Nets Owner Plans To Reel In Spending
Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov has agreed to curb his record-setting spending on the team going forward in an effort to enhance the value of the club as minority owners seek to sell a 20% share of the franchise, Josh Kosman of the New York Post reports. Prokhorov plans on turning the Nets into a non-taxpaying team by 2015/16 as he seeks a valuation of $1 billion for the club.
A recent report indicated that Prokhorov was listening to offers for his controlling interest, though his intent was apparently to find out just what he could get for it rather than actually selling it. The part of the team that is up for grab is that owned by real estate developer Bruce Ratner’s Forest City Enterprises, according to Kosman, who echoes a report from last month.
The $1 billion valuation that both Prokhorov and Ratner’s company are apparently seeking is just half of what former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer agreed to pay for the Clippers, but the difference is that the Nets are “far from” profitable, unlike the Clippers, Kosman writes. The Nets are predicting a profit of $50MM for 2016/17, according to Kosman.
Brooklyn’s payroll came to nearly $103MM this season, and with luxury tax included, the outlay is in the range of $190MM. The team has more than $45,937,663 already on the books for 2015/16, the year it aims to get out of the tax, not counting a more than $16.7MM player option for Brook Lopez. It’ll be difficult for Prokhorov to achieve his cost-cutting goal, and a source expressed skepticism to Kosman that Prokhorov will stick to his austerity plan.
Celtics Pursuing No. 1 Pick
WEDNESDAY, 7:55am: Boston has spoken with all five teams picking ahead of them in Thursday’s draft, the Boston Herald reports, adding that the C’s have also had discussions with clubs lower in the order.
TUESDAY, 4:44pm: The Celtics have engaged the Cavs in talks about the No. 1 pick, reports A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com. Boston is the latest team to jump into discussions regarding the top draft choice with Cleveland, which is reportedly also having conversations with the Magic, Jazz, Sixers and Timberwolves. Cleveland appears to prefer Orlando’s offer, though it appears the market is continuing to develop. No deal involving the Celtics is imminent, according to Blakely.
Multiple sources tell Blakely that the Celtics would lean toward Andrew Wiggins if they acquired the top pick. They’d take Jabari Parker if they decide against Wiggins, Blakely adds. Boston has interest in Joel Embiid, and while the C’s would consider moving up to take him if necessary, it’s unlikely that he would be the choice at No. 1, Blakely writes.
It’s unclear exactly what the Celtics would give up for the top pick, though their pick at No. 6 has seemingly been up for grabs the past several weeks as Danny Ainge seeks a splashy move to impress Rajon Rondo, who can hit free agency next year. The Celtics are seeking to put together a package that would entice the Wolves, who seemingly haven’t been receptive to Boston’s entreaties for Kevin Love.
Pistons End Josh Smith Talks With Kings
4:19pm: The talks are “dead,” a source tells Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress, who hears the Pistons put an end to them this morning (Twitter link).
2:29pm: The Pistons and Kings have spoken about a trade that would ship Josh Smith to Sacramento, reports Marc Stein of ESPN.com. One version would involve Derrick Williams and Jason Thompson heading to Detroit, while Jason Terry is a part of other scenarios, Stein adds (Twitter links). No deal is imminent, but Stein suggests that Sacramento has Rajon Rondo in mind as it pursues a deal for Smith, who’s friends with the Celtics point guard (Twitter link).
Pistons president of basketball operations Stan Van Gundy expressed confidence this afternoon in the team’s direction regarding soon-to-be restricted free agent Greg Monroe, and a trade of Smith would help resolve the Pistons’ shooting deficiencies if Monroe remains. The new deal at or near the max that Monroe and agent David Falk are likely to command this summer would mean Monroe would join Smith on lucrative long-term contracts that would make it difficult for the Pistons to make changes along the front line without parting with Andre Drummond.
The Kings under GM Pete D’Alessandro have been perhaps the most aggressive team on the trade market, and a deal involving either Williams or Terry would represent a quick flip of players he acquired via trades just this past season. Thompson was frequently in trade rumors toward the deadline, but talks involving the Cavs never came to fruition.
Sacramento appears focused for now on proposals for the No. 8 pick, according to Stein (on Twitter), who echoes an earlier report that the team is more likely to trade it than keep it. The Kings apparently have three deals in the works involving that selection, and the Bulls and Hawks have been linked to the pick.
Cavs Interested In Arron Afflalo, No. 4, No. 12
The Cavs have interest in the Magic’s proposal of Arron Afflalo, and the Nos. 4 and 12 picks in exchange for the No. 1 overall pick in Thursday’s draft, as Jeff Goodman and Chad Ford of ESPN.com report. The Magic have offered the same package to the Bucks with no success, as Ford wrote Monday.
Afflalo has drawn plenty of mention in rumors of late, as he’s reportedly a target of the Bulls and Hornets. The Magic are apparently seeking either the first or second pick and seem aggressive in their attempts to move up.
Cleveland is torn on whether it prefers Andrew Wiggins or Jabari Parker at No. 1, as we noted when Goodman and Ford published an earlier version of their story. The Jazz, Sixers and Timberwolves have all reportedly been involved in trade talks with Cleveland for the top pick in case GM David Griffin and company decide to punt on the Wiggins/Parker decision, as Ford and Goodman note. Still, Cleveland prefers Orlando’s offer to the Jazz’s proposal involving Derrick Favors and pick No. 5 and the Sixers’ offer of Thaddeus Young and the third pick, according to the ESPN scribes.
Grizzlies Interview Four For GM-In-Waiting Gig
Grizzlies GM Chris Wallace and representatives of owner Robert Pera have interviewed four candidates to become the team’s player personnel director and serve as a GM-in-waiting, reports Ken Berger of CBSSports.com. Nets assistant GM Bobby Marks, Pacers vice president Peter Dinwiddie, Knicks director of pro personnel Mark Hughes and former Raptors and Knicks GM Glen Grunwald have all had meetings with the club, which envisions one of them eventually replacing Wallace, Berger writes.
There’s been plenty of confusion regarding the future of the Grizzlies front office ever since Pera ousted former CEO Jason Levien and installed Wallace as the interim head of the basketball operations department. A report last week indicated that Wallace would remain as GM for the “foreseeable future.” While that seemed to indicate that Wallace would stay in charge, Wallace retained his GM title even as he was stripped of control of the front office under Levien’s regime. A more recent report hinted that Wallace’s future has yet to be decided, referring to him only as a front-runner to retain control of the front office, though Berger’s dispatch seems to indicate that Wallace will remain in power for at least a while after the team makes its hire.
Grunwald probably has the lengthiest resume of the group, as none of the other candidates have been in charge of a team’s front office. An earlier report indicated that Knicks director of player personnel Mark Warkentien was also a candidate. The team apparently asked for permission to interview Thunder assistant GM Michael Winger, but Winger short-circuited that attempt and let Memphis know he’s not interested.
Bucks GM On Wiggins, Parker, Embiid, Owners
Bucks GM John Hammond‘s job appears safe only through Thursday’s draft, but that didn’t stop him from talking plenty about the team’s future in a predraft press conference today. Earlier we noted Hammond’s comments about the notion of trading the No. 2 pick, as Hammond said he’s listening to proposals but wouldn’t give up the selection unless a team offered “something very special” in return. Matt Velazquez of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel rounds up a litany of quotes from Hammond, and while his piece is a must-read for Bucks fans and fans of teams with a top-five pick, we’ll share a few highlights here:
On whether the Bucks have narrowed their options to Andrew Wiggins and Jabari Parker, as co-owner Marc Lasry seemed to indicate this week:
“I don’t think it’s fair to say that right now. I think we have to still keep all of our options open. I think this is more than a two-man draft and I think it’s going to prove to be that. It was talked about being a three-man draft before Joe [Joel Embiid] got hurt and I think that’s still the case. I think it was more than a three-man draft at that time and I think it’s more than a two-man draft today.”
On whether teams are smarter to draft Joel Embiid or to avoid him due to his injury:
“I think the answer is yes to both of those. Yes, it would behoove a team to take him and store him away, but I’m sure there is some concern with the health. But, look, I don’t expect Joel to drop too far in this draft. I think he’s still a guy that we need to have on our board to a certain extent. He’s a great talent and you talk about these sort of things like three to five years from now, who’s going to be the best guy in this draft? Time will tell. He still has to be in that discussion. So you can see something happening, a team taking him and knowing we have a great asset moving forward. … I think he’s tempting for anyone in this draft, including us.”
On trading up for another first-rounder toward the back of the round:
“We’ll have discussions with teams. We’re having those discussions with teams right now. I wouldn’t rule that possibility out, but we’ll see how that goes.”
On the different approach the new owners are taking:
“It’s just philosophical. The Senator [Herb Kohl], what he did for this organization and for this city, people will never forget and thank him forever for that. But you know there is a little difference here and the difference is more of a long-term look in the new ownership’s view. It’s something we’re moving forward with.”
Pistons Notes: Monroe, Stuckey, Draft
Pistons coach and president of basketball operations Stan Van Gundy says he’s spent more than half of his time since taking the job on Greg Monroe‘s impending free agency, tweets Keith Langlois of Pistons.com. There’s been plenty of uncertainty surrounding the future of the 24-year-old big man, but it seems as though Van Gundy has found some clarity, saying, “We know exactly where we’re headed on that,” as Langlois also passes along (on Twitter). Here’s more from the Pistons boss, with all links going to Langlois’ Twitter account:
- Van Gundy identified Monroe, Andre Drummond, Josh Smith, Brandon Jennings, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Kyle Singler and Jonas Jerebko as the team’s core players. Conspicuous by his absence from that list is soon-to-be free agent Rodney Stuckey,
- The Pistons probably won’t trade into the first-round, according to Van Gundy, who said he wouldn’t make a trade for a pick in the 25-30 range unless he’s certain a prospect of interest will be there for the taking. Even if an intriguing prospect does emerge within those picks, Detroit won’t give up a current player or a future No. 1 pick in a deal to trade into that range, Van Gundy added.
- The team is unlikely to make a splashy move in the offseason, Van Gundy said.
Draft Rumors: Cavs, Wolves, Afflalo, Jazz, Sixers
The Cavs had been favoring Jabari Parker, but his poor performance in a workout for the team coupled with a stirring audition from Andrew Wiggins has left Cleveland torn with just two days to go before the draft, according to Jeff Goodman and Chad Ford of ESPN.com. The time left before Thursday night’s draft figures to be full of back-and-forth, with uncertainty seemingly surrounding all 60 picks. Here’s the latest:
- The Wolves are willing to give up J.J. Barea, Corey Brewer, Alexey Shved and the No. 13 pick in an effort to either land a higher draft pick or a veteran, as Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders writes in his NBA AM piece. The Bulls have their eyes on the 13th pick, according to Kyler.
- The Hornets, who have a longstanding interest in Arron Afflalo, are on board with surrendering the No. 9 pick and a player for the Magic shooting guard, Kyler writes in the same piece.
- The Jazz are targeting Wiggins as they attempt to move up rather than Parker, and they’re actively shopping pick No. 23, according to Kyler.
- The Sixers‘ reason for seeking a third top-10 pick is so they would still be able to emerge with two top-10 picks from the draft if they package the third and 10th selections to move up, sources tell Kyler.
- The Kings have three deals in the works involving the No. 8 pick, according to Andy Katz of ESPN.com.
- The Bucks are not actively shopping John Henson, in spite of heavy interest from other teams, but they are open to the idea of trading him for a lottery pick, reports Sean Deveney of The Sporting News.
- Milwaukee is listening to offers for the No. 2 overall pick, though Bucks GM John Hammond said today that “it would take something very special,” to prompt him to give it up, tweets Matt Velazquez of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
- It’s “highly unlikely” that the Blazers, who are without a pick in either round on Thursday, end up trading for one, as Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com hears (Twitter link).
Clippers Arise As LeBron’s Top Non-Heat Option
The Heat remain the “primary consideration” for LeBron James, but the alternative that intrigues him the most is signing with the Clippers, sources tell Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. Still, the Heat are privately insisting that they won’t cooperate with any sign-and-trade that would send their star elsewhere, Wojnarowski hears, and the capped-out Clippers would have to make several deals to clear the room to sign James outright. The only way the Heat would send away James in a sign-and-trade is if they fear they would lose him to a team that can sign him on its own, Wojnarowski writes.
Other teams are preparing to clear room for both James and Carmelo Anthony, both of whom are set to hit free agency next month after opting out of their deals. James can make a maximum of at least $20,020,875 next season, which is 105% of his salary from this past season, and he could make more if the NBA’s maximum salary rises above that figure. Still, he seems to be prioritizing the chance to win over making the most money.
The Clippers have seemingly been on the radar for James since February, when Brian Windhorst and Ramona Shelburne of ESPN.com wrote that they were “perhaps the most serious competitor” that the Heat have for the four-time MVP. Chris Paul is a friend of James, and playing for coach/executive Doc Rivers also looms as an attractive scenario, as Wojnarowski points out.
Cavs, Hawks, Lakers Eye LeBron-‘Melo Pairing
The Hawks, Cavs and Lakers are considering clearing the cap space necessary to double up on marquee free agent signings this summer and ink both LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony, report Brian Windhorst and Marc Stein of ESPN.com. James’ decision to opt out of his contract and hit free agency has spurred the thinking of the Hawks and Cavs, while the Lakers have been considering this scenario for a while, according to the ESPN scribes.
James timed his opt-out nearly a week ahead of his June 30th deadline to do so to give potential suitors a better chance to make the necessary cap-clearing moves, sources tell Windhorst and Stein. He also plotted the timing to give the Heat a chance to make moves of their own, Windhorst and Stein add. The Heat have given at least some thought to recruiting Anthony to join James in Miami.
The Lakers probably possess the easiest path to the requisite cap space with about $34MM in commitments for next season and Nick Young‘s player option, which he appears likely to decline. They’ve been linked to trades in which they’d give up Steve Nash and the No. 7 overall pick, and they’ve entered those discussions with clearing cap space in mind, as Stein and ESPN.com colleague Ramona Shelburne wrote earlier today.
The Cavs don’t have much more in guaranteed salary, with just about $36MM, and they believe they can clear about $30MM in space under the projected $63.2MM cap without giving up Kyrie Irving or the No. 1 overall pick. The Hawks have a little more than $47MM tied up for next year, and they’re reluctant to tear apart their roster, according to Windhorst and Stein, in spite of a report earlier this morning that they were pondering a run at Anthony.
In any case, Cleveland, Atlanta and the Lakers all face a tight squeeze if they hope to accommodate both James and Anthony, who can command combined maximum salaries of roughly $42.5MM. Still, there’s been talk that each would be willing to take a discount, and, as Windhorst and Stein note, James and Anthony will likely communicate during free agency.