Atlantic Notes: Raptors, Sixers, Nets, Celtics
The Raptors received the highest offseason grade among Atlantic Division teams from Chris Mannix of SI.com, who gave them a B+ largely for their signing of DeMarre Carroll to a four-year, $58MM deal. Carroll’s pact is one that fills a significant need for Toronto, albeit at a premium, Mannix writes. Mannix gave the Sixers the division’s lowest grade, a C-, for once more failing to make any major additions outside the draft, though Philadelphia just handed out the largest free agent deal of the Sam Hinkie era, signing Kendall Marshall for $8MM over four years. See more from the Atlantic Division:
- The non-guaranteed deal that 11-year veteran Dahntay Jones signed with the Nets last week is a one-year arrangement for the minimum salary, reports Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders (Twitter link). It has limited injury protection, Pincus adds, which indicates that it’s an Exhibit 9 contract.
- The Nets are paying in spades now for ill-fated spending in years past, and the cap flexibility the team is poised to have next summer is unlikely to lead to a star signing, given the unappealing supporting cast that Brooklyn could offer Kevin Durant or another top free agent, opines Shaun Powell of NBA.com. The four-year, $50MM deal that the Nets gave Thaddeus Young and the trade that sent Mason Plumlee to the Trail Blazers weren’t wise moves, Powell also argues.
- The Celtics own Brooklyn’s 2016 first-round pick without protection, so they stand to benefit from the Nets’ misfortune, but Boston’s path to a finding a star still remains unclear, as Tim Bontemps of the New York Post believes (Facebook link).
- Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe updated us on all things Celtics earlier today in our latest installment of The Beat.
Broken Deals Not Uncommon This Offseason
The vast majority of verbal agreements between players and NBA teams turn into signed contracts, but, as we learned with DeAndre Jordan and the Mavericks this summer, that’s not always the case. Even when a player does sign a contract, he often still must pass a physical, and sometimes red flags show up on the exam, prompting the team to void the signing, as happened with the Kings and Luc Mbah a Moute later in July. A physical also led to the dissolution of the Heat’s deal with Briante Weber, as Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel reported Friday, though it’s unclear if Weber ever put pen to paper.
In any case, this offseason has provided no shortage of reasons why it’s never certain that a player will suit up for a team until he actually does. We’ll look back case by case:
- DeAndre Jordan to the Mavericks — The much publicized change of heart for the league’s leading rebounder took place during the July Moratorium, when the Mavs were powerless to sign him and keep him from rejoining the Clippers instead. The move clearly disappointed Mavs owner Mark Cuban, but he doesn’t blame the moratorium for his team’s misfortune, as Tim MacMahon and Kevin Arnovitz of ESPN.com noted at the time.
- Richard Jefferson to the Mavericks — Dallas reportedly gave its other signees the opportunity to back out once Jordan did, and Jefferson took the team up on its offer, signing with the Cavs instead. Unlike Jordan, Jefferson received Cuban’s blessing before proceeding with his about-face.
- Chuck Hayes to the Rockets — In this case, it was the team, not the player, that broke off the deal, given that agent Calvin Andrews said he and Hayes were “extremely upset and disapponted” when it fell apart. The Rockets face a hard cap if they sign No. 32 pick Montrezl Harrell to a market value deal, as I explained in detail, so I’d speculate that a desire for more breathing room against that would-be cap was behind the team’s decision to back out of the partially guaranteed arrangement. Hayes instead signed to join Jordan with the Clippers.
- Christian Wood to the Rockets — Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports reported in late June, shortly after Wood went undrafted, that the power forward would join the Rockets on a partially guaranteed deal, but plans appeared to change after the offseason began in earnest in July. Reports threw Wood’s status with the Rockets into question when the team reached deals with four others for camp, and his signing with the Sixers made it clear he won’t be in Houston. Just what went awry is unclear, but I would speculate the Rockets called it off for the same cap-related reasons I believe were at play with Hayes.
- Luc Mbah a Moute to the Kings — Sacramento went so far as to sign the veteran combo forward, but front office chief Vlade Divac said later that a shoulder issue emerged in Mbah a Moute’s physical, prompting the team to void the contract, which had been worth $1.55MM for one season. Mbah a Moute’s agents and players union officials reportedly dispute Sacramento’s medical claims, and the union was apparently to have filed a grievance.
- Briante Weber to the Heat — In contrast to the situation involving Mbah a Moute, Weber’s camp doesn’t appear upset about the undrafted combo guard’s inability to pass a physical. Instead, agent Bill Neff expressed interest in having Weber join the Heat’s D-League team at some point. Concern over Weber’s readiness comes as no surprise, since he tore the ACL, MCL and meniscus in his right knee this past January.
Pelicans, Chris Douglas-Roberts Agree To Deal
3:16pm: The contract will be non-guaranteed, reports John Reid of The Times Picayune.
1:54pm: The Pelicans and Chris Douglas-Roberts have reached agreement on a two-year deal worth the minimum salary, league sources tell Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link). Marc Stein of ESPN.com reported last week that the Pelicans had a keen interest in the free agent small forward.
Douglas-Roberts, 28, sat out the end of last season after the Celtics waived him in January. The Clippers had traded him to Boston shortly before that. The Anthony Jones client had seen little playing time in L.A., which signed him to a guaranteed one-year minimum-salary deal before the 2014/15, when he was coming off a strong performance for Charlotte.
New Orleans has deals with 16 players, including 13 that are fully guaranteed. One-year veteran Sean Kilpatrick and undrafted rookie Bryce Dejean-Jones have partially guaranteed deals, while New Zealand prospect Corey Webster will also reportedly be with the team in camp. All three are wing players, like Douglas-Roberts.
How large a role do you think Douglas-Roberts will play for the Pelicans this season? Leave a comment to let us know.
Pacers Owner In Legal Fight With Family Over Team
Pacers owner Herb Simon is pursuing legal means to keep the estate of his late brother and his brother’s widow from claiming part ownership of the team, reports Mark Alesia of the Indianapolis Star. Simon and his brother, Melvin, who died in 2009, were once co-owners of the team. Herb Simon has asked a court to declare that neither Melvin’s estate nor Bren Simon, his widow, has any financial state in the team, Alesia writes.
Herb Simon states in court documents that he has been trying to resolve a dispute between Bren Simon and Melvin Simon’s children since Melvin’s death, as Alesia details. Bren Simon is also involved in a suit in which she’s seeking to recover more than $21MM in taxes she paid to the IRS in protest, according to Alesia. The IRS contends that money that Melvin Simon received in a reorganization of Pacers ownership shortly before his death was a gift, Alesia writes. The brothers had agreed at that point that Melvin Simon would not have to fund the team’s losses and was “released from personal guarantees,” as Alesia recounts.
The Pacers are worth $830MM, according to annual valuations that Forbes magazine released in January. Forbes pegged the franchise value at just $281MM in December 2009, a few months after Melvin Simon’s death.
Family fights for control of NBA franchises are nothing new. Pelicans owner Tom Benson retains control of the team after part of his family reportedly ordered him to undergo psychological competency testing. A judge ruled the other way in the battle for the Clippers, upholding Shelly Sterling’s right to sell the team to Steve Ballmer.
Latest On Draft, D-League Expansion
A few NBA GMs believe that it’s possible that the NBA draft will expand by a round or two once the D-League has 30 teams, as TNT’s David Aldridge writes within his Morning Tip column for NBA.com. Such a move would require union approval and wouldn’t take place until every NBA team has a D-League affiliate, Aldridge cautions. Still, D-League president Malcolm Turner told Aldridge that expansion to 30 teams is the top priority for his circuit. The Nets and Hornets have a goal of starting up one-to-one D-League affiliates in time for the 2016/17 season, and almost all of the 11 teams currently without a D-League affiliate have expressed interest in following suit within the next few years, Aldridge reports.
“With those independent teams, we’re in varying stages of expansion discussions,” Turner said to Aldridge. “No question, it’s a process. Several months ago we added Toronto and they’ll start next season, and with the Indy purchase of Fort Wayne we’ll have all our teams affiliated. For 2016/17 we’re focused on adding two and perhaps three teams. Beyond that, while we haven’t written anything in stone, expansion and 30 for 30 is definitely in the discussions for us.”
One GM suggested to Aldridge that players drafted after round two could have “two-way” contracts that call for them to make NBA salaries if they’re on NBA rosters and D-League salaries if they’re in the D-League. Another GM with whom Aldridge spoke brought up an idea of expanding the draft to five rounds for one year so that teams could stock their D-League clubs with draftees.
Still, Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders heard recently that the D-League, currently at 19 teams, would likely grow by only one or two teams per year (Twitter link). Miniscule D-League salaries are often unappealing to players, many of whom can command more money overseas, but sources who spoke with Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders expect that D-League money will improve as the league continues to grow.
A GM of an NBA team without a D-League affiliate told Aldridge that his team has an unofficial arrangement with an NBA team that has a one-to-one affiliate to take on the players it assigns this season. The system in place for assigning players from the 11 unaffiliated teams seemingly allows for that. I’d speculate that the teams involved in the unofficial arrangement are the Hawks and the Spurs, who hooked up twice on D-League assignments last year, though that’s just my speculation.
Do you think the draft should go more than two rounds? Leave a comment to tell us.
Eastern Notes: Jennings, Brown, Nets
Brandon Jennings isn’t expected back from his torn left Achilles tendon until mid- to late December, writes Kevin Bull of the Detroit Free Press. That’s in contrast to a July report indicating that Jennings thought he would be ready for the start of training camp but more in line with recent comments from Jennings in which he expressed uncertainty about camp and said that he wouldn’t be back at his usual level of performance until December at the earliest. In any case, Pistons coach/executive Stan Van Gundy said last week on WMGC-FM that he’s optimistic that Jennings and Reggie Jackson can play with each other if Jennings regains his form, as Bull relays.
“If he comes back and he’s the Brandon Jennings that we had last year, I think those guys can play together quite well,” Van Gundy said. “Reggie is big enough (6’3″) to guard guys off the ball and everything else. It just gives you two playmakers on the floor together. I think they can be pretty dynamic, but we’ll just have to see where Brandon is when he comes back.”
See more on the Pistons amid the latest from the Eastern Conference:
- Van Gundy signaled a willingness to keep the core of the Pistons intact for the long-term, telling WMGC-FM that the roster “has a chance now, if we lock people up long-term, to grow together,” Bull notes.
- Brett Brown has no regrets about taking the Sixers job even though he admits the losing has been painful, and he doesn’t seem at all interested in pushing for an extension and disrupting the ethic of patience that pervades the organization, observes Ian Thomsen of NBA.com. “I signed a four-year contract [in 2013] and my intention is to see that through,” Brown said to Thomsen. “I love the city of Philadelphia. I enjoy and trust the people that I work with and for, and the opportunity that I have. I am grateful for the partnership. To be honest with you, I don’t feel comfortable talking about a contract. I just want to do my job.”
- The Nets are close to a local TV rights deal with the YES Network that is expected to at least double the annual fee the team collects, as John Ourand and John Lombardo of SportsBusiness Journal report (hat tip to NetsDaily). The would-be deal is poised to give the Nets an average of around $40MM a year starting in 2017/18, Ourand and Lombardo hear. Brooklyn has been receiving less on its local TV deal than any other New York or Los Angeles team, and it amounted to not much more than the Timberwolves get from theirs, a league source told NetsDaily, which notes that the arrangement is yet another part of the efforts the Nets have undertaken to become profitable.
The Beat: Adam Himmelsbach On The Celtics
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 Chris Haynes of the Northeast Ohio Media Group and the Cleveland Plain Dealer about the Cavs. Click here to see all of the previous editions of this series.
Today, we gain insight on the Celtics from Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe. You can follow Adam on Twitter at @AdamHimmelsbach, and click here to check out his stories on BostonGlobe.com.
Hoops Rumors: Where does the David Lee trade fit in with Danny Ainge‘s larger strategy of roster building? For as much as the rebuilding process has been about draft picks and young players, why bring in a 32-year-old whose production doesn’t match his outsized salary?
Adam Himmelsbach: Well you have to remember, to acquire Lee and his $15.494MM expiring contract, the Celtics unloaded Gerald Wallace and his also significant $10.106MM expiring deal, and Wallace had essentially been reduced to little more than an extra assistant coach.
The Celtics are hopeful that Lee can flash the form he showed as a two-time All-Star. He is a reliable passer, a post-up threat and a good rebounder. But there is no long-term commitment by the Celtics here, either. They could let his deal expire at season’s end or even use it as a trade chip depending on how the season unfolds.
Hoops Rumors: On top of the Lee trade, the addition of Amir Johnson and retention of Jonas Jerebko seem to signal that the Celtics are serious about supplementing their young players with veterans and making the playoffs this year. What are the team’s expectations for this season?
Adam Himmelsbach: After the Celtics traded Rajon Rondo and Jeff Green and stumbled to a 13-26 start last year, there was a perception that they were in full rebuild mode. But both trades seemed to help team chemistry and Boston was energized by the February arrival of Isaiah Thomas. And thanks to a dismal Eastern Conference, the Celtics were able to secure the No. 7 seed despite a 40-42 record. And, it’s worth noting, the final two wins came against a Cavaliers team that was mostly resting its regulars.
But the playoffs happened, and now the Celtics — and their fan base — will not want to see regression. Boston has absolutely improved its roster since last season, but not to the point where it is likely to leapfrog any of the six teams that finished ahead of it in the Eastern Conference last season. And the Heat appear primed to move past the Celtics, too. So the reality is that this team might have to scuffle for a playoff berth, just like last season.
Hoops Rumors: Why do you think there’s been talk of an extension for Tyler Zeller? Do you think the Celtics see him as a legitimate long-term option as a starting center?
Adam Himmelsbach: Right now it’s nothing more than talk. I spoke to Danny Ainge two weeks ago and he indicated that there would be discussions about extending Zeller and Jared Sullinger. That doesn’t mean either will happen. Having said that, the Celtics like Zeller. He averaged career highs across the board last year and actually had the highest win-share rate on the team. He is a consistent finisher and he is solid in the pick-and-roll, and 7-footers do not grow on trees. And with the salary cap set to balloon after this season when the league’s massive new TV deal kicks in, a deal around $10MM a year for Zeller would probably end up being a bargain. But for the Celtics, the price will have to be right.
Hoops Rumors: What’s the most likely scenario for resolving the team’s roster logjam? With 16 fully guaranteed contracts and only 15 regular season roster spots to go around, do you see the Celtics unloading the extra contract via trade, or will they have to waive somebody and eat one of those salaries?
Adam Himmelsbach: With Ainge at the helm, you can rest assured that trades will be explored. The Celtics had salary cap space this summer for the first time in nearly 20 years, and that allowed them to get creative. They acquired a future second-round pick and forward Perry Jones III from the Thunder essentially just for helping OKC clean up its books. So Boston will give Jones a long look during training camp, but right now the 23-year-old forward is probably the most likely to be cut if a deal can’t be completed.
Hoops Rumors: Isaiah Thomas has said he wants to start, but Marcus Smart is in his way at point guard, and now Terry Rozier‘s there, too. Thomas has three more seasons left on his contract, including this one. Do you think he’ll still be on the Celtics by the time his contract is up?
Adam Himmelsbach: Thomas has an extremely team-friendly contract, as he’ll make less than $7MM per year over the next three seasons, with his salary actually decreasing a bit each year. While Thomas has been vocal about his desire to start, Celtics coach Brad Stevens has made it clear he prefers to have Thomas be a sparkplug off the bench. If the Celtics are mired in a losing skid this season, I wouldn’t be surprised to see Thomas get a chance as a starter. As for his long-term future in Boston, it’s impossible to say. The Celtics are not in a position to have “untouchable” players. But the guess here is that yes, he’s here all three years.
Hoops Rumors: What do you think the Celtics learned from the Rajon Rondo trade that could help them the next time they make a major deal?
Adam Himmelsbach: The Celtics will eventually hope to kind of flip the script a bit. With the Rondo, Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Green trades, they filled Ainge’s treasure chest with assets. It’s possible Boston could have three lottery picks next year. Moving forward, though, the Celtics will look to swap some of those assets for more proven talent, or even to move up in the draft. Of course, this June showed that’s not always easy, as they were rebuffed in their many attempts to trade up and acquire Duke’s Justise Winslow.
Rivers: Clippers Unlikely To Trade Jamal Crawford
Clippers coach/executive Doc Rivers said today that it’s unlikely the team will trade Jamal Crawford this season, the last one on the swingman’s contract. Rivers made his remarks to host Fred Roggin on The Beast 980 radio in Southern California (audio link), as Dan Woike of the Orange County Register passes along via Twitter. The Clippers were reportedly exploring trades involving the two-time Sixth Man of the Year shortly before the draft, with other reports this summer indicating that the Heat, Cavs and Knicks have held interest. Crawford has helped fuel the rumors on social media, tweeting in July that he wished he was a free agent, as I noted when I examined the 35-year-old’s trade candidacy.
“Jamal’s a Clipper, and I’d be very surprised if he’s not a Clipper at season’s end,” Rivers said in his radio appearance, one in which he also denied rumors that president of business operations Gillian Zucker was exerting authority over basketball decisions.
The Clippers, under Rivers’ guidance as president of basketball operations, upgraded their depth this summer, trading for Lance Stephenson, and signing Wesley Johnson, Paul Pierce and Pablo Prigioni. Another trade sent Matt Barnes away, but the team re-signed Austin Rivers, Doc’s son. All of it would appear to put a squeeze on Crawford’s playing time, particularly if the acquisition of Stephenson proves fruitful.
The team has nonetheless been unmotivated to trade Crawford in recent weeks, as Woike observed late last month. The comments from Rivers today appear to indicate his confidence that he won’t change his mind as the season develops, in spite of the roster logjam. Crawford already saw his minutes drop to 26.6 per game this past season, his fewest since the 2002/03 season. Still, a lack of depth was a weakness for the Clippers in the playoffs this spring, so perhaps the new acquisitions will simply fill in gaps elsewhere.
Crawford is due $5.675MM this season, a relative bargain based on his past production. That salary would make it difficult for the Clippers to find decent value in return, since, as taxpayers, they’re limited to taking in no more than 125% plus $100K of his salary without attaching other players to him in a trade.
Do you think Rivers will reconsider his stance and deal Crawford before the trade deadline in February? Comment to share your thoughts.
Southwest Notes: McGee, Motiejunas, Walker
Much will be expected of prominent offseason additions Wesley Matthews and Deron Williams, but the Mavericks will keep it simple with first-round pick Justin Anderson and free agent signee JaVale McGee, observes Earl K. Sneed of Mavs.com. Anderson, this year’s 21st overall pick, has the comfort of a four-year rookie scale contract on his side, but McGee has only a $250K partial guarantee protecting his place on the roster.
“Well, I definitely feel like we’re different players, the centers that we have, so it’s definitely going to be good competition,” McGee said. “But that’s what basketball is for, competition, so it’s definitely going to make us all better. It’s definitely a positive thing, being a leaper as I am and a shot blocker and a dunker, so that’s definitely what teams need. I’m just somebody who keeps it simple, who dunks the ball, blocks shots and is just a presence in the paint. … [coach Rick Carlisle] just wants me to keep it simple, and just play as hard as I can and be a presence in the paint.”
McGee was a popular choice among Hoops Rumors readers in a recent poll about the starting center job in Dallas, but while we wait to see if McGee makes the regular season roster, much less the starting lineup, here’s more from the Southwest Division:
- Donatas Motiejunas won’t say for sure if he’ll be healthy enough for the start of Rockets camp later this month, observes Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle (Twitter link). A back injury that required surgery ended his 2014/15 season prematurely this spring, and a November 2nd deadline looms for a rookie scale extension. I looked at his extension candidacy last month.
- Chris Walker‘s camp deal with the Rockets is simply a one-year, non-guaranteed arrangement for the minimum salary, according to Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders (Twitter link). Walker was once a heralded prospect before his stock fell during his time at the University of Florida.
- Pincus clarifies his earlier report on Sean Kilpatrick‘s camp deal with the Pelicans, revealing that Kilpatrick’s partial guarantee of $50K doesn’t kick in unless he sticks with the team through October 27th (Twitter link). Otherwise, it’s a non-guaranteed contract, Pincus says.
Sixers Make Unusual Expenditure On Marshall
Kendall Marshall has the pedigree of having been a former lottery pick, and he averaged 8.8 assists per game in 2013/14. No one will mistake him as a marquee free agent addition, but he just received the largest free agent contract that Sixers GM Sam Hinkie has handed out since taking over the team in 2013.
Most of Hinkie’s free agent additions have been for the minimum salary, and while a few exceptions have emerged, none have received nearly as much as Marshall did on his new four-year, $8MM deal. It’s the sixth-most lucrative deal that Hinkie has handed out. The five players above Marshall on that list were all signed as draft picks. That includes Furkan Aldemir, who signed at midseason last year after having been a draft-and-stash prospect.
Here’s a look at the most expensive signings the Sixers have made in the Hinkie era. Five of the six players shown here are still with the team, with Michael Carter-Williams the lone exception. Joel Embiid is No. 2 here, despite questions about whether he’ll ever play thanks to a persistent foot injury.
- Jahlil Okafor — four years, $20,680,472 (rookie scale)
- Joel Embiid — four years, $19,981,026 (rookie scale)
- Nerlens Noel — four years, $14,329,730 (rookie scale)
- Furkan Aldemir — four years, $11,420,610 (draft-and-stash signee)
- Michael Carter Williams — four years, $10,083,526 (rookie scale)
- Kendall Marshall — four years, $8MM (free agent signee)
The Basketball Insiders salary pages were used in the creation of this post.