Atlantic Notes: Irving, Hayward, Brand, Fultz
Kyrie Irving is calming any concerns the Celtics may have about his condition heading into training camp, writes A. Sherrod Blakely of NBC Sports Boston. Irving sat out the postseason after an operation to relieve an infection in his left knee, but has looked fully healthy in pickup games with teammates this month.
“He’s worked really hard,” coach Brad Stevens said after watching Irving. “I think he’s excited … it’s good to see that.”
Boston has two All-Stars returning from injury, with Gordon Hayward trying to complete his comeback from ankle surgery. Stevens, who plans a light workload for both players in terms of preseason minutes, said Hayward’s progress has been encouraging to watch.
“He’s been really diligent all the way through his rehab and progressing to each step,” Stevens said. “I watched him go all the way through the steps of working out to 1-on-1, 2-on-2, 3-on-3 and now he can play some of the open gyms some of the guys are having.”
There’s more from the Atlantic Division:
- Twenty-nine-year-old Celtics rookie Brad Wanamaker is trying to earn a spot on one of the deepest teams in the league, Blakely writes in a player profile. Wanamaker comes to Boston with a history of success, capturing all-league honors in the EuroLeague and Turkey and playing on championship teams in Germany, Turkey and the G League.
- Elton Brand’s meteoric rise through the Sixers‘ front office may convince more franchises to take chances on former players in management roles, suggests Michael Walton of NBC Sports Chicago. After Brand’s 17-year playing career ended in 2016, he joined Philadelphia’s front office later that year as a player development consultant. He was named GM of the organization’s G League affiliate in Delaware in August of 2017, then was promoted to Sixers’ GM this week. Philadelphia will also continue its unique front office structure, with Brand and coach Brett Brown serving as partners on personnel decisions, which is an approach Walton believes may be adopted by other teams if it is successful.
- Sixers guard Markelle Fultz talks about the mechanics of his jump shot and a frustrating rookie season in a Players Tribune video that was posted this morning. Fultz, who demonstrates his new shooting form, is joined on the video by Nuggets guard Isaiah Thomas, who is also coming off a difficult season.
Latest On Jimmy Butler
Jimmy Butler wants to sign a five-year maximum deal with a new team next year, which is why he wants out of Minnesota this season, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic. Butler, who is expected to opt out of his current contract next summer, is limited to four years and about $140MM if he changes teams in free agency. However, his Bird rights will transfer in any trade, so if a team deals for him, it can make a five-year offer in the neighborhood of $190MM.
Butler was hoping for a larger extension offer from the Wolves than the four-year, $100MM+ deal he turned down in July, Charania adds. However, Minnesota was prohibited by CBA rules from offering more than that amount this offseason unless the team renegotiated Butler’s contract, which would require cap room.
Executives from other teams believe a Butler trade will happen at some point this season, but it’s not clear where he will go or when it might happen. Butler identified the Knicks, Nets and Clippers as his preferred locations when making his trade request, but the Wolves are under no obligation to grant his wishes. Another report tonight identified the Clippers as the early front-runner.
Brooklyn and L.A. seem motivated to try to land Butler, Charania adds, while New York is reluctant to part with draft picks and young players. The Celtics have the assets to make a play for Butler, but don’t need him with Gordon Hayward‘s return from ankle surgery. Charania suggests the Sixers may also check into Butler’s price tag.
There’s more to pass along as teams line up for a shot at Butler:
- Butler didn’t put the Lakers on his list, reportedly because he isn’t interested in a complementary role to LeBron James, but even if he wanted to go there the team would have difficulty putting together an offer for the next three months, according to Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report. L.A.’s roster is filled with newly signed free agents who aren’t eligible to be traded until December 15. The team would need to send out at least $16MM to match salaries and has a limited pool of players to pick from. Lonzo Ball and Brandon Ingram would give them a combined $13.2MM, but the Lakers aren’t likely to part with two young stars when they can offer a max deal next summer. They could have kept Luol Deng for salary matching purposes, but Pincus states that Butler was never a priority for the organization.
- The Nets have young talent, a couple of large expiring contracts and their first-round pick for the first time since 2013, notes Michael Scotto of The Athletic. Caris LeVert is considered a core piece of the organization, but Brooklyn may be willing to part with the versatile guard for a player like Butler. Rondae Hollis-Jefferson is coming off his best NBA season, but will be eligible for restricted free agency next summer. Impending free agents Kenneth Faried ($13.76 million) and DeMarre Carroll ($15.4 million) could both be useful to match salaries.
- The Heat would love to acquire Butler, but may not have the assets to make a deal work, tweets Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald. Goran Dragic, Tyler Johnson and Hassan Whiteside could all be traded one-for-one for Butler, adds Anthony Chiang of The Herald, but he states that Minnesota will be looking for younger talent such as Josh Richardson, Justise Winslow and Bam Adebayo.
- Oddsmaker Bovada lists the Timberwolves as 3/2 favorites to still have Butler when the season starts, relays Sean Highkin of Bleacher Report (Twitter link). The Sixers are next in line at 11/4, followed by the Knicks at 15/4, the Lakers at 5/1 and the Nets and Celtics each at 15/2.
Rockets’ Brandon Knight Sidelined By Knee Surgery
Newly acquired Rockets guard Brandon Knight recently had “clean up” surgery on his left knee and will miss an unspecified amount of time, tweets Shams Charania of The Athletic.
Houston acquired Knight from Phoenix in a four-player trade at the end of August. Knight missed all of last season with a torn ACL and played just 54 and 52 games the prior two years. He wasn’t projected to have a significant role with the Rockets as Chris Paul, James Harden and Eric Gordon fill most of the minutes in the backcourt, so the team can wait for Knight to recover.
Knight will make $14.6MM this season and another $15.6MM in 2019/20.
Pistons Notes: Jackson, Casey, Griffin, Wallace
Some time off has done a lot of good for Pistons guard Reggie Jackson, writes Keith Langlois of NBA.com. After missing 37 games with a severely sprained right ankle last season, Jackson mostly stayed away from basketball this summer. He talked with new coach Dwane Casey, watched the new assistant coaches conduct drills and spent time with teammates, but he didn’t subject the ankle to the stress of competitive basketball.
“Probably didn’t heal the way everybody thought it might once we had time off,” Jackson said. “Just haven’t been able to get on the court, but been doing everything I can to get healthy.”
Jackson didn’t need surgery, but he did undergo a process that he described as similar to the platelet-rich plasma injection he had on his knee two years ago. He said the rest has been good for the ankle, and there’s now a “night and day” difference compared to last year.
There’s more tonight out of Detroit:
- Jackson is also touting the new system that Casey brought to Detroit, relays Nolan Bianchi of The Detroit News. During a public appearance today, Jackson said the abundance of wings on the Pistons’ roster will help with the transition to the new approach, which is based on quick ball movement and 3-point shooting. “Playing in this system, this new type of flow is going to take us some time to adjust,” Jackson said. “But I think it’s something that, as it shows promise for fans that the pieces can work well within what coach does, it’s going to be about getting acclimated, getting trust.”
- Casey is impressed by the thorough nature that Blake Griffin takes to offseason workouts, Langlois adds in a separate story. Casey called Griffin a “leader by nature” and will be counting on him to assume a larger role in his first full season in Detroit. “Like [former coach/executive] Stan [Van Gundy] said last year, him coming in mid-season like that is almost impossible to come in and establish himself as a physical leader or leader by example or by your words,” Casey said. “He’s done a lot of things as far as this summer organizing workouts in L.A. and doing different things to show his leadership.”
- Former Pistons star Ben Wallace has taken on a front office role as a part owner of the G League Grand Rapids Drive, writes Vince Ellis of The Detroit Free Press. Wallace is returning to the game after several years away and hopes to eventually land a role with an NBA team. “I’m pushing all of my chips into the middle of the table,” Wallace said. “I definitely want to learn the business side of basketball. I’m working with a great partner in [Drive owner] Steve Jbara, who is teaching me a lot about the business side of basketball. I’m working guys out, I’m having executive meetings, I’m selling tickets, I’m doing the whole nine.”
Clippers Reportedly Jimmy Butler’s Top Choice
Jimmy Butler gave the Timberwolves a list of three preferred destinations, but the Clippers stand out as his first pick, tweets ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. L.A. may have more than $56MM in cap room next summer, and Butler likes the idea of teaming with other established stars.
The Clippers have very little salary committed beyond the upcoming season apart from Danilo Gallinari, who will make $22.6MM in 2019/20 on an expiring contract. Avery Bradley has a $12.96MM non-guaranteed deal for that same season, and the team will have to decide whether to extend a $7.875MM qualifying offer to Milos Teodosic. The only other significant salaries beyond this year are $8MM for Lou Williams and $6MM for Montrezl Harrell, whose deals both expire after the 2019/20 season.
The ideal scenario for the Clippers would be to send Gallinari to the Wolves as part of the trade for Butler, notes Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report. L.A. also has significant expiring contracts to offer in Tobias Harris ($14.8MM) and Marcin Gortat ($15.57MM), along with a pair of 2018 first-round draft picks in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jerome Robinson.
A multi-player deal could ease the contract logjam the Clippers are carrying into camp. L.A. has 15 players with guaranteed money, along with a partially guaranteed salary for Tyrone Wallace and a non-guaranteed deal for Patrick Beverley. If a trade opens another roster spot or two, it could remove the incentive for a rumored deal that would send Beverley to the Suns.
There will be plenty of talent for the Clippers to target on next year’s free agent market, but Kawhi Leonard seems like the most natural fit. Leonard’s desire to play in L.A. reportedly led to his departure from San Antonio, and he and Butler could form a frightening tandem for the Clippers on both ends of the court.
Southwest Notes: Davis, Pelicans, Anderson, Mavericks
Jimmy Butler may be the next star to be traded, but Anthony Davis won’t be joining him, according to Tim Bontemps of The Washington Post. Appearing on a podcast with Chris Mannix of Yahoo Sports, Bontemps said there’s a “zero percent chance” the Pelicans will part with Davis this season [hat tip to Bryan Kalbrosky of Hoops Hype).
Next summer, Davis will be eligible for a five-year supermax contract that could become the richest deal in NBA history, Bontemps explains. It’s possible that a trade involving Davis could happen in a few years if he decides he’s not happy in New Orleans or doesn’t view the team as a contender, but Bontemps said he won’t go anywhere until he has that contract in hand.
There’s more from the Southwest Division:
- This Pelicans‘ roster turnover this summer may present the biggest challenges on defense, writes Scott Kushner of The Advocate. New Orleans got noticed for its fast pace last season, but one of the overlooked factors in its success was team defense, which was fourth best in the league after February 1 at 103.4 points per 100 possessions. Davis and Jrue Holiday were first-team All-Defense honorees, but newcomers Julius Randle and Elfrid Payton, who both had negative defensive efficiency numbers last season, have to prove that they contribute at that end of the court.
- The decision to gamble on former Spurs forward Kyle Anderson may help decide Chris Wallace’s future as GM of the Grizzlies, suggests Mark Giannotto of The Memphis Commercial Appeal. Huge contracts for Marc Gasol, Mike Conley and Chandler Parsons were already straining the team’s cap when Wallace decided to extend a four-year, $37.2MM offer sheet to Anderson. San Antonio elected not to match, so Anderson will be in Memphis’ training camp next week as its top free agent addition of the summer. It’s a huge risk based on Anderson’s career numbers, which included a career-high 7.9 PPG and 5.4 RPG last season. Giannotto states that the Grizzlies should look to replace Wallace if it doesn’t work out.
- Brad Townsend of The Dallas Morning News takes a look at some of the key figures in the Mavericks‘ workplace misconduct case, which resulted in a settlement that was announced today.
Atlantic Notes: Butler, Burke, Lowry, Theis
The Knicks are committed to a long-term rebuilding plan, but a chance to get Jimmy Butler at a bargain price might change their minds, writes Marc Berman of The New York Post. New York was one of three preferred locations Butler gave to Timberwolves officials today when he asked to be traded. The Nets and Clippers, also big-market teams, were the other two.
Knicks president Steve Mills provided a window into the team’s thinking Monday when he said the team wouldn’t give up valuable assets in exchange for a player about to enter free agency. Butler expressed a willingness to re-sign with any of the three teams on his list, although he’s going to want a five-year max deal.
Butler’s impending free agent should help drive down the price and could force Minnesota to take far less than his normal value. Berman suggests Courtney Lee would be part of any offer, along with Tim Hardaway if the Knicks feel good about their chance to attract Kyrie Irving in free agency next summer. Berman warns that their reluctance to part with first-round picks or point guard Frank Ntilikina will make it difficult for the Knicks to get a deal done.
There’s more from the Atlantic Division:
- The Knicks will have a three-way battle for the starting point guard spot in training camp and Trey Burke is confident that he’ll come out on top, Berman writes in a separate story. Burke, Ntilikina and Emmanuel Mudiay, who all saw significant playing time last season, will be in an open competition for starting honors when camp opens next week. “I think all three point guards go in with the right mentality,” Burke said. “We know we’re going to be competing with each other. We also know we’re on the same team and we’ll be making each other better while we’re competing. That’s win, win, win. We’re all looking forward to it. I know I am.”
- Raptors president Masai Ujiri understands the strong friendship between Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan, but he doesn’t expect the trade that split up Toronto’s longtime backcourt to have any effect on Lowry’s play, relays Doug Smith of The Toronto Star. “That [trade] was a blow to him,” Ujiri said. “I think basketball-wise Kyle is always ready, he’s always going to be ready, he’s training hard and he’ll be ready.”
- Celtics center Daniel Theis made amazing progress as a 3-point shooter before a meniscus injury cut short his season in March, notes A. Sherrod Blakely of NBC Sports Boston. Theis was just 5 for 26 [19.2%] from long distance from October to December, but improved to 13 of 32 [40.6%] over the rest of the year. Theis has fully recovered from surgery and is expected to be cleared for all basketball activities by the start of camp.
Bulls Sign Kaiser Gates To Training Camp Deal
SEPTEMBER 18: Gates’ deal with the Bulls is now official, per RealGM’s NBA transactions log.
SEPTEMBER 14: Kaiser Gates has agreed to a training camp contract with the Bulls, tweets Darnell Mayberry of The Athletic.
Gates was part of the Bulls’ entry in the Las Vegas Summer League, scoring 6.7 PPG. He went undrafted out of Xavier, where he averaged 7.2 points and 4.6 rebounds per game as a junior. He shot 37.8% from 3-point range last year.
The signing of Gates will bring the Bulls up to 19 players, one short of the roster limit for training camp. They have 14 guaranteed contracts.
Bulls Sign JaKarr Sampson To Camp Deal
SEPTEMBER 18: The Bulls have officially signed Sampson, according to RealGM’s transactions log.
SEPTEMBER 14: The Bulls will fill their final roster spot heading into training camp by signing JaKarr Sampson, tweets Darnell Mayberry of The Athletic.
Sampson is a three-year veteran who has spent time with three NBA teams. He played 22 games for the Kings last season, averaging 4.7 points and 3.5 rebounds per night. Sampson started his career with the Sixers, then joined the Nuggets after being waived in 2016.
The addition of Sampson comes on the heels of a reported deal with Kaiser Gates, a rookie out of Xavier.
Wolves’ Justin Patton Undergoes Foot Surgery
SEPTEMBER 18, 3:07pm: Patton has undergone successful surgery to repair the fifth metatarsal in his right foot, the Timberwolves announced today in a press release.
SEPTEMBER 15, 5:57pm: Patton is scheduled to undergo surgery early this week, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).
SEPTEMBER 15, 5:05pm: Justin Patton‘s bad luck with injuries hasn’t stopped, according to Jace Frederick of The St. Paul Pioneer Press, who reports that the second-year center broke a bone in his right foot this week.
The 16th player taken in the 2017 draft, Patton missed virtually his entire rookie season after breaking the fifth metatarsal in his left foot last summer. He played just one game for Minnesota, seeing four minutes of action. When he was healthy enough to play, the organization kept him in the G League, where he averaged 12.7 points and 5.7 rebounds in 38 games for the Iowa Wolves.
Doctors performed a second surgery on Patton’s left foot in April, Frederick notes, to “encourage further healing of a prior metatarsal fracture.” The Timberwolves had been optimistic about Patton’s progress and were hoping to have him cleared for contact in time for training camp.
The latest injury could complicate the Wolves’ thinking on the third-year option for Patton, which must be picked up by October 31. Teams rarely give up on players that quickly, but serious injuries to both feet in two seasons could cause Minnesota think twice about committing a roster spot for Patton for another year.