Northwest Notes: Noel, Thunder, Blazers, T. Jones
After four disappointing seasons, former lottery pick Nerlens Noel has a chance to revive his career with the Thunder, writes Ben Nadeau of Basketball Insiders. Oklahoma City was aggressive in its pursuit of Noel, including phone calls from Russell Westbrook and Paul George in the opening minutes of free agency. He agreed to a two-year deal worth nearly $3.7MM that contains a player option for next summer.
Noel has a lot to prove after being the sixth player taken in the 2013 draft. He was stuck in a center logjam in Philadelphia before being traded to Dallas midway through the 2016/17 season. Injuries limited him to 30 games in his only full year with the Mavericks, and he welcomes the chance for a fresh start with the Thunder.
“I really think it’s a great opportunity,” Noel said. “With the athleticism and the pieces that they have now, I think I can really come and make a significant difference to the speed of the game. It’s really been a great last few days, going to OKC, signing and just feeling very welcome from the whole organization — that really means a lot.”
There’s more from the Northwest Division:
- The current Thunder roster is heavily imbalanced with wing players, notes Berry Tramel of The Oklahoman. This week’s signing of Hamidou Diallo gives OKC 15 players under contract, with eight of them being wings. That includes Kyle Singler, whom Tramel expects OKC to use the stretch provision on if it can’t find a team willing to take him in a trade. Singler has two more years and about $10.3MM left on his contract. The team has just two centers and two power forwards, raising concerns about depth at both positions.
- Trail Blazers fans deserve an explanation for how the team is handling its assets, writes John Canzano of The Oregonian. The latest puzzling move was letting a $12,969,502 trade exception from last year’s Allen Crabbe deal expire. Canzano retraces a history of questionable decisions, including mega free agent offers to Roy Hibbert, Greg Monroe and Chandler Parsons, who all signed elsewhere, and large contracts for Evan Turner, Festus Ezeli and Meyers Leonard that have clogged Portland’s cap space.
- The Timberwolves have an extension decision to make this summer on Tyus Jones, notes Derek James of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities. Coach Tom Thibodeau has promised Jones more playing time in the future, but that could be difficult to deliver with Derrick Rose returning and Josh Okogie as the team’s first-round pick.
Contract Details: Bolden, Carter, Harrell, Smart
Sixers forward Jonah Bolden has received the largest contract of any rookie second-round pick this summer, tweets Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders. The 36th player taken in the 2017 draft, Bolden spent a season with Maccabi Tel Aviv in Israel before coming to the NBA. Philadelphia gave him a four-year, $7MM deal with a starting salary of $1.69MM, although the third and fourth seasons are non-guaranteed.
The Nets signed Rodions Kurucs to a similar arrangement, Pincus adds (Twitter link). The 40th pick in this year’s draft, Kurucs will make $1.62MM in his first year and has incentives that could bring the value of his four-year contract up to $6.96MM. The first three seasons are fully guaranteed.
Pincus passes on a few more details about deals signed this summer:
- Although Jevon Carter was taken 32nd overall, he signed for just the minimum salary over two seasons, less than others in his draft range (Twitter link). However, he received a full guarantee from the Grizzlies on both years. Jalen Brunson, taken at No. 33 by the Mavericks, makes more per season but is locked into a four-year deal (Twitter link). He will receive $1.23MM in his rookie year, with minimum salaries for the next three seasons. The first three years are fully guaranteed. Elie Okobo, the 31st pick, signed a four-year agreement with the Suns that will pay him $1.24MM in his first year, with three seasons at the minimum to follow. Only his first two years are guaranteed, and Phoenix has a team option on the final season (Twitter link).
- Among the two-way contracts handed out this summer, only four players signed multi-year deals. Kostas Antetokounmpo of the Mavericks, Billy Preston of the Cavaliers, Yuta Watanabe of the Grizzlies and Thomas Welsh of the Nuggets all have two-year agreements (Twitter link).
- The Clippers will pay Montrezl Harrell $6MM in each season of his two-year, $12MM deal (Twitter link).
- Celtics guard Marcus Smart has a base salary of $11.16MM in the first year of his new deal, but $500K of likely incentives place the cap hit at $11.66MM. The incentives remain in effect for each season of his four-year contract.
Raptors Interested In Greg Monroe
Free agent center Greg Monroe could be a candidate to fill a roster opening in Toronto, according to Josh Lewenberg of TSN.
Monroe, who spent time with the Bucks, Suns and Celtics last season, would give the Raptors an experienced low-post scorer and add to their frontcourt depth. Although his playing time was inconsistent last year, Monroe still averaged 10.3 points and 6.9 rebounds in 51 games.
Toronto has a $5.3MM mid-level exception available, but Lewenberg notes that the franchise is already well into luxury tax territory and may prefer to fill out its roster with a veteran’s minimum contract. The team has 13 players with fully or partially guaranteed deals, and NBA rules require teams to carry at least 14 on their rosters.
Another possibility is re-signing free agent center Lucas Nogueira, although Lewenberg sees that as unlikely. Nogueira, who has spent his entire four-year career in Toronto, appeared in 49 games last season, averaging 2.5 points per night.
The team may also consider Chris Boucher, who held a two-way contract with the Warriors last season and appeared in one NBA game. Boucher will be in training camp on an Exhibit 10 deal and impressed new coach Nick Nurse during summer league, especially when he was used at center. Lewenberg states that the Raptors won’t rush to fill their roster opening, so Boucher may get a chance to audition for the spot in camp.
Southeast Notes: Riley, Howard, Kaminsky, Lamb
Heat president Pat Riley understands some fans are disappointed that he didn’t add any big names this offseason, but he’s asking them to be patient as he works to rebuild the team, relays Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald. Miami won’t have the cap space to pursue big-name free agents until the summer of 2020. Riley is trying to lay the groundwork for that opportunity while keeping a competitive group on the court.
“If any fan out there is unhappy or angry we didn’t go out and get LeBron James or Kevin Durant or [DeMarcus] Cousins or whatever else they felt that they would want us to get probably didn’t realize we couldn’t get them anyhow, that we couldn’t trade for them,” Riley said. “There are things I read [where] people are so uninformed about the rules and what we can and cannot do until one of you [reporters] – and most of the time you do that – [say] we couldn’t make that move.”
Riley also confirmed that he has refused to surrender first-round picks in deals to get rid of unwanted contracts.
There’s more tonight from the Southeast Division:
- John Wall showed off his recruiting skills by convincing Dwight Howard to come to the Wizards, writes Chase Hughes of NBC Sports Washington. Howard wasn’t considering the Wizards as he was negotiating a buyout from the Nets, but an appeal from Wall changed that. “No lie, when I saw the message on Instagram, I really got so happy,” Howard said at his introductory press conference this week. “I was like ‘John just DM’d me, oh man this is crazy!’ After that, I really just started to put on my thinking cap. I just thought about all the possibilities. I was like ‘Man, this could be the best spot for me.'”
- Former Hornets lottery pick Frank Kaminsky is entering a vital season for his financial future, writes Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer in a mailbag column. Kaminsky will be a restricted free agent next summer if he can’t work out an extension with Charlotte before the start of the upcoming season. The Hornets gave deals to Michael Kidd-Gilchrist and Cody Zeller before they could test the free agent waters, but Bonnell isn’t convinced that Kaminsky has the same value.
- If the Hornets are looking to unload players at next year’s trade deadline, Jeremy Lamb will be a prime candidate to go, Bonnell writes in the same piece. Lamb has an expiring contract and Charlotte has a lot of wing players on its roster.
Southwest Notes: Ginobili, Gay, A. Davis, Powell
Manu Ginobili will likely play at least one more season, but it won’t be because he’s chasing another title, writes Mike Finger of The San Antonio Express-News. Ginobili has been to the playoffs in all of his 16 seasons with the Spurs, but that’s no longer a guarantee with Kawhi Leonard and Tony Parker both gone. Instead, like fellow elder statesmen Vince Carter, Dirk Nowitzki and Jason Terry, Ginobili is motivated by his love for the game.
San Antonio expects Ginobili to make an official announcement soon on social media, but Finger notes that he dropped fewer hints about retirement during 2017/18 than he did in past seasons. He is under contract for one more season at $2.5MM.
Finger cites an old quote from Ginobili, who turned 41 today, that “the outcome isn’t everything.” A desire to keep playing, rather than a quest to add to his legacy, will be the prime motivator if he decides to return to the NBA.
There’s more from the Southwest Division:
- Re-signing Rudy Gay for another season at $10MM was the Spurs‘ best move in free agency, according to Rob Wolkenbrod of Forbes. The addition of DeMar DeRozan should take some of the scoring load off Gay, who ranked second on the team in points per game last season. He also gets another year to prove he’s fully recovered from a 2017 Achilles injury before testing the market again next summer.
- Pelicans star Anthony Davis chose not to appeal to GM Dell Demps to keep free agent DeMarcus Cousins, tweets Andrew Doak of WWL-TV in New Orleans. An endorsement from Davis would have carried some weight, but he liked the way the team played — and the locker room atmosphere — better without Cousins, Doak adds.
- Dwight Powell believes a playoff spot is realistic for the Mavericks in light of their offseason moves, relays Eddie Sefko of The Dallas Morning News. Powell became a big fan of first-round pick Luka Doncic after working out with him during summer league play in Las Vegas. “He’s a great kid and you can tell he knows the game and can shoot,” Powell said. “And he’s bigger than I expected. You hear about some [international] guys saying they are such-and-such a height and they come over and it’s not necessarily the case. But he’s a big boy. He’s going to do well for us. He’s going to have a lot of ability to see the floor for us and take command of the offense when it’s time.”
Community Shootaround: Kevin Love’s New Contract
Before asking Kevin Love to become their new franchise player, the Cavaliers decided to pay him like one. Cleveland reached a four-year, $120MM extension this week with the All-Star forward, who becomes the face of the franchise now that LeBron James has left for the Lakers.
It’s a radical role change for Love, who came to Cleveland as the third member of a Big Three that also included Kyrie Irving. That group reached three straight NBA Finals and won a title in 2016 before the Cavs granted Irving’s trade request and shipped him to the Celtics last summer.
Love showed he can handle being a No. 1 option during the first six years of his career in Minnesota. He made three All-Star appearances in that stretch and posted some impressive numbers, including a 26.1/12.5/4.4 line during his final season with the Wolves.
Love never came close to matching that production in Cleveland, especially in scoring, where he often subjugated his offense in deference to James and Irving. Love spent much of his time waiting for kick-out passes at the 3-point line and often seemed directionless as his star teammates dominated the ball.
Now Love is the star and should get more touches than anyone. He will be the focal point of an offense that features plenty of shooters such as Kyle Korver, J.R. Smith and Rodney Hood if he re-signs, but few creators or playmakers, unless rookie point guard Collin Sexton is ready to contribute right away.
Even before LeBron announced his latest decision, Cavaliers management was making it clear that there were no plans to tank without him. Cleveland will be counting on Love to keep its playoff streak alive, not just in 2018/19 but well into the next decade.
We want your opinion on the new deal. Is Love worth the money he’s going to make in his extension, or is this a panic move by an organization that should be rebuilding after losing its two best players in back-to-back summers? Please leave your feedback in the space below.
Rockets Notes: Anderson, J. Johnson, D’Antoni, Anthony
After re-signing Clint Capela, the Rockets are doing more than waiting for the inevitable addition of Carmelo Anthony, according to ESPN’s Brian Windhorst. In comments relayed by Houston-based digital journalist Ben DuBose, Windhorst says the Rockets remain “active in the trade market” and are talking to several teams about deals to improve their defense.
After reaching the Western Conference finals last season, Houston suffered a pair of serious hits in free agency when Trevor Ariza signed with the Suns and Luc Mbah a Moute decided to rejoin the Clippers. Both were tall, rangy wing defenders who enabled the Rockets to match up with the Warriors’ collection of perimeter scorers. Houston found one replacement by signing former Piston James Ennis and is apparently seeking more.
Windhorst indicated that the Rockets are willing to absorb long-term salary in order to find a taker for Ryan Anderson, who is owed nearly $41.7MM over the next two seasons.
There’s more NBA news from the Lone Star State:
- Joe Johnson was a forgotten man for the Rockets in the playoffs, but he isn’t ready to end his NBA career, writes Kelly Iko of RocketsWire. The 37-year-old free agent hopes to play at least one more year and is already preparing for the coming season, Iko adds. Johnson, a 17-year veteran, signed with the Rockets in February after reaching a buyout deal with the Kings shortly after they acquired him from the Jazz. He played in 23 games for Houston, but was barely used in the postseason. The Rockets may not have room to bring Johnson back, with 14 players under contract and Anthony expected to join the team once his buyout with the Hawks is complete.
- Coach Mike D’Antoni is dismissing critics who believe the Rockets will take a step back because of their free agent losses, relays Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle. “You hate to lose Trevor and you hate to lose Luc,” D’Antoni said. “It happens. That’s the business part of it and we’ll miss them. But at the same time, it gives opportunities to other guys. … We’re moving along. It’s changed but we’re trying to make it for the best.”
- Anthony will be most effective in Houston as a better version of Anderson, states TNT’s David Aldridge in an NBA.com roundtable on the subject. With Ariza and Mbah a Moute gone, Aldridge advises the Rockets to use Anthony as a starter to maximize his offense and provide another threat from 3-point range.
Hoops Rumors Originals: 7/21/18 – 7/28/18
Every week, the writing team here at Hoops Rumors creates original content to complement our news feed. Here are our segments and features from the past seven days:
- In this week’s Community Shootaround series, we asked:
- Whether a move to the Rockets for Carmelo Anthony will bring out the best in his game.
- Whether there are any teams that are a lock to make the playoffs in the Western Conference other than the Warriors and the Rockets.
- Luke Adams took a look at how teams are using their 2018/19 Mid-Level Exceptions and their 2018/19 Bi-Annual Exceptions.
- Luke Adams analyzed how non-guaranteed contracts signed under the new CBA have affected recent trades.
- In his Weekly Mailbag, Arthur Hill answered readers’ questions about the potential steal of the 2018 NBA Draft, additional moves this summer for the Mavericks, and a potential Chandler Parsons for Luol Deng trade.
- Luke Adams listed and discussed the notable free agents still available this summer:
- Luke Adams named the players who can veto trades during the 2018/19 season.
Five Key Stories: 7/21/18 – 7/28/18
Missed any of this week’s biggest story lines? Don’t worry, because we’ve got it covered with our Week in Review. Listed below are some of the most noteworthy reports from the last seven days.
The Rockets signed restricted free agent center Clint Capela to a five-year, $90MM contract. The contract will contain no team or player options. Capela’s new deal falls short of the $100MM he was reportedly seeking, but considering the lack of cap space other clubs were armed with around the league, it looks like a reasonable deal for both player and team. Capela’s new deal will push the Rockets’ team salary well beyond the luxury tax line of $123.733MM.
The Cavaliers signed All-Star Kevin Love to a four-year, $120MM contract extension. As part of the agreement between Love and the Cavs, the 29-year-old big man declined his player option for 2019/20, with the first year of his new deal replacing that option. Factoring in his salary for the 2018/19 season, Love is therefore on track to earn nearly $145MM over the next five seasons. The extension includes no options and is fully guaranteed.
Clippers forward Tobias Harris reportedly turned down a contract extension offer worth approximately $80MM. Harris, 26, will now play out the final year of his current deal and become an unrestricted free agent next summer, when he will be eligible to sign a five-year, $189.7MM with the Clippers or a four-year, $140.6MM deal with another franchise.
After he officially becomes an unrestricted free agent, veteran forward Carmelo Anthony says he plans to sign with the Rockets. Anthony is now a member of the Hawks (see directly below), but Atlanta has made clear their plans to waive him. Because Houston plans to sign Anthony to a one-year, minimum-salary contract, the team will retain its $5.34MM taxpayer mid-level exception.
The three-team trade involving the Thunder, Hawks, and Sixers is now official. Anthony and Justin Anderson are now members of the Hawks, while both Dennis Schroder and Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot are now members of the Thunder. Meanwhile, Mike Muscala joined the Sixers.
Here are 11 more notable NBA headlines from the last week:
- The Celtics traded reserve swingman Abdel Nader and cash to the Thunder in exchange for Rodney Purvis, who will be reportedly be waived by Boston.
- Antonius Cleveland, who was waived by the Hawks in order to make room for Anthony, was claimed off waivers by the Bulls.
- The Hawks and Alex Len have agreed to a deal worth a reported $8.5MM over two seasons.
- The Grizzlies traded Jarell Martin and cash to the Magic in exchange for Dakari Johnson and the draft rights to 2015 second-round pick Tyler Harvey.
- The Knicks signed former lottery selection Noah Vonleh to a one-year, partially guaranteed contract.
- It was a busy week for the Hawks, who also agreed to a one-year, minimum-salary contract with Vince Carter.
- Jabari Bird, who played on a two-way contract with Boston last season, signed a two-year, standard NBA contract with the Celtics.
- The Mavericks and Devin Harris have agreed to a one-year, minimum-salary contract.
- The Pelicans signed swingman Troy Williams to a two-year, partially guaranteed minimum-salary deal with a team option on the second season.
- Pat Connaughton and the Bucks have come to an agreement on a two-year contract worth slightly more than the minimum in each season.
- The Thunder and second-round pick Hamidou Diallo have officially reached an agreement on a reported three-year, $4MM contract.
J.P. Tokoto Reaches Deal With Israeli Team
Former second-round draft pick J.P. Tokoto has reached an agreement with Israeli team Hapoel Eilat, per Sportando. Tokoto spent last season with the Perth Wildcats of Australia’s National Basketball League. He averaged 15.4 PPG, 5.9 RPG and 2.8 APG in 30 games for Perth.
Tokoto, 25, was drafted 58th overall by the Sixers in 2015 and has spent his professional career in the United States in the G League. Tokoto has spent time with the affiliate teams for the Sixers, Thunder, and Knicks.
The Warriors signed the North Carolina product to a Summer League deal and he appeared in five games, averaging 7.0 PPG and 4.6 RPG while shooting 45% from the floor.