Knicks, Rockets Discuss Anthony
The Rockets and Knicks have connected with regard to Carmelo Anthony, Ian Begley of ESPN writes, but the two parties haven’t gained traction on a possible deal. Per Begley, the Knicks aren’t exactly enamored with the idea of landing Ryan Anderson in exchange for the All-Star forward.
Commenting on the Begley tweet, Sean Deveney of the Sporting News posits that Houston could be banking on a buyout. The Rockets have, after all, made themselves considerably more appealing to Anthony now with the addition of his close friend Chris Paul.
Anthony has been the subject of trade rumors for over a year now but the recent shakeup in New York’s front office could potentially keep him within the organization. While Anthony’s no-trade clause puts him in the power position, a miserable relationship with former Knicks president Phil Jackson could have contributed to the forward being receptive to a move out of town.
The Cavaliers are another possible destination for Anthony, should the team ultimately decide to buy him out, something that at this point remains far from guaranteed.
Wizards Offer John Wall Designated Veteran Extension
7:42pm: The Wizards have offered Wall a four-year contract extension projected to be worth $170MM, Brian Windhorst of ESPN writes but, as Bontemps suggested earlier today, the point guard isn’t expected to decide right away. He’ll decide over the next week after talking with his family. The deal would lock Wall in place until the 2022/23 campaign.
3:27pm: Wizards point guard John Wall is one of a small handful of players eligible for a Designated Veteran Extension this offseason, and Washington intends to offer him such an extension sometime after the new league year begins, reports Tim Bontemps of The Washington Post. However, according to Bontemps, Wall may not accept the offer right away. As Bontemps details, Wall sounds prepared to wait and see what the Wizards do with their roster this summer before he commits to a new long-term deal with the team.
“I just want to kind of see what they do throughout free agency, talk to my family, talk to my agency and my managers and see what we want to do,” Wall told Bontemps on Monday. “It’s definitely a place I want to be … I’ve just got to make sure things are going in the right direction, and make sure we are building the team in the way we want to be, and don’t get locked up in a situation where you might not feel comfortable.
“But I love being in Washington, I love playing there, and there’s not another city I’d really want to play for.”
Wall still has two years left on his current deal, which pays him just over $18MM in 2017/18 and $19MM in ’18/19. A Designated Veteran Extension would go into effect for the 2019/20 season and would keep him locked up for an extra four years. It would start at 35% of the salary cap, which should fall somewhere between $35-40MM by the ’19/20 season.
That would be a massive payday for Wall, and I’d be surprised if he didn’t ultimately accept the offer by the start of the regular season, assuming Washington formally puts it on the table. Still, it’s worth keeping an eye on the Wizards’ offseason moves, and Wall’s reaction to them.
The star point guard said earlier this week that he would love to see the club add Paul George, since Wall views George as the type of player Washington needs to guard LeBron James and seriously compete in the East. If there are other teams in serious pursuit of George though, the Wizards likely won’t have the assets to outbid them.
Stephen Curry, James Harden, and Russell Westbrook will also be eligible for Designated Veteran Extensions this offseason.
Knicks Believe Teague Has Committed To Wolves
According to ESPN’s Marc Stein, at least one front office believes Jeff Teague is so committed to the Timberwolves that it’s not worth pursuing a meeting. It’s been said that the Knicks have abandoned the idea of sitting down with the Pacers free agent altogether.
We wrote earlier about how Sam Amick of USA Today called Teague Minnesota’s “heavy, heavy favorite” target. Since that time, Chad Hartman of WCCO in Minneapolis has already gone so far as to say that the team and the point guard have a three-year deal in mind (via Dan Cook of WCCO).
While teams and players can’t officially negotiate until midnight EST, there has already been much speculation about who the Wolves will target now that they’ve sent Ricky Rubio to the Jazz.
Central Notes: Sumner, Jefferson, Grand Rapids
The Pacers drafted a pair of injured prospects earlier this month but it wasn’t an oversight, Nate Taylor of the Indianapolis Star writes. By taking a chance on the heralded but sidelined NCAA stars, president of basketball operations Kevin Pritchard was able to get his hands on two quality projects at a bargain rate.
“They don’t want me to rush back,” Edmond Sumner, the point guard out of Xavier said of his new club. “They just want me to get healthy. That’s the main priority right now, just getting healthy. I’m not going to rush.”
Considering that the franchise is at the beginning of a rebuild, they stand to benefit from any young talent they can amass. Ike Anigbogu is the second of Indiana’s intriguing second-rounders.
There’s more from the Central Division:
- A former business manager of Richard Jefferson has been indicted of fraud, Billy Heyen of Cleveland.com writes. The manager stole $7MM from the Cavaliers veteran after forging Jefferson’s signature and illegally establishing power of attorney over his finances.
- A Detroit city council proposal that would earmark the income tax of NBA players for a neighborhood fund has hit a speed bump, Ben Solis of MLive writes. The proposed fund is estimated to collect $1.3MM annually from Pistons players, their opponents and team personnel.
- The Pistons and their G League affiliate, the Grand Rapids Drive, have agreed on a two-year extension, the team has announced in a press release. They’ve also named Rob Werdann their new head coach.
Knicks Unlikely To Bring Back Rose
The Knicks are unlikely to bring point guard Derrick Rose back for another season in New York, Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News writes, citing a pair of sources close to the team.
While a reunion seemed a distinct possibility when Phil Jackson was president of the organization, that’s not the case now. Although Rose fared reasonably well in his first year with the Knicks, his suspect defense, chronic injury concerns and that infamous disappearing act last January have all limited his stock.
Bondy adds that the Knicks are high on backup point guard Ron Baker, although he won’t likely suffice as a starter until first-round pick Frank Ntilikina adjusts to the NBA and takes the reins.
Of course there are plenty of big name point guards available through free agency this summer, including Kyle Lowry, Jeff Teague and George Hill. Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders tweets that the franchise has considered moving Courtney Lee in order to free up cap room to make a pitch.
Spurs Prep $9MM Offer For RFA Simmons
The Spurs are said to be preparing an offer for restricted free agent Jonathon Simmons worth $9MM per year, Marc Stein of ESPN tweets.
Earlier today, Kevin Arnovitz of ESPN said that it initially looked as though the Spurs would likely lose Simmons to free agency. Now, possibly because of the package Stein made reference to, there’s a decent chance he stays in San Antonio.
It’s not clear what exactly Simmons would attract on the open market. While his value has inevitably increased after playing a role in Gregg Popovich‘s rotation, he presents as little more than a solid perimeter defender that averaged 12.5 points per 36 minutes. That hasn’t stopped NBA teams from reaching deep into the piggybank in the past, however.
Jabari Young of the San Antonio Express-News has added his voice to the conversation, suggesting that Simmons is very unlikely to jump at just any Spurs offer, preferring instead to seek out a deal and give San Antonio the opportunity to match.
Wolves Target Teague Among Other PG Options
Immediately after trading Ricky Rubio to the Jazz for a first-round pick, the Timberwolves have made Jeff Teague their favorite target available, Sam Amick of USA Today writes.
Of course that doesn’t necessarily mean the interest is mutual but there’s reason to believe that Minnesota has a pretty good idea of who their starting point guard will be in 2017/18.
Per Josh Lewenberg of TSN, the Timberwolves wouldn’t make the Rubio trade without knowing who their replacement would be. He speculates that it could be Kyle Lowry but notes that it would make more sense for the club to pursue Teague or George Hill.
If the decision did come between Teague and Lowry, Darren Wolfson of 5 Eyewitness News suggests that the 29-year-old Teague could have the upper hand over his 31-year-old counterpart with the flexibility to offer a shorter deal so that the Wolves could save money.
Another option that has been floated by Chris Mannix of Yahoo Sports is Rajon Rondo. Mannix notes that T-Wolves head coach Tom Thibodeau saw the best of Rondo during his stint with the Celtics.
As of now, ESPN’s Jeff Goodman notes, the only point guard on Minnesota’s roster is Tyus Jones
Five Key Stories: 6/24/17 – 6/30/17
Here are some of the most noteworthy stories from the last week at Hoops Rumors:
Chris Paul was traded to the Rockets. In the blockbuster trade, the Clippers will receive Patrick Beverley, Sam Dekker, Lou Williams, Montrezl Harrell, DeAndre Liggins, Darrun Hilliard, Kyle Wiltjer, and $661K in cash (the amount to which Paul agreed to reduce his trade bonus) and a 2018 first-round pick. The Rockets had been rumored to aggressively pursue CP3 as a free agent signing, but Houston landed its man before the free agency period even began. Since Paul opted into the final year of his contract before the trade, the perennial all-star point guard will become a free agent next offseason. Whether it lasts beyond a single season, Paul and Harden are poised to combine for a lethal backcourt combination in 2017/18.
The Knicks have officially parted ways with Phil Jackson. The team’s statement described the departure as a mutual decision. If the two sides did not reach some sort of buyout agreement, the Knicks still owe Jackson a reported $24MM for the final two years of his contract. Jackson had been the Knicks’ team president since March of 2014. GM Steve Mills will run the team until a replacement is named.
Ricky Rubio was traded to the Jazz for a first-round pick. The pick the Timberwolves will receive is Top-14 protected and originally from OKC. The deal is done and awaiting league approval.
Russell Westbrook was named Most Valuable Player for the 2016/17 season. The other award winners were Defensive Player of the Year Draymond Green, Rookie of the Year Malcolm Brogdon, Sixth Man of the Year Eric Gordon, Most Improved Player Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Coach of the Year Mike D’Antoni. The award winners were announced live on TNT during a two-hour special.The All-Defensive and All-Rookie teams were revealed earlier the same day.
Hornets executive Chad Buchanan will be the Pacers’ new general manager. The Pacers had had a vacancy at GM since May when Kevin Pritchard was promoted to president to replace Larry Bird, who resigned as team president. Buchanan had served as assistant GM under Rich Cho in Charlotte and will now report to Pritchard.
Ten More Stories
- Raptors assistant GM Bobby Webster was promoted to general manager.
- Gordon Hayward will meet with the Heat, Celtics, and Jazz, and he hopes to decide on a team quickly. Hayward declined his player option this week.
- The Wizards are expected to offer John Wall a Designated Veteran Extension.
- The Mavericks will decline their option on Dirk Nowitzki and work out a new deal for 2017/18.
- The Clippers are confident about re-signing Blake Griffin. He will, however, meet with the Suns.
- Paul Millsap will also meet with the Suns.
- The Pelicans are heavy favorites to re-sign Jrue Holiday.
- The Nuggets have picked up head coach Mike Malone‘s option, which runs through the 2018/19 season.
- Rajon Rondo has been waived by the Bulls.
- Nerlens Noel and Joe Ingles received qualifying offers from the Mavericks and Jazz, respectively. Kenneth Caldwell-Pope (Pistons) and Andre Roberson did also, as did Wizards players, Otto Porter Jr. and Bojan Bogdanovic.
Wolves Trade Rubio To Jazz For First-Round Pick
4:22pm: The Jazz are able to absorb Rubio’s $13.6MM contract today, but only today. As of tomorrow, the official start of the 2017/18 campaign, a Rudy Gobert raise coupled with some cap holds would push Utah’s payroll higher.
4:16pm: Jon Krawczynski of the Associated Press has tweeted that the deal is done and awaiting league approval. The 2018 first-rounder from OKC will be Top-14 protected, ESPN’s Marc Stein says.
4:05pm: Jody Genessey of the Deseret News has relayed a report from Zone Sports Networks’ Spencer Checketts that Utah will send Oklahoma City’s first-round pick to Minnesota in exchange for Rubio.
4:00pm: Tony Jones of the Salt Lake Tribune tweets that the Rubio trade “is happening”, noting that the deal is close to being done. It hasn’t, however, been formally confirmed yet.
3:45pm: The Jazz and Timberwolves are actively discussing a deal in which Ricky Rubio would head to Utah, Shams Charania of The Vertical tweets.
It’s unclear what would be heading back to Minnesota in the exchange but the news that Rubio could be on the move isn’t exactly groundbreaking. Despite the fact that the Timberwolves have already traded away two point guards this month, Rubio’s name has been a mainstay in trade rumors since the Wolves drafted Kris Dunn last June.
Much can and has been inferred from the news of these ongoing Rubio negotiations. Zach Lowe of ESPN tweets that this could mean George Hill will be unlikely to return to Utah. If nothing else, he adds, it will give the team leverage in contract negotiations with the 31-year-old.
The deal also lends credence to a theory that the Timberwolves could be serious contenders to pursue Kyle Lowry. Tim Bontemps of the Washington Post echoed the sentiments of The Athletic’s Eric Koreen suggesting as much shortly after the negotiations were made public.
In a separate tweet, Eric Koreen says that, Minnesota unloading Rubio, coupled with revoking the Shabazz Muhammad‘s qualifying offer would free up about $32MM for the organization.
Sixers Waive Gerald Henderson
The Sixers have waived Gerald Henderson, Sam Amico of AmicoHoops tweets. The eight-year veteran averaged 9.2 points in 72 games for Philadelphia last season.
Per TNT’s David Aldridge, Henderson’s contract worth $9MM in 2017/18 would have become guaranteed had he remained on the roster through the day. Instead Derek Bodner of The Ringer writes that the Sixers will merely be hit with a $1MM cap hold.