Lakers Rumors: Clarkson, Young, Draft, Buss
The Lakes intend to keep Jordan Clarkson as part of their long-term future, reports Mark Medina of The Los Angeles Daily News. Clarkson, whose non-guaranteed contract is worth $845,059 next season, has been putting up impressive numbers since he became the team’s starting point guard 32 games ago. “We know he’s going to be on our team next year,” said coach Byron Scott. “But we have to add pieces. There’s no doubt about that. I don’t think we necessarily are saying we’re building around him. But we’re adding pieces with him.”
There’s more from Los Angeles:
- With the last third of his season wiped out by injury, the Lakers are looking toward what Nick Young can contribute next year, according to Joey Ramirez of Lakers.com. Scott said today that Young, who has missed the last 20 games with a fractured kneecap, will likely sit out the rest of the season. Scott hopes that Young, who signed a four-year, $21.5MM deal with the team last summer, is a different player when he returns for 2015/16. “He’s a home run or a strikeout type guy on the offensive end,” Scott said. “Just like I told him: He has to elevate his game. He has to grow as a basketball player if he wants to continue to play in this league for a long time. He has to get better moving without the ball; being able to defend people a little bit better; and be a better off-the-ball defender as well.”
- This may be the Lakers’ last shot at a high draft pick for a few years, writes Tom Ziller of SB Nation. Ziller doesn’t think the Lakers will consider tanking in 2015/16, which will likely be Kobe Bryant‘s final season in the NBA. He also expects improvement through the draft and free agency and notes that executive vice president of basketball operations Jim Buss is going to have to turn things around quickly in order to keep his job. The Lakers are currently fourth in Hoops Rumors’ reverse standings.
- Buss and his sister, Jeanie, are trying the recapture the front-office stability that marked the Lakers for decades, according to Thomas Golianopoulos of Grantland. Jeanie Buss may run the organization, but she has yet to use her veto power on any of the decisions made by her brother and GM Mitch Kupchak.
2015/16 Salary Commitments: Kings
With the NBA trade deadline passed, teams are focusing on locking down playoff spots or vying for a better chance in the draft lottery. Outside of the players who are added on 10-day deals, or those lucky enough to turn those auditions into long-term contracts, teams’ rosters are relatively set for the remainder of the season.
We at Hoops Rumors are in the process of taking a look ahead at each franchise’s salary cap situation heading into the summer, and the free agent frenzy that occurs every offseason. While the exact amount of the 2015/16 salary cap won’t be announced until July, the cap is projected to come in somewhere around $67.4MM, with the luxury tax threshold projected at approximately $81MM. This year’s $63.065MM cap represented an increase of 7.7% over 2013/14, which was well above the league’s projected annual increase of 4.5%.
We’ll continue onward by taking a look at the Kings’ cap outlook for 2015/16…
Here are the players with guaranteed contracts:
- Darren Collison — $5,013,559
- DeMarcus Cousins — $15,851,950
- Wayne Ellington (Stretch Provision) — $923,780
- Rudy Gay — $12,403,101
- Carl Landry — $6.5MM
- Ben McLemore — $3,156,600
- Nik Stauskas — $2,869,440
- Jason Thompson — $6,431,250
Here are the players with non-guaranteed contracts:
- Ray McCallum — $947,276
- Eric Moreland — $845,059
Players with options:
- None
The Kings’ Cap Summary for 2015/16:
- Guaranteed Salary: $53,149,680
- Options/Non-Guaranteed Salary: $1,792,335
- Total: $54,942,015
The Basketball Insiders salary pages were used in the creation of this post.
Northwest Notes: Saunders, Pekovic, Hunt
Timberwolves team owner Glen Taylor said his team would be healthier in the long run if it signed a top-notch coach who would allow Flip Saunders to concentrate on his duties as president of basketball operations, but Taylor wouldn’t object if Saunders stayed on as coach for the immediate future, Sid Hartman of The Star Tribune writes. “I’d like to hire a very good coach [for the long term],” Taylor said. “I haven’t talked about it with Flip as far as next year, but if he wanted to coach he certainly would be allowed to coach.”
Here’s more from the Northwest Division:
- With surgery scheduled for his injured right Achilles tendon, Wolves center Nikola Pekovic is concerned about his career, Kent Youngblood of The Star Tribune writes. “Of course I am [worried],’’ Pekovic said. “I’m pretty much worrying about how this is going to affect my life in 10 years. I mean, I’m still thinking about basketball [too]. But when you deal so much with something like this….It’s a big deal, I think.’’
- Nuggets interim coach Melvin Hunt gives his assistants much of the credit for keeping the team afloat throughout all the season’s turmoil, Christopher Dempsey of The Denver Post relays. “It’s a lot of stuff, but it’s manageable,” Hunt said. “I think when you put things in perspective, and you prioritize things and you have good people working with you — I’ve got Noel Gillespie who has a wealth of experience, I’ve got Patrick Mutombo, who is a quick study. So this really helps me as a coach. I don’t feel overwhelmed or that there’s so much coming at me at one time because my guys are catching a lot of that, and that helps.”
- Rookie Andrew Wiggins has come a long way in his development since the beginning of the season, Frank Zicarelli of The Toronto Sun writes. Saunders is still trying to get more out of his star player, but acknowledges how difficult this season has been for the young Canadian swingman, Zicarelli adds. “He’s playing in a situation where, because we’ve been so undermanned, that he’s the guy,” Saunders said. “Like [Monday night versus the Jazz], when he got the ball, they had three people over there guarding him. But this will help him when we can surround him with more veteran guys.”
Domantas Sabonis To Return To Gonzaga
Gonzaga freshman Domantas Sabonis intends to return to Gonzaga for his sophomore season, coach Mark Few told Jeff Goodman of ESPN.com (Twitter link). The 6’10” forward is the son of former NBA big man and FIBA Hall-of-Famer Arvydas Sabonis. The elder Sabonis played seven seasons for the Trail Blazers and owns career averages of 12.0 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 1.1 blocks over 470 NBA contests.
The decision to return to school for another season could boost the draft stock of the versatile forward, whose play helped Gonzaga reach the Sweet 16 in this year’s NCAA tournament. Sabonis is currently ranked No. 29 overall by Chad Ford of ESPN.com (Insider subscription required) and comes in at No. 43 for Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress.com.
Sabonis appeared in 38 games for the Bulldogs this season, averaging 9.7 points, 7.1 rebounds, and 0.9 assists in 21.7 minutes per night. His slash line on the season was .668/.000/.664.
Hoops Rumors Originals 3/29/15-4/4/15
Here’s a look at the original analysis generated by the Hoops Rumors staff this past week…
- I ran down the 2015/16 salary commitments for the Timberwolves, Pelicans, Thunder, Blazers, and Suns.
- Zach Links highlighted some of the best basketball blogs in the weekly edition of Hoops Links.
- Chris Crouse looked at Atlanta GM Danny Ferry as an executive of the year candidate.
- I also took a look at the 2015/16 salary commitments for the Knicks, Magic, and Sixers.
- Chuck answered reader questions in our weekly chat.
- We highlighted some of the top reader comments in Hoops Rumors Featured Feedback.
- Chuck Myron checked in on how early draft entrants in the 2014 draft fared.
- I took a look at draft prospect D’Angelo Russell.
- Here’s a listing of the players who are early entrants for the 2015 NBA draft.
- Chuck looked at the free agent stock of Greg Monroe.
- We updated the status of each of the 2015 first round draft picks that were traded with protections attached.
- Chuck examined how former college coaches fared in the NBA.
- We reviewed our commenting policy. Play nice everyone.
- Here’s how you can follow Hoops Rumors on Facebook, Twitter, and your RSS feed.
Southeast Notes: Jefferson, Donovan, Chalmers
Hornets big man Al Jefferson may be shut down for the remainder of the season due to the difficulties he has been experiencing with his balky right knee, Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer writes. Jefferson has had fluid drained from the joint three times in 10 days, Bonnell adds. “He’s dragging his leg around and then you compensate, opening himself up to further injury,” coach Steve Clifford said. “The guy literally couldn’t pivot and turn. I don’t know if he’ll play again. It’s just not fair to him.” It’s unclear if the injury will affect Jefferson’s thinking this summer regarding his player option worth $13.5MM.
Here’s more from the Southeast Division:
- The Magic should look for a coach with NBA experience rather than try to lure Billy Donovan to leave the college ranks once again, Brian Schmitz of The Orlando Sentinel opines. With Orlando at a critical juncture in its rebuilding plan, Schmitz believes to attract free agents the team will need a coach who commands immediate respect from veterans.
- Heat guard Mario Chalmers is extremely frustrated with his perceived lack of a defined role, Joseph Goodman of The Miami Herald writes. “I don’t even really know what my role is on this team anymore,” Chalmers said. “I don’t know what I’m supposed to be doing. A lot of people are out of rhythm, and you really don’t know what’s going to happen — when you’re going to get the ball, when you’re going to shoot it, you just never know. You just got to be ready for everything, I guess.” Chalmers still has one season worth $4.3MM remaining on his current contract.
- Lance Stephenson has not played in two of the Hornets‘ last three contests, something that baffles the mercurial swingman, Candace Buckner of The Indianapolis Star writes. “Definitely I’m surprised,” Stephenson said. “I feel like I can help this group but it’s out of my hands and I’m just [trying to] stay ready and stay focused. I’m very frustrated but it’s a part of life and it’s very humbling, but [I’m] just trying to stay focused and positive and whenever my number’s called, just be ready.”
Week In Review 3/29/15-4/4/15
The Pacers announced today that Paul George would be available to play in Sunday’s contest against the Heat. George has missed nearly the entire 2014/15 season after breaking his right leg during an intra-squad scrimmage for Team USA last August. The 24-year-old had reportedly experienced soreness in his injured leg as he worked his way into game shape, but he has received medical clearance to play. “The recovery has been a long process and this is another step in the process,” George said. “I thank everyone, my family, friends, doctors, our training staff, coaches, the entire Pacers’ family for their support and encouragement. I’m excited, but at the same time I’m aware I’m still in a rehab stage and will continue to work to get back to full strength.” The Pacers are currently 1.5 games behind the Heat for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.
Here’s a rundown on the rest of the happenings from the week that was…
Signings
- The Knicks inked Ricky Ledo to a second 10-day contract.
- Lester Hudson signed a 10-day contract with the Clippers.
- The Blazers inked Tim Frazier for the remainder of the season.
- Sim Bhullar signed a 10-day deal with the Kings.
- The Lakers waived Steve Nash and signed Jabari Brown to a multiyear deal.
- Jerel McNeal inked a 10-day contract with the Suns.
- The Lakers signed point guard Dwight Buycks to a 10-day contract.
- Austin Daye signed a multiyear deal with the Hawks.
2015 NBA Draft News
- Louisville players Montrezl Harrell and Terry Rozier will enter the 2015 NBA draft.
- Georgia State junior R.J. Hunter will declare for the 2015 NBA draft.
- Texas big man Myles Turner will enter this year’s draft.
- France’s Timothé Luwawu-Cabarrot said he would withdraw his name from the 2015 Draft if he deems workouts with teams after the NBA season unsuccessful.
- UNLV freshman shooting guard Rashad Vaughn has signed with agent Omar Wilkes of Octagon Sports.
- Junior Walter Pitchford, a center for the University of Nebraska, intends to enter the 2015 NBA draft
- Georgetown junior shooting guard D’Vauntes Smith-Rivera has decided to enter the NBA draft.
- UCLA freshman power forward Kevon Looney is planning to declare for this year’s draft and is close to an agreement with an agent.
- LSU sophomore power forward Jordan Mickey will declare for this year’s draft.
- Vanderbilt big man Damian Jones has decided to return to Vanderbilt for a junior season rather than enter this year’s NBA draft.
- Syracuse freshman power forward Chris McCullough plans to enter this year’s draft despite having suffered a torn ACL back in January.
- Kelly Oubre, a Kansas freshman, is planning to enter this year’s draft.
- Maryland freshman point guard Melo Trimble has decided to remain in school for another year and won’t enter the 2015 draft.
- University of Houston junior guard Jherrod Stiggers will enter the draft.
- Eastern Washington junior shooting guard Tyler Harvey is declaring for this year’s draft.
- Arizona sophomore Rondae Hollis-Jefferson intends to enter the NBA draft.
- Murray State sophomore guard Cameron Payne plans to enter the 2015 NBA draft.
- Florida State junior Aaron Thomas will declare for this year’s NBA draft.
- Terran Petteway, a junior shooting guard from Nebraska, reportedly plans to declare for the 2015 draft. Petteway took to his private Twitter account to deny that he’s made a decision regarding the draft.
- North Carolina freshman small forward Justin Jackson will remain in school rather than enter the draft this year.
News/Rumors
- Dallas doesn’t intend to enter a bidding war for the services of Rajon Rondo, who is set to become an unrestricted free agent this summer.
- Wolves big man Nikola Pekovic will undergo surgery next week to remove damage and repair his right Achilles tendon and he will miss the remainder of the season.
- The Nuggets and the Magic will target Florida coach Billy Donovan this summer to fill their potential coaching vacancies, should either team not retain its interim coach.
- The Nuggets claimed Ian Clark off of waivers from the Jazz.
- The Pelicans and coach Monty Williams reportedly haven’t spoken about a contract extension.
- Rockets guard Patrick Beverley will miss the rest of the season and the playoffs after deciding to go ahead and have surgery to repair ligaments in his left wrist. Houston intends to make a push to re-sign him this summer.
- The Magic intend to extend GM Rob Hennigan‘s contract beyond the 2015/16 season.
- The Knicks fired D-League coach Kevin Whitted and named assistant Craig Hodges his replacement on an interim basis.
- Kings advisor Chris Mullin is leaving Sacramento to take over as head coach of St. John’s University.
- Shabazz Napier underwent successful surgery to repair a sports hernia and is expected to miss the remainder of the regular season.
- The Pistons have expressed interest in re-signing center Joel Anthony.
- Two groups have emerged as favorites to purchase the Hawks.
Atlantic Notes: Early, Sixers, Winslow
Knicks rookie Cleanthony Early has had a difficult season thanks to numerous injuries and his conditioning level suffering as a result, Marc Berman of The New York Post writes. “Cle’s had an up-and-down year physically with a couple of injuries that slowed down his development this year,’’ coach Derek Fisher said. “He’s continued to work hard and shows it every day. Getting more comfortable and confident out there with [the] opportunity he’s getting to play each night since he’s back and healthy. It’s great to see that from him. That’s what you like to see from young guys. He’s showing he has a bright future as long as he has the right attitude.”
Here’s more from the Atlantic Division:
- Coach Brett Brown is happy that five of the Sixers‘ six remaining games are against teams still fighting for playoff spots, Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer writes. Brown likes that his young team will get a taste of playoff intensity from Philly’s opponents, Pompey adds. “I think it is fantastic,” said Brown. “I get so excited because we talk about it so much and they hear me,” he added. “I am privileged that I have this experience and can explain that it [postseason] is a different sport [compared with the regular season] and they are seeing it. They are feeling it.“
- If the Knicks were to trade their likely top four lottery pick this year for multiple draft picks, one player the team could look to select is Duke freshman Justise Winslow, Chris Herring of The Wall Street Journal speculates in his look at the player. Winslow is currently ranked No. 5 overall by DraftExpress and No. 6 by ESPN.com.
- Regardless of if he wins the Rookie of the Year award this season or not, the Sixers‘ Nerlens Noel has had a special year, Max Rappaport of NBA.com writes. “People have to really start talking about him for Rookie of the Year,” coach Brown said. “You don’t just repetitively bang out these types of performances and produce the numbers that he is producing. He is a complete game changer. He is a complete defensive presence when he’s lurking to block shots. He just continues to improve at this time of year. He keeps moving up the food chain and heading in the direction that we’re all so thrilled about.“
Hawks Sign Austin Daye To Two-Year Deal
SATURDAY, 9:44am: The signing is official, the Hawks announced in a press release.
1:55pm: Next year’s salary will be non-guaranteed, according to Vivlamore (Twitter link).
12:53pm: Daye’s new contract will cover next season as well, Vivlamore also reports (on Twitter).
12:22pm: The Hawks will indeed sign Daye, Vivlamore confirms (Twitter link).
12:05pm: Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer didn’t confirm that the team would sign Daye for the season, but he dropped a hint, saying, “I would say he’s in a good place,” as Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta-Journal Constitution relays.
FRIDAY, 11:42am: The Hawks are expected to sign Austin Daye through at least the end of the season, reports Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter link). Daye’s second 10-day contract with the team expires overnight tonight.
Daye’s playing time has been sparse during his time with Atlanta, as he’s averaged 3.0 points in 6.6 minutes per game across five appearances. He saw 10.3 MPG in 26 games with San Antonio earlier this season, but the last time he averaged double figures in that category was 2012/13, the season the Pistons traded him to the Grizzlies. That ended a tenure with Detroit that began when the team made him the 15th overall pick in 2009. The veteran small forward won’t offer the Hawks much in the way of playoff experience, since he’s only played a total of 26 postseason minutes.
Atlanta’s other 14 players already have contracts that carry through the end of this season or beyond, but the team has retained flexibility with its other roster spot since trading Adreian Payne, the No. 15 pick from 2014, to the Timberwolves in early February. It originally seemed as though the club had made the trade in part to clear room on the roster to ink sought-after free agent Ray Allen, but he decided against playing in the NBA this season. The Hawks have cycled through 10-day contracts with Daye and Jarell Eddie instead, as our 10-Day Contract Tracker shows, but now it appears they’ve settled on Daye.
Hoops Rumors Weekly Mailbag 3/29/15-4/4/15
In addition to our weekly chat, which Chuck Myron facilitates every Wednesday, we have added a second opportunity for you to hit us up with your questions in this, our weekly mailbag feature. Have a question regarding player movement, the salary cap, or the NBA draft? Drop me a line at HoopsRumorsMailbag@Gmail.com or @EddieScarito on Twitter. Now for this week’s inquiries:
“What players helped their draft stock the most with their NCAA tournament performances?” — Matthew
While I don’t think the tournament impacts where players are selected quite as much as the pre-draft workouts do, a standout performance can definitely get a player’s name on the lips of scouts and GMs around the league. With that in mind, the players who I think helped their draft value the most were Sam Dekker (Wisconsin), Jakob Poeltl (Utah),and Karl-Anthony Towns (Kentucky).
Dekker really opened a number of eyes around the league with his 21.7 points and 5.5 rebounds per game during March Madness. He has also shown that he can play the stretch four role, which is a position that is continuing to grow in importance in today’s NBA. Dekker may have vaulted himself from being a late first round selection to hearing his name called in the late teens.
Poeltl showed a nice inside presence in his work against Jahlil Okafor of Duke during Utah’s tournament loss to the Blue Devils. Poeltl answered a number of questions with that game, and if he decides to leave school he’ll be off the board by pick No. 20. He’s a player who should probably return to school for another season though, since his post game is about as refined as mine is right now. If Poeltl continues to develop he could be a lottery pick in 2016.
As for Towns, he was already going to be a top three selection, so he hasn’t jumped all that far. He has been held back statistically by Kentucky’s platoon system and ridiculous depth this season, but in the tournament he’s really getting a chance to shine. He may have vaulted over Okafor for the top pick already. Once individual workouts begin his athleticism is likely to boost his stock even further. I’d say he’s probably going to end up going No. 1 overall at this point thanks to his late season production.
“If you were an NBA GM with the first overall draft pick…who would you take in June?” — Connor
The answer to that depends on which team I was selecting for. Roster composition is important, and if I were selecting for the Sixers for instance, I would focus on selecting a guard since they already have Joel Embiid and Nerlens Noel. But if I have to make a choice I would take Towns with the top overall pick. Selecting Okafor wouldn’t be a bad move by any means, but I firmly believe that Towns’ ceiling is much higher than Okafor’s as a two-way player in the NBA.
“Does Al Jefferson opt out of his deal this summer?” — Hank
That’s a tough one to call. Jefferson is 30-years-old, and has a ton of mileage on his legs. He will have to weigh the security of opting out and signing a long-term deal against risking injury next season to try and cash in on the 2016 cap increase money that will be out there. If Charlotte were a playoff team instead of struggling mightily this season, the chances of Jefferson opting in would be much greater than they are. The seriousness of his right knee injury could also play a big part in his decision. I’d say right now that the big man will likely opt out and test the market this summer.
“Where does Rajon Rondo end up playing next season?” — Lukas
I’ll say right off the bat that I don’t believe it will be in Dallas. Rondo hasn’t been a great fit there on the court, nor with coach Rick Carlisle. This will likely be the 29-year-old’s last chance at a big contract, unless he decides to ink a one-year deal with the hope of cashing in on the salary cap increase in 2016. So he’ll likely be shooting for a maximum salary deal this summer, which many around the league, and myself, don’t believe that he is worth. But desperation can do funny things to NBA GMs, and franchises like the Knicks and Lakers, who will have plenty of cap space this offseason, just may bite the bullet and pay Rondo what he wants. If I had to pick where Rondo will end up, I’ll go with the Lakers.
That’s all for this week. Thanks for continuing to fill up my inbox with all of your submissions. Please keep them coming! I’ll be back next week with more thoughts, opinions, and answers…