Pacers Aggressively Shopping Roy Hibbert
The Pacers are making a hard push as they shop Roy Hibbert, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter link). Indiana chose to select Texas center Myles Turner at No. 11, as Marc Stein of ESPN.com reported (on Twitter). Hibbert is ineligible to be traded unless he opts in, though he has more than $15.514MM coming to him if he does so.
That Indiana would be looking to trade its center isn’t surprising. Pacers president of basketball operations Larry Bird signaled this spring that the team is moving to a more up-tempo style and coach Frank Vogel wouldn’t dismiss the idea that he’ll bench Hibbert.
David West, who’s reportedly decided to opt out, is likely to sign with the Knicks, a source told Bleacher Report’s Jared Zwerling this evening, so it would appear a radical makeover of the frontcourt in Indiana is coming.
Draft Rumors: Porzingis, Celtics, Hornets
Much speculation surrounded whether the Knicks would trade the No. 4 pick, but they plan to keep Kristaps Porzingis, whom they took with the choice, tweets Chris Broussard of ESPN.com. Here’s more as the first-round churns along:
- The Celtics and Hornets are talking about swapping picks, with No. 9 going to Boston and Nos. 16 and 28 going to Charlotte, according to Marc Stein of ESPN.com (on Twitter).
- The Timberwolves have spoken to the Mavs about trading for the No. 21 pick that Dallas holds, but Minnesota doesn’t want to take Raymond Felton and that’s a hang-up in negotiations, reports Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities (Twitter link).
- Boston was interested in Jahlil Okafor as it reportedly made its Marcus Smart/Nerlens Noel offer to the Sixers, as Jake Fischer of SI Now hears (Twitter link), but Philadelphia intends to hang on to the former Duke center, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (on Twitter).
- The Suns are presumably targeting Frank Kaminsky as they remain aggressive in seeking to trade up from No. 13, but earlier this evening Wojnarowski suggested that Kaminsky wouldn’t get past the Hornets at the No. 9 pick (Twitter link). The Mavs also wanted picks Nos. 31 and 36, too, Wolfson adds in a second tweet.
Belief Increasing That Lakers Will Draft Russell
6:42pm: There’s a 90% chance the Lakers draft Russell, a source told Ramona Shelburne of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
6:07pm: The increasing belief is that the Lakers will take D’Angelo Russell, and not Jahlil Okafor, with the No. 2 pick, tweets Marc Stein of ESPN.com. Chad Ford of ESPN.com has Russell going to the Lakers in his latest mock draft amid the growing belief within the Lakers organization that they’ll land either LaMarcus Aldridge or Kevin Love in free agency.
Bleacher Report’s Kevin Ding reported earlier today that the front office had been coming to a growing consensus on the Ohio State guard, though Ramona Shelburne of ESPN.com heard the team had yet to decide, and Mike Bresnahan of the Los Angeles Times reported that they were leaning toward Okafor, as we passed along. Either way, we’ll find out soon, with the Lakers scheduled to pick within the hour.
Lakers spokesman John Black says that he knows whom the team will draft, indicating that a decision has been made, tweets Bill Oram of the Orange County Register.
Timberwolves Select Karl-Anthony Towns No. 1
The Timberwolves have selected Kentucky forward/center Karl-Anthony Towns with the No. 1 overall pick. Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports reported the news moments earlier (Twitter link). The move has appeared the likeliest outcome since earlier this month, when Mark Heisler of Forbes.com reported that coach and president of basketball operations Flip Saunders had become enamored with Towns after having previously favored Duke center Jahlil Okafor. It’s seemed like a virtual foregone conclusion since Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv heard that the team told Towns he would be the pick, even though Towns later denied the report.
Towns emerged as the top prospect on draft boards during the NCAA Tournament, surpassing Okafor. Kentucky coach John Calipari‘s unprecedented depth helped keep Towns’ numbers modest, as he put up 10.3 points and 6.7 rebounds in 21.1 minutes per game in his lone season with the school. Still, his defensive ability is obvious, and he has the capability to develop into an all-court force, as Eddie Scarito of Hoops Rumors examined in our Prospect Profile of the 19-year-old.
The Leon Rose client will earn $5,703,600 this coming season, presuming he signs for the standard 120% of the rookie scale. He’s in line to earn $25,720,035 over the course of the four-year rookie scale contract, as our table of likely salaries for first-round picks shows. The Timberwolves will have to sign him to that deal before they bring him onto the roster, though that should be largely a procedural matter. He’ll represent a $4.753MM cap hold on Minnesota’s ledger until the team officially signs him.
Nets Explore Bojan Bogdanovic Trades
The Nets are looking into the market for swingman Bojan Bogdanovic as they continue to try to move up in the draft, reports Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPNNewYork.com (Twitter link). The team’s efforts to trade up from the 29th overall pick with Mason Plumlee attached to such a deal haven’t borne fruit, Youngmisuk adds.
That Brooklyn would at least considering trading Bogdanovic isn’t a complete shock, especially since GM Billy King said he explored trades for everyone on the roster this past season. The one-year veteran from Bosnia and Herzegovina is already 26, so he might not get much better than he already is, posits Mike Mazzeo of ESPN.com (on Twitter).
Bogdanovic is set to make nearly $3.426MM in the second year of a three-year deal in 2015/16.
Hoops Rumors Draft Chat Transcript
After months of speculation, the 2015 NBA Draft is finally upon us. While this year’s class of potential draftees doesn’t bring with it quite the same level of hype as 2014’s, there are still a number of players who can change the face of a franchise and develop into tomorrow’s superstars. While the Timberwolves may have already told Karl-Anthony Towns that he’s their man with the No. 1 overall pick, there is still plenty of intrigue as to how the rest of the draft lottery will shake out. There should also be a significant amount of trade talk revolving around tonight’s big event, and quite a few teams could end up dealing away draft picks in exchange for veteran players or future assets.
We’ll be watching all the drama unfold this evening, and you can follow along with us in our live chat. Come and join Hoops Rumors’ Eddie Scarito, who will be answering reader questions throughout the entire first round. Just click on the link below to join in. We look forward to hearing what you have to say.
Lakers Talk Deal For Cousins With Kings
THURSDAY, 3:15pm: The Lakers are unwilling to part with Julius Randle in the Cousins trade talks, Mike Bresnahan of the Los Angeles Times tweets. The scribe adds that Randle has dropped 20 pounds and improved his outside shot.
WEDNESDAY, 10:18pm: The Kings and Lakers have exchanged frameworks for potential deals for Cousins, and talks are expected to intensify on Thursday, Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports relays. The Kings have also started to engage with teams and explore possible trade scenarios beyond the Lakers, Wojnarowski’s sources have informed him. Sacramento is reportedly seeking the No. 2 overall pick, Randle, Jordan Clarkson, and other draft assets in return for Cousins, Wojnarowski adds. The Kings would also want to unload forward Carl Landry‘s contract in any deal, according to the Yahoo! scribe’s sources. Los Angeles is currently unwilling to part with Randle, and are reluctant to do so with Clarkson as well, according to Wojnarowski.
3:06pm: Cousins “would not be unhappy” if the Lakers acquired him, a league source tells Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News, and he’d be thrilled if the Kings traded him to a large market or a playoff team, as Medina heard a source familiar with Cousins’ thinking.
WEDNESDAY, 2:23pm: The Lakers are offering the No. 2 pick as the teams continue to talk, reports Mike Bresnahan of the Los Angeles Times. L.A. would probably have to include Randle, too, according to Bresnahan, but it’s not clear if he is indeed in any proposal so far.
TUESDAY, 9:17am: The Magic aren’t involved, a league source tells Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel (Twitter link). Randle and the No. 2 pick are “in play” for a trade that brings Cousins to the Lakers, a source tells Chris Mannix of SI.com, who writes in his mock draft. Still, Sacramento would rather take back veterans, as Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports reported overnight.
4:46pm: Kings owner Vivek Ranadive has also made it clear publicly that he doesn’t want to trade Cousins, and that’s been the case privately as well, according to Jones, as well as Sam Amick of USA Today (Twitter links).
MONDAY, 3:54pm: The Lakers, Kings and Magic have had exploratory talks about a proposal that wound send DeMarcus Cousins to the Lakers, reports Marc Stein of ESPN.com. However, the Kings and Sacramento vice president of basketball and franchise operations Vlade Divac continue to insist that Cousins is off limits, Stein notes. Still, the Lakers have “actively pursuing” trade possibilities over the past few weeks to find a way to get the talented 24-year-old to L.A., as Stein details.
Stein mentions the Magic’s Nikola Vucevic as someone who could theoretically step in for Cousins at center in Sacramento, but it’s unclear if Vucevic has been a part of the talks. Stein lists Julius Randle and the No. 2 pick as trade assets for the Lakers, but it’s similarly uncertain whether the Lakers have spoken about giving them up. The Nuggets have drawn increasing mention as a team likely to go after Cousins since Denver’s hiring of ex-Kings coach Michael Malone this month, according to Stein. Still, they don’t have the sort of trade chips that would allow them to compete with the Celtics, whom Stein reported last month were also likely suitors, the ESPN scribe writes. Realistically, a host of teams would seemingly have interest in trading for Cousins, who’d become the top trade candidate on the market if the Kings relent and give him up.
Divac has said time and again that he values Cousins and isn’t looking to trade him, at one point calling him “untradeable.” The notion that he might be on the block was ignited earlier this season amid Sacramento’s pair of midseason coaching changes. Cousins, who connected with Malone, released a statement expressing support for then-candidate George Karl, whom the team has since hired. The Kings also hired Divac late in the season to a role that put him in charge of basketball operations and displaced GM Pete D’Alessandro, who’s now with the Nuggets. Cousins has asked not to be traded, as Jason Jones of The Sacramento Bee notes (Twitter link).
Eddie Scarito contributed to this post.
Karl Wants Kings To Trade DeMarcus Cousins
THURSDAY, 3:12pm: The Kings’ internal dismay with Karl is coming far more from top exec Vlade Divac than Ranadive, according to Marc Stein of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Meanwhile, all signs currently point to them holding on to the No. 6 pick (link).
1:06pm: Kings owner Vivek Ranadive is frustrated with the Cousins/Karl rift because when he was hired, the coach said he would not be involved in personnel, sources tell Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee (on Twitter).
TUESDAY, 2:34pm: Divac, sounding irritated, repeated again that he won’t trade Cousins and denied that Karl is making any push for such a deal, as Divac said to Ailene Voisin of The Sacramento Bee (Twitter link).
7:30am: George Karl has an intense desire for the Kings to trade DeMarcus Cousins, and he and some members of the team’s front office have expressed to executives and coaches from other teams that they hope to have owner Vivek Ranadive’s blessing to trade the All-Star soon, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. Ranadive and vice president of basketball and franchise operations Vlade Divac have nonetheless been adamant about not trading Cousins, and Karl has been trying to recruit Divac and other Kings players to make a push to convince Ranadive to change his mind, according to Wojnarowski.
Cousins is aware of Karl’s push to trade him, and people around the Kings and Cousins increasingly believe that the relationship between the coach and the team’s star is beyond repair. Cousins tweeted emojis depicting a snake in the grass after Wojnarowski’s story emerged late Monday night.
Karl’s insistence that he can’t get along with Cousins has irritated Ranadive, Wojnarowski writes. Ranadive reiterated his long-held stance that he won’t trade Cousins in an interview Monday with USA Today’s Sam Amick.
“We have zero interest in moving Cousins, so I don’t know where that’s coming from,” Ranadive said in reference to the rumor that the Lakers are pursuing Cousins. “But if you like, you should talk to Vlade, because I know Vlade feels exactly the same way. And I’m deferring to Vlade on everything. We have no interest in moving him. From my perspective, it’s really simple: we feel that he’s a one-of-a-kind player, and we have a group of players right now and we’re going to build on it.”
Kings higher-ups believe it’ll be tough to find value for Cousins and believe they have a better chance to find the right trade for Rudy Gay, according to Wojnarowski. Sacramento is pursuing trades for Gay and the rest of its roster, Wojnarowski hears. The Lakers are reportedly pushing for Cousins and have had exploratory talks with the Kings, but Sacramento would rather take back veterans than the No. 2 overall pick, the Yahoo! scribe writes.
Cousins has privately feared that Karl wanted him out, and Karl’s remark in April that he’s never had one player who would be untradeable didn’t exactly assuage those concerns, tweets Jason Jones of The Sacramento Bee. Cousins, who is a Relativity Sports client, and his representatives have been told he won’t be traded, and Cousins likes Sacramento, Jones also tweets. Amick hears a somewhat different story, that Cousins’s camp is clearly in favor of the center becoming a Laker. Cousins has asked not to be traded, according to Jones, so it would seem there are conflicting messages surrounding the talented 24-year-old big man.
Kevin Love Opts Out, Will Become Free Agent
THURSDAY, 2:51pm: Love has officially opted out, reports Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders (Twitter link).
WEDNESDAY, 1:21pm: Kevin Love is opting out of his contract with the Cavaliers and will become a free agent, reports Marc Stein of ESPN.com (Twitter link). The deadline for Love to make a decision isn’t until Thursday, as Chris Haynes of the Northeast Ohio Media Group reported earlier (on Twitter), so the power forward still has the power to change his mind if he wants. The league has no mechanism for players to officially turn down options, as those with player options simply allow the deadline to pass if they don’t want to opt in, but Stein indicates that Love’s decision to opt out is final. Cavs GM David Griffin said last week that he was expecting Love to opt out but re-sign with the club in July, and Love has time and again said he intends to remain with Cleveland. Opting out is nonetheless an about-face for Love, who told Haynes in January that he would instead opt in.
Opting out would appear the wise financial play for the Jeff Schwartz client, since he’d make only slightly more than $16.744MM on the option but stands to make as much as the max, an estimated $18.96MM, if he indeed opts out. Some executives have been predicting that the Cavs will sign-and-trade him to one of his many suitors, given the success Cleveland had without him while he was out with a shoulder injury during the playoffs, though Griffin insists he wants to keep the core of his team together, as Grantland’s Zach Lowe wrote earlier this week. There’s little doubt the Cavs will put a max offer of their own on the table for him, as Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com wrote in late April, several weeks after ESPN colleague Chris Broussard had heard from rival executives who’d begun to question that prospect.
The Celtics and Lakers have been most frequently linked to Love over the past several months, even as the former All-Star has consistently batted down rumors that he’ll depart the Cavs. Love has nonetheless been a poor fit in Cleveland, which gave up Andrew Wiggins in the trade to acquire him, and Cleveland is reportedly staring at the possibility of a $100-110MM payroll as it seeks to keep its roster together.
Monta Ellis Opts Out
WEDNESDAY, 2:49pm: The deadline passed without an opt-in from Ellis, so he has officially opted out, reports Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders (on Twitter).
11:29am: Agent Jeff Fried confirms to MacMahon that Ellis will opt out. Fried expressed that Ellis would be interested in re-signing with Dallas, as MacMahon relays, though the Mavs don’t appear to have strong reciprocal desire for that. The Pacers and Heat are interested, as we passed along in a separate post.
9:59am: Ellis has decided to opt out, a source tells MacMahon (Twitter link).
TUESDAY, 9:00am: A 90% chance exists that Monta Ellis will opt out from the Mavs to hit free agency next week, as has been expected, a source tells Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News. Ellis has until midnight tonight to decide. The news comes in the wake of a Tuesday evening report from Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com indicating that the Mavs would be likely to pursue a trade that would send Ellis away if he were to opt in. Dallas would seek a draft pick in that scenario, as MacMahon writes in a full story, and the team would target Emmanuel Mudiay in particular, according to Sefko, who suggests Dallas would try to bundle its first-round pick, at No. 21, with Ellis in trade proposals.
Trading Ellis for a pick would help the team’s free agency push, clearing the $8.72MM salary that he would receive if he were to opt in. Still, the Mavs would have the cap hold for that pick to contend with if they brought back a first-rounder. Sefko suggests that MacMahon’s report that the Mavs would look to trade him if he opted in is helping sway him to opt out instead. I wouldn’t be surprised if the team advanced the idea of trading him for just that purpose, though that’s just my speculation. If Ellis opts out, the Mavs can renounce his rights and wouldn’t have to bother with any cap hit for him. The team has no intention of giving Ellis the raise he’d seek if he were to opt out, MacMahon hears.
The Mavs have about $32MM in guaranteed salary on the books as it stands against a projected $67.1MM cap. Ellis just compiled his lowest scoring average, 18.9, since 2006/07, though it wouldn’t be surprising to see the Relativity Sports client nonetheless command eight-figure salaries in free agency, if he indeed opts out.