Southwest Notes: Ginobili, Rockets, Noel
Manu Ginobili said the decision to return to the Spurs for his 16th season was not an easy one to make, Jeff McDonald of Spurs Nation relays.
“[Coach Gregg Popovich] told me that he wanted me to continue and he needed me on the team,” Ginobili said.“If he did not want me, it would have been easier for me.”
The future Hall of Famer added that he didn’t want to walk away while he could still play at a high level.
“I accepted because it is a great honor to be with such a franchise, at 40 years old, feeling important, with people who tell me that they love me and that I am still important to the team,” Ginobili wrote. “Everything I had in mind if I retired, I can postpone for another time. On the other hand, if I retired and took a year (off), I would not be able to compete again at 41.”
Here’s more from the Southwest Division:
- Multiple sources tell Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle (Twitter link) that Daryl Morey and the Rockets‘ management team is not attempting to put together a group to buy the franchise. Leslie Alexander announced earlier this week that he is selling the team after 24 years of ownership.
- Tim Cowlishaw of the Dallas Morning News speculates that Nerlens Noel could end up signing a one-year deal with the Mavericks. Noel has yet to reach an agreement with the franchise and the scribe believes the center is searching for leverage, but Dallas’ ability to match any offer limits his negotiation power.
- Brandon Paul, who signed a two-year deal with the Spurs this summer, is thrilled for the chance to play for the franchise, as he tells Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders. Paul played in Russia, Spain, and Turkey in addition to the G-League before landing his first NBA contract.
Lakers Interested In Ian Clark
The Lakers have interest in adding Ian Clark to the roster, Brad Turner of the Los Angeles Times reports (Twitter link). Turner cautions that no deal is imminent.
Clark spent the last two seasons in Golden State and his role expanded as time passed. The Warriors own Clark’s Early Bird rights, though the team is already in the luxury tax after re-signing most of its core. The franchise brought back Kevin Durant, Stephen Curry, Andre Iguodala and Shaun Livingston while adding Nick Young in free agency. After all the moves, there may not be enough minutes, let alone currency, for Clark to return.
The Lakers are looking for an experienced guard to mentor Lonzo Ball and Clark isn’t the only candidate for the job. Los Angeles is reportedly in on the Derrick Rose–sweepstakes and the team plans to pitch the former MVP on its ability to offer more playing time and a larger contract than rival suitors can.
Entering the free agency period, Clark was expected to receive a raise on his 2016/17 salary, which was slightly under $1.02MM. Some NBA executives envisioned the 26-year-old landing a deal worth more than the mid-level exception. Los Angeles wouldn’t be able to make that kind of offer — the team only has the $4.3MM room exception remaining for free agents.
Clark previously played under Lakers coach Luke Walton during the coach’s stint in Golden State. It’ll be interesting to see if the relationship helps to bring the shooting guard to Los Angeles.
Blake Griffin Talks Free Agency, Injury
Blake Griffin, who re-signed with the Clippers on a five-year, $173MM deal this offseason, said the decision to stay was a “no-brainer,” as Kevin Arnovitz of ESPN.com relays.
“Obviously this has been my home since I was drafted, and a lot went into this decision for me,” Griffin said. “Not only what was best for me and my family, but just the quality of people and work that we have here. That goes from owners all the way down to the coaching staff to the roster to everything just day-to-day. I think with [Clippers owner] Steve Ballmer and [president of basketball operations and head coach] Doc [Rivers] and [executive vice president of basketball operations] Lawrence [Frank], all the way down, in the end I realized this is a no-brainer for me. This is the best place for me. This is a place where I want to start and finish my career.”
The power forward had meetings scheduled with the Suns and Nuggets early in the free agency period, though he canceled them both after meeting with the Clippers. Griffin was impressed with the team’s presentation. He added that he expects the team to play faster now that Chris Paul has departed.
“The size and speed on this team is exciting. I think playing in transition, getting out, keeping the ball moving, playing free is something we’re looking forward to. I think we’re well equipped,” Griffin said.
Los Angeles made several additions after bringing Griffin back. The Clips added Patrick Beverley and Lou Williams when they sent Chris Paul to Houston. They brought in Danilo Gallinari via sign-and-trade and they signed European star Milos Teodosic.
When Griffin will get an opportunity to play alongside his new roommates is unclear, as he’s recovering from an injury to his big toe. He’s aggressively rehabbing his injury and hopes to be ready for the season.
“I’ve met with probably five different foot specialists before surgery, and everybody’s conclusion was that training camp was a very realistic possibility,” Griffin said. “So I expect to be ready to go by training camp. Within the next few weeks here I’ll be able to go on the court and ramp up things there. It’s been nice to be on court and do ballhandling and free throws and stuff like that, but [I’m] just taking it week by week really.”
Mavericks Waive Nicolas Brussino
4:18 PM: Dallas has waived Brussino, according to a team press release.
2:57 PM: Nicolas Brussino‘s 2017/18 salary will become guaranteed if he’s on the Mavericks’ roster past today and Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News reports that the team does not plan on having that happen. Dallas will likely waive the swingman before tonight’s deadline. He was set to make slightly over $1.31MM next season and nearly $1.55MM the following year.
Brussino may head to Europe to play basketball during the 2017/18 campaign with Sekfo mentioning that multiple clubs in Spain have expressed interest in the wing. The 24-year-old has international experience, playing six seasons professionally in Argentina.
Brussino saw 9.6 minutes per game in his lone NBA season for the Mavericks this past year. He scored just 2.8 points per game while shooting 36.9% from the field.
Celtics Sign Guerschon Yabusele
The Celtics have signed 2016 No. 16 overall pick Guerschon Yabusele, according to the team’s website. The terms of the deal were not disclosed, but since Yabusele was drafted within the last three seasons, he’s under the same restrictions as the rest of the rookie class.
Yabusele played last season for the Shanghai Sharks of the Chinese Basketball Association. After the season concluded, he came stateside to play for the Maine Red Claws, Boston’s G League affiliate. He played in five G League playoff games for the Red Claws, where he averaged 12.8 points per contest while shooting 49.0% from the field.
The French native was considered one of the best international prospects entering the 2016 draft. He played professionally in France for three seasons before declaring for the NBA’s draft.
Western Notes: Russell, Crawford, Mbah a Moute
Several teams were interested in trading for D’Angelo Russell, according to Lakers team president Magic Johnson, which was something that gave the front office confidence in trade talks.
“Like five teams called for D’Angelo [so] we knew that we could move D’Angelo for one of the pieces that we were looking for. So we decided on Brooklyn, they got a great player in D’Angelo and we got what we wanted,” Johnson said (via Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN.com).
Johnson added that it wasn’t difficult moving on from the former No. 2 overall pick. “I am not one of them dudes,” Johnson added. “When I say bye, that’s it. I keep moving. I can’t get caught in emotions and all that. That is not who I am. We moved and we kept moving. After that trade we went on to the next thing.”
Here’s more from the Western Conference:
- Jamal Crawford said he consulted former Wolves guard Zach LaVine before signing with Minnesota, as Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune shares. “He loved Minnesota, absolutely loved. Obviously, it’s cold, but he said it’s a great city, great people. He enjoyed playing for Coach Thibs,” Crawford said.
- Luc Mbah a Moute, who officially signed with the Rockets earlier today, is excited to play under coach Mike D’Antoni, as Mark Berman of Fox 26 relays (Twitter link). “The environment that he creates is very much like a family,” the small forward said of D’Antoni. “It’s exciting.”
- Despite his up-and-down stint with the Lakers, Nick Young said he may come back to the team to retire when it’s time to hang up his jersey, Mark Medina of the Orange County Register passes along. “I love LA. I might be back and retire here one day,” said Young. “I’ll come back with Kobe, MJ, and LeBron (James).”
J.J. Redick Talks Free Agency Decision
J.J. Redick called his time with the Clippers the “four best years” of his career, though he knew entering the offseason that he wouldn’t re-sign with the team, as he explains on his new podcast (h/t Kevin Spain of USA Today).
“I know some Clippers fans and maybe some NBA fans may be wondering like, why did I not go back or there are probably some ignorant people out there who are questioning my loyalty,” Redick said. “Going back to the Clippers was, honestly, not an option.
“I kind of figured last summer when they signed [Austin Rivers] and [Jamal Crawford] back, they had basically guaranteed $25MM in salary for this upcoming season and I knew they weren’t going to be able to commit financially long-term to having a third shooting guard at a high rate. That’s just unrealistic. You can’t have $30-$40MM at one position, especially when you’re going to have two or three max players on the team.”
Redick added that on June 29 – two days before the beginning of free agency – he received a call from the Clippers telling him that they were not going to bring him back.
The shooting guard ended up signing a one-year deal, $23MM deal with the Sixers to join, among others, Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons in the starting line-up. Redick said that Houston offered him more money overall than Philadelphia did, but he chose Bryan Colangelo‘s offer in part because he didn’t want to come off the bench. Also, while the Rockets’ offer may have been worth more in total, it likely didn’t come close to the Sixers’ offer in terms of 2017/18 salary.
The Nets were also interested in adding Redick and the team was his wife’s preferred destination. The two currently share a condo in Brooklyn. Redick said he likes what GM Sean Marks is building in the city, but was concerned with the number of minutes he would have received.
Redick should see significant playing time for the Sixers. The team appears to be past its rebuilding phase and ready to compete for a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.
Kyrie Irving Talks Cavs’ Offseason
The offseason for the Cavaliers hasn’t gone as smoothly as planned with the franchise failing to reach an agreement to retain GM David Griffin as well finding itself unable to add another major piece to a team that lost handily to the Warriors in this year’s NBA Finals. LeBron James is reportedly unhappy with the team’s offseason and speculation of him fleeing for Cleveland next offseason have persisted throughout the summer.
Kyrie Irving, who can become a free agent after the 2018/19 season, was recently asked how the three-time defending Eastern Conference champions could look different in “just a couple years.” His response (via Sports Illustrated’s Chris Chavez):
“Like I said, we’re in a peculiar place. The best thing we can do is handle things with class and professionalism. Obviously we have a great owner that’s willing to spend a little money on guys that he believes in. At this point, we just see what happens throughout the summer.”
The Cavs weren’t able to add another star like Jimmy Butler or Paul George this offseason, though they added a few reinforcements to their bench. Cleveland signed Jose Calderon to man the backup point guard spot and Jeff Green to add depth on the wing. The team also brought in Cedi Osman to round out the bench.
Blazers’ Stars Recruiting Carmelo Anthony
The Blazers had interest in acquiring Carmelo Anthony, but the 10-time All-Star reportedly won’t consider waiving his no-trade clause to come to last season’s eighth seed in the Western Conference. Still, that hasn’t stopped Portland’s stars from attempting to change the small forward’s mind, as Jason Quick of Comcast Sportsnet relays.
“I spoke to him,’’ Damian Lillard said of Anthony. “Because obviously he makes us a better team. So obviously with that being out there and being a real possibility, I don’t see why I wouldn’t reach out to him and let him know the interest is mutual if he is interested in us.’’
Lillard added that he wasn’t going to share Anthony’s response, though he said the two needed to speak because bringing the 32-year-old to Portland was something that he and C.J. McCollum would welcome should the opportunity present itself.
McCollum said he spoke to Anthony through a trainer the two share. The shooting guard added that he’ll be in New York this week to train and he will “say hello to [Anthony] if he’s there.”
“If we get him … when we get him … I think we could be top three in the West, easy,’’ McCollum said. “I think he’s interested. Obviously, I feel he wants to play with his team – the Banana Boat friends. I know he wants to play with CP [Chris Paul] and LeBron, and those are good options, but I feel we are a good option.’’
Anthony is reportedly focused on getting to the Rockets and Houston believes they will end up adding him in an offseason where they’ve already Paul. The Knicks and Rockets were looking for other teams to help facilitate a trade and the Blazers were apparently one of those franchises. However, Portland doesn’t want to help Anthony get to a rival Western Conference team, as the organization believes Anthony could be the missing piece to elevate the team into the West’s upper echelon.
Lillard was hoping to convince Anthony of just that, along with assuring him that he’s wanted on the team.
“He’s Carmelo Anthony,’’ Lillard said. “You add another guy who can score 50. Over the last decade, he’s been one of best players in the league. Playing against him he’s a cerebral player. He’s smart. He played in the triangle. I can only imagine what it would be like to have him isolating on one side, and CJ in the corner, and me in opposite wing and Nurk on the opposite … I could only imagine how tough it would be to guard us.
“I want to win a championship. It’s that simple. After my rookie year I’ve been in the playoffs every year and the playoffs are fun … but at this point we need a breakthrough. I’m tired of watching … each year it bothers me more.’’
Wizards’ Owner Believes John Wall Will Sign Extension
The Wizards reportedly offered John Wall a four-year, $170MM extension this offseason, though the point guard has yet to sign the agreement. Owner Ted Leonsis believes it’s only a matter of time before Wall commits to the franchise long-term, as Candace Buckner of The Washington Post relays.
“I told everyone that when John was coming off his rookie contract, we would sign him and he would be our bedrock player,” Leonsis said. “…I told everybody that we would keep Bradley Beal, and already everyone is talking about the [Wall] extension. So my prediction is John Wall will sign his extension. He wants to be here and my goal is to have no drama.”
Washington has become a tax-paying team for the first time in franchise history after re-signing Otto Porter to a $106.5MM deal. Leonsis added that he will continue to spend in order to keep the team’s core together.
“I think we’ve proven that we have as much resources and as much tools as anybody in the league and we’re in the tax,” Leonsis said. “We’ll spend whatever we need to get better, but we’re going to get better by keeping our core together and then adding to it.”
Wall entered the offseason knowing that an extension offer could be coming, though he reportedly wanted to see the front office’s plan for the future before committing to a long-term deal. In addition to bringing back Porter, the organization added Jodie Meeks, Mike Scott, and Tim Frazier to a bench unit that was arguably the team’s biggest weakness last season.
Last offseason, the team chased numerous big name free agents with its cap space and handed out lucrative deals to Ian Mahinmi, Jason Smith, and Andrew Nicholson. None of the three made a major impact during the 2016/17 season, but Leonsis believes this offseason’s moves, though not as flashy, will help the team even more.
“This offseason was much more settled,” Leonsis said, “but I think we’ll be much more successful than last year.”