Zgoda On Wolves, Mayo, Stiemsma, Kirilenko
Andrei Kirilenko's decision to opt out of his contract could be something of a game-changer for the Wolves, since it frees up more than $10MM of salary for next season. That means the team has greater flexibility to pursue a new starting shooting guard or small forward through trade or free agency, writes Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune, pointing to O.J. Mayo as a likely target. President of basketball operations Flip Saunders has said that re-signing restricted free agent Nikola Pekovic is the club's primary offseason goal, and Zgoda looks at what could come next for the Wolves:
- Minnesota will waive Greg Stiemsma before his contract becomes fully guaranteed on July 17th, according to Zgoda. I'd imagine the team will try to find takers for Stiemsma's contract in trades before then, though that's just my speculation. There's no partial guarantee on his deal, so the Wolves won't owe him anything if he's off their roster by the 17th of next month.
- The Wolves aren't likely to offer more than two seasons in another contract for Kirilenko.
- Zgoda wrote earlier this month that either J.J. Barea or Luke Ridnour was likely to be traded by draft night, and while that didn't happen, the team was in talks with the Bucks about a Ridnour/Ekpe Udoh swap this week. The Wolves still trying to trade one or both of Barea and Ridnour, according to Zgoda.
- The Wolves would like to include the minimum-salary deal of Chris Johnson in a Barea or Ridnour trade, too.
- Saunders is expected to meet with free agent small forward Chase Budinger in San Diego to talk about a new deal.
Odds & Ends: Brown, Granger, Brooks, Cavs
It's been a relatively quiet post-draft night around the NBA, but such inactivity won't last long. Teams can negotiate with free agents from other clubs starting Monday, and we'll likely find out the destinations for most of the top available talent in the week ahead. Here's what we know now:
- Spurs assistant Brett Brown is a candidate for both of the league's remaining head coaching vacancies, but while the Sixers have strong interest in hiring him, Brown is "extremely" interested in the Celtics job, a source tells Baxter Holmes of the Boston Globe.
- Before Larry Bird returned this week as Pacers president of basketball ops, the team appeared to favor keeping Danny Granger rather than trading him this summer. Bird is on board with that plan, notes Bob Kravitz of the Indianapolis Star.
- The Nets tried to trade MarShon Brooks during the draft for a second-round pick, but when they found no one willing to do such a deal, they substituted him for Reggie Evans in the Kevin Garnett/Paul Pierce blockbuster, reports Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News.
- The Cavaliers are looking for a center, small forward and backup point guard, and they're willing to swing a trade to fill those needs, tweets Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio.
- The Rockets timed renovations to their home arena to coincide with free agency, so potential players could see the franchise's upgrades in action, as Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle details.
- Vincent Goodwill of the Detroit News speculates on potential trade targets for the Pistons, who've had Wilson Chandler of the Nuggets "on their radar" for a while, Goodwill writes.
- Keith Schlosser of Ridiculous Upside identifies five players left undrafted Thursday whose chances of making the NBA could benefit from a D-League stint.
- Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer figures the kind of deal Brandon Jennings gets in restricted free agency this year could set the bar for Kemba Walker, whose rookie-scale contract with the Bobcats is up in 2015 (Twitter link).
Northwest Notes: Aldridge, Maynor, Wolves
It was quantity over quality for Northwest Division clubs in the 2013 draft. None of them landed anyone picked higher than ninth, with Trey Burke heading to the Jazz, but seven of the 30 first-round picks wound up with Northwest teams, including two each for the Jazz, Timberwolves and Thunder. The only team from the division not to come away with a first-rounder was the Nuggets, who wound up with a pair of players from the second round. Here's more from the Northwest:
- LaMarcus Aldridge isn't completely sure he wants a trade, but if he is dealt, he would reportedly prefer to go to the Bulls. Unless the Blazers are willing to accept Carlos Boozer or Luol Deng in return, it's unlikely Aldridge ends up in the Windy City, writes K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune.
- Eric Maynor didn't get a qualifying offer from the Blazers, but that move was expected and both team and player expressed interest in a reunion via unrestricted free agency. The drafting of C.J. McCollum is a much stronger sign that Maynor won't be back, according to The Oregonian's Joe Freeman.
- Tim Leighton of the St. Paul Pioneer Press examines the uncertainty surrounding Andrei Kirilenko's pending decision on his $10.2MM player option for next season and speculates on possible free agent fits for the Wolves. He lists O.J. Mayo, J.J. Redick, Kevin Martin, Kyle Korver and Marco Belinelli as possible targets.
The Rise And Fall Of International Draftees
There were 13 players from overseas selected in this year's draft, the most in six years. Time will tell if this marks the start of a trend, but the influx of international talent has largely been in decline for the last several years, at least when it comes to players drafted directly from overseas.
A record 12 players born outside the U.S. were drafted in the first round on Thursday, as USA Today's Jeff Zillgitt notes, but five of them went to college in the states before coming to the NBA. Anthony Bennett became the first Canadian to go No. 1 overall in the draft, and Andrew Wiggins seems the odds-on favorite to become the second next year, but Bennett was the seventh straight college player to be taken first overall. Andrea Bargnani was the last No. 1 pick to come directly from overseas, in 2006. Giannis Antetokounmpo was the first direct-from-overseas prospect to come off the board this year, at No. 15. The Nuggets took France's Evan Fournier with the 20th pick in 2012; the last time before then that 19 picks went by without a team taking someone directly from overseas was 1994, when Andrei Fetisov went at No. 36 to the Celtics.
Twenty-one years ago this month, all 54 players selected in the 1992 draft had attended a U.S. college, high school or both. Sasha Danilovic, the 43rd pick, was born in Bosnia and Herzegovina, but he went to high school in Cookeville, Tennessee. Every draft since has featured at least one player directly from overseas, as the table below chronicles. From 1993 to 2001, there was a gradual upturn in both the number of international players taken and the positions at which they were drafted. Then the Rockets took China's Yao Ming first overall in 2002, and a record 20 foreign players were drafted in 2003. The international boom continued through 2006, when the Raptors made the Bargnani pick. The flow of players from overseas has ebbed ever since. Last year's average draft position for internationals, 46.9, is the lowest on the chart.
A couple notes on the list: It doesn’t include Americans, like Brandon Jennings, who played overseas before they were drafted, and D-League entrants, like Chukwudiebere Maduabum, who comes from Nigeria but played in the D-League before he was drafted 56th overall in 2011.
Suns GM Says He Won’t Trade Gortat
7:51pm: Shams Charania of RealGM.com provides some additional details, noting that Suns coach Jeff Hornacek envisions Gortat as a mentor for Len. He also passes along a comment from Zucker that seems to back up my suspicion that Gortat could be moved later on.
"It’s clear they are in a rebuild and they drafted a center, so [a trade] would make sense, but for now they want to hold onto him," Zucker said. "As with everything in the league, it should be stated: As of today."
7:30pm: New Suns GM Ryan McDonough said on radio Friday that Marcin Gortat will begin the 2013/14 season as the starting center in Phoenix, ruling out the possibility that team's decision to draft center Alex Len fifth overall Thursday would lead to a trade of Gortat. McDonough told the Burns and Gambo show on Arizona Sports 620 that the team is not looking to move the 29-year-old Gortat, as Dave Dulberg of ArizonaSports.com notes.
The Blazers have been interested in Gortat, according to a recent report, and he seemed to spend much of the past season on the trading block. Gortat is set to make about $7.7MM in the final season of his contract in 2013/14, and while McDonough said he isn't sure about the veteran's long-term future with the club, he seemed to hint that they'll consider an extension this summer.
"We'll see after July 1 what he and his agent have in mind," McDonough said. "I haven't had any discussions about (his long-term future) yet, but we do have him under contract for another year."
The Guy Zucker client turned down a multiyear extension offer from the Suns last summer, though that was when former GM Lance Blanks was still around. And unlike in 2012, when Gortat could only have added two more seasons to his contract, any extension he signs this summer could run through 2017.
While McDonough said Gortat would be with the Suns at the start of this coming season, he didn't say that Gortat would end next season with the team. McDonough made mention of Len's foot injury in discussing Gortat, so perhaps the GM will become more open to the idea of trading Gortat once Len becomes healthy, though that's just my speculation.
Western Rumors: Mo Williams, Mavs, Harris
There's a major shakeup going on in the Eastern Conference now that Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce are on their way to Brooklyn. An even more resounding move could happen in the West, where Dwight Howard's primary suitors are. We've got more on that storyline and others from the Western Conference:
- Mo Williams is expected to discuss re-signing in Utah with Jazz brass, but a source tells Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports that Williams isn't interested in returning if he's not the starter. Last night, the Jazz wound up with point guard Trey Burke in the draft, and he has eyes on the starting job, too, notes Jody Genessy of the Deseret News. (Twitter link).
- Mavericks owner Mark Cuban tells Jon Machota of the Dallas Morning News that he has a couple of meetings with players scheduled to take place in Los Angeles, presumably referring to Howard and Chris Paul. Still, those two big fishes aren't the team's sole focus, as Cuban also says the Mavs were in discussions yesterday about a deal that would have prevented the team from making a maximum-salary signing this summer.
- Devin Harris dropped hints Friday about returning to the Mavericks, where he began his career, as Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News observes. "It’s always crossed my mind," Harris said. "It’s crossed my mind since I left. Obviously, I think it would be cool to come back. But I also like it in Atlanta. It comes down to what best fits me."
- Howard won't necessarily make the Lakers the last stop on his listening tour as he fields free agent pitches this summer, even though the purple and gold brass would like to see that happen, tweets Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News.
- The Lakers are declining the chance to tender Darius Morris a $1.2MM qualifying offer, but the team has interest in re-signing him to a deal worth less than that, writes Eric Pincus of the Los Angeles Times. Andrew Goudelock may return as well, but Devin Ebanks won't be back, Pincus adds in a look at the team's would-be restricted free agents.
- Brian Scalabrine is talking with the Warriors about joining the team as an assistant coach, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports.
- The Spurs officially announced their hiring of Pacers assistant coach Jim Boylen as an assistant on Gregg Popovich's staff. Boylen is not to be confused with Cavs assistant Jim Boylan.
Kwame Brown Exercises Player Option
Kwame Brown has exercised his $2.95MM player option to remain with the Sixers for next season, agent Mark Bartelstein tells Ken Berger of CBSSports.com (Twitter link). The move was a no-brainer for the former No. 1 overall pick who saw limited action over 22 games in 2012/13. His averages of 1.9 points, 3.4 rebounds and 12.2 minutes per contest were all career lows.
Philadelphia signed Brown to a two-year, $5.765MM contract last season, but he was unable to settle into the role of backup center as the team might have hoped. Half of his appearances were starts as the Sixers suffered from injuries to others on their front line, Andrew Bynum in particular.
The move cuts slightly into the cap room the team opened during last night's Jrue Holiday-for-Nerlens Noel trade. The Sixers don't figure to be a top destination for free agents this summer, with Holiday on his way out and Bynum not expected to return.
Offseason Outlook: New Orleans Pelicans
Guaranteed Contracts
- Eric Gordon ($14,283,844)
- Ryan Anderson ($8,308,500)
- Anthony Davis ($5,375,760)
- Austin Rivers ($2,339,040)
- Greivis Vasquez ($2,150,188)
Options
- None
Non-Guaranteed Contracts
- Robin Lopez ($5,119,761; guaranteed for $500,000)1
- Jason Smith ($2,500,000; guaranteed for $1,000,000)2
- Terrel Harris ($884,293)3
- Lance Thomas ($884,293)4
- Darius Miller ($788,872)5
- Brian Roberts ($788,872)6
Free Agents / Cap Holds
- Al-Farouq Aminu ($3,749,602)
- Xavier Henry ($3,201,370)
- No. 6 pick ($2,643,600)
- Louis Amundson ($884,293)
- Roger Mason ($884,293)
Draft Picks
- 1st Round (6th overall)
Cap Outlook
- Guaranteed Salary: $33,957,332
- Options: $0
- Non-Guaranteed Salary: $9,466,091
- Cap Holds: $11,363,158
- Total: $54,786,581
Much has changed for New Orleans the past few years, right down to the nickname, as the Hornets have become the Pelicans this offseason, complete with new colors and new uniforms. Yet at the center of it all is one of the NBA's most stable braintrusts. Monty Williams is the fifth longest-tenured head coach in the league, while GM Dell Demps has worked his way into the upper tier among the longest-tenured NBA execs. Both predate owner Tom Benson, which is a rarity since new owners often like to make sweeping changes, as Vivek Ranadive has just done with the Kings. That seems to indicate that Demps and Williams have plenty of job security, even coming off a 27-55 season.
The reward for all that losing is the No. 6 pick in this year's draft. Nerlens Noel, Victor Oladipo, Ben McLemore, Alex Len, Anthony Bennett and Otto Porter appear to make up a group of a half-dozen players who've separated themselves from the pack, though that's far from set in stone. The Pelicans' choice could come down to whomever is left among that bunch, or they may go with a point guard, as they've been frequently linked to Trey Burke.
After drafting Anthony Davis first overall a year ago, the Pelicans believed they may have landed their point guard of the future by selecting Austin Rivers with their second lottery pick. But Rivers struggled mightily in 2012/13, recording one of the worst rookie campaigns ever by a top-10 pick. It's too early to write the former Duke star off as a bust, but if he evolves into a solid NBA player, it's more likely to happen as a shooting guard or a scorer off the bench, rather than at the point.
While Rivers didn't exactly thrive at the point last season, Greivis Vasquez was a pleasant surprise there. The third-year guard took a significant step forward, averaging 13.9 PPG and 9.0 APG to go along with a 16.3 PER. Vasquez will be entering the final year of his rookie contract in July, which means we should get an idea of how much the Pelicans value him. If the team doesn't view him as its point guard of the future, we could see the club draft Burke and shop Vasquez in an effort to upgrade at another position. If New Orleans has confidence in Vasquez, he'll be extension-eligible this offseason, so a long-term deal is a possibility.
Vasquez's status as a trade candidate isn't clear, but it seems as if backcourt mate Eric Gordon could be had for the right offer. The Pelicans matched Gordon's four-year offer sheet with the Suns last summer, meaning the young shooting guard is under contract with New Orleans through at least 2014/15. Gordon will earn about $29MM over the next two years and has a player option worth approximately $15.5MM for 2015/16. For a player who has had trouble staying healthy, that's a major financial commitment.
When the team matched Gordon's offer sheet, it wasn't obvious whether the Pelicans wanted him to be part of its long-term future, or whether they were simply keeping a valuable asset under control. Gordon conveyed that he would've preferred to have landed with the Suns, so perhaps New Orleans will explore the possibility of making that happen this summer — the 24-year-old will become eligible to be traded to the Suns next month.
Assuming Porter doesn't fall to the Pelicans in tonight's draft, small forward appears to be an area in need of addressing. Ryan Anderson has played the position at times, with Davis at the four and Robin Lopez in the middle, but Anderson is more of a stretch four. Shopping Vasquez or Gordon could help the team land an impact three, and free agency represents another option, with New Orleans expected to have a solid amount of cap room.
The most obvious potential target on the open market is Andre Iguodala — Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports named the Pelicans as a likely suitor for Iguodala when he opted out of his deal with the Nuggets, and it does look like a good fit. With Gordon and Anderson doing plenty of scoring, Iguodala wouldn't be more than a third option on offense, and would significantly improve New Orleans' perimeter defense. Matt Barnes, Corey Brewer, and Mike Dunleavy represent a few other possible options, but no other free agent small forward is a better talent or a better fit than Iguodala.
Adding another big man also figures to be a priority for the Pelicans, either in the draft or free agency. Assuming Lopez remains on the roster through July 5th, his next two years will become guaranteed, and he's a solid option in the middle. But with Davis projecting as more of a power forward, Lopez appears to be the only legit center under contract in New Orleans, aside from Jason Smith, who is coming off a torn labrum and only has a partially-guaranteed contract. If he slips on draft night, Alex Len could be an intriguing addition for the Pelicans, but I think it's probably more likely that the club will look to add a veteran in free agency.
The Pelicans didn't come close to contending for the postseason in 2012/13, and may find themselves in the lottery again next season, but there are plenty of nice building blocks in place in New Orleans. Building around Davis is a given, but this offseason could be crucial in determining which other core players will complement Davis for the coming years. Players like Vasquez and Gordon look like quality young pieces, but they could also bring back assets of value in trades if the club decides to head in a different direction. When October rolls around, it will be interesting to see whether it's just the team's nickname, uniform, and colors that are new, or whether the roster will look very different as well.
Additional notes:
- Lopez and Smith aren't the only Pelicans without fully guaranteed contracts for next season. The team has four more players on non-guaranteed deals, which will provide added flexibility in trade talks and roster construction.
- The Pelicans declined their 2013/14 team option on Al-Farouq Aminu, which means that despite only playing three years in the NBA so far, Aminu will be an unrestricted free agent this summer. Coming off his best season (7.3 PPG, 7.7 RPG, 13.7 PER), Aminu, who will turn 23 this September, will be someone to watch in free agency. He was one of the pieces that came to New Orleans in the Chris Paul trade, so if the Pelicans feel there's still potential there, they probably won't let him walk without a fight.
Cap footnotes:
- Lopez's 2013/14 salary and his 2014/15 salary ($5,340,229) will become fully guaranteed if he's not waived on or before July 5th.
- Smith's salary becomes fully guaranteed if he's not waived on or before June 30th.
- Harris' salary becomes partially guaranteed for $150,000 if he's not waived on or before October 31st. It becomes fully guaranteed if he's not waived on or before January 7th, 2014.
- Thomas' salary becomes fully guaranteed if he's not waived on or before September 1st.
- Miller's salary becomes fully guaranteed if he's not waived on or before July 27th.
- Roberts' salary becomes partially guaranteed for $50,000 if he's not waived on or before July 8th. It becomes fully guaranteed if he's not waived on or before July 20th.
Storytellers Contracts and Sham Sports were used in the creation of this post.
Luke Adams contributed to this post.
Odds & Ends: Marbury, Shaw, J.R. Smith, Calathes
Stephon Marbury hasn't played in the NBA since the 2008/09 season, and he's not interested in making a comeback, telling reporters Tuesday in China that he prefers to continue playing in the Chinese league. Jonas Terrado of Tempo has the details. With the draft now just hours away, there's plenty of news on guys who are and will be a part of the NBA, and here's the latest:
- New Nuggets coach Brian Shaw has a three-year deal with an option for a fourth, and his annual salary will be around $2MM, reports Benjamin Hochman of the Denver Post. It's not clear whether the option belongs to the Nuggets or to Shaw, though usually options in coaching contracts belong to the team.
- The top priority for the Knicks this summer is retaining J.R. Smith, a source tells Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com, who passes along the note in an updated version of his story on the team's decision to extend a qualifying offer to Pablo Prigioni.
- The Mavs own the rights to former second-round pick Nick Calathes, and there's mutual interest in bringing him to the NBA next season, reports Tim McMahon of ESPNDallas.com. Other NBA teams are interested, too, and the Mavs are willing to trade him if they can't fit him on their roster, McMahon writes.
- While noting that Luol Deng's camp is dismissing the idea that there's an extension in the works with the Bulls, as we heard yesterday, Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times writes that the Bulls are calling around to see what they can get for Richard Hamilton.
- Pacers assistant Jim Boylen has an agreement in place with the Spurs to join Gregg Popovich's coaching staff in San Antonio, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. Boylen is not to be confused with former Bucks coach Jim Boylan, whom the Cavs hired as an assistant coach earlier today.
- Sixers insiders expect minority owner Dave Heller to take over Adam Aron's role as liaison between the team's basketball operations and principal owner Josh Harris, writes Bob Ford of the Philadelphia Inquirer.
Draft Updates: Wednesday Evening
On the night before the draft, three "people of importance" in the Cavs front office have differing views on whom the team should take first overall, tweets Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio. This is shaping up as one of the most compelling drafts in years with all the unknowns, even if the talent at the top is subpar. Here's the latest draft-related scuttlebutt:
- Nets GM Billy King tells Fred Kerber of the New York Post that there's "about a 60% chance" that the team will trade the No. 22 pick, perhaps in pursuit of a frontcourt player (Twitter link). The Nets are reportedly in three-way talks with the Cavs and Wolves.
- Shabazz Muhammad has at least one fan in the Wolves front office, but it isn't anyone at the top of the organization, tweets Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities, who says he'll be surprised if the team takes the UCLA small forward.
- The Cavs' first preference has been to trade the No. 1 overall pick, but failing that, it looks like it's down to Nerlens Noel and Alex Len, with Anthony Bennett as a dark horse, The Plain Dealer's Mary Schmitt Boyer writes.
- The Sixers worked out second-round hopeful Dwayne Davis on Wednesday, according to Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer.
Earlier updates:
- The Kings, Pistons and Timberwolves like Shabazz Muhammad and may draft him earlier than most executives be believe he'll go, which is between Nos. 13 and 20, according to Ken Berger of CBSSports.com (Twitter link).
- The Heat have been told they could possibly trade for a late lottery pick, but team president Pat Riley says if the team trades for a selection, it will be one of the early picks. "After the first 10 or 12 picks, I'm not so sure there's that player out there," Riley said, as Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel notes.
- Sergey Karasev wants to play in the NBA next season, so he won't be a "draft-and-stash" pick, tweets Berger, who hears Karasev may go as high as No. 12 to the Thunder. Chad Ford of ESPN.com wrote earlier today that he could go to the Sixers at No. 11.
- Several teams are trying to move up in order to draft Victor Oladipo, HoopsWorld's Alex Kennedy hears (Twitter link). One of those teams appears to be the Timberwolves, as Marcus Fuller of the St. Paul Pioneer Press examines.
- There's a "decent chance" the Warriors will try to trade cash for a pick in the middle of the second round, according to Tim Kawakami of the Bay Area News Group.
- Alex Lee unveiled the latest version of the Hoops Rumors Mock Draft earlier tonight.