Jazz To Pursue Paul Millsap
JUNE 26TH: There is a growing sense that Millsap will go where the market dictates, and that the Jazz won’t be able to afford him, according to Checketts (Twitter link).
JUNE 25TH: There continue to be rumblings about how the Jazz want to re-acquire Millsap, Jody Genessy of The Deseret News tweets. Utah, his source adds, might also trade Derrick Favors.
JUNE 12TH: The Jazz will make an active pursuit of soon-to-be free agent Paul Millsap this summer, as Spencer Checketts of 1280 AM The Zone hears (Twitter link). Millsap, who spent his first seven NBA seasons as a member of the Jazz, and agent DeAngelo Simmons dropped hints at the end of Atlanta’s playoff run that the power forward would like to remain with the Hawks, though Utah has brother Elijah Millsap under contract for two more years. A pursuit of Paul Millsap would represent a sharp turn in Utah’s rebuilding effort, one that’s been patient so far, just two seasons after the team watched him go, at a discount, to Atlanta.
Competition will no doubt be stiff for the leading scorer from a 60-win Hawks team this season, and the Hawks face a stiff financial challenge to re-sign Millsap and fellow impending free agent DeMarre Carroll with only Early Bird Rights on both, as I examined when I looked at Atlanta’s offseason. The Hawks nonetheless appear confident that they can accomplish the task.
The Jazz can have as much as $16.6MM in cap room for next season without making a trade, as I noted in their offseason outlook, though that wouldn’t necessarily be enough to lure Millsap, as speculation, at least, has him in line for a max deal that would start at an estimated $19MM. Knicks president Phil Jackson is reportedly intrigued with Millsap, and New York has the cap flexibility to offer the max. Millsap apparently signed his two-year, $19MM deal with Atlanta in 2013 with an eye on putting himself in a better position to sign a lucrative contract this summer. Still, he has a good relationship with Jazz coach Quin Snyder, a Hawks assistant in Millsap’s first year in Atlanta, notes Andy Larsen of KSL.com.
Texas Notes: Singh, Rondo, Milutinov
Mavs GM Donnie Nelson said No. 52 overall pick Satnam Singh will play with the D-League’s Texas Legends this coming season, tweets Earl K. Sneed of Mavs.com, presumably meaning that Dallas will stash the Indian center with its D-League affiliate rather than sign him to the NBA roster. Singh may still pay dividends for the Mavs next season, since his agents, Happy Walters and Dan Fegan, also represent apparent free agent target DeAndre Jordan, notes Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News. While we wait to see if that connection works for the Mavs, here’s more:
- It’s doubtful that soon-to-be former Mavs point guard Rajon Rondo ends up with the Lakers now that they’ve drafted D’Angelo Russell, a source tells Sean Deveney of The Sporting News, though it’s unclear if that indicates a lack of interest from the team, from Rondo, or both. In any case, the Lakers once seemed the inevitable destination for the veteran.
- The Rockets are reportedly aiming to pursue Kevin Love and LaMarcus Aldridge in free agency, but GM Daryl Morey suggested that it’s a long shot they’ll open the cap room necessary to make a marquee free agent signing like that, as Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle relays. “I think there’s possible opportunities we have to explore that are bigger, but I think they’re unlikely,” Morey said. “It’s probably likely we’ll stay over the cap and use our mid-level [exception].”
- Morey “wanted my first-born” for the No. 18 pick, Timberwolves president of basketball operations Flip Saunders said jokingly of talks with the Rockets, tweets Jon Krawczynski of The Associated Press. Houston used the 18th pick on Wisconsin forward Sam Dekker.
- No. 26 pick Nikola Milutinov is likely to remain overseas this season rather than sign with the Spurs, notes Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News. The center spent this past season with KK Partizan in his native Serbia.
- Mavs assistant coach Monte Mathis is leaving to take an assistant’s job with the Magic, the Mavs confirmed, as Earl K. Sneed of Mavs.com tweets.
Pistons Eye Danny Green, Other Wing Players
The Pistons will make DeMarre Carroll and Danny Green higher priorities in free agency this summer than fellow target Tobias Harris, as Carroll and Green, both unrestricted free agents, are likely easier to sign than Harris, a restricted free agent, would be, according to Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press (Twitter links). Sean Deveney of The Sporting News first reported Detroit’s interest in Carroll, while Shams Charania of RealGM today identified the Pistons as a leading contender for Harris. The small forward spot, which both Carroll and Green could fill, appears to be a focus for Detroit, even after it drafted Stanley Johnson eighth overall in Thursday’s draft.
Dallas is also reportedly targeting Green, though he’d like to re-sign with the Spurs and San Antonio is apparently making that a priority. It would nonetheless seem like a fair chance exists that the Spurs would renounce their rights to the 28-year-old and his nearly $7.648MM cap hold if they can secure a commitment from LaMarcus Aldridge or another marquee target. That would make it difficult for San Antonio to re-sign the three-and-D swingman, whom at least one executive wouldn’t mind paying $6MM a year, as Michael Scotto of SheridanHoops reported this spring.
Green, if he could be had for that kind of money, would be less than half as expensive than Carroll, if the Hawks forward ends up with salaries at the high end of estimates. Atlanta is growing pessimistic about its chances to retain both Carroll and Paul Millsap, though the Pistons will have plenty of competition even if Carroll doesn’t stay with the Hawks. Detroit nonetheless has plenty of buying power, with only about $39MM in commitments for next season. That includes a fully guaranteed $3MM for Anthony Tolliver, as the Pistons have decided to keep Tolliver past Tuesday, when his $400K partial guarantee would jump to a full guarantee, a source tells Ellis (Twitter link).
Bucks Interested In Enes Kanter
The Bucks are interested in soon-to-be restricted free agent Enes Kanter, reports Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders (on Twitter). The Thunder are nonetheless committed to re-signing the big man whom they acquired at the deadline from the Jazz, as GM Sam Presti said last month to Darnell Mayberry of The Oklahoman.
Milwaukee is reportedly eyeing DeAndre Jordan, Brook Lopez and Tyson Chandler as it seeks a marquee center. The team impinged on its cap flexibility with Thursday’s trade for Greivis Vasquez and his $6.6MM salary for next season, though Kanter, with only four years of NBA experience, is eligible for a cheaper max than Jordan, Lopez and Chandler are.
The Thunder cleared some committed money from their books this week, trading Jeremy Lamb‘s guaranteed salary of more than $3MM for Luke Ridnour‘s non-guaranteed salary. Oklahoma City still figures to go well into the tax to retain Kanter, though the Lamb-Ridnour deal eases some of the financial pain of doing so.
Latest On Dwyane Wade, Heat
Heat president of basketball operations Pat Riley made it plain in his postdraft press conference that he’d prefer that Dwyane Wade stayed with the team, as Jason Lieser of the Palm Beach Post recounts. Still, he hinted that Wade will indeed opt out, making a pair of references to July 1st as a starting point for talks.
“The one thing that I’ve learned about free agency is that when a player has an opportunity to be a free agent, you give him the space and the time to think about that,” Riley said. “We love Dwyane. Dwyane is a pillar. He has been part of the root structure and the foundation of this franchise for the last 12 years. … We know that on July 1, we’ll be the first ones that he’ll talk to and we’ll go from there.”
The Heat exec also said that he and Wade haven’t had any “real discussions,” adding that such talks couldn’t take place until July 1st, Lieser notes via Twitter. Riley expressed that he would be comfortable if the 33-year-old turned down his $16.125MM option for next season, if he indeed does so, adding that he’s “not a pessimist” about the prospect of re-signing him, according to Lieser. A lack of pessimism doesn’t necessarily mean optimism, observes Joseph Goodman of the Miami Herald. Wade reportedly feels as though the Heat have damaged the trust in their relationship, but Riley said Wade hasn’t told him he feels disrespected, Lieser conveys.
Wade is reportedly open to leaving the Heat and would welcome $20MM salaries on a new three-year deal, while the Heat would prefer that he opt in this summer and sign for $10MM salaries beginning in 2016/17, as Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald reported. The Lakers, who have the cap room necessary to pay Wade what he’s looking for, reportedly have mutual interest, though it’s unclear if the Lakers are willing to go quite as high with an offer as Wade would like. The Heat would pay repeat-offender tax penalties if they finish the coming season above the projected $81.6MM tax threshold, a likelihood if they re-sign all of their own free agents and don’t make salary-clearing moves.
Knicks Acquire Rights To Guillermo Hernangomez
9:58am: The Sixers also receive cash in the deal, the Knicks announced.
FRIDAY, 1:42am: The deal is official, the Sixers announced via press release.
THURSDAY, 10:27pm: The Knicks will acquire the rights to 35th overall pick Guillermo Hernangomez, a center from Spain, tweets Peter Botte of the New York Daily News. Ian Begley of ESPN.com (via Twitter) reports that New York will give up two future second-rounders in the deal. Hernangomez is regarded as an above average big man offensively, though his defense is considered sub par, which will potentially limit his playing time in the NBA.
Hernangomez would fill an immediate need for frontcourt depth with the Knicks, who won’t have a center on their roster come July 1st. It’s unclear if the 21-year-old is being looked at as a draft-and-stash pick, or if New York will attempt to bring the Spaniard over to the NBA in 2015/16. Hernangomez isn’t under contract with Balancesto Sevilla for next season, so there would be no complications on that front.
In 34 games for Sevilla last season, Hernangomez averaged 10.6 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 0.5 assists in 21.1 minutes per contest. The big man’s slash line was .537/.167/.692. He has played the last five years on Spanish Junior National Teams, averaging 26.3 points and 13.2 rebounds in the 2013 FIBA under-19 world championships.
LeBron James To Opt Out, Not Planning Quick Deal
LeBron James will turn down his player option worth more than $21.573MM, and he doesn’t plan to immediately re-sign with the Cavs, preferring to wait and see how the team goes about its other business in July, reports Chris Haynes of the Northeast Ohio Media Group. Chances are “slim” that James leaves Cleveland again, Haynes writes, but waiting to re-sign gives him a chance to go into a deal with full knowledge of what will surround him, and it keeps pressure on the organization, Haynes writes. The Rich Paul client plans to be “the last domino to fall,” league sources tell Haynes.
GM David Griffin said James is “very much engaged” with the team as he speaks with management on almost a daily basis about the roster, notes Dave McMenamin of ESPN.com. Still, it’s widely known that James won’t meddle in front office affairs or with coach David Blatt and his staff, according to Haynes. The four-time MVP believes other coaches would be better equipped to lead the Cavs to a title, Jeff Van Gundy and Mark Jackson among them, but he nonetheless has no intention to push for a coaching change, as Chris Broussard of ESPN.com said this week (video link).
That James would opt out is not at all surprising, since opting in would entail a financial sacrifice. James will be able to make a salary of at least $21,676,620 next season on a new deal, slightly more than his option would give him, and that figure could grow higher, depending on where the league sets the maximum for a player with 10 or more years of experience. James is likely to re-sign with Cleveland on a max deal for two years with a player option on year two, as Joe Vardon of the Northeast Ohio Media Group wrote months ago.
James wants the Cavs to re-sign Kevin Love, Tristan Thompson, Iman Shumpert and J.R. Smith, though he won’t actively recruit any of them, Haynes writes. Griffin has said that he’d like to keep the team together, though he expressed guarded interest in Smith as he confirmed Smith has opted out, saying the Cavs want him back “if it’s the right situation for us,” as Haynes notes.
2015 NBA Draft Results
The NBA draft came and went with its fair share of movement and surprises. Here’s a look at every pick from No. 1 through No. 60, along with links to our reports on each of the picks that changed hands via trade:
First Round
- Timberwolves: Karl-Anthony Towns, F/C, Kentucky
- Lakers: D’Angelo Russell, G, Ohio State
- Sixers: Jahlil Okafor, C, Duke
- Knicks: Kristaps Porzingis, F, Latvia
- Magic: Mario Hezonja, SG, Croatia
- Kings: Willie Cauley-Stein, C, Kentucky
- Nuggets: Emmanuel Mudiay, PG, Guangdong Southern
- Pistons: Stanley Johnson, SF, Arizona
- Hornets: Frank Kaminsky, PF, Wisconsin
- Heat: Justise Winslow, SF, Duke
- Pacers: Myles Turner, C, Texas
- Jazz: Trey Lyles, F, Kentucky
- Suns: Devin Booker, SG, Kentucky
- Thunder: Cameron Payne, PG, Murray State
- Hawks (traded to Wizards): Kelly Oubre, SF, Kansas
- Celtics: Terry Rozier, PG, Louisville
- Bucks: Rashad Vaughn, SG, UNLV
- Rockets: Sam Dekker, F, Wisconsin
- Wizards (traded to Knicks, via Hawks): Jerian Grant, PG, Notre Dame
- Raptors: Delon Wright, PG, Utah
- Mavericks: Justin Anderson, F, Virginia
- Bulls: Bobby Portis, PF, Arkansas
- Trail Blazers (traded to Nets): Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, SF, Arizona
- Cavaliers (traded to Timberwolves): Tyus Jones, PG, Duke
- Grizzlies: Jarell Martin, F, LSU
- Spurs: Nikola Milutinov, C, Serbia
- Lakers: Larry Nance Jr., PF, Wyoming
- Celtics: R.J. Hunter, SG, Georgia State
- Nets: Chris McCullough, PF, Syracuse
- Warriors: Kevon Looney, PF, UCLA
Second Round
- Timberwolves (traded to Cavaliers): Cedi Osman, G/F, Macedonia
- Rockets: Montrezl Harrell, PF, Louisville
- Celtics: Jordan Mickey, PF, LSU
- Lakers: Anthony Brown, SF, Stanford
- Sixers (traded to Knicks): Guillermo Hernangomez, C, Spain
- Timberwolves (traded to Cavaliers): Rakeem Christmas, F/C, Syracuse
- Sixers: Richaun Holmes, PF, Bowling Green
- Pistons: Darrun Hilliard, SF, Villanova
- Hornets (traded to Nets): Juan Vaulet, SF, Argentina
- Heat: Josh Richardson, SG, Tennessee
- Nets (traded to Trail Blazers): Pat Connaughton, SG, Notre Dame
- Jazz: Olivier Hanlan, G, Boston College
- Pacers: Joseph Young, G, Oregon
- Suns (traded to Grizzlies): Andrew Harrison, G, Kentucky
- Celtics: Marcus Thornton, G, William & Mary
- Bucks (traded to Raptors): Norman Powell, SG, UCLA
- Sixers: Arturas Gudaitis, C, Lithuania
- Thunder: Dakari Johnson, C, Kentucky
- Wizards: Aaron White, F, Iowa
- Hawks: Marcus Eriksson, SG, Sweden
- Magic: Tyler Harvey, SG, Eastern Washington
- Mavericks: Satnam Singh, C, India
- Cavaliers: Sir’Dominic Pointer, SF, St. John’s
- Jazz (traded to Blazers): Daniel Diez, SF, Spain
- Spurs: Cady Lalanne, F/C, Massachusetts
- Pelicans (traded to Clippers): Branden Dawson, F, Michigan State
- Nuggets: Nikola Radicevic, PG, Serbia
- Sixers: J.P. Tokoto, G/F, North Carolina
- Hawks: Dimitrios Agravanis, F, Greece
- Sixers: Luka Mitrovic, PF, Serbia
Cavs Shop Brendan Haywood
JUNE 25TH, 3:11am: GM David Griffin essentially confirmed the team is shopping Haywood, as Dave McMenamin of ESPN.com notes at the bottom of a story on J.R. Smith. Cleveland ended up trading its first-rounder in a separate deal.
JUNE 23RD, 9:40am: The market hasn’t yielded much for a package of Haywood and the No. 24 pick, sources tell Grantland’s Zach Lowe.
JUNE 19TH, 9:44am: The Cavaliers are looking for trade partners who’ll take on Brendan Haywood and his unusually valuable contract, and in some proposals involving him, they’ve offered their first-rounder, the 24th overall pick, reports Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com. Any such deal involving the draft choice would have to become official after the draft, since the Ted Stepien rule prevents the Cavs, who’ve already traded their 2016 first-rounder, from trading two consecutive future first-round picks, as Windhorst notes. Cleveland would be able to maximize its return for Haywood by waiting until after the July Moratorium to formalize a deal that sends him out.
It’s no surprise that the Cavs would be looking to trade Haywood, since his deal, a vestige of the amnesty clause, contains a non-guaranteed salary worth $10,522,500 next season. A trade that happens before the 2014/15 season officially ends on June 30th would involve salary matching based on his current $2.214MM salary, but if the Cavs wait until next month, they could take in as much as $15,522,500. To make that figure work, they’d have to be careful to execute the trade before making signings that would take the team above the luxury tax threshold, a line the Cavs are seemingly poised to cross. If they traded Haywood as a tax team, they could only take in $13,253,125, though that would still make the contract an eminently valuable trade chip, as the team that receives Haywood can waive him and reap that much more cap flexibility.
The Cavs have explored the market for adding a player as well as a draft pick in return for Haywood, according to Windhorst. That they would seek a draft pick suggests that Cleveland is considering a measure of austerity, since that would be significantly cheaper than taking back an eight-figure guaranteed salary. The Cavs want a facilitating guard who can either back up or play alongside Kyrie Irving, according to Windhorst, and if they’re seeking a player who’d primarily be a reserve, that, too, indicates that Cleveland wants to hold the line on its payroll to some degree. Simply re-signing its own free agents would likely force the Cavs well into the tax, and the team has had internal discussions about a payroll of between $100MM to $110MM, numbers that would likely incur a tax bill of some $75MM or more, as Windhorst reported earlier this week.
Windhorst also suggests in his latest report that the Cavs could dangle the rights to draft-and-stash center Sasha Kaun, who played under coach David Blatt on the Russian national team and who’s apparently eyeing an NBA deal. Cleveland was earlier reportedly giving thought to signing him this summer.
Suns Acquire Jon Leuer
1:05am: The Grizzlies don’t mention a future second-round pick in their press release, either, so it’s just Leuer and Harrison. That means Memphis gets to create a $967,500 trade exception equivalent to Leuer’s salary.
FRIDAY, 12:52am: The deal is official, the Suns announced. Phoenix makes no mention of a future second-rounder, so it would seem that it’s just Leuer for the rights to Harrison.
THURSDAY, 10:47pm: The Grizzlies are trading Jon Leuer to the Suns for the rights to No. 44 pick Andrew Harrison, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (on Twitter). A future second-round pick is going to Memphis, according to Marc Stein of ESPN (Twitter link), who doesn’t mention Harrison.
Leuer, 26, is set to earn $1,035,000 next season, though his deal is non-guaranteed. He appeared in 63 games for Memphis last season, averaging 4.5 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 0.7 assists in 13.1 minutes per contest. His shooting numbers were .443/.241/.627.
Harrison never quite lived up to the hype that preceded his arrival at Kentucky. He averaged 9.3 points, 2.2 rebounds, and 3.6 assists in 25.5 minutes per game this past season. His slash line was .378/.383/.792.