Clippers Interested In Wesley Johnson
The Lakers would love to lure DeAndre Jordan across Staples Center from the Clippers this summer, not surprisingly, according to Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com, and the Clips meanwhile have their eyes on convincing a Laker to switch sides. The Clippers, who are reportedly expected to float a max offer to try to retain Jordan, are also interested in swingman and soon-to-be unrestricted free agent Wesley Johnson, sources tell Shelburne.
Johnson, the fourth overall pick in 2010, has expressed a desire to remain with the Lakers, but he’s made it clear he’s seeking a multiyear deal as he hits free agency for the third year in a row. The Lakers are reportedly intrigued with his potential, but Johnson has struggled with inconsistency that Byron Scott has attributed to an issue “between the ears.” Johnson chalks up that inconsistency to a whirlwind of changing roles during his NBA career, but the Lakers are on the fence about retaining the 27-year-old who’s made 121 starts for the purple-and-gold over the past two seasons, as Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News reported.
The Octagon client averaged a career-high 9.9 points this past season, but even that demonstrates that Johnson has yet to live up to his lofty draft position. The Clippers aren’t set for significant cap room regardless of whether Jordan re-signs, and if the center does come back, the Clips would likely be limited to the $3.376MM taxpayer mid-level exception to sign anyone for more than the minimum. Johnson has made the minimum in each of his two seasons with the Lakers. The taxpayer mid-level limits teams to handing out three-year deals, while the Clips can’t give anyone more than a two-year deal with the minimum-salary exception.
The Clippers aren’t going to bring in another maximum-salary player, as coach/executive Doc Rivers acknowledged, according to Arash Markazi of ESPNLosAngeles.com, but the Lakers certainly can, and they no doubt aim to do so. They’ve been linked to a laundry list of marquee names, from Kevin Love to LaMarcus Aldridge to Goran Dragic to Rajon Rondo, and it’s not clear exactly where Jordan would fall in the hierarchy of their priorities. Still, it seems as though the market will be strong for the third-place finisher in Defensive Player of the Year voting, whom the Mavs also reportedly plan to pursue.
Western Notes: Clippers, Thunder, Grizzlies
DeAndre Jordan is in no rush to discuss his plans as an unrestricted free agent this summer, and if the big man re-signed with the Clippers, his contract would restrict their ability to upgrade their bench, Ben Bolch of the Los Angeles Times writes. “I’m not a free agent until July,” Jordan said when asked about his future after the Clippers were eliminated from the playoffs. Clippers president of basketball operations and coach Doc Rivers acknowledged that the team’s lack of a strong bench was exposed in the playoffs. It would be hard to improve the bench, if Jordan agreed to a maximum five-year contract with the Clippers for an estimated $108.3MM, Bolch writes. That would leave the Clippers with only the mini-mid-level exception of $3.376MM per year for up to three years and some veteran’s minimum contracts, Bolch adds.
“We have to get this team more support,” Rivers said. “With the contracts we’re hamstrung with, it’s going to be minimum deals for the most part. There are no big deals out there that we’re going to make, most likely.”
Here’s more from the Western Conference:
- There’s a good chance small forward Jeff Green exercises his $9.2MM option for next season and tries to have a breakout year with the Grizzlies, Ronald Tillery of The Commercial Appeal writes. Green struggled in Memphis and approached coach Dave Joerger about moving to a bench role during the regular season.
- The decision to fire Monty Williams as coach was more about the Pelicans‘ ownership and management being uncomfortable with Williams as its leader for the long haul and it had nothing to do with a power struggle or communication issue with GM Dell Demps, Sam Amick of USA Today writes. The Raptors will reportedly gauge interest in Williams as an assistant.
- Maurice Cheeks is emerging as a possible addition to Thunder coach Billy Donovan‘s staff, Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports tweets. Cheeks served as an assistant in Oklahoma City under Scott Brooks from 2009 to 2013.
And-Ones: Thibodeau, Bulls, Draft
If coach Tom Thibodeau is let go by the Bulls, the Magic would be willing to pay Thibodeau anywhere from $7MM to $9MM annually, reports The Journal Times’ Gery Woelfel, who cited two league sources. The Magic have not started formal interviews yet for their coaching vacancy. Woelfel reported earlier this month that the Magic’s top choice is seemingly Thibodeau. Thibodeau, 57, has led the Bulls to five straight playoff appearances. He has two years left on his contract with the team. Despite that, it’s nearly a foregone conclusion that Thibodeau will be coaching elsewhere because of a strained relationship with Chicago’s management. The Pelicans have been rumored as a favorite to land Thibodeau’s services, should he be let go by the Bulls.
Here’s more from around the basketball world:
- Speaking of the Bulls, they are counting on the backcourt duo of Derrick Rose and Jimmy Butler to lead them toward another playoff run next season, K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune writes. This summer will mark Rose’s first offseason in which he’s not rehabilitating or preparing to return from a knee injury since 2011 and the star guard is under contract for two more seasons, as Johnson notes. The Bulls will offer Butler, who will be a restricted free agent, a maximum contract this offseason, Johnson adds.
- One NBA general manager told The Journal Times’ Gery Woelfel that Wisconsin center Frank Kaminsky could go as high as six in the draft. Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress ranks Kaminsky No. 10, but he is the No. 14 overall player according to Chad Ford of ESPN.com (Insider subscription required).
- NBA executives were left impressed with Boston College guard Olivier Hanlan following interviews with the draft prospect, Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports tweets.
- Kings coach George Karl is likely to add Nets assistant John Welch to his coaching staff, Scott Howard-Cooper of NBA.com tweets. Welch was on Karl’s staff with the Nuggets, and he specialized in player development.
Cavs Notes: Thompson, Dellavedova, Blatt
The decision by Tristan Thompson, who is represented by Klutch Sports agent Rich Paul, to not sign a big contract extension with the Cavaliers has paid off, especially considering how well he filled in for Kevin Love during the playoffs after the all-star went down with an injury, Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun writes. The Cavs reportedly offered Thompson a four-year, $52MM extension this past fall before the October 31st deadline for rookie scale extensions passed. Thompson, 24, can become a restricted free agent this summer provided Cleveland tenders him a qualifying offer worth $6,777,589. The power forward is known as a superior offensive rebounder and a solid defender.
Here’s more news out of Cleveland:
- Matthew Dellavedova, who will be a restricted free agent this summer, has become a steady contributor for the Cavs and was an X-factor in their series against the Bulls, Zac Jackson of FOX Sports Ohio writes. Dellavedova, who LeBron James recently called “the toughest guy on our team,” has played well in a backup point guard role. Since an early-season knee injury cost him 15 games, Dellavedova has played at least 10 minutes in all but four of Cleveland’s games, Jackson notes.
- Cavs owner Dan Gilbert squashed the idea that coach David Blatt will be fired regardless of how the team finishes the season in a tweet responding to comments Bleacher Report’s Ric Bucher made on the radio. Blatt’s timeout blunder in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference semifinals against the Bulls reignited the debate about whether or not the first-year coach was in over his head.
Eastern Notes: Seraphin, Knicks, Bucks
Kevin Seraphin, who is set to become an unrestricted free agent this summer, wants to play for a team that would allow him to compete for a starting job, J. Michael of CSNWashington.com reports, and that likely means that the center won’t re-sign with the Wizards, Michael adds. Seraphin matched his career high with 79 regular-season appearances but didn’t start a game after inking a one-year qualifying offer last summer for $3.9MM to stay in Washington, as Michael points out. The Wizards are set at center, Michael adds, because Marcin Gortat will be entering the second year of a five-year deal with the team. “I definitely want a chance to be a starter,” Seraphin told Michael. “I definitely want to be somewhere I have a chance to be a starter.”
- Willie Cauley-Stein said on Friday that he would work out with the Knicks today, but the Knicks didn’t end up bringing him in, tweets ESPN.com’s Ian Begley, who added that a league source told him that a workout was actually never scheduled. The Knicks met with D’Angelo Russell and Justise Winslow at the NBA Draft Combine in Chicago, according to ESPN.com. All three players are expected to be selected within the first 10 picks of the draft. The Knicks own a top-five pick heading into the lottery. According to Hoops Rumors’ odds page, the most likely spot for the Knicks is fourth. New York has a 31.9% chance of picking fourth.
- If the Sixers slide into the fifth or sixth spot in the draft, Justise Winslow, who played at Duke, might be a solid option, Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer writes. The Sixers have a 15.6% chance of winning the draft lottery and are guaranteed to pick at least sixth.
- The Bucks, who own the No. 17 pick in the draft, met with small forward Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, who played at Arizona, and big man Frank Kaminsky, who earned college player of the year honors with Wisconsin, Matt Velazquez of the Journal Sentinel tweets.
Pacific Notes: Clippers, Suns, Kings
Doc Rivers, the Clippers‘ coach and president of basketball operations, said re-signing DeAndre Jordan is the Clippers’ top offseason priority, tweets Dan Woike of the Orange County Register. The most obvious question mark for the Clippers heading into the summer is if they can re-sign Jordan, who will be an unrestricted free agent coming off a big season, but besides that, the Clippers’ biggest need is depth, Kevin Pelton of ESPN.com writes (Insider subscription required). Many, including Grantland’s Zach Lowe (on Twitter), attribute the Clippers’ collapse in the playoffs to their lack of depth. In an ideal world, from the Clippers’ perspective and according to Pelton, the Clippers would re-sign Jordan and bring back Mo Williams with the taxpayer mid-level exception. Williams will hit free agency again this summer after playing well with the Hornets.
Here’s more from the Pacific division:
- As far as probable starting big men go, the Suns only have two under contract for next season — Alex Len and Markieff Morris — so it makes sense for Phoenix to draft a player with good size with its pick in the first round, Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic writes. The Suns have a 96% chance of landing the No. 13 pick after Tuesday’s draft lottery, as Hoops Rumors’ odds page points out and as Coro notes. Coro lists Kentucky power forward Trey Lyles, Texas power forward/center Myles Turner, Arkansas power forward Bobby Portis and Wisconsin power forward Frank Kaminsky as possible targets that are projected to be available.Coro recently wrote in a seperate story that the Suns will consider taking Wisconsin’s Sam Dekker and Kaminsky.
- Quinn Cook, who played four seasons at guard for Duke, will work out for the Suns, tweets Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders. Cook is ranked No. 60 by Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress and is at No. 61, according to Chad Ford’s ESPN.com rankings.
- Vlade Divac, the Kings’ vice president of basketball and franchise operations, realizes there’s a lot of pressure on making Sacramento relevant again, but he has picked the brains of some top executives in the league and believes establishing team chemistry is the first goal, Jason Jones of The Sacramento Bee writes. “This year, we have to make sure there’s stability, we have a goal, and create a good environment for them to have fun and go out there and play, because you see the talent we have,” Divac said. “It’s one or two steps from being competitive, and we want to make sure we make those one or two steps this summer.” The Kings are projected to pick sixth in the draft, pending the results of Tuesday’s lottery, and could move into the top three or fall as low as ninth, as Jones notes.
Draft Notes: Russell, Okafor, Staten
When asked why a team should select him on June 25th, D’Angelo Russell had a simple answer for reporters. “I’m the best player in the draft,” Russell said, as Henry Green of FOX Sports Ohio writes. Russell is expected to be a top-five pick, and many analysts have him as the No. 3 prospect in the 2015 draft class. Of course, it remains to be seen whether he can jump Jahlil Okafor and Karl Anthony-Towns for the top spot. Here’s today’s draft news..
- Okafor skipped the official draft combine, but he found himself in the Chicago area on Friday night and worked out at Quest Gym, as Marc Berman of the New York Post writes. One of the big knocks on Okafor is his conditioning, but trainer Rick Lewis says that the big man has shed 12 points of fat and his conditioning is improving every day. The trainer, who might be a tad biased, also tells Berman that the Duke offensive system didn’t allow Okafor to showcase everything he can do.
- West Virginia guard Juwan Staten is working out for the Sixers on Monday and roughly half the league is expected to work him out before the draft, reports Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports (on Twitter). Staten is currently not in the top 100 rankings done by Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress but he is the No. 79 overall player according to Chad Ford of ESPN.com (Insider subscription required).
- An NBA scout told Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv (on Twitter) that LSU’s Jordan Mickey and Louisville’s Terry Rozier “really helped themselves” by playing 5-on-5 at the Combine.
- Murray State guard Cameron Payne is finally getting the respect he deserves, Yannis Koutroupis of Basketball Insiders writes. Payne also isn’t afraid to speak his mind. Recently, an NBA exec asked him who shouldn’t be ranked ahead of him in this year’s class and he answered truthfully. “Tyus Jones,” Payne said. “Just because he played on a great team. He had a lot of exposure through that team. He didn’t have to carry his team like I did, so I just felt I went through a lot of adversity and he had one of the best big men playing college basketball around him. He wasn’t a focal point.” (Recently, Payne spoke with Hoops Rumors about a wide range of topics, including where he thinks he might land).
Central Notes: Pistons, Thompson, Hunter
The Cavs are doing everything possible to make sure that Kyrie Irving will be ready for Wednesday night against the Hawks, including giving him rest. The point guard sat out of practice on Friday in an effort to heal up.
“We sat Ky out and he’s going through a lot of treatment and we’re monitoring and just hoping that he progresses from here until game time,” coach David Blatt said, according to Tom Withers of The Associated Press. “We’re very much on top of this obviously and Ky is doing everything he possibly can to get well.”
Here’s a look at the Central Division..
- Per the terms of the Ben Gordon deal, the Pistons sent their first-round choice to the Hornets last year. Considering the underwhelming rookie performance of the top-heavy 2014 draft class, that might have been for the best, Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press writes. Since the pick was only No. 1-protected for this draft, the Pistons likely would have lost it at Tuesday’s lottery if they had kept it last year.
- Before the season started, many thought Tristan Thompson was making a big mistake in turning down a massive contract offer from the Cavs. Now, it looks like his gamble will pay off, Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun writes. Thompson could have chosen the safe route and accepted Cleveland’s offer, reported to be worth $13MM per year over four seasons. Now, after a good season and filling in admirably for Kevin Love in the playoffs, he stands to get at least that much and maybe more.
- Vince Hunter grew up watching the Pistons and he would relish the opportunity to return to play for his hometown team, Rod Beard of The Detroit News writes. “It would be a great opportunity for me to be in Detroit,” he said. The UTEP guard averaged 14.9 points and 9.2 rebounds, shooting 53% from the field last season.
Hoops Links: Blazers, Jordan, James
On this date in 1995, Jason Kidd of the Mavericks and Grant Hill of the Pistons were named co-winners of the NBA Rookie of the Year Award, marking the first time since 1971 that two players shared the trophy. Boston’s Dave Cowens and Portland’s Geoff Petrie were the last players to come away as co-winners of the award.
Got a great basketball blog post that you want to see featured on Hoops Rumors? Send it to Zach at HoopsLinks@gmail.com. Here’s this week’s look around the basketball blogosphere…
- Hoop Trends wonders if it’s time for the Blazers to rebuild.
- Zocco’s Modern Life addresses Hack-A-Jordan.
- Posterized Basketball discussed LeBron James‘ dominance.
- Six Championship Drive looked at some crazy trade ideas.
- Upside Motor says Clint Capela is developing nicely for the Rockets.
- Playbook takes LeBron over MJ in a game of 1-on-1 every time.
- OT Nation previewed the Eastern Conference finals.
Please send submissions for Hoops Links to Zach at HoopsLinks@gmail.com.
Celtics Notes: Draft, Cauley-Stein, Ainge
Boston is “very open” to moving up in next month’s NBA draft, two league sources tell A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com. The sources did not indicate which player the Celtics were targeting, but Blakely notes there are growing signs that their target would be Willie Cauley-Stein. Boston’s defense improved over the course of the season, ranking 12th in the league in defensive efficiency by season’s end. However, the team lacked a true defensive presence in its interior. Cauley-Stein is widely considered one of the best, if not the best, rim protector in the draft, so the fit makes sense for a team looking to improve on its 40-win campaign and become a true contender. The 21-year-old is currently the sixth best prospect according to Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress and Chad Ford of ESPN.com pegs him as the eighth best prospect. The Celtics own the 16th and the 28th pick in this year’s first round, as well as several first-rounders in the upcoming years, as our Traded Future Draft Picks page indicates. Boston already has an influx of young talent on the roster, which gives the team the flexibility to consolidate picks in order to obtain more highly regarded players.
Here’s more from Boston:
- President of Basketball Operations Danny Ainge is receiving praise from around the league, Steve Bulpett of The Boston Herald writes. “I think in today’s day and age where the NBA finds itself, with as much cap space that’s available, with how coveted young players are in the new system, to be able to operate and accumulate that many draft choices and put that on top of a lot flexibility is not easy,” said Thunder GM Sam Presti. “That’s because it’s not an exclusive marketplace they’re operating in. They have to do it in ways that are being mirrored by their competitors.”
- Suns GM Ryan McDonough spoke very highly of Ainge and the job that he has done, Bulpett writes in the same piece. “Usually teams do one or the other. You try to compete, and that involves getting rid of young players, maybe bringing in some more veteran players, trading draft picks for vets. Or you rebuild, and that means trading away veteran players, really only focusing on picks and young players. The challenge is to do both. I think the really good organizations can do it, but it’s tricky. I think when you’re with an organization like the Celtics or the Suns that have great history and tradition, it’s not really acceptable or certainly not desirable to bottom out. You don’t want to bottom out and hope for luck in the lottery. I admire the way the Celtics have done it,” McDonough said. “They’ve done a tremendous job. They’ve got all the future picks in the queue that are coming down the line. They have some good young players. Obviously they have excellent management and coaching. The fans will see over time how things will work out.”