Blazers Notes: Stotts, Canales, Olshey
Earlier today, the Trail Blazers held a press conference to introduce newly-minted head coach Terry Stotts to the public. The latest out of Portland..
- Stotts hasn't made a decision on if Kaleb Canales will be the lead assistant on his staff and a decision will be made once the entire staff is complete, tweets Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com.
- However, Canales always figured to be a part of the staff as Stotts told him prior to getting the job that he would love to have him on board, tweets Mike Tokito of The Oregonian.
- General Manager Neil Olshey said that hiring Canales as assistant was "absolutely not a prerequisite to [Stotts] being hired," according to Tokito (via Twitter).
- Stotts hasn't set a deadline for assembling his staff but contact with assistant coaching candidates has already begun, Ben Golliver of Blazer's Edge tweets.
- Stotts says he's waiting to get permission from some teams to speak with certain candidates, tweets Haynes.
- The new head coach says that his primary focus will be on developing the team's young players, according to the Associated Press. At the presser, Olshey said he spoke with every GM and head coach that Stotts has worked for, and also talked to players including Dirk Nowitzki.
Gary Sacks Is Frontrunner For Clippers GM Job
Clippers personnel director Gary Sacks has emerged as the frontrunner for the club's General Manager position, league sources tell Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports (via Twitter). In late June it was reported that Sacks was gaining support from within the organization to take over the job.
Sacks now appears to be in position to take over the job vacated by Neil Olshey when he broke his agreement with Los Angeles to take over as the Blazers' GM. Former Nuggets GM Kiki Vandeweghe received an interview for the position back in June and Clippers president Andy Roeser has also had preliminary conversations with Jim Paxson, Larry Harris, Jeff Weltman, and Tony DiLeo.
Suns Claim Luis Scola
AUGUST 8, 6:05pm: The Suns will pay Scola $4.15MM this year, $4.5MM in 2013/14 and a partially guaranteed $4.87MM in 2014/15, according to Paul Coro of The Arizona Republic (via Twitter).
JULY 16, 3:49pm: A source tells SI.com's Sam Amick (Twitter link) that the winning bid for Scola was actually $13.5MM for three years. Either way, Phoenix will be paying for the forward between $4MM and $5MM annually.
JULY 15, 9:35pm: An NBA source has confirmed that the Suns' winning bid was $13MM for three years, tweets Mary Schmidt Boyer of the Cleveland Plain Dealer. She also confirmed that the Cavaliers did submit a bid.
Steve Nash Talks Suns-To-Lakers Decision
As SportsRadioInterviews.com documented, Steve Nash recently appeared on KTAR in Phoenix to talk to hosts Burns and Gambo about his decision to leave the Suns for the Lakers in free agency last month. The two-time MVP admitted that prior to the free agent period, he was still considering re-signing with Phoenix, and didn't view the Lakers as an option. Here are a few highlights from the conversation:
On whether he expected the regular season finale to be the last time he wore a Suns uniform:
"Not at all. I wanted to come back, to be honest. One, primarily with my children being in Phoenix, but second, I felt dissatisfied with the last two seasons, not being in the playoffs. And I felt a big part of me wanted to leave the franchise in a better place than it was the last two seasons, and be a part of moving it forward. So not at all, I didn’t know for sure that I would be moving on and in many ways was hoping to come back."
On when he started to shift his focus from the Suns to other potential destinations:
"It started to become apparent in June, and then I guess you could say the writing was on the wall. But I never really gave up on it until free agency actually came and I realized that there wasn’t really an offer and that they wanted to go in another direction. So it wasn’t till late in the game, and it just all kind of came to light at that point."
On the Lakers' unexpected interest in him:
"It was completely out of the blue. Even though you’re not allowed to talk to teams, you kind of know what teams are interested and to a certain degree you can kind of guess what’s going to happen. But the Lakers weren’t an option. I didn’t even realize they had a trade exception for Lamar Odom. There wasn’t really any talk, there wasn’t anything my agent hadn’t spoken about as an option, and then they called shortly after midnight on the 1st and the door swung open."
On deciding to play for the Lakers:
"Going to L.A. was not an easy thing. I think I said a week before free agency it would be hard to put on a Lakers jersey, and I meant that. We’ve gone through some playoff battles and they’re a rival and an enemy to some of the Suns fans, but at the end of the day the Suns were moving in a new direction and in some ways I felt like I couldn’t cut off my nose to spite my face. Chance to go to Los Angeles, be as close as possible to the kids, primarily. And then other than that, a chance to win, to live in a new place and all the things that come with that as well."
On where he'd be playing if Suns owner Robert Sarver hadn't agreed to do a sign-and-trade deal with the Lakers:
"It would’ve been Toronto or New York. Those were the two next teams, and I don’t know. I would’ve crossed that bridge had the Lakers situation fell through."
Odds & Ends: Green, Hummel, Bynum, Prospects
Let's check in on a few links from around the league on a Wednesday afternoon, as Argentina and Brazil battle for a spot in the Olympic semi-finals….
- Jeff Green spoke to Josh Zavadil of CelticsBlog about his heart surgery, having to sit out the 2011/12 season, and returning to the Celtics this summer. Green also praised Celts president of basketball operations Danny Ainge for the team's roster moves this summer.
- Purdue forward Robbie Hummel has signed with Spanish team Obradoiro, the club announced (hat tip to Emiliano Carchia of Sportando). Hummel was drafted 58th overall by the Timberwolves in June, so Minnesota will hold his rights if he hopes to play in the NBA in the future.
- Kevin Ding of the Orange Country Register suggests that the Lakers' public courting of Dwight Howard is only giving Andrew Bynum reason to leave Los Angeles. Earlier today, I looked at a few scenarios for Howard's and Bynum's next contracts.
- In an Insider-only piece, ESPN.com's Chad Ford takes an early look at the rising and falling stocks of some of 2013's top prospects.
Kennedy On McGrady, Martin, O’Neal, Arenas
It wasn't long ago that we heard the Bulls had some interest in signing Tracy McGrady, but that possibility no longer appears realistic. After signing first-round pick Marquis Teague, the Bulls are only about $758K under their hard cap line, meaning a veteran's minimum contract for McGrady wouldn't fit unless the team traded another player. Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld confirms that the two sides are no longer talking, and says McGrady will continue weighing his options in hopes of joining a contender. Here are a few more updates from Kennedy on some unsigned veterans:
- Kenyon Martin is talking with several teams, and while he doesn't want to sign for the veteran's minimum, he may end up having no choice, says Kennedy.
- Jermaine O'Neal says "winning a championship is the only goal," and would like to join a contending team on a minimum-salary deal. The Lakers, Bucks, and Suns have watched him work out.
- Sources close to Gilbert Arenas say that he's slimmed down and is fully healthy as he searches for an NBA contract.
- Ben Wallace still hasn't made up his mind about whether to retire or return to the Pistons for one more year. A decision is expected within the next few weeks.
- There's no timetable on Josh Howard's free agent decision, but it sounds like he's close to picking a destination. We heard last week that Howard had narrowed his options to five teams.
Bulls Sign Marquis Teague
WEDNESDAY, 1:05pm: The Bulls have officially announced Teague's signing in a press release.
TUESDAY, 2:07pm: Teague has signed his rookie contract, according to K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune. The first-round pick ultimately signed a deal for 100 percent of his slotted salary in the first year, $857K, according to sources. The following years are expected to be at the 120 percent slotted salary.
The Bulls are left with just $758K under the hard cap, meaning that they do not have enough money to add someone at the $857K veteran's minimum.
MONDAY, 8:06am: Marquis Teague is the only remaining unsigned first-round pick, but this weekend the 29th overall selection gave indication that he and the Bulls are nearing a deal. The University of Kentucky product spoke to Kyle Tucker of the Louisville Courier-Journal while assisting with a youth basketball camp at his alma mater.
“I’m about to get it figured out when I go back," Teague said. "We just pretty much came up with something. So as soon as I go back to Chicago, it’ll be done. We’re right there. We’ll figure it out.”
Mark Deeks of ShamSports speculated last week that the sides were hung up over the Bulls' desire to pay him less than the standard 120% of the rookie scale amount, which would be a first-year salary of $1,028,400 in Teague's case. NBA teams almost always give their first-round picks the maximum allowable amount, but there are exceptions. The Bulls are hard-capped at $74.3MM for 2012/13 after using more than the taxpayer's mid-level of $3.09MM to sign Kirk Hinrich, so saving every penny will be a priority for Chicago this season.
Teague averaged 10.0 points and 4.8 assists in 32.6 minutes per game on a loaded Kentucky team this past season. He's the brother of Jeff Teague of the Hawks.
Contract Scenarios For Howard, Paul, Bynum
A quick perusal of Hoops Rumors' list of 2013/14 free agents reveals three unrestricted free agents that figure to land maximum-salary contracts: Dwight Howard, Chris Paul, and Andrew Bynum. Just because those three guys are hitting free agency at the same time though doesn't mean they're all eligible for identical salaries when signing their next deals.
There are essentially three ways these players could sign their next max-salary contracts:
- They could sign extensions with their current teams, which would mean adding just three extra years to their current contracts.
- They could become free agents and re-sign with the team that holds their Bird Rights, for up to five years with 7.5% annual raises.
- They could become free agents and sign with a new team, for up to four years and 4.5% annual raises.
It's no secret that the second scenario maximizes the amount of guaranteed money a player can earn on his next contract — this detail of the CBA allows teams a better shot to retain their own star free agents. If the player wants to leave badly enough, he can sign elsewhere, but he'd be giving up millions in guaranteed money to do it.
So how much exactly would each player make in each of these three scenarios? Let's run through and break them down….
Three-year extension:
While the maximum extension a veteran can sign is actually for four years, that includes the current season, so only three years are new. Additionally, while players can typically earn 107.5% of their previous salary in the first year of an extension, all three of these guys are already making more than the maximum, so the can't exceed the 105% they'd earn in the first year of a free agent contract. These extensions include 7.5% annual raises, but even Howard's $66MM pales in comparison to what he could earn as a free agent.
Five-year free agent contract:
Howard, Paul, and Bynum would all be eligible for contracts in excess of $100MM if they wait until next summer and re-sign with the clubs with whom they finish the 2012/13 season. This is why the team that holds the player's Bird Rights at season's end will be considered the odds-on favorite to re-sign him, a scenario we saw play out earlier this summer, when Deron Williams re-upped with the Nets for five years and $98MM+. These max contracts start at 105% of the players' 2012/13 salaries and include 7.5% annual raises.
Four-year free agent contract:
Players can, of course, re-sign for four years or less with their end-of-year teams and receive raises up to 7.5%, but this scenario assumes they're signing with a new club, limiting their annual raises to 4.5%. As the charts show, the drop-off in guaranteed money from a max five-year deal is precarious, from about $26MM for Bynum to over $30MM for Howard. Assuming these guys are still performing at an elite level in 2017, they'll make up a good chunk of that salary in the 2017/18 year of their next contracts, but it's hard to guarantee elite production and good health that far in advance.
As I outlined when I examined Bynum's case for a contract extension, it's possible he could benefit from taking a shorter-term extension now, maximizing his career earnings later. Some of the arguments in that piece apply to Paul and Howard to a lesser degree as well. But an agent of a star player in his prime will rarely recommend that his client accept anything less than a maximum guarantee. In each of these three players' cases, the likeliest scenario remains a five-year free agent contract next summer, which is why these next few months will be crucial. The teams that end up with these three stars at season's end will be the overwhelming favorites to retain them long-term.
Training Camp Rumors: Varnado, Green, Young
Many of the players signed between now and the start of training camps will receive non-guaranteed or partially guaranteed contracts, allowing them to attend camp with the opportunity to earn a regular-season roster spot. A handful of rumors about those candidates for training camp invites are swirling this morning, so let's round them up right here:
- Jarvis Varnado has received a training camp invitation from the Heat, according to Emiliano Carchia of Sportando. We heard last week that the 24-year-old forward was hoping to sign with the Heat, who drafted him 41st overall in 2010. According to Carchia, Varnado has already informed his old club, Italy's Virtus Roma, of his decision.
- Former Florida point guard Taurean Green is contemplating accepting an invite to an NBA training camp, but also has offers from teams in Italy, Germany, France, and Belgium, according to Kevin Brockway of the Gainesville Sun.
- Jahmar Young, formerly of New Mexico State, has signed in France, but his contract includes an NBA opt-out if a team shows interest in bringing him to training camp, tweets Carchia.
- The Celtics have already signed a couple players to partially guaranteed contracts to compete for the team's final roster spot. Chris Forsberg and the ESPNBoston.com crew predict that Dionte Christmas will beat out Jamar Smith as the team's 15th man.
Armon Johnson Seeking NBA Roster Spot
Armon Johnson is currently running a youth basketball camp in Reno, Nevada, but will soon turn his attention to securing an NBA contract, as Chris Murray of the Reno Gazette-Journal writes. Johnson tells Murray that he expects to receive a training camp invitation and is confident he'll earn a spot on an NBA roster.
"I’ve been talking to some teams," Johnson said. "Right now, talk is just talk. I don’t want to mention the teams and put rumors out there, but when the time comes, I’ll be ready. I’m very confident I’ll be with a team next year. I’m working my butt off in the gym to be ready for camp, and I’m going to take advantage of whatever opportunity I get."
The 34th overall pick in the 2010 draft was waived by the Trail Blazers last year in order to clear a roster spot for Joel Przybilla. Johnson finished the season with the Nets, and is now an unrestricted free agent. At age 23, Johnson is likely to receive a shot from a team intrigued by his youth and athleticism, but the Nevada product isn't taking anything for granted.
"I took from last season that the NBA is a business and you just have to cherish every moment that you have," Johnson said. "You never know what can happen and life has its ups and downs and every moment in your life you just have to cherish as a whole."
Johnson is one of a number of free agent point guards still on the market, as our Free Agent Tracker shows.