Clippers Notes: Paul, Griffin, Redick
The Clippers are hoping to re-sign Chris Paul to a max deal this summer, sources tell Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times. The point guard can receive approximately $205MM over the next five years if he stays with the franchise. He could only sign a four-year contract, which would be worth roughly $152MM, if he goes elsewhere. Los Angeles could ostensibly attempt to bring Paul back at a figure below the max, but above what another team could offer, though it appears that option is unlikely.
Here’s more from Los Angeles
- Blake Griffin would like to sign a max deal with the Clippers this offseason, Turner adds in the same piece. The scribe hears that Los Angeles is angling for that outcome as well. Earlier today, we passed along five potential landing spots should he decide to leave the Clippers.
- Multiple NBA sources tell Turner (same piece) that they expect J.J. Redick to sign elsewhere. Turner estimates that the shooting guard will command $18-20MM per year, which could be too high of a price for the Clippers to pay.
- The Clippers announced that Griffin underwent surgery to repair an injury to his right toe, as Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders passes along (Twitter link). Los Angeles did not provide a recovery timetable for Griffin, who will be a free agent this offseason.
- Kevin Ding of Bleacher Report wonders if it’s time for the Clippers and Paul to go their separate ways. Ding examines Paul’s game and argues that while he hasn’t won a championship, his presence allows his teams to contend nearly every season.
Thunder Hope To Extend Russell Westbrook This Offseason
GM Sam Presti is “hopeful” that the Thunder can sign Russell Westbrook to a long-term extension this summer, Royce Young of ESPN.com reports.
“The rules are that you can’t have that conversation until July 1, and you know, when that time comes, we’ll sit down, we’ll have conversations with him about what that opportunity presents,” Presti said. “And you know, we’re obviously hopeful that he remains really excited about being a part of this organization for the remainder of his career.”
Westbrook will be eligible for a Designated Player Extension this summer. An agreement could yield him upwards of $217MM over five years, though those figures are not exact since it’s a product of next year’s salary cap which won’t be determined until July.
The point guard has a player option on the end of his current deal, meaning he could become a free agent during the 2018 offseason. Royce notes that should Westbrook not sign an extension this offseason, it may raise concerns that he is looking to leave OKC. If the Thunder enter next season without a long-term deal, they would justifiably have to at least listen to trade offers for the MVP Candidate. However, the front office isn’t playing out the doomsday scenario.
“Let’s not think so far ahead,” Presti said. “Let’s just see where the information takes us. I understand the question. I think the biggest thing is, we had that conversation with Russell last year, and you know, he was really clear, and it worked itself out. So before we get all the way down the road on what if, what if this happens, what if that happens: Again, that’s one of those things where we’re talking about a very complex question, a very complex situation with a lot of moving parts, and looking for, like, a simple answer to that.”
“So let’s just have the conversation, see where it goes,” Presti added. “I think everybody knows how we feel about him. He’s a transcendent player. I think he’s a futuristic player. I think he’s a tremendous competitor, and we’re fortunate to have him. We’ll have a conversation, and hopefully, it goes our way.”
Westbrook recently declared that Oklahoma City is where he wants to be. Young adds that the franchise feels like the extension Westbrook signed last offseason was just as much about committing to the organization as it was to financial security. The new Designated Player Exception will allow Westbrook to achieve both of those objectives in his next deal and Presti is thankful for the CBA’s new resource.
“I think it is a good thing for the league, right,” Presti said of the new extension. “I think it’s important for franchises, especially outside of a handful, to be able to have the opportunity to keep their best players.That’s probably healthy. If you’re serious about having like a competitive balance and serious about lauding sustainability and things of that nature, like then the rules need to kind of align with that. Unfortunately the last CBA, they didn’t, and this CBA, they did. You know, I think it’s positive that those things are in place for a lot of cities.”
The GM was asked about whether or not the team planned to add another star to pair with Westbrook and the league will certainly hear about his response. “The first thing I’m going to do is go back to the office and call Adam Silver and see if he can arrange one of those cap spikes,” Presti said. “I’m learning those things tend to come in handy.”
The salary cap increased so drastically over the last two seasons because of the league’s historic television deal.It resulted in teams gaining exorbitant amounts of cap space. That’s how the Warriors were able to sign Kevin Durant away from the Thunder, though it may have never occurred had the “smoothing” proposal gained enough support. The proposal, which had support from the Thunder organization, would have increased the cap at a much slower rate from year-to-year. It was shot down back in 2015.
Warriors Not Counting On Postseason Return For Kerr
Steve Kerr is battling complications stemming from back surgery and it has forced him to miss Golden State’s last two playoff games. Mike Brown took over duties in his place and the Warriors are preparing as if Brown will lead them for the rest of the postseason.
“We plan on Steve not to come back,” Draymond Green said (via Ron Kroichick of the San Francisco Gate. “That’s the way we’re approaching this thing. We’re not going to sit around and say, ‘Oh, man, if we can get to the conference finals Steve may be back!’ Nah. Mike Brown is our coach.”
Kerr remains involved in the team’s strategy, though it’s unclear exactly how much input he is giving. Brown, who has been friends with Kerr for nearly 17 years, is preparing to be the head coach for as long as Golden State has basketball left to play, but he’s doing so by communicating regularly with the 2015/16 Coach of the Year.
“My whole deal is I’m going to coach the team until Bob [Myers] and Steve tell me otherwise,” Brown said. “I’m not putting a timetable on it, just taking it one day at a time. The reality of it is, Steve and I talk a couple times a day.”
Should The Knicks Trade Carmelo Anthony?
The Knicks are expected to re-open trade talks with the Clippers, though with different terms than the last time the two sides discussed a Carmelo Anthony deal. Instead of an Austin Rivers-centered proposal, which was reportedly on the table during the middle of the season, the Knicks would receive J.J. Redick via sign-and-trade.
While Redick is a great starter, that kind of package doesn’t seem to provide New York with the kind of return teams normally receive when trading away a star. Yet, it may be the franchise’s best option on the trade market. The Knicks will be hard-pressed to find a typical star trade offer —one laced with young prospects and favorable draft picks—because Anthony isn’t your typical star on the market. The small forward’s no-trade clause, contract, and age (he’ll turn 33 later this month) suppress his value in trade negotiations, as I discussed in his Trade Candidate piece. On top of all those factors, Phil Jackson further decreased Anthony’s trade value by declaring that star would be better off in a different uniform.
Rival teams will low-ball the Knicks this summer and if a deal materializes, the return will likely be underwhelming. However, New York should remember that it has the option of keeping Melo on the team, as Dan Favale of NBA Math writes. Favale notes that the 10-time All-Star has the support of Kristaps Porzingis and the duo plays well together on the court. Porzingis made 44.1% of his shots from behind the arc and 50.5% of them overall off of Anthony’s passes this season.
Favale also points out that Anthony plays well off the ball. Melo hit 41.8% of his catch-and-shoot opportunities behind the arc, a figure that ranks eighth in the league among players with at least 175 such attempts.
As Anthony glides further away from his prime, he’s going to have to play off the ball more for whichever team he’s on. If the Knicks keep him this summer and put him in that kind of role to begin the 2017/18 campaign, perhaps they can moderately rehabilitate his trade value (or even less likely: create a peace treaty between Anthony and Jackson that would allow Melo to stick around through the end of his deal).
The team will need to eventually rebuild around Porzingis and the haul it receives for Anthony will likely dictate the timeline on becoming a playoff contender again. Simply cutting bait with the soon to be 33-year-old by taking the best trade offer this offseason is the likeliest option for the Knicks. Is it the best option? Perhaps, but it’s not the only one and the Knicks are in no position to be closed-minded.
What should New York do with Anthony this summer? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below. We look forward to what you have to say!
Pacers Notes: Pritchard, George, McMillan
The Pacers are transitioning from Larry Bird to Kevin Pritchard and the move could signal an active offseason for the team, Mark Montieth of NBA.com writes.
“You have to be bold in this position,” Pritchard said. “But the one thing I’ve learned from Larry is how important continuity is.
“When you say I’ve been a dealmaker, a lot of them have been in the summer, specifically the draft. I don’t mind moving up. Once I see someone in the draft that I think can really help us, I want to be aggressive that way. [Scouting director] Ryan Carr and our scouts do an amazing job identifying talent, and it’s up to me to go get them. I like moving around in the draft. That doesn’t mean it happens every time. But I want to be aggressive.”
Indiana owns the No. 18 and No. 47 overall picks in the upcoming draft and the team could have upwards of $32MM in cap space this summer, as Luke Adams of Hoops Rumors recently detailed.
Here’s more from Indiana:
- Owner Herb Simon may be willing to pay luxury tax under the right circumstances, Montieth adds in the same piece. “I don’t like talking about a small market; we are a market,” Pritchard said. “We’re given every opportunity to succeed. Going into the tax will be challenging, but I’ve never heard Herb say, ‘Hey, listen, we can never go into the tax.’ If you’re on a timeline where you’ve got good players and you want to win, you’re on the cusp of moving up, I don’t think there’s a doubt he would take a look at that.”
- Paul George told Pritchard that he wants to remain with the Pacers, though it must be a winning situation, Monteith relays in the same piece. “The one thing Paul realizes is, the Indiana Pacers drafted him, developed him, gave him an opportunity to succeed. He talked about how much he enjoyed getting to the Eastern Conference Finals. He wants to win. The Pacers want to win. We’re on the same page,” Pritchard said.
- The Pacers might be better off moving on from Nate McMillan, Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe argues. Washburn cites Indiana’s first-round matchup with the Cavs where Tyronn Lue seemingly outcoached McMillan.
- Bird will stay with the organization as an advisor and the Hall of Famer doesn’t believe his move will have any impact on George’s future with the team, as we passed along earlier today. “Paul is going to do what Paul wants to do.”
Thunder Notes: Gibson, Kanter, Westbrook
The NBA is migrating toward an environment where small-ball is prevalent and the Thunder must adapt to the changing times, Berry Tramel of The Oklahoman argues. The scribe notes that five of the Oklahoma City’s 10 best players are big men (Steven Adams, Taj Gibson, Enes Kanter, Jerami Grant and Domantas Sabonis). Playing two of those players at the same time is a risky proposition because of the league’s new landscape and Tramel believes that as a result, GM Sam Presti will be forced to shake up the roster this offseason.
Here’s more from Oklahoma City:
- Tramel can’t envision Gibson returning to OKC next season, as he writes in the same piece. The scribe believes the Thunder can only keep either Gibson or Kanter on the roster. Kanter has two years and approximately $36.5MM left on his deal after this season, so trading him could be problematic.
- The Thunder may have difficulties upgrading their talent because of their cap issues, Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe explains. Extensions for Victor Oladipo and Adams kick in next season, which will give the team four players who are each making over $17MM per season. The team’s core isn’t championship worthy right now and the number of large salaries on the books could make it difficult to change that fact.
- Russell Westbrook is doing a tremendous job of being a leader on this team, Washburn opines in the same piece. The scribe is impressed with how the star handles himself in the media and he’s not overly concerned about a number of shots Westbrook takes, citing the lack of talent on the roster.
Southeast Notes: Reed, Hardaway, Muscala, Morris
Willie Reed hasn’t announced his intentions, but the Heat center sounds like he plans to opt out this summer. Reed, who is scheduled to make $1.6MM next season, is coming off a promising second NBA season in which he played 71 games and averaged 5.3 points and 4.7 rebounds per night. It was his first year in Miami after starting his career in Brooklyn. “I don’t know what it’s going to be like for me, to be honest,” Reed told Anthony Chiang of the Palm Beach Post about free agency. “Obviously I’ve never been in a position like this before. So I’m just trying to trust the process with things that I’ve done before, continue to work on my body, continue to work on my game and then deal with that when the time comes.” The Heat expect to have about $38MM to spend once Chris Bosh‘s contract is cleared from their books, but they have other priorities in free agency, such as keeping Dion Waiters and James Johnson.
There’s more from the Southeast Division:
- Matching an offer sheet for Tim Hardaway Jr. could be the Hawks‘ toughest decision of the offseason, writes Chris Vivlamore of The Atlanta Journal Constitution. Hardaway is a restricted free agent after the team elected not to give him a qualifying offer last fall. He responded with his best season as a pro, averaging 14.5 points per game and starting 30 of the 79 games that he played. “That’s why I have an agent to do all the talk with the organization here and see what best fits for me,” Hardaway said. “I love it here. Atlanta brought me here and it really felt like I was starting all over as a rookie when I got here. They made me go through some tough times. They made me mature as a person on and off the court. And made me appreciate the game a whole lot more when I first came in the league. That’s what I’m thankful for.”
- Fourth-year big man Mike Muscala is also a first-time free agent and the Hawks haven’t indicated if they’ll try to keep him, Vivlamore writes in a separate piece. “Atlanta is a special place for me,” said Muscala, who has spent his entire career with the team. “I feel like the organization is headed in the right direction with the ownership and the coaching staff, practice facility. I’ve loved my time here.”
- Wizards forward Markieff Morris sat out practice today with a badly sprained left ankle that he suffered in Sunday’s Game 1 against the Celtics, according to Candace Buckner of The Washington Post. The team hasn’t commented on his availability for Tuesday’s Game 2, but Morris has already made up his mind. “I’m playing tomorrow. It’s final,” he said. “There’s nothing the doctors can say to me for me not to be able to play.” Injured center Ian Mahinmi also was held out of practice today, tweets J. Michael of CSNWashington.
Draft Roundup: Bullock, Johnson, Taylor, Williams
May is an important month for draft-eligible players, with the draft combine next weekend in Chicago, the lottery on May 16th and the deadline to withdraw on May 24th.
Several early entries have made their commitments, and Jon Rothstein of FanRag Sports passes along the decisions:
- Providence forward Rodney Bullock will return to school for his senior season. The Friars’ top scorer and rebounder this season had declared for the draft, but did not hire an agent.
- Darin Johnson of Cal State Northridge signed with an agent and will stay in the draft. A transfer from Washington, Johnson averaged 13.8 points and 3.7 rebounds during his lone season at Northridge. He did not receive an invitation to the combine and is not projected to be selected on draft night.
- New Mexico’s Matt Taylor also signed with an agent. The junior guard averaged just averaged 6.5 points and 3.0 rebounds and is not projected as a draft pick.
- Ohio State’s Kam Williams will return to school for his senior year. The junior guard is shooting 39% from 3-point range as a collegian and was not projected to be drafted.
- Khadeem Lattin will return to Oklahoma for his senior season. He averaged 8.4 points, 6.3 rebounds and 2.1 blocks last season after being named to the Big 12 All-Defensive team as a sophomore.
- Central Michigan’s Cecil Williams will return for his senior season. The swingman averaged 8.0 points and 6.0 rebounds last season.
- Trae Bell-Haynes will return to Vermont next season. He averaged 11.2 points and 3.9 assists last season as the Catamounts won a record 29 games.
- Tony Farmer, a junior college standout at Lee College, has signed with an agent and will stay in the draft. He is not projected to be selected.
Five Possible Destinations For Blake Griffin
The Clippers’ latest playoff flameout — and Blake Griffin‘s latest playoff injury — have raised the chances of a major offseason shakeup in Los Angeles. Griffin and Chris Paul are both expected to opt out this summer and seek maximum deals, and the organization would face major luxury tax payments if both are re-signed.
While Paul is believed to be likely to stay in L.A., the Clippers may not be as committed to retaining Griffin, despite owner Steve Ballmer’s pledge to spend whatever it takes to keep the current team together. Mitch Lawrence of Forbes examines five possible landing spots for the Clippers forward.
- Knicks — Carmelo Anthony may be ready to leave New York and join his friend Paul in Los Angeles, where he already owns a home. Knicks president Phil Jackson could be interested in adding Griffin through a sign-and-trade deal for Anthony if both players are willing to consent to the move.
- Thunder — Griffin played college ball at Oklahoma, and the franchise needs a second star to pair with Russell Westbrook. The Thunder are nearly $12MM over the cap for next season, so they would have to be creative in opening space. Lawrence suggests letting Andre Roberson leave in free agency and finding a team willing to trade for Enes Kanter, who still has two years and about $36.5MM left on his contract.
- Nuggets — Cap room won’t be a problem in Denver, which will have about $40MM available if Danilo Gallinari opts out as he has indicated. The Nuggets have made trade offers for Griffin in the past, Lawrence writes, but never enough to tempt the Clippers. If a sign-and-trade is in play, Lawrence states that Denver would be willing to part with anyone except Nikola Jokic to make it work.
- Celtics — Boston has the cap space to make a max offer to Griffin and the assets to swing a deal. The Celtics have a wealth of future draft choices, including the potential No.1 pick this year and the Nets’ unprotected first-rounder next season. Even though Boston was the top seed in the East, the front office is searching for star players to build around.
- Pacers — Paul George‘s desire to play in L.A. has become an open secret around the league, and this could be the Clippers’ chance to land him before the Lakers do. George, who turns 27 this week, would be a new young star for the Clippers, while the Pacers could build around a formidable front line featuring Griffin and Myles Turner.
John Paxson’s Role May Expand In Chicago
The Bulls are considering front office changes this offseason, which may include more day-to-day control of the team for vice president John Paxson, tweets Marc Stein of ESPN.com.
That ties into a story from K.C. Johnson of The Chicago Tribune, who suggests that “subtle” front office changes are in the works. Organizational meetings are planned for this week, and management may hold a press conference to announce the moves as soon as tomorrow.
Behind the scenes, the Reinsdorf family still has faith in its management team, but team president Michael Reinsdorf is an advocate for more debate on key decisions. Paxson’s brother, Jim, a former GM of the Cavaliers, is someone who could be given a stronger voice in the organization.