Atlantic Notes: Leonard, Nets, Horford, Barrett, Raptors
The Raptors’ pitch to Kawhi Leonard to remain with the organization is still being discussed but is near completion, GM Bobby Webster told the Toronto Star’s Doug Smith and other media members. “There’s definitely more (things to be done),” Webster said. “As you can imagine, there are a ton of thoughts and ideas.” Aside from the financial implications — the Raptors can offer their superstar a five-year deal worth nearly $190MM while other suitors can give him a four-year, $140.6MM contract — the organization is expected to emphasize its championship pedigree, the medical staff that earned Leonard’s trust, and a chance to keep winning in familiar surroundings, Smith adds.
We have more from around the Atlantic Division:
- The Nets have continued to clear cap room to sign two high-level free agents and there’s an expectation that this summer will be transformational for the Nets, according to Brian Lewis of The New York Post. Draft-night trades cleared $2MM more in cap room, moving the team within $2MM of landing some combination of Leonard, Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving. GM Sean Marks indicated that going after big fish in free agency is the next logical leap for the franchise.
- Al Horford would be a “no-brainer” free agent target for the Sixers if they don’t re-sign both Tobias Harris and Jimmy Butler, Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer writes. Horford would be a natural fit at power forward alongside Joel Embiid and could play center in games that the oft-injured Embiid sits out, Pompey notes. Horford will decline his $30.1MM player option with the Celtics and pursue a multi-year contract in free agency.
- There were mixed views on R.J. Barrett within the Knicks organization but GM Scott Perry was determined to draft the Duke freshman with the No. 3 pick, according to Marc Berman of the New York Post. Barrett made a strong impression during a June 10 visit with the Knicks. “When we bring guys in, we allowed them to spend time with the front-office staff, coaching and medical staff. It became apparent he was going to be an excellent fit from a culture standpoint,” Perry said. “He did nice things on the court when he worked with coaches. He reaffirmed what we had seen during the college season. … We were comfortable remaining in the draft position at 3.”
- The Raptors had some discussions about moving into the late first round or early second round of the draft but weren’t willing to give up future assets, Blake Murphy of The Athletic tweets.
Central Notes: Dunn, Leuer, Doumbouya, Bucks, J.R. Smith
Bulls executive VP John Paxson insists that Kris Dunn still has a role despite the addition of North Carolina point guard Coby White with the team’s lottery selection, K.C. Johnson of Chicago Tribune reports. “We still value Kris very much,” Paxson said. “But competition is a part of this business. You have to have that. The goal for us is to be deeper, more talented. You see in our game today, the successful teams have versatile rosters. … And, hey, if he comes in, as we hope, in training camp in great shape and ready to roll, he has every chance to earn any spot he wants — just like any of our guys do.”
We have more from the Central Division:
- It’s uncertain whether veteran power forward Jon Leuer will play for the Bucks, Matt Velazquez of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel tweets. Milwaukee traded Tony Snell and its first-round pick to the Pistons for Leuer in an effort to clear cap space. Leuer is in the final year of his contract. GM Jon Horst told Leuer and his agent that he could be included in a future trade, Velazquez adds. Leuer appeared in 41 games last season after injuries limited him to eight games the previous season.
- The Pistons were stunned that forward Sekou Doumbouya slipped just outside the lottery, allowing them to pick him with the No. 15 selection, according to Rod Beard of the Detroit News. The Pistons watched him work out in Dallas but were convinced they had no chance to draft him. “He kept dropping and we had Plan A in place and we didn’t expect him to be there. Then Plan B came into place and it was the best plan of all — because we had him ranked very high on the board,” coach Dwane Casey said. “We were there at the workout in Dallas and we thought we were wasting our time because we saw all the teams in front of us.”
- The Bucks didn’t get any players in the draft but it was for lack of trying, Velazquez reports in another tweet. The Bucks made calls on every second-round pick but didn’t want to give up future picks and discovered that it’s much tougher to simply buy picks now.
- The Cavaliers were unable to unload J.R. Smith on draft night and it’s likely he’ll be waived before his contract becomes fully guaranteed at the end of the month, Joe Vardon of The Athletic reports. Cleveland doesn’t want to go over the luxury-tax line. Acquiring a player on a multi-year contract whose salary pushed them over the line was a deal breaker. Only $3.87MM of Smith’s $15.68MM salary is guaranteed.
Jalen Adams To Receive Exhibit 10 Deal With Pelicans
Undrafted University of Connecticut point guard Jalen Adams will sign an Exhibit 10 contract with the Pelicans, Emiliano Carchia of Sportando tweets.
Adams averaged 16.9 PPG, 4.0 RPG and 3.4 APG during his senior year, which was limited to 26 games due to a knee injury. He posted averages of 18.1/4.2/4.7 in the same categories as a junior. The 6’3” Adams started 99 of 124 career games with the Huskies.
He made the rounds prior to the draft, working out for a number of teams. He’ll look to earn a roster spot with New Orleans during camp.
Western Notes: Dumars, Thompson, Horford, Morris, Zion
The Kings have named former Pistons president of basketball operations Joe Dumars as a special advisor to GM Vlade Divac, according to a team press release. Dumars, who build Detroit’s 2004 championship team, stepped down from his post with the Pistons in April 2014. “Joe and I played together in the league and is a legend in our sport,” Divac said in a press release. “As an experienced and talented basketball executive, I’m excited to have him serve as a special advisor and expert resource for our incredible front office team.”
We have more from the Western Conference:
- Former Sixers forward Hollis Thompson will join the Kings’ summer league team, J.D. Shaw of Hoops Rumors tweets. Thompson hasn’t appeared in an NBA regular-season game since the 2016/17 season, when he played a combined 40 games for Philadelphia and New Orleans.
- While numerous teams and agents believe Celtics big man Al Horford will receive a four-year, $112MM offer in free agency, it won’t be coming from the Mavericks, Marc Stein of the New York Times tweets. Horford will decline his $30.1MM player option and has broken off negotiations with Boston.
- Veteran NBA guard Darius Morris will play for the Spurs’ summer league squad, Shaw reports in another tweet. Morris hasn’t played in an NBA game since the 2014/15 season. He had stints with the Lakers, Sixers, Clippers, Grizzlies and Nets.
- The Pelicans’ top executive, David Griffin, is trying his best to keep the pressure off top pick Zion Williamson. He said on Friday to ESPN”s Malika Andrews and other media members that Williamson doesn’t have the burden of “saving this franchise.” Griffin added that Williamson is not yet the face of the franchise. “This is Jrue Holiday‘s team,” Griffin said. “Zion is going to be learning how to win at a really high level. At some point, if there is a time that the baton gets passed in terms of who is expected to carry us to win games, it will. That is not now.”
Lakers To Pursue Brook Lopez, Jordan?
Could a Brook Lopez-Lakers reunion be in the works? According to ESPN’s Brian Windhorst, it’s possible (hat tip to RealGM).
Windhorst said on an ESPN podcast that the Lakers are interested in bringing in a center, with Lopez and DeAndre Jordan being potential targets on the free agent market.
“The Lakers, I think, are sniffing around (Lopez). I think the Lakers need perimeter players. I think they’re going to have to use their money on perimeter players. I know DeAndre Jordan is a guy on the Lakers’ radar that they’re hoping they may able to get for relatively cheap because he wants to be back in L.A.”
Lopez was one of the biggest bargains in free agency last season after the Lakers let him walk. He signed a one-year, $3.4MM contract with the Bucks and proved to be a great fit for Milwaukee’s scheme. He started 81 games during the regular season and averaged 12.5 PPG, 4.9 RPG and 2.2 BPG while draining 36.5% of his 3-point tries. The previous season, Lopez played 74 games with the Lakers and posted 13.0/4.0/1.3 averages in those categories.
Jordan, the longtime Clippers center, had a disappointing 50-game stay with the Mavericks before he was tossed into the Kristaps Porzingis blockbuster with the Knicks. He started 19 games for New York and averaged 10.9 PPG and 11.4 RPG.
The Lakers have also been linked to Nikola Vucevic, so presumably they’re planning to go very big and use Anthony Davis quite a bit at power forward and LeBron James at small forward.
Pistons Acquire No. 57 Pick Jordan Bone
JULY 7: The Pistons’ deal with the Sixers for Bone’s draft rights is now official, according to the 76ers’ Twitter account.
JUNE 20: The Pistons have agreed to acquire the No. 57 pick from the Sixers and will select Tennessee guard Jordan Bone, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN tweets. The Sixers will receive $2MM and a 2024 second-rounder that the Heat owed the Pistons in return for Bone, Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer tweets.
Bone averaged 13.5 PPG and 5.8 APG in his final college year with the Vols.
The 6’3” Bone gives the Pistons more depth at the point guard position. Ish Smith, who backed up Reggie Jackson in recent years, will be an unrestricted free agent this summer.
Knicks Trade With Kings, Select Brazdeikis
JUNE 21: The deal is now official, per a press release from the Kings.
JUNE 20: The Knicks acquired the No. 47 pick from the Kings and selected University of Michigan forward Ignas Brazdeikis, Shams Charania of The Athletic tweets.
Sacramento received the No. 55 pick in the draft and cash, Steve Popper of Newsday tweets. The Kings used the No. 55 pick on Kyle Guy.
Brazdeikis was an early-entry prospect who left the Wolverines after one season. The stretch four averaged 14.8 PPG and 5.4 RPG. Brazdeikis’ representatives had pegged him to go anywhere from 20-40 early in the draft process, so he lasted a little longer than anticipated.
Warriors Acquire No. 39 Pick, Select Smailagic
11:13pm: The trade is now official. The Warriors gave New Orleans second-round picks in 2021 and 2023 and cash, Mark Medina of the San Jose Mercury News tweets.
10:43pm: The Warriors acquired the rights to the No. 39 pick from the Pelicans and selected Alen Smailagic, Shams Charania of The Athletic tweets.
The Pelicans received two future second-rounders and cash in the trade, Will Guillory of The Athletic tweets.
This was an unusual case of Golden State gaining the rights to a player it had on its G League team last season.
The Serbian power forward played for Santa Cruz but wasn’t draft-eligible until this year. He was shut down early in the pre-draft process and stashed in Serbia from the rest of the NBA. He averaged 9.1 PPG and 4.1 RPG in 17.4 MPG over 47 G League appearances, mostly off the bench.
Clippers Acquire No. 27 Pick, Select Kabengele
JUNE 21: This deal is now official, according to the Nets, who used the No. 56 pick to select Jaylen Hands.
JUNE 20: The Clippers acquired the No. 27 overall pick from the Nets and selected Florida State center Florida State’s Mfiondu Kabengele, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter links).
The Nets acquired a 2020 first-round pick that the Sixers owed the Clippers plus the 56th pick in tonight’s draft, Wojnarowski adds in another tweet. Philadelphia sent that pick to the Clippers in the Tobias Harris trade. That pick is protected for selections 1-14 in 2020, 1-14 in 2021 and 1-14 in 2022 and converts into two second-rounders if the pick isn’t conveyed by 2022.
Brooklyn opened up more cap room to pursue two high-level free agents this summer.
The 6’10” Kabengele averaged 13.2 PPG, 5.9 RPG and 1.5 BPG last season.
Sixers Acquire No. 20 From Celtics For Nos. 24, 33
JUNE 21: The trade is now official, per an NBA press release.
JUNE 20: The Celtics and Sixers have agreed on a draft-night trade, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, who reports (via Twitter) that Philadelphia is acquiring the No. 20 pick and using it to draft Washington forward Matisse Thybulle.
In exchange for the pick, Boston will acquire the 24th and 33rd overall selections from the 76ers.
The Sixers had made a promise to Thybulle with the No. 24 pick, Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer tweets. They apparently had concerns another team also had their eyes on Thybulle, whom O’Connor notes is a multi-positional defender who can blend his offensive game with Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid. Thybulle, a senior 6’5” guard, averaged a modest 9.1 PPG in his final college season. However, his defensive stats were impressive, as he averaged 3.5 SPG and 2.3 BPG.
He averaged 11.2 PPG as a junior.
The trade at least temporarily gave the Celtics three first-round selections.