2012 June | Hoops Rumors

GM Rumors: Pritchard, Magic, Penn, Clippers

By Chuck Myron | at June 8, 2012 7:47 pm

Earlier today we learned that Pacers president Larry Bird will meet with team owner Herb Simon next week, likely to finalize a deal that will keep the Executive of the Year in Indiana, setting up Kevin Pritchard's promotion to general manager and current GM David Morway's exit from the team. Since Pritchard and Morway have both been in the discussion for the Magic's GM opening, today's news has had an effect on more than one front office.

0 comments Los Angeles Clippers Orlando Magic Kevin Pritchard Tom Penn

Goodman On Draft Combine Winners, Losers

By Chuck Myron | at June 8, 2012 7:04 pm

Tons of NBA executives have been in Chicago the past two days for the NBA pre-draft combine, and we've been following the updates throughout. Jeff Goodman of CBSSports.com was on hand for the event, which wasn't nearly as revelatory as it could have been, he says, since several top prospects didn't participate in on-court action. Still, teams learned plenty about the draft-eligible field, and Goodman shares his list of winners and losers from the camp.

Pacers Intend To Promote Kevin Pritchard To GM

By Luke Adams | at June 8, 2012 6:33 pm

6:33pm: Larry Bird and Pacers owner Herb Simon are expected to meet next week, tweets Mike Wells of the Indianapolis Star. Bird must finalize a deal to stay with Indiana for Pritchard's promotion to become official.

0 comments Indiana Pacers Orlando Magic Portland Trail Blazers David Morway Donnie Walsh Kevin Pritchard Larry Bird

Free Agent Stock Watch: Nick Young

By Chuck Myron | at June 8, 2012 5:58 pm

Nick Young made an unusual decision in December, and this summer he’ll see if it pays off. Before the season, Young became just the 12th player ever to sign a qualifying offer, the minimum offer a team can make to retain the right of first refusal on a player coming off his rookie contract. Usually, the offer is just a starting point for negotiations, if that, but in Young’s case, the one-year, $3,695,857 deal on the table from the Wizards came in handy when the condensed post-lockout market limited his options.

None of the other players who signed qualifying offers wound up re-signing with their teams as unrestricted free agents the following summer. The Wizards got the jump on a divorce from Young, sending their leading scorer from 2010/11 to the Clippers in a three-team swap at the trade deadline this March. Young went from starter to reserve as a result, but it gave him the opportunity to show what he could do as a significant contributor to a playoff team. He displayed plenty of clutch shooting in the postseason, nailing 51.5% of his three-point attempts, including three in a row down in the fourth quarter of L.A.’s 27-point comeback in Game 1 against the Grizzlies.

Still, Young didn’t really prove anything we didn’t already know, aside from an ability to perform under pressure. He’s always been a solid three-point shooter, making 37.8% for his career, but his field goal percentage overall was a career-low 40.3% this past regular season, including 39.4% during his time with the Clippers. In the playoffs, he shot 35.3% on two-pointers. Those sort of numbers help explain why Young has never posted a single season with a PER of at least 15.0, the mark of an average player. He’s also a liability defensively, as he had one of the worst defensive ratings for his team in both the regular season and the playoffs this year, according to Basketball-Reference.com. Young’s unimpressive per-36-minute career highs of 3.6 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.1 steals demonstrate that if his long-range shots aren’t falling, there isn’t much he does to help his team on the floor.

For all his shortcomings, the 27-year-old Young is probably this year's most attractive unrestricted free agent shooting guard under the age of 35. That might change if the cash-strapped Grizzlies decide not to tender a qualifying offer to O.J. Mayo, but Young is likely in line for a raise and a multi-year deal. He reportedly sought $9MM per year from the Wizards in December, but I can’t see him approaching that figure. In the same report, Michael Lee of The Washington Post noted a that Young rejected an offer from the Wizards of around $5MM per year, so Young may be seeking to top that in order to justify his gamble on the qualifying offer.

The Timberwolves, Cavs and Suns are all teams that could be willing to reach for a shooting guard this summer, and the Clippers could use a solid two-guard as well. We heard last month that L.A. seemed interested in re-signing Young, but that was before GM Neil Olshey left to take the same job with Portland. The Blazers, who have $20.6MM and three years left on Wesley Matthews’ contract, don’t seem like candidates to provide a similar offer to Young, but if they miss out on some of their other targets and Young fails to find a team willing to overpay for him, it could be a Rose Garden reunion for Olshey and his last major acquisition for the Clippers.

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0 comments Cleveland Cavaliers Free Agent Stock Watch Los Angeles Clippers Minnesota Timberwolves Phoenix Suns Portland Trail Blazers Nick Young

Odds & Ends: Spoelstra, Lakers, Krstic, Marshall

By Luke Adams | at June 8, 2012 4:32 pm

The Heat are certainly in better position to advance to the NBA Finals than they were 24 hours ago, but they aren't out of the woods yet, with a Game 7 looming. Given the high expectations in Miami, ESPN.com's Chris Broussard (Twitter link) polled 27 NBA executives on 20 clubs on whether they'd fire Erik Spoelstra if the Heat lose the series to the Celtics — 17 said no, while 10 said yes. While we await tomorrow's winner-take-all matchup and prepare for a night without NBA action, let's check in on some other updates from around the Association….

0 comments 2012 NBA Draft Dallas Mavericks Golden State Warriors Los Angeles Lakers Miami Heat Andrew Bynum Erik Spoelstra Jared Sullinger Kendall Marshall Kobe Bryant Nenad Krstic Nick Calathes

Offseason Outlook: Los Angeles Lakers

By Luke Adams | at June 8, 2012 3:00 pm

Guaranteed Contracts

Kobe Bryant ($27,849,149)
Pau Gasol ($19,000,000)
Andrew Bynum ($16,100,000)
Metta World Peace ($7,258,960)
Steve Blake ($4,000,000)
Josh McRoberts ($3,135,000)
Christian Eyenga ($1,174,080)

Options

Ramon Sessions ($4,551,626, Player)

Non-Guaranteed Contracts

Andrew Goudelock ($762,195)

Free Agents (Cap Holds)

Jordan Hill ($3,632,527)
Matt Barnes ($2,478,060)
Devin Ebanks ($1,054,389 – QO)
Darius Morris ($962,195 – QO)
Troy Murphy ($854,389)
(Ron Harper – $2,860,000)
(Shammond Williams – $2,100,000)
(Karl Malone – $1,800,000)
(Horace Grant – $854,389)
(Jim Jackson – $854,389)
(Ira Newble – $854,389)
(Theo Ratliff – $854,389)
(Mitch Richmond – $854,389)
(John Salley – $854,389)
(Brian Shaw – $854,389)
(Joe Smith – $854,389)

Draft Picks

2nd Round (60th overall)

Cap Outlook

Guaranteed Salary: $78,517,189
Non-Guaranteed Salary (including options), Cap Holds: $27,890,493
Total (not including draft picks): $106,407,682

For some NBA teams, making the second round of the playoffs would represent a hugely successful season. The Lakers' Staples Center cohabitants, for instance, probably fit that bill — the Clippers certainly weren't disappointed by a season in which they set a franchise record for winning percentage and were knocked out in the Western Conference Semis. But for the Lakers, a second-round exit just isn't going to cut it.

Following back-to-back resounding second-round defeats, there are rumblings that big changes could be in store for the Lakers this offseason. Even after dumping Lamar Odom in December though, the team doesn't have the cap flexibility to be a factor in free agency. After picking up Andrew Bynum's 2012/13 option, the Lakers' salary commitments for next season total a whopping $78.5MM for just seven players, putting them not only over the cap, but well over the luxury tax line as well.

The amnesty clause is still available for the Lakers, since they didn't use it in December, but it doesn't figure to make a huge impact. The club can't create any cap space unless it amnesties Kobe Bryant, which is about as likely as the Bobcats winning the 2013 NBA Finals. Using the amnesty provision on a player like Metta World Peace would reduce the Lakers' tax penalty, but wouldn't change their cap situation — the team would still be in the tax, with only the $3MM mini mid-level exception at its disposal.

It's not out of the question that the Lakers' small MLE could bring in a solid rotation player. They could make a bid for a small forward like Gerald Green, or perhaps a point guard coming off a down year like Raymond Felton. The appeal of the Lakers' franchise and its history might mean that a player who could earn a little more money elsewhere would be willing to play in Los Angeles for $3MM annually.

Before the Lakers target Felton or any other point guard, however, they'll have to figure out what to do with their in-house option. Ramon Sessions has a player option worth about $4.55MM, and even though he didn't impress in the postseason, Sessions could likely find a solid multiyear offer on the open market. He's a good bet to opt out of the final year of his deal, in which case the Lakers will have to decide whether they want to lock him up for multiple years or go a different direction. Sessions represented a significant improvement on the early-season combination of Steve Blake and Derek Fisher, and the Lakers will have limited free agent flexibility, so I can see the two sides working out a new contract to keep the former Cav in L.A.

Of course, while the Lakers may not be able to make a splash in free agency, they do hold two big trade chips, in Bynum and Pau Gasol. Gasol was nearly traded last December in a deal for Chris Paul, and I expect the Lakers wouldn't hesitate to move the Spaniard "again" if it means landing a top point guard. The Rockets are a potential trade partner, having long coveted Gasol and with a young point guard to offer in Kyle Lowry.

Gasol's contract, which has two years and $38MM+ left, may be a tough pill to swallow for some interested suitors, however. If the Lakers want to maximize their trade impact, they'll consider offers for Bynum. Although there are questions about his makeup and his approach, he's arguably the second-best center in the NBA behind Dwight Howard, and is still just 24 years old. It sounds as if the Lakers' brass love Bynum and hope to make him the cornerstone of the franchise after Kobe is gone, so the team probably won't move him unless they can land Howard and get a long-term commitment from D12.

The Lakers head into the offseason searching for a way to surround Bryant with a team that can legitimately contend for a title in the immediate future. Los Angeles didn't hesitate to trade both of its first-round draft picks at the deadline, and won't be looking to add young talent that can't contribute right away. If the Lakers make a big trade this summer, it's likely to involve Gasol, and it's likely to bring in a player or two that can make the team better right away, rather than down the road. If the Lakers can find such a deal, this may be the time that all those blockbuster trade rumors finally turn into something concrete.

Storytellers Contracts and Sham Sports were used in the creation of this post.

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0 comments Los Angeles Lakers Offseason Preview

Draft Rumors: Pistons, Leonard, Bobcats, Rockets

By Luke Adams | at June 8, 2012 1:53 pm

The NBA combine continues in Chicago today, with the buzz this morning surrounding the official measurements of the prospects in attendance. Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal provides the complete list. According to Sean Deveney of the Sporting News, a handful of players saw their stock rise a little due to the results, but Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress heard from scouts that there weren't many big surprises (Twitter link). A handful of rumors and rumblings have also emerged from the combine today, so let's round up some of them….

0 comments Charlotte Hornets Cleveland Cavaliers Detroit Pistons Houston Rockets Portland Trail Blazers Sacramento Kings Arnett Moultrie Harrison Barnes Meyers Leonard Michael Kidd-Gilchrist Quincy Miller

Southwest Notes: Mavs, Odom, Motiejunas, Spurs

By Luke Adams | at June 8, 2012 1:10 pm

The Southwest Division's only sub-.500 finisher may not have been the most buzz-worthy team on the court, but that's changed this summer now that the Hornets hold two top-ten picks in the draft. While Anthony Davis is a lock to be picked first overall, we still don't know what the Hornets plan to do with pick No. 10. Last night, we heard that GM Dell Demps and the front office will continue to explore all their options and will make a deal "if it makes sense." Here are a few more notes out of the Southwest….

0 comments Dallas Mavericks Houston Rockets Los Angeles Lakers San Antonio Spurs Donatas Motiejunas Lamar Odom Manu Ginobili Tim Duncan

Grizzlies Owner: No Plans To Move Rudy Gay

By Luke Adams | at June 8, 2012 12:01 pm

Recent reports have suggested the Grizzlies are open to shopping Rudy Gay, perhaps for a lottery pick, but owner Michael Heisley insists that's not the case.

"We’re not looking to trade Rudy Gay," Heisley told Ronald Tillery of the Memphis Commercial Appeal. "We’re not shopping him around. Period. Do we sit around and say ‘What if we traded Rudy, who could we get?’ No. Right now, Rudy is part of the future of this team."

0 comments Memphis Grizzlies Rudy Gay

Kings Not Expected To Offer Evans Extension

By Luke Adams | at June 8, 2012 11:25 am

Like Blake Griffin, James Harden, and other members of the 2009 draft class, Tyreke Evans is heading into the final year of his rookie deal and will be eligible for a contract extension starting in July. Unlike Griffin and Harden, however, Evans is not expected to receive an extension offer this summer, according to Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee.

0 comments Sacramento Kings Tyreke Evans

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Month: June 2012