Pacers Not Currently Discussing Paul George Trade
With the 2017 draft just over two weeks away, the Pacers have not been soliciting trade offers or engaging in trade talks involving Paul George, according to Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders, who calls George conversations “a non-starter currently” (Twitter links).
Although the Pacers never got close to moving George at February’s trade deadline, the team was at least willing to listen on inquiries at that point. Since then, George failed to earn a spot on one of the league’s All-NBA squads, making him ineligible for a Designated Veteran Extension this offseason, limiting Indiana’s leverage in extension talks. Additionally, Larry Bird has stepped down as the Pacers’ president of basketball operations, having been replaced by Kevin Pritchard.
Bird was long considered opposed to the idea of dealing George, so there was speculation that the front office turnover – combined with the Pacers’ inability to offer the standout forward a super-max extension – may spur trade talks this summer. So far though, that hasn’t been the case. In a longer piece on the Lakers at Bleacher Report, Pincus notes that the Pacers haven’t signaled to teams that George is available, per a Western Conference executive.
The Pacers may still show a willingness to discuss George around the time of the draft or free agency, but it’s also possible the club is comfortable waiting out the situation. Given George’s reported interest in the Lakers, Indiana may not be able to extract much in any trade if there’s an expectation he’ll wind up in L.A. in 2018 no matter what.
Keeping the 27-year-old around may be a worthwhile gamble for Indiana — if George earns an All-NBA spot in 2017/18, he’d become eligible for a Designated Player Extension, meaning he could secure an extra $50MM+ at that point by re-upping with the Pacers instead of heading elsewhere.
Pelicans Looking To Add Shooting, Playmaking
While the Pelicans’ roster features perhaps the most feared frontcourt duo in the NBA, in Anthony Davis and DeMarcus Cousins, the team had to part with a handful of guards to acquire Cousins, and will be looking to fortify its perimeter rotation this offseason. General manager Dell Demps confirmed as much during a recent appearance on WLAE in New Orleans, as Jim Eichenhofer of Pelicans.com details.
“The one thing I’ve learned from all these shows you go on, you don’t want to tip your hand and give people (indications of your intentions),” Demps said when asked about his free agency plans. “Sometimes I like to keep things close to the vest, but obviously shooting is going to be important for us, but also you want to get good basketball players who can make plays – I think that’s the way the game is going right now.”
The Pelicans’ top backcourt playmaker, point guard Jrue Holiday, will be an unrestricted free agent next month, so one of the club’s top priorities will be locking up Holiday or landing a viable replacement. However, after sending Buddy Hield, Tyreke Evans, and Langston Galloway to Sacramento for Cousins, the Pelicans will also be seeking contributors who can make and create shots at the two or three.
[RELATED: 2017 Offseason Salary Cap Digest: New Orleans Pelicans]
One player who would help fill that hole in the Pelicans’ roster is Quincy Pondexter, who has missed the last two seasons with a series of knee injuries. Pondexter remains under contract with New Orleans and made 37.3% of his three-point attempts in his last healthy season (2014/15), but Demps doesn’t sound like he’s penciling in the veteran wing for a spot in the rotation quite yet.
“It’s a little uncertain right now,” said the Pelicans’ GM. “Obviously he hasn’t played since the (2015) playoffs. He’s had some setbacks. He’s had a couple surgeries. It’s tough because he’s one of those glue-type guys who is a leader not only in the locker room, but on the floor. We’ve missed his defense and his shooting. He was a big piece for us, an important pickup when we made that run to the playoffs. We were hoping to have his services the last two years. He’s going through some testing right now and will be in town this week. We’re hoping to get him back on the floor.”
If the Pelicans are able to re-sign Holiday, they’ll almost certainly remain over the cap this offseason, meaning they’d have the mid-level and bi-annual exceptions available to use on free agents. Those exceptions will be worth about $8.4MM and $3.3MM, respectively.
Jimmy Butler Hires New Agent
Jimmy Butler isn’t eligible for free agency for at least two more years, but the Bulls forward has hired a new agent. Having been without representation since the 2016 offseason, Butler has signed with agent Bernie Lee of Lee Basketball Services, reports K.C. Johnson of The Chicago Tribune. According to Johnson, the Bulls were informed of Butler’s new representation during their meeting with the forward this week.
Butler remains under contract with the Bulls through the 2019/20 season, though the final year of his contract is a player option. After earning a spot on the All-NBA Third Team this spring, Butler will become eligible for a Designated Veteran Extension worth 35% of the cap if he makes an All-NBA squad again in either of the next two seasons.
While Lee won’t be tasked with negotiating a new contract for Butler anytime soon, he’ll likely be involved in any serious trade talks the Bulls have involving his new client. Of course, if the Bulls were to make a deal involving Butler, only Chicago and its trade partner would have to sign off, but agents are often a part of that process, attempting to direct clients to certain destinations or steering them clear of others. So far though, there has been little indication that the Bulls will make an effort to move Butler this summer.
For Lee, the signing of Butler is a big one. The veteran agent counts a handful of former NBA players among his clients, including John Lucas III, Mike James, and Toure’ Murry, but Butler will easily be the biggest name on his roster.
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Bucks Narrow GM Search To Three Finalists
After conducting a “broad” search for a new general manager, the Bucks have narrowed their group of candidates down to three finalists, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical. According to Wojnarowski, Nuggets assistant GM Arturas Karnisovas, Hawks advisor Wes Wilcox, and Bucks assistant GM Justin Zanik have emerged as the top contenders for the position.
The Bucks conducted a round of interviews in New York this week, and will now bring Karnisovas and Wilcox to Milwaukee for additional meetings with team officials, per Wojnarowski. Zanik is already in Milwaukee, having been tasked with making draft preparations for the franchise in the wake of former GM John Hammond‘s departure.
According to previous reports, the Bucks had also been considering Pacers president of basketball operations Peter Dinwiddie, Grizzlies VP of player personnel Ed Stefanski, Pistons associate GM Pat Garrity and Heat assistant GM Adam Simon, Blazers assistant GM Bill Branch, and Timberwolves assistant GM Noah Croom, among others. However, it appears those execs are no longer in the running.
As Wojnarowski details, there is “strong internal staff support” within the Bucks organization for the team to simply promote Zanik. Co-owners Marc Lasry and Wes Edens, as well as Jamie Dinan, are heavily involved in the process though, and have differing opinions on the best candidates for the job, as Gery Woelfel of The Racine Journal Times writes.
Woelfel’s report, which was published before Wojnarowski, cited sources who said that Zanik and Karnisovas are “held in high regard” by Bucks ownership.
LaVar Ball Will Not Be Allowed At Lonzo Ball’s Workout
UCLA product Lonzo Ball is scheduled to workout for the Lakers tomorrow but his outspoken father, LaVar Ball, will not be present for it, head coach Luke Walton confirmed on the Jim Rome Show Tuesday.
The elder Ball, however, was offered an invitation to a pre-workout dinner — Walton was not sure LaVar would attend, but joked that his presence would provide a boost in entertainment.
“Absolutely. If he wanted to come to the dinner,” Walton said (via USA Today). “I think the workout is something that we’ll keep the doors closed on, but the dinner, I think he would definitely make the dinner more entertaining. He’s definitely welcome to join us for that one.”
Ball, 19, is expected to be a top draft pick this season and the Lakers own the second overall selection. As a solid player at UCLA and California native, Ball is viewed in many circles as a surefire Lakers pick. However, a report last week claimed the Lakers are not sold on the young point guard.
While Ball has mulled over working out for the Sixers, his father has previously stated that his son would only work out for Los Angeles — fueling speculation he would be the team’s first-round selection. After his workout on Wednesday, Ball’s possible future in Lakers purple and gold should be clearer.
On the topic of Ball’s father and his opinionated, outspoken nature, Walton noted that he would not have a problem managing the boisterous personality if the team selects Ball.
“No, I wouldn’t. We’re in the NBA, to me, that’s not an issue,” Walton said. “Parents are always gonna have their opinions. They’re gonna be outspoken at times. As you know, Jim, I have a very outspoken father myself. It doesn’t bother me. If we were to draft him, we’re gonna coach him. He’s gonna be part of our team. He’s gonna be part of our family. And we’ll go from there. This is the NBA. We’ll keep the team where it needs to be. We’ll not let outside things like that influence us on whether or not we pick the kid.”
Atlantic Notes: Smith, Fultz, Monk
The Knicks are reportedly targeting wings and guards in the NBA Draft and North Carolina State product Dennis Smith Jr. will work out for the team tomorrow, ESPN’s Ian Begley reports.
With the eighth overall selection in New York’s possession, the team feels that Smith will likely still be on the board once their pick rolls around. The 19-year-old averaged 18.1 PPG, 6.2 APG, and 4.6 RPG in 32 games as a member of the Wolfpack.
Marc Berman of the New York Post reports that the Knicks feel Smith’s defensive deficiencies and torn ACL from two years ago will knock him down in the draft. Berman adds that Smith is also scheduled to workout for the Lakers, Celtics and Sixers — the top three teams in this year’s draft.
Begley’s report mentions Malik Monk and Frank Ntilikina are also targets of interests for the Knicks.
Here are additional notes around the Atlantic division:
- Washington’s Markelle Fultz, who is expected to be drafted by the Celtics first overall, will only work out for Boston before the draft, according to Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer (via Twitter). While taking a tour of TD Garden on Tuesday, Fultz told ESPN’s Jeff Goodman, “It almost feels like I belong here.” With draft night later this month, the Fultz/Celtics union is looking more and more likely, though ESPN’s report suggests he hasn’t totally ruled out the idea of working out for teams besides Boston.
- While many feel that Monk would be a safe pick for the Sixers, David Murphy of the Philadelphia Inquirer feels the team would be making a mistake by drafting the 6’3″ point guard. With an evolving NBA centered on versatility, Murphy opines that Monk would not be as great a fit as he’s advertised, faced with difficulties against top tier talents and teams in the league.
Southeast Notes: Howard, McRoberts, NBA Draft Workouts
Dwight Howard‘s lack of versatility on offense cost him playing time with the Hawks last season and the eight-time All-Star wants to remedy that this offseason. Speaking on ESPN’s The Jump, Howard revealed that he is working to expand his three-point shooting in preparation for the 2017/18 season (via Andrew Joseph of USA Today’s For The Win).
“So, I have this guy in Atlanta that I’ve been working with, and I’ve been working on my threes,” Howard said. “Really trying to add some range to my game, which is gonna be weird for people to see, I guess. They’re used to seeing me in the paint, battling. But in order for me to play longer, I have to expand my game.”
Howard, 31, has never been a prolific shooter in the NBA; his main draw has been scoring in the paint and overpowering opposition in the low post. For his career, Howard has made just five of his 56 three-point attempts (8.9%). Howard’s last trey came during the 2014/15 season.
As Joseph writes, players such as Paul Millsap and Al Horford developed three-pointers in Atlanta. If Howard is looking for a blueprint, Nets center Brook Lopez is a good example; he shot 3-for-31 from long range the first eight seasons of his career before going 134-for-387 (34.6%) from deep during the 2016/17 campaign. Either way, an aging Howard — who the Hawks signed to a three-year, $70MM last season — will need to evolve to maximize his usefulness to a younger Hawks team.
Here are additional notes from the Southeast division:
- Josh McRoberts could be a viable option as the Heat’s backup center, Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel writes in his latest Ask Ira. McRoberts exercised his option to remain with the Heat for 2017/18, but the team could use the stretch provision to utilize the roster spot on else. Since joining the Heat during the 2014 offseason, McRoberts has appeared in 81 out of a possible 246 games.
- Keith Langlois of Pistons.com reports that Kentucky’s Bam Adebayo next scheduled visit is with the Heat (via Twitter).
- The Hornets announced their scheduled pre-draft workout attendees for tomorrow. The list includes Arizona guard Kadeem Allen, Wake Forest forward Austin Arians, Notre Dame forward V.J. Beachem, Davidson guard Jack Gibbs and big men Przemek Karnowski (Gonzaga) and Mangok Mathiang (Louisville).
Northwest Notes: Kanter, Rubio, Nuggets, Jazz, Blazers
Enes Kanter remains hopeful that he will be able to reunite with his family in the United States someday, reports Erik Horne of NewsOK.com. Currently, Kanter’s father sits in a Turkey jail, awaiting interrogation on Monday. Two and a half weeks ago, the Thunder big man’s passport was canceled by the Turkish government and he could not gain access to Romania. Homeland Security, a team of lawyers, and the NBA teamed up to arrange his speedy return to the United States, but now Kanter’s father is in trouble. Kanter’s mother, younger sister, and brother also currently remain in Turkey.
“If you’re a kid, woman or child, if you’re speaking out against them, they’ll arrest you,” Kanter said.
Here’s more from the Northwest division:
- Ricky Rubio wants the Timberwolves front office to value his input more heavily going forward, reports Michael Rand of The Minneapolis Star Tribune. Rubio made his comments to a Spanish website in the language of Catalan.
- The Nuggets held a pre-draft workout on Monday that included John Collins (Wake Forest), JeQuan Lewis (VCU), Landen Lucas (Kansas), Hassan Martin (Rhode Island), Caleb Swanigan (Purdue), and T.J. Williams (Northeastern), per the team’s official website.
- The Jazz will hold a pre-draft workout Wednesday, featuring Leo Cizmic (Croatia), Chance Comanche (Arizona), Youssoupha Fall (Senegal) Semi Ojeleye (SMU), Obinna Oleka (Arizona State), and JaCorey Williams (Middle Tennessee State), per the team’s official Twitter page.
- Harry Giles‘ next workout will be with the Trail Blazers, reports Sean Cunningham of ABC10 (KXTV) Sacramento (link via Twitter).
Atlantic Notes: Fultz, Horford, Celtics, 76ers
Celtics GM Danny Ainge was impressed by Markelle Fultz after the point guard spent two days in Boston, reports Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe. Boston owns the No. 1 overall pick in the upcoming draft and is strongly considering using the pick on Fultz.
“It went well. I had dinner with him last night. He had a physical yesterday and he had a workout this morning with Brad [Stevens]. Everything went well. He’s very talented,” Ainge told Himmelsbach by phone Tuesday.
But that is not all going on in the Atlantic division:
- Fresh off the first season of his sizable contract with the Celtics, Al Horford opens up about the high expectations and immense pressures he faces in an article from Mark Murphy of The Boston Herald. Horford explains how he copes: “My biggest thing, and I learned this at an early stage in my career, was to not read any of that information or see anything, good or bad…One day people love you, the next they hate you, it’s really up and down, and my focus was making sure the team kept getting better as a group, and not worry about anything outside. One thing that helped me was not paying attention to a lot of things.”
- 76ers president of basketball operations Bryan Colangelo is not speeding up the team’s rebuild and instead appears to be patiently and strategically building a contender a la Sam Hinkie‘s “The Process,” writes Bob Cooney of Philly.com.
- The 76ers will hold a pre-draft workout on Wednesday, reports Keith Pompey of Philly.com (link via Twitter). The scheduled participants are Jordan Bell (Oregon), Thomas Bryant (Indiana), Tyler Dorsey (Oregon), Elie Okobo (Élan Béarnais Pau-Orthez), L.J. Peak (Georgetown), and Steve Vasturia (Notre Dame).