Pacific Notes: Jordan, Clark, Looney, Curry
If he decides to turn down his player option for 2018/19, DeAndre Jordan will enter this summer as one of the league’s most intriguing free agents and will likely have no shortage of suitors. No teams can offer Jordan as much money as his current team, the Clippers, but his steady defense and elite rebounding should interest several clubs.
Frank Urbina of HoopsHype examines Jordan’s potential trip through the open market and identifies four possible destinations. Even without Chris Paul, who was traded to the Rockets last offseason, Jordan enjoyed a solid season, averaging 12.0 PPG, 15.2 RPG, and 64.5% field goal percentage to go with a career-best 1.5 APG.
Among the possible teams, Urbina lists the Clippers, their hometown rival Lakers, plus the Knicks and Kings. The Lakers enter the offseason with major cap space that can be used on multiple free agents; the Knicks may have a season-long void in the frontcourt if Enes Kanter opts out and Kristaps Porzingis‘ ACL injury recovery lingers; and the Kings are rebuilding with money to spend.
Check out more Pacific Division notes below:
- Kevon Looney has been a solid player for the Warriors, but this past October, the team elected not to pick up his player option, so he could leave as an unrestricted free agent this summer. Warriors general manager Bob Myers admitted to Marcus Thompson of The Athletic (subscription required) that in hindsight, the team should have gone a different direction. “We didn’t know. We had to go on the information we had, which is not the information we have now,” Myers said. “Maybe in that circumstance, the cap factored in as far as having to be very conscious of every dollar and saying ‘Can we replace this player? Can we afford to pay him at this number?’ When we make any decision, we’re projecting. Sometimes we project correctly. Sometimes we project incorrectly.”
- With the Warriors set for a second-round series against the Pelicans, Ian Clark – who spent two seasons in Golden State – plans to use that experience to help his current team, William Guillory of NOLA.com writes. “It’s going to be fun,” Clark said. “Being in this position to compete against them is going to be fun. Obviously I know a lot of those guys’ tendencies, and I’m trying to help as much as possible to get the win.”
- We noted earlier today that Warriors head coach Steve Kerr listed Stephen Curry as questionable for Game 1 between the Pelicans and Warriors this Saturday. Curry has been out since late March with an MCL sprain.
Knicks Notes: Kanter, Blatt, Budenholzer
Enes Kanter made an appearance in Oklahoma City for the Thunder’s first-round series against the Jazz. A former member of both the Thunder and Jazz, Kanter said he was there to support his friends and enjoy the game. The Turkish big man also addressed his opt-out, which he is likely to exercise and hit free agency this summer.
Marc Berman of the New York Post writes that Kanter’s opt-out date is on June 29, at which point his future will be clearer. Kanter enjoyed a strong season with the Knicks, averaging 14.1 PPG and 11.0 RPG as New York struggled to another poor season. Kanter said he’s unsure what his future holds but he will talk with teams this offseason. He also spoke glowingly of his time in Oklahoma City.
“Man, I don’t wanna say nothing crazy and make the New York fans sad, but this place [was] always special for me,’’ Kanter said of OKC. “It doesn’t matter — 10, 15 years from now — it’s gonna always be in my heart, because it actually was my first home, Oklahoma City. I was just outside. Everybody was yelling. I can’t tell you how often I get texted, ‘Enes! Come back! You should come back! Come back!’ Whatever. I think it just shows how nice the Thunder fans are.”
Check out more Knicks notes below:
- David Blatt met with the Knicks in Europe on Thursday, tweets Marc Berman of the New York Post. It was Blatt’s second interview with the Knicks. The former Cavaliers head coach is one of several candidates for the Knicks’ search to fill their vacant head coach position.
- As we relayed earlier today, Blatt is seeking another opportunity in the NBA as he feels he did not maximize his potential during his first stint in Cleveland.
- After Mike Budenholzer‘s mutual parting with the Hawks, general manager Travis Schlenk gave a strong endorsement for the coach and wished him well, Marc Berman of the New York Post writes. Budenholzer has already interviewed with the Knicks and he reportedly prefers to land the gig in New York. The Knicks are mulling over numerous candidates, but with Bundeholzer no longer employed by the Hawks, New York wouldn’t have to compensate Atlanta for his services.
Heat Notes: Johnson, Ellington, Trades, Offseason
Tyler Johnson is set to make a significant salary jump next season that will result in him making $19MM+. While an increase in salary always comes with an increase in expectations, Johnson is not concerned about it, Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel writes.
The Heat guard would become the Heat’s second-highest paid player behind Hassan Whiteside, who expressed frustration with his diminished playing time late in the season. Miami was eliminated from the playoffs by the Sixers and Johnson played through a thumb injury that will require offseason surgery. As Winderman writes, Johnson has dealt with worse situations and he’s embracing his future.
“I feel like people already are thinking that’s what it is, anyway,” Johnson said of his possible pay increase. “They just see the number and that’s what I’m already making. So I’ve really already kind of dealt with all of that. It doesn’t really bother me at all.”
Miami is entering a unique offseason in which the roster is far from set, including Whiteside’s vocal displeasure, Dwyane Wade‘s possible retirement, and more. Johnson, with an increased salary, could quickly become a focal point on the team.
Check out more Heat notes below:
- Wayne Ellington and his standout three-point shooting are headed for free agency this offseason and he represents one of many decisions the organization will have to make. Ellington has said his desire is to return, but his salary requirements could price him out of Miami, Winderman writes in a separate story. “Of course I want to be back,” Ellington said. “I also know how the luxury tax works. I do. I do.”
- In his latest mailbag, Winderman answers several questions, most notably addressing the possibility of the Heat possibly trading Whiteside and/or Goran Dragic to create cap flexibility this offseason.
- Sean Deveney of The Sporting News delves into the Heat’s offseason and examines several decisions the organization will have to make. Among them are Whiteside’s standing with the team, a handful of impending free agents, and the progression of young players.
Southwest Notes: Green, Messina, Selden, Pelicans
Gerald Green‘s 2017/18 season changed drastically as he went from unemployed – cut by the Bucks after four preseason games – to joining the Rockets, a team he grew up rooting for. As the Rockets await their next challenge in the second round, Green is thrilled to be back in Houston and helping the team, ESPN’s Tim MacMahon writes.
“When I signed with the Rockets, I just kind of felt like that was my calling card,” Green said. “I’m going to be here. I want to help out. “I’m going to continue to keep putting [effort] in and keep helping out as many people as I can using this platform. I like to be able to do that. I like to see smiles [from the people] that you can help out. And right now, the city is still in need. It’s almost been a year, and it’s not back the same.”
Green became a lethal force off the bench, averaging 12.1 PPG and shooting from beyond the arc at a near 37% clip in 41 games. The 11-year NBA veteran continued being a helping hand for Houston against the Timberwolves, a series which the Rockets won in five games.
Check out more Southwest notes down below:
- Manu Ginobili may officially retire this offseason, which will continue to shrink a Spurs core that has been a constant in the NBA for nearly two decades. Tim Bontemps of The Washington Post looks at what could the end of an era in San Antonio with Tim Duncan‘s recent retirement, the possible departures of Ginobili and Tony Parker, and the ongoing drama with Kawhi Leonard.
- Following the death of Gregg Popovich‘s wife Erin, assistant coach Ettore Messina stepped up to coach San Antonio for Games 3 through 5. He enters the offseason as a popular candidate for numerous head coaching vacancies and his three-game cameo may have helped his chances, Tom Orsborn of The San Antonio Express-News writes.
- Michael Wallace of NBA.com examined Wayne Selden‘s season and his possible role with the Grizzlies moving forward. Selden averaged 9.3 PPG while shooting an impressive 40.2% from three-point range.
- The Pelicans are headed for a second-round clash with the Warriors, an outcome that may have seemed unlikely several months ago. William Guillory of NOLA.com looks at how the current roster was assembled.
Kerr: Stephen Curry ‘Questionable’ For Second-Round Opener
Warriors head coach Steve Kerr has listed point guard Stephen Curry as questionable for the team’s Western Conference semifinals opener against the Pelicans on Saturday. Kerr spoke to reporters, including Mark Medina of The Mercury News (via Twitter), on Thursday and said Curry looked good in a full-contact practice.
“Steph practiced 100%, he did everything and looked good,” Kerr said. “I would say he’s questionable for Game 1. I think what we have to do is see how his body responds the rest of the day and put him through another practice tomorrow. I think he needs to string together a few good days. It was very positive today.”
Curry, a former two-time NBA Most Valuable Player, has been sidelined with an MCL sprain since March 23. He posted 29 points and grabbed seven rebounds against the Hawks that night before teammate JaVale McGee accidentally fell on his knee. Curry missed the remainder of the regular season and the first round of the playoffs.
In 51 regular season games, Curry averaged 26.4 PPG, 6.1 APG, and 5.1 RPG.
The Warriors have fared well without Curry so far, defeating the Spurs in five games in the first round of the postseason. As they prepares to face the Pelicans though, re-adding Curry to a lineup that boasts Kevin Durant, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green would be a major boost.
Spurs’ Rudy Gay Mulling Player Option Decision
With the Spurs’ 2017/18 season now in the books, Rudy Gay will face a decision this summer on whether to play out his contract or return to unrestricted free agency. Gay’s two-year deal with San Antonio includes an $8.8MM player option for 2018/19, and Jeff McDonald of The San Antonio Express-News writes that Gay sounds “genuinely torn” over whether to exercise or decline that option.
“Obviously I have to go through and assess some things,” Gay said. “But after a season like this, it’s hard not to want to come back and fight for a championship. I love these guys.”
Gay, whose 2016/17 campaign ended early due to an Achilles injury, made a speedy recovery and was ready to go for the Spurs in the fall. However, he was nagged by heel problems during the winter, limiting him to 57 regular season games, and never seemed fully like his old self.
“A lot of times, I will-powered through games, will-powered through practices,” Gay said, per McDonald. “I didn’t feel like there was anything worse I can go through (than the Achilles tendon injury).”
Although Gay averaged a career-low 21.6 minutes per contest, his per-minute numbers were solid, as he posted 11.5 PPG and 5.1 RPG with a .471/.314/.772 shooting line for the season. He’ll enter this offseason in better health as he considers his option decision.
With NBA free agent spending not expected to be as extravagant this summer as it has been in the past couple years, an $8.8MM salary is probably a fair price for Gay, so it wouldn’t be shocking to see him return to San Antonio on that deal. However, that $8.8MM figure is in the ballpark of the projected mid-level exception for 2018/19, and it also wouldn’t be a surprise if another team wanted to sign Gay to a multiyear deal using its full MLE.
While the Spurs have interest in bringing back Gay, other factors will dictate how much they could offer him if he decides to test the market, McDonald notes. Tony Parker and Kyle Anderson will be free agents this offseason for San Antonio, while Danny Green also has a player option for 2018/19, so the Spurs’ cap outlook hinges on a few roster decisions.
And-Ones: Bibby, Kawhi, Offseason, Lawson
Longtime NBA point guard Mike Bibby, who retired as a player after appearing in more than 1,000 regular season games with six total teams, has spent the last few years as the head coach at Shadow Mountain High School in Arizona. Now, as he tells Alex Kennedy of HoopsHype, Bibby has his sets sight on a higher level of competition.
“I want to go to the college ranks or NBA ranks soon,” Bibby said. “I’d be dealing with guys who are a bit older, but I know what it takes. I feel I’m ready for that. My biggest goal right now is to move up to the next level and hopefully that happens this summer.
“I think I can turn a (college) program around by bringing in talented kids and getting my guys to play hard. I think Penny (Hardaway) getting hired in Memphis will open the door for a lot of high school coaches who want to go to that next level. I definitely want to go that route, so hopefully his hiring does create some opportunities for someone like me.”
Bibby, of course, is unlikely to receive head coaching consideration at the NBA level this offseason, but he could make an interesting hire as an assistant. Given his reference to Hardaway and Memphis though, it sounds like Bibby may be prioritizing finding a head coaching job at the college level.
As we wait to see if the former second overall pick – and current BIG3 player – has any luck finding a new coaching job, let’s round up a few more odds and ends from across the NBA…
- With a big offseason ahead for Kawhi Leonard and the Spurs, Frank Isola of The New York Daily News writes that the Knicks should have interest in the star forward if he becomes available via trade, even though San Antonio would likely ask for Kristaps Porzingis. Isola mentions a few other clubs he thinks could be potential trade partners for the Spurs, including the Nets (due to Sean Marks‘ relationship with Leonard’s uncle). Using that note as a jumping-off point, NetsDaily explores whether Brooklyn would – or should – be interested in Leonard.
- In his latest piece for Basketball Insiders, Steve Kyler previews some of the top stories to watch during what should be an eventful 2018 offseason. Leonard, LeBron James, Paul George, and Hassan Whiteside are among the players to keep an eye on this summer, as Kyler outlines.
- Ty Lawson, who signed with the Wizards on the last day of the NBA regular season right after the end of his playoff run in China, is the most extreme example of a late-season addition helping a club in the first round of the postseason, but he’s not the only example. Howard Fendrich of The Associated Press identifies several second-half signings that are paying dividends for playoff teams.
NFL Draft Day At ProFootballRumors.com
The 2018 NFL Draft is just hours away! This year’s draft is full of intrigue and you’ll want to stay tuned to Pro Football Rumors, whether you’re a hardcore football fan or just a casual observer.
With just hours to go, we still don’t know who the Browns will take with the No. 1 overall pick. For weeks, the Browns were closely linked with USC quarterback Sam Darnold or Wyoming QB Josh Allen, but more and more people in the football world are starting to believe that they’ll take the talented, yet undersized, Baker Mayfield instead. Meanwhile, Allen is in the midst of a controversy that could impact his draft stock.
With multiple possibilities at the top, the Giants (No. 2) and Jets (No. 3) are preparing for every possible scenario. The Giants have been widely connected to Penn State running back Saquon Barkley and are divided on this year’s top QB prospects, but it’s still entirely possible that they’ll use this opportunity to tab Eli Manning’s successor. The Jets had been wrestling with whether to take Mayfield or UCLA QB Josh Rosen, but they could have an opportunity to snag Darnold, which at one point seemed unthinkable. At the same time, Jets coaches are pushing the front office to take Allen, if he’s there.
This year’s draft is one of the most uncertain in recent memory and you’ll want to follow along every step of the way. To stay plugged in with up-to-the-minute updates, follow Pro Football Rumors on Twitter: @pfrumors.
Hawks Expected To Consider Fizdale, Tibbetts, Others
2:13pm: Vanterpool won’t be among the Hawks’ head coaching candidates after all, tweets Michael Cunningham of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
9:30am: The Hawks are the latest NBA team to embark on a search for a new head coach, having confirmed on Wednesday that they’ve parted ways with Mike Budenholzer, who had held the position since 2013. While there’s no presumed frontrunner to replace Budenholzer yet, a number of potential candidates have already emerged for Atlanta.
The Hawks are expected to talk to former Grizzlies head coach David Fizdale and current Trail Blazers assistant Nate Tibbetts about their head coaching position, a source tells Sam Amick and Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today. Fizdale has been one of this spring’s most popular head coaching candidates, having previously been linked to the Knicks, Suns, and Hornets. It’s the first time we’ve heard Tibbetts connected to one of the ongoing searches, however.
ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski adds a few more names to the Hawks’ list of candidates, reporting that the club is also expected to consider Hornets assistant Stephen Silas, Spurs assistants Ime Udoka and James Borrego, and another Trail Blazers assistant, David Vanterpool.
Borrego has been another assistant whose name has frequently popped up in coaching rumors this spring — he has been linked to the Knicks and Suns. Meanwhile, Silas was identified as a possible head coaching candidate in the wake of Steve Clifford‘s ouster in Charlotte. As Amick and Zillgitt note, Silas is “widely respected” around the NBA and was with the Warriors at the same time as current Hawks GM Travis Schlenk.
It’s no surprise that the initial group of candidates for the rebuilding Hawks includes a number of NBA assistants. Wojnarowski writes that the team wants to hire an up-and-coming coach who can evolve along with Atlanta’s young roster. Vanterpool, Silas, and Tibbetts all showed up near the top of a recent list of NBA assistants who should receive head coaching consideration — that list was voted on by about three dozen executives around the league.
2018 Offseason Salary Cap Digest: Dallas Mavericks
While rookie point guard Dennis Smith Jr. showed plenty of promise, the Mavericks’ rebuild didn’t take a meaningful step forward on the court in 2017/18, as the team slipped from 33 wins in 2016/17 to just 24 this season. Dallas will head into the 2018 offseason as one of the few teams armed with meaningful cap room, but it will probably take more than just a single free agent signing to make the club competitive again before Dirk Nowitzki calls it a career.
Here’s where things currently stand for the Mavericks financially, as we continue our Offseason Salary Cap Digest series for 2018:
Guaranteed Salary
- Harrison Barnes ($24,107,258)
- Dwight Powell ($9,631,250)
- Dennis Smith Jr. ($3,819,960)
- J.J. Barea ($3,710,850)
- Total: $41,269,318
Player Options
- Wesley Matthews ($18,622,514)
- Total: $18,622,514
Team Options
- Dirk Nowitzki ($5,000,000)
- Total: $5,000,000
Non-Guaranteed Salary
- Dorian Finney-Smith ($1,544,951)1
- Kyle Collinsworth ($1,378,242)2
- Maxi Kleber ($1,378,242)3
- Total: $4,301,435
Restricted Free Agents
- Doug McDermott ($4,333,931 qualifying offer / $9,884,982 cap hold): Bird rights
- Yogi Ferrell ($2,919,204 qualifying offer / $2,919,204 cap hold): Early Bird rights
- Salah Mejri ($1,839,228 qualifying offer / $1,839,228 cap hold): Bird rights
- Aaron Harrison ($1,753,640 qualifying offer / $1,753,640 cap hold): Non-Bird rights
- Total: $16,397,054
Unrestricted Free Agents / Other Cap Holds
- Nerlens Noel ($7,956,438): Bird rights
- No. 3 overall pick ($6,504,619)4
- Seth Curry ($3,936,933): Early Bird rights
- Total: $18,397,990
Projected Salary Cap: $101,000,000
Projected Cap Room: $29,615,683
- Our projection for the Mavericks includes the four players with guaranteed contracts, the tentative cap hold for their first-round pick, and Matthews’ player option, since he’s expected to pick it up. Throw in six cap charges for empty roster spots and the team’s projected salary is $71,384,298, leaving nearly $30MM to work with.
- There are a few wild cards to consider here. The cap hold for that first-round pick could fluctuate by nearly $2MM either way depending on the Mavs’ lottery luck. I’m also not including Nowitzki’s $5MM team option — if Dallas wants to maximize its cap room, it could decline that option and ultimately bring back Dirk on a minimum-salary deal, if he’s open to that.
- Creating the most possible cap room would also mean waiving non-guaranteed players like Finney-Smith and renouncing all the Mavs’ free agents, including McDermott, Curry, Ferrell, and Mejri. So in actuality, the Mavs could have far less space to work with, though it still should be enough to aggressively pursue a top restricted free agent.
Footnotes:
- Finney-Smith’s salary becomes fully guaranteed after July 5.
- Collinsworth’s exact contract details, including guarantee dates, aren’t yet known.
- Kleber’s salary becomes fully guaranteed after July 15.
- The Mavericks are third in the draft lottery standings. They could end up picking anywhere from No. 1 ($8,095,595) to No. 6 ($4,823,489).
Note: Rookie scale cap holds are estimates based on salary cap projections and could increase or decrease depending on where the cap lands.
Salary information from Basketball Insiders and RealGM was used in the creation of this post. Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.