Stein’s Latest: Llull, Bucks, MCW, McLemore, Pistons
With the NBA’s regular season inching closer, ESPN’s Marc Stein takes a look around the league and rounds up a handful of noteworthy tidbits from out of training camps. There are plenty of interesting items to pass along, so let’s dive right in…
- A recent report out of Spain indicated that the buyout for Sergio Llull‘s contract with Real Madrid has increased to 12 million euros. However, Stein hears that the buyout isn’t “nearly as onerous” as that report suggests — one source describes the cost as “manageable.” As such, the Rockets continue to have strong interest in bringing Llull stateside, and the Spanish guard does have real interest in eventually coming to the NBA, despite his proclamations about spending the rest of his career in Madrid.
- The Bucks continue to scour the market for possible Khris Middleton replacements, and have offered Michael Carter-Williams to the Kings in a deal for Ben McLemore, Stein reports. Sacramento turned down that pitch, but Milwaukee continues to explore deals.
- One scenario likely not in play for the Bucks is a deal with the Hornets that would involve Jeremy Lamb and Spencer Hawes. According to Stein, Charlotte is said to have no interest in Monroe.
- As the Pistons consider potential point guard options with Reggie Jackson ailing, they took a look at Norris Cole before he agreed to sign in China, writes Stein. Steve Blake, given his familiarity with the team, is also an option. However, as the ESPN scribe cautions – and as Stan Van Gundy said himself this week – the Pistons are no lock to add another player at the point, since the club would have to eat a guaranteed contract to do so.
Atlantic Rumors: Celtics, Young, Bayless, Raptors
- Thaddeus Young was misled by the Nets prior to be shipped to the Pacers in a draft-day trade, Joel Brigham of Basketball Insiders writes. The veteran power forward was told he was part of the team’s plans, then shortly afterward got dealt. “Initially when the summer had started, I was told by Brooklyn that they were looking toward the future and that it was going to take some time, and I was going to be around for it,” Young told Brigham. “Then, all of a sudden you’re hearing that you’re being shopped.”
- Point guard Jerryd Bayless could miss the start of the season because of a wrist injury, Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer tweets. The Sixers signed Bayless, an unrestricted free agent, to a three-year, $27MM contract to solidify their point guard spot.
- Raptors coach Dwane Casey is already showing signs of frustration with his team three games into the preseason, Mike Ganter of the Toronto Sun reports. Casey believes the team’s defense, in particular, has been shabby. “We are way behind defensively, way behind on both ends of the floor,” he told Ganter and other members of the media.
Western Notes: Felton, Gee, Mavs, Blazers
Raymond Felton is emerging as the Clippers’ primary backup to point guard Chris Paul, Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times reports. Even though the club re-signed Austin Rivers on a three-year, $35.5MM deal, the Clippers like the way Felton controls the offense. Felton was signed to the veteran’s minimum in late July. “I just liked his toughness,” coach Doc Rivers said. “Every coach you talked to loved him. They said he was great in the locker room.”
- Alonzo Gee‘s guaranteed contract doesn’t mean he has a guaranteed spot on the Pelicans’ roster, according to John Reid of the New Orleans Times-Picayune. Gee, 29, could be the odd man out if Lance Stephenson secures a spot on the opening day roster, Reid continues. Gee signed for the veteran’s minimum this season, while Stephenson has a partially-guaranteed $1.2MM contract. Gee barely played during the first two preseason games, Reid notes, and Stephenson’s ability to play both guard positions, plus small forward, works in his favor. Gee, 29, appeared in 73 games with New Orleans last season, including 38 starts.
- Argentinian small forward Nicolas Brussino has improved his prospects of making the Mavs’ 15-man roster, Earl K. Sneed of Mavs.com writes. Brussino, who signed a partially-guaranteed three-year contract this summer, scored 13 points in 23 minutes against the Pelicans in the preseason opener. The fact that Brussino has enrolled in English-speaking classes is another sign that the team is serious about keeping him, Sneed adds.
- Trail Blazers center Mason Plumlee spent most of his summer working on his jump shot form, Cody Sharrett of Blazers.com reports. Plumlee finished third on the team in assists last season but rarely looked for his shot. He averaged 6.3 shot attempts despite starting every game. “He was important to us last year,” coach Terry Stotts told Sharrett. “His ability to be a playmaker will not be diminished. You can’t have too many playmakers on the court. The more guys that can dribble, pass and shoot, it just makes you a better team offensively.”
Eastern Notes: Bulls, Morris, Cavs, Heat
- Wizards power forward Markieff Morris focused this summer on improving his 3-point shot, Candace Buckner of the Washington Post reports. Morris has averaged 32.3% from long range during his career and made 31.6% of his 3-point attempts after he was dealt from the Suns to Washington during last season’s trade deadline. Morris attempted more mid-range shots (265) than any other area on the floor, Buckner notes, but Morris wants to make the 3-point shot a bigger part of his game. “It’s kind of like you have no choice now with the way the league is,” Morris told Buckner. “You got to be able to make that shot at the four. I’ve been working all summer trying to get better at it, continuing to get better at it.”
- Journeyman Toney Douglas is confident he’ll win the backup point guard job with the Cavaliers despite coming to camp with a non-guaranteed contract, Sam Amico of AmicoHoops.net writes. Douglas, who played 61 games for the Pelicans last season, joined Cleveland this week and is competing mainly with rookie Kay Felder for that spot. “I’m a veteran player,” he told Amico. “I can play defense, lock up, hit open shots, run the offense and find guys when they’re open. I can do all that.”
- The Heat face a tough decision on point guard Briante Weber, according to Cody Taylor of Basketball Insiders. Though Weber has only played in seven NBA games, he has shown enough upside that it will be difficult for the Heat to keep him off the opening-day roster, Taylor continues. Weber also has a partially-guaranteed contract, but veteran Beno Udrih looms as the main backup point man and Josh Richardson should return during the first month of the season from his knee injury, Taylor notes. If Weber is let go, another team would snatch him up quickly, Taylor adds.
Offseason In Review: Utah Jazz
Over the next several weeks, Hoops Rumors will be breaking down the 2016 offseason for all 30 NBA teams, revisiting the summer’s free agent signings, trades, draft picks, departures, and more. We’ll evaluate each team’s moves from the last several months and look ahead to what the 2016/17 season holds for all 30 franchises. Today, we’re focusing on the Utah Jazz.
Free agent signings:
- Joe Johnson: Two years, $21.505MM.
Camp invitees:
- Eric Dawson: One year, minimum salary (summer contract)
- Quincy Ford: Three years, minimum salary ($75K guaranteed)
- Henry Sims: One year, minimum salary ($75K guaranteed)
Trades:
- Acquired George Hill from the Pacers in a three-team trade in exchange for the draft rights to Taurean Prince (No. 12 pick; to Hawks).
- Acquired the draft rights to Marcus Paige (No. 55 pick) and cash ($3MM) from the Nets in exchange for the draft rights to Isaiah Whitehead (No. 42 pick).
- Acquired Wizards’ 2021 second-round pick from the Wizards in exchange for Trey Burke.
- Acquired Boris Diaw, Spurs’ 2022 second-round pick, and cash from the Spurs in exchange for the draft rights to Olivier Hanlan.
- Acquired Kendall Marshall from the Sixers in exchange for Tibor Pleiss, cash, and two 2017 second-round picks (best and worst of Jazz, Knicks, Pistons, and Warriors picks). Subsequently waived Marshall.
Draft picks:
- 2-52: Joel Bolomboy. Signed for three years, $2.556MM. Second year partially guaranteed. Third year non-guaranteed.
- 2-55: Marcus Paige. Signed for two years, minimum salary. First year partially guaranteed. Second year non-guaranteed.
- 2-60: Tyrone Wallace. Has not signed.
Departing players:
Other offseason news:
- Derrick Favors eligible for contract extension and renegotiation as of October 19. Rudy Gobert eligible for contract extension until October 31.
Check out our salary cap snapshot for the Utah Jazz right here.
The mantra around the Utah Jazz franchise this summer came down to these two words: Get older. While teams with aging rosters often spend their offseasons trying to acquire younger talent, the Jazz felt they needed to find playoff-tested veterans to fortify their youthful roster and rescue them from their cycle of mediocrity. The Jazz have won anywhere from 36 to 43 games in five of the last six seasons with only one playoff appearance during that span.
Enter the 30-something brigade. By the time the Jazz finished reshaping their roster, they had a trio of well-established, grizzled veterans to help guide the franchise to greater success — 35-year-old Joe Johnson, 34-year-old Boris Diaw and 30-year-old George Hill.
The first order of business, however, was to make a commitment to their coach. The Jazz have finished with a losing records during Quin Snyder’s first two seasons but the front office believes it has the right man patrolling the bench. Snyder agreed in May to a long-term extension, reportedly through the 2020/21 season. That not only gives him job security but also greater authority with the players, who know he’s going to be charge for awhile.
With that out of the way, the Jazz made a bold move on draft night, agreeing to ship their lottery pick to the Hawks and acquire Hill from the Pacers in a three-team deal. This filled a huge void for the Jazz, who were caught flat-footed when projected starting point guard Dante Exum tore his ACL and missed all of last season. Utah was stuck with the unimposing duo of disappointing lottery pick Trey Burke and Raul Neto running the show, until Shelvin Mack stabilized things to a degree after he was acquired from the Hawks in February.
Even so, Utah finished 28th in both points scored and assists. Hill should help move those numbers forward.
Hill was often used off the ball in Indiana last season as his PER fell from a career-high 21.52 to 13.22. While not a prototypical point man, Hill is a solid distributor, an above-average 3-point threat and an excellent defender with a large wingspan for a player his size. The Jazz couldn’t count on Exum coming all the way back from his knee injury and stepping right into the lineup. Ideally, Exum will eventually reclaim the starting role with Hill guiding the improved second unit.
As it turned out, Hill was the least experienced of the major acquisitions the Jazz made this offseason. They were quite busy in July, starting with the trade for Diaw. They dealt the rights to Olivier Hanlan to the Spurs for Diaw and a future second-rounder. Diaw has been a durable and consistent backup big man for a perennial contender over the past four seasons, appearing in at least 75 games each of those campaigns. He averaged 6.4 points and 3.1 rebounds in 18.2 minutes last season and gives the Jazz a quality backup to center Rudy Gobert, who missed 21 games last season due to injury.
The Jazz took a low-key approach to the free agent market, opting to preserve their cash with looming decisions on some of their top players. The only notable move they made was to sign Johnson to a two-year, $21.5MM deal. Johnson will have to transition to an unfamiliar role as a second-unit player. He has started every game in which he has appeared since the 2004/05 season, but he’ll primarily served as Gordon Hayward‘s backup at small forward. Johnson figures to be the No. 1 scoring option among the reserves and a mismatch for most second-unit forwards around the league.
With Hill in place, the Jazz had no need for Burke and they found a taker in the Wizards, who only needed to give up a future second-rounder for him. Mack made enough of an impression to have his modest $2.4MM salary guaranteed for this season.
There were some other housekeeping items, such as signing a couple of second-round picks to partial guarantees, but the Jazz still have up to $14.7MM in salary-cap space. That could give them flexibility to make some in-season moves, depending upon how it unfolds. They have also positioned themselves to restructure the contract of power forward Derrick Favors. An extension candidate as we detailed this summer, Favors is signed through next season. An extension agreement must be reached by the 19th of this month, if both sides opt to go in that direction.
The extension deadline for Gobert, who is still on his rookie contract, arrives at the end of the month. While Gobert has expressed an interest in signing an extension, there haven’t been any major rumbles that the sides are close to a deal. If the deadline passes, Gobert will become a restricted free agent next summer.
Perhaps the most intriguing issue is what the Jazz have in mind for Hayward. It’s a slam dunk that Hayward will opt out of the final year of his contract and enter the market next summer as an unrestricted free agent. If the Jazz have concerned about retaining Hayward, or if they are reluctant to commit a massive amount of money to him as their franchise player, he could be dealt. That’s an unlikely scenario, but if Utah underperforms during the first half of the season, it’s something the franchise would have to seriously consider.
On paper, the Jazz look like an improved team that should make the playoffs if their main cogs can stay healthy. They have better depth and leadership with the additions they have made, combined with a quality youthful core. With this roster, another finish around the .500 mark would be a disappointment.
Salary information from Basketball Insiders used in the creation of this post. Photo courtesy of Russ Isabella / USA Today Sports Images.
Suns To Seek Trade Partner For Brandon Knight?
If the Suns have interest in moving point guard Brandon Knight, a strong start would help create a “palatable” market for him, according to Zach Lowe of ESPN.com (Links here). Knight, who has four years and approximately $57MM remaining on his contract, has become a backup behind Eric Bledsoe and shooting guard Devin Booker.
The Suns’ current blueprint has Knight, who is not a classic point guard, transitioning into a Jamal Crawford, instant-offense type of role player. That wasn’t the original plan when they gave up a protected first-round pick they possessed from the Lakers and forwarded it to the Sixers, Lowe points out. There isn’t much of a market for Knight now, but that could change if he plays well early on, due to the lack of quality wings around the league, Lowe adds. The club is not interested in moving Bledsoe, sources told Lowe.
In other tidbits offered by Lowe in his two-part article:
- The next Collective Bargaining Agreement will likely tweak the Gilbert Arenas provision, so that matching teams can distribute salary more evenly across the length of certain contracts. Lowe uses the example of Heat guard Tyler Johnson, whose offer sheet from the Nets this summer jumped his salary from under $6MM during the first two years of the contact to $19.245MM in each of the final two years of the four-year offer. Under the current agreement, the team making the offer could use the average salary of the contract to count against its cap, while the matching team has to go with the actual salary figures for each season.
- The Kings are actively involved in trade discussions and since Darren Collison is suspended for the first eight games, they could make a deal for a point guard during training camp, possible as part of a larger package.
- The Bucks are seeking help at the wing positions and a swap with the Kings for shooting guard Ben McLemore – a projected backup with the addition of Arron Afflalo — is a possibility. Milwaukee would like to move either center Greg Monroe or point guard Michael Carter-Williams under the right circumstances, according to Lowe’s sources.
Optimism For New CBA Deal In Next Few Weeks
The NBA and the National Basketball Players Association are optimistic that a deal on a new Collective Bargaining Agreement can be reached within the next several weeks, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical. According to Wojnarowski, the two sides have made “significant progress” toward a new CBA in advance of the opt-out deadline on December 15.
That opt-out date was agreed upon back in 2011, when the NBA and NBPA reached a 10-year deal on the league’s Collective Bargaining Agreement. While either side can choose to exit the agreement in December, sources on both sides tell Wojnarowski that a new deal should be in place before then.
While changes will likely be made to the current CBA, the two sides are generally in agreement on most major aspects of the deal, writes Wojnarowski. The remaining discussions figure to focus on smaller aspects of the CBA. Per Wojnarowski, the NBA’s rookie contract scale figures to be increased, and the two sides may also agree to add two-way contracts between the NBA and the D-League to make it easier for teams to develop prospects.
Back in 2011, a lockout cost the league 16 regular-season games, as the NBA schedule began in December rather than October. However, the league has flourished over the last few years, with the salary cap rising from about $58MM back in 2011 to over $94MM this season. Given the league’s success, it makes sense that both the NBA and the players’ union would look to avoid another lockout at all costs.
And-Ones: McCants, Llull, D-League, Trades
Former UNC standout and 2005 lottery pick Rashad McCants hasn’t appeared in an NBA game since 2009, but he has played in Puerto Rico, China, Brazil, Lebanon, the Philippines, Venezuela, and the Dominican Republic since then. Could his next stop be back in America? According to Chris Reichert of Upside and Motor (Twitter link), McCants may sign with the D-League in the hopes of making his way back onto an NBA roster.
While we wait to see what McCants’ future holds, let’s round up a few more odds and ends from around the league…
- According to a report from Marca in Spain (translation via Sportando), Sergio Llull‘s buyout with Real Madrid was increased from five million euros to 12 million euros in his most recent contract extension with the team. This runs counter to a 2015 report that suggested Llull’s NBA buyout had been reduced with his new deal. If it’s true, it will make a signing even trickier for the Rockets, who would like to bring the Spanish star to Houston in 2017.
- The NBA D-League is making changes to the way it populates its pool of draft-eligible players. Adam Johnson of D-League Digest has the details, along with his thoughts on the adjustments.
- Kenneth Faried, who reportedly remains on the trade block in Denver, is one of the Western Conference players most likely to be traded this season, according to Kevin Pelton and a group of ESPN.com writers (Insider-only link). In addition to Faried, the list also features multiple Suns and Kings veterans.
- ESPN.com’s NBA Insiders also took a look at the Eastern Conference players most likely to be traded this season, including Jaylen Brown, Mario Hezonja, and a pair of Sixers bigs.
Nuggets Continue To Dangle Kenneth Faried
Kenneth Faried has been dangled in trade talks by the Nuggets “off and on for three years,” Zach Lowe writes in his annual League Pass rankings piece for ESPN.com. According to Lowe, the Nuggets continue to dangle Faried even now.
The news that Faried remains on the trade block in Denver doesn’t come as a real surprise. A report in June suggested the veteran power forward wouldn’t be opposed to being moved, and Lowe himself reported in July that the Nuggets had been readying a package that included Faried when it appeared the Hawks might be leaning toward Paul Millsap. In August, we heard that the Thunder and Pelicans were among the teams to have expressed interest in the Nuggets big man.
Faried, who turns 27 next month, has been steady and productive for the Nuggets for the last several years, averaging between 11.5 and 13.7 PPG, and between 8.6 and 9.2 RPG in each of his last four seasons. His relative youth and his team-friendly contract also make him an interesting trade chip — Faried is under contract for three more years, and will make about $38.76MM during that stretch. If he were a free agent, he’d easily surpass that figure.
The Nuggets also have a few other options at power forward, including Darrell Arthur, plus Wilson Chandler and Danilo Gallinari, who can also play the three. According to Lowe, Denver’s front office “feels some regret” for turning down trade offers for Gallinari last year. The Italian forward is coming off a career year, but he’s also eligible for free agency in 2017, which limits his trade value.
While the Nuggets aren’t likely to make a major splash before the season, the team will certainly be one to watch in the months leading up to the deadline. If Denver isn’t in playoff contention, the club may decide it makes sense to move veterans like Faried and Gallinari in order to clear the way for younger prospects to play more.
Jabari Brown, Richard Solomon To Play Overseas
Jabari Brown and Richard Solomon were among the NBA’s first preseason roster cuts over the last few days, having been waived by the Bucks and Hawks, respectively. Brown’s release came on Wednesday, meaning he hasn’t even cleared waivers yet, but already both players have lined up new deals overseas.
According to international basketball reporter David Pick (via Twitter), Brown has agreed to a deal with the Jilin Northeast Tigers of the Chinese Basketball Association, where he’ll replace Tony Crocker. Assuming the two sides finalize that agreement, it will be a return to China for Brown, who played for the Foshan Long Lions last season.
Brown, 23, averaged an impressive 32.4 PPG for Foshan in 27 games, also chipping in 3.8 RPG, 2.5 APG, and 1.1 SPG. Over the last two seasons, the young shooting guard has also spent time with the Lakers’ D-League affiliate, the Los Angeles D-Fenders, averaging 23.1 PPG and shooting .443/.374/.842 in 47 D-League contests.
As for Solomon, the forward has agreed to terms with Gravelines-Dunkerque in France, a source tells Emiliano Carchia of Sportando. The team has since confirmed the signing, announcing it via Twitter.
Solomon, who went undrafted out of the University of California in 2014, appeared in 59 games in the Japanese League last season and averaged 11.3 PPG and 8.9 RPG. Previously, he spent 28 games with Oklahoma City’s D-League affiliate in 2014/15, averaging 8.5 PPG and 6.9 RPG.