Cavs Notes: Irving, LeBron, Trades
Kyrie Irving realizes that he will never be the Cavaliers‘ true leader with LeBron James around and that, coupled with the duo’s relationship, propelled him to request a trade from the team, Stephen A. Smith reports on The Undefeated.
“Kyrie isn’t saying he’s better than LeBron and should be seen that way,” a close confidant of Irving’s tells Smith. “He’s saying he’s not about to let LeBron ‘SON’ him … treating him like he’s the child and LeBron’s the father or big brother he’s supposed to look up to.
“Kyrie knows he’s a franchise-caliber talent. He wants to be treated like it. And he’s tired of hearing about what LeBron needs, and he’s damn sure tired of hearing LeBron sound like he always needs more. As if the crew they have isn’t enough.”
Here’s more from Cleveland:
- When Irving signed his five-year, max extension back in 2014, he was unaware that James would be returning to the team. LBJ announced he would come back to Cleveland just 10 days after Irving signed his agreement and according to Smith, the point guard wasn’t thrilled with James’ decision.
- The Cavaliers don’t have to trade Irving now, but they can’t wait too long to make a move, Bud Shaw of Cleveland.com contends. Shaw argues that it would be best for the franchise to trade the point guard before training camp so that the team can attempt to harmoniously prepare for the season after an offseason of turmoil.
Community Shootaround: Pelicans’ Playoff Chances
Making the playoffs in the Western Conference was a challenging task last season and it should be an even harder feat after several teams improved this offseason.
The Warriors brought back their core in addition to bringing in Nick Young and they are likely to take home the conference’s top seed. The Spurs, Rockets, and Thunder should find themselves jocking for position behind them. The Clippers and Jazz each lost their best player in free agency, but both seem poised to reach the playoffs, albeit with a lower seed than they had last season. The Nuggets (adding Paul Millsap) and Wolves (trading for Jimmy Butler) made upgrades with the hopes of pushing the Grizzlies or Blazers for a playoff spot.
The Pelicans hope to surpass at least three of the aforementioned teams and sneak into the playoffs, but they might not have enough shooting or defense to reach that goal, as Thomas Rende of NBAMath explains. Rende notes that only 11 teams since the 2012/13 campaign have won more than 45 games (a number that should put a team in contention for a playoff birth) while ranking in the bottom third of the league in three-point percentage. Out of those teams, only two (the 2012/13 Nuggets and the 2014/15 Thunder) didn’t rank in the top 10 in points allowed per 100 possessions.
In his piece, which is a must read, Rende explains how New Orleans is ill-equipped to drastically improve its outside shooting, meaning a playoff birth appears unlikely.
What do you think? Can the Pelicans muster enough offense to make the playoffs in the ultra-competitive Western Conference or will their lack of shooting plague the team and relegate them to the lottery once again?
Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below. We look forward to what you have to say!
Latest On Kyrie Irving, Suns
The Cavaliers are working to honor Kyrie Irving‘s trade request and they’ve been in contact with his camp as they parse offers from interested teams, Joe Vardon of Cleveland.com reports.
The Suns are among the teams to make Cavs an offer and a source tells Vardon that if Phoenix was willing to part with Eric Bledsoe, Josh Jackson, and a future first-round pick (Miami’s partially protected 2018 selection) that a deal would be “done by now.” While the two teams could certainly agree to that trade, league rules would prevent such an arrangement from occurring since Jackson cannot be dealt until 30 days after he signed his rookie contract. The Kansas product put pen to paper on July 3.
Phoenix is reportedly unwilling to surrender Jackson in a deal for Irving and it’s unknown what the franchise is actually offering for the point guard. Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders (Twitter link) speculates Cleveland does send Irving to the Suns that a package of Bledsoe, T.J. Warren and potentially Marquese Chriss would be the likeliest haul. Kyler believes Phoenix would have to take back Iman Shumpert in that scenario.
The Cavs and Suns could certainly work out a deal involving different parameters, but it’s clear that any variation of an Irving trade will not include Devin Booker. A source tells Vardon that the shooting guard was told by the team that he won’t be dealt.
Wolves, Andrew Wiggins Discussing Five-Year, Max Extension
The Wolves are working on signing Andrew Wiggins to a five-year, maximum salary extension, Sid Hartman of the Star Tribune reports. However, Hartman cautions that those talks are in the early stages at this point.
[RELATED: Extension Candidate: Andrew Wiggins]
“First of all, I think he likes it here, we like him, he can get the very best contract from me, better than he can get from anyone else,” Owner Glen Taylor said. “I don’t think we have any trouble of offering him the max anyway.”
Taylor added that the team plans on extending Wiggins this offseason and doing the same with Karl-Anthony Towns next summer.
“We are talking to [Wiggins’] agent right now about extending him out another five years, so we can do that,” Taylor said. “Karl, we won’t do that until next year. Wiggins, we want to sign him to a long-term contract, we want to keep him here, and we’re negotiating with his agent. But we just started that negotiation, and we have quite some time to get that done.”
Taylor believes the negotiations should be harmonious since Wiggins will get the maximum amount possible under the new CBA. “We’re not really negotiating anything like that [money],” Taylor said. “There shouldn’t be any problem.”
The exact monetary amount of the extension won’t be known until next offseason when the 2018/19 salary cap details are calculated. Based on projections, a five-year, max extension for Wiggins would net him slightly under $148MM, as Luke Adams of Hoops Rumors recently shared.
Thunder Sign First-Round Pick Terrance Ferguson
JULY 29th, 12:42 pm: Ferguson has signed the contract, Royce Young of ESPN.com tweets. FIBA clearance issues prevented him from signing earlier, Young adds.
JULY 27th, 8:55pm: The Thunder have agreed to a four-year deal with Terrance Ferguson, Shams Charania of The Vertical reports (Twitter feed). With Ferguson coming to an agreement with OKC, every first-round pick in the 2017 draft class is now under contract for the 2017/18 season.
The 19-year-old, who played for an Australian team last season, received clearance from FIBA to play in the NBA earlier today. Up until today, Ferguson was not eligible to sign an NBA deal because of the contractual conflict with his international club. He was also unable to play for the Thunder’s Summer League team because of the previously made agreement.
Ferguson, who was selected with the No. 21 overall pick in this offseason’s draft, is set to make roughly $10.33MM over the next four seasons assuming he signs for the standard 120% of the rookie scale.
Southeast Notes: Heat, Winslow, Hornets, Wizards
Justise Winslow would embrace playing alongside Kyrie Irving should the Heat make a trade for the point guard, Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel relays.
“I’m good friends with Kyrie, but it’s not really like free agency. Kyrie doesn’t really have a huge say-so in where he goes,” Winslow said. “He’s going to get traded. So a lot of it is not in his hands, but I would love to play with Kyrie.”
Irving listed Miami as a preferred destination, though the organization is reportedly not optimistic about its chances of acquiring the four-time All-Star, and denied making an offer for him. It’s also worth noting that if the Heat were to acquire Irving, Winslow would almost certainly have to be part of the package heading to Cleveland.
Here’s more from around the Southeast:
- Winslow added that he’s happy with the Heat‘s current composition, which includes Goran Dragic as the team’s current starting point guard, Winderman passes along in the same piece linked above. Dragic has three seasons left on his current deal, though he could become a free agent during the summer of 2019 if he decides to turn down his player option worth slightly under $19.22MM.
- The Hornets brought in several free agent point guards earlier this week, but didn’t sign anyone following that group workout. Still, it sounds likely that they’ll do so soon, tweets Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer.
- The Wizards won’t have a G League affiliate this year, but one will be in place for the start of the 2018/19 season. As Chase Hughes of CSNMidAtlantic.com outlines, team owner Ted Leonsis recently provided some information on that process, suggesting that details on Washington’s G League team name and branding should be announced this fall.
- After his new deal with the Magic was officially finalized, Arron Afflalo spoke to reporters about why he made the decision to return to Orlando (video link).
Luke Adams contributed to this post.
LBJ Angling For Cavs To Acquire Josh Jackson?
LeBron James is aware of Kyrie Irving‘s trade request and it appears he’s not going to sit around and be passive in the situation. According to ESPN’s Pablo Torre (h/t Carter Rodriquez of SB Nation), James is “hustling on behalf” of the Cavaliers in regards to finding an Irving trade.
“LeBron James is doing some LeBron James offseason work,” Torre said on ESPN’s first take. “And my understanding is it’s not just Derrick Rose, it’s not just Eric Bledsoe. LeBron James happens to know a guy named James Jones . . . LeBron James is hustling behind the scenes, is my understanding, asking ‘Is Josh Jackson available for Kyrie Irving?’ And the answer back that I heard is ‘no, he is not.’ But LeBron James is hustling on behalf of the Cleveland Cavaliers, at least for this one year.”
Phoenix recently named Jones, who is a longtime friend and teammate of LBJ’s, as its vice president of basketball operations. The first time executive played for the Cavs alongside James and Irving over the last three seasons.
The Suns are not on Irving’s short list of teams of which the Duke product would prefer. However, Irving does not wield a no-trade clause, so the team could ship him anywhere it finds a deal without the point guard’s permission.
If Phoenix relents on its unwillingness to include Jackson in an Irving trade, a deal centered around Bledsoe and this year’s No. 4 overall pick arguably could be Cleveland’s best option on the market. Bledsoe, who shares an agent with James, recently worked out with Rose and the 4-time NBA MVP.
Wizards Notes: Wall, Porter, Brooks
John Wall, who signed a four-year, $170MM extension with the Wizards this offseason, said the decision to stay in Washington was an easy one to make, Chase Hughes of Comcast Sportsnet relays.
“Returning to the only team I’ve known in my professional career was an easy decision for me,” Wall said. “…I understand my role as the leader of this franchise and I will continue to work hard to improve my game and make our team better. Washington, D.C., is my second home and I take seriously my efforts in the community and look forward to strengthening that bond. Our fans are amazing and I’m excited to bring them and this city continued success and a team they can be proud of.”
Here’s more from Washington:
- Owner Ted Leonsis believes the Wizards will be title contenders after locking up Wall long-term, Hughes passes along in the same piece. “This signing means stability for the Wizards for years to come and solidifies our commitment to drafting and then developing talent here at home. It’s John’s unique blend of skill and leadership that makes us a championship-caliber team,” Leonsis said.
- The team brought back Otto Porter on a four-year, $106.5MM deal this summer and part of the reason for the move was to maintain continuity, Leonsis added (via Hughes in a separate piece). “The data points are, for the most part, the teams whose core has stayed together have good results,” Leonsis said.
- With Wall sticking around long-term, the Wizards have a clear vision for the future, Zach Rosen of NBA.com argues. Rosen adds that Scott Brooks is known as one of the best developmental coaches in the league, which should help to maximize the team’s talent.
Cavaliers Sign Derrick Rose
JULY 25: The Cavaliers have officially signed Rose, the team announced today in a press release.
“We are very excited to be able to add a player of Derrick’s caliber and experience to the team,” new Cavs GM Koby Altman said in a statement. “Derrick could have gone to a number of other teams, but his specific mindset, goals and total focus and commitment to winning are what resulted in him signing with the Cavaliers. We are confident he will be a very good fit with our organization and we look forward to the many ways he will contribute to the team.”
JULY 24: The Cavaliers will sign Derrick Rose, Shams Charania of The Vertical reports (Twitter link). The point guard met with the organization earlier today and Charania adds that Rose has already completed his physical with the team.
The pact will be a one-year, minimum salary arrangement, David Aldridge of NBA.com tweets. It was previously reported that the two sides were in serious discussions about a one-year deal.
Rumors of Rose earning a max contract swirled earlier this season, but it appeared increasingly unlikely that he would land that kind of offer, particularly after suffering another knee injury late in the 2016/17 campaign.
Rose’s decision to join Cleveland comes just days after news of Kyrie Irving‘s trade demands became public. If the team intends to give Irving a new home, Rose should be able to get an opportunity to win as well as a chance to play a meaningful role.
The 2010/11 MVP was also considering the Lakers, a team in which he met with last week. Los Angeles may have been able to offer him an increased role, but the organization isn’t close to being championship contenders.
The Cavaliers will be Rose’s third team as he enters his 10th season. He spent eight years in Chicago before being dealt to the Knicks.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Magic Sign Wesley Iwundu To Three-Year Deal
The Magic have signed Wesley Iwundu to a three-year, $4.1MM deal, according to Micheal Scotto of Basketball Insiders. Scotto adds that Iwundu’s deal is fully guaranteed.
Iwundu received more guaranteed money than any other second-rounder in this year’s draft class.
Orlando selected the swingman with the No. 33 overall pick in the 2017 draft out of Kansas State University. As a senior, Iwundu scored 13.0 points while pulling down 6.3 rebounds per game. He made 37.6% of his shots from behind the arc on 2.4 attempts per contest.