Stephen Curry’s Next Deal May Have Injury Clause
With the news today from Matt Steinmetz of CSNBayArea.com that Stephen Curry, as well as Andrew Bogut, will undergo additional ankle surgery, Tim Kawakami of the Bay Area News Group examines the options that Curry and the Warriors have as they look past his current contract, which expires after next season. One possibility is an injury-exclusion clause, which would allow Curry to sign a high-dollar contract but give the team an out if he's not healthy enough to perform.
Curry will be eligible for restricted free agency in the summer of 2013 unless he and the team come to terms on an extension before October 31st this year. Kawakami estimates his value, when healthy, to be close to that of former teammate Monta Ellis, currently in the middle of a six-year deal that pays $11MM annually. If he doesn't sign an extension and plays well next season, he could be looking at as much as $14MM a year, Kawakami says.
Curry has said before that he'd like to work out an extension with the team, but the Warriors would certainly be reluctant to pay a premium for a player whose health is a question mark. An injury-exclusion clause would allow Curry to sign a long-term deal with money that's in line with his career averages of 17.5 PPG, 5.8 APG and 4.1 RPG, while letting the team reduce the amount of money, remove years, or void the contract entirely if Curry suffers another ankle injury. Just how much of the contract the clause covers would be a matter of negotiation, Kawakami writes.
In a league where guaranteed contracts are the norm, recently retired T.J. Ford is the only player known to have had such a clause in his deal, Kawakami says, and his clause was never exercised. It's certainly an idea that would appeal to the Warriors, and if Curry is truly interested in signing an extension, he'll have to consider it. The harsher luxury tax rules coming in 2014 will make teams think twice about committing major money to a player who might not be able to perform. Still, I think it behooves Curry to come back next season and prove he's healthy and worthy of a fully guaranteed deal. He'll have an easier time finding the deal he wants when he can sign with any of the league's 30 teams as a restricted free agent, even though the Warriors will have the right to match.
Nets Rumors: Humphries, Free Agency, Green
The Nets should be one of the most intriguing teams this offseason, as they look ahead to plenty of cap room, their move to Brooklyn, and the looming spectre of a potential Dwight Howard trade. Here's the latest from the team's final days in New Jersey:
- Power forward Kris Humphries is averaging career highs in virtually every major category, and Colin Stephenson of the Star Ledger checks in with the consistent double-double threat who's drawing the admiration of his teammates ahead of his impending free agency.
- The Nets won't wait around for the Dwight Howard saga to be resolved, says Fred Kerber of the New York Post, who examines the team's plans this summer. He reiterates an earlier report that the team may look elsewhere at the power forward position despite Humphries' improvement this year.
- Gerald Green's resurgence this season after a two-year absence from the league is quite a comeback story. Still, it's not as impressive as his ability to make the NBA at all after having half the ring finger on his shooting hand amputated following a freak accident while dunking as a sixth-grader, Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News writes. Earlier this week, we heard that Green would be willing to give the Nets a hometown discount in free agency this summer.
Southeast Notes: Howard, Mason, Crawford
All five Southeast Division teams were in action tonight, and four of them won, including the Wizards, who stunned the Bulls. No such luck for the hapless Bobcats, however, as they lost their 17th straight. Here's the buzz around the Southeast:
- Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel proposes the Magic take the bold step of shutting down Dwight Howard for the rest of the season, playoffs included, to protect their best asset should they decide to trade him before his contract runs out after next season.
- Roger Mason underwent surgery to repair a broken left index finger today, and the Wizards waived him. Mason says he could have returned in a week's time, but would prefer to give his finger a little more time to heal, as Michael Lee's blog for The Washington Post explains.
- Jordan Crawford is the Wizards' leading scorer since the All-Star break, but he was disappointed the team benched him in favor of Nick Young earlier this season, writes Michael Lee of the Washington Post. With Young sent to the Clippers in a deadline deal, Crawford has a more positive opinion of what it's like to play in Washington despite the team's poor record, observes Alex Raskin of HoopsWorld.
Odds & Ends: Celtics, Raptors, Brown, Draft
It's an eventful night in the NBA with 11 games, many of which have playoff implications. There's been plenty of draft news as well, as teams look past the playoffs, and one item concerning the distant future, with the NBA announcing the Hornets will host the 2014 All-Star Game, just six years after hosting the 2008 event. The new ownership of Tom Benson had plenty to do with that, though he's already come up short in his quest to get the Jazz nickname back from Utah, as Brian T. Smith of The Salt Lake Tribune notes. If Benson ditches the Hornets name, it'll be a while before Charlotte could use it again, writes Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer. While nicknames won't be moving for a while, there's plenty of movement on other fronts, and here's the latest:
- A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com doesn't think free agents Roy Hibbert and Eric Gordon will switch teams this summer, but says the Celtics have interest in both (Twitter link).
- Frank Zicarelli of the Toronto Sun breaks down the Raptors' roster and predicts who'll be there next season and who won't.
- Longtime coach Larry Brown is pursuing the Blazers GM job even as he zeroes in on the SMU coaching gig, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports.
- ESPN.com's Chad Ford discusses the possibility that Kentucky senior Darius Miller, currently projected as a second-rounder, could climb up the draft board and make it six first-round picks for the Wildcats (Insider only).
- Al Iannazzone of New York Newsday rounds up Carmelo Anthony's comments on multiple radio shows today about the way new Knicks coach Mike Woodson has held him accountable (Sulia links).
- Mavs cast-off Lamar Odom leads Sam Smith's list of the biggest disappointments this year on NBA.com
- Chris Tomasson of Fox Sports Florida shares the results of an informal survey of 11 former MVPs, who give a slight edge to Kevin Durant over LeBron James in this year's race. The former players won't have official votes for the award; instead, writers and broadcasters will make the selection.
- Roland Beech of 82games.com crunches the numbers and determines Gilbert Arenas, taken in the second round by the Warriors in 2001, was the shrewdest draft choice in recent years (hat tip to Alex Raskin of HoopsWorld).
Cavs Rumors: Ferry, Jamison, Sloan
The idea that the Cavs might make a run at the playoffs this season has long since faded to a distant memory now that they have the fifth-worst record in the league. The focus is clearly on the future, with two first-round draft picks lined up for June. Here's the latest on Cavs past, present and, possibly, future:
- After looking at the progress former Cav J.J. Hickson has made since his arrival in Portland, as we noted earlier this evening, Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio shares a pair of front-office rumors involving former Cavs GM Danny Ferry, now working in the Spurs front office. Ferry, along with Celtics GM Danny Ainge, is a candidate for the Blazers GM job, and Ferry could also be next in line for the Wizards GM job should they decide to replace Ernie Grunfeld.
- Antawn Jamison will turn 36 in June, right before he goes out on the market as an unrestricted free agent. Mary Schmitt Boyer of the Plain Dealer looks at how Jamison's offseason body maintenance helped him start every game of the season for the Cavs until coach Byron Scott gave him a night off for rest on Saturday. Ryan Raroque profiled Jamison for the Hoops Rumors Free Agent Stock Watch series last night.
- Donald Sloan has an unguaranteed minimum-salary contract for next season, but Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal believes he's performed well enough in place of injured Kyrie Irving to come back to the team next season as Irving's backup.
Minor Moves: Hazell, Wright
We'll track today's D-League and international news here, with the latest up top:
- Former Seton Hall standout Jeremy Hazell has latched on with the Los Angeles D-Fenders of the D-League, agent Seth Cohen tells HoopsHype (Twitter link). The 6'5" guard went undrafted after his senior year last season, but wound up in camp with the Suns.
- The Warriors announced they have recalled forward Chris Wright from the Dakota Wizards, who were eliminated from the D-League playoffs yesterday by the Bakersfield Jam. Wright averaged 17.9 PPG, 8.5 RPG and 1.8 blocks per game in 11 games during three separate stints with the Warriors' D-League affiliate. During 19 NBA games this season, the 6'8", 226-pound University of Dayton product averaged 2.1 PPG in 4.8 MPG.
Prospect Profile: Bradley Beal
There aren't a lot of quality young shooting guards in the NBA right now, especially given the injuries Eric Gordon has endured this year. There's also only one shooting guard projected as a surefire lottery pick in this year's draft, so that player, Bradley Beal, could be even more valuable than his ability would otherwise suggest.
Even if he weren't playing at a sought-after position, the freshman from Florida possesses plenty of appealing attributes. His high basketball IQ is something both ESPN.com's Chad Ford and Jonathan Givony of Draft Express agree on. He can play the point as well, and his showing down the stretch for the Gators and his ability to handle traps and double teams have already caught the eye of the Wizards, who are "enamored" with him, writes HoopsWorld's Steve Kyler. Ford points to his rebounding prowess, as he averaged 6.7 RPG this year, and Givony likes the advanced fundamentals and maturity he shows at just 18 years old.
Still, there are question marks involved. Ford writes that the only concern scouts have is his relatively poor shooting this year, when he connected on 44.5% of his field goal attempts, including 34% from three-point territory. Those are disappointing numbers from someone who, according to Ford, evoked comparisons to Ray Allen coming out of high school. While Givony believes he will never shoot so poorly from behind the arc again, he also points to a need for him to finish better on his attacks at the rim, as well as defensive inconsistencies. ESPN has him listed at 6'5", while he checks in at 6'3.5" at Draft Express. NBADraft.net splits the difference and has him at 6'4". Givony expressed concerns about his height, and if he's closer to the shorter side of his measurements, that's a legitimate worry.
Size matters less in a wide-open transition game, and he's been effective playing that style, according to Givony, creating looks for himself and his teammates with smooth ballhandling and an ability to change speeds. He'd fit a team looking for an up-tempo attack, and the Wizards notion holds water here, as they could go with a small lineup of John Wall, Beal, Jordan Crawford, Jan Vesely and Nene Hilario. He'd be a tougher fit with a team like the Raptors, who have a defensive-minded coach in Dwane Casey and DeMar DeRozan occupying the two-guard spot. Still, ESPN's latest mock has him going to Toronto at No. 5. Draft Express has him going fifth as well. Ford believes he could go as high as No. 2, but much of that will depend on how he compares to Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, another sought-after wing player.
It all comes down to the right fit with a player like Beal, unlike a must-have top pick like Anthony Davis. If a team needs a versatile guard who can make quick decisions and, at worst, take nothing away from you with his shooting, Beal is the guy. If a team is worried about size and wants to play a halfcourt game, they'll shy away from him.
Atlantic Notes: Celtics, Knicks, Williams, Iguodala
With a four-game lead heading into the night, it looks like the Celtics will take the Atlantic Division crown this year, completing a dramatic second-half comeback and leaving the Sixers, who led for most of the season, to fight with the Knicks for the last two playoff spots in the Eastern Conference. Of those three teams, only the Sixers are in action tonight, taking on the Magic. There's plenty going on off the court, though, so let's check in with the news from the Eastern seaboard:
- Howard Beck of The New York Times recounts the whirlwind of moves and near-moves that the Celtics and Knicks have endured since they met to open the season.
- Deron Williams can go anywhere he wants this summer as an unrestricted free agent, but he'll be spending part of his time working out with Nets teammate DeShawn Stevenson in New Jersey, writes Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News.
- John Mitchell of the Philadelphia Inquirer believes the Sixers will "work tirelessly" to move Andre Iguodala this summer (Twitter link). That will be a challenge, considering he has a total of $30.623MM left on his contract for two more seasons after this one. Iguodala has an early termination option in the final year of the deal, but it's doubtful he'd turn down the $15.9MM he'd earn that season.
- The Nets get the Rockets' first-round pick this year as long as it's not in the lottery. With Houston teetering on the edge of the Western Conference playoff race, Tim Bontemps of the New York Post takes a look at the chances the Nets will hang on to the selection. For a continuously updated look at the probable draft order, bookmark our draft order tracker.
- Frank Zicarelli of the Toronto Sun looks back at the nearly two years since Mikhail Prokhorov was approved as the Nets owner, and sees no progress toward the championship the Russian billionaire vowed the team would win within five years.
J.J. Hickson on Blazers, Canales, Kings, Future
J.J. Hickson's disappointing performance this season with the Kings surely made GM Geoff Petrie regret trading Omri Casspi and a first-round pick to get him this past offseason. Petrie and company were quick to cut bait, buying him out shortly after the trade deadline. The Blazers swooped in and claimed him off waivers, and in a dozen games with Portland, Hickson has suddenly returned to the form that made him a promising young commodity with the Cavs. He's averaging 13.7 PPG, 7.8 RPG and shooting 55% from the floor, and will see plenty of time down the stretch with LaMarcus Aldridge out. He spoke with Brendan Bowers of Slam Online and shared his thoughts on what's changed since he switched teams, and his upcoming restricted free agency:
- Hickson has indicated before he'd like to remain in Portland, but seemed to express a much stronger desire to do so in his comments to Bowers. "Of course, I would love it," Hickson said of returning to the Blazers. "I’ve been getting some positive feedback from Coach, and from the organization as a whole, and I would love to re-sign here. As far as the guys on the court, as far as my teammates go, we all like each other off the court and we all get along too. Guys hang out off the court, and I think that builds a chemistry that leads to winning basketball. So I would love to come back here, continue to be a Portland Trailblazer, and help be part of something special that we’re building here."
- Hickson harbors no ill will toward the Kings, against whom he scored 10 points and grabbed 13 rebounds in Portland's loss yesterday, saying it just simply wasn't the right fit.
- He credits coach Kaleb Canales and a better mix of personnel with his Portland renaissance. Hickson said a ball-sharing offense and a heavy dose of pick-and-rolls have put him in a position to succeed.
- Hickson also shares how Canales has motivated the entire team. "Coach is a great coach, man," Hickson said. "He’s young and he’s very energetic; he’s just like me. He’s very hands on, but at the same time he’s a great coach who’s going to tell you when you’re messing up, and he’s also going to tell you what you’re doing well. He’s definitely a defensive minded coach too. I’ve only known Coach for a couple weeks or so, but I’ll run through a wall for him already. I think I speak for the whole team when I say that."
Pacific Rumors: Barnes, Kings, Udoh, Hill
Three of the five Pacific Division teams are in action today, as the Clippers and Warriors clash in a matinee while the Suns travel to San Antonio for a game tonight. Let's check the pulse of the Pacific:
- Matt Barnes is in the waning days of his two-year, $3.67MM contract with the Lakers, but his ability to step up while Kobe Bryant has missed games with a shin injury has helped keep the team afloat, write Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Times and Mike Trudell of Lakers.com.
- Kings coach Keith Smart is trying to keep his players focused amidst all the arena-related upheaval in Sacramento, and speaks favorably of the progress center Hassan Whiteside made this year before getting knocked out for the rest of the season with a sprained right ankle, writes Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee. The team must decide by July 15 whether to guarantee his $854K contract for next season.
- Ekpe Udoh was caught off guard when he found out from a television report that the Warriors had dealt him to the Bucks, reports Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press. "Coming off the court in Sacramento, I will never forget seeing on TV that I had been traded," Udoh said. "It's surreal, really. But it's a business, and I got a firsthand glimpse of that. I understand that now, and now I'm with the Bucks, and I'm going to give it my all."
- Tim Griffin of the San Antonio Express-News talked to a few Spurs players who are impressed with the way 39-year-old Grant Hill continues to perform as one of the league's top perimeter defenders for the Suns. Hill will be a free agent this summer.