Odds & Ends: Ellis, Clippers, Celtics, Bucks
Earlier today, Bucks guard Monta Ellis informed the Bucks that he'll be exercising his early termination option this offseason, making him an unrestricted free agent on July 1st. The guard, according to Chris Broussard of ESPN.com, has the Lakers on his wish list, but that seems pretty far fetched given their cap situation. Well, we can add another fiscal longshot to the bunch as Ellis likes the Grizzlies too, according to Gery Woelfel of the Journal Times (on Twitter). Ellis probably isn't a fit for the stats-driven Memphis front office either, as his 16.3 PER was good for 27th last season amongst point guards. Here's more from around the Association..
- Mohammadou Jaiteh received first round guarantees before withdrawing from the draft earlier today, agent Herman Manakyan told Shams Charania of RealGM.
- Time is on the Clippers' side in their trade talks with the Celtics, a source tells Sean Deveney of the Sporting News (on Twitter). "[The] Clippers can be patient and [the] C's will be in position to get something rather than nothing," the source says.
- The Bucks announced that they will host a mini-camp for free agents this week. Damion James, Dominique Jones, and Salim Stoudamire will be among those with NBA experience in attendance.
- J. Michael of CSNWashington.com (on Twitter) isn't convinced that the Wizards have to target size after seeing the Heat and Spurs do well with small lineups.
- The Suns withdrew from contract talks to make Roy Rogers an assistant coach on Jeff Hornacek’s new staff, according to Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic.
International Prospects’ Draft Decisions
The deadline for international early entrants to withdraw from the 2013 draft arrives today at 4:00pm central time, so plenty of updates are trickling in on players deciding whether they're in or out. We'll track all of those decisions in this post throughout the day, with new updates being added to the top of each list:
In:
- Lucas Nogueira and Raul Neto are staying in the draft, agent Aylton Tesch tells Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress (on Twitter).
- Giannis Antetokounmpo will remain eligible to be drafted, his agent announced today on Twitter.
- German power forward Daniel Theis will be keeping his name in the draft, tweets Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress.com.
- Sergey Karasev will remain in the draft, agent Justin Zanik tells Givony (Twitter link).
- Givony reports (via Twitter) that Alex Abrines and Marko Todorovic are staying in the draft, with agent Igor Crespo saying, "That was the plan all along."
- French forward Livio Jean-Charles will remain in the draft, tweets Chad Ford of ESPN.com.
- Rudy Gobert will also remain in the draft, according to Ford (Twitter link), which is no surprise, considering he projects as a potential lottery pick.
Out:
- Mouhammadou Jaiteh has decided to withdraw his name from the 2013 NBA Draft, his agent tells Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld (Twitter link). He'll return to France for the season.
- French prospects Louis Labeyrie and Axel Toupane have withdrawn their names from the draft, their agent told Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress (on Twitter).
- Greek small forward Linos Chrysikopoulos has removed his name from the draft pool, agent Mike Main tells Givony (Twitter link).
- Big man Walter Tavares has withdrawn his name, agent Guillermo Bermejo tells Givony (Twitter link).
- Adin Vrabac, Artem Pustovyi and Bogdan Bogdanovic have also pulled out of the draft, reports Givony (via Twitter).
- Philipp Neumann has withdrawn his name from consideration, tweets Givony.
- Francois Affia Ambadiang has pulled out of the draft, agent Alex Saratsis tells Givony (Twitter link).
- Givony adds four more names to the list of players exiting the draft: Nemanja Besovic, Matias Bortolin, Djordje Drenovac, and Marko Ramljak (Twitter link).
Offseason Outlook: Sacramento Kings
Guaranteed Contracts
- Marcus Thornton ($8,050,000)
- John Salmons ($7,583,000)
- Chuck Hayes ($5,722,500)
- Jason Thompson ($5,643,750)
- DeMarcus Cousins ($4,916,974)
- Patrick Patterson ($3,105,302)
- Travis Outlaw ($3,000,000)
- Jimmer Fredette ($2,493,840)
- Isaiah Thomas ($884,293)1
- (Aaron Brooks – $674,196)2
Options
- None
Non-Guaranteed Contracts
- None
Free Agents / Cap Holds
- Tyreke Evans ($13,129,563)3
- James Johnson ($7,030,015)3
- Toney Douglas ($5,169,700)3
- Cole Aldrich ($3,245,152)
- No. 7 pick ($2,413,300)
Draft Picks
- 1st Round (7th overall)
- 2nd Round (36th overall)
Cap Outlook
- Guaranteed Salary: $42,073,855
- Options: $0
- Non-Guaranteed Salary: $0
- Cap Holds: $30,987,730
- Total: $73,061,585
It was a memorable season for the Kings, but not for what they did on the basketball court. In fact, their 2012/13 was pretty unremarkable, ending in a 28-54 record and their seventh straight playoff-less season. Instead, their major battles were fought in front of pulpits and inside of courtrooms. At one point, it seemed like a mortal lock that the Kings would move further up the west coast and become the "new" Seattle SuperSonics, but ultimately, mayor Kevin Johnson and the city of Sacramento came out on top.
They'll be staying put, but with a new cast of characters. The Maloofs – who aren't the most beloved people in Sac-Town, have sold their controlling interest to Vivek Ranadive. Keith Smart was removed as head coach after compiling a 48-93 mark across two seasons and replaced by former Warriors assistant Mike Malone. President Geoff Petrie was let go and Pete D'Alessandro was appointed as the club's new GM, though he was brought in after Malone's appointment.
Now that we have that out of the way, let's talk some basketball. We know that this year's free agent class boasts not just one, but two elite talents in Chris Paul and Dwight Howard. While a number of teams have been linked to one or both megastars, the Kings aren't one of them. Malone mentioned Paul in his introductory press conference (and got the team fined for it, whoops), but the Kings are a long way from contending and they won't get consideration from him or D12.
So, the Kings can take a page out of the Mavericks' playbook from last season and spread the wealth on a handful of free agents on short-term contracts. They currently have about $41.4MM committed to nine players for next season and can loosen the belt even further by clearing John Salmons' $7.58MM salary off of the books with the amnesty clause. Sacramento may not be the most appealing free agent destination, but money talks and the mid-tier types rarely get picky over what city they'll play in.
Alternatively, they can sell off some of their more attractive pieces and make an attempt to start from scratch. Depending on what week it is, the Kings may or may not be willing to part ways with troubled big man DeMarcus Cousins. D'Alessandro may prefer to keep the talented Kentucky product and Malone is excited to work with him, but make no mistake about it: the phone lines will be open and the right package can pry him loose. We know that the Bobcats are one of the many teams with serious interest in Boogie and with pressure to get something going in the near future, their No. 4 pick could certainly be involved in a deal.
As it stands, the Kings hold their own No. 7 pick in next week's draft and no one seems to have the inside track on what they're planning to do. Part of that has to do with the general chaos of the entire draft board (heck, we don't even know what the Cavs are thinking at No. 1) but it speaks more to the lack of clarity we have on what the rest of the roster will look like. However, several draft gurus (most notably, ESPN.com's Chad Ford and Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress) have them pegged to take Michigan's Trey Burke. He may be undersized, but Burke would give Sacramento a true one guard who has shown the ability to perform under pressure.
We saw the winds of change completely overhaul the Kings' franchise off the court, it'll now be interesting to see where the summer takes their on-court product.
Cap footnotes:
- Because he met certain criteria during the 2012/13 season, Thomas' previously nonguaranteed contract is now fully guaranteed.
- The Kings bought out Brooks in March, and this portion of his salary remains on their books for 2013/14.
- The Kings' three restricted free agents will be eligible for qualifying offers of $6,927,157 (Evans), $3,950,869 (Johnson), and $3,101,820 (Douglas), respectively.
Storytellers Contracts and Sham Sports were used in the creation of this post.
Cuban: Restricted FAs Not On Mavs’ Radar
While it's no secret that Chris Paul and Dwight Howard are the Mavericks' top two targets this summer, there's been plenty of speculation suggesting that perhaps players like Brandon Jennings or Nikola Pekovic could be among the team's alternate targets. However, according to owner Mark Cuban, appearing on KTCK-AM in Dallas, the Mavs aren't currently eyeing any restricted free agents.
"I don’t know if there are any free agents that are requiring offer sheets that are on our radar right now," Cuban said, according to Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com. MacMahon adds that Cuban suggested the three-day waiting period when the player's previous team has a chance to match an offer sheet could compromise the Mavs' leverage and flexibility.
In addition to Jennings and Pekovic, Jeff Teague, Tyreke Evans, Tiago Splitter, and Gerald Henderson figure to be among the top restricted free agents on the market. However, it sounds as if the Mavs will instead turn their attention to unrestricted free agents and trade candidates. According to Cuban, his pitch to free agents will focus on the player's ability to assume a sort of assistant GM role (link via MacMahon).
"In essence, you get to come in and, it’s you and we have room for two more max free agents [next year]," Cuban said. "That’s why when I talked about a two-year plan, that’s the concept there…. So part of our sales pitch is, look, we’re not going to try to fool you and say that you and Dirk [Nowitzki] and Shawn Marion and Vince [Carter] and [filler] are basically a championship team. Maybe we get on a run, maybe we’re pretty good. But the reality is you’re going to work with us and Dirk to get out there and pick your team."
Nowitzki has spoken in recent weeks about signing a more cap-friendly deal when his current contract expires next summer. With his $22.72MM cap hit set to come off the books in 2014 and a stronger free agent crop likely to hit the open market, the Mavs should certainly be in a position to make another splash a year from now even if they can't land Paul or Howard this summer.
Draft Updates: Cavs, Len, Knicks, Bucks, Goodwin
Up to this point, we've heard that the Cavaliers are weighing a number of options for their first overall pick. Assuming they don't trade the pick, it's possible the Cavs could select Nerlens Noel, Otto Porter, Ben McLemore, Victor Oladipo, Alex Len, or Anthony Bennett. Previous reports have suggested Cleveland isn't tipping its hand, but Jimmy Smith of the New Orleans Times-Picayune is hearing that Len appears to be the frontrunner for that No. 1 spot (Twitter link)
As we wait to see whether Smith is right, or whether the Cavs' top choice turns out to be someone else 10 days from now, let's round up a few draft items….
- Gorgui Dieng and Nate Wolters are among the prospects scheduled to work out with the Knicks tomorrow, according to the team's PR Twitter account.
- Wolters is also among the six prospects working out for the Bucks today, per Milwaukee's PR department (Twitter link).
- Archie Goodwin has workouts lined up with three Western teams, according to Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv (via Twitter): The Jazz, Kings, and Trail Blazers.
- With three second-round picks in hand, the Blazers brought in a handful of potential targets for those picks today, as Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com tweets.
- The Wizards will work out a number of international prospects later this week, writes J. Michael of CSNWashington.com.
- Joel Brigham of HoopsWorld identifies a few of the players he thinks will be steals in this year's draft.
Nuggets Hire Tim Connelly
1:47pm: The Nuggets have officially announced the hiring of Connelly in a press release.
"We are extremely excited to have Tim join the Denver Nuggets organization," Kroenke said in a statement. "He comes from a great basketball background, possesses an incredibly strong work ethic and is a wonderful person. His passion and energy for the game of basketball are contagious and I am confident that he will be a great fit with us in Denver."
10:09am: The Nuggets have decided on their new head of basketball operations, agreeing to hire Tim Connelly to replace Masai Ujiri, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (via Twitter). Wojnarowski reports (via Twitter) that Connelly's official title in Denver will be executive VP of basketball operations.
Connelly, who had previously been working as an assistant GM for the Pelicans, was named by Wojnarowski last month as a candidate for the Denver opening. Connelly was also linked to the GM job with the Timberwolves. He'll take the reins with a franchise that has lost its GM, its top assistant GM, and its head coach in the last several weeks.
Since the Nuggets' season ended with a first-round loss to Golden State, Ujiri has been hired as the Raptors' new head of basketball operations, Pete D'Alessandro has reached an agreement to become the Kings' general manager, and George Karl was let go by Denver when the two sides couldn't agree on an extension.
One of the first tasks facing Connelly this summer will be Andre Iguodala's free agency. Iguodala decided to exercise his early termination option and hit the open market, though he and the Nuggets have mutual interest in a new deal that keeps him in Denver.
Connelly also figures to assist team president Josh Kroenke in hiring a head coach to replace Karl. Lionel Hollins is scheduled to interview with the Nuggets on Wednesday, while Benjamin Hochman of the Denver Post reports that the club will meet with Brian Shaw on Tuesday.
Odds & Ends: Jaiteh, Celtics, Heat, Bucks
With the deadline for international prospects to withdraw from the draft coming up in a matter of hours, Mouhammadou Jaiteh remains undecided on whether or not he'll keep his name in, tweets Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld. As fellow HoopsWorld scribe Steve Kyler writes, Jaiteh is seeking a first-round guarantee, so if he exits the draft, he was probably unable to secure that promise. You can check out today's full list of draft decisions by international prospects right here.
Here are a few more odds and ends from around the NBA:
- Assuming Doc Rivers parts ways with the Celtics, former Nets head coach and Celtics assistant Lawrence Frank may emerge as a candidate for the Boston job, tweets A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com.
- Kevin McHale, on the other hand, wouldn't be a candidate for the Celtics' position, since the Rockets wouldn't let him leave, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (via Twitter).
- Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel spoke to Ray Allen and James Jones about their player options for 2013/14, which they'll have to decide on within the next couple weeks. Allen was noncommital on his decision, but Jones told Winderman he expects to exercise his, which is no surprise. Jones played only 221 minutes for the Heat in 2012/13, so he's not about to turn down a $1.5MM salary.
- The Bucks have added Nick Van Exel and Bob Bender to Larry Drew's staff as assistant coaches, according to the team (Twitter link). Drew worked with both Van Exel and Bender in Atlanta as well.
- New MLSE CEO Tim Leiweke has fired longtime Raptors employee Alvin Williams, according to Doug Smith of the Toronto Star, who thinks the decision to fire a fan favorite who wanted to spend his career with the franchise sends a bad message.
- Jay-Z's Roc Nation Sports has inquired with the NBA about the procedure for getting individuals certified as NBA agents, tweets Liz Mullen of Sports Business Journal.
Monta Ellis To Exercise ETO, Become Free Agent
Monta Ellis has informed the Bucks he'll exercise the early termination option on his contract, eliminating the final year of the deal, reports ESPN.com's Chris Broussard. The move means Ellis will officially become an unrestricted free agent on July 1st.
Ellis' decision doesn't come as a surprise, since we heard two months ago he was likely to opt out. The Bucks reportedly offered Ellis an extension that would have hinged on him declining the ETO to receive an overall three-year, $36MM commitment from the team. Considering the veteran guard apparently passed on that offer, it was only a matter of time until he officially opted out to test the open market.
The 2013/14 option on Ellis' deal would have paid him $11MM. I'm skeptical that he'll see many offers that match or exceed that annual salary. However, if he can secure a long-term deal at a slightly lesser yearly rate, the decision still makes sense — especially if he prefers to play for a team besides the Bucks.
Based on multiple reports, it appears likely that the Kings will have some level of interest in Ellis, who figures to draw attention from plenty of clubs in need of backcourt help. Broussard identifies the Hawks, Mavericks, and Lakers as other probable suitors for Ellis, though the Lakers would seem to be a long shot, given their cap situation.
Ellis becomes the second player to exercise an early termination option on his contract this offseason. Andre Iguodala opted out of his deal last week, though the other players who have ETOs for 2013/14 are unlikely to exercise them.
Kings Offer Chris Mullin Job As Consultant
Over the weekend, the Kings reached an agreement to hire Pete D'Alessandro as their new general manager, and it appears as if the team could add another new name to the front office. According to Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee, the Kings have offered Chris Mullin a position as a consultant, and sources tell Jones that Mullin is likely to accept the offer.
As Jones notes, Mullin and D'Alessandro worked together in the Warriors' front office for several seasons back when Mullin was Golden State's head of basketball operations. Sacramento's rumored plan throughout the process has been to pair a veteran, big-name executive with a lesser-known but respected general manager, so hiring Mullin to work with D'Alessandro would provide that sort of partnership.
Jones also points out (via Sulia) that if Mullin were to officially come aboard, it would add more fuel to the rumors linking the Kings to Monta Ellis, since it was Mullin who drafted Ellis in the second round of the 2005 draft. Sacramento will still need to determine whether or not to bring back Tyreke Evans before a pursuit of Ellis becomes a reality, but multiple reports have broached the possibility, and Ellis has history with Mullin, D'Alessandro, and new Kings coach Michael Malone.
Odds & Ends: Rivers, Saric, Clippers, D-League
While the big talk in the NBA right now is whether Doc Rivers will wind up coaching for the Celtics or Clippers next season, there's always the possibility that he takes the 2013/14 season off. If that's the case, Rivers could go from behind the bench to back behind a microphone, a source tells A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com. "You guys (media) have been around Doc long enough to know that's always been something he's talked about," the source said. "So it shouldn't come as a surprise. And frankly, now is probably as good a time as any for him to go that route." Here's more from around the Association..
- One team picking in the lottery promised Dario Saric that they would draft him this year if he guaranteed he'd play in the NBA next year, but he said no, tweets Chad Ford of ESPN.com. Earlier tonight we learned that the Croatian forward will formally withdraw from the draft tomorrow with an eye on the 2014 draft.
- Eric Pincus of HoopsWorld wonders what the next move for the Clippers will be. The Clippers want to be active on the open market, but it's difficult to project how they will fill out their roster with free agents until they’ve taken care of their own players, especially Chris Paul.
- This weekend's D-League tryouts are over, and Keith Schlosser of Ridiculous Upside rounds up the intriguing prospects.
- Before tonight's game, Heat big man Chris Andersen was asked about his thoughts on George Karl's dismissal from the Nuggets. “It’s never a good feeling to get released or get fired, so I can imagine how he feels," the former Nugget said, tweets Chris Tomasson of FOX Sports Florida.