Latest On Nuggets, Ty Lawson, Kenneth Faried
Ty Lawson and Kenneth Faried are losing confidence in the Nuggets, and both have let the team know that unless it hires an inspiring name to fill the coaching vacancy or makes a significant trade, they’d rather be dealt away than go through rebuilding, as Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders writes in his NBA AM piece. There was mutual trepidation between Faried and the Nuggets even as the sides signed a four-year, $50MM extension this past fall, Kyler hears.
Lawson and Faried, like many Nuggets players, were vocal in their support of Melvin Hunt after he took over the coaching job on an interim basis from the fired Brian Shaw, with whom Lawson had reportedly clashed. Lawson told Kyler in March that Hunt was “giving everybody confidence” and had all the Nuggets on the same page. Christopher Dempsey of The Denver Post wrote around the same time that Faried was particularly ecstatic about Hunt and that he and his teammates would vote unanimously to remove Hunt’s interim tag and formally make him the team’s coach. Kyler writes in his latest piece that major changes to the roster might nonetheless bode well for Hunt’s chances of staying in the job, since Nuggets management sees him as a viable head man for a rebuilding team. Hunt’s chances of keeping the job have improved of late, as Marc Stein of ESPN.com reported last week. Team president Josh Kroenke said last week that a “period of transition” was on its way and that the club would take an “aggressive” approach to finding the roster it wants.
Some within the Nuggets organization weren’t on board with the Faried extension, as Kevin Arnovitz of ESPN.com reported in November, a few weeks after the deal was signed. Arnovitz added that Nuggets brass consented to the extension in part because of the positive publicity it would generate, in spite of their doubts about Faried’s ability. The Nuggets were nonetheless hesitant to include Faried or Lawson in trades as of January, as Chris Mannix of SI.com wrote then, though people around the league sensed as the trade deadline approached that the Nuggets would part with them for a strong offer, according to Grantland’s Zach Lowe. The Celtics and Nuggets engaged in exploratory Lawson talks, as Lowe reported at the same time.
The Mavs and Lawson have mutual interest, as Kyler reported Monday, though Lawson has two more seasons left on his contract, so the Nuggets have leverage. Kings coach George Karl would love it if Sacramento traded for his old point guard, a person close to Karl told Bleacher Report’s Howard Beck, as Beck wrote in February. Lowe heard at the deadline that Denver wanted multiple first-round picks if it was to relinquish the former 18th overall pick. That was in spite of the tension and frustration between Lawson and the Nuggets organization that Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders reported, as well as GM Tim Connelly‘s call, shortly after the deadline, for Lawson to “grow up.”
Bucks, Milwaukee Leaders Near Arena Deal
Bucks team president Peter Feigin and Milwaukee leaders all said today that sides are close to a deal for the public’s share of funding for a new Bucks arena in the city, Scott Bauer of The Associated Press reports. Wisconsin governor Scott Walker expressed the same sentiments at the beginning of the month, though negotiations continue. Feigin and city leaders expressed optimism today that talks can result in a deal by the end of the week, and a key state legislator said the goal is to announce a deal Wednesday, Bauer tweets, though Milwaukee mayor Tom Barrett added that there’s still work to be done, as Bauer writes in his story.
The Bucks face an NBA-imposed deadline to have an arena ready by opening night in 2017, and funding has to be secured by June in order for the project to remain on track, as Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com wrote recently. The league, should it determine at any point that the arena effort is not moving swiftly enough, intends to exercise its right to seize the team from owners Wesley Edens, Marc Lasry and Jamie Dinan and seek to move it elsewhere, according to Windhorst. Commissioner Adam Silver has nonetheless publicly maintained confidence that public funding will come.
Feigin backed off an assertion in late April that a deal for public funding had to be done within 10 days from that point. State, county and city leaders have been squabbling over how to finance their $250MM share of the proposed $500MM arena. The Bucks owners, as well as former owner principal owner Herb Kohl, have committed the other $250MM.
Nets Notes: Jack, Plumlee, Prokhorov, D-Will
It’s widely assumed that the Nets will look into trading Joe Johnson and Jarrett Jack as cost-cutting alternatives to using the stretch provision to waive Deron Williams, write Marc Stein and Mike Mazzeo of ESPN.com. Trade talk has swirled around Johnson off and on since December, while the Nets likely would have dealt Jack to the Wizards if they’d closed a deal on a proposal to send Brook Lopez to the Thunder, as TNT’s David Aldridge reported in the wake of the deadline. Johnson has a whopper of an expiring contract that calls for a salary of nearly $24.895MM in 2015/16, while Jack is due $6.3MM next season with a partial guarantee of just $500K on the same amount in 2016/17. Stein and Mazzeo have more on the Nets, and while the full piece is a must-read for Brooklyn diehards, we’ll pass along a few highlights here:
- Some executives from opposing teams figure the Nets will explore the trade market for Mason Plumlee, too, Stein and Mazzeo hear. The Nets were reportedly unwilling to give up Plumlee in a proposal that would have sent Williams to the Kings in December, though GM Billy King said this month that the Nets looked into the idea of trading every player on the roster at some point this past season. Plumlee’s role on the team decreased after the acquisition of Thaddeus Young and the resurgence of Lopez.
- People around the league continue to doubt the idea that Mikhail Prokhorov doesn’t want to sell a majority stake in the Nets, according to Stein and Mazzeo. Josh Kosman and Claire Atkinson of the New York Post reported in March that Prokhorov had ended efforts to do so while Prokhorov said the next month that he had never tried. Stein and Mazzeo cite “persistent rumbles” around the league that the reason Prokhorov isn’t actively trying to sell the team is that he would also have to sell his share of the Barclays Center as part of the deal, a detail that Daniel Kaplan and John Lombardo of SportsBusiness Journal reported in February. However, a sports banker who spoke with Kosman and Atkinson disputed that there was any such mandate that Prokhorov would have had to bundle the team and the arena.
- Stein and Mazzeo figure the Nets will indeed consider waiving and stretching Williams, yet they believe Brooklyn will ultimately decide against doing so.
Thaddeus Young Leaning Toward Opting Out
Thaddeus Young is believed to be leaning toward turning down his player option worth nearly $10.222MM for next season, according to Marc Stein and Mike Mazzeo of ESPN.com. There were conflicting narratives on the matter earlier this month, but Nets GM Billy King said recently that he sees Young as a building block and wants him back with the team regardless of what he does with his option. King said the same of Brook Lopez, and Stein and Mazzeo second earlier reports from Fred Kerber of the New York Post and Bleacher Report’s Howard Beck that Lopez is likely to opt out. Kerber and Beck indicated that Lopez is also likely to re-sign with Brooklyn, though Stein and Mazzeo don’t make that same point.
Young said at the beginning of the month that agent Jim Tanner suggested that he opt in and take advantage of a surging salary cap in the summer of 2016. However, a source close to Young told SB Nation’s Jake Fischer around the same time that the former 12th overall pick had strong interest in testing free agency, and he presumably meant this year. Young said at the time that his choice would be influenced by Lopez’s decision regarding his own option, worth more than $16.744MM.
Young has nonetheless made it clear on multiple occasions that he likes playing for the Nets, who acquired him at the deadline for Kevin Garnett. The Timberwolves obliged Young’s trade request after he told them he didn’t intend to pick up the option to stay in Minnesota. It appears he’s thought much harder about the idea of opting in ever since such a decision meant he would instead be staying with the Nets, though the lure of free agency this summer may well be too strong for the veteran who just finished his eighth season and turns 27 in June.
Draft Notes: Oubre, Porzingis, Greene
Hoops Rumors has a full log of 2015 draft news that you can see anytime at the link here. You can also set that page up as an RSS feed to receive constant updates. All you’d need to do would be to add /feed to the url, like so: hoopsrumors.com/2015-nba-draft/feed. Here’s more on the draft:
- Kelly Oubre had a disappointing freshman season at Kansas, but he’s still aiming high and is attempting to dispel misconceptions about his work ethic, as Moke Hamilton details for Basketball Insiders. Oubre, in speaking to Hamilton, added the Nuggets, Raptors and Knicks to the list of teams known to have interviewed him at the combine. “Some people say I’m lazy and some people say that I don’t work hard all the time,” Oubre said. “That’s not true. This year at Kansas I may have come off lazy because I really didn’t understand some of things that I was doing, so it kind of caused me to slow down.”
- Latvian center Kristaps Porzingis joins Jahlil Okafor, Karl-Anthony Towns, D’Angelo Russell and Emmanuel Mudiay in the top five of Derek Bodner’s mock draft for USA Today.
- St. John’s guard Phil Greene is set to work out this week for the Sixers, Clippers and Nets, sources tell Michael Scotto of SheridanHoops (Twitter link). Greene and Steve Lavin, his college coach, recently spoke with Zach Links of Hoops Rumors.
- Pat Connaughton has fought the perception that he doesn’t have elite athleticism, and his 44-inch vertical leap at the combine, the second highest of all time at the event, helped move the Notre Dame shooting guard farther onto the draft radar. Candace Buckner of the Indianapolis Star has the details.
Stanko Barac To Work Out For Pacers
Stanko Barac will participate in mini-camp workouts for the Pacers in June with the aim of signing an NBA contract, Shams Charania of RealGM reports. The 7’2” draft-and-stash prospect from Croatia played for Cedevita of the Euroleague this season.
Indiana has waited a long time on the 28-year-old Barac, who was selected No. 39 overall in the second round by the Heat in 2007 and then immediately dealt to the Pacers. President of basketball operations Larry Bird and his staff will determine in the workouts whether he’s worth signing, sources told Charania, or perhaps including him in a trade.
Barac, who averaged 9.9 points and 5.5 rebounds for Cedevita, would seem to be an end-of-the-bench option at best for the Pacers. They have been shopping Roy Hibbert, who has a $15.5MM player option this summer, without any success. Backup center Ian Mahinmi has a $4MM guaranteed contract for next season. The Pacers have also expressed a desire to play smaller lineups more often next season.
Indiana attempted to sign Barac to a lucrative deal years ago but he opted to remain in Europe. His contract with Cedevita didn’t contain a NBA out clause, preventing the Pacers from signing him last season.
Rockets Rumors: McDaniels, Terry, Beverley
K.J. McDaniels hopes to re-sign with the Rockets this summer when he’s expected to enter restricted free agency, as he said to Mark Berman of Fox 26 Houston (All Twitter links). The Rockets can reserve the right to match competing bids for the rookie, who has missed the playoffs with a fractured wrist, if they tender a qualifying offer worth slightly more than $1.045MM.
In other news regarding the Rockets:
- Jason Terry will play again next season, he told Marc Stein of ESPN.com. “100%,” the veteran point guard said to Stein before Monday’s Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals. Terry, an unrestricted free agent after the season, moved into the starting lineup when Patrick Beverley suffered a season-ending wrist injury. The Rockets will try to re-sign Terry, Stein adds.
- Beverley expressed his desire to remain with the Rockets but his value has gone up during his absence in the playoffs, Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle reports. The Rockets were able to advance to the conference finals without him but their weakened perimeter defense has been exposed by the Warriors’ Stephen Curry, Feigen continues. “I think I have a gift very few people have,” Beverley said to Feigen. “I know I’m the best on-ball defender in the NBA. I’m the best point guard defender in the NBA. I think the whole league knows that.” Beverley had a bargain-rate contract of $915,243 this season and is seeking a substantial raise and long-term security. “I put myself in position these last couple years to be successful and take care of my family for the rest of my life,” he added to Feigen. “I’ve been here three years on a minimum contract. At the end of the day, I have to understand business is business.”
Cavs Rumors: Thompson, Irving, Dellavedova
Cavaliers forward Tristan Thompson is flattered that LeBron James thinks so highly of him but offered no insights regarding his future, according to Dave McMenamin of ESPN.com. James expressed hope on Monday that Thompson, a restricted free agent, would remain with the club throughout his career. That was welcome news to Thompson. “I appreciate the compliment, if that’s a compliment, from LeBron,” Thompson said to reporters covering the Eastern Conference Finals. “I’m just here to work, to just come into work and do what the team asks of me — whether it’s on the court, off the court, in the community — and just be a professional.” Thompson turned down a four-year, $52MM offer prior to the season and could get max deal in free agency, as Chris Haynes of the Northeast Ohio Media Group reports. The Cavs will have some serious competition to retain Thompson since teams have quietly expressed interest in signing Thompson to an offer sheet, league sources told Haynes. `
In other news regarding the Cavaliers:
- Some of Kyrie Irving‘s teammates may be privately questioning his ability to play with pain after Irving sat out the last two playoff games, according to Joe Vardon of the Northeast Ohio Media Group. Irving has been sidelined by left knee tendinitis. Iman Shumpert, while not overtly targeting Irving, spoke of how players need to push through their pain, Vardon continues. James indicated that Irving’s absence has sapped his energy because he must handle the ball more often. “That takes the wear on your legs throughout the course of the game,” James said during a press conference. Coach David Blatt said Irving’s teammates were not frustrated with him for missing games but just anxious to have him return to action, Vardon adds.
- The league needs to take a harsher stance against Matthew Dellavedova, Mike Ganter of the Toronto Sun opines. Dellavedova plays too recklessly, according to Ganter, which leads to too many altercations with opponents. Taj Gibson and Al Horford were ejected from playoff games after incidents involving Dellavedova and Kyle Korver suffered a severely sprained ankle when Dellavedova rolled up on his leg diving for a loose ball. If the NBA fails to crack down on Dellavedova, it could lead to a more serious altercation, Ganter believes.
Offseason Outlook: Detroit Pistons
Guaranteed Contracts
- Brandon Jennings ($8,344,497)
- Jodie Meeks ($6,270,000)
- (Josh Smith $5,400,000)1
- Andre Drummond ($3,272,091)
- Kentavious Caldwell-Pope ($2,891,760)
- Spencer Dinwiddie ($845,059)
- (Aaron Gray $452,049)2
Non-Guaranteed Contracts
- Caron Butler ($4,500,000)
- Anthony Tolliver ($3,000,000)3
- Shawne Williams ($1,356,146)
- Quincy Miller ($981,348)4
Options
- Cartier Martin ($1,270,964 — Player)5
Restricted Free Agents/Cap Holds
- Reggie Jackson ($5,510,922) — $4,433,683 qualifying offer
Unrestricted Free Agents/Cap Holds
- Tayshaun Prince ($11,561,798)
- Greg Monroe ($10,411,877)
- Joel Anthony ($7,220,000)
- No. 8 pick ($2,368,300)
- John Lucas III ($947,276)
Draft Picks
- 1st Round (8th overall)
- 2nd Round (38th overall)
Cap Outlook
- Guaranteed Salary: $27,875,456
- Non-Guaranteed Salary: $9,437,494
- Options: $1,270,964
- Cap Holds: $32,509,251
- Total: $71,093,165
Guarded optimism characterizes the vibe around the Pistons as Stan Van Gundy heads into his second offseason as the team’s coach and president of basketball operations. Armed with ample salary cap space and a lottery pick, Van Gundy has the elements in place to finally get the Pistons out of their cycle of misery. They haven’t made the playoffs in six seasons, the longest drought for any team in the watered-down Eastern Conference. It’s a shocking state of affairs for a franchise that not long ago reached the conference finals six consecutive seasons.
Van Gundy had never missed the playoffs while coaching a full season during his career until the PIstons’ rollercoaster 32-50 campaign in 2014/15. He’s intent upon turning things around quickly and has the full backing, emotionally and financially, of owner Tom Gores to make that happen. Much of that is predicated on free agency, with two of the Pistons’ starters heading into the market in July.
Greg Monroe took the unusual step of signing the team’s qualifying offer last season as a restricted free agent, giving him the opportunity to explore his options as an unrestricted free agent this summer. Van Gundy has repeatedly stated his desire to retain Monroe, though many NBA observers expect the 6’11” power forward to wind up in New York or another city. Monroe and agent David Falk have not ruled out the Pistons but it’s unlikely they’ll break the bank to keep him. The financial flexibility and the draft pick provide other options for the Pistons to replace Monroe, a solid, low-post scorer and rebounder. Monroe has his shortcomings — he cannot stretch the floor offensively and he struggles to guard quicker players at his position.
In contrast to Monroe’s situation, the Pistons anticipate re-signing restricted free agent Reggie Jackson as their starting point guard. Van Gundy made a bold trade-deadline move by acquiring Jackson from Oklahoma City and immediately installing the Thunder backup as his floor leader. Thrilled at the opportunity, Jackson struggled in the early going as the Pistons fell out of the playoff picture but he emerged as an offensive force once he settled in. Jackson averaged 19.9 points and 10.9 assists during the last 16 games of the season.
Several other teams were in the bidding for Jackson at the trade deadline and a substantial offer sheet could come his way. But the Pistons are prepared to match any offer and Jackson has given every indication he’s staying, going so far as to organize offseason workouts with his current teammates.
Money will not be an issue. The Pistons have about $27.9MM guaranteed to five players, plus a cap hold of approximately $2.4MM for their draft pick. Factoring in roster charges for the minimum 12 roster spots, the Pistons could have as much as $33.6MM to spend with the current projected cap of $67.1MM. Even if they retain Jackson and Monroe, they should still have enough cash left over to pursue another quality free agent.
The most pressing need for Detroit is a reliable outside shooter and solid defender at small forward. It finished the season with aging veterans Tayshaun Prince and Caron Butler at that spot. Prince, an unrestricted free agent, will likely pursue opportunities with contending teams. The team holds a $4.5MM option on Butler’s contract and will probably release him back into the free agent market. The Pistons will also require a starting power forward if Monroe walks.
The No. 8 overall pick in this year’s draft offers a way to fill one of those holes. The draft is chock full of forwards that could be available when the Pistons select, including Justise Winslow, Stanley Johnson, Mario Hezonja, Kristaps Porzingis, Frank Kaminsky, Myles Turner, Trey Lyles and Sam Dekker. With backup center Joel Anthony entering unrestricted free agency, the Pistons could also shift gears and choose Willie Cauley-Stein if he’s available. That would give them a dynamic backup to franchise player Andre Drummond.
A lottery pick alone won’t resolve their issues. They must sign a top-level free agent or make a blockbuster deal to get a difference-maker at one of the forward spots. Unfortunately, many of the big names in free agency — Draymond Green, Jimmy Butler, Kawhi Leonard, Khris Middleton — are restricted and will almost certainly be retained by their current teams. Stars like LaMarcus Aldridge and Kevin Love (if he opts out) are unlikely to seriously consider a non-contender like the Pistons.
More realistic targets would be the unrestricted Hawks duo of DeMarre Carroll and Paul Millsap, Magic restricted free agent Tobias Harris and the Nets’ Thaddeus Young (if he exercises his early termination option). If that fails, Van Gundy will have to find a trade partner and use the cap space to absorb a big contract.
Upgrading the talent is not the only issue confronting the Pistons this offseason. They would like to lock up Drummond before he becomes a restricted free agent next summer. Gores considers him a max player, so that will not be a sticking point. If they keep Jackson, they’ll have to figure out what to do with former starter Brandon Jennings, who is recovering from a torn Achilles tendon. Would Jennings accept a backup role at this stage of his career? It would make sense to move Jennings and his approximate $8.34MM expiring contract, but it will be tough to do that until he proves he’s still got the same explosion in his first step.
A smaller issue is the status of backup power forward Anthony Tolliver, who has a partially guaranteed $3MM contract for 2015-16. Tolliver, another midseason acquisition, impressed Van Gundy with his play and professionalism and will likely remain as the main reserve at power forward.
Last summer, Van Gundy was preoccupied with evaluating his roster and assembling a staff. He took a conservative approach to free agency — his main acquisition was shooting guard Jodie Meeks, who was signed away from the Lakers for a three-year, $18.81MM deal. He didn’t have a first-round pick because the Pistons had to convey it to the Hornets to fulfill a two-year-old trade obligation. Van Gundy can contemplate bigger moves in his second offseason without all those distractions and concerns. If the Pistons do not enter training camp with an improved roster, it won’t be for lack of trying.
Cap Footnotes
1 — The Pistons waived Smith in December and used the stretch provision to spread his remaining guaranteed salary over the next five seasons.
2 — The Pistons waived Gray in October and used the stretch provision to spread his remaining guaranteed salary over the next three seasons.
3 — Tolliver’s salary is partially guaranteed for $400K.
4 — Miller’s salary would be partially guaranteed for $50K if he remains under contract through July 15th, $100K if he remains under contract through the date of the team’s first regular season game, and $125K if he remains under contract through November 15th.
5 — The cap hold for Martin would be $947,276 if he opts out.
The Basketball Insiders Salary Pages were used in the creation of this post. Dana Gauruder contributed to this post.
Southeast Notes: Winslow, Hawks, Wizards
The Heat would be wise to move up in the draft and select Duke’s Justise Winslow, Jason Lieser of the Palm Beach Post opines. Winslow has the total package the Heat need at small forward if Luol Deng declines his player option and becomes an unrestricted free agent, Lieser continues. Winslow is expected to be off the board by the time Miami’s lottery pick comes up at No. 10 since many of the teams drafting 5-9 need a small forward, in Lieser’s estimation. Winslow could also play shooting guard and that’s the other position where the club needs an upgrade, Lieser adds.
In other news around the Southeast Division:
- The Heat would not have traded two potential lottery picks to the Suns for Goran Dragic unless Miami got a guarantee of re-signing the unrestricted free agent, as Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel surmises. If the Heat fail to re-sign Dragic, they would be limited to using one of their exceptions to find a replacement since they would not have the cap space to chase a higher-level free agent, Winderman continues. Even a player such as Suns’ reserve and unrestricted free agent Gerald Green, who made $3.5MM last season, would be out of Miami’s reach if he wanted a raise unless a sign-and-trade was arranged, Winderman adds.
- The individual brilliance of LeBron James has the Cavaliers in full control of the Eastern Conference Finals, but Hawks coach/acting GM Mike Budenholzer is among those with the team who aren’t about to give up on an egalitarian philosophy, observes Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “Every team has different ways to build and different ways to give themselves what they feel is their best chance,” Budenholzer said. “There is no doubt the way we’ve built the team with a lot of really good players, a lot of high-character guys. We feel like we can compete and play with anybody in the league. They’ve done it a different way. It’s a great battle. Obviously someone is going to win and lose. This is the way we are built. We believe in it. We think we can win at a high level. We’ll continue to do that.”
- CSNWashington’s J. Michael gives his input on four key offseason decisions for the Wizards, who’ll seek a stretch four and have decisions to make regarding Nene Hilario, Martell Webster and soon-to-be free agent DeJuan Blair.