Lakers Notes: Ball, Fultz, Smith
The Lakers aren’t sold on Lonzo Ball and remain intrigued with Markelle Fultz and Josh Jackson, Kevin Ding of Bleacher Report writes. The UCLA product recently met with the franchise and worked out in a one-on-none scenario.
Although Ding notes that Ball’s biggest skill set – his ability to lead an offense and move the ball – isn’t exactly applicable in that sort of isolated practice situation, the guard didn’t separate himself from the rest of the potential top picks in the upcoming draft.
Over his two days with the team, Ding notes, Ball established himself as quiet and reserved, a far cry from his famously boisterous father. The other options that will likely be available when the Lakers pick, however, boast compelling characteristics of their own.
The Lakers are hopeful that they’ll be able to work out Fultz despite his apparent plan to only work out for the Celtics and have already traveled to Sacramento to scout Jackson. De’Aaron Fox, another potential player on their list, will be in Los Angeles to work out on Tuesday.
There’s more from the Lakers:
- The Lakers will work out Dennis Smith Jr., Adam Zagoria of ZagsBlog tweets. Smith Jr. is currently projected to go No. 7, according to NBADraft.net.
- The Lakers are hopeful that they’ll be able to meet with Markelle Fultz next week, Mike Bresnahan of the Los Angeles Times. He adds that it’s unclear whether this would be for a meeting or a work out.
- The Lakers worked out a batch of players on Friday, including Damyean Dotson and P.J. Dozier, the team announced on its official website.
- Although it can likely be taken with a grain of salt, Lavar Ball believes that all three of his sons will end up with the Lakers eventually, Bryan Kalbrosky of HoopsHype relays.
Northwest Notes: Hood, Kanter, Blazers
When Gordon Hayward hits free agency next month he’s expected to generate considerable interest. While the Jazz are intent on retaining the All-Star, Benjamin Mehic of the Deseret News suggests that Rodney Hood could be a possible, in-house replacement.
Mehic argues that Hood’s career thus far has followed a similar trajectory to that of Hayward’s, with the former facing similar critiques to what Hayward faced early in his own career.
Although, like Hayward, Hood will look to add bulk to finish stronger around the rim, he could potentially surpass Hayward on the defensive side of the ball. Mehic cites Hood’s 6’9″ wingspan as one of his best attributes heading forward.
There’s more out of the Northwest Division:
- In an update to a story we discussed earlier this week, Enes Kanter‘s father has been released from a Turkish prison, Erik Horne of the Oklahoman relays. On June 2, the Thunder big man announced that his family’s Istanbul home was raided by local authorities and that his father was arrested.
- The Timberwolves worked out Jarrett Allen on Wednesday and the Texas forward profiles as a good fit for the organization, Jerry Zgoda of the StarTribune writes. Allen has been projected in the 10th-20th range, below Minnesota’s current No. 7 overall selection, but the team could always trade down.
- The Trail Blazers have been busy auditioning potential draft picks this week, bringing in players like Harry Giles and Donovan Mitchell on Thursday (Joe Freeman of the Oregonian tweets) and then several more on Friday including Tyler Lydon and Isaiah Briscoe (per Casey Holdahl of Portland’s official site)
Pistons Gauging Trade Market For Drummond, Jackson
The Pistons are gauging the trade market for Andre Drummond and Reggie Jackson, league sources tell Michael Scotto of Basketball Insiders (Twitter link). As Scotto notes, Detroit initially attempted to determine Drummond’s and Jackson’s trade value around the deadline back in February.
Both Drummond and Jackson are coming off underwhelming seasons. Drummond, who inked a five-year, maximum-salary contract last summer, saw his scoring average slip from a career-high 16.2 PPG in 2015/16 to just 13.6 PPG this past season, while Jackson also failed to build on a career year, with his numbers slipping across the board — he was nagged by injuries throughout the year and was benched down the stretch.
Although Drummond and Jackson didn’t produce the way Detroit had hoped in 2016/17, they’re still the most talented players on the Pistons’ roster, making them intriguing potential trade chips. Stan Van Gundy has said he’s not looking to blow up his roster, but also expressed displeasure with the club’s showing in ’16/17, suggesting that changes could be on the way.
Even if the Pistons look to shake things up a little, a trade of either player – particularly Drummond – would qualify as a surprise. When our Dana Gauruder previewed the Pistons’ offseason earlier this week, he observed that it would be difficult for the team to get fair value in deals involving Jackson or Drummond, meaning it might make more sense to bet on them to bounce back rather than trading them.
2017 Offseason Salary Cap Digest: Golden State Warriors
After blowing a 3-1 series lead in last year’s Finals, the Warriors were the punchline in a bevy of offseason jokes. They responded by adding Kevin Durant to a 73-win roster, racking up 67 more regular season wins, and opening the playoffs on a 15-0 run. Golden State’s current roster looks virtually unstoppable, and while the team may not re-sign all its complementary players this summer, it should have no problem locking up Durant and Stephen Curry to new deals.
Here’s where things currently stand for the Warriors financially, as we conclude our Offseason Salary Cap Digest series for 2017:
Guaranteed Salary
- Klay Thompson ($17,826,150)
- Draymond Green ($16,400,000)
- Kevon Looney ($1,471,382)
- Damian Jones ($1,312,611)
- Patrick McCaw ($1,312,611)
- Jason Thompson ($945,126) — Waived via stretch provision.
- Total: $39,267,880
Player Options
- Kevin Durant ($27,734,405)
- Total: $27,734,405
Team Options
- None
Non-Guaranteed Salary
- None
Restricted Free Agents
- James Michael McAdoo ($1,724,305 qualifying offer / $1,724,305 cap hold)
- Total: $1,724,305
Cap Holds
- Kevin Durant ($31,848,120) — If player option is declined.
- Stephen Curry ($18,168,539)
- Andre Iguodala ($16,697,052)
- Shaun Livingston ($10,986,655)
- Zaza Pachulia ($3,477,600)
- Matt Barnes ($1,471,382)
- Ian Clark ($1,471,382)
- JaVale McGee ($1,471,382)
- David West ($1,471,382)
- Total: $87,063,494
Projected Salary Cap: $101,000,000
Maximum Cap Room: $39,485,506
- Our max cap room scenario for the Warriors assumes that Durant turns down his player option and the Warriors renounce all their free agents except for Curry. Five guaranteed salaries, along with cap holds for Curry and six empty roster rosters, would bring team salary to $61,514,494. In that scenario, the team could afford a max contract for Durant, but wouldn’t have much cap room left to sign other players. The more likely outcome – which would give the team a better chance to re-sign Iguodala and Livingston – involves staying over the cap and Durant accepting a 20% raise rather than a true max salary.
Salary information from Basketball Insiders and The Vertical was used in the creation of this post.
Heat Rumors: Hayward, Collins, Teodosic, Winslow
An ESPN report on Friday morning suggested that the Jazz view the Heat as a serious threat in this summer’s Gordon Hayward sweepstakes, and according to Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald, that fear isn’t unfounded. Jackson hears from a source connected to Hayward that the Utah forward has “legitimate interest” in Miami.
Within Jackson’s latest dispatch on the Heat, there’s also word that the team will bring in former Wake Forest power forward John Collins for a pre-draft workout next Wednesday. Collins ranks 20th on DraftExpress’ big board, but has a chance to be selected in the lottery, meaning he could be an option for Miami at No. 14.
Here are a few more Heat-related items worth passing along:
- The Heat are expected to be one of the teams with interest in Euroleague star Milos Teodosic this offseason, according to a report out of Russia (passed along by NetsDaily.com). The report also identifies Brooklyn and Sacramento as probable suitors for the CSKA Moscow point guard, though those teams have been mentioned previously — Miami’s potential interest is new.
- Joe Beguiristain of Heat.com provides an update on Justise Winslow‘s recovery from shoulder surgery today, passing along recent comments made by Winslow: “The shoulder is doing well. Five months down, one more to go as far as the six-month process. But I feel great. I got all my range of motion. We’re just trying to get it strong enough that it can endure contact and falls.”
- While some teams may stretch out their rebuilds in order to avoid battling the Warriors head-on within the next year or two, don’t expect Pat Riley to take that approach with the Heat, writes Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel. Winderman’s recent Ask Ira series for The Sun Sentinel also includes a discussion on whether it makes sense for Miami to pay big bucks for both Dion Waiters and Tyler Johnson.
Raptors Renounce Rights To DeAndre Daniels
The Raptors have renounced the NBA rights to former second-round pick DeAndre Daniels, the team announced today (via Twitter). Daniels was selected 37th overall by Toronto in the 2014 draft.
Daniels, 25, was a key member of the 2014 UConn squad that won a national championship, but hasn’t been able to earn a spot on the Raptors’ NBA roster over the last three years. Since being drafted, Daniels has honed his game elsewhere, spending a year in Australia, a year with Toronto’s D-League team, and a year in Italy last season.
A Jones fracture in his right foot derailed Daniels’ 2015/16 season, limiting him to just eight games for the Raptors 905 in the spring, but he bounced back with a solid 2016/17 campaign for Italian club Stings Mantova, averaging 13.0 PPG and a team-high 6.6 RPG in 35 Italian League games.
With his NBA rights no longer held by the Raptors, Daniels would be free to sign with any of the league’s other 29 teams, if there’s interest. While it’s possible he’ll still make his NBA debut at some point, I’d expect Daniels to start the 2017/18 season overseas, or with a D-League team.
IOC Adds 3-On-3 Basketball For 2020 Olympics
The International Olympic Committee has confirmed that three-on-three basketball will be added to the Olympic program for the 2020 games in Tokyo, according to Graham Dunbar of The Associated Press. The change is one of many being made for the 2020 Olympics in an attempt to give the event a more “youthful and urban appeal.”
According to Dunbar, the new three-on-three basketball competition will feature 64 players in total, with eight teams apiece for men and women — that works out to four players per squad. Assuming the Olympic event adopts the rules established by FIBA for three-on-three play, it will be a half-court game with one- and two-point shots, as well as a 12-second shot clock. The game ends after a 10-minute period, or when one team reaches 21 points.
While the event sounds intriguing, there are a number of questions that still require answers. The format and location of the competition aren’t yet known, and it’s not clear how countries will qualify for one of the eight Olympic spots.
It will also be interesting to see what sort of players participate in the three-on-three competition. The United States, along with a handful of other countries, could put together any number of tantalizing four-player teams for the competition, but it remains to be seen if any NBA players will participate in the event (or be permitted to) — particularly since many of the top players will be taking part in traditional five-on-five Olympic basketball.
Jazz View Heat As Threat For Gordon Hayward
For months, the Jazz and Celtics have been viewed as the most likely landing spots for free-agent-to-be Gordon Hayward. However, according to Marc Stein of ESPN.com (via Twitter), there are increased whispers that Utah is just as worried about the Heat as they are about the Celtics in the Hayward sweepstakes.
Unlike the Celtics, who would likely have to make at least one trade in order to clear the necessary cap room to sign Hayward to a maximum salary contract, the Heat are currently projected to have more than enough space for such a deal.
Miami’s decisions on non-guaranteed players like Wayne Ellington could affect their cap room, and pursuing Hayward would affect the team’s ability to make competitive offers to both Dion Waiters and James Johnson, but landing Hayward would certainly be realistic financially for the Heat.
The Jazz remain the odds-on favorite to re-sign Hayward, since they can go over the cap to lock him up, and can offer him more years and more money than any other suitor. But if Utah is reluctant to put a full five-year max on the table, or if Hayward is looking for a change of scenery, the Heat would be an interesting option. The state of Florida doesn’t have an income tax, and Miami is certainly more of a free agent destination than Salt Lake City, though Hayward has roots in Utah.
Hayward, 27, enjoyed the best season of his career in 2016/17, averaging 21.9 PPG, 5.4 RPG, and 3.5 APG, with a shooting line of .471/.398/.844. He’s considered one of this summer’s top-tier free agents, along with players like Chris Paul, Blake Griffin, Kyle Lowry, and Paul Millsap. Kevin Durant and Stephen Curry are also expected to technically become free agents, though they’re virtual locks to remain in Golden State.
Jonathan Jeanne Diagnosed With Marfan Syndrome
French prospect Jonathan Jeanne, viewed as a probable first-round selection in the 2017 NBA draft, has been diagnosed with Marfan syndrome, agent Bouna Ndiaye tells Shams Charania of The Vertical. The diagnosis places Jeanne’s potential NBA career in jeopardy.
An MRI on Jeanne at last month’s draft combine showed an abnormality in his spine, and after undergoing follow-up tests, the 19-year-old received the diagnosis on Thursday. According to Charania, Jeanne is not expected to be cleared for workouts with NBA teams going forward.
As Charania explains, Marfan syndrome is a genetic disorder that affects the body’s connective tissues. Former Baylor prospect Isaiah Austin was affected by the same disorder, preventing him from being drafted or pursuing an NBA career in 2014. Austin was medically cleared to play basketball again within the last year, making his professional debut in the Adriatic League earlier in 2017.
Ndiaye tells Charania that his client hopes to resume his basketball career “after extensive medical supervision,” but the diagnosis almost certainly ends Jeanne’s chances to be drafted this year. Recent mock drafts from DraftExpress and ESPN’s Chad Ford had him coming off the board with the 22nd and 23rd picks, respectively. Ford has since removed Jeanne from his latest mock.
Hoops Links Vol. 8: Rick Carlisle Fan Fiction, Emojis, More
We’re back with a fresh batch of the best content from around the NBA blogosphere. This is where we take a break from the typical news cycle to shine a light on original, entertaining content from bloggers just like you. Yes, you.
Be sure to nominate the best article you read this week (even if you wrote it yourself) by dropping me a line on Twitter (@AustinKent), emailing HoopsRumorsTips@Sports.ws or simply yelling into your router loud enough that it makes it all the way to Canada.
If hoops fans weren’t too busy trying to pinpoint the last remaining Thon Maker birth certificate joke that hasn’t been made yet, they’d have seen just how scary the 7’1″ Bucks rookie really was. In the playoffs in particular, Maker’s surprising fluidity and absurd length were on full display. In a full feature at Behind The Buck Pass, Paul Headley broke down just what makes the 20-year-old such a tantalizing piece of Milwaukee’s future.
Rating: 9 out 10 Stale Reddit Memes
Author: Paul Headley – @PaulHeadleyNBA
Link: Thon Maker’s future
While he may not be the biggest name, the Hawks landed a gem in new general manager Travis Schlenk. Jack O’Donnell of Soaring Down South recently rallied support for the new shot caller, citing Schlenk’s breadth of experience, including 12 years behind the scenes with the most dominant franchise in the league, most recently as the Warriors‘ assistant general manager.
Rating: 8 out of 10 More Agonizing Weeks of Paul Millsap Speculation
Author: Jack O’Donnell – @SoaringDwnSouth
Link: Hawks general manager Travis Schlenk
If what you’re looking for is an elaborate fan fiction account of Rick Carlisle‘s secret side mission as an espionage agent with a pilot’s license, you’ve come to the right place. Doyle Rader of Mavs Moneyball put together an explanation for why the Mavs head coach was really at Game 2 of the NBA Finals. (Can you tell these guys aren’t used to missing the playoffs?).
Rating: 8 out of 10 Long Offseasons
Author: Doyle Rader – @TheKobeBeef
Link: Why was Rick Carlisle at Game 2?
It would be unwise for the Nuggets to sign Danilo Gallinari to a max contract, Matthew Huff of Nugg Love says. The scoring forward doesn’t do enough on the defensive end, clogs Denver’s depth chart and would limit the team’s financial flexibility. At the right price, bringing the Rooster back could be worth exploring, but he figures to have plenty of suitors when free agency begins.
Rating: 8 out of 10 Next Chapters
Author: Matthew Huff – @Huff_Melo7
Link: Danilo Gallinari max contract
It’s no secret that Spencer Dinwiddie is a low-key guy and a natural when it comes to social media, but a recent feature published by Jorge Sierra over at HoopsHype raises the bar altogether. Read through a transcript of text messages Sierra and the Nets guard sent each other throughout Game 2 of the NBA Finals for a candid look into a conversation that ranged from GOATs to Iron Man.
Rating: 9 out of 10 Grown Adults Using Emojis
Author: Jorge Sierra – @HoopsHype
Link: Spencer Dinwiddie texting
A quick look at Jayson Tatum‘s highlight reel reveals an eerie similarity to Paul Pierce, Adam Miller says at Hardwood Houdini. Miller collect video showcasing the forward’s skill set, including a heavily used mid-range game, but stops short of saying that the Duke product will go on to piece together a career as successful as the Celtics legend.
Rating: 8 out of 10 Dopplegangers
Author: Adam Miller – @AMillerSports
Link: Jayson Tatum, Paul Pierce similarities
Basketball fans have had a tough time processing Kevin Durant‘s decision to join the Warriors, but that wasn’t the case for one 16 Wins a Ring scribe. Dylan Hughes has heard all the flak that Durant has had to endure his first year in Golden State, but still elects to openly root for him anyway. Hughes may be right when he says that we shouldn’t hate on the guy for doing something that makes him happy… but we probably will anyway.
Rating: 7 out of 10 Lifelong Grudges
Author: Dylan Hughes – @16WinsARing
Link: Don’t hate on Kevin Durant
Are we overthinking the changes that we’ve seen in the NBA over the course of the past half decade? Ben McLemore suggests as much. In an interview with Kimani Okearah of Sactown Royalty, the veteran downplays the notion that the league is heading in a new direction. Come for the chance to get in a few low-hanging-fruit Kings jokes, stay for the original photography.
Rating: 8 out of 10 Triple Threats
Author: Kimani Okearah – @TheKimansta
Link: Ben McLemore interview
It seems likely that Zhou Qi will arrive with the Rockets next season so Darren Yuvan of The Dream Shake took a look at what that might entail. While it’s hard not to be intrigued by the 7’2″ prospect, it’s not clear whether he’ll have a big enough frame to make much of a difference at the next level.
Rating: 7 out of 10 Tall Men
Author: Darren Yuvan – @DarrenYuvan
Link: Zhou Qi Rockets 2017-18
With free agency right around the corner, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope will get his fair share of attention. It’s about time, then, that we get a better understanding of the path that’s led him from Greenville, Georgia to the Pistons. David Ramil’s comprehensive long-read published at The Step Back will answer any questions you may have about the potential $20MM man.
Rating: 9 out of 10 Hometown Heroes
Author: David Ramil – @DRamil13
Link: Kentavious Caldwell-Pope biography