Jeff Green Opts In With Grizzlies
3:03pm: Green has indeed opted in, the team announced via press release.
12:01pm: Jeff Green is picking up his player option worth $9.2MM to stay with the Grizzlies for next season, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter link). The move is a key decision for Memphis, as it would lift the team to about $47MM in guaranteed salary commitments for next season, likely closing off any possibility for the team to open cap space if it re-signs Marc Gasol.
The working assumption in Memphis had been that Green would opt in, though the presence of skilled agent David Falk made that less than a foregone conclusion, as Marc Stein of ESPN.com wrote a month ago. Green came to the Grizzlies from Boston in a mid-January trade, though he didn’t have a game-changing impact and at one point during the regular season brought up the idea of moving to the Memphis bench. He nonetheless appeared as a starter for all but eight of his 45 regular season games in a Grizzlies uniform, but coach Dave Joerger used him chiefly off the bench in the playoffs.
The Celtics apparently traded Green in part because they were worried that he would opt out. It’s unclear whether he would have been more likely to opt out if he had stayed with the Celtics, though staying in Memphis does give him a better shot at winning than staying in Boston likely would have. In any case, Green will have another decision to make next summer when his contract expires.
Assuming Green officially opts in, the Grizzlies will likely have only the $5.434MM mid-level exception to use to sign free agents for more than the minimum salary if Gasol returns, since they used their biannual exception on Beno Udrih last year. I looked at that and other issues when I examined the offseason ahead for Memphis.
Northwest Notes: Malone, Russell, Bjelica
Michael Malone sought Wednesday to dismiss the idea that he and Pete D’Alessandro had a poor relationship during their time as coach and GM, respectively, of the Kings, as Christopher Dempsey of The Denver Post writes from Malone’s introductory press conference as coach of the Nuggets. D’Alessandro, whom the Nuggets hired to a front office position shortly before they hired the coach, and Malone reportedly weren’t on speaking terms before Malone’s firing in Sacramento, but Malone insists they’ve maintained a consistent dialogue, as Dempsey relays.
“Pete and I have always respected each other, have always gotten along,” Malone said. “It was just that sometimes, the environment that we were working in was not conducive to a healthy relationship.”
That apparent jab at the Kings aside, there’s more on the Nuggets amid the latest from around the Northwest Division:
- Ohio State playmaker D’Angelo Russell is working out for the Timberwolves today, a visit that the team pushed for as its maintained that he’s a consideration for them with the No. 1 overall pick, reports Chad Ford of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
- Wolves draft-and-stash prospect Nemanja Bjelica has told the manager of his Turkish team that he wants to head to the NBA, and the Fenerbahce Ulker team official assumes that Bjelica, the Euroleague MVP, won’t be back with the club (video link; translation via Sportando’s Emiliano Carchia).
- Joel Freeland doesn’t expect the Blazers to tender him the nearly $3.767MM qualifying offer it would take for the club to make him a restricted free agent this summer, as Chris Haynes of the Northeast Ohio Media Group hears (Twitter link). If that’s the case, he’d become an unrestricted free agent, but while the native of England is reportedly drawing interest from overseas, he’s said he’d prefer to stay in the NBA.
- Nuggets team president Josh Kroenke, with duties that entail the work of ownership as well as those usually assigned to a GM, is clearly the man who calls the shots in Denver, as Mark Kiszla of The Denver Post observes.
Pistons Notes: Ilyasova, Free Agency, Draft
Stan Van Gundy was looking for shooting, defense, toughness, defense and high energy as he sought a stretch power forward for the Pistons, and the Pistons coach/executive believes that he has all of that in Ersan Ilyasova, Van Gundy said Tuesday, as Terry Foster of The Detroit News relays.
“That was our plan for the entire summer, not really thinking we would get all of those things in one guy,” Van Gundy said. “That is why this deal was really exciting for us. We didn’t just get a stretch four. We got someone who can add a lot more for us.”
Part of what Ilyasova brings is the ability to complement Andre Drummond the way Van Gundy had his Orlando teams play around Dwight Howard, as Foster examines in his piece. Drummond, whom owner Tom Gores has called a “max player,” is eligible for a rookie scale extension starting July 1st. Here’s more from Detroit:
- Van Gundy had been inquiring about Ilyasova ever since he took over the Pistons last month, as Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press writes.
- The Pistons executive hinted that small forward will be a priority for the team in free agency even if the team uses the No. 8 pick on a player at that position, as MLive’s David Mayo relays within a piece looking at Detroit’s roster holes. Finding a backup big man will be Detroit’s second priority after the three spot, Mayo writes. “We’ve got to go get a small forward we can count on to play,” Van Gundy said. “We’ve got to get backup big guys that we can count on to play. The draft picks — not even talking about 38 [the Pistons second-round pick], even at eight — the draft pick’s a guy that we hope can play, but hopefully can come along slowly a little bit, not be forced to have a lot of pressure on him.”
- Shooting guards Devin Booker of Kentucky, Tyler Kalinoski of Davidson, Royce O’Neale of Baylor and Aaron Thomas of Florida State are in a predraft workout for the Pistons today, the team announced (Twitter link).
Southeast Notes: Pierce, Hornets, Grant
Kemba Walker and Gerald Henderson benefit from Monday’s trade because Lance Stephenson isn’t there any more to take away touches and minutes and challenge the team’s chemistry, opines Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer. Henderson decided Wednesday to pick up his $6MM player option, though whether Stephenson’s departure played into that decision remains unclear. There’s more on the Hornets amid the latest from the Southeast Division:
- Wizards owner Ted Leonsis affirmed the notion that the Wizards want to retain Paul Pierce, who faces a decision on a $5.544MM player option for next season as rumors connect him to the Clippers, as Leonsis said on the team website (video link; transcription via Dan Steinberg of The Washington Post). The owner said that the organization “loves” the 37-year-old who’d be “welcomed with open arms” if he decides to stay in Washington.
- Hornets GM Rich Cho said he’d “love” to trade up in the draft, though whether that happens will depend on how much Charlotte would have to relinquish to do so, Cho added, as Bonnell relays (Twitter links). “We’ve been talking to a lot of teams about moving up, moving backward, moving the pick all-together,” Cho said.
- Notre Dame point guard Jerian Grant will work out for the Hawks, reports Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Grant spoke recently with Zach Links of Hoops Rumors, and our Chris Crouse looked at what makes him an intriguing prospect.
Western Notes: Lakers, Duncan, Ginobili, Wolves
Mitch Kupchak admits that finding someone who can make an immediate impact as Kobe Bryant nears retirement factors into his approach to the offseason, as the Lakers GM tells Chris Mannix of SI.com. Climbing merely to mediocrity would be a dangerous proposition, Kupchak cautions.
“To some degree,” Kupchak said. “We feel we want to make significant progress from this year to next year. And if we can do that and not mortgage the future — in other words, with a player who is in free agency that’s a veteran — then yeah. It’s a factor because we do want and we need in this city to show progress. And we’ve not made the playoffs for two years running, I suppose you can do it a third year, but our fans are impatient, and they’re used to a good product, and that’s not what we want to do. And we know Kobe is not as happy when the town around him is not enough to win. But, we’ve got to be careful that we don’t do something that puts us in the middle of the pack for the next six or seven years. Because all that does is get you the eighth seed in the playoffs and a draft pick that’s not very good.”
There’s more on the Lakers amid the latest from the Western Conference:
- Tony Parker is optimistic that both Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili will return to the Spurs for next season, though he admits that his hope that they indeed come back may cloud his ability to accurately predict what they’ll do, as Parker tells Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News. Regardless, Duncan said to Scott Soshnick of Bloomberg.com that the loss of more than $20MM that he alleges that a former financial adviser swindled him out of won’t play a role in his decision whether to return.
- Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor dismissed any lingering doubt Wednesday, declaring that president of basketball operations Flip Saunders will continue as coach of the team for next season, as Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities relays (on Twitter).
- The Pelicans would like to add former Nuggets interim coach Melvin Hunt as an assistant coach, reports Marc Stein of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
- The Lakers have interest in trading the No. 27 pick to clear the salary that goes with it, and talk has also centered on the team packaging the pick with other assets in an offer for another pick higher in the order, as Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders writes within his mock draft.
- Notre Dame swingman Pat Connaughton, N.C. State shooting guard Trevor Lacey, Iowa State shooting guard Bryce Dejean-Jones, Tennessee Tech center Charles Jackson and UC Santa Barbara center Alan Williams were among those who worked out for the Wolves this week, Wolfson reports (Twitter link).
Gerald Henderson Opts In With Hornets
Gerald Henderson has picked up his $6MM player option for next season to stay with the Hornets, the team announced. The move means the Wasserman Media Group client will enter free agency next summer instead of this year, as the coming season is the last on a three-year, $18MM deal that the swingman signed with the team in 2013.
It’s the second time this week that a member of the Hornets exercised a player option. Al Jefferson officially did so Monday, the same day the team traded Lance Stephenson to the Clippers for Spencer Hawes and Matt Barnes. This week’s moves, including Henderson’s decision, have lifted the team’s guaranteed salary for next season from about $46.2MM to approximately $63.8MM, making it likely the team stays above the projected $67.1MM cap for 2015/16.
Henderson started 72 games this past season, in part because Stephenson failed to become the mainstay that Charlotte hoped he’d be. The 27-year-old Henderson nonetheless averaged fewer minutes, points and shots per game than in any of the four seasons since he became a full-time starter for the team.
Draft Rumors: Towns, Okafor, Lakers, Hezonja
- The Lakers are worried that finding a quality big man via free agency or trade will be tougher than finding a guard who can score, as Ford reports in his new mock draft, citing it as an edge for Okafor as the team mulls what to do with the No. 2 pick. It appears that the Lakers are debating Okafor and Ohio State combo guard D’Angelo Russell if the Wolves pick Towns, Ford writes.
- The stock of Arizona small forward Rondae Hollis-Jefferson is rising, making him a sleeper lottery pick, Ford hears, writing in the same mock draft. Multiple sources told Ford that they believe Oregon shooting guard Joseph Young has a promise from a team picking late in the first round.
- Agent Arn Tellem is negotiating with Barcelona of Spain to reduce the buyout clause in top-10 prospect Mario Hezonja‘s contract, reports David Pick of Eurobasket.com (Twitter link). The buyout is the equivalent of $2.27MM as it stands, well north of the $625K cap that NBA teams can shell out without it coming out of the player’s salary. Tellem is set to become an executive in the Pistons organization, and Detroit picks eighth.
Mavs Notes: Rondo, Jefferson, Ellis
The Warriors won the 2014/15 title, but the Mavs appear poised to make an aggressive push to have more success in the 2015 offseason than any other team. They’re reportedly going after LaMarcus Aldridge and DeAndre Jordan, the No. 3 and No. 8 players in the latest Hoops Rumors Free Agent Power Rankings, though Dallas hasn’t been too successful in luring marquee free agents since winning the title in 2011. As we wait to see if that changes this summer, here’s more on the Mavs:
- Dallas would prefer to operate as an over-the-cap team this summer to preserve use of the full $5.464MM mid-level exception, one of the reasons why the Mavs cased Rajon Rondo‘s mutual parting with the team during the playoffs in the context of a back injury, as Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com details. Of course, Dallas still wants to go after apparent targets like Aldridge and Jordan, so sign-and-trades would be necessary to accomplish that while over the cap, MacMahon explains, suggesting the Mavs would prefer to officially end Rondo’s tenure on the team by sending him out via sign-and-trade.
- The Mavs would like to re-sign Richard Jefferson as long as he’s willing to come back at the minimum salary, MacMahon writes in a separate piece.
- Dirk Nowitzki said Tuesday that he’d love for the Mavs to keep Tyson Chandler and Monta Ellis and sign Aldridge, but having all three on next year’s team is most likely unfeasible, MacMahon tweets. Nowitzki also said that his gut feeling is that Ellis will opt out, as Earl K. Sneed of Mavs.com relays (Twitter link). Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News passes along more of Nowitzki’s comments.
Eastern Rumors: Lou Williams, Boozer, LeBron
Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald expects Lou Williams to reach out to the Heat, among others, in free agency this summer. Still, the Heat are unlikely to have the cap space to afford the reigning Sixth Man of the Year unless two among Dwyane Wade, Goran Dragic and Luol Deng leave the team this summer, Jackson notes. Otherwise, Miami would be limited to either the $5.464MM non-taxpayer’s mid-level exception or the $3.376MM taxpayer’s mid-level. Neither would probably be enough to land the Wallace Prather client who’s likely seeking a significant raise on his $5.45MM salary with the Raptors from this past season. Here’s more from the Eastern Conference:
- Someone close to Carlos Boozer told Jackson that he wouldn’t be surprised if the power forward signed with the Heat this summer, though Jackson asserts, as he writes in the same piece, that it would almost certainly be a minimum-salary deal if he were to go to Miami.
- LeBron James has taken a detached, passive-aggressive stance to expressing his views on the moves his teams make during offseasons in which he’s been a free agent in the past, but the Cavs want him to give direct input this summer, as Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com details. James is likely to opt out and sign another two-year deal with a player option on year two, Windhorst writes, seconding what Joe Vardon of the Northeast Ohio Media Group wrote was a widespread expectation during the season, preferring leverage for himself over comfort for the team.
- The Knicks would love to acquire an extra pick, whether in the first round or the second, a source told Marc Berman of the New York Post.
- Thanasis Antetokounmpo, whom the Knicks drafted 51st overall last year, would consider signing overseas instead of again playing in the D-League, as his did this past season, if the Knicks don’t sign him to their NBA roster this offseason, agent Tim Lotsos tells Berman for the same piece.
Latest On Warriors, Draymond Green
WEDNESDAY, 9:05am: Green seemed make his intentions clear late Tuesday when Kawakami asked him if he was sure he’d be back with the Warriors next season.
“I’ll be here. I love this group of guys,” Green said.
Kawakami cautioned that the remark came in the emotionally charged hours after the Warriors had won the championship, and Green said in response to a follow-up question that he’s not thinking about his free agency for now. Still, it’s nonetheless a positive sign for the Warriors.
TUESDAY, 3:17pm: Warriors GM Bob Myers refused to delve deeply into the mechanics of the negotiations the team has planned with soon-to-be restricted free agent Draymond Green, but he nonetheless expressed confidence the team will bring him back, as Jeff Faraudo of the Bay Area News Group writes.
“Tell the Warrior fans they shouldn’t worry,” Myers said.
The Warriors front office had given every indication as the trade deadline approached that they planned to match any offer for Green, as Bay Area News Group columnist Tim Kawakami reported then, and the latest comments from Myers suggest that hasn’t changed. Myers cited league rules against public comments about contract talks as he refused to elaborate today, and while it’s not uncommon for teams to say they’ll match any offer for a restricted free agent, the league frowns on it.
In any case, Myers made it clear that the team hopes to retain the core of its club, Faraudo relays, which may or may not include David Lee, who’s suddenly become a significant weapon again after falling out of the rotation and sitting on the bench for all of the first two Finals games. Lee’s salary of nearly $15.494MM for next season is part of more than $77.5MM in commitments Golden State already has for 2015/16, never mind a new deal for Green. The Warriors have Bird Rights on Green, so they can pay up to the max if they want, but that would likely entail a massive tax bill with the tax line projected to come in at $81.6MM.
Green, a native of Michigan, reportedly had significant interest in signing an offer sheet with the Pistons, as Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports wrote during the season in a report that seemed to suggest a max offer from some team would be in play. Wojnarowski detailed the Warriors’ desire to match an offer that would exceed Klay Thompson‘s salary, which will be no more than $15.5MM next season, rather than make the offer themselves, lest Thompson’s feelings get hurt. Pistons coach/executive Stan Van Gundy seemed to make it clear he has plenty of interest in Green, though that doesn’t necessarily mean that he’d want to tie up his team’s cap for three days while the Warriors can simply wait to match. Van Gundy also made his comments in response to questions about Green long before the Pistons traded for Ersan Ilyasova, whose presence helps solidify the team’s front line.
Myers said today that he doesn’t expect that the job change for Arn Tellem, the super-agent from the Wasserman Media Group who’s leaving for a job with the Pistons organization, would play a role in negotiations with Green, who’s represented by Wasserman’s B.J. Armstrong. Myers, himself a former agent, used to work with Armstrong, as Myers pointed out, according to Faraudo.