Thunder Expected To Take Patient Approach To Trading Chris Paul
From the moment Chris Paul was traded to the Thunder, the expectation was that OKC would trade him elsewhere. That may be what ultimately happen, though some around the league envision the Thunder being patient as they navigate the trade waters.
Several executives, as ESPN’s Brian Windhorst explains on The Jump, believe the Thunder will “put out the message” that they are not looking to trade CP3, talking up his veteran presence and all the positives about having him on the squad.
The franchise will attempt to regain some leverage in negotiations with other teams, as OKC doesn’t want to attach assets such as a first-round pick in order to move Paul’s $38.5MM salary. Paul’s contract is what makes a trade tricky; not his talent, as, even at age 34, he’s a good starting point guard.
It’s previously been reported that GM Sam Presti would be happy to have Paul on the roster all season and that the point guard views the team as a playoff contender in the Western Conference.
Latest On Bradley Beal
Bradley Beal hasn’t yet made a decision on his long-term future. He’s two years away from hitting the open market and even if he is leaning one way now, two seasons is a lot of time for a player to change his mind.
With all that said, Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald hears from a source that if Beal decides to leave Washington in 2021, Miami is expected to receive “serious consideration.” The source wouldn’t call the Heat or any team the favorite for Beal’s services.
Miami’s interest in Beal is no secret. Miami will surely target Beal in the 2021 offseason if he makes it to the open market. There were rumblings that Miami was looking to deal for him this summer and that there were talks within the franchise about a willingness to take back John Wall and his contract in a trade for Beal. There has been no indication that Washington is looking to make any sort of trade.
Beal remains open to signing long-term with the Wizards. While he’s not inking the extension he’s currently eligible for, that has more to do with the financial incentives than his commitment to the team. Beal can sign a three-year deal worth approximately $112MM as soon as he wants — or he could wait until next summer and sign a more lucrative max extension. By waiting, Beal can sign a deal that comes in at four years and $154.6MM if he doesn’t make an All-NBA team and five years and up to $253.8MM if he does.
Washington has undergone a makeover in the front office, adding top executive talent to coincide with the promotion of GM Tommy Sheppard as the organization shifts to a data-driven, collaborative structure. It’s been reported that Beal has had questions about the future of the franchise, though all indicators since the team announced those changes this summer have been positive.
Southwest Notes: Howard, Ledbetter, Finney-Smith, Parker
Waiving Dwight Howard would be the most likely scenario for the Grizzlies, Chris Herrington of the Daily Memphian writes. Howard is reportedly working out for the Lakers this week as Memphis looks to move the veteran center. Best case scenario for the Grizzlies would be a buyout agreement with Howard, who is owed $5.6MM. Using the stretch provision is unlikely since the team could have significant cap space next summer and probably wouldn’t want to add dead money to the bottom line.
We have more from the Southwest Division:
- The Spurs have offered guard Jeff Ledbetter an Exhibit 10 deal, according to Nicola Lupo of Sportando (Twitter link). Ledbetter is interested but is also mulling other options in Europe, Lupo adds. Ledbetter averaged 15.8 PPG in five Las Vegas summer league games for San Antonio. Ledbetter, 31, averaged 13.6 PPG and 3.9 APG in 19 games with the G League’s Austin Spurs last season.
- Dorian Finney-Smith is a candidate to start at small forward for the Mavericks, Callie Caplan of the Dallas Morning News writes. He’ll complete with Justin Jackson and Tim Hardaway Jr. for starting time at that spot. Dallas re-signed Finney-Smith this summer on a three-year, $12MM pact.
- The Spurs will retire Tony Parker‘s No. 9 jersey in a November 11 ceremony, according to a team press release. Parker finished his career with the Hornets after playing 17 seasons with San Antonio.
Community Shootaround: Nets’ Outlook
There’s plenty of excitement in Brooklyn these days after the Nets signed two top free agents, Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant (though technically Durant came in a sign-and-trade with the Warriors).
The only thing putting a damper on that excitement is Durant’s Achilles injury. While Durant is making good progress rehabbing the ruptured tendon, it’s unlikely he’ll play in the upcoming season.
The Nets essentially swapped out point guards with the more accomplished Irving replacing D’Angelo Russell, who wound up with Golden State. The team added another veteran free agent, DeAndre Jordan, though the Nets already had a promising young center in Jarrett Allen.
That could lead to some playing time issues for coach Kenny Atkinson. Several other players have blossomed under Atkinson’s tutelage in recent seasons, including Caris LeVert, Joe Harris and Spencer Dinwiddie. Forward Taurean Prince was acquired in a trade with the Hawks, who were a willing partner in a salary dump involving Allen Crabbe in order to acquire other assets. Forward Rodions Kurucs could make a major step forward in his second season if he improves his long-range stroke.
By all accounts, the oft-moody Irving is embracing a leadership role with his new team.
How all those pieces will fit while the franchise waits for the 2020/21 season, when Durant should be back to full strength, remains to be seen. Brooklyn reached the playoffs last season but got knocked out by the more talented Sixers, 4-1, in the opening round. Good chemistry played a role in its regular-season success but this is a different mix.
That leads us to our question of the day: Will the Nets make the playoffs again this upcoming season? If so, how deep of a postseason run can they make?
Please take to the comments section to weigh in on this topic. We look forward to your input.
Atlantic Notes: Miller, Prokhorov, Celtics, Scott
The Knicks have hired Mike Miller as an assistant on David Fizdale’s staff after he served as their G League coach since the 2015/16 season, according to a team press release. Miller, not to be confused with the longtime NBA player, compiled a 108-92 record with the Westchester Knicks. Derrick Alston, who served as an assistant to Miller, has been promoted to head coach of the G league team, Steve Popper of Newsday tweets.
We have more from the Atlantic Division:
- Mikhail Prokhorov, who recently sold his interest in the Nets, inquired about other NBA franchises — including the Knicks — before he was approved as the majority owner of the Brooklyn franchise. His top basketball adviser, Sergei Kushchenko, revealed that to TASS in a story relayed by NetsDaily.com. ”We were looking over various options at that time,” Kushchenko said. “Among them were the New York Knicks, who asked for a bizarre sum, the Phoenix Suns and the New Jersey Nets. We decided to focus on the New Jersey Nets since it was a completely different market then in addition to the prospect of the new arena’s construction along with a full-fledged business framework.” Prokhorov was also scared away by the Knicks’ debt load, according to NetsDaily.
- Celtics coach Brad Stevens will have a dilemma if he wants to get all of his best players on the court during crunch time, Matt John of Basketball Insiders notes. The team’s top five include Kemba Walker, Jayson Tatum, Gordon Hayward, Jaylen Brown and Marcus Smart, which would leave them without a true power forward or center in those situations.
- Sixers forward Mike Scott said some advice from Clippers coach Doc Rivers helped him after he was dealt to Philadelphia last season, Kevin Murphy of The Athletic writes. Scott emerged as a key reserve after he was included in the Tobias Harris blockbuster and earned a two-year, $9.8MM contract in free agency. “I feel I didn’t play well in L.A., and I think for the most part it was on me,” Scott said. “I was still trying to figure it out. When I got here, I said, ‘[The heck with it], I am going to ball-out and try to do what Doc says.’ Do the little things and see what happens.”
World Cup Notes: Joseph, Spain, Teodosic, Rankings
Is guard Cory Joseph in or out of the FIBA World Cup for Team Canada? Joseph, the most prominent NBA member remaining on the depleted Team Canada roster, was withdrawing from the competition, according to a tweet from Toronto Star reporter Doug Smith. However, Team Canada coach Nick Nurse said that report was incorrect and that Joseph would indeed join the team in China, John Casey of 7Olympics tweets.
Joseph is not currently with the team during exhibition games in Australia and Sportsnet Canada’s Michael Grange notes that Joseph would have to leave for China soon, given that the tournament begins in 10 days and he needs to adjust to the 12-hour time difference (Twitter link).
We have more World Cup news:
- Spain will be a tough out in the World Cup. The final roster includes several NBA players, according to a Sportando tweet. Ricky Rubio and Marc Gasol lead the 12-man squad, which also includes Willy Hernangomez,and Rudy Fernandez.
- Former Clippers guard Milos Teodosic didn’t make the final Serbian roster, according to a Sportando post. Teodosic has returned to his Italian team, Virtus Bologna, to rehab a foot injury.
- The Serbian team tops the latest FIBA rankings, Emiliano Carchia of Sportando tweets. Team USA is No. 2, followed by Spain, France and Greece. The Serbian team includes Nikola Jokic, Bogdan Bogdanovic and Nemanja Bjelica.
Southeast Notes: Winslow, Chalmers, Isaac, Wall
The Heat will need to use Justise Winslow at either point guard or power forward to optimize their other main wing options, Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel opines in his latest mailbag. Putting Winslow at the ‘one’ or ‘four’ would allow coach Erik Spoelstra to play rookie Tyler Herro and Dion Waiters more often with the team’s top player, Jimmy Butler. If Winslow ends up playing regularly at small forward, Spoelstra would have to choose between Herro and Waiters as a mainstay in the rotation, Winderman adds.
We have more from the Southeast Division:
- A reunion between the Heat and point guard Mario Chalmers is unlikely at this point, Winderman writes in another mailbag post. Chalmers, 33, is aiming for an NBA comeback after playing in Italy last season. However, even if the Heat are interested, they’d have to release Kendrick Nunn in order to create a roster spot for Chalmers since the team is hard-capped, Winderman notes.
- Entering his third season, Magic forward Jonathan Isaac is brimming with optimism over his team’s future after it reached the playoffs last season. Isaac likes the team’s continuity after it re-signed key free agents Nikola Vucevic and Terrence Ross, as he told John Denton of the team’s website. “We’re all hyped up for the season,’” he said. “And I’m sure as guys get together and start playing again, we’ll have more of those talks about, ‘Hey, we can go even farther than we did last (season).'”
- The Wizards are closely monitoring John Wall‘s rehab process as he works his way back from a ruptured Achilles, Chase Hughes of NBC Sports Washington reports. They are even providing owner Ted Leonsis with daily progress reports. “I used to start my day reading the Washington Post. Now I start my day reading [and watching] my daily John Wall exercise video,” Leonsis told Hughes.
Clippers Hire Tyronn Lue As Top Assistant On Doc Rivers’ Staff
The Clippers and Tyronn Lue have agreed on a deal that will make the coach Doc Rivers‘ lead assistant, Shams Charania of The Athletic reports. It was recently reported that the team was closing in on a deal with Lue.
Lue was the frontrunner for the Lakers head coaching gig just months ago. Contract talks between Lue and the Lakers reportedly broke down, and the club ultimately hired Frank Vogel to replace Luke Walton.
Lue previously coached on Rivers’ staff, serving as an assistant during stints with the Celtics and Clippers before he made his way to Cleveland, where he won a title as a head coach.
A report in May indicated that the Pelicans and Rockets had expressed interest in hiring Lue as an assistant and that he had turned down offers to join NBA coaching staffs since being let go by the Cavs last fall.
Lue has a record of 128-83 as a head coach with all of his experience coming during LeBron James‘ second era in Cleveland. Now, Lue and James will again share a workplace, albeit in much different circumstances as the two Los Angeles gear up to compete against each other in the Western Conference.
Bucks Sign Guard Rayjon Tucker
August 20: The signing is official, according to the team’s website.
August 16: Guard Rayjon Tucker will sign an Exhibit 10 contract with the Bucks, Matt Velazquez of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel tweets.
Right after the draft, a report surfaced that claimed Tucker would sign a partially guaranteed deal with Milwaukee.
However, nearly two months went by without a contract being inked. Last week, the Heat hosted Tucker for a three-day audition but no agreement was reached because Tucker was looking for a two-way deal and Miami wasn’t willing to offer more than an Exhibit 10 contract. The Bucks have already filled their two-way slots but Tucker has decided to join them after all.
The Bucks are also signing Jaylen Adams to a camp deal.
Tucker played for the Bucks‘ squad in the Las Vegas Summer League and averaged 10.2 PPG and 3.6 RPG in 19.8 MPG over five appearances.
The Arkansas-Little Rock product had announced prior to the draft that he would transfer to the University of Memphis, but later decided to keep his name in the draft. The 6’5″ guard averaged 20.3 points per game last season and shot 41.1% from 3-point range. He was a second-team selection on the All-Sun Belt team.
Examining The Heat’s Two-Way Contract Situation
The Heat have yet to utilize either of their two-way contracts slots, making them one of three rosters not to feature this type of deal (Raptors, Rockets). Jeremiah Martin, Chris Silva, and Kyle Alexander are each under Exhibit 10 contracts, and it’s plausible that the team will end up converting up to two of the three into two-way deals at some point before the season.
Two-way contracts, which allow players to split time between the NBA and the G League, were implemented during the 2017 season and there has been numerous instances where the players under these deals make an impact for their NBA squad. Quinn Cook (Warriors), Tyrone Wallace (Clippers), and Danuel House (Rockets) are among the players who have contributed to their respective team’s success.
Martin, Silva, and Alexander each suited up for the Miami’s summer league team in Las Vegas and each had impressive stints for the squad, which is why the franchise plans on bringing the trio to camp. Each will likely play for the team’s G League affiliate, the Sioux Falls Skyforce, should they not receive a two-way deal.
Examine Miami’s roster and its easy to find a need for additional depth. James Johnson, Dion Waiters, and Goran Dragic are among the players to miss extensive time with injuries last season. Kelly Olynyk is already nursing a knee injury that forced him to pull out of the World Cup and while the team brought back Udonis Haslem to man the 15th roster spot, the power forward hasn’t played more than 130 total minutes in a season since the Obama administration was in office.
Hitting on two-way players is critical for this team, as it will help mitigate the risk of sliding down the standings in the event of injuries and back-end of the roster ineffectiveness. The franchise only needs to look back at last season to such occurrences.
Miami’s salary cap situation makes its two-way contract slots even more crucial. The franchise sits less than $1MM below the apron, which represents a hard cap at as a result of the Jimmy Butler sign-and-trade. While many teams will have the ability to tinker with the back end of the rotation and replace players with guaranteed contracts who don’t fit. Miami has no such luxury; the organization had no margin for error here.
The Heat could ostensibly make moves, such as releasing Kendrick Nunn, whose contract is non-guaranteed, in order to make another addition to the official roster. It could also waive any guaranteed contract it wants without making an addition. However, those, like many of the paths for Miami to add talent, appears unlikely.
Two-way contracts do not count against the salary cap, though they allow players under these deal to spend up to 45 days in the NBA. Whether it’s a pair from the Silva/Martin/Alexander trio or other players who end up with those deals, Miami may need production from these spots even if it’s only a total of 90 days of NBA service.