How Will Thunder, James Harden Proceed?
We passed along a piece by Sean Deveney of The Sporting News yesterday that laid out five scenarios that could play out for the Thunder and James Harden, who face an Oct. 31st deadline for negotiating an extension. Here's what Deveney says could happen:
- The Thunder could trade Harden, as with a rumored deal for Bradley Beal at draft time.
- Harden could sign a max extension with the Thunder, putting the team in a serious payroll bind.
- Harden could sign an extension with the Thunder at a discount, as Serge Ibaka did with his four-year, $49MM deal.
- The Thunder fail to match another team's deal with Harden after letting him become a restricted free agent next summer.
- The Thunder let him get to restricted free agency, but re-sign him next summer.
Deveney believes the final option is the one that will play out. That's the only scenario in which Harden could get a five-year deal, so it might be the most lucrative scenario for him, but it involves risk for both sides.
What do you think? Let us know how you believe the Harden situation plays out by voting below. If you have anything to add to the debate, feel free to leave a comment.
How Will Thunder, James Harden Proceed?
-
The Thunder will trade Harden 30% (108)
-
Harden will sign a discounted extension with the Thunder 28% (102)
-
Harden will sign a max extension with the Thunder 15% (56)
-
The Thunder re-sign Harden as a restricted free agent 15% (55)
-
The Thunder let Harden walk in restricted free agency 11% (41)
Total votes: 362
Roster Sizes: Western Conference
After taking a look at the roster sizes of teams in the Eastern Conference yesterday, here's the Western Conference version. There are two numbers at play for NBA teams this time of year. There's a 20-man limit for rosters during the offseason, but only 15 players can be around by the time the regular season starts. That means getting a guaranteed deal is important for the lingering free agents who want to make sure they stick around for opening day. Teams, given the choice between equals, would naturally prefer to waive someone whom they wouldn't have to pay.
We've combed reports from across the league over the summer, but teams don't officially announce the terms of their contracts, so we can't be completely sure that some of the contracts that are reportedly guaranteed actually are. In some cases, like yesterday's signings of second-round picks Darius-Johnson Odom by the Lakers and Kevin Murphy by the Jazz, there's been no indication of whether the contracts are guaranteed or not. For them, I've made reasonable assumptions — most second-rounders who've signed this year have gotten at least a partial guarantee for this season, so that's how we'll count them until we know more. The totals also include agreements that have been reached but haven't been finalized yet.
The first number is the total number of players under contract, and the number of players who have at least a partial guarantee is in parentheses.
Updated 11-1-12
Southwest Division
Grizzlies 13 (13)
Hornets 14 (13)
Mavericks 15 (14)
Rockets 15 (15)
Spurs 14 (13)
Northwest Division
Jazz 15 (14)
Nuggets 15 (15)
Thunder 13 (13)
Timberwolves 15 (15)
Trail Blazers 15 (14)
Pacific Division
Clippers 14 (14)
Kings 14 (14)
Lakers 15 (13)
Suns 15 (14)
Warriors 15 (15)
Jazz Sign 2nd-Round Pick Kevin Murphy
6:32pm: The Jazz have officially confirmed that they've signed Murphy, though terms of the deal were not released. Steve Luhm of the Salt Lake Tribune first reported the signing once it became official (via Twitter).
4:34pm: The Jazz are close to a deal with Kevin Murphy, whom they took with the 47th pick in June's draft, reports Steve Luhm of The Salt Lake Tribune (Twitter link). The 6'6" Murphy averaged 20.6 points and 5.2 rebounds as a senior for Tennessee Tech last year.
Fellow Salt Lake Tribune scribe Brian T. Smith reported the two sides were making progress on a deal back in August, and that the Jazz were hopeful to have him in camp. If they want to go above the minimum to sign him, the Jazz could use part of their mid-level exception, since they have $2.5MM left after giving $2.5MM to Randy Foye earlier in the summer. The Jazz currently have 14 players on fully guaranteed deals, so bringing in Murphy would put them at the 15-man regular season limit.
Most of the second-round picks who have signed this year have gotten the minimum salary or slightly more in the first year of their deals, followed by one or two more non-guaranteed seasons at the minimum, so Murphy could be in line for a deal with a similar framework. He was one of a handful of unsigned picks when I provided an update on second-rounders earlier this month.
Texas Rumors: Mayo, Brand, Collison, Spurs
"The Texas Triangle" has long been the NBA's equivalent of the Bermuda Triangle, as teams have rarely gone undefeated on a three-game swing through Houston, Dallas and San Antonio. It might not be as much of a challenge this year, with the Rockets in flux, but if road-weary teams have to go to Houston on a back-to-back after facing the Spurs or Mavs, the Rockets could pick up a few extra wins this year. Here's the latest Lone Star news:
- Chauncey Billups, recalling his growth under coach Rick Carlisle when they were together with the Pistons, persuaded O.J. Mayo to sign with the Mavs, Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com writes.
- Elton Brand is entering the final year of his deal after the Mavs claimed him off amnesty waivers from the Sixers, but he told the Ben and Skin show on ESPNDallas 103.3 that he'd be willing to come off the bench, something he's done only 30 times in 860 career regular season games.
- Mavs point guard Darren Collison, also heading into a contract year, spoke about his goals for the season with HoopsWorld, as part of a larger roundup by Bill Ingram.
- The Spurs announced via press release that the Austin Toros, their D-League affiliate, have hired Taylor Jenkins as head coach.
- Carmelo Anthony gives the Rockets front office credit for snaring Jeremy Lin away from the Knicks, as we noted earlier.
Roster Sizes: Eastern Conference
Training camps start to open two weeks from Saturday, and the scramble for the last available roster spots is under way. We've seen a significant uptick in free agent activity this past week, and that should continue as we get ever closer to the 2012/13 season. Teams can have as many as 20 players during the offseason and in camp, but once the regular season begins, the limit is 15. That's why many unsigned free agents are holding out for a guaranteed deal, since they would otherwise be vulnerable to getting waived, particularly if they sign with a team that's carrying more than 15 players right now.
A guaranteed deal ensures a player will get his money, but it doesn't mean he'll start the regular season with his current team. Some teams, like the Raptors and Pacers, have more than 15 players on at least partially guaranteed deals, so those clubs will either have to make a trade or waive one of their players, eating the guarantee in the process. Also, teams can carry as few as 13 players in the regular season, so even guys on teams with 14 or 15 players aren't completely assured of sticking.
Here's a rundown of the roster sizes for every Eastern Conference team, with the Western Conference to come soon. This includes some deals that have not yet been finalized, and because teams don't disclose the terms of their contracts even when they are finalized, there is a margin of error in these counts. However, they're based on a variety of reports from around the league this summer, so they're as accurate as possible. When we hear more, we'll update the count.
The first number is the total number of players under contract, and the number of players who have at least a partial guarantee is in parentheses.
Updated 10-29-12
Atlantic Division
Celitcs 15 (14)
Knicks 15 (13)
Nets 15 (13)
Raptors 15 (15)
Sixers 14 (13)
Southeast Division
Bobcats 14 (13)
Hawks 14 (14)
Heat 15 (13)
Magic 15 (14)
Wizards 15 (14)
Central Division
Bucks 15 (15)
Bulls 13 (13)
Cavaliers 15 (14)
Pacers 15 (14)
Pistons 15 (15)
Atlantic Rumors: Knicks, Green, Lin, Brooks
An active offseason for Atlantic Division teams continued this week, with the Knicks bringing in a handful of training camp invites, the Nets finalizing deals with Josh Childress and Andray Blatche, the Celtics signing Rob Kurz, and the Raptors inking Dominic McGuire. The Sixers didn't make any signings, but we heard Tony DiLeo has become a candidate to replace Rod Thorn as GM. Our Transactions page will fill you in on any signings you may have missed, and we've got the latest rumors out of the Atlantic right here:
- Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com hears the Knicks are prioritizing a big man as they seek to make one more signing, a point he reiterated in a chat today, but Ian Begley, his ESPNNewYork.com colleague, says the team is still deciding between a big and a wing (Twitter link).
- Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com passed along comments from Celtics forward Jeff Green, who spoke about the perception that he's playing under pressure after signing a sizable, four-year, $36MM deal so soon after heart surgery. "You guys put the pressure on me," Green said to reporters. "There’s no pressure on myself. What I went through, it’s a blessing in disguise, it allowed me to sit back, see things from a different point of view. Now I have to go out there and play basketball."
- Carmelo Anthony says the Knicks are still trying to get over the loss of Jeremy Lin, as the Associated Press reports, via ESPN.com. "I know it was kind of hard for the Knicks to let him go," said Anthony, in Puerto Rico with his charitable foundation. "(The Rockets) played the free agents' market to a T."
- Zwerling checks in with Nets guard MarShon Brooks, who's traveling in Russia as part of the Basketball Without Borders tour. Brooks and owner Mikhail Prokhorov met for the first time as part of the trip, Zwerling reports.
Wizards Close To Deal With Brian Cook
The Wizards have offered Brian Cook an invitation to training camp, and the 31-year-old big man could sign a non-guaranteed deal by sometime this afternoon, Michael Lee of the Washington Post hears. Cook has also been in contact with the Suns, Lee also reports.
Washington acquired Cook last year in the same deadline deal that brought in Nene. The nine-year veteran, who would make $1.229MM on a minimum-salary deal, averaged 2.5 points and 2.0 rebounds in just 8.6 minutes a game for the entire season, though his numbers went up to 3.1 PPG and 2.5 PPG in 9.7 MPG after he went to the Wizards. He became an unrestricted free agent after a two-year, minimum salary deal he signed in 2010 expired this summer.
Lee also confirms a report from Jeff Zillgitt of the USA Today that we passed along last night saying that the Wizards had interest in Maurice Evans for their front office, though Evans, the vice president of the players union, wants to continue playing.
The Suns, who have more than $8MM in cap room, could go over the minimum to sign Cook, as could the Wizards, who have $3.25MM of their midlevel exception available after signing Martell Webster, though it seems unlikely either team would do so. Lee says the Wizards, who have 14 players with at least a partially guaranteed deal, would probably go with someone who can play up front for their final roster spot, which signals their interest in Cook.
Heat Sign Garrett Temple
THURSDAY, 3:40pm: The Heat have officially signed Temple, according to a team release.
TUESDAY, 5:55pm: The Heat have an agreement in principle to sign guard Garrett Temple, reports Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter link). The 6'6" Temple has played for the Rockets, Kings, Spurs, Bucks and Bobcats all in the course of two NBA seasons, the last of which was 2010/11. He also has 54 games of D-League experience and spent last year with Novipiu Casale Monferrato in Italy.
The deal is likely for the minimum, and probably is without a guarantee, meaning Temple will have to beat out another guard in training camp for a roster spot. He'll become the 19th player on the Heat's preseason roster.
Wolves To Sign Will Conroy
Guard Will Conroy hinted at a deal with the Timberwolves earlier tonight on Twitter, and it appears that's exactly what's happening, as Darren Wolfson of 5 Eyewitness News reports that he'll receive a partially guaranteed contract from the team (Twitter link). It will likely be a minimum-salary deal for the former University of Washington teammate and close friend of Brandon Roy.
The 6'2" Conroy has had stints with the Grizzlies, Clippers and Rockets, the last of which came in 2009/10. He's totaled just six points and 16 assists in 12 NBA games, but has played extensively in the D-League since going undrafted in 2005. He averaged 12.6 points and 9.0 assists with a 14.7 PER in 23 games for the Rio Grande Valley Vipers last year.
The Wolves have been focusing their attention on big men of late, so the move may be largely a favor to Roy, much as the Knicks' signing of Chris Smith was seen as a favor to his brother, J.R. Smith. Roy used Conroy's Twitter account back in June to announce his intention to come back from retirement.
Odds & Ends: Anderson, Mbenga, Heat, Harden
It's been a busier day than we've had for a while around the NBA, and with training camps opening as soon as September 29th, expect the faster pace of news to continue. Let's dive right into some of the latest from around the league:
- James Anderson's deal with the Hawks is a one-year, non-guaranteed pact, Michael Cunningham of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.
- D.J. Mbenga, who agreed to terms with the Mavericks earlier today, has already agreed to join the team's D-League affiliate if he doesn't make the NBA club out of training camp, reports Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News.
- An agent tells Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel that the Heat are only offering contracts without a guarantee, which makes sense, since they already have agreements with 18 players. Winderman also speculates that Raja Bell could be a fit for the Heat whenever he finalizes the buyout he continues to negotiate with the Jazz (Sulia link).
- Ken Berger of CBSSports.com delves deep into Thunder GM Sam Presti's comments about a possible extension for James Harden, and says that while Isiah Thomas is unlikely to return in a formal capacity to the Knicks soon, he looms as a potential candidate to join an NBA team as a coach or executive down the road.
- Zach Lowe of SI.com runs down several players for whom 2012/13 will be an especially important season.
- After looking at 10 overpaid players earlier today, Sean Deveney of The Sporting News also shares his list of the 10 most underpaid players in the league.