Gordon Hayward Talks Free Agency Decision
Gordon Hayward narrowed his choices down to the Jazz, Celtics, and Heat before deciding to come to Boston. He joined ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski on The Woj Pod to discuss some of the factors that went into his decision. Here are the highlights from the interview:
On Miami’s recruiting pitch:
I think the text I sent to [agent] Mark [Bartelstein] was, ‘Wow, that’s going to be really tough to beat.’ … I asked [my wife] Robyn, and she said something like she could see herself living there and that would be a really great place for us to be. ‘I really liked such and such of the wives and I could have a good relationship with them.’ It was all positive stuff. It was something where it was like ‘OK, now let’s try to just put that aside and go into Boston with a clean slate.’
On the Ricky Rubio trade:
It kind of was a difficult situation because I don’t want to be somebody that says, ‘You go get this player and I’m 100 percent in. If you trade for so and so, you get rid of this guy, you go get him.’ … I didn’t want to make demands because I didn’t know if I was going to end up there. It wasn’t a sure thing. I had told them I wanted to check out these other teams, and that being said, they asked me, ‘How do you feel about these guys?’ and I would tell them and Ricky was a guy that was high on my list.
On his relationship with Brad Stevens:
It’s been seven years since he coached me [at Butler], and immediately, though, he called me July 1, and after that phone call I thought like this isn’t going to be any different. With him, it was one of those things where he made me feel like even if I don’t go to Boston, it’ll be fine and we’ll still have that great relationship and he’ll still be in my corner and he’ll still be rooting for me and supporting me. So I got that feeling, too. We didn’t have a driver. He’s the one that picked me up and the one that drove me to the hotel and we got lost a couple times on the way. All those thoughts were put to bed.
Heat Sign Derrick Walton Jr. To Two-Way Deal
Miami has signed Derrick Walton Jr. to a two-way deal, according to the team’s website. The contract will be the first two-way deal in franchise history, as our updated 2017/18 NBA Two-Way Contract Tracker indicates.
Players on two-way deals will spend most of their season in the G-League since they cannot spend more than 45 days with an NBA club, as our glossary page on two-way contracts shows.
Walton Jr. spent four seasons at the University of Michigan, where he scored 11.6 points per game. As a senior, he scored 15.5 points per game while adding 4.9 assists and 4.8 rebounds per contest.
Cavaliers Hire Koby Altman As GM
The Cavaliers have named Koby Altman their new GM, according to the team’s website.
Altman, who spent the last five seasons with the franchise, was promoted to Assistant GM in September of 2016. He’s been serving as the interim GM since the team parted with David Griffin.
“Over the past month, Koby Altman has led our front office group through this transition period, impressing many inside the franchise and outside the organization, as well,” Owner Dan Gilbert said. “We are very excited that he will now be officially leading the basketball side of our franchise. Koby has the credentials, knowledge, experience and instincts to be an outstanding General Manager.
“In addition to these positive attributes and outstanding relationships around the league, Koby will inspire and impact the best possible culture throughout the organization. We are going to see a capable and passionate leader who will also cultivate new ideas and innovation. The speed of the game is ever faster on the court and in the front offices around our league. I am confident that Koby is equipped and prepared to lead and succeed in this dynamic environment.”
Gilbert added that other front office moves are expected to take place. “We are looking forward to announcing additional restructuring involving these remarkable executives in the very near future,” said Gilbert.
Altman has his work cut out for him in Cleveland. Kyrie Irving recently requested a trade and as Austin Kent of Hoops Rumors noted, the organization may have helped itself in trade negotiations by legitimizing Altman’s role.
Heat Sign Matt Williams
The Heat have signed Matt Williams, according to the team’s website. Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel tweets that as of now, the agreement won’t be a two-way deal. He adds that as long as Williams’ guaranteed salary isn’t over $50K, the deal could eventually be converted into a two-way contract.
Williams played for Miami’s two summer league teams this offseason, where he averaged 9.9 points per game. The combo guard made 39% of his shots from behind the arc during the eight contests.
The University of Central Florida alum was not selected in the 2017 draft. He spent five seasons at the school, including one year where he was redshirted. During his senior campaign, he averaged 15.1 points per game while making 40.9% of his shots overall.
Pelicans Sign Darius Miller
JULY 24, 1:35pm: The Pelicans have officially signed Miller to a two-year deal with a second-year team option, tweets ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. David Pick adds (via Twitter) that – contrary to an earlier report – the deal is worth $4.3MM, which suggests New Orleans may have used a portion of its mid-level exception to complete the signing.
JULY 6, 3:19pm: Miller is expected to get a two-year deal worth more than $3MM, per Sportando (Twitter link). Of course, Miller’s minimum salary for 2017/18 is worth over $1.5MM, so this sounds like a minimum contract.
JULY 5, 5:23pm: The Pelicans have agreed to a deal with Darius Miller, according to international journalist David Pick (Twitter link). The terms of the deal were not disclosed, but it’s likely a minimum salary arrangement.
Miller, who won a championship at Kentucky alongside Anthony Davis, was selected in the second round of the 2012 draft by New Orleans. He spent three seasons with the team before being waived.
The small forward signed on with Brose Bamberg part way through the 2014/15 season and remained with German club through the end of last season. He thrived during his European opportunity, earning first-team honors this past season after winning the BBL Finals MVP during the 2016 postseason.
Nets Interested In Jared Sullinger?
The Nets are in attendance at The Basketball Tournament in order to evaluate Jared Sullinger, according to ESPN’s Fran Fraschilla (h/t Eleven Warriors’ Dan Hope).
Sullinger said he was aware of the Brooklyn’s presence, but wasn’t putting much stock into it. “I didn’t pay attention to it,” said Sullinger (via Net Income of SB Nation). “But I am unemployed at the moment. So just trying to get a job.”
Evan Turner, who played alongside the big man at Ohio State, was also in attendance Sullinger’s game. Turner believes the 25-year-old free agent deserves another chance in the NBA. “The numbers say enough,” said Turner of Sullinger’s game over the weekend. “21 points, 50 percent from the field, 50 percent from the three, all five free throws, nine rebounds, four assists, one turnover for a big man.”
Sullinger signed a one-year, $6MM deal with Toronto last offseason before injuring his foot during the preseason. He was only able to suit up in 11 games for the Raptors and the franchise dealt him to the Suns at the trade deadline. Phoenix subsequently waived him.
Weight has been an issue for Sullinger during his career, but he’s reportedly eating vegan, which has helped him manage this area. The power forward recently told Rob Oller of The Columbus Dispatch that he has this issue under control.
Community Shootaround: Kyrie Irving To The Sixers
Kyrie Irving demanded a trade in what was arguably the NBA’s biggest news story this past week. The point guard’s most preferred destination is San Antonio, though he reportedly would be happy with being dealt to the Heat, Wolves or Knicks if it’s not the Spurs.
Irving didn’t name the Sixers as a preferred landing spot, but Moke Hamilton of Basketball Insiders argues that a trade to Philadelphia makes the most sense. Hamilton believes the Cavs must operate as though LeBron James will leave once he’s able to in the summer of 2018, meaning they should not trade for veteran players. Instead, the team should look to rebuild and target young players and assets.
The scribe contends that Irving could come to Philly and become the team’s No. 1 option, something that’s important to the 25-year-old. Hamilton believes a package of Markelle Fultz, Jahlil Okafor, and a couple future first-rounders would be a good haul for Cleveland.
Tell us what you think about an Irving-to-Philly trade. Do you believe a package centered around Fultz would be enough to entice the Cavs or should they go with a different offer from the Sixers or another team. Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below. We look forward to what you have to say!
Wizards Notes: Porter, Max Deals, Wall
Otto Porter re-signed with the Wizards on a massive, four-year, $106MM this offseason. Although he’ll likely remain the third option on the team—behind John Wall and Bradley Beal—owner Ted Leonsis is happy to hand the small forward that kind of deal, as he tells Michael Lee of The Vertical.
“The market spoke, I said, ‘Done,’ ” Leonsis said about Porter’s deal. “There’s not that many transformative free agents out there and a lot of teams are paying a lot of money on free agents and they’re not quite sure how it’s going to work. I felt keeping Otto, maxing Otto, was way lower risk than saying, ‘Let’s let him go and we’ll get someone in free agency.’ I get a lot of emails, a lot of tweets, ‘Cut him loose!’ Oh, really? The coach loves him, teammates love him, he’s one of the best 3-point shooters in the league. Cut him loose? No. That’s not in the plan.”
Here’s more from Washington:
- The Wizards are the first team to give out three max contracts to players who were drafted and developed by a single franchise, Michael adds in the same piece. Leonsis envisioned this feat for the organization years ago. “For us, if you articulate a strategy of, ‘We’re going to be bad and we’ll get high draft picks,’ and you realize NBA players come into their prime at 26, 27 years old, you’re hoping that this happens,” Leonsis said. “The worst thing that happens, you use a high pick, he’s a restricted free agent and you’re debating, ‘Do we want to keep him? Is he worth that?’ I said, ‘We want to be a ‘have’ team. ‘Have’ teams do whatever they want.”
- Wall and Wizards have a partnership that’s rare in today’s NBA, Chase Hughes of Comcast Sportsnet contends. Hughes argues that the point guard has a devotion to the franchise as well as the City of Washington that’s isn’t typical with the current free agency landscape. Wall recently agreed to a four-year, $170MM extension with the team.
Thunder Sign Dakari Johnson To Two-Year Deal
JULY 22: The Thunder have made the signing of Johnson official via a press release.
JULY 20: The Thunder have signed Dakari Johnson to a two-year deal, sources tell Shams Charania of The Vertical (Twitter link). Charania adds that Johnson’s salary will be guaranteed.
Johnson has played for the Oklahoma City Blue, the Thunder’s G-League affiliate, in each of the past two seasons. During the 2016/17 campaign, he averaged 18.5 points and 7.9 rebounds while shooting 55.6% from the field.
The center spent two seasons in the collegiate ranks at the University of Kentucky where he saw just 15.2 minutes per contest. He entered the 2015 draft and was selected by the Thunder with the No. 48 overall pick.
Multiple Teams Eyeing Brandon Rush
Several teams have checked in with Brandon Rush, according to Darren Wolfson of ESPN.com (Twitter link). The Mavericks, Heat, and Pacers are among the clubs to reach out to the swingman.
Dallas could use depth to fill out its wing rotation, especially if it intends to give Harrison Barnes minutes at the four spot, as it did for stretches last season.
Indiana lost Paul George this offseason and while the 32-year-old won’t be able to fill PG-13’s void, he could help to solidify the back end of the team’s rotation. Rush played for the Pacers for two seasons to begin his career before the franchise dealt him to the Warriors.
Miami would arguably be the worst fit out of the three teams. The Heat have Justise Winslow coming back from injury to join a rotation of James Johnson, Dion Waiters, Josh Richardson and Rodney McGruder on the wing. If Rush wants to come to a place where minutes are guaranteed, South Beach may not be his destination.
Rush saw 21.9 minutes per game on the Wolves last season, which was his highest mark since the 2011/12 campaign. He shot an above league average 38.6% from behind the arc on 2.4 attempts per contest.