Northwest Notes: Kanter, Arthur, Miller, Pekovic
Enes Kanter hoped to stay with the Thunder even as he signed an max offer sheet with the Trail Blazers this summer, creating a tense three days before the Thunder matched, notes Erik Horne of The Oklahoman.
“The three days was definitely tough, because I really wanted to be here,” Kanter said. “That three days was really tough, really difficult. I never experienced anything like that before. In the end, it worked out. [I’m] really happy to be here. It’s really nice [to have] your team’s trust in you. It means a lot.”
See more from the Northwest Division:
- Darrell Arthur nearly left for the Clippers this summer before ultimately deciding to re-sign with the Nuggets, observes Christopher Dempsey of The Denver Post (Twitter links). “I was pretty close. It was a tough decision to make,” Arthur said. “But with this [Nuggets] team I felt that I could possibly make a difference in trying to help this team make it to the playoffs.” The money couldn’t have hurt, either, as Arthur received a two-year deal worth almost $5.755MM from Denver, about $3.08MM more than the two-year minimum salary offer that the Clippers were limited to.
- Andre Miller visited the Bulls in free agency before signing with the Timberwolves this summer, reports Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities (on Twitter).
- Nikola Pekovic said he’ll miss roughly the first month of the season, but the Timberwolves expect Ricky Rubio will be healthy enough to play on opening night, even though he’s not quite 100% yet, observes Marcus R. Fuller of the Pioneer Press.
- Timberwolves GM Milt Newton expressed a desire to use the D-League more often this season, pointing to No. 24 pick Tyus Jones, but the GM said he’d want the point guard to go to a D-League team that would give him some playing time, as Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune relays (on Twitter). The Timberwolves, who don’t have a D-League affiliate and would have to send Jones on assignment with another team’s D-League club, haven’t made progress toward their own D-League partner, Zgoda notes.
- Jazz GM Dennis Lindsey expressed optimism about his point guards on Monday, jibing with earlier reports that the team is content for now even without the injured Dante Exum, but he wouldn’t rule out spending to acquire another point guard if the performance at that position is lacking, notes Aaron Falk of The Salt Lake Tribune (Twitter links).
John Henson Says He’s Near Extension With Bucks
John Henson is nearing an extension with the Bucks, as he told Gery Woelfel of The Journal Times on Monday. The sides have reportedly been in talks since July, and the team’s free agent signing of Greg Monroe, an interior player like Henson, hasn’t dissuaded the former 14th overall pick from wanting a future in Milwaukee, as Woelfel details.
“We’re close,’’ Henson said to Woelfel about the extension talks. “We’re just trying to work out some details. It’s a process; we’ll see what happens. But I definitely want to be here for a long time.’’
The sides appeared to be making progress toward a deal over the summer. They have until November 2nd to sign an extension, two days later than normal because the usual October 31st deadline falls on a Saturday. Henson would be set for restricted free agency next summer if they don’t strike an extension this fall, though the Jim Tanner client isn’t at all anxious to leave Milwaukee, according to Woelfel.
The legitimate possibility existed for Henson to become the team’s starting center if Monroe had not signed, Woelfel writes, though the team had its eyes on other marquee centers, too, as they reportedly planned to pursue Brook Lopez and Tyson Chandler. Henson has started only 43 of his 200 career games and recorded only 11 starts last season, mostly playing behind Larry Sanders and, later, Zaza Pachulia. The 24-year-old Henson averaged just 18.3 minutes per game, but, as Woelfel points out, he looked strong in the playoffs, averaging 8.8 points and 8.0 rebounds in 25.5 minutes per contest.
GM John Hammond has identified Henson as a member of the team’s core, along with Monroe, Michael Carter-Williams, Khris Middleton, Jabari Parker, and Giannis Antetokounmpo. Grantland’s Zach Lowe has speculated that Henson would end up with eight-figure salaries on his next deal, and with the salary cap escalating and the Warriors thinking about an extension for backup center Festus Ezeli, Henson appears to be in a strong market position. I examined the situation in depth last month.
The Bucks have only about $36MM on the books for 2016/17, though that figure doesn’t count nearly $13.3MM in rookie scale team options that Milwaukee is likely to exercise. That would still leave a wealth of room under the projected $89MM cap for next season. Miles Plumlee is also eligible for a rookie scale extension this fall, but no indication has surfaced that the Bucks are considering one for him.
What would a fair extension for both the Bucks and Henson look like? Leave a comment to share your thoughts.
Hawks Sign Arsalan Kazemi
The Hawks have signed former Sixers draft-and-stash prospect Arsalan Kazemi, the team announced (hat tip to Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution). Vivlamore reported late Monday that the sides were working toward a deal after Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer revealed the Sixers had relinquished his rights so he could try out for the Hawks. The 25-year-old power forward goes into the roster spot vacated when Atlanta waived Jason Richardson, who’s retiring, bringing Atlanta to the 20-man preseason roster limit.
Kazemi, a native of Iran, played last season for ChongQing AoLong of China in his second year as a pro after he became the 54th overall pick of the 2013 draft. He spent most of his college career at Rice before transferring to Oregon for his senior season, one in which averaged 9.4 points and 10.0 rebounds in 29.0 minutes per game. The 6’8″ Kazemi again showed a knack for rebounding for the Sixers summer league team in July, notching 3.2 PPG and 7.6 RPG in 27.4 MPG, though it would be a stretch to say he looked particularly strong against a level of competition much weaker than he’ll see in standard NBA action.
He’s with the Hawks for the start of camp today, Vivlamore notes (Twitter link), though he’ll face a stiff challenge to remain with the team beyond the next month. Atlanta has 13 fully guaranteed contracts, and Vivlamore has referred to Mike Muscala, who possesses a partially guaranteed deal, as a “lock” to make the regular season roster. That means Kazemi would have to overcome Lamar Patterson, Terran Petteway, Earl Barron, DeQuan Jones and Edgar Sosa to win a spot on the regular season roster, assuming the Hawks even carry a 15th man on opening night.
Cavs Notes: Williams, J.R. Smith, Blatt
Mo Williams is a client of Mark Bartelstein but said Monday that he represented himself in free agency, tweets Dave McMenamin of ESPN.com. The point guard who simply wanted to return to the Cavaliers signed a two-year deal for nearly $4.295MM after trying and failing to get the team to lift the value of the deal, as McMenamin relays. Williams also said he rooted for the Cavs even when he wasn’t playing for them, as George M. Thomas of the Akron Beacon Journal writes.
“I didn’t see me [being] over here because I said they’re pretty good at point guard,” Williams said. “[Matthew Dellavedova] was coming out of his shell and turning into a player. I didn’t see that then. Obviously once the conversation started with [GM David Griffin], I saw a bigger role for me and listening to him, I thought it was a good place for me to be.”
Williams was coy when asked about his relationship with LeBron James, Thomas notes in the same piece, pointing to tweets Williams made in the past criticizing the four-time MVP. However, James embraced the idea of Williams’ return to the team, as Chris Haynes of the Northeast Ohio Media Group and the Cleveland Plain Dealer reported this summer. See more from Cleveland here:
- J.R. Smith will make $5MM with the Cavs on his new deal this year after declining a player option worth about $6.4MM, but he expressed no regret over that decision Monday, Haynes notes (Twitter link). “I’m a gambler,” Smith said. “I’ll take a gamble on myself any day.”
- Michael Dunigan was the last of the Cavaliers camp invitees to be reported, but he was the first to sign, according to Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders (All Twitter links). Cleveland ordered its transactions thusly so that it could sign Jared Cunningham, Chris Johnson, Austin Daye, D.J. Stephens, Quinn Cook and Nick Minnerath to Exhibit 9 contracts that cover one season at the minimum salary with no money guaranteed and limited injury protection, Pincus reports. Teams have to have 14 players signed to non-Exhibit 9 contracts before they can sign anyone to an Exhibit 9, and Dunigan was the 14th player, as Pincus reveals. Dunigan is on a one-year, non-guaranteed contract for the minimum salary with standard injury protection, according to Pincus, so the Cavs would be on the hook for his salary for as long as he’s sidelined if he were to get hurt while playing for them.
- One of the best ways for David Blatt to show he’s learned after his first year in the NBA will be to cut down the minutes for LeBron to keep him fresh, opines Terry Pluto of the Cleveland Plain Dealer.
- We looked at the latest involving Tristan Thompson right here.
The Beat: John Reid On The Pelicans
Nobody knows NBA teams better than beat writers, save for those who draw paychecks with an NBA owner’s signature on them. The reporters who are with the teams they cover every day gain an intimate knowledge of the players, coaches and executives they write about and develop sources who help them break news and stay on top of rumors.
We at Hoops Rumors will be chatting with beat writers from around the league and sharing their responses to give you a better perspective on how and why teams make some of their most significant moves. Last time, we spoke with Jabari Young, who covered the Blazers last season for Comcast SportsNet Northwest and will cover the Spurs this season for the San Antonio Express-News. Click here to see all of the previous editions of this series.
Today, we gain insight on the Pelicans from John Reid of The Times Picayune. You can follow John on Twitter at @JohnReid64, and check out his stories right here.
Hoops Rumors: Most of the roster is back, and so is GM Dell Demps, so the shift from Monty Williams to Alvin Gentry was the most significant change for the Pelicans. Why do you think the front office singled out coaching as the one part of the team in need of a shakeup?
John Reid: After Monty Williams was fired in May, Pelicans executive vice president Mickey Loomis acknowledged that they thought their group needed something different to get them to the next level. If the Pelicans had not blown a 20-point lead in the fourth quarter in Game 3 against the Warriors in their first-round playoff series and not been swept in four games, Williams probably would have kept his job. The Pelicans’ front office felt they had enough talent, but the team wasn’t consistent enough despite finishing with a 45-37 record and landing the eighth seed in the Western Conference. Throughout the regular season, the Pelicans underperformed on the road, going 17-24, a record that included losses to the lowly Knicks and 76ers.
Hoops Rumors: Which player do you think will benefit most from the coaching change, and whose game is most liable to suffer with Williams out of the picture?
John Reid: Anthony Davis is likely to benefit the most from the coaching change because Alvin Gentry is going to get him the ball more in his choice spots that increase his usage rate. Davis is most effective in the open court and Gentry’s up-tempo offense is ideal for him. Also, Davis’ ofensive game will be more extensive and expect for him to take more three-pointers, which is something he worked on improving this offseason.
Omer Asik probably will not play as many minutes this season under Alvin Gentry as he did for Monty Williams. Asik’s minutes are going to be split with backup Alexis Ajinca, who is a more polished scoring threat in the post. Asik has limited offensive skills and with the Pelicans’ plan to push the tempo, Asik could struggle to emerge because he is more of a back-to-the-basket, low-post player who is more effective in the slow-down halfcourt game.
Hoops Rumors: Anthony Davis, Omer Asik and Alexis Ajinca all signed long-term deals with the team this summer, but Ryan Anderson is on an expiring contract. Given the crowded frontcourt, do you think the Pelicans still see Anderson as part of their long-term plan?
John Reid: I think Ryan Anderson is part of the franchise’s long-term plans.
There are not many players in the league like Anderson, a stretch four with three-point shooting ability. However, it has been difficult for him the past two seasons trying to overcome injuries. Anderson admitted last week that he is in the best shape of his career and could be poised to have a breakout season. If that happens, Anderson will be a priority for GM Dell Demps to re-sign next summer.
Hoops Rumors: Is the qualifying offer a better deal for Norris Cole, a better deal for the Pelicans, or simply a fair outcome for both sides?
John Reid: The qualifying offer was a better deal for the Pelicans since they had the leverage from the start because Norris Cole was a restricted free agent. The Pelicans wanted Cole to let the market dictate his value but in the end he couldn’t land a deal that would play him more than the Pelicans’ $3MM qualifying offer. So in turn, the Pelicans signed him to a one-year deal at the price they thought was warranted without having to overspend to re-sign him. But next summer, Cole will become an unrestricted free agent.
Hoops Rumors: The Pelicans have traded their last three first-round picks. Do you think the team will be especially hesitant to trade this year’s first-rounder as a result?
John Reid: The Pelicans have not had a first-round pick since the 2012 NBA Draft when they selected Anthony Davis as the No. 1 overall pick. Although the franchise appears to be stable, they still have to look ahead and there is a need to develop young talent instead of just relying on trades and free agency.
John Reid: The Western Conference is so tough and even with the Pelicans re-signing all of their top returning players in free agency this offseason, they will still be in a tough fight to earn a playoff spot. But I think this team is capable of landing a sixth or seventh seed under Alvin Gentry, if they can avoid injuries. I think the Pelicans are clearly ahead of Portland, who lost LaMarcus Aldridge in free agency and the Mavericks, who were unable to sign Clippers center DeAndre Jordan in free agency. The Pelicans will be in a fight with Phoenix and Oklahoma City for one of the final three seeds.
Hawks Close To Signing Arsalan Kazemi
8:45pm: The Hawks are negotiating with Kazemi on a training camp deal, according to Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal Constitution (Twitter links). The deal is likely to be finalized Tuesday, giving the Hawks 20 players on their camp roster.
4:40pm: Philly let go of Kazemi’s rights so he can try out for the Hawks in training camp, Pompey says in another tweet, so it appears that audition is still to come. The Hawks have one open space on their roster if they decide to add Kazemi.
4:30pm: The Sixers have forfeited their draft rights to Iranian power forward Arsalan Kazemi so that the 54th pick from the 2013 draft can audition for the Hawks, tweets Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirier. The team made its required tender by the September 10th deadline to do so, which allowed the team to retain his rights, but it appears as though Philadelphia has backtracked on that. It’s unclear whether Kazemi has already tried out for the Hawks or if that audition is still to come. Atlanta is one shy of the preseason roster maximum.
Philly originally wound up with the rights to Kazemi the same night that the Wizards drafted him, sending the rights to Glen Rice Jr. to Washington in return. The Sixers also received the rights to Nate Wolters in the deal, flipping them soon after to the Bucks. Kazemi, who played collegiately at Rice and Oregon, has appeared in summer league for the Sixers each of the past three years, but he’s otherwise remained out of the NBA. Last year he averaged 15.0 points in 38.9 minutes per game for ChongQing AoLong of China.
The Sixers have a full preseason roster of their own, with 20 players, so the team had no room for Kazemi. He could have signed the tender, but Philadelphia would have had the right to simply waive him if he did that.
Wizards Eye Cap Space, Offer Beal Less Than Max?
MONDAY, 4:47pm: Beal indicated that negotiations remain open and cordial, and that the lack of an extension by the deadline doesn’t mean the sides won’t strike up talks again next summer, when Beal would be a restricted free agent, writes J. Michael of CSN Mid-Atlantic.
“I’m confident [something will be worked out before October ends],” Beal said, according to Michael. “It’s just a matter of them doing it. If they do or don’t it’s fine either way. I still have to play the season. That’s the only thing I’m concerned about.”
MONDAY, 12:30pm: Beal denies that the Wizards made him an offer, Castillo tweets.
FRIDAY, 3:27pm: The Wizards have offered an extension to Bradley Beal, but it’s worth less than the maximum salary he’s seeking because the team wants to preserve cap flexibility for next summer, a source tells Jorge Castillo of The Washington Post. That makes it unlikely the Mark Bartelstein client signs an extension, Castillo writes, though the sides have until the end of November 2nd to negotiate. An earlier report indicated that the Wizards wanted non-guaranteed salary involved in any max deal, though Castillo’s dispatch makes it seem as though the total value of Washington’s offer, and not just the guaranteed portion, is less than the max.
Washington would likely have room to bring in D.C. native Kevin Durant or another free agent on a max deal next summer even if the team signs Beal to a max extension, but that would leave almost no flexibility for the team to carry credible bench players, as I explained when I looked at the possibility of Beal’s extension. Keeping Beal unsigned would allow the team to carry his cap hold of about $14.2MM into next summer instead of a max salary figure, which would be a projected $20.4MM. The Wizards would have the right to match competing bids for Beal in restricted free agency if they pass on an extension, so they could let him sit unsigned while they use the July Moratorium period to chase Durant and others.
The plan could backfire if Beal signs an offer sheet with another team that contains terms the Wizards find undesirable. However, Spurs employed a similar strategy with Kawhi Leonard to great success this past year, declining to sign him to an extension and using the extra cap flexibility to sign LaMarcus Aldridge and others before circling back to tie up Leonard on a five-year max deal.
Leonard’s deal includes a player option on the final season, and Beal reportedly wants that in any deal for less than the max. The Wizards can’t sign him to a five-year deal unless he hits free agency, since they already made John Wall their Designated Player, so an extension that includes a player option would allow Beal to leave as soon as 2018.
The Wizards and Beal’s camp have maintained talks but achieved little progress, as Castillo reported earlier this month. It represents a shift from last year, when the Wizards were reportedly already planning to do an extension with Beal when he became eligible this summer. As recently as this spring, Washington was apparently committed to reaching a max deal with the shooting guard, though that may simply have to wait until next July.
What do you think the Wizards should do with Beal? Leave a comment to let us know.
Markieff Morris On Suns: ‘I Want To Be Here’
2:55pm: Morris said he’s “super-excited” to play with offseason signee Tyson Chandler, and he called this year’s team the best Suns squad he’s been a part of, according to Coro, who writes in a full story.
“The ultimate goal is to make the playoffs,” Morris said. “It’s not about me. It’s about my teammates and the organization. I’m just looking forward to a great year and hopefully we can make the playoffs this year.”
12:12pm: Markieff Morris declared “I want to be here” as he addressed reporters at Suns media day today on the eve of training camp, according to Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic (Twitter link), declining to otherwise address his tumultuous offseason relationship with the Suns. Morris demanded a trade in August, weeks after the team dealt his twin brother to the Pistons. Morris had said even as he made his trade demand that he would show up for camp, but it’s surprising to see him seemingly put it behind him after doubling down earlier this month, tweeting that, “My future will not be in Phoenix.” That remark drew a $10K fine from the league, so perhaps it’s the threat of punishment that has the power forward changing his rhetoric.
Suns GM Ryan McDonough and coach Jeff Hornacek brushed off the idea of lingering animosity, in keeping with the optimism they’ve consistently shown about reaching a reconciliation, as Coro relays (Twitter links). The Suns have reportedly been disinclined to give in to Morris’ demand.
“He’s certainly not the first and won’t be the last player to be upset with the front office,” GM Ryan McDonough said, according to Coro. “It happens.”
McDonough wasn’t apologetic about failing to give Morris advance warning about trading his brother, however, in comments that Coro tweets. Morris expressed displeasure as he made his trade demand that the Suns didn’t run his brother’s trade by him.
The former 13th overall pick had planned not to talk to the Suns front office and to answer Hornacek only with one-word responses, as John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 FM reported. It’s unclear if he’s changed that stance. In any case, he’s due $8MM this season in the first year of a four-year, $32MM extension that he signed at the same time his brother inked a four-year, $20MM extension with the team in the hopes that the pair would be together for the long term.
Do you believe that Morris truly no longer wants to be traded, or do you think this storyline will come up again? Leave a comment to share your thoughts.
Cavs Sign Michael Dunigan, Quinn Cook, Five Others
The Cavaliers have signed center Michael Dunigan, the team revealed on its training camp roster, one that also officially confirmed earlier reports of deals with Jared Cunningham, Austin Daye, Chris Johnson, Nick Minnerath and D.J. Stephens. Quinn Cook also appears on the roster, so it looks like he and the team have worked out a deal, as expected. Cleveland has 20 players, 13 of whom have fully guaranteed contracts, though those totals don’t include Tristan Thompson, who remains in restricted free agency with Thursday looming as the final day for him to sign his qualifying offer before it expires. The Cavs would have to waive a player before signing Thompson, since they’re at the preseason roster limit.
Dunigan, 26, was in camp with the Grizzlies in 2012, but he’s chiefly played overseas since going undrafted in 2011. The Mike Naiditch client came stateside to spend part of last season with Cleveland’s D-League affiliate, putting up 11.6 points and 7.1 rebounds in 30.4 minutes per game across 24 regular season appearances, so the Cavs are familiar with him. It’s unclear exactly what sort of terms he’s getting, though Cleveland is limited to paying the minimum salary, just as with all the rest of the deals the team confirmed today.
Cook, 22, went undrafted out of Duke this year. Conflicting reports had clouded the matter of whether he and the team had agreed to a deal, but Chris Haynes of the Northeast Ohio Media Group and the Cleveland Plain Dealer reported the point guard would be on a non-guaranteed pact.
Cunningham and Daye are former first-round picks. Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports reported Cunningham’s deal with the team, with Haynes noting that the 24-year-old shooting guard would be on a non-guaranteed contract. Charania also first reported Daye’s deal, and international journalist David Pick added that the pact for the 27-year-old small forward would be non-guaranteed.
Johnson, a 30-year-old center from LSU, is not to be confused with the swingman by the same name. Haynes reported his deal, which is for one year at the minimum salary and non-guaranteed. Haynes also had the story of Minnerath’s one-year deal. The 26-year-old combo forward is on a non-guaranteed pact.
Zach Links of Hoops Rumors first reported the Stephens deal. The terms of the contract for the 24-year-old high-flying swingman are unclear, beyond the fact that he’ll be making the minimum.
Warriors Sign Ben Gordon
The Warriors have signed Ben Gordon, the team announced via press release. Marc Stein of ESPN.com reported last week that they were close to a deal, and Monte Poole of CSN Bay Area later reported that a signing was on the way (Twitter link). It’s unclear what sort of guaranteed money, if any, is involved, though it’ll have to be for the minimum salary, since Golden State doesn’t have the ability to pay him more after spending most of its taxpayer’s mid-level exception on Leandro Barbosa.
The market for Gordon, 32, hadn’t been robust after the Magic released him in June, almost a year after signing him to a two-year, $9MM deal. Orlando gave Gordon the fewest minutes per game (14.1) of his 11-year career and, with the second year of his deal non-guaranteed, decided to cut ties, despite somewhat of a bounceback performance for the former third overall pick, who’d shot a career-worst 27.6% from behind the arc for Charlotte in 2013/14. The Warriors have reportedly been seeking an extra shooter, and Gordon, a 40.1% three-point marksman, nailed 36.1% of his long-range attempts this past season.
It’ll be an uphill battle for Gordon to make the opening night roster. Coach Steve Kerr is high on James Michael McAdoo, who has a partially guaranteed contract, and 13 others have fully guaranteed deals. The addition of Gordon brings Golden State to 20 players, the preseason limit.
Will Gordon stick for the regular season? Comment to give your input.