Chris Paul Wasn’t Worried About Losing Clint Capela
Even though it took nearly a month for the Rockets to re-sign Clint Capela, teammate Chris Paul said he was never concerned about losing the team’s starting center, relays Ashish Mathur of AmicoHoops.
Paul made the remarks in a recent interview on NBA TV, saying that although there was speculation Capela might sign elsewhere, he knew that conditions favored a return to Houston.
“It was good and well, but I mean I guess for the fans in the basketball world they probably don’t understand, we knew he wasn’t going nowhere,” Paul said. “You know what I mean? Like if you think about it, he was a restricted free agent. Clint wasn’t going nowhere.”
The Rockets could have matched any offer that Capela received, but none ever materialized. There was a feeling around the league that Houston was a lock to match anything short of a max contract, and two potential bidders filled their needs at center when the Suns drafted Deandre Ayton and the Mavericks signed DeAndre Jordan.
Capela could have opted to accept the Rockets’ qualifying offer and become an unrestricted free agent next summer, but the parties were able to agree to a five-year, $90MM contract on July 27.
Capela is coming off his best statistical season, averaging 13.9 points and 10.8 rebounds in 74 games. Not only is he the anchor of the Rockets’ interior defense, he provides a perfect pick-and-roll partner for Paul and league MVP James Harden.
Heat Notes: Trade Rumors, Walton, Haslem, Free Agents
Don’t be surprised if the Heat keep their current roster together for a while despite a flurry of trade rumors surrounding the team, Ira Winderman of The Sun-Sentinel writes in a mailbag column. Numerous Miami players have been mentioned in possible deals, with Hassan Whiteside, Dion Waiters, James Johnson and Tyler Johnson among the most prominent.
Winderman notes that team president Pat Riley indicated in a media session that month that he would like to keep the current core together to see what it can accomplish. A deal could still happen before training camp opens in late September, but Winderman believes it would be more of a surprise, rather than something that has been rumored for weeks.
There’s more today out of Miami:
- Derrick Walton may go on to better things with the Bulls, but the Heat didn’t have playing time to offer him, Winderman adds in the same piece. The 23-year-old guard is close to a deal with Chicago after Miami pulled his qualifying offer last month. The Heat have a crowded backcourt with Goran Dragic, Tyler Johnson, Wayne Ellington and Rodney McGruder all established, Waiters returning from ankle surgery and Dwyane Wade possibly wanting to play another season. Walton appeared in 16 games last year as a two-way player.
- The Heat are giving up a roster spot by holding onto veteran forward Udonis Haslem if coach Erik Spoelstra refuses to play him, Winderman states in a separate mailbag. Haslem, 38, has developed into a virtual assistant coach, getting into 14 games last season and 16 the year before. Even so, he has a standing offer to return to the team if he wants to keep playing.
- The Heat don’t have much playing time to offer combo guards or big men, which is why Mario Chalmers and Jahlil Okafor didn’t consider Miami before signing elsewhere, Winderman writes in another mailbag. Along with the logjam in the backcourt, the Heat have Whiteside, Kelly Olynyk and Bam Adebayo all competing f0r playing time in the middle. Winderman speculates that the team could look for help at small forward if either Wade or Haslem doesn’t return.
Isaiah Thomas Apologizes For Remarks About Cleveland
Former Cavaliers guard Isaiah Thomas has apologized for making a profane reference to Cleveland in an Instagram video, according to an ESPN story.
Thomas, who had a frustrating 15-game stay with the Cavaliers last season, used a vulgar term to describe the city, then added, “I can see why LeBron left — again.” He later posted a second video to Instagram in an effort to smooth over those remarks.
“Nah, Cleveland was cool,” he said. “I shouldn’t have said that, that was my bad. I was just talking on IG Live, I didn’t think it was gonna get to where they’re posting it.”
Thomas was considered a key part of last summer’s blockbuster trade that sent Kyrie Irving to the Celtics. However, his hip injury forced him to miss about half the season before making his Cleveland debut.
He averaged 14.7 PPG during his time with the Cavs, but became a scapegoat for the team’s poor performance on defense and tensions in the locker room. Thomas was traded to the Lakers in February and signed with the Nuggets in free agency last month.
Devon Hall Will Play In Australia
Devon Hall, a second-round pick by the Thunder in this year’s draft, will spend the upcoming season in Australia, writes Erik Horne of The Oklahoman. Cairns Taipans of the Australian National Basketball League has officially announced Hall’s signing.
The 53rd player selected, Hall is a 6’5″ shooting guard out of Virginia who spent four seasons in college. He played five games for the Thunder’s Summer League team, averaging 5.4 points in 15.2 minutes per contest.
There was no room for Hall on the Thunder, who currently have 15 players with guaranteed contracts. The team recently acquired Abdel Nader and Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot in trades and signed second-rounder Hamidou Diallo, eliminating any chance Hall may have had to earn a roster spot this season. His choices were to play overseas or for Oklahoma City Blue in the G League.
Hall plans to spend one year in Australia before coming to the NBA, tweets Sam Blum of the Daily Progress in Charlottesville, Va. “We expect him to be with the Thunder next season,” Hall’s agent, Daniel Curtin, told Blum.
Community Shootaround: Joakim Noah
Of all the questionable contracts handed out during the free agent frenzy of 2016, Joakim Noah‘s has turned out to be the worst. Luol Deng may be wasting away on the end of the Lakers’ bench, but at least he’s doing it quietly. Noah has become not only a financial nightmare for the Knicks, but a problem in other ways as well.
He hasn’t been with the team since January, when he was suspended following a heated argument in practice with former coach Jeff Hornacek over playing time. That bookended a season that started with another suspension, this one imposed by the league for using a banned substance. In total, Noah played just 40 total minutes over seven games and collected $17.765MM. He still has two seasons and $37.8MM remaining on the $72MM deal that ex-team president Phil Jackson gave him two summers ago.
The Knicks would like to end their relationship with Noah and reportedly plan to use the stretch provision to officially cut ties sometime after September 1. By waiting until then, New York can lock in his $18.53MM salary for the upcoming season and stretch the final $19.295MM over three years. That will free up roughly $12.9MM for next summer, when the Knicks hope to make an impact on the free agent market.
There are advantages and disadvantages to using the stretch provision, as Philip Bondy of The New York Daily News detailed today. The Knicks are concerned that Noah might not be willing to stay away from the team and collect his checks for an entire season. If he’s still on the roster, Noah could take his case to the players’ union and force his way back into the locker room, where he could be a disruptive presence for new coach David Fizdale.
If that’s not a concern, there’s no rush to unload Noah’s contract. The stretch provision will be an available option all the way through next summer, and Noah might have some value as his contract gets closer to expiring. Bondy points out that the Nets were able to trade Timofey Mozgov, who has a deal similar to Noah’s, because the Hornets needed to unload Dwight Howard to escape the luxury tax.
We want to get your opinion on how the Knicks should handle Noah. Should they employ the stretch provision as quickly as possible or hang onto him in hopes of either finding a trade partner or convincing him to accept a buyout? Please leave your responses in the space below.
‘Heat Only’ For Dwyane Wade
Forget about any possibility of Dwyane Wade continuing his career in China next season, tweets Manny Navarro of The Miami Herald. Wade still hasn’t made a final decision on whether to keep playing, but if he does it will be in Miami.
“Heat only,” Wade said today in an appearance at the Jr. NBA World Championships in Orlando. “If I play the game of basketball this year it will be in a Miami uniform. If I don’t I’ll be living in Miami or somewhere else probably.”
Wade reportedly received a three-year, $25MM offer last month to join the Zhejiang Golden Bulls of the Chinese Basketball Association. He’s a well-known figure in China and visited the nation in July for the announcement of a lifetime contract with Li-Ning, a Chinese apparel company.
Wade’s insistence to play in Miami is consistent with his reaction when the Cavaliers traded him to the Heat in February. After spending his first 13 NBA seasons in South Florida, Wade left in 2016 over a salary dispute, but never seemed comfortable in Chicago or Cleveland. He averaged 12.0 PPG in 21 contests after returning to Miami last season and helped the Heat reach the playoffs.
There are rumors that Wade wants at least some of the team’s $5.34MM taxpayer mid-level exception before he’ll agree to re-sign. The Heat are already in luxury-tax territory and would prefer to have Wade return on a veteran’s minimum deal that would pay him $2.4MM.
Wade also told reporters he doesn’t see any urgency to make a decision soon, although team president Pat Riley recently said he expects to a decision by mid-August.
The Heat have 13 players under contract, in addition to a pair of two-way players, with two spots being kept open for Wade and Udonis Haslem, who also hasn’t decided whether to continue his NBA career. Miami already has a crowded backcourt, notes Ira Winderman of The Sun-Sentinel, with Goran Dragic, Tyler Johnson, Wayne Ellington and Rodney McGruder already in place and Dion Waiters returning from ankle surgery.
“As much as I would love to be back, you got so many different things that you look at, that I have to look at,” Wade said. “My teammates have been great. The young guys, you want to be there for them, but, also, you want to play. So it’s a lot of different things that come into play there. But, ultimately, no matter what happens, I’m a Lifer, Miami Heat for life.”
Atlantic Notes: Hayward, Celtics, Nets, Knicks
When Gordon Hayward reports to training camp next month, he will find a very different Celtics team than the one he signed with last summer, writes A. Sherrod Blakely of NBC Sports Boston. While Hayward sat out last season with a severe ankle fracture he suffered on opening night, some of Boston’s young players developed into stars, with Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum and Terry Rozier all raising their games on the way to the Eastern Conference finals.
That gives Hayward time to ease his way back into the lineup rather than trying to regain his All-Star form right away, Blakely notes. Hayward, who said last month that he was just about back to “full speed,” admits the mental aspects of overcoming a serious injury can be just as hard as the physical challenges.
“I’m going to be focused on training camp, getting through that first practice,” he said. “It’s been so long for me to even be out on the court. I’m very excited about where we can go next year.”
There’s more from the Atlantic Division:
- The Celtics‘ success last season has helped turn them into a booming business, relays Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe. The team will have 27 nationally televised games for 2018/19, all its season ticket packages are already sold out and the newly opened Auerbach Center practice facility is seen as a future recruiting tool in free agency. “There’s a higher than ever demand for pretty much all things Celtics this offseason,” said team president Rich Gotham. “The television ratings reflected that during the regular season and during the playoffs.”
- The Nets‘ 15-man roster for the upcoming season is just about set, according to Anthony Puccio of NetsDaily, who projects the team’s depth chart at each position. Puccio expects D’Angelo Russell to establish himself as Brooklyn’s best player this year, with Allen Crabbe, DeMarre Carroll, Rondae Hollis-Jefferson and Jarrett Allen joining him in the starting lineup. New additions Kenneth Faried, Jared Dudley and Ed Davis should all see plenty of playing time off the bench.
- Even if the Knicks get off to another strong start, they face a schedule that gets much tougher after Christmas, notes Brian Lewis of The New York Post. ESPN will be hoping Kristaps Porzingis returns from his ACL injury in time for a holiday matchup with the Bucks, but that kicks off a stretch of 10 out of 12 games against playoff teams.
Pistons Notes: Leuer, Griffin, R. Jackson, S. Johnson
Jon Leuer‘s knee surgery this week gives the Pistons a reason to worry about their frontcourt depth, suggests Vince Ellis of The Detroit Free Press. Leuer had a procedure done on his right knee Wednesday after suffering a medial meniscus injury. Although it’s considered minor, the team isn’t sure that he’ll be ready for camp, saying his condition will be re-evaluated in late September.
New coach Dwane Casey was counting on Leuer to be his primary reserve big man, backing up Andre Drummond and Blake Griffin. But if Leuer’s recovery takes longer than expected, that gives greater responsibility to Henry Ellenson and free agent addition Zaza Pachulia. Ellis notes that Johnny Hamilton, a rookie from Texas-Arlington who was with the Pistons for Summer League, could also be in the mix if he performs well in training camp.
Injury misfortune continues for Leuer, who missed 74 games last season with a left ankle issue that also required surgery. The 29-year-old will make slightly more than $10MM this season and $9.5MM in 2019/20.
There’s more today out of Detroit:
- There’s reason for optimism about the health of Griffin and Reggie Jackson heading into the new season, Ellis writes in a mailbag column. Neither player had injury issues this summer and they were able to keep up a full workout schedule. The switch to Casey may also help as former coach Stan Van Gundy was known for long, often draining practices. Griffin appeared in 58 games last year between the Clippers and Pistons, missing time with knee and ankle injuries, and hasn’t played more than 67 in the past four seasons. Jackson had a platelet-rich plasma treatment before the start of last season and managed just 45 games.
- The Pistons may have plans to use free agent addition Glenn Robinson III and Stanley Johnson in the lineup together, Ellis adds in the same piece. Power forward could turn out to be Johnson’s best position, and there will be an opening if Leuer’s injury is worse than expected.
- Former New Mexico State guard Zach Lofton is excited about the opportunity to join the Pistons for training camp, relays Mark Rudi of The Las Cruces Sun-News. Lofton confirmed the agreement today on Instagram. “I want to thank the Detroit Pistons for the amazing opportunity to be a part of the organization,” he said in a news release. “I also want to thank the amazing support system I’ve had through the years. I’m excited to start this new chapter.”
Pistons Sign Zach Lofton To Training Camp Deal
AUGUST 11: The deal is official, Lofton announced on Instagram.
AUGUST 8: Former New Mexico State guard Zach Lofton will sign a G League contract and participate in training camp with the Pistons, tweets Darren Wolfson of 5 Eyewitness News.
After going undrafted in June, Lofton joined the Detroit’s summer league entry and impressed team officials with his performance in Las Vegas. As a senior with the Aggies, he averaged 20.1 points per game and was a first-team All-WAC selection.
Lofton will be the 18th player headed to camp with the Pistons, two short of the league maximum.
International Notes: White, Eriksson, Pasecniks, Radicevic
After being waived by the Cavaliers earlier this week, Okaro White is nearing a deal with Maccabi Tel Aviv in Israel, according to Stavros Barbarousis of EuroHoops. White has prior overseas experience, playing in Italy and Greece before signing with the Heat in 2016.
He played in 41 games in a season and a half with Miami before being traded to the Hawks at this year’s deadline and then waived on the same day. He signed with the Cavaliers in March, but never made it on the court and was released before a partial guarantee on his 2018/19 salary kicked in. White played seven Summer League games for the Cavs, averaging 6.0 PPG and 7.4 RPG.
There’s more international news to pass along:
- Marcus Eriksson, a draft-and-stash player whose rights are owned by the Hawks, re-signed with Herbalife Gran Canaria in Spain, tweets Keith Smith of Real GM. A 24-year-old Swedish forward, Eriksson was the 50th player taken in 2015.
- Anzejs Pasecniks, a 2017 first-rounder whose draft rights are owned by the Sixers, also re-signed with Herbalife Gran Canaria, according to Smith (Twitter link). Orlando took the 7’2″ center with the 25th pick and traded him to Philadelphia.
- Nikola Radicevic, a second-round selection in 2015, signed with Dolomiti Energia Trento in Italy, Smith adds (Twitter link). The Nuggets own the draft rights to the 24-year-old point guard.
- Jonathan Holmes, who spent part of last season with Maine in the G League, has signed with Hapoel Tel Aviv, relays Emiliano Carchia of Sportando. He averaged 7.3 PPG and 7.4 PG in 11 games with the Red Claws.