Latest On LeBron James
LeBron James came to Miami in 2010 believing he’d sign a second long-term contract with the Heat, and the team had been holding out hope that a new deal would be a formality by this point, according to Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com. It’s no certainty that James will stay with the Heat for next season, though most reports have given Miami strong odds of keeping him, and a source echoes that sentiment, telling Sean Deveney of The Sporting News that it’s highly likely the four-time MVP will stay put.
Still, the chances that he’ll opt out and hit free agency are better than those that he’ll opt in, Windhorst writes, and James is somewhat bitter about Heat owner Micky Arison’s decision to cut back on spending over the past year, the ESPN scribe reports. James is nonetheless cognizant of how leaving a championship-caliber team would affect his image, given the way he was pilloried for leaving Cleveland four years ago, Deveney hears.
Deveney suggests that opting out and re-signing with the Heat to a three-year deal with a player option for the final season would fit the bill for James. That would give him an opportunity to continue to vie for the title in Miami with a chance to leave in two years should the team fail to remain a contender, as Deveney explains. However, that’s less contractual flexibility than he’d have if he opted in, since he has a player option after next season on his deal, giving him a chance to make a year-by-year assessment of the Heat’s title hopes. Opting in would probably give James a slightly higher salary than he could make on a new contract, depending on where the NBA sets the maximum salary after the July Moratorium, but it wouldn’t give him the chance to meet with other teams.
Draft Rumors: Embiid, Nets, Celtics, Lakers
The Cavs are strongly leaning toward taking Joel Embiid first overall, a source tells Chris Mannix of SI.com. Of course, earlier reports have indicated leanings toward Andrew Wiggins and Jabari Parker, and Cleveland threw a curveball with last season’s selection of Anthony Bennett at No. 1, so it’s tough to get a read on owner Dan Gilbert’s team. Still, Mannix and others have plenty of intel surrounding the draft with eight days to go:
- The Nets are seeking a first-round pick, according to Mannix, who echoes earlier reports that the Pelicans and Knicks are doing the same.
- The Celtics like Aaron Gordon the best among the power forwards likely to be available at No. 6, Mannix hears.
- The Lakers are leaning toward keeping their No. 7 pick rather than trading down for multiple picks, believing there’s a drop-off after the top 10 prospects, according to Dave McMenamin of ESPNLosAngeles.com. McMenamin nonetheless doesn’t say whether the team is leaning toward keeping the pick rather than acquiring a veteran, and the Lakers and the Kings are reportedly more open to trades than any other lottery clubs.
- The Jazz aren’t necessarily seeking Parker as they attempt to trade up from the fifth pick, as Chad Ford of ESPN.com writes in a chat with readers.
- Several teams were disappointed when Kristaps Porzingis decided to withdraw from the draft, and one executive told Mannix that he believes the Latvian has a decent chance to become a top-five pick next year. The Thunder, who’d reportedly promised to draft him, and Mavs were particularly high on him, according to Mannix, while the Hawks were also enamored with him, Ford says in his chat.
- The Grizzlies appear likely to trade into the second round, as we passed along earlier.
Josh McRoberts Opts Out, Will Hit Free Agency
1:27pm: Cho said in a press conference today that the team hopes to re-sign McRoberts, according to the Hornets official Twitter account.
12:40pm: Josh McRoberts has turned down his player option and will become a free agent on July 1st, a source tells Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer (Twitter link). McRoberts was slated to make more than $2.771MM next season, but his cap hold will represent $5,038,800 on Charlotte’s books unless the Hornets either renounce his rights or strike a new deal during the July moratorium.
The move from McRoberts was widely expected after a career year for the veteran of seven seasons. He notched 8.5 points, 4.8 rebounds and 4.3 assists against just 1.1 turnovers per game as the starting power forward for the then-Bobcats, who made the playoffs for just the second time in franchise history.
The Hornets have about $41MM in commitments for next season, not counting their pair of first-round picks, as Cray Allred of Hoops Rumors detailed this morning. Determining the future of McRoberts will be one of GM Rich Cho‘s first orders of business next month, if for no other reason than to reduce his bloated cap hold. The 27-year-old has expressed interest in a return and coach Steve Clifford has publicly lobbied for the team to retain him.
Grizzlies Send Cash To Nuggets For 2015 Pick
The Grizzlies have exercised an option to keep their 2015 second-round pick and instead send an undisclosed amount of cash to the Nuggets as part of the terms of a trade that took place in 2008, reports Ronald Tillery of The Commercial Appeal (subscription required). The original deal was a three-team swap involving Memphis, New Orleans and Washington. The Memphis pick went to New Orleans, which sent it to the Clippers in the Chris Paul trade before the Clippers shipped it to the Nuggets in the JaVale McGee trade.
Memphis had sent every second-rounder through 2017 out via trade, so it makes sense that the Grizzlies would decide to keep the one they were allowed to essentially buy back. It’s “widely believed” the Grizzlies will trade for a second-rounder in this year’s draft, Tillery writes.
The move leaves the Nuggets without a second-rounder next season, since theirs is ticketed for Minnesota. They’ve also traded their 2016 and 2018 second-round picks, but they have two second-round choices this year, at Nos. 41 and 56.
July Moratorium
The July moratorium is a period at the start of each NBA season during which teams aren’t permitted to make trades or, in most cases, sign free agents. The specific dates vary from season to season, but for 2014, the moratorium will last from July 1st to July 9th. As of July 10th, teams can resume business as usual.
Each new NBA season officially begins on July 1st, which is also the day that players on expiring contracts become free agents. However, before players can sign with new teams, the NBA must complete its audit, which establishes figures like the salary cap, luxury tax threshold, and average salary. Free agents are allowed to negotiate with clubs during the moratorium, and can agree to terms on new contracts, but they are unable to officially sign a new deal until the moratorium ends.
Still, there are some types of signings and acquisitions that are permitted during the July moratorium:
- A first-round draft pick can sign a rookie scale contract with the team that drafted him.
- A second-round draft pick can accept a required tender, which is a one-year contract offer that allows a team to retain its rights to a drafted player.
- A restricted free agent can accept a qualifying offer from his team.
- A free agent can sign a minimum-salary contract for one or two seasons.
- Teams are able to claim players off waivers, providing they were waived during the final two days in June.
When the July moratorium ends, all free agents can officially sign contracts. Additionally, the new salary cap figures for the year take effect, and the seven-day period for using the amnesty clause begins.
Note: This is a Hoops Rumors Glossary entry. Our glossary posts will explain specific rules relating to trades, free agency, or other aspects of the NBA’s Collective Bargaining Agreement. Larry Coon’s Salary Cap FAQ was used in the creation of this post.
Versions of this post, written by Luke Adams, were initially published on May 16th, 2012 and May 13th 2013.
Texas Rumors: Nowitzki, Rockets, Spurs
Dirk Nowitzki has said he wants the Mavs to keep in mind that he’s still a productive player when they negotiate a new contract for him this summer, but he doesn’t foresee a stumbling block, as he tells Brian Gutierrez of ESPNDallas.com. The 2014 All-Star, who turns 36 on Thursday, hits unrestricted free agency July 1st.
“We all know that [owner Mark] Cuban took care of me for a long time. He was loyal to me,” Nowitzki said. “This deal is not going to be about squeezing out the last dollar. This is about being respected as a player that I still am, and that’s about it. There’s nothing more that we’re trying to squeeze out. We’ll just have to wait and see what the years and the final number are. I’m sure it’ll be very respectable for both sides.”
There’s more on the soon-to-be free agent who’s probably more likely to return to his current team than other player on the market amid the latest from the Texas Triangle:
- Signing a deal that reduces Nowitzki’s nearly $23.9MM cap hold before the end of the July Moratorium will be crucial for the Mavs, and Nowitzki looks ready to cooperate in that regard, too, as Gutierrez notes in the same piece. Nowitzki also dismisses the idea that he couldn’t play with Carmelo Anthony and urges Mavs to consider signing ‘Melo, who reportedly has Dallas on his list of preferred destinations.
- Anthony is also on the mind of Dwight Howard, who says he’d love to play with him or LeBron James but isn’t planning to recruit the stars to the Rockets, as he tells USA Today’s Sam Amick.
- Gregg Popovich, who retains Spurs front office power in tandem with GM R.C. Buford, doesn’t plan on following up the championship with a splashy summer of moves, as Raul Dominguez of The Associated Press chronicles. “I haven’t sat down with R.C. and talked about what we want to do, but one would think it’s logical to not make major changes with the group,” Popovich said. “Usually we don’t make major changes anyway, so, I wouldn’t anticipate any.”
Draft Notes: Clippers, Vonleh, Hornets, Hairston
The Clippers are interested in trading up from pick No. 28, reports Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com. Shelburne’s piece centers on a profile of former University of Colorado guard Spencer Dinwiddie, who can’t work out because he’s still recovering from a torn ACL. Dinwiddie’s nonetheless had meetings with the Bucks, Wizards, Bulls and Celtics, and he’s scheduled interviews and physicals with the Clippers, Heat, Hawks and Thunder, according to Shelburne. The ESPN scribe also says that he’ll interview and take a physical for the Jazz, advancing an earlier report that he was set to interview with the team. Here’s more on the draft:
- Julius Randle is set to work out for the Jazz tomorrow, tweets Utah’s radio announcer David Locke.
- Marcus Smart and Elfrid Payton are expected to work out for the Lakers on Friday for the second time, tweets Dave McMenamin of ESPNLosAngeles.com. Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports Spears advises his readers to “keep an eye” on Payton (via Twitter) in light of the second workout.
- Nik Stauskas is expected in for his first workout with the Lakers, who have struggled to get Stauskas in, tweets Eric Pincus of The Los Angeles Times.
- Rodney Hood had to sit out most of his Hornets workout today due to illness, reports Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer.
- Gary Harris and Zach LaVine will work out for the Hornets tomorrow, tweets Bonnell, who adds Charlotte’s other new workout appointees in a separate tweet: Rion Brown; Ronald Roberts Jr.; and Markel Brown, who missed an earlier workout due to travel issues.
- The Rockets worked out Shabazz Napier, Xavier Thames, Patric Young, Nick Russell, and Kadeem Coleby, tweets Michael Scotto of Sheridan Hoops.
- Sim Bhullar, Earnest Ross, Ian Chiles, Cameron Clark, Philipp Neumann, and Jordan Bachynski will work out for the Wizards tomorrow, tweets J. Michael of CSNWashington.com.
Earlier updates:
- Noah Vonleh will work out for the Sixers on Thursday, a source tells Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter link).
- Elfrid Payton, Josh Huestis, James Bell and Jordan Clarkson are the previously unreported prospects performing for the Hornets today, as Chris Littmann of The Sporting News tweets.
- P.J. Hairston will audition for the Hawks, as he tells Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer, who also reports that Hairston will show off for the Grizzlies, Lakers and Bulls (Twitter links).
- Kyle Anderson will work out for the Suns, reports Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports, as well as the Grizzlies, according to Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv (Twitter links). A previous report indicated that the Suns were set to audition Anderson a week ago, so this appears to be his second workout with Phoenix.
- Anderson will also perform for the Bulls, as will Clint Capela and DeAndre Daniels, Zagoria tweets.
- Jordan Adams, Devyn Marble, Sean Kilpatrick, C.J. Wilcox and Jarnell Stokes are working out for the Raptors today, the team announced. A report from last month indicated that Stokes had already worked out for Toronto, but given that the dispatch came in the middle of the draft combine, I wouldn’t be surprised if that was actually an interview between Stokes and the club, rather than a workout.
- The Wizards are auditioning Semaj Christon, Nick Johnson, Deonte Burton, Alec Brown and Khem Birch today, according to Michael Scotto of SheridanHoops (on Twitter).
And-Ones: Draft, Spurs, Hornets, Hollins, Wolves
Jarnell Stokes‘ representatives are excited about his performance against Adreian Payne in a workout for the Raptors today, with auditions for the Spurs and Clippers still to come, as Zach Links of Hoops Rumors reports (Twitter links). Zach also hears that Rodney Hood has rescheduled workouts with the Wolves and Kings this week after withdrawing from earlier auditions for the teams (Twitter link). Justin Jackson showed off twice for the Hornets last week, with the Hawks, Heat and Suns on his upcoming workout agenda, Zach also tweets. Here’s more from around the league:
- A Western Conference executive who spoke with Mike Monroe of the San Antonio Express-News suggests that teams will be wary of the poor performance that soon-to-be free agent Boris Diaw turned in for Charlotte preceding his tenure with the Spurs. Monroe also hears doubt from an exec about Patty Mills‘ ability to succeed outside of San Antonio.
- The Hornets are interviewing Blazers director of college scouting Chad Buchanan for their assistant GM post, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter link). The assistant GM will serve under GM Rich Cho, who gained full control of the front office when president of basketball operations Rod Higgins resigned last week.
- The Rockets are aggressively seeking Lionel Hollins to serve as an assistant coach even though they know it will be difficult to land him as he seeks head coaching jobs, according to Marc Stein of ESPN.com. Hollins has interviewed to become the head man for the Cavs and Lakers.
- The Timberwolves named Sam Mitchell an assistant coach today, the team announced (on Twitter). Mitchell interviewed for the head coaching job and was reportedly a favorite of owner Glen Taylor.
Offseason Outlook: New Orleans Pelicans
Guaranteed Contracts
- Eric Gordon ($14,898,938)
- Tyreke Evans ($11,265,416)
- Jrue Holiday ($10,404,495)
- Ryan Anderson ($8,491,500)
- Anthony Davis ($5,607,240)
- Austin Rivers ($2,439,840)
- Alexis Ajinca ($981,084)
Options
- Anthony Morrow ($1,145,685)*
Non-Guaranteed Contracts
- Melvin Ely ($1,316,809)
- Luke Babbitt ($981,084)**
- Jeff Withey ($816,482)***
Free Agents / Cap Holds
- Al-Farouq Aminu ($7,124,244)
- Jason Smith ($4,750,000)
- Brian Roberts ($2,875,131 – QO)****
- Darius Miller ($1,115,243 – QO)*****
- James Southerland ($1,016,482 – QO)******
Draft Picks
- None
Cap Outlook
- Guaranteed Salary: $54,088,513
- Options: $1,145,685
- Non-Guaranteed Salary: $3,114,375
- Cap Holds: $17,456,125
- Total: $75,804,698
The Pelicans probably have the league’s most promising player under the age of 25 in Anthony Davis, but in spite of his continued improvement, the future of the team doesn’t look quite as bright as it did at this time a year ago. New Orleans traded the No. 6 pick in last year’s draft and what turned out to be the No. 10 pick for Jrue Holiday and Pierre Jackson. The player taken at No. 6 last year, Nerlens Noel, was widely seen as the favorite to go No. 1 before concerns about his injured knee seemed to scare teams off. This year’s draft is full of highly touted prospects, and not the one in which most teams would easily give up a lottery pick. GM Dell Demps surely didn’t envision this year’s pick ending up in the lottery when he sent it to Philadelphia, but thanks to a rash of injuries and a crushingly competitive Western Conference, the Pelicans finished 15 games out of the playoffs this past season.
Noel and whomever the Sixers select at No. 10 could turn out to be busts, or simply less productive than the combination of Holiday and Jackson, but Demps lowered the team’s ceiling with a play for a veteran and a much less heralded prospect. Jackson outstripped expectations in the D-League, averaging 29.1 points per game, but the notion that his performance is a harbinger of NBA stardom is questionable at best. Jackson nonetheless set up a quandary for Demps and company, playing so well that he and agent Colin Bryant gained leverage not usually incumbent of someone picked 42nd overall. The Hornets can hold on to his NBA rights in perpetuity until they sign him, but Bryant and Jackson can command a relatively lucrative deal guaranteed over multiple seasons or a one-year contract that would allow him to quickly hit the open market. The Pelicans went so far as to give Bryant the OK to seek trades for Jackson in the middle of the season, but he was unable to find a deal suitable for all parties, and Jackson struck a deal shortly before the trade deadline to play in Turkey. Demps is making no promises that he’ll bring Jackson to New Orleans for next season, and so an intriguing asset from last year’s pivotal trade remains in limbo.
Holiday, like so many Pelicans in 2013/14, missed significant time because of injury this season, playing in just 34 games. He, Jason Smith and Ryan Anderson were all key Pelicans who missed more than half of the season, and only four players appeared in as many as 70 games for New Orleans. It would be tough to properly judge the team based on its lack of time together, and indeed Demps has said he’s reserving judgment until he can see the club at full health. Demps also said in that same April interview that he likes the team’s core, but it seems he’s at least doing his due diligence to see if an upgrade is available.
The Pelicans have reportedly asked the Pistons about sign-and-trade possibilities involving New Orleans native Greg Monroe. Most executives around the league believe the 24-year-old will eye his hometown in restricted free agency this summer, as Sean Deveney of The Sporting News wrote. Still, Monroe and agent David Falk will no doubt ask for much more than the Pelicans’ cap flexibility, which figures to clock in at around $8MM, can provide. A sign-and-trade would be about the only way the Pelicans could wind up with Monroe, and there will be plenty of others after the promising and already productive young big man. That includes Monroe’s current team, as Pistons executive/coach Stan Van Gundy has repeatedly praised Monroe while stopping short of talk about a max deal. It would probably take the max or a rather close facsimile for the Pelicans or anyone else to convince the Pistons not to match, and even though Monroe’s only eligible for a max roughly equivalent to 25% of the salary cap, he would be a questionable fit in a frontcourt that includes Davis.
Coach Monty Williams nonetheless seems to prefer a traditional lineup with two big men, at least to start the game, rather than a small-ball look with Davis and Anderson. Smith emerged as the team’s starting center, beating out offseason signee Greg Stiemsma, and he put up some of the best numbers of his career before he got hurt, including 9.7 points and 5.8 rebounds in 26.8 minutes per game. Still, those figures plus a 12.4 PER that represented a steep decline from the previous two years don’t exactly add up to a long-term answer in the middle. The Pelicans have his Bird rights, and he’d make sense as a target the team might circle back to for a salary akin to mid-level money after taking care of more pressing concerns.
Al-Farouq Aminu might fit largely in the same category if the Pelicans had a suitable alternative. Aminu started most of the year for the team at small forward, though he averaged only 25.6 minutes per contest, barely more than half the game. New Orleans would no doubt like to go small when it can, with Holiday, Eric Gordon and Tyreke Evans sharing the floor, but that’s not always an option. Aminu was second on the team in defensive win shares this past season, according to Basketball-Reference, but he averaged fewer than one three-point attempt per game and made just 27.1%, severely crimping the Pelicans’ offensive spacing. It’s tough to envision New Orleans having much success with a pair of traditional big men and Aminu on the front line, furthering the argument for Anderson to start if Aminu returns.
A trade represents the Pelicans’ best chance for an upgrade at small forward, with either Gordon or Evans the most logical candidate to go. The team denied at least a pair of reports about their willingness to trade either of them, and trade rumors have dogged Gordon ever since he publicly discouraged the Pelicans’ from matching his offer sheet from the Suns in 2012. Both are on player-friendly contracts, making them difficult to move. The sharpshooting Anthony Morrow seemed a more likely trade candidate at the deadline, and while he’s still deciding what to do about his minimum-salary player option, it would be something of a surprise if he didn’t become a free agent this summer. The Pelicans have his Non-Bird rights should he opt out, but that gives the team the flexbility of giving him only 120% of his minimum-salary paychecks from this past season. That hardly seems enough to retain a 28-year-old who made 45.1% of his three-pointers in 2.6 attempts per game this season. meaning New Orleans would have to eat into its cap flexibility, or, if Demps decides to keep the team above the cap, its mid-level exception. The shooting-deficient Bobcats had interest at the deadline in Morrow, who’s a Charlotte native, so keeping him in New Orleans could be a tall order.
The Pelicans also face decisions regarding Brian Roberts, especially after New Orleans upped the value of his qualifying offer significantly when they gave him his 41st start of the year in the next-to-last game of the regular season. Meeting the starter criteria caused his qualifying offer to jump from $1,115,243 to $2,875,131, as I explained. It also means there’s a much greater disparity between the QO, which will be his cap hold if the Pelicans tender it, and the two-year veteran’s minimum salary that would be Roberts’ cap hold if the Pelicans decide against extending the QO. The Pelicans probably don’t envision Roberts starting half the season for them again, and while he’s proven a careful ball-handler and proficient backup, I’m not sure that New Orleans will want to keep him around at that salary, particularly given the presence of 2012 No. 10 overall pick Austin Rivers. Perhaps Demps and agent Andy Miller will negotiate early next month toward a long-term guaranteed deal that gives Roberts security at lower annual salaries that reduce Roberts’ cap figure.
The Pelicans enter the offseason without cap flexibility and without a pick in either round of the draft. Demps will have to be creative if he wants to significantly upgrade his team, but his public enthusiasm for seeing more of the team’s existing core suggests the Pelicans won’t be pulling off another major trade on draft night or at any other point this offseason. Demps and the Pelicans will no doubt jump on an opportunity to make a deal if one comes along, but it seems they’re in for a quiet summer in advance of a season that looms as a measuring stick for the team’s roster and the GM who put it together.
Cap footnotes
* — Morrow’s cap hold would be $915,243 if he opts out.
** — Babbitt receives a partial guarantee of $100,000 if he isn’t waived on or before July 22nd.
*** — Withey receives a partial guarantee of $100,000 if he isn’t waived on or before July 5th, and his salary becomes fully guaranteed if he’s not waived on or before July 22nd.
**** — Roberts’ cap hold would be $915,243 if the Pelicans decline to tender a qualifying offer.
***** — Miller’s cap hold would be $915,243 if the Pelicans decline to tender a qualifying offer.
****** — Southerland’s cap hold would be $816,482 if the Pelicans decline to tender a qualifying offer.
ShamSports and Larry Coon’s Salary Cap FAQ were used in the creation of this post.
NBA Draft Withdrawal Deadline Updates
Monday was the deadline for players to withdraw from the NBA draft, and the league has announced the list of those who’ve pulled out. The deadline applied mostly to prospects from overseas, since any collegian who takes his name out of consideration at this point isn’t be able to return to NCAA competition. Mychal Ammons of South Alabama is the only U.S.-based player who withdrew, but he’d already signed a deal with an overseas club.
Yesterday’s reports identified several of the prospects taking their names out of the draft, as well as some high-profile players staying in, and we’ve added the previously unreported names of those pulling out to the top of the list below. For the complete register of early entrants denoting those who’ve withdrawn, click here.
Withdrawing from the draft
- Ammons, Berkay Candan, Tomas Dimsa, Marko Ramljak, Alejandro Suarez, Devon Van Oostrum are all out of the draft, the NBA announced.
- Joonas Caven has pulled out of the draft, agent K.C. Callero tells Givony (Twitter link).
- Matias Bortolin is withdrawing from the draft, his agent tells Sportando (Twitter link).
- Ilja Gromovs will exit the draft, too, agent Arturs Kalnitis says to Givony (Twitter link).
- Mateusz Ponitka has removed his name from draft consideration, Givony tweets.
- Moussa Diagne and Guillem Vives will take their names out of the draft, agent Herb Ruboy says to Givony (Twitter link).
- Rasmus Larsen has decided to exit the draft, as agent Doug Neustadt informs Givony (Twitter link).
- OKK Spars Sarajevo teammates Nedim Buza and Adin Vrabac have decided to pull out of the draft, agent Alexander Raskovic tweets.
- Lefteris Bochoridis has withdrawn from the draft, a source tells Shams Charania of RealGM.
Remaining in the draft
- Jokic isn’t the only prospect to flip-flop today. Damien Inglis changed his mind and has decided to keep his name in the draft, agent Pedja Materic tells Jonthan Givony of DraftExpress (via Twitter).
- Raznatovic, Saric’s agent, took to Twitter to confirm that his client will remain in the draft (hat tip to Charles F. Gardner of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel).
- Nikola Jokic has changed his mind and will remain in the draft after all, Raznatovic tweets (hat tip to Chad Ford of ESPN.com).
- Dario Saric will stay in the draft, a source tells David Pick of Eurobasket.com (Twitter link).
- Vasilije Micic remains in the draft, agent Misko Raznatovic tweets.
- Clint Capela will keep his name in this year’s draft, agent Bouna Ndiaye tells Givony (Twitter link).