Lakers Notes: FA Priorities, Nwaba, Ball
Speaking to the media, including Mark Medina of the Orange County Register, Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka said that the Lakers were relentless on the draft day trade market and even spoke with the Pacers about a possible Paul George deal.
While they didn’t ultimately manage anything of a similar magnitude to their Brook Lopez trade days before, they did manage to move the No. 28 pick for a pair later in the draft and are expected to continue seeking ways of improving.
“That will continue until we get in a position again where we feel like this roster is a championship-level roster,” Pelinka said. “We’re not there yet. So we’re going to be relentless with the work and we’re going to pursue every opportunity until we reach our goal.”
- When free agency begins next week, expect the Lakers to target shooters, Mike Bresnahan of Spectrum SportsNet tweets. General manager Rob Pelinka is said to have shooting at the top of his priority list.
- The Lakers have until Saturday to decide if they’d like to pick up David Nwaba‘s $1.3MM option for next season, Mike Bresnahan of Spectrum SportsNet tweets. Update: Bresnahan has sent an updated tweet, correcting the deadline to Thursday (as opposed to Saturday)
- General manager Rob Pelinka thinks that the Lakers will need two superstars to compete for a championship and intends to go out and get them. “I think with the leading teams in the league today, we felt like, to be able to look them in the eye and challenge them, we need two superstar players to come here and join this platform and join our core group of players we now have,” he told Baxter Holmes of ESPN. “That’s our plan, and we’re going to put all of our energy and all of our hard work toward that.”
- A contributing factor to the Lakers taking Lonzo Ball with their second overall pick was the unconventional workout the two parties went through prior to the draft. The Vertical’s Shams Charania has details of the day the Lakers spent observing the eventual No. 2 overall pick’s daily routine.
Blake Griffin Opts Out, Becomes Free Agent
Unsurprisingly, Clippers forward Blake Griffin has formally opted out of the final year of his contract, Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical tweets. The All-Star will hit the open market as an unrestricted free agent.
While the Clippers are expected to at least attempt to retain Griffin and fellow free agent Chris Paul, the forward also expects to see interest from other teams looking to add a star.
Earlier this week we wrote about the Rockets targeting the 28-year-old power forward and it wasn’t long ago when Wojnarowski mentioned that the Celtics could be the biggest threat to the Clippers as far as luring Griffin away was concerned.
Had Griffin not opted out through his early termination clause, he would have made $21.4MM in 2017/18. Instead, as Brad Turner of the Los Angeles Times tweets, he’ll be eligible for as much as $175MM through five years so long as he stays with the franchise.
If Griffin leaves the Clippers, he’ll be eligible for a four-year, $130MM deal.
Pacers Decline Team Option For Lavoy Allen
The Pacers have declined their 2017/18 team option on Lavoy Allen‘s contract, Scott Agness of Vigilant Sports tweets. The big man would have otherwise made $4MM this season.
In a report earlier this week, Agness wrote that such a decision was likely, citing the forward’s social media accounts and the general change in direction the franchise has been forced to undergo over the course of a pending Paul George exodus.
With Allen off the books, The Vertical’s Bobby Marks adds, the Pacers could free up as much as $27MM-$30MM so long as they’re also willing to part with Jeff Teague and C.J. Miles.
Rockets To Sign L.J. Peak, George De Paula
The Rockets have agreed to free agent deals with a couple of undrafted prospects, though the moves are not yet official. Per Mark Berman of Fox 26, the club has an agreement in place to sign Georgetown’s L.J. Peak.
Ranked 46th of DraftExpress.com’s list of top 100 prospects, the junior Hoya will look to stick on a roster seeking to add as many potential weapons as possible. In Peak, the Rockets will get a 21-year-old fresh off a campaign in which he posted 16.3 points and 3.5 assists per game.
Per Chris Haynes of ESPN, the Rockets will also take a flyer on Brazilian point guard George de Paula. An international early entrant in this year’s draft, de Paula comes in at No. 72 on DraftExpress’ big board.
At this time it’s not entirely clear whether the deals will be for Summer League or for training camp, but it sounds like both players should have a spot on Houston’s 20-man camp roster.
Kings Release Arron Afflalo
The Kings have released Arron Afflalo today, Shams Charania of The Vertical tweets. The guard had a contract guarantee that would have otherwise triggered today.
Afflalo had initially signed a two-year $25MM with the Kings last offseason but the second year, worth $12.5MM, would have only been guaranteed if he remained on the club’s roster through today.
Considering the different state that the franchise is in now versus last year, it’s no surprise that the team has decided to part ways with the veteran.
Per Bobby Marks of The Vertical, rather than pay the $12.5 that had been earmarked for the 2017/18 campaign, the Kings will instead stretch $1.5MM in payouts to Afflalo over the course of the next three seasons.
In 61 games for the Kings last year, including 45 starts, Afflalo put 8.4 points per game.
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope Suspended For Two Games
Pistons shooting guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope will be suspended for two games to open the 2017/18 regular season, the NBA announced today in a press release. According to the league, Caldwell-Pope is being suspended for pleading guilty to operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated. He’ll lose two games’ worth of pay, based on his 2017/18 salary.
Caldwell-Pope was arrested in March on suspicion of driving under the influence. According to reports at the time, KCP was pulled over at approximately 2:50 a.m. in Auburn Hills and was put through a sobriety test, which he failed.
It will be a big summer for Caldwell-Pope, who is eligible for restricted free agency. Although his arrest – and suspension – will be something potential suitors take into consideration, it’s unlikely to be a major factor — he’ll still be in line for a significant payday, and I expect the Pistons will be ready to match just about any offer he receives.
In 76 games last season, Caldwell-Pope averaged 13.8 PPG, shooting 35.0% on three-point attempts.
Spurs Have Interest In Derrick Rose
The Spurs have been linked to Chris Paul multiple times this month, but he’s not the only point guard expected to be on the team’s radar, according to Ramona Shelburne of ESPN.com, who tweets that San Antonio also has interest in Derrick Rose. In fact, Shelburne classifies the Spurs’ interest in both Paul and Rose as “strong.”
It’s somewhat hard to imagine Rose landing in San Antonio in free agency, but he’ll likely be significantly less expensive than CP3 as a free agent, and may not require a long-term deal. The Spurs also don’t currently project to have room for a maximum salary free agent, so pursuing Rose as a more affordable alternative is one path the team could take.
Still, while Rose continued to exhibit his ability to get to the basket and score last season, averaging 18.0 PPG, he’s not much of a distributor or a shooter — he recorded just 4.4 APG and made 21.7% of his three-pointers for New York. The Knicks don’t appear all that interested in retaining him this summer, though Phil Jackson said on Thursday night that the club is approaching Rose’s free agency with a willingness to listen (Twitter link via Ian Begley of ESPN.com).
Within a piece for The New York Daily News, Stefan Bondy offers another seemingly far-fetched Spurs-Knicks scenario, suggesting that a trade involving Carmelo Anthony and LaMarcus Aldridge could make sense for both sides, with Aldridge reportedly unhappy in San Antonio. However, Bondy acknowledges there’s no guarantee Anthony would waive his no-trade clause to join the Spurs, and I’m not sure he’d be a fit in San Antonio anyway.
A source tells Bondy that another possible Aldridge trade possibility to watch for is a sign-and-trade scenario involving Hawks big man Paul Millsap.
Nets Agree To Sign Jeremy Senglin, Jacob Wiley
The Nets are poised to add a pair of undrafted rookies on free agent contracts, according to reports. A league source tells Michael Scotto of Basketball Insiders (Twitter link) that Jeremy Senglin has agreed to a partially guaranteed deal with Brooklyn, while Matt Norlander of CBSSports.com reports (via Twitter) that Jacob Wiley will get a two-way contract and a partial guarantee from the club.
[RELATED: Hoops Rumors Glossary: Two-Way Contracts]
Senglin, a point guard out of Weber State, averaged 21.1 PPG during his senior season, with an impressive shooting line of .522/.429/.766. Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress.com ranked him 48th among NCAA seniors in this year’s draft class.
As for Wiley, the 6’7″ forward out of Eastern Washington impressed teams in pre-draft workouts with his “intensity and relentless motor,” according to Ian Begley of ESPN.com, who adds that Wiley also displayed the ability to guard multiple positions. He averaged 21.1 PPG and 9.2 RPG in his senior year in 2016/17.
The deals are not yet official.
Projected Rookie Contracts For 2017 First Round Picks
As we explained in May when we published the rookie scale salary figures for 2017/18, the value of the contracts for this year’s first round picks depend on where they’re drafted. The NBA’s rookie scale for 2017/18 – which won’t change between now and next month, no matter where the salary cap lands – will determine what each player makes.
Each first round pick who signs an NBA contract this season will ink a four-year deal with two guaranteed seasons and team options on the third and fourth years. Players are eligible to sign for up to 120% of the rookie scale amount, or as little as 80% of that amount. However, virtually every rookie contract comes in at 120%. In fact, the new Collective Bargaining Agreement even alters the rules so that cap holds for first round picks count as 120% of the rookie amount now.
So even though the rookie scale amount for the No. 1 overall pick in 2017/18 is $5,855,200, Markelle Fultz‘s cap hold for the Sixers will be $7,026,240 — that’s 120% of his rookie scale figure, and the amount he’ll almost certainly receive in year one of his new NBA deal.
Listed below are this year’s top 30 picks, along with their projected rookie salaries, assuming they sign for 120% of their rookie scale amount. The total value of these contracts assumes that the third- and fourth-year team options will be exercised.
Additionally, we’ve listed the figures for players like Anzejs Pasecniks, even though he’s not expected to come to the NBA immediately. The rookie salaries for first round picks who are stashed overseas will look slightly different if they sign a year a two from now.
Here are this year’s expected rookie scale contracts:
(Click here for full-sized chart)
Clippers Expected To Sign Isaiah Hicks
Former North Carolina forward Isaiah Hicks will sign a contract with the Clippers, reports TNT’s David Aldridge (Twitter link). Aldridge doesn’t offer any specifics, but it sounds like it will be a training camp deal for Hicks. He’ll be eligible to officially sign once the 2017/18 league year begins in July.
Hicks, the No. 60 prospect on Jonathan Givony’s big board at DraftExpress, was a member of UNC’s championship team during his final season with the Tar Heels. In 38 games, he averaged 11.6 PPG and 5.4 RPG.
The Clippers, having made it a priority to get younger and more athletic this offseason, have been active in adding young talent within the last 24 hours. The Clippers acquired the No. 48 overall pick and used it to draft Sindarius Thornwell on Thursday night. The team also reportedly traded for the No. 39 pick and selected Jawun Evans, though that transaction – like Hicks’ deal – isn’t yet official.