Cavs Notes: Pekovic, Aldridge, Noel, Porter
Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio reported earlier today that the Cavs aren't going after DeMarcus Cousins, and he has plenty more on Cleveland's team in his latest dispatch. He gets credit for the updates below, unless otherwise noted.
- The Cavaliers have tried and failed to pry Kevin Love from the Timberwolves, and their alternative may be to go after center Nikola Pekovic, one of the leading restricted free agents. Cleveland has the cap room to make him an offer of $12MM or better, a price Wolves owner Glen Taylor has said he won't pay.
- The Blazers have no interest in Tristan Thompson, Dion Waiters or draft picks, and have turned down the Cavs' inquiries about LaMarcus Aldridge.
- Nerlens Noel says he'll be ready to play around Christmas, but the Cavaliers don't think he'll be back from his ACL injury until February or March. The team remains undecided about whether Noel will be the No. 1 pick, and Amico confirms that Otto Porter is also in the mix for that selection.
- Amico hears the Cavs are willing to trade up to nab Sergey Karasev in the middle of the first round if it doesn't look like he'll fall to them at No. 19. The Cavs are also high on Alex Len, and he could be theirs if they trade out of the No. 1 pick.
- The Cavs like Shaun Livingston, but he's seeking a larger payday than the team wants to give him.
- Omri Casspi and Luke Walton probably won't be re-signed, but the Cavs hope to bring back Wayne Ellington.
- The Plain Dealer's Mary Schmitt Boyer answers reader questions in her mailbag column, and opines that Al Horford makes more sense as a trade target for the Cavs than Love or Aldridge do.
NBA Award-Winners And Their Agencies
All of this year's award-winning players have their hardware now, with the exception of the Finals MVP. We'll have to wait at least a couple more weeks to find out who that will be, but the rest of the award-winners have been feted with press conferences and pregame ceremonies. Behind the scenes, their agents have no doubt been celebrating as well, particularly those whose clients have contract negotiations on the agenda this summer.
Using the Hoops Rumors Agency Database, we can get an idea of the league's most powerful agencies through the prism of this year's awards. The Creative Artists Agency is this year's most decorated outfit, boasting eight players who took home honors this spring. Three of them — Chris Paul, Paul George and J.R. Smith — could be calling on CAA to help them cash in on their success this summer. Five other agencies boast multiple award-winners. Rich Paul's Klutch Sports Group only has one client on this list, but it's the one to have: LeBron James.
Here's the complete list. The specific agent assigned to each client, when known, is in parentheses.
Creative Artists Agency
- *Chris Paul, All-NBA First Team, All-Defensive First Team
- Carmelo Anthony, All-NBA Second Team (Leon Rose)
- Tony Parker, All-NBA Second Team
- ^Paul George, All-NBA Third Team, Most Improved Player, All-Defensive Second Team (Aaron Mintz)
- Dwyane Wade, All-NBA Third Team (Henry Thomas)
- #J.R. Smith, Sixth Man of the Year (Leon Rose)
- Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, All-Rookie Second Team
- Jonas Valanciunas, All-Rookie Second Team
Landmark Sports Agency, Inc.
- Kobe Bryant, All-NBA First Team (Rob Pelinka)
- Kevin Durant, All-NBA First Team (Rob Pelinka)
- James Harden, All-NBA Third Team
- Dion Waiters, All-Rookie First Team (Rob Pelinka)
- Andre Drummond, All-Rookie Second Team (Rob Pelinka)
Excel Sports Management
- Blake Griffin, All-NBA Second Team (Sam Goldfeder)
- *Tony Allen, All-Defensive First Team
- Tyson Chandler, All-Defensive First Team
- Tyler Zeller, All-Rookie Second Team (Jeff Schwartz)
Wasserman Media Group
- Russell Westbrook, All-NBA Second Team (Thad Foucher)
- Marc Gasol, All-NBA Second Team, Defensive Player of the Year, All-Defensive Second Team (Arn Tellem)
- Anthony Davis, All-Rookie First Team (Arn Tellem)
- Kyle Singler, All-Rookie Second Team (Greg Lawrence)
BDA Sports Management
- Joakim Noah, All-Defensive First Team (Bill Duffy)
- Mike Conley, All-Defensive Second Team
Priority Sports & Entertainment
- David Lee, All-NBA Third Team (Mark Bartelstein)
- Bradley Beal, All-Rookie First Team (Mark Bartelstein)
24/7 Sports Management
- Harrison Barnes, All-Rookie First Team (Jeff Wechsler)
ASM Sports
- Serge Ibaka, All-Defensive First Team
Goodwin Sports Management
- Damian Lillard, Rookie of the Year, All-Rookie First Team (Aaron Goodwin)
Klutch Sports Group
- LeBron James, MVP, All-NBA First Team, All-Defensive First Team (Rich Paul)
Lagardere Unlimited
- ^Avery Bradley, All-Defensive Second Team (Mitchell Butler)
Relativity Sports
- *Dwight Howard, All-NBA Third Team (Dan Fegan)
Williams & Connolly
- Tim Duncan, All-NBA First Team, All-Defensive Second Team (Jim Tanner)
*-Player is a free agent this summer
^Player is eligible for a rookie-scale extension this summer
#-Player can exercise an early-termination or player option this summer
Atlantic Rumors: Robinson, Pierce, Bargnani
Nate Robinson's first priority will be to re-sign with the Bulls, though he wouldn't mind another stint with the Knicks, agent Aaron Goodwin tells Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com. Both Chicago and New York are taxpaying teams, so it'll be difficult for either to fit in Robinson, who'll likely command more than the minimum salary he made this year. Goodwin's statement is a familiar one for agents this time of year, as Grantland's Zach Lowe points out via Twitter, so there's no reason to count Robinson as either a Bull or a Knick just yet. Here's more from the Atlantic:
- Teams around the league have a "healthy interest" in Paul Pierce, but the Celtics aren't about to just give him away, according to Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald. Even if the C's can find the right deal and start over with younger players, the money tied up in Brandon Bass, Courtney Lee and Jason Terry would be a major obstacle to a rebuild, a general manager tells Bulpett.
- The Raptors will reportedly be aggressive in their attempts to trade Andrea Bargnani, and one possible destination could be Golden State, since, according to Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun, the Warriors have long been intrigued by him (Twitter link).
- Eric Koreen of the National Post outlines the five most important items on the to-do list for new Raptors GM Masai Ujiri, figuring that an amnesty of Bargnani is most likely the club's next step with the former No. 1 overall pick.
- Center A.J. Matthews played his college ball at Division III Farmingdale State and didn't receive an invitation to the league's pre-draft combine in Chicago, but he wowed teams at recent Nets-hosted combine. The Knicks are one of about a half dozen teams bringing the Arn Tellem client in for workouts, reports Marc Berman of the New York Post.
- The Knicks are zeroing in on point guards with the 24th overall pick, and though they don't have a second-rounder, Berman expects them to acquire one via trade in return for cash.
- Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com explains the reasons why Chris Paul signing with the Knicks is but a pipe-dream for New York fans.
Latest On DeMarcus Cousins
Despite reports and rumors to the contrary, the Cavs have zero interest in Kings center DeMarcus Cousins, a source tells Sam Amico of FOX Sports (on Twitter). The Bobcats, on the other hand, have interest in the troubled big man. However, the Kings preference at this time is to keep him.
The source went on to tell Amico (link) that plenty of teams have or will ask about Cousins, but clubs like the Cavs are staying away from him due to “consistent issues with structure.” A report earlier this week indicated that the new regime in Sacramento is intent on moving Cousins, but that may have been floated out there by rival teams.
Raptors To Shop Bargnani Aggressively
Masai Ujiri has barely had a chance to change the nameplate on his desk, but he already knows what his first order of business will be as Raptors GM. The club will look to shop big man Andrea Bargnani everywhere possible in order to move him before July 1st, according to Marc Stein of ESPN.com (via Twitter).
This is hardly the first time that the Raptors have been keen on trading Bargnani, but finding a trade that brings back a decent return has proved challenging for them in the past. The Italian forward is set to make $11MM next season and $12MM in 2014/15.
The former No. 1 overall pick has been beset by the injury bug and has often times looked out of place in the Raptors’ offense. This past season he averaged just 12.7 PPG and 3.7 RPG in 35 games.
Southeast Division: Magic, Bobcats, Thomas
Hawks coach Larry Drew was in a strange position for a few months as it was long believed that Atlanta would not re-sign him to a new deal for 2013/14 and beyond. The club got their man earlier this week in Spurs assistant Mike Budenholzer, but Drew wasn't out of work for very long. Yesterday, he agreed to become the next head coach of the Bucks and inked a three-year deal that includes a club option for year four. It's not a surprise to see that Drew wasn't between jobs for long given what he accomplished in Atlanta. Under his watch, the Hawks posted a 128-102 record and went to the playoffs in all three years. Here's more out of the Southeast Division..
- The HoopsWorld staff held a roundtable discussion on what the Magic should do with the No. 2 overall pick. Yannis Koutroupis goes outside of the box and suggests that Orlando should grab Victor Oladipo rather than Trey Burke or Ben McLemore. Koutroupis reasons that Oladipo is tough enough on the defensive end where he could potentially play with Arron Afflalo if needed, but more importantly could make Afflalo expendable if another team covets him in a trade.
- HoopsWorld also took a look at the Bobcats' No. 4 overall selection. Derek Page suggests that Charlotte should tab Alex Len, who would be a virtual lock to still be on the board at that time. The Maryland big man is expected to be a top-5 pick despite likely being on the shelf to start next season, but that isn't likely to scare away a Bobcats squad that’s not banking on contending next season.
- Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld ran down the teams still eligible to use the amnesty clause, including the Bobcats, Hawks, and Heat. Charlotte's Tyrus Thomas would appear to be a candidate for the amnesty clause.
Draft Notes: Knicks, Larkin, Hardaway Jr., Bucks
Otto Porter, Victor Oladipo, Ben McLemore, and Anthony Bennett will likely be among the candidates visiting with the Wizards in the second or third week of June, when the team will look at candidates for the No. 3 overall pick, writes Michael Lee of the Washington Post. For now, the team is concentrating on targets for its pair of second-round pick, and Lee lists more than a dozen such players scheduled for workouts with the team next week. The Wizards' pick may very well come down to a decision between who is left over between Porter and Nerlens Noel, but they'll leave no stone unturned when it comes to their top pick. Here's more draft news..
- Former Miami point guard Shane Larkin won’t work out for the Knicks, his agent told Adam Zagoria of SNY. “Currently, Shane’s not scheduled to work out for the Knicks,” agent Steve McCaskill said. “And we don’t have any intentions of scheduling one. We don’t feel like he’s going to be on the board when they select.” The Knicks have the No. 24 pick in the draft and while some view Larkin as a mid-round talent, it's worth noting that DraftExpress currently has him going at No. 23 to the Pacers.
- Tim Hardaway Jr. auditioned for the Bucks and told reporters, including Charles F. Gardner of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, that he has already worked out for the Bulls and T'Wolves. The Michigan product is widely viewed as a fringe first-round talent.
- Murray State's Isaiah Canaan says he has already worked out for the Spurs and he has more workouts scheduled with the Pacers, Knicks, Cavs, Suns, Mavs, and Jazz, Gardner writes. Canaan, who auditioned for the Bucks, could be a candidate for the club's No. 43 selection.
- Former Creighton and Rutgers big man Gregory Echenique will work out for the Wizards, Suns, and Nets in the coming weeks, Zagoria writes. The 6-foot-9, 260-pound center has already worked out for the Celtics, Timberwolves, and Trail Blazers. At this time, Echenique figures to be a second round pick at best.
Chuck Myron contributed to this post.
Kings Could Make Run At Larry Bird
While Chris Wallace is viewed as the frontrunner for the Kings GM job, owner Vivek Ranadive still has his eye on other potential candidates including Larry Bird, writes Marc Stein of ESPN.com. Ranadive would like to make a splash and has already felt out the former Pacers executive about his willingness to return to front-office work in Sacramento.
However, the assumption in league circles is that Bird would return to the Pacers if he were to get back into a full-time position in the NBA. After all, he had a great deal to do with the roster that is still alive in the Eastern Conference finals against the Heat. But sources say the Kings owner has let it be known that he isn't afraid to spend major coin on a GM.
Sacramento's ability to lure someone like Bird could be a longshot after they already installed a coach rather than letting the incoming GM handle the process. Ranadive has already been shot down once after Spurs GM R.C. Buford publicly said that he isn't interested in the Kings job.