Nets Add Jeff Peterson As New Assistant GM
The Nets have hired Jeff Peterson to fill their assistant GM vacancy, the team announced on its website. He replaces Trajan Langdon, who was hired last week as the new GM in New Orleans.
Peterson spent the past seven seasons with the Hawks and served as assistant GM in Atlanta for the last three years.
“Jeff is an innovative basketball executive who shares our strategic team building vision and will fit seamlessly within our culture,” said Brooklyn GM Sean Marks. “His extensive scouting and front office experience will be tremendous assets to our group as we continue to move forward.”
Peterson joined the Hawks in 2012 as a seasonal basketball operations assistant. He was later promoted to coordinator of basketball operations and then director of scouting.
“Jeff grew into a key member of our basketball operations team over his seven years in Atlanta, and we are appreciative of all of his work during his time here,” Hawks GM Travis Schlenk told Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “We wish him and his wife, Lauren, the best moving forward.”
Hoops Rumors Originals: 5/18/19 – 5/25/19
Every week, the Hoops Rumors writing team creates original content to complement our news feed. Here are our segments and features from the past seven days:
- We continued to move through this year’s playoff teams in our Offseason Salary Cap Digest series, breaking down the summer cap outlooks for the following clubs:
- We previewed the 2019 offseason for a few more teams, identifying “Five Key Offseason Questions” facing these squads:
- In his weekly Free Agent Stock Watch feature, Dana Gauruder examined some conference finals participants whose stock has increased or decreased as of late.
- Luke Adams took a closer look at the history of the Designated Player Extension and which players are now eligible for those super-max extensions.
- In our latest poll we asked which team would prevail in the Raptors-Bucks series.
- In our Community Shootaround, we asked how Kevin Durant‘s absence would affect the Warriors the remainder of the playoffs and how would they fare next season if he signed elsewhere.
An Irving-Russell Backcourt For Brooklyn?
There’s mutual interest between Kyrie Irving and the Nets but that doesn’t mean Brooklyn won’t re-sign restricted free agent D’Angelo Russell, according to Anthony Puccio of SNY.TV. Irving and his camp will strongly consider Brooklyn if he doesn’t re-sign with the Celtics, Puccio hears.
Irving’s people have kept close tabs on the Nets organization, noting its improvement on and off the court. While signing a free agent of Irving’s stature would seemingly lead to Russell’s exit, the Nets are open to pairing Irving and Russell in the backcourt.
The Nets don’t want to lose Russell, 23, after he emerged this season as a candidate for the Most Improved Player award.
While having two point guards in the backcourt could make it difficult for Irving and Russell to co-exist, GM Sean Marks isn’t averse to accumulating the best possible talent and letting head coach Kenny Atkinson figure out how to make it work, Puccio notes.
It’s also worth pointing out that the two guards are on good terms and shared the same high school coach, Kevin Boyle.
The Nets are positioned to bring in at least one top-level free agent. They could have up to $50.5MM in cap space but Russell’s $21MM cap hold significantly impacts that figure.
Mavericks Notes: Harris, Future, Thompson, Ross, Walker
Tobias Harris might be the best free agent fit for the Mavericks, according to Brad Townsend of the Dallas Morning News. The Sixers forward fills a glaring need for a scorer who can swing between both forward positions. With Luka Doncic providing the playmaking and Kristaps Porzingis spreading the court, Harris would get plenty of scoring opportunities, Townsend notes. Harris isn’t an elite defender but that wouldn’t stop the Mavs from offering him a max deal, Townsend adds.
We have more on the Mavericks:
- Dallas doesn’t necessarily have to win in free agency this summer to have a bright future, ESPN’s Bobby Marks points out in his offseason preview. The team could have even more cap space the next two summers, when other top-level free agents hit the market. However, the Mavs must retool their bench with so many of their second-unit players becoming free agents.
- Klay Thompson would be the ideal backcourt partner with Doncic, given his ability to space the floor, catch and shoot or create off the dribble, Townsend notes in a separate story. It must be pointed out that Townsend’s story appeared before Thompson failed to make an All-NBA Team, so the Warriors don’t have to offer the shooting guard a super-max deal to retain him. A more realistic target would be Magic swingman Terrence Ross, who would provide much-needed outside shooting, Townsend adds.
- The Mavs’ frontcourt needs should be a prioritized over pursuit of a pricey point guard, Townsend argues in another overview of free agents. Townsend still takes a look at how players like Kemba Walker and Patrick Beverley could fit into the equation.
Five Key Stories: 5/18/19 – 5/25/19
If you missed any of this past week’s biggest headlines from around the NBA, we’ve got you covered with our Week in Review. Here are some of the most noteworthy stories from the last seven days:
Magic Johnson went on the offensive and ripped the Lakers’ organization. Johnson said in an ESPN interview that GM Rob Pelinka backstabbed him by badmouthing him to other league executives. Johnson also revealed that he decided to step down from his post as president of basketball operations when owner Jeanie Buss wouldn’t let him fire then-coach Luke Walton during the season.
The Timberwolves removed the interim tag from Ryan Saunders and named him their head coach. Saunders had a losing record after replacing Tom Thibodeau but he formed a strong bond with star Karl-Anthony Towns and impressed new president of basketball operations Gersson Rosas during extensive talks. Many of the assistant coaches were not retained.
The league revealed its All-NBA Teams. Giannis Antetokounmpo and James Harden led the way as the two unanimous selections for the First Team. Kevin Durant was relegated to the Second Team while teammate Stephen Curry, Paul George and Nikola Jokic grabbed the other First Team spots. Antetokounmpo, Damian Lillard and Kemba Walker became eligible for super-max extensions while Bradley Beal, Klay Thompson and Nikola Vucevic failed to reach that status because they didn’t make the cut.
The league moved up the start of free agency to the evening of June 30. Instead of starting free agency at the stroke of midnight ET on the first day of July, negotiations can begin at 6 p.m. the previous night. The change, which was agreed upon by the league and the players’ union, will also allow teams to communicate and schedule meetings with free agents or their agents at 6 p.m. ET on June 29. Those meetings can’t take place before free agency officially opens on the evening of June 30.
The Trail Blazers handed coach Terry Stotts a two-year contract extension. The Blazers reached the conference finals despite the late-season loss of center Jusuf Nurkic and rewarded their coach for the accomplishment. Stotts is the fourth longest-tenured coach in the NBA.
Here are 10 more top headlines worth passing along this week:
- New Pelicans president of basketball operations David Griffin insisted he’ll try to convince Anthony Davis to drop his trade request.
- The Blazers gave president of basketball operations Neil Olshey a contract extension through 2024.
- The Wizards continued their search for a new GM after Nuggets president Tim Connelly turned them down.
- The Warriors remain hopeful that both Durant and DeMarcus Cousins will return at some point in the NBA Finals.
- The league cancelled its global camp for international prospects.
- Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert maintained his franchise got the better of the Kyrie Irving deal with the Celtics.
- LeBron James reportedly has already begun recruiting free agents to Los Angeles.
- Heat assistant Juwan Howard was named head coach of his alma mater, the University of Michigan.
- Jazz big man Rudy Gobert headed the list of players on the All-Defensive Teams.
- Led by Luka Doncic and Trae Young, the league’s All-Rookie Teams were unveiled.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Free Agent Stock Watch 2019: Conference Finals
Every week, Hoops Rumors takes a closer look at players who will be free agents or could become free agents next offseason. We examine if their stock is rising or falling due to performance and other factors. This week, we take a look at players from the conference finals:
Patrick McCaw, Raptors, 23, SG (Down) — Signed to a one-year, $786K deal in 2019
McCaw’s season has been a head-scratcher. He leveraged his way out of Golden State, signed a non-guaranteed offer sheet with Cleveland, got cut loose shortly thereafter and then signed a minimum contract with Toronto. He may get his wish to be an unrestricted free agent this summer, but no one will be knocking down his door on July 1. He suffered a thumb injury late in the regular season, was ineffective in some postseason appearances, and has missed the last couple of games for “personal reasons.” McCaw might not even find a guaranteed offer this summer.
George Hill, Bucks, 33, SG (Up) – Signed to a three-year, $57MM deal in 2017
Hill’s $18MM salary becomes guaranteed if he’s still on the roster July 1. The Bucks have too many free agent concerns to bring him back at that number, but Hill has reinforced that he’s a solid rotation player after a disappointing regular season. Hill averaged 14.2 PPG in the conference semis against Boston. Throwing out his Game 1 clunker against Toronto and he’s averaged 13.5 PPG, 6.3 RPG and 2.0 APG over the past four games, hitting some clutch baskets along the way. He’ll attract attention on the open market, though he’ll have to settle for less than his previous deal.
Alfonzo McKinnie, Warriors, 26, SF (Up) – Signed to a two-year, $2.7MM deal in 2018
Seems like every role player that coach Steve Kerr has thrown out there in the postseason has provided some quality minutes. McKinnie certainly fits that description. He was getting here-and-there minutes, then became more valuable with Kevin Durant sidelined. He grabbed nine rebounds in 21 minutes in Game 3 against Portland, then contributed 12 points in the clinching overtime victory in Game 4. McKinnie has a non-guaranteed salary next year but it’s difficult to see him getting cut loose considering the Warriors need to surround their stars with low-cost options. He can be a restricted free agent in 2020 if he receives a qualifying offer.
Enes Kanter, Trail Blazers, 27, C (Down) – Signed to a one-year, $653K deal in 2019
Kanter rode the roller coaster during the playoffs. The Blazers would have never made it to the Western Conference finals without him in the wake of Jusuf Nurkic‘s injury. Following Game 1 against the Warriors though, Kanter saw limited minutes as coach Terry Stotts opted to ride stretch four Meyers Leonard. Kanter’s ability to put up numbers earned him a big contract with the Thunder — recall he was making $18.6MM this season before working out a buyout with the Knicks. But his defensive deficiencies are also apparent in today’s NBA. It will interesting to see how much executives value his positives on the open market.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Draft Notes: Shittu, Powell, Cole, Tinkle, Sharkey
Vanderbilt power forward Simisola Shittu has a workout scheduled with the Hornets on June 1, Jordan Schultz of ESPN tweets. Shittu announced this week he was staying in the draft. He averaged 10.9 PPG and 6.7 RPG as a freshman and is ranked No. 89 by ESPN’s Jonathan Givony on his Top 100 prospects list.
We have more on this year’s draft prospects:
- Seton Hall guard Myles Powell worked out for the Nets this week as he ponders whether to stay in the draft, Adam Zagoria of ZagsBlog.com reports. He’s already worked out for the Hornets, Kings, Thunder and Hawks. The junior averaged 23.1 PPG, 4.0 RPG and 2.9 APG last season.
- Point guard RJ Cole will withdraw from the draft and transfer to the University of Connecticut, Jeff Goodman of WatchStadium.com tweets. Cole averaged 21.4 PPG and 6.4 APG for Howard as a sophomore.
- Oregon State forward Tres Tinkle is heading back to school, Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports tweets. The redshirt junior averaged 20.8 PPG and 8.1 RPG last season.
- Josh Sharkey of Samford is withdrawing from the draft, Goodman tweets. The point guard averaged 16.3 PPG and 7.2 APG in his junior year.
Rockets Notes: D’Antoni, Harden, Paul, Staff Changes
Rockets coach Mike D’Antoni said talks regarding a contract extension are in an advanced stage, he told Mark Berman of Fox 26 Sports. D’Antoni, who has one season left on his four-year, $16MM contract, believes he can go an additional two or three years.
News that the two parties were negotiating an extension came to light last weekend.
“I don’t do it (negotiate). That’s my agent. He takes care of that stuff,” D’Antoni said. “They’ve been discussing it for a long time now. It just hasn’t been a couple weeks. It’s been awhile that they’ve been talking. So they’ll figure it out.”
We have more on the Rockets:
- D’Antoni was caught off-guard by a report that James Harden and Chris Paul had a verbal altercation in the locker room after the team was eliminated by Golden State, he told Berman. “It was definitely blown out of proportion,” D’Antoni said. “Those are discussions that (happen with) every good team that has a lot of alpha dogs and we do. Those are things that (happen) in the locker room and on the floor, time outs and everybody’s trying to compete and win a championship. That happens all the time. So it was nothing out of the ordinary at all. It kind of took me a little bit by surprise. I was shocked. Just wow, okay, it just didn’t happen.”
- The Rockets fired player development assistant coach Irv Roland, Shams Charania of The Athletic tweets. That’s quite significant, since he has been Harden’s trainer since 2016 and also has a tight relationship with Paul, David Aldridge of The Athletic tweets.
- The organization also mutually parted ways with assistant Roy Rogers, Tim MacMahon of ESPN tweets. Rogers wanted more than a one-year offer, Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle reports. Assistant Mitch Vanya and video coordinator John Cho were also let go, Feigen adds.
- Despite the extension talks, the staff shakeup has made some people in the coaching community wonder if the team’s brass is trying to convince D’Antoni to leave, Marc Stein of the New York Times tweets. The Rockets also parted ways with associate head coach Jeff Bzdelik last week.
Southeast Notes: Allen, Hornets Workouts, Beal, Young
Malik Allen was the only member of Tom Thibodeau’s former staff who was retained by the Timberwolves after Ryan Saunders had the interim tag removed earlier this week. However, Allen may be on the move as well. He has emerged as a prime candidate to replace Juwan Howard on Erik Spoelstra’s staff, Marc Stein of the New York Times tweets. Howard left the Heat to take the University of Michigan head coaching job.
We have more from the Southeast Division:
- The Hornets are bringing in six prospects for a workout on Saturday, Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer tweets. That group includes Ar’Mond Davis (UC Santa Barbara), Jon Axel Gudmundsson (Davidson), Nathan Knight (William & Mary), Reggie Perry (Mississippi State), Josh Reaves (Penn State) and Quinndary Weatherspoon (Mississippi State). Weatherspoon, a shooting guard, heads that group as ESPN Jonathan Givony’s No. 57 overall prospect.
- Bradley Beal didn’t become eligible for a supermax extension as he was left off the All-NBA teams. The Wizards shooting guard could still be on the move this summer, Ben Standig of NBC Sports Washington writes. If Washington decides to rebuild, it could trade Beal for assets and salary cap space. In Standig’s view, the Lakers, Celtics and Knicks could be among the most likely destinations, particularly if they strike out in pursuit of high-level free agents.
- Hawks point guard Trae Young believes his style of play will help bring in quality free agents, as he declared in an interview with 92.9 The Game (hat tip to E. Jay Zarett of the Sporting News). “If you’re looking to have the ball in your hands, if you’re looking to score a lot of points – I mean, a lot of players in the league know if you come play with me, I’m going to make sure I get you the ball,” Young said. “I think that’s something that attracts a lot of big players.”
Kevin Durant Addresses Injury, Value To Team
Kevin Durant isn’t sure when he’ll return from his calf injury but he is sure that the Warriors are better with him in the lineup. Durant addressed those topics while meeting the media, including ESPN’s Nick Friedell, on Friday.
Durant noted that while he’s showing steady improvement, the right calf strain he suffered in Game 5 against the Rockets in the conference semifinals still needs time to heal. Durant has not been cleared for on-court work. He’s doubtful to play in Game 1 of the Finals on Thursday.
“I’m just taking it a second at a time,” Durant said. “Every rep we do in the weight room, I just try to focus on that rep and not try to think too far down the line. ‘Cause I don’t really know too much about this injury. I’m leaving it the hands of the team doctors. I trust the direction they’re trying to put me in.”
Durent initially feared he tore his Achilles, the same injury teammate DeMarcus Cousins suffered last season with the Pelicans.
“I pushed off to run down court and I felt somebody trip me up,” Durant said, according to an NBA.com post. “First thing that came to mind, ‘Boogie (Cousins) said, Kobe (Bryant) said…’ that it felt like somebody kicked them (after they tore Achilles tendons). So the first thing in my mind was to slow down and process what happened. Then I started walking, and I could put weight on it, and it wasn’t as bad as I thought.”
The Warriors have won all five playoff games with Durant out of action, prompting many observers to say the team is better off without the impending free agent and more fun to watch. Durant has heard the talk and says it’s not factual.
“I felt like my teammates and the organization know exactly what I’ve done here off and on the court to become a part of this culture, stamp my flag in this culture and this organization. … I know what I bring to the team, but I also know a lot of people on the outside don’t like to see us together, and I get it,” he said.
Warriors owner Joe Lacob has repeatedly said he’ll do whatever it takes to keep the core group together this offseason, including Durant.
Forward Andre Iguodala (calf), who missed Game 4 against Portland, and Cousins (quad), who has been since the opening round, are closer to returning. Both participated in a full team scrimmage on Friday without restrictions on contact or playing time.