Wolves, Tom Thibodeau Finalizing Deal
1:49pm: Newton has the option to remain with the organization in a role that would put him under Thibodeau and Layden, reports Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune.
12:22pm: The Wolves and Thibodeau are now finalizing that deal, league sources tell Wojnarowski (Twitter link).
12:21pm: Thibodeau and the Wolves are close to a deal that would give him about $10MM a year as coach and president of basketball operations, sources tell Marc Stein of ESPN.com (Twitter link). It’s conceivable Thibodeau will end up with an $11MM salary, USA Today’s Jeff Zillgitt hears (Twitter link), which would mean Minnesota would be going up from the earlier-reported $11MM figure for both Thibodeau and Layden.
11:56am: The Timberwolves and Tom Thibodeau are having serious talks toward a deal that would make him the team’s coach and president of basketball operations, sources tell Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical (Twitter links). Spurs assistant GM Scott Layden would become Minnesota’s GM in that scenario, Wojnarowski adds. Layden has spoken with the Wolves within the past few days about assuming the role of GM in a Thibodeau-led front office, according to Wojnarowski.
The Wolves are negotiating around a figure of $11MM in combined annual salaries for Thibodeau and Layden, as Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities hears (Twitter link). Still, several moving parts exist as the discussions continue, tweets Jon Krawczynski of The Associated Press, suggesting the talks could drag on for a while. A previous report from Wojnarowski and Vertical colleague Chris Mannix suggests the Wolves were willing to go as high as $7MM annually for Thibodeau.
Minnesota has also reportedly interviewed Jeff Van Gundy for the coach/executive gig that Thibodeau is gunning for, and Mark Jackson apparently interviewed for the coaching job Tuesday. Thibodeau has nonetheless been the leading candidate throughout the team’s search and people around the league believe it’s inevitable that the Wolves will hire him, according to Krawczynski (Twitter links). Gery Woelfel of The Journal Times reported earlier this week that people around the league were convinced Thibodeau would end up in Minnesota, where he still feels a comfort from his time as an assistant coach there from 1989-91, according to Marc Berman of the New York Post.
Korn Ferry, the search firm that Wolves owner Glen Taylor has used in the process, turned up Layden and Grizzlies executive VP of player personnel Ed Stefanski as possible candidates for the GM job, as Wojnarowski and Mannix reported earlier. Layden has previously served as the primary basketball executive of the Jazz, from 1992-99, before moving on to the Knicks from 1999-2003. He returned to the Jazz and spent several years as an assistant coach before the Spurs hired him in September 2012.
Question remains over what becomes of GM Milt Newton, who has been in control of Minnesota’s front office since former coach/executive Flip Saunders took a leave of absence in September to deal with complications from cancer treatment that proved to be fatal. Newton held the GM title under Saunders, who was president of basketball operations, the same title Thibodeau will apparently have, but the presence of Layden would appear to marginalize Newton.
The Timberwolves and Thibodeau engaged in “cursory contact” months ago, according to Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com, and Thibodeau has been a rumored candidate for just about every opening that’s emerged since the Bulls fired him last year. Taylor has been eyeing him for months, Stein hears (Twitter link), and armed with an intriguing young roster and the willingness to bestow the personnel power Thibodeau has reportedly sought, Minnesota appears to have landed the prime target on the coaching market.
Kevin Garnett Plans To Return To Timberwolves
Kevin Garnett plans to play another season with the Timberwolves, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical. Doubt had lingered about whether Garnett, who’ll turn 40 next month, would continue to play even though he’s under contract for $8MM next season. Wojnarowski points to Garnett’s strong relationship with Tom Thibodeau, who’s finalizing a deal to become Minnesota’s coach and president of basketball operations. Thibodeau was a Celtics assistant coach for three years while Garnett was in Boston.
Next season will be Garnett’s 22nd, so he’ll break an all-time NBA record, assuming he indeed steps onto the hardwood. He didn’t play after January 23rd this past season because of soreness in his right knee. He averaged career lows of 3.2 points and 14.6 minutes per game before that, but he nonetheless started in all 38 of his appearances.
Wolves owner Glen Taylor seemed optimistic about Garnett’s return earlier this month, though former Garnett teammate Sam Mitchell, who spent this past season as Wolves coach, wasn’t so sure. Still, Garnett signed a two-year contract last summer without an option clause, so both sides are financially committed. They could conceivable arrange a buyout, but that doesn’t appear to be the plan. Instead, Garnett seems poised to resume his role as locker room leader for a youthful Timberwolves core that includes the last two No. 1 overall picks. Minnesota is in line for another high lottery pick this year.
Quincy Acy To Opt Out From Kings
Quincy Acy has decided to turn down his minimum-salary player option for next season and hit free agency this summer, as USA Today’s Sam Amick hears (Twitter link). The Kings want to keep him around for on-court reasons as well as his locker room presence, according to James Ham of CSN California, who wrote earlier that the power forward would love to stay in Sacramento, so it appears the grounds for a new deal are in place. Still, the Mike Silverman client seems headed for the open market.
Acy, who’ll turn 26 in October, averaged 5.2 points and 3.2 rebounds in 14.8 minutes per game this past season, his second tenure with the Kings, who had him for most of the 2013/14 season. He spent a year with the Knicks in between his stints with Sacramento, and he put up the best numbers of his career in 2014/15 with New York, averaging 5.9 points, 4.4 rebounds and 18.9 minutes. The Kings moved him in and out of the starting lineup this season, but he still wound up making 29 starts, his most ever.
Sacramento signed Acy this past summer to a two-year minimum-salary deal. The contract doesn’t require a formal decision on the player option until June 1st, so Acy still has time to change his mind and pick up the $1,050,961 option. That leeway doesn’t exist for teammates James Anderson and Seth Curry, who have to decide on their player options by today and Saturday, respectively. Caron Butler can wait until June 22nd.
The Kings have about $61.3MM in guaranteed salary for next season, not counting any of the player options. They’ll have enough flexibility under the projected $92MM cap to chase some max-level free agents, but they seem unlikely to land one, given their lack of appeal.
Timberwolves Interview Mark Jackson
WEDNESDAY, 9:42am: Jackson had his interview with the Wolves on Tuesday, Krawczynski notes amid a story on Sacramento’s coaching search.
TUESDAY, 9:44am: The Timberwolves will interview Mark Jackson for their coaching job, a source tells Jon Krawczynski of The Associated Press (Twitter links). The team has reportedly made Tom Thibodeau and Jeff Van Gundy its top candidates, having interviewed both, and Minnesota is apparently thinking about hiring one or the other for a dual coach/executive role. It’s unclear if that’s the case with Jackson. Krawczynski doesn’t indicate that he’s up for the president of basketball operations position.
The Wolves also had interest in Jackson long ago, as he was one of the finalists when the team hired Kurt Rambis in 2009, as Krawczynski points out. Jackson, who frequently draws mention as a potential candidate for openings, has drawn interest from the Kings and was in the mix this spring for the Nets job that’s since gone to Kenny Atkinson. He’s been Van Gundy’s broadcast partner on ABC and ESPN since the Warriors fired him following a 51-win campaign two years ago. Jackson’s dismissal came in large measure because his personality clashed with key members of the organization, and it was in spite of the widespread support he had from players. Jackson was 121-109 in three seasons with the Warriors, helping turn around a long-dormant franchise that’s since gone on to record-breaking success under coach Steve Kerr.
Dave Joerger and Scott Brooks are also reportedly candidates for the Timberwolves coaching gig, and owner Glen Taylor apparently discussed the job with Brooks last week. Taylor, 74, has been trying to find a buyer who will eventually succeed him as primary owner, and the subject of just how long he plans to remain has come up during the coaching interviews, according to Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities (Twitter link).
The Wolves have partnered with the search firm Korn Ferry, which helped the Pistons land Stan Van Gundy. Adrian Wojnarowski and Chris Mannix of The Vertical reported that Taylor is expected to be willing to pay the right candidate $7MM a year, but it appears that salary would be only for someone the team would hire to both coach and run the front office.
Do you think Jackson would fit with the Timberwolves? Leave a comment to share your thoughts.
Brandon Bass To Opt Out From Lakers
Brandon Bass will turn down his $3.135MM player option for next season and become a free agent this summer, a league source tells Chris Haynes of the Northeast Ohio Media Group and the Cleveland Plain Dealer (Twitter link). A formal decision isn’t due until June 21st, but it appears the Lakers power forward intends to hit the open market.
The 11th-year veteran experienced statistical declines as he assumed a bench role in L.A. this season after having spent four years primarily as a starter for the Celtics. His 7.2 points, 4.3 rebounds and 20.3 minutes per game were his fewest in each category since the 2009/10 season. Still, he spoke fondly in March of his role as a veteran mentor and won praise from coach Byron Scott, whose chances of remaining with the team appear to be improving.
Celtics coach Brad Stevens said in December that he remains high on Bass, who said shortly before then that he’d planned to play out the rest of his career with Boston until the C’s signed Amir Johnson instead last summer. The Tony Dutt client turned to the Lakers, signing a two-year, $6.135MM contract in July. The Lakers reportedly made Bass available for trades over the winter, but offers were unappealing.
Johnson’s contract for next season is non-guaranteed and Jared Sullinger is a restricted free agent, so the Celtics stand to enter next season thinner at the power forward position. Bass could serve as a mentor for Jordan Mickey, last year’s 33rd pick, but it remains to be seen if Boston will pursue a reunion with Bass.
The Lakers liked Bass’ contract, and with 2014 No. 7 pick Julius Randle still in need of development, it’s conceivable L.A. will give Bass a decent offer to re-sign. Still, he turns 31 later this month, so he probably wants either a short-term deal with a team that would offer more playing time and a chance to up his value or a long-term contract that would secure his future as he ages.
Where do you think Brandon Bass ends up playing next season? Leave a comment to share your thoughts.
Wisconsin PF Nigel Hayes To Test Draft Waters
Wisconsin power forward Nigel Hayes will enter this year’s draft, but he won’t immediately sign with an agent, allowing him the chance to return to college ball if he wants, sources tell Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical (Twitter link). The 6’8″ 21-year-old is the 49th-best prospect in Jonathan Givony’s DraftExpress rankings, but Chad Ford of ESPN.com places him well outside draft range at No. 93. Givony believes he has a decent chance to become a first-round pick if he waits on the draft for a year, listing him 30th in his 2017 mock draft. Hayes will retain his college eligibility for next season if he withdraws from the draft by May 25th and doesn’t hire an agent.
He experienced a troubling decline in 3-point shooting percentage from last season to this year, going from 36.9% on 2.5 attempts per game to 29.3% on 3.8 tries. He also rebounded less despite more minutes, collecting 5.8 per contest compared to 6.2 last year, but his scoring average rose from 12.4 to 15.7 as he assumed a more significant role in the Badgers offense.
Hayes wasn’t in the Recruiting Services Consensus Index top 100 coming out of high school, but he played a prominent role as a reserve his freshman year on a team that went to the Final Four. He was a starter the past two seasons, including the 2014/15 run to the national title game. His college postseason career ended poorly this year as he followed up a 30-point regular season finale against Purdue by going just 11 for 54 from the field in the Big Ten and NCAA tournaments.
Kings To Interview Sam Mitchell, Vinny Del Negro
8:05pm: The Kings’ first three interviews for their vacant coaching position will be with Jackson, Del Negro and former Wolves interim coach Sam Mitchell, Marc Stein of ESPN.com reports (via Twitter).
TUESDAY, 2:50pm: The Kings are scheduled to interview Vinny Del Negro next week, The Vertical’s Adrian Wojnarowski reports, confirming a tweet from Jason Jones of The Sacramento Bee that indicated as much. They’d like to interview Kevin McHale, but he hasn’t decided whether he’ll meet with the team, league sources told Wojnarowski, who earlier reported the team plans to interview Mike Woodson. The team is expected to meet with a handful of candidates for initial interviews before moving on to the next stage of its search, Wojnarowski hears.
Del Negro’s name emerged among several in the mix for the Kings job when Wojnarowski reported his candidacy last week. Sacramento reportedly contacted Del Negro for its vacancy in December 2014, shortly after firing Michael Malone, but since then, the Kings have had two head coaches, and Vlade Divac succeeded Pete D’Alessandro as the front office chief.
Sacramento has reached out to Tom Thibodeau, Scott Brooks, Ettore Messina, Luke Walton and David Blatt in addition to Del Negro and Woodson, according to Ailene Voisin of The Sacramento Bee (Twitter link), though Thibodeau and Brooks appear to be long shots, at best. Jeff Hornacek, Mark Jackson, Patrick Ewing, Nate McMillan and Celtics assistant Jay Larranaga are others in whom the team reportedly has interest as it seeks a replacement for the fired George Karl.
Experience appears to be a key for Divac as he looks at candidates, and Del Negro fits that bill. The 49-year-old is 210-184 in five seasons as an NBA head coach, split between the Bulls and the Clippers.
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Suns Formally Name Earl Watson Head Coach
The Suns have removed the interim tag from Earl Watson‘s title and formally named him head coach, the team announced. Jude LaCava of KSAZ-TV in Phoenix first reported the news, citing team sources, and Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated confirmed it (Twitter links). Watson and the Suns have a deal on a three-year contract, according to John Gambadoro of KMVP-FM in Phoenix (on Twitter), and all three years are guaranteed, as Chris Haynes of the Northeast Ohio Media Group and the Cleveland Plain Dealer hears (Twitter link).
“Earl did a very good job with our team last season after taking over as interim head coach during a challenging time for the organization,” Suns GM Ryan McDonough said. “Earl’s natural leadership qualities and his ability to connect with and motivate our players have stood out throughout his time here in Phoenix. We are excited to see what he can do with a healthy roster after having a full offseason to prepare.”
The news is no shock, as people in the Suns organization and around the league considered him the front-runner for the job as the team prepared to begin its search in earnest last week, according to Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic. Gambadoro reported Monday that the Suns had interviewed Watson but no one else.
The Suns were reportedly poised to pursue Mike D’Antoni even before they fired Jeff Hornacek, but a reunion with D’Antoni, who won Coach of the Year honors with the Suns in 2005, never materialized. The team eyed Steve Nash, but the former MVP wasn’t interested. Conflicting reports emerged about Phoenix’s interest in Villanova coach Jay Wright, while the team was apparently fond of Dan Majerle and Luke Walton.
The 36-year-old Watson was an active NBA player just two years ago for the 2013/14 Trail Blazers, and he connected with the players in Phoenix, garnering unanimous support. His ability to command respect in the locker room and develop the team’s young talent convinced the Suns to keep him in the head coaching position, The Vertical’s Adrian Wojnarowski writes. McDonough said to Wojnarowski that the Suns came to view him as “the perfect guy for the job.”
“One of the things that stood out was this: Every single player on the roster came to us at the end of the season and said that this is the guy we want as head coach,” McDonough told Wojnarowski. “They said that you’d be making a mistake if you hire a different head coach. That’s not something we expected to hear from [our players] back when we promoted him to interim coach in February, but Earl has shown an ability to connect and motivate our players as well as discipline and hold them accountable.”
Watson has a reputation for having a strong influence on free agents, and that helped build his case for the job, along with his work to rehabilitate the trade value of Markieff Morris, Phoenix’s defensive improvements down the stretch and perhaps his ties to the Klutch Sports Group, the agency that also represents Eric Bledsoe, according to Coro. Soon-to-be free agent power forward Mirza Teletovic cited Watson as he spoke about why he wants to re-sign with the team. The Suns only went 9-24 under Watson, though Bledsoe was already out for the season by the time of the coaching change, and Brandon Knight missed most of the games that Watson coached.
Was Earl Watson the right choice for the Suns? Leave a comment to share your thoughts.
Kings To Interview Mike Woodson
The Kings plan to interview Clippers assistant Mike Woodson for their head coaching job, sources told Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical. The Clippers have granted permission for the interview to take place, Wojnarowski hears.
Sacramento reportedly has interest in several candidates, and the team is seeking an experienced replacement for the fired George Karl, as GM Vlade Divac indicated. The sense within the organization is that the team is willing to test the market for DeMarcus Cousins, as Ailene Voisin of The Sacramento Bee wrote, but regardless of whether Cousins is around, whomever the Kings hire will face a daunting task. The franchise hasn’t made the playoffs since 2006.
Woodson ended an eight-year playoff drought for the Hawks in 2008, his win total improving in each of his six seasons as coach of Atlanta. He later coached the Knicks, guiding them to 54 wins in 2012/13, the team’s last playoff season. Still, the 58-year-old is just 315-365 in the regular season and 18-28 in the playoffs as an NBA head coach. The Magic interviewed Woodson last year before hiring Scott Skiles, and while another report suggested Woodson also interviewed with the Nuggets for the job that ultimately went to Michael Malone, that’s not entirely clear.
David Blatt, Vinny Del Negro, Jeff Hornacek, Celtics assistant Jay Larranaga, Kevin McHale, Mark Jackson, Patrick Ewing and Nate McMillan are others in whom the Kings reportedly have interest. They’re also apparently fond of Tom Thibodeau and Scott Brooks but understand they’re not likely to end up in Sacramento.