Warriors Pick Up Option On Marreese Speights
The Warriors have picked up their $3.815MM team option on Marreese Speights, the team announced. The move is no surprise, as GM Bob Myers said last week that he was inclined to do just that.
The option nonetheless adds to an already profound salary crunch for the Warriors, giving the team about $82.6MM in guaranteed salary, a figure greater than the projected $81.6MM tax line. That’s without a new deal for Draymond Green, so it would seem that Golden State’s apparent efforts to trade David Lee and his salary worth nearly $15.494MM. Still, tax calculations are based on a team’s salary on the last day of the regular season, so the Warriors have some time to play with.
Luol Deng Opts In With Heat
1:30pm: The move is official, the Heat announced (on Twitter).
1:03pm: Deng has apparently changed course, as agent Herb Rudoy tells TNT’s David Aldridge that he’s opting in, not out (Twitter link).
11:08am: The Heat expect Luol Deng to turn down his player option worth nearly $10.152MM and hit free agency, reports Marc Stein of ESPN.com (Twitter links). The deadline for him to do so is today. Stein also hints that the Heat also expect Dwyane Wade to turn down his player option worth $16.125MM, as Wade has hinted he’ll do. Goran Dragic, who already turned down his $7.5MM player option, is “basically a lock” to stay with the Heat, Stein writes, but the same isn’t true of either Deng or Wade.
Heat president Pat Riley made it clear last week that he wants Deng back, even in the wake of Miami’s choice of fellow small forward Justise Winslow with the No. 10 pick. Deng, 30, expressed his love for the Heat organization back in April, citing its medical staff. Still, that was before Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald reported that Wade is open to leaving the Heat, throwing Miami’s offseason plans a curveball.
People around the league this spring expressed doubt to Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders that Deng could find a salary better than what his option would give him for this coming season. Still, the Interperformances client will probably be able to find a deal that would lock in a greater total of money, albeit over a longer period of time, though that’s just my speculation.
Miami only has about $43MM in guaranteed salaries for next season, but new deals for Dragic, Wade and Deng threaten to push the team beyond the projected $81.6MM tax line. The Heat would pay repeat-offender tax penalties if they’re above the tax line at the end of the 2015/16 regular season.
Andre Drummond Seeks Extension With Pistons
Andre Drummond wants to sign a rookie scale extension with the Pistons this summer, reports Vincent Ellis of the Detroit Free Press (on Twitter). Drummond is eligible to sign one between the end of the July Moratorium next week and October 31st, and if he doesn’t, he’ll be set for restricted free agency next year.
The news isn’t altogether surprising, though it indicates that the Jeff Schwartz client likes the direction the Pistons are headed and wants to firm up a commitment as soon as possible. There were persistent whispers about the center’s level of contentment in Detroit, as TNT’s David Aldridge wrote in January, but presumably Drummond has become more comfortable since then.
Pistons owner Tom Gores called Drummond a “max player” in April, likely setting the table for negotiations this summer. The max is expected to surge right along with the salary cap next year, so an estimated starting salary would be nearly $21MM, or about $25MM if Drummond unexpectedly wins MVP to trigger the Derrick Rose rule this coming season. The Pistons can give Drummond a deal for up to five years with 7.5% raises.
Detroit would be able to keep a smaller cap hold, worth only $8.18MM, on the books if it waited until restricted free agency to do a deal with Drummond, though he could sign his qualifying offer or take a short-term offer sheet from another team in that scenario.
Raptors To Have Own D-League Affiliate This Year
JUNE 29TH, 12:21pm: The deal is official for Toronto’s new Mississauga-based one-to-one D-League affiliate, the team announced. It will be called Raptors 905, a reference to the area code.
JUNE 24TH, 5:03pm: The Raptors will have a D-League expansion team stationed in nearby Mississauga for the 2015/16 season, Smith reports. The startup cost of the one-to-one affiliate is $6MM, Smith adds. A formal announcement is expected as soon as Monday, according to Smith.
2:51pm: A D-League team for this year is the goal, but not yet a certainty, sources tell Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun (Twitter link).
MAY 27TH, 1:35pm: The Raptors will have a one-to-one D-League affiliate stationed in the Toronto area for the 2015/16 season, as Tim Leiweke, the outgoing CEO of the company that controls the Raptors, revealed today to reporters, including Josh Lewenberg of TSN.ca and Doug Smith of the Toronto Star (Twitter links). The team and the NBA had been in advanced talks about facilitating a one-to-one D-League club for the Raptors, and while GM Masai Ujiri made it clear it was a high priority for the Raptors, it had appeared as though it would have to wait for 2016/17. D-League president Malcolm Turner said at the beginning of the month that he expected his circuit to remain at 18 teams for this coming season, but unless another NBA team gives up its one-to-one affiliate, it looks like D-League expansion will take place in time for the fall.
It’s not clear exactly where the Raptors D-League affiliate will be situated, though Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun ventures a guess that it will be in Mississauga, Ontario, which is adjacent to Toronto proper (Twitter link). Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment, which runs the Raptors, recently gave the team the OK to buy an affiliate, so presumably the Raptors will own the D-League club outright rather than simply control the basketball operations in a hybrid partnership with independent ownership.
The Raptors were one of 13 teams to share the Fort Wayne Mad Ants this season, but they only made four assignments to the Mad Ants all year, as Eddie Scarito of Hoops Rumors shows in our D-League Usage Report. Those assignments involved raw Brazilian big men Bruno Caboclo and Lucas Nogueira, both of whom are candidates for much more frequent D-League excursions in 2015/16, with the new affiliate in place.
Bulls Interested In Gary Neal
The Bulls are among multiple Eastern Conference playoff teams interested in Gary Neal, reports Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities (on Twitter). The soon-to-be free agent guard won’t return to the Timberwolves, though he won’t take any meetings with prospective suitors, Wolfson also tweets as he raises the possibility of a sign-and-trade.
A sign-and-trade would be tricky for the Bulls, who can’t take on any player in such a way if they’re to exceed the tax apron, a line $4MM above the tax threshold, at any point in 2015/16. The Bulls have about $63MM in guaranteed salary for next season, including Kirk Hinrich, who opted in today, but not including an expected max deal for Jimmy Butler or any sort of contract for Mike Dunleavy. Thus, Chicago seems poised to exceed the projected $81.6MM tax line, if not the apron.
Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders reported in March that the Wolves would be interested in re-signing the late-blooming five-year veteran who turns 31 in October, but apparently that won’t be happening. Neal seemed eager to leave Minnesota around the trade deadline, shortly after the Wolves acquired him from the Hornets. The Bulls, as well as the Hawks and Wizards, all Eastern Conference playoff teams, reportedly had interest in him around that time.
Eastern Rumors: Cavs, DeRozan, Celtics, Monroe
Some sources tell Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders that they think LeBron James will ask the Cavs to change coaches (Twitter link), though he has no intention of pushing the team to fire David Blatt, as ESPN’s Chris Broussard reported last week. Blatt has made it clear on multiple occasions that he expects he’ll be back. Still, we’ll see what happens this summer in Cleveland. Here’s more from the Eastern Conference:
- Chatter continues to indicate that DeMar DeRozan will opt out and seek a maximum-salary deal next summer, and “there is no way” that the Raptors would be willing to pay him that much, reports Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun. For this summer, the Raptors will probably have particular interest in Marc Gasol and Paul Millsap, Wolstat also writes.
- Celtics don’t find their chances to land a star encouraging, as Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe hears. Himmelsbach confirms earlier reports of interest in Greg Monroe and Millsap, though he hears from several team sources who say the team didn’t offer Marcus Smart in trade proposals to other teams on draft day.
- Kevin Arnovitz of ESPN.com believes the new regime in Atlanta isn’t as enamored with Monroe’s game as the team’s last set of higher-ups was (Twitter link). The Hawks, who have a new principal owner in Tony Ressler and have formally cut ties with GM Danny Ferry, aren’t among the teams reportedly meeting with the soon-to-be free agent big man.
- Jimmy Butler would like to sign a one-year offer sheet with the Lakers, a league source tells Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News, but that would be impossible since offer sheets must be for at least two years and at least three if, as the Bulls have long planned, Chicago makes a five-year max offer. Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports reported a couple of weeks ago that Butler’s interest in the Lakers had increased, but the Bulls have the right to match any offer and are expected to do so, Medina notes.
- Reggie Jackson turned down an offer worth more than $12MM a year in extension talks with the Thunder last year because he wanted out of Oklahoma City and onto a team where he could start, a source told Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press. Jackson will probably demand the max if the Pistons want him to sign for five years, the same source said to Ellis.
- Mario Hezonja and Barcelona, his Spanish team, have reached a deal on a buyout that will allow him to part ways with the club and sign with the Magic, who drafted him fifth overall Thursday, reports Jose Ignacio Huguet of Mundo Deportivo (translation via Sporando’s Enea Trapani). The buyout is worth 1.6 million euros, the equivalent of about $1.79MM at today’s exchange rate. Orlando will presumably cover the maximum $625K of that amount.
Kirk Hinrich Opts In With Bulls
1:32pm: The move is official, the team announced via press release.
11:30am: Austin confirmed to K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune that Hinrich has indeed opted in (Twitter link).
9:08am: Kirk Hinrich has decided to opt in and stay with the Bulls for next season, reports Shams Charania of RealGM (Twitter link). He’ll make nearly $2.855MM next season, the final one on his two-year deal.
The move allows the team to keep the long-tenured guard and avoid using its limited funds to replace him. Chicago already had about $60.2MM in guaranteed salaries against a projected $67.1MM salary cap and $81.6MM tax line. A new max deal for Jimmy Butler would likely add nearly $16MM to Chicago’s books, giving the team season-long tax concerns unless it makes a salary-clearing trade.
Hinrich, 34, started 22 games this past season, though he set career lows with averages of 5.7 points and 24.4 minutes per game, in large measure because Derrick Rose was relatively healthy. The Jeff Austin client, set to enter free agency as the cap surges next summer, may well see a larger role this coming season if fellow backup point guard Aaron Brooks departs in free agency.
Rockets, Kings Eye Rodney Stuckey
MONDAY, 10:25am: Stuckey would like to hear from the Bulls, a source tells Vincent Goodwill of CSNChicago.com. It’s unclear whether the Bulls reciprocate his apparent interest, and that would seem less likely in the wake of Kirk Hinrich‘s reported decision to opt in. Chicago will likely have only the $3.376MM taxpayer’s mid-level exception to spend on outside free agents.
FRIDAY, 3:29pm: The Rockets and Kings are expected to be among the teams with interest when Rodney Stuckey when he hits free agency next week, and he’ll prioritize signing with a contender, league sources tell Shams Charania of RealGM. That would presumably give an edge to Houston over Sacramento, though the mutual interest between the combo guard and the Pacers is strong, according to Charania. The semantics of the report are a bit curious, since Charania indicates that interest from the Rockets and Kings is only “expected,” but it would appear that the 29-year-old is at the very least on the radar for both teams.
Indiana has Non-Bird rights on Stuckey, so the Pacers can’t exceed 20% more than the minimum to re-sign him without using cap space or an exception. Still, president of basketball operations Larry Bird made it clear this spring that the eight-year veteran is a priority, and David West‘s apparent decision to opt out gives the team a legitimate chance to open cap room.
Rockets GM Daryl Morey isn’t optimistic that Houston will end up with cap space to burn this summer, though the team would have the $5.434MM mid-level exception if it stays above the cap. That amount may well be earmarked for Josh Smith, however.
The Kings are in flux amid the DeMarcus Cousins saga, though they seem likely to be able to open up enough cap space to make a competitive bid to Stuckey. Still, Sacramento would probably be a fallback option for him if he is indeed set on joining a contending team. Indiana might not be a contender, either, though the return of Paul George for a full season at least gives the Pacers a reasonable shot in the relatively weak Eastern Conference.
Southeast Notes: Deng, Oubre, White, Eriksson
It’s still unclear what Luol Deng will do with his player option, worth nearly $10.152MM, with tonight’s deadline to decide looming, but the Heat absolutely wants him back, as team president Pat Riley made clear after the draft, notes Jason Lieser of The Palm Beach Post (Twitter link). That’s in spite of Miami’s selection of small forward Justise Winslow at No. 10. While we wait to see just what Deng will do, here’s more from around the Southeast:
- GM Ernie Grunfeld didn’t think the Wizards would have the chance to trade up and nab Kelly Oubre until a day before the draft, and in so doing, Washington landed a player who has a relationship with D.C. native and 2016 free agent Kevin Durant, as Benjamin Standig of The Associated Press examines.
- J. Michael of CSNWashington.com looks at the options the Wizards have if Paul Pierce, who’s opting out, doesn’t re-sign.
- Forward Aaron White, whom the Wizards drafted 49th overall out of Iowa, will “definitely” play overseas this coming season, as Michael hears, but Jorge Castillo of The Washington Post writes that a decision has not yet been made. “Aaron will play Summer League with the Wizards and then we will evaluate if it is best to go overseas or not this season,” White’s agent, Chris Emens, wrote in an e-mail to Castillo. “Aaron is open to doing whatever the Wizards think is best for his development.”
- The pair of players the Hawks drafted in the second-round Thursday will stay overseas, tweets Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Swedish shooting guard Marcus Eriksson, the 50th pick, and Greek forward Dimitrios Agravanis, pick No. 59, remain under contract with Barcelona of Spain and Olympiacos of Greece, respectively, according to Vivlamore.
- Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel breaks down the new Magic assistant coaches whose hires the team officially announced Friday: former Bulls assistant Adrian Griffin, former Mavs assistant Monte Mathis, Mario Elie, who last was an NBA assistant with the Nets in 2012/13, and former Lakers D-League coach Conner Henry.
Greg Monroe To Meet With Knicks, Others
Greg Monroe will meet with the Knicks and three or four other teams once free agent negotiations begin Wednesday, Bleacher Report’s Jared Zwerling hears. The Pistons are not one of those teams, adds Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press (Twitter links). That’s no surprise regarding either New York or Detroit, as agent David Falk indicated strongly in April that the Knicks would be one of the big man’s top choices. Falk and Monroe have maintained that the Pistons have a shot to keep him, with Monroe going so far as to say at one point that they had the upper hand, he’s never appeared likely to re-sign after taking Detroit’s qualifying offer this past summer. Pistons coach/executive Stan Van Gundy said a few days ago that he’s “not entirely optimistic” about retaining the five-year veteran.
A league executive told Frank Isola of the New York Daily News back in April that a deal between the Knicks and Monroe was about as close to done as it could be. The sides can’t legally negotiate until Wednesday, and the former No. 7 overall pick denied that any such arrangement was in place, but the story nonetheless set New York as the clear favorite for Monroe. Shams Charania of RealGM reported in December that the Knicks, as well as the Hawks, planned to pursue the 25-year-old. The Celtics are also reportedly likely to chase him.
Monroe is No. 7 in our latest Free Agent Power Rankings on the strength of continued strong play on the offensive end and improvement defensively. He appears in line for a max deal starting at an estimated $15.8MM, or close to it, as I wrote when I examined his free agent stock, and the Knicks have enough cap flexibility, and then some, to accommodate that.