Poll: Did The Jazz Overpay For Derrick Favors?
The Jazz locked up one of their promising young players this weekend, signing Derrick Favors to a four-year extension for more than $49MM. The total could exceed $50MM if Favors cashes in on incentive clauses. GM Dennis Lindsey pointed to the 22-year-old’s defense, rebounding and youth as reasons why the team felt comfortable enough to commit more than $12.25MM a year to a player who’s never averaged as many as 24 minutes or 10 points a game.
Favors’ range doesn’t extend any farther than three feet away from the basket. He shot just 29% last year from outside that limited territory, as I pointed out when I looked at his extension candidacy in August. His offensive shortcomings were why I figured that Favors would see a deal similar to the four years and $44MM that the Bucks gave fellow defensive stalwart Larry Sanders in his extension.
Still, executives from around the league told Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports, who broke the news of Favors’ extension, that Favors would have received multiple offers of contracts worth $13MM a year if the Jazz had let him hit restricted free agency next summer. Favors’ ability to finish 13th in the league in blocks per game last season despite playing just 23.2 minutes per contest no doubt intrigues many NBA decision-makers.
Lindsey said yesterday that he’s primarily focused on Favors’ defense, and that the Jazz are willing to wait for his offense to develop, as Aaron Falk of The Salt Lake Tribune notes on Twitter. Favors is set to become a regular starter for the first time in his career this season, so we’ll soon see how the Jazz mitigate Favors’ limited range when he’s on the floor for most of the game. Regardless of how it goes, the Jazz have already committed major money to a big man whose shooting percentage has declined each year since his rookie season. They gave up the chance to see how he performs this season and use it to gauge whether to re-sign him in free agency next summer.
Let us know what you think about the Favors extension with a vote, and explain your position in the comments.
Did The Jazz Overpay For Derrick Favors?
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No, it's a fair deal for both sides. 49% (230)
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Yes, Utah will wind up regretting the extension. 46% (215)
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No, and Favors should have gotten more. 6% (27)
Total votes: 472
Northwest Links: Favors, Jazz, Blazers, Orton
Derrick Favors is relieved to have signed his four-year, $49MM+ extension with the Jazz, and he hopes someday to retire in Utah, as Aaron Falk of The Salt Lake Tribune notes (Twitter links). Retirement is a long way off for Favors, who’ll still be two weeks shy of his 27th birthday when the extension runs out in 2018. His youth is a major plus, as GM Dennis Lindsey conveyed to Falk.
“He’s still 22,” Lindsey said. “Literally, I’m scouting 22-year-olds right now in college and internationally.”
Here’s more on the Favors extension and other Northwest-related news:
- Lindsey said the Jazz’s familiarity with Favors was a factor in deciding to grant the extension, according to fellow Tribune scribe Steve Luhm, and the GM believes the big man is on par with Tyson Chandler and Joakim Noah as a defensive anchor. (All four Twitter links). “Very rarely do you get a 6’10”, 260-pound young player saying, ‘Hey, I’m a defender. I’m a rebounder. … That’s what I want,” Lindsey said. “If he can be our Bill Russell, we’d be very pleased.”
- The Blazers made a nod to tradition with their acquisition of classic center type Robin Lopez to complement LaMarcus Aldridge, but if second-year man Meyers Leonard or Thomas Robinson, another new Blazer, sees more time next to Aldridge, it will represent another step in the evolution of big men, opines Sam Tongue of Blazer’s Edge.
- Blazers coach Terry Stotts is “somewhat” concerned that all five starters have yet to appear together at the same time on the court this preseason, tweets the Oregonian’s Mike Tokito.
- Former Thunder center Daniel Orton played more than twice as many games with Oklahoma City’s D-League affiliate as he did with the big club last season, but OKC’s decision to waive him last week may turn out to be a blessing in disguise. The 23-year-old signed with the Sixers three days ago, and he has a chance to crack the rotation, writes Michael Kaskey-Blomain of the Philadelphia Inquirer.
Spencer Lund contributed to this post.
Notable 2012 Camp Invitees Who Didn’t Return
Not every training camp invitee is an anonymous rookie. Teams often bring in veterans with extensive track records, as I detailed when I looked at a few longtime veterans in camp with teams this year. Still, just because those players have eye-catching names doesn’t mean they’re destined to make the team, or even catch on with another club if they’re let go. Several prominent veterans were in camp with teams last season, got cut, and still haven’t found another NBA playing gig. We’ll detail the cases of some of them here. Note that this list doesn’t include Eddy Curry, since he appeared in a pair of games for the Mavericks last year before they waived him in early November.
- Kelenna Azubuike, Cavaliers: He didn’t play in any professional league last season after the Cavs let him go in mid-October. He remains unsigned this year, and we haven’t heard anything regarding another opportunity for him. The former starting small forward for the Warriors has played only three NBA regular season games after botched surgery on a torn patellar tendon in 2009.
- Anthony Carter, Nuggets: The 14-year veteran sat out last season after Denver waived him, and it appears his playing career is over, since he’ll serve as an assistant coach for the Spurs’ D-League affiliate this year.
- Kyrylo Fesenko, Bulls: Financial considerations may have been in play for the hard-capped Bulls when they let him go before opening night last year, but the team didn’t re-sign him once the minimum salary had prorated far enough down to allow them to do so. The Hawks passed after working him out in November, and he wound up signing to play in Ukraine. He hit free agency again this summer, but he remains unsigned and we haven’t heard him linked to any teams.
- Jonny Flynn, Pistons: The former sixth overall pick was a high-profile signing for the Melbourne Tigers of Australia this past November, and the Lakers and Grizzlies were linked to him during the season. A new NBA deal never materialized, so he inked this summer with a Chinese team.
- D.J. Mbenga, Mavericks: The seven-year vet and two-time champ didn’t even make it to the preseason last year, as the Mavs let him go on October 2nd, shortly after signing him. He went next to a Chinese team, but that squad waived him after only a month. He wound up playing in the Philippines, and though he’s back on the free agent market, there doesn’t appear to be any interest.
- Jamaal Magloire, Raptors: A native of Toronto, he stepped into a post-playing career with the Raptors shortly after they waived him, joining the team last November as a basketball development consultant and community ambassador.
- Mikki Moore, Sixers: The 37-year-old center appears to be at the end of the line, as there haven’t been any updates to his Hoops Rumors page since the Sixers cut him. He didn’t play regular season ball for any team last season.
- Adam Morrison, Trail Blazers: It appeared that Morrison was set to retire when the Blazers waived him last year, but agent Brad Ames said shortly after Morrison’s release that the one-time third overall pick was open to playing overseas. He didn’t wind up doing so, and there’s been no interest in him in the offseason.
- Ronald Murray, Grizzlies: The guard known as “Flip” ended up with a Ukrainian team last season, and though he took part in a mini-camp with the Jazz in September, he remains a free agent.
- Delonte West, Mavericks: West’s conduct doomed his chances with the Mavs, and his decision to wait two months after signing with the D-League’s Texas Legends to suit up for the team certainly didn’t help his perception among NBA clubs. Still, the Knicks, Lakers and Grizzlies are among the teams that showed varying levels of interest before he signed to play in China a few weeks ago.
The Hoops Rumors International Player Movement Tracker and RealGM.com were used in the creation of this post.
Eastern Rumors: Bucks, Sims, Oden, Mayo, Hill
The Bucks overhauled their roster this summer, and they’re without four of the five players who averaged double figures in points for them last season. Still, they’re one of five teams that Joel Brigham of HoopsWorld believes is capable of overachieving and grabbing a playoff berth. Milwaukee made a pair of moves today, picking up their 2014/15 options on Brandon Knight and John Henson, and there’s more on the Bucks and more from Brigham in the latest out of the Eastern Conference.
- Henry Sims is one of seven players on non-guaranteed deals in Cavs camp, but he’s expected to make the team, according to The Plain Dealer’s Terry Pluto.
- Erik Spoelstra‘s intimate knowledge of Greg Oden‘s rehab procedures impressed the former No. 1 overall pick while he was considering where to sign this summer, as Oden tells USA Today’s Jeff Zillgitt for a piece that looks at the Heat’s effort to revive the careers of Oden and Michael Beasley.
- O.J. Mayo chose the best financial offer when he signed for three years and $24MM with the Bucks, but the money isn’t the only reason why Mayo’s new surroundings appeal to him, writes Gery Woelfel of the Racine Journal Times. “I’m happy to be here and I want to stay here,” Mayo said. “That’s why I bought the house here because I don’t plan on leaving anytime soon.”
- Solomon Hill was a surprise selection at No. 23 this past June, but early signs point to him seeing significant minutes for the Pacers this season, Brigham writes.
Bucks Exercise Options On Knight, Henson
1:50pm: The Bucks have confirmed the moves via Twitter.
1:27pm: Milwaukee has decided to keep former first-round picks Brandon Knight and John Henson around a little longer, as the Bucks have picked up the 2014/15 team options on their rookie scale contracts, according to Matt Moore of CBSSports.com (Twitter link). Knight goes on to next year’s books for $3,553,917, as our rookie contract option tracker shows, while Henson will receive $1,987,320.
Neither of the moves comes as a surprise, and while I didn’t categorize the decisions on Knight and Henson as “no-brainers” when I examined at rookie scale options around the league last month, I wrote that they would probably have their options picked up. Knight, entering his third season, came to the Bucks this summer as part of the Brandon Jennings trade, and it’s clear that Milwaukee intends for him to occupy the starting point guard job for the foreseeable future. Henson’s path to the starting lineup is blocked by Larry Sanders and Ersan Ilyasova, both of whom are on long-term deals, but the Bucks deemed Henson off-limits while exploring trades at the deadline this past season.
Knight, whom the Pistons drafted eighth overall in 2011, and Henson, picked at No. 14 by the Bucks in 2012, are former lottery picks. Today’s option decisions push the total of Milwaukee’s guaranteed salaries for 2014/15 to more than $48MM.
Jazz Sign Derrick Favors To 4-Year Extension
SATURDAY, 11:30am: The Jazz confirmed the extension via press release.
FRIDAY, 9:18pm: The deal doesn’t contain any options, tweets Shams Charania of RealGM.com.
8:11pm: The Jazz and Derrick Favors have agreed to a lucrative four-year extension to his rookie scale contract, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. The base salary totals more than $49MM, and there are incentives that could carry the package well over $50MM, according to Wojnarowski. The deal could be a bargain, depending on the outcome of those incentives, since Woj hears from executives around the league that several teams would give him a $13MM annual salary if he were to hit restricted free agency next summer. Instead, it looks like the Wallace Prather client will be in Utah for quite some time, as the extension is set to run through 2017/18.
The Jazz placed a high value on Favors’ desire to remain with the team, as Wojnarowski writes. He becomes the fifth eligible player to strike a deal for a rookie scale extension this offseason, joining DeMarcus Cousins, Paul George, Larry Sanders and John Wall. Favors and Sanders are the only ones of that group to agree to annual salaries of less than the maximum, as the Bucks gave Sanders four years and $44MM. Utah’s deal for Favors resembles the extension Serge Ibaka and the Thunder signed last year. Ibaka’s getting $49.4MM in base salary, and he can earn an additional $100K each year in performance incentives that he’s likely to meet.
The 22-year-old, 6’10” Favors came to Utah in the middle of his rookie year as part of the Deron Williams trade after the Nets drafted him third overall in 2010. He’s yet to average 10 points per game in any NBA season, but he’s seen little playing time behind Al Jefferson and Paul Millsap in Utah. That figures to change this season, as both Jefferson and Millsap are gone, and Favors will have the chance to demonstrate whether his career per-36-minute rebounding average of 10.6 will hold up in starter’s minutes. He’s also played stellar defense, blocking 2.6 shots per 36 minutes in 2012/13.
My prediction in March of a four-year, $48MM extension for Favors was a lot closer to the mark than the revised view I took when I examined his extension candidacy in August and figured the two sides might do a deal for between $42MM and $44MM. Utah only has about $4.5MM in guaranteed money on the books for 2014/15, not including likely option pickups for Enes Kanter and Alec Burks, so this represents the first major commitment for the team after this summer’s retooling. There’s plenty of room for an extension to Gordon Hayward, the team’s other player entering the final season of a rookie scale contract, and I could see him striking a four-year, $40MM deal, as I wrote when I looked at his case for an extension. The team has been in negotiations with Favors and Hayward since August.
Fallout From Derrick Favors’ Extension
The Jazz are probably going to struggle to win games this season, but they took a step forward tonight in their plan to return to playoff contention, agreeing to terms on a $49MM+ extension with Derrick Favors. He’ll likely sign the extension Saturday, according to an ESPN.com report, and when he does, there will be one fewer intriguing name on the list of players set to become free agents in the summer. There’s more on a couple of potential free agents tonight as we look at the ripple effects of Favors’ deal:
- The Jazz and Mark Bartelstein client Gordon Hayward remain in negotiations on a possible extension, notes Jody Genessy of the Deseret News.
- Favors bought a house in Salt Lake City this summer, and he made it clear then that he wanted to stay in Utah for a long time, Genessy points out in the same piece.
- Vincent Goodwill of the Detroit News figures the Favors deal sets the market for Greg Monroe, who appears much more likely to hit free agency next summer than to sign an extension with the Pistons (Twitter link).
- Randy Hollis of the Deseret News examines the play of Favors and Jazz center Enes Kanter as they settle into their new roles as starting big men.
Odds & Ends: Knicks, Wolves, Hummel, ‘Cats
Carmelo Anthony says he doesn’t expect Kobe Bryant to woo him to the Lakers, but Frank Isola of the New York Daily News is convinced the two have already spoken about teaming up, and interprets Anthony’s statement this week that he wants to test free agency as a warning shot designed to spur the Knicks into improving the team around him. We’ll have to wait until summer to find out what ‘Melo winds up doing, but there are plenty of moves to be made around the league between now and then. Here’s the latest:
- The Timberwolves are exploring potential trades and free agent signings as well as internal candidates to replace Chase Budinger while he recovers from left knee surgery, according to Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune. Minnesota continues to debate whether Derrick Williams can back up Corey Brewer at small forward or whether the former No. 2 overall pick should stick to playing power forward.
- Shooting is Robbie Hummel‘s specialty, but he has more weapons in his arsenal as he attempts to make the Wolves, as Bruce Brothers of the St. Paul Pioneer Press examines.
- The Bobcats don’t appear nearly as high on Bismack Biyombo as they were when they drafted him seventh overall in 2011, and the onus is on him to show improvement, writes Scott Fowler of the Charlotte Observer. He’ll be eligible for a rookie scale extension after this season.
- Toure Murry looks like he’s eclipsed C.J. Leslie as the favorite for a spot on the team, but scouts from other clubs, including the Heat, are monitoring him in case the Knicks let him go, according to Marc Berman of the New York Post.
- Mark Cuban is particularly excited about Mavs free agent signee Monta Ellis, and told reporters, including Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News, that the organization has been impressed with his passing.
Cory Higgins Signs To Play In Russia
Shooting guard Cory Higgins has begun the past two seasons in the NBA, but this time around, he’s headed to Russia. He’s signed a one-year deal with Triumph Lyubertsy, tweets Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports. Higgins has 44 games of NBA regular season experience, all of them with Charlotte, where his father, Rod Higgins, is Bobcats president of basketball operations.
The younger Higgins averaged 9.0 points in 21.7 minutes per game for the Cavaliers summer league team, but though he earned mention from coach Mike Brown as a possible training camp invitee, no deal with Cleveland ever came about. Higgins had spent most of 2012/13 with the Erie BayHawks of the D-League after the Bobcats waived him in December, and he drew interest from a pair of Italian teams this summer.
Higgins joins Luke Babbitt, Mickael Gelabale and Jeremy Pargo among players who’ve signed with a Russian team after appearing in the NBA last season, as our International Player Movement Tracker shows.
Eastern Notes: Watson, Billups, Taylor, ‘Melo
HoopsWorld’s Alex Kennedy looks at the upgraded bench in Indiana, and hears from C.J. Watson that the team’s desire to reach a deal with him on the first day of free agency influenced his decision to join the Pacers.
“I wanted to play for a contender and I wanted to go to a team where I could get playing time,” Watson said. “Also, I felt like I could help this team. They were a very good team already, they’re very young and getting better each and every year, but I felt I could help. I just want to come off the bench and score and defend and change the tempo whenever they need me to and also be a leader.”
In the same NBA PM piece, Kennedy checks in with Pistons offseason addition Chauncey Billups and Cavaliers camp invitee Jermaine Taylor. Here’s more from the East:
- A recent report suggested Carmelo Anthony would be open to a recruiting pitch from Kobe Bryant next summer, but Anthony told reporters today, including Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv, that he doesn’t expect Bryant to try to influence his decisions. It’s not clear whether Anthony isn’t expecting to hear a pitch from Bryant during the season — which would constitute tampering — or whether he doesn’t think he’ll hear from Bryant at all.
- The Heat weren’t one of the teams that called on the league to investigate the Nets‘ signing of Andrei Kirilenko, notes Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports, who also revisits the animosity over Ray Allen‘s decision to leave the Celtics for the Heat in 2012.
- Josh McRoberts, who re-signed with the Bobcats this summer, is extra valuable on a team like Charlotte because of his passing and his veteran presence, writes Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer.