Goran Dragic Formally Opts Out From Heat
Goran Dragic has turned down his $7.5MM player option for next season, reports Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders (Twitter link). The team has yet to make an official announcement, but since player options don’t require players to say when they’re opting out, only when they’re opting in, there may well be no formal acknowledgement of the move from the team. Dragic’s decision has been thoroughly expected, as he said in April that he would opt out, as he had long planned to do. The Heat are preparing a five-year offer in excess of $80MM for him to return, as Marc Stein of ESPN.com reported this weekend, but an offer in the neighborhood of $80MM would still be significantly less than the max.
The expectation when Miami acquired Dragic from the Suns in exchange for a package that included two first-round picks was that the Heat would make him a max offer this summer, as Ramona Shelburne of ESPN.com reported at the time. However, the team is apparently in salary-clearing mode with Dwyane Wade angling for more money amid his openness to leave Miami, so perhaps that’s led the Heat to try to see if they can save on Dragic, a client of Bill Duffy and Rade Filipovich.
A five-year deal worth somewhat more than $80MM would still be roughly in line with what other teams can offer in terms of total money, since competitors are limited to handing out only four-year contracts. Dragic has been insistent that he’s high on Miami, but he apparently nonetheless saw the Lakers as a “perfect fit” at the trade deadline, and that team is reportedly a likely suitor, as are the Knicks, Pelicans, Kings and Bucks.
Rockets, Wolves Interested In Greivis Vasquez?
12:19pm: Wolfson clarifies that he has no sense that the Raptors are interested in Bennett (Twitter link).
11:40am: Greivis Vasquez said in a press conference in his native Venezuela today that he’s heard the Timberwolves and Rockets like him and that while he’d prefer to remain in Toronto, he’s preparing to become a starting point guard if the Raptors trade him, as Basket Vinotinto relays in Spanish (Twitter links; hat tip to Sporando’s Emiliano Carchia). Vasquez is to make $6.6MM next season, the final of a two-year deal he signed last summer to serve as Kyle Lowry‘s backup.
The Rockets are reportedly planning a push to sign restricted free agent point guard Patrick Beverley, though they’d have a hole to fill at the position if he signs elsewhere and Houston doesn’t match. Statements from Ricky Rubio and Flip Saunders have seemed to tamp down rumors suggesting that either he, the team, or both have interest in trading him. Presuming Rubio stays in Minnesota, Vasquez would project as a backup there. Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities suggests the Wolves would indeed have interest in trading for Vasquez, though Wolfson hears mixed word on whether Toronto would want former No. 1 overall pick Anthony Bennett, a Canadian, whose salary would fit for a potential trade (Twitter link).
Houston can offer the Raptors cap relief in the form of Kostas Papanikolaou‘s non-guaranteed salary if the team picks up his team option. Vasquez has spent one full season as a starter, in 2012/13 with New Orleans, and he averaged 9.0 assists per game that year.
Nuggets’ Jameer Nelson Opts Out
JUNE 22ND, 11:50pm: Nelson has indeed opted out, reports Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders (Twitter link).
JUNE 4TH, 5:05pm: Nuggets guard Jameer Nelson is planning to opt out of his $2.85MM player option for the upcoming season, league sources told Shams Charania of RealGM. Nelson has not yet informed Nuggets officials of his final decision, however.
The two sides have been talking recently, but the general understanding has been that the veteran will test the free agent waters, according to Charania. Recently, Christopher Dempsey of The Denver Post wrote that Nelson’s decision would hinge on the Nuggets’ head coaching hire. Nelson is said to be fond of interim coach Melvin Hunt, so his chances of returning could improve if Hunt stays on the sidelines.
Nelson, 33, had an eventful campaign in 2014/15. After signing a two-year pact with the Mavericks last July, he was shipped out in December in a deal with the Celtics. His stay in Boston was short-lived as well as a January deal delivered him to Denver in exchange for Nate Robinson. Between the three teams, Nelson averaged 8.3 PPG and 4.0 RPG in 22.2 minutes per contest. Nelson played a healthy 20.6 minutes per game in the second half with Denver and has said that he wants to continue getting significant burn.
For his career, Nelson has averaged 12.2 PPG, 5.3 APG, and 3.1 RPG across eleven seasons.
Thaddeus Young Opts Out From Nets
10:29am: Young has indeed opted out, King confirmed today to reporters, including Andy Vasquez of The Record (Twitter link), saying that he has his sights set on re-signing him. King added that the team has extended a qualifying offer to Mirza Teletovic, as the GM said the Nets would.
10:10am: Thaddeus Young has opted out from the Nets, a league source tells Chris Haynes of Cleveland.com (Twitter link). Haynes indicates that the move has already taken place, and while the Nets have made no official announcement, there won’t necessarily be formal acknowledgement, since players don’t have to declare when they’re turning down player options; they only have to say when they’re opting in. Young was in line to make nearly $10.222MM had he picked up the option.
The news is no shock, since Young was reportedly leaning toward opting out as of late last month, though that came a few weeks after Young said agent Jim Tanner had suggested that he instead opt in and hit free agency next summer, when the salary cap is projected to surge. Young also said in early May that he wanted to see what Brook Lopez would do with his player option, so perhaps today’s news is an indication that Lopez has made up his mind, too. Nets GM Billy King has made it clear that it’s a priority for the club to retain both Young and Lopez regardless of whether they opt out. That’s in spite of the looming luxury tax threshold that would make it difficult for the Nets, who have nearly $59MM in guaranteed salary already on the books for next season, to keep both without passing the projected $81.6MM tax line. The Nets would pay repeat-offender tax penalties if they’re again in the tax at the end of next season. King has indicated a willingness to trade every player on the roster, including the bloated contracts of Deron Williams and Joe Johnson.
The 29-year-old Young averaged 14.1 points and 5.4 rebounds in 32.0 minutes per game this season, his first away from the Sixers, and his numbers during the second half of the season in Brooklyn were similar to those that he put up before a midseason trade that sent him away from Minnesota.
Sixers Pursuing Dario Saric For Next Season?
JUNE 22ND, 8:18am: Saric won’t play for the Sixers in 2015/16, agent Jeff Schwartz tells Chad Ford of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
JUNE 10TH, 11:16pm: The Sixers are in talks with Turkey’s Anadolu Efes to bring 2014 draftee Dario Saric to the NBA next season, David Pick of Eurobasket.com reports (Twitter links). Saric is signed to a deal with the Turkish team that contains no NBA buyout clause for 2015/16, but Philadelphia reportedly wants the talented forward to join the team immediately, Pick adds. The 21-year-old’s contract does include a buyout clause for the 2016/17 campaign.
Philadelphia would only be able to pay a buyout of $625K, per league rules, and Efes will almost assuredly request a higher amount, notes Derek Bodner of USA Today (Twitter link). The sense amongst several agents who have worked with Anadolu Efes in the past is that the team will ask for at least $2MM to part ways with Saric, Jake Fischer of LibertyBallers relays in a series of tweets. The forward could kick in some of his salary for 2015/16, with the legal ceiling being a total combined buyout amount of approximately $2,067,720, Fischer notes. If Efes demanded over $2MM for a buyout, Saric would sacrifice $1,442,720 of his possible $1,898,300 for his rookie season, the LibertyBallers scribe adds.
A number of sources also told Fischer (via Twitter) that the league doesn’t regulate negotiations between NBA teams and foreign clubs, so the Sixers could technically pay any amount regardless of the rules. This is not to suggest that Philadelphia would actually do so, but the possibility does exist.
Saric was non-committal last month when he was asked about the possibility of him playing in the NBA next season. “Next season? I don’t know and I can’t speak about that because I don’t know yet the situation, how things are going to work out,” Saric said. “I can say that I’m happy here at Efes and I’m also happy that people from Philadelphia came here and want me there. That’s all I can tell you right now. I don’t have any information or any feeling regarding what could happen. I’m just focused on the rest of the season. If I stay here or if I go to the NBA, I will be happy [either way]. I don’t know what could happen this summer or next summer. Now it’s not the time to talk about that.”
Offseason Outlook: New York Knicks
Guaranteed Contracts
- Carmelo Anthony ($22,875,000)
- Jose Calderon ($7,402,812)
- Tim Hardaway Jr. ($1,304,520)
- Cleanthony Early ($845,059)
Non-Guaranteed Contracts
- Ricky Ledo ($947,276)1
- Langston Galloway ($845,059)2
Options
- None
Restricted Free Agents/Cap Holds
- Alexey Shved ($6,235,908) — $4,102,571 qualifying offer
- Quincy Acy ($1,181,348) — $1,181,348 qualifying offer3
- Travis Wear ($1,045,059) — $1,045,059 qualifying offer4
Unrestricted Free Agents/Cap Holds
- Andrea Bargnani ($17,250,000)
- Jason Smith ($3,933,600)
- No. 4 pick ($3,443,100)
- Shane Larkin ($1,675,320)
- Cole Aldrich ($947,276)
- Lou Amundson ($947,276)
- Lance Thomas ($947,276)
- (Baron Davis $947,276)5
- (Mike Bibby $947,276)5
Draft Picks
- 1st Round (4th overall)
Cap Outlook
- Guaranteed Salary: $32,427,391
- Non-Guaranteed Salary: $1,792,335
- Options: $0
- Cap Holds: $39,500,715
- Total: $73,720,441
The Knicks stumbled to a 17-65 record this season, but their most damaging loss may have come at the draft lottery. New York was the only team to drop when the ping pong balls were drawn May 19th, sliding from second to fourth and lessening the potential reward for a miserable season. The Knicks hurt their own cause with three April wins that allowed Minnesota to finish with the league’s worst record. With the best odds to win the lottery, the Timberwolves came away with the top pick.
Knicks fans were expecting something closer to 65 wins after Phil Jackson reached an agreement to become team president in March of 2014. But the season soured quickly for Jackson and rookie coach Derek Fisher. The first self-inflicted wound was a trade that sent Tyson Chandler and Raymond Felton to Dallas in exchange for Samuel Dalembert, Jose Calderon, Shane Larkin, Wayne Ellington and two draft picks that became Cleanthony Early and Thanasis Antetokounmpo. While Chandler gave the Mavericks the rim protector they needed and helped Dallas reach the playoffs, the deal worked out much worse for New York. Dalembert appeared in just 32 games before being waived January 5th. Calderon battled injuries throughout the season and is on the books for two more years at more than $15MM. Larkin started 22 games, but shot just 30% from three-point range and is an unrestricted free agent. Ellington was traded to the Kings before the season started and ended the year with the Lakers. Early saw limited playing time in 39 games, and Antetokounmpo spent the year in the D-League.
Even worse was a knee injury to Carmelo Anthony in the first season of a five-year contract worth more than $124MM. When Anthony spurned several suitors last July to re-sign in New York, it was hailed as a sign of a turnaround. However, the balky knee limited the Knicks star to just 40 games in which he averaged 24.2 points and 6.6 rebounds. He was voted into a starting spot in the All-Star Game by the fans, but was shut down for the season shortly afterward to undergo surgery on a patellar tendon in his left knee.
Any Knicks optimism for 2015/16 centers around the return of a healthy Anthony, success in the draft and an estimated $27MM to spend on free agents. Anthony recently told Ian Begley of ESPN.com that his recovery is ahead of schedule and he is “doing very well.” The draft prospects appear murky as Kentucky center Karl-Anthony Towns seems headed to the Wolves with the first pick, and the Knicks’ wish that either Duke center Jahlil Okafor or Ohio State point guard D’Angelo Russell slides to No. 4 is not expected to come true. There has been speculation that New York may wind up dealing its pick if those three are off the board.
The Knicks are pinning most of their hopes on free agency, as Jackson explained in April and as Marc Berman of The New York Post relayed. “In the present day in the NBA, 19-, 20-year-olds, coming into the league, it’s really hard to project what that player will be like in his first contract situation,’’ Jackson said. “We know what the first-round pick will mean to us, but we also know we will build the team on free agents. We have 190 players or so who will be free agents. That’s where our priority stands.’’ The Pistons’ Greg Monroe has emerged as a prime target as New York hopes to add some much-needed size. However, some other marquee players may already be out of reach. The Blazers’ LaMarcus Aldridge isn’t expected to consider New York because of its status as a rebuilding team, according to Ric Bucher of Bleacher Report, and Grizzlies’ center Marc Gasol isn’t cut out for the New York lifestyle, at least according to teammate Beno Udrih. “They’re not going to get him,” Udrih said to Bleacher Report’s Jared Zwerling. “He’s a laid-back guy and doesn’t like drama.” In April, Berman speculated about other possible Knicks targets, mentioning Monroe, along with Paul Millsap, Rajon Rondo, Wesley Matthews, DeAndre Jordan, Robin Lopez, Tobias Harris, DeMarre Carroll, Khris Middleton, Danny Green and Patrick Beverley.
The Knicks also have several of their own free agents to address. Andrea Bargnani will be an unrestricted free agent after eating up $17.25MM in cap space last season. He would like to return to New York, but the Knicks are reportedly only interested at a minimum salary. In addition to Larkin, Jason Smith, Cole Aldrich, Louis Amundson and Lance Thomas will all become unrestricted free agents in July, and their prospects will be tied to what New York does in free agency. Alexey Shved, Quincy Acy and Travis Wear will be restricted free agents. All of the team’s incumbent free agents would like to come back, GM Steve Mills said recently, but whether the Knicks want much of the same cast from this year to return is another story.
After a disastrous season on nearly every front, the Knicks have a lot of work ahead to get back on the road to respectability. The key remains Jackson who, with 11 NBA championships as a head coach, was thought to be a major selling point in attracting stars to New York. However, the 17-65 debacle has taken away some of his allure. Warriors board member/consultant Jerry West, who had enormous success in the league both as a player and GM, recently took swipes at Jackson in a radio interview on SiriusXM Bleacher Report Radio’s “NBA Sunday Tip.” “It’s a completely different challenge for him,” West said of Jackson’s role in New York. “He’s had teams with enormous talent. He’s coached them brilliantly and won championships, but it’s a different challenge for him.’’ West said Jackson damaged his reputation not only with the Dallas trade, but also with a three-team deal in January that sent Iman Shumpert and J.R. Smith to the Eastern Conference champion Cavaliers, while bringing back Amundson, Alex Kirk, Lance Thomas and a 2019 second-round pick. “With Phil, it’s going to be interesting to see what happens back there,” West said. “They didn’t have the kind of year I’m sure they wanted to have. Everyone in the league feels like they made two trades that made helped Cleveland tremendously and one that helped Dallas.’’ If West’s assessment is shared throughout the league, top-tier free agents won’t be ready to take the Knicks seriously and the rebuilding process in New York could be much longer than anyone wants to admit.
Cap Footnotes
1 — Ledo’s salary becomes partially guaranteed for $100K if he remains under contract through August 1st, and it becomes partially guaranteed for $200K if he remains under contract through the date of his team’s first regular season game.
2 — Galloway’s salary becomes partially guaranteed for $220K if he remains under contract through July 1st, and it becomes partially guaranteed for $440K if he remains under contract through September 15th.
3 — The cap hold for Acy would be $947,276 if the Knicks elect not to tender a qualifying offer.
4 — The cap hold for Wear would be $845,059 if the Knicks elect not to tender a qualifying offer.
5 — See our glossary entry on cap holds for an explanation of why these players technically remain on the books.
The Basketball Insiders Salary Pages were used in the creation of this post.
Eastern Notes: Celtics, Wood, Smith
The Celtics face long odds in their quest to deal for a lottery pick, writes A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com. Boston is expected to continue its effort right through draft night, but trading into the top 14 is much tougher than fans realize. Blakely points out that draft-night trades to enter lottery territory have only happened five times in the last decade. “It takes two to trade,” said Austin Ainge, the Celtics’ director of player personnel. “We can’t force that on anyone else, nor is that always smart. The [New England] Patriots have done very well moving back.” If the Celtics are able to swing a deal, Blakely writes that they would be interested in frontcourt help, possibly Kentucky’s Willie Cauley-Stein or Texas’ Myles Turner.
There’s more news from the Eastern Conference:
- The Celtics could pull off a surprise and draft a point guard with one of their two first-round picks despite selecting Marcus Smart last June, Mark Murphy of the Boston Herald speculates. They could consider Jerian Grant, Delon Wright or Tyus Jones with the No. 16 overall pick, while Terry Rozier might be an option at No. 28, Murphy adds.
- The Bucks have made a last-minute decision to work out UNLV’s Christian Wood, tweets Gery Woelfel of The Journal Times. Wood’s workout session will take place Monday. Milwaukee holds the 17th pick in Thursday’s draft.
- The Cavaliers‘ J.R. Smith is thankful to be in Cleveland, but that doesn’t guarantee he will opt in this summer, according to Joe Vardon of the Northeast Ohio Media Group. Smith, who has a $6.4MM player option for next season, went from the bottom of the league to the NBA Finals thanks to a January 5th trade that got him out of New York. He was effective during the regular season, but had an up-and-down performance in the playoffs. Smith has stated that he would like to opt out and then re-sign with Cleveland.
Dana Gauruder contributed to this post.
Draft Notes: Lakers, Johnson, Berzins, Payne
The Lakers would prefer Karl-Anthony Towns to Jahlil Okafor, but Towns appears to be the player that the Timberwolves are targeting with the top pick, as Chris Mannix of SI.com hears (Twitter link). L.A. has swung and missed on attempts to have Towns in for a workout, while Mark Heisler of Forbes.com heard recently that Wolves coach/executive Flip Saunders has become enamored with the Kentucky big man. The Lakers have zeroed in on Okafor if Towns is off the board, as Mannix reported earlier. Here’s more on the rapidly approaching draft:
- Stanley Johnson is refusing to work out with the Hornets, who pick ninth, in hopes that either the Pistons, at No. 8, or the Heat, with the 10th pick, will draft him, tweets Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress.
- Latvian small forward Janis Berzins is working out for the Spurs and Celtics in addition to his audition with the Jazz this past Friday, as VEF Riga, his Latvian team, revealed via Twitter (translation via HoopsHype).
- Cameron Payne has worked out for the Lakers, Kings, Nuggets, Pacers and Thunder, writes Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports. In addition, Payne held a meeting with the Celtics.
- Rondae Hollis-Jefferson said earlier this week that he has workouts left with the Jazz, Kings and Hawks, tweets Jorge Castillo of The Washington Post.
- Justin Anderson recently completed his eighth workout, Castillo tweets. He has the Cavaliers and Thunder remaining.
- Larry Nance Jr. tells the Associated Press he has worked out for “about a dozen” teams, including the Spurs, Sixers, Celtics, Suns, Heat, Pacers and Knicks. The last workout on his schedule will be Wednesday with the Cavaliers.
- Pat Connaughton has managed to fit more than a dozen teams into his workout schedule, according to Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe. The Notre Dame product has received positive reviews at most of the workouts and has a chance to be a second round pick, Himmelsbach writes.
- Kevon Looney has worked out for “nine or 10 teams,” tweets A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com. One of those sessions was with the Celtics on June 17th, writes Josh Slavin of WEEI.com.
Arthur Hill contributed to this post.
Free Agent Stock Watch: Khris Middleton
Although Milwaukee reportedly insisted on Khris Middleton‘s inclusion in the Brandon Jennings trade, many saw him as merely a throw-in. Two years later, he’s a top-three player on a playoff team. His outstanding 2014/15 season, wherein the 23-year-old showcased his all-around game, put him in line for a lucrative second contract this offseason as a restricted free agent.
Middleton has expanded his shooting range since coming into the league. He isn’t a high volume shooter, but he is an efficient one. The Texas A&M product shot over 40% from behind the arc in each of the last two seasons. He doesn’t need the ball to impact the game offensively. His presence on the floor allows his teammates to have better opportunities, similar to how Kyle Korver helps the Hawks. Opposing defenders can’t pack the paint because they can’t veer away from Middleton for fear he will make them pay with his knock-down jumper.
His impact on defense may surpass his on offense. He was the best defender among shooting guards last season, according to ESPN’s Real Defensive Plus/Minus. That doesn’t tell the whole story because he played more minutes at the four spot than any other position, as Basketball-Reference shows. Still, Tim Duncan and Anthony Davis are the only power forwards with a higher Real Defensive Plus/Minus than Middleton’s 4.10. Middleton needs help defending some behemoth power forwards, such as Zach Randolph or Derrick Favors. With fewer teams taking the traditional approach of having two big men on the floor and instead transitioning to small-ball, the 23-year-old’s ability to defend any non-center position becomes more valuable.
The precise value of his next contract is difficult to predict, as Chuck Myron of Hoops Rumors explains in Milwaukee’s Offseason Outlook. A league executive told Sean Deveney of The Sporting News that Middleton would draw an offer of around $15MM annually. Such an offer would be very close to the max, which will be an estimated $15.8MM for a player with his experience level. An Eastern Conference executive who spoke with Gery Woelfel of the Journal Times expressed doubt about that figure and estimated the 23-year-old will only receive $9MM per year on his next deal. It only takes one team to float an offer and drive up a player’s value, just like the Jazz encountered with Gordon Hayward‘s contract situation last offseason. I’d speculate that some team gives Middleton a similarly bloated offer sheet because of his age and defensive ability.
The Bucks are likely to match any offer sheet that Middleton signs and Middleton expressed his desire to re-sign with the team. “I hope to be back here,” Middleton said. “I feel we have a great young team, going in the right direction.”
On defense, Middleton fits perfectly with the Bucks’ philosophy. Coach Jason Kidd wants every player to switch assignments on every pick. For that to work, the team essentially needs five interchangeable parts on defense and with the midseason acquisition of Michael Carter-Williams, the Bucks are closing in on that goal. The team just needs someone with top defensive ability to man the center position. Milwaukee has the 17th pick in the upcoming draft, which is unlikely to be high enough to select Willie Cauley-Stein. The Kentucky center would be a perfect fit for the team because has the quickness and length to guard any position on floor, as Dana Gauruder of Hoops Rumors explains in his profile of the 7-footer.
Instead, the franchise will have to go the free agency route if it wants to improve the position. The team is reportedly going to take a run at a few veteran big men in free agency. The Bucks have only about $36MM in guaranteed salaries against a projected $67.1MM cap after their salary-clearing Ersan Ilyasova trade. Middleton’s cap hold is set at slightly more than $2.725MM. That alone makes it more likely that Milwaukee retains the former Aggie, as the team can use its cap space for other transactions and have the ability to sign Middleton afterward.
If an opposing team is going to steal Middleton away from the Bucks, offering a contract right as the July Moratorium ends would likely give it the best chance. If Middleton signs an offer sheet, Milwaukee will have three days to match. Unless the Bucks can use their cap space in that time, matching for Middleton would lift his cap hold to whatever the starting salary in his new deal is, making it more difficult for the team to chase Brook Lopez and other marquee targets. The forward is represented by Mike Lindeman of Excel Sports Management, which was founded by Jeff Schwartz, who represents Kidd. It’s not inconceivable that Middleton is aware of the team’s cap situation and chooses to wait to sign any deal. A source told Woelfel that a quick agreement is in the offing for Middleton and the Bucks, and if Middleton commits to the Bucks right away, the team can quietly hold off on making an official signing until a more convenient time and use cap space in the interim.
The 23-year-old will likely have no shortage of suitors if Milwaukee is not where he wants to reside for the next few years, though it will probably take a bloated offer to dissuade the Bucks from matching. The Sixers are a dark-horse possibility for Middleton based on his age, his favorable advanced stats and Philly’s cap situation, as I explained in the team’s Offseason Outlook, although that is merely my speculation. Another team that would be a good fit for Middleton would be the Magic, but again, it is only my speculation. Orlando has a tough choice to make with Tobias Harris‘ next contract, as Dana Gauruder of Hoops Rumors writes in the Magic‘s Offseason Outlook. Harris did improve this season, but he isn’t nearly the shooter that Middleton is. Replacing the Tennessee product with someone who can spread the floor will be crucial if the Magic intend on having the poor shooting trio of Victor Oladipo, Elfrid Payton and Aaron Gordon lead the team in the future.
Middleton isn’t the type of player who will lead a team to victory; he isn’t the centerpiece of your meal. He’s similar to Draymond Green in that he can provide more to a team with other spectacular players already in place. Milwaukee has a few potential stars in Jabari Parker and Giannis Antetokounmpo. The Greek Freak isn’t completely developed yet offensively and if he is going to share the floor with MCW, the opposite wing will need to be able to shoot the lights out. Middleton has that ability and if Milwaukee’s executives are truly connoisseurs of good basketball, they will do whatever it takes to keep the perfect complement to its rising stars on the roster.
What do you think Middleton will make on his next deal, and where do you think he’ll end up? Let us know in the comments.
Hoops Links: Rockets, Knicks, Curry
On this date in 1988, James Worthy posted the first triple-double of his career with 36 points, 16 rebounds and 10 assists as the Lakers topped the Pistons 108-105 in Game 7 of the Finals. With the win, the Lakers became the first NBA team to successfully defend its title since the Celtics in 1968 and 1969.
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…
- House Of Houston has the recipe for a successful offseason for the Rockets.
- New York Sports Guys says the Knicks should tap either Emmanuel Mudiay or Kristaps Porzingis.
- Fantasy Pros profiled Porzingis.
- Tru School Sports spoke with Stephen Curry‘s high school coach.
- Six Championship Drive looked at the Pistons’ draft strategy.
- Hoop Trends previewed the Thunder heading into the draft.
- Rotowire looked at the fantasy implications of the Ersan Ilyasova deal.
Please send submissions for Hoops Links to Zach at HoopsLinks@gmail.com.