Central Notes: Lopez, Butler, Wood, Van Gundy
Robin Lopez is among several Bulls players reporting for training camp who may not be with the team all season, writes Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun Times. The veteran center is an attractive trade chip with a $14.3MM expiring contract. First-rounder Wendell Carter seems destined to become the starting center at some point, and Lopez doesn’t fit in with Chicago’s rebuilding project at age 30.
Lopez was sent to the bench late last season as part of the Bulls’ tanking effort. Cowley relays that he was upset about the move, but refused to complain publicly about not playing.
“It was rough for me, but I get it, I understood it,’’ Lopez said. “I always want to be out there playing on the court. I want to be playing obviously, but we’ve got a great group of guys here. I think the future is bright and I think I can be a part of it in some way.’’
Cowley identifies free agent addition Jabari Parker as another player who could be moved by the trade deadline. With a $20MM team option for next season, Parker could be seen as a low-risk addition for a contending team.
There’s more today from the Central Division:
- The Bucks shouldn’t be overlooked as a possible destination for Jimmy Butler, tweets Darren Wolfson of Eyewitness 5 News in Minneapolis. Butler went to Marquette and still has ties to the Milwuakee area, Wolfson notes, plus the Bucks are moving into a new arena and would have a shot at winning the East with Butler on board.
- Christian Wood received a $100K guarantee in his training camp deal with the Bucks, tweets ESPN’s Bobby Marks. Milwaukee already has 14 players with guaranteed contracts, so Wood will be competing for the final roster spot with Tyler Zeller, Shabazz Muhammad and Tim Frazier.
- At age 59, Stan Van Gundy doesn’t feel ready to retire, but his wife doesn’t want him to coach anymore, relays Vince Ellis of The Detroit Free Press. Van Gundy is without a job as training camp opens after the Pistons fired him as head coach and president of basketball operations in May. “I don’t care who you are, what job you are in, when you’ve worked at something for a long time and tried to become good at it and everything else, it’s not easy to walk away — particularly when it’s not on your own terms,” Van Gundy said. “Kim’s major thing is that I’m not happy [during seasons]. You don’t need to do it, so why are you going to do something that doesn’t make you happy.”
Heat Notes: Winslow, Whiteside, Waiters, Butler
Justise Winslow‘s hope for an extension may fall victim to the Heat’s other recent financial decisions, writes Ira Winderman of The Sun-Sentinel. Miami already finds itself in luxury tax territory because of moves made during the past two offseasons and may not want to commit to a new deal with Winslow before the October 15 deadline.
After the Heat missed out on Kevin Durant in 2016 and lost Dwyane Wade to the Bulls, they responded by matching an offer sheet for Tyler Johnson and signing James Johnson and Wayne Ellington. A year later, Miami was a finalist for free agent Gordon Hayward, but once he chose the Celtics, the Heat used their cap space to add Kelly Olynyk.
The franchise could have more than $131MM in committed salary for 2019/20 if Hassan Whiteside, Tyler Johnson and Goran Dragic all exercise their player options. Winslow will become a restricted free agent next summer if no extension deal is reached.
There’s more this morning from Miami:
- Whiteside may not be any happier with his playing time this season, Winderman adds in the same story. The center voiced his complaints about the coaching staff to the media last year as his minutes per game dropped to 25.3 after reaching a career-high 32.6 the season before. Whiteside is Miami’s highest-paid player at $25.4MM per season, but his usage has fallen as the Heat have transitioned to using smaller lineups. With Bam Adebayo, Olynyk and James Johnson all competing for minutes in the middle, it seems unlikely that Whiteside’s role will increase.
- Dion Waiters‘ lingering ankle injury takes away the Heat’s chance to see how he will work in tandem with Wade in training camp, Winderman notes in another piece. With no experienced backup point guard on the roster, Wade may inherit the role, similar to what he did in Cleveland. However, it’s going to be difficult to sort out all the backcourt candidates until Waiters is healthy enough to play.
- The Heat have been mentioned among teams with interest in Timberwolves forward Jimmy Butler, and they could offer the type of culture and veteran roster that Butler reportedly wants, Winderman tweets. However, they won’t have the cap room to add another star next summer, which might lessen Butler’s interest in coming to Miami. Winderman suggests that Richardson, Winslow, Olynyk and Adebayo could be among the players the Heat would consider moving in a Butler deal.
Wolves Owner Wants Jimmy Butler Deal Done Soon
Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor has taken control of the Jimmy Butler trade talks and wants to get a deal completed as soon as possible, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.
Tom Thibodeau, who serves as president of basketball operations as well as coach, had been objecting to a deal, hoping to hold onto the veteran forward for another season. However, Taylor wants the process to end before training camp starts Tuesday and has mandated that a deal get done quickly.
Wojnarowski cautions that no team has entered serious discussion with the Wolves yet, but he identifies the Nets, Pistons, Rockets, Clippers, Heat, Sixers and Trail Blazers as franchises that have shown interest.
Taylor plans to review the offers over the next two days, then present the best ones to Butler and his agent, Bernie Lee, to see which teams Butler would be willing to sign a five-year extension with. That information will be used to help finalize a deal, although Wojnarowski adds that some teams would be willing to trade for Butler with no guarantee of an extension .
GM Scott Layden may have jeopardized his job by refusing to talk to other teams about a Butler deal, according to Wojnarowski. Taylor has demanded that Layden start aggressively pursuing a trade, even to the point of contacting rival GMs. Taylor has been considering changes in the front office for months and may re-evaluate Layden’s role once the Butler deal is done.
Community Shootaround: Tom Thibodeau’s Future
Now that Tom Thibodeau’s most prized addition appears headed out of Minnesota, should the coach and president of basketball operations be right behind?
The Jimmy Butler saga appears headed to an inevitable conclusion after a week that began with him making a trade request and ended with the front office granting him permission to skip what would have been an awkward media day on Monday. Shams Charania of The Athletic confirmed tonight that the team is now “aligning its organizational focus” toward trading Butler (Twitter link).
Wolves owner Glen Taylor confirmed Friday that Butler is available and is advising rival owners to make trade offers directly to him if necessary. That followed news earlier in the day that the organization wasn’t listening to teams that were calling about Butler.
Those conflicting reports suggest a rift in the front office that’s just as big as the one rumored to be in the locker room. And it’s not hard to figure out who’s on which side. Thibodeau has been a long-time supporter of Butler dating back to their days in Chicago. He also understands that his chances of returning to the playoffs — and maybe keeping his job — are much better with Butler on the roster.
However, Butler’s intense attitude hasn’t been good for team chemistry. There have been reports of frequent clashes with young stars Karl-Anthony Towns and Andrew Wiggins, and Charania suggested this week that Towns wouldn’t commit to an extension until he was sure Butler wouldn’t be back. Tonight’s announcement that Towns has accepted a five-year, supermax contract could be the surest sign yet that Butler’s fate is sealed.
But if Butler is gone, is there much of an argument for keeping Thibodeau? He’s the architect of the current “Timber-Bulls” roster that brought former Chicago players Derrick Rose, Taj Gibson and Luol Deng to Minnesota along with Butler. He has a 78-86 record in two seasons with Minnesota, and the veteran-laden roster he has helped to assemble doesn’t fit the timeline of an organization that figures to be constructed around its two young stars.
We want to get your opinion. Should the Wolves get rid of Thibodeau now or should they be patient and see if he can have create a better relationship between the younger and older factions once Butler is gone? Please leave your responses in the space below.
2018 Offseason In Review: Dallas Mavericks
Hoops Rumors is breaking down the 2018 offseason for all 30 NBA teams, revisiting the summer’s free agent signings, trades, draft picks, departures, and more. We’ll evaluate each team’s moves from the last several months and look ahead to what the 2018/19 season holds for all 30 franchises. Today, we’re focusing on the Dallas Mavericks.
Signings:
- Standard contracts:
- DeAndre Jordan: One year, $22.9MM. Signed using cap space.
- Dirk Nowitzki: One year, $5MM. Signed using cap space.
- Ryan Broekhoff: Two years, minimum salary. Second year non-guaranteed. Signed using minimum salary exception.
- Devin Harris: One year, minimum salary. Signed using minimum salary exception.
- Salah Mejri: One year, minimum salary. Signed using minimum salary exception.
- Two-way contracts:
- Non-guaranteed camp contracts:
- Jalen Jones: One year, minimum salary.
- Codi Miller-McIntyre: One year, minimum salary.
- Ding Yanyuhang: One year, minimum salary.
- Notes: Terry Larrier signed camp deal and was later waived; Donte Ingram has reportedly agreed to camp deal.
Trades:
- Acquired the draft rights to Luka Doncic (No. 3 pick) from the Hawks in exchange for the draft rights to Trae Young (No. 5 pick) and the Mavericks’ 2019 first-round pick (top-5 protected).
- Acquired the draft rights to Ray Spalding (No. 56 pick) and Kostas Antetokounmpo (No. 60 pick) from the Sixers in exchange for the draft rights to Shake Milton (No. 54 pick).
- Acquired the draft rights to Maarty Leunen and cash ($50K) from the Clippers in exchange for Johnathan Motley and the draft rights to Renaldas Seibutis.
- Acquired Chinanu Onuaku, cash ($1,544,951), and the right to swap the Warriors’ 2020 second-round pick for the Rockets’ 2020 second-round pick from the Rockets in exchange for the draft rights to Maarty Leunen.
- Note: Onuaku later waived.
Draft picks:
- 1-3: Luka Doncic — Signed to rookie contract.
- 2-33: Jalen Brunson — Signed to four-year, $6.11MM contract. First three years guaranteed. Signed using cap space.
- 2-56: Ray Spalding — Signed to four-year, minimum salary contract. First year guaranteed. Signed using cap space.
- 2-60: Kostas Antetokounmpo — Signed to two-way contract.
Departing players:
- Kyle Collinsworth (waived)
- Seth Curry
- Yogi Ferrell
- Aaron Harrison
- Doug McDermott
- Johnathan Motley
- Nerlens Noel
Other offseason news:
- Sanctioned by NBA for workplace misconduct by former and current employees.
Salary cap situation:
- Used cap space; now over the cap.
- Carrying approximately $104.8MM in guaranteed salaries.
- Full room exception ($4.45MM) still available.
Check out the Dallas Mavericks’ full roster and depth chart at RosterResource.com.
Story of the summer:
The future has arrived in Dallas, and the Mavericks were willing to be aggressive on draft night to make it happen. The team traded up to the No. 3 spot to nab European star Luka Doncic, who is the reigning EuroLeague MVP at age 19. It cost Dallas the No. 5 pick plus next year’s first-rounder [top five protected], but the price will be well worth it if Doncic develops into what the Mavericks expect.
Team officials, including normally reserved coach Rick Carlisle, are already raving about Doncic’s potential as both a scorer and a creator for the offense. He will team with last year’s star rookie, Dennis Smith, to create one of the NBA’s best young backcourts and provide a foundation for the Mavericks to rebuild around.
The Dallas media expect Doncic to become a strong candidate for Rookie of the Year honors, comparing him to last year’s winner, Ben Simmons, but with a better shooting touch. Doncic tied for third in a Rookie of the Year poll among his fellow draftees and is the current favorite to win the award in odds set by the sportsbook company Bovada.
Sixers Notes: Brand, Harris, Z. Smith, Simmons
Elton Brand‘s rise to GM will make the Sixers a more attractive destination for free agents, former agent David Falk tells David Murphy of The Philadelphia Inquirer. Falk, who represented Brand during his playing career, said the new GM is in a perfect spot to transform the franchise.
“I think he’s in a window where he is young enough where people know him as a player and he’s old enough to understand the business side,” Falk said. “I think that [the Sixers] have a great core, two very special young players in [Joel] Embiid and [Ben] Simmons. It’s one of the top 10 media markets in the country. There’s a great history to the franchise. And I think that today’s generation of players has demonstrated a desire to team up … they have two-thirds of the equation here. They need a third or possibly a fourth. I think it’s going to be very attractive to a lot of players.”
Falk said Brand showed he can handle the job through the amount of effort he put into running the organization’s G League team in Delaware last season.
There’s more today from Philadelphia:
- Brand and coach Brett Brown will run the team as partners, owner Josh Harris explained to Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer. The Sixers won’t fill Bryan Colangelo’s former post of president of basketball operations, Harris added. Brand and Brown are expected to collaborate on decisions and will report to Harris and the ownership group. “Ultimately, Brett is the on-the-court voice,” Harris said. “Elton is the off-the-court voice. Elton will have kind of the loudest voice off the court, and final decision-making authority subject to ownership.”
- First-round pick Zhaire Smith underwent a follow-up appointment this week after having surgery in August to repair a Jones fracture in his left foot, the Sixers announced in an email. Doctors are pleased with his progress and he has been cleared to put full weight on the foot. Smith will be evaluated again in four weeks. The team also offered updates on Shake Milton, who has been cleared for limited contract after suffering a stress fracture in his back, and Landry Shamet, who has been fully cleared after spraining his right ankle.
- Among the topics Simmons addressed at this year’s media day was an upcoming television show based on his life, relays Australian website news.com.au. “Brotherly Love” has received a script commitment from NBC, with LeBron James of SpringHill Entertainment listed as an executive producer.
Kings Waive Deyonta Davis
The Kings have waived center Deyonta Davis, who was acquired from the Grizzlies in July, tweets Marc J. Spears of ESPN. The team has confirmed the move on its website.
Davis was waived because Kings officials want to spend training camp focusing on players who are likely to make the final roster or play for their G League team in Stockton, Spears adds (Twitter link). Davis didn’t appear ticketed for either destination.
Sacramento sent Garrett Temple to the Grizzlies on July 17 in exchange for Davis, Ben McLemore and cash. Memphis took Davis with the 31st pick in the 2016 draft, but he was a disappointment in his two seasons there, averaging 4.3 PPG and 3.2 RPG in 98 games.
The Kings still must pay Davis his $1,544,951 salary for the upcoming season. The move leaves them with 17 players on the roster heading into training camp.
Bucks Sign Tim Frazier
In addition to officially adding Shabazz Muhammad and Christian Wood to its roster, the Bucks have also signed free agent point guard Tim Frazier, per an official release from the team.
Frazier spent last season with the Wizards, appearing in 59 games (11 starts) and averaging 3.0 points, 3.3 assists and 1.9 rebounds in 14.2 minutes per contest. The 6-foot guard from Penn State has played four seasons in the NBA with career averages of 5.2 points, 4.0 assists and 2.3 rebounds in 186 career games.
While it may seem like a long shot for Frazier to make the roster, there are really only two other true point guards on the roster in Eric Bledsoe and Matthew Dellavedova, so Frazier perhaps has better than an outside chance to earn a spot on the 15-man roster.
Shabazz Muhammad Signs With Bucks
SEPTEMBER 22: The signing is official, per the Bucks.
AUGUST 13: Shooting guard Shabazz Muhammad has agreed to re-sign with the Bucks, Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports tweets. It’s a deal that will allow him to compete for a roster spot during training camp, Matt Velazquez of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel tweets.
Muhammad played 11 games with Milwaukee last season after getting bought out by the Timberwolves. Muhammad also appeared in four postseason games with Milwaukee.
He averaged 5.0 PPG in 9.7 MPG while playing in a combined 43 regular-season games for those teams. Muhammad has averaged 9.0 PPG and 2.8 RPG in 17.2 MPG over 278 career NBA games.
Muhammad will join a crowd at shooting guard that includes Tony Snell, Malcolm Brogdon and Donte DiVincenzo, though he could also play some small forward.
The Bucks already had 14 players with guaranteed contracts, four with non- or partially-guaranteed deals, and two on two-way pacts, so they’ll need to trade or waive someone to officially sign Muhammad. They also used up their mid-level and bi-annual exceptions on other free agents.
Southeast Notes: Parker, Clifford, Carter, Jackson
In a wide-ranging Q&A session with Matt Rochinski of Hornets.com, newly-signed veteran point guard Tony Parker discusses what brought him to Charlotte, his expectations for the upcoming season and more.
In regard to why he chose the Hornets, Parker says that he just wanted to do something different and experience something new. “I’ve been with the Spurs for a long time – 17 years… I know it sounds simple – but I just wanted to see something else – go to the East Coast and go do something else in the NBA.”
Parker also touched upon the close relationship he has with Hornets’ forward Nicolas Batum, a longtime teammate of Parker’s on the French national team, and new head coach James Borrego, who was a longtime Spurs’ assistant coach before taking the head job in Charlotte.
Parker also added that having his idol, Hornets’ owner Michael Jordan, reach out to him factored into his decision. For a more in-depth look into Parker’s mindset heading into the 2018/19 season, make sure to check out the entire interview transcript.
There’s more from the Southeast Division:
- In a Q&A with John Denton of OrlandoMagic.com, New Magic head coach Steve Clifford seems to be concentrating on returning the franchise to its relative glory days from 2009 and 2010, when Clifford was an assistant coach under Stan Van Gundy on an Orlando squad that reached the NBA Finals in 2009 and the Eastern Conference Finals in 2010.
- The Heat have hired former NBA guard Anthony Carter to its coaching staff as a Player Development Coach after he spent the last two seasons as an assistant coach with the team’s G League affiliate, the Sioux Falls Skyforce. Carter will specifically help with implementing Miami’s player development and mentorship programs within the Skyforce.
- According to Adam Johnson of 2 Ways & 10 Days, Magic 2018 NBA Draft selection Justin Jackson is expected to sign a G League contract with the Lakeland Magic and become a domestic draft-and-stash prospect.