Sixers Notes: Embiid, Saric, Covington, Fultz
Joel Embiid‘s teammates believe the Sixers made the right move by rewarding him with a five-year extension, writes Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer. Embiid is slated to receive $148MM, but the value could go as high as $178MM if he meets certain criteria. There are also several salary cap protections to guard the organization against further injury for Embiid, who has played just 31 games in three seasons. “Have you seen him play? He’s a beast,” Ben Simmons responded when asked about the extension. “I can’t name one person that can stop him. Honestly, there’s nobody that can compete with him at his position. No one.”
Embiid is still recovering from “minor” surgery in March to fix a torn meniscus in his left knee. The Sixers were hoping to have him ready for the October 18 season opener, but rehab has been going well and Pompey suggests he may play in Friday’s preseason finale. Embiid’s last game before the surgery was January 27.
There’s more this morning out of Philadelphia:
- Embiid’s cap hit for next summer will be either $25.2MM or $30.3MM, depending on whether he meets the qualifications for the 30% max, according to Derek Bodner of The Athletic. If Embiid is only at the 25% max, Philadelphia will have about $53.34MM in committed salary heading into next year’s free agent sweepstakes. That leaves roughly $47.6MM, but that figure will be reduced by draft picks and option decisions. The Sixers may have two first-rounders if they land the Lakers’ pick, and they have to determine whether to extend rookie-scale contracts for Jahlil Okafor ($6.3MM in 2018/19), Dario Saric ($2.5MM) and Justin Anderson ($2.5MM) by the end of October. Bodner writes that the Sixers are certain to pick up Saric’s option, but Okafor and Anderson are less definite. Philadelphia also has team options on T.J. McConnell and Richaun Holmes valued at $1.6MM each, but those don’t have to be addressed until June 29.
- The team’s most important remaining salary decision involves Robert Covington, Bodner adds in the same piece. Starting November 15, Covington will be eligible to have his contract renegotiated or extended. He will become a free agent with a $3MM cap hold next summer if nothing is done.
- Rookie guard Markelle Fultz may still be suffering the effects of a right shoulder injury, Pompey relays in a separate story. The first overall pick had to sit out Friday’s game and is shooting just 29.2% from the floor in the preseason. “I think his shoulder is affecting him more than he lets on,” coach Brett Brown said. “You can tell with his free throw, you know, trying to get that ball up. Its follow from his body. But he’s been working on just trying to get that thing rehabilitated.”
Shawn Long Will Play In China
Former Sixers big man Shawn Long, who was briefly acquired by the Rockets this summer, has reached a deal with the Xinjiang Tigers of the Chinese Basketball Association, tweets international writer David Pick.
The 24-year-old signed with Philadelphia last summer after going undrafted out of Louisiana-Lafayette. He was waived before the season started, but rejoined the team in March on a 10-day contract and earned a multi-year deal with a partial guarantee.
The Rockets traded for him in June when they were acquiring several low-salary deals without full guarantees for use in possible trades. Houston waived him September 26, just before a $50K guarantee for this season took effect.
Long got into 18 games for Philadelphia last season, averaging 8.2 points and 4.7 rebounds in 13 minutes per night.
Rajon Rondo Has Surgery, Out 4-6 Weeks
Pelicans point guard Rajon Rondo will be sidelined four to six weeks after undergoing surgery for a sports hernia, tweets Shams Charania of The Vertical.
The 31-year-old had a meeting Monday with a specialist, who determined that an operation was necessary. Rondo suffered the injury Friday in a game against Oklahoma City.
Rondo’s absence is a setback for New Orleans, which signed him over the summer to a one-year, $3.3MM deal to run an offense featuring All-Star big men Anthony Davis and DeMarcus Cousins. Jrue Holiday will probably shift back to point guard in Rondo’s absence.
Nicolas Batum Won’t Need Surgery On Elbow
A specialist has determined that Nicolas Batum won’t require surgery, reports Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer.
The Hornets swingman suffered a torn ligament in his left elbow in a game last Wednesday and is projected to be sidelined for six to eight weeks. An MRI showed it was a tear of the ulnar collateral ligament.
“It’s going to be long, but not that long,” Batum said before Monday’s meeting with a doctor in Dallas. “If it were my shooting arm, it would be a lot longer. At max, it’s three months.”
The Charlotte medical staff is still determining the best course of treatment, but the team has to be relieved that Batum won’t have to undergo an operation. The 28-year-old is coming off his best statistical season, averaging a career high 15.1 points per game to go with 6.2 rebounds and 5.9 assists.
2017 Offseason In Review: Sacramento Kings
Hoops Rumors is breaking down the 2017 offseason for all 30 NBA teams, revisiting the summer’s free agent signings, trades, draft picks, departures, and more. We’ll evaluate each team’s moves from the last several months and look ahead to what the 2017/18 season holds for all 30 franchises. Today, we’re focusing on the Sacramento Kings.
Signings:
- George Hill: Three years, $57MM. Third year partially guaranteed ($1MM).
- Zach Randolph: Two years, $24MM.
- Vince Carter: One year, $8MM.
- Jack Cooley: Two-way contract. One year. $50K guaranteed.
- JaKarr Sampson: Two-way contract. One year. $50K guaranteed.
Camp invitees:
- Matt Jones: One year, minimum salary. Exhibits nine and 10.
- Marcus Williams: One year, minimum salary. Summer contract with exhibit nine.
Trades:
- Acquired the draft rights to Justin Jackson (No. 15 pick) and Harry Giles (No. 20 pick) from the Trail Blazers in exchange for the rights to Zach Collins (No. 10 pick).
- Acquired a 2019 second-round pick and cash ($400K) from the Knicks in exchange for the right to hire Scott Perry.
- Note: 2019 second-round pick will be the second-most favorable of Cavaliers’, Rockets’, and Magic’s picks.
Draft picks:
- 1-5: De’Aaron Fox — Signed to rookie contract.
- 1-15: Justin Jackson — Signed to rookie contract.
- 1-20: Harry Giles — Signed to rookie contract.
- 2-34: Frank Mason — Signed to three year, $4.181MM contract. Third year non-guaranteed.
Draft-and-stash signings:
- Bogdan Bogdanovic (2014; No. 27) — Signed to three-year, $27MM contract.
Departing players:
- Arron Afflalo (waived)
- Darren Collison
- Tyreke Evans
- Langston Galloway
- Rudy Gay
- Ty Lawson
- Ben McLemore
- Anthony Tolliver (waived)
Other offseason news:
- Harry Giles will be out through at least January due to history of knee injuries.
- Extended general manager Vlade Divac through 2019/20 and exercised head coach Dave Joerger‘s option for ’19/20.
- Hired Scott Perry as executive VP of basketball operations, then lost him to Knicks.
- Hired Brandon Williams as assistant general manager.
- Zach Randolph agreed to plea deal after being arrested on marijuana charges.
Salary cap situation:
- Operating under the cap, but over the salary floor. Can create up to $4MM+ in cap room (carrying approximately $95MM in team salary). Room exception ($4.328MM) still available if/when cap room used.
Check out the Sacramento Kings’ full roster and depth chart at RosterResource.com.
Story of the summer:
The Kings have traditionally done things in an unconventional fashion. This offseason was no different, as they lavished free agent contracts on some big-name veterans, including two in the twilight of their careers.
Signing George Hill, Zach Randolph and Vince Carter doesn’t make much sense on the surface. None of those players will be on the roster by the time the Kings become a playoff contender. It’s also a head-scratcher for those players to choose a floundering franchise that traded away its best player, DeMarcus Cousins, last February in a heavily-criticized deal.
The Sacramento brass had a ulterior motive for bringing in the trio. The team decided that the youngsters dotting the remainder of the roster needed proven winners to facilitate the mentoring process.
Hill, who got a front-loaded deal with $39MM in guarantees the first two seasons, will guide lottery pick De’Aaron Fox through the process of becoming a dependable NBA floor leader. Randolph will provide low-post tips to second-year man Skal Labissiere and third-year center Willie Cauley-Stein. Carter will show rookie Justin Jackson and second-year guard Buddy Hield the ropes on how to become top-notch wing players.
The results of those signings won’t be based upon how many games the Kings win this season, but rather how quickly their younger players develop.
Atlantic Notes: Embiid, Hornacek, Holmes, Morris
The Sixers could still have $40MM in cap space next season despite agreeing to a five-year, $148MM extension with center Joel Embiid, ESPN’s Bobby Marks points out. Embiid’s starting salary of $25.3MM is $7MM more than his $18.3MM cap hold for the 2018/19 season, Marks continues. Philadelphia still has just $57MM in guaranteed contract commitments for next season, Marks adds.
In other developments around the Atlantic Division:
- The current Knicks roster puts head coach Jeff Hornacek in a no-win situation, Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News argues. The front office has stressed improvement in effort and stops but recent acquisitions Tim Hardaway Jr., Michael Beasley, Enes Kanter and Doug McDermott won’t improve the defense, Bondy continues. Hornacek will have the unenviable task of trying to develop a system to mask those defensive shortcomings, Bondy adds.
- Injured Sixers power forward Richaun Holmes doesn’t believe he’ll require surgery on his injured wrist, Jessica Camerato of NBC Sports Philadelphia tweets. Holmes suffered a non-displaced fracture in his left wrist during a preseason game on Friday.
- Celtics forward Marcus Morris needs to drops about seven pounds and work on his conditioning but he plans to play the regular-season opener, A. Sherrod Blakely of NBC Sports Boston reports. Morris missed a portion of training camp while on trial in Phoenix for an assault charge. He was acquitted.
- Forward K.J. McDaniels and Alfonzo McKinnie are likely fighting for the final spot on the Raptors’ opening-day roster, according to Doug Smith of the Toronto Star. There’s room for both but GM Bobby Webster has expressed a desire to leave a spot open, Smith continues. Raptors coach Dwane Casey told Smith and other media members that the competition between the two is close. “There’s right now no clear-cut favorite going into this week,” he said.
Cavs Notes: Wade, J.R. Smith, Frye, Shumpert
Newest Cavalier Dwyane Wade will open the 2017/18 season in the team’s starting lineup, head coach Tyronn Lue confirmed today. As Joe Vardon of Cleveland.com details, J.R. Smith will come off the bench with Wade taking over as the starting shooting guard, and Lue said today that Smith handled the news well.
“He was fine,” Lue said. “It’s tough, you’ve been in position where you went to three straight Finals and you’ve been the starting two guard. But like I said, it’s about sacrifice if you want to win. J.R. was great about it. Just knows he has to have a different role right now so we’ll see how it works.”
Although Derrick Rose will join Wade in the starting lineup, Lue said today that Rose will head to the bench early in games and then return to run the second-team offense. In that scenario, the former MVP would likely lead a lineup that features Smith, Kyle Korver, and Jeff Green, though we’ll see what adjustments the team makes when the season officially gets underway.
Here’s more on the Cavs:
- One player who likely won’t see many minutes in the Cavs’ rotation – barring injuries – is Channing Frye, Vardon writes in a separate piece. Lue told Frye that he probably won’t play a whole lot this season, and the head coach said the veteran forward responded admirably. “That’s the type of vet you want around,” Lue said. “Unbelievable character guy. He understands it’s a long season. There’s going to be opportunities.”
- Sam Amico of AmicoHoops.net hears that the Cavs already know which player with a guaranteed salary they’ll waive, assuming they can’t trade anyone. The Cavs haven’t identified that player, of course, but Richard Jefferson has been the candidate mentioned most frequently. Cleveland’s initial cuts may begin on Tuesday, Amico adds.
- According to Amico, the Cavaliers continue to explore possible trades involving Iman Shumpert, but they’ve had trouble finding a taker all offseason, and Shumpert’s foot injury isn’t helping matters.
- We rounded up a few Cavs notes on Sunday as well, including news on Isaiah Thomas‘ change in representation.
Central Rumors: Zipser, Markkanen, Ellenson, Nachbar
Bulls swingman Paul Zipser projects as a starter during his second season in the league but he sees himself as more of a role player, as Joel Brigham of Basketball Insiders details. Zipser, a second-round pick in 2016, will receive expanded playing time after the franchise moved All-Star Jimmy Butler to the Timberwolves this summer. Zipser won’t provide All-Star level production but he’ll help the Bulls at both ends of the floor and deliver 12-15 points per game, according to Brigham. “I don’t need to be the leader of the team or the top scorer of the team or to have the ball in my hands the whole time,” he told Brigham. “That’s not who I am as a person, but I wanted a bigger role and more opportunity to do some leading along with some other guys on the team. And that’s what I think is going to happen.” If Zipser flops, his future with the Bulls beyond this season is uncertain. His $1,544,951 salary for 2018/19 is not guaranteed.
In other developments concerning the Central Division:
- The Bulls would be wise to leave rookie big man Lauri Markkanen at power forward, Vince Goodwill of NBCSports.com opines. Markkanen looks overmatched at this stage trying to guard the likes of Pelicans center DeMarcus Cousins, as he did in a preseason game on Sunday, Goodwill continues. However, since the Bulls have two rotation-worthy centers and power forwards, he’ll have to play both positions to get playing time this season, Goodwill notes.
- Veteran Anthony Tolliver is likely to nab a rotation spot over second-year player Henry Ellenson, but the young Pistons power forward is making that a tougher call, as Keith Langlois of Pistons.com explains. Coach Stan Van Gundy told Langlois and other media members after Ellenson scored 16 points against the Hawks in a preseason game this weekend that Ellenson has made a strong impression in training camp. “He’s probably been the most consistent of anybody,” Van Gundy said. “Every time we play, every time we practice, he really hasn’t had – I don’t remember a bad day since the start of camp. I think his confidence is sky high. He’s really focused on what he has to do. He’s playing very, very well.”
- The Pistons have added Bostjan Nachbar to their international scouting staff, overseas expert David Pick tweets. Nachbar played for three NBA franchises from 2002-08 after the Rockets made him a mid-first-round selection in 2002.
2017 Offseason In Review: Utah Jazz
Hoops Rumors is breaking down the 2017 offseason for all 30 NBA teams, revisiting the summer’s free agent signings, trades, draft picks, departures, and more. We’ll evaluate each team’s moves from the last several months and look ahead to what the 2017/18 season holds for all 30 franchises. Today, we’re focusing on the Utah Jazz.
Signings:
- Joe Ingles: Four years, $50MM.
- Thabo Sefolosha: Two years, $10.5MM. Second year non-guaranteed.
- Jonas Jerebko: Two years, $8.2MM. Second year non-guaranteed.
- Ekpe Udoh: Two years, $6.5MM. Second year non-guaranteed.
- Royce O’Neale: Three years, minimum salary. Second and third years non-guaranteed.
- Eric Griffin: Two-way contract. One year. $50K guaranteed.
- Nate Wolters: Two-way contract. One year. $50K guaranteed.
Camp invitees:
- Taylor Braun: One year, minimum salary. Exhibits nine and 10. (Waived)
- Naz Mitrou-Long: One year, minimum salary. Exhibits nine and 10.
- Torian Graham: Exact details not yet known.
Trades:
- Acquired the draft rights to Donovan Mitchell (No. 13 pick) from the Nuggets in exchange for Trey Lyles and the draft rights to Tyler Lydon (No. 24 pick).
- Acquired the draft rights to Tony Bradley (No. 28 pick) from the Lakers in exchange for the draft rights to Josh Hart (No. 30 pick) and Thomas Bryant (No. 42 pick).
- Acquired Ricky Rubio from the Timberwolves in exchange for the Thunder’s 2018 first-round pick (top-14 protected).
Draft picks:
- 1-13: Donovan Mitchell — Signed to rookie contract.
- 1-28: Tony Bradley — Signed to rookie contract.
- 2-55: Nigel Williams-Goss — Stashed overseas.
Departing players:
- Boris Diaw (waived)
- Gordon Hayward
- George Hill
- Trey Lyles
- Shelvin Mack
- Jeff Withey
Other offseason news:
- Hired David Morway and Justin Zanik as assistant general managers.
Salary cap situation:
- Used cap room; now operating over the cap, but under the tax. Carrying approximately $110MM in guaranteed salaries. Approximately $1.128MM of room exception still available. Otherwise, only minimum salary exception available.
Check out the Utah Jazz’s full roster and depth chart at RosterResource.com.
Story of the summer:
There’s no denying that Utah’s biggest priority heading into the summer was to retain the services of Gordon Hayward, a free agent after seven seasons with the Jazz. Alas, the Butler product left the only NBA franchise he ever knew to reunite with former Butler head coach Brad Stevens as a Celtic.
While the Jazz may have been devastated by the move, they weren’t blindsided, and they ended up stringing together an offseason with upsides that ease the pain of their All-Star’s exit.
Hayward was an excellent asset for the Jazz, but Rudy Gobert and the system installed by coach Quin Snyder have been equally important to the franchise’s recent success. With a host of compelling young players eager to develop and take advantage of a newfound opportunity, 2017/18 may not be so bad after all.
Jazz Sign Torian Graham
The Jazz have signed Torian Graham to a contract, the team announced today in a press release. Details of the agreement weren’t released, but it figures to be a non-guaranteed deal.
Graham, a 6’4″ guard, spent last season at Arizona State. In 33 games, Graham averaged 18.6 PPG with 4.2 RPG, and was the team’s biggest threat from three-point range — he made outside shots at a 38.7% rate, pouring in 3.3 per game.
The Jazz had been carrying the maximum 20 players up until Saturday, when the club waived camp invitee Taylor Braun. That opened up one spot, which Utah has filled by signing Graham and getting back up to 20 players.
While the Jazz didn’t say as much in their announcement of the signing, they likely view Graham as a potential affiliate player for their G League squad, the Salt Lake City Stars.