Free Agent Stock Watch 2018: Oklahoma City Thunder
The Thunder are in a unique position with a unique superstar and this upcoming summer will play a major role in how that ultimately plays out. Unsurprisingly, the team’s short-term fate depends on where Paul George signs and that could very well depend on where LeBron James signs.
With a committed George, the Thunder boast one of the league’s most intriguing cores and a front office with a rich history of landing major assets. Without him, it’s not so much of a stretch to picture the club back in the lottery for the first time since 2015.
Carmelo Anthony, PF, 34 (Down) – Signed to a five-year, $124MM deal in 2014
In less than a year, Anthony went from being a coveted veteran star to a radioactive presence with an albatross contract. The 33-year-old has an early termination option for 2018/19 but isn’t about to wave goodbye to the $28MM season he’s been eyeing up since he signed for it back in 2014. Anthony will be back in Oklahoma City next season and has already said that he has no desire to come off the bench. Godspeed, Thunder fans.
Corey Brewer, SG, 32 (Up) – Signed to a one-year deal in 2018
The Thunder added Brewer down the stretch as a replacement for the injured Andre Roberson. The perimeter defender not only subbed in admirably for Roberson, but carved out a role in the team’s rotation heading forward should he decide to return. Brewer is coming off of a comfortable $24MM deal signed in 2015, so don’t expect him to chase the biggest offer he can find if it looks like the Thunder will be able to remain competitive. That said, the club will need to offer more than the peanuts it got him for at the tail end of 2017/18.
Nick Collison, PF, 37 (Down) – Signed to a one-year, $2MM deal in 2017
For the past 15 years, Collison has been a part of the Thunder franchise and there’s always seemed to be a mutual respect between he and the organization. While his days as a key rotation piece are in the rearview mirror, there’s no denying that his presence in the locker room has had a positive impact on the team. The big man hasn’t made a public decision regarding retirement at this point but it may be more likely than not. If Collison does decide to play in 2018/19, expect it to be announced well into free agency after the team’s other dominoes have fallen.
Raymond Felton, PG, 34 (Up) – Signed to a one-year, $2MM deal in 2017
Few would argue that there will be a long list of teams fighting to sign Felton this summer but it’s hard to consider his lone season in Oklahoma City anything less than a success. Felton proved that he can be an effective, cheap bit player for the Thunder, as evidenced by the 6.9 points and 2.5 assists per game he posted in just 16.6 minutes of action. Had he not performed as well as he did, there’s no guarantee he’d even land another full-time gig.
Paul George, SF, 28 (Up) – Signed to a five-year, $92MM deal in 2014
While his first season in Oklahoma City could have gone better from a team perspective, George did little to obfuscate his case for a max contract. It seems inevitable that the star will head west to the Lakers but let’s take the guy at his word if he says he’s at least interested in the notion of returning to the Thunder. The franchise would be well equipped for the next half decade if they could lock George in with Westbrook and Steven Adams, but will that be enough to sway the California native? Wherever he goes, he figures to be earning the max allowable.
Jerami Grant, PF, 24 (Up) – Signed to a four-year, $4MM deal in 2014
Grant was a solid and intriguing depth piece for the Thunder this season, but may be one of the players most impacted by the team’s tight finances. The former second-round pick will see interest from other teams this summer and while OKC could go over the cap to retain him, doing so would have serious luxury tax implications.
Josh Huestis, PF, 26 (Down) – Signed to a three-year, $4MM deal in 2015
Despite world-class athleticism, Huestis hasn’t firmly established himself with the Thunder in three seasons. That being said, he saw consistent action for OKC in 2017/18 in limited minutes. Given that the team will have so much of its payroll tied up in a handful of players in 2018/19 and beyond, the unrestricted free agent could have some appeal as a dirt-cheap option already familiar with the system.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Knicks Notes: Roster Composition, Porzingis, Riley
Recently appointed head coach David Fizdale plans to make the most of what could otherwise be considered a logjam of guards on the Knicks’ roster, Stefan Bondy of The New York Daily News writes.
“Roll them out there. Put them out there together,” Fizdale said. “It’s about speed, skill, aggressiveness, attack, playmaking. All of these guards have that ability. So I see a lot of versatility in there. I see a lot of combinations with them on the floor [for the Knicks] together.”
Given that there’s no shortage of ball carriers on the roster, Knicks president Steve Mills says that the club will ideally target a wing player in the upcoming June draft.
There’s more out of New York this evening:
- The Knicks reached out to Heat president Pat Riley prior to hiring David Fizdale, Marc Berman of The New York Post. Riley, a former Knicks coach himself, has a polarizing history with the franchise, but was a strong reference for Fizdale, a former Heat assistant.
- Prior to hiring Fizdale, the Knicks also reached out to Villanova head coach Jay Wright regarding the vacancy. Zach Braziller of The New York Post has the details on why the reigning national champion had no desire to leave his current situation.
- Analyst Walt Frazier doesn’t foresee Kristaps Porzingis returning to the lineup for the Knicks this year, Zach Braziller of The New York Post writes. The former franchise great, who currently works for MSG Network, explains that Porzingis’ recovery time has him set to return in January or February, at which point the team will likely be out of the playoff picture.
Southeast Notes: Oubre Jr., Richardson, Magic
The Wizards will have until October to offer Kelly Oubre Jr. a contract extension, but their current financial outlook makes that unlikely. As a result, Chase Hughes of NBC Sports Washington writes, the 22-year-old heads into the offseason with every reason to hone his game; his performance in 2018/19 will determine his next deal.
Oubre Jr. took a step forward in his third season with the Wizards, averaging 11.8 points and 4.5 rebounds in a career high 27.5 minutes per contest. While those aren’t exactly max-contract numbers, he’s an intriguing young piece that could slot in alongside some highly-paid teammates as an additional component of the Wizards’ expensive, homegrown core.
The Wizards will have over $90MM tied up in contracts for John Wall, Bradley Beal and Otto Porter in 2019/20. Oubre Jr. will look to add to that figure by convincing the club to bring him back as a restricted free agent, similarly to how Porter signed his most recent deal back in 2017.
There’s more out of the Southeast Division:
- Steady improvement through his first three seasons has Josh Richardson in a position to make a name for himself in 2018/19. The swingman, who signed a contract extension that will keep him with the Heat through 2021/22, wants to take another step. “I’m capable of being a great player in this league and I think I showed flashes,” he told Ira Winderman of The Sun-Sentinel. “I think I just have to do it consistently.”
- The Magic have been strategically tight-lipped when it comes to their head coaching search, Josh Robbins of The Orlando Sentinel writes. Team president Jeff Weltman has made an effort to avoid leaks throughout the process and it’s highly likely that the team has interviewed more candidates than the few that have been reported.
- Fifteen-year Heat veteran Udonis Haslem doesn’t have a decision as to whether or not he’ll return next season. The 37-year-old tells Ira Winderman of The Sun-Sentinel that it comes down to “having no regrets.”
Hoops Rumors’ 2018 NBA Award Picks: Rookie Of The Year
While the NBA won’t announce this year’s award winners until late in June, we’re making our picks for the year’s major awards now.
The Hoops Rumors writing team has weighed in with our choices below, but we also want to know which players, coaches, and executives you think are most deserving of the hardware this season, so jump into the comments section below to share your thoughts.
We’re keeping things going today with the award for Rookie of the Year. Here are our selections:
Dana Gauruder: Ben Simmons (Sixers)
Donovan Mitchell was an absolute steal with the No. 13 overall pick and most lottery teams last June will lament passing him over. Unfortunately for the dynamic point guard, Simmons had his rookie season pushed back a season by a foot injury. He’s a threat to post a triple-double every night and he, along with Joel Embiid, will make the Sixers contenders for many years to come. When Embiid was injured late in the regular season, Simmons showed he could carry the team on his shoulders.
Austin Kent: Ben Simmons (Sixers)
This is Simmons’ first year playing in and having an impact on NBA games. That’s all there is to it. Dwelling on semantics is what gave us 2017 winner Malcolm Brogdon, which I heartily opposed this time last year because there’s absolutely no denying that someone else was the most impactful, memorable first-year performer. Unless you want to retroactively strip previous award winners David Robinson and Blake Griffin for not playing in their draft year, or heck, put asterisks next to four-year college seniors like Tim Duncan and Damian Lillard for having an unfair life experience advantage, that’s how the award works.
Clark Crum: Ben Simmons (Sixers)
I have no qualm with Donovan Mitchell winning this award, but I’m picking Simmons because his team finished with a better record by four games, he averaged twice as many assists and rebounds as Mitchell, and he played in a more efficient manner throughout the season (via PER). Moreover, playoff performance is not taken into account. If it was, I may very well have picked Mitchell.
I consider both players to be future stars, and I don’t think the comparisons from the 2003/04 rookie class – Simmons/LeBron James and Mitchell/Dwyane Wade – are as far off as some think.
Arthur Hill: Ben Simmons (Sixers)
If the vote included the playoffs, Jayson Tatum might have a strong case, but it’s really a two-man race between Simmons and Donovan Mitchell. Mitchell is the more dangerous scorer and was a huge reason that Utah was able to survive the loss of Gordon Hayward. He has a significant edge in terms of three-pointers and free throws, two big holes in Simmons’ game. However, Simmons is a better rebounder and distributor and a much stronger presence on defense. He gets a narrow vote in a talented rookie class.
Chris Crouse: Ben Simmons (Sixers)
Can we retroactively give Simmons the 2016/17 award while giving this year’s to Donovan Mitchell? No? That’s understandable, but had Simmons or Mitchell somehow experienced their respective rookie seasons in any year over the last decade, I’d argue that only Blake Griffin would have won the ROY honors over either of them. That’s how good each player was this season and that’s how tight of a race this actually is.
Simmons gets my vote by the slightest of margins, though if Mitchell wins it, I wouldn’t protest. However, plenty of fans of the runner-up’s team certainly will, taking to Twitter to express outrage at how the league hates their player. Just remember, a vote in one direction is not a sign of disrespect for the other — especially this season.
Luke Adams: Ben Simmons (Sixers)
If this award was about exceeding expectations – as it often is with awards like Coach of the Year or Most Improved Player – Donovan Mitchell‘s case would be a little stronger. Simmons, the No. 1 pick in 2016, was always viewed as a potential star, while Mitchell nearly slipped out of the lottery in 2017. Now, both players look like future All-Stars.
I give Simmons the slight edge for his efficiency and his all-around contributions as a defender, rebounder, and distributor, which made up for his lack of an outside shot. But Mitchell’s case is compelling, and so is Jayson Tatum‘s, for that matter — Tatum played the role of a crucial contributor on a playoff team better than last year’s Rookie of the Year (Malcolm Brogdon) did.
Previously:
Still to come:
- Defensive Player of the Year
- Most Valuable Player
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Timberwolves’ Brunson Resigns Amid Allegations Of Misconduct
3:46pm: The Timberwolves have issued a statement regarding Brunson’s resignation, as Krawczynski relays at The Athletic.
“Our entire organization – made up of the Minnesota Timberwolves, the Minnesota Lynx and Iowa Wolves — is deeply committed to creating a safe work environment for our employees, partners and fans,” the Wolves’ statement reads. “Our teams strive to have our actions reflect our values each and every day. We work to maintain high standards of conduct and expect our staff to lead by example. We did not believe Mr. Brunson’s conduct was consistent with those standards.”
Sources tell Krawczynski that the most recent incident involving Brunson occurred during the playoffs, when a woman who doesn’t work for the Timberwolves lodged a complaint with the team after Brunson made “several unwanted advances” toward her.
2:50pm: Veteran NBA coach Rick Brunson has resigned from his position as an assistant coach on Tom Thibodeau‘s staff in Minnesota, per Darren Wolfson of 5 Eyewitness News (Twitter link).
It’s the fourth coaching change this week for the Timberwolves, who also cut ties with player development coach Vince Legarza, shooting coach Peter Patton, and assistant video coordinator Wes Bohn, as we relayed on Monday. However, Brunson’s departure appears to fall into a different category.
According to Jon Krawcyznski of The Athletic (Twitter link), Brunson was facing allegations of “improper interactions with several women while on the job.” Wolfson and ESPN’s Chris Haynes confirmed as much, with Haynes tweeting that one of those women is a member of the media.
A former NBA player, Brunson began his coaching career in 2007, and has also served as an assistant in Denver, Chicago, and Charlotte. He has run into legal troubles in the past, having been arrested in June 2014 and indicted on criminal sexual assault charges following an encounter with a massage therapist. Brunson was later acquitted of those charges.
While the Timberwolves, who hired Brunson in 2016, were willing to give him a second chance two years after that incident, he seems unlikely to catch on with another NBA team anytime soon.
James Borrego Finalizes Deal To Become Hornets’ Head Coach
2:28pm: The Hornets and Borrego have finalized an agreement, reports Steve Reed of The Associated Press. Reed writes that a news conference to announce the hiring is expected to happen within the next few days.
11:54am: Spurs assistant James Borrego will become the new head coach in Charlotte, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, who reports that Borrego is in the process of finalizing a deal with the Hornets.
Borrego began his NBA coaching career with the Spurs, spending seven seasons with the team from 2003 to 2010 before joining the Pelicans (then-Hornets) for two years and the Magic for three. He returned to San Antonio in 2015. Primarily an assistant over the course of his career, Borrego earned his lone head coaching experience in 2015 in Orlando, leading the Magic to a 10-20 record as Jacque Vaughn‘s interim replacement.
Despite his limited experience leading a team, Borrego’s years working under Gregg Popovich made him a popular coaching candidate this offseason. Borrego interviewed with the Knicks and Suns before they decided to hire David Fizdale and Igor Kokoskov, respectively. He also received reported interest from the Hawks and Bucks.
While Borrego didn’t gain serious traction as a candidate in New York or Phoenix, he was considered one of the two frontrunners for the Hornets’ job, along with Celtics assistant Jay Larranaga. Both veteran assistants reportedly had second interviews with Charlotte within the last few days — team owner Michael Jordan was said to be involved in those meetings.
Borrego will take over for Steve Clifford in Charlotte. Clifford, who was fired shortly after the 2017/18 regular season ended, had been the NBA’s seventh-longest-tenured head coach. He led the Hornets to a 196-214 record (.478) and a pair of playoff berths during his five years on the sidelines.
In addition to making a coaching change this spring, the Hornets also have a new head of basketball operations in place. After parting ways with general manager Rich Cho earlier this year, Charlotte hired Mitch Kupchak as the club’s new GM and president of basketball ops. Kupchak led a head coaching search that also saw candidates like Ettore Messina, Ime Udoka, David Vanterpool, Jim Boylen, Nick Nurse, and Jerry Stackhouse receive consideration.
According to Wojnarowski, Borrego made a strong impression during his initial meeting with Kupchak, and the GM became more intrigued by the Spurs assistant once he began canvassing executives, coaches, and players who had worked with Borrego.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
2018 NBA Offseason Salary Cap Digest: Denver Nuggets
The Nuggets went all-in during 2017’s free agent period, locking up Paul Millsap to a multiyear deal that would pay him in the neighborhood of $30MM annually. In signing Millsap and extending Gary Harris, the Nuggets essentially forfeited any cap flexibility they would’ve had for the summer of 2018, but that aggressive spending didn’t result in a playoff berth in a competitive Western Conference. Denver will head into the 2018/19 campaign hoping that better health from Millsap and continued improvements from its young players will produce better results.
Here’s where things currently stand for the Nuggets financially, as we continue our Offseason Salary Cap Digest series for 2018:
Guaranteed Salary
- Paul Millsap ($29,730,769)
- Gary Harris ($16,517,857)
- Kenneth Faried ($13,764,045)
- Mason Plumlee ($12,917,808)
- Jamal Murray ($3,499,800)
- Trey Lyles ($3,364,249)
- Juan Hernangomez ($2,166,360)
- Tyler Lydon ($1,874,640)
- Malik Beasley ($1,773,840)
- Total: $85,609,368
Player Options
- Wilson Chandler ($12,800,562)
- Darrell Arthur ($7,464,912)
- Total: $20,265,474
Team Options
- Nikola Jokic ($1,600,520)
- Total: $1,600,520
Non-Guaranteed Salary
- None
Restricted Free Agents
- None
Unrestricted Free Agents / Other Cap Holds
- Devin Harris ($8,364,837): Bird rights
- Will Barton ($6,713,333): Bird rights
- No. 14 overall pick ($2,869,353)1
- Richard Jefferson ($1,499,698): Non-Bird rights
- Total: $16,823,817
Projected Salary Cap: $101,000,000
Projected Cap Room: None
- Even if Chandler turns down his player option, Arthur is a virtual lock to exercise his, and Jokic will be back — either on his cheap team-option salary or on a lucrative new deal to avoid having him reach unrestricted free agency in 2019. With their nine guaranteed contracts, Arthur’s player option, Jokic’s team option, and the cap hold for their lottery pick, the Nuggets already have a total team salary of $97,544,153, essentially eliminating cap room.
- If Chandler opts in and the Nuggets want to sign Jokic to a new contract this summer, the team projects to be way over the cap, and may have to make a trade or two to avoid blowing past the luxury-tax line.
Footnotes:
- The Nuggets are 14th in the draft lottery standings. They could technically end up picking at No. 1 ($8,095,595), No. 2 ($7,243,344), or No. 3 ($6,504,619), though that’s unlikely.
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 was used in the creation of this post. Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Raptors Leaning Toward Head Coaching Change
It has been less than 24 hours since the Raptors’ 2017/18 season came to an end, so the team is still evaluating its offseason options. However, sources tell Josh Lewenberg of TSN.ca that the club is “strongly” leaning toward making a head coaching change and replacing Dwane Casey.
According to Lewenberg, if the Raptors do elect to part ways with Casey, it won’t be an indictment of his skills as a coach or what he has accomplished during his seven years with the franchise. After being eliminated from the postseason by the Cavaliers for a third straight year though, there’s a sense that it’s time for a “new direction and a different voice,” per Lewenberg.
Casey, who took over as the Raptors’ head coach in 2011, is the winningest coach in team history, leading the club to a 373-307 (.549) regular season record during his tenure. The Raps have enjoyed the best run in franchise history during the last five years, winning between 48 and 59 games each season and making five straight postseason appearances.
However, despite their regular season success, the Raptors have struggled to make deep playoff runs. After consecutive first-round exits in 2014 and 2015, Toronto has won at least one series in each year since then, but have been unable to mount a serious challenge against the Cavs, winning just two total postseason contests in three years against Cleveland.
If the Raptors make a coaching change, there are several internal candidates to take over, including Nick Nurse, Jerry Stackhouse, and Rex Kalamian, notes Lewenberg. Ryan Wolstat of The Toronto Sun, who also hears that the team is leaning toward replacing Casey, tweets that Nurse may be the favorite. However, Toronto may also prefer someone with more head coaching experience, as Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca tweets.
Lewenberg expects the Raptors to make a decision soon, which would give Casey a chance to interview for other jobs if he moves on from Toronto.
Pistons Notes: Van Gundy, Bower, Billups, More
In the wake of his dismissal by the Pistons on Monday, Stan Van Gundy indicated that he wouldn’t dismiss the idea of returning to coaching in “the right situation.” He reiterated that stance in a text message to Josh Robbins of The Orlando Sentinel, but stressed that his interest in landing another job with an NBA team doesn’t extend beyond coaching.
“[I’m] not interested in a front office role,” Van Gundy wrote.
Let’s round up a few more notes on the Pistons, with a focus on SVG…
- A source tells Vince Ellis of The Detroit Free Press that GM Jeff Bower, whose contract ends on June 30, will run the front office on an interim basis. Only one member of the coaching staff and front office – assistant coach Rex Walters – has a contract that extends past June 30, according to Ellis.
- Multiple sources tell Ellis – within that same story – that it wasn’t quite right to say Van Gundy was resisting a change to his role, as ESPN reported last week, since specific changes hadn’t yet been discussed. For his part, SVG said on Monday that he would’ve been interested in continuing to coach the Pistons without the president of basketball operations title.
- Four years after they hired Van Gundy to run the show in Detroit, the Pistons should be able to make a stronger pitch to front office and coaching candidates this time around, in the view of Keith Langlois of Pistons.com. As Langlois notes, in 2014, the Pistons were coming off a five-year run in which they hadn’t surpassed the 30-win mark — the current squad has immediate playoff potential.
- The Pistons’ decision to wait until nearly four weeks after the 2017/18 regular season ended to move on from Van Gundy is a reflection of the club’s poor leadership at the top, says Dan Wetzel of Yahoo Sports.
- Ansar Khan of MLive.com explores whether hiring Chauncey Billups to a key front office role is the right move for the Pistons.
Cavs’ Rodney Hood Refused To Enter Game 4
10:59am: Hood will not face a fine or suspension for refusing to enter Game 4 on Monday, reports Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today. According to Zilgitt’s source, Hood spoke to the Cavs’ front office on Tuesday morning, and the fourth-year guard “feels badly for causing a distraction” as Cleveland enters the Eastern Finals.
Dave McMenamin of ESPN reports that Hood intends to apologize in person to his teammates and the Cavs’ coaching staff as soon as possible.
8:51am: The Cavaliers finished off a four-game sweep of the Raptors on Monday night, returning to the Eastern Conference Finals for a fourth straight year. However, not all is rosy in Cleveland, according to Jason Lloyd of The Athletic. Lloyd hears from multiple sources that Rodney Hood refused to enter Monday’s game in the fourth quarter, angering some teammates and members of the organization.
With the Cavaliers up by 30 points with less than eight minutes to play in the fourth quarter, head coach Tyronn Lue wanted to insert Hood into the lineup in place of LeBron James, per Lloyd. However, multiple sources tell Lloyd that Hood refused to check in, even after multiple veterans huddled around him and talked to him. Jose Calderon eventually entered the game instead.
Hood, acquired by the Cavaliers in one of their trade-deadline deals, has been ineffective in the postseason, averaging 4.6 PPG on .396/.133/.750 shooting in 10 games (17.0 MPG). His struggles couldn’t come at a worse time — besides giving the Cavs little value during the team’s playoff run, he’s also less than two months from hitting the restricted free agent market.
According to Lloyd, Cavs GM Koby Altman plans to meet with Hood to get his side of the story and find out why he refused to enter Game 4. While it’s possible that Hood was dealing with a physical ailment, multiple people who witnessed the exchange tell Lloyd it looked more like “a young player pouting.” Lloyd speculates that a suspension isn’t out of the realm of possibility, adding that Hood may not maintain his usual rotation role going forward.