Klay Thompson Seeks Max Extension
Klay Thompson‘s agent has been seeking a max deal in extension talks with the Warriors, reports Sam Amick of USA Today. While Thompson’s name bounces around trade rumors involving Kevin Love, the Warriors starting shooting guard’s extension talks are just as relevant to his future with the team. The Warriors have been bracing for a max demand from agent Bill Duffy and the two-way shooting guard after seeing Gordon Hayward and Chandler Parsons each receive max offers as free agents this summer. Golden State has reportedly been budgeting to accommodate such a deal for Thompson, and Andrew Bogut‘s extension structure was one part of those efforts.
If the two sides aren’t able to reach an extension agreement by the early-season deadline, Thompson will become a restricted free agent for the 2015/16 season, when he would likely fetch max offers from rival teams. Warriors co-owner Joe Lacob vowed to reach an agreement with Thompson, although at least some placed his value at $12MM per season at the time, a millions below the max for a player of his experience.
Thompson has been said to be open to being traded to Minnesota, at least partially because the Wolves would have more cap room to commit to a max deal upon acquiring the 24-year-old. If Golden State’s very public refusal to give up Thompson in a deal for a perennial All-Star in Love holds up, it would only seem to help his case in negotiations. Thompson’s improvement in three years as a Warrior has accompanied the team’s increased performance as a unit. His win shares have steadily risen from 1.7 as a rookie to 6.7 in 2014/15, and his career 41% three-point shooting percentage is all the more impressive considering he has launched 6.5 long distance attempts per game.
Western Rumors: Marshall, Bledsoe, Love
Eric Pincus of The Los Angeles Times tweets that he doesn’t expect Kendall Marshall, whom the Lakers released yesterday, to clear waivers. Here’s more from the Pacific Division:
- The Lakers were pleasantly surprised to have won their amnesty claim on Carlos Boozer, tweets Bill Oram of The Orange County Register.
- Dan Bickley of USA Today thinks that Eric Bledsoe should relent on his demands for a five-year, $80MM contract with the Suns, and risks earning a poor public image if he doesn’t.
- The Warriors commitment to defense is manifesting itself in the team’s unwillingness to give up Klay Thompson in a Kevin Love trade, writes Sam Amick of USA Today. Amick notes that new coach Steve Kerr has prioritized the defensive end in choosing his assistants, and that Love’s inability to reach the players is a black eye among some league executives.
- New Hornets addition Lance Stephenson tells Candace Buckner of The Indianapolis Star that he’s surprised he didn’t remain with the Pacers. “I’m definitely surprised,” said Stephenson. “But I’m happy here. I can definitely help this program. It’s a family here. I’m definitely going to miss Larry Bird. But it’s a business, and I feel like here is more of a family. Let’s go get wins.”
International Notes: Bertans, Hamilton, Babbitt
Davis Bertans has signed a three-year contract worth just under €2MM with Spanish team Baskonia, tweets Emiliano Carchia of Sportando. The deal has an NBA-out clause in each season that the Spurs, who own Bertans’ rights and have eyed the Latvian for the near future, could pay for without it counting against the cap, presuming it is at or below the $600,000 maximum allowed. Here’s more from around the world:
- Ryan Richards, the Spurs 2010 second-round draft pick, has signed with an Austrian club, the Zepter Vienna team website announced (transcription via Trapani).
- Russian team Lokomotiv Kuban is looking to add Justin Hamilton and Milan Macvan next season, reports Enea Trapani of Sportando. Hamilton has a non-guaranteed salary that the Heat can fully waive prior to August 1st, and partially waive before December 1st. Macvan was drafted by the Cavs in 2011, and has been cool to Cleveland’s interest in bringing him to the NBA.
- Spanish team Unicaja Malaga has offered Luke Babbitt a $980,000 contract if the Pelicans don’t retain him, notes Trapani in a separate report. That amount is nearly identical to Babbitt’s fully non-guaranteed salary in New Orleans, which becomes partially guaranteed at $100,000 if the Pelicans don’t waive him before July 22nd.
Alessandro Gentile Re-Signs Overseas
Alessandro Gentile has re-signed with his Italian team for three years, Olimpia Milano’s team website announced (transcription via Luca Consolati of Sportando). Gentile’s rights are owned by the Rockets, who acquired the No. 53 pick in this year’s draft to snatch him. The salary, and potential NBA buyout clause, for his deal have not been reported at this time.
There have been no rumblings on Houston’s immediate plans for the small forward, but presumably a draft-and-stash was always their course of action. At the time of the draft, the 21-year-old scoring wing was ranked as the 68th best prospect by Jonathan Givony of Draft Express and the 57th best by Chad Ford of ESPN.com (Insider-only).
At the time of the draft, the Rockets were still preparing to chase premier free agents that they would later fail to sign. First-round pick Clint Capela was at odds with the team for insisting he stay overseas for a year, but since has come close to signing in Houston, and Houston also plans to sign their 42nd pick, Nick Johnson.
Eastern Notes: Knicks, Wizards, Stuckey
GM Steve Mills insisted the Knicks never feared they would lose Carmelo Anthony, adding that he thinks the roughly $5MM discount Anthony took over the life of his deal will indeed make a difference for the team, as Mills said during an interview on the MSG network. John DeMarzo of the New York Post rounds up his comments, including remarks in which Mills confirmed earlier reports that the team believes it has too many guards. Mills identified shooting guard as a specific position of overload and pointed to depth at power forward and center as a priority. Here’s more from out East:
- When Phil Jackson, Knicks owner James Dolan and Dolan’s business partner Irving Azoff were having initial conversations about Jackson joining the Knicks, it was Azoff, the longtime music mogul, who first suggested that Jackson take on the role as team president. Jackson, along with co-author Hugh Delehanty, shared more about his return to the Knicks in an excerpt of his latest book in the New York Daily News.
- Kevin Seraphin‘s acceptance of the Wizards qualifying offer doesn’t rule out other potential moves for Washington, according to J. Michael of CSNWashington.com (via Twitter). Michael mentions a scoring guard as a remaining priority for the Wizards that could result in another signing.
- Vincent Goodwill of The Detroit News writes that Rodney Stuckey‘s frustrating tenure with the Pistons was emblematic of the franchise’s instability following the team’s run as a contender up through 2008. If Stuckey can deliver on the promise from early in his career, Goodwill believes the Pacers will have a bargain on their hands.
Chuck Myron contributed to this post.
Western Rumors: Smith, Lakers, Ballmer, Thunder
The Kings don’t believe any of their power forwards is a solution at the position, and they’ve tried to move one this summer in a quest for an upgrade that’s sparked revitalized talks with the Pistons involving Josh Smith, as Jason Jones of The Sacramento Bee details. Here’s more from the Western Conference:
- The Lakers have renounced the rights to Wesley Johnson, Xavier Henry, and Kent Bazemore, Eric Pincus of The Los Angeles Times reveals (all on Twitter). The maneuvers will accommodate the re-signings of Nick Young, Henry, and Johnson, all of whom have agreed to new deals. Pincus expects Young to be renounced before re-signing as well.
- The Times scribe suspects that the Lakers are using part or all of the room exception to sign Ryan Kelly, considering the cap room that will be eaten up by Young’s contract, and a “reasonable” market of suitors for the power forward (all via Twitter).
- Steve Ballmer agreed to extend his deal to purchase the Clippers until August 15th, but Linda Deutsch of The Associated Press reports that Ballmer’s lawyer told a judge in the Donald and Shelly Sterling legal proceedings that the agreement will be off if there is no ruling prior to that date. Ballmer’s potential withdrawal would further cloud the team’s status, as commissioner Adam Silver recently cautioned that Sterling could still own the Clippers at the beginning of next season.
- The Thunder have announced that their D-League affiliate will move from Bixby, Oklahoma to Oklahoma City next season, as first reported by Darnell Mayberry of The Oklahoman. The change will make shuffling players between the Thunder and 66ers more convenient.
- The Jazz still have free agency moves to make in filling out their roster, reports Tony Jones of The Salt Lake Tribune (all Twitter links). Francisco Garcia is a possibility for Utah, who seek a shooting wing along with a third point guard brought in to sit behind the team’s developing backcourt.
Chuck Myron contributed to this post.
Latest On Kevin Love
10:24pm: Multiple league sources are again refuting the notion that Wiggins has been made available in trade talks, telling Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com that the Cavs still aren’t budging (Twitter link).
8:25pm: Both Love’s camp and a Minnesota source tell Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities that it’s unlikely a deal happens this weekend (Twitter link).
6:00pm: While the Warriors are denying the report of their willingness to trade Thompson in a package for Love, Yannis Koutroupis of Basketball Insiders (video) suggests that Golden State is bluffing in case the Wolves wind up picking the Cavs package above theirs. Koutroupis reiterates that Love’s willingness to opt in for the 2015/16 season gives Minnesota more leverage in asking for Thompson in a trade, and increases the likelihood that the power forward is dealt before the season.
3:27pm: Chris Broussard of ESPN.com is the latest to contend that the Cavs are indeed willing to part with Wiggins in exchange for Love. Cleveland would also part with Anthony Bennett and a 2015 first-round pick, Broussard writes, though the Cavs would have to add more to make a deal work under the league’s salary-matching rules. A trade between the clubs was close at one point, but Minnesota’s demands exceed what the Cavs are offering, according to Broussard. The feeling around the league is that the Wolves are trying to pit the Cavs and Warriors against each other in a bidding war, just the sort of competition Golden State reportedly wants no part of, as we noted below.
11:28am: The Cavs haven’t offered Wiggins for Love, just as the Warriors haven’t offered Thompson for the Minnesota power forward, according to Jon Krawczynski of The Associated Press, seconding earlier reports that put the brakes on the idea that one or both were in play (Twitter link). The Warriors want no part of a would-be bidding war against the Cavs for Love, so it appears they’ve decided to set aside Love talks for now, writes Tim Kawakami of the Bay Area News Group.
8:31am: The Warriors aren’t willing to trade Klay Thompson to the Wolves in a deal for Kevin Love, a source insists to Tim Kawakami of the Bay Area News Group, insisting that a report from late Thursday that said Golden State was on board with giving up Thompson was untrue (Twitter links). Kawakami had heard from multiple sources throughout Thursday that the Warriors had considered the idea of including Thompson in packages but decided against doing so (Twitter link).
Rumors surrounding Love perked up when a dispatch Thursday afternoon indicated that the Cavs would be willing to part with Andrew Wiggins for love, but another report denied that this year’s No. 1 overall pick is available for a trade. Still, a source who spoke with Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal before the return of LeBron James to the Cavs said that aside from Kyrie Irving, no one on the Cleveland roster was off-limits for a potential trade that would net Love.
Wolves owner Glen Taylor and Cavs owner Dan Gilbert spoke at length this week about a trade, just as Taylor did last month with Warriors co-owner Joe Lacob, writes Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune. The talks between Taylor and Lacob produced a framework of a deal that included Thompson, but Lacob ultimately spiked the idea on the advice of consultant Jerry West, a source tells Zgoda. West is reportedly an opponent of trading Thompson.
Bulls Notes: Mirotic, Gasol
With the addition of Pau Gasol and the return of Derrick Rose this year, the Bulls will hope to ascend from the middle of the playoff pack toward the number one seed, where they finished during Rose’s last two full, healthy seasons. Here’s the latest from Chicago:
- Nikola Mirotic‘s contract with the Bulls is for three years, $16.6MM plus incentives, tweets Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com. The initial report had the contract exceeding $17MM, so the incentives could be for $500,000 or more, although that’s just my speculation.
- We already knew the Bulls had received an offer of a top-10 pick for the rights to Mirotic before the 2014 draft, but Chicago GM Gar Forman told ESPN 1000’s “Waddle and Silvy Show” that the team received two such offers for the forward (transcription via Nick Friedell of ESPNChicago.com).
- Gasol told reporters including Friedell and Jon Greenberg of ESPNChicago.com that Joakim Noah and Rose helped pitch Chicago to him, and that he turned down more lucrative offers to sign with his new team. “I turned down bigger offers, and I prioritized being on a championship-caliber team and being in a position where I can hopefully put that team over the top with my game,” said Gasol, noting that “how humble [Noah and Rose] are, being able to not have big egos, makes things a lot easier. Their passion and hunger, as well; they’re hungry to win. I want to be a part of a hungry team that will do whatever it takes.”
Rockets Sign Ish Smith
FRIDAY, 8:46pm: The signing is official, the team has announced (H/T Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle).
THURSDAY, 4:50pm: The Rockets and guard Ishmael Smith have agreement on a one-year deal, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter link). The Suns waived Smith two days ago just before his non-guaranteed contract was to become fully guaranteed. Presumably, he’s cleared waivers, allowing the Rockets the chance to sign him. Smith’s new deal is fully guaranteed for the minimum salary, according to Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle (on Twitter).
Smith played 28 games for the Rockets in 2010/11, making him the latest former Rocket to sign with the team this summer. All four free agents with whom the team has come to agreements this month have already played for the Rockets at some time during their careers. Since debuting with Houston, Smith bounced between four other NBA franchises (Memphis, Golden State, Orlando and Milwaukee) before finding a home in Phoenix last season. He played 70 games for the Suns, averaging 3.7 points and 2.6 assists in 14.4 minutes per game.
The 26-year-old Wake Forest product figures to compete with Isaiah Canaan and Troy Daniels next season in Houston for backup point guard duties. The Rockets, of course, traded Jeremy Lin to the Lakers last week in hopes that they could reach an agreement with then-free agent Chris Bosh. Without Lin (or Bosh, as it turned out), adding depth behind Patrick Beverley became a priority.
Rockets Sign Joey Dorsey
FRIDAY, 8:44pm: The signing is official, the Rockets have announced (hat tip to Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle).
6:23pm: The deal is for the minimum salary, and it’s fully guaranteed, Feigen writes in his full story
11:50am: The deal is guaranteed, according to Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle, though it remains unclear if its fully so or just partially guaranteed (Twitter link).
11:28am: Agent Giorgios Dimitropoulos confirms the deal to Sportando’s Emiliano Carchia (Twitter link).
TUESDAY, 11:14am: Center Joey Dorsey is returning to the NBA after agreeing to a two-year, $2MM deal with the Rockets, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. The 30-year-old has been out of the NBA since the 2010/11 season after playing a total of 61 NBA games over three years with the Rockets, Kings and Raptors. He spent this past season playing for FC Barcelona Regal in Spain, a Euroleague Final Four team, as Wojnarowski points out. The minimum salary would provide $1,963,584 over two seasons for Dorsey, so it would appear that the Rockets are using the minimum-salary exception. It’s not clear how much guaranteed money is involved.
Dorsey started just 10 games and averaged 5.2 points and 5.4 rebounds in 15.4 minutes per game for Barcelona this past season. He played with Olympiacos in Greece the season before, so his teammate the past two years has been Kostas Papanikolaou, with whom the Rockets have reportedly been engaged in advanced discussions about a deal. Houston’s agreement with Dorsey wouldn’t necessarily preclude a deal for Papanikolaou, particularly if Dorsey is only getting the minimum salary.
The Rockets were set to be without a legitimate backup center in the wake of their agreement to send Omer Asik to the Pelicans, though it remains to be seen whether Dorsey is capable of assuming a role in the team’s rotation. He’s nonetheless familiar to the Houston front office, which originally acquired him on draft night in 2008 after the Blazers drafted him 33rd overall.