.
Extension Season
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My apologies to Dion Waiters, who is presumably upset that he, unlike Barnes, didn't get his own slide.
Extension-eligible players and teams have until Oct. 31 to reach agreements, but information (read: speculation) traditionally takes on a life of its own as the NBA prepares to reopen its doors.
Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Damian Lillard, Jonas Valanciunas and Davis all signed extensions over the offseason. Barnes could be next. But who else?
Bradley Beal's case is particularly interesting. He's looking for a max deal, but the Washington Wizards aren't biting, according to CSNMidAtlantic.com's J. Michael. With Durant's free agency less than 10 months out, the Wizards are more likely to hold off on signing Beal in order to preserve flexibility for next summer.
Andre Drummond looks like a max-contract lock in Detroit. And if that's the case, Pistons coach and president Stan Van Gundy is better off waiting as well. Drummond's cap hold next summer will be just $8.2 million until he signs a new deal, allowing Van Gundy to take full advantage of the salary-cap boom before circling back and padding the pockets of Detroit's behemoth.
Terrence Jones and Donatas Motiejunas will be fascinating case studies. More likely than not, Houston's ever-aggressive general manager, Daryl Morey, will let them reach restricted free agency as he positions the Rockets for a run at Durant. But extending one or both of them before Oct. 31 ensures next summer's cap-rich market doesn't artificially drum up their value.
Terrence Ross shouldn't hold his breath for a deal. The Toronto Raptors signed DeMarre Carroll this summer and have DeMar DeRozan's free agency (player option) coming up. They're also expected to be among Durant's most legitimate suitors (sensing a theme yet?), making it unlikely they invest in the inconsistent stylings of Ross now.
Something else to consider: Bruno Caboclo is now just one year away from being two years away.
Waiters is free to start an extension-less club with Ross. The Thunder aren't paying him tens of millions of dollars before they know what's happening with Durant.
Festus Ezeli's situation will likely be tied to Barnes' contract talks. If the Warriors end up waiting on Barnes, they might as well delay Ezeli's extension and see how much financial finagling it'll take to open up max space in time for Durant's free agency.
Either way, in the new salary-cap climate, expect Ezeli, like everyone else on this list, to command more than $10 million annually.
What a time to be a middle-of-the-road NBA talent.
Stats courtesy of Basketball-Reference.com and NBA.com unless otherwise cited. Salary information via Basketball Insiders.
Dan Favale covers the NBA for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter, @danfavale.
