Draft Notes: Turner, Okafor, Jones
One of the issues that is holding back Texas big man Myles Turner from being a potential top five pick are concerns about his awkward running style, and the potential for injury that his unusual gait could bring. In his weekly chat, ESPN’s Chad Ford (Insider subscription required) notes that Turner has been working with a running coach and has shown remarkable improvement in this regard. The 19-year-old is the No. 10 overall prospect according to Ford, while Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress ranks him No. 11. You can view our full prospect profile for Turner here.
Here’s more notes from the upcoming draft:
- Ford also hears that Jahlil Okafor, who was the No. 1 ranked prospect for much of the season before being overtaken by Karl-Anthony Towns, is falling on a number of teams’ draft boards. Okafor, who is No. 2 according to both ESPN.com and DraftExpress, could drop as far as the fifth overall pick in June, Ford opines.
- The Rockets are growing increasingly enamored with Duke freshman point guard Tyus Jones, Ford also notes. Houston currently owns the 18th overall pick, while Jones is ranked as the No. 22 overall prospect by Ford, and Givony slots him at No. 19. Jones’ full prospect profile can be found here.
- Ford released his latest mock draft (Insider subscription required), and he predicts the top three picks as Towns going No. 1 overall, followed by Emmanuel Mudiay and D’Angelo Russell.
- Southeast Missouri State senior guard Jarekious Bradley has signed with agent Brian Bass of RBA Sports, Bass announced via Twitter. The 24-year-old is not currently projected to be taken in June’s draft.
Pelicans Met With Joe Dumars
7:14pm: Pelicans spokesman Greg Bensel issued a statement saying that the team has not discussed a position with Dumars, nor has the franchise made him a job offer, Marc Stein of ESPN.com tweets.
1:06pm: Executive vice president of basketball operations Mickey Loomis and other Pelicans officials met with Joe Dumars multiple times this past fall to gauge the ex-Pistons executive’s thoughts on the Pelicans, a source told John Reid of The Times-Picayune. Reid confirms a report from Fletcher Mackel of WDSU-TV that the meetings took place during several road games for the NFL’s New Orleans Saints in 2014. It’s possible that the Pelicans will hire Dumars, but no such move is imminent, Reid and Mackel both write. Grantland’s Zach Lowe wrote Wednesday that Dumars remains in play for a supervisory role above GM Dell Demps.
Bleacher Report’s Ric Bucher in January alluded to talk around the league that suggested owner Tom Benson was eyeing Dumars, a Louisiana native, but Bucher cautioned that there were no signs that Benson was definitively unsatisfied with Demps. The Pelicans have a team option on Demps for next season, but they’ve yet to exercise it, Reid notes. Benson sent a letter of congratulations last week to Demps, coach Monty Williams and their staffs after the end of a season that saw the franchise return to the playoffs for the first time since 2011. Demps denied a report from Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports that the Pelicans gave him and Williams mandates to make the playoffs this year. Reid reported in March that the Pelicans planned to evaluate Demps and Williams at season’s end.
Dumars has long been friends with Loomis and Saints coach Sean Payton and has close ties to Pelicans officials, according to Reid. The Pistons said he would remain with the team as an adviser when his nearly 14-year tenure atop Detroit’s basketball operations ended last year, but his name isn’t listed among the basketball operations personnel in the Pistons media guide for this season.
Atlantic Notes: Lopez, Nets, Jones
Nets GM Billy King reiterated that re-signing center Brook Lopez is a priority for the franchise, which views the big man as a centerpiece to build around, Tim Bontemps of The New York Post writes. “For us to get in the playoffs that stretch, [Lopez] was the guy who carried us. He was our best player,” King said. “Without Brook Lopez, there’s no way we even get to where we go to this year. I’ll say it again: We want him back. I want him back, [coach] Lionel [Hollins] wants him back, ownership wants him back. We’ve all said it. There shouldn’t be any more doubts about it.” Lopez has a player option worth $16,744,2187 for 2015/16, but can become an unrestricted free agent if he opts out this summer.
Here’s more from the Atlantic Division:
- King refused to comment on the status of extension talks between he and the Nets, but said he was comfortable working next season without agreeing to a new deal, Mike Mazzeo of ESPN.com relays (Twitter link).
- When asked if there is a trade market for the Nets‘ big money contracts like Deron Williams‘ and Joe Johnson‘s, King said, “We could have moved them,” Andy Vasquez of The Record tweets.
- The Sixers are potentially interested in selecting Jamal Jones and making him a domestic draft-and-stash pick this June, similar to what the Thunder did with Josh Huestis last season, Shams Charania of RealGM writes. “The Sixers have had interest in me all year just because even though I didn’t have a good season with Delaware, they were always there for the practices and they have seen what I’m capable of,” Jones told Charania. “They’re very interested, and want me come up, work out for them and see how I’ve progressed in the time since the season ended.” Jones appeared in 45 contests for Philly’s D-League affiliate this past season, averaging 7.8 points, 2.6 rebounds, and 0.9 assists.
Draft History: Dennis Lindsey
The 2015 NBA draft is less than two months away, and for teams that aren’t still participating in the NBA playoffs, the focus is on using that event to build toward a better future. The exact draft order won’t be known until the May 19th lottery, when the simple bounce of a ping-pong ball can alter the fate of a franchise. Of course, having one of the top selections in any draft doesn’t guarantee that a team will snag a future All-Star. Team executives and scouts still have the difficult task of making the correct call with their picks.
With this in mind we at Hoops Rumors will be taking a look back at the draft history of the primary basketball executive for each NBA team. Their names, reputations, and possibly employment will be on the line as a result of the decisions to come on June 25th, and we’ll be examining what they’ve done in previous years in charge of a club’s front office. Note that many of them have played other sorts of roles within a team’s executive structure, but this won’t take that into account. We’ll continue onward with a look back at the calls made by Jazz GM Dennis Lindsey…
Jazz (August 2012-Present)
2013 Draft
- No. 9 Overall — Trey Burke *: 146 games, 12.8 PPG, 2.8 RPG, 5.0 APG. .374/.324/.818.
- No. 27 Overall — Rudy Gobert **: 127 games, 6.2 PPG, 7.3 RPG, 1.8 BPG..587/.000/.598.
Notable players passed over: Michael Carter-Williams (No. 11) and Giannis Antetokounmpo (No. 15).
*Traded picks No. 14 (Shabazz Muhammad) and No. 21 (Gorgui Dieng) to the Timberwolves for the rights to Burke.
**Traded No. 46 overall pick (Erick Green) and cash to Jazz for rights to Gobert.
2014 Draft
- No. 5 Overall — Dante Exum: 82 games, 4.8 PPG, 1.6 RPG, 2.4 APG. .349/.314/.625.
- No. 23 Overall — Rodney Hood: 50 games, 8.7 PPG, 2.3 RPG, 1.7 APG. .414/.365/.763.
Notable players passed over: Elfrid Payton (No. 10), K.J. McDaniels (No. 32) and Jordan Clarkson (No. 46).
*Traded No. 35 overall pick (Jarnell Stokes) to Grizzlies for a 2016 second-rounder.
Southeast Notes: Carroll, Green, Wall
DeMarre Carroll‘s play for the Hawks this season has likely tripled the value of his next contract, Shaun Powell of NBA.com writes. But the forward’s age, 28, and his lack of a solid performance track record prior to this season could complicate the market for the unrestricted free agent, Powell adds. Interested franchises will need to determine if Carroll’s best years are ahead of him, or if he is a role-player who took advantage of the Hawks’ system, the NBA.com scribe opines. Powell also believes that the Lakers, Knicks, and Mavs will be competitors for Carroll’s services this summer.
Here’s more from the Southeast Division:
- Willie Green, who is set to become an unrestricted free agent this summer, wants to return to the Magic next season, Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel relays. “I feel like I still have a good maybe three or four years — who knows? — or even more,” Green said. “It’s no secret that I met with [GM] Rob [Hennigan] and I met with the coaches and stuff here, and I expressed to them that I’m definitely open to being back here in Orlando. I like the foundation that the team has. I like our young fellas, and I think I can help them on and off the floor. So if the possibility is open, then I’m definitely open to exploring it.”
- Wizards point guard John Wall‘s elevated play this season is a result of a commitment to film study and a year round fitness regimen, Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today notes. “It took us a year or two,” athletic trainer Rob McClanaghan said. “I was straight up with John. I can’t have him come to L.A. for four weeks and say, ‘See you next summer.’ It has to be all year. He loves the film and he loves the extra work. All the work he has put in has made him a much more confident player.“
- Injuries derailed what was a promising first season with the Magic for Evan Fournier, Ken Hornack of FOX Sports Florida writes in his profile of the player. The 22-year-old was acquired last June in a deal with the Nuggets. Fournier appeared in 58 contests this season, averaging 12.0 points, 2.6 rebounds, and 2.1 assists in 28.6 minutes per night.
Latest On Thaddeus Young, Option Decision
WEDNESDAY, 2:40pm: A source close to Young told SB Nation’s Jake Fischer that the forward is very interested in testing the free agent market (Twitter link).
SATURDAY, 11:31am: Nets forward Thaddeus Young may have given an indication today regarding whether or not he would exercise his early termination option for next season, Tim Bontemps of The New York Post relays (Twitter links). During his exit interview with the press, Young said that his agent Jim Tanner suggested he opt in and then hit free agency during the summer of 2016 when the salary cap is expected to increase dramatically, Bontemps notes. The value of Young’s option for 2015/16 is $10,221,739.
Young said that he still has a lot of factors to consider, but reiterated that he loves being in Brooklyn and with the Nets, and is comfortable living on the East Coast, Bontemps adds. The 26-year-old had previously noted how pleased he was with the deal that sent him from the Timberwolves to the Nets. “It was the perfect situation for me, especially with me being good friends with [Nets GM] Billy [King], just knowing him and him drafting me in Philly,” Young said. “So it was a good situation, plus they had the right mix of players for me and I felt like I could be a great complementary piece to a lot of guys on this team.”
If Young indeed opts in for next season it would be a reversal of his intentions prior to the trade deadline. The player had reportedly informed Minnesota that he didn’t intend to pick up his option for 2015/16, and would become a free agent at season’s end. It was this request that likely swayed the Wolves to deal away Young for franchise icon Kevin Garnett. King had also previously indicated the franchise would like for Young to return, saying the team will do what it can to retain Young. As the GM apparently sees him as a building block for the team’s future.
In 28 games for the Nets last season, Young averaged 13.8 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 1.4 assists in 29.6 minutes per contest. His career numbers through 592 games are 13.8 PPG, 5.5 RPG, and 1.5 APG. Young’s career shooting numbers are .495/.323/.693.
Southwest Notes: Smith, Ginobili, Gasol
Josh Smith has found contentment in Houston after enduring much criticism elsewhere, and the Rockets share that feeling of satisfaction with the partnership, as Grantland’s Jonathan Abrams examines. There’s mutual interest between Smith, who hits free agency again this summer, and GM Daryl Morey in a new deal, as Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports reported last month, and Morey made it clear to Abrams that he values the 29-year-old.
“I’m not sure what we’d do without him,” Morey added. “He’s been critical to getting us where we are right now.”
Houston will have Smith’s Non-Bird rights to give him a 20% raise on the $2.077MM salary he signed for via the Biannual Exception in December. Here’s more from around the Southwest Division:
- Manu Ginobili suggested that he’s never pondered retirement quite so seriously before and said that Tim Duncan‘s decision about whether to play again next season will affect his own, as the swingman wrote for La Nacion’s Canchallena.com and as Dan McCarney of the San Antonio Express-News translates. In any case, Ginobili, whose contract with the Spurs expires this summer, said he’ll take the rest of the month to decide whether to return.
- Concerns about whether Ginobili, Duncan and Gregg Popovich would remain over the course of a three-year deal were in Pau Gasol‘s head when he decided against signing with the Spurs, as Ramona Shelburne of ESPN.com writes in a lengthy piece on the Bulls, whom Gasol chose instead.
- Dirk Nowitzki confirmed that there was no vote that took place when the Mavs decided to divvy up playoff shares without giving one to Rajon Rondo, as he said on KTCK-AM this week (transcription via the Dallas Morning News). “No, we actually didn’t vote. It was just the guys who were there that day got a playoff share,” Nowitzki said. “What we usually do is give a lot of weight to the guys that work for you all season long; the locker room guys, the equipment guys, the trainers, the massage guys [or] whoever you feel helped you get through the season. We usually divide it up and then give them a lot of money. I think that got blown out of proportion. It’s not like it was that much money. I don’t think Rondo would have cared either way.”
Northwest Notes: Singler, Donovan, Draft, Gee
Thunder GM Sam Presti reiterated that the Thunder are committed to re-signing Enes Kanter and hope to do so with Kyle Singler as well, pointing to Singler’s shooting, versatility and height in an email interview with Darnell Mayberry of The Oklahoman. Presti also told Mayberry that he sought input from Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and other Thunder players about the qualities they’d like to see in a coach even though he found it unwise to discuss specific candidates for the team’s coaching vacancy, which he filled with Billy Donovan. Here’s more from around the Northwest Division:
- Incarnate Word combo guard Denzel Livingston, Ohio power forward Maurice Ndour, Penn State shooting guard D.J. Newbill, Illinois shooting guard Rayvonte Rice and TCU shooting guard Trey Zeigler are scheduled to work out for the Jazz today, the team announced (Twitter link). Michigan State swingman Russell Byrd will join them, as Michael Scotto of SheridanHoops reported Tuesday.
- It’s not out of the question that the Trail Blazers will re-sign Alonzo Gee this summer, but it’s doubtful, writes Jabari Young of CSNNW.com, speculating that the Hawks, Spurs and Jazz might be decent bets to sign him instead. Gee remained on an NBA roster all season after signing a non-guaranteed minimum-salary contract the Nuggets, who traded him to the Blazers in the Arron Afflalo deal.
- The Timberwolves made a “colossal blunder” not once but twice in the 2009 draft when they passed over MVP Stephen Curry for point guards Ricky Rubio and Jonny Flynn, as Michael Rand of the Star Tribune examines.
Billy King On Lopez, Young, Trades, Teletovic
The Nets pulled together for a late season run to the playoffs and pushed the top-seeded Hawks in the opening round, but this wasn’t a successful season, GM Billy King said today to reporters, including Newsday’s Roderick Boone, at his end-of-season press conference (Twitter link). The GM didn’t address rumors that he’s close to an extension, but he had many more revelatory comments, as we’ll run down here. All links go to Twitter, unless otherwise noted:
- The team’s long-term plan is to build around Brook Lopez and Thaddeus Young, King said, according to Andy Vasquez of The Record. Lopez and Young haven’t made decisions about their respective player options yet, but King said the Nets want them back regardless of whether they opt in or not, notes Tim Bontemps of the New York Post.
- King said the Nets explored trading every player on the roster at some point during the season, Boone notes, and King wouldn’t rule out trades when he added that the team would continue to look into all possibilities with Lopez, Deron Williams and Joe Johnson, observes Devin Kharpertian of The Brooklyn Game.
- Brooklyn, slated to pick 29th and 41st overall in June, will continue an annual tradition of trying to trade up, King said, as Kharpertian relays, but the GM insisted he’ll value draft assets more highly than in the past. “I don’t expect us to be trading any of [our future draft picks],” King said, according to Kharpertian. “We’ve done that.”
- The Nets will extend the more than $4.21MM qualifying offer required to match competing NBA offers for Mirza Teletovic in free agency this summer, King confirmed, nonetheless adding that the market will dictate the forward’s next deal, as Bontemps notes.
- The team would like a new deal with Alan Anderson, King said, according to Lenn Robbins of Nets.com, but the GM also said that the swingman may need a procedure on his ankle to deal with bone spurs, Bontemps observes.
- The goal is to avoid the luxury tax next season, and the repeat-offender penalties that would come with it, but the Nets will stay above the tax line if it’s the right thing to do, according to King, as Kharpertian relays. That’s similar to what owner Mikhail Prokhorov said last month (non-Twitter link), but it conflicts with what Bontemps has heard (non-Twitter link) from sources who’ve said the team has no interest in remaining a taxpayer.
- King said the Nets can’t keep turning the roster over from year to year and added that internal improvement is necessary, Boone notes. King pointed to rookies Bojan Bogdanovic, Markel Brown and Cory Jefferson as players who can be parts of the rotation going forward, according to Bontemps.
Minimum Salary Exception
The minimum salary exception is something of a last resort for capped-out teams seeking to add players, as well as for players seeking NBA contracts, but it’s the most commonly used cap exception. It allows an over-the-cap team to sign a player to a one- or two-year minimum-salary deal, as the name suggests. Teams can use the exception multiple times, allowing clubs that have spent all of their other exceptions an avenue to add to their rosters. It also allows for the acquisition of minimum-salary players via trade, and players signed via the minimum salary exception don’t count as incoming salary for salary-matching purposes.
Players are entitled to varying minimum salaries based on how long they’ve been in the NBA. In 2014/15, a player with no prior NBA experience was eligible for a $507,336 minimum salary, while a player with 10 or more years of experience was eligible for $1,448,490. Over the course of the current collective bargaining agreement, the minimum salary will increase each season, as Larry Coon’s CBA FAQ outlines. For 2015/16, the breakdown is as follows:
Years of experience — minimum salary
0 — $525,093
1 — $845,059
2 — $947,276
3 — $981,348
4 — $1,015,421
5 — $1,100,602
6 — $1,185,784
7 — $1,270,964
8 — $1,356,146
9 — $1,362,897
10 or more — $1,499,187
The numbers demonstrate the wide disparity between the minimum salary for rookies and for long-tenured players. A minimum-salary veteran of 10 or more seasons will earn almost three times as much as a rookie making the minimum next season. The NBA doesn’t want clubs to shy away from signing qualified veterans, so the league reimburses teams for a portion of a minimum-salary player’s cost if he has two or more years of experience, as long as the contract is a one-year deal. For instance, when the Wizards re-signed 12-year veteran Drew Gooden to a one-year deal for 2014/15 using the minimum salary exception, the contract called for a salary of $1,499,187, but the team’s cap hit was just $947,276. The league reimburses the Wizards for the remaining $551,911.
Most salary cap exceptions can only be used once each season. When a team uses its full mid-level exception to sign one or more players, the club can no longer use that exception until the following season. Unlike the mid-level and other cap exceptions, the minimum salary exception can be used any number of times in a single season. The Nets, for example, used the minimum salary exception to sign five players who ended the 2014/15 season on the team’s roster.
The vast majority of 10-day contracts are for the minimum salary, and often the minimum salary exception is the only way for clubs to accommodate any 10-day deals. Teams used the minimum salary exception to sign 48 players to 10-day contracts during the 2014/15 season.
Many exceptions begin to prorate on January 10th, but the minimum salary exception prorates from the first day of the regular season. Teams often take advantage of this to sign players for cheap at the end of the season primarily so they can use them to help salaries match in a trade over the summer, since minimum-salary players do count as outgoing salary for matching purposes.
For example, the Kings signed David Stockton on the fourth day from the end of the 2014/15 regular season. The Kings used the minimum salary exception to sign Stockton to a two-year contract that covered the final four days of the 2014/15 season and all of 2015/16. The 2015/16 portion is non-guaranteed, so the only guaranteed money in the deal was Stockton’s prorated minimum salary, equal to 4/170ths of $507,336. Stockton faces an uphill battle to make the Kings opening-night roster in 2015/16, but if the Kings make a trade over the summer, they can include Stockton’s contract as part of the swap to make the salaries match, allowing the team that acquires Stockton to do the same in another trade or simply waive his non-guaranteed contract at no cost before the 2015/16 season begins. The Kings didn’t necessarily sign Stockton with the idea of trading him, but the minimum salary exception gives the team plenty of flexibility to do so.
Earlier versions of this post appeared on May 7th, 2012, April 28th, 2013 and June 10th, 2014.
Note: This is a Hoops Rumors Glossary entry. Our glossary posts will explain specific rules relating to trades, free agency, or other aspects of the NBA’s Collective Bargaining Agreement. Larry Coon’s Salary Cap FAQ and the Basketball Insiders salary pages were used in the creation of this post.