Eastern Notes: Okafor, Simmons, Millsap, Young
Life in the NBA hasn’t been what Jahlil Okafor expected, but he tells Bob Cooney of The Philadelphia Inquirer that he wants to change that, and he hopes to do it with the Sixers. Okafor’s rookie season was plagued by off-court incidents and injuries that limited him to 53 games. He has spent the offseason listening to trade rumors, along with talk that his style of play doesn’t fit the modern NBA game. “[The trade talk] is definitely all stupid with a lot of speculation,” Okafor said. “I see where people will write what I’m feeling and I haven’t even spoken to them. A lot of stuff is made up and it’s annoying. But for the most part, it’s fine. For me, at a certain point, I got upset when another story came out that said we were upset with the team and that just wasn’t the case. But I’m just looking forward to the season now.” Okafor is still rehabbing from surgery in February to repair a torn meniscus, but he hopes to be cleared for five-on-five play soon.
- After getting his first taste of the NBA during summer league, Ben Simmons plans to work on “everything” before training camp, relays Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer. The No. 1 pick played six summer league games, averaging 10.8 points, 7.7 rebounds and 5.5 assists. But there were concerns about his turnover rate — 3.8 per game — and a habit of standing around when he didn’t have the ball. “It’s just everyday education,” said Sixers summer league coach Lloyd Pierce. “It’s just learning the NBA, basic timing, position, execution. I can throw out every basketball term in the book. He’s just got to learn the game.”
- The Magic should take another shot at Hawks power forward Paul Millsap next summer, writes Brian Schmitz of The Orlando Sentinel. Orlando talked to Millsap in 2015 before he decided to re-sign with Atlanta, and with a player option for 2017/18, he might be a free agent again in 12 months. Millsap tops a list of potential 2017 free agent targets Schmitz listed for the Magic. Others mentioned are Gordon Hayward, J.J. Redick, Jeff Teague and Kyle Lowry.
- Whispers about James Young‘s commitment to the game continue to haunt him as he battles for a roster spot with the Celtics, according to Steve Bulpett of The Boston Herald. Young came into the league with people doubting his work ethic, and now there are concerns that he hasn’t developed as much as he should. “I’ve seen that for 35 years in the NBA,” said president of basketball operations Danny Ainge, who wasn’t specifically talking about Young. “They don’t understand the urgency. They feel like they’ve made it, and they don’t understand that staying in the NBA should be their objective and not just making it here.”
Southwest Notes: Nowitzki, Cuban, Jones, Stephens
There was never a chance that Dirk Nowitzki would emulate Kevin Durant and Dwyane Wade and leave his long-time team, according to Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe. Nowitzki agreed to a two-year, $40MM deal to stay in Dallas, and Mavericks owner Mark Cuban said he never thought the situation would end differently. “Dirk wasn’t going anywhere,” Cuban said. “Dirk and Dallas, Dallas and Dirk, they’re synonymous. I understand and respect why D-Wade did what he did but there was never any doubt [about Nowitzki staying in Dallas], Dirk gets what Dirk wants.”
There’s more from the Southwest Division:
- Durant’s decision to join Golden State benefited the Mavericks, who were able to trade for Andrew Bogut and sign Harrison Barnes as the Warriors worked to clear cap space. Cuban likes the look of his new squad, Washburn writes in the same piece. “Yeah, Golden State south,” the owner said. “Harrison will get a chance to expand his game and [Wesley Matthews] will be fully healthy. Deron Williams, Harrison, Dirk, Andrew, that’s not a bad starting five, and we’ve got some of our guys coming back. So we’ll be all right.”
- Jameel Warney is trying to decide whether to attend training camp with the Mavericks or accept an offer in South Korea, tweets Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv. Warney, a three-time America East Player of the Year at Stony Brook, was part of the Mavs’ Summer League team.
- The Pelicans‘ Anthony Davis is happy to have Terrence Jones as a teammate again, he said in an interview with Nancy Armour of USA Today on NBA A to Z. New Orleans reached a deal with Jones on Thursday, signing the ex-Rocket for one year at the minimum salary. Houston elected not to submit a qualifying offer to the four-year veteran, making him an unrestricted free agent. ”He’s very physical and he can put the ball on the floor, great slasher and can drive to the basket,” Davis said. ”I think not a lot of bigs can guard him. I think me and him played very well with each other at Kentucky and hopefully we can do it here in New Orleans.”
- The Grizzlies will bring former University of Memphis guard D.J. Stephens to camp, new coach David Fizdale said in an interview on NBA.com. The 25-year-old Stephens has three games of NBA experience with Milwaukee in 2014.
Hoops Rumors Weekly Mailbag 7/11/16-7/17/16
We have an opportunity for you to hit us up with your questions in this, our weekly mailbag feature. Have a question regarding player movement, the salary cap or the NBA draft? Drop us a line at HoopsRumorsMailbag@Gmail.com. Here are this week’s inquiries:
Do you think Ricky Rubio is with the Timbewolves at the start of the season? If not, what teams might possibly have interest in him and what would they possibly give up in return? — Matt Trapp
Wolves owner Glen Taylor said this weekend that he doesn’t think Rubio will be traded. If that holds true, Minnesota will start the season with Rubio, No. 5 draft pick Kris Dunn and Summer League sensation Tyus Jones all on the roster. As Dunn and Jones develop, there won’t be enough minutes at the point guard position to go around. Rubio seems like the most likely to go, especially considering that he is owed more than $42.5MM over the next three seasons. The Kings, who lost point guard Rajon Rondo in free agency, are one option, along with the Sixers, who were unable to upgrade at the position through the draft or a trade.
What if any rumors/discussions are happening with Miles Plumlee? Keep waiting to hear he is resigned by the Bucks! — Ross Eddy
Plumlee is among several prominent restricted free agent big men, such as Donatas Motiejunas and Maurice Harkless, who are still waiting for contracts. As we get further into free agency, fewer teams have the money available to offer them deals that their current teams wouldn’t match. It’s not too late for someone to clear cap room and make a serious run at Plumlee, but it looks as though he might take Milwaukee’s $3,113,318 qualifying offer and try his luck as an unrestricted free agent next summer.
If you’re the GM of the Hawks and have the desire to win an NBA championship, at what point do you consider blowing it up and rebuilding anew? — Michael Ponder
We may be getting close to that point if the Dwight Howard experiment doesn’t work out the way they hope in Atlanta. The Hawks have just three players under contract for the 2017/18 season: Howard at $23.5MM, the newly re-signed Kent Bazemore at a little more than $16.9MM and Walter Tavares at $1MM. Paul Millsap has a player option for $21MM, but after seeing the money thrown around this summer, chances are good that he will opt out. If the Hawks aren’t serious contenders in the East next season, you can expect a lot of roster turnover, possibly by the trade deadline.
Central Notes: Pacers, Maker, Drummond, Pistons
The Pacers seem ready to re-emerge as an elite team in the Eastern Conference, claims Moke Hamilton of Basketball Insiders. Indiana made several key additions this summer, swapping George Hill for Jeff Teague in a three-team deal, trading the 20th pick in the draft to Brooklyn for Thaddeus Young and signing free agent center Al Jefferson. The Pacers also have the security of a healthy Paul George, who showed during the season that he was fully recovered from a broken leg in 2014. In addition, Hamilton notes, Indiana has the flexibility for another major move or two this summer. The franchise is about $12MM under the cap and may have a $2.8MM room exception available. Looking ahead, the Pacers could have up to $50MM in cap room next summer if Rodney Stuckey and C.J. Miles opt out.
There’s more from around the Central Division:
- The Bucks‘ Thon Maker grabbed attention in the Las Vegas Summer League with Kevin Garnett-like size and Giannis Antetokounmpo-level speed, writes Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN.com. Many observers were surprised when the Bucks drafted Maker 10th overall, but his athleticism may make that gamble pay off. “We thought he wasn’t afraid and had a little toughness to him,” said GM John Hammond. “That was the key to the draft pick — that we enjoyed him so much as a person and had toughness and wasn’t afraid. You don’t know what is going to go from there.”
- The Pistons are reaping the benefits of Andre Drummond‘s decision to put off his extension until this summer, writes Keith Langlois of NBA.com. Because Drummond waited on his big-money deal, Detroit had the cap room to trade for Tobias Harris during the season and then sign free agents Jon Leuer, Ish Smith and Boban Marjanovic. “We either wouldn’t have been able to do Tobias during the year, or if we had done Tobias, we wouldn’t have been able to add the people we added this summer,” said coach/executive Stan Van Gundy. “It goes to Andre’s character, his true commitment to the Detroit Pistons beyond just getting the contract and [owner Tom Gores’] commitment and his relationship with Andre.”
- Marjanovic’s three-year, $21MM contract will pay him $7MM each season, tweets Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders. Smith will receive $6MM each year for three seasons (Twitter link), and Leuer’s four-year, $42MM deal starts at $11MM the first season and decreases (Twitter link). He also has $1MM in unlikely incentives.
Atlantic Notes: Kaun, Sixers, Raptors, Nets
In a move that was expected, the Sixers announced they waived Sasha Kaun days after acquiring him. The Sixers acquired Kaun in a deal from the Cavs on Friday. Kaun, 31, played his college ball at Kansas and was selected with the 56th overall pick in the 2008 NBA draft. Kaun agreed to a two-year contract with the Cavaliers last summer, and still has one season remaining on that deal — he’s owed $1,333,420 in 2016/17. In his lone season in Cleveland, Kaun didn’t see much action, averaging only 3.8 minutes in 25 games.
Here’s more from the Atlantic Division:
- The Celtics, who have 13 players under guaranteed contracts if restricted free agent Tyler Zeller is not included, may have an opening on their roster because first-round picks Guerschon Yabusele and Ante Zizic are expected to stay overseas, Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe writes. Boston GM Danny Ainge said a decision should be made this week, Washburn relays.
- The first year of Anthony Bennett‘s two-year deal with the Nets is guaranteed, but the second is not, Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders tweets.
- The Nets‘ Plan B after their offers for Tyler Johnson and Allen Crabbe were matched has not looked especially pretty and it seems new Nets GM Sean Marks had to scramble after his initial plan fell through, Joel Brigham of Basketball Insiders opines.
- DeMar DeRozan didn’t bother to meet with other teams and decided to likely take less money to stay with the Raptors, which speaks to his loyalty, Doug Smith of the Toronto Star writes in a mailbag response.
Clippers To Waive Branden Dawson
The Clippers will waive Branden Dawson, Dan Woike of the Orange County Register reports (on Twitter). Dawson’s contract for next season is non-guaranteed, Woike tweets.
Dawson spent time in jail in March on felony domestic violence charges. The small forward was a rookie last season after the Clippers drafted him in the second round of Michigan State.
Dawson played in only six games for the Clippers last season. He logged five points and four rebounds and spent most of last year in the D-League.
Warriors Re-Sign Anderson Varejao
The Warriors have re-signed Anderson Varejao, the team announced via press release. Terms of the contract were not disclosed, but Marc Stein of ESPN.com previously reported the two sides were nearing an agreement on a one-year pact.
Varejao was signed by the Warriors last season after Portland waived him. The Blazers cut him shortly after they acquired him in a deal from Cleveland, which was trying to lower its luxury tax hit. He didn’t see much action for Golden State after the trade, but played fairly well in spurts during the playoffs as a veteran presence off the bench.
Varejao, 33, appeared in 22 regular season games with the Warriors last season, averaging 2.6 points and 2.3 rebounds in 8.4 minutes per game. In 17 playoff appearances, the 6’10” center averaged 1.2 points and 1.2 rebounds in 5.5 minutes. Interestingly, Varejao is eligible to receive a championship ring from the Cavs, but since he finished the season with the Warriors, he is not interested in accepting one, Sam Amico of Amico Hoops tweets.
Hoops Links: Simmons, Knicks, Duncan
Every Sunday, we link to some of the very best work from around the basketball blogosphere. Do you have a link to a great basketball blog post – either your own or someone else’s – that you want to see featured on Hoops Rumors? Then you should send it to us at HoopsLinks@gmail.com. Here’s this week’s rundown …
- The Jump Ball examines Ben Simmons‘ vision and passing ability.
- The Runner Sports wonders who the final addition to the Knicks’ roster will be.
- Sir Charles In Charge discusses Tim Duncan‘s retirement with Magic assistant coach Chad Forcier.
- The Hardwood Nation reviews the Lakers’ summer league so far.
- All Things Mavs runs down best-case scenarios for Dallas.
- The Dream Shake has five takeaways from the Rockets’ summer league.
- The Bird Writes profiles Langston Galloway.
- Bright Side Of The Sun details a particular strength of Tyler Ulis.
- Denver Stiffs believes 2022 is the year for the Nuggets.
Please send submissions for Hoops Links to Zach at HoopsLinks@gmail.com.
Pacific Notes: Durant, Bass, Jenkins, Patterson
Kevin Durant hasn’t promised Warriors officials that he will remain with the team beyond next season, Golden State president Rick Welts said in an interview on CBS Sports Radio’s Tiki and Tierney. Durant, who signed a one-year contract with a player option, will be free to test the market again next summer. “I think the hope and expectation is there’s a business reason for doing that more than there is a basketball reason for doing that,” Welts said of Durant, who will be eligible for a higher percentage of the salary cap next summer as a 10-year veteran. “We’ve got to be a place that is as good as he thought it was when he selected the Warriors over the other options that he had. I think we’re going through a really interesting time in our league. We’re all trying to figure out what the new world is going to look like.”
There’s more from the Pacific Division:
- Representatives for Brandon Bass contacted the Celtics before he reached an agreement with the Clippers, according to Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe. Bass spent four seasons in Boston before signing with the Lakers last summer.
- The Suns‘ John Jenkins hopes he improved his chances to stay in the NBA by extending the guarantee date on his contract until October, writes Paul Coro of The Arizona Republic. Jenkins, who was claimed off waivers from the Mavericks in February, is owed $1.05MM in 2016-17 and $1.18MM in 2017-18, but both years are non-guaranteed. “I’m good here,” Jenkins said. “I love the vision. I love the direction. When I heard [the extension] may happen, I wanted it to happen. My agent loved the idea.”
- Lamar Patterson is hoping for a better opportunity at playing time with the Kings than he had with the Hawks, according to Dan Lovi of NBA.com. Sacramento claimed Patterson off waivers Friday, inheriting his $874,636 salary for next season. The 6’5″ shooting guard appeared in just 35 games for Atlanta during his rookie season and spent much of the year in the D-League. “When one door closes another one opens and it’s just a process you got to go through,” said Patterson. “I’m going to enjoy it, I’m going to work my butt off.”
Southeast Notes: Winslow, Howard, Bazemore
Pat Riley anointed Justise Winslow as the Heat’s starting small forward for next season, but he hasn’t addressed the larger question of power forward, writes Ira Winderman of the Sun-Sentinel. Riley expressed his confidence in Winslow during a news conference Saturday, saying the rookie will be penciled in as the starting three for 2016/17. But if Chris Bosh isn’t medically cleared to play, that leaves Josh McRoberts, Luke Babbitt and Udonis Haslem as candidates to start alongside Winslow and Hassan Whiteside on the front line. Riley said even though Winslow is only 20, he’s ready to be an NBA starter. “I remember when James Worthy came to the Lakers and Jamaal Wilkes was incumbent,” Riley said, “and then there came that time, there came that time when it was just a matter of time when James Worthy was going to take his position.”
There’s more from the Southeast Division:
- Dwight Howard hopes his return home to Atlanta will revitalize his career, according to Steve Hummer of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. The 30-year-old center, who signed a three-year deal worth $70.5MM with the Hawks, has even changed his number to 8 to signify “a new beginning.” Howard insists that his back, which required surgery in 2012, is no longer a problem. “My back hasn’t been an issue,” he said, “and I don’t think I’ll ever have an issue out of my back for the rest of my career.”
- Kent Bazemore‘s comments at the press conference after he re-signed with the Hawks showed how much he wanted to stay in Atlanta, relays K.L. Chouinard of NBA.com. Bazemore, who landed a four-year, $70MM contract in free agency, said it was important to remain with the team he joined two seasons ago. “This is one of the high points of my life,” he said, “and I couldn’t choose a better place to be. I said I wasn’t going to get emotional, but I just love it here, you know. People have just embraced me and it just feels like home, man.”
- It’s hard to understand why the Wizards re-signed Marcus Thornton so early in free agency, writes Ben Standig of CSNMidAtlantic. Thornton, who received a one-year deal for the veteran’s minimum, projects as a fifth guard, Standig contends, adding that it’s unusual for teams to fill roster spots with those type of players before Summer League begins.