Spurs Open To Trading Danny Green
The Spurs are open to trading Danny Green, league sources tell Jabari Young of The San Antonio Express-News (Twitter link). However, no deal is close at this point, according to Young.
Green, who will celebrate his 30th birthday on Thursday, continues to play a rotational role for the Spurs, averaging 7.3 PPG, 3.3 RPG, and 1.0 SPG last season while shooting 37.9% on three-point attempts. When it comes to San Antonio’s offseason plans, however, the most important number tied to Green may be his $10MM salary for 2017/18.
The Spurs have been linked to top free agents like Chris Paul, but currently don’t have the cap room necessary to max a competitive contract offer to a player of that caliber. San Antonio already has about $73.5MM in guaranteed salaries on its books for next year, and that’s without accounting for cap holds for free agents and the club’s first-round pick, or new deals for Pau Gasol and/or Manu Ginobili. Trading Green and his $10MM salary wouldn’t necessarily open up a maximum-salary slot for someone like Paul, but it would give the Spurs more flexibility if they intend to make a splash in free agency.
Green, who would appeal to teams looking for a three-and-D wing, is under contract for one more season, then will have to decide next summer on a $10MM player option for 2018/19.
Eastern Notes: Howard, Hawks, Wade, Wizards
Tuesday’s trade between Atlanta and Charlotte, which sent Dwight Howard to the Hornets for an underwhelming package that included Miles Plumlee and Marco Belinelli, signaled to many that Howard’s value is at a low point. While that may be the case, Hornets head coach Steve Clifford is confident that he can help Howard become an All-Star caliber player again, as Steve Reed of The Associated Press (via The Charlotte Observer) details.
“I know what he has to do to play well,” Clifford said of Howard, whom he coached as an assistant in Orlando and Los Angeles. “He understands that I know him. I know his game. Being around him in different settings I have a feel for what he likes to do… There is no reason he can’t get back to playing at a really high level.”
While we wait to see if Clifford can help Howard rebound after his stint in Atlanta ended with the big man complaining about his role, here are a few more notes from around the Eastern Conference:
- The Howard trade between Atlanta and Charlotte will leave the Hawks with a modest trade exception. Atlanta’s new TPE will be worth $4,346,942, and will be the fourth – and largest – trade exception available to the team, as our list of TPEs shows.
- Asked why he decided to exercise his player option to remain with the Bulls, a candid Dwyane Wade told David Aldridge of TNT that there were “24 million reasons” (Twitter link). Wade’s option will pay him $23.8MM next season.
- The Wizards have reportedly expressed interest in Paul George, and John Wall is on board with the idea of acquiring the Pacers star. However, a trade for George is a long shot, since a sign-and-trade of Otto Porter would be tricky and the inclusion of Bradley Beal is, of course, a non-starter, writes J. Michael of CSNMidAtlantic.com.
Lakers-Nets Trade: Notes, Reactions, More
The Lakers started clearing the future cap room necessary to add stars to their roster with Tuesday’s trade that sent D’Angelo Russell and Timofey Mozgov to the Nets in exchange for Brook Lopez and the 27th pick in Thursday’s draft.
L.A. would need about $66.3MM in cap space to sign both Paul George and LeBron James to max deals next summer, according to Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report. The Lakers currently project to have about $36MM in cap room for 2018 but they can push that figure past $48MM by unloading Julius Randle, who will have a $12.4MM cap hold. Options to create the rest of the needed space include finding a taker for Jordan Clarkson – who will make $12.5MM in 2018/19 – or stretching Luol Deng, who has three years and $53MM+ left on his contract.
If the Lakers wind up trading for George by sending Clarkson and the 27th and 28th picks in this year’s draft to Indiana, then restructures George’s contract to give him a max extension, that would only leave $17.7MM to offer James without another move, Pincus notes.
Several other media members have weighed in on Tuesday’s deal, including what it means for the long-term future of both teams, so let’s round up some more notes…
- The Lakers no longer believed Russell could be part of their core group moving forward, relays Bill Oram of the Orange County Register. Oram adds that the team is now free to draft Lonzo Ball without worrying about a possible conflict with Russell.
- New Lakers president Magic Johnson and GM Rob Pelinka are already proving to be better at building a team than the old regime was, opines Kevin Ding of Bleacher Report. Pelinka’s familiarity with agents, Ding notes, gives him a significant advantage over former GM Mitch Kupchak.
- The Nets wanted Russell because they were concerned they might wind up without a point guard next summer, according to a tweet from NetsDaily. Brooklyn had been facing a 2018 decision on whether to re-sign Lopez, along with the possibility that Jeremy Lin would opt out.
- There was little interest around the NBA in Lopez and Mozgov, tweets NetsDaily. That’s unsurprising in Mozgov’s case, though somewhat surprising for Lopez, who continues to play well and doesn’t have an albatross of a contract.
- Trading Lopez increases the possibility that the Nets will take a big man with the No. 22 pick on Thursday, per NetsDaily (via Twitter). Still, Mozgov will get a chance to play — he’s the third Russian to play for the franchise in recent years, and team ownership hopes he views that as a unique opportunity (Twitter link).
- ESPN’s Kevin Pelton (Insider-only link) assigns grades for the deal, giving the Nets (A-) a slightly better mark than the Lakers (B).
Luke Adams contributed to this post.
Jimmy Butler Warned Not To Come To Cleveland?
2:38pm: A team source tells Amico Hoops that there’s no truth to the idea that members of the Cavs are telling Butler it’s in his best interest not to come to Cleveland.
11:28am: Several Cavaliers players have advised Bulls star Jimmy Butler to resist any trade to Cleveland, according to Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times.
Unidentified players, who had been encouraging Butler to seek a deal to the Cavs, are now telling him to stay away from the sudden chaos in the organization after the decision not to re-sign GM David Griffin.
Butler had planned to ask Bulls GM Gar Forman and VP of basketball operations John Paxson to find a way to get him to Cleveland, Cowley reports. However, he apparently changed his mind Tuesday afternoon after being contacted by a few Cavaliers.
There are no other teams that Butler wants to join, including the Celtics, according to Cowley, and Chicago’s front office has set an asking price so high that it makes a deal virtually impossible.
Dwyane Wade‘s decision on Tuesday to opt in next season for $23.8MM is also related to the situation in Cleveland, Cowley states. Because Wade is a close friend of LeBron James, he understands how angry James is about Griffin’s departure and knew that Butler is likely to remain a Bull.
Cowley also reports a likely breakup of “The Three Alphas” in Chicago, with Butler and Wade pushing for an alternative to Rajon Rondo. While they like Rondo personally, both stars would prefer a point guard who can shoot from the outside to help space the court.
Draft Notes: Jackson, Ball, Ntilikina, Smith
Kansas forward Josh Jackson wanted to work out for the Celtics after they traded for the No. 3 pick, but couldn’t work out the scheduling, tweets Steve Bulpett of The Boston Herald. The Celtics are reportedly deciding between Jackson and Duke forward Jayson Tatum if they decide to keep the pick, and Tatum held a workout in Boston on Monday.
Jackson added that he has spoken to Celtics rookie Jaylen Brown and believes they would form a good combination (Twitter link). The former Jayhawk also disputed a rumor that he refused to work out for the team unless he was promised Boston wouldn’t trade its pick (Twitter link).
There’s more as the top prospects met with the media today in New York:
- Lonzo Ball confirmed to reporters his only pre-draft meeting was with the Lakers, tweets Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN.com. Ball also believes L.A. traded D’Angelo Russell to open up a spot for him and he can see that “the Lakers have a plan.” He adds that the Lakers haven’t promised to take him, relays Adam Zagoria of Fanrag Sports (Twitter link), saying, “We’ll just find out tomorrow night.” Ball also explained why he turned down a session with the Celtics when they had the top pick, tweets Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe. “If it’s either play for the hometown or go No. 1, I’d rather play for the hometown,” Ball said.
- Frank Ntilikina met with the Knicks front office today, including team president Phil Jackson, according to Ian Begley of ESPN.com (Twitter link). The French point guard, who is reportedly in strong consideration with New York’s No. 8 pick, said the team wanted to meet him in person.
- Dennis Smith Jr. also met with Jackson and the Knicks front office, Begley relays (Twitter link). The North Carolina State point guard believes he can be effective in the triangle offense.
- Indiana’s OG Anunoby said doctors have assured him that he can resume basketball activities by October or early November, according to Jake Fischer of Sports Illustrated (Twitter link). Anunoby had surgery on his right knee after a season-ending injury in January.
- Arizona’s Lauri Markkanen was a Timberwolves fan growing up, and Minnesota was among the four teams he worked out for, Fischer tweets. The others were the Mavericks, Celtics and Magic, and he had a meeting with the Knicks.
- Gonzaga’s Zach Collins had private workouts with the Magic, Wolves, Kings, Mavericks and Suns, and a group session with the Lakers, Fischer relays (Twitter link).
- Duke’s Luke Kennard held individual workouts for the Lakers, Pistons, Knicks and Mavericks (Twitter link).
- The Nets and Bulls were among the teams to work out international big man Isaiah Hartenstein leading up to the draft, tweets David Pick.
Jazz Inquire About Patrick Beverley
The Jazz are among 12 teams that have contacted the Rockets about starting guard Patrick Beverley, writes Tony Jones of The Salt Lake Tribune.
Sources tell Jones that Utah GM Dennis Lindsey is searching for a veteran point guard. Incumbent starter George Hill is a free agent and may not return to the team next season, although Jones hears that the Jazz will try to keep Hill even if they acquire Beverley.
While it may be trickier for the Jazz to land Beverley after July 1, the team would have plenty of flexibility to acquire him before the new league year begins. As our salary cap snapshot for Utah shows, the Jazz finished the season more than $13MM+ below the cap, which is more than enough room to accommodate Beverley’s $6MM salary. That cap room would disappear after July 1 due to pricey free agent cap holds.
The Rockets are reportedly trying to move Beverley, along with Ryan Anderson and Lou Williams to create cap space for a maximum offer to a top-level free agent.
Grizzlies Plan Minimum Offer For Tony Allen?
The Grizzlies aren’t prepared to offer veteran guard Tony Allen more than the veteran’s minimum this summer, tweets Peter Edmiston of WHBQ 87.7 in Memphis. His source is Ronald Tillery of The Commercial Appeal, who was a guest on the radio show.
Allen, 35, has spent the past seven years in Memphis, where he has developed a reputation as one of the league’s best defenders. He appeared in 71 games this season, starting 66, and contributed 9.1 points, 5.5 rebounds and 1.6 steals per night.
Allen just completed a four-year deal that paid him $20MM and could get offers well above the veteran’s minimum on the open market. If the report is true, he will have to decide whether he is willing to take a significant discount to remain with the Grizzlies.
Cavs, GM Griffin Part Ways; Gilbert Eyes Billups
JUNE 21, 12:15pm: Billups has a second meeting with the Cavaliers today, tweets Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com.
JUNE 19, 10:59pm: Billups will meet with Gilbert on Tuesday, Windhorst tweets.
8:41pm: Billups is the top target to become President of Basketball Operations, Wojnarowski tweets.
7:59pm: Gilbert didn’t consult with LeBron James on the decision to let Griffin leave, even though James stated Griffin should receive an extension, Windhorst tweets.
7:01pm: GM David Griffin and the Cavaliers will part ways, Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com tweets. Griffin, whose contract expires at the end of the month, was unable to reach an agreement for an extension. The club has issued a statement confirming that the two parties have mutually agreed that Griffin won’t remain with the organization, Tim Reynolds of the Associated Press tweets.
Griffin, who was making less than $2MM annually, met with Cavs owner Dan Gilbert last week. But the two sides were unable to come to terms. Griffin removed himself from consideration when it was clear that he and Gilbert weren’t on the same page regarding the team’s future plans, Dave McMenamin of ESPN tweets.
Former NBA Finals MVP Chauncey Billups, currently a commentator with ESPN, is expected to emerge as a candidate, Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical tweets. Billups is a close friend of Cleveland coach Tyronn Lue, which might help Billups’ candidacy. Billups also has a relationship with Gilbert and will also be considered for the title of President of Basketball Operations, who will hire the GM, Wojnarowski adds in another tweet.
Griffin won’t be lacking for job offers as multiple teams will pursue him during the next round of GM openings, according to Wojnarowski. Trade talks were being hampered because of Griffin’s iffy status, Wojnarowski adds. (Twitter links).
Assistant GM Trent Redden is also losing his job, David Aldridge of NBA.com tweets.
The Cavs are pursuing complex blockbuster deals for either Pacers swingman Paul George and the Bulls’ Jimmy Butler. Griffin’s departure in the short run could hamper those efforts as Gilbert searches for Griffin’s replacement.
Paul George Trade May Not Happen Before The Draft
The Pacers have talked to several teams about trading star forward Paul George, but don’t feel pressured to complete a deal before Thursday’s draft, writes Nate Taylor of The Indianapolis Star.
Team president Kevin Pritchard has had discussions with the Rockets, Cavaliers and Lakers about moving George, and the Wizards and Clippers have also expressed interest. However, the Pacers haven’t liked any of the offers enough to move forward with a deal.
The Pacers are hoping trade offers will improve tomorrow afternoon in anticipation of the draft. However, George’s public statements about wanting to go to L.A. are limiting what teams are willing to part with.
A source told Taylor that the Pacers may decide to listen to offers all summer, and maybe into training camp, before making a deal. Another source speculated that George’s value will continue to drop the longer the Pacers wait.
After Tuesday’s trade with the Nets, the Lakers reportedly offered Indiana both the 27th and 28th pick along with their choice of Julius Randle or Jordan Clarkson in exchange for George. A source said the Pacers are holding out for a significantly better offer.
Another source said that George wouldn’t object to playing for the Pacers next season if no deal is completed.
Hawks Exploring Sign-And-Trade For Paul Millsap
11:49am: Tyson Chandler is a candidate to go to Atlanta if the Suns are part of a sign-and-trade for Millsap, tweets John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 in Phoenix.
11:09am: After trading Dwight Howard Tuesday, the Hawks are exploring their options involving free agent forward Paul Millsap, according to Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com (hat tip to Slam Magazine). Windhorst said Atlanta has reached out to teams about a possible sign-and-trade, with the Suns, Kings and Nuggets all expressing interest.
New Hawks GM Travis Schlenk suggested last week that the team may not be willing to make a max offer to Millsap, who turned 32 in February. The Hawks can sign Millsap to a five-year deal worth about $205MM, while other teams are limited to four seasons and about $152MM.
Millsap is coming off his fourth straight All-Star season, averaging 18.1 points and 7.7 rebounds in 69 games. He made a little more than $20MM this season.
A Millsap deal would signal a full rebuilding job for the Hawks, who are on a string of 10 straight postseason appearances.