Knicks Notes: Lee, Winslow, Mudiay
Last year was the worst season in franchise history and Bradford Doolittle of ESPN.com examines the Knicks’ options to improve their roster. Doolittle suggests the Knicks should target a top level free agent, such as Marc Gasol, Paul Millsap or Greg Monroe. If they are unable to land a top free agent, Doolittle suggests the team should attempt to re-sign Andrea Bargnani to a short-term contract or trade for David Lee, who is a systematic fit and has feel out of the rotation in Golden State. The Warriors already have slightly more than $77.6MM in guaranteed salary on the books for the 2015/16 season and the team will have to account for a possible maximum salary contract for Draymond Green if they want to keep the Michigan State product from leaving in free agency. Bringing Lee back to New York could be the kind of low risk-high reward transaction that could help the team quickly improve on their 17 win campaign.
Here’s more from New York:
- The Knicks’ brass are big fans of Justise Winslow, according to Chad Ford of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Ford ranks Winslow as the sixth best prospect, while Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress ranks him as the seventh best prospect.
- Ian Begley of ESPN.com believes the Knicks should consider Winslow because of his potential to make an impact on defense. New York ranked 28th in defensive efficiency last season. Begley also notes that drafting Winslow would force Carmelo Anthony to play more minutes at the four spot, which has benefited the team in the past.
- Emmanuel Mudiay is another possibility for the Knicks and Chris Herring of the Wall Street Journal profiles the 19-year-old point guard. Herring notes that teams led by Phil Jackson have never invested heavily at the point guard position, but in today’s NBA, the position is more critical than in the past.
Celtics Notes: Draft, Cauley-Stein, Ainge
Boston is “very open” to moving up in next month’s NBA draft, two league sources tell A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com. The sources did not indicate which player the Celtics were targeting, but Blakely notes there are growing signs that their target would be Willie Cauley-Stein. Boston’s defense improved over the course of the season, ranking 12th in the league in defensive efficiency by season’s end. However, the team lacked a true defensive presence in its interior. Cauley-Stein is widely considered one of the best, if not the best, rim protector in the draft, so the fit makes sense for a team looking to improve on its 40-win campaign and become a true contender. The 21-year-old is currently the sixth best prospect according to Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress and Chad Ford of ESPN.com pegs him as the eighth best prospect. The Celtics own the 16th and the 28th pick in this year’s first round, as well as several first-rounders in the upcoming years, as our Traded Future Draft Picks page indicates. Boston already has an influx of young talent on the roster, which gives the team the flexibility to consolidate picks in order to obtain more highly regarded players.
Here’s more from Boston:
- President of Basketball Operations Danny Ainge is receiving praise from around the league, Steve Bulpett of The Boston Herald writes. “I think in today’s day and age where the NBA finds itself, with as much cap space that’s available, with how coveted young players are in the new system, to be able to operate and accumulate that many draft choices and put that on top of a lot flexibility is not easy,” said Thunder GM Sam Presti. “That’s because it’s not an exclusive marketplace they’re operating in. They have to do it in ways that are being mirrored by their competitors.”
- Suns GM Ryan McDonough spoke very highly of Ainge and the job that he has done, Bulpett writes in the same piece. “Usually teams do one or the other. You try to compete, and that involves getting rid of young players, maybe bringing in some more veteran players, trading draft picks for vets. Or you rebuild, and that means trading away veteran players, really only focusing on picks and young players. The challenge is to do both. I think the really good organizations can do it, but it’s tricky. I think when you’re with an organization like the Celtics or the Suns that have great history and tradition, it’s not really acceptable or certainly not desirable to bottom out. You don’t want to bottom out and hope for luck in the lottery. I admire the way the Celtics have done it,” McDonough said. “They’ve done a tremendous job. They’ve got all the future picks in the queue that are coming down the line. They have some good young players. Obviously they have excellent management and coaching. The fans will see over time how things will work out.”
Northwest Notes: Wolves, Lottery, Durant
The Wolves have done a lot of background work on Kevon Looney and he could be a potential target if Minnesota decides to trade into the back-end of the first round, Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities speculates (Twitter link). The Wolves own the 36th overall pick in the draft as a result of the Corey Brewer trade in addition to the 31st selection, so they have the ammunition to trade up if they choose to.
Here’s more from the Northwest Division:
- Kent Youngblood of the Star Tribune chronicles Minnesota’s poor luck in the lottery. The Wolves have 18 previous lottery experiences, but they have never moved up in the draft and have moved back 10 times. The team has a 25% chance at the top selection this year and is guaranteed to pick no lower than fourth.
- Kevin Durant will become a free agent next offseason and Anthony Slater of the Oklahoman believes his impending decision will linger over the team for the next 14 months. Slater compares the potential situation to the Heat in 2011 when LeBron James first joined and this year’s Cavs.
- The Thunder’s defensive shortcomings this season should, in part, be attributed to Durant’s absence, Slater argues in a separate piece. The team has a 99.5 defensive rating during the 913 minutes that the forward played this season. Oklahoma City defensive rating jumped to 104.3 without last season’s MVP on the court. The Thunder seem to be prioritizing offense over defense, particularly outside shooting, in this year’s draft.
Western Notes: Rockets, Clippers, Game 7
Glen Davis, who will become a free agent at season’s end, attempts to impart his wisdom from earlier in his career to the Clippers, Robert Morales of the Long Beach Press-Telegram writes.
“We have our leaders on this team and so me, I just try to pick and choose when I feel like the moment’s right to lead from my experiences, so I just go out there and do what I can with my actions and try to help my team as much as possible,” Davis said. The LSU product also talked about the difficulty of closing out a playoff series. “The focus level has to go to a whole other level,” he said. “You know, attention to detail, energy. It’s a whole bunch of stuff that goes in a bag in order to finish a game.”
The Clippers will take on the Rockets in Game 7 of the Western Conference Semifinals later today. Here’s some notes from both teams:
- Spencer Hawes has only played in six of the Clippers‘ 13 postseason games because he had a poor regular season rather than an injury, writes Morales in the same piece. Coach Doc Rivers still has faith that the big man can become a contributor. “He’s starting to play better. Spencer Hawes can play. Like I’ve said it all year, whether this year or the playoffs are going well for him or not, I still know he can play and I still believe he’ll be a better player for us this year, next year. I’ve never doubted that.,” Rivers said. Hawes signed a four-year deal worth nearly $22.7MM with Los Angeles last offseason.
- The Rockets need James Harden to dominate if they are to win today’s game, Calvin Walkins of ESPN.com opines. The shooting guard understands that he must put his teammates in a position to succeed. “That’s what it’s about: It’s about being unselfish, and you’re not going to get credit for every play,” Harden said. “So that’s what you have teammates for, and those guys showed a great case of that, especially in the fourth quarter. At this point, it’s about winning and doing the small things to get your team to victory.”
- Jason Terry hopes his Game 7 experience will rub off on his teammates, Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle writes. “My biggest advantage is I’ve been in two Game 7s and I’m undefeated,” Terry said. “I’m very confident going in. I understand what it takes to come out with a victory, how I have to approach it and hopefully my teammates will feed off of that.” Terry will become a free agent this offseason.
Bucks Notes: Looney, Hunter, Draft
The Bucks were interested in speaking with Kevon Looney, according to Matt Velazquez of the Journal Sentinel, but he was not among the 18 players they spoke to at the combine in Chicago. The Wisconsin native would be delighted if the team drafts him with their first round selection.
“A lot of people from Milwaukee support me a lot and I think they would love to see me come back and play and represent our city,” Looney said. “I try to represent the best that I can out in LA and everywhere I go.”
The UCLA product is ranked ninth by Chad Ford of ESPN.com, while Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress ranks him 19th. Here’s more from Milwaukee:
- R.J. Hunter met with the Bucks on Saturday, according to Velazquez (Twitter link). The shooting guard is the 21st best prospect according to Ford, while Givony has him ranked 24th.
- The Bucks have the 17th pick in the upcoming draft and Charles F. Gardner of the Journal Sentinel is optimistic that the team can repeat its success drafting near the middle of the first round. “If you look at the history of the draft and you start talking about that 12 to 17 and 18 range, you can miss on those guys,” GM John Hammond said. “We would consider ourselves fortunate when you start mentioning John [Henson], Larry [Sanders], Giannis [Antetokounmpo]. Those guys all have proven to be quality players in this league.” Milwaukee picked Antetokounmpo with the 15th pick in 2013, Henson with the 14th pick in 2012 and Sanders with the 15th pick in 2010.
Free Agent Stock Watch: Wesley Matthews
The Blazers head into the offseason with several question marks, one being the status of Wesley Matthews. The shooting guard tore his left Achilles tendon on March 5th, 60 games into the season. Portland went 41-19 with the guard in the lineup and just 10-12 without him. The Marquette product averaged 15.9 points and 1.3 steals per game and sported a player efficiency rating of 16.1. He shot 38.9% from behind the arc and only MVP Stephen Curry and Warriors backcourt-mate Klay Thompson made more three-pointers per game.
Shooting wasn’t the only thing Matthews excelled at this season. His defense was just as impressive as his offense, as he ranked fifth among shooting guards in ESPN’s Defensive Real Plus/Minus. He played a good chunk of his minutes next to point guard Damian Lillard, who has a negative Defensive Real Plus/Minus. Despite employing such a defensive liability at the point guard position, the team ranked third in the league in defensive efficiency leading up to his injury. In the 22 games without him, the team ranked 24th.
Jeff Austin, Matthews’ agent, is likely to cite all of the above in the guard’s contract negotiations this summer. Many of the teams in the league are transitioning to a pace-and-space style of play and because of his shooting range and ability to play efficiently without the ball in his hands, Matthews should have no shortage of suitors. Before the injury, Matthews was in line to see a hefty raise on his roughly $7.25MM salary and he could have seen a salary that approached the max, although that is just my speculation.
The injury complicates things, though while he may not even be ready for the beginning of the season, he’s said he expects to return to the court well in advance of opening night (video link). It’s unclear what kind of offer teams will be willing to give Matthews in July. Signing a one-year deal to prove his health, re-establish his stock and enter the free agent pool next offseason when the salary cap is expected to reach $89MM might be beneficial for the sixth-year veteran. Yet, he could also, with great trepidation, simply seek the highest guaranteed salary he can get this summer. The 28-year-old has made it known that he would like to re-sign with the Blazers.
“So much stuff can happen between now and when free agency starts,” Matthews said in response to a question about returning to Portland. “Ideally, perfect situation, yeah, who doesn’t want to go for the ideal, perfect situation?”
The status of free-agent-to-be LaMarcus Aldridge could be a factor in his decision. One of Aldridge’s teammates reportedly believes it is a 50-50 proposition whether the power forward leaves Portland. If the Blazers lose the former No. 2 overall pick to free agency and cannot add an All-Star caliber replacement, like Paul Millsap, it would be unlikely they contend for a playoff spot in the Western Conference.
If Portland doesn’t remain a contender, I’d imagine it would like to rebuild a younger team around Lillard. Playing on a young team without any real playoff aspirations wouldn’t be in Matthews’ best interest, especially if he decides to go with a one-year-prove-it deal. Whether he intends to sign that kind of deal or not, this scenario would give outside suitors an advantage in courting Matthews since he would probably be in his early 30s by the time Portland is ready to contend again.
New York was reportedly planning to target the 28-year-old in free agency and the team employs the NBA Trainers Association’s 2014 Physician of the Year. Yet, the Knicks haven’t exactly been a stable franchise known to rehabilitate players’ values and Matthews’ injury probably dilutes their interest anyway. The Celtics are reportedly “open to putting together some type of package deal” for Aldridge and Matthews. Boston has a stable front office but hasn’t been a real contender in a few years.
A franchise that’s stable, has won recently, and has a history of rehabilitating player values resides in Dallas. Brandan Wright and O.J. Mayo are among the players who have seen significant raises after playing for the team. Monta Ellis and Al-Farouq Aminu should also see raises this offseason after playing for the Mavs this year. Matthews, a Texas native, would give Dallas a defensive stopper on the perimeter, which is something the team should focus on acquiring if it intends to stick with the Dirk Nowitzki–Chandler Parsons-defensive-liability pairing.
Dallas has slightly more than $28MM in commitments for the 2015/16 season against a projected $67.1MM salary cap. That figure doesn’t include Raymond Felton‘s player option, which, unsurprisingly, he intends to exercise. Even with the former No. 5 overall pick returning to Dallas, the team could still offer Aldridge or DeAndre Jordan a max contract and still have enough cap space for two mid-sized contracts. If the team can land Matthews, it can afford to offer Ellis another contract, despite his defensive inefficiencies, and trot Ellis out as its starting point guard on opening night. The Ellis-Matthews-Parsons-Nowitzki-Jordan starting lineup would recapture the offensive firepower that the Mavs had before the Rajon Rondo trade and give them the defensive improvement they hoped to achieve with that deal.
The Spurs are another team to watch out for. San Antonio has shied away from giving significant money to free agents. However, the team appears to be a legitimate suitor for Aldridge. Perhaps Matthews follows his current teammate to San Antonio, the guard’s birthplace, and signs a one-year in hopes of cashing in once the cap rises.
Matthews’ defense and ability to shoot from behind the arc makes him an attractive addition to any team, but the Achilles injury certainly complicates matters. The guard was in line for a huge payday prior to the injury and he most likely will not realize that earning potential now. Matthews has a key decision to make about whether to sign a one-year deal and re-enter the free agent pool next summer or sign a multiyear deal that gives him more long-term security. His risk appetite will likely determine his list of potential suitors. Any team hungry for a championship next season should inquire about his services.
Atlantic Notes: Casey, Knicks, Towns
Raptors fans should hope that the team reportedly bringing coach Dwane Casey back for another season means that the franchise will allow him to finally put his stamp on the team, Eric Koreen of The National Post writes. For Casey’s system to succeed, he will need GM Masai Ujiri to add a few more capable perimeter defenders, and a mobile power forward to negate some of center Jonas Valanciunas’ natural limitations in the perimeter dominated NBA, Koreen adds.
Here’s more from the Atlantic Division:
- Casey understands he needs to make adjustments on both the offensive and defensive end, Koreen writes in a separate piece. “I take accountability not establishing the offensive style of play we should have. … We had a false sense of security because we were winning playing that way after DeMar [DeRozan] went down,” Casey said after the season ended. “We never got back to our roots defensively. We never could get the horse back in barn.”
- Fran Fraschilla, ESPN’s NBA draft analyst, believes Karl-Anthony Towns might be a better choice than Jahlil Okafor for the Knicks, Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com writes. “[Town is] not as ready-made as Okafor may be offensively, but he’s got tantalizing shot-blocking potential and he’s developing into a low-post scorer,” Fraschilla said. “… He’s the grand slam and Okafor is the home run.”
- If the Knicks are looking for young, affordable players to develop, Begley (on Twitter) suggests that they take a look at D-League standout Eric Griffin. The 6’8″ swingman averaged 19 PPG and 6.6 RPG last season for the Texas Legends.
Eddie Scarito and Zach Links contributed to this post.
Rockets Notes: Terry, Depth, Bosh
With the Rockets only one game from playoff elimination, 16-year veteran Jason Terry is aware he doesn’t have many championship opportunities remaining in his career, Brian T. Smith of The Houston Chronicle writes.
“I don’t want it to end, obviously not knowing how many more opportunities I’ll get at going deep in the playoffs and making a run at a championship,” Terry said. “I’m going to leave everything I have out there on the floor. And I’m going to do it again, because I’ve still got plenty left.”
Terry will become an unrestricted free agent at season’s end. Here’s more from his current team in Houston:
- Fran Blinebury of NBA.com doesn’t believe Houston can win a title with the roster that is currently constructed. Blinebury cites James Harden‘s lack of supporting cast outside Dwight Howard, who has been inconsistent himself, as reason for the pessimism. The Rockets have roughly $54.4MM in guaranteed salary on the books for the 2015/16 season, as our Salary Commitment page shows. That figure doesn’t account for the cap holds of Josh Smith and Patrick Beverley. Re-signing one or both of these players will likely eat away at any available cap space, so if GM Daryl Morey is going to make significant upgrades, he is going to have to be crafty. Morey leads one of the most active front offices in the league, so a lack of available cap space shouldn’t preclude the team from making a substantial acquisition.
- Chris Bosh was nearly a member of the Rockets and Kevin Ding of Bleacher Report wonders what could have been had the team landed the All-Star forward. Ding also notes that while having Jeremy Lin and Omer Asik on the team would help Houston during this playoff run, dealing them away in order to secure the salary cap space to sign Bosh was worth the risk.
Eddie Scarito contributed to this post.
Atlantic Draft Notes: Knicks, Nets, Celtics
Justise Winslow and Carmelo Anthony sat together at Yankees Stadium on Friday night and Ian Begley of ESPN.com wonders if the two players could become teammates in New York next season. Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress ranks Winslow as the fifth best prospect, while Chad Ford of ESPN.com ranks him as the sixth. Meanwhile, the Knicks reportedly have Winslow in the fifth spot on their draft board.
Here’s more from the Atlantic Division:
- The lowest pick the Knicks can have via the lottery will be the fifth selection and Marc Berman of the New York Post talks to Ryan Blake, the NBA’s scouting consultant, about the top five players on New York’s draft board. The list includes Winslow, D’Angelo Russell, Emmanuel Mudiay, Jahlil Okafor and Karl-Anthony Towns in ascending order.
- Robert Windrem of NetsDaily examines the moves that Brooklyn made in order to lose control of their own first-rounder through the 2018 draft. The Hawks have the right to trade picks with the Nets this season because of the Joe Johnson trade.
- Boston will pick a few spots lower in the draft because it made the playoffs and Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald wonders if the short playoff run was worth it. The Celtics have the 16th pick in the draft, as our Draft Order page shows, but if they would have won a few less games, the team would likely own the 11th pick and a slim chance at a top three selection.
Warriors Notes: Green, Myers, Iguodala
Mary Babers-Green, the mother of Draymond Green, reiterated that her son likes playing in Golden State and that where she lives won’t be a major factor in his decision, Joe Rexrode of the Lansing State Journal writes.
“I want him to stay in the place that will be the most productive for his career, and I want what makes him happy,” said Babers-Green, who lives about 70 miles away from Detroit. “The Bay loves Dray, and Dray loves the Bay. I’ve got NBA TV.”
It was previously reported that the 25-year-old had “significant interest” in signing an offer sheet with the Pistons this summer. President of Basketball Operations Stan Van Gundy hinted that Detroit was interested in signing the Michigan State product. However, GM Bob Myers made it clear that Green is in the Warriors’ long-term plans and the team intends to match any offer sheet he signs. “We really like him,” Myers said. “We believe he’s a core member of our team and we believe he’s a big part of our future.”
As Draymond Green and the Warriors take on the Grizzlies in Game 3 of the Western Conference Semifinals, here’s more from Golden State:
- Lang Greene of Basketball Insiders believes Green could command a maximum salary contract this offseason. Nearly two-thirds of Hoops Rumors readers who voted in my poll earlier this season do not believe Green is worth the max.
- Retaining Klay Thompson and hiring coach Steve Kerr were the two moves that allowed the Warriors to reach their level of success this season, Scott Howard-Cooper of NBA.com opines. Myers won executive of the year after the team’s 67 win campaign. Last month, I examined the transactions that Myers made in order to put a championship contender on the floor and Eddie Scarito of Hoops Rumors documented the former agent’s draft history in Golden State.
- Andre Iguodala accepted a reserve role for the Warriors this season, but the guard still tries to have the same mentality as he did when he was a starter, Tim Kawakami of the Bay Area News Group writes. “You try to do the same; you try to be on the attack at all times. It’s a little bit of a different dynamic with the role and everything, but you still want to be an impact player,” the Arizona product said. Iguodala made slightly less than $12.3MM this season, which is the second highest salary of any non-starter in the league, behind teammate David Lee, who made slightly more than $15MM.