Central Rumors: Ellenson, Bulls, Felder
Pistons coach Stan Van Gundy and his staff had Henry Ellenson ranked No. 10 on their draft board and were pleasantly surprised when the Marquette power forward slid to No. 18, he told the assembled media, including Hoops Rumors. Van Gundy was so sure that Ellenson would be chosen before Detroit’s turn came up last Thursday that he barely watched any film on him. “I didn’t even take notes,” he said. Detroit will still look to acquire another stretch four in free agency or via the trade route. “There’s no pressure on him, at least early on,” Van Gundy said of Ellenson. The Pistons are expected to pursue Hawks big man Al Horford but would have to clear cap space to offer him anything close to the max.
In other news around the Central Division:
- Van Gundy, whose team made the playoffs last season as a No. 8 seed, is unfazed by recent trades made by the Pacers and Magic. Indiana acquired two veteran starters, point guard Jeff Teague from the Hawks and power forward Thaddeus Young from the Nets, while the Magic made a big trade with the Thunder to land power forward Serge Ibaka. “Indiana made a couple of good moves and got better. Obviously, Serge Ibaka is a really good, but I expect our guys to improve, too,” he said. “I don’t think we’ll come back as the same team, either. There’s no sense in worrying about what other teams do.”
- Bulls power forward Bobby Portis and small forward Tony Snell have signed with CAA Sports, Liz Mullen of the Sports Business Daily tweets. Portis had been a Mark Bartelstein client while Snell was represented by Mitchell Butler.
- Point guard Kay Felder‘s chances of making the Cavaliers roster next season are enhanced by the fact that they paid the Hawks $2.4MM to draft him, Lev Facher of USA Today reports. The 5’9” Felder out of Oakland University was selected with the No. 54 overall pick. “That means a lot to give up all that money for one pick,” Felder told Facher. “Man — I owe them.” Felder’s would have an even better shot at making the opening-night roster if restricted free agent Matthew Dellavedova receives an offer sheet that Cleveland won’t match.
Coaching Notes: Warriors, Pacers, Nets, Sixers
Mike Brown has been offered the top assistant position by the Warriors, league sources told Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical. The former Cavaliers and Lakers head coach would replace Luke Walton, who was named the Lakers’ head coach, but terms of the deal are still being hammered out, Wojnarowski continues. Brown has remained close to his NBA mentor, Spurs coach Gregg Popovich, and spent a considerable amount of time around their organization last season, Wojnarowski adds.
Brown’s ties to the Spurs, affable personality and head-coaching experience tipped the scales in his favor in head coach Steve Kerr’s mind, according to Tim Kawakami of the San Jose Mercury News (Twitter link). Former Suns coach Ty Corbin was a finalist for the job before becoming one of Earl Watson‘s assistants with the Suns, ESPN.com’s Marc Stein reports while also confirming Golden State’s plan to hire Brown. The Warriors also met with the Hornets’ Stephen Silas and the Trail Blazers’ Nate Tibbetts, Stein adds.
In other coaching developments around the league:
- The Pacers have added Bill Bayno as an assistant coach and David McClure as player development coach, the club announced on its website. New head coach Nate McMillan will retain Dan Burke and Popeye Jones from Frank Vogel’s staff.
- The Nets have hired D-League assistant and Euroleague legend Mike Batiste as their big man coach, international journalist David Pick tweets.
- The Sixers have hired John Townsend as their shooting coach, league sources told Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer. He held the same post with the Grizzlies the past two seasons and previously was the shooting coach for the Raptors and Trail Blazers. He replaces Gene Burroughs, who is now the head coach of the Sixers’ D-League team, the Delaware 87ers.
- The Mavericks have hired Bob MacKinnon to coach their D-League team, the Texas Legends, Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News reports. He replaces Nick Van Exel, who is now a Grizzlies assistant.
Community Shootaround: Hassan Whiteside
Hassan Whiteside could be the first high-level, unrestricted free agent to come off the board on Friday. That comes from Whiteside himself, who plans to decide during the first 24 hours of free agency where he’ll play next year and beyond.
The 27-year-old center, ranked No. 10 on our Free Agent Power Rankings, will have a host of pursuers and doesn’t feel any sense of loyalty to stay with the Heat. With the big jump in the salary cap and Whiteside entering the prime of his career, it might take a max deal to land the league’s premier shot blocker. Whiteside averaged a double-double last season (14.2 points, 11.8 rebounds) to go along with his 3.7 blocks per game and posted a whopping 25.7 PER.
Miami’s biggest threat for Whiteside’s services might be the Mavericks. They were the victim of DeAndre Jordan‘s last-minute change of heart last July and owner Mark Cuban is still intent on landing a quality center. Whiteside and point guard Mike Conley are reportedly their top free agent targets. With Dwight Howard heading to the free agent market, the Rockets have their eyes on Whiteside.
The Lakers also plan to enter the Whiteside sweepstakes, as league sources recently told ESPN.com’s Marc Stein that Whiteside is a “priority target.” Among the other teams that have been linked to Whiteside are the Celtics, Knicks and Warriors, though Golden State would probably be hesitant to commit to Whiteside before knowing what Kevin Durant will do.
The Heat don’t have a significant advantage to hold off suitors since they only own early Bird rights on him. They’ll have to use cap space to sign him for more than the league average salary and cannot offer a fifth year on his deal. A maximum contract for Whiteside would be a four-year deal approaching $95MM.
It’s an incredible career turnaround for Whiteside, who wasn’t even in the league at the start of the 2014-15 season and only began getting regular playing time after New Year’s Day that season. He’s shown a lack of maturity at times, with several ejections during that 2014-15 season and another this February after being assessed a Flagrant Foul 2. His teammates have questioned his maturity during those instances, and it’s fair to wonder what Whiteside’s motor will be like once he gets his huge contract.
There’s no doubt, though, that Whiteside will become an extremely rich man this summer.
This leads us to our question of the day: Which team will land Heat center Hassan Whiteside in free agency?
Please take to the comments section below to share your thoughts and opinions on the subject. We look forward to what you have to say.
Timberwolves Decline Option On Damjan Rudez
The Timberwolves will decline the $1.2MM team option on small forward Damjan Rudez, making him an unrestricted free agent, Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical tweets. Rudez only appeared in 33 games for Minnesota last season, averaging 2.3 points in 8.4 minutes.
The 30-year-old Rudez saw considerably more playing time in his first season in the league, appearing in 68 games with the Pacers during 2014/15 while averaging 4.8 points in 15.4 minutes. He was traded to Minnesota last July in exchange for Chase Budinger. His most attractive skill is his long-distance shooting — the 6’9” Rudez has averaged 39.1% on 3-point attempts during his short NBA career.
Rudez spent most of his career in Europe, most recently with CAI Zaragoza of Spain, before signing with Indiana. He was a three-time Croatian League All-Star.
The young, steadily improving Timberwolves didn’t have a rotation spot for Rudez, as he languished behind Andrew Wiggins and Shabazz Muhammad.
Grizzlies Decline Option On Lance Stephenson
The Grizzlies declined Lance Stephenson‘s $9.4MM team option, making him an unrestricted free agent, sources told Shams Charania of The Vertical (Twitter link). Memphis is interested in re-signing Stephenson but other teams will pursue him, Charania adds.
Stephenson was traded by the Hornets last summer to the Clippers in exchange for Spencer Hawes and Matt Barnes. He was shipped to the Grizzlies at the trade deadline, along with a future first-round pick, for Jeff Green. Stephenson had a good run with the Grizzlies, averaging 14.2 points and 4.4 rebounds in 26 games for a club decimated by injuries. He averaged 13.0 points in the playoffs when the Grizzlies were swept by the Spurs in the Western Conference playoffs.
He wasn’t a factor for the Clippers, averaging 4.7 points in 43 games.
This isn’t Stephenson’s first foray into the free agent market. He left the Pacers to sign a three-year, $27MM contract with the Hornets in 2014. The 6’5” swingman was a huge disappointment in his lone season with Charlotte, averaging 8.2 points while shooting 37.6% from the field.
The Grizzlies have plenty of small forwards and shooting guards on the roster, pending free agency, though several are in the waning years of their careers. That group includes Jordan Adams, Tony Allen, Matt Barnes, Vince Carter, P.J. Hairston and rookie Rade Zagorac.
Rockets To Push For Hassan Whiteside, Other FAs
Hassan Whiteside will be among the free agents the Rockets make a strong push for when the recruiting period opens later this week, according to Calvin Watkins of ESPN.com. A source tells Watkins that Houston will make a strong effort to sign either Whiteside, Kevin Durant, Al Horford, or Ryan Anderson.
The Rockets’ interest in Durant, who is the top target for a handful of teams, has long been known, but reports in recent weeks have indicated that the former MVP isn’t expected to seriously consider Houston. So far, Durant has lined up meetings with six teams – the Thunder and five rival suitors – but the Rockets aren’t on that list.
The Rockets’ fondness for Horford and Anderson has also been previously reported, though Atlanta is viewed as the frontrunner to bring back Horford, while Anderson will generate plenty of interest around the league. Of the four Rockets targets mentioned by Watkins, Anderson is perhaps the least likely to land a maximum-salary contract, but it’s not out of the realm of possibility even for him.
As for Whiteside, he’s hoping to make a decision early in free agency, so if he lands elsewhere, the Rockets should at least be able to move on quickly. The Lakers, Mavericks, and Celtics are among the clubs expected to vie with the Heat for the young center.
With Dwight Howard having opted out of his contract, Houston has room for at least one max player, and possibly two. General manager Daryl Morey suggested earlier this month that the Rockets are “ready-made” to add a star to complement James Harden, pointing to the size of the Houston market, the presence of Harden (and several solid role players), and the arrival of coach Mike D’Antoni as reasons why top-tier free agents would be interested in joining the Rockets.
Of course, the Rockets’ free agent search won’t be limited to max-salary players. Watkins mentions in his piece that Jeremy Lin could be among Houston’s targets this offseason, which is an intriguing possibility, given the success the point guard has had under D’Antoni in the past.
FA Rumors: Durant, Arthur, Wizards, Lakers, Bulls
The Knicks would like to set up a meeting to make their pitch to Kevin Durant, but nothing has been agree to or scheduled yet, and it remains to be seen whether that sit-down will take place. Still, that hasn’t stopped Carmelo Anthony from making his own recruiting pitch to his friend and Olympic teammate, as ESPN’s Marc Stein details.
“I’m with KD now; he’s right downstairs. We’ve been together. We’ve been talking,” Anthony told ESPN. “I do consider myself part of the Knicks, so that (free agent) meeting has already taken place.”
While tampering policies prevent teams from making contact with free-agents-to-be or their agents to discuss deals before July 1st at 12:00am, the NBA typically doesn’t police interactions between players, leaving players like Anthony and James Harden free to attempt to woo Durant, even though the Knicks and Rockets may not formally meet with him.
Let’s check in on a few other free agency notes…
- Durant may not be the only free agent to receive a call or a text from Carmelo. Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders tweets that Anthony has been selling the Knicks to a few other players as well.
- The Wizards have interest in Darrell Arthur, who has declined his player option with the Nuggets to become a free agent, writes J. Michael of CSNMidAtlantic.com. Washington will be in the market for big men this summer, and Michael believes Arthur could be a nice complementary piece to Markieff Morris at power forward.
- According to Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak, one could make the case that his team should target frontcourt players in free agency. However, as Kupchak explains to ESPN (video link), he isn’t entering free agency intent on upgrading a specific position — he believes the Lakers could use help everywhere.
- Asked today about the Bulls‘ pending free agents, GM Gar Forman spoke positively about E’Twaun Moore, as Nick Friedell of ESPN.com observes. Moore seems more likely to re-sign in Chicago than players like Joakim Noah or Pau Gasol, but the 27-year-old guard will generate a fair amount of interest on the open market as well.
- Bobby Marks of The Vertical provides a breakdown of Durant’s various options in free agency and outlines the moves some of his suitors would have to make to land him.
- Nate Taylor of The Indianapolis Star identifies five potential free agent targets for the Pacers, including three who finished the season with Charlotte.
Pau Gasol To Opt Out Of Bulls Contract
Pau Gasol has formally notified the Bulls that he’ll opt out of his contract, declining his player option for 2016/17 rather than picking it up, reports ESPN’s Marc Stein (via Twitter). The move, which will allow Gasol to hit the open market, had long been expected, with a report way back in December suggesting the veteran was “very likely” to turn down that option.
[RELATED: Player option decisions for 2016/17]
Gasol, who signed with the Bulls in 2014, would have made $7,769,520 in 2016/17 if he had opted into the final year of his contract. However, the former third overall pick has continued to be productive during his time in Chicago, averaging 16.5 points and 8.9 rebounds per game last season, and earning All-Star nods in each of the last two years. He should be in line for a raise, if he wants it, and likely another multiyear deal.
The Bulls, who traded former MVP Derrick Rose to New York last week, appear to be in the midst of a rebuilding phase, or at least a retooling phase. Gasol doesn’t seem to be part of those plans, and while neither side has come out and said that the Spaniard – who turns 36 next month – won’t be back, it would be a shock if he re-signed in Chicago.
Several teams will likely have interest in the 15-year veteran, including the Knicks, who sent Robin Lopez – a potential replacement for Gasol – to Chicago in the Rose deal. Earlier in the offseason, Pau’s brother Marc Gasol advised his brother to sign with San Antonio, and that’s a possibility the Spurs could explore if they miss out on their top target, Kevin Durant.
Ekpe Udoh Weighing Return To NBA
Five years after being selected sixth overall in the 2010 draft, Ekpe Udoh spent the 2015/16 away from the NBA, playing overseas with Fenerbahce Istanbul. However, Udoh is contemplating returning to the NBA for the 2016/17 campaign.
According to Shams Charania of The Vertical, Udoh is weighing interest from six NBA teams, and has also received offers from two European powerhouses, Fenerbahce and CSKA Moscow. The 29-year-old big man is expected to make a decision on his next destination early on in the July free agent period.
In 270 career games with the Warriors, Bucks, and Clippers from 2010 to 2015, Udoh averaged just 4.0 points and 3.2 rebounds in 16.9 minutes per contest, battling injuries along the way. With a career .429 FG%, the former No. 6 overall pick was never overly efficient on offense, and wasn’t an elite defender, but he feels as though his season with Fenerbahce was “critical” for allowing him to evolve and grow, as he tells Charania.
“It’s definitely a possibility to come back to the NBA,” Udoh said. “I can see myself fitting back today. I have lowered my weight to 240, so I’m even more mobile. I protect the rim, get out in transition and I’m able to play with any team and guard one through five. That was a big focal point around the NBA this past season, finishing off the pick-and-roll or hitting the open man. I can fit back in the NBA with whatever decision that I make.”
FA Rumors: DeRozan, Biyombo, Nets, Noah, Kings
With DeMar DeRozan and Bismack Biyombo facing free agency, the Raptors may not have the cap flexibility to bring back both players. However, according to Sam Amick of USA Today, Biyombo has “very real interest” in re-signing in Toronto, even if that includes waiting out DeRozan’s free agency and navigating cap challenges to make it all work.
Whether that will be a realistic outcome remains to be seen. Assuming the Raptors don’t trade any of their players, and the salary cap lands in the $94MM neighborhood, the team won’t be able to offer Biyombo anything close to the $15MM salary he may be able to land on the open market. Still, the 23-year-old center has indicated he’d be open to a “hometown discount” to remain in Toronto, and he doesn’t intend to rush into an agreement with another team when the free agent period opens.
As for DeRozan, he reportedly has no plans to meet with any teams besides the Raptors, and Amick suggests the All-Star guard may even be willing to accept a little less than the max from Toronto if it helps the team accommodate a new deal for Biyombo. If DeRozan does explore the market though, he’ll have no shortage of suitors. Amick lists the Clippers, Warriors, Heat, Knicks, and Magic as clubs with interest in DeRozan.
Here are a few more free agent rumors from around the NBA:
- Despite trading veteran forward Thaddeus Young for a draft pick last week, the Nets don’t appear set to enter full rebuilding mode. Sources tell Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders (Twitter link) that the team has formed a plan to pursue multiple veteran free agents.
- There’s strong mutual interest between Joakim Noah and the Knicks, according to Marc Berman of The New York Post. A source tells Berman that Noah is eager to sit down with the Knicks once he reaches free agency.
- Ryan Anderson and Courtney Lee are expected to be two of the Kings‘ top targets in free agency, according to James Ham of CSN California (link via Dan Feldman of Pro Basketball Talk).
- With July 1st around the corner, the Grizzlies are increasing their efforts to re-sign Mike Conley — the team published a video to its website dubbing Conley the team’s “conductor,” with minority owner Justin Timberlake and multiple Grizzlies players praising the point guard’s play in Memphis.