Lon Babby To Reduce Role With Suns
12:59pm: The move came at Babby’s behest, according to a statement he made as part of a Suns press release confirming the transition that the team has on its website.
“I am grateful that [owner] Robert [Sarver] has accommodated my wish to reduce my work load, while remaining a vital part of the Suns organization,” Babby said. “At this stage of my career, I welcome the flexibility that comes with this new role, a flexibility that will enable me to do other things that are important to me both personally and in the community. I feel particularly confident in making this transition because of the quality of leadership in place within the organization.”
The press release doesn’t indicate that McDonough will assume Babby’s job title of president of basketball operations. McDonough will nonetheless take on added responsibilities, as will assistant GMs Pat Connelly and Trevor Bukstein, the team said.
12:07pm: Suns president of basketball operations Lon Babby will move into a role as senior adviser and GM Ryan McDonough will become the team’s head of basketball operations on August 1st, reports Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic (Twitter link). Babby has held the president’s title since the 2010/11 season, when he and former GM Lance Blanks came aboard. Phoenix replaced Blanks with McDonough in 2013.
It’s not immediately clear whether Babby, who signed a two-year deal to stick with the Suns in 2013, is choosing to make this transition or if the team is pushing him aside. Phoenix has pivoted away from the Steve Nash era under his watch, but the team has yet to make the playoffs since Babby came aboard. McDonough appears to have had plenty of influence since his hiring, experimenting with a point guard heavy roster the last two seasons, with mixed results.
Babby is a former player agent whose clients included Tim Duncan, Ray Allen and Grant Hill. McDonough, who spent several years in the Celtics organization before joining the Suns, was Boston’s assistant GM for the three seasons prior to his move to Phoenix.
Atlantic Notes: Winslow, Celtics, Raptors
Duke small forward Justise Winslow is “definitely in play” for the Knicks, who pick fourth overall, league sources tell Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com. The Knicks gave Winslow positive feedback after his workout with the team Monday, Begley hears. A more conventional candidate for the fourth pick, D’Angelo Russell, will work out for the Knicks soon, as Russell told reporters in Los Angeles, Begley notes. The team also has tentative plans to work out Wisconsin power forward Frank Kaminsky, reports Marc Berman of the New York Post (Twitter link), another possible sign the Knicks are thinking of trading down. Not surprisingly, many sources have indicated to Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders that the Knicks remain torn over their multitude of options for the pick (Twitter link). While the Knicks mull just what to do come June 25th, there’s plenty more draft news from around the Atlantic Division:
- Winslow will also work out for the Sixers, who hold pick No. 3, sources told Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv.
- The Celtics would like to move into the lottery and are offering their pair of first-rounders, at Nos. 16 and 28, to make that happen, league sources tell Gery Woelfel of The Journal Times. Boston also has the 33rd and 45th picks and continues to audition non-lottery prospects. Kentucky center Dakari Johnson, Italian small forward Simone Fontecchio, Xavier center Matt Stainbrook, Villanova small forward Darrun Hilliard and Baylor small forward Royce O’Neale are working out for the Celtics today, as the team announced and as Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston relays (Twitter link). They join previously reported participant Pat Connaughton, a small forward from Notre Dame.
- The Raptors today will audition UCLA shooting guard Norman Powell, Wisconsin forward Duje Dukan, and power forwards Christian Wood of UNLV, Michale Kyser of Louisiana Tech and Darion Atkins of Virginia, the team announced (on Twitter). They’ll join UNLV shooting guard Rashad Vaughn, a previously reported participant.
Poll: Who Will Land Nuggets Coaching Job?
Denver’s coaching vacancy has lingered for months, but it looks like the Nuggets have livened the pace of their search over the past couple of weeks. They reportedly interviewed Michael Malone last week and have been planning to bring him back for a second, if they haven’t already. Mike D’Antoni, Wizards assistant Don Newman and Trail Blazers assistant David Vanterpool have also reportedly interviewed, and it appears as though Mike Woodson might be in line for an interview, too. It’s unclear whether Nuggets interim coach Melvin Hunt has interviewed, but the Denver organization obviously knows him well. An increasing number of other coaches around the league feel as though Hunt will end up with the job, as Marc Stein of ESPN.com recently reported.
All the interviews with others nonetheless cloud the picture. Hunt, Malone and D’Antoni are strong candidates, as Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports heard, and it would appear as though Denver is at least exploring its options. Hunt is the player favorite, and while he has experience as an NBA assistant coach that dates back more than a decade, his six-week stint in charge of the Nuggets was his first experience as an NBA head coach. D’Antoni a much longer track record as a head coach, having guided the Lakers, Knicks, Suns and, for a brief time in 1999, the Nuggets, and he’s also a maestro of the fast-paced offense that Denver has long preferred. Woodson, a former head coach for the Knicks and Hawks, slowed New York’s tempo considerably when he took over that job from D’Antoni and guided the team to 54 wins in his first full season there. Malone is defense-first coach with a shorter head-coaching resume, but he looked like a coach on the rise, connecting with DeMarcus Cousins and leading the Kings to a strong start this season, before Cousins came down with viral meningitis and the Kings fired Malone in December. Newman and Vanterpool are relative unknowns who have impressed as NBA assistants.
Vote below to let us know which way you think the Nuggets will go. If you’re a mobile user, or you simply have more to say about your choice, let us know in the comments.
Southwest Notes: Barea, Grizzlies, Hanga, Jones
The Mavericks have interest in re-signing J.J. Barea, but only to a point, as Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com examines. Barea is seeking a multiyear deal with an average salary around $3MM, as MacMahon reported earlier, while the Mavs want him to sign another minimum salary contract. MacMahon predicts that the sides will settle on a two-year deal with a starting salary close to the value of the $2.139MM biannual exception. Here’s more from around the Southwest Division:
- Grizzlies GM Chris Wallace admits that the player the team takes with the 25th overall pick probably won’t be a factor for Memphis next season, as Ronald Tillery of The Commercial Appeal relays in a subscription-only piece. “When you see what’s going on with the rookies and their usage with the playoff teams, how many rookies play for a playoff team?” Wallace said. “So you’re building your base of talent. You’d love to have a rookie come in and play right off the bat but you can’t draft on that premise. You’re drafting for overall talent, who is going to have the best career and who can provide the most value for that pick down the road.”
- Small forward Adam Hanga tells BB1.hu, a website in his native Hungary, that he’ll attend a Spurs mini-camp in San Antonio but prefers to remain overseas (translation via Sportando’s Emiliano Carchia). The draft-and-stash prospect whose NBA rights belong to the Spurs added that he wants to play again for Laboral Kuxta, the Spanish club that loaned him to Italy’s Avellino this season.
- Former Duke point guard Tyus Jones has returned to action from a back injury, tweets Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities. Chad Ford of ESPN.com had speculated that the injury was actually a ruse to cover up a promise from the Rockets, but Jones’ workout with Houston was cut short, according to Wolfson, apparently because of his back. In any case, the Timberwolves are interested in auditioning Jones but haven’t scheduled a workout with him yet, Wolfson adds.
Northwest Notes: Jokic, Tomic, Winslow
Nikola Jokic has been making it known he’s on his way to the Nuggets for next season, as David Pick of Eurobasket.com hears (Twitter link). The Serbian whom Denver took 41st overall last year intends to join the Nuggets, as Pick reported earlier, after spending this past season as a draft-and-stash prospect. It’s unclear just what sort of terms it’ll take to make that happen, as Pick reported last month that Jokic was insistent upon a long-term deal. There’s more on another draft-and-stash big man amid the latest from around the Northwest Division:
- Ante Tomic is apparently once more leaning toward a multiyear extension with Barcelona of Spain, sources tell Sportando’s Emiliano Carchia. Utah’s draft-and-stash center was reportedly set to ink a three-year extension with Barcelona as of April, but he’s yet to do so, and earlier he wouldn’t rule out signing with the Jazz. Last week, he appeared thoroughly undecided on his future.
- The Nuggets are indeed working out Justise Winslow on Wednesday, the team announced, confirming a report from Christopher Dempsey of The Denver Post, who said that the team was expected to audition the Duke small forward.
- The Blazers brought in Virginia small forward Justin Anderson, Connecticut point guard Ryan Boatright, French center Mouhammadou Jaiteh, Arizona point guard T.J. McConnell, and Maryland shooting guard Dez Wells for a predraft workout today, the team announced (Twitter link). Arizona small forward Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, as Jabari Young of CSNNW.com previously reported, is also a part of the workout.
- The Jazz will hire Hawks strength and conditioning coach Jeff Watkinson as an assistant coach, reports Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Hawks head coach Mike Budenholzer confirmed Watkinson is leaving the team to rejoin Jazz head coach Quin Snyder, whom Watkinson used to work with on the Hawks and at the University of Missouri, as Vivlamore details.
Southeast Notes: Wade, Bynum, Borrego
Heat teammates are in the dark about Dwyane Wade‘s contract situation, and even Mario Chalmers, who’s spoken to Wade, doesn’t know what will happen, as Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel details. Wade would reportedly like to opt out and is open to leaving the Heat, who would apparently prefer that he opt in, as Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald reported. I looked at the dynamics between Wade and the Heat in depth earlier today as I examined the offseason ahead for Miami. Here’s more from around the Southeast Division:
- The Guangdong Southern Tigers have given Will Bynum a standing offer to return to China on a three-year deal, as Bynum tells Jorge Castillo of The Washington Post. The point guard, whose contract with the Wizards expires at month’s end, said to Castillo that he’s “definitely considering” the Chinese offer but will seek a comparable NBA pact before committing to it.
- Speaking of standing offers, former interim coach James Borrego has one from the Magic to return to the team as an assistant coach, writes Marc Stein of ESPN.com amid a full piece that advances his earlier report on interest in the coach from the Thunder and Pelicans. Borrego is expected to make his decision this week about whether to stay with the Magic, Stein adds.
- The Hornets are holding a predraft workout today for Louisville’s Montrezl Harrell, UNC Charlotte’s Pierria Henry, UTEP’s Vince Hunter, Davidson’s Tyler Kalinoski, Nebraska’s Terran Petteway and William & Mary’s Marcus Thornton, the team announced (on Twitter).
Mavs Biggest Threat To Sign LaMarcus Aldridge
The Mavericks are the “biggest threat” to sign LaMarcus Aldridge away from the Trail Blazers this summer, writes Bleacher Report’s Ric Bucher, citing league sources who nonetheless add that it’s the idea of returning to his native Texas, and not any specific team, that appeals him. Still, the Spurs are either no longer among his preferred destinations or rank low among them, several sources tell Bucher. The Rockets, unlike Dallas and San Antonio, haven’t drawn frequent mention as an Aldridge suitor. The Lakers and Knicks, two other teams that planned to go after Aldridge, aren’t viable options because of their status as rebuilding teams, Bucher hears, while league sources who spoke with Bucher are skeptical that the Celtics, another suitor, hold much appeal.
Still, it’s unclear if Aldridge sits atop the list of priorities for the Mavs, according to Bucher. Dallas, which has apparently been planning to pursue the Arn Tellem client since at least November, also reportedly intends to pursue DeAndre Jordan this summer.
Aldridge doesn’t feel the same way as he did a year ago when he pledged to re-sign with the Blazers as a free agent this July, and the idea that it’s time for a change is driving his desire to look elsewhere, sources tell Bucher. The All-Star power forward can be fickle, as The Oregonian’s Jason Quick wrote several weeks ago, and that’s evidenced not only by his apparent change of heart regarding a long-term commitment to the Blazers but also his apparent waning interest in the Spurs. San Antonio was “near or at” the top of Aldridge’s wish list, as Marc Stein of ESPN.com wrote earlier in the offseason. Bucher reiterates his earlier report that the Spurs are tentatively planning for Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili to return, a scenario that would make it more difficult for the Spurs to go after Aldridge or another max-salary free agent. That nonetheless conflicts with what Ken Berger of CBSSports.com wrote a few weeks ago when he heard that the prevailing belief within the Spurs organization was that Duncan would likely be back and Ginobili would probably retire.
In any case, uncertainty surrounding Wesley Matthews, who’s recovering from a torn left Achilles tendon, “changes everything” for Aldridge, a league exec tells Bucher. The Bleacher Report scribe speculates that Aldridge may be worried about Portland’s commitment to re-signing Matthews, a close friend of Aldridge’s. Bucher mentions Aldridge’s cardiomyopathy, a heart condition that he was diagnosed with years ago, as a reason that teams may be somewhat wary of a deal with him, though it would seem as though the No. 3 player on the Hoops Rumors Free Agent Power Rankings will remain a highly sought-after commodity. Bucher suggests the Blazers are concerned that Aldridge doesn’t feel as though the franchise appreciates him as its marquee star, pointing to evidence indicating that Portland has indeed made him its pre-eminent figure.
Offseason Outlook: Miami Heat
Guaranteed Contracts
- Chris Bosh ($22,192,730)
- Josh McRoberts ($5,543,725)
- Chris Andersen ($5,000,000)
- Mario Chalmers ($4,300,000)
- Udonis Haslem ($2,854,940)
- Zoran Dragic ($1,706,250)
- Shabazz Napier ($1,294,440)
Non-Guaranteed Contracts
- Henry Walker ($1,100,602)1
- Hassan Whiteside ($981,348)
- James Ennis ($845,059)2
- Tyler Johnson ($845,059)3
Options
- Dwyane Wade ($16,125,000 — Player)4
- Luol Deng ($10,151,612 — Player)5
- Goran Dragic ($7,500,000 — Player)6
- Michael Beasley ($1,270,964 — Team)7
Restricted Free Agents/Cap Holds
- None
Unrestricted Free Agents/Cap Holds
- No. 10 pick ($2,068,100)
Draft Picks
- 1st Round (10th overall)
- 2nd Round (40th overall)
Cap Outlook
- Guaranteed Salary: $42,892,085
- Non-Guaranteed Salary: $3,772,068
- Options: $35,047,576
- Cap Holds: $2,068,100
- Total: $83,779,829
The suddenly uncertain future of Dwyane Wade has rocked what appeared to be a relatively simple offseason ahead for the Heat. The primary mission had been to re-sign Goran Dragic, a prospect that seemed like a strong bet even as Dragic confirmed that he was turning down his bargain $7.5MM player option. Yet the notion of the Heat as solid front-runners to retain the point guard was shaken when Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald reported last month that Wade was open to opting out and that if Wade were to leave the Heat, the chances that Dragic would do the same would increase.
Wade reportedly wants a three-year deal, perhaps for as much as $20MM a year, with the Heat preferring that he opt in for his $16.125MM next season and negotiate again next summer, when his existing contract expires. Wade can still score with the best of them in the NBA, finishing 11th in the league with 21.5 points per game. As usual, he dished out more assists than many point guards, racking up 4.8 per game. Still, this past season was the first in which Wade recorded a negative Defensive Box Plus/Minus, a Basketball-Reference metric, and he was a discouraging 77th among shooting guards in ESPN‘s Defensive Real Plus/Minus. The 33-year-old missed 20 games, and it’s become increasingly clear that his body isn’t what it used to be.
The question for the Heat and the rest of the league is just how valuable Wade still is. The Heat have the capacity to pay up to the maximum to retain him, but it would seem unlikely that many teams would be willing to approach that sort of level for a declining star. A one-year offer for the maximum from the Heat might be a logical compromise, but the Heat must be wary of the projected $81.6MM luxury tax line, since they were also taxpayers in three of the last four seasons. Simply bringing back Wade and Luol Deng at the values of their respective player options would mean that the max offer the Heat are expected to make to retain Dragic would give the team approximately $88MM in guaranteed salary for next season, a figure already above the tax line. Another $6MM or so for Wade would cost roughly $18MM in additional taxes. Wade is eminently valuable to the Heat, but perhaps not quite to that extent.
The Heat likely wouldn’t have the capacity to replace Wade with anyone who can score like he can if he were to depart, unless they let go of Dragic and Deng, which presents a catch-22. But in the absence of another team willing to pay dearly for Wade, the Heat may be best advised to let the market dictate Wade’s value. The Heat, should they prove unsuccessful in convincing him to opt in, need not bid against themselves and agree to any sort of deal for Wade without first allowing him to gauge his alternatives.
An opt-in from Deng would help lend some simplicity back to the Heat’s summer, and team president Pat Riley indicated that the Heat would indeed like to keep him. The now 30-year-old didn’t play like the All-Star he once was this past season in Miami, but he nonetheless still looms as a strong complementary piece on the contending team that the Heat want to be. Deng last summer reportedly sought a more lucrative contract than the two-year, nearly $20MM deal he ultimately received, but an underwhelming year in Miami may well have him convinced that he wouldn’t end up with a better deal if he hit the market again this summer. That would suggest that he’d opt in, and while Deng hasn’t indicated that he’s leaning one way or another, he has expressed contentment about playing in Miami.
The uncertainty surrounding Wade, Deng, and perhaps Dragic muddies the draft picture for Miami, which will likely go with the best available talent with the No. 10 pick. The Heat haven’t had the chance to pick in the top 10 since they largely missed with their selection of Michael Beasley in 2008. That suggests that prospects who carry risk, like center Myles Turner of Texas and Latvian power forward Kristaps Porzingis, might not be as attractive to the Heat as known quantities like Kentucky center Willie Cauley-Stein and Wisconsin power forward Frank Kaminsky. Still, none of them are perimeter players of the sort who might be able to replace Wade, Deng or Dragic should one of them leave. Arizona small forward Stanley Johnson, Kentucky shooting guard Devin Booker and Murray State point guard Cameron Payne are prospects in Miami’s range who’d fit that bill. Our Eddie Scarito has the Heat selecting Wisconsin small forward Sam Dekker in the latest Hoops Rumors Mock Draft.
The Heat have another option to contend with around draft time, and it would seem as though Miami is poised to make Beasley a free agent rather than pick up his team option for next season. That wouldn’t necessarily mean the end of the third tenure that the former No. 2 overall pick has had with Miami, as doing so would at least allow the Heat to keep his Non-Bird rights, but the increased flexibility is probably the Heat’s priority with so much else uncertain. The Heat have a series of partial guarantee dates throughout the summer and early season with their four non-guaranteed contracts, giving the Heat the chance to aggregate them via trade to a team looking to clear salary before those guarantee dates kick in. Hassan Whiteside has one of those four non-guaranteed contracts, but he’s not going anywhere, at least until his contract expires in 2016, when the Heat’s bargain find is poised to command a much more player-friendly deal.
The cataclysmic departure of LeBron James last year left the Heat dented, if not devastated, but they’re still in position to quickly bounce back into Eastern Conference contention if Chris Bosh comes back 100% healthy and the core remains intact. The Heat’s ability to keep that nucleus together isn’t as certain as it seemed when the season ended, but Riley is still as canny and creative as ever. Should trouble present itself, the Heat at least have their executive and the allure of South Beach on their side. Miami would certainly prefer not to have to rebuild, but the franchise would probably be able to do so rather quickly.
Cap Footnotes
1 — Walker’s salary would become partially guaranteed for $100K if he remains under contract through August 1st, for $300K if he remains under contract through November 3rd, and for $500K if he remains under contract through December 1st.
2 — The salary for Ennis would become partially guaranteed for $422,530 if he remains under contract through August 1st and fully guaranteed if he remains under contract through December 1st.
3 — Johnson’s salary would become partially guaranteed for $422,530 if he remains under contract through August 1st.
4 — If he opts out, the cap hold for Wade would be the lesser of $22,500,000 and the league’s maximum salary for a veteran of at least 10 seasons, which is likely to end up around that $22.5MM figure.
5 — The cap hold for Deng would be $11,657,353 if he opts out.
6 — The cap hold for Dragic would be $11,250,000 if he opts out, as he plans to do.
7 — The cap hold for Beasley would be $947,276 if the Heat decline their option on him.
The Basketball Insiders Salary Pages were used in the creation of this post.
Cavs Notes: Love, Draft, Dellavedova
Team officials around the league are split on whether Draymond Green or Kevin Love is the better player, and no one on the Warriors would trade Green for Love straight-up these days, Grantland’s Zach Lowe writes. That represents a dramatic shift from the beginning of the season, but Cavs GM David Griffin, whose team had been discussing Love trades with the Timberwolves two years prior to last August’s trade, is adamant that the Cavs want to keep Love, according to Lowe. There’s more on Love, who likewise continues to insist that he wants to stay in Cleveland, amid the latest on the Cavs:
- Cleveland’s willingness to have given up Andrew Wiggins for Love in the first place was tied to the choice LeBron James made to return to Cleveland, Griffin admitted in his interview with Lowe. “You have a finite window when you’re dealing with a player that’s 30,” Griffin said, citing James’ age. “The organization had wanted Kevin for a while, but we paid the price we paid entirely because of LeBron’s presence.”
- Lowe nonetheless suggests that the Cavs could have kept Wiggins and acquired Thaddeus Young from the Sixers instead of Love, sending salary filler to Philadelphia along with the same first-round pick that ended up going to Sixers in the three-team Love trade.
- The Cavs had workouts scheduled Monday with Arizona power forward Brandon Ashley, Michigan State guard Travis Trice, Wisconsin-Green Bay point guard Keifer Sykes, Louisville swingman Wayne Blackshear and Stanford small forward Anthony Brown, sources told Michael Scotto of SheridanHoops (Twitter link).
- Matthew Dellavedova is proving former Cavs GM Chris Grant wise as he makes an outsized impact in the Finals at the tail end of the two-year minimum-salary deal Grant signed him to in 2013, as Chris Mannix of SI.com examines. Dellavedova is set for restricted free agency this summer.
Nuggets Interview David Vanterpool
Trail Blazers assistant David Vanterpool has interviewed for the Nuggets head coaching job, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports, who first identified Vanterpool as a candidate for the vacancy in April. Vanterpool is nonetheless not among the favorites for the position, Wojnarowski writes, pointing instead to the interview itself as a boon for the 42-year-old who has just three years of experience as an NBA assistant coach. Wojnarowski refers to interim coach Melvin Hunt, Michael Malone and Mike D’Antoni as strong candidates for the job, the same three names Christopher Dempsey of The Denver Post identified as known candidates in a story from overnight.
Other names have nonetheless emerged as well, as the team has interviewed Wizards assistant Don Newman, according to Shams Charania of RealGM, while Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe heard that Mike Woodson might get an interview, too. The Nuggets are believed to want their next coach in place soon so that the new hire can help the team prepare for the draft, Dempsey writes, and an increasing number of coaches around the league foresee the team going with Hunt, as Marc Stein of ESPN.com reported. Hunt would seemingly have the advantage of incumbency, and it’s clear that the Nuggets players are behind him. Malone is so far the only candidate reported to have drawn a second interview, though the Nuggets are clearly familiar with Hunt’s credentials.
Vanterpool interviewed for the Sixers head coaching job in 2013 and seemingly became the front-runner for that position at one point. That came just one year after he joined the Blazers, a gig that Vanterpool landed after he served in the Thunder’s front office as director of player personnel, Wojnarowski notes. Before that, he was an assistant coach for CSKA Moscow under European coaching icon and current Spurs assistant Ettore Messina, as Wojnarowski also points out.