Draft Rumors: Wolves, Sixers, Celtics, Nets, Monk
A Tuesday report suggested that the Pistons are open to the idea of moving their No. 12 overall pick for a more established veteran, and Detroit may not be the only team with that idea. According to Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders, there’s a belief that the Timberwolves – who currently hold the No. 7 pick – would move their lottery selection for a win-now veteran in the right deal.
Interestingly, both the Pistons and Timberwolves employ a head coach who also has the final say in basketball decisions, which is one reason why those clubs may be more inclined than others to get short-term help instead of looking too far down the road.
While we wait to see if either team seriously pursues a pick-for-player swap, here are a few more draft rumors from Kyler and his fellow Basketball Insiders scribe Moke Hamilton…
- Sixers president of basketball ops Bryan Colangelo has “made it pretty clear” that his second-round picks in this year’s draft are available, per Kyler. Philadelphia has four second-round picks in addition to the No. 3 overall selection this year, and has little interest in adding that many more young players to its roster.
- League sources who spoke to Kyler doubt that the Celtics will receive a trade offer valuable enough to move the No. 1 pick. Danny Ainge confirmed this week that he has received calls about that top selection, but according to Kyler, the prevailing belief in NBA circles is that Boston will use the pick.
- The Nets are “sold” on Latvian forward Rodions Kurucs, reports Hamilton. There’s skepticism that Kurucs will still be on the board when Brooklyn picks at No. 22, however, with speculation that he could go as early as No. 15. Interestingly, Portland holds that 15th overall pick, and the Nets have spoken to the Trail Blazers about the possibility of acquiring one of their first-round selections.
- Sources familiar with the Sixers‘ thinking believe Malik Monk is high on Philadelphia’s board, according to Hamilton. Hamilton suggests it might make sense for the Kings and 76ers to explore a deal, with Sacramento moving up to No. 3 to land De’Aaron Fox and Philadelphia sliding down to No. 5 to nab Monk.
Willie Reed To Decline Player Option With Heat
Heat big man Willie Reed will opt out of his contract with the Heat, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical, who reports (via Twitter) that Reed will turn down his player option for 2017/18. Declining that modest $1.577MM option will allow the 27-year-old to reach unrestricted free agency.
[RELATED: NBA Player Option Decisions For 2017/18]
Reed, who signed a minimum salary contract with the Heat last summer, appeared in 71 games for the team, averaging 14.5 minutes per contest in a part-time role. For the season, Reed recorded 5.3 PPG and 4.7 RPG with a .568 FG%.
While those numbers don’t jump off the page, Reed was a solid rotation piece for Miami and has likely earned a raise. The Heat only have Non-Bird rights on the 6’10” forward/center, so their ability to offer that raise will be limited, unless they can use cap space or their room exception.
Before he signed with Miami last July, Reed reportedly received interest from the Timberwolves, Spurs, Warriors, Thunder, and Pacers. Many of those teams could circle back to Reed this time around, and several more clubs will probably kick the tires, based on his solid performance in 2016/17.
Reed is one of three Heat veterans making a player option decision this summer. Josh McRoberts is opting into the final year of his contract, while Dion Waiters is considered a virtual lock to opt out.
Heat Purchase Controlling Interest In NBADL Affiliate
The Heat have officially purchased a controlling interest in their NBA D-League affiliate, the Sioux Falls Skyforce, the team announced today in a press release. The two teams had already shared a single-affiliate relationship for the last four years, but the Heat will now have more freedom to own and operate the franchise.
“We are so proud to enter into this partnership with the Miami Heat,” said Mike Heineman, the president and owner of the Skyforce. “They have been so good for the Skyforce and for the city of Sioux Falls. To be able to expand our partnership with Miami while keeping the team in Sioux Falls were our two biggest goals throughout this process.”
Heineman’s reference to keeping the Skyforce in Sioux Falls is an interesting one. With more and more NBA teams securing geographically-adjacent D-League clubs, the Heat/Skyforce pairing is an aberration. The distance between the NBADL arena in Sioux Falls, South Dakota and AmericanAirlines Arena in Miami is 1,825 miles — a 26-hour drive, per Google Maps.
Buying a controlling interest in the D-League organization gives the Heat the opportunity to relocate the club to a more logical spot, perhaps a city in South Florida. However, Heineman’s statement suggests the deal may include an agreement not to move the Skyforce out of Sioux Falls — at least not in the short-term future. The Heat’s press release notes that Heineman and his family will continue to run the Skyforce’s off-the-court business operations and community initiatives.
The NBA Development League, which will be renamed as the NBA Gatorade League in 2017/18, is expected to feature 26 teams next season, with only a handful of NBA teams still lacking an affiliate. The Nuggets, Blazers, and Wizards have yet to announce D-League plans, while the Pelicans’ affiliate is expected to begin play in 2018/19.
Bucks Rumors: GM Search, Garrity, Simon, Kidd
A Wednesday report indicated that the Bucks have received permission to interview at least four executives from various teams around the NBA for their open general manager position. However, Milwaukee’s list of potential GM targets in longer than that. A source familiar with the team tells Gery Woelfel of The Racine Journal Times that at least five other execs are under consideration by the Bucks, with about three dozen NBA officials having expressed interest in the job.
While Woelfel doesn’t specify any additional candidates, Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical provides two more names, tweeting that Milwaukee has been granted permission to speak to Pistons executive Pat Garrity and Heat assistant GM Adam Simon. Garrity was said to be a candidate for the top job in Orlando before the Magic hired Jeff Weltman and John Hammond.
Woelfel has more info on the team’s GM search in his latest piece, so let’s dive in and round up the highlights…
- Head coach Jason Kidd may be considered down the road for a top basketball operations role, but he’s not a candidate to take over that role in the short term, sources tell Woelfel. Still, Kidd will meet with the finalists for the position to ensure that they’ll have a good working relationship.
- Assistant GM Justin Zanik is viewed as a strong candidate to be promoted to GM, but even if he doesn’t receive an official promotion, he’ll be well-compensated. According to Woelfel, Zanik’s contract includes a unique clause that stipulates his pay will be equal to that of the new GM.
- Grizzlies VP of player personnel Ed Stefanski, one of the four candidates the Bucks received permission to interview, is viewed by several NBA officials as the frontrunner for the Bucks’ top job, reports Woelfel. Previous report have indicated that the relationship between Stefanski and Bucks consultant Rod Thorn is a strong factor working in Stefanski’s favor. The two men worked together in New Jersey and are longtime friends.
- On Thursday, we examined five key questions facing the Bucks this offseason, including who will be calling the shots on personnel decisions.
Lakers’ Jordan Clarkson On Trade Block?
A year after signing a long-term deal with the Lakers, Jordan Clarkson may find himself on the trade block this summer. According to Moke Hamilton of Basketball Insiders, the Lakers are “increasingly open-minded” about trading Jordan Clarkson, with a source suggesting that a deal this offseason wouldn’t be a surprise.
While Hamilton cautions that the idea of a Clarkson trade is mostly “conjecture” at this point, Jordan Schultz of Bleacher Report (Twitter link) takes it a step further. Schultz hears from a source that the Lakers aren’t just open-minded about moving Clarkson — they’ve been actively seeking out offers.
Dealing Clarkson, who will turn 25 next Wednesday, would make some sense for the Lakers if they’re locked into a guard like Lonzo Ball with the No. 2 overall pick. With Ball and D’Angelo Russell in the mix, a player like Clarkson – who is earning $12.5MM annually on a four-year contract – wouldn’t necessarily have a major role in L.A.’s backcourt unless the team wants to make him a full-time shooting guard.
Moving Russell would also be a possibility, though there has been no indication that the Lakers are considering that, despite alleged interest from other teams.
Clarkson is currently on track to enter the 2017/18 season as the third-highest-paid Laker, but would have more trade value than the two players earning more than him (Luol Deng and Timofey Mozgov). In 2016/17, Clarkson appeared in all 82 games, averaging 14.7 PPG, 3.0 RPG, and 2.6 APG.
Knicks, Nets Have Inquired On Blazers’ Picks
The Trail Blazers are reportedly open to discussing their three first-round picks in trades that would allow them to move salary, and it appears they’ve received interest from a pair of New York clubs. According to Sean Deveney of The Sporting News, the Knicks and Nets have inquired about Portland’s first-round picks.
As Deveney details, talks between the Blazers and Knicks are “ongoing,” with New York having asked about some combination of the 15th, 20th, and 26th overall selections. While it’s possible the Knicks could move down from No. 8, it’s more likely that they’d want to pick up a second first-rounder to add to that lottery selection. We heard earlier this month that the Knicks had discussed the possibility of acquiring a second first-round pick in a trade.
Meanwhile, the Nets have also inquired about Portland’s picks, and could be an intriguing trade partner. Allen Crabbe, who has a $19.33MM cap hit for 2017/18, is one potential trade candidate for the Blazers as they look to clear salary, and it was Brooklyn that signed Crabbe to that pricey four-year offer sheet last summer. If the Nets still have interest in Crabbe and are willing to take on his substantial contract and trade kicker, there could be a match there. In that scenario, the two teams would have to wait until after the one-year anniversary of Crabbe’s 2016 signing, as Brian Lewis of The New York Post noted when he explored the subject.
The Blazers currently have more than $133MM in guaranteed salary on their books for 2017/18, and that number would rise further if they use their draft picks and sign those players, which is why the team is open to moving a pick or two to clear some salary and perhaps get out of tax territory. As I noted on Wednesday, Crabbe, Evan Turner ($17.13MM), and Meyers Leonard ($9.9MM) are among the candidates for a salary dump. Maurice Harkless ($9.66MM) could also be on the block, though he’d have a little more value.
Latest On Legal Battle Between Dan Fegan, ISE
JUNE 1, 9:54am: A representative for Independent Sports & Entertainment has issued the following statement to Hoops Rumors regarding the Fegan case:
“ISE will vigorously enforce its rights against Dan Fegan in the upcoming arbitration proceeding and will seek all damages caused by Mr. Fegan’s outrageous behavior toward ISE and the agents that were under his supervision. The arbitrator already expressly rejected Mr. Fegan’s argument that the non-compete agreement is unenforceable — the third finder-of-fact to do so, and ruled that ISE can seek damages against Mr. Fegan for his wrongful conduct.”
MAY 31, 10:57pm: An arbitrator has ruled in favor of Dan Fegan in his legal battle with former employer Independent Sports & Entertainment, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical.
The arbitrator’s ruling denies ISE’s request for a preliminary injunction to prevent Fegan from competing against the agency. Fegan, who was fired in March as president of ISE basketball, has since launched his own company, Dynasty Sports Management.
Fegan has been among the leading agents for NBA players for some time, but in recent years he has been dismissed by high-profile clients such as John Wall, DeAndre Jordan and Dwight Howard. ISE claimed it had just cause for Fegan’s firing at the time of termination — the agency alleges that Fegan was operating a side business while working for ISE.
Luke Adams contributed to this post.
Suns, Wolves, Hawks Expected To Have Interest In Andre Iguodala
While Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant will receive most of the attention among the Warriors free-agents-to-be, Andre Iguodala is also on track to reach the open market this summer, and figures to draw interest around the NBA. League sources tell Ramona Shelburne and Chris Haynes of ESPN that the Suns, Timberwolves, and Hawks are expected to be among the teams with an eye on Iguodala this offseason.
Iguodala has seen his scoring numbers dip since joining the Warriors in 2013, but has been a crucial piece of the team’s rotation as a solid defender and passed with the ability to make the occasional three-point shot. In 2016/17, the veteran swingman came off the bench in 76 games, averaging 7.6 PPG, 4.0 RPG, 3.4 APG, and a .528/.362/.706 shooting line. He’s a finalist for the league’s Sixth Man of the Year award.
Iguodala’s skill-set and veteran leadership would be valuable to a number of teams, and it will be tricky for the Warriors to keep him around is Durant opts out and wants to sign a full maximum salary contract. However, Durant is said to be open to the idea of accepting less than the max, which would allow Golden State to hang onto Iguodala’s Bird rights and go over the cap to re-sign him.
Given the success Iguodala and the Warriors have enjoyed together in recent years, I’d expect Golden State to be the strong frontrunner to sign him to a new deal in July. If the Dubs hesitate at all though, there should be no shortage of rival suitors ready to swoop in with strong offers.
Kevin Durant Open To Re-Signing For Less Than Max
With an NBA Finals rematch against the Cavaliers set to get underway tonight, the Warriors have more pressing matters on their minds than the coming offseason, but with Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, and several other rotation players eligible for free agency, Golden State may have some difficult decisions to make. However, according to Ramona Shelburne and Chris Haynes of ESPN.com, Durant is open to the idea of making those decisions a little easier for the Warriors by accepting less than the maximum salary.
Durant, who signed a two-year contract with the Warriors last July, has a player option in year two, meaning he can opt out this summer and sign a new deal. The former MVP is also finishing up his 10th NBA season, which makes him eligible for a substantially higher max salary. As we outlined on Wednesday, the starting max salary for a player with 10+ years of NBA experience is currently projected to be $35.35MM. That’s significantly higher than Durant’s $27.73MM player option.
In order to create the cap room necessary for a new maximum salary contract for Durant though, the Warriors would almost certainly have to renounce their Bird rights to other key free agents like Shaun Livingston and Andre Iguodala. Golden State would still be able to give Durant and Curry new long-term maximum salary contracts in that scenario, but would then only have the modest room exception and the minimum salary exception left to add or re-sign players.
On the other hand, if Durant is willing to take less than the max, he could either exercise his player option or turn it down and re-sign a deal based on his Non-Bird rights. Those rights allow for a raise of up to 20%. Since Durant earned about $26.54MM in 2016/17, a 20% raise would take him up to approximately $31.84MM for ’17/18. In that scenario, the Warriors would stay above the cap, allowing them to continue carrying their cap holds for Livingston and Iguodala, retaining those players’ Bird rights and making it much easier to re-sign them.
League sources stressed to Shelburne and Haynes that Durant hasn’t made any final decisions about his contract situation quite yet, but if he’s open to sacrificing about $3.5MM next season, he could give the Warriors much more flexibility to bring back their other free agents. Durant could also sign another short-term deal and potentially opt out to get the bigger max in 2018.