Draft Rumors: Jackson, Kennard, Isaac, Smith Jr.
Although foot issues have prevented former Duke guard Frank Jackson from working out for teams in recent weeks, he has been visiting and meeting with several clubs, per Sean Deveney of The Sporting News. Deveney reports that the Hawks, Knicks, and Jazz have all brought in Jackson.
Elsewhere in his piece, Deveney provides updates on OG Anunoby and Luke Kennard, writing that the Lakers are holding out hope that Anunoby will fall to them at No. 28, though he’s receiving interest from plenty of teams picking earlier. As for Kennard, one scout who spoke to Deveney wasn’t overly bullish on Kennard’s ability to sneak into the top 10.
“I understand that everyone wants shooters,” the scout said of Kennard. “No one questions that the kid can shoot. But I can’t see him becoming a good defender. You just hope that he develops into a neutral defender, that he does not hurt you. He might go in the lottery in this draft because of the way he can shoot, but in most drafts he is more down in the late teens.”
Here are a few more draft-related rumors and notes from around the league:
- On his Scoop podcast this week, Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN said that he’s been told Jonathan Isaac is currently only working out for teams picking in the top four. According to Wolfson, Isaac’s camp could have a change of heart, but for now he has no interest in working out for the Timberwolves or any other team outside of the top four (link via Dan Feldman of NBC Sports).
- ESPN’s Chad Ford (Insider-only link) has ranked this year’s draft prospects by tier, with Markelle Fultz and Lonzo Ball as the only tier-one players. Tier two, reserved for potential All-Stars, includes eight more prospects, which Ford suggests is abnormally high.
- Point guard prospect Dennis Smith Jr. will have a Pro Day today, according to Michael Scotto of Basketball Insiders, who tweets that the Timberwolves, Knicks, Mavericks, Hornets, Pistons, and Heat will be in attendance.
- Thomas Bryant (Indiana), Caleb Swanigan (Purdue), Antonius Cleveland (SE Missouri St.), Charles Cooke (Dayton), Kobi Simmons (Arizona), and Justin Robinson (Monmouth) worked out for the Trail Blazers earlier this week, according to the team.
Hawks Unlikely To Offer Paul Millsap Full Max
Hawks principal owner Tony Ressler has suggested that he’s willing to do whatever it takes to lock up free-agent-to-be Paul Millsap this summer, but acknowledged after adding Travis Schlenk to Atlanta’s front office that the new GM will have final say on basketball decisions. And, as Chris Vivlamore of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution writes, Schlenk doesn’t sound like he’s ready to put a full maximum salary contract offer on the table for Millsap.
“We are going to make Paul our best offer,” Schlenk said, per Vivlamore. “Will he have better offers? I don’t know. Do we want to keep Paul? Sure. I said last week, if you are building a team with all the things I’ve said, Paul checks all those boxes. He’s a hard-worker. He’s a good guy. He’s high-character. Skilled. He does all that stuff. We’d like to have him. The reality is, he might get better offers than we can make him.”
[RELATED: Hawks hire Travis Schlenk as GM]
While Millsap could get the same starting salary from any NBA team, the league’s Collective Bargaining Agreement allows the Hawks to offer the veteran big man more years and higher raises than any of the other 29 teams. As we detailed last month, based on a $101MM salary cap, the Hawks could go up to five years and $205MM+ for Millsap. Rival teams could offer $152MM+ over four years.
However, Schlenk’s suggestion that Millsap “might get better offers than we can make him” suggests that the Hawks won’t simply max him out. That approach to Millsap’s free agency probably makes sense. The former second-round pick is already 32 years old, and while he’s earned spots on four straight All-Star teams, he’s not exactly a perennial MVP candidate — having him on the books at age 36 for $46MM+ wouldn’t be ideal.
With Millsap’s Bird rights in hand, the Hawks have some flexibility in negotiations with Millsap, particularly in that fifth year. Last summer, for instance, the Grizzlies signed Mike Conley to a five-year contract that is only partially guaranteed in year five but is still worth more than what any other suitor could have offered. The Hawks could find a similar compromise, though it sounds as if another team willing to offer the full four-year max for Millsap could have a decent chance of luring him away from Atlanta.
Schlenk has met with Millsap’s agent twice since being hired by the Hawks, according to Vivlamore.
Jerry West To Accept Position With Clippers
Special consultant Jerry West will leave the Warriors for a similar job with the Clippers, reports Jack McCallum of Sports Illustrated.
The Hall of Famer spent six years with Golden State, helping the organization build a team that won two titles in the past three years. He also has front office experience with the Lakers and Grizzlies and was twice named Executive of the Year.
“I’ve told myself time and time again that I would get out of the business when I felt I had nothing to contribute,” West told McCallum. “But I just don’t feel that’s the case. I don’t feel like I’m ready to stop. Sometimes I feel ageless.”
West, who recently turned 79, confirmed over the weekend that he received an offer to join the Clippers in an advisory role. Warriors owner Joe Lacob and GM Bob Myers were hoping to convince him to stay with Golden State, but West opted to make the move. Sources tell McCallum that the relationship between West and the Warriors’ ownership group had grown somewhat strained, though West declined to comment on that, calling the team’s owners “top-notch.”
The veteran executive returns to Los Angeles, where he was a legendary player then later built two dominant teams — the Showtime Lakers of the 1980s and the Shaquille O’Neal–Kobe Bryant version at the turn of the century. According to reports (Twitter links), West had interest in returning to the Lakers this summer, but that interest wasn’t reciprocated.
Draft Notes: Josh Jackson, Fultz, Smith Jr., Heat
Kansas forward Josh Jackson paid a visit to Kings today, but didn’t go through a workout, tweets Ailene Voisin of The Sacramento Bee. Jackson is expected to be one of the first players selected next week and probably won’t be around for Sacramento’s pick at No. 5. There have been rumors that the Kings would like to move up, but a report today said they aren’t willing to give the Sixers the fifth and 10th picks to get No. 3.
There’s more from a full day of draft workouts:
- Washington’s Markelle Fultz, projected as the top pick, has decided not to visit the Kings, according to Voisin (Twitter link).
- Paolo Uggetti of The Ringer examines which top three team might have given Jackson a guarantee. A report Monday by John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 suggested that either the Celtics, Lakers or Sixers has promised to take Jackson if he’s still on the board when their pick comes up. Jackson canceled a workout this week with Boston and agreed to a second session in L.A.
- Along with a second workout for Lonzo Ball, the Lakers will audition six other players on Friday, tweets Mark Medina of The Los Angeles Daily News. Their names have not been released.
- North Carolina State’s Dennis Smith Jr. may be in danger of slipping on draft night, tweets Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer. However, some members of Philadelphia’s front office are intrigued by Smith and the team may trade down to get him, posts Ian Begley on ESPN Now.
- UCLA’s T.J. Leaf will visit Miami on Thursday to work out for the Heat, writes Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald. The Heat see him as a stretch four who can hit 3-pointers and rebound and will give him serious consideration with their No. 14 pick, Jackson adds.
- Duke’s Harry Giles canceled a workout with the Heat that was scheduled for Thursday, Jackson relays in the same story.
- Kentucky’s Bam Adebayo will be part of a group workout for the Nuggets on Friday, tweets Michael Scotto of Basketball Insiders.
- The Nuggets will host six players Thursday, the team announced in an email. Participating will be Florida’s Canyon Barry, Air Force’s Hayden Graham, Miami’s Kamari Murphy, Baylor’s Johnathan Motley, Arizona’s Kobi Simmons and Gonzaga’s Nigel Williams-Goss.
- Wisconsin’s Bronson Koenig, who has upcoming sessions with the Lakers and Warriors, is impressing teams with his shooting, Scotto relays (Twitter link).
- Creighton’s Cole Huff has workouts set for the Celtics on Thursday and the Lakers on Monday, tweets Adam Zagoria of Zagsblog.
- North Carolina’s Justin Jackson has workouts lined up with the Knicks, Hornets, Bucks and Trail Blazers, according to Begley.
- Jackson will be part of a Pacers workout Thursday, along with Clemson’s Jaron Blossomgame, Houston’s Damyean Dotson, Marquette’s Luke Fischer, Vanderbilt’s Luke Kornet and Louisville’s Donovan Mitchell, the team announced on its website.
- Northeastern’s T.J. Williams has an upcoming workout with the Knicks and has already auditioned for the Jazz, Lakers, Clippers, Timberwolves and Raptors, Begley writes in a separate piece.
- Iowa’s Peter Jok, IUPUI’s Darell Combs, Syracuse’s Andrew White III, Connecticut’s Amida Brimah, Siena’s Marquis Wright and Lehigh’s Tim Kempton Jr. will work out Thursday for the Wizards, the team announced on its official blog.
- The Hawks hosted six players for a workout earlier today, according to the team. Participants were Kempton, California’s Jabari Bird, Loyola-Chicago’s Milton Doyle, Gonzaga’s Przemek Karnowski, Middle Tennessee State’s Reggie Upshaw and Colorado’s Derrick White.
- Six players worked out today for the Jazz, the team tweeted. On hand were Indiana’s James Blackmon, Dayton’s Charles Cooke, Weber State’s Jeremy Senglin, Eastern Washington’s Jake Wiley, Alabama’s Jimmie Taylor and Texas A&M CC’s Rashawn Thomas.
Warriors Notes: Curry, Durant, Livingston, Kerr
Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant are willing to be flexible with their contracts to give the Warriors the best shot at repeating, relays Anthony Slater of The San Jose Mercury News. Curry is eligible for a five-year mega max deal this summer worth about $205MM. His contract would start at about $35.5MM next season and climb to roughly $46.7MM in the final year. “As we go into talks and this whole process — which is obviously new for me — I will approach it as getting the most as I can as an individual, as a player, something I’ve been working for for a very long time,” Curry said. “In the context of keeping the team together, if there are decisions that need to be made, we’ll talk about [a slightly smaller deal] for sure.”
Durant would be eligible for the same contract, but because he just signed with the team last summer, the Warriors don’t have his Bird rights. They would have to renounce Andre Iguodala and Shaun Livingston to open enough cap space for Durant. An alternative is a 20% raise from this season, which would bump Durant’s salary to $31.8MM and permit Golden State to go over the cap to keep Iguodala and Livingston. “I feel as though I am going to be back here — no question,” Durant said. “We’ll all figure something out, work something out. I want to be here.”
There’s more news out of Golden State:
- Past dynasties have demonstrated that not everyone can receive fair market value, writes Moke Hamilton of Basketball Insiders. The toughest decisions this summer will involve Iguodala, Zaza Pachulia and David West, three unrestricted veteran free agents who may be looking at their last chance for big-money contracts.
- Another of Golden State’s 10 free agents is Livingston, who also prefers to stay with the Warriors, according to Chris Haynes of ESPN.com. Livingston could be looking at a substantial raise after making a combined $16.5MM in his three years with Golden State. “I think we’ll all love to keep this group together and see what we’re able to accomplish together,” Livingston said. “But we’ll see what happens when that time comes. There’s obviously a domino effect. Guys have decisions to make, but it’s about enjoying this journey, this moment that we’re on right now.”
- Steve Kerr discusses his unusual role in the title run and his future in coaching in a podcast with Zach Lowe of ESPN.com.
Dwyane Wade Still Pondering Opt-Out Decision
With a June 27th deadline looming, Dwyane Wade hasn’t decided whether to opt out of a $23.8MM salary for next season, according to Vincent Goodwill of CSNChicago.
The Bulls reportedly expect Wade to opt in and spend at least one more season in Chicago, but sources tell Goodwill that Wade hasn’t made up his mind and plans to spend more time on vacation while considering his next move.
Wade had a meeting with Bulls management last week to discuss the team’s plans for the future. Goodwill cites sources close to Wade who said the organization intends to “stay the course” for another season, with no significant personnel moves.
That would mean holding on to Jimmy Butler, who has been the subject of trade speculation for more than a year. Presumably, it would also mean keeping Rajon Rondo, who only has a $3M guarantee through June 30th on his $13.397MM salary for next season.
Wade has said his friendship with Butler played a part in his choice of the Bulls last summer after 13 years in Miami. Chicago management also met with Butler last week to discuss his role in the team’s future.
Family considerations will also affect Wade’s decision, Goodwill notes. Wade’s oldest son will turn 16 during the 2017/18 season, and Wade has said he doesn’t want his children to be moved from city to city as his career winds down.
Clippers Make Progress Toward New Arena
7:29pm: Inglewood City Council will hold a vote Thursday on the exclusive negotiating agreement, writes Nathan Fenno of The Los Angeles Times. The Clippers are hoping to build an 18,000- to 20,000-seat arena on a 22-acre site across from a new stadium that will serve as home to the Rams and Chargers. Inglewood will receive $1.5MM from the Clippers, and the ENA will cover 36 months, enough time for “lengthy environmental reviews.”
Under the agreement, the new facility will be “state of the art,” Fenno tweets. Ballmer plans to cover the entire cost himself (Twitter link).
6:03pm: The Clippers are nearing an exclusive negotiating agreement with Inglewood, Calif., for a new arena, according to Brad Turner of The Los Angeles Times (Twitter links). A formal announcement is expected Thursday.
The team currently plays in Staples Center, which it shares with the Lakers and the NHL’s Los Angeles Kings. The Clippers have a lease at the building that runs through 2024, but owner Steve Ballmer has been outspoken about the team leaving before then and getting a facility of its own.
The Clippers, who have been at Staples Center since it opened in 1999, reportedly get a smaller share of revenues and have less influence over scheduling than the building’s other tenants.
Representatives of the Clippers and the NFL’s Los Angeles Rams have reportedly talked about creating a “sports and entertainment district” in Inglewood along with the L.A. Chargers, who are moving from San Diego. Tentative plans call for that project to be ready by 2019.
Lonzo Ball To Meet With Lakers Again Friday
Potential No. 2 pick Lonzo Ball will have his final pre-draft session with the Lakers on Friday, tweets Shams Charania of The Vertical. The workout will not take place at the team’s facility, according to Tania Ganguli of The Los Angeles Times (Twitter link).
Ball wants Lakers officials to see his work ethic and training methods, tweets Ramona Shelburne of ESPN.com. Representatives from the team met with Ball’s UCLA coaches this week (Twitter link).
The 19-year-old guard worked out for L.A. seven days ago, with mixed reports coming out of that session. Ball said the messages he received from the Lakers were “very positive,” but some media reports indicated the team wasn’t overly impressed by Ball’s performance and had concerns about his conditioning.
Ball is listed as the second pick in the latest mock drafts from ESPN’s Chad Ford and DraftExpress. Despite the rumors coming out of last week’s workout, most league executives expect him to wind up in Los Angeles.
The Lakers have a workout scheduled for Thursday with Washington point guard Markelle Fultz, who is widely expected to be the first player selected.
Nuggets Promote Karnisovas, Scramble Bucks’ GM Search
Arturas Karnisovas, one of the finalists for the Bucks’ vacant GM position, has accepted a promotion from the Nuggets, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical.
Denver owner Stan Kroenke has promoted Karnisovas to general manager and made GM Tim Connelly the new president of basketball operations (Twitter link). Karnisovas has withdrawn as a candidate in Milwaukee (Twitter link).
He and Bucks assistant GM Justin Zanik were reportedly the two finalists for the position, which opened up when John Hammond was hired last month as the new GM in Orlando. Former Hawks GM and current advisor Wes Wilcox was also listed as a finalist in stories last week.
Karnisovas, 46, has been serving as assistant GM with the Nuggets since 2013. He was also a candidate for the Nets’ open GM job last year.
And-Ones: World Peace, Lillard, Blatt, Calathes
Veteran NBA forward Metta World Peace, who said at season’s end that he doesn’t expect to be back with the Lakers in 2017/18, has an uncertain basketball future and intends to put off a decision on his next move until August. As Emiliano Carchia of Sportando details, World Peace told Italy’s La Gazzetta Dello Sport that he’s leaving the door open to the possibility of playing in China or Europe if no NBA opportunities arise for him.
The man formerly known as Ron Artest has maintained in recent months that he’d like to play 20 professional basketball seasons before he calls it a career. World Peace, who will turn 38 this fall, has spent 17 seasons in the NBA and also played in China and Italy in 2014/15, so he’ll need to play for two more years to meet that goal.
Here are a few more odds and ends from around the basketball world:
- Damian Lillard created some speculation fodder during a Twitter Q&A with fans today when he answered a question about where he’d sign if he had to leave Portland. “If [the] Blazers said they didn’t want me… Utah Jazz or Lakers,” Lillard replied (via Twitter). Lillard is under contract through 2021, so Blazers fans should have nothing to worry about anytime soon.
- Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer makes the case for why 2017’s NBA draft looks primed for more draft-pick trades than usual.
- After coaching Darussafaka in Turkey this past season, David Blatt is meeting Darussafaka officials in Istanbul this week to resolve his release from the team and pave the way for his return to Maccabi Tel Aviv in Israel, per international basketball reporter David Pick (Twitter link). Blatt coached the Israeli club for several seasons before joining the Cavaliers in 2014.
- Nick Calathes, a former second-round pick who spent two seasons with the Grizzlies, is content to continue his playing career in Greece, as he tells EBasket (English link via Emiliano Carchia of Sportando). “The NBA is still on my mind. Obviously I want to play at the highest levels. But in this moment the Panathinaikos is my priority,” Calathes said. “I am not in a hurry to go to the NBA. I love Panathinaikos and I am doing well here. So I am not pushing for something else.”