Central Notes: Bledsoe, Bucks, Porter, Lopez
The Bucks’ decision to give point guard Eric Bledsoe a four-year, $70MM extension was a sensible move by both parties, Bobby Marks of ESPN argues. It’s a worthwhile price to retain Bledsoe and keep the core group together and that should aid their recruiting pitch to All-Star Giannis Antetokounmpo as he approaches free agency in 2021. Bledsoe has become a more efficient player in Milwaukee, particularly in coach Mike Budenholzer’s system. With that order of business out of the way, the Bucks front office can now concentrate on re-signing Khris Middleton and restricted free agent Malcolm Brogdon this summer, Marks adds.
We have more from the Central Division:
- The Bucks had a much more sensible plan to build around Antetokounmpo than the Lakers did with LeBron James, Dan Woike of the Los Angeles Times opines. Milwaukee has a completely different scheme under Budenholzer, surrounding its star with shooters through savvy decisions in free agency and trades. That has opened up driving lanes for Antetokounmpo. Los Angeles’ front office brought in playmakers and ballhandlers around James, Woike notes, which is why the Lakers rank 28th in 3-point shooting.
- The Bulls have a much brighter outlook than they did at this time last season, when they went into full tank mode, Matt John of Basketball Insiders notes. The addition of Otto Porter has allowed the Bulls to improve its spacing offensively. Improved health for second-year power forward Lauri Markkanen has also made a difference, as he’s enjoying the best stretch of his young career, John continues. Shooting guard Zach LaVine remains a defensive liability but in a recent eight-game stretch, Chicago was a plus-8.2 with him on the floor, Johns points out. The Bulls will still get a high lottery pick and should continue to be on the upswing, John concludes.
- It’s not out of the question that Robin Lopez re-signs with the Bulls, according to Sam Smith of the team’s website. The veteran center is showing his value as an offensive factor due to Wendell Carter Jr.‘s injury. The front office was concerned that Lopez couldn’t be effective switching and getting out to the perimeter defensively, but recently few teams have beaten the Bulls at his position, Smith notes. Lopez will want to test the market but with the team’s frontcourt needs expanding, his return for next season will be under consideration, Smith adds.
Pau Gasol Clears Waivers, Signs With Bucks
MARCH 3, 6:10pm: Gasol has officially signed with the Bucks, according to a team press release.
MARCH 3, 4:30pm: Gasol has officially cleared waivers, Bobby Marks of ESPN tweets. San Antonio will have a $15.92MM cap hit this season and $5.07MM in 2019/20, Marks adds.
MARCH 2, 10:12am: Gasol gave back $2.5MM in salary as part of his buyout with the Spurs, tweets Shams Charania of The Athletic. The move will allow San Antonio to lower their salary cap hit for Gasol for both this season and next.
MARCH 1, 5:32pm: The Spurs and Gasol have officially finalized the big man’s buyout, the team announced in a press release.
“Pau Gasol is an exceptional individual and the ultimate professional,” Popovich said in a statement. “We are grateful for his contributions on the court, in the locker room and in our community.”
MARCH 1, 3:46pm: The Spurs and Pau Gasol have reached an agreement on a contract buyout, which will clear the way for the veteran big man to reach free agency and join a new team, sources tell ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
March 1 is the last day that a player can be waived by one team and retain his postseason eligibility for another club, so San Antonio figures to finalize the move before the end of the day in order to give Gasol the opportunity to participate in the playoffs for his new team.
That new team will be the Bucks, as Gasol intends to sign with Milwaukee once he clears waivers, Wojnarowski reports. The Bucks had been on the lookout for one more frontcourt player, having been linked to Marcin Gortat earlier today.
Gasol, whom we identified as a potential buyout candidate in February, has appeared in just 27 games and averaged a career-low 12.2 minutes per contest in San Antonio this season. Limited by injury issues early on, the 38-year-old hadn’t been a regular part of the team’s rotation even after getting healthy, as LaMarcus Aldridge, Davis Bertans, and Jakob Poeltl handled the majority of the minutes up front.
While Gasol’s scoring numbers are way down, he has still been effective in other aspects of the game on a per-minute basis in 2018/19 — his 13.9 rebounds and 5.5 assists per 36 minutes are both career bests.
Gasol is unlikely to play a major role in Milwaukee, but he could be an important insurance policy off the bench – particularly in the postseason – on a roster that doesn’t feature many traditional bigs. Joining the top-seeded Bucks could also give Gasol the chance to match up with his brother in the postseason — Marc Gasol is, of course, a member of the Raptors, the East’s No. 2 seed.
Although the Bucks currently have a full 15-man roster, one of those players – Isaiah Canaan – is on a 10-day contract, so he’s the likeliest candidate to be the odd man out when Milwaukee officially signs Gasol.
The exact terms of Gasol’s buyout with the Spurs aren’t yet known, but in addition to the prorated amount remaining on his $16.8MM salary for 2018/19, he had also been owed a $6.7MM partial guarantee on next year’s salary. San Antonio figures to slightly reduce that cap charge for 2019/20 as part of the buyout agreement, ESPN’s Bobby Marks notes (via Twitter).
Marks also observes that, unlike J.R. Smith‘s contract, Gasol’s deal was signed under the current CBA and would have been subject to the new trade rules for non-guaranteed salaries in the offseason. That means the Spurs could only have counted the guaranteed portion of his deal ($6.7MM) rather than the full amount ($16MM) for salary-matching purposes if they had tried to deal him this summer, significantly limiting his appeal as a trade chip. That’s likely one reason why the Spurs didn’t feel the need to hang onto him.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
NBA G League Assignments/Recalls: 3/3/19
Here are Sunday’s G League assignments and recalls from around the NBA:
- The Nuggets assigned power forward Tyler Lydon to Washington’s affiliate, the Capital City Go Go, Adam Johnson of 2Ways10Days tweets. The 2017 first-rounder has appeared in just 24 NBA games this season, averaging 3.8 MPG.
- The Hornets recalled forward Dwayne Bacon and guard Devonte’ Graham from the Greensboro Swarm, the team’s PR department tweets. Neither player saw action in Charlotte’s loss to Portland on Sunday. Graham had 21 points and seven rebounds against the Long Island Nets on Saturday.
- The Thunder assigned and then recalled guard Hamidou Diallo from the Oklahoma City Blue, according to team press releases. Diallo supplied 21 points and seven rebounds in the Blue’s win over Northern Arizona on Sunday. Diallo has appeared in 46 games for the Thunder, averaging 4.1 PPG in 11.2 MPG.
Knicks Notes: Durant, DSJ, Hernangomez, KP, Robinson
The Knicks are set to play the Clippers on Sunday, but the real battle between the two teams will be for Kevin Durant in free agency this summer, writes Marc Berman of the New York Post.
Durant, who’s expected to become an unrestricted free agent on July 1, will register interest from several teams across the league, including the Warriors, Knicks and Clippers. He’s currently holding per-game averages of 27.6 points, 6.9 rebounds and 5.8 assists, shooting above 50 percent from the floor for the seventh consecutive season.
“They obviously have a plan that they have in place that they’re trying to do and execute,” Knicks coach David Fizdale said of the Clippers on Saturday, according to Berman. “To their credit, they’ve built a nice, tough team full of guys who understand their role.”
The Clippers have long been linked to Raptors star Kawhi Leonard, who’s also set to become a free agent in July, though a potential meeting with Durant shouldn’t be ruled out. New York has been linked to the likes of Durant, Kyrie Irving and Kemba Walker.
Los Angeles is set to have $57MM in cap space, but the team could create additional room by trading the likes of Danilo Gallinari or Lou Williams before July. New York created a second maximum-salary roster spot by executing the Kristaps Porzingis trade with Dallas last month.
There’s more out of New York today:
- Fizdale had a deep conversation with Dennis Smith Jr. about the importance of eating healthy and getting good sleep, Marc Berman writes in a separate story for The Post. Smith went shopping with Knicks dietitian Erika Whitman last week, but denied that his eating habits are a serious issue. “I don’t eat bad,’’ Smith said. “I’m not a bad eater. I eat good. I feel great. The arena is great. I played the whole fourth [Thursday against Cleveland] with no fatigue. I felt great. [Fizdale] wants me to get with those people, with Erika and the rest of the dieticians, and that’s what I’ll do.”
- Former Knicks center Willy Hernangomez, a close friend of Kristaps Porzingis, weighed in on why he believes Porzingis requested a trade out of New York. “Yeah. Sometimes you can understand the plans change a little bit. I think KP wasn’t happy that they weren’t treating him the best way, the way he really deserves,” Hernangomez told Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News. “I just think when you don’t think you’re a part of the organization or the future, you keep going. This is basketball. I think KP felt that way too. I think now he’s in a great place in Dallas to keep developing.”
- Mitchell Robinson spoke with Steve Serby of the New York Post for a Q&A session, discussing how good he can become, his thoughts on Fizdale, how he can improve as a player and more. “When I’m not on the court, I’m chill and like just relaxed,” Robinson said. “But when I’m on the court, I bring energy, and bring good defense. I’m gonna do anything in any way to help my teammates get this win.”
Pat Riley Discusses Heat’s Future, Playoffs, Free Agency
Heat president Pat Riley discussed the franchise, its future, free agency and the playoffs during a team charity event at American Airlines Arena on Sunday, as relayed by Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald.
Riley expressed confidence that the Heat will make the postseason this year, also noting the amount of cap space the team is set to have during the summer of 2020. Miami, according to Jackson, wants to augment its roster via trade or free agency around that time.
The Heat have mostly disappointed through 62 games with a 28-34 record, currently trailing the No. 8 seed Magic by one game.
Here are some of the noteworthy comments from Riley:
On whether the Heat can make the playoffs:
“I have high expectations. I have always had them. [Erik Spoelstra] has them. I believe our players not only believe in the expectations but we’re right now in a wonderful stretch drive. It’s competitive.
“Our last 10 games with the exception of Denver, Detroit, right down to the wire. This whole thing is going to go down to the wire and we’re going to make the playoffs and that’s what it’s about. High expectations… sometimes you don’t get to where you want and you do what you have to do to make the playoffs and that’s where we are.”
On clearing cap space for free agency in 2020:
“If you want to do the math any way you want to do the math and say we can’t do it, then you don’t have big dreams like I do or how we’ve operated here. Clearing space is easy. You just watch the New York Knicks do it and what was their price in doing it. You watch the Clippers do it and what was their price in doing it.
“You can do it if you want to do it, but you have to get a good feeling that the reason why you’re going to do it is you’re going to get two [high-end players]. You have flexibility and that’s what the possibility of having room does for you. If you get an indication something good can happen that year, you go for it. If you don’t , you just keep plugging away. We have the two picks [first-rounders in 2019 and 2020]. We have a lot of assets. We have cash, we have exceptions. We will improve the team. It will be much better than it is now.”
On whether Dion Waiters and James Johnson have met the team’s conditioning requirements:
“You don’t get to see the numbers every week I do. They’re making their numbers. Based on their injuries and the fact they’ve missed a lot of time, it’s very hard to stay in world class condition. They’re working at it every day. If they were not making their numbers, I don’t think they would be on the court. Because of their injury past, they don’t get a pass on anything but they’re making their numbers. They just got to go harder on it.
“It isn’t about conditioning with those guys, it’s about performance. With them and performance with everybody else. What is the result? The result over the past two years has been this, which is we’re competing for a playoff spot.”
Wolves Notes: Jones, Wiggins, Bench, Taylor
Tyus Jones’ status as a restricted free agent is among several factors that make it hard to predict whether he’ll return to the Timberwolves next season, according to Michael Rand and Chris Hine of the Star-Tribune. Minnesota will have to determine how high it is willing to go to match an offer for the fourth-year point guard, who is making $2.44MM this year.
The decision will be influenced by whether starting point guard Jeff Teague opts into a $19MM salary for next year. The Wolves, who have luxury tax concerns, could find their budget tightening if Karl-Anthony Towns makes an All-NBA team, which would increase the value of his extension by $6MM per season.
There’s also a question of whether current GM Scott Layden will be kept around to make the decision on Jones. Minnesota didn’t give serious consideration to giving Jones an extension when Tom Thibodeau was running the organization, but Hine believes Ryan Saunders will advocate for keeping Jones if he is still the coach.
There’s more Wolves news to pass along:
- Minnesota should take away Andrew Wiggins‘ starting spot and try to trade him this summer, contends Jim Souhan of The Star-Tribune. Wiggins’ low shooting percentages and poor defensive effort have become too much for the team to endure, Souhan argues, and benching him might be the last chance to motivate him and save the season. Wiggins still has four seasons and more than $121MM remaining on his contract.
- The coaching change has worked out well for the Timberwolves’ reserves, who are seeing more playing time with Saunders than they did under Thibodeau, notes Kent Youngblood of The Star-Tribune. Luol Deng, Keita Bates-Diop and Anthony Tolliver are among those getting a greater chance to contribute.
- Owner Glen Taylor recently purchased the 5% ownership in the team held by Chinese investor Lizhang Jiang and may eventually sell some of that to Meyer Orbach, who bought 9.5% of the franchise in 2016, according to Sid Hartman of The Star-Tribune. “I think [the team’s value] went up about 19 percent, which is an awful lot, but everybody else’s went up, too,” Taylor said of a recent Forbes report that valued the Wolves at $1.26 billion. “It is just unbelievable. It’s not anything I anticipated, and it’s surprising. But at this point, I just want to continue to play with this team and work with them. And I have every expectation it might continue to go up in the future.”
Ray Spalding Gets Multi-Year Deal From Suns
12:26pm: Phoenix has officially signed Spalding for the remainder of the season, announcing the news in a press release. The Suns’ roster still stands at 16 players.
8:44am: The Suns will sign Ray Spalding for the rest of this season, with a partial guarantee for next year, tweets Shams Charania of The Athletic.
The new contract comes as a 10-day deal that Spalding had with Phoenix is set to expire. The 21-year-old hasn’t taken the court yet for the Suns, but he did get into one game for the Mavericks before being waived in January.
Dallas selected the ex-Louisville star with the 56th pick in the 2018 draft. He was a starter in the G League, averaging 15.9 points, 9.3 rebounds and 2.2 blocks per game with the Texas Legends. The Mavericks released him to open a roster spot to complete the Kristaps Porzingis trade.
The Suns will still have a roster opening once the Spalding deal is complete, but they will now have 14 guaranteed contracts.
Omari Spellman To Miss At Least Four Weeks
A left ankle injury will sideline the Hawks‘ Omari Spellman for at least four weeks, writes Chris Vivlamore of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
The rookie forward had an MRI on Saturday that revealed a low grade high ankle sprain with associated soft tissue injury, the Hawks announced. He suffered the injury in Friday’s game against the Bulls.
The team plans to re-evaluate Spellman’s condition in four weeks, which would force him to miss 14 of Atlanta’s remaining 19 games. If he requires additional recovery time, there’s a chance we won’t see him again this season.
Spellman is averaging 5.9 points and 4.2 rebounds in 46 games this season.
Channing Frye Explains Decision To Retire
A vacation over the All-Star break cemented Channing Frye‘s decision to finish his career at the end of this season, he tells Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com. Frye said the experience helped him realize he wants to spend more time with his family without the distractions of the NBA lifestyle.
“I went to Puerto Rico with my kids and I saw our best friends who live down there and their kids are 12, 11, 10,” Frye said. “My son is eight now. I’m like, ‘I want to go his practice and not have to worry about my practice.’ I want to make time for them.
“What some of these young fellas don’t understand is your whole life is on a selfish bubble, what’s best for you, what you want to do. For me it took a while, but my dad instinct, and my husband and family guy kicked in. What can I do for my family? Money is awesome, but at this point I’ve had enough people either die or go away through relationships that couldn’t get kept up. That’s what’s most important, making something outside of basketball.”
Frye, 35, is in his 13th NBA season. He said he has been considering retirement for a few years, but has found it hard to leave the game. He talked to fellow veterans Dwyane Wade, who is also retiring when the season is over, and Dirk Nowitzki to get their input.
Frye has played for six teams, but decided to return to the Cavaliers on a one-year deal last summer because he believed it was somewhere he could still contribute. He also has fond memories of Cleveland after being part of the 2016 championship team.
“I wanted to retire a Cav,” Frye said. “I didn’t know what was going to happen this summer, so I wanted to make sure I’m controlling my own destiny and going out the way I wanted to go out.”
It hasn’t been the storybook ending that Frye might have envisioned. With LeBron James gone, the Cavaliers have started a rebuilding process that has them near the bottom of the league with a 15-48 record. Head coach Tyronn Lue lasted just six games before being fired, and several of Frye’s teammates have been traded away.
He has seen his role with the team slip, playing just 30 games and averaging 9.8 minutes per night.
“Everybody knew it was coming,” he said of the retirement announcement that was posted Thursday night on social media. “I wasn’t playing. I was sitting next to the coaches all the time. For me it was the natural progression of where it should go. I love basketball and I love being around, but also love that basketball always gave me a challenge.
“Right now my job and my job for however many years if I wanted to play, I would be more like a coach figure. I’m a competitor and I’m like, ‘OK, I want to help.’ But I also know there’s limitations to where this league is going or where this team is going. It’s not like, ‘Oh man, I deserve to play.’ It’s not like that at all. At the end of the day, you have to look at yourself and be like, ‘Is this what’s truly the right type of gas for the car you’re driving.’ For me, right now, this season, it’s on E. I have enough to finish out the season and I’m excited to do it with these guys.”
Teams Interested In Andrew Bogut
Veteran center Andrew Bogut is getting interest from “multiple contenders,” including the Warriors and Sixers, tweets Shams Charania of The Athletic.
Bogut is available now that his season has ended in Australia — he was named both MVP and Defensive Player of the Year in the NBL (National Basketball League).
Bogut isn’t expected to decide on an NBA deal right away, Charania adds. However, the 34-year-old will be playoff-eligible wherever he goes, since he hasn’t been on an NBA roster all season. He has been out of the league since the Lakers waived him in January of 2018.
Bogut was a second-team All-Defensive honoree in 2014/15 when he helped Golden State win the NBA title. The Warriors traded him after the 2016 season in a cap-clearing move to help them sign Kevin Durant.