Western Notes: Durant, Matthews, Hamilton
Executives from around the league seem to think that Kevin Durant will end up re-signing with the Thunder next year, but the Wizards, Mavericks, Lakers, Heat, Knicks and Nets are expected to be among his most dogged suitors, writes Jorge Castillo of The Washington Post. Damion James, a Wizards summer-leaguer whom Castillo describes as Durant’s best friend, says it’ll come down to wins and losses.
“He’ll do whatever it takes to win. Whoever gives him the best chance to win is where he’s going to end up,” James said.
The Thunder certainly seem to have kept themselves in the discussion on that front, having just paid the max to avoid losing Enes Kanter. Here’s more from around the Western Conference:
- No contract handed out this summer has seemed to draw as many surprised reactions for its munificence as the one Wesley Matthews ended up with from the Mavericks, observes Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald. The shooting guard was going to make $57MM over four years with the Mavs before they bumped his deal up to the maximum of $70,060,025, notes Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com. “A healthy Wesley Matthews at $70MM is insane,” one GM told Bulpett. “But Wesley Matthews coming off Achilles’ surgery at $70MM? What’s a stronger way to say insane?”
- Justin Hamilton is close to a deal with Valencia of Spain, according to Paco Garcia Caridad of the Spanish outlet Marca (Twitter link; translation via Trapani). Hamilton, who went to the Finals with the Heat in 2013/14, finished this past season as a member of the Timberwolves.
- Miroslav Raduljica has agreed to sign with Panathinaikos of Greece, reports Sportando’s Enea Trapani. The Kings reportedly had interest in the big man who was briefly with the Wolves this past season. The team was reportedly close to a deal with Nikola Milutinov, whom the Spurs drafted 26th overall, but now the status of negotiations with Milutinov is unclear. Regardless, the Spurs have already filed paperwork with the league saying they won’t sign Milutinov this year, thus clearing his cap hold.
Pelicans Close To Signing Seth Curry
Seth Curry is near a deal on a guaranteed contract with the Pelicans, reports Gery Woelfel of The Journal Times (Twitter link). The two-year NBA veteran is the younger brother of MVP Stephen Curry. Seth Curry, who turns 25 in August, joined the Pelicans’ summer league team this month.
The Suns signed him to a 10-day contract this past spring, just as the Cavs did in 2014. The point guard was briefly with the Grizzlies earlier in 2013/14, but he’s seen action in just four NBA regular season games, totaling three points in 21 minutes. The former Duke standout who went undrafted in 2013 has played chiefly in the D-League, spending last season with the affiliate of the Magic, who had him on the NBA roster for preseason in the fall of 2014.
It’s not entirely clear whether the contract with New Orleans would include a full guarantee or a partial guarantee. A full guarantee would represent quite a significant investment, even if it came on the minimum salary, but Curry has ties to the organization, with Alvin Gentry, who coached his brother as an assistant with Golden State this past season, now the Pelicans head coach. Curry has put on a strong display for the New Orleans summer league squad, averaging 25.3 points and 3.5 steals in 32.4 minutes per game across four contests.
New Contracts With Player Options For 2016/17
Next year’s free agent class won’t be nearly as star studded as it could have been, as Bleacher Report’s Ethan Skolnick examines. The preponderance of long-term deals ran counter to the logic that players would flock instead to one-year contracts to take advantage of the surging salary cap next summer, projected to come in at $89MM, a giant leap from this year’s $70MM. A few notable exceptions are apparent among the free agents signing one-year contracts this month, but in large measure, players chose to lock in money for the long-term rather than bet on the 2016 market.
Other free agents made a modified play for the short term. Those who negotiated player options for 2016/17 in their contracts have two seasons of salary coming their way if they want, but, if their performance doesn’t decline and they stay healthy, they’ll be in position to opt out and receive a chunk of the vast sums that teams will have to give. The first name on this list will almost certainly take advantage of that, as LeBron James is in line for a projected max salary of $29.3MM in 2016/17. The names of all the free agents who signed contracts this month that include player options for 2016/17 are below, with the values of their respective player options, rounded to the nearest $1K, in parentheses.
- LeBron James, Cavaliers ($24.004MM)
- Arron Afflalo, Knicks ($8MM)
- Deron Williams, Mavericks ($5.6MM)
- Tim Duncan, Spurs ($5MM, estimated)
- Derrick Williams, Knicks ($4.598MM)
- Austin Rivers, Clippers ($3.344MM)
- Brandon Bass, Lakers ($3.135MM)
- Manu Ginobili, Spurs ($2.941MM)
- Jeremy Lin, Hornets ($2.235MM)
- Mo Williams, Cavaliers ($2.195MM)
- Wayne Ellington, Nets ($1.568MM)
- Andrea Bargnani, Nets ($1.551MM)
- Caron Butler, Kings ($1.551MM, estimated)
- Shane Larkin, Nets ($1.5MM)
- Alonzo Gee, Pelicans ($1.375MM, estimated)
- Cole Aldrich, Clippers ($1.227MM)
- Wesley Johnson, Clippers ($1.227MM)
- Thomas Robinson, Nets ($1.051MM)
The Basketball Insiders salary pages were used in the creation of this post.
Spurs Sign David West
JULY 17TH, 12:34pm: The signing is official, the team announced via press release.
10:08pm: It’s a one-year deal, as Jon Krawczynski of The Associated Press hears (Twitter link).
JULY 6TH, 3:27pm: The Spurs scored another free agent coup, agreeing to terms with David West, reports TNT’s David Aldridge (Twitter link). It’ll be for just the minimum salary, Aldridge adds (on Twitter). That’s a remarkable financial sacrifice for the sought-after veteran who turned down a $12.6MM player option with the Pacers last month.
The Cavaliers appeared to have the edge over San Antonio as of this weekend, but the Spurs beat Cleveland and a wider field of suitors that reportedly included the Wizards, Heat and Warriors. The Lance Young client denied a report that came out on draft night that he was likely to sign with the Knicks, making it clear that he instead wanted a team much closer to title contention.
West didn’t seem to have much interest in re-signing with the Pacers, having been turned off by the team’s open criticism of Roy Hibbert, and West believed that Indiana wasn’t close enough to title contention for his liking. The Pacers went to back-to-back Eastern Conference Finals in 2013 and 2014, but fell out of the playoffs this past season thanks chiefly to Paul George‘s injury and Lance Stephenson‘s departure.
San Antonio should give West no such reservations about his chances at a title. The agreement with West is just the latest coup for the Spurs, who’ve already agreed to sign LaMarcus Aldridge and to re-sign Kawhi Leonard and Danny Green. Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili have also said they’re playing again this season instead of retiring.
Northwest Notes: Malone, Lillard, Harkless
Nuggets coach Michael Malone didn’t have too much to say about Ty Lawson, other than that he’s been in contact and that he still considers the point guard “part of the Denver Nugget family,” but Malone, in his conversation with Grantland’s Zach Lowe, provided a glimpse into Denver’s draft night war room.
“It’s very rare when you’re picking No. 7 to get the guy you target. I kid you not, when I got the job, [GM] Tim Connelly said, ‘Emmanuel Mudiay. That’s the guy,'” Malone said.
The team’s other target was Duke small forward Justise Winslow, Malone admitted to Lowe with hesitation. Winslow slipped to the Heat at No. 10. The coach also spoke with Lowe about his time hanging around the Timberwolves last season, and Malone “absolutely” had interest in becoming the head-coach-in-waiting under Flip Saunders in Minnesota, tweets Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities. He would have considered such an opportunity over the Nuggets gig, Wolfson adds. Here’s more from around the Northwest Division:
- Damian Lillard is a fan of Portland’s trade acquisition of Maurice Harkless, GM Neil Olshey says, and it’s with Lillard in mind that the Blazers are going after players like the former Magic small forward, as The Oregonian’s Mike Richman chronicles. Lillard signed a five-year max extension this month. “When LaMarcus [Aldridge] warned us he wasn’t coming back we went full bore with guys on the same career arc as Damian Lillard,” Olshey said. “Damian’s our best player right now, he’s a two time All-Star. We’re going to bring in players that compliment his skill set, how we want to play and that can grow with him as he continues to improve.”
- The Nuggets were reportedly one of three teams interested in signing Sergio Rodriguez, but it doesn’t look like he’ll leave Spain for the NBA again, as Real Madrid wants him to stay, reports David Pick of Eurobasket.com (Twitter links). The contract reportedly contains an NBA buyout clause, but Real Madrid will fight to keep him, Pick says.
- The precise value of Jameer Nelson‘s three-year contract with the Nuggets is $13,621,575, reports Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders (Twitter link).
- The cap hits in the four-year deal the Nuggets gave Nikola Jokic come to $5,551,000, and year four is a team option, Pincus also shows (Twitter link).
Kings Rumors: Rondo, Cousins, Mbah a Moute
Rajon Rondo had wanted to play with DeMarcus Cousins for a while, writes Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders, who hears from the point guard about just how enticing the chance to play with his fellow former Kentucky Wildcat is.
“What made me comfortable is them having the best big man in the game,” Rondo said of Cousins. “It was a pretty easy decision. I think he’s definitely an MVP candidate and I look forward to playing with him and helping him grow as a player.”
Of course, plenty of rumors suggest Cousins isn’t long for Sacramento, but Rondo told Kennedy that he thinks much of the reported acrimony between Cousins and coach George Karl has been overblown. Rondo had plenty of kind words for the Mavericks despite his turmoil in Dallas, but he makes it clear he’s excited about Sacramento. There’s more on Rondo amid the latest from the California capital:
- Rondo’s one-year contract with the Kings is worth $9.5MM, according to Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders (Twitter link).
- Michael Malone said he felt “awful” for Tyrone Corbin, who guided a struggling Kings team after Sacramento fired Malone as coach in December last year, but the new Nuggets coach also told Grantland’s Zach Lowe that the Kings’ losing ways under Corbin “validated the job that my staff and I did.”
- Malone also dished to Lowe on his relationship with Cousins. “That relationship was constant work. Constant. But we came to a deep respect,” Malone said in part.
- The Kings had signed Luc Mbah a Moute for $1.55MM, an above-minimum salary, before voiding his contract Thursday because he failed his physical, Pincus tweets.
- Kings coach George Karl said he and management wanted to re-sign Derrick Williams but simply couldn’t afford him, as the coach tells Marc Berman of the New York Post. A source close to Karl who spoke to Berman nonetheless impugned Williams’ basketball IQ and said Karl tore into the forward on one occasion for his lack of rebounding. Williams left for a two-year, $8.8MM deal with the Knicks. “It was more of fitting the finances and making the finances work,’’ Karl said. “There are other pieces we wanted and we couldn’t have enough money for him.’’
Latest On Talks Between Celtics, Jordan Mickey
The Celtics and No. 33 pick Jordan Mickey reached an impasse early Thursday, but by afternoon, their talks seemed back on track, reports Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald, who indicates that Mickey will be on Boston’s roster for this coming season one way or another. The Celtics offered a four-year deal with two guaranteed seasons, but Mickey sought a shorter deal, Bulpett hears. The Matt Babcock client was prepared to sign the required tender, a one-year, non-guaranteed contract at the minimum salary, when Boston wouldn’t make concessions, as Bulpett details. However, Mickey’s camp was again talking about a long-term arrangement with the Celtics by Thursday afternoon, according to Bulpett.
The C’s first offer represented the most lucrative given to a second-round pick, Bulpett writes. It’s unclear if that would have been the richest for a second-round pick this year or in any year, though because the minimum salary goes up each season, it’s not difficult to envision second-rounders receiving deals of ever-increasing size. Players picked in the first half of the second round, like Mickey, commonly receive a few hundred thousand more than the minimum in year one. An exception was K.J. McDaniels, last year’s No. 32 pick, who chose the required tender rather than a four-year deal with the Sixers, a move that appeared to pay off.
Mickey and the Celtics began negotiations just this week with apparent confidence that a deal would get done. The big man from LSU told Zach Links of Hoops Rumors before the draft that he was drawing strong first-round interest. He’s put up 11.2 points and 7.8 rebounds in 26.9 minutes per game across six summer league appearances.
Rockets, Pistons, Lakers Interested In Ty Lawson
The Rockets, Pistons and Lakers are among the teams that have expressed interest in Ty Lawson lately, league sources told Chris Mannix of SI.com, who suggests that their interest persists in spite of Lawson’s arrest on suspicion of DUI this week. The possibility that the Nuggets trade Lawson this offseason remains strong, Mannix adds. The point guard’s talent continues to hold intrigue to teams around the league, as Mannix explains.
The news is nonetheless surprising, and conflicts with a report from earlier this week indicating that teams were showing little interest, at best, in Lawson even before the arrest, which was his second DUI-related arrest in six months. Denver was asking for a first-round pick and a young player in talks, as Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports wrote in that dispatch, while Yahoo Sports colleague Adrian Wojnarowski heard that teams had been waiting, prior to the arrest, for the Nuggets to lower their price for Lawson.
A league source tells Mannix that Kings coach George Karl would welcome Lawson in Sacramento, echoing just what a person familiar with Karl’s thinking told Bleacher Report’s Howard Beck in February. Still, Lawson’s off-court issues were a significant reason why the Kings weren’t willing to give the Nuggets the No. 6 pick when they spoke with Denver about Lawson before the draft.
Lawson’s troubles extend beyond his legal woes. He was late reporting back to the Nuggets after the All-Star break, and GM Tim Connelly publicly implored him to “grow up.” The Nuggets used their first-rounder, at No. 7, on point guard Emmanuel Mudiay, a move that prompted an incredulous reaction from Lawson when he was watching on television.
The Nuggets are set to pay Lawson more than $12.404MM this season and more than $13.213MM in 2016/17, though Mannix suggests he’s more of a bargain than those figures may indicate, given the escalating salary cap. Still, he’d be an awkward fit in Detroit, where the Pistons just made a lucrative commitment to Reggie Jackson and traded this week for backup point guard Steve Blake. Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press surmises that if Detroit had interest, that’s probably no longer the case (Twitter link). The Lakers drafted point guard D’Angelo Russell No. 2 overall last month, so there’s little logic behind a Lawson pursuit on their account, either. The Rockets just re-signed Patrick Beverley, though his deal is worth just $23MM over four years.
Pelicans Notes: Cole, Asik, Ajinca, Cunningham
Pelicans GM Dell Demps said this week that the versatility of his roster from this past season factored into his decision to bring back much of the same cast, as John Reid of The Times Picayune chronicles. New Orleans has signed four of its seven free agents, and Reid hears the Pelicans remain interested in re-signing restricted free agent Norris Cole.
”We believe our team can play big, we can play small and we can play fast,” Demps said. ”We feel like we can play a number of different ways. The guys like each other, they like playing with each other and their skills complement each other.”
Demps said the limited number of games that involved the entire core of the team, which again was without Jrue Holiday for nearly half the season, was another reason why he wanted to keep the roster largely intact, Reid notes, and that echoes similar statements Demps made last year. Here’s more from New Orleans:
- The full value of Omer Asik‘s deal is $58MM, but only the first four years, at $44MM, are guaranteed, Reid writes. “In our division, you are playing a number of teams with very good post players,” Demps said. ”Omer gives us the opportunity to match up against certain teams. Omer is an elite rebounder and has been throughout his NBA career.”
- The precise value of the cap hits across the four seasons in Alexis Ajinca‘s new contract with the Pelicans comes to $19,500,002, though incentive clauses are liable to change that figure over the course of the pact, as Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders reports (Twitter link).
- Dante Cunningham will make exactly $8,934,750 on his new deal with the Pelicans, according to Pincus (Twitter link).
Spurs Re-Sign Kawhi Leonard For Five Years
JULY 16TH, 4:05pm: The deal is official, the Spurs announced in a press release.
JULY 1ST, 4:00pm: The deal includes a player option for the fifth year, Zach Lowe of Grantland reports (on Twitter).
JUNE 30TH, 11:13pm: The Spurs will re-sign Kawhi Leonard for five years and an estimated $90MM, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. The sides have agreed to a framework of a deal, as Wojnarowski details.
“I have every intention of signing with the San Antonio Spurs,” Leonard said in a statement, as Wojnarowski passes along. “There are details in the contract which need to be worked out with the organization. I am confident that this will be accomplished.”
The deal was agreed to just minutes after midnight on the East Coast, but the two sides still have to iron out some specifics over the next several days. The language in the statement (“every intention”) and the report (“agreed to the framework”) could be an inference to suggest that the Spurs will take their time in finalizing the pact. By waiting, the Spurs could avoid getting charged with max cap hit so that Leonard’s cap hold stays low, thereby preserving cap room for other free agents.
Leonard, 24, averaged 16.5 points, 7.2 rebounds and 2.5 assists last season. While Tim Duncan and Tony Parker were the anchors for many elite Spurs outfits, Leonard can be expected to be the cornerstone of future contending teams. Leonard’s resume includes the 2014 Finals MVP and this past season’s Defensive Player of the Year award.
Back in April, it was reported that Leonard was unlikely to pursue offer sheets, even though he had the ability to as a restricted free agent.