Kings Rumors: Cousins, Evans, Execs, Muhammad
New Kings GM Pete D'Alessandro provided the media with plenty of information today about the issues facing the team as it turns its focus away from ownership and management changes and toward typical NBA offseason business. Jason Jones of The Sacramento Bee passed along several highlights, as we round up here:
- Dan Fegan, the agent for Kings center DeMarcus Cousins, appears to be going after a maximum-salary extension for his client this summer, and D'Alessandro says he has a good relationship with Fegan and plans to meet with Cousins in person. Fegan has advised Cousins to stay quiet about the Kings, but his silence doesn't mean he wants to be traded, Jones writes.
- D'Alessandro has already met with soon-to-be restricted free agent Tyreke Evans.
- Former Nuggets executive Mike Bratz will be D'Alessandro's assistant GM with the Kings, and Shareef Abdur-Rahim, a holdover from the previous regime in Sacramento, is in talks to join them in the front office, as Cowbell Kingdom's Jonathan Santiago tweets. If D'Alessandro had wound up with the Nuggets GM job, he said he would have tried to keep Bratz in Denver and recruit Abdur-Rahim.
- An ankle injury kept Shabazz Muhammad from working out as scheduled with the Kings today, but he met D'Alessandro for lunch.
- D'Alessandro also spoke about new scout George McCloud, who worked for D'Alessandro when they were both with the Warriors.
Clippers Have Talked Contract With Scott, Shaw
4:39pm: It’s not clear whether Scott is the front-runner for the job, according to Broussard, whose report includes word from Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com that the Clippers intend to go after Rivers one more time once they have an alternative lined up. Broussard also points to the close relationship between Chris Paul and Scott, who was CP3’s coach in New Orleans.
4:25pm: The Clippers began contract talks with Scott after his interview Tuesday, and they did the same Wednesday with Shaw, Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times reports. Sources tell Turner that Scott and the Clippers are “getting there, but still talking,” with no agreement in place yet (All Twitter links).
4:01pm: The Clippers initiated discussion Friday night about the financial framework of a contract with coaching candidate Byron Scott, tweets Chris Broussard of ESPN.com. The team has not had similar talks with Brian Shaw and Lionel Hollins, two of the others that the team considers its primary alternatives to Doc Rivers.
The progress toward an agreement with Scott could signal that the Clippers are finally ready to move on from their pursuit of Rivers, whom the Celtics have been unwilling to release from his contract for the Clips’ offer of a second-round pick. Scott interviewed for the job on Tuesday, and his meeting with owner Donald Sterling went “very well,” Broussard noted earlier this week. Scott reportedly hasn’t interviewed with another team since the Cavs fired him more than two months ago. Scott and the Clippers had preliminary discussions about the job weeks ago.
Scott has been employed as an NBA head coach for at least part of each of the last 13 seasons. He’s 416-521 overall with the Nets, Pelicans (then Hornets) and Cavs. Four of his teams have reached the playoffs, including his back-to-back Finals squads with New Jersey.
If the Clippers hire Scott, Hollins and Shaw could turn to the Nuggets, where both are candidates, as is former Clippers coach Vinny Del Negro. Shaw has also been a candidate for the Sixers job, and the Grizzlies are looking for a new coach as well.
At the end of May, Hoops Rumors readers selected Scott as most likely to land the Clippers job among a field of six choices that didn’t include Rivers. Though much has changed since then, readers may still wind up being correct.
Draft Rumors: Saturday
The Raptors don't have a pick in either round, but Marc Stein of ESPN.com hears they're trying to acquire a second-rounder, if not a first-round choice, by draft time (Twitter link). That echoes comments that GM Masai Ujiri made in interviews last week indicating his desire to trade for a pick, as Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun points out via Twitter. There are sure to be more rumors about teams exchanging picks in the coming days as one of the most unpredictable drafts in recent memory approaches. Here's more:
- The Blazers posted profiles of today's workout participants on the team website, though Peyton Siva, the first player on the list, sprained an ankle before the audition and didn't take part, as fellow prospect Mike Muscala tells The Oregonian's Joe Freeman (Twitter link). Muscala, Elijah Johnson, Michael Snaer, Chris Evans and Jackie Carmichael were the others in for the workout.
- Siva will consult his agent about whether to pull out of his final two scheduled workouts, for the Pacers and Clippers, reports Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com (Twitter link).
- Muscala will fly to Cleveland, ostensibly to work out for the Cavs, according to his Twitter feed (hat tip to Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune).
- C.J. Aiken was scheduled to work out Monday for the Sixers, but he'll instead be doing so for the Pistons that day, agent Stephen Pina tells Tom Moore of Phillyburbs.com. It will be Aiken's second audition for Detroit.
- The Celtics will work out big men Kelly Olynyk and Lucas Nogueira next week, tweets Mark Murphy of the Boston Herald.
- Carrick Felix set a conditioning run record at a Suns workout today that also included Reggie Bullock, Solomon Hill, James Southerland, Brandon Triche and Elias Harris, notes Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic (All Twitter links).
- Brandon Paul has worked out for 14 teams, as he details to Sean Deveney of The Sporting News.
Darko Milicic Doesn’t Want To Return To NBA
Darko Milicic told the Serbian website MVP.rs (translation via HoopsHype) that he doesn't envision playing again in the NBA. Milicic left the Celtics in November to take care of his mother, who was ill. The veteran center was reportedly upset with his playing time in Boston, where he saw action in just one game, for five minutes, over the first few weeks of the season. Milicic also told MVP.rs that he has not signed a deal with Red Star, a Serbian team.
Regardless of whether he returns to the NBA, Milicic will be known as one of the all-time draft busts. The Pistons took him second overall in 2003, ahead of future stars like Carmelo Anthony, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh. Milicic never saw significant playing time in Detroit, but he showed himself as a serviceable NBA center following a trade to the Magic in the middle of his third season. He started the majority of the games for the Grizzlies in 2007/08 and the Timberwolves in 2010/11, but Minnesota wound up using the amnesty clause to get rid of him last summer, with two years left on his contract. Milicic was on a minimum-salary pact with the Celtics when he left the team.
Milicic played parts of 10 seasons in the NBA, with averages of 6.0 points, 4.2 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game. He succeeded financially, making more than $52MM over the course of his career, according to Basketball-Reference.com.
Latest On Celtics/Clippers Talks
Yesterday we heard that the Celtics/Clippers deal involving Doc Rivers was dead, only to later come across reports that such trade talks would continue. More continues to come in about the on-again, off-again saga, much of it courtesy Mark Murphy of the Boston Herald and Baxter Holmes of the Boston Globe. Here’s what we know:
- A source tells Murphy that the deal is dead, despite insistence from the Clippers camp that it will be revived. Discussion about a Kevin Garnett-for-DeAndre Jordan trade is probably dead as well, Murphy writes.
- Rivers is still in contact with Danny Ainge and deliberating over whether he’ll return to Boston for next season, and the decision is not necessarily tied to whether the Celtics will rebuild, Murphy says.
- The Celtics postponed Friday’s press conference with Rivers and Ainge until Monday because the Clippers wanted to discuss a deal again, according to Holmes.
- Holmes hears that Rivers wants to continue coaching in the NBA, despite his well-documented misgivings about doing so with a rebuilding team. Yet sources tell Holmes that Rivers could wind up returning to broadcasting, where his salary would not match what he could get as a coach, because it might be too awkward to go back to the Boston bench at this point. Even so, Celtics management maintains that they would welcome him back.
- As Holmes points out, the Clippers were prepared to give up a first-round pick for Rivers earlier this week when it appeared there was a second, separate deal involving Garnett. Now that the two sides have pushed the Garnett talk to the backburner under pressure from the league, the Clippers only seem willing to relinquish a second-rounder for Rivers.
- Holmes hears from sources who believe the Clippers never intended to pull of a deal with the C’s, and were merely trying to make it seem as though they were to appease Chris Paul.
- A source tells Chris Sheridan of SheridanHoops.com that Rivers and Rajon Rondo had a locker-room altercation that nearly turned into a physical confrontation. “An intense dislike” for Rondo is part of Rivers’ motivation for leaving the Celtics, Sheridan writes. Rich Levine of CSNNE.com tweets his doubts that such an incident took place, and believes that if it did, it may have happened as far back as 2010.
- In a separate piece, Holmes notes that Celtics assistant coach Mike Longabardi has accepted a position on Jeff Hornacek‘s coaching staff with the Suns. He’s the only Celtics assistant to have depared the team this offseason.
Odds & Ends: Wizards, Splitter, Bosh, Nets, Bucks
Yesterday marked the one-year anniversary of the trade that sent Emeka Okafor and Trevor Ariza from New Orleans to the Wizards in exchange for Rashard Lewis and last year's No. 46 pick (Darius Miller). Lewis celebrated by picking up a championship with the Heat, who acquired him after the Pelicans bought him out. The date was notable for the Wizards, too, since it meant the expiration of a trade exception worth $1,853,491 that the team generated as part of the deal. Washington has until February to use its other trade exception, from the Jordan Crawford swap, as noted in our continuously updated database. Here's more from around the league:
- Many NBA executives believe restricted Spurs free agent Tiago Splitter will draw offers in the $8-10MM range this summer, according to Grantland's Zach Lowe, who debates the merits of a Chris Bosh trade for the Heat as part of his piece on the aftermath of the Finals.
- The agent for former Mavericks guard Dominique Jones has had discussions with the Nets, and Jones is set to take part in a three-day free agent mini-camp the Bucks are holding, reports Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times. If he doesn't return to the NBA next season, Jones would prefer to play overseas rather than hit the D-League again.
- Demetris Nichols hasn't played in the NBA since 2008/09, but he was a First Team All-D-League selection this year, and that's prompted the Spurs and Bucks to schedule workouts with the 28-year-old small forward, as Dave McMenamin of ESPNLosAngeles.com tweets.
- The Timberwolves reportedly believe Derrick Williams and the No. 9 pick could allow them to land a top-three selection next week. However, Wolves exec Flip Saunders told Dan Barreiro of KFAN radio that he doesn't think such a package, plus the No. 26 pick, could pry the No. 2 pick from the Magic, as Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune notes via Twitter.
- Chandler Parsons says he talks to Dwight Howard every day as he attempts to recruit the Lakers center to the Rockets. Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle has the details.
- Former MSG Sports president Scott O'Neil is close to joining the Sixers in an executive role, according to Frank Isola of the New York Daily News (Twitter link).
- Michael Kaskey-Blomain of Philly.com has the Sixers taking Steven Adams at No. 11 in his latest mock draft.
Nuggets To Interview Vinny Del Negro
The Nuggets will interview Vinny Del Negro this weekend for their coaching vacancy, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. Del Negro is the third coaching candidate to sit down this week with Tim Connelly, the Nuggets new executive vice president of basketball operations. Lionel Hollins did so on Wednesday, while Brian Shaw had his interview Tuesday.
Del Negro has been out of work for exactly a month, after he and the Clippers parted ways. A client of well-respected agent Lonnie Cooper, Del Negro has also been linked to the Celtics, who could be seeking a head coach if Doc Rivers doesn't return.
When the Clippers let go of Del Negro, they told him they'd do whatever they could to help him find his next job. It appears that policy may wind up benefiting the Clippers as much as Del Negro, since blocking Hollins and Shaw from the Nuggets job could leave them available for the Clippers, who've interviewed the two of them along with Byron Scott. The Clippers are reportedly using the availability of all three candidates as leverage in their negotiations with the Celtics over Rivers.
The Nuggets have suffered from an exodus of coaches and executives in the past month. Former GM Masai Ujiri left to take over the Raptors front office, and Denver forced out coach George Karl. Pete D'Alessandro, who had been serving as an assistant to Ujiri in Denver, became GM of the Kings, bringing another Nuggets executive with him. Today the Kings officially hired Nuggets director of player personnel Mike Bratz as assistant GM, as Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee notes.
Door ‘Not Closed’ On Celtics, Clippers Deal
The Rasputin of NBA trade rumors appears to be alive once more, as executives tell Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times that the Clippers will make another play on Monday for Celtics coach Doc Rivers. Reports on two occasions, including earlier today, have indicated that talks between the two teams were at an end, but one executive said to Turner tonight that, "The door is not closed yet on getting a deal done." Still, Rivers' agent has told the Clippers he's no longer interested in coaching the team, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports, who adds that Chris Paul, a proponent of bringing Rivers to L.A., has been displeased with the fallout of what looked to be a failed deal.
The Clippers appear willing to be patient for a Rivers deal because Brian Shaw, Lionel Hollins and Byron Scott, their alternative coaching candidates, aren't likely to leave the market anytime soon. Two of those three haven't been offered a job by another team, according to Turner, adding that Scott hasn't even interviewed with anyone aside from the Clippers.
Boston is seeking a 2014 first-round pick in return for allowing Rivers out of his contract, which has three more seasons left on it. The Clippers are only offering a second-rounder. Clippers owner Donald Sterling and Rivers have negotiated a five-year, $35MM deal, but there's been a growing doubt around the NBA that Sterling really wants to pay that much, according to Wojnarowski.
The Celtics and Clippers have been engaged in talks involving only Rivers and draft picks since commissioner David Stern expressed this week that the league was unlikely to approve any deal that gave the appearance that Rivers was being traded in tandem with players. Such a deal would violate the collective bargaining agreement, and even though the teams appeared to be trying to structure a deal involving Kevin Garnett that would be separate from the Rivers transaction, it appeared that, too, would be vetoed. The Celtics and Clippers may attempt to circle back to a Garnett deal once the Rivers situation is resolved.
Rivers and Ainge will reportedly talk throughout the weekend in hopes of reaching a resolution on his future with the Celtics by Monday, when the team has a press conference scheduled.
Offseason Outlook: Orlando Magic
Guaranteed Contracts
- Jameer Nelson ($8,600,000)
- Arron Afflalo ($7,750,000)
- Glen Davis ($6,400,000)
- (Quentin Richardson – $2,808,600)1
- Maurice Harkless ($1,809,840)
- Nikola Vucevic (1,793,520)
- Tobias Harris ($1,545,840)
- Andrew Nicholson ($1,482,000)
- Doron Lamb ($788,872)
Options
- None
Non-Guaranteed Contracts
- Hedo Turkoglu ($12,000,000)2
- Al Harrington ($7,148,600)3
- Kyle O’Quinn ($788,872)4
- E’Twaun Moore ($884,293)5
Free Agents / Cap Holds
- Beno Udrih ($11,058,300)
- No. 2 pick ($3,969,800)
- DeQuan Jones ($988,872 – QO)
- (Fran Vasquez – $1,827,400)
- (Jeremy Richardson – $884,293)
Draft Picks
- 1st Round (2nd overall)
- 2nd Round (51st overall)
Cap Outlook
- Guaranteed Salary: $42,552,972
- Options: $0
- Non-Guaranteed Salary: $11,247,465
- Cap Holds: $18,728,665
- Total: $72,529,102
Trading away a superstar and finishing with the league’s worst record would leave most teams in dire straits. That’s not so for the Magic, who exhibited glimmers of brighter days ahead during an otherwise lost season. Second-year center Nikola Vucevic, acquired last summer as part of the four-team blockbuster that shipped Dwight Howard out of town, ripped off a pair of 20-point, 20-rebound games against the Heat, and was one of only seven players in the NBA to average a double-double. Trade deadline pickup Tobias Harris thrived when given the minutes he never saw as a member of the Bucks, and rookie Maurice Harkless gathered steam as the season wore on.
There remains much work to do for GM Rob Hennigan, the 31-year-old wunderkind and former Spurs employee whom the Magic hired away from the Thunder’s front office a year ago. The draft is the first item on the agenda, and there’s no easy decision with the No. 2 overall pick. There’s been talk that the Magic could trade down, though they’re reportedly “far from desperate” to do so. If they keep the pick, multiple reports note that Victor Oladipo has overtaken Ben McLemore on the team’s draft board, which suggests Oladipo could be the pick. Chad Ford of ESPN.com, who provided one of those reports, says the Magic would strongly consider Nerlens Noel if the Cavs take a pass on him. Many mock drafts have linked the Magic to Trey Burke over the last couple of months, but Burke isn’t part of the group of a half-dozen players considered likely to be drafted first in some order or another, so perhaps he could be Orlando’s target if the team trades down.
One of the reasons for the Burke talk has been the widespread perception that point guard is a position of weakness for the Magic, which seems incongruous given that one of Hennigan’s first acts after assuming the job was to give Jameer Nelson a three-year, $25.2MM contract. Though Nelson posted the worst field goal shooting of his career, he did so on his greatest number of shot attempts, and he also had more assists than ever. The 31-year-old isn’t an elite point guard, but he’s not the worst, either, and after 2013/14, there’s only $2MM guaranteed on his contract for the next season. The Magic may want to bring a young point guard aboard for Nelson to mentor, but I doubt they’d reach for one in the draft.
The Magic appear much more willing to trade for a young point guard, given their pursuit of Eric Bledsoe that dates back nearly a month, at least. It seems like the Clippers aren’t quite as sold on such a deal, which could include Caron Butler and Arron Afflalo, which makes sense considering the Clips appear to have hopes that Bledsoe can help them net a much greater return. Afflalo, like Nelson, suffered a decline in shooting but an increase in other numbers amidst a greater offensive role this past season, but his contract has three more years and $23,437,500 left on it, including a nearly $8MM player option for 2015/16. Afflalo's production last season was similar to Nelson’s, but it came tied with a more expensive — and lengthier — contract. If the Magic can unload Afflalo for a reasonable return, they’d probably do it, and that helps explain why they’re targeting a shooting guard in the draft.
Of course, Afflalo’s deal is relatively team-friendly compared to some of the baggage on the team’s payroll. Hedo Turkoglu’s regrettable five-year, $52.8MM contract is entering its final season, and Turkoglu has admitted he wouldn’t be surprised if the Magic waived him, triggering a partial guarantee worth just $6MM. The final year of Turkoglu's deal doesn’t become fully guaranteed until January, so I could see the Magic keeping him around for a while this summer in hopes of somehow trading him. It nonetheless seems likely that the 13-year veteran has played his final game with Orlando.
That could be the case for Al Harrington, too. Harrington responded to a report that he was considering retirement with the insistence that he wants to play five more years, but with the Magic reportedly set to allow him to work out for other teams in hopes of showcasing him for a trade, it doesn’t look like he’ll be sticking around Orlando. His deal has two more seasons left, worth a total of $14,758,400, but both years are only 50% guaranteed. Harrington was a valuable contributor on a playoff team as recently as a year ago in Denver, and he’s probably slightly more likely than Turkoglu to open the season on the Magic’s roster. If the Magic can’t find a taker for Harrington this summer, they could again try to showcase him before the trade deadline next season.
It appears the Magic will also try to trade Glen Davis. Injuries limited Big Baby to 34 games this past season, but when healthy, he took advantage of his newfound role as a full-time starter, posting 15.1 PPG, 7.2 RPG and a 15.0 PER, all career highs. The team was 12-13 when he went down with a shoulder injury, and though he returned for nine games in January before suffering a season-ending broken foot, the Magic went 8-49 after his initial injury. Despite his relatively positive impact last season, he’s under contract for a total of $13MM the next two years, all of which is fully guaranteed. I’m not sure that less than half a season of productivity is enough to convince another team that he’s ready to pick up where he left off, so the Magic could encounter difficulty in trading Davis similar to their trouble with Turkoglu and Harrington.
The most prominent free agent on the Magic roster is probably Beno Udrih, picked up in the deadline deal that sent J.J. Redick away. Udrih won’t get anything close to the $7.372MM he made this past season, but if the team doesn’t draft its point guard of the future this summer, the veteran who averaged 10.1 points with a tidy 6.1/2.0 assists-to-turnover ratio after the trade could find his way back to Orlando.
The Magic will have plenty of room under the cap this summer, but I don’t expect them to try to sign any of the prominent free agents to a long-term deal. Orlando’s pleasant weather and lack of state income taxes figure to interest a few notable players, but I don’t think any superstars are willing to be a part of the rebuilding there, and the Magic are probably content to move forward with their young players, a la Hennigan’s old team in Oklahoma City. The free agents the Magic sign are likely to come in on one-year deals, or multiyear deals with team options that allow Orlando to open cap room again next summer, when another high draft pick and another year of development for their young core could make the franchise more attractive to 2014’s long list of prominent free agents.
Going 20-62 is not fun, and the team’s trio of inflated contracts present Hennigan with plenty of challenges. Yet there’s reason for optimism in the middle of the Sunshine State, even if the team can’t find takers for its overpaid talent. Four players who made at least 20 starts last season are on rookie-scale contracts, and the team figures to add another to that list through the draft this year. The foundation of a competitive team is already taking shape. The ultimate question is whether Hennigan and the Magic can build a team that will compete for titles, as the Dwight-centric squads of recent vintage did. The franchise's patient approach ensures the answer to that one won't be discovered this offseason.
Additional notes:
- Undrafted rookie DeQuan Jones was a surprise starter early in the season, but he drifted in and out of the rotation. He was only under contract for one year, so the team can extend a nearly $1MM qualifying offer to have the right to match any offer he gets from another team this summer. I'm not sure the Magic would need to go that length, since Jones might not command more than the minimum salary, which for him would be $788,872. Since the Magic gave Jones his chance, I'd imagine he'd be inclined to take that offer from them over the same money elsewhere, though that's just my speculation.
- The Magic retain the rights to Fran Vasquez, the 11th pick in the 2005 draft, even though it seems decreasingly likely that he'll play in the NBA. Unless the team signs him this summer, his cap hold will disappear once the season starts.
Cap footnotes:
- The Magic waived Richardson at the end of training camp this past year, even though his contract runs through the end of next season. Richardson signed his deal under the old CBA, so he and the Magic aren't necessarily subject to the stretch provision, which would allow Orlando to spread his payment out over five years. The amount Orlando owes Richardson next season could be reduced via set-off rights if he signs with another team.
- Turkoglu’s contract is partially guaranteed for $6,000,000.
- Harrington’s contract is partially guaranteed for $3,574,300.
- O’Quinn’s contract becomes fully guaranteed if he’s not waived on or before opening night.
- Moore’s contract becomes fully guaranteed if he’s not waived on or before June 30th.
Storytellers Contracts and Sham Sports were used in the creation of this post.
Rockets Weighing Offer For Thomas Robinson
The Rockets have been offered a first-round pick in next week's draft in exchange for Thomas Robinson, tweets Marc Stein of ESPN.com. Houston is evaluating a "fistful" of international players the team could take with that pick and stash overseas to avoid the cap hit that would come with signing a first-rounder, Stein also reports, naming Giannis Antetokounmpo, Rudy Gobert, Sergey Karasev, Lucas Nogueira and Dennis Schroeder as the targets (Twitter links).
Robinson is a key figure in Houston's pursuit of the cap space necessary to sign marquee free agents, like Dwight Howard and Chris Paul. Robinson is due $3,526,440 next season, but as the No. 5 pick in last year's draft, he holds value as a trade asset in spite of his limited playing time this past year, which he split between the Rockets and Kings. The Rockets are attempting to clear enough room under next year's projected $58.5MM salary cap for a max offer to either Howard or Paul, which would require around $20MM worth of space, depending on which one they sign. If they're able to sign either Howard or Paul, Houston would reportedly have interest in using a sign-and-trade to acquire the other.
Stein doesn't identify which team is offering the pick, though the Mavs, Timberwolves and Blazers are said to be shopping their first-round selections. The Mavericks probably wouldn't be the team willing to take on Robinson, since they, too, want to clear cap space for a big-ticket free agent. Dallas is apparently deep in talks with the Cavs about taking Shawn Marion in return for the 13th pick, so perhaps Cleveland is the team involved with the Rockets as well, though that's just my speculation.