Thunder Notes: George, Championship, Schroder
Paul George, who surprisingly re-signed with the Thunder on a four-year deal over the summer, believes Oklahoma City is ready to contend for a championship.
“Absolutely,” George said when asked if the Thunder are built to contend (via Royce Young of ESPN.com). “We’ve got the chemistry. Me being around these guys going on about to be two years now, there’s an expectation and a level we know we need to play at. I think the consistency part you’ll see with us now being able to play well against the sub-.500 teams. But I definitely think this team has a chance. The reason why I signed back here is because I believed in it. And everybody in here believes. It’s on us, we’ve got our work cut out and it’s not going to be easy, but we’re up for it.”
Here’s more from Oklahoma City:
- The Thunder added Dennis Schroder this offseason and his new teammates are excited about what the point guard brings, Erik Horne of The Oklahoman writes. “His ability just to read the different screens, and not just read them but set up his man, if that makes sense,” Steven Adams said when asked about Schroder. “It’s a big difference that I notice in guards that know how to use pick-and-rolls.”
- Schroder finds himself trying to emulate Russell Westbrook‘s game at times and he’s looking forward to playing with the former MVP, as Horne passes along in the same piece. “That’s what really excites me right now. To play with Russ and Paul George, to be out there with them, I think means a lot for me,” Schroder said.
- Schroder is facing a felony battery charge and the team spoke with him about it prior to trading for him, Horne adds in the same piece. The 25-year-old said his pending charges as “nothing to worry about.”
Elton Brand Believes Sixers Need One More Piece
New GM Elton Brand believes the Sixers may have to add one more piece to reach elite status.
“We’re close,” Brand said during a recent appearance on ESPN’s The Jump. “If you ask [Joel Embiid] we have enough and if you ask [Ben Simmons] we have enough, because that’s the chip they have on their shoulder … they don’t want to hear that, but I think we still need a piece.”
How the Sixers will add another playmaker becomes the next question. Philadelphia should be able to carve out enough cap space to add a max free agent next summer. Still, Brand doesn’t sound like he’s willing to wait around until then.
“Everyone talks about free agency…but we may have to pull the trigger on something else before free agency if we feel we can’t get one of those stars that I can’t name,” Brand said.
The Sixers have shown interest in Jimmy Butler, though Philadelphia is reportedly not on the four-time All-Star’s short list of destinations he’d wish to go. Still, Butler doesn’t have a no-trade clause, so any team, including the 76ers, could trade for him.
Julius Randle Wants To Remain With Pelicans Long-Term
Julius Randle joined the Pelicans this offseason on a two-year deal, one that includes a player option on the second season. Although he can go elsewhere next summer, Randle reiterated that he doesn’t plan on leaving. He wants his move to New Orleans to be a “long-term thing,” Will Guillory of The Athletic (Twitter link) relays.
The power forward will get a chance to play alongside Anthony Davis, a player whose skill set complements Randle nicely. Davis and Nikola Mirotic can both spread the floor, meaning that in most rotations, Randle should find space in the paint. Randle added that he’s in the “perfect situation for a basketball player.”
The Kentucky product played in 238 games for the Lakers after the team took him with the No. 7 overall pick in the 2014 draft. Los Angeles renounced his rights, creating the cap space necessary to sign LeBron James and several other players this past summer.
Randle had arguably his finest season in California during the 2017/18 campaign. He scored a career-high 16.1 points per contest and had a true shooting percentage of 60.6. His player efficiency rating was 19.9.
Raptors Notes: Lowry, Expectations, Leonard
Kyle Lowry saw his longtime friend DeMar DeRozan shipped to the Spurs over the summer and hadn’t said much until the team’s media day earlier this week. “Our relationship is bigger than basketball,” Lowry said of his and DeRozan’s bond.
While Lowry hasn’t said anything negative about the deal, he was dodging calls and texts from the Raptors, including Masai Ujiri and coach Nick Nurse, sources tell Josh Lewenberg of TSN Sports. Lowry did briefly speak with Nurse after the team announced the new head coach’s hire earlier in the summer.
“I’m here to do my job,” said Lowry. “One thing about me is I’ve always been prepared to come in and try to win a championship. I’ve always been given an opportunity to go out there and do me, and come back ready to go, in shape, ready to play. My mindset never changes: Come to work for the Toronto Raptors, try to win a gold ball. That’s the same as it’s been since my first year here. That’s been my sentiment: Trying to win a gold ball here.”
Here’s more from Toronto:
- The Raptors have a real shot at making the NBA Finals this season, Lewenberg writes in the same piece. The team hears the optimism in the media but knows there’s a lot of work to do to achieve lofty goals. “You can talk this and that – we’re a good team on paper, yeah, we have a really good team on paper,” said Jonas Valanciunas. “We have all positions, we have great shooters, we’re not bad at the center position (laughs), we can do big things but how are we going to prove that? How are we going to show it on the court, how are we going to do that? That’s what matters.”
- Kawhi Leonard has only ever played for one NBA coach—Gregg Popovich—but that will change this season now that he’s in Toronto. The 2016/17 MVP candidate appears to be optimistic about his new tactician, as Lewenberg tweets. “He’s open-minded, ready to adjust on the fly,” Leonard said of Nurse. “Just a brilliant mind, loves the game of basketball. I’ve gotta talk to him more, this was just my first practice, but we’re going to develop a good relationship.”
- Leonard’s camp rebuffed the Raptors‘ attempts to formally introduce him following the trade, Lewenberg adds in the aforementioned piece. Toronto didn’t see it as a reflection of his desire to be with the franchise.
Jimmy Butler Rumors: Taylor, Thibodeau, Mavs
As ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported earlier today, there has been some confusion among potential Jimmy Butler suitors who have spoken to the Timberwolves, since it’s not clear if Minnesota’s ownership and management groups are on the same page when it comes to a Butler trade. Over at The Athletic, Jon Krawczynski’s latest report on the Butler situation touches many of the same bases that Wojnarowski’s did, with a few new details included.
After Tom Thibodeau met with Butler in the hopes of convincing him to report to the Timberwolves, Butler sought out owner Glen Taylor to receive assurances that the club was actually making “good faith efforts” to trade him, sources tell Krawczynski.
According to Krawczynski’s report, Butler’s camp has conveyed his dissatisfaction with the situation in Minnesota throughout the offseason — his representatives talked to Thibodeau in July about the 29-year-old’s unwillingness to re-sign long-term with the franchise, and Butler conveyed that same message to the head coach in August when Thibodeau visited him in California. However, there’s no indication that Butler requested a trade until last week.
Here are a few more of the latest items on Butler:
- Asked again today about Butler, Thibodeau sounded more open than ever to the idea of moving on from his All-NBA swingman. “We’re going to honor his request,” Thibodeau said, per Darren Wolfson of 5 Eyewitness News (video link). “But we’re not going to do a bad deal. … We’re trying to make the best deal for the Timberwolves. … That’s what my job is. That’s what [GM] Scott [Layden]‘s job is. Obviously, a move of this magnitude, Glen’s involved in it too.”
- Despite Thibodeau saying the right things about Butler publicly, Chris Hine of The Star Tribune hears from a source that the Timberwolves‘ head coach and president of basketball operations remains reluctant to make a deal.
- It’s probably safe to cross the Mavericks off the list of possible suitors for Butler, according to Eddie Sefko of The Dallas Morning News, who hears from a high-ranking Mavs official that “he’s not coming here.”
- Thibodeau took a risk on Butler and got burned, writes Chip Scoggins of The Star Tribune, noting that the “clock is ticking” on Thibs to prove that he can make Plan B work for the Timberwolves.
Kings Sign Cameron Reynolds
The Kings have completed a long-rumored signing, adding undrafted rookie Cameron Reynolds to their training camp roster, per Sean Cunningham of ABC10 in Sacramento (Twitter link). The Kings’ agreement with the former Tulane wing was first reported way back in June, right after the 2018 draft came to an end.
In his final college season in 2017/18, Reynolds averaged 15.1 PPG, 6.3 RPG, and 2.2 APG in 36.0 minutes per contest for Tulane. Although his three-point numbers took a little dip from 2016/17, he still made 2.0 threes per game at a rate of 35.3%.
Reynolds, who was a member of the Kings’ Summer League squads in the Sacramento and Las Vegas leagues in July, won’t be getting a two-way contract, according to Cunningham, who tweets that the 24-year-old will instead be joining the Stockton Kings, Sacramento’s G League affiliate. That means he likely received an Exhibit 10 contract, which will assure him of some bonus money if he sticks with the Kings’ NBAGL squad this season.
The Kings now have 18 players under contract, including 15 on guaranteed deals, two (Reynolds and Jamel Artis) on non-guaranteed pacts, and one (Wenyen Gabriel) on a two-way deal.
Northwest Notes: Blazers, Roberson, Nuggets, Towns
The Trail Blazers didn’t make any major roster moves this offseason, but tweaked their roster slightly by adding players like Seth Curry, Nik Stauskas, and Anfernee Simons. Head of basketball operations Neil Olshey said on Monday that he’s “happy with what we did” over the summer, though he acknowledged that Portland was outbid for six veteran free agents (Twitter link via Joe Freeman of The Oregonian).
In other Trail Blazers news, starting small forward Maurice Harkless continues to recover from arthroscopic left knee surgery, and his availability during training camp is limited (link via Freeman). Harkless said he’ll be involved in practices, but he hasn’t been cleared to play in 5-on-5 games and doesn’t think he’ll be 100% in practices.
Here’s more from around the Northwest:
- Andre Roberson, who ruptured his left patellar tendon last season, provided an update on his recovery timetable on Monday, indicating that he expects to be cleared for contact soon and back to full speed “around December.” Cliff Brunt of The Associated Press has the details, along with the full quotes from the Thunder‘s top defender.
- The Nuggets aren’t providing any timelines for Isaiah Thomas or Michael Porter Jr. to make their respective debuts with the club, as Matt L. Stephens of The Denver Post writes. The team sounds ready to take a cautious approach with both players. “I do not have a date right now, I’m going to take my sweet time, because I’ve rushed it before and that did not work out for me,” Thomas said of his own status. “We’re not worried about right now. We’re worried about April, worried about the playoffs and me being as healthy as I can going into that stretch. However long it takes, I’m only going to go out on the court when I can produce at a high level.”
- After officially signing his new maximum-salary extension with the Timberwolves, Karl-Anthony Towns spoke to Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic about the deal, which he admits took “a lot longer than I expected” to get done.
Pistons Signed, Waived Scottie Lindsey
Former Northwestern standout Scottie Lindsey enjoyed a very brief stay on an NBA roster this weekend, as the Pistons signed him to a contract on Saturday before waiving him on Monday, per the RealGM.com and NBA.com transaction logs.
Given the abridged nature of Lindsey’s stint with the Pistons, the club was likely looking to secure his G League rights for the Grand Rapids Drive. Assuming his deal included an Exhibit 10 clause, the 6’5″ guard could be in line for a bonus worth up to $50K if he spends at least two months with Detroit’s NBAGL affiliate.
Lindsey, 22, averaged 15.2 PPG and 3.8 RPG in his senior year at Northwestern in 2017/18, recording a .399/.362/.829 shooting line in 32 games.
Lindsey was signed to the 20th and final spot on Detroit’s training camp roster, which the team subsequently used to add Chris McCullough after cutting Lindsey.
Bulls Notes: LaVine, Portis, Defense
Having secured a $78MM payday in July, Zach LaVine will face extra scrutiny in 2018/19, but the 23-year-old guard isn’t feeling any added pressure to prove that he’s worth the Bulls‘ investment, as K.C. Johnson of The Chicago Tribune details.
“I don’t have to validate anything,” LaVine said. “I feel I’ve earned everything I’ve gotten. … Added pressure? Man, I’m the hardest critic out of everybody on my own side. I’m just excited because I know I’ve had a really good summer. I know how good we can be.”
As LaVine observes, the current Bulls’ group hasn’t won anything yet, so the team will enter the season looking to defy prognosticators who view Chicago as a sub-.500 squad.
“We hear the outside expectations, but I think we use that as fuel,” LaVine said. “We’re going to get off to a hot start with training camp coming. We’ve all been here and it’s going to be fun. That’s why I think we’re all able to get a jump on the season because we’re all healthy now.”
Here’s more out of Chicago:
- The Bulls face an October 15 deadline to lock up Bobby Portis to a rookie scale extension, and it appears the team is making an effort to get something done. GM Gar Forman, who said the Bulls view Portis as “part of our core,” indicated on Monday that the club has met with Portis’ agent several times about a possible contract (Twitter link via K.C. Johnson). Portis would be eligible for restricted free agency in 2019 without a new deal in place.
- The Bulls invested heavily in offense this summer by matching LaVine’s offer sheet and signing Jabari Parker, but they’ll only go as far as their defense takes them in 2018/19, writes Mark Strotman of NBC Sports Chicago. “There’s no reason in the world we shouldn’t be able to go out and make things tough for the other team,” head coach Fred Hoiberg said of the Bulls’ defense. “It’s not about one individual. It’s about getting all five on the same page and building the habits.”
- In case you missed it over the weekend, Bulls center Omer Asik has been ruled out indefinitely due to inflammatory arthritis.
Willie Cauley-Stein: “I’m Ready To Get Paid”
While most players on expiring deals downplay the extent to which they’re thinking about their contract situation, that’s not the case for Willie Cauley-Stein. The fourth-year Kings big man told James Ham of NBC Sports California that he’s entering his contract year “ready to get paid.”
“I’m ready for it,” Cauley-Stein said. “I’ve seen everybody else – all my peers. Alright, I’m ready for that. What do I got to do to do that? That’s what they’re doing? Alright, I’m going to go ahead and do this now. I was doing it this way, obviously it wasn’t working, so now let’s do it this way.”
Because he’s in the fourth year of his rookie scale contract, Cauley-Stein is eligible to sign a contract extension up until October 15. However, Ham writes that the Kings are unlikely to do a long-term deal for the former sixth overall pick at this point. He’s more likely to reach restricted free agency next summer, so his play this season could go a long way toward determining what his market looks like in 2019.
[RELATED: Players Eligible For Rookie Scale Extensions In 2018]
In 73 games (58 starts) last season, Cauley-Stein established new career highs in PPG (12.8), RPG (7.0), APG (2.4), and several other categories. However, his production was somewhat inconsistent on a night-to-night basis, which is something he’ll be looking to improve upon heading into 2018/19.
“Consistency, that’s the word of the decade for me,” Cauley-Stein told Ham. “Consistency. That’s what’s going to get you paid. So I’m going to say it until it happens. That’s how it works these days. Just keep on talking about it, eventually it’s just going to happen.”
While Cauley-Stein looks like the frontrunner to open the season as Sacramento’s starting center, the 25-year-old will face plenty of competition for playing time. Over the offseason, the Kings added Marvin Bagley III and Nemanja Bjelica to a frontcourt that already includes Zach Randolph, Skal Labissiere, and Kosta Koufos. The team also envisions a regular role for Harry Giles, who missed his entire rookie year while recovering from ACL injuries.