Clippers Want First-Rounder From Suns For Beverley
The Clippers’ Patrick Beverley is at the top of the Suns’ list of potential point guards, but the teams haven’t been able to work out a price, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).
In a video, Charania says L.A. is asking for a first-rounder in exchange for Beverley, but Phoenix has only been willing to offer second-round picks. Charania calls Beverley a “culture setter” and says the Suns “view him as a guy who could come in and play a very good complementary role to Devin Booker” similar to what he did alongside James Harden in Houston.
Phoenix has been without a starting-caliber point guard since trading Brandon Knight to the Rockets last month. The team has been exploring several options and has apparently focused on Beverley as the best fit.
The Clippers are willing to part with Beverley because they have a crowded backcourt and 15 players with guaranteed contracts. Beverley, whose $5,027,028 deal is non-guaranteed, received full medical clearance in June after undergoing microfracture and meniscus surgery on his knee last November. He played just 11 games in his first season after being acquired from the Rockets.
Lucas Nogueira To Sign With Spanish Team
Former Raptors center Lucas Nogueira will play in the Spanish League next season, tweets Emiliano Carchia of Sportando. Nogueira is signing a deal today to play for Montakit Fuenlabrada, Carchia adds, and an official announcement is expected soon.
Nogueira spent the past four years in Toronto, but didn’t receive a qualifying offer when the season ended. That made him an unrestricted free agent, but there wasn’t much NBA interest in the 26-year-old. His fate in Toronto was sealed when the Raptors signed veteran big man Greg Monroe last month.
Nogueira peaked during the 2016/17 season when he averaged 4.4 points and 4.3 rebounds in 57 games while playing about 19 minutes per night. His playing time was cut in half last season and he appeared in just 49 games.
Dzanan Musa Reportedly Escapes Serious Injury
The Nets may have dodged a bullet regarding an injury to first-round pick Dzanan Musa, according to Brian Lewis of The New York Post.
Musa was carried off the court Sunday while playing for Bosnia in a FIBA world cup qualifying game. There were fears that Musa damaged his Achilles, but it appears to be a less serious injury to his right ankle.
“Thank God, It looked bad, but I will be back for my Brooklyn, for the beginning of the training camp!!!” Musa tweeted.
The Nets aren’t commenting on the situation until they have a chance to examine Musa, but a source close to the player confirmed that only the ankle is affected. Musa made the flight from Sarajevo to New York overnight.
Spurs Will Sign Drew Eubanks To Two-Way Deal
Drew Eubanks, who went undrafted out of Oregon State, has reached agreement on a two-way contract with the Spurs, tweets Shams Charania of The Athletic.
Eubanks, 21, played three seasons with the Beavers, averaging 13.2 points and 6.8 rebounds as a junior. He joined the Spurs for Summer League play, participating in both the Utah and Las Vegas leagues.
The Spurs were among a handful of teams with both two-way contracts still available, so one spot remains open a week away from training camp.
Towns Delaying Extension Because Of Butler?
Jimmy Butler‘s meeting today with the Timberwolves will determine how much longer he stays in Minnesota, Shams Charania of The Athletic says in a new video (Twitter link). Charania also drops the bombshell that center Karl-Anthony Towns refuses to sign his rookie contract extension until he knows whether Butler will be sticking around.
Problems between Butler and Towns have been reported before, but mostly in behind-the-scenes whispers, usually followed by denials from team officials. Charania’s report is the latest evidence that Towns and Butler appear unable to co-exist over the long term.
“I’m told there won’t be any decision on that until this Jimmy Butler situation resolves itself,” Charania said of Towns’ extension. The 22-year-old center has until until mid-October to accept the five-year, maximum-salary deal.
Charania adds that Wolves management will definitely side with Towns if it comes down to a choice between the two players because Towns’ youth and potential make him too valuable to trade away. He adds that Butler’s relationships with his younger teammates will be among the issues to be discussed at today’s meeting.
Butler reportedly requested the session with coach/executive Tom Thibodeau and GM Scott Layden to clarify his future with the organization. He is expected to opt out of a $19.84MM salary and become a free agent next summer, but there’s a chance that Minnesota will trade him before that happens if the front office determines it’s a situation that cannot be salvaged.
Warriors Notes: McCaw, Durant, Cousins, Evans
Accepting the Warriors’ $1.7MM qualifying offer remains the most likely scenario for shooting guard Patrick McCaw, writes Anthony Slater of The Athletic. In a column that offers a list of questions for each Golden State player, Slater notes that McCaw’s other options are extremely limited with training camp starting next week.
Despite the summer-long contract standoff, McCaw still enters a positive situation if he returns to the Warriors. The team held a roster spot open for him, and regular playing time appears to be available. Slater reports that Golden State originally planned to pursue Tyreke Evans in free agency, which would have made McCaw expendable, but changed direction when DeMarcus Cousins became an option.
Coach Steve Kerr has expressed a desire to give more rest to his veteran players, which should mean more minutes for younger guys like McCaw, who won’t turn 23 until October. It will also give him a chance to improve on his 4.0/1.4/1.4 career line before taking another shot at free agency next summer.
There’s more on the Warriors, all courtesy of Slater:
- This is the first time since Kevin Durant came to Golden State that his re-signing doesn’t seem like a sure thing. Durant’s latest contract includes a $31.5MM player option for next season that he is expected to turn down in pursuit of a long-term deal. Durant has made it clear that he has an open mind about where he might play next year, and Slater notes that an early-season trip to New York should amp up the discussion.
- Cousins has a long way to go until he can play again, and the Warriors can’t begin to answer questions about his fit with the team until that happens. Cousins was considered a major steal when he agreed to sign with Golden State for the $5.3MM taxpayer mid-level exception. However, nobody knows how much the Achilles tear he suffered last season will affect his game or how he will handle a reduced role in the Warriors’ offense.
- First-round pick Jacob Evans was just 2 of 18 on 3-pointers during Summer League, which raises concerns about how well he can fit into the offense. The Warriors like the defensive versatility that Evans provides and he’ll be one of the players Kerr is counting on to reduce the veterans’ minutes, but he has to shoot better to get regular playing time.
Brent Barry To Join Spurs’ Front Office
Former Spurs player Brent Barry will leave his TV analyst job to join San Antonio’s front office, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.
Barry spent four seasons with the Spurs toward the end of his playing career and was part of title-winning teams in 2005 and 2007. R.C. Buford and Gregg Popovich have been wanting to add Barry to the front office since he retired in 2009.
He has been working as a TNT commentator for NBA broadcasts and a studio host on NBA TV.
Barry will fill the front office spot vacated by Monty Williams, who left to become an assistant coach with the Sixers, sources told Wojnarowski.
Latest On Dwyane Wade
Dwyane Wade was “strongly considering” retirement last week before Heat coach Erik Spoelstra and a few other people were able to convince him to change his mind, according to an Associated Press report.
Wade, 36, held off on announcing a decision all summer before releasing a Twitter video on Sunday in which he revealed his intention to play one more season. There was personal and family business to sort out, Wade explained, as well as negotiations with the team to reach an agreement that was agreeable to both sides. He goes into detail in the video to lay out the lifestyle considerations that influenced his decision.
“Can I physically do it? Can I physically get out of bed every day to do this? Can I deal with every step hurting in the morning? Can I deal with the travel? Can I be away from my family? Is it selfish for me to want to continue to be away from my family?” Wade asked.“These things to you guys may seem small. But to me, they’re real. I feel like my family have put me first for so many years, for good reasons. But there comes a point in time when we’ve all got to think about someone else, especially the ones around you that have supported you, supported your dreams, supported your journey like my family have.”
Wade is the most popular and accomplished player in Heat history, leading the franchise in career points, assists, steals and games played. He spent 13 years in Miami before leaving for Chicago in 2016 because he was unhappy with what the Heat were offering him in free agency. Wade later moved on to Cleveland, then received a hero’s welcome from Heat fans when he was traded back to Miami in February. He became a valuable reserve, averaging 12.0 points per night in 21 games while helping the Heat reach the postseason.
Wade made it clear in his announcement that there won’t be another decision to make next summer. He plans to retire once this season is complete, saying, “I’ve given this game everything that I have, and I’m happy about that, and I’m going to give it for one last season, everything else I have left.”
There’s more Wade-related news to pass along:
- Wade opted to accept a $2.4MM veteran’s minimum contract rather than demand any of Miami’s $5.3MM taxpayer mid-level exception. The financial implications of that decision are huge for a team already in luxury tax territory, tweets salary cap expert Albert Nahmad. With tax payments figured in, the total cost of re-signing Wade will be about $4MM. If he had demanded the full MLE, the price would have risen to between $14MM and $17MM. Wade will be the team’s 14th guaranteed contract, raising the total salary to about $130MM. That projects to a $9.7MM tax bill that could rise to $11.7MM or fall to $7.3MM depending on bonuses that the league considers likely [1,700 minutes plus making the playoffs for Kelly Olynyk] and unlikely [70 games played for Dion Waiters].
- Wade’s return will make it harder for any of the Heat’s younger players to earn a roster spot, Nahmad adds (Twitter link). The 14 players with guaranteed contracts are considered virtual locks to make the club, while the 15th spot could be kept open. Duncan Robinson and Yante Maten enter camp on two-way contracts, but they will get competition to keep those deals from Briante Weber, Marcus Lee, Malik Newman and Jarnell Stokes, who all have Exhibit 10 contracts.
- Wade wants to continue to have a significant role with the Heat in his final season, but he will be facing a different environment than he did at the end of last season, notes Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald. The Heat aren’t sure if Waiters will be physically ready when training camp starts next week, but he will return at some point after having ankle surgery last year. That creates a huge logjam at shooting guard, where Josh Richardson, Tyler Johnson, Rodney McGruder, Derrick Jones, Wayne Ellington will compete with Wade and Waiters for playing time.
- Wade’s return could help put the Heat in contention for Jimmy Butler if the Timberwolves opt to trade him, writes Ira Winderman of The Sun-Sentinel, although he downplays the effect their friendship might have with Wade entering his final season. Winderman suggests an offer of Josh Richardson, Justise Winslow and an unprotected 2019 first-rounder.
Pacers President Kevin Pritchard On Contracts, Cap Room And Developing Players
The decision to implement the salary cap increase all at once instead of smoothing it out over several years has led to increased player movement across the NBA, Pacers president of basketball operations Kevin Pritchard contends in an interview with Scott Agness of The Athletic.
Myles Turner and Thaddeus Young are the only players on Indiana’s roster who were with the team two seasons ago, and Pritchard said that is becoming a trend around the league. Teams are opting for shorter contracts, which preserve future cap space at the expense of unity.
“Two collective bargaining agreements ago, I remember you could do six- and seven-year contracts,” he said. “And now we’re talking about over half our team this year is on a one-year deal. So I think it has some uniquenesses, but it also has some challenges. One of the big things for us is we do want to start establishing continuity.
“Every year is its own set of challenges and opportunities. The thing about this team is we brought back the top seven and we feel like we added to the bench. We’re going to miss some players, there’s no doubt. We’re going to miss Lance [Stephenson]. We’re going to miss Al [Jefferson]. We’re going to miss Joe [Young] and Glenn [Robinson III]. Those guys were part of a culture that was very unique and will be hard to duplicate.”
Pritchard shares his thoughts on several topics in the wide-ranging interview:
On the team’s projected $57MM in cap room next summer:
“I would say that adding really good players is always the highest priority. So sometimes flexibility is good and sometimes you’d just rather have the better player. For us, there are so many free agents next summer. But if things go as planned and we have a great season, our free agents become the priority.”
On the progress of Victor Oladipo, who was named the league’s Most Improved Player last season:
“He’s done an amazing job of trusting his teammates, of making that right play at the right time. Part of that was [GM] Chad [Buchanan] and I and [senior VP of basketball operations] Peter [Dinwiddie] trying to put a more complimentary team around him — with him making reads and then elevating everyone else. At the end of the day, he’s a star and stars can do it for themselves. He’s got to raise the level of everybody else around him.”
On the development of the team’s younger players:
“I looked at the way Villanova has been evaluating what they do player wise. They bring a guy in and it’s like they redshirt all of their freshman. That’s kind of how I felt with T.J. [Leaf] last year. Draft T.J., have him work on his body, and then he’ll be more prepared for an NBA season versus just throwing him at the wolves and seeing what happens. I feel like T.J. worked on his body, he gained 17 pounds, physically he’s more ready, mentally he’s more ready. And so now he has a better chance for success long term.”
On LeBron James‘ departure to the Western Conference:
“He put a pretty big road block in front of the Pacers, but not just the Pacers. A lot of other teams, too. He’s beaten us five times in the playoffs. That’s not a lot of fun.”
Pistons Notes: Griffin, Rookies, Johnson, Bullock
There’s a good chance that Blake Griffin can return to elite status after a healthy summer and a few months of working to develop chemistry with Andre Drummond and Reggie Jackson, writes Rod Beard of The Detroit News. Griffin played 25 games for the Pistons after being acquired in a trade with the Clippers, and although his scoring and rebounding numbers declined from where they were in L.A., Griffin averaged a career-best 6.2 assists per game after coming to Detroit.
Beard also states that he doesn’t expect Griffin to be among the first players moved if owner Tom Gores decides to break up the team. Griffin signed a max extension with the Clippers last summer and is owed $141.6MM over the next four years, although the final season is a player option. That type of contract would be difficult to trade, Beard notes, and tough to get anything of value for.
There’s more today out of Detroit:
- Dwane Casey’s history of giving minutes to young players in Toronto could be good news for Khyri Thomas and Bruce Brown, but they’ll still face a challenge in cracking a talented rotation, Beard states in the same piece. The Pistons sent two second-round picks to the Sixers for the 38th pick in this year’s draft, which they used to grab Thomas, a shooting guard who specializes in defense. They took Brown, a wing who can also play the point, four picks later. Both were adequate but not overly impressive during Summer League, and Beard believes there will have to be injuries for either to get regular playing time as rookies.
- The Pistons brought in Glenn Robinson III as insurance in case Stanley Johnson receives a huge offer sheet as a restricted free agent next summer, Beard adds. Detroit is already near the projected cap for 2019/20 and may not be willing to go into the luxury tax to keep Johnson.
- Reggie Bullock‘s 3-point shooting prowess should keep him in the starting lineup, even though the Pistons’ coaches are strong believers in Luke Kennard, writes Keith Langlois of NBA.com. Bullock, who shot a sizzling 44.5% from 3-point range last year, will be a free agent next summer.