Kings To Hire Pete D’Alessandro As GM
3:40pm: The Kings still want to add a consultant to the front office mix, USA Today's Sam Amick reports, adding that he doesn't think they'll hire "one of the usual suspects who was interviewed." In any case, D'Alessandro is expected to lead the front office, Amick says. (Twitter links).
2:33pm: TNT's David Aldridge and USA Today's Sam Amick have confirmed Wojnarowski's report (Twitter links). Ken Berger of CBSSports.com hears the Kings are still deciding whether to hire another front office executive to pair with D'Alessandro and says Wallace would be the leading candidate for that position. Wallace remains under contract as GM of the Grizzlies, but he's been pushed to the side under the new, analytics-driven leadership of owner Robert Pera and CEO Jason Levien.
2:09pm: The Kings and Pete D'Alessandro have reached an agreement on a deal that would make him Sacramento's new GM, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. D'Alessandro has been serving as vice president of basketball operations for the Nuggets, and was the chief assistant to former Denver GM Masai Ujiri. The Nuggets were reportedly leaning toward D'Alessandro for their GM vacancy, but it appears they'll have to move to other candidates.
The hire is somewhat of a surprise, since D'Alessandro's name wasn't one of several that were said to be in the mix as recently as two days ago. Chris Wallace, David Morway and Scott Layden appeared to be the front-runners at that point. Perhaps one of them or another executive will join D'Alessandro in the front office, since new owner Vivek Ranadive has indicated he might want to hire a tandem of someone with experience and a relatively fresh face to lead the team's basketball ops.
One possible front office partner for D'Alessandro could be Chris Mullin, the former Warriors GM under whom D'Alessandro served from 2004 to 2008. Mullin's name came up in connection with the Kings job via multiple reports.
Celts, Clips Build Momentum For Rivers, KG Deal
3:19pm: The final hurdle for a deal involving Garnett and Rivers is Ainge's desire for Bledsoe to be a part of the trade, Wojnarowski hears (Twitter link).
3:08pm: If the Clippers can work out a deal to acquire Rivers, Garnett would waive his no-trade clause to join the Clippers as well, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports.
3:03pm: The Celtics and Clippers have begun discussing players who would be exchanged if the Celtics were to allow Doc Rivers to coach in L.A., reports Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald. Both sides are seeking common ground, though many moving parts remain. Technically, the Clippers could only send cash and draft picks in return for Rivers, but a side deal involving current players could be worked out.
Ainge appears to be using Rivers as leverage to get the Clippers to agree to a deal involving players that they wouldn't otherwise consider, according to Bulpett. Several in the Clippers front office were wary of a trade-deadline proposal that would have sent Kevin Garnett to the Clips in exchange for Eric Bledsoe and DeAndre Jordan. Vinny Del Negro, who's no longer with the Clippers, was one of the advocates for the deal, but L.A.'s management was never really interested, Bulpett writes.
The Celtics would prefer to keep Rivers, who still has three years and $21MM left on his deal, but now that they know he's wary of staying with them for the long haul, they're considering their options. Still, Rivers remains sentimental about the C's, and hopes a win-win can happen for both teams should a deal go down. A source tells Bulpett that if the Celtics and Clippers can't work anything out, Rivers would be happy to return to Boston's bench. Another of Bulpett's sources is uncertain of Rivers' regard for the Celtics, and believes he's merely trying to massage the perception of his exit.
We heard earlier today that Rivers, Garnett and Paul Pierce would like to stay together as Clippers if they can't do so as Celtics. Pierce could wind up with the Clippers as part of a trade, or they could sign him if the Celtics release him by June 30th, since his $15MM+ salary for next season is only guaranteed for $5MM until that date.
Eastern Rumors: Hawks, Dwight, Bobcats, Celtics
Since 2007, the only teams to win the Eastern Conference have been the Celtics, the Magic, and whatever team LeBron James has been on. The Magic probably won't be getting back to the Finals anytime soon, and the core of those Celtics teams could soon disappear. Doc Rivers, Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett may all wind up with the Clippers, removing one of LeBron's most prominent conference rivals. We've got more on the Celtics saga and other news from the East:
- The Hawks hired Darvin Ham as an assistant coach, the team announced, prompting ESPN's Chris Broussard to speculate that the move was done in part to appeal to Dwight Howard (Twitter link). Ham has been an assistant with the Lakers the past two years, and worked with Howard this year. The Bobcats also had interest in Ham, as Dave McMenamin of ESPNLosAngeles.com notes via Twitter.
- Celtics GM Danny Ainge still believes coach Doc Rivers will return for next season, according to Mark Murphy of the Boston Herald, who hears from an agent who figures that Rivers won't coach any team next season.
- The Celtics will have to rebuild sooner or later, Shaun Powell of Sports on Earth argues. Powell says that now appears to best time to do so, and he lays out a plan that involves waiving Pierce, letting Rivers coach the Clippers, and dangling Garnett in trade offers.
- Vladimir Radmanovic didn't see much playing time on his one-year deal with the Bulls this past season, but his agent, Alexander Raskovic, says the 32-year-old still intends to play for an NBA team next season (Twitter link).
Latest On Grizzlies Coaching Search
Former Nuggets coach George Karl will meet with Memphis brass tomorrow, followed by Dave Joerger on Tuesday, a source tells Ken Berger of CBSSports.com (via Twitter). They're certainly not the only two people vying for the job, however. The Grizzlies met with former Suns coach Alvin Gentry about their head coaching vacancy yesterday and came away extremely impressed, the source says (link).
The Grizzlies granted Lionel Hollins permission to speak with other teams earlier this month and it wasn't a surprise earlier this week when they officially let him go. Former Hollins assistant Joerger was said to be a frontrunner for the job, but he may have his work cut out for him after Gentry's strong showing and the legendary Karl in the mix.
Doc, KG, Pierce Want Clips If They Can’t Stay Celts
There's a rising belief around the NBA that coach Doc Rivers, Kevin Garnett, and Paul Pierce all want to carry on as a trio with the Clippers if they can't roll on in Boston, according to Marc Stein of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Stein sees it as a very possible scenario with a cash/draft pick driven deal for Rivers and separate trades for KG and Pierce without surrendering Blake Griffin (link).
That's not to say that there aren't stumbling blocks for the Clippers to clear before bringing the trio to Los Angeles. Rivers has an unusually strong non-compete clause in his contract that prohibits him from coaching elsewhere for the duration of the deal, which takes him through 2016. There's also a lot of salary that would have to go from L.A. to Boston to accomodate a deal with both Pierce and Garnett. The club could revisit talks from this past trade deadline that would have sent the duo to the Clippers in a package involving Eric Bledsoe and DeAndre Jordan.
New York Notes: Kidd, Prokhorov, Ewing
While the basketball world is zeroed in on the Heat and Spurs, the Nets managed to steal some of the spotlight this week by naming Jason Kidd as their new head coach. Here's a look at the latest out of Brooklyn and Manhattan..
- Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov is happy with his new head coach, writes David M. Herszenhorn of the New York Times. The billionare reportedly hasn't talked to Kidd directly, but he made it clear at a press conference in Moscow this week that he approved of the move. “The point is that there are people who are born coaches,” Prokhorov said. “It is known that Jason Kidd was, in fact, a player-coach on many teams, and he has been training for a long time. He has played under many coaches, and he has always wanted to be a coach.”
- When asked about the potential departure of C.J. Watson, Billy King said that he has already discussed possible replacements for players who may leave with Kidd, writes Tim Bontemps of the New York Post. If Watson does wind up leaving, the question will be who the Nets bring in to provide competition to Tyshawn Taylor for the backup point guard job. They could either draft a point guard with the No. 22 pick or pursue a veteran free agent.
- In the wake of Kidd going from player to head coach in a matter of weeks, Patrick Ewing is disappointed that his time has yet to come, Marc Berman of the New York Post writes.
Lakers Won’t Sign And Trade Howard
If Dwight Howard leaves the Lakers this summer, the Lakers won't help pave his way to a new destination with a sign-and-trade deal, sources tell Mark Heisler of CBS Los Angeles. Barring a great deal that they don’t expect to be offered, insiders say the club’s fallback position would be to bring back this team and bank the savings.
Even though they wouldn't salvage something for their star center, they would save roughly $50MM in salary and luxury tax. That would put them under the luxury tax threshold after next season, which has been a Laker priority for some time but is even more important given the stiff penalties of the new CBA. Those savings would give the Lakers $55MM worth of cap space for the 2014 free agent class, which could include LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony.
The Lakers acquired Howard knowing they would have to pay him an average of ~$23.6MM per season, because of his unique value. If they lose him, the Lakers would only pay that much for someone else they think has unique value, Heisler writes.
Odds & Ends: Hawks, Iguodala, Pistons, Gallinari
Mark Deeks of ShamSports.com doesn't think the Hawks will have much trouble if they want to trade Lou Williams to free up more cap space in the pursuit of two max free agents this summer. He also believes the team wouldn't hesitate to pull off other moves necessary to clear room (Twitter links). If the Hawks renounce all their cap holds and keep their pair of first-round picks, they'd be about $1.9MM shy of the cap space necessary to sign Dwight Howard and Chris Paul, providing next season's salary cap checks in at the projected $58.5MM. The Hawks might not be at the top of likely destinations for the rumored D12-CP3 pairing, but it appears that won't stop them from trying. With half a month to go until teams and free agents can start lining up agreements, here's more from around the Association:
- Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports, who broke the news that Andre Iguodala will opt out and become a free agent, listed Detroit as a likely suitor, and Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press echoes that sentiment, writing that the Pistons like the veteran small forward.
- Nuggets president Josh Kroenke cited Danilo Gallinari's lengthy recovery from a torn ACL when he explained the team's decision to let go of George Karl, but now it appears Gallinari could be back in December, not February, as Benjamin Hochman of the Denver Post reports.
- Darnell Mayberry of The Oklahoman makes a compelling case that the Thunder should trade the 12th pick in the draft to the Hawks for the 17th and 18th selections. Part of the financial side of the argument is based on Mayberry's expectation that OKC won't re-sign Kevin Martin and won't look to replace him via free agency.
- Mark Singelais of the Albany Times Union profiles Siena forward O.D. Anosike, a second-round hopeful who joined Tim Hardaway Jr., Glen Rice Jr., Jackie Carmichael and others in a group workout Thursday for the Celtics.
- MLive's David Mayo passes along a list of players who worked out for the Pistons this week: Andre Roberson, Robert Covington, James Southerland, Adonis Thomas, Mareks Mejeris, A'uston Calhoun, Nick Minnerath and Kwame Vaughn.
- Small-market owners may have been the prime movers behind the latest CBA, but they're still hamstrung by unbalanced local TV revenues. That could lead to another work stoppage and watered-down rosters across the league, ESPN's J.A. Adande argues.
Clippers Notes: Crawford, Trades, Hollins, Karl
For most of the Clippers' time in Southern California, they've been afterthoughts for the Lakers, but if the Clips' recent success hasn't fostered a rivalry, adding three prominent Celtics would certainly turn up the heat in Staples Center. We're a long way from seeing Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and especially Doc Rivers change from green into red and blue, but the idea has generated plenty of buzz in L.A. Here's the latest:
- Jamal Crawford wouldn't be a part of a trade for Garnett and Pierce, sources tell Arash Markazi of ESPNLosAngeles.com, who received an assist from Salary Cap FAQ Author Larry Coon to break down the feasible scenarios for a Clippers-Celtics blockbuster. In addition to the trades covered in the piece, Pierce could also become available to the Clippers via free agency if the Celtics decide to waive him by June 30th, as his $15MM+ contract is guaranteed for just $5MM until the end of the month.
- Lionel Hollins' basketball IQ, demeanor and ability to develop players left the Clippers impressed after a two-day interview, several NBA executives told Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times.
- In a separate piece summarizing the latest Clippers storylines, Turner passes along word from an unnamed executive who said the Clips "never expressed tremendous interest" in George Karl.
- TNT's David Aldridge expects Vinny Del Negro, the coach the Clippers are trying to replace, to quickly resurface in connection with another coaching job now that he's hired highly respected agent Lonnie Cooper (Twitter link).
Nets Rumors: Dwight, Kidd, Prokhorov, Blatche
Earlier today, we learned Nets backup point guard C.J. Watson will decline his player option for next season, and our Atlantic Division roundup was heavy with news on Brooklyn's team. The Nets continue to make headlines, as we detail:
- Nets GM Billy King attempted to throw some cold water on the idea that his team is still in the mix for Dwight Howard, telling Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News that, "The (team's) core is going to stay intact." King also said that he'll prioritize adding shooting off the bench and more athleticism as he tweaks the roster this summer (Sulia link).
- Though a report prior to Jason Kidd's hiring as Nets coach indicated "the Russians are on board" with the move, Kidd has yet to speak with owner Mikhail Prokhorov, Bondy tweets.
- Most NBA head coaches don't coach in the summer league, but Kidd will do just that next month as he prepares to take over the Nets bench, according to Newsday's Roderick Boone.
- Andray Blatche is hitting free agency after succeeding on his one-year, minimum-salary deal, and it will be hard for the Nets, who only have his Non-Bird rights, to give him much of a raise. Still, teammate Reggie Evans is holding out hope. "In my heart, I'm expecting him to be back," Evans said to Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com (Twitter link).