Timberwolves Continue To Eye Established Veterans
The Timberwolves still intend to add three more established veterans to their roster on minimum salary deals, according to Jon Krawczynski of The Associated Press (Twitter link). The report comes in the wake of the club’s agreement with Marcus Georges-Hunt, which Krawczynski classifies as a training camp deal.
As we noted when we discussed Georges-Hunt’s new contract agreement earlier today, the Wolves are only carrying 11 guaranteed contracts on their roster at the moment. Georges-Hunt and Melo Trimble have reached deals with Minnesota, but those contracts are expected to be partially guaranteed or non-guaranteed.
Teams can carry up to 20 players in the offseason and up to 15 in the regular season, so the Wolves appear to have four regular season roster spots available, though recent reports have indicated that the club only intends to add three more veterans. That could leave the 15th roster spot up for grabs if a player like Georges-Hunt or Trimble impresses the team in camp. For the most part though, Tom Thibodeau wants to continue filling out his roster with vets after last year’s young squad underperformed.
Reports last month suggested that the Timberwolves would like to add two more wings and a point guard to their roster. If that’s still the case, free agents like Ty Lawson, Aaron Brooks, Deron Williams, and Jason Terry could be in play for the guard spot. Notable wings still on the market include Tony Allen, Anthony Morrow, Mike Dunleavy, Alan Anderson, and former Wolves Brandon Rush, Gerald Green, and Shabazz Muhammad.
Of course, there’s also the possibility of a trade, especially since the Wolves have been frequently linked to Kyrie Irving. However, a deal for Irving appears to be a long shot, and there have been no other recent trade rumors involving Minnesota.
Poll: Which Southwest Team Had Best Offseason?
In the days and weeks leading up to free agency, Chris Paul was frequently linked to the Spurs, who were viewed as the most likely landing spot for the star point guard if he left the Clippers. However, the Rockets were the team that swooped in before the free agent period even began to acquire Paul, sending seven players and a draft pick to L.A. in the deal that landed CP3 in Houston.
The Rockets‘ trade for Paul – along with the signing of P.J. Tucker – makes them an obvious pick for the Southwest team that had the best offseason, but the price for CP3 was steep, considering he was about to become an unrestricted free agent. Sixth Man of the Year finalist Lou Williams and All-Defensive First-Teamer Patrick Beverley were among the outgoing pieces in that deal, along with young big men Montrezl Harrell and Sam Dekker. Still, while the Rockets’ depth – particularly in the backcourt – may have taken a hit, pairing Paul with James Harden should make it worthwhile.
As for the Spurs, they ended up not clearing out cap room for a marquee outside free agent, opting instead to re-sign several of their own FAs, including Patty Mills, Pau Gasol, and Manu Ginobili. The club also made use of its exceptions to add Rudy Gay and Joffrey Lauvergne, though Jonathon Simmons and Dewayne Dedmon left for new teams.
Elsewhere in the division, the Pelicans entered the offseason virtually capped out, but made several interesting moves, including re-signing Jrue Holiday and adding Rajon Rondo, Ian Clark, and Frank Jackson to their backcourt.
While the Grizzlies didn’t make major changes to their core, several veterans moved on, with Zach Randolph and Vince Carter heading to Sacramento. Tony Allen – who is still on the open market – also appears unlikely to remain in Memphis. Restricted free agent JaMychal Green is a better bet to re-sign, and if he does, he’ll join new additions like Ben McLemore, Tyreke Evans, and Rade Zagorac.
Meanwhile, the Mavericks sat out of free agency for the first time in several years. However, despite the lack of big splashes, Dallas’ offseason looks like a successful one — the team managed to re-sign Dirk Nowitzki to a very modest contract, landed a very promising rookie point guard Dennis Smith Jr., and don’t appear to have major competition for RFA Nerlens Noel, which should make him a little more affordable than anticipated.
What do you think? Which Southwest team had the best offseason? Does the Rockets’ acquisition of Paul instantly give them the edge, or did another team’s summer moves impress you more?
Vote below, and jump into the comment section to share your thoughts!
Which Southwest team has had the best offseason?
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Houston Rockets 69% (790)
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San Antonio Spurs 11% (123)
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Dallas Mavericks 10% (115)
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New Orleans Pelicans 8% (94)
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Memphis Grizzlies 2% (23)
Total votes: 1,145
Trade Rumors app users, click here to vote.
Previously:
Western Rumors: Reed, Cousins, Pelicans, Noel
The arraignment hearing for Clippers center Willie Reed has been set for Sept. 8, Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sen Sentinel tweets. Reed was charged with misdemeanor domestic battery over the weekend in Florida and booked in Miami-Dade County. Reed, who played for the Heat last season, signed a one-year, $1.5MM contract with the Clippers last week.
In other news around the Western Conference:
- Pelicans center DeMarcus Cousins has expressed on his Twitter feed that he wants the team to trade for Carmelo Anthony, Bryan Kalbrosky of Hoops Hype notes. They are teammates on Team USA and Cousins has previously stated his admiraion for the aging Knicks forward. Anthony would have to waive his no-trade clause to join Cousins in New Orleans and the Knicks would either have to agree to a package of role players or get a third team involved to make that happen.
- Jalen Jones‘ two-way contract with the Pelicans is a two-year deal, a league source informed Chris Reichert of The Step Back (Twitter link). The former Texas A&M forward went undrafted in 2016 and played for the Celtics’ G League’s affiliate, the Maine Red Claws, where he averaged 21.0 PPG and 9.0 RPG. Jones impressed the Pelicans while playing for their summer league team, posting averages of 13.3 PPG and 6.2 RPG in six games.
- Dirk Nowitzki is hopeful that the Mavericks can eventually come to terms with restricted free agent Nerlens Noel, whose contract situation has yet to be resolved. “He’s so young and so athletic. I’d love to keep him,” Nowitzki told Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated. “I’m sure that is what the Mavs are thinking. … We obviously traded for him last year with the hope he will stay with this franchise for a long time. … I’m sure [Mavericks owner] Mark [Cuban] and [GM] Donnie [Nelson], the leaders of the franchise, are trying to play the right business move.”
Eastern Notes: Stone, Oubre, Celtics, Bucks
Julyan Stone‘s agent is hopeful of freeing his client from a European contract so that the point guard can sign with the Hornets, according to Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer. Charlotte has offered Stone a two-year deal to be its third point guard behind Kemba Walker and Michael Carter-Williams but he first must be released from the contract he signed with Reyer Venezia in the Italian pro league. Stone’s agent, Giovanni Funiciello, told Bonnell that he’s hopeful a compromise can be worked out this week so that Stone can remain in the U.S. and be close to his ailing father.
In other news around the Eastern Conference:
- Wizards majority owner Ted Leonsis hopes that small forward Kelly Oubre develops to the point where he has to pay the 2015 first-round pick “a lot of money,” Chase Hughes of CSNMidAtlantic.com writes. Leonsis indicated that Oubre was slowed by a knee injury last season and that coach Scott Brooks believes Oubre “can be a difference maker.” The Wizards are expected to pick up Oubre’s fourth-year option for 2018/19 prior to the start of the upcoming season, setting up Oubre for a potential big payday in the summer of 2019.
- All-Star point guard Isaiah Thomas is very pleased with the Celtics’ offseason, highlighted by the free agent signing of forward Gordon Hayward, Chris Forsberg of ESPN.com tweets. “We added Gordon Hayward, which is an All-Star-caliber player that’s going to help us get to the next level — and that’s the championship,” Thomas told Forsberg.
- Jordan Brady has been named the first head coach of the Bucks’ G League team, the Wisconsin Herd, the Herd announced in a press release. Brady, 34, served as an assistant coach last season for the Salt Lake City Stars, the Jazz’s affiliate. He has also been an assistant coach with three other G League organizations.
Former GM Praises Irving, Expects Trade
Former Cavaliers GM David Griffin praised All-Star guard Kyrie Irving for the way he approached his trade request during an interview on ESPN’s The Jump show.
Griffin said Irving’s decision to make the request to owner Dan Gilbert in a private meeting took “courage” and was preferable to feigning that he was happy in Cleveland.
“The absolute worst thing this guy could have done was pretend to be all-in and sink the ship from within,” Griffin said on the show. “Most guys don’t have the courage to do what he did.”
Griffin believes Irving will be traded and that it would be better for both sides if that happens.
“I see this as him looking for a fit for himself, to take the next step in his career,” he said. “I think this is a guy who wants to know how good he can be. LeBron (James) casts a very large shadow over an organization.”
Griffin’s comments could be construed as a veiled shot at the organization, since the court of public opinion has taken Irving to task for requesting a trade from the three-time defending Eastern Conference champions. Griffin and Gilbert parted ways right before the June draft when the two sides couldn’t come to an agreement on a contract extension.
Irving’s request was made before Griffin was let go and the former GM was exploring trade options in his final days with the franchise, according to Sam Amico of Amico Hoops. A trade scenario involving the Clippers and Chris Paul was discussed, according to Amico, but those talks proved fruitless and Paul was eventually dealt to the Rockets.
Irving isn’t close to being dealt, sources told Amico.
Knicks Re-Sign Ron Baker
AUGUST 7, 6:20pm: The signing is official, according to a team press release.
JULY 11, 1:52pm: Baker’s new deal with the Knicks will be worth $8.9MM over two years, with a second-year player option, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN. That means New York will use its room exception – worth $8,872,400 over two years – to complete the signing, which explains why it wasn’t finalized earlier, and why the Knicks were comfortable renouncing Baker’s rights.
JULY 1, 2:03pm: Baker said today that his new contract will be a two-year deal, per Stefan Bondy of The New York Daily News (Twitter link).
JUNE 30, 11:35pm: The Knicks have reached an agreement on a new deal with restricted free agent Ron Baker, per Ian Begley of ESPN.com (Twitter link). The details of the pact (length and amount) have not been relayed at this time.
It is doubtful that the Knicks intend for Baker or 2017 first round pick, Frank Ntilikina, to begin the season as the starter at the one, but retaining Baker was a solid move for a New York team desperately in need of talent and hustle moving forward.
In his rookie season, Baker appeared in 52 games (13 starts), averaging 4.1 PPG and 2.1 APG in 16.5 minutes per contest. The Wichita State product was one of the Knicks’ few positives this past season, showing energy, tenacity, and ability on both sides of the ball.
Wiggins Can Get Max If He’s Loyal To Wolves
Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor wants assurances from Andrew Wiggins that he’s committed to the franchise and determined to improve his game before giving the high-scoring forward a max extension, according to Jon Krawczynski of the Associated Press.
Taylor wants to receive those pledges in a face-to-face meeting with Wiggins, who averaged 23.6 PPG last season.
Wiggins is still working on his rookie contract and the exact amount of an extension is tied to the 2018/19 salary cap. Based on projections, a five-year, max extension for Wiggins would net him slightly under $148MM, as Luke Adams of Hoops Rumors recently detailed.
Wiggins’ name has popped up in trade rumors regarding Cavaliers disgruntled point guard Kyrie Irving but Taylor insists he won’t give up Wiggins in the team’s efforts to land the All-Star floor leader. The addition of All-Star swingman Jimmy Butler in a blockbuster deal with the Bulls this summer has made the Timberwolves a popular pick as the most improved team next season.
Wiggins can certainly find areas for improvement beyond his scoring average. His 35.6% shooting from long range last season was the best of his 3-year career but far from elite. He could also become a better rebounder (4.0 RPG last season), free throw shooter (76%) and defender, both man-to-man and in takeaways (1.0 SPG).
If Wiggins is maxed out, the Timberwolves will have five players on the current roster making at least $14MM for the 2018/19 season.
Three 2017 Free Agents Signed Five-Year Contracts
The NBA’s current Collective Bargaining Agreement is designed to give teams certain benefits when it comes to re-signing their own free agents. Many players who reach free agency, for instance, are permitted to get 8% annual raises from their own teams, while they can only get 5% raises from another team. More notably, Bird rights free agents can sign five-year contracts with their own teams, but can only go up to four years with other clubs.
In some cases, that extra year doesn’t make much of a difference. For instance, Gordon Hayward left Utah for Boston and signed a four-year contract with the Celtics, even though the Jazz likely would have been willing to do a five-year max.
Still, for at least a small handful of players, that five-year contract may have played a part in their decisions to return to their own teams. As our Free Agent Tracker shows, three free agents signed five-year deals this year, and all three of those contracts were worth at least $131MM. One was a maximum salary pact, and another was very close to the max.
Here are those five-year contracts, which will run through the 2021/22 season:
- Stephen Curry (Warriors): Five years, $201,158,790 (maximum salary)
- Blake Griffin (Clippers): Five years, $171,174,820 (fifth-year player option)
- Jrue Holiday (Pelicans): Five years, $131,100,000 (fifth-year player option)
Curry was never a threat to leave Golden State, but Griffin and Holiday reportedly drew interest from several other teams. The Suns were believed to be eyeing Griffin, while Holiday was said to have received interest from the Mavericks, Knicks, and others. However, the fact that those players’ old teams were willing to offer five years likely made negotiations much simpler, since no rival suitor could offer that fifth year.
Although neither Griffin nor Holiday received the max from their respective teams, they’ll both earn more money over five years than any other team could have offered over four — Holiday’s deal is believed to include unlikely incentives that could increase its total value to $150MM.
Meanwhile, Griffin and Holiday also received fifth-year player options, which gives them a safety net for the summer of 2021. If they’re still playing at a high level at that point, it might make sense to opt out and sign a new, longer-term contract. If their production has slipped, or if they’re battling injuries, they’ll have the option of remaining in their current contract and collecting a big pay check in that fifth year.
The ability to offer an additional year to their own free agents hasn’t always prevented teams from losing top-tier players on the open market, but there are still a few instances where that fifth year seems to make a difference. In 2017, there may have only been a couple scenarios where that fifth year was a difference-maker, but the Clippers and Pelicans are likely happy that it remained written into the new CBA.
Knicks Sign Second-Rounder Damyean Dotson
AUGUST 7: The Knicks have officially signed Dotson, the team announced today in a press release.
JULY 22: The Knicks have reached an agreement with second-round pick Damyean Dotson, tweets Ian Begley of ESPN. Dotson’s contract covers three years, with the first two fully guaranteed.
Dotson, a 3-point marksman out of Houston, was taken with the 44th selection in last month’s draft. He averaged 17.4 points per game as a senior with the Cougars and shot an impressive 44% from long distance.
The 6’5″ guard impressed Knicks officials with his performance in the Orlando Summer League, according to Stefan Bondy of The New York Daily News.
“He can really shoot the ball, he’s athletic,” said Knicks coach Jeff Hornacek. “I wasn’t quite sure how his feel for the game is but his feel for the game has been great in these scrimmages. He’s making the right passes at the right time and he’s one of those guys when he gets an open look at it you’re pretty confident he’s going to make it.”
Longest-Tenured NBA Head Coaches
The turnover in the NBA’s coaching ranks reached a high point during the 2016 offseason, when 10 teams – one-third of the league – named new permanent head coaches. Since then, however, none of the NBA’s 30 teams have made a coaching change.
The current streak without a firing is an impressive one, and is perhaps reflective of the prevailing belief that head coaches need time to find their footing — and that significant value should be placed on continuity. It’s no coincidence that many of the NBA’s most highly-regarded franchises, including the Spurs, Heat, and Mavericks, feature some of the league’s longest-tenured head coaches.
Of course, that doesn’t mean we won’t see some changes in the head coaching ranks during – or after – the 2017/18 season, but for the first time since Hoops Rumors’ inception, our annual list of the league’s longest-tenured head coaches doesn’t include any new hires.
Here are the NBA’s longest-tenured head coaches, sorted by the date they were hired:
- Gregg Popovich, Spurs: December 1996
- Erik Spoelstra, Heat: April 2008
- Rick Carlisle, Mavericks: May 2008
- Dwane Casey, Raptors: June 2011
- Terry Stotts, Trail Blazers: August 2012
- Mike Budenholzer, Hawks: May 28, 2013
- Steve Clifford, Hornets: May 29, 2013
- Doc Rivers, Clippers: June 2013
- Brad Stevens, Celtics: July 2013
- Brett Brown, Sixers: August 2013
- Stan Van Gundy, Pistons: May 14, 2014
- Steve Kerr, Warriors: May 14, 2014
- Quin Snyder, Jazz: June 2014
- Jason Kidd, Bucks: July 2014
- Billy Donovan, Thunder: April 2015
- Alvin Gentry, Pelicans: May 2015 (remained Warriors assistant through playoffs)
- Fred Hoiberg, Bulls: June 2, 2015
- Michael Malone, Nuggets: June 15, 2015
- Tyronn Lue, Cavaliers: January 2016
- Earl Watson, Suns: February 2016
- Kenny Atkinson, Nets: April 17, 2016 (remained Hawks assistant through Atlanta’s playoff run)
- Tom Thibodeau, Timberwolves: April 20, 2016
- Scott Brooks, Wizards: April 26, 2016
- Luke Walton, Lakers: April 29, 2016 (remained Warriors assistant through playoffs)
- Dave Joerger, Kings: May 9, 2016
- Nate McMillan, Pacers: May 16, 2016
- Frank Vogel, Magic: May 20, 2016
- David Fizdale, Grizzlies: May 29, 2016
- Mike D’Antoni, Rockets: June 1, 2016
- Jeff Hornacek, Knicks: June 2, 2016