Thunder Fire Scott Brooks
The Thunder have parted ways with coach Scott Brooks, the team announced via press release. A league source told Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports moments earlier that the team had fired the coach. GM Sam Presti gave Brooks the news today, Wojnarowski tweets. Brooks becomes a top candidate for the Magic and Nuggets coaching vacancies, the Yahoo! scribe adds (on Twitter). University of Florida coach Billy Donovan is a “natural favorite” to succeed Brooks, though the team’s top target as of Tuesday was reportedly University of Connecticut coach Kevin Ollie, who issued a statement today that he had no interest in leaving the school. Donovan is expected to become a serious candidate, Wojnarowski hears, seconding Stein, and Donovan has done background research on Kevin Durant, notes Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
“This is an extremely difficult decision on many levels. Scott helped establish the identity of the Thunder and has earned his rightful place in the history of our organization through his seven years as a valued leader and team member,” Presti said in the team’s statement. “As we all know, this past year we had unique and challenging circumstances and as I have conveyed, not many people could have accomplished what Scott and this team were able to. Therefore, it is very important to state that this decision is not a reflection of this past season, but rather an assessment of what we feel is necessary at this point in time in order to continually evolve, progress and sustain.
“We determined that, in order to stimulate progress and put ourselves in the best position next season and as we looked to the future, a transition of this kind was necessary for the program. We move forward with confidence in our foundation and embrace the persistence and responsibility that is required to construct an elite and enduring basketball organization capable of winning an NBA championship in Oklahoma City.”
Brooks was under contract with the Thunder through next season and with a team option for 2016/17. Wojnarowski reported last week that several people close to the coach had doubts about his security in the job that he’d held since early in the 2008/09 season. Presti didn’t consult with Thunder players before making the move to let go of Brooks, tweets Sam Amick of USA Today. Durant, Russell Westbrook and Serge Ibaka all expressed their support for Brooks in the wake of Wojnarowski’s story last week.
It’s no surprise to see Brooks linked to the Magic, given that Orlando GM Rob Hennigan was working with Brooks in the Thunder organization when the Magic hired him in 2012. There are strong links between Presti and Donovan, too, as Presti has made two hires for the Thunder from Donovan’s staff, notes Jeff Goodman of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
Brooks went 338-207 in parts of seven seasons with the Thunder and helped the team to the Finals in 2012. Still, he endured frequent criticism of his lineups and in-game strategy. Injuries befell the Thunder in the last two postseasons, and prolonged absences for Durant, Westbrook, Ibaka and others derailed another shot at contention this season for the Thunder, who finished 45-37 and out of the playoffs.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Petr Cornelie Declines To Enter Draft
Projected second-round pick Petr Cornelie will pass on entering this year’s draft, agent Bouna Ndiaye tells Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress (Twitter link). The power forward who’s a native of France was the 47th-ranked prospect on Givony‘s list as well as the one that Chad Ford of ESPN.com compiles. Cornelie has a strong chance to become a first-round pick next year, according to Givony.
Cornelie, who turns 20 in July, combines shot blocking, outside shooting and mobility in a 6’11” frame, and he drew more attention from NBA scouts this year, Givony tweets. He saw only 16.4 minutes per game for the French club Le Mans Sarthe Basket this season, but his role with the club figures to expand in 2015/16, according to Givony. Cornelie averaged 3.8 points, 4.2 rebounds and 0.6 blocks per contest, though his range didn’t consistently extend beyond the three-point line, as he hit just 30.0% of his shots from that territory. He put up 5.3 PPG and 2.7 RPG in close to 12 MPG during last year’s Adidas EuroCamp, a showcase of significance of overseas prospects.
It’s quite conceivable that Cornelie wouldn’t have been playing in the NBA next season even if he had entered the draft and been selected, since draft-and-stash maneuvers are common in the second round. There’s no guarantee Cornelie enters next year’s draft, either, since international players aren’t automatically eligible for the draft until the year they turn 22, which would be 2017 in Cornelie’s case, though the chance to become a first-round pick might be too tempting to pass up.
Rockets, Josh Smith Share Interest In New Deal
Josh Smith doesn’t want to leave Houston, and Rockets GM Daryl Morey doesn’t want him to go when he again becomes a free agent this summer, writes Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. The deal that Smith signed with Houston in December covers just the remainder of 2014/15, so the sides will have to agree to a new contract to continue their partnership. The Rockets have wanted the versatile frontcourt player since before he left the Hawks in 2013, according to Wojnarowski, and Smith showed why Tuesday, coming two rebounds and an assist shy of a triple-double while scoring 15 points in just 25 minutes in a Game 2 win.
The Rockets have only Non-Bird rights on Smith, meaning that they can’t exceed more than 20% of the $2.077MM they’re paying him this season, an amount that would come to $2,492,400, without using cap space or another exception. The Rockets have about $54.5MM on the books against a projected $67.1MM salary cap for next season, a figure that doesn’t include roster charges, other cap holds and non-guaranteed salary, all of which would make it difficult for Houston to give Smith a significant raise without using its mid-level exception. Smith is set to receive $5.4MM from Detroit each of the next five seasons via the stretch provision, and while a portion of that figures to be set off by the amount that Smith makes on his next deal, it gives him greater leeway to pass up more money elsewhere if he prefers to stay in Houston for less.
The client of Brian Dyke and Wallace Prather has played some center for Houston, and the Hawks and Pistons put him at small forward in the past, but he’s chiefly a power forward, and a renewed commitment to Smith would seemingly complicate the futures of Terrence Jones and Donatas Motiejunas. Those two power forwards are up for rookie scale extensions this summer and would be set for restricted free agency in the summer of 2016 if they don’t get them.
And-Ones: Bhamara, Jazz, Brooks
Satnam Singh Bhamara, a 7’1” 290-pound player from India, is considering declaring for the 2015 NBA Draft, Pete Thamel of SI.com writes. While the 19-year-old is unlikely to be selected this June, Bhamara is considered India’s best chance for producing its first NBA player, Thamel notes. Sim Bhullar became the first player of Indian descent to play in the NBA this past season, but Bhullar was born in Canada.
Bhamara will be represented by both Relativity Sports and WME/IMG, and his advisers felt the best course of action for the player would be to develop and refine his skills instead of attending a junior college, the SI scribe adds. “I do think he’ll end up in the NBA because I’ve seen his progress over the last four years,” said IMG Director of Basketball Kenny Natt. “I’ve been in the league and know how guys like Satnam are looked upon. He has size, strength and touch. He has good hands and can run the floor. Those are the types of things that NBA teams value.”
Here’s more from around the league:
- Jazz GM Dennis Lindsey‘s moves have resulted in Utah notching a record of 19-10 after the All-Star break, and the team being on the rise heading into the 2015/16 season, Doug Robinson of The Deseret News writes. Robinson points to the hiring of coach Quin Snyder, the selection of Dante Exum in the 2014 NBA draft, and matching the Hornets’ offer sheet to Gordon Hayward last summer as some of Lindsey’s recent successes.
- History is not on Thunder coach Scott Brooks‘ side in regards to retaining his job, Berry Tramel of The Oklahoman writes. Tramel points to a number of instances where long-tenured coaches were replaced mainly to provide a new voice for the players, and the teams experiencing an uptick in performance as a result.
- The Knicks‘ difficult season at least allowed Carmelo Anthony to have surgery without impacting his team’s postseason chances, a luxury ‘Melo wouldn’t have had if he signed with a different franchise last summer, Marc Berman of The New York Post writes. “It was at a point if this was any other team he had to gone to, then they’d be taking away a lot of playoff hopes,’’ team president Phil Jackson said. “In our situation it was something he could do and we could accept it and move forward because next year was a real important year for him to come back and play at the highest level he can play at.’’
Western Notes: Leonard, Aldridge, Green
Kawhi Leonard could sign an offer sheet that allows him to become an unrestricted free agent in three years or a qualifying offer that takes him to unrestricted free agency in 2016, but the Spurs are confident he’ll remain in San Antonio for the long term, Grantland’s Zach Lowe writes. “I don’t know that I’m worried about [the cap],” GM R.C. Buford said. “It is what it is. We’ll deal with the guidelines. I hope that Kawhi is with us for a long time, and I know that’s no secret to Kawhi or his family.”
Here’s more from the Western Conference:
- Lowe continues to hear talk among sources who say that the Spurs might get to have a meeting with LaMarcus Aldridge, as Lowe writes in the same piece. That echoes a report from January in which Lowe wrote that he’d spoken with a half-dozen executives from four different teams who raised the possibility that Aldridge would sign with San Antonio.
- Plenty of executives would point to the notion that Danny Green would be much more successful within the Spurs‘ system than out of it, and they’d be hesitant to shell out $10MM a year for him, Lowe surmises. The Grantland scribe nonetheless stumps for Green’s value based on “elite” defense and his status as a legitimate “3-and-D” player. An executive who spoke with Michael Scotto of SheridanHoops said that he wouldn’t mind paying a $6MM annual salary for the swingman.
- Matt Petersen of NBA.com looked back on Suns guard Eric Bledsoe‘s 2014/15 campaign, his first after inking a five-year, $70MM deal with the team. The 25-year-old appeared in all 81 games for Phoenix this past season, averaging 17.0 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 6.1 assists.
Chuck Myron contributed to this post.
Eastern Notes: Bucks, Thibodeau, Grant
Bucks president Peter Feigin impressed upon bickering local and state government officials to wrap up a deal within the next 10 days to secure the public’s $250MM share of financing for a $500MM new arena for the team in Milwaukee, reports Don Walker of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Without an arena, “the Bucks will be gone from the state of Wisconsin,” Feigin warned. Realistically, groundbreaking must take place by early this fall so that the arena remains on schedule to beat an NBA-imposed deadline, as Feigin told Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com for a story this weekend. Sources told Windhorst the NBA would indeed exercise its right to buy the franchise and seek to move it if construction doesn’t begin soon.
Here’s more out of the Eastern Conference:
- Despite the upgrade Tom Thibodeau would provide as coach, the Magic should pass on the longtime Bulls coach if it required the team to surrender its first round draft pick as compensation, Brian Schmitz of The Orlando Sentinel opines. Orlando previously traded for Stan Van Gundy, sending the Heat a second-rounder back in 2007 in return for the coach, Schmitz notes.
- 2014 second-rounder Jerami Grant turned out to be one of the Sixers‘ biggest surprises this season, Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer writes. An undersized power forward in college, Grant adapted well when the team moved him to small forward, Pompey adds. “Whatever position they put me at, I think I will be fine with it,” Grant said. “But in the offseason, I’m definitely going to work on a lot of things that a four-man can do and what a three-man can do. I’m just going to work on my overall game.” In 65 games this season Grant averaged 6.3 points and 3.0 rebounds in 21.2 minutes per contest.
- Dwyane Wade isn’t in a rush to make a decision regarding his player option worth $16,125,000, Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press writes. The veteran also indicated that the 2015/16 campaign isn’t likely to be his last in the league, Reynolds adds. “I don’t sit on my hands,” Wade said. “Obviously, everything’s about life after [basketball] and seeing what you want to do as well. So this is a perfect time to figure it out. I signed my deal the way I did for a reason … and the organization did it for a reason. It’s my option. I’ll decide when the time is right. Everyone knows I always try to do what’s best for the organization, but I also have to do what’s best for Dwyane Wade as well.” This conflicts with earlier statements from Wade that he intended to opt in for next season.
Chuck Myron contributed to this post.
Draft Notes: Jones, Turner, Winslow
South Korean prospect Jong-Hyun Lee intends to enter the 2015 NBA draft, David Pick of Eurobasket.com reports (Twitter links). The 6’9″ forward led the 2014 World Cup in blocks per game with 2.6, and he also added 6.8 points and 3.4 rebounds on 54.5% shooting. The 21-year-old isn’t currently projected to be selected in June’s draft, and he is the No. 47 ranked international prospect according to Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress.
Here’s the latest NBA draft news:
- Duke point guard Tyus Jones is expected to ink a deal with agent Rob Pelinka of the Landmark Sports Agency, Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities tweets. Jones is the No. 20 overall prospect according to DraftExpress and comes in at No. 22 on Chad Ford of ESPN.com‘s (Insider subscription required) rankings.
- Myles Turner has hired agent Andy Miller of ASM Sports to represent him, Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders reports (Twitter link). ESPN.com slots the center as the No. 9 prospect and DraftExpress ranks him 11th. You can check out my full prospect profile for Turner here.
- Projected lottery pick Justise Winslow has decided on agent Joe Branch of Roc Nation Sports, the agency announced via Twitter (hat tip to Liz Mullen of the Sports Business Journal). DraftExpress rates the forward as the No. 5 overall prospect and ESPN.com slots him at No. 6.
- Hazan Sports Management has signed on to represent University of Houston guard Jherrod Stiggers and Michigan State guard Russell Byrd, Michael Scotto of Sheridan Hoops tweets. Neither player is currently projected to be taken in June’s draft.
Atlantic Notes: Ross, Jackson, Fisher
Knicks president Phil Jackson has indicated that he won’t be attending next month’s NBA draft lottery, which is something the Zen Master needs to rethink, opines Frank Isola of The New York Daily News. It’s important for Jackson to represent New York at the event not only for him to take ownership of the team’s 17-win season, but to show potential free agents that he is indeed a hands on executive working to right the ship, Isola adds.
Here’s more from the Atlantic Division:
- The Raptors‘ patience with Terrence Ross is beginning to pay dividends during this season’s NBA playoffs, Mike Ganter of The Toronto Sun writes. It took coach Dwane Casey removing him from the starting lineup midway through the season to accomplish it, but the forward’s focus on the defensive end has improved greatly during the second half of the 2014/15 campaign, Ganter notes. “The bench is a great motivator sometimes,” Casey said. “You don’t want to wear that out but I think he had a chance to sit back and watch and see what he needed to do and he’s done it.” Ross is eligible to ink a rookie scale extension this summer.
- Derek Fisher, reflecting on his rookie season as Knicks coach, was appreciative of the effort that his players provided him throughout the team’s dismal 2014/15 campaign, Marc Berman of The New York Post relays. “I’m thankful for each and every one of them regardless if they’re back or not,’’ Fisher said. “These guys will always be my first team, no matter what. Any success we have as an organization or me as a coach will start from there and from these guys. I think a number of them can be back. But at this point, I respect them too much to start trying to determine who that should or shouldn’t be. They’ve given this organization a lot.’’
- Though the Knicks‘ roster is expected to undergo a significant overhaul this offseason, 2014 second-rounder Cleanthony Early is one player whom the team considers part of its future, Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com writes. The 24-year-old didn’t live up to the team’s expectations this season, averaging just 5.4 points and 2.5 rebounds in 39 appearances. Injuries certainly played a factor, with Early dealing with knee and ankle issues the entire campaign, Begley notes.
Greg Monroe: Pistons Have ‘Upper Hand’
Greg Monroe gave his strongest indication yet that the Pistons are in the mix to re-sign him when he becomes an unrestricted free agent in July, telling Terry Foster of The Detroit News that the Pistons have the “upper hand.” Monroe said before the season and after that he wouldn’t rule out re-signing with Detroit, and agent David Falk said shortly after the All-Star break that Monroe would “absolutely” consider staying in the Motor City.
“I have ties here; I have been here my whole [adult] life,” Monroe said to Foster. “[The Pistons] drafted me, so of course I am going to listen to them with the same ear as I listen to everybody else. They have the upper hand.”
It’s not at all uncommon for soon-to-be free agents to profess their desire to remain with their incumbent teams, but Monroe went out of his way to avoid a commitment to the Pistons in restricted free agency last summer, signing a qualifying offer that gave him slightly less than $5.48MM. That’s a sharply discounted rate for the productive 24-year-old big man, but Monroe and Falk reportedly discouraged teams from presenting more lucrative offer sheets that would have given the Pistons the chance to match and tie him up long-term.
Falk denied a recent report from Frank Isola of the New York Daily News that Monroe’s departure for the Knicks this summer was “about as close to a done deal as you can get.” Monroe later expressed praise for Knicks president Phil Jackson while cautioning that he could see himself re-signing with the Pistons. The Lakers reportedly asked the Pistons about trading for Monroe before the deadline, and they and the Knicks figure to be among the many teams in pursuit. The Hawks were also reportedly planning to go after him as of early this season.
Monroe, No. 7 in our latest Free Agent Power Rankings, produced at a high rate once the Pistons waived Josh Smith in late December, as I examined when I looked in depth at Monroe’s free agent stock. The Pistons have a financial advantage, since they can offer five years and 7.5% raises instead of the four-year deal with 4.5% raises that other teams are limited to, but Monroe has already shown a willingness to make a financial sacrifice.
The Likelihood Of Each Qualifying Offer
Many players who are up for restricted free agency each summer end up as unrestricted free agents instead. Qualifying offers aren’t set at lucrative amounts, but front offices are reluctant to pay the price to match competing offers from other NBA teams for players whose prospects of making more than the minimum salary are slim. The same is true with some players who are worth more than the minimum but don’t quite measure up to the sort of salary their qualifying offer would entail. Others end up as unrestricted free agents largely because their teams prefer to keep cap flexibility.
It doesn’t necessarily mean that a team has no intention of signing a player if it fails to tender a qualifying offer. There’s no rule against re-signing such players. It just indicates that the team is unwilling to have the amount of the qualifying offer on its books for that player as free agency opens in July.
Teams must decide whether to tender qualifying offers by the end of June, and much can change between now and then. Still, there are enough cases that are fairly clear with the regular season in the books. We’ve categorized each potential restricted agent into a tier based on the likelihood that his team makes the qualifying offer necessary for him to indeed become a restricted free agent. These categories serve as de facto ranking tiers for this year’s restricted free agents, though considerations are made for the respective values of each qualifying offer and the player’s contextual fit with his team. The qualifying offer amounts are listed next to every name. The categories are below, beginning with those who will almost certainly be tendered qualifying offers in the “Slam dunks” category:
Slam dunks
- Patrick Beverley, Rockets ($2,725,003)*
- Jimmy Butler, Bulls ($4,433,683)*
- Draymond Green, Warriors ($2,725,003)
- Tobias Harris, Magic ($4,433,683)*
- Reggie Jackson, Pistons ($4,433,683)*
- Cory Joseph, Spurs ($3,034,892)
- Enes Kanter, Thunder ($7,471,412)
- Brandon Knight, Suns ($4,790,680)
- Kawhi Leonard, Spurs ($4,433,683)*
- Khris Middleton, Bucks ($2,725,003)*
- Tristan Thompson, Cavaliers ($6,777,589)
More likely than not
- Pero Antic, Hawks ($1,562,500)
- Norris Cole, Pelicans ($3,036,927)
- Jae Crowder, Celtics ($1,181,348)
- Matthew Dellavedova, Cavaliers ($1,147,276)
- Joe Ingles, Jazz ($1,045,059)
- Iman Shumpert, Cavaliers ($4,433,683)*
Could go either way
- Quincy Acy, Knicks ($1,181,348)
- Will Barton, Nuggets ($1,181,348)
- Aron Baynes, Spurs ($2,596,250)
- Bismack Biyombo, Hornets ($4,045,894)*
- Nick Calathes, Grizzlies ($1,147,276)
- Gigi Datome, Celtics ($2,187,500)
- Justin Holiday, Warriors ($1,147,276)
- Kyle O’Quinn, Magic ($1,181,348)
- Henry Sims, Sixers ($1,181,348)
- Kyle Singler, Thunder ($2,725,003)*
- Jeff Taylor, Hornets ($1,181,348)
- Mirza Teletovic, Nets ($4,210,125)
Probably not
- Vander Blue, Lakers ($1,147,276)
- Ian Clark, Nuggets ($1,147,276)
- Chris Copeland, Pacers ($3,918,750)
- Joel Freeland, Trail Blazers ($3,766,890)
- Justin Hamilton, Timberwolves ($1,147,276)
- Robbie Hummel, Timberwolves ($1,147,276)
- Bernard James, Mavericks ($1,181,348)
- Jerome Jordan, Nets ($1,147,276)
- Ognjen Kuzmic, Warriors ($1,147,276)
- Arinze Onuaku, Timberwolves ($1,147,276)
- Glenn Robinson III, Sixers ($1,045,059)
- Alexey Shved, Knicks ($4,102,571)
- Travis Wear, Knicks ($1,045,059)
- Shayne Whittington, Pacers ($1,045,059)
- Derrick Williams, Kings ($4,045,894)*
- Jeff Withey, Pelicans ($1,147,276)
* — These players had the values of their qualifying offer adjusted via the starter criteria. We went in depth on them right here.
The Basketball Insiders salary pages were used in the creation of this post.