Northwest Notes: Lopez, Kaman, Jazz
The future of Robin Lopez in Portland may depend on LaMarcus Aldridge‘s decision, writes Jabari Young of CSNNW.com. Both will become free agents in July, and Young notes that Lopez’s defensive skills and Aldridge’s offensive prowess are perfect complements to each other. If Aldridge leaves, the Blazers might turn to the free agent market for a new big man, pursuing either the Pistons’ Greg Monroe or the Clippers’ DeAndre Jordan.
There’s more from the Northwest Division:
- Veteran center Chris Kaman hopes the Blazers bring him back for one more season, according to Sean Meagher of The Oregonian. Portland used its mid-level exception last summer to give Kaman a two-year, $9.8MM deal, but the team holds the option on his 2015/16 contract. He is slated to make $5MM next season, but only about $1MM of that is guaranteed. Kaman became a reliable backup center for the Blazers and a mentor to Meyers Leonard. He offered an unusual compliment to Portland coach Terry Stotts. “I told Terry he’s the first coach I haven’t hated when the season was over since Mike Dunleavy,” Kaman said. “It’s been a while that I haven’t hated somebody.”
- In a separate story, Meagher talked to several Portland-area media members to get their opinions on Kaman. There was general agreement that the Blazers should keep him on the roster for another season, although probably in a reduced role, given his age and Leonard’s projected improvement.
- With their franchise cornerstones in place, the Jazz can concentrate on making smaller improvements this summer, contends Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders. He cites areas of need as veteran leadership and backcourt stability. Utah will likely have the 12th pick in next month’s draft, along with some cap flexibility to add a veteran or two.
Southwest Notes: Davis, Gasol, Grizzlies
A max deal is waiting for Kawhi Leonard, but Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili hold the keys to the Spurs‘ summer, Chuck Myron of Hoops Rumors wrote last week. If they retire, the Spurs will have the capacity to sign an elite free agent without moving anyone. If they stay, it may displace other key members of the team. While we wait to see how this pivotal offseason plays out for the Spurs, here’s a glance at the rest of the Southwest Division..
- The Pelicans have a lot of big decisions to make this summer, but nothing will carry more weight than trying to get Anthony Davis to sign a five-year extension, John Reid of The Times-Picayune writes. New Orleans is preparing a max money five-year offer and that’s no surprise given the year that he had. Davis ended the regular season with an eye-popping 30.8 PER, the eleventh highest for a single season in league history.
- The Grizzlies‘ trade of Pau Gasol to the Lakers in the deal that fetched them Marc Gasol was controversial at the time, but GM Chris Wallace felt that it was the right move, Ken Berger of CBSSports.com writes. “Our crowds were minuscule, and in our own market we were second but might as well have been 100th,” Wallace said. “We were nowhere near the Memphis Tigers in terms of capturing the imagination of the city. Pau’s candle had been doused; he wasn’t performing well and we weren’t performing well as a team.” Of course, that deal brought Pau’s brother, Marc Gasol, to Memphis.
- Gasol could be a franchise changer for the right team, Lang Greene of Basketball Insiders writes. Memphis officials have maintained that bringing Gasol back is their top priority this summer and all signs point to him staying put with the Grizzlies. However, he’s still expected to explore his options.
Draft Notes: Towns, Okafor, Milutinov
Jeff Goodman of ESPN.com (Insider subscription required) still has Karl-Anthony Towns as the No. 1 overall pick in his latest mock draft. If the Wolves wind up with the top choice, Goodman writes that the Wolves already have a below-the-rim big man in Nikola Pekovic, which would lead them to Towns over Jahlil Okafor. If the lottery goes according to script (though, it rarely does), that would allow the Knicks to take Okafor at No. 2 with the Sixers plucking D’Angelo Russell at No. 3. While we wait to see where the ping pong balls land, here’s a look at the latest draft news..
- Multiple NBA teams have interviewed KK Partizan center Nikola Milutinov and come away with a positive impression of him, David Pick of Eurobasket.net tweets. The Serbian 7-footer is currently projected to go early in the second round by DraftExpress.
- Former Duke guard Rasheed Sulaimon told Goodman that he has committed to Maryland and will spend his final season with the Terps. Sulaimon was dismissed from the Blue Devils’ program in January. Once considered a potential first-round pick after his freshman year, the shooting guard is now ranked only as the No. 45 player in his class by DraftExpress.
- Derek Bodner of USA Today (video link) wonders if Okafor can present a legitimate challenge to Towns to be the No. 1 choice.
No Deal Between Kenyon Martin, Panathinaikos
MONDAY, 2:20pm: Talks are dead between Martin and Panathinaikos and the veteran won’t be signing there, David Pick of Eurobasket.net tweets.
SUNDAY, 8:00pm: The two sides are no longer talking, according to Cauchi, who cites a source. Martin was close to signing with the Greek team, but negotiations were taking too much time, Cauchi writes.
9:09am: Kenyon Martin is expected to sign with Panathinaikos in Greece, tweets Orazio Cauchi of Sportando. A source calls the move “done,” noting that the agreement will cover one month.
The 37-year-old Martin is a 15-year veteran of the NBA, and appeared in 11 games this season with the Bucks. He averaged 1.8 points and 1.7 rebounds in just 9.5 minutes of playing time.
Milwaukee signed Martin to a 10-day contract January 10th, then a second 10-day deal January 19th. On January 29th, he signed for the remainder of the season, but was waived February 19th and hasn’t played in the NBA since then.
Martin was picked first overall by the Nets in the 2000 NBA draft. He also played for the Nuggets, Clippers and Knicks during his NBA career. This will be Martin’s second stint overseas. He played briefly for the Xinjiang Flying Tigers of China during the 2011 lockout.
Texas Notes: Rondo, Stoudemire, Spurs
Last night in Los Angeles, the Rockets were on the wrong side of a one-sided affair as they fell 128-95 to the Clippers. Houston’s strategy of intentionally fouling DeAndre Jordan didn’t pay off as the big man put up 26 points and 17 boards to put his team up 3-1 in the series. Here’s today’s look at the other two teams in the Lone Star State..
- Mavs guard Rajon Rondo is entering free agency after a down year and Keyon Dooling thinks that whoever signs him will get a tremendous value, Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe writes. “I think his future is bright, I think someone will be getting a hungry veteran who’s still in the prime of his career,” Dooling said. “We’re talking about one of the most unselfish players in the league in his selfish ways. It’s like an anomaly. He’s the most unselfish player in the world on the court but for some reason he has a selfish image. I’m biased because that’s my friend, but I just don’t get it.” Rondo and Dooling (now retired) were teammates in Boston.
- Another pending Mavs free agent, Amar’e Stoudemire says that he could envision a return to Dallas. “There was a lot at stake this season. I’m sure there’s going to be another round of free agency happening again, as it was in 2010. I’ll make my rounds and see what teams are saying, but I think Dallas is a place where I feel comfortable here. I have a chance to have great success here with this franchise. We’ll see,” Stoudemire told Earl K. Sneed of Mavs.com. Stoudemire appeared in 23 games for Dallas this season but saw the team fall in the first round of the playoffs. The veteran says that he’s “already paid in full” and will be prioritizing winning this summer over money.
- The Spurs will have options via sign-and-trade to add a max free agent this summer, but doing that could put Danny Green‘s future with the team in jeopardy, Dan McCarney of the Express News writes. McCarney runs down Green’s solid resume in San Antonio and concludes that they’ll have a serious hole to fill if he goes elsewhere.
Thanasis Antetokounmpo Likely To Join Knicks
The Knicks have informed the representatives for Thanasis Antetokounmpo that they will likely sign him to an NBA deal for next season, agent Tim Lotsos tells Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com. Last summer, the athletic forward turned down a two-year, $550K deal overseas to play for the Knicks’ D-League team in Westchester. Now, it seems like his sacrifice will pay off rather immediately.
Lotsos tells Begley that Antetokounmpo’s “first goal” is to play for the Knicks, but he also wants to get his NBA opportunity. The Knicks have been wowed by the small forward’s athleticism, but they’ve also wanted him to get a little more polished before making the leap to the Association. Last year, when the Knicks were clearly out of the playoff mix, there was some speculation that the Greek standout could get a call up to the varsity squad, but that never materialized.
The Knicks could offer Antetokounmpo a tender for next season and retain his rights, but that would give him the opportunity to seize a more lucrative overseas deal this time around. Last year, Antetokounmpo earned just $25K, less than 10% of what he would have made elsewhere.
Antetokounmpo, the older brother of Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo, was drafted late in the second round of the 2014 draft by team president Phil Jackson, who was very impressed with his athleticism. Antetokounmpo averaged 15.1 points and 6.8 rebounds per 36 minutes this past season in the D-League, but Begley hears from scouts that say he’s still too raw and too inconsistent with his jumper to contribute at the next level.
Rockets Hope To Sign Marko Todorovic
The Rockets are pushing to sign big man Marko Todorovic this summer, according to the player who spoke with Catalan newspaper L’Esportiu (translation via Aris Barkas of EuroHoops.net). Todorovic, whose draft rights are owned by Houston, is in the midst of a strong season for Bilbao Basket of the Spanish ACB League while on loan from Barcelona.
“The Rockets want me and in the summer I will [make] my decision. I believed that my style of play doesn’t fit the NBA, but the interest of the Rockets made [me] change my mind,” Todorovic said.
Barkas also hears from sources that Houston intends to make an offer to the 6’11” forward/center. Todorovic was originally drafted by the Blazers with the No. 45 overall pick in the 2013 draft. Just a couple of weeks later, he was sent to the Rockets in a deal that brought Thomas Robinson to Portland while giving Houston enough cap space to sign Dwight Howard.
Barkas also hears that the buyout on Todorovic’s deal is fairly close to the maximum allowed by the NBA’s CBA before it would count against the salary cap. That figure is $625K for 2015/16 but, if necessary, a team could exceed that amount by using cap room or an exception.
Todorovic is currently averaging a career high 11.5 PPG with 4.4 RPG in 27.3 minutes per contest. In March, Todorovic was named the ACB league’s player of the month (Spanish link).
Dirk Nowitzki Wants To Finish Contract
In a recent interview on KTCK-AM 1310, Mavs forward Dirk Nowitzki ruled out the possibility of retiring this season (transcript via SportsDayDFW.com). In fact, we can expect to see the Mavs star to play through his age-38 season.
“No. I definitely want to fulfill my contract. I signed on for three years last summer and I’m not going to retire after the first year. If I commit to something, I commit to it fully,” the 13-time All-Star explained. “I’ve got two more years and hopefully make it count, make it good ones. Hopefully deep playoff runs, that’s what we wanted this year. We wanted home court advantage to set us up for a nice little run, we just weren’t consistent enough to really get there, so, we’ll see how the next few years play out.”
Nowitzki, who averaged 17.3 PPG and 5.9 RPG in 2014/15, admitted that the grind of this past season got to him, but retirement still wasn’t a consideration for him. The 36-year-old (37 in June) said that he still loves to compete and he knows that he’ll find a way to battle through the rigors of another 82 game season as well as grueling summer workouts.
Late last month, Nowitzki said he would be willing to come off the bench for the Mavs next season if it would help the team. At the same time, he cited concerns about feeling stiff if he were to come out of the starting lineup. After holding up solid averages last season and posting an above-average 19.2 PER, it’s possible that the subject won’t even be broached with the 7-footer.
Nowitzki is set to earn roughly $8.3MM in 2015/16 and $8.7MM in the following year. For his career, Nowitzki has averaged 22.2 PPG and 5.9 RPG while shooting 38.3% from three-point range.
Draft Notes: Towns, Mudiay, Russell
Projected No. 1 overall pick Karl-Anthony Towns has signed with Creative Artists Agency agents Leon Rose and Richie Felder tweets CBSSports.com’s Jon Rothstein, who cites a source. Towns recently spoke about how important it was to choose the right agent. “You only get one chance at that [picking an agent],” Towns said in a piece by John Pavia of SNY.tv. “You’ve got to make sure you get it right.” Hoops Rumors’ Eddie Scarito profiled Towns, who in 39 games for the Wildcats as a freshman, averaged 10.3 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 2.3 blocks in 21.1 minutes per contest.
Here’s more on the 2015 NBA draft:
- Emmanuel Mudiay, a 6’5″ point guard who is the No. 3 ranked player by both Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress and Chad Ford of ESPN.com (Insider subscription required), is the wild card of this year’s draft, Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer writes in a list of top storylines. Playing with the Guangdong Southern Tigers of the Chinese Basketball Association instead of college ball left Mudiay shrouded in relative mystery, Bonnell adds.
- D’Angelo Russell‘s versatility and whether he should be labeled as a shooting guard or a point guard is another one of Bonnell’s top storylines. It may not matter, Bonnell notes, because there’s a good chance Russell excels in either role at the NBA level. Russell, who handles the ball well, produced 19.3 points per game on 45% from the field and 41% from 3-point range in his lone season with Ohio State. Russell is ranked fourth by ESPN.com and DraftExpress.
- Michael Frazier, who elected to enter this year’s draft following his junior season with Florida, has some potential as a spot-up shooter and plays well defensively, and will get an opportunity this summer even if he does not get drafted, Josh Riddell of DraftExpress writes in his profile of the player. ESPN.com slots Frazier at No. 51, while DraftExpress ranks him No. 55.
And-Ones: Bogdanovic, Pierce, Haywood
Bojan Bogdanovic, in an interview with Hrvoje Sliskovic of Jutarnji List, said he is happy with the Nets and does not want to be traded. A source told Robert Windrem of NetsDaily that Bogdanovic should have nothing to fear, however, saying, “He is not going anywhere.” The shooting guard was benched earlier this season by Nets coach Lionel Hollins, but seemingly responded well with a solid year. He won Rookie of the Month honors in April. Nets GM Billy King recently talked about Bogdanovic being in the team’s rotation going forward.
Here’s more from around the basketball world:
- Paul Pierce, who has a player option for 2015/16 worth $5,543,725 he can opt out of this offseason, continues to prove his worth with the Wizards despite being 37, Moke Hamilton of Basketball Insiders writes. Pierce’s winning shot in Game 3 of an Eastern Conference semifinal series against the Hawks provided another example, Hamilton writes. “These are the moments why you have a guy like him,” Wizards head coach Randy Wittman said about the shot.
- Brendan Haywood is this summer’s top trade chip in terms of shedding expiring salary, Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders writes in a list about the topic. Haywood is due to make $10,522,500 next season in the final year of his deal. Depending on their luxury-tax position, the Cavaliers can bring in a player making $13-15.5MM in salary in return for Haywood, Pincus notes. The team acquiring the veteran center would presumably cut him, Pincus adds, clearing a good chunk of money off their books. Others Pincus lists as top trade chips include: Caron Butler of the Pistons, Wilson Chandler of the Nuggets and the Nuggets‘ Ben Gordon.