Mitch Kupchak On: Russell, Hibbert, Upshaw
The Lakers held a press conference earlier today where the team officially introduced offseason acquisitions Lou Williams, Brandon Bass, and Roy Hibbert to members to the Los Angeles media. GM Mitch Kupchak answered a number of questions regarding the franchise, hat tip to NBA.com, and shown below are some of the highlights:
When asked what impact Bass, Williams, and Hibbert can have on the team, Kupchak said:
“It’s a tough league. It’s a tough conference. We’ve tried to do our best to identify and create a young core, and also bring some veteran players around a young group. Not only can those veteran players hopefully contribute, but they have solid character, and they can be mentors for our young players. We’re gonna do our best to win as many games as possible, and it’s very difficult to do that with all young players. So part of what we tried to do was surround our young players with some veteran players that would be good mentors and also give us a chance to win a bunch of games.”
Discussing the performance of No. 2 overall pick D’Angelo Russell in Summer League play, Kupchak said:
“I think he learned a lot. I met with him once or twice since Summer League ended, and he knows that to make the next jump in this league he’s going to have to work awfully hard and get in the gym every day, work on his body. I think they all understand that what happened in college is now behind them. This is the real deal. It’s great to get drafted in the first round. It’s great to get drafted [in round] two. But that’s over now. Now it’s time to put that behind you and prove yourself in this league. There’s no other way to prove yourself now other than to perform.”
On undrafted big man Robert Upshaw’s future with the team, the GM said:
“It’s unlikely that Robert will contribute to the team next year to win games. I think you know Robert and how he’s bounced around at the college level. He’s a player that we looked at in Summer League, and we’re continuing to have conversations with his representative. If we did something with Robert, it would be based on potential going forward. … We’ve made commitments to some rookies because they got drafted very high. But to look at a guy that wasn’t drafted and say, “This is a guy that’s gonna be in the rotation.” That’s not realistic at all.”
When addressing the Lakers’ depth at guard, Kupchak said:
“We’re talking about it internally right now. If you look at Nick Young and Kobe Bryant as backcourt players, then we have six. But we may look at those guys at the three spot, and then you only have four. And one of those four would be Jabari Brown, so now you’re really down to three: D’Angelo, Jordan Clarkson and Lou. So, depending on how you look at it, we may look to bring another guard on board. We may not.”
On the team’s overall size in the frontcourt, Kupchak said:
“We’re not a big team. We have Roy, clearly who’s big. Then we have Robert [Upshaw], who’s 7-foot, and our next-tallest player is Ryan Kelly, who really at 6’10” or 6’11” is a stretch four. You wouldn’t expect him to block shots and get 15 rebounds and patrol the paint. So really, if you look at our team, you can make an argument that we don’t have big players.“
Spurs Sign Jimmer Fredette
5:02pm: The signing is official, the Spurs announced via a press release.
4:25pm: The Spurs and unrestricted free agent Jimmer Fredette are finalizing a deal that would bring the guard to San Antonio, Marc Stein of ESPN.com reports (Twitter link). Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter links) classifies it as a training camp deal that includes a modest financial guarantee.
San Antonio is seeking to boost its outside scoring, and a partially guaranteed deal will allow the team to see how Fredette fits within its system. The Spurs already have 13 guaranteed contracts on the books for next season, so it’s a long shot that the 26-year-old makes the team. Fredette had been considering an offer from Italy’s Olimpia Milano to play overseas.
Fredette made 50 appearances for the Pelicans last season, averaging 3.6 points, 0.8 rebounds, and 1.2 assists in 10.2 minutes per contest. His slash line was .380/.188/.956.
Spurs Sign Jonathon Simmons
JULY 22ND, 4:35pm: The signing is official, the team announced via a press release.
JULY 10TH, 4:21pm: The Spurs have reached an agreement with unrestricted free agent Jonathon Simmons, Shams Charania of RealGM reports. It will be a two-year pact worth the minimum, and it includes a team option for the second season. Simmons’ 2015/16 salary will be fully guaranteed, Charania adds.
The 25-year-old swingman went undrafted out of the University of Houston in 2012. Simmons made 29 appearances for the Cougars back in 2011/12, averaging 14.7 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 2.2 assists, with a slash line of .512/.386/.721.
Simmons has spent the last two seasons playing for the Austin Spurs in the NBA D-League. His D-League numbers last season were 15.2 PPG, 4.3 RPG, and 3.6 APG. His most recent action came as a member of the Nets’ Summer League squad in Orlando.
Hornets Sign Tyler Hansbrough
WEDNESDAY, 3:16pm: The signing is official, the Hornets announced.
TUESDAY, 9:30pm: The Hornets and unrestricted free agent Tyler Hansbrough have come to terms on a deal, Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer reports (Twitter link). The length and terms of the agreement are unknown at this time.
Hansbrough appeared in 74 games for the Raptors last season, averaging 3.6 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 0.3 assists in 14.3 minutes per contest, and his shooting line was .521/.143/.698. In six NBA seasons since becoming the No. 13 overall pick back in 2009, the forward ‘s numbers are 7.2 PPG, 4.5RPG, and 0.5 APG. His career slash line is .439/.053/.746.
The 29-year-old returns to North Carolina, where he had starred for the the Tar Heels while in college. The Mavericks had also reportedly expressed interest in Hansbrough, whose rights were renounced by Toronto back on July 9th, according to the RealGM transactions log.
Mavs Eye Salah Mejri
The Mavericks are interested in Tunisian free agent center Salah Mejri, sources tell Sportando’s Orazio Cauchi. Sources told Sportando colleague Emiliano Carchia earlier today that Mejri has an offer from an NBA team, and Cauchi hears the 7’1″ 29-year-old is leaning toward playing in the NBA. The Cavs were reportedly interested as of this past spring, though it’s unclear if they remain so.
Real Madrid of Spain informed Mejri of his release a few days ago, as David Pick of Eurobasket.com reported. The Arn Tellem client didn’t see much playing time for the Spanish club this past season, having averaged only 4.3 points and 2.1 rebounds in 9.2 minutes per game, fewer minutes than he saw for Real Madrid in 2013/14.
Multiple reports from last week indicated that the Mavs have held interest in free agents Ryan Hollins, Elton Brand, JaVale McGee, Samuel Dalembert, Kevin Seraphin and Tyrus Thomas as they seek to complement trade acquisition Zaza Pachulia and fill the void left when DeAndre Jordan broke his deal to sign with the team. Thus, Mejri appears to be one of many options for Dallas, which has cap space still to burn.
Atlantic Notes: Love, Thornton, Roberts, Nets
Kevin Love was never close to becoming a Celtic, and his preference since joining the Cavs has been to remain with the team, but if somehow it had fallen apart for him in Cleveland, his second choice would have been Boston, as a non-Celtics source who spoke with Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald believes. Love enjoyed his much-publicized offseason trip to Boston last year, the source said to Bulpett, but the power forward is now locked in long-term with the Cavs, having signed a new five-year contract this month.
- Marcus Thornton appeared to be a reach when the Celtics picked him 45th overall, but he assured them before the draft that he was willing to play overseas, a priority for the team, which wouldn’t consider others who refused to make the same promise, Bulpett tweets. Thornton signed this week to play for the Sydney Kings in Australia, in a league that would allow him enough time to return stateside and join Boston’s D-League team or even the NBA roster near the end of the season, writes Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com.
- The Raptors inked Ronald Roberts this week, and at least one sign points to the team having more than the D-League in mind for the former Sixers power forward. The Warriors own his D-League rights, so Toronto’s new D-League affiliate would have to trade for them if Roberts were to remain in the Raptors system should Toronto waive him at the end of training camp, notes Josh Lewenberg of TSN.ca (Twitter links).
- The Nets made a number of changes to their coaching and basketball operations staff this week, and they serve to further signal the franchise’s belt-tightening, as Mike Mazzeo of ESPNNewYork.com examines.
Wizards, Bradley Beal Talk Extension
JULY 22ND, 12:31pm: The Wizards and Beal’s camp have talked and continue to do so, but no deal is close, sources with knowledge of both sides tell Michael. Washington wants any long-term deal to include some kind of escape hatch for the team, while Beal, too, would want a chance to opt out if he were to take less than the max, Michael writes.
JULY 12TH, 7:24pm: The Wizards will begin serious talks with Bradley Beal, who is entering the final year of his rookie scale contract that pays him $4.7MM, regarding a contract extension, J. Michael of CSNWashington.com reports citing two sources with knowledge of the situation.
Beal’s agent Mark Bartelstein told Michael early on Sunday that actual negotiations with Wizards president Ernie Grunfeld will start as early as this upcoming week. “We had to get past that first nine or 10 days of free agency. With that chaotic period over, Ernie and I will talk and see where we are,” Bartelstein said.
It was reported in May that the Wizards have made it clear that they’re committed to paying Beal the maximum salary. Giving Beal the max would be a bold move for Washington because the deal would kick in just as the salary cap jumps to a projected $89MM for 2016/17. Michael reported back in October that the club was planning an extension for the promising shooting guard.
Pistons Sign Stanley Johnson
The Pistons have signed No. 8 overall pick Stanley Johnson, the team announced via press release. His contract will give him nearly $2.842MM this season and a total of $12.85MM over four years, assuming he signed for the standard 120% of the rookie scale. Detroit held off on signing him while it used its cap space, as today’s move lifts Johnson’s cap hold by about $500K, but now the team appears finished with major free agent signings.
Johnson, a small forward from the University of Arizona, seemed a curious selection with small forward Justise Winslow still on the board, but coach/executive Stan Van Gundy said Johnson’s confidence stood out. Johnson attributed the choice to the toughness he displays on the court. The 19-year-old was by no means a stretch at No. 8, as Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress ranked him the eighth-best prospect in the draft. Chad Ford of ESPN.com ranked him 12th. Our Eddie Scarito had the Pistons taking Johnson with the eighth pick in the final version of the 2015 Hoops Rumors Mock Draft, though Winslow, who in real life slipped to the Heat at No. 10, had already been drafted in Eddie’s scenario.
Defense is Johnson’s strength, as Eddie noted in his prospect profile, though he displayed 37.1% three-point shooting this past season while averaging 13.8 points and 6.5 rebounds in 28.4 minutes per game. He shared a crowded frontcourt with fellow small forward Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, the No. 23 overall pick.
Do you think the Pistons made the right move to take Johnson over Winslow? Leave a comment to let us know.
Eastern Notes: Mejri, Dudley, Jackson, Ennis
Tunisian center Salah Mejri, in whom the Cavaliers were reportedly interested this spring, has an offer from an NBA team, sources tell Sportando’s Emiliano Carchia (Twitter link). Real Madrid, his Spanish club, informed Mejri a few days ago that he would be released, as David Pick of Eurobasket.com reported (Twitter link). Mejri went undrafted in 2008, so no NBA team holds his rights, unlike center Sasha Kaun, Cleveland’s own draft-and-stash prospect who’s reportedly been in talks recently with GM David Griffin. Here’s more from around the Eastern Conference:
- Jared Dudley will miss approximately three or four months after undergoing surgery Tuesday to fix a herniated disk in his lower back, the Wizards announced. The team was aware that he was playing in pain last season before acquiring him via trade from the Bucks this month, according to Jorge Castillo of The Washington Post. The timetable means he stands to miss nearly a month of the regular season, though it also indicates he could return before opening night.
- Top free agents don’t often choose to go to Detroit, so the Pistons had little choice than to pay top dollar to retain restricted free agent Reggie Jackson, argues Terry Foster of The Detroit News. Jackson’s five-year, $80MM deal is receiving widespread criticism, but coach/executive Stan Van Gundy thinks the conventional wisdom will change, as Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press relays. “We’re excited about that and I think that also … that as we get two years down the road and look at what’s going on in this league and where the numbers are gonna go and the way we know that Reggie’s gonna play, we know this is going to be a bargain in this league,” Van Gundy said.
- James Ennis struggled mightily in summer league, and the Heat would be on the hook for at least 50% of his salary this season if he remains on the roster through August 1st. However, the team has given him positive feedback and is paying for him to take part in a skill development camp in California, according to Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald. Jackson suggests that’s a sign that the Heat will retain Ennis through the looming guarantee date. The Herald scribe speculates that Henry Walker, who’d earn a $100K partial guarantee if he sticks through that same August 1st date, is at greater risk to be let go, since the Heat held him out of summer league.
Hoops Rumors Glossary: Renegotiations
Fans often wonder if NBA Team X can renegotiate its contract with Player Y, as is common practice in the National Football League. The answer is almost always no, and it’s a firm no if the follow-up question is whether the sides can renegotiate the value of the contract downward. But, renegotiations are allowed to make the contract more lucrative, and they can happen as long as a specific set of circumstances are in place, as the Nuggets have proven this month.
Denver renegotiated its contract with Wilson Chandler as part of their deal on an extension. The move lifted Chandler’s salary for this coming season from close to $7.172MM to more than $10.449MM. Danilo Gallinari is reportedly set for a similar renegotiation simultaneous to an extension, taking his salary for 2015/16 from more than $11.559MM to about $14MM. Chandler was the first player to renegotiate his contract since the existing collective bargaining agreement went into place in 2011, and Gallinari is poised to become the second. It might be a while before we see the third. No player aside from Gallinari is eligible for a renegotiation, as former Nets executive Bobby Marks points out (Twitter link), and that speaks to just how stringent the restrictions on them are.
Only contracts that cover four or more seasons can be renegotiated, and rookie scale contracts, which run four seasons, can’t be renegotiated, either. Renegotiations can only occur after the third anniversary of a contract signing, extension or previous renegotiation, if the previous renegotiation lifted the salary in any season by 4.5% or more. Teams can’t renegotiate any contracts if they’re over the cap, and they can only increase the salary in the current season by the amount of cap room that they have. Renegotiations can’t happen as part of a trade, and if a player waives a portion of his trade kicker to facilitate a trade, as Roy Hibbert did earlier this month, he’s ineligible to renegotiate his contract for the next six months. Teams can renegotiate contracts once the July Moratorium ends, but not after the end of February.
A further set of rules restrict just how much can change in a renegotiation. The raises for any seasons that follow the first renegotiated season in a contract are limited to 7.5%. That’s also true of salary decreases, though if a renegotiation happens simultaneous to an extension, as was the case with Chandler and will likely be the case with Gallinari, the player’s salary can drop by as much as 40% from the last season of the existing contract to the first season of the extension. That won’t happen for either Chandler or Gallinari, each of whom is set to see more money in 2016/17 than in 2015/16. Also, only renegotiations that happen in conjunction with an extension may contain signing bonuses.
All of this helps make renegotiations as rare as they are. However, with the salary cap projected to surge beginning next season, and surge again for 2017/18, more teams will have cap room, one of the necessary elements for amending contracts. Conceivably, that’ll open more doors for renegotiations, as well as veteran extensions, which are also rare under the current collective bargaining agreement. Teams can entice players they want to keep with added salary this way, and prevent them from hitting the open market. The rules are subject to change if the union, the owners or both exercise their mutual option to end the labor agreement in 2017, but in the meantime, the power to renegotiate will continue as an obscure but sometimes useful tool for roster building.
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 was used in the creation of this post.