Draft Notes: Johnson, King, Thompson, Pasecniks
Junior guard Robert Johnson will withdraw from the draft and return to Indiana, according to Jon Rothstein of Fanrag Sports. Players who entered the draft but did not hire an agent have until May 24th to pull out and remain in school. Johnson averaged 12.8 points, 4.4 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game with the Hoosiers this season. He was not listed among the top 100 prospects by DraftExpress and would have been a long shot to be taken this year.
There’s more draft news on lottery day:
- Colorado’s George King will also return to school next season, Rothstein reports. He averaged 11.1 points and 6.8 rebounds as a junior. Stephen Thompson Jr. is heading back to Oregon State, Rothstein adds. The sophomore guard put up 16.3 points and 3.0 assists this season. Both were outside the DraftExpress top 100.
- Anzejs Pasecniks could be the next young Latvian star in New York, writes Brian Lewis of the New York Post. The Nets reportedly have interest in the 21-year-old, who was considered to be a similar prospect to Kristaps Porzingis when they were growing up. At 7’2″, Pasecniks would fill a need at backup center for Brooklyn, which holds the 22nd and 27th picks in next month’s draft. “I don’t want to say he’s Porzingis, but he’s a reasonable facsimile,” said international draft expert Fran Fraschilla of ESPN. “I don’t want to give the impression he’s unathletic, because he’s not. He gives you length, he gives you shooting, he can protect the rim a little bit.”
- The Bucks will work out six players today, according to a tweet from the team. Scheduled to participate are Kentucky’s Hamidou Diallo, Georgetown’s L.J. Peak, SMU’s Sterling Brown, Wisconsin’s Nigel Hayes, Utah State’s Jalen Moore and Louisville’s Deng Adel.
- North Carolina center Tony Bradley will participate in a workout with the Knicks on Wednesday, tweets Ian Begley of ESPN.com.
- The Lakers have four players coming in for a workout on Thursday, tweets Baxter Holmes of ESPN.com. Participants will be Xavier’s Trevon Bluiett, UCLA’s Isaac Hamilton, Michigan’s Zak Irvin and Miami’s Davon Reed.
- The Ringer has issued a draft guide ranking the top 60 players available. Markelle Fultz is the site’s top pick, followed by Josh Jackson, Lonzo Ball and Malik Monk as a surprise in the No. 4 slot. Seven guards are likely to be taken in the lottery, writes Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer in a separate piece.
Magic Await Permission To Talk To David Griffin
The Magic have submitted a formal request to the Cavaliers to speak with GM David Griffin, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical. Griffin is believed to be the front-runner to become Orlando’s president of basketball operations, with a report last month saying he will be offered the job when he becomes available.
The Cavaliers have not responded to the request, Wojnarowski adds, and have the option of holding onto Griffin until his contract expires at the end of June. With free agency starting July 1st, it’s possible that Cavs owner Dan Gilbert will deny the interview request as a stall tactic to see if Orlando turns to someone else.
Sources tell Wojnarowski that Gilbert hasn’t made a substantive offer to try to keep Griffin, who built the Cavaliers into a championship team after LeBron James returned in 2014. James has been an outspoken advocate of keeping the GM, but his public comments seem to have had little effect on negotiations.
The Magic are getting ready to start interviewing other candidates for the position, including Hall of Famer Kevin McHale and Bucks GM John Hammond, who still has a year left on his contract in Milwaukee. Interim Magic GM Matt Lloyd has already been through the interview process and is highly thought of in the organization, according to Wojnarowski.
Orlando launched a front-office shakeup when the season ended, firing GM Rob Hennigan and assistant GM Scott Perry. The Magic plan to put control of the front office in the hands of a president, who will then hire the next GM.
The team faces competition from the Hawks, who recently relieved Wes Wilcox of GM duties. Griffin is seen as a candidate in Atlanta, along with former Pistons executive Joe Dumars, Rockets VP of basketball operations Gersson Rosas, Knicks director of player personnel Mark Hughes and former players and current TV analysts Chauncey Billups and Brent Barry. Wojnarowski reports that the Hawks have received permission to interview Rosas and Hughes.
No Structural Damage For Andre Iguodala
An MRI conducted Monday on Andre Iguodala produced some good news for the Warriors, according to Shams Charania of The Vertical.
The veteran swingman has no structural damage in his injured left knee, which limited his availability in the Western Conference finals opener with San Antonio. Iguodala was experiencing pain in the knee on Sunday and played just 10 minutes. He is listed as questionable for tonight’s Game 2.
Iguodala has spent four years with the Warriors and has been a key member of the rotation during their two runs to the NBA Finals, earning Finals MVP honors in 2015. He is averaging 7.0 points 4.4 rebounds and 3.3 assists in nine playoff games this season.
The MRI results are also good news for the 33-year-old as he approaches free agency this summer. Iguodala is making slightly more than $11.1MM in the final season of a four-year, $48MM contract and is expected to seek a long-term deal with a nice raise. He has expressed a desire to remain with Golden State, but the Warriors will have to work out new contracts with Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant this summer, which means finding money for a max deal with Durant without owning his Bird rights.
Draft Notes: Diallo, Swanigan, Lakers, Jackson
Hamidou Diallo’s decision to pass on playing 5-on-5 games at the Draft Combine may have actually helped his stock, Adam Zagoria of the New York Times reports. Diallo didn’t play after enrolling at Kentucky in January and was advised to sit out the 5-on-5 games, Zagoria continues. Wildcats coach John Calipari said that by remaining a sort of mystery man, Diallo has made himself more intriguing, as he expressed to Zagoria and media members. “They all like you without watching you. Good,” Calipari said. “The more you don’t play, the more they like you, the more they’re impressed.” The 6’5” shooting guard is currently rated No. 38 by DraftExpress and No. 35 by ESPN’s Chad Ford.
In other draft-related developments:
- Purdue forward Caleb Swanigan isn’t sure if he’ll remain in the draft, he told Gregg Doyel of the Indianapolis Star and other media members. Swanigan worked out with the Pacers on Monday. “It’s really hard,” Swanigan said of his impending decision. He’s currently ranked No. 29 by DraftExpress and No. 31 by Ford.
- The Lakers stand out as the team that could lose the most in Tuesday’s draft lottery because of their trade obligations, as ESPN’s Ford and Kevin Pelton discuss. The Sixers could be the biggest winners with the opportunity to land two of the top four picks, as the duo explains. The Magic are another team with plenty at stake, according to Pelton, as they could lose a future first-rounder owed by Lakers and have to settle for a couple of second-round picks.
- Participating in the Draft Combine last year helped North Carolina’s Justin Jackson, as he expressed to Moke Hamilton of Basketball Insiders. Jackson, a junior, has seen his stock rise dramatically after returning to school for his junior season as he credits the Combine for helping him improve his game. “The feedback I got last year… I took that extremely serious,” he told Hamilton. Jackson, a 6’8” swingman, is expected to be a mid- to late-first rounder. He’s ranked No 13 by DraftExpress and No. 25 by Ford.
Southwest Notes: Leonard, Pelicans, Parsons, Nowitzki
Kawhi Leonard‘s MRI revealed no structural damage, Michael C. Wright of ESPN.com tweets. Leonard injured his left ankle twice in Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals on Sunday, including a controversial play in which Warriors center Zaza Pachulia moved into his landing space after Leonard released a jump shot. Spurs coach Gregg Popovich ripped Pachulia on Monday for what Popovich felt was a reckless closeout. Leonard is expected to miss Game 2.
In other news around the Southwest Division
- Donatas Motiejunas is unlikely to re-sign with the Pelicans because of their frontcourt logjam, Lithuanian journalist Donatas Urbonas tweets. Motiejunas told Urbonas, ‘They don’t need me with already 4-5 big (men) on the roster for the next season.’ The 7-foot forward, who is an unrestricted free agent this summer, averaged 4.4 PPG and 3.0 RPG in 14.1 MPG over 34 games with the Pelicans.
- Chandler Parsons‘ future with the Grizzlies could be as a stretch four rather than playing his natural small forward spot, according to Michael Wallace of the team’s website. That could be a sensitive subject this offseason with veteran power forward Zach Randolph becoming an unrestricted free agent this summer and fellow big man JaMychal Green entering restricted free agency. Knee injuries limited Parsons to 34 games in the first year of his four-year, $94MM contract with Memphis.
- Dirk Nowitzki is willing to assist the front office as the Mavericks prepare for the draft, according to team website reporter Earl K. Sneed. The club holds the No. 9 overall pick, pending the results of Tuesday’s lottery. “Maybe I’ll be in the draft room this year, if that’s what it takes,” Nowitzki told Sneed. “I think we’ve got plenty of time over the next few weeks to set a plan, execute the plan on draft day hopefully and maybe in free agency, and we’ll go from there.”
- Improving 3-point shooting is paramount for the Pelicans to make the playoffs next year, coach Alvin Gentry said on The Vertical podcast. Gentry’s comments were relayed in a story by Scott Kushner of the New Orleans Advocate. The Twin Tower duo of Anthony Davis and DeMarcus Cousins won’t work unless the club acquires better perimeter shooters, according to Gentry. “We are going to have to upgrade there and the players that we have are going to have to show vast improvement over the summer,” Gentry said on the podcast. “If you’re going to play the two big guys that we have, obviously, there are going to be a lot of double-teaming. … in order to make that work, we’re going to have to be able to knock down perimeter shots.”
Pacific Rumors: Iguodala, Kings, Lakers, Tomjanovich
Warriors forward Andre Iguodala is listed as questionable for Game 2 of the Western Conference Finals, the team’s PR department tweets. He underwent an MRI on his left knee Monday, according to ESPN.com’s Chris Haynes, and obviously the results were satisfactory even though the team has yet to provide details. Iguodala could still be rested as a precautionary measure, a source told Haynes. He did not practice on Monday. Iguodala was a non-factor in Game 1, playing just 10 minutes and scoring two points. Stephen Curry also sat out practice but will play in Game 2, acting coach Mike Brown told Haynes and other reporters.
In other developments around the Pacific Division:
- The Kings plan to move their D-League affiliate out of Reno after next season, according to Scott Howard Cooper of NBA.com. The Kings want their affiliate to be closer to Sacramento and playing games at multiple locations is a consideration, he adds. (Twitter links).
- The Lakers should try to trade for Pacers star Paul George this offseason rather than waiting to pursue him as an unrestricted free agent after next season, according to a panel of ESPN basketball experts. All but one of the five members on the panel believe that acquiring George now is worth the risk of losing him after just one season. Baxter Holmes opines that the Pacers would want a package of young players, including Brandon Ingram, and a draft pick in return.
- Rudy Tomjanovich is no longer with the Lakers’ organization, Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News reports. Tomjanovich has served as a consultant in various capacities for over a decade and was also a scout for the team’s analytics department last season. Tomjanovich’s son, Trey, has also lost his job as a consultant and statistical analyst.
Five Key Offseason Questions: Utah Jazz
On the surface, the Utah Jazz seem poised to be a serious contender for years to come. They bounced back from an injury-riddled, 40-42 campaign in 2015/16 and finished 20 games over .500 this season. That 51-31 record was good enough for the No. 5 seed in the Western Conference.
They made some noise in the playoffs, defeating the more-heralded Los Angeles Clippers in a hotly-contested series that took the full seven games to decide. The Jazz stunned the Clippers at the Staples Center after losing Game 6 in Salt Lake City. There was no shame in getting swept by the much more talented Warriors in the conference semifinals.
Utah’s top players are either in or approaching their prime years. The problem is that as many as five key contributors could enter the free agent market this summer, including its franchise player. Within a couple of months, the Jazz could continue to build upon the momentum of a successful season or be faced with a major rebuild.
Here’s a look at the biggest questions confronting the club this offseason:
1. Will Gordon Hayward remain the face of the franchise or be lured away by another playoff team?
There’s little doubt that Hayward will sacrifice the $16.7MM salary he was scheduled to earn next season and opt out of the final year of his contract. What Hayward decides to do will have enormous implications on the franchise’s future.
Hayward’s value is at its peak after he set new career marks in PPG (21.9) and RPG (4.7) this year. It’s possible that Hayward could opt in and then sign a massive extension, which could eat up to 35% of the team’s cap if he is named to an All-NBA team, which will be unveiled Thursday.
The more likely scenario is that Hayward shops his services and tests the market, though by possessing his Bird rights the Jazz can pay him more than any potential suitor. The Jazz will have to max out Hayward, or come close to doing so, to have any hope of keeping him around. The Celtics certainly come to mind among contending teams that might view Hayward as the missing piece to a championship. Plenty of others will make a pitch for him should he decide to enter the market.
The Jazz would have little choice but to pay whatever is required to keep Hayward because without him, they immediately have the look of a lottery team.
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Community Shootaround: Zaza Pachulia
The player on the Warriors that everyone is talking about right now isn’t named Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant or Draymond Green. Rather, journeyman center Zaza Pachulia has been thrust into the spotlight in an unflattering manner.
Spurs star Kawhi Leonard injured his already tender left ankle during the third quarter in Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals when Pachulia moved into Leonard’s landing spot after Leonard released a jump shot. Leonard did not return, which turned into a game-changing development. Golden State was able to wipe out a 25-point deficit and escape with a victory, something that probably wouldn’t have happened if Leonard had landed cleanly and remained in the game. Leonard is likely to miss Game 2 and his status for the remainder of the series is questionable.
Afterward, the Spurs’ franchise player was diplomatic and didn’t criticize Pachulia for the way he closed out defensively. Coach Gregg Popovich expressed a totally different viewpoint on Monday, ripping Pachulia for a “totally unnatural” act and said Pachulia has a history of careless and dangerous plays. Popovich added that it didn’t matter whether Pachulia intended to harm Leonard, comparing him to a driver who commits manslaughter because he or she was texting at the time.
Pelicans Retaining Alvin Gentry, Dell Demps
4:46pm: Team owner Tom Benson has officially announced that Gentry and Demps will be retained, Kushner tweets.
10:38am: The Pelicans won’t be making any major changes at head coach or general manager this offseason, according to Scott Kushner of The Advocate. League sources inform Kushner that coach Alvin Gentry and GM Dell Demps will both keep their jobs to begin the 2017/18 season.
Gentry and Demps were both already under contract for next year, but that didn’t necessarily assure their returns — Pelicans owner Tom Benson and executive VP of basketball operations Mickey Loomis were said in late April to be evaluating the team’s current leadership group. After a disappointing 2016/17 season that resulted in a 34-48 record – rather than the playoff spot the Pelicans had hoped for – Gentry and Demps were believed to be on the hot seat.
Gentry has coached the Pelicans for the last two full seasons, compiling a 64-100 record (.390) during that stretch. As for Demps, he has been New Orleans’ general manager since 2010, though the team’s front office structure is somewhat confusing — Loomis’ title suggests he ranks higher in the basketball operations department than Demps, but Loomis isn’t believed to be overly involved in personnel decisions, since – as the GM of the New Orleans Saints – he’s more of an NFL executive.
According to Kushner, the Pelicans’ in-seasons acquisition of DeMarcus Cousins played a significant part in the decision to retain Demps going forward. While Demps’ ability to land Cousins for a modest package was impressive, sources tell Kushner that the franchise also wants to provide some stability around Cousins as he enters the final year of his contract — overhauling the coaching staff and the front office wouldn’t provide that desired stability.
Although Gentry and Demps are safe for now, there will be plenty of pressure on the duo heading into 2017/18. According to Kushner, it’s “unlikely” that either Gentry or Demps can survive another sub-.500 season.
NBA Jersey Sponsors
Note: As of 2020, we’re no longer keeping this post up to date.
The NBA’s three-year pilot program to sell a small patch of real estate on teams’ jerseys officially got underway during the 2017/18 season, when clubs started wearing Nike uniforms. As part of the NBA’s jersey sponsorship pilot program, teams have reached agreements with sponsors and will dedicate an upper corner of their new uniforms to an advertisement patch for their new business partners.
As more teams make announcements, we’ll use this space to track their agreements with sponsors. Here are the details on the deals finalized so far, with links to stories on those agreements:
- Atlanta Hawks: Sharecare
- Boston Celtics: General Electric
- Brooklyn Nets: Infor
- Charlotte Hornets: LendingTree
- Chicago Bulls: Zenni Optical
- Cleveland Cavaliers: Goodyear
- Dallas Mavericks: Chime
- Denver Nuggets: Western Union
- Detroit Pistons: Flagstar Bank
- Golden State Warriors: Rakuten
- Houston Rockets: ROKiT Phones
- Indiana Pacers: Motorola
- Los Angeles Clippers: Bumble
- Los Angeles Lakers: Wish
- Memphis Grizzlies: FedEx
- Miami Heat: Ultimate Software
- Milwaukee Bucks: Harley-Davidson
- Minnesota Timberwolves: Fitbit
- New Orleans Pelicans: Zatarain’s
- New York Knicks: Squarespace
- Oklahoma City Thunder: Love’s Travel Stops & Country Stores
- Orlando Magic: Disney
- Philadelphia 76ers: StubHub
- Phoenix Suns: PayPal
- Portland Trail Blazers: Performance Health (Biofreeze logo)
- Sacramento Kings: Blue Diamond Almonds
- San Antonio Spurs: Frost Bank
- Toronto Raptors: Sun Life Financial
- Utah Jazz: Qualtrics (5 For The Fight logo)
- Washington Wizards: GEICO