Western Notes: Paul, Thompson, Mitchell, Oliver
Clippers owner Steve Ballmer had a feeling last spring that Chris Paul wanted to move on, he told Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times in a Q&A session. Ballmer’s feelings were confirmed shortly after the season but he didn’t get a final decision from Paul until a phone conversation while Ballmer was vacationing in the Greek Isles. Ballmer has stayed in touch with Paul since he was traded to the Rockets but doesn’t believe the team is necessarily worse off without the All-Star point guard, he told Turner. “Chris is an awesome player. But we’re such a different team,” he said. “We are younger. We are more athletic than we were. We are longer than we were. … But we’re different and we’ll see whether we’re different good or not.”
In other news around the Western Conference:
- Klay Thompson said he’s willing to give the Warriors a discount when his contract expires after the 2018/19 season, he told Marcus Thompson and Tim Kawakami of The Athletic in a podcast that was relayed by NBCSports.com’s Kurt Helin. Thompson hedged when asked if he’d take a $9MM cut, as Kevin Durant did this summer, but asserted that he’s willing to make a sacrifice to keep the core group together. “I would definitely consider it cause I don’t want to lose anybody,” Thompson said of a potential team discount.
- First-round selection Donovan Mitchell has impressed Jazz coach Quin Snyder with his defensive tenacity, Mike Sorensen of the Deseret News writes. The No. 13 overall pick enjoys playing defense, as he told Sorensen, and his head coach has noticed. “Donovan’s defense — if you’re on the wing and trying to get open, you better be ready, because he’s going to make it hard for you to catch the ball,” he said. The shooting guard will battle Alec Burks and Rodney Hood for playing time.
- Rockets rookie forward Cameron Oliver underwent surgery to repair a fractured right hand, the team tweets. Oliver, who went undrafted out of Nevada, will be re-evaluated in approximately 4-6 weeks, the team adds. Oliver signed a two-year minimum contract that includes a $300K guarantee.
Pacific Notes: Lakers, Teodosic, Reed, Labissiere
Russell Westbrook‘s decision to sign a max extension is bad news for the Lakers in their pursuit of two top-level free agents next summer, as Eric Pincus examines in a Bleacher Report column. The Lakers were hopeful they could fill a max slot with Westbrook, who now has all season to convince another Los Angeles target, Paul George, to re-sign with the Thunder in the offseason, Pincus continues. Moreover, the Lakers are currently projected to have $47MM in cap space if they let restricted free agent Julius Randle walk, which isn’t enough to land two star free agents, Pincus notes. Unless they can convince LeBron James to come West, their best remaining options could be DeMarcus Cousins or DeAndre Jordan, provided Jordan doesn’t sign an extension with the Clippers, Pincus adds.
In other items regarding the Pacific Division teams:
- Clippers point guard Milos Teodosic has a simple explanation why he decided to play in the NBA this season after gaining a reputation as Europe’s top player, as Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times passes along. “I decided long time ago that I wanted to play in the NBA, but I didn’t have that much chances because I was always under contract and I was not free agent,” Teodosic told Turner. “This summer I was free and the first big opportunity was here with the Clippers.” Teodosic signed a two-year, $12.3MM contract to be the Clippers’ primary ballhandler.
- Clippers center Willie Reed had his arraignment hearing for a misdemeanor domestic battery charge in Miami rescheduled from today to Oct. 16, Ira Winderman of the Sun-Sentinel tweets. Reed was booked on the charge in August. The alleged incident occurred shortly after Reed, who played for the Heat last season, signed a one-year, $1.5MM contract with the Clippers.
- Kings coach Dave Joerger doesn’t believe Skal Labissiere will reach his full potential until his body fills out and he gets stronger, Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee reports. Labissiere, entering his second season, averaged 10.8 points and 6.0 rebounds in 25 games after DeMarcus Cousins was dealt to the Pelicans. “He won’t be a finished product this year either,” Joerger told Jones. “It’s three, whatever number of years from now, when he fills into his body completely.”
2017 Offseason In Review: Minnesota Timberwolves
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 Minnesota Timberwolves.
Signings:
- Jeff Teague: Three years, $57MM. Third-year player option.
- Taj Gibson: Two years, $28MM.
- Jamal Crawford: Two years, $8.872MM. Second-year player option.
- Shabazz Muhammad: Two years, minimum salary. Second-year player option.
- Aaron Brooks: One year, minimum salary.
- Anthony Brown: Two-way contract. One year, $50K guaranteed.
Camp invitees:
- Marcus Georges-Hunt: One year, minimum salary. Non-guaranteed.
- Amile Jefferson: One year, minimum salary. Exhibits nine and 10.
- Melo Trimble: One year, minimum salary. Exhibits nine and 10.
Trades:
- Acquired Jimmy Butler and the draft rights to Justin Patton (No. 16 pick) from the Bulls in exchange for Zach LaVine, Kris Dunn, and the draft rights to Lauri Markkanen (No. 7 pick).
- Acquired the Thunder’s 2018 first-round pick (top-14 protected) from the Jazz in exchange for Ricky Rubio.
Draft picks:
- 1-16: Justin Patton — Signed to rookie contract.
Departing players:
- Omri Casspi
- Kris Dunn
- Jordan Hill
- Zach LaVine
- Adreian Payne
- Nikola Pekovic (waived; medical retirement)
- Ricky Rubio
- Brandon Rush
Other offseason news:
- Expected to finalize rookie scale extension with Andrew Wiggins.
- Bought Iowa Energy, renamed the G League team as the Iowa Wolves.
Salary cap situation:
- Used up all cap room and room exception. Over the cap, carrying approximately $104MM in guaranteed salaries. Only minimum salary exception available.
Check out the Minnesota Timberwolves’ full roster and depth chart at RosterResource.com.
Story of the summer:
Heading into June’s draft, it looked like the Timberwolves were on track to add another young prospect – perhaps Malik Monk or Lauri Markkanen – to a core that already featured Andrew Wiggins, Karl-Anthony Towns, Kris Dunn, and Zach LaVine. Throw in a free agent addition or two, and that young group would have had a chance to make the leap into the top eight in the West, earning the Wolves their first playoff berth since 2004.
Head coach and president of basketball operations Tom Thibodeau had other ideas though, signaling that he wasn’t satisfied with simply taking another incremental step forward. Instead of playing it safe on draft day, the Wolves flipped Dunn, LaVine, and the team’s No. 7 pick to the Bulls for old friend Jimmy Butler.
Once free agency got underway, Thibs and the front office added another familiar face from his Bulls days by signing Taj Gibson, and filled out the backcourt with a couple more veterans, signing Jeff Teague and Jamal Crawford.
When the dust settled, the Timberwolves still looked like a team capable of making strides based on the development of former top picks Wiggins and Towns, but the veteran additions – headlined by Butler – had significantly increased the ceiling for the club. Suddenly, Minnesota looked ready not just to end the franchise’s postseason drought, but to potentially grab a top-five seed in a competitive Western Conference.
Thunder Notes: George, Westbrook, Injuries
While Russell Westbrook‘s new extension with the Thunder certainly doesn’t guarantee that new teammate Paul George will also choose to stick around beyond this season, the All-Star forward intends to give Oklahoma City an audience next summer, a source tells TNT’s David Aldridge.
According to Aldridge’s source, George has been impressed by the Thunder’s culture and by Sam Presti‘s approach to roster building. As the source puts it, George was impressed that Presti and the front office had the guts to essentially retool the entire roster in order to land him and Carmelo Anthony this offseason.
Whether that ultimately results in George deciding to stay in Oklahoma City and sign a new deal with the Thunder remains to be seen, but he appears more open to the idea than he would have been a few months ago. Meanwhile, owner Clay Bennett appears more open to being on the hook for a big tax bill to keep his roster together than he was a few years ago.
Here’s more on the Thunder:
- Speaking on Sunday to reporters, including ESPN’s Royce Young, Westbrook declined to get into specifics on why he waited nearly three months to sign his extension, but said his commitment to Oklahoma City never wavered. “I like where I’m at,” Westbrook said.
- Westbrook, Patrick Patterson, and Alex Abrines will all miss the Thunder’s preseason opener on Tuesday, writes Brett Dawson of The Oklahoman. “For Russell, it’s just a slow progression,” head coach Billy Donovan said of the reigning MVP, who underwent PRP therapy on his left knee. “There’s no reason just to throw him back in so quickly, but he’s doing more and more, and he did everything today at practice.”
- Addressing the status of Patterson and Abrines, Donovan said that it’s difficult to put a time frame on either player’s return, but he doesn’t view their injuries as long-term issues. Like Westbrook, Patterson and Abrines are dealing with knee issues.
- Earlier today, we passed along details on Rob Hennigan‘s new role with the Thunder.
Poll: Los Angeles Lakers’ 2017/18 Win Total
Having finished the 2016/17 season with a 26-56 record, the Lakers have now lost at least 55 games for four straight seasons. Still, there’s an unusual level of optimism surrounding the club as the 2017/18 season nears.
After hiring Magic Johnson and Rob Pelinka to run their front office early in 2017, the Lakers lucked out in the lottery, keeping their first-round pick and landing a potential star in point guard Lonzo Ball. The club also managed to find a taker for Timofey Mozgov‘s unwieldy contract, attaching D’Angelo Russell to Mozgov and sending the duo to the Nets for Brook Lopez and a first-round pick, which L.A. used on Summer League standout Kyle Kuzma.
Free agency wasn’t quite as eventful for a Lakers team biding its time and hoping to make a splash in 2018, but the club did convince Kentavious Caldwell-Pope to accept a one-year deal, adding an intriguing two-way wing to the roster.
Veteran additions like Caldwell-Pope and Lopez should help the Lakers improve upon last year’s record, but many of the team’s most promising pieces are still awfully young. Brandon Ingram just turned 20 and Ball will do so later this month. Julius Randle and Kuzma are just 22. Even KCP is only 24 and has yet to fully deliver on his potential.
While there’s a lot of talent on the roster, the Lakers may be a year or two from really making noise in the Western Conference. Oddsmakers certainly seem hesitant to go all-in on the squad this year, with offshore betting site Bovada placing L.A.’s over/under at 33.5 wins.
What do you think? Are the Lakers ready to win 34+ games, potentially making a run at a .500 record for the first time since 2012/13? Or does this club still need another year of development before delivering that kind of performance? Vote below in our poll and jump into the comment section to share your thoughts!
How many games will the Lakers win in 2017/18?
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Over 33.5 50% (756)
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Under 33.5 50% (744)
Total votes: 1,500
Trade Rumors app users, click here to vote.
Previous over/under voting results:
Western Conference:
- Golden State Warriors: Over 67.5 (53.57%)
- Houston Rockets: Over 55.5 (65.57%)
- San Antonio Spurs: Over 54.5 (67.74%)
- Oklahoma City Thunder: Over 50.5 (71.77%)
- Minnesota Timberwolves: Over 48.5 (55.69%)
- Denver Nuggets: Under 45.5 (50.44%)
- Los Angeles Clippers: Over 43.5 (60.7%)
- Portland Trail Blazers: Over 42.5 (56.3%)
- Utah Jazz: Over 41.5 (55.94%)
- New Orleans Pelicans: Over 39.5 (65.26%)
- Memphis Grizzlies: Over 37.5 (53.43%)
- Dallas Mavericks: Under 35.5 (54.95%)
Eastern Conference:
- Boston Celtics: Over 55.5 (63.5%)
- Cleveland Cavaliers: Over 53.5 (68.82%)
- Toronto Raptors: Over 48.5 (64.21%)
- Washington Wizards: Over 47.5 (71.29%)
- Milwaukee Bucks: Over 47.5 (63.88%)
- Miami Heat: Over 43.5 (55.39%)
- Charlotte Hornets: Over 42.5 (51.07%)
- Philadelphia 76ers: Under 41.5 (53.37%)
- Detroit Pistons: Over 38.5 (51.95%)
Former Magic GM Rob Hennigan Rejoins Thunder
OCTOBER 2: The Thunder have officially announced Hennigan’s new role with the team, confirming in a press release that he has been re-hired as OKC’s vice president of insight and foresight.
“I couldn’t be more pleased to welcome Rob back to the Thunder,” Presti said in a statement. “He was here in the earliest stages of the organization in 2008 as we built the foundation for the Thunder that we are continuing to build from as we enter our 10th season in Oklahoma City.”
The Thunder also promoted Will Dawkins to VP of identification and intelligence.
SEPTEMBER 13: Three months after being dismissed by the Magic, veteran executive Rob Hennigan is returning to his old NBA home, according to Michael Scotto of Basketball Insiders (Twitter link). League sources tell Scotto that the Thunder have re-hired the former Orlando general manager.
Hennigan, who spent five years as the Magic’s GM, was a member of the Oklahoma City front office before making the move to Orlando. During his final two seasons with the Thunder, Hennigan served as the club’s assistant general manager/player personnel. Before that, he spent two seasons as OKC’s director of college/international player personnel.
While Hennigan didn’t have much success in Orlando during his first stint as the head of a basketball operations department, reports in the wake of his firing suggested that he remained widely respected around the NBA, and would likely receive “attractive” offers from other teams.
It remains to be seen what Hennigan’s new title in Oklahoma City will be, but it’s worth noting that one of the Thunder’s assistant general managers, Michael Winger, left the franchise last month to become the Clippers’ new GM. It would make sense for Hennigan to help fill the hole created by Winger’s departure, rejoining old friends Sam Presti and Troy Weaver in OKC’s basketball operations department.
And-Ones: Rockets, Salary Cap, Millsap, Gray
While James Harden and Trevor Ariza helped to recruit Chris Paul to Houston back in June, Bobby Brown‘s role in selling Paul on the Rockets shouldn’t be overlooked, as David Yapkowitz of Basketball Insiders outlines.
“That’s one of my good friends. We played together in New Orleans and we built a bond from then,” Brown said of his new Rockets teammate. “The basketball world is so small, once you build a bond with somebody that’s real cool and has a great personality, it’s almost like a no-brainer.”
Here are a few more odds and ends from across the NBA:
- The latest salary cap projections from the NBA – which forecast a modest increase to $101MM for 2018/19 – should bode well for teams like the Lakers, who have set themselves up to create major cap room next summer, writes Matt Moore of CBSSports.com. Moore adds that the projections could lead to more trades during this season, as clubs make an effort to clear cap space or avoid the tax.
- Of all the Eastern All-Stars who changed teams this offseason, Paul Millsap was almost certainly discussed the least. However, he made a very strong impression during his preseason debut with the Nuggets this weekend. Gina Mizell of The Denver Post has the details.
- Former LSU point guard Josh Gray, who played last season for the Northern Arizona Suns, is expected to return to the G League and seek an NBA call-up in 2017/18. Gray, who has received multiple offers from clubs overseas, has drawn some interest from NBA teams, according to Nicola Lupo of Sportando.
- In a piece for 2 Ways & 10 Days, Chris Reichert makes the case that the NBA should implement the coach’s challenge system that has been used and tested in the G League.
Wizards Notes: Expectations, McCullough, Robinson
The moves made this offseason by the Celtics and Cavaliers – including a blockbuster trade with one another – has allowed those two clubs to dominate the conversation on Eastern Conference contenders as the 2017/18 season approaches. However, the Wizards feel as if they’re right there with the top two clubs in the East. In fact, as ESPN’s Brian Windhorst writes, Bradley Beal and the Wizards think they’re the best team in the East, and believe they match up particularly well vs. the Cavs.
“We love the matchup against them and why not?” Beal said. “I said it and J.R. [Smith] didn’t like it too much, some of their other guys didn’t like it too much. But I felt that way. It’s not disrespect with them, I’m not saying we’d have won the series (if the Wizards, instead of the Celtics, had made the Eastern Conference Finals), but I feel like our competition level and matchups would’ve been better.”
As the Wizards head into a new season with increased expectations, let’s round up a few more notes out of D.C.
- Third-year forward Chris McCullough, acquired from the Nets last season, is battling for minutes in the Wizards’ rotation, and head coach Scott Brooks has been impressed, as Chase Hughes of NBC Sports Washington details. “He’s a better shooter than I thought,” Brooks said of McCullough. “He hasn’t played much the last few years, but he’s having a good camp. I think that’s through the hard work that he’s put in. He came into camp in great shape. He’s showing us that he can play in the league. I don’t know where I can find him the minutes, but at least I know he can definitely play.”
- With Markieff Morris at risk of being convicted on assault charges, which would result in an NBA suspension, the Wizards have been keeping a close eye on their power forwards during their first week back, writes Candace Buckner of The Washington Post. Veteran center Jason Smith is among the players seeing extra time at the four, per Buckner.
- Wizards rookie Devin Robinson, who is on a two-way contract with the team, was in a walking boot at training camp last week, and Brooks suggests that Robinson will be out “for a while” due to a foot injury, tweets Buckner. The G League season doesn’t tip off until November 3, so Robinson has a little extra time to get healthy.
- As we noted yesterday, the Wizards are one of four NBA teams without a G League affiliate for this season, which will have an impact on Robinson, Michael Young, and anyone else Washington wants to assign to the G League.
2017 Offseason In Review: Indiana Pacers
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 Indiana Pacers.
Signings:
- Bojan Bogdanovic: Two years, $21MM. Second year partially guaranteed ($1.5MM).
- Darren Collison: Two years, $20MM. Second year partially guaranteed ($2MM).
- Edmond Sumner: Two-way contract. Two years, $50K guaranteed in each season.
- Alex Poythress: Two-way contract. Exact details not known.
Camp invitees:
- Damien Wilkins: One year, minimum salary. Partially guaranteed ($25K).
- DeQuan Jones: One year, minimum salary. Exhibits nine and 10.
- Trey McKinney-Jones: One year, minimum salary. Exhibits nine and 10.
- Ben Moore: One year, minimum salary. Exhibits nine and 10.
- Jarrod Uthoff: One year, minimum salary. Exhibits nine and 10.
Trades:
- Acquired the draft rights to Edmond Sumner (No. 52 pick) from the Pelicans in exchange for cash ($1MM).
- Acquired Victor Oladipo and Domantas Sabonis from the Thunder in exchange for Paul George.
- Acquired Cory Joseph from the Raptors in exchange for the draft rights to Emir Preldzic.
Draft picks:
- 1-18: T.J. Leaf — Signed to rookie contract.
- 2-47: Ike Anigbogu — Signed to three-year, $3.947MM contract. Second year partially guaranteed ($690K). Third year non-guaranteed.
- 2-52: Edmond Sumner — Signed to two-way contract.
Departing players:
- Lavoy Allen (declined team option)
- Aaron Brooks
- Rakeem Christmas (waived)
- Monta Ellis (waived)
- Paul George
- C.J. Miles
- Georges Niang (waived)
- Kevin Seraphin (waived)
- Jeff Teague
Other offseason news:
- Larry Bird stepped down as president of basketball operations. GM Kevin Pritchard promoted to replace Bird.
- Hired Hornets executive Chad Buchanan to be general manager.
- Glenn Robinson III expected to be out until November or December due to ankle injury.
- Exercised 2018/19 team option on Myles Turner.
- Lakers fined $500K for tampering with Pacers/Paul George.
Salary cap situation:
- Operating under the cap. Can create up to about $7MM in cap room (carrying approximately $92MM in guaranteed salaries). Still have room exception ($3.29MM) available.
Check out the Indiana Pacers’ full roster and depth chart at RosterResource.com.
Story of the summer:
There’s no denying that, despite the good work they’ve done since, the biggest event of the Pacers’ summer was a disappointing one.
Reports in the spring indicated that 2018 free-agent-to-be Paul George had little interest in returning to Indiana, effectively forcing the team’s hand if it wanted anything in return for the outgoing star. In the wake of that news, all eyes turned to recently-appointed president of basketball operations Kevin Pritchard, suddenly thrust into the deep end of his new role.
While the Pacers have done an admirable job getting up off the mat and putting together a respectable squad that will make an effort to compete in the East, the club’s haul in the George trade that will be held under the microscope for years to come.
When word broke on the last day of June that Victor Oladipo and Domantas Sabonis would be on their way to Indiana in exchange for the disgruntled All-Star, some were left underwhelmed, considering what the Celtics had supposedly been willing to offer for George. Others were simply frustrated that the Pacers were even forced into such a precarious position in the first place.
Regardless of the circumstances of the deal that brought an end to the modern-day Pacers as we know them, the only thing that matters now is how the franchise rallies after sustaining the blow.
Pacific Notes: Williams, Jones Jr., Richardson
The Clippers had their work cut out for them replacing Jamal Crawford this season but fortunately had already landed Lou Williams, Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times writes. Williams has carved out a successful career being one of the league’s best reserves.
Williams came over as part of the massive Chris Paul trade and will take on an even larger share of the Clippers’ offensive load than he may have initially expected now that Crawford has been bought out and signed with the Timberwolves.
“You’ve got a few of us that go out there and we have a short amount of time to go and change the game,” Williams said. “And Jamal was one of those guys who perfected that. I’m one of those guys that you can put right up there. You’ve got a few other guys that you can mention in that same breath. It’s a unique position to have.”
The Clippers guard may not have three Sixth Man of the Year Awards to his name like Crawford does but he does at least have one. So far.
There’s more from the Pacific Division:
- The rebuilding Suns will expect more out of their 2016 lottery picks Dragan Bender and Marquese Chriss, Scott Bordow of the Arizona Republic writes. The pair were unpolished but promising in their debuts last season and will look to use experience they’ve since gained to their advantage.
- The depth chart at the shooting guard position is a lot more crowded than it used to be but Malachi Richardson believes that he can still factor into the Kings‘ plans heading forward. The two-guard spoke with Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee about the injury he struggled with last season.
- The most improved player on the Suns this season could be Derrick Jones, Eric Bledsoe tells Cody Cuningham of the team’s official website. The athletically gifted guard – and 2017 dunk contest participant – has improved his offensive game and three-point range.