Five Key Stories: 7/29/17 – 8/5/17
Here are some of the most noteworthy stories from the past week at Hoops Rumors:
Lawrence Frank replaced Doc Rivers as the Clippers’ president of basketball operations. Although Rivers will continue to have a “strong voice” in personnel and basketball matters, and will work closely with Frank, he’ll no longer have the title of president of basketball operations, and will instead focus primarily on coaching. With Rivers stripped of his president title, only Gregg Popovich, Stan Van Gundy, and Tom Thibodeau hold dual roles as head coach and president of basketball ops for their respective clubs.
The Kings have hired Brandon Williams to be their new assistant GM. Sacramento’s new hire most recently served as the Sixers VP of Basketball Administration and GM of Delaware 87ers, the team’s G-League affiliate. Williams previously worked within the NBA league office as Director of Player Development and Associate Vice President of Basketball Operations.
The Nuggets have named Calvin Booth the team’s assistant general manager. Booth, Denver’s new assistant GM, had worked in the Timberwolves front office for the past four seasons and played for seven teams during his 10-year NBA career. Also this offseason, Denver promoted Arturas Karnisovas to general manager and Tim Connelly to team president.
The Timberwolves are working on signing Andrew Wiggins to a five-year, maximum salary extension. These contract talks, however, are in the early stages. Owner Glen Taylor also added that the team plans to extend Karl-Anthony Towns next offseason. Based on projections, a five-year, max extension for Wiggins would net him slightly under $148MM. The Wolves are not offering Wiggins in any potential trades for Kyrie Irving.
Here is the latest from Steve Kyler on the status of potential Kyrie Irving and Carmelo Anthony trades. The Cavaliers are not operating with a sense of urgency and are rather in “fact-finding mode” at this point. Also on the Irving front, the Wolves and Suns have a strong chance to land the disgruntled point guard, but likely only if they relent on including Wiggins and Josh Jackson or Devin Booker, respectively. As for Anthony, the Rockets will likely have to sweeten their offer for the Knicks to agree to a deal. If not, the Knicks appear willing to bring Melo to training camp.
Ten More Stories
- After NBA owners unanimously approved the Pistons‘ move to downtown Detroit, the team will begin playing at Little Caesars Arena in 2017/18.
- Pop star Beyonce Knowles-Carter is reportedly considering buying stake in her hometown Rockets.
- Speaking of Clutch City, former Rockets guard confirms that he requested to be traded before Houston dealt the point guard to the Clippers.
- Recently-signed 76ers guard J.J. Redick revealed that he also had offers from the Rockets and Nets.
- Executives around the NBA are keeping a close eye on DeMarcus Cousins and the Pelicans this season to determine whether he is worthy of pursuing in free agency next offseason.
- The Heat are expected to offer a contract extension to wing Josh Richardson.
- Clippers forward Danilo Gallinari suffered a fractured thumb punching an opponent in an exhibition game with the Italian national team, but he is expected to be ready for Clippers training camp.
- The Hawks have agreed to sign Luke Babbitt to a one-year, $1.9MM deal.
- The Pelicans have signed Ian Clark to a one-year, $1.6MM deal.
- Free agent guard Gerald Henderson may miss the season with a hip injury.
Redick Turned Down Rockets, Nets Before Sixers Deal
Sharpshooter J.J. Redick was a highly sought after free agent offseason, garnering interest from several teams before signing a one-year, $23MM deal with the Sixers. Before signing that deal, however, Redick was considering a four-year deal from the Rockets before the length of the deal was shortened.
Speaking to Alex Kennedy of The HoopsHype Podcast, Redick revealed that Rockets ownership — possibly preoccupied with several other ongoing negotiations — altered their initial offer to the 33-year-old guard.
“They offered four [years] and then they went three. Daryl [Morey] always has a million things going on, like in A Beautiful Mind with all of the stuff written on the chalkboard,” Redick said (via HoopsHype). “I’m sure he had four or five deals out there [he was working on]. The day before free agency, I thought it was a four-year deal. Chris Paul and I talked for about 30 minutes the night before free agency started. I wanted to go there.”
However, a deal with Houston never materialized and while he also fielded a “respectable” multi-year deal from the Nets, Redick ended up joining a young Sixers team which features the first overall picks from the last two NBA drafts (Markelle Fultz and Ben Simmons) and a hopefully healthy Joel Embiid.
After four productive seasons as the starting shooting guard for the Clippers, Redick will now provide a needed veteran presence with postseason and NBA Finals experience for Philadelphia. While the prospect of teaming with former Clippers teammate Paul and James Harden in Houston was enticing, Redick noted that playing for a Morey-led franchise may have come with more uncertainty than championship guarantees.
“[It didn’t work out] – some of it was numbers and some of it was other factors like relocating the family and – I hate to say this – but you never know with Daryl and how he operates,” Redick said. “A three-year deal could really be a six-month deal if you get dealt at the trade deadline for a superstar as part of a package of six.”
L.A. Notes: Rivers, Clippers, Maggette, Lakers
After Friday’s announcement that Doc Rivers will surrender his front office role to solely focus on coaching, it was the crescendo to a tumultuous dual role for the NBA champion coach, Bill Oram of The Orange County Register writes.
Rivers, for four seasons, was tasked with both assembling a quality roster and then leading it to success on the court. As Oram writes, despite winning 50+ games each year with Rivers at the helm, the Clippers failed to advance past the first round of the playoffs. So, while Rivers is often viewed as one of the NBA’s elite head coaches, his career in the front office is “spotty,” Oram adds.
“Given final say on personnel moves, something Rivers coveted and chased all the way across the country to L.A., the career coach struggled annually to find the right mix of role players,” Oram writes about the man who led the 2007/08 Celtics to the NBA championship.
Despite the controversy that came with it, Rivers’ acquisition of his son, Austin Rivers, was a good move that yielded a quality role player for a team filled with superstar talent. Besides that, the obvious turmoil within the team became obvious, highlight by notable departures of J.J. Redick and Chris Paul this offseason. While Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan remain with the team, the direction of the Clippers with Lawrence Frank assuming Rivers’ former role and it will take a while before a prognosis on that move is available.
Read more about news surrounding the Los Angeles teams:
- Despite his role with the organization being restructured, Rivers will still make every penny of the five-year, $50MM deal he signed with the team in 2014, tweets Sam Amick of USA Today.
- Los Angeles Times’ Brad Turner tweets that the Clippers interviewed Mark Hughes and Shareef Abdur-Rahim for front office roles last week.
- In a separate tweet, Turner reports that Corey Maggette, Lester Conner, and Mo Peterson interviewed for the role of director of player development and special assistant to Magic Johnson and Rob Pelinka. Maggette, however, has withdrawn his name from consideration, per Turner (via Twitter).
Northwest Notes: KAT, Westbrook, Rubio, Jazz
The Timberwolves‘ moves this offseason have drastically improved the team and put the organization in a position to reach the playoffs for the first time since 2004. The acquisition of Jimmy Butler and the free agency signing of Jeff Teague fusing with the current core of Andrew Wiggins and Karl-Anthony Towns poses a serious threat to the Western Conference.
Towns spoke to Sean Deveney of The Sporting News to clarify his recent comments in which he referred to the Timberwolves as a budding dynasty. The former Rookie of the Year cited the Warriors, Spurs, and Cavaliers as real dynasties but maintained confidence in winning with Minnesota’s upgraded roster.
“For me, what everyone needs to know is that we’ve made great moves,” Towns said. “We made great moves to make ourselves better. I have been very fortunate to be with such a great franchise and the organization is going to do so well from here on out. I think we are building a team that has a great sense of what it wants to be, and also adding players who ooze greatness and ooze winning, it’s just something that is contagious.”
The team’s quest for improvement has been noticed by other stars, most prominently disgruntled Cavaliers point guard Kyrie Irving, who reportedly listed Minnesota as one of his four preferred destinations if he was traded. Playing in the same conference with the defending champion Warriors and perennial powerhouse Spurs will be difficult but a young, athletic, and hungry Minnesota squad could see a drastic improvement in 2017/18.
Below are additional notes around the Northwest Division:
- Reigning NBA MVP Russell Westbrook recently visited Oklahoma City but he is not in the Thunder‘s home city to sign an extension, Brett Dawson of the Oklahoman writes. Westbrook, a Los Angeles native, primarily spends his summers in California but is known to visit OKC periodically during the offseason, Dawson adds.
- Newest Jazz point guard Ricky Rubio no longer has to worry about trade talk after the deal that brought him Minnesota to Utah. After years of rumors involving Rubio, the six-year NBA veteran tells Ryan McDonald of The Deseret News that he was happy to be dealt to “an organization that really believed in me.”
- After the losses of Gordon Hayward and George Hill, the Jazz may have an issue with spacing and three-point shooting next season, Benjamin Nehic of The Desert News writes. Utah’s spacing with its current roster is projected to dip and with less effective outside shooters, the team may have to adopt a new primary scoring method.
Community Shootaround: Joel Embiid Extension
Although he hasn’t yet been cleared for contact drills or 5-on-5 play, Joel Embiid expects to be ready in time to break camp with the Sixers this fall, whether or not he’ll have his contract extended before he returns or not, is another question.
Shortly after the June 22 draft, Sixers’ managing owner Josh Harris spoke about how committed he was to keeping the current Philadelphia squad together. One way of doing so could come in the form of a five-year, roughly $130MM contract extension.
Such a deal would begin in 2018/19 after Embiid plays out the final year of his rookie deal (worth $6.1MM) but would need to be agreed upon prior to opening day on October 17.
Another option the Sixers have is to let Embiid play through the 2017/18 campaign and then extend him a qualifying offer worth $8MM next offseason. That would make the then-24-year-old a restricted free agent.
There’s little doubt that an undeniably healthy Embiid would be worth a max contract extension as soon as possible but the big man has missed 215 of the 246 games the Sixers have played since they drafted him.
What then, is he worth now, considering that an element of uncertainty looms over what we can reasonably expect in the future? You tell us.
Are the Sixers better off to see how the 2017/18 season unfolds before they commit to Embiid long-term? Or would they benefit from locking the big man in at some point before mid-October. If you were at the helm of Philly’s front office, what would you look to do?
Southeast Notes: Leonsis, Stone, Mahinmi
The Wizards have made no secret their plan to double down on their current core and a recent blog post from franchise owner Ted Leonsis only further documents how Washington plans to craft a winner.
The Wizards boast the youngest core of long-term signed max players, a testament to their willingness to commit to their guys, and they’re not afraid to dip into the luxury tax in order to preserve what they think is going to work eventually.
Further, Leonsis writes, the Wizards plan to invest in basketball development at all levels, citing the team’s acquisition of a G League club and plans for a new arena to house the Washington Mystics of the WNBA.
There’s more from the Southeast Division:
- The Hornets are said to be interested in signing Julyan Stone to a two-year contract but the 28-year-old is unable to opt out of his current deal with his Italian club, Emilio Carchia of Sportando writes. Per Stone’s Instagram account, the club hasn’t exactly made pursuing a buyout easy.
- Having recently extended his contract, John Wall is in no rush to leave the Wizards, Stephen Whyno of the Associated Press writes. “There’s no point in testing free agency if I know where I want to be,” the guard said.
- After re-signing with the Hawks, big man Mike Muscala will look to continue his impressive development under the tutelage of the franchise’s staff, K.L. Chouinard of the team’s official website writes.
- Big man Ian Mahinmi had a minor procedure on his knee this summer, Chase Hughes of CSN Mid-Atlantic writes. Mahinmi missed 51 games for the Wizards with a knee injury last season. “He’s down to like 238, he’s in the best shape he’s ever been. He’s working hard and looking forward to coming back,” head coach Scott Brooks said.
Central Notes: Irving, Drummond, Pritchard
Although they didn’t make Cavaliers All-Star Kyrie Irving‘s specifically curated list of preferred destinations, the Suns have come up as a potential landing spot for the disgruntled point guard. Details of a supposed Phoenix offer have come to light, an azcentral report writes.
The Suns are said to have offered the Cavaliers Eric Bledsoe, Dragan Bender and a first-round pick, the article says, attributing the initial report to an ESPN radio station in Minnesota.
It’s not hard to see why the Cavaliers didn’t immediately accept the offer. While Bledsoe is a serviceable veteran guard, his injury history only reduces his already limited value (relative to Irving, that is).
Further, 19-year-old Bender was quite raw during his first NBA season and wouldn’t likely impact the Cavaliers’ chances of contending with the Warriors next season.
There’s more from the Central Division:
- After a sinus operation, Pistons center Andre Drummond is breathing easier, sleeping better and growing less tired on the court. Rod Beard of the Detroit News documents the big man’s offseason, noting that the soon-to-be 24-year-old has taken trade rumors to heart.
- When the Pacers let Kevin Seraphin go, they freed up more cap space, Bobby Marks of ESPN tweets. His contract would have become guaranteed on August 1.
- Although it’s hard to truly gauge the Paul George trade, Pacers president of basketball operations Kevin Pritchard has had a successful offseason since, Gregg Doyel of the Indianapolis Star writes. Unfortunately, he suggests, the franchise may have been better off temporarily bottoming out.
Atlantic Notes: Anthony, Embiid, Tatum
If you ask Carmelo Anthony, there hasn’t been a breakdown of communication between him and the Knicks. In fact, the forward says, the team’s front office knows exactly what he’s looking for and how he feels. Marc Berman of the New York Post breaks down the latest in the ongoing saga.
Put simply, Anthony would like to be traded to the Rockets and has a powerful no-trade clause that he can wave around until he gets there. The Knicks, however, don’t see a deal worth pulling the trigger on.
Despite the standstill, Anthony remains hopeful. “I’m very optimistic. I’ve had great conversations with new [Knicks] GM Scott Perry,” he says. “He understands my mindset, where I’m at. My career right now, what I’m looking for.”
Whether or not that will translate into a trade to Houston, however, remains to be seen.
There’s more from the Atlantic Division:
- According to Jayson Tatum himself, the Celtics intended to draft him all along, even prior to trading down from No. 1 to No. 3 ahead of the June 22 draft. Tatum explained as much on a recent podcast. The Sixers, he says, were under the assumption that Boston was looking at Markelle Fultz with the top pick.
- While he hasn’t been cleared to play 5-on-5, Sixers big man Joel Embiid is doing non-contact drills and expects to be ready for training camp, Marc Spears of ESPN tweets.
- Offseason signee Daniel Theis could bring energy on the glass and defensive versatility to the Celtics, Adam Himmelsbach of the Boston Globe writes in a profile piece on the German forward.
- After a solid first campaign, Ron Baker is back with the Knicks on a far more lucrative contract. Barbara Barker of Newsday writes that head coach Jeff Hornacek continues to see parallels between himself and his undrafted role player. “I may not have been the fastest guy or the strongest guy or the highest jumper. But I did things that the coach wanted to see. I got the ball to the star guys. Ron came in doing the same thing and that’s what made him earn minutes with us,” the coach said.
Southwest Notes: Nowitzki, Olajuwon, Spurs
The give-and-take relationship that Dirk Nowitzki and Mavs owner Mark Cuban have has never been on clearer display than when the 39-year-old took a $20MM pay cut between this year and last, Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News writes.
“Mark and I obviously have a close, close relationship,” Nowitzki said. Last year, he really, really took care of me as we all know […] and it was my time to show again that I love being [with the Mavs]. I gave him a little bit of a deal, maybe.”
The big man is optimistic about the Mavs’ young core built around Harrison Barnes, Dennis Smith Jr. and, hopefully, Nerlens Noel, suggesting that he’s hopeful to leave the franchise in as good a position as possible when he retires after this season or next.
There’s more from the Southwest Division:
- The Spurs have named Blake Ahearn the new head coach of their G League affiliate, the team announced in a press release on its website. Ahearn, who played briefly in the NBA, will be at the helm of the Austin Spurs in 2017/18.
- Count Hakeem Olajuwon among those interested in buying a portion of the Rockets. The franchise Hall of Famer has been approached by several groups that want him involved in a potential purchase, Mark Woods reports for ESPN.
- The Mavs have a young core in place that they’re happy with and aren’t afraid to let it develop organically. “I think that young core is what we want to continue to build on, grow with and hopefully surprise a lot of people,” owner Mark Cuban told Earl Sneed of Dallas’ official website. “I think Dennis [Smith Jr.] is going to be able to come in, play and hopefully have an impact his first year, and we don’t want to take anything away from that.“
Poll: Which Northwest Team Had Best Offseason?
The Jazz took home the Northwest division crown in 2016/17, finishing with a 51-31 record despite having several key players miss time due to injuries. However, with Gordon Hayward heading from Utah to Boston this summer, and several other Northwest teams making impact moves, things look a little more wide open in the division as the 2017/18 season nears.
The Timberwolves struck first, acquiring Jimmy Butler in a blockbuster draft-day trade that sent Kris Dunn, Zach LaVine, and a draft pick to Chicago. Having traded for Butler, the Wolves continued to stock up on veterans in free agency, adding Jeff Teague, Taj Gibson, and Jamal Crawford to a young core that already features Karl-Anthony Towns and Andrew Wiggins.
With one All-Star Eastern forward headed to Minnesota, the Thunder worked quickly to snag another, reaching a deal with the Pacers that saw Paul George land in Oklahoma City. It was an impressive move by Sam Presti, who didn’t appear to have the assets necessary to make the winning bid for George. The team’s strong offseason continued in free agency, as OKC secured Patrick Patterson on a very affordable contract and re-signed standout defender Andre Roberson.
A third All-Star made the move from the Eastern Conference to the Northwest division when the Nuggets locked up Paul Millsap to a three-year contract in free agency. Denver lost longtime forward Danilo Gallinari, but the addition of Millsap creates a formidable frontcourt duo, as the former Hawk will be paired with Nikola Jokic.
The Trail Blazers have had a quiet offseason, but did make a few moves of note, drafting big men Zach Collins and Caleb Swanigan in June and then slicing their projected tax bill in a massive way by trading Allen Crabbe to the Nets.
Meanwhile, the defending division champs recovered nicely from losing Hayward and George Hill. The Jazz re-signed Joe Ingles, and Ricky Rubio, Thabo Sefolosha, Donovan Mitchell, Jonas Jerebko, and Ekpe Udoh are among the new additions who will contribute to the 2017/18 squad.
What do you think? Which Northwest team had the best offseason? Weigh in below with your vote and jump into the comment section to share your thoughts.
Which Northwest team has had the best offseason?
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Minnesota Timberwolves 72% (1,258)
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Oklahoma City Thunder 18% (311)
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Utah Jazz 4% (65)
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Denver Nuggets 3% (61)
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Portland Trail Blazers 3% (58)
Total votes: 1,753
Trade Rumors app users, click here to vote.
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